#I put a lot of thought into planning those stories and they deserve completion

[noicevibes]

Honouring the fact that I just reread csm for like, the fourth time??? I revamped an old oc I made back in 2018 (right) and made her shiny (left) kekeke, AND IT ONLY TOOK ME FOUR HOURS??? that ain’t like me LMFAO

[lordprettyflackotara]

Hitchhiker || Chapter Nineteen || The Proxies

tw: depression, gore descriptions, WHEW smut 18+ minors dni, foursome, gangbang, poundtown, breeding, double penetration (triple if you consider suckin dick in that equation)

a/n: the next chapter will take a lot of time to come out. i plan on releasing it along with the canon ending and an alternative ending at the same time so you guys can choose. i promise i am locked in but that will be a lengthy ass project for me. anyways, enjoy this smutty ass shit!

<— previous chapter

“Nova!”

The scream left your lips before you could process it, your jaw dropping so low it could hit the floor. Your voice echoed through out your apartment, your eyes glued to the gruesome sight before you.

You had never seen anything like it. Her body, still completely intact, hung limp from the noose. Her face however was a completely different story. You felt Toby grab you from behind, your body too paralyzed to process the stream of endless tears that strolled down your cheeks. “D-don’t look,” Toby ushered. He tried to pull you out of the apartment, your sorrow holding you in place. You couldn’t look away from the gruesome sight, your eyes glued on what used to be your best friends face.

Her face appeared to be smashed in, as if someone stomped on it until it cracked and then kept going. Her skull was hardly identifiable, her brain a pile of bloody mush that threatened to fall out of the remnants of her head. You felt your stomach churn, Toby holding you back from flinging yourself towards your best friend’s corpse. You’d recognize her bouncy curls from a mile away, her outfit the same one she was wearing the last time you had saw her. Leaning forward you thought you were going to be sick, nausea consuming your senses as you gripped at the floorboards. You couldn’t move from the doorway of your apartment, your body stuck in a hypnotic trance of despair.

You hardly processed Jack stepping over you, slowly approaching Nova’s corpse. He gained your attention when he began to undo the rope. “What- what are you doing?” You choked out in between sobs. Jack was silent for a moment, his hands continuing to move. “She doesn’t deserve to be left like this,” Jack huffed out. Toby tried to convince you to not look again, pulling you closer to him. You stayed in his arms, watching as Jack set Nova’s body on the ground. You stared aimlessly at the sight, Toby’s grip suddenly loosening. You hadn’t noticed Masky or Hoodie’s arrival, their presence surprising you just as much as Toby.

“Y/n-” Toby began, attempting to reach out towards you. Masky stopped him, firmly putting his hand to his chest. “Let her go,” He said quietly. Masky firmly believed you needed to see how terrible The Operator truly was. How demonic and cruel he was. There was no sugar coating the situation anymore, you were prey for the world’s most dangerous predator. You stumbled over your feet as you sat on the right side of her body, Jack on her left. You wished you could’ve seen her sweet face one last time. You’d spend those last moments memorizing every freckle on her caramel skin. Yet you couldn’t even have that, her face hollowed in and horrific to look at. Your eyes couldn’t stop producing tears, your body frozen as you stared down at her.

Your hand was shaky as you tucked some stray hairs behind her ear, her curls just as soft as you remembered them. Jack was huffing under his mask, causing you to glance at him. He lifted it up briefly, exposing his nose and lips. He leaned down, Hoodie stepping forward to stop him. “Don’t. He’s not going to do that,” Masky grumbled. Your eyebrows furrowed as you watched the demon lean down, nuzzling his face into Nova’s shoulder. Curiously you watched him sniff her, causing your eyes to widened. Jack exhaled loudly, before leaning away from her corpse. “This isn’t Nova,” He announced. You felt your heart skip a beat, your widened eyes centered on Jack. “What?” You hissed. You glanced back down at your best friend’s corpse, before glaring at him. “What the fuck are you talking about?” You snapped. You could feel your face getting hot, your emotions unhinged.

“I have a superior sense of smell and her scent isn’t Novas,” Jack said with a shrug. He seemed so nonchalant, so unfazed. Masky sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Now Jack-” He began, your venom laced words interrupting him.

“What exactly are you proposing? I think i’d know my best friend’s corpse you demonic moron,” You growled. There was a brief moment of silence, one that Jack sliced in half with his next words, “Clearly not, considering that’s not her.”

Your body sprung into action for you, carrying you off of the ground and lunging yourself at Jack. You pushed him to the floor, pinning him and grabbing handfuls of his hoodie. “Dont you ever disrespect her like this again! She’s fucking dead. Dont you understand? She’s gone!” You seethed. Your voice cracked at the realization of her being gone, your anger now subsiding and being replaced with sorrow. Releasing your grip on Jacks hoodie you slumped beside him, curling up into a ball. You put your hands over your ears, screwing your eyes shut as you sobbed. Your head was pounding, memories of you and Nova swirling around your head. This was all your fault. This was all your fault. This was all your fault.

You felt a large set of hands pick you up, tucking you into the owners chest. You couldn’t get that image out of your head. The broken pieces of her skull and brain mushed together that sat where her beautiful face used to be. Inhaling you recognized the scent of cigarettes, letting you know that Masky was the one holding you. Faintly you could hear talking, the words muffled but the sound still audible. You signed into Masky’s chest, your eyes fluttering shut, your body slumping from exhaustion.

That was the last time you slept peacefully.

Your mind refused to let you sleep much after that, every time your eyes managed to close you’d see Nova’s face. The smiles she’d give you. The way she’d hold your hand. Then the memories would settle in. The ones of her taking you out for drinks after a stressful shift at work. Or the late nights you’d stay up together binge watching shameless. As the days dragged on her voice was beginning to grow more faint in your memory. This forced you to think of her every moment you spent awake. Jack had concluded you had never experienced such a deep loss before, thus leading to your depression. It concerned your lovers when he truthfully told them there was no guarantee you’d ever mentally recover.

You were a zombie to Toby. When you did walk around, it was only when your bladder threatened to make you urinate on yourself. You only ate when forced to, your nutrition intake Toby’s sole responsibility. He dedicated his time to cooking, gathering old cookbooks that had gathered dust on Jack’s shelves. Toby figured he wouldn’t mind, considering he didn’t eat human food anyways. Whether it was actually good or not Toby could never tell, your face empty and eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep. He concluded it was at least edible, your jaw slowly crunching whatever it was he had managed to feed you.

To Brian, you were a hollow shell of who you used to be. It was his responsibility to bathe you, ensuring you were always clean. Brian was a bit of a clean freak contrary to everyone around him. He had no issue bathing you, of course. You’d sit in the tub, knees tucked to your chest as you blankly stared at the faucet. Brian was always tender and gentle with you, massaging your scalp with shampoo and washing you as if you were made of delicate glass. It was during this time he discovered your tramp stamp, something he attempted to joke about. He wanted to see it. He wanted to see a glimpse of the old you, the one he fell in love with. His attempt failed utterly, your silence almost deafening to his ears.

As for Tim, he didn’t consider you to be there at all. It was his responsibility to ensure you didn’t sleepwalk or fall under The Operators influence. At night he’d watch you toss and turn, hopelessly trying to fall asleep. Once you did eventually, that’s when the nightmares came. You’d wake up screaming, your vocal cords becoming sore from doing it so frequently. It led you to avoid sleeping all together, your eyes blood shot with dark bags hanging underneath them. The guilt of Nova’s death was eating you alive. You felt solely responsible. That the weight of her death fell on your shoulders and yours alone. You wished you could beg her for forgiveness. To have mercy on your crushed soul. But it was too late for that. It was too late for you to tell her how much she truly meant to you. She was gone. Forever.

Staring aimlessly at the wall, your mind soaring with daydreams filled with Nova, Tim entered the room. It was a typical routine now, him sitting in a rocking chair by your bedside. Except this time he brought something with him. Something he thought may lighten your mood. “Hey princess. Brought you something,” He said. Now truthfully the cigarettes were more for him than for you, but he remembered the way your eyes lit up when he offered you one. Tim strolled over to the rocking chair, sitting down in it. He dug out the cigarette box, your eyes finally flickering away from the wall. Tim tried to hide his grin, afraid a reaction might shy you away into your shell again.

He ripped off the plastic, opening the box up. As nonchalantly as he could he handed you a cigarette, watching you take it with shaky fingers. He brought his own to his lips, fishing a lighter out of his jeans. You forced yourself to sit up, propping yourself up on one elbow as you leaned forward. Tim picked up on your hint to help light the cigarette, flicking the lighter and holding the flame at its end. You inhaled deeply, watching the tobacco burn a bright orange as it swirled around your lungs. Tim allowed himself to smile this time, watching you exhale into the cold night air. Your eyes finally flickered to his, one of your eyebrows raising, “What?”

Oh your voice. The sweet sweet sound of your voice. “Nothing princess,” Tim shrugged, leaning back in his hair. He lit his own cigarette, the smoke along with you uttering a single word making him extremely happy. But much like he would treat a cautious deer, he pretended to not be. He didn’t want to scare you away. Not now. Not after a month of seeing a doll version of you take your place. So instead he rocked back and forth in his rocking chair, inhaling and exhaling the precious tobacco stick. Unsurely you forced yourself to sit up, the cold winters breeze hitting you from the window. Your eyes fluttered closed. When was the last time you had allowed yourself to enjoy the wind? Or anything for that matter?

You smoked alongside Tim, the bedroom door opening. Brian and Toby both stumbled inside. “Aren’t you guys supposed to be sleeping?” Tim asked. Brian and Toby tried to hide their guilty looks, failing under Tim’s stern gaze. “Yeah but Jacks out hunting so we needed to protect the house, obviously,” Brian said. Toby nodded along frantically, his neck slightly twitching at the sight of you sitting up. Both boys joined you on the bed, Toby by your side and Brian lying on his stomach at the end. You handed Toby your cigarette, while Tim handed Brian his own. "I-it's nice to see y-you up," Toby said softly. His comment on your behavior alarmed Tim and Brian, who feared you'd curl up back into a ball. You delivered him a small smile. Although Nova's death weighed heavy on your heart and soul, your boys needed you.

You were their soul reason for breaking away. For trying to find freedom away from The Operator. Despair had clouded their lives for so long, the existential dread of being a homicidal slave daunting on their mental states. But you were like a ray of hope for them. Just as they were becoming a ray of hope for you in your darkest hour. "I'm sorry, about mentally clocking out," You apologized, tucking some of your hair behind your ear. Brian rolled over on his back, blowing the cigarette smoke into the air. "Don't sweat it, we'll always be here for you," The blonde informed you. Toby handed you back your cigarette, your lips feigning for a hit. As you stared over the stick and studied the three men, you had a realization you should've had ages ago.

You loved them.

With all of your body, mind, and soul. You truly adored each of them, including Masky and Hoodie. Pin pointing exactly when you fell in love with each of them individually was impossible. Maybe the truth was you had loved them all along, from the moment you picked them up in your car on Halloween.

"C'mere. All three of you," You whimpered lowly. Tim flicked his cigarette out of the window, Brian following suit. They surrounded you like hungry wolves, Tim's pupils blown with lust once he realized what you wanted. "Are you sure about this?" He asked slowly. You slid your shirt over your head, your breast bouncing out and on display. "I just wanna feel something. Something good. You three make me feel good," You admitted. Brian and Toby's concern was completely faded at the sight of your breast, your nipples perky from the cool night air. "I want you. All of you. Right now," You whispered. Tim's lips were on you in a flash, while Toby and Brian each took one of your breast into their mouths. You groaned into Tim's mouth, which he eagerly swallowed. The taste of cigarettes and mint danced across your taste buds, Brian nudging you to open your legs. Your hands slithered to Toby's and Tim's crotches, their cocks growing harder by the minute.

Individually they were addicting as lovers, but all together, they were truthfully intoxicating. Toby teasingly grazed your nipple with his teeth, while Brian’s tongue swirled around the other sensitive bud. You recognized Brian’s slender fingers palming at your clothed cunt, your slick drenching your panties. He released your nipple with a pop, kissing down your stomach before reaching the waistband of your shorts. You lifted your hips, helping him pull them down along with your panties in a swift motion. He ran two fingers up your folds, grinning at the sight of your arousal. “Look at that. So fuckin wet for us,” Brian purred, before beginning to lap at your folds. His lips attached themselves to your clit, the sensation causing you to moan loudly.

Tim couldn’t get enough of your sounds, shoving his shirt over his head. “Wanna feel the both of you, take these off,” You panted, tugging at his and Toby’s jeans. The men undressed quickly, your sinful noises uncontrollable as Brian devoured your pussy. As soon as you saw Tim and Toby’s cocks you wrapped your hands around them, jerking them off. Toby’s whimpers were loud and audible, while Tim bit the inside of his cheek to hold back his own. You struggled to remain coherent as Brian’s tongue teased your entrance, before he abruptly shoved two fingers inside of you instead. “There we go. You can take it princess,” Tim praised, brushing some of your hair off of your face. Brian curled his fingers inside of you, abusing your g spot. You briefly got lost in the pleasure, your hands coming to a slow halt as you explored euphoria.

Brian’s fingers stopping brought you back to reality, both of your boyfriend’s cocks hard in your hands. “Don’t stop showing them love, or else i’ll stop,” Brian said sternly. You gulped as you continued pumping Tim and Toby’s cocks, Brian’s finger fucking resuming. "F-fuck i'm gonna destroy that pretty throat of yours," Toby moaned, his cheeks a visible shade of pink. Tim's face was turning red, his groans now audible as you jerked him off. You could feel yourself getting closer to your first orgasm, your thighs trembling. "Fuck, i'm gonna fucking cum, fuck- please make me cum," You babbled, your hand straying from Tim's cock and gripping Brian's wrist. Tim took the opportunity to lean down close to your face, planting sloppy kisses on the side of your head. "Go on princess, cum on his face like the good girl I know you are," He huffed, nibbling at your earlobe. His words broke you, the cord inside of you snapping as you came on Brian's relentless fingers.

Dazed, the boys rearranged you, ensuring you were comfortable as you propped yourself up on all fours. Tim laid beneath you, his chocolate orbs full of comfort. Toby was to your left, while Brian was behind you. "I-i've n-never," You sputtered, your unexplored hole clenching from fear and arousal. Tim was quick to wash away your worry. "We're gonna go nice and slow, aren't we Brian?" He asked, his question coming out as more of an order. Brian's large hands cupped your ass, gripping the flesh as gently as he could muster. "Don't worry beautiful, we're gonna take good care of you," He agreed. Tim was first, slowly rubbing his tip up and down your drenched folds. Toby watched silently, teasingly rubbing his hand up and down his shaft as Tim pushed himself inside of you. Bracing yourself you grabbed onto Tim's shoulders, grunts escaping his lips as your gummy walls gushed around his cock. "Such a perfect little cunt," He groaned, biting his bottom lip.

You tensed up as you felt Brian spit on your puckered hole, your eyes widening. Tim had fully bottomed out inside of you, his cock brushing against your g spot. You buried your head into Tim's shoulder as Brian slowly pushed a finger inside of your asshole. "So fuckin tight, holy fuck," He muttered. Toby was fine waiting, but was eager for a show while he did so. "I-it would probably h-h-help if you fucked her Tim,” He advised. The older brunette caved to his desires, Toby's suggestion only adding fuel to the flame. He slowly pulled his cock out of you, before ramming back into you. You whined as his thrust picked up the pace, Toby's hand guiding you to jack off his cock. "Taking me so well princess, does it feel good?" Tim asked teasingly, your whimpers and unholy noises vibrating against his neck. Your noises were incoherent, a gasp escaping your lips as Brian added a second finger. A rough hand yanked you away from the comfort of Tim's neck, Toby's brown eyes boring down into yours.

"H-he asked you a question princess," Toby spat mockingly, enjoying the sight of your face temporarily scrunching up in pain. Tim could feel your walls squeeze around him as Toby gripped your hair. "Be as rough as you want with her kid, she likes it," He chuckled darkly. It became hard to focus, your tongue flattening out across your bottom lip. You were practically drooling at the sight of Toby's cock and you couldn't help but want to suck him dry. You were so distracted you didn't notice Brian's fingers leaving your unexplored hole. He regained your attention when you felt Tim's thrust come to a halt as Brian slowly pushed himself inside of you. For a moment you thought you were going to split in half, your fingernails digging into Tim's shoulders. Tim's rough hands reached around your waist, holding the mounds of your ass apart as Brian sank in deeper. Your noises were strangled bits of pain mixed with pleasure, Tim's lips planting sloppy kisses against your neck.

"Doing so well for us," Brian panted, attempting to contain himself as your walls pulled him in closer. Once he fully bottomed out the four of you were panting in unison, your body struggling with the feeling of being so full. "Sorry princess, need to move," Tim hissed through his teeth. Both boys began moving their hips, your head spinning from pain slowly fading into pleasure. You didn't have time to think too much, Toby guiding your mouth onto his cock. Your noises created blissful vibrations around his shaft, your eyes watering as he began to sink deeper into your throat. All three of your holes were stuffed, the pain fully fading into euphoric pleasure as the boys abused your holes as they pleased. It was just the right distraction, your body in a state of bliss as they fucked you senseless. You gagged on Toby's cock as he used your throat, your thighs beginning to shake as you neared your second orgasm.

You had never felt such intense pleasure before, the four of you lost in a trance. Toby knew he was going to cum first, his hips stuttering as his hips thrusted into you. He combed his fingers through your scalp, tugging at your roots. "G-gonna cum down t-that pretty throat of yours," He panted. You struggled to comprehend his words as Tim and Brian pounded into you, your eyes rolling into the back of your head. Toby moaned your name as he came, his warm cum flooding down your throat. You gagged at the sensation, his slender fingers securing your head in place. “Swallow every last drop,” He ordered, a sadistic grin crossing his lips as he watched you struggle to do so. He finally removed his cock from your throat, your tongue rolling out to proudly showed him you listened. He kneeled down, cupping your chin. Your lips puckered out like a fish as Toby gave you devilish gaze.

“C-cum on their c-cocks. Go on. I’m w-waiting,” Toby spat, his neck twitching as he stared deeply into your eyes. You felt Brian’s hands roughly grab your ass, your body shaking. Your vision went white as you came, your euphoria sending you upwards towards the stars. You could vaguely still feel Brian and Tim pounding you, your body spent. You were held up by three strong sets of hands, Brian’s orgasm following closely after yours. His warm seed splattered across your ass cheeks, painting your skin. Tim was still rutting into you, his orgasm close. “Please cum in me Tim, please, I need it,” You whined, your thighs trembling. Your pleas sent him over the edge, his mind full of pure filth about breeding you.

He painted your insides white, flooding your cunt. Exhausted you collapsed on top of him, panting as he slowly pulled out of you. In a dream like state you could feel the boys carrying you over to the bathroom for a bath. You snuggled against Toby’s chest, your eyes blissfully fluttering shut. For the first time since Novas death you felt content. Who would’ve thought three hitchhikers could make you feel so loved.

—> next chapter

[lenaswritingandstuff]

All I had • Mattheo Riddle x f!reader (Part 2 & END)

Requested: No well I lowkey did

Pairing: Mattheo Riddle x f!reader

Summary: After his girlfriend y/n is killed, Mattheo has to deal not only with pain and sorrow, but also cruel accusations (complete original prompt here), and asks someone for help.

Word count: 4.7K

Warnings: mentions of death, lost and grief; cursing ;

A/N: Thank you guys a lot for the good feedback the first part got! Here Mattheo and Tom are also Bellatrix' sons, and Mattheo is older than Harry by one year (so this takes place during Harry's sixth year) and younger than Tom by one year too. There will be two povs in this part, and I might do a bonus scene if (a lot of) people ask. This is my first time writing for Tom (and Voldemort) so I really hope it's alright. Comments and feedback are always appreciated. Hope you enjoy it!

Tag list: @helendeath @im-jesus

Tag list for this story: @arlxtoa

GIF IS NOT MINE.

PART I

The two Aurors got up and left, and Mattheo blinked. When he opened his eyes again, the  cold metallic table and the chairs disappeared, and he was back into the small room with the bed and the floating candles. Weakly, he laid on the bed and crossed his hands on his stomach. He didn’t know how long he had been here, in this room which was more magical than he thought as the bed, the sink and the table that were here when he arrived disappeared every time the Aurors came in, with a metallic table and three chairs surrounded by simple darkness which disappeared when the two men did. However, it must have been at least two days, spent refusing anything he was proposed to eat or drink - strangely enough, though, he wasn’t feeling hungry or thirsty at all - and refusing to say what those two fuckers demanded. Everytime they came in, Mattheo asked if they contacted Tom so he could come, but they refused to answer, insisting with their dumb questions instead. 

At first, his brother not coming to his aid had gave Mattheo great anxiety, as he saw it as the only way to prove he didn’t do what they accused him of - his mind refused to use the real words - but now, as time passed and without an answer, all anxiety - which was the only thing he was able to feel besides his pain and empty chest - had left him, leaving only resignation. If he was sent to Azkaban, so be it. After all, even if he didn’t do it, didn’t he deserve it for not being able to protect y/n? He was her boyfriend, who vowed while looking into her eyes, her eyes he was crazy about, to always protect her and save her if needed, and he couldn’t fucking do that. And again, even if he didn’t do it, it was his fault she was gone. If he hadn’t gone out for a stupid cigarette with Theo, maybe y/n wouldn’t have left her room and she would still be here, holding his hand and kissing him. Some part of him knew that maybe she left to go help a friend in need - typical y/n - and didn’t actually go out to look after him after he took a while to come back, but the biggest part of him refused to think about that theory, refusing to admit that it wasn’t his fault somehow. 

It had been too good to be true, he thought. He had managed to escape both his parents ever since his father came back and his mother escaped Azkaban, Tom and Dumbledore helping him hide during the summer holidays - y/n had asked him countless time to come to live in her parents’ house, but despite wanting nothing more than to say yes and spend the summer by her side, Mattheo had refused to put her and her family, who had already been kind enough to let someone like him date their daughter, in danger. He had also managed the anxiety and stress his father’s coming back had brought, mostly due to y/n’s love and care, and had even managed to plan on becoming an Auror once he would leave school, which he knew had worried y/n, but now, all the good things he had managed to do and the overall good - or at least; bearable - life he had built around his friends and y/n not only meant nothing, but it had died with her. Because even if I manage to not go to Azkaban, what would I do? I might as well join my father. 

But Mattheo had that thought, y/n’s sad, disappointed face appeared to him, and he hated himself even more. y/n wouldn’t want that, he forced himself to think, slightly shaking his head. y/n would want him to fight, and most importantly, would want him to remain the boy she had loved. His only option, if he managed to not go to prison, would be to hide until his death - which now he didn’t care when it would come. The door suddenly opened, bringing Mattheo out of his thoughts, and had half expected the Aurors to come back and, letting out a long sigh and closing his eyes, he prepared himself to insult them this time, but it wasn’t one of their voices he heard. 

“Brother.”

Fuck. Mattheo’s eyes snapped open, and he jumped on his bed, and at the same time turning his head so quickly he could have hurt himself. Taller and of stronger structure, Tom was standing near the door, his dark curls perfectly styled contrasting with Mattheo’s messy hair, and dressed in an all black suit. 

As if he was waking up from a long, deep sleep, Mattheo’s mind was not perfectly aware, and got used to the idea of Tom actually being here. Looking up at him, Mattheo noticed his elder brother looked paler than usual, and there was something strange about his eyes. 

“They called you,” Mattheo managed to say.

“They did. Their message came late, however, as I was…busy, in the north.” 

In other circumstances, Mattheo might have asked Tom what he meant by that - he never really knew what his brother was up to ever since the latter left Hogwarts last year - but, now, he just slightly nodded in answer. 

“Dumbledore told me,” Tom continued, his tone now sounding more febrile and softer, “that y/n was… dead.”

The last three words hit Mattheo like a thousand knives in the heart, but they also for some reason finished to convince his mind that it really did happen. 

“The two Aurors told me you did it.” 

“I didn’t,” Mattheo answered immediately, the defensive tone and behavior he had been having for the last two days around the Aurors coming back. 

“I know. Though I wish to know what really happened.” 

Sighing and his eyes on the ground, Mattheo explained everything that happened that night, from spending an usual night with y/n in her room - he saw a small grimace on Tom’s face for a small second - to going for a smoke with Theo.

“Then on my way back, I was walking by the courtyard when I saw her…her, I…I saw her body.”

Mattheo then raised his gaze, and saw that Tom’s body and face had stiffen, and one of his fists was now closed. A year ago, this reaction from Tom upon hearing about y/n would have angered Mattheo deeply, but now, he only felt some annoyance which surprisingly disappeared quickly.  

“There was no round around?” Tom asked. “No sign of anybody?” 

Mattheo shook his head negatively. 

“Who do you think might have done it?” Tom questioned in a sharper tone. 

“I don’t know. She only had friends. Teachers liked her. Her family is normal…” 

“Try to think, Mattheo,” Tom cut off coldly, growing impatient, “try to remember a detail, a conversation y/n had with someone…”

“I don’t know!” Mattheo said louder. “I haven’t been able to think ever since I had her corpse in my arms!” 

Tom had a very small sigh. “Then maybe y/n didn’t tell you about it. Do you think her friends might know something?" 

“Her friends never liked me much,” Mattheo had a bitter small laugh. “Well, except for Pansy.” 

“I see. I’ll have to ask them some questions, then.” Tom said. And I could as well have searched her dorm for a clue, but I heard her family already took her belongings and cleared her room,” he added in annoyance.

Mattheo frowned. “Her family? Her family is already here?”

“Yes. It’s been two days, they had to take her body,” Tom answered, his voice a bit febrile. “I suppose the… funeral will be held soon.”  

It was already unbearably hard enough for his mind to understand the idea that y/n was dead and would never come back, but to imagine her immobile body in a casket, alone in the darkness and the coldness of the silent underneath the ground…No, fucking no, that was something he could not and could never handle. When he looked at Tom again, Mattheo saw him as lost in thought, as if he felt the same way. And he knew he did. 

“Do you believe she could have had some sort of stalker or admirer?” Tom questioned after a moment of silence. 

“You mean, other than you?”

Tom looked at him, now angered but a bit surprised as well. 

“Unbelievable. y/n is dead and you’re still thinking about this?” 

Mattheo didn’t answer. Of course that was stupid to think about what happened last year, especially now. Last year, between Umbridge’s tyranny and the suspicion that had raised around Mattheo and Tom now that their father was back, something Mattheo never imagined happened: Tom, the cold and quiet Tom who had never looked at a girl before, had fallen in love. Mattheo had been amused at the idea, and had been curious to know who the lucky girl was, despite the whole thing happening in front of his eyes. One day, a very surprised y/n had come to him, saying Tom had asked to talk to her in private and had confessed to her that his heart, which all thought cold and frozen, had fallen for her. Angry as he never had been in his life and only listening to the part of himself which was telling him that his brother wanted to steal everything from him, Mattheo had immediately went to see Tom and a big fight had followed, and it would have probably became physical if Tom hadn’t remain his calm self, although greatly annoyed at Mattheo’s shouting, and his friends holding him back just in case. y/n , sweet, innocent y/n had felt guilty despite not being at fault, and later Mattheo had realized that it was likely her fondness and compassion for Tom, who was “always so alone” which had made his older brother think he and y/n might have a chance. Mattheo had never been mad at y/n, but, unable to not be angry at Tom and unable to not think that Tom wanted y/n just because she was with him, his cordial relationship with Tom had been broken, and they never had any contact after Tom graduated. But with time, Mattheo had realized he understood Tom. After all, y/n was beautiful and had a heart of gold, and people were drawn to her and her warmness, kindness and natural charm. It wasn’t even a surprise that someone like Tom, cold and silent, would fall for her despite being as different as can be. But while also thinking about this, he had then remembered all the times he had seen Tom and y/n speaking, studying, or just the kind things he would sometimes tell her, and it had made sense.

“I know they found your wand. You mentioned you lost it,” Tom said suddenly. “Do you have any idea where that might have happened?”

“No,” Mattheo said, looking at the ground. “I just know I lost it after class.”

“Did you tell anyone?”

“y/n.”

“Are you sure you don’t remember any details? Anything that could help?” 

“I already told you no,” Mattheo said with annoyance. 

He tried to think hard about it, though, trying to remember his walk from y/n’s dorm to the dark corner of the castle where he met Theo, and remembered it overall - the empty corridors, making sure nobody, especially a teacher, wouldn’t see him. He then tried to remember every detail of the way back. He tried hard, forcing his mind to bring itself back to this moment, but to his great confusion, he didn’t remember anything. It was as if, one moment, he was walking away from Theo, and the other, he was walking by the courtyard, seeing his biggest nightmare coming true. 

“I don’t remember anything from my way back to her dorm,” Mattheo simply said. 

“What do you mean?”

“Like I said, I don’t remember anything between leaving Theo and seeing h…her body.” The last two words still had a hard time leaving his mouth. Suddenly, he had a thought, maybe the most clever and useful thought he had ever since he had been brought here. 

“Maybe you losing your wand and your memory somehow disappearing are linked,” Tom stated, and Mattheo nodded. “Did anybody here do some strange things or had a strange behavior this year?” 

Mattheo thought, and quickly had an idea.

“I heard Harry speaking with his friends once. He said Draco was up to something, and, well, I noticed he’s been acting strangely since september.”

Tom remained silent, and acquiesced. 

“Then I shall have a conversation with our cousin.”

They opened the door after Tom knocked once, and the two Aurors were still here waiting for him when he left the room. He ignored them and started walking down the small corridor, but they apparently were not willing to do the same. 

“Did he tell you anything?” one of the Aurors asked, full of curiosity, trying to keep up with Tom’s quick and long footsteps. 

Not bothered, Tom did not even give him an answer. 

“Well?” the other insisted. 

“No, he did not,” Tom answered this time, but only to get rid of them. “He already told you he was innocent. There was no more he had to say. Just like I have nothing to say to you.”

It worked, and the Auroras stopped following him. He left their outraged and suspicious gazes behind his back, but to say he didn’t care was an understatement. It was already the end of the afternoon, and classes just finished. Tom, ignoring the surprised looks of the crowds of students, walked to Snape’s class, and found him here sitting behind his desk. His former professor raised his eyes, and though he didn’t show it, Tom knew Snape was surprised to see him at Hogwarts. 

“Snape.”

“Mr. Riddle.” 

“I wish to talk with a few of your students. Be kind to bring them here.”

“And may I ask why you wish to talk to them?”

“If I thought it concerned you, I would willingly tell you,” Tom responded. “Now, Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkison and Daphne Greengrass.”

Snape looked at him, but did not say a word. Minutes later, only two silhouettes entered Snape’s dark greenish class. The two girls exchanged a curious look upon seeing Tom.

“Tom?” Pansy Parkinson asked. She had always been somehow unafraid of him, and Tom respected that fact. “What are you doing here?” 

“I’m here to help my brother.” 

Parkison raised her eyebrows with genuine surprise. “You think he’s innocent?” 

Tom nodded. “I know you two ladies were y/n’s closest friends. I need you to tell me if she had anyone who wished to do her harm.” 

Pansy shook her head and had a slight sigh, “we already told the Aurors everything.”

Daphne nodded, “y/n had no enemies. Well,” she added with a false smile, “at least that’s what we thought until her own boyfriend turned out to be one..” 

“Mattheo is innocent,” Tom retorted right away. 

Pansy chuckled bitterly, “Don’t make me laugh, Riddle. Everyone in school knows how they found his wand near her body, and how the last spell it cast was the killing curse. He did kill our friend, and I hope he will rot in Azkaban for the rest of his days.”

Tom remained silent, ignoring his growing annoyance, and instead focused his mind on entering Parkison’s. He saw her in Daphne’s arms, probably crying over y/n’s death, and going back to before that event, he saw her this time laughing with Daphne and y/n, and his heart - if it was still there - skipped a beat. Seeing her full of life, laughing, when he knew she would never laugh again was almost too much to bear. He continued inspecting Parkison’s memory, and when he couldn’t find anything, did the same thing to Greengrass. He didn’t find anything new inside her mind, and had a hard time not showing his displeasure. He had entered their minds and saw their memories so quickly that they didn’t even notice what he did. 

“Where is my cousin?” Tom finally asked, quickly looking at Snape.

“Draco?” Parkinson asked. “Well, we saw him in class, but…”

“He left right after the last one. Maybe he’s in the common room, or maybe his dorm?” 

Tom wanted to ask if, like Mattheo, they thought Draco had been acting weirdly, but wouldn’t do that in Snape’s presence. He gestured for the two girls to go, and turned back towards Snape. 

“If I don’t find who murdered y/n and exonerate my brother before I leave Hogwarts, I suggest you continue looking for the murderer. Because, as you well know, Severus, my wrath is nothing compared to his.”

Not waiting for Snape’s answer, Tom left the room. He directly went for the dungeons, where the Slytherin common room was. Some friends of Mattheo were here, sitting on some of the couches - Berkshire with his innocent face, Nott always acting as if he had no care in the world and Zabini who never smiled - and they immediately came to him when they saw him. 

“Tom?” Nott asked. “You’re here to help Mattheo, right?” 

“Did you find anything?” Berkshire asked. 

“I need to speak to my cousin. Where is he?”

“We don’t know,” Zabini shrugged. “I looked in our dorm, he’s not here.”

Tom decided to go check the room himself, and walked in its direction. As Zabini said, there was no one here. The room was well ordered, full of expensive things both Zabini and Draco’s parents had bought and of Slytherin decoration, but Tom looked into it, he didn’t find anything. His patience growing thin, Tom quickly left the room, and, ignoring Mattheo’s friends and their questions, left the common room. Walking through the corridors, he only met a few much younger students who did not dare to look at him for too long until he saw three silhouettes talking softly.

“Potter.”

The latter turned immediately, but didn’t seem that surprised to see him, and they walked closer to each other.

“My brother told me you found Draco’s behavior strange. Why?”

“We saw him at Borgin & Burke with his mother. They seemed like they didn’t want people to know they were here. Sometimes, he disappears and doesn’t come to class. He’s always quiet, and you never see him outside of class.”

“And pray tell, what’s your theory?”

Potter stared at him, and as Tom expected, didn’t say anything.

“Come on, Potter. You’re smarter than most people give you credit for.”

“Well, I definitely wouldn’t be smart if I told you what I thought.”

Tom inclined his head, squinting his eyes. “So it has to do with my father. You believe he’s a Death Eater, don’t you?”

Potter’s eyes hardening was enough for Tom to know he was right.

It wasn’t common for Tom’s father to pick followers that young, but if it was indeed true, Tom was not surprised. Either his father had expected Draco to replace Tom’s uncle Lucius, or he was forced to. I know my cousin. He may be arrogant and spoiled, but he doesn’t have the stomach to be a Death Eater. Not for long, anyway.

“I see,” Tom continued. “And where do you think he goes when he disappears?”

Potter looked at him, hesitating before giving an answer. “I can’t be sure, but…the Room of Requirement makes sense.” 

And with that, Tom turned his heels and went to the seventh floor of the castle. He knew it was going to be hard, as that room could appear anywhere, but he wasn’t going to give in. In a long, empty corridor, he closed his eyes, and walked past a large naked wall three times. I need to find what Draco has been up to. I need to find who killed y/n. Doing his best to shut the pain that thinking about y/n brought him, he walked past the wall for several minutes, but when he stopped his pace and opened his eyes, the wall was still naked. Growing angry, he all of a sudden heard footsteps breaking the silence. He focused, and almost instantly knew who it was. Draco. Putting himself against the wall, Tom waited barely a minute, and immediately grabbed Draco, who, as expected, tried to resist.

“Let me go!”

“Quiet.”

Draco immediately stopped moving, and, upon seeing who had grabbed his arm, frowned.

“Tom?” 

Tom immediately saw that Draco’s face was paler, looking even a bit gray, and thinner than usual, and that he had dark bags under his eyes. 

“Greetings, cousin.” Tom said with calm and a smile. “I have a few questions to ask you, if you don’t mind.” 

Draco started to struggle again, but Tom took out his wand, pointing it on his cousin’s chin. 

“Do not make me do something I will not regret. It is really simple, cousin. You either answer my questions, or I will get them out of you. Do we understand each other?” 

Draco remained silent, but Tom knew he understood. 

“Do you know who killed y/n?” 

“No!”

“Do you know who might have done it?”

“No! Let me go, now, or I’ll-”

“Do what?” Tom said, amused. “Please, pray tell.”

Draco again didn’t say a word, only giving him a death stare. Despite allegations of Draco acting weirdly and his weaker look, Tom knew it didn’t mean Draco had anything to do with y/n’s murder - the word was enough to almost wreck havoc. However, despite Draco’s denial, Tom felt something was off. Just like he did with y/n’s friends, Tom entered Draco’s mind, but found it way harder. Immediately understanding why, Tom smiled.

“I see my mother taught you Legilimency. I expected better, though.”

Not wasting another second, Tom pointed at Draco’s forehead. At first, he was shown memories from Draco’s first years here, bullying students with his friends, then darker, unhappier memories with his parents and Tom and Mattheo’s mother at Malfoy Manor, succeeded at last by what really interested Tom. He suddenly saw his father, probably furious after Uncle Lucius failed the disaster at the Ministry, and then had a memory of Draco inside the Room of Requirement - as Potter had guessed - standing in front of what Tom knew was a Vanishing Cabinet. The whole scenery disappeared, and instead there was the boys’ restroom, with Draco sitting on the ground with his face in his hands, crying. Next, he was back to Malfoy Manor, standing in front of both Tom’s parents.

“My sons have both been a disappointment, a great disappointment,” Tom’s father said calmly. “I still hold hope for Tom, but as for Mattheo…If I don’t act quickly, he will be out of reach forever. You said there was a girl at Hogwarts that he ‘loves’.”

Tom felt his heart beat faster, and his breath became short. 

“Well,” his father continued, “along with the other task you have been given, Draco, you will kill that girl. If you don’t, I’ll kill your mother and then you.” 

If he thought Dumbledore telling him of y/n’s death broke his heart, learning it was his father who ordered it broke his soul. But he had barely time to process that memory that another came, bringing him back to Hogwarts. Draco was standing against a wall in an empty corridor. Tom heard voices from afar, and after a moment, saw his own brother. Jumping behind him, Draco pointed his wand at the back of Mattheo’s head.

“Impero.”

Mattheo took his wand out of his robe and Draco grabbed it. Mattheo didn’t move as Draco went back to the spot he was hiding it, and pointed once again his wand at Mattheo.

“Obliviate.”

A few seconds later, Mattheo slightly shook his head and continued walking, eventually disappearing. The next memory happened at night, and Draco was once again hiding, this time in a corridor which led to the courtyard, apparently waiting for someone. But Tom didn’t even have to guess who, because it was as if his whole being knew who was coming and what was going to happen. He didn’t want to look, didn’t want to hear, but his eyes refused to look away or to close themselves. He heard familiar footsteps, and suddenly, y/n appeared; walking rather quickly, and she took a glance at the darkness of the courtyard. Tom saw Draco’s hand shaking as he pointed Mattheo’s wand at y/n and, after hesitating for a short moment, opened his mouth.

“Avada Kedavra.”

Despite his whole being screaming at him to look away, Tom turned to y/n and saw her looking at the green light coming to her right and gasping before the spell hit her, and her body hit the ground. Draco closed his eyes, and a tear ran down his cheek. Taking his own hand, Draco moved it, and y/n body started levitating, heading for the courtyard, before eventually lowering itself to the ground. Tom stayed here, looking at her corpse, wanting to scream for the first time in his life. He didn’t know how long he stared at him, his very soul in pain, but it must not have been for long, because when he pulled himself together, Draco was still here, and he heard a familiar voice.

“y/n?”

Mattheo was here now, close to her body. He kneeled near her, taking her into his arms, calling for her, asking her if she could hear him, eventually crying, screaming for her to come back. Draco once again shed a tear, and took out both his wand and Mattheo’s. He made Mattheo’s wand float to fall down near Mattheo. Wiping away his tears, Draco tried to look normal, started walking away, and thus his memory was over. Tom was brought back to reality, to the corridor where he was holding Draco - y/n’s murderer, the one who had taken his only chance of happiness from him. If it was another person who had been killed, Tom might have understood why the murderer did it and even maybe felt compassion as he knew how his father was, but it was y/n, and it took everything in Tom to not torture Draco in ways that would have make his father happy. Draco tried to fight Tom’s grasp again, but this time, Tom took the opportunity to answer the last question he had on his mind. He rolled up Draco’s left sleeve, and saw the Dark Mark. Potter was right, after all, was all that he thought.

“It was Draco.”

Mattheo looked at his brother, confused.

“What? Draco did what?”

Tom looked back at him. “He killed y/n. I saw it. In his mind. Our father told him to.  He put you under the Imperius curse to take your wand, used it to kill her, and put it next to you after killing her.”

Mattheo tried to grasp the idea, but simply couldn’t. Draco, his vain cousin, spoiled and loved by his parents like neither him or Tom had been? 

“He’s a Death Eater,” Tom added with no emotion. “He has the mark. He killed her to save both his and his mother’s lives. I do think he didn’t want to do it. He cried a bit.” 

Mattheo gulped. “Did she…Did she see him? 

But Tom knew what his real questions were: did y/n see death coming? Was she scared? Did she scream for help, for anyone - for him, to come and save her? 

Tom became pale, and for the second time in his life, Mattheo saw that his brother’s eyes were sad. 

“No. She only saw the spell for a quick second before she…”

Mattheo closed his eyes, and nodded. One half of him wanted to see it with his own eyes, wanted to see her last moments, where he should have been here to save her, but the other half refused to, convinced he would turn into a mad man if he saw her dying. Mattheo felt warm tears leave his eyes and roll down his cheeks. 

“She was all I had,” he said, his voice hoarse. 

“I know,” Tom said, staring at the wall on his left. “She was all I had, too.”

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Masterlist

[secretly-tword-obsessed]

The Forbidden Topic

Hey gigglers!

This fic was requested by @ryoko-loves-roses who wanted lee Frontman and lee salesman. So I wrote for both of their ticklish asses!

Summary: The Frontman has some time off with his favorite employee. Unfortunately for him, a rather sensitive topic is raised.

Warning - their are discussions of Frontman x 456 in this

Warning - This is a TICKLE FIC

The Recruiter and his boss, Hwang In-Ho, were having a smoke outside a coffee shop. It was late at night and a rather deserted neighborhood, so they could talk shop without the fear of being heard.

They chatted about everything - from which players they thought would stay and leave after the first round, to which were the best at Dakji (the Recruiter had a lot of fun telling those stories), to joking about previous winners.

"Speaking of previous winners", the Salesman said, his usual stoic demeanor at the forefront, "I heard a rumor that you put player 456 back in the games".

In-Ho smirked, "Oh, I did yes. The idiot wanted to go back in. Apparently the guards found a tracker in his tooth - what a juvenile plan".

The Salesman chuckled, his white teeth gleaming, enjoying bonding over Gi-Hun's misfortune.

"I'll enjoy watching him this year", In-Ho continued, "Let's see what he does. Hell, he might even try to stage a coup".

The Salesman's smirk turned cheeky, "Yeah, you'll be keeping a close eye on him alright".

In-Ho growled. "What's that supposed to mean?", he asked, turning around to directly face his employee. Oh, he knew exactly what The Recruiter was alluding to, but he wouldn't admit it to save his life.

"Oh come on", The Recruiter said. He didn't say it in a playful way - he said it in his regular, relaxed tone - which had a hint of mischief at In-Ho's unfortunate expense.

"I'm talking about your obvious....crush on 456", he said slyly. This made the Frontman's face go red with furry, and perhaps a bit of embarassment.

"Okay, shut up right now or your fired", he groaned, trying to look as stern as he could. In his defense, it was hard to look stern when you were being teased about someone you were....interested in.

The Recruiter, knowing it was an empty threat, continued, "Is that why you've also decided to join the games as a player this year? You think you have a shot with the guy?"

Okay, that was it. The Recruiter had gone too far. He grabbed his shoulders, pushing him into the brick wall, his eyes bulging. Of course, the Recruiter maintained his calm demeaner, just smirking despite his situation.

He knew that In-Ho wouldn't actually attack him. They'd been friends before In-Ho had hired him, and there were times when they acted, let's just say, unprofessionally with each other. If their work wasn't so brutal, they could even have been referred to as 'best buddies'.

They stood like that for a few seconds - In-Ho pinning the Recruiter against the wall, breathing heavily, looking like he would strike at any second. The younger man decided to put his hands up in mock surrender, just to aggravate his boss even further.

Suddenly, a dark smile crept onto the Frontman's lips. The Recruiter, a little confused but not not showing it, asked - "What is it?"

"Ohh, nothing", In-Ho said with a sigh. The evil undertone of his voice did make the Recruiter, although he would never admit it, a little worried.

"It's just that, well, you've' lifted up your arms so....you've' pretty much decided my method of retaliation for me".

Before the Recruiter could respond, he felt ten digits digging into his sides, causing him to collapse forward with a whine. In-Ho chuckled as he stabilized the man, keeping him pinned so that he had proper access to that oh-so-sensitive torso.

"Nohohoho!", the man gasped - his normally cocky self completely thrown out the window by his ticklish nature.

"You deserve this", In-Ho continued, scratching at his sides more gently and slowly, before speeding up again - taking delight in the way his victim's laughter got louder and softer, up pitches and down pitches, depending on the exact movements of his attacker's fingers.

"Fuhuhuhuck yohohohou!", he laughed, thrashing to the side, trying to use his chest muscles to knock off the offending hands.

"Hey", In-Ho said innocently, "No need to use that language with me. That's hardly professional".

In-Ho's grin grew wider as he began to poke at his employee's ribs experimentally. The man gasped, before his laughter went squeaky and he began to flail his arms uselessly.

"Ooo, there it is!", In-Ho remarked with an accomplished smile, "There's that spot that always gets you".

The Recruiter was giggling and squealing to much to respond.

"You know", In-Ho added, beginning to have a bit too much fun watching this normally stoic man dissolve under his fingers , "It's quite dangerous to be this ticklish in a job like yours. What if the potential contestants use it against you, hmm?"

The Frontman's victim continued to laugh and thrash, those squeaks being so high pitched that they could have deafened a cat.

"I mean, couldn't they just get really fed up with you when they keep losing. What if they decide to smack you back, only to than realize that..."

In-Ho stopped, pausing his fingers. The Recruiter began to catch his breath, but before he could speak, he was interrupted.

"What if they realized that doing this would be much more effective?"

Before he could protest, In-Ho started squeezing the Recruiter's belly, making him scream.

"Wow, you lucky nobody's around. They'd think I was slaughtering a wild animal."

"NAHAHAHA - HAHHA - NOHOHO!", the Recruiter cried, flailing more desperately.

"Now do you regret that stupid little remark?", the Front man prompted, digging one of his hands around the man's navel, making him squeal before he continued to toss and turn.

"IHIHIHIHI - IHIHIHI..."

"Aww, are you too ticklish to respond?", In-Ho teased, his grin both wicked and sincere, "How adorable little buddy".

This went on for a few more seconds, before In-Ho could see tears streaming down the younger man's cheeks. Satisfied, the Frontman let up, stepping back and giving the Recruiter space to breathe.

The released man smashed his hand to his heart, breathing heavily, giggles still slipping from his lips.

"Hohoholly shit".

"You deserved that", In-Ho quickly responded.

"Yeheah, well, you deserve this!"

In an instant, the Recruiter had grabbed In-Ho's shoulders, turned him around and pinned him against that brick wall.

"Now", he said evilly, his smug smirk returning as he watched In-Ho's mild panic at realizing he was completely trapped, "Let's see if you can take what you dish out, hmm?"

The Recruiter raised his eyebrows as he started poking his right hand up and down Inho's side, and using his left hand to squeeze at that knee. The man snorted, before letting out a stream of cackles.

"Nohohoho!", he whined, his legs sinking but the Recruiter holding him up in place.

"What was that? No?", the Recruiter teased, taking the hand that was on his side and drilling a finger into the side of In-Ho's belly.

"Nahahaha! Quit ihihihit!"

"Wow", the Recruiter said, "You ticklish bastard. You have the audacity to ask me to stop?"

The assaulting fingers wiggled faster, moving to attack under their victim's arms. In-Ho let out another loud snort before his laughter became louder and his squirms more desperate.

"Okahahy! Okahahahy! Stahahawp!"

The Recruiter smiled to himself. Sure, his boss wasn't as ticklish as he was, but he was still pretty damn sensitive, and it gave him an excessive sense of satisfaction to get this revenge.

"Oooo, what if I told Mr 456 about this little weakness, hmm?", the Recruiter teased, knowing that there was nothing the Frontman could do to fight back.

In-Ho's cheeks went darker, his eyes flashing with a tint of anger that was completely undermined by his laughter "Shuhuhuhuhut uhuhuhuup!"

The recruiter chuckled again, "Your really in no position to be telling me to do anything. Wouldn't it be funny if that guy somehow found out that you can be taken down by a few fingers under your arms? Wouldn't that be cute. He would tickle you all night - you would keep up the other players with your laughter".

In-Ho was too flustered to respond. The Recruiter's idea sounded....nice...but no. He had a job to do.

Finally, the Recruiter ceased his attack, though he kept his victim pinned to the wall.

As the front man huffed and puffed, the Recruiter raised an eyebrow, making that expression he always did when he was challenging someone to a game.

"I'll only let you go if you swear not to get me back. Deal?"

In-Ho, completely resigned, let out a sigh "Okay, deal".

Man, what would Gi-Hun do if he found out?

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! We never see these two together in the show so this is just how I'd imagine their dynamic is lol. Feel free to give feedback - my back is starving

[purplesoulcollection]

Unnatural Love

Part 3 Synopsis : Name has being transmigrated into the world of I'm Not That Kind Of Talent without ever reading the novel. She's not being reincarnated as a human but as a devil as well. Hi There! I want to let you know that this fanfiction story isn't solely my creation. I borrowed the concept from @quqiwo2. I haven't actually read the novel either, just some spoiler to the end.

I hope you'll excuse my spelling and grammar mistake, because English not my first language.

"Adele, starting today you are assigned to be a servant of Mr Demon. Get to work today!" said the Head Servant of this demon palace.

He was an older man who seemed to have a lot of experience in workforce personalization.

"You mean I work for Mr Demon? Isn't there Mr. Ed, the deputy troop commander, ready to help him?" My curiosity getting better than me.

Wasn't he already has a deputy who ready to help him, why should me too?

"Adele, you have been given a name by Mr Demon, repay him for your beautiful name." This butler seems to be saying that I don't deserve this beautiful name given to me.

Because lowly background...

And that makes me really annoyed with him.

But in the end I could only agree with the butler's words, having no choice but to swallow my resentment.

Then I was curious, why did I become his servant Mr Demon. It's true that I was given a name after the first time they met and Mr Demon greeted me when we met a few more times.

But I don't think there's anything strange about it.

Did my job change like this because of a request from Mr Demon or was this actually a ploy by the demon king.

If it was the latter, I would most likely be used as a pawn as a spy.

Because after all Mr Demon still a human. Unless he completely sides with the devil.

I'm not stupid enough to don't know that he still holds on to his human side too.

The proof is that he just kept to himself in his room, not too involved with the zero troops he led due to illness.

Whatever the demon king's cunning plans, I will not remain silent if I am used as his temporary pawn. I still have my brain to think logically to subjugate him.

But for the time being I will remain obediently a virtuous servant.

"Mr Demon, I'm Adele. I brought your breakfast." I knocked his room door, letting him know that I'm here.

"Come in!" Although be muted, his voices are still heard from outside.

Then I went in and put the food Mr Demon on the table available in his room. Not letting my eyes wander to him when he wears his shirt on top of his turtleneck.

And Mr Demon who was already wearing formal clothes, finally sat down in his chair to eat his food.

I watched him eat until he finished before I finally started to tell him,

"Mr Demon, starting today I am assigned to be your servant."

Mr Demon was surprised. He seemed to choke on his own saliva before he finally drank the water.

"You?! I thought you were just delivering food as usual."

Indeed, before today I was assigned several times to deliver food Mr Demon too. We were quite friendly in chatting about things unrelated to our status and differences.

Honestly, talking to Mr Demon made me feel again what it feels to be a human again in the midst of interactions with demons that are very annoying and discouraging for me.

Here's my relationship with the demons is not healthy for my own body and soul. I always have to be hit by anger, belittled, blows, sarcasm, death threats. I'm tired to always nonchalant about that fact.

I always have to be patient so that there is no reason for me to just die.

So talking to him really made me think that he is more friendly than the rumors that say he will kill you if you bother him even the slightest bit.

The real demon isn't any better than the rumored Demon.

To answer the question Mr Demon earlier...

"I thought so too, but I only received orders from my superiors. So I don't know the reason. "

Then he fell silent with his face wrinkled and his red eyes turned into those of a scary predator. That looks is really scary though.

But from my experience, Mr Demon will only stare intently. didn't actually try to attack me.

When I first saw those eyes I was scared to death, but now I'm used to it.

'As long as I've done nothing wrong, why should I be afraid?'

So I remained calm even though I was being stared at like that.

But the effects of being stared at for a long time like that are also dangerous, so let's shift the focus...

"After eating, do you want to visit Troop 0? Troop 0 has been waiting for your presence among them for a long time."

"Team 0..." As usual, Mr Demon always reluctant to discuss his own troops. If someone really used their brain, they will know it.

"Mr Ed has also been waiting for your arrival for a long time."

"Mr. Ed?! Why do you call him so polite. Is he not being nice to you?"

Is Mr Demon is the actual crazy? Even if he's not like the strong one in Devil's troop, he's still be one of the strongest devil in this devil palace.

"You keep joking, Mr Demon. Mr. Ed also really hates lowly devils like me. Besides, Mr. Ed is good with you because he is loyal and admires you. There's no way I could get the same treatment as Mr Demon."

"Are you... are you still experiencing hate treatment like this all the time?" His face looks not very good one. He looks very annoyed but still care for me... and that's makes me give a sorrowful smile.

"There won't be any significant changes, Mr Demon. But if I could hide behind a name Mr Demon maybe I could even scare them." I joked around to Mr Demon.

I need to change the sad topic, maybe he'll say no and i move on.

"Do it!" a spontaneous voice Mr Demon making me open my eyes to stare Mr Demon that had been speaking nonsense.

"I was just joking, Mr Demon. Please don't take my joke seriously." I tried to persuade him Mr Demon he just shook his head.

"You have to fight, Adele. Even if you consider yourself a worthless devil, you still have to fight for yourself." His face shows the fighting spirit that i should have, but i lacked that spirit.

'Maybe i don't really cut out with this world.'

"But, aren't you injured because of the effects of fighting a hero. If I involve you who are still sick in my problem..."

"I'll take care of it in time."

My mouth opened with reflexes, I found my savior in the midst of the complexity of this devil's world...

So I leaned a little closer and smiled broadly at Mr Demon and said "You said that yourself, I would like to thank you first, Mr Demon. For the inconvenience i'll brought"

I was busy thinking about the best way to use a name of Mr. Demon to get revenge on my bully until I didn't see his red face while looking at me.

To Be Continued

[ambrosiagourmet]

Dunmeshi characterization mumblings…

Laios tries. That’s the guiding principle of his characterization, to me. He tries more than he realizes. He thought he gave up during his years with the military but he never did. Something dragged him to Falin, after all.

He cares about people a lot and he wants to do well by them. This is usually specific people but also can be groups (eg the orcs or the residents of the Golden Kingdom). His hit rate on noticing what people like/want/need is not anywhere close to 100% but once he has locked something in he’s Locked It In.

He wants to be better than he is, and he isn’t always good at noticing what he does do well. Some part of him does want to run away, and he’s not always great at accepting that. He clashes with it, and doesn’t even always know whether he’s winning against it (framing his past of leaving Falin as running away when it wasn’t necessarily that simple). When he does self-reflect he can have a pretty dismal view of himself, and he prefers to act instead. This leads him to help as often as it leads him to step on toes, but it does very much do both. He’s working on getting better about this by post-canon though - on some level I think he’s aware that it’s not how he always wants to be.

He supports people by Physically Being There. Lots of worried dog laying their head on your lap energy. Voted most likely to stay by someone’s bedside until they wake up.

~

Marcille is still figuring out where she fits in the world. She's still figuring out who she wants to be. She can be extremely confident about some things, and completely doubt herself in other areas. She's got a little bit of fake-it-til-you-make-it charm. She DOES know what she's talking about, she just doesn't always know how to apply it. Very #gradstudentcore. She's still only just starting to explore the world beyond the safety of her parents or her school!

She has such a big heart and she emotes loudly, every time. That doesn't mean that she shows EVERYTHING she's feeling, but if she does show it, she shows it big. She loves romance and big gestures and the zest of life and people. She likes to meddle and snoop because she wants to know the whole story and wants to be in on it all. I think sometimes she might have trouble realizing that she's PART of the story, though. Like, she views her meddling gossip seeking as neutral or good acts, when they can affect people more than she realizes, and sometimes even hurt them.

In general she's not great at predicting the repercussions for her actions. I do think she reflects on herself, but sometimes she's trying to learn and do so much that some things get lost. She wants to be better, and she's always learning and growing and taking things in. I genuinely think that someday Marcille is going to be a little more sure of herself and a little more experience and she is going to be an AMAZING woman. She's just not always good at handling the fact that she can't just be THERE already.

She supports people by cheering them on. The force of Marcille Believing In You could give someone the power to move mountains. Yes, she does also fret and fuss over people in ways that can undermine that. But like the Marcille smile and "you got this" encouragement? Literally confers The Power Of Love.

~

Kabru... Kabru is building the future he wants to see. He's not very good at putting that work down, though (I know, workaholic Kabru characterization, deeply insightful). He can be prone to seeing himself more a part of the process of creating a better world, though, rather than a person who deserves to live in that world. Like, I think he'd be more likely to daydream about a statue or plaque dedicated to him than about himself actually just hanging out and being content.

He thinks about everything. I definitely don't think he's always manipulating people, but he is almost always observing. And since he's prone to following those observations to plans and ideas, he's not being great at turning off his Planning brain, and thus measures his words and actions even when he maybe... shouldn't be....

I don't think he'd describe himself as an "ends justify the means" person (he's very opposed to that way of handling things from the Canaries), but he is rather more concerned about the ends than the means. Bit of a hypocrite there, maybe? I do think his ends are kinder and more inclusive than the Canaries, though. So maybe it's something where he believes that if one has good enough ends, the means must be worth it. Especially since he directs the cost of those means at himself as much as possible. He views himself as expendable in pursuit of a worthy goal.

He is getting better about that but I don't know that he's consciously acknowledged that it's a problem. And so he's probably prone to relapse into those self-minimizing behaviors, especially given he very much has a new Goal to focus on with the kingdom.

Honestly, Kabru doesn't really self-reflect nearly as much as he might think he does. This is actually taking me a little by surprise as well. But he reacts more from emotions than logic in a few points in the story (esp the part where he stops Mithrun from killing Falin), and doesn't really... acknowledge that?

Maybe it's more accurate to say that he's kind of hit or miss with it. He is learning and growing all the time. But he's also something of a blind spot in his own excellent understanding of what makes people tick. Maybe he's better at understanding himself through the reflection of how other people see him.

He shows his support by making other people's lives easier. That might mean giving them a friendly ear, helping them navigate a tricky situation, or assuaging worries they didn't even realize that had. This isn't always true, but I think sometimes he might like some his support to be a little invisible. I don't think he has a problem with receiving praise and gratitude, but I also don't know that it does much for him, either. And being able to help without being noticed can help him hide the vulnerability of the depth of his attachment.

Also, Kabru would probably be more emotionally destroyed by one person helping him with something than a hundred people praising him for his help (but would claim he prefers to help and be appreciated for it).

[mmani-e]

Another post! This time featuring what the antagonists for my AU might look like. While Akane and Nekomaru are locked in the rest is up to changes in the future. Kyoko and Celestia were put on a poll but the results I believe I didn't set up properly, so now I'm amending that somewhat. I drew both sets in these sketches, and when enough time has passed I'll set up another poll, properly this time on strawpoll.

As for some design explanations and lore you can check under the cut :)

Kyoko and Makoto I believe are pretty straightforward here, I gave Kyoko a neckerchief that goes pretty far down to give her that sort of upper class educated look, while Makoto I gave a smart little jacket. There's only so far you can go with the normal boy, but I also made his hair fluffier and nicer. His ahoge is there but it's normally combed back, and only springs to full life when he's in murder mode.

Kyoko joined her dad in leaving the tradition of detective work behind and entered the business world where she used her analytical mind to be the best damn stock investor in the world, while definitely something she excels at it's not something she finds particularly fulfilling.

Makoto is a wholesome, normal dude who loves writing books about wholesome stories with good endings, while his family was and still is normal, he was captured once by unscrupulous scientists wanting to explore Despair and its mysterious qualities. Makoto never gave in, but in his suffering developed an alter ego who was grimly invested in justice above all else.

Sparkling Justice is a night haunter, who exclusively goes around killing murderers and evildoers against Makoto's wishes. Choosing to right any injustice he sees in the world, allowing for happy endings for the victims, surely?

I went hard with celes and hifumi a long time ago in previous designs, so here they are with similar designs as I gave them before. Hifumi wears a suit vest, and a button-up underneath while still keeping his bag... which may or may not be more than just a simple bag...

Celestia was born a normal kid and absolutely hated that life, so when a relative of hers from Europe visited she begged them and her family to go with them and she did. She grew up exploring Europe, and would propose money-making schemes to her family abroad and would eventually be able to fund the glamorous lifestyle she always thought she deserved.

Hifumi is just a writer-focused version of himself, though with a particular love for action-romance novels and fiction rather than strictly heart-melting novels like Touko. He's a sweet boy but very weird and horny for Celestia, so he's completely useless around her. He's basically a tool... just like...

ROBO-JUSTICE is a serial killer known for their modus operandi of targeting particularly attractive and very mean women with hammers or blunt force trauma. This alter was formed after one particularly awful night of bullying resulting in Hifumi getting thrown into an abandoned industrial park and nearly dying from exposure to wires and sharp metal. Despite this though, it is almost entirely subservient to Celestia whenever it surfaces from Hifumi's mind.

Akane and Nekomaru I've already drawn before, but I think it'd be nice to give some of the backstory I've planned for them.

Akane is a well-meaning, brash, and reckless person whose freakish natural strength pairs with a luck that does everything except help her directly. Random and unpredictable, Akane desperately tries everything she can to get into extremely unpredictable and dangerous situation for her luck to grace those around her with the best outcome from her misfortune, even if it means hurting a lot of people in the process.

Nekomaru was inspired by the nonstop hard work he saw the nurses had to do when they were treating his heart condition. So inspired that he made it his solemn vow to join them whatever it took, leading him to become the ultimate nurse. He would, however, be the first of his classmates to fall to the despair of the mastermind, as his well-meaning nature drew him into a trap he could not predict.

For Rantaro and Tenko I took inspiration from M. Bison(Dictator) and Criss Angel specifically. These are the most experimental designs I have as you can tell, but I plan on working on them a lot.

Tenko's story involves her becoming the head of her little "dojo" and straight up turning it into a cult, with her as the ultimate supreme leader and the greatest fighter in the world.

Rantaro started off doing magic for her sisters, and got so good at making them happy that one of them introduced his magic act to the world through sites like youtube, causing him to become a sensation drooled over by millions of girls around the world.

[little-peril-stories]

Ok, I haven’t really been around since like October🙈🙈🙈 and when I saw just now that you are going to publish „The prince of Thieves"…ahhh I was so excited you won’t believe it😊😊😊 and when I then saw that you are going to rewrite it and it will be a complete new story my first thought was ‚why it’s perfect the way it is'😊😉 but then I read about your plans for the big main character aka Jamie change and…got even more excited😆😆😆

Because ahhh, I loved Jamie so much in TPOT which is why I always hoped we get to see more of him or even him acting like the actual gang leader he is!!! I mean delegating tasks is all well and good but at some points it felt like Collette was the actual gang leader and he was just the stand in for the public…sorry Jamie🤷🏻‍♀️

And when he once thought I believe it was during the Hatchett interrogation ‚he tried to channel his gang leader qualities‘ or something like that I was like ‚please do so I would love to see you acting as the gang leader you are and show those qualities you sure have'😊

I'm so looking forward to this new version of Jamie and the whole new story of course!!!! I'm going to be the first one to buy it once you get it published😍😍😍

Ok, just needed this to be said😊 and thought new year would be a good time for that😉 On that account…happy new year!!! I'm going to try to catch up on TQOL in the new year because I really missed Bree and Will😍😍😍

Ahh, hi! It's good to see you! 🥰 And, of course, Happy New Year! I hope 2025 brings some amazing things for you!

Thank you so much for the kind words, encouragement, and validation! I had originally planned for the TPOT book to come out in 2024, but as you can clearly see, that's not what happened. 2025 is a go, though, and this time I ain't lyin'. 😁 I'm genuinely so excited to get it out there, and while I also lovelovelove the online version of TPOT we're all familiar with, I do think the new version will be a) better and b) more *cough* marketable. Bonus: fewer plot holes. 😅

You might be excited to hear that it actually is the same story, with Will and Bree as the main characters still, but there's simply a lot that's changing or went out the window entirely. I guess I better make a few confessions now, haha.

Big Changes (You'll Probably Notice Right Away)

✨ The story follows the same general plot, but the mechanisms and/or details are often different. It's also two books now:

-> The Mark of Thieves, which goes from the beginning of TPOT to a particularly traumatizing pivotal moment.

-> The Patron Saint of Scoundrels, which picks up immediately from that moment and takes us to the end.

✨ Jamie is an almost entirely new character now. For anyone else who's curious, I wrote a blog post about how I'm making him more deserving of the "IA leader" title over here.

(Fun fact that doesn't matter until TPSOS: our buddy Dr. Allan Armstrong Dale also gets a slight level up in badassery, but not to the same degree as Jamie.)

✨ The IA sigil is a different picture now. (This is one I'm still sad about 😭, but I know it ultimately works better and makes more sene.)

✨ Not everyone has a tattoo anymore.

Okay, there are other things that are different but I think those are the ones that might be most jarring to Tumblr/ao3 readers. The rest I'm gonna keep for a surprise.

As for the "whole new story" element . . . Well, I can't say it's entirely new, but I CAN say that a lot is different, so if you do read the published version, you will be getting a fresh version and not just the same thing over again but in book form. 💕

Thank you again, a million times over, for the love and support. It's difficult to describe just how much it means to me. 🥰💕

Oh! Before I go! In that blog post about Jamie, I mused about putting some bruises on his knuckles. I did it!

(Please excuse any typos or weird wording, I literally typed this up, like, two days ago and it hasn't been thoroughly edited.)

I squint, still peeking around the corner, at what Spider is doing in the narrow laneway between buildings, dressed prettily in a modest but fancy black frock that is puzzlingly incongruent to her surroundings. The activity in which she’s engaged is even more puzzling: She’s not just talking to the man. She’s daubing a white cloth against his knuckles—which are bleeding. Profusely.

“Alpha,” Spider says sternly, “why didn’t you just get yourself gone? You heard what he said yesterday. Cops are everywhere these days.” With a huff, she tugs a strip of cotton bandage from her apron and begins to wind it around his swollen hand.

Okay, I think I have rambled enough and taken quite enough of your time. Thanks again. Much love. 💕

[oodlyenough]

I've been pretty critical of AAI so far but I'm mid 1-4 and enjoying the bit I'm playing right now so I feel I should give credit where it's due

Calisto Yew is hilarious

finally... someone willing to laugh in edgeworth's face. lmfao. deserved. sometimes I worry this game has forgotten miles edgeworth is a ridiculous person. calisto yew never has. god bless her

i'm with her, that was hilarious. bully those (post)minors ms yew

This post got really long so here's a cut. More on Yew & Franziska below:

it also meant we got to hear edgeworth and franziska talk about how awful and disgusting defense attorneys are, how could they defend someone who might be GUILTY, the HORROR, because in this universe the actual role of a criminal defense lawyer is arcane knowledge lost to time.

i've found myself wishing AAI got into the defense/prosecution philosophical debate more, the mainline games spend a lot of time positioning the prosecution as the enemy and i thought the alternate perspective here would be compelling. but so far it's mostly been edgeworth "inspecting every nook and cranny" while court has no role to play at all. so this is nice.

2. baby franziska

a lot of why I wanted to play this game at all is because I am obsessed w Franziska and hoped it would continue her story after it kind of unceremoniously ends in AA3. then I ... wasn't thrilled with how she was written in the airline case, so my hopes for baby franziska were not high.

But I'm liking her actually. Her put-on maturity and insane competitive streak really suit a 13 year old, lmao. And I don't have to wonder why she has fire extinguisher amnesia re: everything with her father and DL6. She and Miles are pretty funny, but there's some nice moments too. I really loved this one:

I cut the MVK/Franziska exchange in between for readability, and I'd seen that first screenshot float around plenty before, but I'd never seen the follow up. The progression of MVK is a huge dick to Miles for no reason -> Franziska intervenes in a way that makes MVK change his mind, but, crucially, without revealing any particular sentimentality -> Edgeworth recognizes it for what it is and thanks her anyway -> Franziska brushes it off in a way that lets them go back to competing in lieu of talking about their feelings, phew. Really good and felt very true to the relationship I think these two would have and the ways I think Franziska would demonstrate her care. The rituals are intricate but she loves her idiot little brother.

Also: matching sprites. Hehe.

3. This MVK line specifically, in response to why he wants Edgeworth to be a "top tier prosecutor"

Cracked me the fuck up. What an insane thing to say, and no one in-universe even knows what he's talking about. An inside joke to himself about his 15 year elaborate 5d chess child abuse revenge plan. Nobody's doing it like MVK. His ridiculously circuitous plan is 1/4 complete

Anyway, I'm not done this case yet, but it's the most I've enjoyed AAI so far so I felt I should give it a shout-out, lol. I wish Franziska could be my weird girl all the time 😔

[anonymousewrites]

Of Two Worlds Special: Foreshadowing, Symbolism, and Goodbye

            Because I have no chill, I am going to write a brief essay about the symbolism and foreshadowing I put into Of Two Worlds, my Fushiguro Megumi x Reader. A lot of planning went into the series, and I want to ramble about it.

            For the purpose of clarity, I will refer to (Y/N) as “Silver.”

The Future

            I’m going to begin not with anything regarding Silver but addressing the ending of Book 3 and the suggestions about the future. So, obviously, Silver and Megumi get not necessarily a “happily ever after” since they have a lot of work to do in the world, but they’re going to be together and okay. However, I give the suggestion of reincarnation for other characters in the series—Gojo and Geto, and Ren, Uraume, and Sukuna. I could not give them an outright happy ending, but I believe that there is a possibility.

            In the “File Corrupted” chapter of Book 2, in fact, we’re given the story that ends up being Kuro and Nyx’s, but after Nyx’s death in it, we learn the Night “cursed Shiro to forever find tragedy in love.” Shiro is the myth name given to the Gojo of the past that killed Nyx, and Nox cursed him to lose people he loved—sounds like Gojo Satoru, right? But with Nox’s death and Nyx forgiving and accepting all that happened, that curse is lifted, so Geto and Gojo have a real chance. I think they deserve one, don’t you?

            As for Sukuna, Uraume, and Ren, they were never going to live. Sukuna was warned a thousand years ago by (L/N) Chie—in my “Of Pawns and Players” story of my fave poly relationship—that the “night brings both light and shadow.” She is trying to be useful and not get killed by Sukuna—it doesn’t work, of course—and so she is warning him of the danger approaching him. He is killed by the curses that represent those elements of the night—the Moon and the Shadows, Silver and Megumi.

            However, if Silver and Megumi’s souls can return and Geto and Gojo may, too, then why not Sukuna, Uraume, and Ren? Obviously, none of the reincarnations will remember anything, but that’s just another chance for a blank slate and being different people. Also, the end of Jujutsu Kaisen itself hints at Sukuna deciding to take a new path, so I’d say this fits pretty well.

Foreshadowing

            Before I even gave the “File Corrupted” chapter—which, did anyone realize that the narrator was obviously Ren? I’m curious—I planted the explanation from Nox that in this world, curses reform since certain fears remain prevalent among humanity. People will always fear storms, fire, nature, etc. This is the first hint that something with reincarnation would be important to Of Two Worlds—and it ends up being Silver and Megumi.

            However, Nox is getting it wrong due to his perspective. He sees Silver as a complete reincarnation of Nyx whereas, as Nyx realizes when she returns, her heart was torn out. She and Silver are two different curses that Nox as misconstrued as the same, but more on that symbolism later.

            As a brief side-tangent, I feel pity for Nox. He truly did not go looking to bring Nyx back. He truly fell in love with Silver’s mother. He truly loved the idea of having a new child. He was going to heal. But when Silver was born, he saw curse marks that reminded him of Nyx, and Nox lost it. Not much is known about half-curses, so he thought that this was how a curse reincarnated when he was with a human. Nox was delusional because of his grief, but I feel more pity than anything else for him.

            But speaking of parents, the prologue “Art” in Book 3 and “Chapter Thirteen: Club” of Book 2 showed art that Silver’s mother made. We never outright go through her technique, but it’s a type of future-sight—Foresight. In Chapter Thirteen: Club, we see art such as hands of shadow and light reaching for each other—what ends up being Megumi and Silver’s souls reaching for each other—and “a girl surrounded by white flames landing with poised perfection on a battlefield as hydra heads fell about her.” This second painting is the exact phrasing I used for Silver’s battle against Mahito during the battle of Shibuya.

            By showing that there were predictions about that, it makes the prologue “Art” in Book 3 all the more significant. Silver’s mother painted someone’s torso torn open to reveal “the hint of stars stared out, like the person held the sky itself inside their chest, making up for the lack of heart.” Again, this and the rest of the description is exactly what is described when Nox tears out Silver’s heart so he can put Nyx’s in. She literally predicted her own daughter’s death.

            Do I think she knew Nox would be involved? I’m not sure. That’s not something I ever completely decided on. I think there’s a very real possibility that Silver’s mother never saw more than glimpses of the future and didn’t know Nox would hurt Silver the way he did. Or, the more heartbreaking possibility, if she did know, then she allowed herself to die because she knew that her dying and Nox being incapacitated when sorcerers attacked them and took Silver would give Silver the best chance at overcoming what the future had in store for her. I never decided either way, so it’s up to the reader, but it’s an interesting notion I never fully set down.

            But getting back to the foreshadowing, some smaller moments setting things up were Silver healing Tsumiki and feeling that she was healing her soul—and hallucinating healing someone else. This is a moment of Silver feeling Nyx’s abilities. Despite them being separate people, they still have a kinship. They’re sisters. This was setting up that while Silver can use reverse cursed technique, it was Nyx’s specialty when she lived.

            In addition, when Megumi met Pothos the curse of love during the Culling Game, Pothos played a game with Megumi and other people. He had to answer questions about his heart honestly to be released. However, as fun as that was to write, Pothos’s reactions when they hear Megumi’s confession was another piece of foreshadowing. They freak out when Megumi says he loves (Y/N) and they recognize that as the name of the daughter of the Night. Megumi is left confused, but Pothos has to check and worry that if Megumi is a Zenin, then Nox will try to destroy them because love is their thing and a thousand years ago love went wrong between Nox’s daughter and a Zenin, and Pothos doesn’t want to get into trouble again. So, another small bit of foreshadowing there.

            Finally, the most obvious (and probably most overlooked) piece of foreshadowing was, of course, the File Corrupted chapter in Book 2. Not only do you get the story of Kuro and the Moon—Nyx—but at the end Ren, the narrator, says “Some stories are so familiar it seems like you’ve seen them before. Or you’re seeing them again.” She is setting up that the same story is appearing. A Gojo, Sukuna’s return, Nox, Nyx, Kuro, love, the moon, everything.

Symbolism

            First off, Megumi’s curse marks after he becomes a curse. Obviously, it’s cool for him to have black tattoos, but it’s also more than that—they’re a symbol of his love. He used one hand to cut out Nyx’s heart to give Silver’s a chance, and he got Silver’s blood all over his hand. Then he used the other to tear out his own heart to give to Silver. His own blood stained that hand. His curse marks are symbols of his sacrifice, of his heart, of his love for Silver and the Moon.

            Hearts are a very important symbol of Of Two Worlds. Silver is painted as emotionless by people, alienated already from humanity (and she is extremely autistic-coded). However, this becomes even more important the more of her story and who she is is revealed. She is the rebirth of the same curse concept as Nyx—not Nyx herself, not the same Moon, no the same heart, but a Moon nonetheless. She is the other side of the Moon. Whereas Nyx is the one with the silver heart, wore her heart on her sleeve, and had techniques revolving around protection, Silver was the opposite.

            Simply put, Nyx was the light side of the Moon. Silver is the dark side. Nyx is going to be full of warmth and gentleness and protection and have a bright heart, and Silver is going to be Silver. She’s going to have a black heart. She’s going to be cold. She has love but she is careful about who earns it while Nyx gave it freely. Silver’s techniques are also based on fighting, the opposite of Nyx’s. Even their respective curse forms are opposite. Nyx is white-haired, black-eyed, and has horns that curve forward. Silver’s hair is her own with only a bit white, her eyes are silver, and her horns curve back.

            Still, from the moment Nyx became even just a concept of a character in my mind, I knew she was the “other side of the same coin” to Silver. They share a curse nature—a soul—of the Moon, but they are separate people. In fact, them switching through the years is even more significant—a new phase of the moon has arrived. Time has passed. It’s a new era. The darkest form of the moon, the new moon, is even a symbol for rebirth and new beginnings. It’s Silver’s turn.

To Conclude

            I think it’s obvious with all my ramblings that I loved this series. I loved this book. I loved JJK. I loved these characters and all of you for reading and commenting. I’m going to miss it so very fun, and it’s been an honor to be on this journey with you all.

Taglist:

@snowy-violet

@tsukikoxo

[justkending]

Found Memories. Chapter 1.

Finding Memories Sequel: (I advise you to read the 1st series for context).

Series Summary: Following the aftermath of Finding Memories, Bucky tries to complete goals he feels she would have discovered for herself as a way to let her memory live on. However, he never expected to find someone very close to who he believed she would have been if given the chance of normalcy. A journey of mourning someone he lost, turned into a journey of discovering someone new, happens upon the soldier. Maybe this whole normal thing isn’t as bad as he had pictured it in his mind. Maybe he had a better shot at it than he ever tried to imagine.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader insert

Chapter Word Count: 4000+

A/N (PLEASE READ): So I may or may not have gone back on my deal to not post until I finished writing it all, but I'm 15 chapters in, and though I have a ton more to write, I wanted to drop the first chapter for my Finding Memories people to have some closure, and also to see where Bucky's story plans to lead.

This series is told through 1st person unlike a lot of my others, but I realize I like this style a lot more. So all this is from Bucky's perspective in this chapter. I also understand this may seem a little confusing with this being a reader insert for both these stories, so using Y/N will make it harder to tell the difference between the characters. I’ll be calling our previous Y/N from the Finding Memories series, Sloan, just to avoid confusion. But please don’t let that take away from any of the personal aspects of the story. This is just a continued story of Bucky finding happiness after the ending of Finding Memories. (Just think of it as him falling for you 2x ;) There is a note at the bottom after reading so please read that when you finish!

Last note! For each chapter, I am connecting a song from the playlist our last reader left and Bucky took on his own. The song will play off the vibes of each chapter. You don't have to listen if you don't want to, but it is here as a little piece of Bucky's theme (sometimes thought processes and feelings) in each chapter. Enjoy!

Playlist song: At Last by: Etta James

Chapter 1: 

4 years and 364 days had gone by since her passing.

Almost 5 years, 2 weeks, and 4 days since I had rescued her.

I think the reason it stuck with me was that this was one of those missions that carrying on like normal afterwards, wasn’t really an option.

When you lose someone on the field, whether you know them or not, a piece of you is saddened that someone lost their life. Normal. Human. Emotions. 

However, you feel depressed and emotionally stuck when it’s someone you had become familiar with and plan to continue to grow familiar with. 

It hurt even more when it was someone who deserved to go far in life and learn so many things about themselves in a healthy and safe environment. It was a stab to the heart to know she never saw that for herself and had made a decision no one should be put in the position to make. 

But it happened. In the very likely chance someone was to find her and use her for her powers again, she erased all possibilities of it getting into the wrong hands. And with it erased all chances to experience the good in the world as well.

After she died, Bruce and Tony tested her blood to find what the other mutation was even if I knew for the most part. 

We didn’t have much time to understand it, or for her to really explain all the pieces that came with her enhancements that she seemed to remember the day before her ultimate fate. But from what she had passed onto me in the last moments of her life, I feel like I had some kind of grasp of it. 

Her hand over my heart seconds before her powers consumed her was more than just a sentimental goodbye. She shared within that touch her fears, her intentions, her understandings, and the peace she found in her decision. 

It was something I could never explain in words to someone else, but it was a feeling that made me understand why it all had to come to the end that it did. 

She had told me the night before, that her powers were created from the cosmos, and it was a power that could bring an end to society and the world we try so hard to keep afloat in what feels like constant choppy waters. 

She didn’t have to go into too much depth about what all that meant, but it would soon be proven within hours of explaining to me that we would not get the end we hoped for. 

I can’t lie and say I never expected things to take the turns they did. I live the life I have constantly considering the worst-case scenarios, and her death was always one of those scenarios as soon as we saved her in that hidden terrorist facility.

Bruce and Tony confirmed that her gifts were something that could be world-ending and quickly incinerated her blood so that no one could get ahold of that kind of power down the line. 

The wishes she made on her deathbed were met and I was trying to meet all the other ones she had made and never got the chance to do herself. 

It took me a while to go into her room and start to clean out the few personal items she had slowly gathered in the short time she was there, but really there wasn’t much to clean. 

She had a few plants. I took one and Wanda took the other. Her clothes were either taken by Wanda or Nat and the rest were donated. 

She had some books that had been gifted to her about random things she had found interest in while trying to find herself. A cookbook, a book on herbs and plants she used to read to put a name to the plants on the compound during her walks, and some history books Parker was kind enough to loan her so she could catch up with the world around her. 

The only other thing of significance I found, and didn’t realize was something she kept, was a journal. It was in the nightstand drawer, but it had been hidden under all the other books she had collected. 

Inside, it was a list of notes she made about those she had become close with. 

1. Wanda is from Sokovia and she had a brother named Pietro whom she misses dearly.  2. Nat had a sister that’s on missions across seas and sees her every other month, but they keep in contact when able.  3. Bruce has 7 PhDs but has test anxiety.  4. Tony blast rock music that can be heard 3 levels above. (check songs to see if they spark anything…) 5. Bucky acts like Sam annoys him, but I secretly think they’re just as good of friends as he and Steve are. 6. Steve and Bucky grew up together and from what Nat said, “One looks for trouble the other follows cause he still sees Steve as a 90lb Brooklyn kid.” 7. Sam is from Louisanna and mentioned making a shrimp boil… (Still need to look that up...) 8. Bucky likes to prank Sam and Steve in small ways that they never figure out and it drives them slightly insane. 9. Spiderboy is incredibly smart but is also somehow very naive to the teasing he gets from everyone else.  10. Movie nights are something that everyone gets excited about and they all have very different tastes in movies to show me. So far, I've enjoyed the comedies the most. (Peter picked the movie Grown-ups and some of the things they do make no sense and are extremely goofy, but I think that's why I liked it...)

The list went on for about five pages of random things she discovered and felt were important to know about the team and sometimes even herself. 

But in the back, only found if you looked through each page of the small journal, was a list of things she wanted to try once she felt ready and was given the chance to. 

It didn’t feel right ripping the pages out for myself, or taking the journal and ruining it with my scribbles, so I copied the list in a notebook of my own and added some things I think she would have enjoyed if I was given the chance to show her. 

She only got about 24 things written that she wanted to experience in the real world. Most of which were simple things most take for granted having the choice to do any day. 

Right now I was looking at number seven;

7. Go to a coffee shop and try different drinks with cinnamon in them. Find a favorite, so I can eventually say, “I’ll have the usual,” like they do in the movies. 

It was hard to know what her favorite would have been, but I did the best I could. Eventually, I had a usual at the coffee shop I started the adventure on. 

“He’s back.” The barista whose head was in the pastry display shot up and smiled toward me. “It’s been a minute since we’ve seen you. Life or work in the way this time?” 

“What’s the difference?” I responded though it came across a little more melancholy than I meant. 

Luckily, Trudy, the shop owner, had become familiar with me enough to know it’s just how I talk. 

“Get him the usual, dear,” she said to the worker at the front as she wrapped a muffin and handed it to a customer waiting on the side. 

When the worker just looked at her wide-eyed and freaked out, Trudy laughed to herself and pointed her to another task. 

“Forgot she’s only been here for 2 days,” Trudy’s New York accent was strong as she typed in my regular order. “So. Any big bad guys in the world I should be worryin’ about or do you have it handled?” 

“Nothing for you to worry about, Trud,” I smiled as she grabbed a cup and wrote one of her new names for me on it. She was clever with what she could come up with depending on the day. “Sorry, I haven’t been in. I was sent overseas for a bit the last few weeks.”

“You haven’t come in a month,” she said with a raised motherly eyebrow. 

“Hate to break it to ya, but there are bad guys I have to take care of over here too. They keep me just as busy sometimes,” I chuckled, moving out of the way in case someone else needed to order. 

“Yeah, yeah,” she groaned, grabbing a pastry and wrapping it up for me. “I made a new recipe from my Italian side of the family. Give it a try,” she stuck a sticker on it to seal the bag and came around the counter to give it to me. “Tell me how you like it.” 

“How much?” I went on to grab cash knowing she likely wouldn’t let me pay anyway. 

“Cost ya a review on Yelp,” she pushed it on me more. “I had someone come in the other day and try and cheat the system to get free stuff, and when I wouldn’t budge she lowered my rating on the damn website.”

“I don’t think one bad rating will hurt ya, Trud,” I sighed, taking it and putting the cash in the tip jar instead.

“Eh, I like to counter it with a good one where I can. Plus, I’m running out of fake emails to do it myself. Help a gal out.” 

I laughed knowing she may have been a small hole-in-the-wall business, but she got enough foot traffic to keep her afloat even if she joked about going under if I didn’t give her reviews and tell my friends about it. 

Before I could give her peace of mind knowing I’d help in any way she asked me, the bell rang as another customer came in. 

I looked back absentmindedly and saw a woman with her head down while she talked on the phone, but was kind enough to go to the side and finish her conversation before walking to the register. 

“That drink ready?” Trudy shouted to the back and just in time a barista walked out with the cup of my “usual” drink and handed it off. “I’ll be seeing ya sometime soon, right?” She withheld the coffee until I confirmed. 

“Tomorrow,” I promised knowing I had one thing planned and I knew it wouldn’t be interrupted. 

“Good. Have a good one, Boomer,” she winked and I looked to see the name matched on the cup. 

“What does that mean?” I raised an eyebrow. 

“Something the kids are calling old people like you and me,” she shrugged. “Figured if I was going to be called it, you should too.” 

I rolled my eyes playfully before giving a final goodbye and heading toward the doors. The woman that had come in was hanging up the phone and happened to look up at the same time I passed. 

She had soft eyes and smiled up at me in a polite way before sidestepping and moving to the counter. 

I couldn’t help but stop with my hand on the door handle as I looked at her trying to grasp who she reminded me of. 

She had kind features and her light smile was what made me do a double take. I may have imagined it, but something about her beamed at me in a way that I couldn't shake.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when someone else tried to come in and I quickly opened the door for them and moved out of the way. But I looked in the shop one more time seeing Trudy smiling back at the woman and sharing a similar banter she had with me. 

I honed in my hearing some and caught the middle of the conversation. 

“I would ask if you want your normal order, but it’s been so long I’m not sure if it’s the same,” Trudy teased. 

“The move has been great. Thanks for asking Trudy,” the woman remarked with a laugh. 

It would become creepy pretty quickly with me just staring and eavesdropping in the doorway, so I moved on even if I was intrigued to hear the rest of this conversation. 

I took my time walking to my car since the woman’s face was sticking in my mind. Something seemed oddly familiar of her, but I couldn’t put a finger on what it was. 

________________________

“Hey, I was looking for you!” Sam’s voice sounded as soon as I walked into the kitchen. 

“I’d rather you weren’t,” I said back, going to the trash to throw my cardboard cup away and grab a snack from the fridge. 

“Hardy, har, har,” Sam responded. “But really. I need help with a file I can’t access.” 

“Maybe you can’t access it for a reason,” I gave a smug smile to him as I shut the fridge and took a bite out of the apple I stole from it. 

“You're really channeling that clown energy as Parker would say today, aren't you?” he gave me a straight face before pulling papers I hadn’t noticed beforehand and passed them to me. “It’s just some notes on a mission we did last week, but I need to tweak some things. For some reason, the file isn’t giving me access so I was going to ask if I can go through your account.”

“Have Tony look at your account. Maybe the clearance level got mixed up. He had a new protection server put in the other week and a few accounts were tweaked.” 

“Well, he's not in his lab.”

“Ok,” I dragged out. “Sounds like a personal problem.” 

“Barnes, just let me on your account for two seconds to fix it and then I’ll go and find him. It won’t take me longer than five minutes,” Sam groaned. 

I could continue to give him a hard time, but I needed to get some things ready for tomorrow and wasn’t in the mood to keep up my normal antics. 

“Fine. Where’s your computer?” I huffed, biting into the apple again and waiting for him to bring it to me. 

He smiled like he won, even though I could still say no if I wanted, and grabbed the laptop on the counter and handed it off to me. 

I logged in like normal and went to the file, but was stopped when I came to the same problem he had. 

“What the hell?” I glared at the screen and tried a few more tricks but this new protective program Tony had installed was foreign to me. 

“Damn it,” Sam crossed his arms and sighed. “You’re the third person now. Why won’t it let me see this damn file?” 

I looked at him waiting for him to explain. 

“I asked Nat and Wanda too. No luck,” he shrugged. 

That was strange. It was a file from the mission we had done last week. A thief that had been stealing intel from some division in the SHEILD operations over some classified information, but we had captured and incarcerated the hacker. 

“Friday,” I asked into the void and her voice followed. 

“How can I help, Sargent Barnes?” 

“Why aren’t we able to get into these files?” 

There was a pause as she tried to find the answer. 

“It seems to be in a classification you don’t have access to. Clearance levels are not high enough. Would you like me to call Mr. Stark?”

Sam and I shared a look that showed we were on the same page. There were very few things we didn't have access to, so the system was screwed or not modified after the update. At least that was to hoping it was something that simple.

“No. Where’s Tony at?” I asked instead. 

“He’s headed to the lobby. He has an appointment with Ms. Clark.” 

The name didn’t sound familiar, though there were a lot of people Stark talked to that I never cared to learn about. He was the face of the team anyway, so luckily he handled a majority of the social aspects of our job. 

“Thanks, Friday,” I nodded my head to the exit. 

Sam nodded in agreement and we made our way to the lobby to find him. 

It wasn’t a portion of the compound we were usually in, so seeing people in business suits coming and going always reminded me of the mass amount of workers who never did fieldwork that came and went. 

“Stark,” I shouted once I spotted him at one of the reception desks talking with the secretary that was handing him papers she had just printed. 

He turned at his name and looked at us both confused as to why we would be there. 

“Got a question for ya,” Sam started out. 

“Can it wait? I have a meeting with someone I actually like,” he said sarcastically. 

Before I had the chance to spit something back at him and give him a taste of his own medicine, Sam took over. 

“I need access to a file of the mission report we just came back from, but it’s not allowing me to get to it,” he summed up. 

“Strange,” Tony hummed, looking at the papers he was previously handed as if our issue was nothing for him to worry about. 

“It won’t let me through either,” I said and he eventually looked up rolling his eyes before putting the papers on the counter and giving us his attention finally. 

“Can this wait like 20 minutes?” he asked. 

“It might be because of your new and overly complicated-” I started and once again, Sam saved me from saying something that would probably have Tony ignoring us the rest of the week if I wasn't careful. 

“We’ll wait,” Sam nodded. “We’ll be over there.” 

He pointed to a few chairs off to the side and nodded his head for me to follow. Though I was against the motion, I obliged to not make matters more annoying. I’d give him 20 minutes, but I was just as intrigued by this issue as Sam was now. 

Tony went back to the secretary and grabbed the papers looking through them before grabbing a pen and sloppily marking random things out before handing it back. 

Just as he turned back, he seemed to have spotted who he was looking for to begin with and I followed his eyeline. 

Walking in and looking around marveling at the size of the place before seeing Tony and smiling at him, was the same woman who I had seen at the coffee shop. The same one who was talking to Trudy about a move. 

I must have been staring while she and Tony met in the middle and started casually conversing. She reached into the tote she was carrying and handed Tony what looked like a sweater and a folder, but he only took the piece of clothing leaving her with just the folder still in hand.

My stare must have been unmoving cause Sam nudged me with his shoulder and gave me a weird look when I broke out of my trance. 

“What are you gawking at?” he asked, looking where I was and raising his eyebrows. “Oh, I see.” 

I furrowed my eyebrows and gave him a disapproving look to show his mind wasn’t in the right place. 

“Shut up,” I grunted, slouching some in my spot, but only to show disinterest in an attempt to push him off my case. 

“No, I get it. She’s a pretty lady,” Sam chuckled, crossing his arms and leaning back in his own seat. “Just didn’t see you looking for something like that anytime soon-”

“Don’t get any ideas,” I cut him off. “I saw her at a coffee shop earlier today and she just looked familiar. That’s it.” 

He looked from me back at the girl and turned his head as he analyzed her. 

She was smiling at something Stark was saying and shaking her head about whatever it was he was grinning about. I wasn’t sure what the conversation could even be about, and with the loud echoing space, I couldn’t exactly pinpoint what was being shared. 

“I have an idea,” Sam spoke up after a second and stood up without any hesitance, and walked towards the two. 

“Sam, wait! Stop! What are you doing?” I whisper shouted sitting up and looking around as if someone else was in on this idea with him. 

When he didn’t turn back or let up in his steps, I was quickly on my feet trying to get ahead of him to stop him, but he was walking faster causing us to interrupt the two abruptly and throw them both off. 

“Hi,” Sam smiled kindly at her then back at Stark. 

“I told you I would help you after I talked with-,” Tony started, but Sam patted his shoulder and made him pause. 

“Sam Wilson,” he went on to introduce himself while putting his other hand out for her.  

The woman seemed surprised by the introduction, but she was kind nonetheless and extended her own hand before introducing herself. 

“Y/N Clark,” she smiled. “Nice to meet you.” 

Sam turned to me and she followed his look. I wasn’t prepared to talk to her, but I wasn’t going to be rude and just sit there silently and stare at her. 

I extended my hand as well and she smiled at the motion. 

“James Barnes,” I gave a tight smile, but it wasn’t because of her, it was because I was seconds from punching Sam right in the chest for putting me in this position. 

“Mr. Barnes. Nice to meet you,” she nodded, returning the handshake and it was surprisingly firm. 

I would have paid mind to the detail, but now being in close proximity to the woman, I was seeing features that I hadn’t taken in before. 

She had Y/H/C hair, Y/E/C eyes, and her smile was one I had seen before. She was wearing a bright red checkered winter coat that sat on top of a tan sweater tucked into a nice pair of brown slacks. It seemed fitting for her even if I hadn’t known anything about her. But something in her persona showed she was kind and had a welcoming nature. 

Tony rolled his eyes once again and decided to go ahead and introduce us. 

“Cyborge and Birdman, this is Ms. Clark. She’s Morgan’s teacher. Ms. Clark, these are two of my most impatient coworkers,” Tony motioned to us. “Who I asked to give me a second before I talked with them…” The glare he was giving us pulled me away from staring at her longer than what would have been socially acceptable. 

“Thank this one for the interruption,” I shouldered Sam harshly which he became slightly unbalanced from and gave me another glare. 

“Just seemed rude to not introduce your colleagues,” Sam gritted through his teeth, talking to me when the comment was directed to Tony. 

“It’s fine,” Ms. Clark spoke up, breaking the growing tension between us three, and I immediately turned my attention back to her. “I was here to just drop off these two things anyway.” 

“Yeah, well, I had a few things I wanted to discuss without,” Tony continued, only taking a second in between to send us yet another death stare, “this interruption.” 

“I appreciate what you’re offering, but I’ve already told you I have a job set with another district after this year,” she smiled professionally, and I couldn’t help but smile myself at seeing someone say no to Tony. 

“Yeah, but… Money.” His eat-shit grin worked on the weak-minded, but clearly, she was not that. 

“Money is great and all, but it's not what this is about, Mr. Stark,” she chuckled, readjusting her tote on her shoulder. "Maybe after winter break and I get some paperwork back from the new school I'll be at, we will better understand what I'll have on my plate."

“That sounds like a well-worded way to put this conversation off,” Tony smirked. 

She returned it which proved he was right, but she wasn’t falling for his schemes still. 

“It’s Christmas break, Mr. Stark. Have a great vacation with your family and happy holidays,” she nodded, turning to walk out, but not completely turned away. “You two as well. I hope the world is kind enough to give you all a break as you deserve during this time.” 

“If I know anything about teaching, I know you’ll be needing a break just as much,” Sam shouted in her direction with a smile. 

She laughed at that and it was a sound that made it hard not to smile as a reaction to it. 

“Happy Holidays,” she said one final time, waving kindly and moving to the exit. 

“Well, she seems nice,” Sam grinned in a teasing manner and turned to face us both by taking her place. 

“This is why I haven’t brought her around here,” Tony sighed heavily and ran a hand through his beard. “Now, what do you two want?” 

Sam followed quickly after Tony, who was already walking back to the lab, but I couldn’t seem to pull my eyes from the red checkered jacket that was out the doors now and walking down the steps. 

It was another feeling that I couldn’t quite put into words…

I unfortunately don't have a release date for the next chapter as I am going to stick to my promise of finishing the series before I post any further. This is just to give an idea of what's to come! As always, any likes or reblogs, and comments (even if just a heart or a gif) makes my blood, sweat, and tears for this series feel validated :') ANYWHO!! I'm excited to share with you all the stories to come with this series and these characters because in writing them, I've fallen in love with them myself.

Let me know if you want to be tagged by sending me an ask here!

Finding Memories Taglist:

@tinkerbelle67 @a-beaverhausen​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @caruhleener​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @fanfictionjunkie1112​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @sjsmith56​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @nancymcl​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @kaygilles​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @laisbeltrans​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @matchat3a​​​​​​​​​​ @ambrosia1846​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @peachiestevie​​​​​​​​​​

Marvel Tags:

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My Lovelies forever:

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@chloe-skywalker​ @charmedbysarge​ @jbarness​ @bellamy-barnes​ @katiaw2​ @aikeia​ @stopjustlovethemcu​ @enchantedbarnes

It's being weird with the tagging so please let me know if this tagged you!!

[theboredandkindaweirdhisotrian]

30 Day Narnia Challenge #2

Day 2: Favorite movie?

The 2005 The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe adaptation has been one of my all time favorite movies ever, and when it comes to Narnia movies, it's almost a tie with Prince Caspian (which was my choice when I did this challenge back in 2016) and obivously they're both very well done. Most importantly, I appreciate how the filmmakers started the process of making both of them in spirit of trying to make a good film with a good story that's faithful to Lewis and in that aspect they succeeded (more or less - I'm looking at you, PC the movie!). In adition to that, they both have stunning videography, locations, costumes, props, the casting are all on point and the music really ties together films that will stand the test of time.

But since I wrote what makes it my favourite in my previous visit to this challenge, I would like to draw your attention to some other adaptations that may deserve your attention if you're a hardcore Narnia fan.

The Foucus on the Famliy Radio Theater did a marvellous audio adaptation of all the books, complete with good voice acting (multiple actors read multiple roles) and immersive background sound effects and music. If you're not into just a read-aloud audiobook, give this a chance!

The BBC miniseries adapted one mini-series LWW, did a single season PC with VDT where PC gets like 2 episodes and VDT is the rest and a miniseries adaptation of SC - the only screen adaptation of SC. Due to a much smaller budget than the Walden/Disney films, this one features a lot of very obvious puppetry, some way over the top costumes for Talking animals and some very awkward greenscreen. If you're there for the story, it might be fun for you, but if you're one of those people that cannot stand anything that isn't thouroughly done over by some sort of CGI, you'll be put off. The casting is a bit of a hit and miss, they could have done a better job with Lucy, Eustace was a good choice, he's delightfully annoying (in VDT that's a good thing!) and IMO Drinian was a total miss. Jill was a very good choice. Tom Baker as Puddleglum was decent enough. They casted Barbara Kellerman to play both the White Witch and Lady of the Green Kirtle, which can be confusing if you've never read the books (okay, it's kinda confusing even if you did) and she was a fairly decent choice though she can be very intense. My favourite performances come from Warwick Davies as Reepicheep and Samuel West as King Caspian in VDT (I might like them better than Ben Barnes and the Walden version of Reepicheep). Again, if you wanna try something that's not Walden and don't mind taxidermy Aslan and giant bowling pin beavers, I'd say go for it. It's fully freely available on YT.

Speaking of low-budget, there's a 1979 2D animated feature length LWW adaptation that was featured on CBS. For some reason it features the coolest way Aslan does away with the White Witch and Edmund with glasses which, as a gal with glasses, I thought was neat. Again, worthy of checking out if you're really into Narnia and don't mind shabby animation. This too is freely available to watch on YT. Some screencaps are so memeworthy though. As a fun fact, soon after, the same studio went into pre-production for an adaptation of The Magician's Nephew. They went as far as had the first two or three chapters planned in storyboards, however the production was scrapped due to unknown reasons. There's a YT video the girls at TheLionsCall made when one of them purchased said Magician's Nephew storyboards here

I've only ever seen the promo videos and shots for the Logos Theater productions, but have never seen the shows because I don't live in the USA, but I would very much like to.

Thank you for reading this long post, and as a treat, please have this 1979 adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe random screencap with no context whatsoever!

[hollow-keys]

Top 5 Second Doctor stories

Oh, hi! Uhhh

Somehow my brain completely skipped over second and thought I had to narrow down every story in Doctor Who to a top 5 😭. This is much easier. I could see myself shuffling the ordering around, but basically:

5. The Macra Terror

Authoritarian crabs... IN SPACE. Yeah, that's the pitch. No thoughts, just fun. Shame it's missing.

4. The Enemy of the World

It's silly, it's fun, I love it. The Doctor tries to take them to the beach and gets shot at because the main villain happens to look exactly like him. He convinced his friends he's not his evil doppelganger by miming playing the recorder. Salamander gets sent into the fucking void. Peak Doctor Who.

3. The Mind Robber

They just let themselves be silly. The TARDIS team lands in a world entirely made of fiction, shenanigans ensue. The fictional characters only speak using dialogue from their original work. We meet a fictional fictional character from Zoe's time. The Doctor has to reconstruct Jamie's face and fails miserably so they could recast him temporarily because Frazer Hines got chickenpox. They don't make TV like this anymore.

2. The Evil of the Daleks

It's about Jamie and the Doctor's undying trust in each other, it's about the human spirit being undefeatable, it's about ushering in 4 blessed seasons without a single Dalek episode. Truly a tragedy we're missing most of this serial.

1. The War Games

THE swan song for the second Doctor and includes the only episode of Doctor Who to ever make me cry. The entire thing is a Marxist critique of war made by a card carrying communist, the Time Lords have never been better in all their televised appearances since and the ending is heartbreaking but it's so good. It's the sort of thing that makes you want to create art about it.

But despite how much I love the idea of the story and a lot of the execution is also stellar, there's 4 things holding it back from being a solid 10/10:

It drags in places, which isn't surprising given it's 10 episodes long. This is my most minor criticism.

The racism and misogyny. Expected yet sigh inducing.

Treating all the soldiers like they're the same and allying up with British soldiers from the Boer war as easily as Union soldiers from the American civil war, despite one set fighting for colonialism and one fighting against slavery.

The ending wasn't given the gravitas it deserves. I assume they just weren't trying to be too heartbreaking about it, but Katarina's death in the Daleks' Master Plan was given its appropriate weight so I can't entirely put it on era of television.

It may be weird to include this much criticism on a post about best stories but it really is one of those "recommended with asterisks" stories to me. Makes me want to eat drywall (mostly positive) too much not to be on the list but that doesn't mean my criticisms go away.

Thanks for asking!

[notquitejiraiya]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. spread the self-love ❤

Alrighty then. This is gonna be tough and has required some thought, but let’s do it:

1. Strangers (Sand Sibling-Centric, Mature)

In Strangers, we see the sand sibs join together as a trio for the first time in almost three years as they make their way across Europe together, all battling their own issues and struggling to accept their shared sense of loss.

It is, by far, my favourite I’ve ever written. I had so much fun planning and writing it and it’s become my favourite little universe I’ve made. I am so proud of it, and it has my favourite final line of all of my stories. If you love Sand Sibs, please give Strangers a go!

2. Grandmaster (ShikaTema, Temari-Centric, Explicit)

Grandmaster is the prequel to Strangers. It follows Temari growing up to become one of the world’s top chess players, and the influence of her (tough and testing) family and her fellow player Shikamaru Nara on her life and career.

It is not yet complete on ao3, but it is my pride and joy in terms of my ShikaTema fics. So much time and effort and love went into this fic. It is my world building child, my best attempt at OCs and I am so proud that it exists. There is so much of my soul in this story, and I’m overjoyed to see people are liking it so far. Thank you very much to those who are currently reading it!

3. 9/10 (ShikaTema, Mature)

9/10 is a oneshot set in our world that centres around Shikamaru, who was on a trip with his friend but has branched off from them for some peace and quiet. Whilst on his own, he becomes acquainted with the strange lady next door.

It’s not my personal favourite fic I have ever written, but I do think it’s the fic I feel most proud of. It was the first story I truly felt like I was writing just for myself, and I think it’s one of my best; it’s certainly my best oneshot, and I’m immensely happy with it.

4. CHESS (ShikaTema, Mature)

CHESS is a story about the friendship and eventual relationship that develops between Shikamaru and his new therapist, Temari.

And no, it isn’t “problematic”. Don’t even think about coming for me about that — I simply do not care — just read it and find out. That said, please do mind the tags as it does touch on certain topics some may be uncomfortable with.

Now, I don’t think CHESS is even nearly my best work, but it would be criminal not to put it in a top 5 of mine. It’s a part of my blog’s “brand” at this point, if I were to have such a thing. If people have read just one of my stories, they’ve probably read CHESS. It came from an important place to me and it turned into the beast it is and I’m proud of it, even if my writing has evolved since then. For that, it deserves top 5 without a doubt.

(PS: yeah, I still regret capitalising the title on ao3 but I’ve committed to the bit now. We aren’t turning back.)

5. Ripples (ShikaTema, Mature)

Ripples follows two wedding guests taking a break from the festivities.

I wasn’t sure what to list as 5, but I decided to go for another oneshot, and Ripples is my second favourite of my oneshots. Nothing deep, nothing sad, nothing particular silly, just them and a lake and some stones. I have very happy memories of writing this fic and despite it being a few years now I still think it’s nice.

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Whoever sent me this ask, thank you! It was a lot of fun to think about. Hope you all have a lovely day ♥️

[hunniebunnietarot]

"Heart Heart"

I know it's a little bit late, sorry for the delay. This reading is timeless and targeted to those already in relationships(or situationships, or just talking with someone). Single people can still interact if you'd like. I didn't go too into detail in this because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. Enjoy and have a good day/night!

What kind of date/plan awaits you?

(Queen of swords, High priestess, Ace of cups)

This is something that your partner has been planning for a while. For instance, if you brought it up to them even months before, they thought to themselves “I want to do this for them on v day”. The date is one that your partner feels like you would enjoy as they know you very well(your likes/dislikes and wants). This isn’t something that they’ve half-assed at all because I'm feeling a lot of thoughtfulness coming from this pile. Being that the Queen of Swords came out first, they might try to pull a joke on you at first. The classic acting as if they have nothing planned, but inside they definitely have something in mind that they believe will make your day. Your person may be very proud of themselves, like if they do surprise you on v day they’ll turn to you to get your reaction and smile to themselves because they know the plan worked lmao. 

How your partner feels preparing

(The world, 2 of wands, Queen of pentacles)

Like a know-it-all. They’ve been learning you inside and out, and they honestly feel like they get you—they know you—-and understand you. To them, this is just another level up in your relationship, and they look forward to all of the good things that they can do for you. They’re a planner, which points to more of a type A kind of personality; but they have this feeling like they want to make the impossible possible for you (they want to ensure your happiness at all times).

Your overall day

(7 of wands, 8 of swords, Justice, 2 of cups, The lovers)

This is pertaining to those who will be feeling like their partner isn’t doing anything for them. Before they surprise you, you’ll definitely be upset “How could they do this to me…” Once their plans are revealed you’ll be overflowing with love lol. There will definitely be a feeling of relief, like THIS is what I deserve not whatever was going on before.

What do I get them?..Their ideal gift/date

(5 of wands, Queen of wands, 8 of wands, Motivation)

If it’s a gift, something to do with their work, or a hobby that they put a lot of hard work and passion into. They could like sports, so something to do with their favorite team, or gear for them to use themselves. They would also appreciate tools of some sort. 

If this is a date, something physical(working out, hiking, indoor climbing, etc.). They may also enjoy physically making something, such as pottery or ring making.

(Possible) Specific details about the date: Butterflies, Transformation, Green, Dancing, Movie theater, At home, Feeling yourself(putting a lot of effort into appearance

What kind of date/plan awaits you?

(2 of wands, The hierophant, 7 of pentacles, 7 of swords)

This person could’ve been asking people around you about what they should prepare for you on v day. Their plan would have really been to “have other people plan the day while they just kind of sit back and collect the information. It’s not necessarily a bad thing because I'm not feeling any negative energy around the spread, they could just be a bad planner or something. The Ace of Cups is on the bottom of the deck, so it was completely out of love/care, but they kind of dodged a few steps of the process.

How your partner feels preparing

(Page of swords, Queen of pentacles, 7 of cups)

They were busy. They could really just be juggling lots of responsibilities lately. They have a bit of imposter syndrome around what they’ve planned, because as I said before they really didn’t try to do any brainstorming. They are self aware about the situation. It was kind of deceptive, but they feel that’s not all to the story. Like “I did that but it was because I didn’t know what to do for you. For some, this connection could be just developing and they aren’t sure about your likes and dislikes yet. They feel like they  don’t even really have any time to get to know you because of what they do for a living(or you).

Your overall day

(The chariot, Page of pentacles↺, 3 of wands)

This date could involve a day trip, vacation, or just any sort of traveling from one place to another. You could be disappointed because you sense that someone else had a hand in this. 

What do I get them?..Their ideal gift/date

(Knight of wands, The empress, Purity)

If it’s a gift, something that would make them feel like you care. If they do work a lot, and you got them a voucher for a 40 minute massage, for example. They would find that so thoughtful and cute, you kind of looking out for their well being(and they could probably use the rest). 

Their ideal date would be something light-hearted and not physically taxing. They want to have genuine child-like fun.

(Possible) Specific details about the date: Double date, Friends, Books, Restaurant, Exploring, Honey(bees)

What kind of date/plan awaits you?

(Ace of swords, Death, The well, 3 of pentacles)

This might be something casual with a person you haven’t known long. For some, there is no date at all because this is just someone in the talking stage and it’s too soon for something extravagant(or that’s just how they feel). If there is a date happening, it could be the start of an actual relationship, like making it official at the end of the day. This person would have really been open to you and actually was discussing with you what plans you two have. I don’t see this as a surprise event or anything, you both definitely are aware of what will happen and actively played a part in planning.

How your partner feels preparing

(The tower, King of cups, 5 of cups)

They are a worrier for sure. Planning makes them stressed, but they try to keep it together outwardly. However, if something doesn't go to plan(big or small) they might have a little breakdown. They may be the type to react quickly and in an intense way when they are under pressure.

Your overall day

(10 of pentacles, The devil, Knight of swords)

You are very content. By the end of the day, it will solidify the potential of this connection. You might be kind of stressing and thinking wayyy too much about what this means for your connection. For those of you who don’t have any “label” with this person yet, you’ll definitely be wanting to get one on v day.

What do I get them?..Their ideal gift/date

(King of pentacles, Music, 6 of wands, Lost and found, 5 of wands)

They want to see how considerate you are, if you remember something that they said 5 months ago in passing. They may want to go to a concert as a date, or any kind of performance.

As a gift they could enjoy a record player, something antique, or something that’s hard to maintain(requires a waitlist or first come, first serve).

(Possible) Specific details about the date: Solitude(like I said, for some no date at all), Time constraint, Nighttime, Man with a beard, hand holding

What kind of date/plan awaits you?

(The artist, 7 of swords↺, 3 of wands, The emperor)

This is something that is not common on this sort of day, special days for couples. It’s something they are willing to defend whether you like it or not, it’s their vision. Rather than it being a date that you’ve always wanted to have, it’s one that this person is looking forward to. I’m not getting much about what it is, just that they had complete creative control over this.

How your partner feels preparing

(Temperance, 10 of cups)

They are calm and collected. This plan would have been in motion for a while now actually. They will absolutely not let you in on whatever it is they have in mind. Though it may have seemed selfish at first, they did consider your relationship(not necessarily you, but you two as a whole) in the process. 

Your overall day

(The hanged man, Queen of wands, 10 of swords)

You may have lots going on that day. You may have children that you need to take care of that day, and at night you will have this date with your person. You may not be particularly fond of the date, or by the time it rolls around your children have already depleted your energy and you’re just not feeling up for it. You have mixed feelings about v day.

What do I get them?..Their ideal gift/date

(The star, 9 of cups, 9 of wands, Abundance)

This date they have in mind could involve water, so maybe a day at the beach or an amusement park. A fair where they could win lots of prizes would be favorable too.

Ideal gifts could include something that comes in multiple, aka a bouquet of flowers, golf clubs, etc.

(Possible) Specific details about the date: Flowers, Restaurant, Admiration, Exploring(somewhere you’ve never been before), Travel, Garden, Animals, Joy

~~~

Thank you for reading and (hopefully) interacting. I hope each one of you has at least one sentence that resonates. Anyone notice the twice reference lol

[acourtofquestions]

A moment of appreciation for the full-circle friendship of Aelin & Lysandra:

The two worst things Arobynn Hamel ever did (which says a lot as a “King of Assassins”). Two of the children he kidnapped, turned in, groomed, abused, assaulted, tortured, sold, manipulated, dehumanized, and did just about every terrible thing a person can do to anyone; all the while making them believe that was ‘love’ & deserved, that they are nothing without him, & all that matters is being something to him, no-matter the cost. — Pitted against each-other (as long as they could remember), growing up side by side but completely blind to the other that was right there with them. — Yet, as adults all of this goes out the window. They meet once and instead of re-starting a teenage drama born of trauma they decide to be the ones who decide. They quickly realize how alike they are, how revitalizing it is to have someone that understands, the trauma they share (and healthy trauma-bond it becomes) they choose to be friends, find themselves as sisters. —

"That fast--that easily--the offer of friendship was tossed her way. Rowan might have been her dearest friend, her carranam, but... she missed female companionship. Deeply."

And become something built on trust, justice, love, and one they would both die and live for.

— "We were both young and stupid, and should have seen each other as allies. But there's nothing to prevent us from seeing each other that way now." Lysandra gave her a grin that was more wolfish than refined. "If you're in, l'm in." —

(Defying both a ‘mean girls’ cat-fight trope, being rid of lies planted by controlling men who were afraid of what they could do or should have been when it came to their power when working together & against their oppressors, & being oddly realistic to how revisited friendships can be reborn & my personal favorite plot of Maas stories; sisterhood).

Within the subject of that, I want to highlight an ongoing note that’s both interesting, powerful, & lovely:

“Guarding each-others back”

"There is no one who deserves it more," Aelin said, grabbing her friend's hand and putting the ring on her finger. "There is no one else l'd want guarding my back. If my people cannot see the worth of a woman who sold herself into slavery for the sake of a child, who defended my court with no thought for her own life, then they are not my people. And they can burn in hell."

"He'd somehow grown accustomed to having the shifter guard Aelin's back—had found the idea mighty appealing. Rowan at her right, Aedion at her left, Lysandra at her back: nothing and no one would get to their queen."

We go from them being children taught to trust in nothing & no-one (themselves included), that to expose any vulnerability is to die, or be betrayed, or both. Teenager who loathed each-other with blind rage; that led to a thrown dagger and clawed marks, enhancing the others torture & isolation, and promised threats of “if they meet again” — "Celaena froze and slowly turned. Lysandra smirked at her. Fast as lightning, Celaena hurled a dagger. The blade imbedded itself into the wooden railing a hair's breadth from Lysandra's head." — after some of those very same (planted & ‘warned’) items occur; who would & do attack if they turned for a split-second, if/when given the chance, dredged in betrayal (that was a betrayal itself as it was not their own but instead their manipulator). Two young women who carried the scars of such things from being stabbed in the back to quite literally stabbed (scars marring them, Aelin’s spine covered in the marks of what’s left); only now when they do meet again they are remaking promises; even if initially shrouded in threats made of fear & old aches of “if you betray me” — "It's all for Sam, whatever you have planned for Arobynn. Besides, if you betray me, there's little that can hurt me more than what l've already endured." — yet this time they carry a known response, not of fear but of “you’ll kill me if I do… but I won’t” — "I know, I know," the courtesan said, taking in the cold gleam in Aelin's eyes. "You needn't remind me that you'll skin me alive if I betray you." — of “I am not afraid of you” — "Oh, I know what your real name is, Aelin? Shit. "You understand why I had to keep it a secret." "Of course I do," Lysandra said, pursing her lips. "You don't know me, and more lives than yours are at stake." — less afraid of the other seeing and turning away — "Somehow, she doubted Lysandra would call her a monster for it" — "This changes nothing between us, you know. Nothing." — instead “let’s face it together” to the point of “I’ll face it so you won’t have to” or in Aelin’s case I will give this up so you don’t have to — "Because more than me, more than you or Aedion, Lysandra deserves to be the one who ends him." — when she lets Lysandra kill Arobynn, knowing she deserves the freedom of it, needs to reclaim herself, gives up on her revenge and instead picks Lysandra’s freedom. They go exposed & vulnerable, they go behind Arobynn’s back to betray him instead — "The other night, you didn't just come to warn me about Arobynn." When Lysandra raised her head, her eyes were frozen. "No," she said with soft savagery. "I came to help you destroy him." "You must trust me a great deal to have said that."

They have the others back; knowing damn well how exposed it makes them to care about someone; knowing how terribly it could ruin them if it ended again — "We will get her back. We will save her. Together." Chaol just held Aelin's gaze, his shoulders squaring as he said, "Never again." — the grief & love bonding them yet together they are unbound. — "You loved Sam as much as I loved Wesley." Her chest hollowed out, but she nodded. Yes, she’d loved Sam—more than she’d ever loved anyone. Even Chaol. And reading in Wesley’s letter exactly what Arobynn had ordered Rourke Farran to do to Sam had left a raging wound in the core of her. Sam’s clothes were still in the two bottom drawers of her dresser, where Arobynn had indeed unpacked them. She’d worn one of his shirts to bed these past two nights. — go around the others back to make sure they are unwounded — "I went too long without demanding retribution. I have no interest in forgiveness." — "a death for every day in hell, a death for the childhood taken from her and from Evangeline. She was fury, she was wrath, she was vengeance." — to go so far as to take the wound themselves (Aelin sending her & Evangeline out of Rifthold even if she needed the numbers she did not want her on the line as a soldier — "But she was no longer in a cage. For Evangeline, she could stay in this carriage, and she could leave this city. Even if it meant leaving her friends behind." — "For Evangeline. For her future. For her freedom. For the friends who had come for her." Lysandra the dragon left bruised bleeding and scarred for her queen because she trusted her and would follow her into war; and because she would not lose her, she would go to war for her) — "But I do not think my brother and sister in this room would allow me to live for very long if they suspected 1 meant their queen ill—or their kingdom." Aedion gave a grim nod, but beside him, Lysandra straightened-not in anger or surprise, but pride. It broke Aelin's heart as much as it lightened it.— and to do not only what it takes to survive & ensure the others survival, but also what was not asked knowing what was truly needed (guarding their hearts; Rowan, Evangeline, the things the other loves more; risking their freedom, building their kingdoms, seeing the other for the magic they hold beyond power or title but soul). —

"If my people cannot see the worth of a woman who sold herself into slavery for the sake of a child, who defended my court with no thought for her own life, then they are not my people."

— Until even those entrust it to the other; as Aedion says —“He'd somehow grown accustomed to having the shifter guard Aelin's back—had found the idea mighty appealing.” — And that right there is the piece I love, the way they go from that beginning; the dagger thrown at her turning, to the betrayal that hits (“stabbed in the back”), to them choosing to show their spine, saving the other by any means necessary, and her (even in all her “shifting” forms; that trustworthy; that chosen) being the one to have her back quote & quote again; in this one Aelin agrees — “There is no one else l'd want guarding my back.”