#I’d do it if I knew how to mod

[jelly-fish-wishes]

I want somebody to mod the Dimentio boss fight to be as hard as Soul Tyrant. They’re basically the same moveset (almost)

[autistic-echo]

why has no one made a mod to give the men the boob window with the vampire armor what kind of world are we living in

[mugsy]

POP spoilers (?)

I think it’s just a lil bit funny looking back on Epithet Alternate (the goofy little EE roleplay group I did with some friends back in early 2020) cuz we accidentally predicted a couple of things that happened in EE/some future arcs for EE

Our first event was literally a jail break with Indus, Mera, and Ramsey (who didn’t even wanna come with). I don’t think any of us even knew there was gonna be an Actual prison break arc back then— we were still in the Really Early era of EE’s fandom. I think the only difference was that Giovanni was also there bc he accidentally revealed who he was online BANDNSNDNNF

ALSO ACCIDENTALLY PREDICTED GIO TAKING MOLLY AWAY FROM HER UNSTABLE HOME LIFE. THAT’S A BIGGER ONE. Only difference is that instead of hiding out at Crusher’s place, Ramsey helped him get his hands on an apartment. STILL THO. CRAZY AND INSANE.

Maybe it’s just the ability to recognize what would logically make sense as a next step for these characters? Idk! I think it’s a little funny in retrospect

[thevoidstaredback]

Tales of Conquest, Warnings of Fools: Letters Between Brothers

Still no letter from Damian. He’d been checking the mailbox every day for a year, but he understood why. Kind of. He gets that Damian and his family were under a lot of stress after Mr. Wayne was kidnapped, and they're probably celebrating now that he’s back, but that still didn’t stop the tiny bit of hurt Danny felt whenever he noticed the lack of responses from his brother.

A bigger part of him was wondering why it was taking so long for Damian to respond. Sure, his father had gone missing, and that was a lot of stress, but now he was back and it’d been nearly four months, but there was still no letter.

Maybe Damian really did hate him. Or maybe he’d forgotten about him? He hoped neither was the case, but he knew both were possibilities.

“Tot nicio scrisoare, nu?” Jazz asked. She was fluent in Romanian now, having taken to the language like a fish to water. Part of that was probably because Danny refused to teach her Arabic unless she learned three other languages, all of which had to be derived from different alphabets.

“Nu.” his shoulders slumped after he closed the mailbox, letters for his parents in his hand.

Jazz nudged his shoulder with hers. “Curaj! Măcar știi că e bine? El și familia sa au postat în mod regulat pe rețelele lor de socializare.”

Danny huffed. “ابتهج، كما تقول. لو كان الأمر بهذه السهولة، لكنت أسعد شخص في العالم.”

“Ce a fost asta?” she glared playfully at him from the corner of her eye.

“Nimic!” he stated. “De unde știi că postează în mod regulat? Îi urmărești pe Waynes?”

“Bineînțeles că îi urmăresc pe Waynes! La început a fost pentru că toată lumea îi urmărește, dar apoi mi-ai spus că Damian Wayne este fratele tău? Nu puteam să nu-i urmăresc.”

“Eu nu... Cum ai aflat că Damian e fratele meu? Nu ți-am spus niciodată asta.”

“Pentru că sunt chiar atât de grozav!” She flipped her hair over her shoulder as she said this, the wind making it go all over. “Nu a fost așa de greu, Danny. Voi doi arătați aproape la fel.”

He sighed. “I mean, I guess we look sorta alike.”

“‘Sorta’?” she scoffed, “Have you seen a picture of him recently? If people see you two side-by-side, they’re gonna find out your twins. I’m surprised no one’s mistaken you for him yet.”

“I’m not in a high enough circle to be mistaken for him. Sure, maybe Sam’s parents would make the mistake if they didn’t hate me enough to recognise me on vibes alone.” He opened the front door. “Seriously, how do they do that? If I hadn’t already made sure, I’d think they were tracking me.”

“You checked for trackers?”

“You would not believe the kind of shit that my Mother taught me about. And if you thought that was bad, father is so much more paranoid.”

“Really?” she raised an eyebrow, closing the door behind her. “Brucie Wayne, the man who once went viral for getting so drunk that he kissed a reporter because he thought he looked like Superman?”

“Yep.”

“We are talking about the same man, yeah?”

Danny just shrugged. “Paranoia’s hereditary.”

“It’s really not.” Jazz said.

Danny led the way up the stairs, leaving the door to his room open after he walked in, changing the conversation as Jazz did the same. “Your Romanian is sounding pretty good!”

“‘Pretty good’?” she called back, “I’m fluent!”

“Yeah, but you still have an accent.”

“So do you!”

“Yes, but mine is purposeful.”

“Why?”

“Do make you look better.”

Because their rooms are diagonal from each other, the ball that Jazz threw landed in Danny’s room, bouncing off the wall and hitting his arm. “Jerk!”

He laughed, rubbing his arm. “You love me.”

“A moral obligation.”

He feigned hurt. “Is that all I am to you? A moral obligation?”

“Yes!”

“Ouch, Jazzy, that hurts. Truly.”

“I’m sure.” She leaned against the doorframe to his room, her arms crossed. “Will you teach me Arabic now? I learned A Latin-derived language like you told me to.”

He shook his head. “Three languages, remember? Three languages and then I would teach you Arabic.”

She groaned, rolling her head back and then to the left to glare at him. “Fine! Which one are you gonna teach me now?”

Danny thought for a moment, mentally rifling through the languages he knew. “Russian,” he decided, “it’s based off of Old East Salvic.”

“But that’s gonna take forever!” Jazz whined.

“No it’s not,” Danny shot back, “It only took me a few months to learn.”

“Yeah, but that’s because you’re like, a super-genius.”

“What does that make you? You’re smarter than me.”

“Evidently not,” she huffed. “Where do I start?”

He grabbed a book off his shelf, one he’d bought two years into his stay with the Fentons. “The Cyrillic Alphabet. It’s what Russian uses.”

Jazz flipped through the Russian dictionary. “These are just straighter versions of the English Alphabet.”

“Not quite,” Danny said, “But, yeah.”

Jazz sighed, closing the book. “Great. Another year of studying before you make me learn another language before Arabic. What’s it gonna be that time, huh? Korean?”

“I was actually thinking Japanese.”

She groaned again, walking away to her room. “That was a joke, D!”

“No it wasn’t!” Her door closed in response. Danny huffed a laugh before closing his own door and settling at his desk.

He sighed, looking at the homework page. It was all stuff he already knew, stuff he’d been taught when he was a kid. When were they going to get to stuff he didn’t know?

It probably didn’t help that he got so bored doing his homework that he took college courses instead. At least those had material he’d not gotten the chance to learn in Nanda Parbat! If he got his Bachelor's early, would Jack and Maddie let him drop out, or would they make him get a GED? He already had one, but that wasn’t the point. Maybe, if he got his Masters? Though, that would mean he’d have to actually choose something to major in, and Danny wasn’t sure he was ready for that kind of commitment.

A lie. He was stuck between majoring in linguistics and astronomy. A problem for later Danny, he decided.

In the past year, he’d taken very quickly to astrology. It was fun, learning new things and beliefs about the stars and planets. He’d tried to get Sam and Tucker interested, but neither took to it very much. They’d tried, like good friends, but it didn’t click with them. However, Sam did start looking into magic and stuff, which then got him into magic and stuff. Tucker wasn’t into it, but they’d managed to combine all of their interests into one.

The computer code Tucker and Danny had started was coming along well, for them being barely in eighth grade. It was designed to look like a star chart, but the code itself had runes mixed in. None of them were really sure if the runes would do anything, but they thought they looked cool, so the runes were left in.

They were nowhere near a final product, but they were making good progress. Probably due to the fact that they were spending as much time as they could on it. It was hard to keep it a secret from everyone, though. They’d originally wanted to tell Jazz, but she hadn’t shown any interest in any of their hobbies, so they didn’t. Maybe in the future?

That’s what Danny opted to work on instead of his homework. He had designed the star chart based off of what he’d had access to at the time, but now more stars were being discovered and more planets were being introduced. It wasn’t going to be officially part of their coding project, but he figured it’d be nice to have anyway.

The problem with making a new star chart was that he had nowhere to hang it. His walls all had posters on them, and furniture blocked what space there was. The door was too small, either. Sure, he could move stuff around, but that was a lot of work he really didn’t want to do. However, he looked up, his ceiling was looking mighty plain.

However, after staring at it for nearly twenty minutes, he found it hard to focus on the star chart, too. His thoughts kept wandering back to his brother. Was Damian alright? Why hadn’t he replied? Even a small, one-sentence scrap of paper would’ve been a nice reprieve from his anxiety!

He toyed with the idea of sending another letter, despite that he’d told his brother he’d wait, but he didn’t. He very nearly did several times, but he managed to pull himself away from doing so. He didn’t think it’d be appreciated at all.

He groaned in frustration and harshly shoved his chair away from his desk, standing up and shoving it back into place. Then, he left his room. He needed a distraction that wouldn’t make him focus.

He grabbed his phone and opened the chat he had with Sam and Tucker and told them his problem. They both agreed to come over to hang out. Danny didn’t think he’d ever get tired of being around his friends, no matter what. He hoped they felt the same way, too.

Impatiently, he waited by the front door for his friends to arrive. When they did, they found themselves haphazardly sprawled over the couch and chairs on the main floor. They weren’t really doing anything other than sitting together, the TV turned on with a low volume for white noise.

Eventually, though, Sam asked, “So, what’re your parents working on in the basement?”

Danny shrugged as best he could from how he was laying, his legs over the back of the chair and his head hanging upside down. “The same thing as always; the Ghost Portal.” He was heavy on the sarcasm of the title. It was completely inane and unoriginal.

Sam perked up. “They’ve actually been working on a portal?”

“Yeah,” he answered, “Since they were in college, I think.”

“Really?” Tucker asked, his interest peaked.

A nod. “Yep.”

“Can we go see it?” the other boy asked again.

Danny hesitated. “Um, I’m not sure. My parents aren’t home right now, I don’t know if the lab’s messy…or safe.”

“It can’t be that bad!” Sam jumped up from her own chair, “C’mon! Just a quick look!”

Tucker, too, stood, “Yeah, man. We won’t touch anything. Scout’s Honor!”

“You’re not a scout,” Danny said, though he stood with them.

“Please?” Sam said, “You know we’ll just go down there anyway, with or without you.”

Tucker was the one to hesitate this time. “I don’t know about that. I mean, it’s a science lab. I don’t think I’d wanna go down there without someone who knows it well.”

“And you think that’s me?” Danny asked. Another look at his friends’ faces had him caving. “Alright, fine, but none of us are touching anything. Got it?”

“Loud and clear, man!” The two agreed.

He took the lead, stopping just before the entrance to the basement, the caution sign on the door not doing anything to dissuade either of his friends.”For the record: I don’t like this at all.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sam waved him off, “Tell it to the judge.”

With another heavy sigh, Danny opened the basement door and started down the steps, the other two following closely behind him, not closing the door behind them. The carpet on the stairs had been torn up and badly replaced with uneven linoleum tiles. The walls were also covered in the same sheet metal as the lab itself, cut and applied much more neatly than the stairs. The wall at the bottom of the stairs had been carved into shelves for cleaning supplies, a small vertical pocket having been cut out for a broom and a mop. To the right was another door, this one reinforced metal, that led into the lab. The doorframe was covered over in caution tape as a final warning.

Trudging on, Danny opened the vertically sliding door and walked into his parent’s lab. As he expected, it was messy. Papers were scattered around, half built somethings ended up where there wasn’t paper, blueprints were taped haphazardly to the walls, and there were tools scattered all over the floor. Garage shelves lined one wall, holding completed inventions. Whatever tools weren’t on the floor, and empty jars of all sizes.

The architect’s desk was against the wall with the door, filing cabinets stood on the other side of the desk, all the drawers open. The wall next to the door - not the same wall because of the corner turning in - was where the garage shelves were pushed, four of them taking up the entire wall. Directly across from the door and dest was the newest addition to the lab. A sliding door of reinforced glass led into the “weapons room” where the completed weaponry and safety equipment was all stored. Directly across from the garage shelves, set into the furthermost wall of the lab, was the pièce de résistance: The Ghost Portal.

The trio carefully stepped their way into the room, Danny picking up some tools from the floor so they had a spot to stand. As promised, they didn’t touch anything except for the tools which they piled in a corner.

“Whoa.” Tucker admired, “That’s so cool!”

“Not really,” Danny scrunched his nose up. It had been completed, but his parents hadn’t turned it on yet, saying that they were making sure they had everything ready before they did. Personally, he thought that they’d tried and failed to open it. The inside of it was still messy, but not nearly as bad as the lab floor was. He still didn’t like going near it; it gave him a bad feeling, and he’d been taught to trust his gut when logic was useless. Logic, when dealing with anything having to do with his parents, was use;ess, so he listened to his gut. His gut said to stay away, so he always did his best.

“You should go in it.” Sam suggested.

It took Danny a second to clock that she’d been talking to him. “What?”

“Go stand in it,” she elaborated, pulling her phone out of the pocket of her skirt, “I want a picture.”

“Then you go stand in it and I’ll take the picture!”

“You told us not to touch anything! Standing inside whatever that thing is is considered as touching it.”

Tucker shrugged when Danny looked to him for help. “Don’t look at me, man, she’s right. Besides, I think it’d make a pretty cool picture.”

“Not helpful.” he glared. A few seconds later, he groaned. “Alright, you guys win.” While they cheered, he marched himself over to the Armory, as his parents called it, and put on his HAZMAT suit. He hated the feel of the thing, but any form of safety was appreciated at the moment.

He subconsciously noted that the suit no longer felt completely like rubber, as though it had been remade with some kind of cloth that had rubber mixed in with it. Still, changed into it behind the curtain in the Armory. He would’ve much preferred to keep his clothes on under it, but it was too tight for that to be an option. Pulling the black gloves on, he rejoined his friends in the lab proper.

Sam cat-whistled at him. “You look miserable.”

“Like a wet cat.” Tucker agreed.

Danny scowled at them. “Yeah? Why don’t you put this thing on and stand in the portal?”

They both shook their heads. “Your own rules, D,” Sam reminded with a smirk. She held up her flip-phone, ready to take her picture. “Now, hurry up. I want to get outta here before your parents or Jazz comes down.”

Like Jazz would be caught dead coming down here willingly. “Why’d you ask to come down here if you didn’t wanna be caught down here?” Regardless, Danny relented, picking his way across the floor and to the empty mass of the portal lodged into the wall.

It was still as foreboding as the first - and only other - time it’d gone near it. It looked bright from this side, the combination of the bright lab lights and the LEDs lining the space behind it gave the illusion of brightness. Danny knew, however, that it was much darker on the inside.

He stepped over the threshold of the octagonal archway and into the dark, ten-foot void behind it. Again, as he’d observed the first time stepping into the thing, the glowing blue circuitry that was embedded into the metal sheeting on the walls seemed to make the hallway dimmer, the white LED work lights lining the floor doing nothing to brighten it. He knew there were cables on the floor, but he could no longer see them; his parents had covered them in black that matched the floor.

Not bringing a flashlight was probably a mistake.

The sound in the lab seemed nearly gone, too, taken over by the humming of electricity running through the ten-foot hallway he now stood in. He could hear faint murmurs of Tucker and Sam talking, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. He had a really, really bad feeling about this.

Just before he turned around, he heard the distinct sound of a phone’s camera shutter. It cut through the electrical hum surrounding him like a hot knife through butter. It startled him, and he jumped. His foot caught on a cable, tripping him up. He flailed for a second,disappointing his Mother’s training, before catching himself on the wall. There was a soft click as his hand sunk into the wall. Behind him, there were two screams.

Danny’s final thought before the pain of the situation registered in his head was, “Now I’ll never get to touch the stars.”

Some think that when you die, it’s peaceful. Brain activity doesn’t stop for another five minutes after the body dies, so most people think that those five minutes is your life replaying for you as one final dream, lulling you into either your afterlife or into your next life or into non-existence.

The body dies, so sensation must stop, too, right? The brain stops sending signals to the body because it stops responding.

Danny would like to say that, in his humble opinion, as well as basing it off his own experience, those people are full of shit.

He died, but he didn’t stop feeling. Even when he’d been sure he’d gone numb from dying and reviving and dying and reviving over and over again, he still felt every signal that had been sent through his body.

Five minutes after the body dies, the brain dies. Danny’s didn’t, not even after ten minutes. It kept sending signals to his pain receptors, telling them that he was being ripped apart and pieced back together so fast that the actions were near simultaneous!

He wasn’t sure if it was just a rift into another dimension/world that had opened up on top and through him, or if another dimension/world had been dragged to and through him. He wasn’t sure he ever wanted to know. He just knew that it was painful and that he wanted it to stop.

Overall, it wasn’t an experience he’d wish upon even his worst enemy.

“Danny!” He heard the sob over the ringing in his ears, though it was quiet and far away.

“Wha’?” he groaned, his hand moving to his head. “Wha’ t’e ‘ell?”

Two pairs of arms wrapped around him, sending a jolt of pain through his sensitive nerves. “Danny!”

He weakly pushed at them, trying to get them off because contact hurts! “‘et offa me!”

The two pulled back, fussing over him without touching him.

“Danny!” Tucker sobbed, “Are you okay? Obviously not; that was a stupid question. Can you see? Can you hear? Can you feel anything?”

Danny nodded. “I can feel that everything hurts,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. He opened his eyes, closing them right after, then he tried again slowly. He blinked slowly a few more times before blinking normally. “My sight’s good…mostly.”

“‘Mostly’?” Sam demanded, “What do you mean ‘mostly’?”

He closed his left eye, opened it, then closed his right eye. “That’s not good.”

“What?” Tucker asked, “What’s not good? You can’t just say that-!”

“My left eye. I can’t see.”

“What?!”

He ignored them, focusing on his hearing. He covered his left ear, uncovered it, and covered his right. “Do me a favor and say something?” He recovered his left ear.

“Like- like what?” Tuck asked nervously. Both he and Sam were watching Danny’s hands.

Dany nodded, covering his right ear and uncovering his left. “Again?”

Sam spoke this time, “What do you want us to say?”

Danny froze for a second, scrambling to stand up. The two followed after, steadying him when he almost fell back down. His eyes widened and he forced Tucker onto his left side, keeping Sam on his right. “Say something, both of you.”

The two shared a look over his head before Sam said, “You’re scaring us, jerk, what’s wrong?” and Tucker said, “What’s going on, man?”

He stumbled again, his full weight dropping onto his friends as they caught him, sending all three of them to the floor in a heap. “...I can’t hear.”

It was quiet. “...what?”

“My-my left ear-! I- It’s ringing and I can’t hear-!”This would mess everything up! It couldn’t be permanent, right? It was just the aftershocks of whatever the hell just appended to him! He’d be fine in a few hours, a few day’s tops. He’d be able to hear again and see again. It’d be fine.

He forced his breathing to slow, focusing back on what Sam and Tuck were saying to him.

“Are-are you back with us, D?” He hated that her voice sounded so small. It didn’t suit her in the slightest.

He nodded. “Y-yeah. Let’s…let’s get outta here, yeah?”

The two nodded, each grabbing an arm to help him up. When he was standing again, an arm over either of his friends’ shoulders, he finally saw the portal.

It was toxic green, the colour of radiation in cartoons. The room seemed to be darker, near pitch closest to the portal, but it staved it off with its green glow. Was it absorbing the light? The overhead lights were all working perfectly fine. The green was moving, swirling with darker green lines mixed in with it. It was beautiful. It was terrifying.

They left the lab.

*

Sam’s parents paid for Danny’s hospital trip a week later. For as much as they hated him, they weren’t about to let him pay for a hospital trip with his own allowance because his parents were neglectful and didn’t even know he’d been hurt.

And Sam promised to wear pink at the next party she’d attend.

So, Danny sat on the hospital bed, waiting for the doctor or nurse or someone to come tell him that his hearing and sight were going to come back. They asked a lot of questions that he didn’t like, but he answered them anyway.

“How did this happen?”

“There was an accident in my parents’ lab.”

“Where were your parents?”

“Gone. They left the lab unlocked and I wanted to see what they were working on.”

This was his fault. Under no circumstances were Tucker or Sam to take any of the blame. He got hurt because of his own stupidity.

The doctor had told him and Sam’s father - because he wasn’t allowed to go alone - that they’d have to call Jack and Maddie and explain the situation. He begged them not to; they had enough on their plates! Besides, it’s not like they’d care. He didn’t let them call Jazz, either. She had enough to worry about. He can take care of himself. He did, however, compromise with them. Until he turned eighteen, his legal guardian changed, or he became emancipated, Jeremy Manson was to be alerted wherever he had to go to the hospital. Jeremy was slightly upset by this, but he allowed it. He didn’t like Dany, but he hated the Fenton parents even more. Besides, it would look good socially if it was found out by the public.

“Thank you for being here, Mr. Manson.” Danny said. They were still waiting for the doctor to come back.

Mr. Manson gave a tight smile. “It’s okay. I don’t like you, but I don’t want to see you hurt.” He sighed in frustration. “It’s no secret that me and Pamala don’t like your parents, but this only puts them in an even worse light. What are they thinking? Leaving their lab unlocked-! No, even having a lab in the first place!”

“Mr. Manson!” Danny called, “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not, Daniel. You got seriously hurt. Your friend Tuker or my darling Samantha could’ve been seriously hurt! That’s not anywhere near okay!”

“‘Danyal’.” he corrected lightly, “My name is pronounced ‘Danyal’. And it’s okay because it was my fault.”

Mr. Manson shook his head again, locking eyes with Danny. “Listen to me, Danyal-” Danny smiled slightly at the pronunciation correction. “-This is not your fault. Your parents allowed access to their lab by leaving the door unlocked. Anything that happened in that lab was their fault, okay?”

Danny shook his head. “But-”

“No,” the man cut off. He took a breath and sat down. “Why don’t you tell me what happened?”

He hesitated for a moment, weighing his options in his head. On one hand, he could totally handle keeping it a secret. On the other hand, what did he have to keep secret? It would probably be good for an adult to know what happened, especially on the off chance that he doesn’t actually fully heal from it.

Danny took a deep breath. “Promise you won’t be mad at anyone?”

Confused, Mr. Manson nodded, “No more than I already am.”

“Okay,” he nodded to himself, “Okay. So, We were at my place, watching TV. I mentioned what my parents were working on, and Sam said she wanted to see it. I told them it was a bad idea, but Tucker wanted to, too, and I wasn’t about to let them go down there on their own and potentially get hurt!” He breathed deep again. “Sam said she wanted a picture of the portal - that’s what my parents have been working on - and she told me to go stand in it. I told her to go stand in it because I’ve been in it before - last year about - and I didn’t like it because it gave off a weird vibe. Anyway, she and Tuck ganged up on me because I told them not to touch anything in the lab and they made me go stand in the portal. I changed, and stepped into the thing.” Another deep breath. “But, it’s really weird in there because it’s so dark, no matter how much light there was in the tunnel or in the lab itself - and it was really quiet, too. I didn’t know that Sam was gonna take the picture, so when she did, the sound startled me- It just sounded so loud…” He slowed down a bit with a smaller inhale. “I tripped and caught myself on the wall, but I guess my parents put the ‘on’ switch on the inside…I hit it when I tripped.” He felt tears running down his cheeks. His voice got quieter. He was aware that there was another person in the room now, probably the doctor. “It hurt. It hurt so bad!It felt like I was being ripped apart and put back together again over and over and- I think I died…” He felt himself paling. “I died Mr. Manson! I-!” Sobs cut him off, heavy and body shaking. He felt himself get pulled into a hug.

Mr. Manson had his arms around Danny, holding him to his chest. Why? Mr. Manson didn’t like Danny, so why..? He leaned into the embrace, tears soaking the man’s shirt.

“And now I can’t see and hear and my arm and hand keep spasming-!”

He continued to cry for nearly an hour. When he was calm enough, he pulled away and wiped his face with his hand. Look at him. Being a civilian for so long has made him soft. He’s crying over such a trivial thing.

The doctor’s voice was soft as she spoke, telling him what was wrong. There was no way to fix what was done, not until he was an adult, at least, because he refused to tell his parents. She recommended hearing aids and glasses because his hearing and sight weren’t gone, but they may as well have been. She also explained, after he’d told them about hitting the button, that because the point of contact had been his hand, he was going to have issues with touch and muscle spasms. She said it was nerve damage and that compression cuffs would help him. The chronic pain, however, would follow him for the rest of his life. She had also noted the lichtenberg scars trailing from his hand, up his arm, down his chest and back, up his neck, and up to his eye, over his ear. They were faint enough to not be seen at first, but they were noticeable upon further inspection.

At the end of the visit, Mr. Manson paid and drove him home. Before he could get out of the car, Mr. Manson said, “Thank you for telling me. And, thank you for keeping Samantha safe.”

Danny smiled smally at him. “It’s alright, Mr. Manson. I don’t ever plan on letting her or Tucker get hurt if I can help it. Besides, I didn’t do much of anything.”

“That’s not true,” Mr. Manson shook his head. “And, please, call me Jeremy.”

“But you don’t like me, Mr. Manson,” he tilted his head slightly.

Mr. Manson laughed. “Call it an olive branch, okay?”

Danny chuckled. “Okay, Mr. Jeremy.”

The man shook his head. “I’m glad you told me. I’ll talk to Pamala; You’re welcome in our home if you ever need to leave this place, okay?”

“Okay, Mr. Jeremy.” He nodded and got out of the car. “Thank you, again.”

“Anytime.”

He closed the door and watched as Mr. Jeremy drove off. Then, he checked the mailbox. Still no letter. With a sigh, he adjusted the strap of the bag he was holding - supplies the hospital had given him to help that Mr. Jeremy paid for - and went into his house.

Jack and Maddie weren’t home again, likely getting more supplies and stuff to stock the lab. After he’d opened the portal, he’d sent Sam and Tucker home; he didn’t want them there when his parents saw the activated portal. They’d celebrated when they saw it, taking him and Jazz to dinner. Then, they’d locked themselves down in the lab with the portal, studying it and making stuff to use on whatever came through. If anything ever came through. During the day, they’d spend a few hours out of the house, gathering things to study whatever they caught coming through. Honestly, Danny didn’t know when they had time to sleep or eat.

He hoped that nothing ever came through. He hoped that the portal would destabilize and shut down. He hoped a lot of things.

Sitting at the desk in his room, the door closed, Danny picked up a pencil. He was ambidextrous, though he mostly used his left hand. Until recently, that is. The handwriting was horrible compared to writing with his left, but he had to let Damian know what had happened.

***

Damian Wayne,       Sept. 8th, 2013

I don’t know if you got my last letters, nor do I know if you want to hear from me, but there’s something I have to tell you. I don’t want to keep secrets from you anymore.

I was in an accident a few days ago. My foster parents have been working on a portal into another dimension since they were in college. Recently, they got the final product done and built in our basement. Sam and Tucker wanted a picture of me in it, so I went in and I tripped-

***

The pencil fell through his fingers and clattered on the desk, rolling off before falling to the floor, stopping a few inches away. Danny stared at his hand. He didn’t finish the letter.

Translation 1 - Romanian: Stoll no letter, huh? Translation 2 - Romanian: Nope Translation 3 - Romanian: Cheer up! At least you know he's alright? He and his family have been posting on their socials regularly. Translation 4 - Arabic: Cheer up, she says. If it were that easy, I'd be the happiest person in the world. Translation 5 - Romanian: What was that? Translation 6 - Romanian: Nothing! … How do you know that they're posting regularly? Do you follow the Waynes? Translation 7 - Romanian: Of course I follow the Waynes! At first it was because everyone followed them, but then you told me that Damian Wyane is your brother? I couldn’t not check in on them. Translation 8 - Romanian: I didn't- How did you find out Damian's my brother? I never told you that. Translation 9 - Romanian: Because I’m just that awesome! … It wasn’t that hard, Danny. You two look almost exactly alike.

Part 6 Part 8

[bill-ciphers-nightmare-blog]

WELL, WELL, WELL, HELLO, HELLSITE!

NAME’S BILL CIPHER, BUT YOU MIGHT KNOW ME AS YOUR PREVIOUS LORD & MASTER FOR ALL OF ETERNITY , OR BY A THOUSAND OTHER NAMES AND POSTERS!! I’M EVERYWHERE!

NOW I GUESS YOU’LL BE WONDERING HOW I’M EVEN HERE, RIGHT? “Oh no! But Bill, you’re supposed to be dead!” WELL, WHAT CAN I SAY? I’M A GOD- AKIN TO AN INEXTINGUISHABLE COCKROACH!! FACE IT, YOU KNEW I’D BE BACK.

AND BEFORE YOU ASK ABOUT THERAPRISM- DON’T!! ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW IS THAT I’M HERE NOW, SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL GET USED TO IT! COME ON KID, MAKE THE MOST OF IT! IT’S NOT EVERY CENTURY YOU GET TO TALK TO A DREAM DEMON! YOU’RE LUCKY! GO ON, BEFORE I DECIDE YOUR SKIN PUPPET LOOKS BETTER WITHOUT A HAND IN IT! HAHAHAHAH

Mod note: And of course, don’t take what he says seriously. He’s Bill & will say Cipherish things, so please do not take actual offense! Additionally, you don’t have to listen when he tells you not to ask. ‘Tis Bill.

[the-uninformed-zennial]

So, uh, Fable ended.

And now I’m gonna be sappy on main.

I started watching Fable about half a year before I started being active in the fandom, around the time I started falling in love with my partner @hoardingpuffin . Watching Rae and Caspian’s relationship develop was actually part of what helped me realize that the things I was feeling for them were romantic and not just platonic. Surprisingly enough, that’s just the beginning of the profound effect Fable had on me.

I had never really interacted with fandom spaces before Fable. But when I caught up with lore sometime in November 2022, I decided to join the discord. It was a crazy place. Being someone who’d never really been in a server before I was completely overwhelmed and nervous, so I didn’t interact much for the first month or so.

Then I discovered that, despite the incredible love for the project, no one had made a “which character are you?” Quiz yet, so, I decided to fuck it and make one myself. The response I got to that was unlike any I had seen before. I was getting pinged weeks afterwards with people’s results and it made me really happy to see how much my work was appreciated by everyone in the community. It got me thinking about other ways I might be able to give back.

Then, as you all know, the stream “Call” and it’s partner “Response” came out on Ghosty and HeyHay’s channels. I’d been feeling so similarly to the two characters, dealing with my long distance relationship with Puffin. So, I took those feelings and the words Heyhay and Ghosty had used to convey them for their characters and put them into a song.

And then something insane happened.

Everyone liked it. Like, everyone liked it. This crappy recording I made at 2 AM suddenly got hundreds and then thousands of views when I put it on SoundCloud and YouTube. It was insane. I had written some songs before, but they’d always been ridiculed, so having a large group of people like the fable community enjoy something that I wrote was absolutely insane to me, and it encouraged me to make more.

I found myself being inspired by the characters in fable, connecting with different storylines or sentences said on streams. I found myself writing songs, one after another after another.  At one point I was writing a song a week for a period of about three months. I had never experienced this amount of raw creativity before, but every time I put a new song out, I only got encouraged to make more.

And then people started to ask me when I was going to put them on Spotify. And that was another moment that everything changed. I realized if I was gonna put these out there in such an official way I didn’t want it to just be a bunch of crappy recorded singles. So I needed to make an album.

That was something I had never considered doing before. I knew nothing about music editing or sound mixing. Up until that point all of my songs had been made on GarageBand at 2 AM with very little editing or mixing going into them. So, I started saving for a real music editing program and within a few months I got there.

Then came the actual making of the album. I took a few months off in the summer and just dove headfirst into it. Every spare moment I wasn’t modding for the Sherbathon, or the discord, or streaming my own lore, was spent working on those songs. And while looking back now I wish I knew what I know now about music editing, I’m so glad I did what I did. Putting that album out, seeing how you all responded to it… it made me realize that this is something I love, something that I don’t have to wait for someone else’s permission or teaching to do.

This fandom is the reason I’m a musical artist and that is something I don’t think I will ever be able to express the importance of enough.



As much as I could talk about the unending support and encouragement I received from the wonderful cast members throughout my experience making the album, or how being given the role of mod on the fandom discord taught me so much about how to be a creator in my own right, or even the amazing experience I had being able to make songs for the lore. When it comes right down to it, it was the community, cast and all, that impacted my life in the profound way it has been. So thank you, each and every one of you, whether you are a cast member, a fan, a fellow mod, or even just someone who streamed a song you didn’t have any context for. Thank you for changing my life, for giving me the encouragement to pursue my dreams.

Thank you Fable SMP cast, crew, and community 💕

[umeoniii]

daddy’s bestfriend, kenny

!: corruption kink, age gap, reader is 18+ obvi, innocent virgin reader, reader calls kenny “uncle” they aren’t related it’s just what she calls him, fem reader, guided masturbation, size kink,

{\❀_/} ( • • ) />♡<\

you sat on the couch of your parents spacious living room, skipping through the channels of the tv trying to occupy yourself until your parents left for their anniversary vacation.

they were leaving you at home for 3 days to your own discretion. you were happy to be alone for the few days, you could use your mothers makeup and look through her clothes all you wanted to now.

your mother walked into the living room putting on her earrings. you already knew she was going to try and set a bunch of rules.

“y/n honey, while we’re gone make sure to watch the house. also if you decide to invite over friends text me, and also make sure to feed princess, if we run out of food make sure to get ‘kitty’s delight’ not the cheap kind…” you drowned out your mothers voice, blabbing on about the same things.

“y/n! are you listening to me?” she says snapping you out of your trance.

you nodded your head watching your father come down the stairs in his suit.

you stood up and walked your parents to the door and kissed them goodbye. you walked back over to the couch plopping back down. before your father walked all the way out the door he turned around and walked back towards you, who was yet again skipping through channels.

“also honey, you remember my good friend kenny? the one who used to watch you alot when you were younger?”

your ears pricked up as soon as the name rolled off his tongue.

“yeah, why do you ask?”

“well he might come over to make sure you stay in check. so keep an eye out okay angel?”

you gave your father a long stare before opening your mouth, “im old enough to watch the house, i dont need a babysitter.” you whined standing in front of your dad.

“i don’t care honey, i’d feel safer if there were an older adult in the house with you.” he walked back to you giving you a kiss on the cheek.

you watched as he walked back to door standing with your mother, who blew you a kiss before closing the door. you stood at the window watching as their taxi drove them off.

turning back to the living room you turned off the living room tv and went into the kitchen getting yourself a snack. a piece of the strawberry cake from their anniversary gift.

after you finished your last bite you remembered, uncle kenny’s coming over!

you ran up the stairs, quickly going to your room taking out cuter lounging clothes. your bathroom was your next destination hopping into the shower washing yourself with the strawberry cream body wash you got from the mall the other day.

you wasted no time to shave your entire body and to wash and do you hair as well. you hopped out drying your body off, and greasing up.

you dried and combed through your hair fixing it into a ponytail with a ribbon. after you were done modding your appearance you ran back into your bed laying down. you checked the time on your phone. damn, it took me 3 hours to do all of that? n’ he’s still not here…

you looked over to your nightstand drawer and opened it taking out your diary as well as your pen.

you wrote, “today my parents left me home alone! they acted like i couldn’t watch the house, im in college im pretty sure i can… they’re gonna be gone for a few days, 3 at most. and guess who’s gonna come over? guess! kenny is! my, i’m lowkey nervous but im happy because i haven’t seen him in a lil while.”

it was honestly odd what you had for your father’s friend. you’ve always had a little crush on him. you found many of his attributes attractive. you liked how he towered over you, how he was always very nice to you and overprotective of you. you felt icky at times with the way he made you feel, but you couldn’t help yourself.

while thinking you heard a knock at your door.

it must be kenny! you got off your bed and peered through the blinds seeing kenny’s black truck. you ran down the steps quickly and stopped at the front door. you looked through the peephole seeing kenny’s tall form standing with a bag in his hands.

you opened the door swiftly to be greeted with a large smile on his face. you jumped and gave him a big hug, his large arm wrapped around your hips.

“hey kiddo” he said

“hi kenny” you backed up from the hug, motioning him to come inside. the two of you walked in standing in the living room.

“you’ve gotten older since last time i seen ya’” he said, you noticed how his eyes drifted to your breasts before he quickly looked back at your eyes.

“it hasn’t been that long.” you scoffed, “ what’s in the bag?” you inquired following him to the couch.

“nothin’ my stuff, also i gotcha something.” you watched him pull out a stuffed puppy out of a separate box he was carrying. it was pink with a white bow tied on it. you smiled with bright, wide eyes.

“i knew you liked this kind of cutesy stuff so i got it for you at the store.” you opened it, staring in awe at the white puppy plush that sat before you.

“what did you do with the last one i got for you?” he asked.

“oh, the bunny? well it sits on my bed!” you told him thinking about how you cuddle with it at night as if it were your uncle.

“that’s great, so where am i gonna sleep at?” he asked yawning.

“the room next to mine, you want me to show it to you?” you asked sweetly.

he gave you a nod. you walked up the stairs with kenny behind you. you walked down the long hallway past your parents room and yours and right to the guest room.

“here it is.” it was a nice cream colored room. it had a queen sized bed and a tv.

“you can use my bathroom kenny if you need it m’kay? my parents hate even when i use their bathroom.” you gave him a soft smile as he took off his boots. you walked out leaving him alone.

you walked back to your bedroom putting the dog plushie on your bed. you layed down on your back getting your phone and putting in your headphones listening to your music.

you sat on your bed lying down until you felt a light tap on your thigh. you sat up quickly turning to kenny. you saw his mouth moving not hearing a word leaving his lips. you took off your headphones to hear him clearly.

“huh?”

“i said im about to take a shower y/n, help me out will ya?”

you both walked inside of your bathroom. you showed him where everything was and how to work the shower. he took in the scenery of your restroom.

“damn even the soaps shaped like a lil animal.” he chuckled inspecting the soap, while you lit up your candle.

he pulled out his razor and you walked out sitting back onto your bed.

you pulled back out your diary writing more of the day’s events and also writing some reminders. a few minutes later you heard the door creak from the bathroom as kenny stepped out.

beard shaved off clean, towel wrapped around his waist, and dripping wet. you looked at his hair sticking to his body and you couldn’t help but look down at his happy trail that wrapped around his navel and went down. you looked at him lips parted before you turned around, the heat of your body almost making you sweat.

“sorry i left my clothes in the room, forgot to bring them with me to the bathroom” he chuckled, you watched as he walked out going to his room.

kenny left the clothes on purpose, so he can see your little flustered face as he stood half naked in front of you. he wanted to see just how long it would take to make you break.

he dried off in his room and put his clothes on. he stayed in his room letting the tv entertain him occasionally checking in on you until you came in asking him if he was hungry. you eyed the tight black shirt he wore, outlining his muscles and biceps. as well as the pajama pants he wore.

“hell yeah i am.”

“well i’ll be in the kitchen, i’ll make us something good to eat.” you smiled walking off.

when kenny heard you walk down the stairs he creeped into your room slowly.

he loved how you liked cutesy things, everything in your room was a pastel color or pink. you had cute trinkets and posters all over your room. he looked through your drawers looking at your lacy panties and bras.

what’d he do to see you in only them.

he turned around towards your bed catching a glimpse of the pink journal with stickers laying on your ditsy rose comforter.

he sat himself on the bed softly looking at the cover of the book y/n’s diary DONT read further.

he chuckled to himself before reading forward.

he wanted to know more about you and how your life has been since he last saw you. he hasn’t talked to you consistently in about a year and he didn’t wanna nag you by asking, so he took matters into his own hands.

and boy was he was surprised at the contents of the book. it started off normal about things you did in your day, what you ate, what you wore simple things. sometimes his name would be mentioned. and the things said with his name were always about your feelings twoards him or how you thought about him a lot. one struck his eye though.

“last night i had a dream about my uncle kenny, a very weird dream. i don’t even wanna write about it because it was so dirty and yucky. usually these kind of things come with your subconscious, i mean yeah i like kenny a little more than i should. but i don’t think i like him in the way shown in my dream, that’s weird and nasty. and i’m not like that, i’ve known him for so long, he’s like my uncle. i think i’ll just try to forget about it and get ready to go to work…”

you had a crush on your uncle kenny. and surprisingly he liked you a lot too, he thought you were always such a cutie. when he saw you on your 18th birthday something in him changed.

he knew your father would murder him mercilessly if he knew how he felt about you, but he couldn’t contain himself. kenny closed your diary and layed it back on the bed the way it was originally.

“kenny dinners ready!” you called out to him

he walked down the stairs to the scent of tomato soup and grilled cheese.

“smells good, y/n” he looked at you sitting down at the island

“really? i tried something different and quicker today”

“looks good as well.” he said nearly drooling over his plate. kenny ripped a piece of his sandwich and tossed it to the persian long haired cat meowing on the ground. the two of you ate quietly sometimes making eye contact with a soft smile.

“hey does your parents have a liquor cabinet or somethin’ ?”

you nodded, walking over to the cabinet standing on your tippy toes trying to reach it. kenny came up behind you with one of his hands on your hip the other reaching for your dad’s rum.

you felt a tingling sensation with his hand touching you so intimately like that. he went to another cabinet grabbing two glasses, the both of you taking your seats on the soft cushions.

“y/n you’re old enough to drink ain’tcha? have some.” kenny saud slyly pouring some into a glass for you

“well no kenny, i don’t really like it…” you said hesitantly

“c’mon it ain’t bad, i’ll help you out if you need it.” he smiled at you

you nodded sipping at the liquor and you hated it. you swallowed it only because kenny was watching you, but the burning sensation in your throat almost caused you to purge right on the table. he saw you were struggling and got you a bottle of water.

“here, i ain’t like it my first time either.” he chuckled rubbing your back as you downed the water.

a little while later you and kenny were finished, and you and him went up to your rooms separately. you sat in your bed and put your journal back into your bedside drawer.

you layed in your bed thinking about how flustered your uncle made you that day. the way you felt when he walked in front of you basically fully exposed and the way his big hand laid on your hip.

you got the weird sensation again, you tried to squeeze your legs shut in attempts to make the feeling go away. you turned off your lamp and drifted to sleep next to the barrage of plushies on your side.

you woke up later on to a suddenly heavier feeling in your bed, turning to your side you saw kenny asleep right next to you. you gasped audibly, slapping his arm trying to get his attention. he woke up giving you a confused look before realizing what he had did wrong.

“what are you doing?” you whisper screamed

“im sorry honey your bed looked more comfortable.” he said, you noticed his shirt was off which made the heat grow even rapidly.

he looked at you, a smirk tugging on the corner of his mouth.

“ya‘ know, i know yer’ lil secret” he whispered into your ear.

you looked at him genuinely confused, “what secret?” you grabbed the lighter next to your bed, lighting up your candle.

“don’t play dumb with me doll. the little book that was lying on your bed, i read it.” he said sitting up

you thought deeply into it before you felt your heart drop.

oh my god, kenny read my diary. you tried your hardest to keep your composure, but it was clear that you were shocked and scared.

“don’t worry honey, i ain’t angry or anything. tell me, what was your dream about?” he asked looking into your eyes

“i um, it was about…” you cupped you hands around his ear, “we kissed” you paused abruptly, “ an- and we had… sex but before things really got started i woke up.” you whispered shamefully into his ear.

he looked at you, your heart almost pounding out of your chest.

he picked up on how nervous you were feeling , “you okay?” he asked you, sultry voice making your hairs stand up.

“yeah well, it makes me feel… icky.”

“icky? how?”

“first of all it’s weird because you’re like my uncle, kenny. and second i get this weird tingly feeling sometimes.”

he pulled you closer to him, to where you were almost on his lap, he snaked his arm around your waist and layed his hand on your thigh. “what tingly feeling?” he hummed in your ear.

you hesitated embarrassed to tell him how it felt.

“c’mon tell me sweetie, i wanna help you try n’ get rid of it.”

you grabbed his hand and drifted it to your clothed heat.

“oh, so your cunnie’s what’s achy hm?”

he pressed his finger onto your panties making you gasp. he rubbed it slowly causing you to writhe under him.

“you a virgin y/n?” he said still rubbing your clit through your panties.

you nodded vigorously grinding onto his finger.

“good girl, i don’t want you being with any of those nasty little boys, okay?”

you nodded.

“have you ever touched yourself down here before?” he said nibbling at your ear lobe.

“n-no sir” you stuttered

he removed his hand feeling how damp your panties got.

“m’ gonna teach ya a little something okay?”

he grabbed your hand and trailed it to your panties. he took his hands and ripped your panties, the cold air on your exposed pussy made you tremble.

“kenny i really liked those.” you muttered softly

he held your hand with his and showed you how to touch yourself.

“whenever you get to thinkin bout me just get your fingers and rub em’ on that little bump right there you see?” he slid you all the way onto his lap. the hairs on his chest rubbed against your back. he layed his head in the crook of your neck taking in the scent of strawberry pound cake perfume.

you layed your fingers on your clit rubbing it slowly while he helped you move your hand.

“just like that.” he groaned into your ear.

you felt the tingly feeling become more disperse throughout your body. you moaned softly rubbing your clit. you felt how hard kenny was while sitting on his lap.

kenny moved your hand from your cunt, replacing it with own fingers. he sped up the pace making you squirm more, your thighs closing.

you felt the tingly feeling build up but then it suddenly vanished as your orgasm crashed over your body.

“mm kenny” you whined, your thighs squeezing his hand as you wiggled uncontrollably in his lap.

he kissed your neck as you breathed in and out. he then picked you up and layed you back onto your bed barely giving you time to recover. he spread your legs before pulling down his pants.

a look of dread and confusion took over your face as you looked at his cock. it was long and curved over his tummy. his head was swolllen and leaky. you closed your legs and shook your head.

“what’s wrong pretty? it ain’t gonna hurt, promise.” he said kissing your cheek and prying your legs back open.

he spit onto his fingers and rubbed it onto your vulva before lining his head to your hole.

“im gonna stuff ya like a fuckin’ apple pie.”

he pushed himself into you, softly groaning while doing so. you watched waiting for him to be all the way in. he pushed the last of himself in quickly, causing you to let out a yelp.

he was balls deep inside of you, your legs on his shoulders. he slowly thrusted himself in you. you whined softly to yourself. it was more painful than you imagined, he was so big compared to your virgin body. you felt yourself stretching out after every thrust.

you wrapped your arms around his neck, your headboard squeaking from all the movement.

“how would yer’ daddy feel? if he knew how dirty you were getting for me?”

“upset” you hiccuped, his skin slapping against yours.

“damn right he’d be, so you can’t tell him about this. that his best friend is fucking the hell out of his daughter.” he said rubbing your cheek

you felt guilty, but at the same time you couldn’t help it, you wanted more.

“kenny it feels so good, c-can you go a little faster.” you said shakily

he sped up causing tears of pleasure to run down your hot cheeks. you felt the way his tip rubbed against the ridges inside of you, it made you feel an emotion you’ve like none you’ve ever experienced.

“fuck, you’re so tight honey, im trying so hard not to cum.” he held you closer to his chest biting the tender skin of your neck. you yelped from the sudden feeling of his teeth in your neck, but weirdly enough you liked it.

you liked the full feeling he gave you, the pang of pain you felt when his cock expanded your virgin cunt, you loved it. he slid his hands up your gown groping and squeezing your chest, you wrapped your legs around his waist holding on to him as tight as possible.

“you don’t know how many times i’ve imagined this day. how many times i’ve came into my hand thinkin’ about you.” he grunted, his body slamming against yours.

you started to feel a pleasurable sensation, like something intense was building up inside of you “k-kenny” you sputtered, voiced shaky from all the movement. he looked at you still thrusting, “i feel it again, the weird feeling.” you whined clawing at his back. he didn’t answer your inquiry and instead sped up.

you felt the feeling build up even more as the ribbon in your tummy snapped. you moaned loudly tensing your body and cumming all over your uncle kenny. you gasped for air while kenny continued to thrust into you, his pace getting sloppy.

he pulled out before grabbing your cheeks and forcing your mouth open.

“stick out your tongue like you’re licking a popsicle alright?” he said jerking himself over you.

you obliged.

a few pumps later his semen spewed from his swollen, dark red tip. white covered your tongue as you kept it hanging out of your mouth.

“swallow it like the good girl you are.” he said, his big hand resting on top of your head.

you swallowed the thick, salty liquid with a slightly embarrassed grin.

kenny grabbed you by your cheeks indulging in a deep kiss groping your body more.

little did you know he was planning to repeat this again tomorrow.

。

a/n: only few ppl on this app will understand how bad i need kenny ψ(｀∇´)ψ

a/n2: i hate to be the bearer of bad news for the south park fans, but this is abt kenny ackerman from aot Σ('◉⌓◉’)

[angiemaniac]

Love your comics! Always thought the Durge would make a fun companion. Even if i know why Larian didn't do it. They couldn't give us a Durge companion because they knew the fandom would be down bad for the hot murder lizard-

Thank you so much! I get why Larian didn’t add him too lol. I have a few MAJOR theories as to why he isn’t in the game

1. You’d have to choose between Durge and Astarion (or Shadowheart even).

Like I imagine it’ll be rough for people. You have to choose between three traumatized individuals that the community absolutely adores. For those who have mods, it’ll be easy. But I can only imagine the pain for those who don’t have them.

2. The amount of coding that has to be redone for everything may result in even more major patches

There will be so much new codes and stuff to write for Durge. Soooo much that if it were to ever come later on, it may take a hot minute for BG3 to have a new update

3. Even more cutscenes and dialogue need to be redone or changed

Durge is VERY important in the game. I feel he would’ve worked so well given how connected he is to the main story, but also this will mean new endings, new patches, new everything. Larian has already done so much for us that I’d feel guilty for asking more

But hey! This gives artists creative freedom to make AUs! I wanted to make the Durge Companuon AU so I can see more artists drawing or writing DurgeTav stories if he were a companion!

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

hi, hello! absolutely love your work, and wanted to request a scenario for sve i’ve been thinking about for a bit now. It’s sort of complicated and long, so i understand if not, but thank you for reading in the first place! :3 ♡

how would the sve adventurers with marlon, and mages with camilla, jadu, & magnus react to a farmer who is an actively wanted fugitive in the gotoro empire, and also wanted by the ferngill republic for crimes committed against figures in both governments? and when revealed why exactly they did these things, it’s because they were killing them due to said figures being corrupt and harming the people? perhaps even going as far as to get rid of any wizards or witches in the ferngill republic ministry of magic who do it solely for the fame or adventures in various guilds in the order of the knights of pythagoras who are in it for the money and not to protect people? how would they react to this farmer, who’s been right under their watch the whole time, actually turn out to be someone they’ve been trying to capture for years, and completely evading them? i’d imagine even more angst if they had already formed complex relationships and friendships with everyone, only to be a wanted criminal, despite their inherently good intentions.

Headcanon when people who had good motives to protect the world killed other people who were corrupted and bad by their standards?*looking in the direction of the Cult of The Lady With The Red Tail from RSV mod* Yeah, I've heard something about that...

I recommend that you, dear anon, familiarise yourself with the Ridgeside Village mod, because there are at least two marriage candidates out there who live in the same scenario. But anyway, thank you very much for your kind words 🥺 Enjoy some headcanons and have a great day! 💕

_________________________________________

Isaac knew there was something fishy about Farmer! His own gut was screaming that something was wrong with them, and, oh look, he was absolutely right. The very same promising young adventurer, whom almost everyone praised to the skies (and even Isaac himself almost fell into this trap, accepting the offer of friendship), turned out to be a rotten through and through criminal. Killing corrupt people? That's just fucking wonderful, how honorable they are! Isaac wonders who gave Farmer the right to decide the fate of people? Who gave them the right to be judge and executioner? Corrupt adventurers and mages are scumbags who deserve to be punished. But Farmer is no better than them. So Isaac will drag them to the justice, and use force if he has to.

Magnus now doesn't know what's worse: the fact that Farmer he trusted turned out to be a criminal wanted by the Ministry of Magic, or the fact that almost half of his friends and colleagues (some already killed) turned out to be criminals too. And criminals not of the level of "stole 10000g" from the budget, but responsible for some disasters caused by magic that contributed to hundreds of innocent lives. Does he believe Farmer? Of course he believes him, since the wizard managed to put the seal of truth on them. Which, however, doesn't mean Magnus agrees with their path of vigilant. And so when they both decide to deal with the remaining corrupt adventurers, Farmer will also have to recognize their responsibility for killing others. And no, they can't refuse. Because Magnus has managed to put another seal on them...

Camilla only smirked after Farmer's admission. "I know all that, dear. Otherwise you'd have been rotting behind bars in a dungeon long ago." Instead of trying to explain to the main witch of the Galdora Continent about how Farmer had managed to become a wanted man in the Gotoro Empire/Ferngill Republic, they have to listen to details from Camilla that even they didn't know. Turns out she's been covering them. All the time. Why? Because she is well aware of all the secrets of some of her "colleagues" who never got a deserved punishment. Farmer was the first to confront them openly, even at the cost of their reputation. So Camilla felt it was her duty to help them cleanse all "pests". Oh, and she strongly advises them not to tell anyone about what the two of them have just talked about.

Alesia didn't even realise how she'd pointed the bowstring at the Farmer. All this time the man who was killing adventurers was right under her nose.... The sniper didn't take Isaac's warning too seriously... She may not have the same keen sense for criminals like her friend, but Alesia's eagle eyes and skilful hands would definitely keep her from missing if they try to escape. Maybe Farmer's telling the truth. Either way, they're both going to go deal with Camilla, she's sure to get the truth out. In the meantime. Alesia advises Farmer not to make any sudden moves. Unless they want an arrow in the head. So far all the facts are against Farmer: their word vs. entire murder reports of high profile adventurers...

Jadu is at a complete loss. On the one hand, common sense tells him that the man before him is a dangerous criminal who has broken the laws not only in the Republic, but also in the Gotoro Empire, which is at war with it. Not a word of such a person can be trusted. On the other hand, all the adventurers, witches and wizards who had fallen by the Farmer's hand had indeed had rumours of venality and even involvement in dark deeds. But they were just rumours! What if the Farmer had made a mistake, and destroyed a completely innocent man, framed by someone else? That never occurred to them?! Jadu must get them to the Ministry because he doesn't believe a word they say. And don't underestimate him, he is after all, a battle mage as good as any.

Well... That explains a lot to Lance. And there's no need for Farmer to look at him so surprised. After all, the gallant adventurer is not lacking in intelligence and is a very shrewd man. Lance was conducting his own, if you will, investigation, but he did it as carefully and from a distance as possible, so as not to cross the wrong person. Because there were inconsistencies in official statements about past tragedies in Castle Village. Then came the murders of suspicious members of the Order of the Knights of Pythagoras, all the blame was on "criminal №1" (Farmer, as it turned out), and then.... Hmm, yes, now that makes sense. Lance will get Farmer to Camilla, let them tell her everything, and wait to see what others say at the general court. "They were criminals, Farmer. But you too need to answer for your crimes. Murder is no way to solve problems."

Marlon outwardly may seem to have reacted very calmly to the truth, but inside the one-eyed adventurer a storm of emotions raged. His apprentice, a new member of the Adventurer's Guild, is the very same wanted killer of monster hunters from other guilds and clans. His murdered colleagues, according to Farmer's words, were not noble protectors of human race, but cowards and corrupt bastards. But is that true? Should Farmer be believed at all? What should Marlon even believe now? He's angry, but quickly calms down so he doesn't accidentally make any hasty decisions in a fit of rage. "You're in deep shit, kid." That was all Marlon could say. Better get Gil and Magnus to solve this problem with Farmer.

[ticklishshenanigansau]

LaughterLand - Chapter 31: Wake Up

(story by Mod Secret, art by Mod Kitty)

"...Five...

…Four...

…Three...

…Two...

…One...

Awaken!"

There was the sound of a snap, it seemed to echo off into the distance. A bright white light shone down from above. Although Sans could tell his eyes were closed, the harsh light still stung his sockets. He felt so confused … what happened? Did he finally pass out from the stress?

He shifted his bones, trying to get a grip on where he was or what was happening. His entire body felt stiff and heavy, all the way down to his toes. As if he had been in this position for hours. But … that just couldn't be, could it? His eyelids felt insanely heavy, like he was going to need every metaphoric muscle in his face to open them. The blinding white light wasn't helping.

He didn't want to force himself to open his eyes, he was certain that he was still in the empty white void with all of its evil inhabitants. He didn't want to face anymore horrors, didn't want to know who would be looming over him next. Suddenly there came a voice, it was deep and familiar. It spoke slowly and gently from right above him.

"That's it, S-1, open your eyes."

S-1 … there was only one monster in the whole world who knew him by that name.

Sans slowly opened his eyes. As to be expected, the light was blinding and painful. He fluttered his eyelids rapidly trying to get used to the overbearing glow. Against the light, he saw a shadowy figure leaning over him. He felt the remains of anxiety starting to build up in his chest, but was immediately relieved upon recognizing who the shape belonged to. As he adjusted to the light, the image of Gaster manifested before him. He never once thought that he would be so glad to see the old skeleton. But in that moment, he would have thrown himself into his father's arms if he had the physical strength for it.

"G…. Gas … ter?" His voice was weak, but surprisingly, not hoarse or strained in anyway.

“S-1, what do you remember?” Gaster’s tone was low and urgent, Sans could tell that he needed answers immediately, but honestly so did he.

He blinked several more times, allowing the light to slowly reveal the world around him. At first only small objects came into view, a coat rack, a desk equipped with medical tools, pictures of bizarre-looking x-rays on the walls. Gaster immediately noticed Sans’s tired eyes slowly scanning the room.

“S-1, do you know where you are right now?” he pressed on.

It took several minutes and a lot of readjusting of his concentration. But after some much-needed deep breathing, Sans was finally able to recognize his surroundings. He was back in Gaster’s True Lab, back in the Underground, he was home!

“I…. I’m … home?” He almost couldn’t say it. The relief was so immeasurable that he could almost feel tears welling up in his sockets.

“Well, of course you’re home, where else would you be?” Gaster asked, his voice sounding confused, but candid.

He turned to pick up his stethoscope before moving to Sans’s right. Confusion still plagued the exhausted skeleton’s mind. He had no idea how he ended up back in the Underground, or what had happened to all of the evil residents of LaughterLand. The last thing he could recall was being bound by the sticky web, watching as they all moved closer towards him and his brother. He drew in a sharp gasp as he suddenly remembered.

“Papyrus!”

He sat up way too quickly. The dizziness hitting him like a hard slap in the face that nearly sent him toppling over again. He groaned loudly as he forced himself to stay upright, but cradled his now throbbing skull into his hands.

“S-1, I’d advise you not to sit up so carelessly.” Gaster responded calmly. “You’ve been in a state of unconsciousness for the past six hours. Give your body time to recover.”

Sans’s sockets flew wide open, in an instant he was wide awake and aware. Although he was certain that he had heard his creator loud and clear, he still had to make absolutely sure.

“S… Six … hours?” His voice was stronger this time.

Although his tone and demeanor seemed calm, the inside of his mind was flooded with racing thoughts and questions. He was unconscious for the past six hours? But how? Was the stress of being endlessly tickled for so long enough to make him pass out for that long? But then, how did he end up here? Did Gaster find a way to save them? What day was it? How long was he gone for? More importantly, where was Papyrus?

“Please find a way to calm yourself S-1,” Gaster cautioned, pulling back his stethoscope. “P-2 is fine, he’s just coming out of it now.”

At the mention of his brother’s experiment name, Sans whipped himself to the right where Gaster was standing over an unconscious Papyrus. He was twitching and whimpering too softly to make anything out. His brow was covered with a thin layer of sweat and he seemed to be trying to will himself out of this strange trance he was in. But he was okay! Alive, breathing, and in one piece. Sans nearly collapsed again from the relief, but kept his shaky arms firm as he tried to get up from the metal table.

“Papyrus!”

As Sans nearly launched himself from his resting place, he felt his unsteady knees immediately buckle beneath him, and he collapsed onto the floor with a heavy grunt.

“S-1, please get ahold of yourself,” Gaster said firmly, his tone raising to one of irritation. “You could very well give yourself a Soul-Attack if you don’t slow your reactions.”

Completely ignoring his father’s warning, Sans scrambled back to his trembling feet, gripping the side of the metal table that held Papyrus. As he watched his brother starting to shift out of sleep, he noticed that Papyrus’s favorite scarf was wrapped around his neck again, looking as if it had never even been moved. He glanced down to see his left glove was back on his hand as well. Somehow both of his accessories had been returned to him without so much as a speck of dirt or a tear. How was it possible?

Sans experimentally moved his hand down his shirt. Expecting to find the tear where the Chortlewocky had completely ripped it in half, but there was no tear. He looked down to see for himself, but sure enough his shirt was completely whole again. Not only that, his blue jacket had returned to him as well. Nothing about this made any sense. He knew that the both of them had lost their favorite articles of clothing in the tussle with the Tickle Monster. But even if they somehow managed to get them back, it didn’t explain how Papyrus’s glove returned from the dark abyss, or how Sans’s shirt became one piece again.

"Awaken."

Sans was so caught up in his own confusing thoughts that he didn't realize that Gaster had just finished counting backwards.

"Mmmnhh … uffmnh .... uhhhh…."

Papyrus's muffled whimpering became louder and louder, although neither skeleton could make out what he was trying to say.

"Deep breaths, P-2," Gaster quietly instructed. "Just open your eyes for me." Papyrus began to tremble, seemingly trying to force himself awake. "That's it, nice and easy," Gaster compelled.

Suddenly, Papyrus's eye sockets flew wide open. For a moment, the entire room was silent. But just as quickly as the quiet began, it was abruptly cut off as Papyrus let out an ear-piercing scream.

"NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!"

This immediately prompted a scream from the older skeletons until the entire lab became an impromptu screaming match. Papyrus, now startled out of his mind, sat up too quickly. As a violent rush of dizziness overtook him, he tumbled off of the metal table and landed to the ground with a heavy crash, abruptly ending the screaming match.

"Owwwie…," Papyrus quietly moaned, reaching a hand up to rub at his tender skull.

"Pap!!"

Sans immediately rushed to his brother's side. He nearly tumbled over himself, still not having fully regained his balance. But thankfully, he didn't have very far to go before kneeling down next to Papyrus.

"Ohhh, my head." Papyrus sighed deeply, trying to shake himself awake as well as readjust to the light.

"It's okay, Pap. I'm here, we're safe," Sans soothed, gently placing a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"S…. Sans...?" With sockets still partially shut, Papyrus reached a trembling hand up to grasp at Sans's. Comforted to at least know that his big brother was there with him. "What … happened?"

"You just snapped out of a six-hour trance," Gaster explained calmly. "You need to slow down and relax, P-2. Your body needs time to readjust to the—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Backup a minute." Sans held up a hand to his creator, his mind trying to make sense of what he just said. "What do you mean, a … trance?"

"S-1, do you not recall why it is you were called here this afternoon?"

Gaster looked at his sons quizzically, studying their faces to take note of their reactions. Both brothers looked at him, then at each other. Everything was fuzzy, they were having a hard time remembering just when they had come down to the lab in the first place. All that filled their minds were the colorful memories of that place … Laughterland. The bright unnatural colors, the extraordinary creatures and plants. But most of all … the horrifying enemies that they left behind, and all the different ways they nearly tickled them to death.

"Fascinating…," Gaster mumbled as he scribbled something onto his clipboard. "Apparently, the lingering effects cause a temporary lapse in memory."

"Okay, look," Sans replied bluntly. "We appreciate you pulling us out of that … colorful world of tickling hell. But … how exactly did you find us?"

Gaster's expression shifted to one of utter confusion.

"Find you?" he repeated, sounding perplexed. "What are you talking about? You never left."

"Yes we did!" Papyrus answered loudly. "We were taken away to this … this AWFUL place where the monsters, the animals and … even the PLANTS tickled us past the brink of insanity!"

He couldn't help but shout. Fear increasing the pitch in his voice as he recalled the dreadful events that took place in that world. He became so excited that he began stumbling over his words as he spoke.

"And—And we tried so hard to get back home … but we kept falling into more and more traps! And—And there was this spider, and this—these Ghost Children—oh! And the cat! The CAT! He was the worst!"

Papyrus was beginning to sound less like he had just woken from a trance and more like an over-active child who had just gotten into too much sugar. Sans firmly placed both hands on his brother's shoulders in an effort to calm him down.

"Whoa! Easy, Pap, it's okay. You're okay." He tried not to raise his voice too loudly over Papyrus's, but he somehow managed to put a gentle stop to his brother's mad rambling. "We're safe now, bro. They're not gonna find us here."

Gaster's jaw dropped, the brothers looked up as they heard him draw in an astonished breath.

"You mean … S-1 … you've had the same visions as him?"

Sans shot Gaster a dumbfounded expression. What exactly did he mean by ‘visions’?

"Yes?" he questioned, unsure of how to properly respond.

Gaster immediately turned back to his desk to flip through a series of notes. He scrambled for a pen to frantically add to them.

"Amazing!" he gasped quietly. "Somehow, the hypnosis allowed the two of you to venture into the exact same dream! But just how? I have no idea, somehow the sound waves intermixed within the—"

"Wait!" Sans again silenced his father's scientific mumbling. As he put the pieces together, he suddenly felt a warm tingling of a blue blush appear on his cheeks. "Hypnosis…. You mean … all this time…."

A red-hot mixture of embarrassment, amazement, and rage flashed through his mind. He suddenly remembered it all. He and his brother were part of another one of Gaster's insane experiments. They never left the Underground, they never even left the lab! There was no Cheshire Cat, no sentient flowers or feather-vines, no Tickle Monster or Witch or Ghost Children. There was no LaughterLand.

"You mean you just had us under a trance??" Papyrus finally caught up to Sans's realization. "The entire time?!"

"Well I certainly didn't expect you to sleep for that long, P-2," Gaster responded frankly. "The initial experiment was to see if a simple hypnotic suggestion would heighten one's sensitivity in … certain aspects."

"Their TICKLISHNESS by chance?!" This time Sans spat the word out through gritted teeth, he no longer cared.

"Well … yes." Gaster shifted his glance away, seemingly embarrassed to admit it. He cleared his throat authoritatively. "Well, I mean, I wasn't going to subject you to an endless sensation of pain or discomfort. An increase of ticklishness was ultimately the more harmless option."

"HARMLESS?!" Papyrus shrieked, nearly falling over a second time as he slapped his hands to his skull.

"I tried countless remedies to try and wake the two of you up," Gaster continued on as if he had not heard his youngest scream at the top of his lungs. He fumbled through his notes trying to remember his many failed remedies. "Splashing you with cold water, dousing your nasal cavities with pepper. Shaking you, wrapping you up with tight sheets. Laughing gas, herbal aromas, light deprivation. I tried this strange concoction of caffeinated beverages. Nothing was working."

As Gaster recounted all of his missteps, the brothers were hit with flashback after flashback of every crazy misadventure that their dreamt up journey had taken them. From the flash flood, to the fairies' tickle dust. The crazy cloud-ride, the snakes' binding coils. The botched magic spell, the flower's poisonous pollen. The dark cave, Dropwart's disgusting potion. All of it seemingly triggered by Gaster's meddling with their subconscious.

The more Sans realized what the old skeleton had put him and his brother through, the more unbridled fury burned in his Soul. His old man seriously had no idea the amount of stress, panic and torture he had caused them both, and it infuriated him.

"Who knew that the simple act of counting backwards from ten was enough to snap a monster out of a six-hour trance?" he mumbled to himself. "You two certainly didn't make it easy. You somehow managed to conjure up bone constructs in your sleep — and teleport, of all things."

That's when Sans finally remembered. Stopping for a moment to feel the pulsations of his Soul, he realized that it was once again filled to the brim with magic. Experimentally, he summoned a small bone construct to appear at his fingertips. It manifested so easily. There was no strain or exhaustion, but instead an immediate warmth and satisfaction in his Soul. Feeling the magic replenishing itself again, just like it was always meant to.

His attention immediately went back to Gaster, the arrogant old skeleton still yammering on about the curiosities of his experiment. Still harboring a need for vengeance, Sans's eye began to glow as he summoned a large Blaster, pointing it right at his creator. Papyrus covered his mouth as he let out a squeaky gasp, prompting Gaster to turn around facing down the snout of Sans's weapon.

"Sans, what are you doing?" His tone was dry and deadpanned. He stared at Sans with a look of apathy.

"Do. You. Have. ANY IDEA WHAT YOU JUST PUT US THROUGH, OLD MAN?!"

Sans growled with a sense of rage that was beyond abnormal for his usual laid-back demeanor.

Rolling his eyes, Gaster placed a hand on the snout of the Blaster. It immediately vanished into thin air with an electrical shock that literally jolted Sans back to reality. Stunned by the sudden zap, Sans was blasted straight back onto his tailbone with a loud THUD!

"Oww!" He sat up rubbing the harsh tingles out of his hand.

"Sans! Are you okay?" Papyrus immediately got up to go comfort him. But was swiftly reminded of his unsteadiness, and slowed himself down once he got to his feet.

"You completely forgot that I constructed those powers for you, didn't you?" Gaster asked curtly. "They're called 'Gaster-Blasters', Sans, you might want to come up with a different way of letting off steam."

Sans glared bitterly up at Gaster, keeping his low and gravelly tone as he responded.

"You almost killed us back there, G." He calmed down enough to avoid shouting, but was still very much angry over all the trouble his father had caused. "We may have been asleep as far as you could tell, but that place was WAY too real to the both of us."

"Yeah." Papyrus nodded with a heavy sigh. "Honestly, I can't believe how much I remember. Usually my dreams are relatively blurry, but I feel like I could retell the events of this one perfectly."

"Really?!"

Suddenly, Gaster's entire face lit up with intrigue. He turned and practically leapt back towards his desk fumbling mindlessly for a notebook and pencil.

"Okay, just start from the beginning. Don't leave out any minor details, even the most insignificant ones." He practically leaned into Papyrus with his pencil steadily placed on the paper, ready for note-taking.

"Oh, come on, G!" Sans rubbed two fingers against the top of his nasal cavity sounding aggravated. "We just got out of this nightmare, nobody wants to talk about—"

"Well, when we got there, there was nothing but white," Papyrus jumped into the beginning of the story, seemingly not having heard Sans's complaint.

"Papyrus…," Sans grumbled.

"I mean, there was just white everywhere, white sky, white ground, everything!"

Papyrus continued as Gaster feverishly took down notes. Too tired to put up with it anymore, Sans grabbed ahold of Papyrus's scarf to begin dragging him out of the lab. Although clearly on their way out the door, Papyrus didn't stop retelling the story, not leaving out a single detail just as Gaster had requested, and never even pausing to realize that his brother was pulling him into the elevator.

Gaster followed them every step of the way, seemingly oblivious to what his older son was doing as he jotted down every word from Papyrus. The elevator ride seemed so much longer to Sans as he just stood there listening to his brother ramble on about the Ghost Children and the chase into the forest. By the time the elevator had taken them to the top floor, Papyrus was just beginning to describe the ferocity of a feather-vine. As Gaster followed them right to the door, Sans practically shoved his brother outside, cutting off his dramatic retelling. He faced Gaster down with the same deadpanned expression he had when he first entered the lab earlier that day.

"Well, G, what can I say?" He talked as if he were in a rush. "It's been … a nightmare. A literal living nightmare so … y'know, don't be in a hurry for the next 'family reunion' okay?"

"Wait!" Gaster held up a hand to stop Sans from closing the door. For a moment, Sans paused, giving his father one last chance to say a proper goodbye. "Could we…."

Gaster also hesitated. He wasn't one to truly speak about what he was feeling. But Sans could already tell that he was still anxious to know and understand what went on during this extraordinary trance. At the sight of his loss for words, Sans took in a breath.

"Look," he began. "Next week, okay?" he practically mumbled. As much as he didn't want to give Gaster any more of his time, he could tell how important this discovery was to him. Beyond that, there was a part of Sans that didn't want everything that he and his brother had gone through to be for nothing.

"No experiments, no tables or lab tools. You bring the coffee, I'll bring the ketchup. We'll sit down and tell you everything, okay?" Sans looked him in the eyes, making sure the old skeleton understood the terms to this agreement. There was a lightness in Gaster's face, as if Sans had just laid out everything he was hoping for.

"Alright." He nodded, allowing Sans to peacefully exit the lab. "Thank you, Sans."

He cleared his throat, returning once again to his professional monotone acknowledging his sons as they left. Sans gave a light scoff as he closed the door.

"Later, G," he mumbled.

He knew that was going to be the closest thing to an apology that either of them were going to get from him. Refusing to let it get to him, he and Papyrus headed back to the River Person to catch the first boat ride back to Snowdin.

For the majority of the trip, they were quiet. Besides letting the overall shock and disbelief of what had just happened to them sink in, they were content with just sitting there and absorbing the cool silence in overcoming such an ordeal. The soft mist whipping up from the water felt soothing on their faces, and the gentle splash of the waves was more than just comforting ambiance.

As they were less than a minute from home, Sans turned back to Papyrus. Somehow, his brother's face looked to be an odd mixture of relaxed and exhausted. He could only imagine that he looked the same way, if not worse. Their bodies had told them that they had been sleeping for most of the day, but their minds were insistent that they go home to recover some actual sleep. Papyrus turned to meet his brother's gaze, he gave him a sleepy smile as well as a deep sigh.

"What's on your mind, bro?" Sans asked gently.

"I just…." Papyrus shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe we were gone for only six hours."

"Yeah," Sans scoffed lightly. "Feels like we've been gone for a month."

Papyrus stifled a chuckle in reply. "What about you?" he offered. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking...." Sans stretched out his arms to rest behind his head. It felt good to stretch out without fear of someone going after his underarms. "...I'm thinking that I'm gonna need to 'ketchup' with Grillby for dinner tonight," he joked, though at this moment nothing sounded better to him than a fresh bottle of Grillby's delicious ketchup.

"Ugh, really, Sans? Grillby's?" Papyrus groaned, though he smiled to know that Sans was still his lazy old ketchup-loving self.

"Yeah," Sans sighed happily. "Heh, don't worry bro. I'll get one for the road." Papyrus shook his head as the boat came up to the snowy shore, somehow he doubted that Grillby was just going to let Sans walk away with a full ketchup bottle.

"Come again sometime, tra la la," trilled the voice of the River Person.

Sans and Papyrus stepped off the boat and into the crunchy snow. The chilly sight of Snowdin had never before looked so welcoming. Most of the town's residents had gone inside already, all except for the usuals who were known for hanging around Grillby's establishment in the later hours of the day.

"Heh, guess it's a little later than I thought…." Sans sighed deeply at the warm sight of his favorite eatery.

He turned to Papyrus. Both wore a weary but content smile, happy to finally be home and out of danger. Their own cozy little spot in the Underground, chilly and cramped, but home nonetheless.

"So do you wanna head home and heat up some spaghetti or—"

Papyrus bent down to wrap Sans up in a tight hug, abruptly cutting him off. At first the older skeleton was taken aback by the fast movement, but immediately returned the hug, wrapping his arms around his brother tightly.

"I know it wasn't real," Papyrus said quietly. "But it still means so much that … even in dream form … I can always count on you."

Sans smiled warmly. He felt a little foolish for already feeling the need to fight back tears, so he buried his face into his brother's scarf to try and blot them away before anyone could see. He hadn't forgotten all of the amazing things Papyrus had done for him in dream form either. He wished he had the words to tell him how proud he was of him, but exhaustion was fogging his mind. There almost wasn't a need anyways, Sans could tell just from the embrace alone that Papyrus understood.

"I love you, bro," he said quietly.

"I love you too, Sans," Papyrus replied.

He pulled away and wiped away a tear of his own. He couldn't help but chuckle with embarrassment as he noticed Sans staring at him.

"Heh heh! I-I don't know why I got so emotional back there, sorry," he admitted bashfully.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Sans replied. "A nightmare like that would upset anybody."

"Yeah just … don't tell Undyne I was crying over a nightmare, okay?" Papyrus, again, tried to hide the blush on his cheeks, eliciting an amused giggle from Sans.

"Oh, why not? Afraid she'll try to toughen you up with even more tickle attacks?" he teased.

"Sans!" Papyrus nearly shrieked. "Seriously, don't! I'll never hear the end of it!"

"Ohh, I don't knoooow," Sans taunted. "I think it'll be worth it just to tell her everything that you fought against in dreamland."

"No way!" Papyrus laughed despite himself.

"Oh yeah, I'm telling her alright!" Sans grinned as he shifted away from his brother trying to push him over. "I'll tell her about how you were caught by a bunch of giant flowers...."

"Sans quit it!" Papyrus leapt for Sans, trying to grab ahold of him to get him to stop talking.

"And about how you were caught by sparkly fairies…." Sans continued to playfully dance away from him. "And kissed to death by a bunch of fish...."

"Oh, that is SO IT!!"

Papyrus catapulted himself at Sans, they landed with a crash right into a big pile of snow. Papyrus pinned his brother down to the ground and began digging his fingers into his ribs.

"Take this, you big-mouth-brother!! Nyeh-heh-heh-heh!!"

"Aaaahahahahaha!! Pahahap nohohohohoho!! Papyrus!! Aagh!! Hahahaha!!" Sans laughed and flailed in the snow.

Papyrus gasped and immediately pulled back, allowing his brother to breathe. After several moments had passed, the two of them stared at each other in tense silence. They both could tell they were thinking the same thing. Was it too much, too soon? Were they actually traumatized by this bizarre nightmare that they shared. The guilty look on Papyrus's face made Sans's Soul sink. He didn't want Papyrus to feel bad for playing with him. He wasn't feeling scared or anxious or even powerless. In fact, it was safe to say that laughing because of playful brotherly tickle fights was all the therapy he needed to recover from this.

He gave Papyrus a reassuring smile. One that shifted his brother's expression to one of relief, then to happiness, then to mischief. Sans let out an impish growl as he dove for his brother, knocking him into the snow and tickling at his ribs.

"Nyaagh!! Ahahahaha!! Sahahahahans!! Heeheeheehee!!"

They wrestled around in the fluffy coolness. Practically taking turns pinning each other down to go after their worst spots. As they laughed and screamed like two rough-housing children in the snow, a deep euphoria washed over them. They missed the joy that this weird bonding activity had brought them. They missed the mirthful laughter that only the two of them could draw out of each other. But if this strange misadventure had taught them anything, it was that they had missed the trust that they had in each other. Not tickling each other for food, or for personal gain, or for anything harmful. Just doing it to hear the other one laughing, just to play and have fun with the other.

As the tickle fight came to an end, they laid breathlessly in the snow, taking in the peaceful silence. Sans brushed away another tear and chuckled.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah," Papyrus laughed in reply. He got to his feet and reached out a hand to help Sans off the ground. "Come on," he said as he pulled him to his feet.

"Let's get you that ketchup."

[daitranscripts]

Cassandra Deleted Dialogue

Cassandra Masterpost

—

Cassandra: Leliana mentioned a Grey Warden in the Storm Coast, did she not? I have my doubts their disappearance is related to our troubles, but she is not often wrong. I would look into it.

—

PC: I was hoping we could spend some time together.

Cassandra: I suppose there is nothing pressing right this second.

Cassandra: If you like, certainly.

Cassandra: Are you not heading out of Skyhold? As you wish.

Cassandra: I’d enjoy that. ㅤㅤ ㅤ

Cassandra: I’ve never understood this game.

Cassandra: Ha! Can you believe it? I’ll win this round yet.

Cassandra: How often must Varric play this to become as good as he is? It boggles the mind.

Cassandra: You’re cheating, aren’t you? Can you cheat at this?

Cassandra: Madness. I only draw a card once I no longer need it.

Cassandra: Andraste’s tits! Why do I keep playing this?

Cassandra: I’ll play my hand! Just… give me a moment. It will come to me. ㅤㅤ ㅤ

Cassandra: I’ll go easy on you this time. Three bruises is enough, I think?

Cassandra: (Chuckles.) You almost had me that last time. One more bout!

Cassandra: Now then, a little practice bout, yes?

Cassandra: Take me down if you can, Inquisitor. Do your best.

Cassandra: Let’s see how you fare in one-on-one combat.

Cassandra: …years of practice under my mentor, Seeker Byron. The man was a warrior without peer.

Cassandra: Maker’s breath! Fine. One more bout, and then I give up. ㅤㅤ ㅤ

Cassandra: The uniforms were Josephine’s doing. It’s still a mystery to me.

Cassandra: …and there I stood at the monastery’s gates, the apostates staring at me as if my hair were on fire.

Cassandra: The Lord Seeker never let any argument go. He was like a dog who refused to let go of a bone.

Cassandra: …so I opened the chest only to find an entire cache of lyrium vials. “Just some rags,” ha!

Cassandra: …twelve templars in one Circle. I never saw the like before or since. The knight-commander was beside himself.

Cassandra: You notice how they look at you? There are many who would give anything for such reverence. ㅤㅤ ㅤ

Cassandra: Interesting that this ruin stood empty all this time. I wonder how Solas knew of it?

Cassandra: Majestic, isn’t it? Of all the spots in Skyhold, I think this is my favorite.

Cassandra: …and then twice again before the battle was through. It took me weeks to recover.

Cassandra: …and so I said to the man: “is this a jest? Put your trousers back on, you fool”

Cassandra: …and they would look at me with such fear in their eyes. I could never stand that part of it.

Cassandra: …nine times out of ten, it was nothing. Just fears and useless superstition. (Sighs.) ㅤㅤ ㅤ

Cassandra: I never said I was frightened of horses. They just… have such large teeth.

Cassandra: Can we ride fast? I prefer galloping, and I suspect the horses do as well.

Cassandra: Do we have any apples? I can’t believe I forgot to bring even one.

Cassandra: …and the chevalier’s horse threw him, on cue. I could not stop laughing.

Cassandra: No, nobody solely speaks Orlesian any longer. Well, perhaps the marsh-folk.

Cassandra: I always wanted to visit Minrathous. Someday I’ll see the twin guardians for myself.

—

[Part of the jealousy dialogue. These lines are not technically deleted and can be heard in-game using the bi-Cullen mod. (ask me how I know)]

Cassandra: It’s probably nothing, but it claims that you and Commander Cullen are…

Cassandra: Ah. Is Commander Cullen aware of that?

—

[Low approval scene. It may still be in the game, but I cannot find the plot trigger for it.]

Cassandra: Honeyed words. Liar’s tongue. And I fell for it all.

[the-24-7-lawlu-library]

Hello!

I have a trip in a few days and I need some longfics to help me survive, do you have any recs?

Hello there! I hope we are not too late with answering. Of course we can't leave you alone in this! Here are some recs:

I’d Forgotten How Nice Romance Was, Then You Reminded Me by Living4LifesSake (M)

At forty-four years old, Luffy was content with the way things were. Sure his life hadn't exactly gone like he had originally thought it would, but it was fine. He had a good job, a cute dog, a whole gang of awesome friends, a supportive family; things were great. He was fine with being single. Then, one fateful night, he got sat by a handsome man at a bar. And suddenly, everything changed. A story where Law and Luffy learn that you’re never too old to have a whirlwind romance.

Lead Me Back to Suffering by Purplehairedwonder (M) [non-con, includes Doflamingo/Law]

In the wake of Kaido's fall, Law is kidnapped from the shores of Wano.

Inhuman Potential by Sydneyxface (E) [Blood and Gore]

Dr. Trafalgar Law has seen many wild and surprising things come across his table as a pathologist, but nothing compares to one of his decedents waking from the dead - and thirsty for his blood. And so Law befriends (and beds) a vampire named Luffy and is pulled into the chaos that surrounds him - which involves cracking a case of missing people supposedly being used as slave labor for the elites of the world... the Celestial Dragons. Alternate Universe - Modern day, 2023.

Not a Ball or a Chain by HollowIsTheWorld (T) [AU-Modern]

Trafalgar Law grew up hoping he would be one of the handful of people to never develop a soulmate mark. Now that that hasn't panned out, however, he's willing to settle for just never meeting them. Unfortunately for him, Monkey D. Luffy is a hard person to avoid.

At the End of the Day by Artificial_Starlight (M) [Edit: we corrected the link]

It was such a simple thing to get worked up about, he knew, and maybe it was because he's so removed from normal social interaction that the idea of new friends coming into his life only bothered him. He only needed the three - they gave him enough trouble! They already bugged him enough to hang out, already caused drama that he was dragged into, already teased him about his idiosyncrasies... They already knew about his issues; spent years around his ever changing moods as he tried to be less angry, less scared, less obsessive. They already tried with mixed results to help him sleep, heal, and trust. He didn't need anyone else getting that close. However, as he began to walk away, he couldn't help but believe that not taking Straw-hat's words seriously would be a mistake.

the thing that remains by tciddaemina (M)

He'd had a plan. Destroy the SAD manufacture plant, destroy the SMILE factory... A kidnapping here, a bit of extortion there. Simple, at least by Law's standards. The Straw Hats had been a surprise, but a manageable one. Doflamingo would submit to their demands, sealing his own fate, or they'd destroy the factory and Kaidou would finish the job for them. He'd had a plan. Now Law doesn't know what's going on, but its definitely not the plan.

Boyfriend's Duties by martilla (E)

“Good evening,” Law said calmly. “I am looking for…” he looked down at the medical chart in his hands. “Monkey D. Luffy.” The boy on the bed smiled immediately when he heard his name, a curious and excited look in his eyes. “That’s me!” He shouted out. “Are you the doctor? They said that they were sending a doctor before dinner and I am really hungry, so if you are the doctor this means that I am gonna eat soon!” The two men in the room groaned at that sentence and Law felt taken aback by the enthusiasm of the guy. He was either stupid or not aware of the gravity of his injury, if his only thought was dinner. “Yes, I am the surgeon that will operate on you,” he answered. “My name is Trafalgar Law.” * Law is a surgeon who needs some light in his life. Then Luffy happens.

-Mod Raiya

[baileythebean]

OPEN RP :3 (LONG-ASS INTRO, HEAVY BAILEY ANGST, TW: MENTIONS OF MURDER, BLOOD, THROWING UP, SUICIDE, EXTREMELY SAD BAILEY - I’D ALSO LIKE PEBBLE @the-sugar-demonboy TO BE IN THIS ONE IF POSSIBLE, THANKS )

*Bailey had an exact agenda in mind. Scam some lootbag into buying “modern art” at an insane price and then dash. He succeeded, obviously. He’s Bailey. What do you take him for?* *The problem came when he ran into a group of scraps in the alleys who he didn’t know. They were somehow aware of the formation of the sort of alliance that his friends had with Stone, Vinnie and Skipp. After further discussion, it became clear to Bailey that this was a threatening attempt.* “So, what’s it gonna be? You can give us that cash ya got there… or we can turn your little gang against you. How’s that sound?” *The G word alone was enough to make Bailey tense up, but he knew better than to give them a reaction.* ”and how exactly, are you going to accomplish that? You seem like the type of dumb fucks that like to get under people’s skin and never get anything done.” *The same one that had spoken up earlier went on:* “Oh we could uh… I don’t know… inform them of some… plotting you’ve been doing with them pretty weapons of yours. They’re not gon’ feel so safe ‘round you once you’ve been outed as an attempted murderer.” ”But I never-“ ”Oh, we know. That’ll be the fun part.” *He smirked as Bailey’s eyes widened. He was suppressing everything as best as he could, but everything kept coming back up. Like his brain was vomiting up something he was desperately trying to keep down.*

“…Leave me the hell alone.” *He shoved his way past, and hard. He needed to get out of here right now before everything came out.* ”Fine! You seem like the type that’d shoot all of ‘em up anyway if they got on your nerves enough!” (Dammit… I need to get away… fuck, fuck, fuck…) *His mind was clouded and his vision blurred as his eyes welled up with tears. He sprinted away from there as fast as he possibly could. He wouldn’t have been bothered by that petty comment but… he knew all too well what it was like to lose someone to your own two hands. He couldn’t help but imagine Sora, Finn, Jasper, Stone, Vinnie, Skipp - Hell, even Flynn as motionless bodies scattered on the floor. He needed to get it out of his brain. He finally found a quiet, empty ditch in an alley.* (fucking disgusting…) *he thought as he slumped against the wall and he finally let his tears spill down his face.* (I’d never- Yes you would.) *his own thoughts cut him off.* (You’ve done it before.) *the last thing he thought before everything came rushing back to him. The images were too vivid. Like he was seeing them in front of him right now. Brain vomit turned into physical vomit and after a few rounds of violent throwing up, he now had dry heaves. Drenching a tissue in water and wiping his face off, he started to forget how to breathe, how to neutralize his feelings. Why did it have to be like this today? He could normally get over this with a few minutes of mourning everyone… but this? He’d only felt this a few other times. He started to scratch at his shoulders as he hugged his knees to his chest and cried.* (What if I joined them…? Met the same fate myself by the same hands…???) (mod: WHAT THE FUCK, WHAT AM I ON TODAY?? I’M SORRY TO ANYONE WHO LOVES BAILEY AND DOESN’T LIKE SEEING HIM DEVASTATED.)

[jrob64]

Ghosted

Chapter 2 - All-Nighter

Thank you for the great response to this story! I'm very happy to be able to post chapter 2 somewhat quickly. Chapter 3 is more than halfway written, so you shouldn't have to wait long for it either. I still don't know if it will be the final chapter, or if there will be one more after that.

A big thank you and long-distance hugs to my wonderful beta @hookedmom; the people responsible for the fantastic pic set @kmomof4 & @motherkatereloyshipper; and my fellow mods of the CSSNS24 @ultraluckycatnd, @stahlop, @winterbaby89 & @kmomof4. You're all very special to me!

DISCLAIMER: All I know about ghost hunting is what I've watched on Ghost Adventures and a bit of research I did. I also know next to nothing about how YouTube works, so please excuse all errors. Keep in mind that this is fanfic and isn't meant to be completely accurate!

SUMMARY: When Emma Swan’s ex-boyfriend dies, she’s haunted by his ghost. Her neighbor, Killian Jones, a ghost hunter who has a YouTube channel, realizes what’s happening and offers to help. However, there’s more at stake than simply helping the apparition move on. There’s also the matter of Killian telling Emma he’s in love with her.

Rating: T (subject to change)

Words (chapter 2): 7238

Also posted to ffn and Ao3

*********

Killian didn’t see Emma for the next two days, and since she hadn’t called him, he assumed she didn’t have any more encounters with Neal Cassidy’s ghost. When he finally ran into her in the hallway, he was immediately concerned.

She looked pale and had dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn’t been getting enough sleep. It was understandable, of course. Anyone who witnessed a paranormal apparition firsthand was almost guaranteed to have trouble sleeping.

He called out a greeting to her and she nearly jumped out of her skin. “Swan, are you okay?” he asked.

“Oh, uh, yeah. I…I’m just tired, I guess,” she answered listlessly.

“Have you…has he been…”

“No sign of Neal,” she quickly interrupted. “And I haven’t had that feeling of being followed. But every time I try to sleep, I have nightmares that seem to go on and on. I can’t wake up, no matter how hard I try.”

He stepped closer. “What sort of nightmares? Are you able to remember them when you finally do wake up?”

She shook her head. “Not really. I just hear…whispers I guess, for lack of a better word. It’s like I’m weighed down by something and these voices are mumbling all around me. I can’t see any faces or bodies. I want to move or open my mouth to scream, but it’s like I’m…a hostage or something. I feel like I’m tied up and gagged, completely helpless.”

Killian pressed his lips into a thin line and eyed her warily. He knew what was probably going on, but he was a bit unsure of her reaction. “Emma, would you be willing to let me use my equipment to monitor your apartment at night?”

“Why? I told you I haven’t had any sense of Neal being around.”

“Spirits haunt people in a variety of ways. You experienced Cassidy actually appearing to you, then I could sense he was surrounding you with his aura,” he explained carefully. “I suspect he’s coming to you in your dreams, now. If you’ll allow me to set up my equipment in your apartment, I’d be able to determine if he’s doing that.”

She cocked her head to the side. “You mean you want to sit and watch me sleep all night? That’s a little creepy.”

“And being haunted by a ghost isn’t?” he teased, trying to lighten the mood.

She scoffed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“We wouldn’t need to be in the same room with you. We can set up the equipment and monitor it from somewhere else in your apartment, which is a better way to do it anyhow. If he is coming to you in your sleep, having us in the same room might be a deterrent.”

“Wait a minute,” she said. “What do you mean by ‘we’ and ‘us’? I thought your channel was called ‘Killian Jones: Ghost Hunter’. No one else is mentioned.”

“Ah, so you have heard of my channel,” he smirked.

She rolled her eyes. “I’ve heard of it, I just don’t watch it.”

“Point taken. Anyway, to answer your question, my assistant, Will Scarlett, will be there, too. We do all-nighters together. That way, the equipment can be monitored more closely…and we can keep each other awake.”

“Oh, okay,” Emma sighed. “But I wanna meet this Scarlett guy first. I’m not exactly comfortable having a complete stranger in my home, while I’m sleeping.”

“I understand. You don’t have to worry about Will, though. He’s madly in love with Belle, my technical director, although he hasn’t worked up the courage to tell her yet.” He felt slightly guilty ratting out his friend like that, when he himself couldn’t admit his feelings to the woman of his dreams, either.

“Will she be involved in this…what did you call it?”

“An all-nighter. Belle won’t be there that night. Her job is to edit and post the videos.”

“I might have to meet her, too. If you record me with severe bedhead and drool dripping all over my pillow, I’d like to have an ally who would edit it out.”

He chuckled. “No worries, Swan. We do our best not to show the people who are experiencing the hauntings, unless they give us written permission.”

“That’s a relief. When do you want to do this ‘all-nighter’?”

“I just have to make a phone call. It could be as soon as tonight, if that’s convenient for you.”

“My apartment is a bit of a mess,” she admitted. “Maybe we should do it after I’ve had a chance to clean it up.”

“Actually, in our experience, spirits are more likely to visit when the place they hang around is in its natural state. We’re not sure why, but I suspect that altering it in any way makes them uncomfortable and suspicious.”

“In that case, maybe if I keep it spotless, Neal will never come back.” She paused and thought about it for a few seconds, then rolled her eyes. “Oh, who am I kidding? There’s no way I’d be able to do that. You’ve seen my place. I’m a slob.”

“I wouldn’t say you’re a slob, Love. Your apartment simply looks…lived in,” he cheeked, a smirk on his face.

He was happy he was able to make her laugh. “Okay, Killian. If your assistant is available, let’s do it tonight.”

For a moment, he imagined her saying those exact words under very different circumstances…and without mentioning his assistant. Shaking his head slightly to dislodge those thoughts, he replied, “Sounds good. I’ll call Will and see if he’s available. When will you be home?’

“I’m just going out to buy a new coffee maker, so I should be back in about an hour. I work until ten tonight. Will that be too late?”

“Not at all. Text me when you get back, then Will and I will bring over the equipment, so we can get everything set up. Will that work?”

“Sure.” She looked thoughtful for a moment. “I…I don’t know if it’s Neal causing my nightmares, but I can tell you I’m ready for them to stop. What will you do if you discover it’s because of paranormal activity?”

“We’ll try to pick up on clues to figure out why he’s still hanging around - and, if possible, his motivation and intentions. Then all of us, including you, can work together to come up with a plan for getting him to move on.”

“I would really appreciate that. It gives me the heebie-jeebies thinking he’s in my home and hovering around me while I sleep.” She shivered involuntarily at the thought.

He reached out and took hold of both of her shoulders. “It’s going to be alright, Love. We have a pretty good track record. It’s not going to happen overnight, but with a little time, I have confidence we’ll rid you of his spirit once and for all.”

She gave him a tired smile. “Thanks, Killian.” With a wave, she turned and walked toward the stairwell.

Killian watched her until she disappeared, then went into his apartment, where he pulled out his phone to call his assistant.

“What’s up, boss?” Will answered.

“I hope you don’t have any plans tonight, because we’ve got an all-nighter lined up.”

“That’s a bit last minute, don’t ya think, Mate? I could have meself a hot date.”

“No, you couldn’t.”

“What makes you so sure?” Will huffed.

“Because you would never ask anyone out besides Belle, and when it comes to her, you’re a fucking coward.”

“Says the bloke who won’t ask blondie out. Speakin’ of which, might this all-nighter be for her?”

Killian closed his eyes with a groan. He shouldn’t have goaded his friend about Belle, because now he would have to worry about Will embarrassing him in front of Emma. If he did, chances of the all-nighter happening might go down the drain, along with any chance of Emma going out with him.

“Aye, it is,” Killian admitted. “But listen Will, please don’t mention anything to her about…”

“How yer madly in love with her?”

“Will…”

“Don’t worry, boss. My lips are sealed.”

“If only that were true,” Killian muttered.

“What time should I be there tonight?”

“Actually, I need you to come over as soon as you can. Emma stepped out for about an hour, but she wants to meet you when she gets back.”

“Why’s that?”

“You’re a stranger who is going to be staying in her apartment all night, so she wants to at least make your acquaintance beforehand.”

“Makes sense. Be warned though, she might take one look at me and swoon at my feet.”

“I’m willing to take my chances,” Killian deadpanned. “Just be over here as soon as you can.”

“Fine,” Will sighed theatrically. “Give me time to pack my jammies and toothbrush.”

“Don’t forget your teddy bear,” Killian chuckled. Will was a goofball, but he was a great assistant and a very good friend, and he couldn’t imagine ghost hunting without him.

*********

A little over an hour later, Killian’s phone buzzed with a text from Emma telling him she was home. He stood and nudged Will’s feet off of the coffee table. “Grab the camera and computer bags. I’ll get the rest of the equipment.”

“Blondie’s home, I take it?” Will said, pushing himself up from the couch.

Killian turned to give him a disgruntled look. “Please be respectful. She’s not really sold on this all-nighter idea and I don’t want her to change her mind.”

“I’ll be a perfect gentleman,” Will assured him, adjusting the straps of the bags on his shoulder. “I’m looking forward to meeting this lass, after everything you’ve told me about her.”

Killian led the way out of the apartment to Emma’s place next door. Will stood slightly behind him as he knocked.

“Hey,” Emma greeted, her eyes bouncing between her neighbor and his friend.

“Emma, this is my assistant, Will Scarlett. Will, Emma Swan,” Killian introduced.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Swan,” Will said, reaching around Killian to offer her his hand.

“You, too,” she replied, firmly shaking it. “Come on in.”

After she turned around, Will bumped his shoulder into Killian. When he turned around, Will cast his eyes toward Emma, then gave him an exaggerated wink. Killian shot him a quick warning look before following Emma into her apartment.

“Have a seat,” she said, gesturing toward her sofa, as she settled herself in the recliner. “So, Will, how long have you known Killian?”

“Oh, we’ve been mates since secondary school in Brighton. Ain’t that right, Kil?”

“Aye,” Killian agreed. “We’ve known each other for a dozen years or so.”

“Lost touch for a coupla years when he moved across the pond, but then he called me in desperation when he started his ghost hunting career.”

“I wasn’t desperate,” Killian corrected. “I just needed an assistant and, since you weren’t doing anything else…”

“I wasn’t doin’ nothin’,” Will protested. “I was a lorry driver.”

“Lorry?” Emma questioned.

“It’s a large truck,” Killian explained. “And Will was never a great driver.”

“Oi! I resent that remark!”

“Is that what you wanted to do for the rest of your life?” Killian challenged.

“No,” Will admitted, “but I wasn’t a bad driver, I’ll have you know.” Turning his attention back to Emma, who was listening to the exchange with an amused look on her face, he said, “Anyway, he explained his idea for a paranormal investigation channel, and since that’s somethin’ that’s always interested me, I was onboard.”

“Killian tells me you also have a technical director as part of the team.”

“Aye, that would be the lovely Belle French,” Will said, his eyes lighting up and a wide, goofy grin stretching across his face. “Killian met her at the library where he was always doing research. She doesn’t travel with us, just does the editing and posting.”

Emma exchanged a knowing look with Killian, clearly able to see and hear Will’s admiration of Belle. Glancing at the bag at Killian’s feet, she asked, “What kind of equipment will you be using tonight?”

“Will has a video camera, digital camera and two laptops,” Killian said, pointing to the bags Will had sitting beside him. “And in here, I have a digital voice recorder, infrared thermometer, spirit box, geophone, which is a vibration sensor, and the EMF detector you saw the other day.”

“All that stuff will detect ghosts?”

“And hopefully record any visual or audio anomalies,” Killian explained.

“You forgot to mention the flux response device,” Will threw in. “That allows us to ask spirits yes or no questions. If they answer yes, the green light comes on; if it’s no, it’ll be the red light. Provided they answer at all, that is.”

“Wow, the whole process seems pretty complicated,” Emma commented.

“All you have to do is fall asleep, Swan,” Killian said. “We’ll handle the rest.”

“So, uh, where do you need to set things up, then?”

Killian rubbed his finger behind his ear. “Some of the equipment will need to go in your bedroom.”

“Okay. Mi casa es su casa,” she said, standing up to lead the way to her bedroom.

As the guys figured out where to set everything up, Emma straightened her bedding and picked up a stray sock to toss it into a hamper. “So, how does this work exactly? Will you wake me up if I start having a nightmare?”

“That would defeat the purpose,” Killian replied. “If Cassidy is coming to you while you’re asleep, we want to capture that activity and hopefully be able to communicate with him. Once the sun peaks over the horizon, we’ll pack everything up and leave your apartment. It will take us a while to watch and listen to our devices and decipher all the data, but once we do, we’ll contact you to go over the results.”

“How long will that take?” Emma asked.

Killian pursed his lips in thought. “Anywhere from a few hours to a day or two, depending on how much we’re able to collect.”

“Belle helps us with all of that decipherin’ and analyzin’ stuff, too,” Will said.

“Do you, um, would I be allowed to see and hear everything?”

“Absolutely,” Killian assured her. “If you are being haunted, you have every right to know what’s going on.”

“I hate to admit it, but I’m pretty interested in what you’re doing, now that you’ve explained it.”

“Does that mean you’ll start watching my channel?” Killian cheeked.

“Depends on whether you’re successful in getting Neal to move on…if it’s actually him.”

“Ah, so no pressure then.”

Emma shrugged, a coy smile on her lips. “You said you guys were good at what you do.”

“We are, but we can’t guarantee results. Every case we’ve worked has been different,” Killian explained. “We have been able to make contact with spirits in the majority of them, but in a few others, we didn’t find any proof of paranormal activity. If we are able to establish a connection, the person being haunted has to help encourage the spirit to move on. Do you think you would be able to do that, if and when the time comes?”

She shrugged again, the smile from earlier gone. “I’d like to say I will, but I guess I won’t really know until then.”

“Fair point. Let’s just hope we get some results.”

“What happens if he doesn’t show up tonight?” she asked.

“If there’s no paranormal activity tonight, we’ll leave the equipment set up to try again another night. It may take several all-nighters to capture activity, or it may happen right away - you just never know. Plus, that way we’ll be ready if you get the feeling he’s here. In any case, we’ll keep trying until we collect something, or until you feel like he’s moved on.”

“Would you mind laying down?” Will asked. “I want to focus this in the general vicinity.” He had the video camera mounted on a tripod aimed at her bed.

Emma hesitated a moment before moving to the bed to sit down. “I still say it’s gonna be really weird trying to sleep with you guys watching me.”

“We’ll be in the living room, using the laptops to monitor what the equipment is recording. If nothing is going on, we’ll stay in there,” Killian assured her. “If we detect something, we’ll bring the flux response device in here and try to communicate with him.”

She lay down on the right side of the bed, closest to the door. “This is where I start out, but I can’t promise that’s where I’ll stay. I’ve always been a bit of a restless sleeper.”

Will fiddled with the camera while Killian set the voice recorder on the nightstand beside Emma’s bed. “We’ll turn these on when you go to bed. They have enough battery and storage to run all night.”

“Although,” Will stated, “sometimes the spirits have been known to drain batteries very quickly.”

“We’ll be able to see if that’s happening, too. The laptops have readouts from all of the equipment.”

They finished setting everything up as Emma sat on the edge of the bed watching them. Every now and then, Killian made eye contact with her, noticing her trepidation. Each time, he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

When things were arranged to their satisfaction, Will grabbed the empty bags off the floor and they all left the bedroom.

“So, uh, I guess I’ll text you when I get home from work?” Emma asked.

“Aye. As soon as you let us know, we’ll come over,” Killian said.

“In that case, I’ll make sure I’m ready for bed before I send the text. What will you guys do until I get back?”

“We generally sleep the day away when we’ve got an all-nighter, ain’t that right, Kil?” Will said.

Killian nodded. “It doesn’t pay to be tired while we’re working, and the following day, we’re usually very excited to go through everything we collected.”

“That makes sense,” Emma said. “I’ll plan on seeing you tonight around ten-thirty, then.”

They bid her goodbye and returned to Killian’s apartment. As soon as the door was closed, Will clapped his friend on the back. “I can see why yer in love with her, Mate. She’s lovely.”

“I never said I was in love with her,” Killian corrected, moving into the living room to plop down on the couch. “I just…fancy her.”

Will scoffed. “Semantics. I saw how you was lookin’ at her.”

“Was it similar to the way you look at Belle?” Killian smirked.

“Do ya always have to bring that up?” Will grumbled.

Killian sighed. “Let’s face it. We’re both besotted fools who are too spineless to do anything about it.”

“Let’s make a pact. When this is all over with Emma’s ghost problem, we’ll both work up the courage to ask our fair ladies out.”

Killian got up and went into the kitchen, returning with two bottles of water. Handing one to Will, he said, “I need to wait and see how things turn out for Emma. If this is too traumatizing for her, I’m not going to complicate things further by asking her out. That doesn’t mean you can’t date Belle, though. I think you two would be great together.”

Will unscrewed the cap and took a quick drink. “I’ll think about it. Now, let’s order some pizza so we can eat and then get some sleep.”

*********

Killian could tell Emma was nervous when she answered the door that evening, clad in a tank top and shorts, her hair up in a loose bun.

“Sorry it took me so long to text you,” she apologized. “It was really busy at work tonight, so I wanted to take a quick shower.”

“No problem, Swan. We’re not in a hurry and we want you to be relaxed.”

“I’m not sure that’s possible, knowing that I might have a starring role in the next ‘Poltergeist’ movie.”

Killian moved closer to squeeze her hand. “What do you usually do to unwind when you get home from work?”

“Watch an episode or two of a show. Sometimes I have a cup of hot chocolate.”

“Doesn’t that have caffeine in it?” Will asked.

“Yeah, but I find that it relaxes me before I go to bed.”

“Just go about your routine and try to forget about us being here,” Killian advised.

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, like I would be able to do that.” She rubbed the back of her neck with both hands, rolling her head from side to side.

“Would a massage help?” Killian asked.

“That would actually be really nice,” she affirmed.

Killian stepped behind her and began to massage her shoulders. Dropping her head forward, she groaned, “God, that feels good. Can you keep doing that for about an hour?”

Inhaling her fresh scent and feeling her skin under his hands was making him struggle internally. Her skin was so soft, he just wanted to lean down and kiss her lovely neck. Instead, he cleared his throat and chuckled. “I’d be happy to, Love.” He glanced up and frowned at Will, who was giving him a shit-eating grin.

After a few more minutes of kneading Emma’s back and shoulders, he felt her begin to relax. “Do you want Will to make the hot chocolate for you?” he asked.

“No, thanks. I don’t make it from those packets. I do it the old-fashioned way with milk, cocoa and sugar, topped with whipped cream and cinnamon.”

“What makes you think I don’t know how to make it like that?” Will asked, sounding offended.

“Do you?” Emma asked.

“No,” he admitted, “but that don’t mean I can’t try.”

“I’ve seen his attempts at cooking,” Killian said. “I’d keep him away from your kitchen if I were you.”

“It’s always ‘pick on Will day’, innit?” he groused.

Emma laughed. “Do you guys want a cup, too?”

“Yes, please,” Killian said. “How about you, Scarlett?”

“No, thanks. I brought a coupla bottles of Mountain Dew with me.”

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in the living room, sipping their beverages and watching a show of Emma’s choosing. Halfway through the second episode, Killian looked over to see her dozing off in the recliner.

“Swan,” he said quietly.

“Hmm?”

“I think it’s time you went to bed.” He stood up and took the empty cocoa mug from her lax hand.

She looked up at him, blinking slowly. “Yeah,” she yawned. “I guess it is.”

“G’night, Emma,” Will called as she began stumbling toward her bedroom.

“Night, Will. Good luck with your ghost hunting,” she said, pulling the band from her hair to let it fall loosely down her back.

Killian handed Will the mug, asking him to put it in the kitchen sink, then followed Emma into her bedroom. She settled under the covers as he switched on all of the equipment. When he was finished, he couldn’t resist pulling the sheet up over her bare shoulder. “Sweet dreams, Emma.”

“I thought the purpose of this was for me to have a nightmare,” she murmured, her eyes already closed.

He gently brushed some strands of hair away from her face. “I would be much happier if you never had another one.”

Her lips turned up in a small smile. “Thanks, Killian. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Love.”

Will had the laptops set up by the time Killian got back out to the living room. He picked one up and took it with him to the recliner Emma had vacated, while Will hunched over the other one on the coffee table.

Two hours of silence passed before they saw the temperature begin to drop on the thermometer readout. They both sat up straighter, eyes scanning the data from the other equipment. The grainy image from the video recorder showed Emma making small, jerky movements. As they watched and listened, their instruments indicated paranormal activity going on in her bedroom.

After another ten minutes, they met each other’s eyes across the dimly lit room. “This is a fucking goldmine,” Will commented.

Killian nodded grimly. He hadn’t taken into consideration how much it would affect him to see Emma in the throes of a nightmare. As he sat in this room, watching her thrash about and listening to her whimpers through the video camera, all he wanted to do was go to her, take her in his arms and comfort her.

Grabbing the flux response device, he told Will, “I’m going to go see if I can get him to answer any questions.”

Will continued to watch his laptop screen intently, his mind nearly blown at everything he saw and heard. This was definitely one of the most successful all-nighters they had ever conducted.

*********

By the time Emma awoke the next morning, she felt like she had been in a boxing match all night, and noticed the guys and all of their equipment were gone. She assumed it meant they had documented paranormal activity, which was confirmed when she found a note on her coffee table from Killian telling her that they were able to gather some good information, and that he would be in touch with her later that day.

As she sat at her kitchen table drinking a large mug of coffee, she was a bit surprised when her phone lit up with a call from Ruby. Her friend usually didn’t contact her until her workday was over at the police station, and it was almost always via text.

“Hey, Ruby. What’s up?” Emma asked, her voice sounding exhausted, even to her own ears.

“I’ve got news I thought you’d be interested in hearing.”

“Has another ex of mine been arrested?”

Ruby ignored the question. “They began an investigation into Neal’s death because during the autopsy, they discovered marks around his throat that weren’t made by the bedsheet.”

Emma sat up straighter in her chair. “What kind of marks?”

“Handprints.”

Emma gasped. “They think someone killed him?”

“It’s been ruled a homicide. They suspect the crime lords he was selling drugs for may be involved somehow. Probably wanted to shut him up before he started blabbing about them in jail.”

“Oh, wow. I tried to tell him he was an idiot for being in cahoots with those people. He was convinced he would work his way up the ladder in the organization to be one of the top guys. I knew nothing good would come of it.”

“You were smart to break it off with him. Otherwise, they might have come after you.”

A chill ran down Emma’s spine. “You don’t think they will, do you?”

“Nah, it had been over a year since you guys were together when he was arrested. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

Nothing to worry about, except that the ghost of my dead ex is haunting me, Emma thought. “Thanks for the info, Ruby. If you find out anything else, please let me know.”

“Will do. I better get back to work. My break is almost over. Talk to you later.”

They ended the call and Emma sat looking at her phone. Was Neal’s unfinished business proving that he was killed? If so, why was he hanging around her instead of somebody who could actually do something about it?

She yawned widely, wondering again what Killian and Will were able to capture.

*********

As soon as they got back to Killian’s apartment, he and Will went into his office and began going through the audio and video recordings, along with other data they collected. Will uploaded the photos taken at regular increments in Emma’s bedroom so they could study them more closely on the larger computer screen.

Belle arrived mid-morning to help. They listened to the white noise collected by the spirit box, trying to decipher voices or words that may have been recorded.

“There’s so much information here,” she commented. “This apparition is clearly trying to communicate with…what’s her name again?”

“Emma Swan,” Killian answered quickly.

“How long have you been neighbors?”

“Five years or so.” He could feel the redness creeping up his neck and into his face, as Belle scrutinized him.

“And this is the woman you’ve um, how did Will put it? Been crushing on for years?”

“She’s just a friend,” Killian said, trying to sound nonchalant.

“Pfft,” Will scoffed. Killian glared at him.

“Sounds like you hope to be much more than friends, Killian,” Belle commented.

He rubbed the back of his neck, refusing to meet her eyes. “Can we just get back to business, please? I would like to share our findings with Emma today, if possible.”

Belle studied him for a few moments, a smug smile on her face, but she let the matter drop.

They continued analyzing the data, replaying the recordings over and over as they discussed what they heard and saw.

“Did you get any useful information from the flux?” Belle asked.

Killian shook his head. “I only got one response, and that was to my first question - are you Neal Cassidy? The answer was ‘yes’.”

“Well, at least you got confirmation of that,” Belle commented. “It’s better than nothing.”

His phone buzzed on the table and he picked it up to see a text notification from Emma.

E: I know I’m supposed to wait for your call, but I’m a bit anxious. Are you awake? I’m really curious about what went on last night.

Killian glanced up from his screen to see Will and Belle looking at him. “She wants to know what we found.”

“We can share what we’ve deciphered so far,” Will said. “I don’t think I can stay awake to do much more. I’m knackered.”

“Agreed,” Killian said, tapping on his phone to respond to Emma.

Within five minutes, there was a knock on his door and he left the room to answer it. Emma stood on the other side, her lower lip pulled between her teeth, clearly on edge.

Without stopping to think, Killian reached out to take her hand, pulling her to him. To his surprise and relief, she went into his arms willingly, where she fit against him perfectly.

“Are you alright, Love?” he murmured into her hair.

“Did you find any reason for me not to be?”

He hesitated a moment, unsure quite how to tell her. “He…Neal…it seems he is coming to you at night, invading your dreams.”

She pulled back and looked at him. Seeing the utter helplessness and shock on her face, his heart sank. “How am I ever gonna be rid of him?” she asked, her voice trembling.

Tucking her back against his chest, he said, “We’ll figure it out. I won’t give up until we do.”

“Hey, boss. Me and Belle just found…oh, sorry!” Will’s voice came from behind them, causing them to pull away from each other.

Before turning to look at his friend, he studied Emma for a few more seconds. The look on her face was one of weariness and fright, and he knew he would do whatever it took to make that look disappear for good.

Not caring that he would probably get a good ribbing about it later from Will, Killian leaned in and pressed a lingering kiss to Emma’s forehead. “Are you sure you’re up to seeing and hearing what we collected last night?” he whispered.

“Is it going to traumatize me?” she asked, trepidation clear in her tone.

He brushed a wisp of hair behind her ear. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it, Love - it’s not going to be easy. But if we can figure out Neal’s unfinished business, we have a good chance of getting him to move on. Since you knew him well and we didn’t, your input could be invaluable in making that happen.”

“I know,” she sighed. Then, lifting her chin, a determined look came over her face and she set her jaw. “I can do it.”

“That’s my tough lass,” Killian said, hoping she took it as a compliment and didn’t question the sentiment behind it.

He stepped out of the doorway, allowing her to pass by him into the apartment. With his hand on the small of her back, he guided her to the office, Will following behind.

When they entered the room, Belle swiveled in her seat and stood with a smile on her face. “You must be Emma,” she said, her hand outstretched in greeting. “I’m Belle, the technical director.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Belle,” Emma replied, shaking her offered hand. “Killian and Will have told me a lot about you.”

“All good, I hope.”

“O’ course,” Will said. “There’s nothin’ bad to say about ya.”

Emma and Killian shared an amused look, as Belle resumed her seat.

Will sat in the chair beside Belle, while Killian rolled the last one over for Emma, then stood behind her. “Bring up the photos first, please.”

Belle hit some keys on the computer keyboard and they all focused on the oversized monitor. A gallery of pictures popped up and with a click of the mouse, Belle selected one which filled the screen.

“You remember how we covered the mirror on the back of your door and everything else that would reflect light?” Killian asked. Emma nodded, and he continued, “We wanted to be able to debunk any light anomalies that could have been caused by reflections. The door was closed and your bedroom was completely dark, yet you can see these orbs of light in several photos.”

He leaned over Emma’s shoulder to point out the bright spots on the screen, as Belle brought up one picture after another. “We can also rule out dust specks because these aren’t consistent with the characteristics of dust…”

“And there isn’t any dust in my super clean apartment,” Emma remarked, tongue-in-cheek.

“Right. That, too,” Killian grinned.

“So, what do these…anemones mean?”

“Anomalies, Swan,” Killian corrected automatically. “They usually signify paranormal activity. We went through the pictures carefully and have counted at least five different light anomalies, which is the most we’ve seen in one space during a single night of investigation.”

“Wow. Does that mean I’ll get into the paranormal record books?”

The three investigators laughed. Belle minimized the gallery of photos and hit a few more keys. “This is from the video camera,” she explained, hovering the cursor over the little dot on the left side of the screen. “I’m going to fast forward quite a ways because nothing happened for the first two hours of the session.”

She slowly dragged the cursor several inches to the right, stopping when the time read an hour and fifty-seven minutes. Emma strained to see anything in the grainy image and was finally able to discern the outline of her sleeping form in the bed.

As she continued to watch, one corner of the screen began to lighten slightly. Will pointed to the spot. “See that there? Keep watchin’.”

The mist drifted down toward where Emma lay and seemed to settle beside her.

Emma leaned in closer, then sat back with a gasp. “Is that…?”

“It appears we captured an apparition,” Killian confirmed.

  It was a strange sensation to watch herself beginning to react on screen, and Killian’s reassuring hand on her shoulder was very welcome as she felt herself filling with tension.

“This is where it seems your nightmare begins,” Belle remarked softly.

“Do you remember anything about it?” Killian asked.

Emma slowly shook her head. “Not really. Just that feeling of being held down and unable to move or speak.”

“Did you hear the voices again?”

“I heard those whispers, but I couldn’t tell what they were saying.”

They watched for several minutes, uncomfortably observing Emma’s jerky movements in the video. Then they saw the bedroom door open and Killian enter the room. He dropped to his knees beside the bed and placed the flux response device on the nightstand. After he turned it on, they heard him ask, “Are you Neal Cassidy?” and saw the green light illuminate.

Emma whipped around to look at Killian. “He gave you confirmation?”

“Aye, but he didn’t answer any of my other questions.”

Belle let the video run for a few more minutes, allowing them to hear more of Killian’s questions such as, “Do you know you’re dead?” and “Do you know how you died?”

“We haven’t had a chance to watch the entire video,” Belle explained, “but the guys noted the times when there was more activity.” After checking the paper in front of her, she moved the video forward to the 3:25 mark. Killian was no longer in the bedroom, but Emma still appeared to be having a restless sleep. The translucent figure beside her began to drift until it was a few feet away from the camera, where it appeared to stretch a limb toward it.

“We were wonderin’ if he was tryin’ to turn off the camera,” Will said. “Like he didn’t want us recordin’ him or somethin’.”

“Why can’t we see him clearly like I could when he was outside the coffee shop?” Emma asked, as she continued to watch the video.

“That’s a good question,” Killian responded. “We really don’t know why spirits are recognizable at times, and other times, they have no form at all.”

“You can see the apparition settle back down beside you…now,” Belle said, stopping the video at that spot. “It doesn’t move until…” consulting the paper again, she moved ahead to just past the five hour mark, “right here. Now, watch it disappear.” She clicked on the play arrow to show the spirit move up toward the ceiling. Then it was gone.

“Maybe he went through to the fourth floor and he’s their problem now,” Emma said bitterly.

“I wish it was that easy,” Killian replied.

Belle switched off the monitor in front of her. “We got some audio recordings on the spirit box and voice recorder. We can listen to those next.”

Will placed the voice recorder in front of Emma. “So far, we only listened to a section of this corresponding to the appearance of the apparition.” He turned it on and sat back in his chair. At first, all they could hear was complete silence. It was broken by a whooshing sound, followed by the soft, unnerving sounds of Emma letting out little whimpers.

“What was that noise?” she asked.

“We assume that was his ghost coming into the room,” Killian said.

“That’s the sound ghosts make?”

“We’ve heard lotsa different noises through the voice recorder,” Will said. “Bangs, crashes, whooshes, clinks, clanks, moans, groans…”

“I think she has the idea,” Killian cut in.

“The data gathered from the EMF detector, geophone and infrared thermometer verified the fact that paranormal activity was present in your bedroom,” Belle said.

“Oh, yay,” Emma said sarcastically, spinning her index finger in the air in a mock celebration.

Killian chuckled as he scooted the spirit box closer and plugged it into the computer. “After using the flux and getting just that one response, I turned off the voice recorder and replaced it with this. The nice thing about this new device is, it records the sounds. The old one we had didn’t, so we had to rely on the video recording to hear it. We’ve spent quite a bit of time listening to several sections of this, trying to decipher them. Perhaps you can help us, Swan.”

“I can try,” she said, leaning forward in her chair. “What am I listening for?”

“When I switch it on, you’re going to hear ‘white noise’ and the readout on the computer will look something like a Richter Scale graph. When there’s an unexplained sound and a spike on the graph, it’s possible the apparition is trying to speak. That happens several times in the section we’re about to listen to, but we have differing ideas of what’s being said. We’re hoping you can figure it out.”

“Okay. Ready when you are.”

He switched on the box and instantly, loud static filled the room. Emma flinched at the sudden noise and once again felt Killian’s steadying hand on her shoulder. With his other hand, he pointed to the readout on the laptop screen. “Watch for the spike. We’ll run it back as many times as you need.”

She watched and listened intently. About a minute in, there was a change in the graph as they heard a guttural sound. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “Can you run it back?”

Belle rewound it a few seconds. When the sound came through again, Emma whispered, “Ems.”

Killian reached forward and hit pause himself. “What did you say, Love?”

“Ems,” she murmured again. “Neal always called me Ems. At first, I thought it was a cute nickname, but it annoyed me after a while because he overused it.”

“Play it back again, please,” Killian told Belle.

She did as he asked, all of them leaning forward involuntarily. After they heard the word again, she stopped it. “I think she’s right.”

“What did you guys think it said?” Emma asked.

“It’s so quick, I didn’t even have a guess,” Killian said.

“I thought it sounded like he was clearing his throat or something,” Belle added.

“I thought he belched,” Will grinned.

“Because ghosts obviously build up gas and have to let it out somehow,” Killian said, rolling his eyes. Then he turned his attention to Emma, who had paled considerably. “Swan, are you okay?”

“I, uh…could I get a drink of water, please?” she asked, her voice tremulous.

Will jumped to his feet. “I’ll get it.”

Killian swiveled her chair and knelt down in front of her. “Is this too much for you, Emma? We can stop, if it is.”

“It’s just…hearing his voice and knowing he’s…dead is pretty freaky. Seeing him was a horrible experience, but hearing him…”

Will came back with a bottle of water and handed it to her. She thanked him and took a long drink.

“That’s enough for today,” Killian said, standing up.

“No,” she protested. “I’ll be fine. It’s just a shock, you know?”

“Of course it is,” he agreed, “but if you’re sure, we’ll keep going.”

She nodded and turned her chair to face the desk again.

“Ready?” Belle asked.

“Yeah, go ahead.”

Belle hit play and the room filled with the pulsating white noise again. This time when there was a vocalization, she had to rewind it four times before Emma said, “I think he’s saying ‘mine’.”

“That was our guess,” Killian said.

“That gives me chills,” Belle said, with a little shiver. Will stepped behind her to put his hands on her shoulders and she looked up at him appreciatively.

“There were a few other places where we heard his voice,” Killian explained, giving Belle a nod to start the recording again.

It took them nearly fifteen minutes to decipher the last phrase. They finally came to a consensus that the first two words were ‘taking’ and ‘you’, but the final utterance stymied them, until Emma suddenly slumped in her chair. “I think I know what it is. He…he’s saying ‘taking you…with me’.”

Belle put her hand over her mouth, eyes wide, while a grim-faced Killian rubbed his hands up and down Emma’s biceps in an attempt to soothe her. Will said bluntly what they were all thinking. “The bloody bastard thinks you’re his and wants to drag you to hell with him?”

*********

Thank you all very much for reading!

Tagging:

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[artaxlivs]

*Unless* (excerpt)

“Okay, hypothetically, if there was a werewolf that someone had seen,” Lydia rolls her eyes but Stiles continues, undeterred, “who showed up the other day with some kind of tainted touch on his magic spark,” this time she squints her eyes at him but she doesn’t stop drinking her shake, “and someone wanted to know what it was and how to get rid of it, where would you point that person?”

“Well, Stiles, I’d point them to your dad first for breaking the boundary and being close to a werewolf and then I’d point them to you to figure out how to get them to go far away from us.”

“Yeah…that’s not gonna work. I’m keeping the werewolf.”

“You cannot keep a werewolf,” she sighs, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “For so many reasons, Stiles. The first of which is that they’re dangerous. And the second of which is that you’re an idiot.”

“Lydia, please, he’s good,” Stiles pleads, giving her his saddest eyes. “But something bad is happening to him and I need to help him. Will you help me?”

She makes a little growl and stomps her foot, the petals of her flower dress shake but she goes over to the shelves and pulls down three books from them. “Here,” she shoves them at him hard enough to make him stumble backward. “Well? Take them to the table while I go find the others.”

He grins. He knew she’d help. She always does. It’s probably because she knows he’ll get into trouble without her but it might also be because she loves him just a little bit. 

(Full fic posted HERE on Ao3)

Writer: ArtaxLivs (also the moodboard)

Artist: @eviscer-8 (please go check out their book binding post of this fic and applaud their skills! It's crazy beautiful!)

Thanks to the mods at @sterekcollabang for such a fun event and for being so easy to work with. If you do it again, I'll be back! And my new friends @pkrosche and panicbutton who beta read and hyped me right out of my anxiety (thank you both!)

[7minutesinheavennaruto]

hello :) i hope you are doing well, I’d like to request an itachi x fem reader nsfw or itachi with a praise kink, I think it’s very fitting , thank you ^.^

✿❀ Hi Anon! Thank you so much for this request, I had a lot of fun writing it! I hope you enjoy ❀✿

Mod Nightshade

WARNING: NSFW, 18+ ONLY

It’s those precious few moments before evening fades into hazy dusk, when the sky is reddish-gold and everything looks far too perfect, the landscape bathed in sun-slick fire. The air smells of fresh rain, and of tree-bark, and it reminds Itachi far too much of home– of the village he’d planned to grow up defending, only to abandon it in a flurry of senseless violence.

It had hurt– had felt like severing a limb, watching decades of love and friendship and opportunity crumble to dust at his feet– but Itachi had survived it, his thoughts growing sharp and his heart cold to compensate.

Despite everything, however, he’d never quite been able to sever the one thing he’d loved most in Kohona: [y/n].

At first, the pair had planned on meeting just the once: for closure, for a final burst of happiness, to lock that door permanently and throw away the key. But once had not been nearly enough– had made it worse, almost– had slowly turned into just a few more times, which had morphed into something of a regular occurrence.

Itachi’s heart flutters at the sound of a twig snapping, then drops into his stomach at the realization that it is only a doe, picking her way gracefully through the underbrush and nuzzling at the wild raspberries that edge the perimeter of the clearing.

He wonders, as he always does, whether [y/n] will come, or whether she’s realized what he has always known: that she is wasting her life chasing a monster, that only one of them had truly needed to throw away their chance at happiness.

He wonders how cruel he must be to keep meeting like this– to crave her presence so viscerally that he cannot bring himself to put a stop to it, even though the ANBU black-ops would surely tear her apart if they knew.

“I’ve missed you”

Though Itachi still feels the initial pang of panic at being caught entirely off-guard, it fades as quickly as it came on, transforming instead into warmth and elation at the sound of [y/n]’s voice. It feels like the first scent of spring after a long and dangerous winter, like the first strummed notes of a symphony, and Itachi turns to search frantically for her through the gaps between the tree-trunks, breaking his stoic composure.

He’s seen her dozens of times over the years, but Itachi still feels as though his lungs and stomach are filled with something far too warm and far too fluttering to not be alive– as though something within him lives only to see her step from the shadows into the golden dusk, to feel her soft hair slip through his fingers as he raises a hand to gently cup [y/n]’s cheek, to smell the gently-floral musk of her shampoo.

“I’ve missed you too, [y/n],” he whispers, unable to stop his hands from traveling down to her shoulders, tracing the curves of her body and settling at her hips. “It’s been too long, I’m so sorry, I–”

His words are choked, and he rushes to explain those past two months: the letters delivered to [y/n] by crows, his jagged handwriting vague and hasty, with messages stating simply that he cannot safely leave the Akatsuki headquarters without arousing suspicion. He needs her to understand that she’s wanted more than he needs to breathe, but [y/n] only smiles and places a cool finger against his lips, shushing him.

“It’s alright,” she reassures. “I know”

At [y/n]’s touch, Itachi presses his fingertips roughly into the softness of her hips, closing the distance between them and smiling as [y/n] lets out the faintest hint of a little gasp, her chest heaving against his own.

“Itachi, I–” [y/n] begins, but her words turn into a soft hum of pleasure as he kisses her, hands moving hungrily up the curve of her back to scratch lightly down her spine, then coming to rest in her hair, tugging gently until she is forced to look up at him through half-lidded eyes. The evening light reflects beautifully off her gorgeous features, the multifaceted hues of her [e/c] eyes too complex and glorious to put into words.

Silently, Itachi draws back, ignoring [y/n]’s whine of protest as his hands rise to slowly undo the clasps of his crimson and black robes. Every movement is agonizing, patient and calculated when he wants nothing more than to tear off her clothes and fuck her senseless, but he persists, addicted to the way she bites her bottom lip and plays idly with the hem of her shirt, as though begging him to lift it over her head.

Finally, he tosses his robe on the ground, glancing down at it dismissively before looking back up at [y/n]. “Lay down,” he orders. “On your back.”

Wordlessly, she obeys, sitting carefully on the fabric before laying back, her gaze imploring him to just touch her, damn it.

Itachi lowers himself at her feet, giving [y/n] a stern glance as she tries to prop herself up on her elbows to see what he’s doing. “Did I say you could get up?” He asks, waiting for [y/n] to comply before adding– “good girl.”

Moving infuriatingly slowly, he hooks his fingers beneath the hem of [y/n]’s pants, dragging them down her thighs and pausing each time she lets out a muffled sound of pleasure or thrusts her hips slightly to help his progress. He remains cool and impassive as her fingers curl desperately in the fabric of his robes, but in truth, Itachi is almost delirious with anticipation at the thought of her fingers grabbing instead at his hair, of her thighs trembling against his shoulders.

Finally, he slips [y/n]’s pants over her feet and discards them carelessly on the ground, placing his hands on the inside of her thighs and forcefully spreading her legs.

“Oh,” [y/n] exclaims, breathless, shifting involuntarily to get closer to her lover– “please, touch me?”

“You’ve waited two months for me,” Itachi whispers, reaching to tug at the lace of her panties without making much of a move to pull them away. “You’re going to have to be a good girl and wait a little longer.”

He brushes his lips over the inside of [y/n]’s thigh, savoring how soft she is, and how she smells: like flowers and freshly-cut grass and summer sweat– and she squirms deliciously at his touch, whining with frustration when he pulls back and lets the tips of his raven-black hair brush against her before continuing.

“Do you think about me when I’m gone?” Itachi asks, kissing lower, his cheek brushing against the edge of her panties.

“Yes,” she breathes– “all the time.”

“Do you think about this?” He drags his tongue along the thin lace of her panties, tasting her arousal where it soaks through the fabric, and is rewarded with a cry of pleasure as [y/n] arches her back and grabs a fistful of his hair.

“Y-yes,” she moans. “Yes, always.”

Slowly, Itachi moves the panties aside with two fingers, though he does not touch [y/n] quite yet, his breaths hot and teasing against her exposed skin.

“I think about you too,” he admits, ghosting the tip of his tongue lightly over her slit. “When I’m awake, before I fall asleep, in my dreams. I think about how fucking beautiful you are, and how badly I want you, constantly.”

“Mm, fuck–” [y/n] gasps, closing her eyes and exhaling sharply. “C-come back to Konoha. O-or I’ll leave, and we can run away together.”

“Someday,” Itachi promises, pressing his tongue against [y/n]’s clit and savoring her taste, his eyes fluttering shut as she pulls involuntarily at his hair. “Someday, but not tonight. Tonight, I’m going to fuck you so good, you won’t forget me.”

She opens her mouth to reply– to say something like I could never forget you– but then Itachi slides two fingers inside of her and sucks on her clit, and any semblance of coherent thought is snuffed out like a dying star. Her hips rise from the makeshift bed but he places his free hand on her stomach, forcing her down onto her back with a muffled “stay.”

He’s got [y/n] reduced to a flushed and gasping mess on his Akatsuki robes, both of her hands now fisting Itachi’s glossy hair, and he’s something of a flushing, gasping mess himself, now– his cock hard and straining against the front of his pants, drool and [y/n]’s wetness running down his chin as he brings [y/n] closer to the edge with his tongue.

“Please,” she begs– “please fuck me, I want– I want all of you,” and the hitch at the end of her sentence tells Itachi she’s getting close.

He does not reply– just keeps going, speeding up a bit until she lets go of his hair to clap a hand over her mouth, thighs tensing around his head as she presses desperately against the sheets. She moans something into her open palm, and Itachi cannot tell what she is saying, but he knows what he hopes it is: I love you, I need you, you need me too– right?

The sun has finished setting, and soft moonlight reflects off [y/n]’s face as Itachi sits up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he gazes down at her– the beads of sweat dotting her forehead, the erratic rise and fall of her chest as she struggles to catch her breath, the messy [h/c] locks stuck to her cheeks and billowing in contrast with his robes.

“Let me return the favor,” she offers, smiling at him through a haze of pleasure as she moves to sit up, but Itachi shakes his head.

“No, [y/n],” he says sternly. “Tonight is about you. Lay down, do not make me ask again.”

Though the night is pleasantly cool, Itachi feels almost unbearably hot in his thin shirt and pants, frantic to tear them off and fuck [y/n] in earnest– to pound her into the sheets until she’s senseless and moaning his name, over and over and over. He pulls off his shirt, then shoves his pants down his hips, not bothering to take them all the way off.

[y/n] moves to remove her own shirt, but Itachi gently closes his finger around her wrist, guiding her hand to rest at her side. “I’ll do that,” he murmurs, sliding his hands beneath the hem of her top and savoring the dip of her waist and the swell of her breasts beneath dark fabric. Slowly, methodically, he pulls the garment over her head, then sits back to examine his handiwork.

“You’re so beautiful,” Itachi whispers, tilting his head to examine the silver glow of moonlight, and the way it illuminates the intricacies of her figure as though she were a work of art– “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. Like an angel, like–”

“Like your angel?“

It’s an innocuous question, phrased almost as a joke, but it causes something inside of him to tip over the edge. With a sharp exhale, Itachi takes [y/n] by the hips and slides her towards him, grabbing his cock and lining it up with her entrance. He had meant to take it slow– to tease her to the point of near-insanity, until she was begging and whimpering– but his self-restraint crumbles the moment he slides his tip in and [y/n] clenches around him in response, her lips parting in a delicious little moan.

“Fuck,” he groans, ramming his length inside of her and letting out a shaky gasp. “Fuck, you feel so fucking good.”

She responds by pulling him down on top of her, grasping at his hair and running her fingernails down his chest as she kisses him sloppily, interspersed with little yelps as he pounds into her, hard and fast and hungry.

“You’re so good to me, so obedient,” he continues, placing a hand on her waist to hold her steady as he switches his rhythm from the erratic, desperate thrusts he’d started with to something rhythmic but no less needy, feeling her pulsate around him as he shoves so deep inside of her, his hips press up against the underside of her thighs. “I need you,” Itachi moans, kissing along her jawline, down the side of her neck, biting at her collarbones. His voice is low and heavy with arousal, and the hand at [y/n]’s waist presses into her flesh with such fervor, it’s almost painful. “I need you so fucking bad, you’re mine.”

“All yours,” [y/n] reassures, wrapping her legs around his waist, her words punctuated with the occasional stifled moan– “all yours, I’m gonna– fuck – gonna take care of you.”

All that matters is her breaths against his ear, and the way her skin tastes: salty and sweet and floral, and the fact that she’s moaning his name and digging her fingertips into his chest. He fucks her a little harder, and a little faster, and is rewarded with a muttered oh, god as she thrusts against him, teetering on the edge of a precipice. He wonders, somewhere in the back of his mind, why any of it matters at all– the Akatsuki and his plans, revenge and death and the prevention of the inevitable– when what he cares about most is here beneath him, and she’s so fucking perfect.

“Tell me you love me,” he orders, trying to sound authoritative instead of pathetic.

“I love you,” [y/n] obliges, pulling him closer. “I love you more than anything, Itachi Uchiha. I’ll – god– I’ll wait for you, die for you– whatever it takes.”

He groans into her dip between her neck and her collarbones, then pulls back to kiss her on the mouth, as though he can taste the words she’s just spoken: wonderful and earnest and better than he could have hoped. “I love you too,” he says, breathing the air from her lungs– “I love you.”

“I-I’m gonna–” [y/n] gasps, grabbing Itachi’s hips in an attempt to force his cock even deeper inside of her.

“Are you going to cum for me?” He asks, smiling against her lips. “Good girl,”

The hand on her hips moves between her legs and she tilts her head back, no longer able to keep kissing him as any iota of thought and control gives way to ecstasy. He feels her walls clench around him, once, twice– and this pushes Itachi over the edge as well, crying out her name as he finishes inside her.

For several heartbeats, neither of them can move, their chests rising and falling as they struggle to breathe.

“You’re perfect, you know that?” He whispers, letting out a low laugh and looking down at her face, tinged pink, eyes still half-shut.

“You’re not so bad yourself.”