#Her nephews on the other hand can go fu-

[bet-on-me-13]

Ellie as the Speedforce, with a twist

So, we all know the common trope of Ellie being the Ancient of the Speedforce right? The idea that Ellie is the Living Concept of the Speedforce, and chooses her Avatars by basically just adopting some people as her Kids.

But how would the Negative Speed Force work? As far as I know the Negative Speed Force is an entirely separate type of power than what the others have, so what gives?

Well, Ellie does have a Brother...

(Spoilers for A Glitch in Time, you have been warned)

So, if you have read A Glitch In Time, you would know that Dan was placed into a New Body when he was captured, so he could be raised by Vlad.

Well, that Body was an unused Clone of Danny.

Who else is a Clone of Danny? Ellie. Dan is now Ellie's Brother.

And as such, he decided to mess with his sister by choosing his own Avatars with his own Speedforce. He adopted all of the Evil Speedsters and gave them their powers to mess with his little sister (no he doesn't care that she was technically made first, his Soul is way older than hers!)

Edit: Just realized that I forgot to say, Ellie is the Speedforce and Dan is the Negative Speed Force that Reverse Flash uses. How did I forgot to write down the MAIN IDEA OF THE PROMPT? idk, it was 3 am

He is kind of sad when some of his Avatars kill some of hers, but he makes it up to her by finding their souls in the Realms and bringing them to her so she can resurrect them.

Just a random idea I had, thoughts?

[necromancer-4-hire]

Rashid: The bride of Shinnok and mother of Tiberius

Height: 5' 2"

Weight: 151 lbs

Originally I got rid of her original story because I didn't think her story was any good but she is my character and I can't help but love her.

Rashid is a C rank kombatant. Her go to weapon is a wrist scythe that she uses for close kombat. She does have some skill in necromancy but it's limited due to Shinnok's desire.

I think it's head canon that Shinnok wouldn't want a mate as strong as him. I just see him wanting to be needed. It might seem selfish but he has needs too.

Good qualities: Not afraid to get her hands dirty. Rashid will sometimes assist the revenants with the mundane tasks Shinnok and Quan Chi make them do. It irritates Shinnok sometimes but it can also be a breath of fresh air.

Acknowledges that Shinnok is evil as hell but loves him anyway.

Cons/flaws: Moody and sometimes just needs time alone. She doesn't take her frustration on Shinnok; she did that once.

Once was all it took to learn her lesson.

Not the brightest puddle of lava. Just look at the statue of Shinnok in the main hall. It wasn't built in a day but it was destroyed within 5 minutes.

Fun facts: Rashid hates Kronika

Kronika hates Rashid.

Shinnok thinks it's fucking hilarious.

Kronika has tried multiple times to erase her from existence.

" This bitch is in every timeline! What was he thinking?!"

Rashid actually broke one of the Time coils in Kronika's keep. Since then their relationship has been non-existent.

Cetrion doesn't really have a problem with Rashid. The fact that she gave Shinnok a son, Tiberius, and her a nephew is good enough.

Where did she come from?

Shinnok captured a bunch of mortals when they invaded Earthrealm as a big FU to Raiden.

One of the mortals had a last request before execution. The revenants didn't know what it was but went along and it. The mortal kissed Lord Shinnok and gave him tongue.

Shinnok acted disgusted but in reality he just liked the situation and decided to keep her around.

1 year later Tiberius was born.

Shinnok and Rashid butt head's sometimes but at the end of the day they're okay with each other.

[pynkhues]

Are you going to see The challengers thoughts on the trailer?

Yeah, I'm planning on it, anon! It actually came out last Thursday here, but my sister and little nephews are staying with me, so Kung Fu Panda 4 has been booked in for my weekly cinema slot, haha.

I haven't been sold on the trailer tbh, but I really like the cast a lot, and am excited by the good reviews! It sounds like a fun premise - throuples, duelling timelines and women puppeteering is always up my alley - so I'm hoping for the best and aiming to see it Tuesday week.

As an aside too, I'm really loving that Zendaya's gone the route she has in getting her team to scour The Blacklist for a script and approach a director like Luca Guadagnino to make a star vehicle for her. It feels old Hollywood! Too often these days actors try to write and/or direct star vehicles for themselves, and it almost always ends in disaster. For her to take her career into her own hands not by trying to (or thinking she can) do everything herself, but by seeking out, and surrounding herself with (and in turn, uplifting!) other talented people - - that's the way a healthy industry does and should work.

So yes! I hope it is a movie star vehicle for her, and I hope a lot of other creative people get lifted up in the process.

[babeyvenus]

My Future

Derek Hale x OC

Samantha, Stiles and Scott are always joking about the impossible. Who wouldn't when your best friend's dad is the sheriff of Beacon Hills? All jokes stop when they realize the impossible is indeed possible.

Chapter 21: Traps and Reunions

Currently, Stiles, Derek, and Scott were standing over maps of the abandoned bank as Sam glanced out the huge window. They were losing time. Quick.

If there was a chance Erica and Boyd were alive, now was the time to take it, but this planning is going slow.

"Can we fit in there?", Scott asked, looking at the blueprints in confusion. "Yes, we can but very, very barely. Also they patched the wall, obviously so we're—"

"You're making this more difficult than it has to be. We're on a time crunch here.", Sam says, turning to Stiles.

"Sam, if you'd let me finish. As I was saying, we're going to need a drill of some kind. I'm thinking maybe a diamond bit—"

"Look, forget the drill.", Derek interrupted, making Stiles frown. "Sorry?"

"If I go in first, how much space do I have?", Derek asked.

Stiles stood up straight. "Wha-what do you think you're gonna do, Derek? You gonna punch through the wall?"

"Yes, Stiles. I'm going to punch through the wall.", Derek smiled, crossing his arms. Me and Peter smiled at the interaction. "Okay, big guy. Let's see it. Let's see that fist. Big ol' fist. Make it, come on, get it out there. Don't be scared.", Stiles encouraged.

Derek lifted his fist, shaking his head at Sam, making her giggle. "Big, bad wolf! Yeah, look at that." Stiles grabbed Derek's fist.

"Stiles," Sam warned with a smile. 

Stiles put his hand straight a few inches away from Derek's. "Okay, see this? That's maybe three inches of room to gather enough force to punch through solid c—"

Derek punched Stiles' hand, making the boy recoil and slam against the table.

"Aaah.", Stiles cried, crawling away from Derek. "You can do it."

"I'll get through the wall. Who's following me down?", Derek asked, eyes revolving around the room. "I can.", Sam quickly raised her hand.

"No.", Derek and Scott simultaneously said, turning to Sam. She gaped at them. "Really?"

"You're not coming.", Derek refused. "Really? Who's gonna help you? Sheriff Jr or the psycho?", Sam challenged.

Derek raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms as he glanced at his uncle. Sam looked at Derek in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

Peter shook his head. "Don't look at me. I'm not up to fighting speed yet.", Peter surrendered. "But you were okay with killing not too long ago.", Sam said. Peter ignored her. "With Isaac out of commission, you're not looking at very good odds for yourself."

"So I'm just supposed to let them die?", Derek looked at his uncle in disbelief. "One of them is already dead.", Peter countered.

"Can someone kill him again please?", Stiles asked. "I second that.", Sam says. "Derek, seriously? Not worth the risk." Peter crossed his arms over his chest.

"We don't know that.", Derek denied.

Peter frowned at his nephew. "Do I have to remind you what we're up against here? A pack of Alphas. All of them. Killers. And if that's not enough to scare your testicles back into your stomach, try to remember that two of them combine their bodies to form one giant Alpha."

Peter looked away. "I'm sure Erica and Boyd are sweet kids and they are going to be missed."

"What about you?", Derek asked Scott.

"Yeah, if you want me to co—" Stiles began.

"Not you.", Derek shook his head.

"Scott.", Stiles nodded and turned to his best friend.

"I don't know about Erica, but if Boyd's still alive we gotta do something. We've got to try."

"But?", Derek pressed.

"Who's the other girl? The one locked in there with Boyd?"

"If we knew that then this wouldn't be an added problem.", Sam frowned.

Scott and Derek left Sam with the other two, waiting and pacing as they were on the mission.

"I can't take waiting around like this. It's nerve wracking. My nerves are wracked! They're severely wracked!", Stiles fidgeted by the window watching the full moon.

Derek put Sam under surveillance of his uncle to make sure Sam didn't go out and try to crash the Alphas' bank hideout with him and Scott. Peter and Sam were sitting on the couch, Sam sitting on the arm of the couch, that is.

"I could beat you unconscious and wake you when it's over.", Peter calmly suggested.

"And I'd whoop your ass right after.", Sam says, tilting her head to the side as a challenge.

"Do you think Erica's really dead?"

"Do you think I really care?", Peter retorted.

"I just don't understand the bank though. Like why, why wouldn't they chain them up in some underground lair or something! They're an Alpha pack, shouldn't they have a lair?", Stiles continued.

"Stiles, they're werewolves. This isn't a James Bond movie.", Sam says, confused.

But one thing did bother her. Peter said both of them would be dead by tonight. 

"Wait a sec! Maybe they're living there! You know, like maybe the bank vault reminds them of their little wolf dens!", Stiles exclaimed. Sam looked at him with furrowed eyebrows.

"Wolf dens…?", Peter and Sam said at the same time.

"Yeah! Wolf dens!" Stiles repeated. "Where do you live?", Stiles asked Peter.

"In an underground network of caves deep in the woods."

"Wow, really?", Stiles asked, astonished.

"No, you idiot. I have an apartment downtown."

"Shocking.", Sam commented. Peter rolled his eyes, leaning his head back and closed his eyes.

"Still! That proves that there's something up with the bank! And why wait around for the full moon. Why not just kill them whenever they want to.", Stiles pressed.

"Maybe they think it's poetic.", Peter suggested, his eyes still closed.

"They've already had three full moons to be poetic.", Stiles clarified. What was the place made out of anyway? How come Erica and Boyd couldn't find their way out of an old, abandoned bank? Sam got up and walked to the table, flipping through the blueprints.

"And here you've only had one full hour to be so annoy—" Peter stopped mid sentence.

"No, no finish what you're saying. I'm annoy- what were you going to say there?", Stiles wondered.

"There are no windows in vaults, right?", Sam asked, looking at the blueprints.

Peter looked at Sam and his eyes widened a bit as he sat up. "What were the walls made of?", he asked.

"I don't know like, wood and brick—"

"No, the vault, what were the walls made of?", Peter rushed over to Sam and started rummaging through Stiles' papers. "It doesn't say it. Where would it say it? The materials? The type of stone?", Peter muttered.

Sam's heart dropped in realization. "What if they knew?"

They both looked at her. "What if who knew?", Stiles asked, confused.

"What if the Alphas somehow knew we'd—Scott and Derek—would come and save Boyd and Erica, or—or the other girl in there."

"How would they know?"

"It's kinda what happens when you have people that are held hostage, Stiles. There's always a catch. They're always one step ahead." Sam says, looking at the papers.

"They knew Derek wouldn't just leave his betas to die. What if they knew we were looking for them all summer? They didn't bother showing themselves for a reason. They wanted us to relax and lower our guards.", Sam says, dropping the papers.

"Sam, that's crazy.", Stiles disagreed.

"No, it's not.", Peter shook his head, coming to a realization. "No, no. It's all starting to make sense. When Deucalion said both of them would be dead by the full moon, he meant it. If he wanted to kill Boyd and the other girl, he would have on the full moons already. He doesn't want them dead…he wants Derek and Scott!"

"It was a trap. Oh my God," Sam panicked and ran out of the loft.

She sped to the abandoned bank vault and found her way in, climbing on the fire escape. 

After finding an opened air conditioning vent, she crawled to the sound of loud growls and yells. She jumped out and found the huge hole Derek had created with his fist.

She entered the room filled with ravenous, bloodthirsty wolves. Sam spotted an unfamiliar dark-haired girl then saw Boyd, and finally Scott.

They were in the middle of a fight which bothered her. Why was Boyd's attacks so ravenous? So primitive? If Boyd was kept in here for so long, he wasn't gonna be able to think straight, much less fight off his werewolf instincts.

Scott jumped on top of Boyd, and they were snarling at each other. Sam couldn't find Derek. 

She looked around and found him pressed up against a wall staring out at the fight.

"Derek!", Sam yelled, making him look over at her.

"Sam?", Derek exclaimed, shocked.

Scott shoulder rammed Boyd, knocking him out. 

Scott and Sam ran over to Derek as he pushed the girl off of him and they backed against the stonewall.

"You know her?", Scott asked Derek, who seemed shocked and out of it. "She's my sister! My younger sister!", Derek panted, bewildered.

"What the hell is she doing here?", Scott asked.

"Like I have a clue, I thought she was dead!", Derek cried.

"What the hell are you doing here?", Scott asked Sam. Before she could answer, the open vault door revealed Allison.

"What the hell is she doing here?", Sam groaned.

"Look out!", Allison warned Scott. Scott was thrown across the room several times by Boyd. Derek's sister came towards them and Sam raised her hands to her, stopping her in place.

"What're you doing!?", Derek rushed to defend her.

"You wanna get your throat slashed!?", Sam yelled, keeping the girl from attacking them. Derek watched in shock as Sam kept his baby sister in place without touching her. What was happening?

Sam looked over at Allison who crouched to the floor and stared at a line of black surrounding the room. Her eyes widened. Mountain ash. 

Derek caught on to Sam's gaze and his eyes widened at Allison. He roared, "No, don't break the seal!"

"Don't you fucking dare, Allison!", Sam yelled. 

"Boyd!", Allison shouted, getting the vicious wolf's attention away from Scott. She parted the line and Boyd dropped Scott to the ground. The two uncontrollable werewolves finally run out. Sam rushed towards Allison.

"Don't touch her!", Scott bellowed as Sam grabbed Allison by her shirt. Scott and Derek rushed out of the vault.

"What the fuck were you thinking?", Derek yelled.

"I had to do something!", she defended herself.

"She saved our lives.", Scott said. Sam glared at Scott before glaring at Allison. "Okay, so what're you gonna do now that you let ravaging werewolves loose!? How're you gonna save other people's lives now?"

She slapped Sam's hand off. "You want to blame me? Well, I'm not the one who's turning teenagers into killers.", she shouted, pointedly at Derek.

"No, that's just the rest of your family.", Derek growled.

"I made mistakes." Allison admitted. "But Gerard is not my fault."

"Okay, so what about your mom?", Sam asked. Allison's brows furrowed.

"What do you mean?", she looked at Sam in confusion. Derek and Sam looked at Scott. "You better tell her. Tell her or I will. You don't want me to do that.", Sam threatened Scott.

"What does she mean, Scott?" Allison's eyes bounced from Sam to Scott. "What does she mean?"

Sam didn't care at this point. Every Argent was batshit crazy out of their minds. It was tiring.

Sam shook her head as she walked away before Scott could even explain. She tried to look for an exit. Instead of that, her nose burned at the scent of ammonia.

Who would need ammonia…? Why? The only reason someone would need ammonia, and so much ammonia was to clean something.

And something was definitely cleaned. 

Sam slowly walked towards a supply closet and opened the door. She lifted her hand to the closet wall to feel for a light switch. Nothing.

She took her phone out of her pocket, flashing her flashlight around the room. She looked down and nearly dropped her phone in shock.

"Oh, fuck.", she whimpered, running over to the slumped, dead body of Erica. Her head hung limp. Her skin was pale but covered in dirt. Her blonde curls were matted with blood and dirt.

Sam crouched beside her, her hands trembling and hovering over her as she looked at her. She pushed a piece of bloody blonde hair out of her dead face, taking in her sunken face.

"I'm so fucking sorry.", Sam whimpered. She shook her head, her eyes filling with tears as she lifted a purple illuminated hand and pressed it against her chest. She could feel every speck of pain that her body took. It was dull, but it was still there.

Sam bit her lip as she heard heavy footsteps behind her. She didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. As Erica's body illuminated in the same light, Sam removed her hand from her chest, dispersing the light from both her hand and Erica's body, letting Sam know her spirit had passed on.

Sam lowered her eyes. She couldn't imagine how scared she must've felt. They were almost friends at one point. Sam felt bad for her with all the times she had gotten bullied, and even stood up for her when she could. They butted heads, but she never actually hated her.

She was annoying because she got cocky due to Derek's bite, but she genuinely wasn't a bad person. She was a victim, just like all of them.

Sam stood and finally looked at Derek's broken expression. "They're gonna pay for this.", she reassured, walking out of the closet.

"Yes, Derek, I know. Yes, he's with me. Okay, bye.", Sam sat in her car and hung up her phone, setting it in her middle console. She wiped her eyes just as Isaac got in her car. He looked at her. "You found her, huh…?", he asked, as he sat in. Sam nodded. "I'm sorry about her. I know you two were friends."

"I've lost people before.", Isaac shrugged, looking at his lap. "You shouldn't have to get used to that, though.", Sam says.

He turns to her. "Neither should you. Or any of us, but… y'know."

"Do you need to talk about it? I'm probably not the most reliable person to vent to, but anything is something.", Sam says.

He shook his head but gave her a smile. "I'll save that for later." They pulled off and arrived at the area Derek told them to meet.

They stepped out of her car and into the woods. Sam looked around and noticed Isaac tilting his head.

"What?", Sam asks.

"I can hear them.", he said and darted off.

"Isaac!", Sam yelled, raising her arms and letting them slap her thighs in disbelief. "Really?"

Sam ran after him, finding the sounds of two growling werewolves becoming louder and louder. She hid behind a tree and watched. The three wolves and Sam met in the middle of the woods. After letting the other three know that she saw Derek's sister and Boyd head north, Scott got a phone call from Stiles. Lydia had found a dead body floating in a pool.

"This doesn't make any sense. The public pools all the way on the other side of the woods. We haven't tracked them anywhere near there.", Derek grumbled, frustrated.

"Derek, they killed someone.", Sam says, regardless.

"How are they moving so fast?", Derek huffed. 

"Derek!"

"They can't be that fast on foot!", Derek exclaimed.

"Derek, they killed someone!", Scott said and sighed. "Some totally innocent kid is dead. And it's our fault."

"It's my fault.", Derek corrected.

"It's no one's fault. We are not playing the blame game here.", Sam turned to Scott. "What if Derek's right? They're not driving a car; we've been tracking them the whole time and you guys aren't even that fast."

"It was them, Sam! Don't try to defend him.", Scott growled. Sam tilted her head at him, challenging him. "Like you constantly defended Allison? Okay."

Scott rolled his eyes. "Regardless, we need help."

"We have Isaac.", Derek assured.

"I mean real help." Scott retorted. Derek, Isaac, and I looked at Scott in disbelief.

"They're too fast for us. For all of us: too strong, too rabid.", Scott described.

"We'll catch 'em.", Derek declared.

"And what happens then? They're not gonna wanna listen right now. You guys need a plan.", Sam says.

"Maybe it would be easier just to kill them.", Derek quietly realized. "You're willing to kill your sister who you just found out was alive?", Sam asked. He looked at her with a conflicted expression. 

"Killing them isn't the right thing to do.", Scott disagreed.

"Neither is getting killed, so a plan, please.", Sam pressed.

"What if it's the only thing to do?", Isaac spoke up. "If we can't even catch them, what else do we do?"

"Find someone who knows what they're doing.", Scott said. 

"Who?", Derek asked, tilting his head in confusion. Sam looked at Scott in realization. "No. Absolutely not.", Sam tells Scott.

"We're gonna need him.", he says. Sam frowns, frustrated.

Derek drove Isaac, and Sam and parked her car in the parking lot of Beacon Hills Food Market as they watched the ex hunter in the shadows.

"I fucking hate this plan.", Sam muttered, crossing her arms.

"Do you think this is gonna work?", Isaac asked, watching Chris quickly pull out a gun on Scott.

"Nope.", Derek rolled his eyes. "Yeah, me neither.", Isaac agreed.

"Scott…", Sam sighed, shaking her head.

"So, your uh, your sister." Isaac started. Derek and Sam slowly turned to glare at Isaac, who was leaning on the center console. "Sorry, uh, it's bad timing. I'm sorry."

They turned back to the males in front of them, shaking their heads.

Why was he so curious? "I'll ask later, it's fine.", Isaac said. Derek slowly turned his head back, narrowing his eyes at Isaac.

"Or never.", Isaac nodded, sitting back.

"Just… don't.", Sam says. She sighed as Scott wasn't getting anywhere.

"Always the hard way.", Sam muttered, getting out of the car. When Scott noticed her walking up, he tensed.

"Figures you're here too.", Chris says, catching her.

"Nice to see you too.", Sam sarcastically remarked.

"What are you doing here, Samantha?", Chris asked, tired.

"I can't come shopping here anymore?", Sam asked, shrugging. 

Chris rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you're here to try to convince me to help."

"Yeah, well.", Sam shrugged.

"What would make me want to help you? You hurt my daughter. You made her cry."

"Your daughter shot me before I was even bit, tried to do it again and tried to stab me. I've hardly returned the favor.", Sam sneered. "You're worried about her crying when she just let Boyd and Derek's sister roam wild. They're gonna kill a few innocent people. How about you get with the program on that one?"

He shook his head. "You two can deal with it on your own. I'm done with the supernatural."

"Nice to know Argents will forever have blood on their hands.", Sam says, walking back to her car.

After Scott's begging, Chris Argent decided to help them. Chris gave them a little lesson on werewolves and how to trap them. From then on, they formed a plan on trapping them at school at night, down in the boiler room.

"These are ultrasonic emitters.", Chris jammed the metal device in the ground. "It's one of the tools we use to corral werewolves, pushing them into a direction we want them to run." Chris pressed the button on the top of the device, a smirk forming on his lips. "They let out a high-pitched frequency that only they can hear."

Sam heard a dull buzz in her ears but looked at the three other wolves who were covering their ears in pain.

"Okay!", Derek yelled. "You've proved your point!", Scott hissed.

"So it's a bigger dog whistle.", Sam says, looking at the device. 

"To say the least.", Chris shrugged, taking them to his trunk and giving the four of us the contraptions.

"These are going to drive them to the school?", Scott asked.

"And it's up to you to get them into the basement.", Chris nodded. Sam took one, looking at it.

"Does anyone else want to rethink the plan where we just kill them?", Isaac suggested. Sam looked at Isaac, unamused. "Stop while you're ahead."

"How about we just rethink the plan where we go to the school at night?", Sam says, looking at the males before her. They looked at her in confusion. What better time would it be to do it than now?

"Last time we went to the school at night, someone got stabbed in the back, flung to a brick wall and we ended up getting chased almost the entire night because someone didn't know how loud their howl was gonna be.", Sam said, pointedly at Scott and Derek, making them frown. "It's a plan, but not the best plan."

"It's going to work.", Scott promised. Derek looked at him, unsure. "It'll work.", Scott reassured him.

"We don't have much of a choice right now.", Sam says.

Sam found a spot to place her emitter in the ground before riding to the school. Chris arrived shortly. Scott jogged up to them while Chris looked up towards the sky, an eyebrow raised. 

"Do you see that?", he asked. Scott and Sam followed his gaze. He was staring at a firefly, hovering next to a tree.

"Have you never seen a firefly before?", Sam asked, confused. "No, no. I have, I just…", Chris seemed unsure. 

"What?", Scott asked.

"It's uh, it's very unusual. The, uh, California fireflies aren't bioluminescent.", Chris says. I looked confused. "What firefly doesn't glow?", Sam asked, walking up to the bug as it flickered.

"Does that mean something?", Scott asked as they continued to stare at the flickering bug. Before Chris could answer, they could hear howls off in the distance, the sound getting closer.

"And they're here. Go help Derek and Isaac.", Sam tells Scott. He ran off.

"Get in my car.", Chris demanded, and Sam sighed and complied, sitting in his car as he drove recklessly through the empty school parking lot.

They found Isaac, Boyd and Cora snarling a few feet away from him.

"Shit…  they're gonna fight.", Sam says.

"Come on!" Chris groaned, punching on the horn. Once the headlights of Chris' Toyota illuminated the two crazed werewolves, they scattered. Chris and Sam ran out of the car and reached Scott, who just arrived at the scene.

"They're not going through the school.", Scott realized.

"They're going over it.", Sam muttered as Boyd and Cora jumped on the roof. They needed to think of a new plan.

"The rear doors, someone needs to get them open."

"I'm on it.", Sam ran off.

"Sam, don't!", Scott yelled. Sam yelled over her shoulder, "We don't have time!"

She made her way to the back doors and swung the first one open. Derek ended up getting the second. They nodded at each other before getting defensive as they heard growls. Derek took off in a sprint with Sam following.

They caught the attention of the two angry wolves in a hallway. Derek slammed Cora into a locker then threw her across the floor. Boyd snarled at Sam. Sam raised her hands, pushing their shadows backwards, making his dark follower tug him back against the lockers.

As he was stunned, Sam ran to the Janitor's closet nearby and ran in. Boyd tried to follow but Derek intervened and pushed him back.

Sam panted heavily as she ran to Derek. She thought of leading them to the boiler room. It was their only choice.

"Hey, bring your claws out.", Sam tells Derek as they backed away from the stabling wolves. He looked at her in bewilderment. "Just trust me on this one. Now.", Sam says.

He did and Sam took a clawed finger, piercing her palm, wincing as Derek snatched his hand back in shock. What the hell was she doing?

Sam whistled at Boyd. "Hey, Boyd!", Sam called, waving her bloody hand in the air. Boyd growled at her and Derek seemed to catch on. "C'mon!", he yelled as they ran off.

Sam ran down the hallway and the first door to the downstairs boiler room. She slathered her bloody palm on the walls as she ran down the stairs. Scott met up with Sam, confused as he smelled her blood.

"Scott, go get Derek.", Sam told him as she ran downstairs.

She yanked open the steel door that led to the basement and hid herself in the back of it, wrapping her hand with her sleeve to stop the bleeding as she calmed her breathing.

She could hear Derek and Scott charge down the stairs with the other two wolves following them. She could hear bellowing growls and roars as she came out from her hiding spot. Derek and Scott ran back up the stairs to where she was, and slammed the door shut.

Derek locked its latch and held the door as the two ravenous wolves pounded on the other side and they backed up.

"Did that actually just work?", Scott asked in disbelief. Derek looked at Sam with a proud look. "It did."

Sam backed up to a wall, and slumped against it, tired. "I wanna go home.", Sam whined. Derek and Sam looked at Scott in confusion as he tilted his head.

"What are you hearing?" Derek asked.

"Heartbeats.", Scott answered.

"Both of them?", Derek asked.

"Actually…three of them.", Scott turned around with wide eyes. Sam got up. "What the hell do you mean three??"

Derek's head tilted as he listened in too, frowning as he sighed. "There's three heartbeats in there, Sam.", Scott exclaimed. The three of them fell into a silence as they looked around frantically.

Derek walked forward and leaned against the door.

"What are you doing?", Sam asked him.

"Close the door behind me and keep it shut, Scott.", Derek ordered, solemnly. 

"Y-You can't go there alone.", Scott disagreed.

"You're not going in there at all.", Sam agreed. "Derek, whatever you're thinking, stop, okay? They're not thinking straight right now." He was silent for another few seconds.

"Which is exactly why I'm going in there. Alone. Boyd's my beta. Cora's my sister. I'm responsible.", he yanked the door open, closing it behind him as Scott quickly locked it.

"Derek, no!", Sam yelled, but it was too late. Sam ran up to the door, but Scott pulled her away. "Scott, stop him!", Sam exclaimed, trying to push past her friend.

Immediately, loud snarls and roars erupted and none of them sounded like they belonged to Derek.

"Scott, we have to help him!", Sam yelled. Scott jumped at one of the roars. "They're gonna kill him…!", Sam whimpered. 

"They'll kill you.", Scott said, holding her tighter as he heard more growls and roars. They weren't thinking. They were gonna kill him and they weren't gonna be aware of it. She was sure of it.

No sounds came from Derek as Sam silently cried in Scott's chest.

"Scott! Scott, the suns coming up!", Isaac screamed from upstairs, running down to them.

Scott looked up and loosened his grip on Sam which gave her a chance to break free and yank open the door.

She ran down the stairs and saw a torn-up Derek on his knees with the two wolves passed out on the ground. There was blood splattered everywhere, and Derek was almost drowned in it.

She ran over to him as he looked up, much to her relief. "There's a teacher…I'll take care of her…", he rasped.  "Get them out of here."

As Isaac and Scott went for the two other betas, she fell on her knees, wrapping Derek in her arms. She could feel the tiredness washing over him as he tried to push on.

She glanced at his bloody face as he looked back up at her through his tired, green eyes. "The teacher.", he weakly mumbled against her shoulder. The third heartbeat...?

"Whoever it is can wait.", Sam said, holding him up. "I told you, don't be a hero.", Sam scolded lightly. "I'm okay…", Derek reassured, his eyes fluttering. "I need to make sure she is too."

Sam helped Derek stand, careful of his wounds.

"What happened to hardass, "get over it" Derek?", Sam joked. He gave her a half smile. "Still here.", he said, purposefully leaning his whole weight on her.

Sam gave a watery chuckle as she pushed him up, helping him out of the boiler. 

Derek carefully walked over to the supply room and opened the gate. She followed, but she let him walk in first. Behind the metal shelves was Ms. Blake. Sam backed away as Derek walked over to go help the woman. He reached a handout to her, and she took it, helping her up.

She looked at him in adoration and Sam finally came around the corner. Ms. Blake's eyes widened. 

"Sam?", she looked shocked. "What are you— what are you doing here?"

"Stayed after school.", Sam shrugged. Before the teacher could ask or say anything, Sam got a call from Stiles which was a relief.

"What's up?", Sam answered.

"They found a body. It's um, it's Heather's.", Sam's wide eyes glanced at Derek. So, it wasn't Boyd and Cora…

Three days passed and things seemed to have calmed down.

That meant Derek had to stay on house arrest until he was completely healed. And so did Ms. Blake. The students ended up having a sub for the past two days, and he told them that Ms. Blake went out of town, but she'd be back today.

Which worried Sam. If she saw what she thinks she saw… who'd she go and tell…?

Sam decided to get to school earlier to confront her… well not confront but more of ask her. Out of concern of course.

Even with the silence of the school halls, Sam felt like she was being watched. It bothered her. She shouldn't have to keep looking over her shoulder. Who's gonna be here at 7 in the morning to watch her anyways? 

Turning around, she frowned, but felt relief to see Derek behind her. "Why do you do that?", Sam asks him.

"What are you doing here?", he ignored her question. 

"Uh, I go here?", Sam says. He frowned. "Sam," Derek crossed his arms.

"Why are you here? You don't go here anymore.", Sam says. Derek shook his head. Why was she deflecting? "You came to talk to her.", Derek said.

"And you weren't curious?", Sam asked, crossing her arms. "We can't just let her go around, not understanding what's going on. Like you told me, this isn't something to go and ramble about so I'm making sure she knows that.", Sam says.

Derek rolled his eyes, remembering his own words. Of course, she'd use them against him. "I came to see if she was okay.", he said. Sam let out a playful groan. "You're not a bad ass anymore.", she joked, grinning and making him shake his head with a half smile. "Let's go." 

"She's not here yet.", Derek said.

"So?", Sam shrugged and he followed. She managed to get a door open and got them both in. Sam set her stuff at her desk and sat in the back of the classroom.

Ms. Blake ran into her classroom and let out a sigh of relief as she locked the door. Her head pressed up against the door window and she stayed with her back to the two for a few seconds.

Sam looked at Derek with a shrug as he looked at her in confusion. Derek turned back to the woman. Was she always unaware of her surroundings? Ms. Blake, then turned around and let out a loud shriek when she saw Derek and Sam.

Sam gave her a wave. "Hi~"

Ms. Blake reached over her desk and grabbed a wooden pointer. Derek almost snorted, amused. "What do you want? You want to threaten me? Tell me no one's gonna believe me? Try to scare me?", she whispered, "kill me?"

Sam raised a finger and Derek stepped in front of her. "Before she says anything stupid, I— we….were going to see if you were okay.", Derek softly said. 

Sam looked at him in confusion. When was he this soft with anyone??

"Physically or emotionally?", Ms. Blake asked, staring at Derek. Derek continued to cautiously step up to her. "Though I guess that presupposes I was emotionally okay before any of this and according to my therapist that's been debatable for a long time.", she said, making Derek smile at her so softly.

Sam watched as he gently took the pointer away from Ms. Blake. "I think you're going to be okay.", Derek assured.

"Obviously you never taught high school.", she joked. "In 20 minutes, I have to start two dozen teenagers on The Crucible and I have honestly no idea what I'm going to say."

"Well, some of us don't really pay attention anyways.", Sam says, chuckling and earning a glare from Derek.

"She means why don't you start off with telling them that it's an allegory for McCarthyism.", Derek said. Sam frowned. 

Derek handed the pointer back to Ms. Blake, walking past her and to the doorframe.

"Who are you?", she asked. "Jennifer.", she introduced herself. 

"Derek Hale.", Derek responded before leaving. Sam and Ms. Blake sat in silence. What the hell was that?

[drwcn]

《 Without Envy 》 storyboard 10 - concubine/sleeper agent!wwx & prince!lwj

Other snippets and storyboards can be found on [Master List]

Exactly 851 days - 2 years, 4 months and 11 days - after Wei Wuxian arrived at Gusu and began his mission as a sleeper agent, he was activated.

That chilly morning, he walked into the pastry shop - a front maintained by a decade-long Wen spy - a walk he'd done hundred of times on hundreds of mornings since he arrived. He breezed past the packaging counter, skipped through the faded cotton drapes, and rounded behind the back staircase to the room where Xue Yang always waited for him. Only this time, it was not just his candy-obsessed, murder-happy shidi, but a face he hadn't seen in many, many months. "...Shifu?" Wen Zhuliu's visit meant the end of his carefree days. It's time. That night, Wei Wuxian did not look at either Lan Wangji or Jiang Yanli when he bid "dianxia" and "Jiang-zhuzi" good night. He pretended to retire to bed early, after washing himself of his servant's exterior and donning his robes of night-black. He laid in the dark, waiting for time to pass, and reminded himself of his true purpose. He was never meant to care about these people; love these people. Jiang Yanli was not his doting foster sister; Lan Wangji was not his beloved wangye. I am Wei Wuxian of the great Qishan Wen. Nevernight is my home. I am a spy. Gusu is my enemy. Wei Wuxian kept his eyes closed, his breathing even, and his heartbeat slow. In the lonely quiet, he waited, and waited, and waited. Until the candlelight around the princely manor dimmed to nothing, until the night grew still and the moon shone bright and high in the dark, dark sky. Reaching under the floorboard beneath his bed, Wei Wuxian retrieved his life-long companion from its hiding place and released it from its sheath. "Hello, old friend." He whispered, stroking the blade edge. Suibian's steel glistened with cold malevolence in the stark, pale moonlight.

It would be another year before WWX's identity is discovered. During that time, he lived a double life. In the day, he was Lan Wangji's precious Wei Ying, and at night, he was the blade in Wen Ruohan's hand, stealing, killing and destroying on command. His assignments were not always murder; sometimes it required him to break into secure facilities and obtain copies of certain documents. He was never alone on these jobs; there was always someone convalescing with him from within. Slowly, he began to realize just how deep Wen Ruohan's spy network had infiltrated Gusu's foundation. In a way, it excited him, to know that the posturing and pretending would soon be over, that in the near future a quick war would sweep across the land and unite the two nations. In another way, it frightened him to the bones.

Wei Wuxian killed 37 individuals within the span of a year, 37 men and women of different ranks, status and stations. He did not always know why these people needed to die; in fact, he often didn't and preferred it that way. If he didn't know the motive, then he couldn't argue against the reason, and thus could go on believing that what Wen Ruohan did was ultimately for the betterment of everyone. The men of Gusu were weak - Wei Wuxian was always told - they were not fit to rule. The people of Gusu would be better served under a united empire. He repeated this statement to himself before every job, but over time, the mantra on his tongue began to lose its flavour.

In the meantime however, Lan Wangji and Jiang Yanli quickly formed a strong plan on how they wanted to live out the rest of their lives. Lan Wangji never quite enjoyed laying with women, but Jiang Yanli had just enough wickedness behind her demure exterior that things were... well, interesting. In any case, it was not long before she came to him all smiles and whispered the good news over luncheon .

"Truly?" Lan Wangji set down his chopsticks. "Hm uhm." Jiang Yanli dapped her mouth delicately. "Now, perhaps it's a good time to discuss how dianxia should go about winning A-Xian's affection. He's under the impression you've cast him aside on taishi's orders and has been giving him the cold shoulder." "I wasn't." Lan Wangji defended himself, distressed and slightly offended. "It's just, huangshu's been watching me like a hawk. I was afraid any further attempt to be closer to him would give my uncle reason to remove him from my household entirely." Jiang Yanli was sympathetic. "The summer hunt is in two week's time, and afterwards, since bixia always likes to finish the night on the river with fireworks, perhaps...." She let the sentence dangle, a knowing smile playing at her lips. Lan Wangji felt hope.

Unfortunately, a little hiccup happened before the hunt could take place. Jin Ziyan falsely believed that Wei Wuxian had fallen out of favour with Lan Wangji and was itching to show him his place. Poor Mo Xuanyu was caught in the middle. Jin Ziyan knew Wei Wuxian was an audacious one, but not so stupid that he could be easily goaded into committing a grave offence. Thus, Jin Ziyan planned to cause an incident in the garden whereby poor Mo Xuanyu would unwittingly "offend" him, and he would publicly announce a punishment that was harsher than necessary. He made sure that Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian were near by, as they usually took a mid-afternoon stroll after lunch. True to his predictions, Wei Wuxian could not stop himself for interfering on Mo Xuanyu's behalf. Then in their altercation, Jin Ziyan would fall into the pond, making it seem as though Wei Wuxian was the one who shoved him out of anger. Oh but a lowly servant shoving Hanguang-wang's deputy consort into the pond??! He was as good as dead. What's more, everything happened on the same afternoon that Lan Qiren was scheduled to visit Lan Wangji to discuss matters of court. If it was only Lan Wangji, Jin Ziyan knew Wei Wuxian would suffer little consequence, but taishi tolerated no insubordination or churlish behaviour of any kind.

Lan Qiren was incensed, livid, but he was not hasty to deal the punishment. Instead he turned to his nephew and asked, whilst fully knowing the answer, "Wangji, your household follows the regulations that govern all princely manors, does it not?" "It does, huangshu." "Then tell me what is the punishment reserved for a servant for daring to lay hands on a deputy consort and to cause physical harm to said consort?" "It....I - huangshu -" "What is the rule?" Lan Wangji knew very well that the punishment was death for any servant, maid or eunuch who dared to harm any member of the harem. But Wei Ying, his Wei Ying... "Wei Ying is very precious to Yanli and to Yunmeng-hou. As well..." Lan Wangji hesitated. "Yanli is with child again. It is still very early so we thought it best not to announce it lest we have a repeat of last time. It would not do to upset her at this time." Lan Qiren was extremely dissatisfied with his answer, but conceded for Jiang Yanli's sake. "I'm glad, Wangji, that you've found your way back to your proper companions. This Wei Wuxian clearly has been spoiled to the point of impropriety. His actions today are utterly unacceptable and cannot be allowed to go unpunished or else others would surely follow his example. Guards!" "Detain Wei Wuxian. Have him strung up on a post in the servants' courtyard and give him fifty lashes. No food nor drink. Sun or rain, he is not to be let down until dusk tomorrow." "Huangshu!" Lan Wangji's head buzzed, as though someone had struck him squarely in the temple. His chest felt tight, and his heart ached where it rebelled inside him. "Please -" "He has his life. That is mercy enough."

Wei Wuxian was stripped down to his trousers only and tied up to a post, his hands bound together above him and his bare feet never finding purchase on the ground no matter how he struggled. This fucking suck ass. Jin Ziyan you're a dead man. When all fifty lashes were dealt, even the guards were sweating through their robes. They left him dangling there in the blistering summer heat. A young maid dared to try and sneak him some water but was thwarted by an older momo. "What do you think you're doing, lassie? Did you not hear taishi, no food or drink until dusk tomorrow. Do you want lashes too? Go on! Go!" It rained hard all through the night, only easing up at dawn, but the aftermath of the storm left the air muggy and humid. Combined with the heat, it felt as though he was being steamed alive like a wheat bun. At some point during the second day, Wei Wuxian finally lost consciousness. He was not aware when Lan Wangji barged into the courtyard against Lan Qiren's explicit orders and cut him free.

Really tho, i just want this scene to happen (╹ڡ╹ ) "I'm sorry." Wei Wuxian blinked at Lan Wangji's hunched figure sitting at his bedside. "Whatever for? You saved me, dianxia." Lan Wangji, "But it was my attention that put you in such a position in the first place. Huangshu was looking for a reason to punish you since that day he saw us in my study." Wei Wuxian, "dianxia..." "I find you... lovely, Wei Ying," confessed Lan Wangji with a heavy sigh. His ears burned red not only with the embarrassment of a youth in love but with shame. "I wish for your company, even when you have no desire to be part of my harem. Now I know my mistake. I should have respected the boundaries. I should've known my attention on you would incite jealousy from the others, and as a servant, you have no means of protecting yourself. This is entirely my fault." Wei Wuxian's heart fluttered despite himself. He quickly shook his head. "No dianxia, please don't blame yourself -" Lan Wangji, "perhaps I should send you back to Jiang-fu; I'm sure Jiang-xiao-gongzi would be delighted to have your company back. You would be safe there." Jiang Wanyin had come to visit his sister the very next day after Wei Wuxian was sentenced to whipping. He was one of the most accomplishment young men of his generation, anticipated to be a great general. Nie Mingjue had thought highly of him and had expected great things from this youth. Though perhaps what the late feng-jun found truly commendable was Jiang Wanyin's complete lack of pretense and his short-fuse temper. That is to say, he did not hesitate to get in Lan Wangji's face. His sister would have chastised him, had she not been so preoccupied by her tears. Wei Wuxian, "Jiang...Jiang Cheng was here?" "He was, and he was very upset about your condition. He left many fine medicine and ointments for you." Lan Wangji sighed again. "I shall speak with Yanli. If she is amenable, then I shall make arrangements for you to go back to Jiang-fu. You would not have to put up with me any longer." Lan Wangji stood up. Wei Wuxian grasped his sleeve immediately. In that moment, he could not tell if his panic was derived from his worry that he would not be able to complete his assignment if Lan Wangji were to send him away or if he simply did not wish to part with the prince. "Dianxia - I - I don't want to leave. I - it's true I had once rejected you, but...would you think less of me if I said your attention … hasn't been unwanted for a while, that I have come to enjoy them." At Lan Wangji's widened eyes, Wei Wuxian continued quickly. "You need not give me anything, no elevation, no rank. I don't care about any of that. I am a man, I have no ability to give you children. Nor do I have any family who would benefit from your continued favour of me. I am an orphan, dianxia, I have no place to go. I just....don't send me away. Please let me stay! I'm not afraid of Jin Ziyan, or taishi, or anything!" Lan Wangji sat back down. His hand trembled when he laid it on top of Wei Wuxian's. "Wei Ying...?" Wei Wuxian smiled, still radiant despite his pale complexion. "Dianxia -" "Lan Zhan. No more dianxia, I only want to hear you call me by my name." Wei Wuxian flushed pink. The blush was real, as was the pleased little smile he tried to hide. "Lan Zhan, Wei Ying is yours, if you still want him." The worst part of that was that he meant it. Just the mere thought of being held by Lan Wangji, of being kissed by him, of... so many other wonderful possibilities, made Wei Wuxian want to hide his flaming face into his pillow. Lan Wangji smiled. Quietly, he lifted Wei Wuxian's hand and pressed a kiss to the inner side of his wrist. "Rest, I will be right here." Wei Wuxian felt his treacherous little heart soar: oh no … oh no no no no ….. (Xue Yang's voice in narration: and it was in this moment, that Wei Wuxian knew, he fucked up.) The cruellest thing Wei Wuxian ever did was give Lan Wangji hope knowing that one day he would take it all away.

[talkfastromance4]

sparks and surprises// Luke&Lily oneshot

just some family fun :)

word count: 3.2k

Luke&Lily Masterlist

Masterlist

enjoy!

***

Lily and Posy were ecstatic about the upcoming holiday and the fact that it would be at your house. With Oliver being just shy of three months old, you didn’t want to take him out again after the weekend away. You spent the week before the 4th cleaning the house and picking up food from the store. 

On Saturday, Ashton and KayKay came over to pick Posy up for her karate lessons. She’s been on a kick watching Kung Fu Panda and would walk around the house ‘karate chopping’ the couch and kicking pillows while shouting ‘HIYAA!’ Ashton suggested taking her, there’s a studio next to his yoga class, and Posy was more than thrilled to be doing karate with her uncle. KayKay went along when she could and cheered Posy on.

You and Luke would alternate every Saturday to go watch her as well so one of you was still at home with Oliver. Sometimes Lily would go but she was always at Cory and Ella’s on the weekends.

“Go have fun and listen to your teacher, okay?” you told her kissing her cheek. You made sure her pigtails were tightened enough.

“‘Kay mama.”

“Is it alright if I take her for lunch afterwards?” Ashton asks, lifting her in his arms.

“Yeah that’d be great, thank you,” Luke says with Oliver in his arms. Ashton’s face lights up at his nephew. 

“There’s the little man,” Ashton smiles, reaching forward to stroke his cheek. Oliver stretches his arms up, his little face twisting from the touch. “He’s really getting bigger.”

“Yeah, he eats like his daddy,” you chuckle and poke Luke’s dimpled cheek. 

“All right, we should get going, huh little one?” Ashton asks Posy. “See you guys later.”

“Bye daddy!” Posy waves over Ashton’s shoulder. 

“Bye Pose!” he waves with a smile and then they’re out the door. He sighs. “Big cleanup day today, lovie.”

“I know. I’ll feed Olly and change him, then we’ll be out to help in the backyard,” you say, taking your son from Luke’s arms. “Hi sweet boy, did you sleep well?”

It was pretty warm out so you made sure Oliver had on a short sleeved onesie. You covered him in a blanket with a hat on and turned the small fan clipped to his carrier as you helped Luke with the pool. You vacuumed while he got  the leaves out from the top. You checked on Oliver multiple times but he seemed pretty content in his carrier. 

“I’ll get the tiki torches and line them around the pool,” Luke huffs, tying his hair in a bun. He tugged off his white tank top that had a sweat mark on the chest and tossed it to the grass. 

Your eyebrows raise in appreciation as he turns into the shed, his butt looks really nice in his black athletic shorts. Oliver makes some noise so you go to him immediately to see if he’s all right. When you reach in to check his temperature, his little hand grasps onto your finger tightly.

“I’m right here, baby. You’re doing so good out here, yes you are,” you coo at him and kiss his forehead. You sit down in one of the patio chairs when Luke emerges with about a dozen tiki torches. 

Watching him twist the torches into the ground, his back muscles flexing and glistening with sweat in the sun and his arms tightening leaves you hot and bothered. You’re transfixed by the power he wields in each one he places around the perimeter of the pool, your eyes moving over the slope of his back and you’re left with a wanting ache for him. 

“Are you all right over there?” he asks, strutting his way to you with his tank top in his hand. He just put in the last tiki torch and you shook your head from being frazzled. 

“Yeah, you just...you look so sexy right now, that’s all,” you shrug then look down at Olly who’s fast asleep. 

“I do?” he snorts resting his tank top around his neck, he uses it like a towel to wipe at his forehead. 

“Mhm,” you sigh, eyeing him up without remorse. 

His eyebrows raise and he glances at Oliver then back at you. “Care to show me how sexy I am?”

You lay Oliver in his crib so he can continue his midmorning nap and Luke is quick to drag you into your bedroom, his lips on yours. It’s been well over six weeks since your C-Section and you were given the okay to have sex again. 

“What time is it?” Luke mumbles, kissing your neck and pushing you to the bed.

“You have somewhere else to be?” you laugh then sigh when he starts to suck in your sweet spot. 

“I’m exactly where I need to be,” he groans when you dip your hand in his shorts and start to stroke him. “Ash and Po will be coming back soon.”

“That’s right,” you sigh and plop on the bed. You gaze up at him, his blond hair slipping out from his bun and he’s breathing heavily. You wiggle your fingers between his own and pull him down on top of you. “We’ll have to be quick then.”

He smiles before kissing you, his hand tugs your shorts down and he pulls himself out of his shorts. Your kisses are frantic and just as he pulls your underwear to the side, Oliver lets out a loud wail and Petunia barks at the front door. 

You groan at the horrible timing and Luke sighs on top of you. 

“We weren’t fast enough,” you sigh, letting him situate yourself and shoves himself back in his pants. 

“We’ll have some alone time soon, lovie,” he promises with a smile. He takes your hands pulling you in a sitting position.

“Mama! Daddy!” Posy calls.

You fix your hair and make sure your pants are buttoned and zipped before exiting the room to get back to your responsibilities.

***

It’s the morning of the 4th and you’ve just changed Oliver and put his blue overalls on with a red shirt underneath. Posy is wearing a blue dress with red sandals and you and Luke are matching in a red dress and a red tank top for him. Before your party, you’re all going to the parade in town where Cory and Ella will meet you with Lily and Violetta. 

“How hot is it outside?” you ask Luke, settling Oliver in his car seat. Posy is in his arms wearing white sunglasses. 

“Not too bad right now. I’ve got extra sunscreen in the bag and water.”

“All right, let’s go!”

Cory, Ella, Violetta, and Lily are already sitting down along the curb in their chairs. Lily springs up in her own blue and white dress to give you a big hug. Her hair is pulled back in a red headband. 

“Hi honey!” You hug her the best you can with Oliver in your arms, Luke and Posy are behind you with the stroller. “You did such a good job saving our seats for us!”

“Look at my necklaces!” Lily shows you the red, white, and blue beads around her neck. 

“Wow, you have so many! Hi guys,” you smile to Cory and Ella. Cory has Violetta in her arms and she’s in a white dress with a red bow on her head. 

“Po, I have some necklaces for you!” Lily runs to her sister and takes off two of her necklaces. “Aren’t they pretty?”

“Pwetty!” Posy gasps, touching the beads lightly with her fingers. 

You sit in the chair next to Ella smiling at Violetta, she’s chewing on her teething beads. Luke immediately requests a photo of all of you with Lily and Posy standing in front, their smiles wide and beautiful. 

“You need a family photo,” Cory says and takes Luke’s phone. 

You stand next to Luke pointing Oliver to the camera and Posy wants to be in Luke’s arms. Lily stands in front and you put your hand on her shoulder, all of you smiling. 

“Beautiful,” Cory smiles. 

The parade starts and the girls are excited watching the floats and bands go by. They’re especially excited when candy is tossed to them. Oliver does a decent job being content with the loud noise until the firetrucks and ambulances come by. 

Lily scrambles into Luke’s lap and he puts on her sound cancelling headphones she’s used since she was a toddler at his shows. Her small hands still hold onto the ear pieces and she watches the trucks drive by. Posy on the other hand is watching in awe and waving to the people inside. 

“Lily and I made cupcakes yesterday that we’re going to bring over,” Ella tells you.

“Oh, that’s great. When will you be coming by?”

“After Vi’s nap, she’s been having a hard time sleeping lately. How’s our little man doing? I love his overalls, he looks like a cute old man.”

“I know right?” you laugh stroking over his nose. “He’s doing good, eating a lot and he’s at the weight he should be.”

“Mama look at all my candy!” Posy runs up to you with her candy tucked in her dress like a sack. 

“Wow! It’s just like halloween!” you smile. 

When the parade is over, Posy is starting to get fussy too because you won’t let her eat her candy because she hasn’t had lunch yet. 

“We’ll see you guys later,” Cory laughs watching you all leave. Posy is wriggling in Luke’s arms nearing meltdown mode. 

Ever since her birthday she’s been having more meltdowns and you couldn’t agree more that it’s the terrible three’s and not the two’s. She’s learning how to test her limits with you and Luke and when it doesn’t go her way, she screams and does all the dramatics. 

Posy is still whining in the car and Oliver starts to whine now too because he’s hungry. Lily is holding her ears because Oliver’s cries increase.

“We’re almost home, sweets,” Luke says and turns into the subdivision. 

You’re trying to console Oliver by letting him suck on your knuckle but he just spits it out. You hate hearing your kids be upset. Luke parks in the driveway and you both scramble to get the kids out and your belongings. Luke takes Oliver and you carry a wiggling Posy inside the house. 

“I’ll feed him and then we’ll have a quick lunch I made for them this morning,” Luke says, opening the fridge and taking out Oliver’s bottle. 

Lily runs to her room to get away from the noise and you set Posy down on the floor. She literally collapses onto the floor, her face red and wet with her tears. You settle next to her letting her get her anger out. In a moment, she’s sniffling and coughs wiping at her cheeks. 

“Are you finished?” you ask gently and she nods. “C’mere by mama.”

You help her stand up and wipe at her wet face, brushing her hair away from her forehead. 

“Deep breath,” you say inhaling and she follows, then you let it out and Posy does as well. You repeat that three more times until her breathing is back to normal. “After lunch you can have one piece of candy, okay? We can’t eat candy for lunch. How about you go pick one out and I’ll get lunch started.”

“Okay mama.”

You’re gathering the lunches Luke prepared, ham and cheese sandwiches with grapes and applesauce. Lily comes running out and asks if she can help you, she’s always such a big help to you. Posy is playing with her toys in the living room when Luke comes back downstairs. 

“Daddy look!” Posy jumps up from her spot holding up the red lollipop she chose to eat after lunch. “I picked this for after lunch!”

“You did! I think that’s a very good choice, do you want me to hold onto it until you’re done?”

“Yeah!” she hands him the lollipop and he pockets it, giving you a wink. 

Posy climbs into her chair just as you set her plate of food down. Lily takes her place and the girls start eating. 

“Is he down?” you ask Luke moving to pick up the toys Posy was playing with. 

“Yup, hopefully he’ll sleep until people start coming.”

***

Your friends arrive right on time and are more than helpful with setting the food up outside and Michael has set up his music stuff in the corner. Lily and Posy are occupied by Calum and Ashton. Posy is showing off all her candy and practicing her karate moves with Ashton while Lily is telling Calum all about the parade. 

“You had your headphones on right?” Calum asks and she nods. 

“Yeah, they are too loud.”

“Do you have them for the fireworks?”

“In my room!”

Luke and Cory are manning the grill again, you decided on having chicken for dinner. Halfway through the party you go get Oliver and Michael comes over to say hi. You ask him how he and Crystal are doing with trying for a baby and he said they’re taking a break right now. They don’t want to stress about it too much. 

When it becomes dusk, Luke lights the tiki torches and the yard is in a fantastical glow. Posy keeps asking when the fireworks will be and you tell her it will be when it’s much darker outside. 

“Hey mama,” Luke murmurs in your ear, his hands wrap around your stomach. Ashton and Michael brought out the sparklers and were helping Lily and Posy with them. He kisses your cheek. 

“Hey,” you smile leaning into him. 

“Want to try and finish what we started yesterday?” his lips move to your shoulder and his kiss makes the strap fall down. 

“Right now?” 

“I meant later when the kids are asleep but if you want to try when the fireworks are going off...they’d mask how loud you are,” he teases. 

“You don’t want to watch the fireworks?”

“You’re the only firework I need,” he squeezes you.

“If Lily and Posy are okay during the show, we can try and sneak away,” you promise and turn around in his arms. His nose and cheeks are a little red and you touch his face lightly. “You got sunburned today.”

“So did you,” he glances at your cleavage where you see a very noticeable line. “I’ll have to rub aloe on you later.”

“Mm, that sounds nice,” you mumble and lean up on your toes to give him a kiss, your fingers tangled in his hair. He tastes like perspiration, a shot of tequila and Luke, your favorite taste. You get lost in his kiss and his arms wrapped around you. “Wanna slip away now?” you whisper, pulling away before you get too carried away. 

“I hope we aren’t too late,” a familiar voice says behind Luke. 

You both look at each other before turning around to see his parents and brothers standing there. Your mouth opens in a gasp and then Lily and Posy are running to Liz shouting ‘nana!’

“Oh hello my loves!” Liz exclaims hugging them both. 

“Mum? What are you doing here?” Luke asks tugging you along.

You’re all giving hugs and kisses and there’s questions about Oliver and why they didn’t tell you they’d be coming.

“Who cares, what a great surprise!” You laugh hugging Liz again. “I’m so glad you’re here, how long are you staying? Where are you staying?” 

“We rented a house not too far from here and we’re staying for the whole Summer.”

“The whole Summer?!” Luke’s eyes widen and he hugs his parents again. 

Lily and Posy try to get their attention but Jack quickly intercedes and asks them to show him how the sparklers work. The rest of the group come and say high and you gather Oliver in your arms so Liz can get a look at him.

“This is Oliver,” you smile and there’s tears in her eyes.

“Can I?” she asks, holding her arms out. 

“Of course!” you hand him over.

“He’s just darling, and he’s so strong! You just couldn’t wait to come into the world, huh handsome boy?” Liz coos rocking him. “He looks just like Luke.”

“I think so, too,” you smile, looping your arm around Luke’s waist. There’s a firework that goes off behind you, a sign from the neighbors that their show will be starting in about ten minutes. Lily clutches to your legs, covering her ears. “It’s okay, honey, we’ll go get your headphones.”

“Already got them,” Calum grins coming out from the house with the headphones in his hands. “Do you want to watch them with me, Lils?”

“Mama can I?” she asks looking up at you.

“Of course you can, go get your blanket to lay in the grass,” you tell her. 

“Help me pick a blanket, Cal!” She takes his hand and he follows her inside. 

You’re more than happy for Liz to hold onto Oliver while the fireworks go off, Posy is close to her sitting in Ashton’s lap. She’s chattering about her karate class and what happened at Disney World and that nana should come with next time. 

“I think that’s a great idea, bug,” Luke pinches at her cheek when he returns with a beer. He points at you. “Stand up.”

“What?”

“Up, lovie,” he smiles, pulling you up himself so he can sit in your chair. You place your hands on your hips. “Okay, sit down.” he pats his thigh and you sit down on his lap happily. “This is your seat for every firework show.”

You press your lips to his balmy forehead, it smells like sunscreen and the hot summer day that was today. 

“Guess we can’t sneak away now with your family here,” you mumble.

“It’s okay. If they’re here the whole summer, I’m sure we can go away for a night just the two of us,” he pinches your hip. 

“Maybe we could do a whole weekend?” you raise your eyebrows.

“You’ll be okay leaving Olly for a weekend?”

“Apart from me and you, I trust your mom. She had three kids of her own, you know.”

“Oh, I’m aware,” he laughs and gives you a kiss. “It’s a date, we’ll set something up.”

“Your birthday’s coming up,” you trace your finger along his bearded jaw. 

“Mm, that’s the best birthday present I could ask for,” he smiles. 

The fireworks start to go off and you look in the grass where Calum and Lily are, she’s sitting in his lap gazing up at the sky. He points to the ones way up and her mouth opens at the big ones. Posy is in Ashton’s lap and her commentary makes everyone laugh. 

“That’s my favorite! I love that one! Look Unca Ash!”

“I see! These are all my favorites, too,” he comments back. 

Then you look over at Oliver in Liz’s lap, she’s kissing his head and rubbing his back talking softly to him. You turn to Luke last who is already looking at you, his face lit up from the colors bursting in the sky. 

“I’m so glad I married you,” you tell him, pecking his lips gently.

“I’m glad you married me, too,” he grins. 

You relax against him and enjoy the rest of the display. Life is good and full of love.  

Taglist: @calumance  @in-superbloom @calpalirwin @karajaynetoday @wiiildflowerrr @sunshineeeluke @littledrummeraussie @suchalonelysunflower @hoodhoran @Fobodob @thew0rldneedsmcreycghurt @sunshineeashton @ashtonsunflower @mymindwide @itjustkindahappenedreally @seanna313 @fivesecondsofonedirection @princesslrh @prentisswrites​ @mulletcal​

[tossawary]

Chapter 29: “The Ringing Bells” of “pride is not the word I’m looking for” quotes and commentary. Not a full list of favorite quotes or full commentary.

-

It’s just been him, Yue Qingyuan, and the not-so-modest Qiong Ding entourage befitting Cang Qiong Mountain Sect’s leader. Shang Qinghua and Yue Qingyuan still haven’t talked about anything personal (Shang Qinghua kind of hopes they never will!), but putting up a united front and then putting up with other sects seems to have brought them closer together again.

If Shang Qinghua had given in to his idea of bringing a flask of emergency wine in his sleeve, they could have made a drinking game or something every time someone managed to “casually” mention that Zhao Hua Temple Sect’s barrier techniques were the best in the world. With that face Yue Qingyuan made after the third, ear-gouging hour of listening to a long line of Zhao Hua experts condescend to them about security measures that will surely stop invading demons in their tracks, Shang Qinghua would have bet the man could have been talked into it. Big Bro would have been down, he’s sure.

-

AN: There is something immensely amusing to me that Yue Qingyuan and Shang Qinghua of all people run this sect (like, sure, SQQ and WQW and the other peak lords do stuff too, but YQY and SQH seem to be the ones who actually deal with worldly affairs and interact with people). To me, they both have such “I don’t want to be here” energy. YQY would rather be thinking about his slow reconciliation with Shen Qingqiu, and SQH would rather be daydreaming about the sexy ice demon he’s been betraying the sect for for 20 years. 

But nooo, they have to be responsible. 

Yue Qingyuan nearly dying at the end of SVSSS to me had such... vibes of relief? This man is carrying SO MUCH stress over his position and his responsibilities and appearances, that his reaction to dying seems to be at least a little bit: “Oh, time to put everything down. I can give up. I don’t have to be the invincible sect leader above it all anymore. Thank goodness.” You can fit so much trauma and unhealthy ideation in this man! 

Which is, I think, why this connection between SQH and YQY was a little inevitable in this story. They’re both carrying so much stress and trauma, and doing their best to not let anyone see it, so they really relate to each other but... in a way that’s kind of one-sided on both parts? Because SQH isn’t supposed to know shit about YQY’s past or pressures. And YQY doesn’t have the full picture of what SQH is dealing with at all. After their fight after SQQ died and SQH coming forward about their invasion, SQH and YQY are finally getting to have some more direct connection, but neither of them are willing to put their masks down yet. It goes against their natures and their perceived duties (as sect leader and a transmigrator/traitor) to honestly confide in each other. 

YQY and SQH both kind of have a “I know better than you” thing going on here. Yue Qingyuan because he’s the sect leader and he’s been taught that he has to manage himself and everyone else. Shang Qinghua because he’s a transmigrator and also... the fallen creator god of this world? 

- 

Yue Qingyuan is apparently just as eager to make it home as Shang Qinghua is. Their travel pace puts them a full day ahead of schedule, and Yue Qingyuan courteously sends his youngest personal assistant ahead via flying sword to warn the sect.

“Shen-Shixiong and Wei-Shixiong will need time to hide the mess from all the parties they’ve been throwing in our absence,” Shang Qinghua jokes.

Yue Qingyuan looks at him with polite but concerned bemusement.

“Aha, never mind, I’ll just… go check the last report my head disciples sent me again.”

None of them are expecting the assistant, who flew off with all the energy and eagerness of youth, to return only a little over an hour later. The assistant is red in the face and panting for breath. He collapses in front of Yue Qingyuan.

“Shizun, I-! I turned back as soon as I saw- in the distance-! The sect was on fire! Qiong Ding Peak was on fire!”

Yue Qingyuan and Shang Qinghua exchange a look of shock. When Shang Qinghua joked at the beginning of their journey that the sect would probably set itself on fire without them there to do damage control, he really was only joking! He’s had way too much of the shit he says coming true on him!

-

AN: I don’t think I’ve mentioned this yet, but Yue Qingyuan’s youngest assistant is the kid that Shen Qingqiu shoved on him from the House of Rejuvenation mess. Qi Qingqi and Liu Qingge picked up Luo Fanli from that, Shen Qingqiu picked up Fu Qiang from that, and Yue Qingyuan got this kid. 

He doesn’t have a name yet, but he’ll probably get one at some point. Probably in Part 4 when Shen Yuan and Fu Qiang’s story comes to the forefront. 

-

“Shishu!”

Shang Qinghua turns and gets an armful of nephew. Binghe’s arms wrap around him with no care for the bandage around one of them and Binghe’s warm face is buried into his neck - he’s so tall now - to share his dirt stains.

Shang Qinghua has no idea what to do. He wants to hug his very huggable nephew, of course, but in front of so many people?! He can’t just shove Binghe away either! Luckily, Binghe seems to realize his mistake about two seconds after contact and launches away from Shang Qinghua, bowing deeply enough to hide his face completely.

“Apologies for tripping, Shishu!”

Shang Qinghua nearly laughs. “Ah, ah, it’s fine. It’s fine.”

This is probably one of the worst kept secrets in the sect, anyway.

-

AN: This is absolutely a reference to Binghe pulling this trick in SVSSS canon, only unlike SY, Shang Qinghua recognizes the excuse. 

-

Luo Binghe clears his throat and intervenes before his friend can accidentally kill Shang Qinghua with kindness or something. “The demon saintess Sha Hualing and her followers attacked.”

“Oh,” Shang Qinghua says, relaxing a little.

 “Is that all?” he thinks. “Phew! Earlier than I was expecting, but okay!”

-

AN: It’s very funny to me to have CQMS going, “Demon attack! Demon attack! Totally unexpected demon attack!” And Shang Qinghua going, “Shit, I think I put that down on my calendar wrong. Did I put that down on my calendar...?” 

-

This apparently prompted Liu Mingyan and Luo Fanli to volunteer at the same time.

“They looked like they were going to argue over it, at first, or even fight over it,” Luo Binghe says. “Qi-Shigu and Liu-Shishu didn’t seem to want to let them fight, but they just ignored them and almost started a quick hand-game over who would get to fight. And then the demoness said… she said… she...”

“What?” Shang Qinghua asks.

Ning Yingying lifts her nose to the sky and declares, “She said: ‘If I get a say in this, I want to fight the pretty one in the veil, and not the old lady!’ So rude!”

“...Ah,” Shang Qinghua says again.

That explains the awkward grimace Binghe is making right now.

“Liu-Shijie and Luo-Shijie froze, then Luo-Shijie just looked at Shizun and Qi-Shigu and Liu-Shishu,” Ning Yingying continues. “ Snap! And then it was really quiet. And then Shizun said, ‘I’ll allow it.’ And Qi-Shigu and Liu-Shishu and even Liu-Shijie didn’t say anything.”

“Of course not! Shizun outranks them,” Ming Fan says.

As though that has ever honestly mattered to Liu Qingge or Qi Qingqi.

“So she got to fight the demoness,” Luo Binghe says, like it was a foregone conclusion that his stubborn auntie would get what she wanted. Who’s surprised about this? Not this long-suffering nephew!

-

AN: So, Sha Hualing made the “old lady” joke in front of 1) Qi Qingqi, Luo Fanli’s teacher who knows about her student’s past with the House of Rejuvenation, 2) Liu Mingyan, Luo Fanli’s friend who either knows about it or recognizes that LFL is touchy about her age, 3) Liu Qingge, LFL’s brother-in-law who also knows, and 4) Shen Qingqiu, who was THERE and that’s how they met. 

So, there’s sort of a collective, “If we don’t let Luo Fanli try to beat the shit out of this demon girl, we will never hear the fucking end of it,” here. 

Also, as soon as I made Luo Fanli into Liu Qingge’s apprentice of sorts, there was no way that she was NOT going to want to fight Sha Hualing, and it seemed a good way to shake things up from canon while also doing some stuff with the Fanli & Binghe relationship. I’m really trying to breathe new life into all the scenes that I’m redoing from SVSSS. 

-

“She kicked that demoness’ ass!” Ning Yingying squeals.  

“Ning Yingying!” Ming Fan hisses.

Shang Qinghua snorts. “Oh? Really?”

“It was rough,” Luo Binghe says, while Ning Yingying and Ming Fan both turn bright red realizing what she just said in front of a Peak Lord. Binghe, however, has totally heard Shang Qinghua say way worse than that. “The demoness was really good and really mean, and she kept getting up even after she got slammed into the ground, but eventually she got pinned and had to forfeit to keep her head. Fanli is still mostly in one piece. She’s over there right now with Mu-Shishu and Liu-Shishu.”

Shang Qinghua follows his nephew’s finger, then winces. His little sister-in-law looks pretty roughed up, her face is beginning to swell and she’s got a lot of claw marks, but she’s grinning up at Liu Qingge. Liu Qingge looks totally fine, besides some flecks of blood that must belong to other people, and is smiling down at her.

Mu Qingfang looks less than enthusiastic about all this as he treats Luo Fanli’s injuries of victory.

Aha, yeah, Liu Qingge is definitely the one explaining this to Luo Jiahui later.

-

AN: I really like building and having built up all these relationships. I like giving Binghe friends, even if they’re friends that he kind of runs rings around given his manipulative tendencies (NYY and MF rely on just grabbing him at this point and relying on sheer force of obliviousness/authority). I like giving Liu Qingge more connections in the form of Luo Fanli and Mu Qingfang too. 

This cast is... so big at this point. I didn’t really expect this when I started. 

-

Inside the cell is… a bloody demon girl who looks about fifteen-ish (sixteen-ish, maybe?), with dark hair in many braids, a sharp face and a sharper stare, and clothing that looks like it was made out of not nearly enough silk ribbons. Ah, wow, that’s way more skin than Shang Qinghua ever wanted to see of Sha Hualing. No jewelry at all, though, not even a belt. Not even boots or even slippers. Just lots of blood splatter.

Both Sha Hualing’s arms and legs have been restrained. She’s also been muzzled, though that doesn’t stop her from showing off her teeth in the least happy-looking smile anyone has ever smiled. There’s blood in Sha Hualing’s teeth! That’s blood there smeared around her mouth!

Qi Qingqi is in the cell too, utterly unimpressed, making sure that Sha Hualing is properly restrained and even treating an injury on the girl’s thigh. Demons are pretty tough, Sha Hualing would probably be fine, but Shang Qinghua supposes they can at least be a little kind toward the poor disciple who’ll have to mop the floors here later.

“So good of you to finally join us,” Shen Qingqiu says to Shang Qinghua. His voice is dry, as usual, but it might be missing its worst sharp edges? The man seems pleased at having caught himself a demon.

“Ah, I didn’t want to show up the sect leader with my speed,” Shang Qinghua replies.

That gets an amused look from Yue Qingyuan. “Let us speak elsewhere,” he says, politely admonishing everyone to shut up in front of their guest. “Qi-Shimei?”

“A moment,” Qi Qingqi says.

“Oh, don’t leave me all alooone,” Sha Hualing says, only slightly muffled by the muzzle, her eyes going wide and scared. “I’ll behave! This is really too much! These restraints are hurting me. Please… it’s making it hard for me to breathe, please…”  

Qi Qingqi ignores her and finishes up her work.

Yue Qingyuan lets the Xian Shu Peak Lord out and then seals the cell behind her. Shang Qinghua is familiar with those seals and yeah, there’s very little chance Sha Hualing is getting out of there on her own. The demoness complains loudly about being left behind in a cold and lonely cell. Shang Qinghua can still hear her wailing as Yue Qingyuan instructs the guards on, mainly, not letting anyone in and not taking any of Sha Hualing’s bait no matter what lies she tells.

If anyone gets “seduced” by that teenage girl - a trick pulled many times by the wily Sha Hualing in Proud Immortal Demon Way - Shang Qinghua is going to be so disappointed. Surprised? Not really! But still… depressingly disappointed!

- 

AN: It was... hm... important to me that none of the characters here actually sexualize Sha Hualing or disregard the fact that she’s very young to them. In his narration, Shang Qinghua mentions her skimpy clothes and the possibility of her seducing a guard, but it’s with the casual detachment of someone who was writing a stallion novel and knows the tropes. 

I wanted to focus more on the fact that Sha Hualing is not just a “wife character”, but an extremely dangerous non-human individual and already a minor political player, if currently trying to play outside her league. She’s an enemy. Also, just because she is currently playing outside her league doesn’t mean that she’s not dangerous and shouldn’t be taken seriously. 

All she needs is someone to get close and she will inflict life-long injuries. 

I also wanted to use her here for some Mobei-Jun stuff, which I’ll talk about later when I get to the Mobei-Jun part. 

-

“Shang-Shidi, do you recognize any of these materials?” Shen Qingqiu asks next, like he’s reading Shang Qinghua’s mind now! He looks so unimpressed by Shang Qinghua’s startle. “You are, after all, one of our experts on tracking down the source of such strange things.”

“Aha, off the top of my head? I couldn’t say! But… I would suspect part of this weapon came from the far north of the Demon Realm...”

Wei Qingwei finally looks up. “I would make the same guess,” he says, like a real bro. “If only this weapon hadn’t broken, we could have tested its limits of disruption! But our plans have been disrupted there… I’d like to see how something like this would go up against the different types of barriers out there.”

“Zhao Hua Temple’s barriers, perhaps?” Shen Qingqiu suggests.

Yue Qingyuan audibly sighs.

“Of course, they won’t wish to see proof that there are demon lords preparing to invade,” Shen Qingqiu says icily. “How remiss of me to forget that fact. What does it matter if a demon lord’s daughter was swinging around a previously unseen weapon like a child’s favorite new toy?”

-

AN: So, when I say that I want to breathe new life into the canon scenes that I’m redoing and reinterpreting, my goal for this one was to really... build up the upcoming Immortal Alliance Conference and actually connect Sha Hualing’s invasion to... well... anything. 

In SVSSS, Sha Hualing’s invasion happening is just following PIDW events apparently, and SVSSS in my opinion isn’t... really too interested in PIDW worldbuilding or Sha Hualing’s character from the standpoint that this really is a real world now. It’s all about Shen Yuan reliving the PIDW plot. 

So, if I’ve put 200,000+ words at this point into actually trying to establish that this is a real world, these are real people, there are real long-lasting politics and sect relations, that world elements aren’t just spawning into existence when the plot needs them and exist now, even if I’ve been doing so kind of as a joke because I think it’s funny to make Shang Qinghua deal with that, I wanted to actually try to place and connect Sha Hualing’s invasion to other story elements and place Sha Hualing’s character in relation to the others. 

Here, Sha Hualing’s invasion is a spoiled and violent child looking to make herself look good and cause trouble, as it is in SVSSS, but here it’s emphasized that Sha Hualing really is 1) a child, 2) a demon lord’s child, and 3) a future demon lord herself. And Sha Hualing is showing off her family’s inventions in preparation for the Immortal Alliance Conference. This is a move that has consequences for her and for Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, and will continue to have consequences for her (partially indebted to MBJ’s clan) and for Cang Qing Mountain Sect (it makes them look bad in front of the other Great Sects). 

-

“Shang-Shidi, do you recognize any of these materials?” Shen Qingqiu asks next, like he’s reading Shang Qinghua’s mind now! He looks so unimpressed by Shang Qinghua’s startle. “You are, after all, one of our experts on tracking down the source of such strange things.”

“Aha, off the top of my head? I couldn’t say! But… I would suspect part of this weapon came from the far north of the Demon Realm...”

Wei Qingwei finally looks up. “I would make the same guess,” he says, like a real bro. “If only this weapon hadn’t broken, we could have tested its limits of disruption! But our plans have been disrupted there… I’d like to see how something like this would go up against the different types of barriers out there.”

“Zhao Hua Temple’s barriers, perhaps?” Shen Qingqiu suggests.

Yue Qingyuan audibly sighs.

“Of course, they won’t wish to see proof that there are demon lords preparing to invade,” Shen Qingqiu says icily. “How remiss of me to forget that fact. What does it matter if a demon lord’s daughter was swinging around a previously unseen weapon like a child’s favorite new toy?”

-

AN: Me to myself: “...Is there canonical evidence that Mobei-Jun can read and write???” Because, like, the impression I get from this guy is that he basically raised himself and barely survived, so the System could interpret that to make an AU in which MBJ never learned to read or write. 

Mobei-Jun can read and write in “pride is not the word I’m looking for”, Shang Qinghua is just exaggerating here because he’s a little miffed. 

But it’s kind of tempting to write an AU now in which SQH realizes early-on in knowing MBJ that... his king can’t really read or write... his upbringing was so shitty and his father was so careless that MBJ never learned more than a few words that he picked up from context. That’s fucking horrifying. MBJ’s poor socialization and communication levels reach new heights! 

-

“It’s just that something like that happened before, remember, Uncle?” Binghe presses. “With the skinner demon? That same light and that same warm, almost burning feeling! It was different this time - that weapon wasn’t going to hit me, I was blocking it; I know that I was blocking it the right way - but it’s too similar, isn’t it?”

“It’s… very similar,” Shang Qinghua agrees slowly.

 “System?! Bro?! This is your fault!” he thinks. “Why the fuck are you leaving these explanations to me?! If you take points off me for any of this, you piece of shit, I’m going to find a way to strangle you, I swear! Preemptively: fuck off!”

Shang Qinghua lets himself visibly think about, trying to figure out what the fuck to say here. Binghe looks up at him like he’s trying to see into Shang Qinghua’s head to watch his thoughts come together. It’s a lot of pressure to put on a man all of a sudden! Binghe is too clever to be easily fooled by weak bullshit! How is a man supposed to come up with a decent lie under these circumstances?

“Well, ah, it’s happened when you’ve come into contact with demons who are trying to kill you, so it seems like it’s… some kind of unique reaction between that demonic energy and your spiritual energy,” Shang Qinghua says finally, because it’s better than explaining that there’s some shitty, no-good god-like being invested in a predestined plot. “Strange things happen sometimes in life-or-death situations, you know. Cultivators can accidentally pull off great feats sometimes when they’re desperate or panicked, without knowing how they did it.”

Binghe doesn’t look very reassured. Which makes sense, because a long-winded way of saying “I don’t know, it sounds like a freak accident to me” isn’t really reassuring.

-

AN: This, plus Sha Hualing’s invasion, is about Shang Qinghua’s coming up against the consequences of his choices. He can’t really have everything at once! He’s managed to have a lot all at once so far, but the time for Binghe’s demon reveal is coming closer, and Shang Qinghua is going to have to make some tough decisions and live with them. He’s going to have to deal with the people in his life having opinions on his tough decisions. 

Shang Qinghua is trying to keep the System happy, with his eyes on the end goal of keeping Binghe out of the Abyss, which makes him unwilling to take certain risks deviating from the plot. But, if you’re looking at it from the perspective of someone who doesn’t know about the System or the plot, Shang Qinghua’s decision-making seems completely illogical. 

Binghe is too clever not to at least notice that there’s some bullshit happening here. He doesn’t know what his uncle isn’t telling him, but Shang Qinghua isn’t the greatest bold-faced liar, so he knows there’s something. 

- 

At the end of the day, Shang Qinghua leaves his fellow Peak Lords (Shen Qingqiu, Qi Qingqi, Liu Qingge, and Tang Qingling) arguing in circles over cold trails (Yue Qingyuan is stuck refereeing, poor bastard). He returns to his Leisure House and finds a familiar ice demon lounging in his sitting room, eating some of his snacks.

“My king, did you help Sha Hualing escape?!” Shang Qinghua demands.

“She did not contribute,” Mobei-Jun answers.

Mobei-Jun looks good, like breaking in and out of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect last night was no trouble for him. Why would it be any trouble for him? He’s been doing it for years and years without getting caught, after all!

“How did you bypass the cell’s seals so cleanly?” Shang Qinghua wonders, as he puts some papers aside and kicks off his boots.

The cell doors hadn’t been ripped off its hinges, just… taken off like they were never attached… which combined with the ice-related injuries on the guards, plus the fact that the intruder slipped in like a shadow and left the same way, kind of gave the whole thing away.

Mobei-Jun raises his eyebrows. “You have shown me many such protections.”

“Ah… yeah… I guess I did do that.”

-

AN: Presenting Sha Hualing as I did: a dangerous and political figure even though she’s only a teenager, was also meant to reflect on Shang Qinghua’s relationship with Mobei-Jun. Mobei-Jun is the enemy. Mobei-Jun may be on Shang Qinghua’s side and his own side, but he is not on Cang Qiong Mountain Sect’s side and he has loyalties to people in direct opposition to Cang Qiong Mountain Sect. 

Sha Hualing is, in many ways, Mobei-Jun’s people. He’s completely unfazed by her violence. To him, Sha Hualing’s behavior is normal and expected, if the foolishness and arrogance of someone trying to act grown-up. He is not human. He is from a completely different world to Shang Qinghua. 

And their separate worlds are now colliding. 

Shang Qinghua really can’t have everything he wants here. He’s a traitor and, realistically, he can’t expect that not to come out sooner or later. He’s making decisions for the sect (releasing SHL to prevent another demon invasion (and also to keep the plot on track)) that Yue Qingyuan might have agreed with if he knew the full picture of SQH’s spying (all he knows at the moment is that SQH has informants), but that YQY doesn’t know about and so can’t agree with, so SQH is acting beyond his authority letting MBJ break SHL out. 

It’s a mess! It’s not sustainable! Shang Qinghua’s old character role and his new character role can’t continue to coexist like this. 

-

Thinking of worrying unnecessarily, desperate to change the subject away from the looming plot, Shang Qinghua brings up the very important subject of Mobei-Jun possibly, maybe, if he has the time, letting him know when to expect him, when he’s going somewhere, and when he’ll be back. He’s brought this up before, though mostly in a “my king, this humble servant would really appreciate it if you at least learned to knock, but if that’s too much to ask, it’s fine, it’s really fine, never mind, forget I brought it up” kind of way.

He only realizes just how daring it sounds after he says it! He’s always kind of figured that the proud Mobei-Jun would take offense to the concept of being at Shang Qinghua’s beck and call in any way. Why would Mobei-Jun need to explain himself?

“Why?” Mobei-Jun even says.

“...Why?” Shang Qinghua repeats, kind of hoping that he wouldn't have to explain the things he asks for. Mobei-Jun said he could ask for things, but he has to explain himself too? That's really too much. “I didn’t get to see you at all while I was gone! I got back and I didn’t know when I’d get to see you again, my king.”

This gets him another random pinch to the cheek, but it also gets him another surprising kiss. Mobei-Jun is apparently not even a little bit offended by this request. So it’s fine! This one thing, at least, is really fine.

-

AN: But Mobei-Jun is also becoming one of SQH’s rocks in many ways! This relationship is new and exciting and comforting! Giving up or betraying Mobei-Jun is completely out of the question for Shang Qinghua. 

I’m kind of fucking loving these secret forbidden romance vibes. 

If Shang Qinghua asked, Mobei-Jun would whisk him away from everything right now, but he understands that Shang Qinghua needs to be here for his nephew, his sister-in-laws, and his students. With his father as king, Mobei-Jun doesn’t have the position or authority yet to make any kind of peace with CQMS. MBJ’s relationship with SQH could get him in deep shit with his father, with his uncle, and with other demon lords. 

Shang Qinghua is a filthy traitor and he’s dragging MBJ down with him. 

[guqin-and-flute]

I've got this very important question, because you are making the best ratings I've ever seen. 10/10 So... Who sings/plays the best lullabies?

[Ahh, thank you! OH!! LOVE THIS IDEA YES this is very important. I’m going to add in what their voices are like because I’m a singer and I want to. This is less from the kids POV and just how I headcanon it, though the kids help with the scoring]

[More Than Just] Uncle Rankings

Jin Zixuan: His family wasn’t...big on lullabies. Or music. Or bedtime routines. Or creating memories together. He got a few songs from various nannies, but it was never anything super consistent that got carried over for him to use in fatherhood. It makes him very...uncomfortable to sing and he can’t quite put his finger on why. Would be a salvageable, mellow tenor if he tried--which he doesn’t. It doesn’t bother the Jin kids at all, they’ve got lots of other musical relatives! Their dad tells the best stories anyway.  0/10 Does Not Compute

Jiang Yanli: She likes to hum idly when cooking or playing with the kids, knows little Teaching Songs for different lessons and animal songs. Sings happily to any of the permutation of children are currently under her roof--niblings and all. She has a vast library of songs that she knows and they’re different from the ones that the nannies or the Lan might sing because she’s from Yunmeng. Sometimes, she gets choked up in the middle of one and has to stop (and maybe not sing it again) because it was one of Wuxian’s childhood favorites. Soft, gentle 1st soprano, not a lot of vibrato. Sings from the heart and is very comfortable with it. 10/10 Songbird Extraordinaire, Makes Up For Unmusical Husband

Jin Guangyao: Will hum or half sing under his breath when he braids his loved ones’ hair, when he’s not really thinking about it. Strangely reticent to sing if people are just looking at him; it feels too honest and vulnerable. If the lamps are dim or if A-Fu is tucked to his chest or the boys have their eyes closed, he will do it. Knows some of the same songs that Yanli does, though many seem to be more melancholic and about longing. One song is the boy’s favorite, because he can fit their names into it--a song about being brave and being smart and becoming all you’re meant to be. A-Fu ponders as he grows older and learns more about music, that the lines don’t quite rhyme like they’re supposed to--almost like there’s a different name that’s supposed to be there. Melodic, clear tenor, refined and controlled. 10/10 A Mother’s Musical Legacy Lovingly Passed On

Lan Xichen: Will use music as a way to soothe, entertain, educate, focus, you name it. Sings, hums, plays the flute and guqin. Set out to learn a few of those Teaching Songs from Yanli once he became a parent, knows quite a few lullabies from his mother, and has a practically perfect memory for songs--if he hears them once or twice, he now knows them forever. Will sing for any of the children when they ask, but is humble as a good Lan is about actually Performing for anyone outside his family. Many an evening ended with a pile of children being carefully divvied out to their guardians from his lap, sides and general vicinity after he patiently sang them to sleep. Warm, husky baritone, genuine and quietly captivating. 10/10 Melatonin In Musical Form

Lan Wangji: Everyone knows about the musical proficiency of the Lan and of the Twin Jades in particular. What everyone might not know is that Lan Wangji will sing his son to bed every night in a soft, low baritone/upper bass. It’s one of the things that begins to set A-Fu at ease with him early on when he starts to stay the night, occasionally, because he can hear the affection in his voice that his face doesn’t quite convey. He will hum as he rocks them if they are upset or scared from a nightmare and frequently plays the guqin as a backdrop to their play times. Both A-Fu and A-Yuan can hum Inquiry long before they know its name. Also has a nearly perfect audio memory. 9/10 Musical Messages On Demand

Lan Qiren: Does not know the same lullabies as his nephews--they came from their mother. Does NOT sing. This makes A-Fu disgruntled, though he accepts gentle, traditional Gusu songs from the guqin in the next room as a substitute to fall asleep to whenever he has to stay over. 3/10 That’s Not What I Asked For But Fine, I Guess

Nie Mingjue: More of a hummer than a singer, a little tone deaf if you ask him to sing with an instrument, but his voice is not bad, just unpracticed. Bass, kind of gravelly. Tends to make up repetitive little runs that are more of a soothing distraction than a song he knows, as he doesn’t have an ear for them. Game to make up nonsense songs when A-Fu was younger and wanted a lullaby about rabbits when he was at the Unclean Realm--as he didn’t actually know a song like that, he made it up on the spot. It was basically just speaking rhythmically with very imaginative words; ‘Rabbit, rabbit, ra-ra-rabbit, rabbit, rabbit, hop hop hop.’ Hey, the kid fell asleep, so it couldn’t have been that bad. 4/10 A Valiant Attempt Was Made

Nie Huaisang: Loves singing! The only drawback is that he wants to sing what he wants and when it’s vetoed, doesn’t really have the patience to argue, just says, ‘Okay! Good night, then!’ Usually likes ballads or tragic love songs that A-Fu and A-Ling are bored stiff by. A-Yuan, on the other hand, listens intently and asks questions about them after, like, ‘Did they ever see each other again?’ And that’s the story of how Huaisang made him cry at bedtime because, no, she stayed a statue for the rest of time and he wept on her every day until her face was worn off from the river of his tears. Oops. Respectable tenor with reasonable vibrato, sounds much like his speaking voice. 5.5/10 Fun and Educational, If You Like That Sort of Thing

Jiang Cheng: Nope. He does not sing. Will not do it. Ever. Could be a strong, driven tenor. But aggressively isn’t. 0/10 You Didn’t Even Try

MianMian: Knows songs from all over, but not many lullabies. Sings story songs sort of like Huaisang but they tend to be more energetic and less melancholy and so are overall received much more enthusiastically. She rarely is around for bedtime, even when she visits, but she can be coaxed into a song or two before the bedtime routine is started with parents/aunts/uncles. Strong mezzo-soprano, energetic and without frills. 7/10 Now That’s A Story I Can Get Into!

Wei Wuxian: Comes in kind of late for the kids wanting lullabies from him, but he knows a few drinking songs he can share and definitely knows a few rude songs that he is happy to sing for them--maybe a little sooner than their parents might appreciate. Is also the type to sing little nonsense songs about things that are happening around them, whether it’s teasing someone or just because he’s bored and wants the world to know he is chopping up potatoes. Is actually pretty skilled at just playing Chenqing like a regular flute as well and has started impromptu child dance parties on more than one occasion. His voice is solid, lower range tenor that likes to belt instead of croon. 8/10 Music Man--76 Chenqings Led The Big Parade

Wen Ning: Like Wei Wuxian, comes in too late for comforting songs and isn’t honestly that much of a singer. Will hum under his breath absentmindedly as he does things with his hands, but they aren’t really songs as much as random bunches of notes and jumps if anyone catches him doing it. The kids don’t really need him to be a good singer--they like him for other things! Like how he can crush rocks with his bare hands or toss them really high in the air! Mid-range tenor, not too confident or supported but not unpleasant. 3/10 It’s Just Not His Thing, And That’s Okay

[hb-writes]

True Stories

Written in response to Hauntober prompt #6: Fog 

Summary: Little Lady Blinder universe. Clara and Finn chatting about ghost stories while taking a ride on Uncle Charlie’s narrowboat.

Characters Featured: Finn Shelby, Clara Shelby (Shelby!Sister), Charlie Strong

-----

Clara regretted it a bit, begging for her and Finn to be allowed to come along with Curly on the narrowboat instead of just taking the train to London.

The twins had spent much of their childhood playing on their uncle’s boats as they moored in the yard or moved about the city, but Clara had never ridden them beyond the city limits. She had never been subjected to the long stretches of deserted towpaths between towns or the low, suffocating tunnels, the dense fog that made her wonder how Curly could even steer the boat straight. And worst of all, she was cold, chilled right through her fingers and toes and spine, feeling more frozen than she remembered being in the entirety of her life. 

But Clara would not tell anyone that, not even her dear twin, Finn, because he’d go spouting off about it the very moment they arrived to Ada’s, and then she’d go and tell Tommy, and then Clara would never hear the end of it. 

Tommy already had quite enough things to tell the youngest Shelby ‘I told you so’ for, though he never did, not with those exact words. Tommy needed much less pizzazz than the phrase supplied to get his points across, and he preferred a raised eyebrow or a long stare or a smirk, maybe a single well-chosen word, his little sister’s name said in just the right tone. 

So, Clara sat beside Finn, shivering as he smoked a cigarette, and she didn’t think once on the idea of uttering aloud a single grumble about the cold or the dampness or the fact that she’d decided she didn’t much like traveling the cut at night, not this time of year, at least. And further more, Clara decided on telling Tommy a grand story about their journey on the Grand Union, and in her telling, she’d claim being nothing but comfortable and content and express only the sentiment that she’d thoroughly enjoyed herself.

“Here,” Finn said as he offered his cigarette. “This’ll warm you up.”

Clara frowned and shook her head, her arms wrapped around her legs, her head resting against her knees. Even if the cigarette could give her any significant warmth, Clara wasn’t a smoker. She would rather have a cup of tea, or a sliver of whiskey, not that either would truly warm her. More than anything, she longed for a well-stoked fire and the pile of blankets back home on her bed. 

Finn shrugged, pulling the cigarette back.

“Tom told you to wear more than that silly coat,” he said. “You’d say you’re freezing in the middle of July and you wear that thing this time of year?” 

“I’m fine,” she insisted, pulling the silly coat a bit tighter.

“Trying to be all posh down in London,” Finn continued. “Don’t know why, not as if Ada will let us get up to anything.” 

Clara lifted her head, leaning back into the boxes behind them. “If you’re going to insist on being irritating, you can go and--” Clara started.

“Fuck! Did you see that?” Finn asked, knocking Clara’s shoulder as he nodded ahead. 

“See what?” she asked, squinting as she searched the dark, hazy expanse in front of them. “How the hell can you see a bloody thing with all this fog?”

“There’s another tunnel up ahead,” Charlie interrupted, stepping up behind his niece and nephew, leaning on the box. “It’s a low one though, best to go on inside.” 

“We’ll be alright, eh, Clara?” Finn asked, nudging his sister in the side. “The whole point of this trip was because she wanted to sleep out under the stars.”

Charlie glanced up, but there weren’t any stars to be seen through the fog. He shrugged, learning long ago that there was seldom a time it was worthwhile to go about arguing logic with the Shelby lot of bullheaded children. 

“Suit yourselves,” Charlie offered as he headed to join Curly at the back of the boat, bringing the lantern with him as he left the kids in near darkness. 

Clara shifted further down against the crate as the boat entered the cavernous mouth of the tunnel, the crumbling brick just visible through the fog. She’d never considered herself claustrophobic, but something about being so close to walls on three sides with water on the fourth, and with no end of the tunnel in sight, set her pulse a bit quicker. She shivered as the tunnel’s damp air chilled her further, the shaft seeming to narrow as the boat trudged along. 

“What’d you see before?” she asked, turning to look at her brother.

Finn shrugged. “I don’t know. Thought I saw a light or something,” he said. “You know, they say over a hundred people died here in this tunnel.” 

Clara watched Finn, his face little more than a dark silhouette though he was just beside her. 

“You’re making that up,” she answered.

“I’m not. There was a tunnel collapse and a crash and who knows how many people have accidentally drowned in there.” Finn flicked his cigarette over the side of the boat and sat up straighter, shifting so his back faced the boat’s bow. He watched his sister as she remained propped up against the crate, her shivering arms crossed tight over her chest. “And then there’s the story about Sarah Kitchens...” 

“Stop trying to scare me, Finn,” she answered. “It’s not gonna work.”

“I’m not trying to scare you. It’s a true story. Go ask Uncle Charlie if you don’t believe me.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Yeah, ‘cause you’re too scared to walk the boat alone in the dark.”

“I am not. I’m just not going to make the trip because you’re being an idiot.” 

“Well, I’m telling the story whether you wanna hear it or not, so if you’re too sca--” 

“Yeah? You gonna tell it to yourself if I go in?” she asked, scoffing. “Just tell the fucking story, Finn.”

Finn cleared his throat. “Well, the way I heard it, Sarah Kitchens was the love of one of the rich lads in town, a real pretty girl, about seventeen or so, but she’d met a navvy who was here building the tunnel, this guy from a few towns down, and they fell in love,” he said, “And they’d come down here, Sarah and the navvy man, when the tunnel was deserted and they’d well, you kno--” 

Clara cuffed Finn on the arm and he raised an arm to shield himself from another smack.

“What the hell?” 

“Just get on with it,” she answered.

“Well, anyway, they’d come down here with their candles and all, to get some time alone, and one night the rich lad, he gathered his friends and followed her, cause she wasn’t seeming so interested anymore and well, they found her with the navvy, and him and the friends, they grabbed Sarah and they walled her up alive right then for cheating on him--”

“For cheating? You never said she was dating the rich lad,” Clara said.

“Yeah, but he liked her,” Finn answered.

“But she wasn’t cheating on him, then.”

Finn rolled his eyes. “Fine, he walled her up ‘cause he was crazy, then. Doesn’t much matter why he did it. Either way, she ended up stuck somewhere in these walls.” He nodded up towards the ceiling of the tunnel. “Some say there are nights, must be when she’s missing her navvy, and you can still see their candles, like she’s waiting for him… and there’s others say they’ve seen her blood on the walls, seeping right through the rock and--”

A stream of cool water flowed down from a crack in the brick above them. 

Clara’s scream pierced the air, reverberating off the tunnel’s walls, overtaking the dull hum of the boat’s motor and the calm lapping of the water against the hull.

Finn's responding laugh echoed too, booming off the walls as he laid back holding his stomach.  

“It’s not fucking funny,” Clara answered, flicking away the water that had landed on her neck and in her hair and shoving her heel into his leg.

“Yes, it fucking is,” Finn answered, grabbing her ankle. He lifted his free arm to block an assumed onslaught of smacks. 

Instead, Clara jabbed him under the ribs. 

Finn dropped her ankle and shifted away, both hands held up in defense. “Christ, don’t you start with that.” 

“You were--” Clara started, her attention drawn to the flickering light at the far end of the tunnel. “What the fuck is that?” 

“What the fuck is what?” Finn asked.

“The light!” Clara pointed to the source of the faint. Finn eyes followed. 

“A fu... it’s a fucking candle,” Finn mumbled out, a pitiful wail escaping his lips as he abandoned his sister, nearly tripping over himself as he moved toward the back of the boat.

Clara was still giggling to herself in the darkness when Charlie came up to check on her, not getting a word out of his nephew as he sped by to get in the cabin.

“What are you kids playing at? Shrieking like banshees in a fucking tunnel?”

Clara snorted. “Finn just scared himself with a ghost story. Thought he saw the candles of Sarah Kitchens and the navvy up ahead,” she answered, nodding towards the tunnel’s far end, and the dim light shining through the blanket of fog. 

Charlie raised an eyebrow. “You mean the boat coming the other way?” 

“I know what it is,” Clara answered. “Finny didn’t though.”

“Well, I heard you screaming, too.” 

“Got dripped on a bit,” she answered.

“An awful lot of noise for a few drops of water.” Charlie turned away from his niece for a moment, took note of their general whereabouts before meeting her eye again.

“The story’s true though,” Charlie said, the smirk on his face hidden as he lifted his lantern to reveal the reddish-brown blemish covering the tunnel wall. 

It was nothing more than a conveniently positioned iron stain, a well-timed trick Charlie Strong had been employing to scare Shelby kids for over two decades now, but Clara didn’t know that as she too sought the shelter of the narrow boat’s cabin. 

The twins didn’t come out again until they were nearly to London, when there were no more eerie tunnels in sight and the night’s fog was long past burned off by the morning sun.

-----

Read more Little Lady Blinder stories here.

[soulmate-game]

Awesome, cool (on RE: Marivel). Caaaan we get... uh, Soulmate Game version of marvel/ml crossover? Marinette x Peter? Or just Marinette meeting Peter via Dr. Strange in your Lady Strange AU (post-endgame maybe??). Take your pick (or do both?) and thank you if you do write them!!

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Yes.

This is a crossover between my Lady Strange AU and my Soulmate-Game AU, but since this is a different pairing it receives a different bond. I hope you like it!

—*—*—*—*—*

“I think somebody drew on me in my sleep,” was the first thing he told his Aunt and Uncle, who just blinked at him for a long moment with their toothbrushes half in their mouths. Peter was supposed to be getting ready for school in his own room, but instead, well.

His guardians’ eyes landed on the two childish, but extremely clean doodles on the top of Peter’s shoulders. They were ladybugs, one in red ink and the other blue. Only the outline was colored at all.

The little boy was tearing up.

“I don’t know how they e-ended up here. Why would s-somebody draw on me? It’s mean. Is this the boogeyman? Does…”

He was interrupted by May and Ben’s laughter, shrinking into himself as the adults tried to get ahold of themselves. Ben was the first to sober up, sinking to his knees and carefully laying a gentle hand on Peter’s naked arm, making sure not to come close to the new mark on his shoulder. The poor boy had stopped putting on a shirt altogether in favor of worrying over the doodles.

“No, no,” Ben soothed, running his other hand through Peter’s cinnamon hair. “No boogeyman. This is a good thing, Petey.”

He sniffled, looking up at his father figure warily, a hopeful spark in his eye. “It is?”

“Yeah. Do you remember what we told you about soul marks?” He asked his nephew, who was starting to calm down. The boy nodded, pushing his thick glasses back up his nose from where they had started to slip.

“Almost everyone has one,” he started to recite, furrowing his brows to try and remember what he had been told.

“And they can come in hundreds of different ways,” May filled in, kneeling beside her husband. “Some people have a picture or a name on them to represent their Destined. Some people are colorblind, or missing just one color until they meet their other half.”

“Some people can switch bodies or hear a song in their head that tells them how their soulmate is feeling,” Ben agreed. “There are tons of Bonds. Not everyone has a physical mark. But you,” he nodded to the ladybugs on his nephew’s shoulders. “You do.”

Peter started panicking again. “Oh no, I have two soulmates? What am I gonna do? What if they don’t like me, how can I love two people, I—“

“Relax, honey,” May rustled Peter’s hair with a soft smile. “I don’t think you have two, I think your mark is more complicated than that. Look, the ladybugs are exactly the same except for the color. The mark will probably do something exciting later, when you meet them.”

“Something exciting?” Peter parroted, making Ben chuckle.

“Yeah, but for now they are just cute pictures. Pictures which better be covered up by a shirt soon, or you’ll be late to school bud.”

“Ack!” He had forgotten he was still shirtless. “Sorry Uncle Ben!” Peter Benjamin Parker dashed back to his room as fast as his seven-year-old legs would carry him.

—*—*—*—*—*

Seven years later.

Marinette hummed, analyzing her reflection. Her halter top looked nice, a new design of hers. Tikki hovered near her, similarly happy with the clothing. And then the Kwami squeaked in dismay when her holder reached for foundation.

“Woah woah woah, what are you doing Marinette?!” The little god asked, tempted to take the makeup away. “The shirt makes your soul marks stand out so beautifully! I’m not a huge fan of spiders, but yours are so cute!”

The pigtailed girl blushed bright red, looking into the mirror to see both of the little doodles on her shoulders at the same time. They really were adorable, one cartoony spider on the top of each shoulder, one red and one blue. She didn’t wear the crop top to show them off though. She wore it because she needed to feel confident, and her usual blouses weren’t cutting it. She wanted to feel powerful, free, anything to escape the feeling of water droplets on her skin and the sight of people pinned by buildings, drowning. Blue skin, glassy eyes—

Marinette’s shook her head, taking a deep breath. The halter top she was wearing was a carefully, artistically dyed swirl of baby blue and baby pink. Strategic gathers in the cloth swirled the two colors around one another, bringing them to a small pinpoint of pale purple at the very point where the cloth had first been pinched and curled.

It was whimsical, it was childish and mature all at once. It was what Hope felt like to Marinette. The very thing she needed to try and heal from the whole Syren disaster a few weeks earlier.

“I like them too,” Marinette finally responded to her Kwami, running her fingers over the blue spider, the one on her right shoulder. It had completely vanished when she got home after the Syren attack, proving her father right from when he had told her all those years ago that her Bond was likely more than just a few doodles. “But only my parents know about them. I know the Miraculous suits are pretty much indestructible, but I don’t want to take any chances with this crazy world. If my shoulders ever get exposed while I’m Ladybug, I don’t want anyone to be able to connect that to Marinette,” she explained, slowly and regretfully spreading foundation over both marks and spritzing setting spray over it so that the makeup wouldn’t move anytime soon.

She knew why her blue spider had temporarily vanished. She had thought maybe she had just been imagining it before, when she would occasionally be in the middle of an anxiety attack and think that her blue spider was a little paler than usual. Or on the few occasions when she was going days without sleep, or overextending herself for her friends and her red spider would look a little dull.

She wondered what that meant for the person on the other end of their connection.

—*—*—*—*—*

And then she found out. She was fifteen, and it was about five in the morning. Marinette jolted out of bed, feeling a searing heat on her right shoulder. Throwing her shirt off, she saw it— her red spider was glowing. She felt herself trembling, but she didn’t know why. Tears were raining down her face, but she wasn’t sad. Her hands felt oddly wet and sticky, but they were completely clean.

The teenager shared a long, bewildered look with Tikki before carefully letting her fingers brush over the red spider. And she understood.

Anger. Guilt. He’s blaming himself. He’s dead. My fault. My fault. Blood. Is she feeling this? I’m making her feel this. Stupid. Worthless. Mistake. Mistake.

Marinette pried her hand away from the mark, gasping from the influx of emotions. She didn’t know details, probably to protect the identity of the person on the other end of the Bond, but she got the gist of it. The longer she had stayed on the connection, the more lucid thoughts she got straight from the boy himself. None of it had been promising.

She was able to surmise this; someone close to him died, or was dying. Her hands probably felt sticky because of the literal blood on his. Oh Kwami, he probably saw them die right in front of him. Probably held them.

And there was no Cure to reverse it for him.

But the most important part was that he was blaming himself for it, and Marinette couldn’t stand it. She ground her teeth, and touched the mark again with full intention of making sure he knew it wasn’t his fault. That he wasn’t worthless, and that she wasn’t mad at him for this.

But nothing happened. She tried touching the blue spider, but nothing happened. She tried meditating, hoping they had a mental connection—nothing. Absolutely. Nothing.

The heat was gone from her shoulder, the connection over.

Marinette raged at her inability to help a boy she never met.

—*—*—*—*—*

Four months later, she knew the situation was about to be reversed. She stared down at the old man in front of her, frail and weak but forcing himself to stand and hold the heavy box in the air in front of him. The weight made his twig-thin arms shake, and the pigtailed girl quickly snatched the item before it or the man holding it dropped.

“Master,” she whispered, her eyes frantically searching his. “Don’t. The magic, Tikki’s magic, can help. I’ve been practicing. Don’t—“

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, daughter of Sabine Cheng and biological daughter of Steven Strange,” the old man started, making Marinette snap her mouth shut with the force of his words. She didn’t know how he found out about her biological father, but didn’t bother asking. It wasn’t important, and he had too many possible ways of finding out through magic. No, his words right now were the only things she found worth focusing on in that moment. “I, Wang Fu, find myself too old to carry on my duties as Grand Guardian. But you are the best student I could have ever asked for. A True Ladybug with a soul of creation, a disciplined mind, and an open heart. I name you as my heir, and as the new Grand Guardian. Do you accept the transference of my title?”

Marinette didn’t want to. The wise eyes boring back into hers said that he knew, that he would understand if she refused. But Marinette also knew that refusing would not grant her the happy ending she wanted from this situation, only regret. His eyes said that he knew that, too.

“I accept,” she didn’t know how she was able to croak that out, but she managed somehow. “Wang Fu, I will gladly take on the title of Lady Strange, the new Grand Guardian. I vow to protect as you have protected, to guard the innocent and punish those who try to upset balance with the Miraculous. To keep the Universe as peaceful as possible with my power.”

“Then let my wisdom become yours,” Fu finished the sacred speech, closing his eyes as a bright green mist was born from his feet. It grew, sliding up his body until it exited his head in a giant luminous cloud like a swarm of fireflies on a misty night. Marinette refused to close her eyes, stubbornly keeping her gaze on Master Fu as the magical green fog covered her own body and sank into her skin. The knowledge of the Guardian’s language and traditions appeared in her mind, along with the rest of Fu’s wisdom and experience with the Miraculous.

“Young lady? Are you alright, you’re crying.”

Marinette took a deep breath, her eyes still locked onto the brown orbs that no longer recognized her. Slowly, she put the miracle box down on his bedside table.

“Yes, I’m fine. How do you feel?”

The old man wobbled, and the young girl had to catch him before he fell. “Let’s get you into bed,” she decided for him, getting a nod and a grateful smile in return. It was after he was in his bed and his eyes were starting to droop that he spoke again, this time in Mandarin.

Which Marinette now spoke, like a final gift from him to her.

“Are you my granddaughter?”

Marinette bit her lip, placing a gentle hand on Fu’s shoulder before responding in the same language;

“That’s right.”

She didn’t need a heart monitor to know when his pulse stopped. She could feel the magic of life drain from him, the Creation that made him who he was disappearing from his form. She dropped, her legs no longer able to support her weight, and sobbed into his comforter.

It happened then, she could feel a phantom hand on her right shoulder. Trying to provide comfort but not able to speak.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I want you here. But thank you. For everything. Thank you.

She didn’t know if she was trying to send those thoughts to Fu or to the boy trying to help her despite never having met her.

—*—*—*—*—*

This is part 1, because Tumblr doesn’t allow me to post the whole thing. Stupid word limits >:[ part 2 right here 

[infraaa]

I HAD A FUCKING EXPLOSION THE OTHER DAY—

So if you follow me you know that sometimes I make Royal Chaos content. If you’re also a history geek like me you’d know that most of the heroes from RC if not all are based off of real people.

Six out of eight of the most beautiful people of Chinese history are in the game, being Pan’An, Song Yu, Prince Gao, who is also known as Lanling Wang for the men, and Diaochan, Zhaojun, and Yuhuan for the women.

The other two are missing: Wei Jie and Xi Shi.

But good news for you all because after some digging I found them. And they are SO CUTE! We need to make a petition for RC to put these characters into the game! I can DEFINITELY see the four most beautiful men and women having a connection with one another, like little hubs! 😫 But I know what you’re thinking now, maybe some of you. Royal Chaos shouldn’t take from other games! Oh, but my dearest reader, you do know that some of Royal Chaos’s characters are in different games too, right? It wouldn’t be “taking from,” now if they just stole the concept than yes it would be. It’s not like Sega took Mario and co for the Olympic Games, and Vice versa. It’s kind of like that in a sense. ☺️

So, with no further adieu, I bring to you...

✨Headcanons on what class they’d be in and what they can do, as well as background information!✨

Disclaimer: I’m terribly sorry if I spell any of this wrong, Chinese is not my first language and it’s hard to spell out in English. Also, tw // war and suicide mentions, as well as descriptions of murder and violence, just in case...

This is Xi Shi.

Her clothes actually remind me a lot of Diaochan’s with the colors, as well as the moon in the back, as per history, Diaochan was so beautiful the moon would shy away when being compared to her. Xi Shi on the other hand, was believed to be so beautiful that when fish would see her as they swam by, they would forget how to swim and sink to the bottom of whatever body of water they were swimming in. (Beauty can really kill huh?) Out of the four most beautiful women in ancient China, she was considered to be the first.

Her Background and Biography

Xi Shi was born in 506 BC on the nineteenth of July in China’s Zhejiang Province in a small village called Xi Cun, or “West Village.” Because a lot of people that lived there had “Shi” as a last name, and because she was born in the west, she was referred to as Xi Shi. She was born into a pretty ordinary household. Her father sold firewood for a living and her mother did silkwork. Ever since she was little, she would go out to this river to wash the silk that her mother had made. She lived during the Spring and Autumn Period, and within that time, China wasn’t a “whole country,” it was made up of several kingdoms fighting against each other. Xi Shi is from the state of Yue, which had been vanquished by the state of Wu. After that the Emperor of Yue, Gou Jian, was forced to serve the Emperor of Wu, Fu Chai, for three years. Gou Jian then thought of a plan to defeat the Wu State and take power back. He knew that the Fu Chai was a sucker for pretty women, and he also knew that if Fu Chai was surrounded with beautiful women, he would be too distracted to work for his state. But for this plan to work, Gou Jian needed to find a woman that had stunning beauty that was willing to sacrifice herself for the better of the country. Gou Jian found Xi Shi and he picked her. He then asked his minister, Fan Li, to take Xi Shi to Fu Chai as a tribute gift from Yue. On the way however, she fell in love with him, as he was wise and kind. He reciprocated her feelings in turn. Now, they could have escaped this plan and thwarted it but they were both loyal to their country. So, they made a pledge of their undying love for one another in secret. When she was brought before Fu Chai, he was indeed entranced by her, spending more and more time with her, neglecting his duties. After some time, he realized that he should not have been bewitched by her, as the Yue Stare had become more powerful due to his neglectful behavior. Gou Jian had invaded the state of Wu and forced Fu Chai to commit suicide. When this happened, Xi Shi’s mission was complete. The ending that I choose to believe is that she reunited with Fan Li and she lived on with him after he quit his job as a minister. The other ending is really grim...

Her Class and Quality

Xi Shi could definitely be a scholar, an AOE especially. I can imagine that she could do something similar to that of Diaochan, despite her being a medic. She could impact the opposing formations’ abilities to put damage on the formation shes defending using a debuff, much like Daji can do. I can see her being a Defense Hero and possibly having strength in Control for all these reasons, as well as real history, helping her state in the face of despair. She could be considered as a fabled hero, but could also be an epic hero considering the bloat of the fabled class making up mostly half of the hero cast as a whole.

Her Possible Abilities

Chant of Heroism

She can attack anywhere from 4 to 8 times descending on CRIT, dealing 60%+164 DMG to a random front enemy with each hit, lasting one round. Until three layers are tagged, the enemy will lose anywhere from 15 to 25 HP, decreasing DEF by 4%.

Promising Honor

50:50 chance of tagging a back or front target. Allies then force attention to the front if the tag is in the back, dealing 5% more damage. This tag cannot be dispelled for two rounds.

Her Preferred Gems and Treasure

Gems: DEF, ATK, ACC

Treasure: Primarily something with a DEF bonus, so the lamps, each one activating her Destiny ability. However, any other treasure that offers an ATK or RES bonus is also good.

Her Occupation

I can imagine her working in the Ministry of Defense as a General, much like Wen Ruyan. For her other occupation, she could be a poet of some kind, probably a primary or mid poet, something like that, or she could be a primary chess sage.

Hero Compatibility

She could work with other scholars that can do some damage, namely Song Yu and Ying Zheng. She could also work with medics depending on their skill set. Diaochan would be a prime choice.

~~~~

The guy on the right is Wei Jie.

Look at that cat! (´⊙ω⊙`) But for real, this poor guy. He reminds me of the “gentle giant” archetype. Not just because of his looks, no, he’s actually ill with some kind of disease. (I have a head canon that it’s AIDS/HIV, but I don’t have a lot of evidence to support that right now. All I know is that his immune system is very weak to infection and he has respiratory problems and it’s just that he’s very weak overall...) Despite his health however, he’s actually compared to Jade, being like a jade doll. Jade is very valuable in China and is considered to be a very precious stone, especially in the eyes of aristocrats and royalty. Out of the four most handsome men in ancient China, he was considered as the fourth.

His Background and Biography

(I had to use multiple resources for this, I couldn’t find a lot of information on him, so I had to get creative. Sorry!)

Wei Jie, like Pan’An, also lived during the Xi Jin (Western Jin) Dynasty. He was born into a very wealthy household, and was recognized for his beauty alone at the age of five. His uncle, who also had extraordinary good looks, said that walking with his nephew was like “having a gleaming pearl at my side.” He had fans from far and wide, causing chaos and the forming of something along the lines of a twisted harem to form under his shadow. When Wei Jie grew up, this only got worse. Hoards of women would literally block the streets and chase after him because they all wanted him so badly, which this caused a lot of backlash onto his family. Because his family was aristocratic, they had to keep a sensible reputation. People were jealous of the Wei family because of the immense wealth and beauty that they all possessed. Luckily, Wei Jie couldn’t go out that often, as he doesn’t have a strong body, and has been ill since his infancy. He wasn’t allowed to go out during his childhood because of the fear that whatever ailment he had could spread. Because of this belief and the immense jealousy that others had, most of his family, with the exception of his father, fifth uncle, and cousin, were all murdered quite brutally. This lead him to be the young master of the Wei Manor. This pattern of not going out a lot and things continued on for some time. He would go out on occasion if he really needed something, and he didn’t necessarily like all the attention he brought to himself unknowingly. He grew easily overwhelmed by it and constantly sought to get away from the large groups of people that swarmed him. This anxiety and stress of attention exhausted him, and he actually passed from all that exhaustion. He was “watched to death,” as people said. Poor guy... he just wanted to be alone... let us introverts be!

His Class and Quality

Oh, he’s a medic, for sure. I know also that he was an imperial physician in the game I found him from, but he only worked on commission, if that makes sense, like if people actually wanted to be treated by him. He would kind of be like a better version of Shizhen. Very agile and quick, but also the more you get to him, his attack rate can slowly increase. I can see him being some kind of control hero. Back Support too, that would make sense. So control + support. He would be in Fabled Class, definitely. Props to him!

His Possible Abilities

Jade Solstice

Chanting a medical spell from his calabash gourd, he can stun a front line enemy for one round, lowering 20 rage. If a critical is achieved, they will turn chaotic and attack other members of their formation for one round, taking away 15% of the enemies overall DEF and then giving it to his other formation members.

Internal Grace

Shielding himself using the gourd’s energy, he gains 10% RES. Any rage prompted attack he makes will grant him 2% more ATK bonus points for one round, increasing the formation’s overall CRIT by 10%. This can be layered twice and cannot be dispelled or immune to.

His Preferred Gems and Treasure

Gems: HP, CRIT, ATK

Treasure: To increase damage while keeping DEF, use the stamps. However, any CRIT or ATK bonus treasure is good too, just as long as it buffs his accuracy as well!

His Occupation

This is where it got tricky. I would assume he would work alongside Pan’An in the Ministry of Rites where they would compose poems together. It’s just that since he can’t actually go out too much that’s where it gets a little complicated. He could probably act as some kind of moderator or something along those lines, something where he wouldn’t have to deal with people that much.

Hero Compatibility

He would need strong tanks to help him out. Prince Gao, Prince Jing, or even Xiang Yu would be good for him. He would also want heroes that would boost his abilities even more, gotta have that support, you know? Wu Zetian, Yuhuan, or Pan’An would be good choices.

~~~~

Now for the final part...

✨Connections✨

Xi Shi

I think they’re’s already a connection that has Zhaojun, Diaochan, and Yuhuan in it. I would take that and add Xi Shi into the connection, but also bring her attributes to the table, in summary. What I mean by that is take her attributes and summarize them into one. So her strongest asset would be the fact that she could be an AOE with a control bonus. She could add ACC and DEF to the table to help with your formation if activated.

Wei Jie

Just like the ladies, I know there’s already a connection with Pan’An, Song Yu, and Prince Gao in it. Same deal, take it, put him in it, and add his summarized ability. He could be a Medic with strength in CRIT. So, he could bring CRIT to the table, obviously, as well as extra ATK buffs if activated.

~~~~

To conclude, *coughs as if to clear throat* Xi Shi, Wei Jie. We need to add them. The quartets aren’t filled up yet. Wouldn’t it be a surprise for them to finally come together in gorgeous matrimony as the queens they are? All heroes are queens. Plain and simple, not matter how awful their skill sets may be at times. (We see you, Shizhen. You matter, even though his skill set isn’t the best he’s still kinda great 😅)

[princecharmingmendes]

Nine Months is Too Long | Shawn Mendes

“You two decide to try to have a baby after you niece’s birthday party, and Shawn’s way too excited”

hiii, a lil bit of Dad! Shawn for you guys as a lovely anon requested, hope you like it!

*Word Count: 2.7K+

*Warnings: cursing and way too much fluff.

*Posted: March 20th, 2020.

                                                          -*-

Shawn was the sweetest person you ever met and you knew that since the first look exchanged. And you swear that since you arrived at your sister’s house for your niece’s birthday party and both her and her younger brother came running to Shawn, who dropped everything he was holding to kneel down and hug the kids, you couldn’t stop thinking about it. Throughout the whole princess themed party he showed himself to be the best with kids one more time. And even tough you both knew you wanted kids, you haven’t talked about it properly and you’re too scared to bring that up for no reason, so you tried your best to let go of those thoughts and just ignore it.

But Shawn noticed there was something off since the beginning, being the caring and observant husband he was, he just knew something was wrong, and he would do anything to find that out. So when you two got back home and sat down on the couch to have dinner later that day, he patiently waited to see if you’d bring something up. He even ordered your favorite dish from your favorite restaurant, opened a great bottle of wine and yet nothing. So he just decided to ask you out when you were both casually cuddling while watching Grey’s Anatomy for the billionth time.

“Honey?”

“Hm?”

“Are you okay?”

“Me?! I’m great, why?” I asked finally looking at him only to see his features laced in concern.

“You just seemed off all day”

“You, there’s nothing wrong, I’m just thinking about... stuff”

“Which stuff?”

“Just stuff”

“Baby” he said holding both of my hands and bringing them both to his chest “you know you can talk to me about anything, right?” he asked and I just nodded “so tell me about what’s going on that pretty kind of yours”

“It’s just... some thoughts that are being more frequent on my mind lately... nothing really serious though”

“Okay... and what are they about?” he asked and I sighed, giving in.

“It’s just something I’ve always noticed and today was just so clear that I couldn’t help myself from wondering what would it be like if my thoughts actually became reality” I said and he nodded, still not getting the point “it’s just, seeing you with my nephews today just made me think what would it be like...”

“Like if we had kids?” he completed my sentence, finally realizing what I was trying to say.

“Yeah... I don’t know, I just... I’m so sure you’d be the best dad on the planet and I was just wondering what’d be like to have my own family, and I know we haven’t talked about it properly yet, and I don’t want to start it know, it was just something i was considering for the fu...”

“You don’t want it?” he asked face dropping.

“I mean... I do, just don’t know if I want it now... do you?”

“I mean yeah” he said hitting his bottom lip “I got back from tour a month ago, which means it’s okay if I decide to take a break now, and I’m 26, I think it’s a great time to consider it”

“Shawn, I don’t want you to do this just because I said I want a family, I didn’t mean now”

“I know, babygirl, but I meant now if you’re up to” he said smiling at me and kneeling on the couch.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked chuckling as he leaned slowly on my direction, making me lay back on the couch as he hovered over me “now now?”

“Why not? We’ve seen this episode a hundred times” he said running the tip of his nose along the expanse of my neck “it’s just you and me” he said as he started to place open mouthed kisses alongside my throat “and we can start trying” he said kissing my jaw softly “if you’re up to”

“I mean, I don’t mind trying” I said grinning at him as he smiled down at me.

“Good to know, and just for the record, I love you” he said finally closing the gap between our lips in a passionate kiss.

                                                        -*-

Almost two months after we started trying I noticed something was wrong. My period is late. It took me a while to notice, but as soon as realization hit me, I ran to a drugstore and bought a test to do it as soon as I could. So I got home with the test on my purse and went straight to our room, but one minute after, Shawn called me from the living room saying that he was home and that we needed to go since today we’re going to have lunch at his parents. I placed the box back in my bag, hoping he wouldn’t find it and got out, trying as best as I could to place a fake smile on my lips that he seemed to buy.

Forty minutes later I was being engulfed in hugs by the Mendes and dragged inside, making my heart feel so full of love for them. I helped Karen on the kitchen for a bit as Shawn complained he was starving and needed to taste everything, only for her to push him away from the food to stop him from eating anything before it was all on the table. I excused myself with the excuse that I had to check something on my phone work related, and thankfully, they didn’t seem to pay too much attention to it. So I grabbed my purse and ran upstairs without being noticed, quickly locking myself on the bathroom. It was simple, pee on the stick and wait five minutes to know if you have a baby in you or not. And even though we agreed we were going to try, I was almost shaking.

“Baby?” Shawn called from outside “you okay?”

“Yeah” I said trying to sound oh so cool.

“Are you sure? You seemed pretty worried earlier” He said and I just wanted to punch him for being too attentive and cute.

“Yeah, I just needed to get something done”

“On the bathroom? Oh shit, are you okay? Was it something you ate? Do you...”

“No! No! It’s not like that” I said opening the door “Come here and please be quiet”

“What’s going on, sweetheart?” He asked lowly as he got in the bathroom and I locked the door behind him.

“This is what’s going on” I said pointing to the test waiting on the sink “two minutes to go”

“Holy shit, baby”

“I know”

“But it’s okay, you know that, right? We agreed we would try and if it’s negative, it’s also okay, we just need to keep on trying” He said wrapping his arms around my waist loosely and I took the shot to lay my head on his chest.

“I know... I’m just anxious for some reason”

“I know, now I am too”

“I want it to be true” I mumbled against his chest and he chuckled.

“I do too, but it’s okay, we’ve been trying for a little bit more than a month now, it’s okay if it’s not”

“Yeah, you’re right... like always” I said and he chuckled, only to be silenced by my phone vibrating softly indicating the five minute wait was done “Fuck”

“It’s okay, babygirl” Shawn said taking a deep breath and kissing my forehead “should we take a look?”

“Yes” I said reluctantly pulling away, only to see two thin blue lines on the stick.

“Fuck” Shawn whispered beside me and second after I was engulfed in a bear crushing hug “oh my God, baby!”

“You’re going to be a dad” I mumbled as I nuzzled my face on his neck, wrapping my legs around his waist.

“I’m going to be a dad and you’re going to be a mom” he said with a trembling voice hugging me even tighter “holy shit, we’re fucking parents!”

“I love you so much, Shawn”

“I love you too, Y/N, I love you so fucking much”

“Language”

“Shit sorry, I gotta learn how to not curse again”

“It’s okay, we got time for that” I said as I felt happy tears forming in my eyes and I pulled back just slightly to be able to see his face, only to find tears streaming down his face “what’s wrong, bubs?”

“Nothing’s wrong, I’m just so fucking happy” he said before crashing our lips together “I love you, I love you, I love you”

“I love you too” I said kissing all over his face.

“Are we telling anyone?” he asked after we spent a little while just holding each other.

“You mean your parents?”

“Yep”

“I don’t know, shouldn’t I take a real test before that? Just in case this one is a false positive?”

“Oh, yeah, maybe we should wait”

“Okay, yeah, you’re probably right”

“Wanna go downstairs?”

“We have to” I said chuckling as he placed me down again.

“Okay, let’s go” He said discarding the test and going back downstairs with me.

“Everything okay?” Karen asked as we entered the living room again.

“Yeah, everything’s fine” Shawn said way to quickly, turning red in a second and making everyone laugh.

“You just can’t leave her alone, can you?” Manny asked giggling and Shawn shook his head.

“She’s too good” he said lacing our fingers together and placing a sweet kiss on my forehead.

“Okay, eternal honeymoon couple, can we eat?” Liyah questioned jokingly, which everyone agreed as we sat down.

“So, how’s work?” Manny asked as we were all served and already eating.

“Everything’s fine, a little rushed but that’s a good thing”

“Oh, that’s good, Shawn told me you two were planning on traveling on spring”

“Yeah, we were, we wanted to go to Spain”

“But I don’t think that’s happening, maybe next year”

“Oh, any special reason?” Karen asked and I placed my hand on Shawn’s thigh, which he quickly grabbed and laced our fingers together.

“No, just work stuff”

“Oh, can’t you take a break?”

“I’m actually planning on taking a bigger break to spend more time with my family”

“That’s nice, sweetie, but you can still travel with your wife”

“I know” he said kissing my cheek to distract his mom, and it worked.

“Would you like any wine, Y/N?”

“No, but thank you, Karen” I said smiling at her.

“She can’t drink, mom”

“Why?”

“She’s in a diet”

“A diet? Why? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine” I said giggling and squeezing Shawn’s hand lightly, and I could see from the corner of my eye him blushing.

“Really?”

“Yeah” I said looking at him and nodding, seeing his face lit up with his megawatt smile.

“It’s just that... you know... lately we’ve been trying to have one since a birthday party at her sister’s house, and we talked about it and...”

“Baby, you’re rambling and nothing you said made sense”

“Oh, sorry” he said blushing furiously and squeezing my hand softly “what I’m trying to say is that we’re pregnant, as in, she has a baby inside of her right now” Shawn finished his little speech and everyone just stood there looking at us in shock.

“I love you” I whispered loud enough just for him to listen “I know this is sudden but...”

“Oh my God, I’m going to be a grandmother!” Karen squealed on her seat “oh my God, darling, congratulations” She said getting up and hugging me as tightly as I could.

“Mum, please don’t hurt her” Shawn said giggling and she quickly wrapped him in her embrace as well.

“Oh my God, thank you so much” she mumbled between a soft sob “Oh my dear, thank you for bringing so much joy to our family”

“Congratulations” Manny said getting up to hug everyone with and uncontrollable smile on his face as his eyes were filled with tears.

“I’m going to be an aunt” Liyah said smiling and quickly joining the Mendes hug fest.  

“When did you find out?” Karen asked as soon as everyone got back to their places, but the euphoria was still present.

“Upstairs, on my bathroom, twenty minutes ago” Shawn shot the answer as quickly as he could, a pink shade still evident on his fairly light skin.

“Oh, and you weren’t going to tell us?”

“We were, she just wanted to take another one to make sure”

“Oh, that’s sweet, do you need me to buy another one”

“I can go now” Shawn said practically bouncing on his seat.

“Maybe you should, then we would be able to listen to your wife’s voice” Karen scolded him making him blush even more, but still with a smile on her lips.

“I’m sorry, baby” he mumbled softly, laying his head on my shoulder.

“It’s okay, honey, it’s cute to see you so excited about it” I said kissing his head and threading  my fingers on his hair at the nape of his neck.

“But maybe Shawn should really go buy another one if she wants to make sure” Manny said.

“Do you want me to?” he asked looking at me with his big doe-eyes.

“We can go later, baby, I’m almost one hundred percent sure, my period it’s pretty late”

“Okay” he said going back to his previous position laying on my shoulder, interlacing our hands on my lap.

“You two are way too cute for your own good” Liyah said mockingly, making Shawn blush even more.

“That’s good, it means they’re a great couple” Karen said smiling lovingly at her son and daughter in law, who were both lost on their own little world.

“And great parents” Manny said kissing his wife’s hand that he was secretly holding under the table.  

                                                        -*-

We left his parents’ house in the middle of the afternoon so they could rest and we could come back to Toronto during day time without a reason to rush. As soon as we got home Shawn wanted cuddles and I wasn’t going to complain, so I let him drag me into our shared bedroom and place me on the bed, doing quick work on my clothes and shoes to have me in on of his shirts in no time. He did the same, only putting on a pair of sweaters hanging low on his hips, he flopped down on the bed beside lacing our fingers together.

“But baby, nine months is too long” Shawn whined for the hundredth time since we came back home from his parents.

“I know, bubba, but it’s necessary”

“I think it’s a girl” he said turning on his side to face me, placing his head on my stomach as he usually did when he wanted me to play with his hair, and so I did.

“It’s too soon to know, baby”

“I know... oh my God!” he said sitting up suddenly and placing his hands over my belly.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked grabbing his hands.

“Did I crush the baby bean?” he questioned and I couldn’t hold back the laughter that bubbled on my chest “Y/N, I’m dead serious”

“I know, Shawnie, it’s just that... it’s probably so tiny we can’t even see it properly, so no, you didn’t crush it, and even if it was like eight months old you couldn’t crush it just by laying your head on it, I swear”

“Okay” he said visibly relaxing and going back to his position, but this time, laying on my chest to start rubbing small patterns on my tummy softly as he hummed some random melody “Sweetheart?” he mumbled looking up at me with the softest honey eyes on the planet.

“Hm?”

“Thank you”

“For what?” I asked combing through his curls, seeing him leaning onto my touch.

“For giving me baby bean and being the best person I could’ve ever asked for”

“You don’t have to thank me for anything, bubba, and I’m also grateful for having you in my life” I said placing a quick peck on his rosy lips “I love you so much”

“I love you two” he said smiling softly at me and closing his eyes as I kept on playing with his hair.

It was right there that I knew I had everything I ever wanted.

                                                         -*-

*Hey, please check out my new soulmate series! You can find it here.

*Please reblog and like this post if you liked it so I'll know, your feedback is important to me!

*I'm sorry if there are any spelling mistakes.

*Please do not repost this without giving me the credits, this is a completely original piece and I do not give permission to copy this!

*Hope you guys enjoyed it!

*xoxo

- 🌙

[fantasticstoryteller]

New Dynasty Chapter 24

The old folks home (assisted living facility) that Aunt May lived in was built like a mansion with two wings. One wing was full of apartments for people who were (mostly) able to look after themselves. The other was for those whose health was so bad they couldn't even try. Wade checked in at the desk, because he wasn’t sure which side Aunt May would be in.

The woman working the desk stared at him. Most people did—but he didn’t mind it as much wearing his mask. “You’re related to Mrs. Parker?” demanded the woman, her lip curling up.

“Yup,” Wade said with a fake grin plastered to his face. “I’m her nephew and this is my daughter.” He hoped they didn’t ask what the girl’s age was. Or her name. He had no idea and didn’t know how to explain it.

The girl looked at the woman behind the desk and gave a wave. A wave that was, Wade noticed, almost exactly like the one she gave Spiderman earlier. The woman’s face softened. “Oh, what a cutie!” she said.

The girl turned and buried her head in Wade’s jacket as he grinned. “She’s a little shy,” he explained.

“It’s safer that way,” the woman said cryptically as she typed quickly into her computer. “Mrs. Parker is in the Adams wing, room 342.”

The Adams wing was the one for people doing well enough to support themselves, mostly. He nodded, relieved that she wasn’t in the Donner wing, and walked away from the desk. The place looked like a fancy hotel, but it smelled like a hospital.

The room was opened by a sour faced woman who frowned at him. Wade was about to apologize for getting the wrong room when he heard Aunt May behind her. “Wade!” the woman said as she hobbled forwards. She had a huge boot on one foot and was leaning heavily on a cane.

“Ma’am,” the sour-faced woman said respectfully, “you shouldn't be pushing yourself.”

“Nonsense,” breezed May. “My foot is in a boot, and boots were made for walking!”

“And just last week that boot was a cast,” the woman said tersely.

Aunt May just waved that off as she walked over to Wade. She grinned at the child on his chest. “And who might you be, dear?” she asked gently. The child turned and looked at her and Aunt May gave a low whistle. “Oh, you look like the spitting image of your father!” She turned to the sour-faced woman. “Adelina, please be a dear and get some snacks together for these two.” The sour-faced woman nodded and then stalked off, into the apartment.

Wade put the little girl down and she looked up at Aunt May with wide eyes. Her thumb went to her mouth. “None of that now,” Aunt May said gently smack the hand away. “You’re getting too big for that, and you need to stop. The girl paused, as if considering. She hugged the tablet (miraculously unharmed) to herself.

[Given this author I don’t think “miraculous” is the right word.]

Shush.

“Good girl,” Aunt May said. The girl gave her a tentative smile. “Come in, come in,” she said as she hobbled back to the couch.

The sour-faced woman came in and put a huge plate with apple slices and a small bowl of peanut butter on the table. The girl looked at the food. “Say ‘thank you’,” Aunt May prompted.

The girl looked up, eyes wide and timid. “Thank you?” she asked hesitantly.

Aunt May reached over and tousled the girl’s hair. “Good girl,” she approved. The girl touched her hair, beamed at Wade, beamed at Aunt May, and even smiled at the sour-faced woman before digging into the food.

Wade smiled at Adelina too. “Did you know your name means ‘graceful and noble’?” he asked.

She sneered at him before turning to Aunt May. “I’m going to to the kitchens. Page me if you need anything.” She left with one last glare for Wade.

“Who shoved a stick up her ass?” asked Wade glaring at the woman.

Aunt May laughed. “Sometimes,” she confessed, “I wonder the same thing. Child,” she said addressing the little girl. The girl paused, apple slice with peanut butter on it halfway to her mouth. “Please go down that hall into the room on the left and bring out the large plastic tote with the bright red and blue lid,” she said. The girl put the apple slice down and tottered off to comply with the old woman’s wishes.

“Where did she come from Wade?” Aunt May asked quietly. “This child who’s the spitting image of Peter and has no name?”

[How does she know the girl doesn’t have a name?]

{It’s Aunt May. Her powers of observation are scary beyond belief.}

So, Wade told her everything. He started with Peter being stalked, getting kidnapped (again), being rescued, and finding the child who led them to the other children. “Old Tin Can kind of—uh, went into the system,” he finished. If his skin hadn’t been so badly scarred he would have flushed. “Uh—Peter and I—we’re married now.”

Aunt May whooped with laughter again. The girl came into the room holding a thirty gallon plastic tote that was full of books. She gently put it on the floor and looked at Aunt May. “Good girl,” she approved. “Now, open it up and bring me the flower printed binder.” The girl complied and Wade, curious, drifted over. “This,” Aunt May said with satisfaction as she opened it show some pictures, “is Peter when he was your—size.”

Wade looked at the picture, a boy in front of a snowman that was partially made with dirty snow and both hands in the air like he was cheering. Aside from the length of the hair (Peter’s was shorter in the picture than the girl’s was) and the clothing, the two could have easily been the same kid. Something about the happy amber eyes in the picture, compared to the somber amber eyes of the girl, made Wade choke up.

Aunt May turned the pages showing them snapshots of Peter growing up. Peter with his first camera. Peter with his glasses broken, taped together, and sporting both a huge black eye and a wide smile.

[The fuck happened there?]

{He looks so proud of—whatever he did.}

Wade hovered his finger over the picture. “What happened here?” he asked.

Aunt May chuckled. “A bully at school pushed down another student and Peter went swinging to her rescue.” She smiled fondly at the picture. “He got beaten up and became the target of all the bullies, but he was so proud that he saved that little girl.”

Wade chuckled as well. “Sounds like Peter,” he said with a smile.

[Uh, speaking of little girls, what is she doing?]

Wade turned his head to see the girl going through the tote. Aunt May peered around him. “See anything interesting in there?” she asked. The girl pulled out an old, yellowed spiral-bound notebook and brought it over. Opening it to show page after page of blankness that didn’t even have lines in it, she frowned. “Oh, it’s Peter’s old sketchbook,” Aunt May said with a smile.

Wade blinked. “Peter—draws?” he asked, confused. It was the first he’d heard of it.

Aunt May chuckled. “No,” she said, amused. “Peter never drew. It was a present from someone who didn’t know him well.” She looked at the girl. “Would you like the sketchbook?” she asked. The girl nodded, timidly. “Say please.” The girl looked confused. “When you want something,” Aunt May continued, “you say, please. If you’re being formal, you say, ‘may I please have it’. And when someone gives you what you want, you say ‘thank you’.”

The girl’s eyes narrowed and Wade watched, wondering what she’d do. “May I please have the sketchbook, Aunt May?” asked the girl timidly. Wade felt his eyes go wide.

Aunt May’s narrowed in satisfaction—looking eerily similar to the girl when she was considering something. “Indeed you may, good girl. Since you have been such a good girl, I’ll give you something else. Inside that tote is a box of colored pencils you can also have—if you can find it.”

“Thank you,” the girl said timidly. When Aunt May smiled at her she smiled back and then went to dig through the tote—neatly, making sure not to make a mess.

“That’s a good girl,” Aunt May said with satisfaction. She looked at Wade. “Now, I’m grateful for this visit and all, but why are you here Wade?” she asked.

Wade sighed and rubbed his hands over his bald head. “I’m terrified,” he admitted to the older woman. “I’m so scared that I’m going to fu—mess this up.”

Aunt May smiled. “Welcome to everyone who has ever been a parent,” she told him.

[vinylhazza]

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” <3

“y/n, calm down-“

“relaxxxxx have a beer! you’re supposed to be having fun!” ethan slurred from beneath you, pressing the clear bubble on the cardboard “Trouble” game he’d found in the cabinet underneath the TV. the dice slap against the plastic and a moment later he’s cheering at the outcome of his play, moving his yellow game piece excitedly.

“i’m sure it wasn’t that big of a deal, there are drafts all over this shithole,” thomas reasoned softly, the quietest of the group. he was the only one that actually looked concerned about the petrified face you wore. maybe he was trying to convince himself more than you.

“yeah you look like you’ve seen a ghost!” angela quips, sitting up from her place on the couch.

you’re sure she’s right. your white metallica t-shirt had ripped on your way out of the guest room, caught on a cracked piece of wood on the doorframe. it remained crumpled in your fist. your face, drained of all color, gave the impression that you’d seen something to convince your almost immediately you weren’t alone. there was something else lurking in the old shack they called a cabin and they needed to listen before it was too late.

ethan and joshua chuckle from their spots on the floor, atop a dingy carpet that had to be there for more than a decade - uncleaned at that. it made your skin crawl that the two looked comfortable among the filth of the creepy ass cabin they’d somehow convinced you to come to. in the middle of the woods, miles from the nearest house or rest stop, far enough from civilization to have you on your toes the moment you set your bag on the hand crocheted blanket on the bed.

“it’ll be fun,” they said.

yeah fun until strange happenings that you can’t explain start popping up and no one believes you. someone pulling on your foot in the middle of the night, pinching at your skin that can’t be coincidence, voices low but noticeable. isn’t this the plot of every horror movie? the girl that doesn’t want to come has all the bad shit happen and all of her dumbass friends mock her until they inevitably have their asses handed to them?

“maybe that’s because i have” you huff, eyes darting to every nook and cranny they could to ensure nothing took you by surprise for the second time. you know what you saw, and none of these drunken fools were going to listen to you, “you’re all telling me you didn’t hear that shit last night.”

this only induced more laughter from your group of friends, too rep-occupied making a joke out of the trip than actually considering that this cabin just might actually be haunted.

“unlike you ms night owl, we were beat from the what was it? 6 hour drive out here? i was practically in a coma,” ethan chuckled, much rather slurred.

neither twin knew the real history behind the cabin nor why their aunt had fled as fast as she could when she’d spent her entire life hidden away from society. they didn’t think it was strange she suddenly wanted a change and gave them the keys to her families cabin with no question? opened her doors to “kids” that had no other plans than to tell scary ghost stories and get drunk off their asses?

“thomas and e are right babe, my aunt helen even said herself that there are drafts and when the house settles it can get kind of freaky-“

“pictures don’t come flying off of the wall because of a draft. someone touched me grayson. nor does a window slam shut that i had to fight to open in the first place,” you turn your attention to your boyfriend, narrowed eyes and all. you thought for sure he’d be the one to believe you and come to your aid when everyone else chalked it up to an old house surrounded by the elements. he should have considering his complaints the entire ride to the cabin.

“i don’t really wanna deal with e trashed the whole weekend”

“there’s nothing for us to even do there”

“how the fuck are we even supposed to seep with angela and thomas trying to fuck every hour?”

“no air conditioning either, i hope the trees shade and fans will be enough because i’m out if i sweat the entire time.”

“it’s gonna be so fun sure, bugs and rodents and complete seclusion oh goody!”

would he ever admit to saying such things? doubtful.

trying to reason with them was pointless. the group of young adults merely rolled their eyes at your frantic attempt to make them understand there is something seriously wrong. something sinister and evil lurked in the depths of this house, right down to his foundation—you were sure of it. you weren’t saying you had some sort of intel on spirits destined to loop for eternity, demons, ghosts and gouls...but you weren’t a fool and you did have a gut feeling that the group of you needed to be as far away from the cabin as possible. you cared little that you’d arrived only yesterday. one night was enough to scare you for life.

“i can call her if it would make you feel better,” he softened under your intense gaze, hair disheveled on his head. his look of apprehension let you know that he knew now wasn’t the time nor the place to challenge your feelings or make this anymore embarrassing in front of your friends that didn’t believe you.

he had slept throughout the night, unbothered by the unexplained sounds throughout the night: walking, skittering in the walls, pictures swinging on their hooks, doors creaking open, even wind across your face when there wasn’t a single window open or fan on in the house. you tried to reason with him, but knew he’d talk you down from your hectic attempts to scare him into leaving with you.

“no signal, remember?” you sneer.

with a chill down your back you know the lot of you weren’t alone. you knew without a doubt, deep in your body, it was the entity there to join in on the show, front and center just waiting for the right moment to let the rest of unsuspecting kids know it didn’t want them here. just as it had been banging and messing about in the early morning hours.

eyes wide and unwavering on grayson’s you begged him to see your terror at the situation. you just wanted to get the hell away from the run down prison cabin and never look back.

a favor was a favor until it wasn’t. his aunt had known the spirits that lurked in the cabin, whenever they came from. she’d always been a strange woman, very reclusive - but suddenly you wonder what motive she had being so open about the lot of you using her abandoned cabin she fought so hard to leave. a favor for her favorite nephews right?

with a whisper you urge them all to quiet down, a hand flying to your mouth. you felt in an irrational way that if it heard the labored breaths coming from your buzzing body, it would feed off of that energy. the energy it thrives on.

“it’s here.”

“y/n, you look so fucking crazy right now for real maybe you should have gotten some sleep. in fact maybe you could lay down and we will just get you when the food is done-“ angela whines, moving towards you with her arms open for a sympathetic hug. she really thought she was helping matters.

“did you not hear me? i said it’s. here.” backing away from her arms was your first reaction, your voice shaky and small.

“what is? there isn’t anyone here y/n jesus fu-“

with ethans sentence caught in his throat and his hand propping his body up on the floor, the group of you watch from across the room as the cellar door creaks open slowly, catching the full attention of the inebriated kids just looking for a good time.

you’d have loved to say i told you so, but instead waiting for movement, stuck in your spot in horror.

“isn’t that normally locked?” thomas whispers from the corner, backing himself up as far as his body would allow, contouring himself against the white and blues of the peeling wallpaper.

“always. i’ve never even seen what’s down there...” grayson swallows, clearly petrified to move any part of his body from the way his hands clenched at his sides.

with your breath stuck in your chest, you watch as angela rises to her feet, bravely marching towards in the door in a heroic kind of way, swinging the door open and looking down onto what you assumed to be a long stretch of stairs.

“looks like we are about to find out.”

-

a/n: just something spooky and fun idk. cheesy horror movies are my vibe.

[crisantemu]

Emilie Agreste’s build up surrounding other characters and its importance to the future story

Because I was supposed to be studying and my brain only comes up with stuff like this at the worst times. 

I tried organizing all the topics as best as I could so hopefully it won’t be difficult to follow.

So... Emilie Agreste, huh. One, if not the most mysterious character of the series. I am 120% convinced she is not as good of a person as Gabriel and Adrien paint her to be.

More on this under the cut.

Indeed, we know basically nothing about her for sure except her full name and her twin sister (both these pieces of information revealed in Felix). We can assume the miraculous of the butterfly and the peacock along with the book was hers, to begin with; we can assume she was not that great of an actress since her only movie is not very well known; we can assume she was friends with Audrey (since she helped with the movie) and perhaps Tomoe.

Why do I think this? Let’s take a look at the episode Feast:

Right after the temple of the Order of the Guardians appeared seemingly out of nowhere after 200 years of being gone.

This was followed up by these exact frames:

Gabriel and Nathalie are watching. But that’s normal since they’re both the villains of the story and their goal is somewhat connected to that temple. 

From a cinematographic and story-telling perspective, it makes sense.

But then...

There’s these. Both Tomoe and Audrey are also hearing/watching the news. But that can’t be right... They shouldn’t be shown here. It just doesn’t make sense. They shouldn’t have any sort of connection with this temple in Tibet. 

...Unless they have.

I doubt the director would put these frames right next to each other in a way that wasn’t purposeful.

But what could Gabriel, Nathalie, Audrey, and Tomoe possibly have in common (besides being in the same group age)? Knowing Emilie Agreste and her previous trip to Tibet.

From here on we can connect the dots:

- Emilie found the two miraculous and the book Master Fu lost while fleeing from the sentimonster.

- Emilie wore the peacock and did something with it that caused it to break.

- She kept using the broken miraculous and that eventually caused her coma-state.

Strange...

If she knew the miraculous was broken and was hurting her, then why did she keep using it? Clearly, her husband and her son weren’t her first priority then.

Kinda ironic how Gabriel isn’t Emilie’s first priority and yet Emilie is his, even to the point where he’ll put her over his own son (hello, Chat Blanc). Not only that, Gabriel seems to have this... “godly” vision of her, keeping a large portrait of her at his office and a statue of her on the garden (not to mention her actual body being placed safely in his basement with the most advanced medical support and surrounded by a field of white flowers and white butterflies); Adrien does this too to some extent with his lock screens of her. They both loved her. They both still do.

Just what did this woman do to Gabriel to make him believe he needs her to live on? 

And what did she do to her own son to only have him complain about his lack of freedom after she left the picture? How come Adrien love his mother so much when she was the one who conditioned him.

And why does Nathalie also decide to cooperate with Gabriel’s mission to bring her back out of their own volition? You could say it’s all out of love for Gabriel, but since it was revealed the three of them knew each other since high school, I have reasons to believe Nathalie has also some reasons of her own to help Emilie. Audrey and Tomoe could also be part of the same class.

Akin to Marinette and her own class, Emilie could too be forming a “team” of her own. Just not for a good reason.

But then, because we just haven’t enough mystery surrounding Emilie at this point, in Felix we are introduced to her twin sister: Amelie Graham de Vanily. And her nephew too, who is eerily similar to Adrien, to the point where they used to fool both Emilie and Gabriel by switching without them realizing it for a whole weekend!

This episode gave us some answers but it also gave us even more questions. Namely, the great mystery of the Graham twin rings (but I won’t talk about them here).

We did see these rings before though, in the episode Gorizilla where Adrien and Marinette go to the cinema to watch Emilie's movie.  (Later that day, Gabriel sits down with his son and plays the only copy that he has for them to watch).

And here we see again the connection between Emilie, Audrey, and Tomoe.

Before the movie starts, there’s a car commercial.

Now, this may seem completely random, after all having commercials before a movie is a normal occurrence. After this, we even have Adrien's Fragrance commercial.

However, Ikari Gozen proves this was no coincidence.

Tomoe’s car is the same model. As seen by the symbol:

After the commercials, the movie starts. And right after the Graham Movies screen, we transition to the movie itself where we first see this before the title screen:

Again we have the cinematographic parallels between these three women. This further cements a connection between Tomoe, Audrey, and Emilie.

Unfortunately, as of now, we know almost nothing about Tomoe Tsurugi or her family’s story and business that also involves Gabriel (as stated by Adrien himself, Tomoe and Gabriel casually meet up for this kind of business). So let’s look at the rest based on the information we have got so far:

At first, when I saw that logo, I thought that the Grahams already had a film industry to their name.

But then A. Bourgeois came in and it changed my whole perspective.

Remember when I talked about this being Emilie’s first and only film of her career as an actress? This movie was produced by Audrey (could be André too, but Audrey just makes more sense in this context).

Ironic how Audrey Bourgeois was the helping hand for both Agrestes on their respective careers. The major difference is that Gabriel succeeded and became a famous fashion designer while Emilie’s performance flopped.

And Audrey is a pretty greedy person as we all know, so she must’ve had a good reason to waste her time and resources on them.

Just what did this woman do to Audrey for her to lay such trust on her and not resent her for failing?

It’s here that we start to realize Emilie was some serious manipulative master for being able to shape everyone’s view on her. Which again, it’s ironic considering how she wasn’t able to get into the acting industry.

But let’s backtrack a little bit.

Back to Amelie and Felix.

Amelie had exclaimed with glee how Felix and Adrien used to switch places with each other right under the Agreste’s noses. To which Gabriel answers with annoyance.

“I won’t be fooled a second time.”

It’s also worth noting how... uncomfortable Gabriel looked while he was talking to Amelie.

And here’s when it comes the crazy part!!

Now, it’s probably just me, your casual Ace Attorney fan but when I see “two twin sisters” and “switching identities” in the same context, I remember Dahlia and Iris and their little... ploy. Now don’t worry I’m not going to spoil the game or anything. What I meant is; Emilie and Amelie may have done what Adrien and Felix did.

They switched places without Gabriel realizing it.

So maybe while Emilie was doing whatever she was doing with the miraculous, Amelie took her place beside Gabriel as his lover.

Pretty effed up, huh?

But what if Miraculous follows the typical “good twin, bad twin” trope? Then we’ll clearly know who was the good twin, and we’ll also know why Gabriel loves “Emilie” so much.

And it would also explain this:

“Secret siblings”

This gives on the potential for some cold-blooded twists and honestly, I’m here for it!!!

[faelune-home]

A Blade of Fallen Petals

(A/N: Sometimes it’s the major story NPCs, and sometimes its the smaller ones. They were only around for so long, but their death still hits like a brick. ;-;

That’s Wilred here. A little story about missing him, and coping with that. I used Lyse as a bouncing off NPC for miqo!Fu partly due to location (since the mini questline that acknowledges him and gives him a resting place in Stormblood goes into the Lochs) but also I find Lyse an interesting character to discuss death, just because for as much as its not presented in game, she’s lost a lot. She’s probably quite familiar with it.

I want to write more of these NPC remembrance stories, and I’ve already done a few prior - one for Minfilia, and two as part of FFXIV Write 2020, both actually featuring Lyse incidentally - but I’d like to do more.

Didn’t do too much editing after I finished writing, so apologies for any iffy errors.

@ffxiv-writers)

Cracking bones pierced the air as Lyse stretched, finally freed from the stuffiness of the castle meeting room. It felt like she’d been up and moving and chatting since dawn had broken, but she could rest at last. Spying the sun in the sky, seeing it just hovering above the walls of the Quarter, she let out a breath of relief. It would be nearing meal time, and she was starving. And she’d have to consider collecting a plate for Fordola as well…

“Well well, if it ain’t Lyse? I figured you’d be busy till sundown,” a voice called, snapping the woman from her thoughts. Gundobald approached with a wave, an affable smile on his face, which she gladly returned.

“It’s getting close enough though, isn’t it? So technically I have been,” she countered, nodding in the direction of the lowering star. “But it’s good to see you, especially after so long.”

“Likewise, lass, likewise. And it's good to be back in Ala Mhigo, even if it's only for a day,” the elder man hummed contentedly, looking around the city with pride in his eyes. Lyse couldn’t help but smile at his reaction.

“Right, you said you’d stay behind for those that couldn’t make the trip,” she mused, remembering the arrangement one of her soldiers - his own nephew - had made to transport the Ala Mhigans home, “So what brings you all the way here then? Just seeing the sights? Taking back stories for the older folk back in Thanalan?”

Gundobald tilted his head. “Aye, I suppose I could do that for them. Rhalgr knows even in their last few days, everyone back in Little Ala Mhigo gains a bit of new life being reminded that their home is free now.” Then he shook his head. “But that wasn’t the main reason I came. It was to pay some respects to some old comrades. The ones that couldn’t be here even to hear the news.”

Lyse lowered her head upon hearing this. “I see. I did learn about the old mercenary monument up north. Probably still fitting for everyone else that uh...passed beyond these lands.” Looking back at him, she asked, “So you’re returning home now? Would you like an escort?”

“Nah, I’m not so enfeebled I can’t handle myself on the return trip,” the highlander shook his head, though there was a friendly glint in his eye as he said it, “Better to keep your men here where they’re needed more, Commander. But if you want, you could send someone to go check on the Scions’ Warrior girl by the monument.”

At this, the woman perked up. “Fufu is here? There, I mean?”

“Aye, I figured you would’ve known, that she would’ve told you. She was up there before I arrived, and she’s still there now.” Lyse shook her head, surprise still colouring her features. Gundobald frowned, but he didn’t sound worried when he added, “Well, I’ll let you look into that on your own. Suppose you’ve been so busy you could do with a catch up with your friend. I’ll get started on my way back.”

He waved, wandering off down the cobbled streets, leaving a pondering Lyse to her thoughts.

~*~*~

The woman didn’t wait long before making the decision to venture to the old tomb, leaving behind an order to deliver food to the resistance’s prisoner should Lyse not return in time to do it herself. A bread roll haphazardly stuffed in her own month would do her until then.

The sky was turning a shade of purple by the time she reached the monument, the clouds painted orange and pink in the fading sunlight. A sole figure sat on the quickly chilling stone in front of the pillar, the only other source of light coming from a small lantern mounted on the saddle of a sleeping chocobo nearby.

“Hey,” Lyse called out, making the miqo’te jump and spin around. A hand hovered over the chakram by her waist, however Fufu quickly relaxed at the sight of her old friend. Her flickering tail settled.

“I wasn’t expecting you,” Fufu said as Lyse joined her. The hyur gave the Scion a friendly nudge, lightly scolding her by saying, “Of course you weren’t, ‘cos you never even told me you were here.”

The miqo’te winced, a sheepish smile on her face. “I’m sorry. In my defense I did show up at the palace gates, and I thought about it, but everyone said you were busy pretty much all day. They offered to take a message, but I didn’t want to interrupt or make you take time out if you were doing important stuff.”

“You’re never interrupting,” Lyse chucked, “I’ll always be happy to make time for you or the other Scions if I can. If anything,” she groaned, rolling her shoulder, both girls wincing at the loud crack it let out, “I’d appreciate having an excuse to take a break.”

Fufu nodded. “Alright then, noted.” Both women fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying the quiet as night fell, the sounds of the salt waves lapping at the shore behind them, and Fufu’s noble bird snoring softly next to them, the lantern swinging gently on its hook with each breath the chocobo took. Their faint shadows shifted ever so slightly against the stone structure.

“Who are you here for?” Lyse finally asked, the question having been sitting on her tongue since she’d arrived. Fufu didn’t answer immediately, but Lyse didn’t expect her to. In the meantime she added, “I met Gundobald in the Quarter, he said he came here with you. Or more like you arranged to meet here, I suppose, he said you were already here when he arrived from Little Ala Mhigo.”

Fufu’s tail twitched, managing to brush against the hyuran’s arm.

“Someone I knew once.” Was all she said.

“Did I know them?”

“...Kinda.”

They sat again, Lyse willing to wait for her friend to talk, or even if she didn’t at all. But after a moment, Fufu took in a breath.

“You remember one of the first reports I wrote on my own? For one of my first missions without another Scion watching me.” With a sly smile and a side eye toward her friend, she added, “After the whole thing with the sylphs.”

Lyse inadvertently spluttered as she burst out laughing. “Oh gods! I remember that! Your penmanship was awful, and it was so plain!” 

Lyse was already near falling to the floor from hysterics, however the miqo’te shoved the other woman over with an exaggerated pout all the same, though unable to hide the amusement in her voice as she argued, “Excuse you, I’d never done much writing before then, never mind for a fancy mission report. And what am I supposed to even put in one? ‘Went to Little Ala Mhigo, nobody liked me, I had to save some kids from the amalj’aa’? And it's not like you or Papalymo or anybody else was around to help me write it.”

“I kno- gods,” the hyuran gasped, finally trying to bring her laughter to an end. Given their location, things were sure to take a turn, even if Fufu had started the moment of levity. Indeed the woman in question had turned sombre once more. Lyse coughed, trying to stem her chuckles. “Alright, I’m done.” 

Another breath out to calm herself, then Lyse said, “I mean, really, it was plain, but that’s fine. It did the job it was meant to do - say what happened, what you did - and you were still new to it all. And teaching you wouldn’t have helped, you probably don’t need to write those anymore. So nothing to dwell on anymore. Right?” Fufu shot her a grateful look. Then she looked up at the stone beacon in front of them.

“Well, one of those kids involved in that whole thing, he’s here now.” Lyse flinched, eyes glancing up at the tomb.

“The one that didn’t die in the amalj’aa attack...but he died later as a Brave,” Fufu said, her face eerily straight, yet her eyes already beginning to water. Lyse herself found her eyes drifting to the foggy horizon, a faint memory of a bright eyed, hopeful looking young man dressed in blue coming to mind.

“His name was Wilred,” the miqo’te added without prompt, “And he meant every word of the Braves’ original creed.”

She shook her head, letting out a shaky breath. “I know a few of the folk that believed in what the Braves were meant to be still stuck with the Scions after that whole mess, but Godsdammit, I wish he could’ve been there as well. He just disappeared one day and then h-he was...he’d been left to rot in Urth’s Fount! He d-didn’t deserve that, h-he…”

Her words caught in her throat, and despite pressing her hands against her eyes to stem the oncoming flood, a sob broke from the warrior. Without hesitation, Lyse pulled the miqo’te into her shoulder, letting her friend weep freely. Fufu’s chocobo nearby stirred, letting out a small chirp at the sound of its mistress’ crying. A glance from the monk let the bird settle again, although the tenseness in its haunches betrayed its worry.

“He should’ve been here, I know,” Lyse mumbled gently, rocking to try and calm the other woman. She bit her lip, trying to think of what she could say to soothe her friend, but coming up short. She didn’t know the boy that well, only recognising him as a passing face in the Rising Stones...and one that eventually stopped showing up.

“It’s more than that,” Fufu hiccuped, lifting her head. Her eyes were already red raw. “He started out so angry and desperate, desperate enough for the ascians to notice him and his friends and...and he was the only one to make it out alive. And that changed him, and he wanted to do good after that. And the Braves were supposed to be his second chance to do that and-- By the Twelve, Lyse, he was younger than us.” Her voice cracked, and Lyse winced.

Still, the woman leaned her head forward against the other’s in a reassuring gesture. Fufu sniffed.

“I know I can’t go back and change things. I can wish and hope and say what I could’ve done instead - and I wish I’d watched him more now, I wish I’d taken Riol worries to heart, and I wish we’d never crossed paths with Ilberd, that I had cut him down where he stood if I knew then what I do now - but I know that won’t change anything about what happened before.” She let out a heavy sigh after her rant, finally seeming to calm. “I wish for a lot of things Lyse.”

“Me too.”

“I wish he had a chance.”

“I know. I wish all the time that Papalymo was still here to help me. He’d keep the resistance in line better than I could.” At that, the keeper chuckled.

Another sniff. “It’s moments like this...losing people I feel like I could’ve saved, it makes me try harder. So I don’t have to lose anyone else. So normal people can have a chance after hardship.”

“For those we have lost?” Lyse said, a small smile on her lips. Fufu smiled back, nodding.

“I wish they didn’t have to die, but I won’t let their deaths be in vain. But...but I guess it all feels like so much sometimes. And I need to be alone to deal with it. I know I could stay with the other Scions and they wouldn’t judge me for it, but just every now and then...” She trailed off.

“I get that,” the hyuran chuckled, ruffling Fufu’s hair, “And that’s fine, good even. It shows that you care. That the whole Warrior of Light title isn’t just for show. Better that than coming across like some soulless killing machine.” 

“I’m proud of what I do, since I can help so many people, but sometimes it can feel like a weight,” Fufu pouted. 

Lyse sighed. “I know the feeling.”

The highlander stood, her knees cracking, offering a hand to Fufu as well. The chocobo finally woke after a whistle from its rider, stumbling to its feet.

“We’ll go back to the Quarter together, and you can spend the night with me. I can send a soldier or call Tataru’s linkshell to let the Scions know,” Lyse suggested. Too worn down by her emotional outburst to argue, Fufu nodded, the idea sounding appealing at that.

“And in future,” the woman continued, “if you come here again, I insist you let me know. I won’t let you sit here on your own. This sort of thing is better with a little support, isn’t it?”

Fufu looked up at the stars above, the shimmering dots reflecting in her wide watery eyes. She smiled, looking back at her friend.

“I’d appreciate that.”