#Jack's also probably a bit easier to get along with

[diantheia]

Hide in Hotel Polycule sound creepy, imagine trying to Hide

Only to get grab from behind.

Also this remind me of Jack since they both are kinda wardrope entities, how he'll be act in AU ?

Yeah, Hide would be the #1 problem to deal with. You're gonna be cosying up to Hide whether you like it or not.

Jack probably loves spooking you, says you look adorable when scared. Because of the Hide issue, you likely aren't seeing much wardrobe Jack, but Jack could just be around the next door, and you'd never know...

[therealslimshakespeare]

|| Radio ||

Requested plot points? ☑️

Circa: early February 1944

Immediate previous fic: Favorite Escape

Summary: when your hodge podge radio won’t work, who should ya call? Probably the flight engineer

Warnings: usual universe warnings apply, 18+ but nothing very alarming really happens in this one, references to others are made, some potential slut shaming in the beginning if ya squint? perhaps some queer baiting but it’s the Buckies rolling around on the flooor, they’re one massive queer bait lbr, it’s not me. Also. My shit Crystal Radio making descriptions- don’t come for me I haven’t made one and I spent five hours falling down a rabbit hole as to how the guys made them in the camps and at the end of the day I said: screw it! And went with one of the Brit’s scenarios 🍻

Edited only by my tired little eyes, full warning and have mercy 💋

Also, just a note I feel compelled to make- this fic centers around women in the army, in a war, which they’re spending under dire conditions in a POW camp. Yes there is love here, there is also hierarchy and discipline and the enforcement of that does not make one character or another necessarily callous or less loving. They are their ranks first and foremost as all signed up for.

“They’re forging papers, you know.” Maureen broached the topic to Egan one day, late February and when her cheeks were still bruised from Ida’s book.

Bucky paused his tracing of a map, sooty finger trailing along a river with the same incomprehensible name as its twin running parallel, he didn’t know anything about papers or anyone making them and she knew that. “Who?”

“Good ones. Identification, passports.” She enumerated.

“Who?”

“The Poles. The ones with the-“

“-the liquor.” he finished for her, remembrance and condemnation heavy in his wry tone. “The ones you stayed out all night with.”

“Stayed long enough for them to get drunk enough to show me.”she replied, without heat, which was surprising.

“Some grand plan of yours, huh?” He bit back a laugh, it was a fine way to cover her ass for being insubordinate. It was a way he’d likely try if he was in her place.

“No.” she swore instead. “Just luck, I happened to see them. They got careless. Maybe an answer to all Jack’s prayers.”

“Yeah. Anything to give that rosary a break.”

“Yeah.”

“You asked them?”

“What for?”

Bucky regarded her with thinning patience but something kept him from snapping, the feeling of a riddle still to be solved. “For some papers.” he clarified, measured and intent, she knew how much easier that would make their plans for Ida.

Maureen shook her head, glancing down at her twisting hands, “I didn’t want to-“ her mouth twisted too, “-I wanted to ask a superior first.”

Bucky considered that for a moment, slightly touched at her newfound wisdom, “Why not ask Buck?”

She shook her head again, auburn hair curling under her chin just so, even here in the stalag she had some traces of the old charm. “He’s got too much to worry about for me to be bringing in hypotheticals.” she was so upset by something she would not even meet John’s eye and he felt a slice of remorse for how he hadn’t even noticed the ground down change in her since she got here, his drinking buddy and the soft fleshed rival of merry old English days was a gruff and battered and sullen woman; being a red blooded American male, he regretted that dismal change. “And I'm worried about what to bargain with. What can I promise? We haven’t got much and I don’t have— there’s not much anyway, but what we’ve got I didn’t wanna promise. Not without-“ she still hadn’t met his eye, he tracked hers; a furious roving of pale blue back and forth across the floorboards and it made Bucky itch.

“Who signs these papers?” Bucky asked, thinking the logistics through, knowing she’d perk up if he brought them up.

“Haven’t a clue. Maybe they haven’t figured that part out yet. I don’t know. I just know they’ve got papers.”

“Good ones.”

“Yeah.”

“We haven’t got much.” he agreed, clicking his teeth in thought, “What’d you give them for the liquor?”

“They just invited me.”

“Didn’t have to lend a hand or nothin’?” he balked and Maureen threw him a glare that seemed more hurt than rage, and chastened by a voice inside that sounded much like his mama’s, he amended with sheepish humor, “Hell, feel like lending a hand myself these days, if it’d get me a whisky.”

Her gnarled fist curled white in her lap, she managed hoarsely, “They just wanted to talk about home. To someone who hadn’t heard about it a million times before.”

“They got cigarettes?” he asked.

“As most common payment for their booze -they’ve got enough to insulate their shack three deep.”

“Cigarettes won’t cut it then.”

“I’ve been thinking.”-

“Yeah?”

“The radio. I’m the only one who doesn’t think it’s worth the risk but, I know, it doesn’t matter, it’s happening. Gale’s going to keep trying. And if it works-“ she rubbed at her eyes, tired and unsure, “-that’s quite the bargaining chip.”

Bucky nodded slowly, eyes narrowing as his smile grew a touch broader, “News of the outside world.” he was half in agreement, “Buck asked for a week. Been four days.”

“He’s stumped.” Maureen retorted instantly. “And he’ll stay that way and he’ll go nuts and you’ll go die going over the fence and then he’ll have no reason left not to die too.”

Bucky whistled, low and chiding, “You’re full of rainbows today, Candy.”

“You know who he oughta ask.” she shook off the barb. “But he won’t. And I don’t want him risking it for this thing anymore than anyone else, but you all want it so bad, and they’ll shoot us for it if it works or not. I’m not asking her. But you would. Might as well get shot for it working, right? Isn't that what you said yesterday? You know who he should ask.”

Bucky’s keen eyes showed the moment it dawned on him, his eyebrows shot up and his mouth sagged and he ran a weathered hand over his face, “Awww shit, Candy.” came garbled behind his palm. “Ah shit.” he said again with conviction as he shoved the hand into his pocket, wretched acknowledgment of her point clear on his face.

“I didn’t want to suggest it, told Ida it’s a fucking dangerous thing and I’ll never forgive if— but you all—“

Bucky grounded aloud, “Nah, nah she’s -Lu would solve it.” he muttered, shushing her. “Demarco really pummeled you the other day, huh?” he added, and that got her to meet his eye, she looked spooked and a little incensed, “Saw him fuckin’ you up behind B compound but sheesh, s’like he hollowed you out worse than a jacolantern; yer shifty as hell.”

“He-“ Maureen still felt like blanching at the memory of Benny’s terribly correct opinions, his disappointed eyes and his fist full of her flight jacket asking her what in the living fuck was wrong with her besides a concussion, a sick childhood and an ever nauseating jealousy of Buck Cleven’s paternal time and effort, “-he had some admonitions. After…after the other night.”

Bucky hummed, shitty smirk taking up residence on his face, “How ‘bout that.”

“I’m gonna be better.” she muttered and Bucky felt for her, could almost taste the echo of his identical and hollow determination to climb the mountain of bad habits when weak from spuds and pneumonia. He told himself the same every morning and fell into bed condoning his failure every night, like a ritual.

“You’re gonna get us those papers.” he corrected, shoving off the wall to come near her, give her the full Major treatment and maybe a friendly hand, “And you can promise your drinkin’ buddies news from the radio.”

Maureen nodded in understanding, no joy or animation left in her green eyes. She used to enjoy a bit of subterfuge, now she only felt hollow misery at the thought that she'd dragged Lu into this, too. This risk she hated so much and yet no one cared. Lu would be glad to be dragged in, it’s true, she was itching at the chance to be useful and to make Gale proud, it’s how the girl was wired. It’s how most girls were wired, Maureen supposed, desperate to make Gale Cleven approve. Lu’s enthusiasm wouldn’t make the sight of her being made to kneel in the mud and have a bullet put in her head any easier, wouldn’t make Maureen feel any less responsible for it when her lifeless body thudded to the earth.

All that lovely goodness stamped out.

Over a radio.

Bucky’s hand felt too hard and too big on her shoulder. He had gone before the vision cleared, mud and wire and the freezing main square at Ravensbruck fading back to the musty bunk room. Maureen shook herself and stood up to make herself somehow appealing, reamniante some semblance of the cheerful rashness that had led her to the Polish combine in the first place: she found it hard to inspire. She’d like to count that a victory but she knew better, she wasn’t reformed she was just tired.

A washed face and a fake smile and the promise of news from outside would have to be enough to bank all their risks on, it would have to be.

“Crank,” she greeted the man in the hall, flashing him clean, water brushed teeth and her gentlest, freshly soot lined eyes, “I’ve been tasked by Major Egan with an errand, spare a minute to babysit me?”

__________________________________

Bucky finds Buck Cleven in his own bunkroom, Demarco outside on watch and that’s all Bucky needs to know to guess the radio is out and Buck’s working like a fiend yet again to make it work. Sure enough, he’s hunched over the table with it, mittened hands shaking from cold and exhaustion and a sheen of sweat on his forehead despite the paltry sweater he wears.

Bucky walks in and Gale gives him a soft, acknowledging glance before continuing to his work. Bucky takes up his usual place behind Buck’s left shoulder to watch and Buck, being used to it, goes on.

“My little Kriegie Marconi, huh?” Bucky allows the nagging impulse he has felt for weeks while standing in this position to finally exert itself, and his forefinger lifts and swirls in the curling gold strands of hair at the nape of Gale’s neck, his friend almost bolts away but then seems to choose a prey’s tactic and just stills, goes very still and Bucky scritches the scalp beneath his grab in assurance he don’t meant anything by it. He doesn’t think he does, at least.

Gale, wary and with a voice close to mechanized it’s so stilted, inquires with ever-present politeness, “You alright Bucky?”

It’s better than that whole ‘major’ business; getting called Major as if that meant shit anymore. “Yeah, ‘course I am.” Bucky rakes his fingers through the hairs there at the nape of that dainty neck, scritches the scalp with all four of his main ones, and uncovers a white long scar sliding round once he lifts the hairs there. “Why wouldn’t I be? Gonna be a father soon.”

Buck does jerk then, away from his touch and wheeling his chair around to glare at Bucky; it’s an impressively executed little pirouette and John misses the feel of his warm neck and oil soft hair. “Jesus John.” he reprimands.

“We’re gonna get outta here Buck.” John swears, he’s so sure of it because he cannot in all his thinking and predicting ever imagine a scenario where they don’t, and he chooses to think it’s not delusion but a good omen. “Ida’s gonna have that baby and when it’s safe we’ll all meet up.”

Gale is looking at him like he’s his own father again, Bucky knows that look, it always makes him equal parts ashamed and desperate, “Jus�� like that.” Gale mocks in a husky gust.

It’s devastating, and it’s intended to be, and Bucky could bear that with better humor if he could still touch Gale and his hair. “Just like that.”

Gale hums and it’s a mean sorta vocalization that makes Bucky’s heart thud and his skin prickle hot, it’s the kinda noise you kiss off a person, he thinks, but it’s Buck and so he doesn’t know what to do with it. “It’s gonna get you killed.” Buck is saying instead and Bucky lets him, “I know you all think she’s cracked up and maybe she has but it wouldn’t hurt to listen to Kendeigh sometimes when she’s tellin’ ya shit that a five year old could accurately guess, -goddamn it.”

His voice rose to a strong rage by the end and Bucky takes a chair opposite him, sick of standing there like a dumb dog waiting for his scolding to be over. “So what.” Bucky challenges him, “We just wait around and Brady pops out a child and the krauts let us keep it and it’s our new mascot and we all sing zippidy doo da, huh? Huh, Buck?”

Gale’s hands fell away from his face with a slam to the table, a shocking degree of anger showing for a split second and it gave Bucky an odd degree of gratification. “I jus’ want you to find a plan with better odds.”

Bucky sniffed and leaned forward, went in for the kill and Gale was looking at him like he expected it, like it was his turn to play daddy to everyone here and Gale for once was so beaten down he wouldn’t just allow the changing of the guard, he was close to angry at its lateness. It made Bucky’s heart thud.

“I’ve been listening to Kendeigh.” Bucky refuted briefly, “And we’ve got a plan.” Gale gave him a tired look of encouragement to go on, “How long’s it been since you slept? Huh, well, we got a plan. Practically perfect, or it will be, just need the radio.”

“Ain’t giving this away.” Gale said, “Not for anythin’, even useless.”

Bucky patted the table top in easy assurance, if he could have reached Buck’s thigh, he’d have patted that instead, “No, no, don’t need to give it away, just need it to work. So,” he softened his voice and his eyes tightened, “I’m callin’ Lu in.”

Oddly, Gale does not fight it. Not aloud, at least. There’s an anguished look of hate on his face and Bucky mirrors it. It’s for this place and the fucking awful choices they have to choose from every goddamn day.

“You run this by Ida?” is all he asks.

Bucky pops his flaking lips audibly, “What, need us both gangin’ up on you to agree? She’ll sign off. Smith’s an officer. Gotta remember that sometimes, Buck.”

The way his Buck swallows hard and dry contradicts his words, “I do remember that.”

“Really?” Bucky’s mouth gives a soft smile of doubtful incredulity and Gale’s mimics it, mournful but a smirk all the same, “Feel like she should answer to ‘Gale’s Baby’ these days. Lieutenant Smith who?”

Gale scoffs, “Careful now.”

“No really, she’s an officer and she wants to be treated like one. It’ll do her good to have work. Her kinda work.”

“Could get her killed.”

“Layin’ in her bunk could do that.”

Gale grunts, its sounds like an agreement.

“So I say Lieutenant Smith gets put on radio detail. Like her goddamn job description suggests. Huh, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Gale lets out a shaky agreement.

“Aaaaand,” Bucky draws it out as he rises again and saunters over to Buck who is ready for him and loose this time, “how bout I go back to bein’ the one you’re frettin’ ‘bout all the time. Got me almost jealous of the girl. How ‘bout I do. Huh?”

Gale’s scoff is fond as anything as he looks up at John with cheerful derision, “And you ‘bout to be a father? Make me an old man? Fuck no, ya looney.”

“Alright.” Bucky concedes with hands up in surrender before lurching forward and grasping Gale’s rickety chair back by its wobbly spokes and hefting it partially off the ground, beautiful and outraged prude of an occupant still seated in it, “Then I’ll play daddy and put you to bed, how ‘bout that.”

“John Egan for fucks sake-“ Gale’s fists pounded on the meat of his shoulders and his outraged protests wafted against Bucky’s neck and his jabbing knees collided with the meat of his thighs and Bucky hadn’t felt so close to him or so happy to be alive since England.

“Major sir, the hell is goin’ on?” Demarco’s tame inquiry from the safety of the doorway made them both lose their grapple and they collided together onto the floor, bunk bed barely missed by their heads and the hapless chair mixed up between their limbs.

Bucky grinned, hip sore from his fall and kidneys suffering from Buck’s trapped elbow there, “Puttin’ Goldilocks to bed.” he replied.

DeMarco processed that and the scene before him with grave sobriety before saluting lazily and turning to go, “Right on, sir.”

John did his best to rise up without further pinching Gale who was indeed trapped beside him and beneath him, chair legs wound between a lanky human leg in a puzzle that Bucky realized might take some caution to untangle without harm. Strangely, Buck wasn’t moving, he was just looking up at him like a cat would their clumsy master who has done somethin’ stupid which was a surprise to neither. It was so innocuous a look and so nostalgic, it winded Bucky with the realization he hadn’t seen it in ages, just as he hadn’t felt his boney ribs against his own and the feel of his elegant hands yanking him around in a fight. This miserable place really was stomping out the glow in the best people.

“Ya know Buck,” he ventured, clearing his throat for extra casualness, “I’ve missed you.” When Gale only kept looking up at him, perfect porcelain face with its unsettling scars and wary eyes without a lick of storm in them, John Egan grabbed his shovel and dug his own grave a little deeper, drug a finger down his cheek. “Missed all this.”

Bucky didn’t know what he meant by “this” but it felt safer and worse all at once, since he did miss Buck but he and Buck never used to hang out on floors with a chair as chaperone. Mercifully, Buck neither points that out nor moves away, acting very much like he needed to heaped on the floor with Bucky and a stray chair every bit as much as John did. Like it’s doing him good.

“And you couldn’t’ve jus’ said.” Gale murmurs with the softest eye roll of the century and Bucky feels like beaming and it must show in his face so strong and bright after a sunless winter that after a flash Gale’s cheeks flame from it and he averts his eyes.

“I dunno Buck, could I?” Egan asks one blushing cheek and Gale hasn’t got a good reply for that, so they just lay there on the floor.

“Go on now, get off me.” Gale doesn’t shove at him, he presses his hand to John’s forehead like he would a dog and John goes, obedient as one.

———————————————————————-

They found Lu with Murph and Benny and Brady, measuring out what seemed to be lot lines between Love Shack #9 and the next combine, boot scuffed perimeters already visible in the light snow and drawn in a decently tidy rectangle. There were guards loitering nearby, nosey as always with their cigarettes and their antsy dogs anytime someone did something out there besides piss or pace or stare at the fence.

“What’s all this?” Bucky inquired cheerfully, coming up to them with Gale, bundled and shivering behind him.

Benny looked up from tilling a furrow with his boot, right where Lu’s mittened finger pointed out. “It’s for the garden. S’posed to be spring before long.”

“A Chicago man oughta know better, Benny.” Egan snarked.

“Need us?”

Bucky sniffed, a casual set to his body that belied his quest, “Just the little one.”

Smith promptly looked startled, then eager. “All well Majors?”

“Need your advice on the color of my cufflinks with this suit.” Bucky extended his arm and beckoned her, “C’mon back in for a minute. One of you too, need a watch to go with the cufflinks.”

———————————————————————

With Benny on guard, Brady and Kendeigh having excavated the radio’s shell from the floorboard and table leg in which it resided, the Buckies stood over Smith’s small frame as she sat at the table and inspected the simplistic device with keen eyed appreciation for the construct.

“It’s really marvelous.” she assured Cleven, running her fingers over the carefully coiled wire and precarious pin.

Gale didn’t even crack a smile. “What’s wrong with it?” he asked instead.

She shook her head, a frown gathering. “Never made one-“ she cautioned.

“-but you get the idea.”

“Yes sir, I do.”

“So what’s wrong.”

Lu ran her fingers over the wire, again and again, the dusty metal not insulated, just bare copper, likely stripped from somewhere. It reminded her of early days as a cadet when they threw chicken wire mixed with hydraulic lines at herself and her fellow rookie engineers and told them to sort it, testing to see if they knew which was which. It had been so rudimentary she had wanted to laugh until she realized others were being flunked.

This was so basic she was stumped.

“Take your time, Lu.” Bucky spoke up after a burdened pause during which she could almost feel Major Cleven breathing down her neck.

“Candy, can I try with the headphone?” she asked at last, frustrated and out of her element, just a few months out of a plane and she had already lost her touch.

Maureen passed it over and Lu pressed it to her ear, not to discern what was quite obviously radio silence, but to imagine the whole process in reverse, track it down the cord all the way to the base, each possible breakdown of the conduction.

She fingered the ramshackle diode with burgeoning suspicion. “What’s your crystal?”

“That’s just…lead.” Cleven muttered.

“From?”

“Ground pencils.” Bucky supplied cheerfully.

Smith bit her lip, “We need sulfur added. Lead won’t conduct on its own.” She figured Cleven knew that, the grim and unmoving set of his mouth suggested so.

“Just- sulfur?” Maureen asked.

“If I had sulfur we could add it to the lead dust, ignite it and-“ Smith grinned at Kendeigh, knowing that she alone may have shared her enjoyment of a small conflagration from time to time, “burn it down and you’ve got something close enough to Galena. Just need a pinch of it should work.”

Bucky shoved his hands in his pockets and surveyed the mostly morose room. All except for the two girls grinning at each other over the hypothetical of a little chemistry experiment in a highly flammable wooden combine.

“We’ve got sandy soil.” Buck’s contemplative drawl spoke up, “Dunno if we could extract enough pure sulfur.”

Maureen stared back at Egan instead, “Other sectors have gotten portions of kits, chemistry kits, radio kits, they’ve been smuggled in with all sorts of stuff. Inside of a violin, oat bags. Nothing to fully build something. They might have sulfur. I could make inquiries and- well, Jack could pick it up next time the band goes over C compound to entertain the poor Aussie bastards.”

“How do you kno- nevermind, actually. Nevermind.” Bucky broke off, “Alright. Sure, why not. Ya sure that’s it?” he asked Lu once more.

She gave a helpless little shrug. “Gotta be. Or the wire’s dirty. Where’d it come from anyway?”

Gale gave Bucky a long suffering look as Bucky seemed to swell a couple inches and bounce back on his heels at the mention of his scrounging prowess. “The lamp.” he nodded above them all.

Jack Brady scoffed, short, clipped, betrayed, “That why it cuts out all the time? Strobed us so bad last night -thought the room was possessed.”

“Sacrifices Jack, sacrifices.”

———————————————————

Benny had hauled in enough water buckets to elicit some negative attention from the guards, and when the inspection came the inmates of the Love Shack insisted the drenched floors and table of the Majors’ barracks were due to sanitation post regurgitation. At night, with only one stolen torch light from Combine 15 to illuminate the endeavor, a basin of water beneath a smaller bowl in which lay their precious and recently procured ingredients, a science experiment began. The Majors and Ida gathered round, all looking as ghastly and spectral in the light of the flashlight as Brady’s fake ghost. It held the thrill of a bonfire night except for the stakes, which all in the room did their best not to dwell on.

“Zippo, Candy.” Lu gave the word and Maureen, with only the protection of Ida’s bent aviators to keep from a scorched cornea, flicked on her lighter and set the mixed powders ablaze.

It flamed up high and smelly, making Benny gag and mutter something about Meatball’s gas to a tittering Brady, and then died down to a yellow smoking ember.

“We should let it sit.” Lu surmised with a squeeze to Maureen’s only somewhat singed hand, her big dark eyes surveying the burnt bowl and their smoking experiment with glittery excitement at the possibility of success, “Let it cool, settle, maybe strain it. Can you get me a net? Oh Candy come now, get me a strainer?” she begged with a laugh as Maureen rolled her eyes at the idea of yet another trip to the Stalag Market for the most random items imaginable. If they hoped to not be suspicious, they’d need better lies or more money.

“How about cheesecloth?” Kendeigh tried not to grin indulgently- and failed- in the face of Lu and having recently been allowed to set something on fire

Lu kissed her cheek. “Cheesecloth would be perfect.”

In the end, cheesecloth did indeed prove perfect, and amongst the burnt dust of the combined minerals was a gritty little pinch full of the needed crystals. Or so Lu said, Gale agreed but the crease between his brows hadn’t lifted for two days; Bucky’s fingers had begun to twitch in antsy need to manually smooth them out. He imagined Maureen felt the same but she hadn’t said, uncharacteristically forbearant now she had some job to keep her sane. Even if it was playing fetch for Lu.

—————————————————————

“Well, this is it.” Gale muttered when the watch had been set once more, Murph and Hambone on the steps, Crank inside, Brady at the door, Benny at the window. Even Major Clark had joined them in the barracks for this final try and Lu’s cheeks were maroon from the attention even as her deft hands steadily pressed her concoction beneath its intended rod.

“Pass me the pliers, sir?” She asked and for a moment, the teacher became the apprentice and Gale fetched her the stalag forged tool, rudimentary like everything here yet the gripped and pulled and lifted same as the pliers back home. “You could check your look in this wire’s reflection.” She complimented Gale’s buffing of the copper wire.

He shrugged in turn. “Didn't wanna leave anythin’ to chance. That it?” he asked as her hands stalled and she surveyed her work.

Lu nodded solemnly. “Yes sir.”

Gale picked up the headphone from in front of him on the table like it was a gun he was about to bring to his head. “Here.” He extended it to her instead, “S’right, it was your job, you should be the first. Cmon.”

Despite her voiceless protest he pressed the headphones into her hands and Lu, never knowing how to disobey an officer, folded immediately.

For a good ten seconds everyone in the room held their breath as Smith pressed the headphone to her ear and gently wiggled the clothespin along the wire, searching and tuning, her face holding that old peaceful concentration they hadn’t seen since the last mission. She was at home with her mind tuned to another dimension. The pilots in the room knew that look, that was the look of someone at home with something that terrified them all the same, the gut swooping feeling of clearing the take off and sledding along the tops of the clouds. Wrong and strange and utterly incomparable to others, it was the closest to home one’s mind could be. Lu belonged somewhere on those electric currents and searching them out was like finding oneself again.

Then at last, Lu’s eyes sharpened out of their dreamy haze of concentration and she said, gentle as always, “It’s the BBC sir.”

💋 Hope you enjoyed! Feedback is a writer’s lifeblood, please feel free to scream in comments or the inbox, I love it and wanna hear it all. Trust me, nothing is “too dumb”. Your thoughts mean the world to me.

MOTA taglist, I only have one so ignore if this is not the universe you signed up for:

@stylespresleyhearted

@ab4eva

@earth-to-lottie

@suraemoon

@blurredcolour

@steph-speaks

@crazymadpassionatelove

@rubyfruitjungle

@taestrwbrry

@storysimp

@javden

@sexualparkour

@jointherebellion215

@sunny747

@ask-you-what-sir

@xxanaduwrites

@pretty4u

@yorkshirekiwi

@waitedforlove743

@elvismylove04

@blikebarbie92

@luminouslywriting

@justheretoreadthxxs

@bookotter01

@mads-weasley

@ka-ski

@darkestbeforethedawn16

@slowsweetlove

@richardslady121

@barbeygirl

@prfctplcsreads

@vaf24

@harrys-housewife

@claireelizabeth85

@pearlparty

@piastrinho

@sapienti0sat

@atrophyingaphrodite

@beingalive1

@vendylewin

[grasshopperdoingdogpaddle]

How would you rank the characters living under Jack's reign in the bad future from who's having the "best" time vs who's having the worst? (excluding Jack himself obv he's having a good time lol)

6-Hannibal Roy Bean

Being stuck in this undersized, undignified cage and blown up to a size where you can't even move, and labeled as "The Musical Fruit" are all humiliating.

But Hannibal's been locked up for centuries before, so this is hardly going to break his spirit, especially Jack is mortal and getting very old, so it feels like the immortals in the dungeon have this mindset that they can sort of just wait it out.

Granted, Hannibal does look weirdly mishappen and... mushy? So I wonder what exactly Jack has done to his body to make him end up like this.

With how distended and full his lower body looks now, and with the suspicious absence of Hannibal's only companion, I sort of suspect that Jack somehow forcefed Ying-Ying to Hannibal...? But even if that's not the case, the absence of Ying-Ying is another form of torture for him, since that's the only other being who he truly likes.

5-Master Fung

Master Fung is as skilled and untouchable as ever. Moreso in fact, because he seems like he doesn't really get winded by battles anymore. His mind may have dulled somewhat, but his physical form and skill has sharpened with age during the time skip.

The gladiator shows they're forced to put on are miserable for everyone, but none of Jack's bots are able to even scratch Master Fung, and he beats them without a sweat.

He has an easier time against Jack's lion-bots than he did against the real jungle cats, who he also handily beat.

And Master Fung's confusion and memory problems seem to stave off despair, at least. Though he's still having an awful time here.

4-Wuya

Hers is mostly another humiliation thing, but unlike Hannibal's, Wuya's also has this visceral, creepy factor to it. Jack apparently forcibly changed her clothes and did up her hair in accordance to his own taste for cheerleaders, complete with pigtails and his initial.

In addition to that, she's also suspended over a pit of boiled lava. The rising heat from that is probably the physical torture, along with just how uncomfortable the chains are.

But the worst part for Wuya is probably that Jack has somehow stolen the powers that were sealed away from her and is in control of her stone golems now, to add insult to injury. That probably stings more than any aspect of this setup.

3-Le Mime

Also in this gladiatorial thing, but Le Mime's never really been shown to be able to fight and he can't even take a hit from his own scrawny arm. And since he's just cowering here, the lion bots apparently have some way of getting past his Miming, so he can't protect himself behind his invisible walls.

He's got nothing he can do but weather the humiliations and pain of these losing battles.

2- Chase Young

His torture devices is definitely the most intricate.

Water drop torture, stripped of his clothes (including his underwear because those boxers notably aren't Chase's), suspended in this metal contraption with a paintbrush spreading something over his abdomen.

Chase's is also the only torture device that is surrounded by bloodstains.

And he's in a dungeon with Wuya and Hannibal, the people who he'd least want to be trapped with. None of them are gagged, so they both could at least take as many pot-shots at Chase as they wanted to. Those two are better at getting under Chase skin than anyone else, and even though Chase probably shot insults back, it was 2-against-1 there.

And the first and only line we get from Chase implies that he's been on the edge of hope waiting to see Omi again after all this time with no word on his fate. Despite everything that's been happening, Omi's still been on his mind this whole time with no answers for 80 years.

So he had quite a bit of both physical and psychological torture to deal with.

1-The Monks

They have frequent gladiatorial matches and an awful living situation. Old age has definitely slowed them down, so their matches probably don't end without injury like Master Fung's do.

And they still never found out what happened to Omi and Dojo, after all this time. They're all mentally beating themselves up over that, and over the state of the world. They're crushed by this feeling that they've failed in their duty towards it, and they don't know if their friends are dead or alive.

And the end, minutes after they find their first spark of hope in decades, where they're all brutally murdered. They're extremely painful deaths, too. Clay is shot by lasers, Raimundo is crushed, Kimiko is pulled apart limb-from-limb.

Taking that into consideration definitely makes them number one on this list. Can't have a much worse time than that.

Honorable Mention: Omi

He was only there for a little bit, so I can't really rank him anywhere on the list. But watching all his friends be brutally murdered in front of him certainly left an impression.

And Omi's the only one who will have any impression of all this at all. Whether you think the space-time merging of the alternate timeline left ripples of memories in the others or not, this is just a bad future of the main timeline, so no one's actually experienced it. Omi's the only one who'll remember this nightmare. It's seared into his memory for good.

[ryuichirou]

Hi! So i was wondering have you guys ever thought of- danganronpa au for twst cast?

Anon, this is such a good question. Twst guys are the worst, they’d fit perfectly into the dangandonpa world.

Although the ultimate talents for some of them are a bit difficult to pinpoint, but then again, ultimate talents in the games makes no sense sometimes, so I’ll try not to take it too seriously lol

Wow, twst cast arguing about who is the culprit and killing each other off is a fun concept..

Riddle – Ultimate Housewarden, although I’m torn because there definitely must be another more fitting name for him. He is one of our main detective guys, at least in the first part of the game, but then he might get killed off… He worked really hard to get Ace executed before calming down and realising that their real enemy is Monokuma and they need to work together to find a way to escape the game.

Ace – Ultimate Card Trickster. Is that even a phrase? Anyways, he both shows tricks and cheats in poker lol He is also definitely the main suspect of the first case, but he is probably going to survive until the end.

Deuce – Ultimate Delinquent, but he doesn’t even look like one. He’s trying to get his status changed into the Ultimate Honor Student, but it’s easier said than done… So for now he just hides his status, even though once again, it makes no sense.

Trey – Ultimate Baker, easy. He seems either like someone who would try to go with the flow for as long as he could while hoping for the best (and helping out those in need), or just snap at some point and kill someone. Simply because the twist of Trey being the culprit would just be way too fun. But I guess the perfect balance would be to make Trey a suspect and then reveal the killer to be some other guy…

Cater – Ultimate Magicammer, although it would mean that he should have more followers than either Vil or Neige… Maybe it’s not about the numbers but about Cater’s knowledge of the latest social media trends? In any case, I’m afraid poor Cater won’t live for long, but he’s also very likely to try to kill someone.

Leona – gee I don’t know, Ultimate Magift Player? He could be very useful during the investigations if he wanted to be, but he doesn’t. He’ll try to trick his way out of the game, but ultimately get himself killed because he would miscalculate things.

Ruggie – Ultimate Hustler because it sounds better than ultimate pickpocket lol He works all the jobs and is very street-smart, so he’ll be surprisingly helpful at times. But unfortunately, he probably won’t last for long. Maybe Leona would throw him under the bus…

Jack – Ultimate Athlete. He is super against killing anyone, super against playing along Monokuma’s games, super aggressive about it, and could actually get killed pretty early on because of that.

Azul – Ultimate Entrepreneur (real: Ultimate Mafia Leader), the game wasn’t a part of his plans at all, so even though he’ll do his best to act as calmly and smugly as he always does,it’ll take a toll on his psyche.He’ll definitely try to trick his way out of there, probably with the help of the Tweels, but with the way the game is built, there is no way all three of them survive this. Azul knows it and gets more and more paranoid. But even if he gets killed (as a victim or as a killer), he’ll be around for quite a long time. He’ll also be very helpful… but still try to play mind games with everyone.

Jade – Ultimate Secretary (real: Ultimate Poison Master) and Floyd – Ultimate Bouncer (real: Ultimate Slaughterer) –while these two also aren’t very into the fact that they’re in danger, they’re way too happy with this chaos. They won’t kill anyone because that would be way too easy and boring: they kill people all the time. But seeing all the other boys, some of whom are all gentle and sensitive, get all murderous and stuff? This totally makes everything worth it.

Both Jade and Floyd would be smart enough to figure out some of the very important things during both trials and investigations, but they won’t share everything – only if they feel like it…  They also might backstab Azul at some point but only if the whole game gets suuuuuper boring and Azul himself stops freaking out (he won’t, so it’s all good).

I honestly can’t picture either of the two dying, but it would also be too easy of both of them survived until the end. I guess they’re just that good lol But at some point we could get a murder mystery where everyone would think that it was Floyd who snapped, because Jade prefers poisons and stuff, but then it’d turn out that it was actually Jade. Something among the lines.

Jamil – Ultimate Servant, and of course Jamil is absolutely ecstatic about this status (nope). I feel like he would act protective with Kalim, getting all nervous because the heir of the Asim family shouldn’t be stuck in a situation so dangerous. He’ll also join Trey in cooking stuff, taking care of others, trying to keep people calm… but then he’ll get executed because he’d kill someone. The truth is, his plan was to kill Kalim and trick everyone into thinking it was Azul who did it, thus winning the game and saving himself. But Jamil is super unlucky, so somehow he messed up… and it was probably also Kalim’s fault lol

Kalim – Ultimate Affluent Progeny, just like Byakuya, but of course with an entirely different situation. He’d try to keep everyone happy and relaxed despite the horrors happening around them, but then he’ll be  absolutely heartbroken about Jamil’s fate.  He could even try to sacrifice himself to save him (despite the fact that it was him that Jamil tried to kill), but this isn’t how the game works sooo. I can see Kalim surviving until the end, ironically.

Vil – Ultimate Celebrity. He is an actor, a model, a singer, a make-up mogul, and many many many other things. I honestly don’t know what kind of fate he would have in the game, but I can see him being a suspect in a trial. I could also see him getting killed right after the trial that proved his innocence, in a sick twist of fate. But maybe he’ll survive until the end….

Rook – Ultimate Hunter, duh. He would be SO HELPFUL during the investigations, but not really during the trials. He is the type of character to figure out what’s going on way before the main characters and keep quiet about it, just because he wants to see if anyone would figure it out too. He would probably get executed as a killer, but he’d be excited about it, so the whole thing would be… kind of yikes. He is the one to yell about the kibo-zetsubo thing in this cast lol

Epel – Ultimate Farmer, he farms apples! Unfortunately, I don’t think he’ll last for all that long, but you never really know with Epel. He might outlive all of us lol He’ll definitely try to avoid killing anyone or getting himself killed. He’ll also yell in his dialect during trials…

Idia – Ultimate Inventor/Hacker. God he’d be insufferable and amazing, he’d be such a big help during both the investigations and the trials. But sometimes he would be the pain in the ass, provoking everyone instead of helping because he is pissed and done and honestly quite scared about this whole thing. He is going to be a suspect of Ortho’s murder (someone kicked the robot down the stairs or whatever) and then we’ll get confused because well technically Idia did kill Ortho at some point, and then we’ll get their depressing backstory, and then we’ll feel super bad for Idia, and then we’ll find the true culprit, but Idia would honestly feel like dying himself, until Ortho (he’s an AI he can’t really die…) stops him. So yeah basically ch6 lol I hope Idia survives until the end…

Ortho – Ultimate AI and boy oh boy are we doing to get some bullshit about him being both dead and alive at the same time. Because he could get killed pretty early-on but he’ll still be around as an AI inside the computers… He could also try to kill someone in a way that would free Idia from the game, but that wouldn’t work.

Lilia – Ultimate Prankster (real: Ultimate General). He actually graduated a long time ago, and he definitely knows more about the game than the others do, but for some reasons he doesn’t share this knowledge. Maybe he wants the younglings to come to their own conclusions. He’ll definitely die in the middle of the game (or closer to the end?), but while he’s a part of the game, he’ll participate in the trials and be quite helpful.

Malleus – Ultimate Prince (or King). Leona is probably pissed about this one lol He is definitely the one who suggested to just destroy the whole place and escape, and is always the first one to get confused when he’s being told that there is no “brute strength” way to get out of the game. He’s not going to kill anyone, and he’s not going to let anyone touch him, so he is just enjoying the amusing situation, while also being kind of pissed about being treated that way. He doesn’t like Monokuma very much.

Silver – Ultimate Knight. His and Sebek’s Ultimates are pretty similar, but I guess Silver’s more about the Code of Honor of sorts, and Sebek’s more about protecting his liege. I want Silver to survive until the end, but he could be murdered at some point, probably trying to protect some other person.

Sebek – Ultimate Guard. Super anxious, super mad all the time, super nervous and protective over Malleus. He is even worse than his usual self, because the situation is too desperate. He could kill someone on accident and get horrified not because he’s about to get executed but because he wouldn’t be able to protect Malleus anymore… And you’d think he’d confess immediately just to save Malleus from failing the trial, but why is he hesitating to die like this?..

[bots-and-cons]

Hello. I'm hoping you don't mind my request, in the case you're busy. I really like your writing and I was hoping you would like this scenario enough to be interested in it.

I imagine a new human, who has a symbiote in theirself (symbiote reader) and they try to hide the truth from anyone for a long time.

But one day, the bots find out accidentally when symbiote reader was showing their symbiote form to self defense from bad guys (some kind MECH).

I just want to see all the autobot and the trio will react about it

The writing would mean a lot to me

Thank you!

Have a good day!

😊😊😊

I’m glad you like my writing. I decided to do HCs since I did so many characters and it's just easier that way. I didn’t do all bots, because I didn’t feel like it, but oh well. I recently rewatched the Venom movies, but that’s pretty much the extent of my knowledge on the whole symbiote thing

•You wanted to keep your symbiote hidden, because you knew it could get you into a fuck ton of trouble

•Especially because the symbiote is very chaotic, and hungry all the time, which leads to a lot of head eating and disappearing dark chocolate

•The bots, especially Arcee and Optimus have noticed your tendency to talk to yourself

•Which is of course not you talking to yourself, it’s you talking to your symbiote

•Also the quick “shut up”s that you tend to hiss, have garnered some attention

•Ratchet is the one most worried for your mental health, because honestly, it doesn’t sound very good that you’re talking to yourself, or to nonexistent things and shit like that

•Optimus is also worried, and he has been keeping an eye on you, but he hasn’t really said much

•When you finally have to defend yourself from the M.E.C.H guys, and the symbiote takes over, the bots almost get into a bit of trouble, because they’re so shocked they almost stop fighting

•None of the bots mean you harm, but they can’t deny they’re pretty damn surprised about what the hell just happened

•You all return to the base and then the questions start, and there are a lot of them

•Such as “What in the name of Primus was that?” “Are you an alien?” which is kinda rich coming from literal aliens

•The alien question came from Bee, which got a little laugh out of you, but you answered anyway

•You told him the symbiote was an alien yes, and that it needed a human host

•Arcee asked if you were a host willingly, and when you said, not at first, she got a bit of an odd expression on her face, you weren’t sure if it was disdain or something else

•When you explain the whole thing with the symbiote basically keeping you alive because it wrecks your organs at the same time, Ratchet insisted you let him do a scan of you

•Everyone else was in agreement too, because they all want you to be okay

•The kids are in awe, especially Miko and Raf, because it’s just like in the comics they’ve read

•Jack is pretty damn amazed too of course

•There’s also some divide with what to tell Fowler, because you and your little symbiote friend are not known to the government

•You let Optimus decide, because you feel like you can trust his judgment and he decides it’s probably better to keep your symbiote hidden

•Bulkhead along with Bee is probably the most chill about the whole thing, and when you say there’s nothing to worry about, they’re the ones who believe it the most

[chainoftalent]

A,,Any chance of a Yandere Profile for Kokichi?? 👉👈 👀

Have I really not done one for Kokichi? I could have sworn I did, probably just remembering somebody else's.

Kokichi Yandere Profile

What are they generally like? Lucid, aware? Obsessive? How do they behave?

Kokichi is very aware of what he's doing, as the Ultimate Supreme Leader he can't afford to not be aware of everything he does and thinks. He knows full well he's obsessive and he needs to be careful, he just doesn't think it's anyone's business.

How likely are they to kidnap their darling? How quickly will they do so?

Solidly depends on how much you give back to him, if you try and pull away from him, or don't like him, and he can't change your mind and make you stay then you're being taken to a secondary location. However if you're friendly, kind to him, listen to him, spend a lot of time with him, and put him above basically everyone then he's more likely to let you be more free range.

How difficult is it to escape from them? How do they keep you restrained? How do they deal with attempted escape? 

You're not escaping from Kokichi, at first you've only got minor restraints to make things easier on everyone, but Kokichi's done this rodeo like 9 times before he's gotten to you he knows what he's doing. He knows how to escalate and punish that best work, while he might be more forgiving of the first few escapes as that's just nature, that doesn't mean he'll ever let you fully get away with it, he won't look weak in front of you, not when he needs you to accept him as your leader. Plus getting out means getting past DICE and while they may empathize from their own experiences in your place they won't help you leave.

How easy are they to trick, deceive, or manipulate?

HA. HA HA HA HA. It's KOKICHI, and you've got his ATTENTION, good fucking luck you'll NEED IT.

How lenient are they? What privileges can you have, and what will you be denied?

He's used to this like I've stated before, he knows how to straddle this line. You'll have your own room with a connected bathroom though no windows, at the start its mostly just a long ankle chain that gives enough movement to move around and to the bathroom without issue or help. This also lets you shower and do personal grooming without his help, unless he wants to help you to further your affection for him by brushing your hair or doing your makeup. Your food and clothes are all supplied by Kokichi's whims, but you'll often have multiple options unless you've earned a punishment. Though you may wish he took a bit more privileges when you find out he's fully intending to make you exercise to stay healthy in your room, he is making you do jumping jacks with a chain around your leg, what the hell dude.

You wont be able to leave your room without him being there, or go online, or know the time. You won't even be able to guess because food seemingly comes randomly and with no real pattern to how long it feels. He's fully intending to confuse you on how long its been. He's found its easier if most things for them are normal as usual with a few key things to throw them off and keep them from being fully comfortable without Kokichi. Conditioning, not just for your hair!

What kind of rules do they have? What kind of punishment would they use?

You have to follow DICE rules, but beyond that you have to listen to him, not be stupid, not give anyone outside him or DICE too much attention, don't try to escape, don't tell anyone, tell Kokichi the truth always unless it's funny.

Punishments are usually more mental then physical, nagging you for failing and how disappointed he is, along with a removal of things you like from your room. Say goodbye to the PS5!

How do they deal with rivals, or perceived rivals? Will they get rid of them? Will they kill them themselves, or find another way?

Even as a yandere, DICE's no kill rule stands strong. He won't maim rivals, just bother them until they can't take it anymore. Legos everywhere, needles in shoes, stealing their credit card, it's a death of a thousand cuts.

How easy is it to make them mad? What does their anger look like?

Not easy, it's easy to make them pretend to be upset and guilt trip the hell out of you. Actually mad though takes quite some time or hitting very specific buttons. Kokichi has a bit of a temper though, so when he does get angry he gets VERY angry, and the only reason he doesn't hurt you is he has enough of control of himself to leave the room slamming the door behind him. Do not push him past that.

Do they see you as above them, beneath them, or equal to them?

Beneath you but in an affectionate way, a new beloved minion.

How determined are they for you to love them? How hard will they try to make it happen? Or are they content just having you?

Very determined, you will love them, you will join DICE, you will be his heart and soul, he will have your loyalty.

Bonus: Is there anything that makes them unique, in comparison to other yanderes?

The fact he's capable of maintaining multiple obsessions, all of DICE is his obsession and he can and will find new people to obsess over while still obsessing over you and the rest of DICE.

General perverseness: how sexual of a person are they? What’s their drive like? How touchy do they get? Do they have any reservations about sexuality?

Very low sex drive and honestly very little interest in it, asexual king. If you were into it he doesn't mind being your stone top, but beyond that? Eh.

How forceful are they? Do they care about your willingness?

Not interested unless you are, so unless you want to roleplay that, he doesn't care to do anything like that

What sort of kinks or fetishes do they have, or would they fill?

If you are going to have him fuck you or just do nonsexual kink, he's really into things that don't involve a mess and a show of dominance. Things like Shibari, or Collars, or Human Furniture. His most intense one is body modification stuff though, you let him pierce your ears and put in earrings he chose and he is going to be paying INTENSE attention to you with wide blown out eyes.

How do they feel about pregnancy or babies? Do they want them?

Not overly interested, it's already busy around DICE headquarters, maybe when he's older he might want a few kids with the members of DICE who can have kids

What kind of (nsfw) punishments would they use?

They wouldn't unless you were someone like Miu, if you were like Miu then he is going to edge the hell out of you.

What body parts of their darling do they like the most?

Kokichi likes hands, how clever, quick, and sleek they are. He also really enjoys powerful lean legs, he's very much into traits that make you good at crime.

[appalachianapologies]

Alrighty, how about "another wip don't fucking @ me"?

Okay so for this WIP I had to go through and reread to see what exactly I was getting at because it's years old at this point and could not actually remember what it was for/what I was going for. It looks to me like it was some sort of timeline where Mac and Jack met under different circumstances (I say, knowing full well that that is nearly every single AU that I write lmao) and are in the process of finding each others' footing (ALSO the same thing I rewrite over and over again)

Here are some words from it!

“You know, you really don’t have to follow me everywhere. Just saying.”

“I kinda do.”

“You kinda don’t,” Mac counters, before turning his full attention to the keyhole in the door. After a bit of jiggling, he mutters, “It’d be easier if I just lock picked my way in.”

Even though Mac isn’t looking at Jack, he can almost feel the older man’s eye roll. “Alright, c’mon, give it here. You youngins don’t know how to open doors.”

“Youngins? I-” For his own sake, Mac cuts himself off when Jack’s able to open it on the first try.

Ignoring his smug look, Mac snatches the key back as he walks in the door. The house looks like what Mac expected it to. Same thing in the pictures, including all of the furniture.

Jack whistles behind him. “Good lookin’ stuff here, huh? And all for free?”

“It was grandpa Harry’s,” Mac replies, carefully walking, as if disturbing the dust will somehow ruin the house. “And my dad never had it. Harry was my mom’s dad, so he never offered it to him. He lived in it until he, um, you know, had to take care of me.”

Nodding along, Jack takes in the house. Not the same way as Mac though. It takes a few seconds of ‘overwatch watching’ for Mac to even realize what he’s doing. Hecking the place. Scanning to make sure that there aren’t any decade old assailants who have been biding their time in the shadows.

Mac’s chest flops, and he doesn’t know why.

“So, anyway,” He suddenly announces, feeling far more awkward about the whole ordeal than before, “The place isn’t liveable yet. The plumbing probably needs to be changed, and the house itself might be old enough to still have lead pipes, which, you know, isn’t really ideal. And it’s a toss-up on whether or not the hvac system works, but I don’t really like those odds.”

“And you’re gonna fix it up?”

Mac sends him a look. “Yeah? Who else?”

“Professionals, maybe? You know, the guys who do this all the time?”

Shrugging, Mac replies, “It’ll be a good challenge. Besides, it’s not like I have anything else going on.”

“School?”

The single worded question hangs in the air for a few moments, before Mac turns his back. It’s been assumed, sure, but he hasn’t actually told anyone yet. “I’m not going to graduate.”

[cartooncreature]

There are no signs whatsoever that cars exist in the bugbo universe and despite this I’m making car related / driving headcannons cause fuck you. >:D

Bugbo

He is always driving exactly. the speed limit.

Not a digit over or under.

And he never accelerates or breaks, the car just. is. in the state he wants it to be.

Everyone in the car has to be buckled up, sitting straight forward, feet on the floor, or the car isn’t moving.

(Fights have broken out because of this, usually between him and Hoppo)

He says it’s for safety

(knowing him it’s prolly a power trip thing)

There is no music. Dead silence. Even the wind outside seems quieter

And in the off chance there is music, there’s no lyrics and it’s probably some shit like

“Kahoot Question Music 1 Hour Loop”

And it’s so quiet you can’t even recognize what it is.

If you try to talk to him he’ll respond in short, almost snippy responses

If you keep trying he’ll eventually just point blank say “You know, it’s not very safe or polite to distract the driver.”

Unless he likes you, somehow, then he might have a short conversation with you.

He does the same when he’s a passenger, but to a lesser degree

He’s usually the one who dictates who drives, and, for some reason, he picks Joe a lot.

(Joe doesn’t mind, he likes driving :>)

Hoppo has accused him of being scared of driving before, which he did not take kindly to.

Gerbo

He tends not to drive since cars don’t fit his… build.

He’s all legs, cars aren’t made that way

But in the case that he does, he’d probably drive really slow, mostly out of caution

He most definitely is scared of driving (but Hoppo isn’t gonna say anything to him)

Which isn’t much of an issue considering they probably have the only car on globe

Like that one Yo Gabba Gabba episode

Music wise, I’m not sure

Everyone infantilizes him so much, it drives me crazy

Y’all aren’t listening to Baby Shark 10hr loop

Maybe once for the hype

BUT THATS IT

He probably would listen to more upbeat music,

I have a very limited taste in music and I don’t think he’d like any of my music (It’s all about drugs and wanting to eat the rich or it’s Jack Stauber)

Actually he’d maybe like some Jack Stauber music! Like maybe Buttercup and songs along those lines! His more happy sounding music?

Idk other people with different/better music taste tell me what you think

He doesn’t mind conversation while he’s driving. In fact, I think he likes it!

He likes the casual small talk type conversations, and if they lead into deeper conversations that’s even better!

He offers to drive anytime, but it’s usually either Bugbo or Joe driving, not that he minds. (Please don’t make him drive)

(He does prefer it when Joe drives, but he’d never say it, especially not to bugbo)

Gradient Joe

He’d probably drive the most

He’s the one most… built? for a car?

He tries to drive the speed limit but he might get distracted and speed up or slow down a little

So like, typical driving? I guess?

His music would likely also be more instrumental, mostly because it is a bit easier to focus

And he’s probably driving everyone around, so he’s gonna need some help focusing

But also when it does have lyrics, y’all can fight me on this but I bet he’d like love songs

Like, this isn’t a “omg he’s a romantic he wants to kiss everyone and marry everyone omgggg” thing, more of a like,

Everything is so- rough? All the time?

I mean, he got shoved face fucking first down a mystery hole that was who knows how deep, then guilted into running for mayor with no prep, and then whitenesses a murder, all in around 48 hours

Everything is so fast paced and bright and so much all the time

And love songs are usually much softer, calmer, sweeter

It’s a little moment of peace, you know? Even if it’s just a little distraction before Bugbo ropes him into another wildly overwhelming adventure

Anyway woah car headcannons hi this is what we’re here for jfc

He kinda prefers it to be a little quieter too

(And I think bugbo might, in one of his brief moments of kindness, remind the others to be quieter so he can focus)

If it’s just him and one other person, he might substitute music for listening to them talk

Even if he can’t respond, he likes to nod along and give other people a little break too. Just let them get things off their chest, yk?

I bet he also likes to drive because it is a little tiny bit of control within this chaos ridden mess of a universe.

Why is this one so long? Where did all the gradient joe angst come from? What the hell?

Hoppo

She doesn’t drive often either

Not because she’s built more bug like and so it’s a little awkward for her, she makes that work.

She doesn’t drive because the others won’t let her.

She is driving at least 15 over the speed limit on a “safe” day

Hits curbs like they spat at her grandma

Probably has at least one leg propped up in the seat at all times

only one hand on the wheel

Music. Is. BLASTING.

Marina, Scene Queen, Mother Mother, Sir Chloe, Girl in Red, Penelope Scott, Hemlock Springs, Mitski, Chrissy Chlapecka, Kiki Rockwell, and the occasional Lemon Demon

She has a playlist called “songs to piss bugbo off”

And she’s just casually chatting with whoever is in the front seat while the car shakes from the bass in these songs

Bugbo doesn’t let her drive because he knows she’s doing her best to piss him off

Joe doesn’t let her drive out of pure fear

Gerbo, ironically, is usually in the front seat because he minds her driving the least

If it was just her and Gerbo or Joe she’d prolly tone it down some, maybe at least turn the music down

But if Bugbo is within five miles, you best believe Pink Rover is gonna be shaking the ground he stands on like an earthquake

She’s pretty much the same as a passenger. If Bugbo is driving she’s being obnoxious and goofy, if it’s anyone else she will tone it down some

If Bugbo’s not around she’ll tone it down a lot, maybe just chatting and laughing

(Let me make it clear, she doesn’t dislike bugbo, in fact quite the opposite. But that’s another headcannon for another day)

Thomas Flyswatter

He has the only other car on globe

(I can’t decide if it’s the helicopter he used and it just doubles as a car or if this bitch just has like a Honda civic parked behind his lair)

Driving wise, he’s similar to Joe

Generally pretty typical, though depending on his mood he might speed quite a bit

He rarely, rarely has anyone else in his car

If you even see his car he trusts you a lot

If he drives you around you might as well be besties

Or he pities you (which if this man is pitying you you’ve gotta get your life in check bestie cause holy shit-)

The music he plays depends on his mood and who he’s with

If hes in a villainy “I’m gonna go do evil things mwah ha ha >:D” he’s listening to Toby Fox (and y’all cannot convince me otherwise)

If he’s in a more relaxed mood he, too, may listen to Jack Stauber (probably different than the songs Gerbo would listen to though, some similarities tho) and Definitely some Will Wood

If you are his absolute bestie, like he trusts you with his life, he may, if you’re lucky, break out the broadway music, but only if you’re very lucky

He may be a little quiet at first, but if whoever he’s driving around starts a conversation with him he’ll talk

And also if he’s not talking he’s subconsciously lip syncing because I’m projecting stfu

He also hits curbs a lot

[uddermyname]

can we get a top, bottom, switch list? i'm curious to see what dynamics you see with the twst cast.

i just assume them all being roughly 17 that they're all so horny and willing to experiment with anything it doesn't matter. these are high school age boys we're talking about. a hole is a hole. i firmly believe they've all used magic to jerk off till they go blind for the day

ace - my baseline for the cast. the closest to being straight in the entire world. imagines himself topping and daydreams of doing it with a girl but i mean he's likely ended up on the bottom of the ass hierarchy but idk if he'd like it more than topping

deuce - like his mom told him that to get a baby you have sex but i don't think she went into detail so i don't think deuce knows too much. his best trait is his inexperience after all but he still cranks it like a regular boy. he would go for top cuz he doesn't know there's other ways and he can rut someone like a pig but he'd be down for bottoming cuz it's now a challenge. lifts legs spreads ass yelling bring it on before his back gets blown out. he has a slapable ass thank u track club deuce card

trey - a normal guy with a perfectly normal life. he's probs considered the aspect of bottoming but since he's a bit taller and i headcanon less flexible he doesn't think it'll be for him. only if the right guy comes along. i think he's more aware of what he's okay with being the sensible guy so tops more

cater - two older sisters and constantly moving has probably made him a master at the two minute wank. maybe being on his own for the first time has allowed his freak to fly. wants to actually enjoy the act. has tons of colorful toys and good recommendations. likes his hair tugged

riddle - guy is so pent up the second he touched his weewee as a kid his mom scolded him so hard he's certain if he ever saw it erect his mom would cut it off. the kind to hump his pillow and then get an ulcer from hiding it. fandom sees him as a huge bottom which he is but with azul i like to see him be the top simply cuz i make azul the bigger bottom a la bias. the guy's had it rough. let him have a little bussy. as a treat. like. 98% bottom 2% top with azul

leona - probably bottoms more than people think and is a pillow princess about it. either make him cum or leave him alone. if he tops tho you're not walking right. only cool kids can touch it tho

jack - has a knot because yeah. since he's big like trey probs always assumed he'd be on top but i think out of respect he'd let leona and/or ruggie do him

ruggie - i feel it started early. selling his mouth out for food or money and only progressed through school. more of a bottom cuz of it tho i feel might've dreamed of topping leona only to get violently corrected. i thing he'd like to top just a little more but most guys want to be the top so he just bends over and gives you his rates

azul - tho i like bottom azul more than the blue in the sky i will also admit he and the twins are deplorable freaks who have tried every hole, position, and fantasy they could physically get away with. he's slid his mackerel inside which is a pretty high honor tbh. ends up bottoming just cuz he's stretchiest and squishiest and his bussy is top tier. i don't think he's had his virginity since he was 12. would probably love to top riddle tho and show him the joys of the flesh

jade and floyd - puts them together because it's basically the same: whatever gets them the nut. topping is just easier for it but if azul's busy or they're feeling that special brotherly connection only brothers can then someone's gotta bottom

kalim - i feel he just orgies all day every day so something's going in and out from every hole like the dorm bike. topping and bottoming are more like constraints when after all everyone can feel good together

jamil - a guy who wants to top but is made to bottom his entire life his dickus has never once entered another body. it's funnier like that. i bet if he ever did get get the chance he'd automatically get himself ready to bottom cuz of muscle memory. the only guy who offered to bottom for him was azul and his balls shriveled away in protest

epel - wants to top. has not topped. will never top. MAYBE jack, as a present for his birthday i guess but his meat isn't getting past those cheeks. vil f/ucks him daily both physically and mentally to keep him in his place.

rook - my perception of rook was altered thanks to hent/ai so it's more gratifying to see him bottom. like he can probably top easily but there's something fun about making him the prey instead of the predator. would bottom for the beautiful vil and niege

vil - lol sorry pibbles but vil feels funner as a top. commanding others to suck and take it is fun. has trained rook and epel on his dong and many others. tho of course finds no issue with bottoming either just not the 100% uke idea

idia - freakass has ruined every hole with technology and homemade masturbatory aids. his personality is very submissive but he's got a pretty big ego and i feel he'd slip into the protag-he/ntai enthusiast easily and prefer topping but really wants to live out every single nhen/tai comic he has bookmarked which is in the thousands. tops for azul cuz someone has to and that ass is too thick not to

ortho - he can do it all. the tightest snatch reduce your stick to atoms like a coinpresser or a dong wider than a horse's. idk who he'd do it with but he's prepared for every scenario with equal enthusiasm he just likes seeing the other party happy

lilia - has probs done more war crimes and noncons than you think but grandpa's joints are old and prefers bottoming now. feel similar to venti of being a cute femboy but then whips out a massive hog and teaches you a lesson of not underestimating your elders

silver - idk about him much frankly but if hes just going to lay there sleeping then he's just asking for it. sleeping beauty time

sebek - despite his size and strength probably has saved his v-card for malleus and malleus alone in which he will most likely bottom. idk about him either

malleus - has been served v-cards on a silver platter and lilia likely taught him a thing or two but idk if the prince of briar valley's even been the one taken to poundtown. i know leona would want to take him but if yuu asked really nicely i think he'd allow it too

[huffle-dork]

Swap Across the CrystalVerse Chapter 10: Shadow City

Read Swapboys | Crystal’s AUs

Read SITCV | SATCV Masterpost | AO3 Link

“—so it's not just ghosts," Jack says. He's spent the past few minutes explaining the state of this universe to Bro, about the vampires and werewolves and witches in the city. "But don't worry, it's usually pretty safe in Scuabyrg. There's this group called the Night Council—well, there's one in most major cities, but the point is they're basically the government for all these secret creatures. They make sure people don't get hurt. Everydays, as they call the normal humans. I dunno if you'd count as one in their eyes. I do, even though I have a 'special power' or whatever." 

The car is driving steadily down the near-empty city streets, keeping after one of the magic trails. Said trail is getting steadily more blue. 

Bro nods along and hums, “I dunno- my brother is always telling me my powers are like magic. So- don’t really know if I’d count as an everyday, I guess.”

Chase leans in from the backseat. "I'm pretty new to all this magic stuff, but personally, I think you're a special case. Witches here have, like... rules to follow to get and use magic, so you're not one of them. And you're clearly not a vampire or anything." 

"Hmm." Jack nods. "Yeah, Chase is right. You'd probably be something special. Your friends might be, too. Maybe. Do they use magic? I don't remember if you've told me." 

"Alt does!" Bro says with a smile, "He's all about magic. It's become like one of his favorite things- but I think he's pretty good at it. Jackie is human. Fucking great lad though- he's a parkourist! And like the best dad i know~ .... but that doesn't really have anything to do with being special magic." He laughs.

"Ah, parkour?! Hell yeah, fucking great." Jack grins. 

"I did parkour when I was in uni," Chase says. "I mean... sort of. We didn't really know any parkour moves, we really just jumped around. I'm honestly surprised I didn't die, looking back on it. I did fuck up my ribs, though." 

"Whoa, hey!" Jack raises his eyebrows. The magic trail they're following is joined by a second one. "Your trails are merging together, other Chase." 

"Does that mean that Alt and Jackie have met up?" Chase asks.

Bro leans up to look better and then grins, "Huh! I guess so! Well- that makes things way easier!"

“Do you think they found some of our friends, too?” Chase wonders. 

“Maybe,” Jack says. “I hope they weren’t too scared.”

"My friends? Nah- they're tough lads. ...well Jackie maybe but- I'm sure he's fine." Bro snickers. "I'm assuming your friends are also like- supernatural things too?" 

Jack grins. “If he’s as tough as our Jackie, you’re probably right.” Then he nods. “Yeah. Jackie’s a werewolf, Schneep and JJ are vampires, and Marvin is… well, sort of a creature. He’s a witch.” 

“He’s been helping with the whole… how did I die thing,” Chase says.

"Oh! Dude- that's wicked." Bro grins. "We don't have things like that at home! I mean, besides magic- I'm guessing witches are pretty similar to magicians-"

"Probably!" Jack agrees. "We have different types of witches here, depending on where they draw their power from. Plants or earth magic are probably the most common sources, but with practice, people can learn to draw power from anything. Death, breathing, the fucking... concept of chaos itself. And then there are spells and rituals to do their magic." 

"It's pretty interesting," Chase says. "But sometimes a bit hard to follow. I'm not good with all this magic stuff, I think." 

"Oh neither am I- Alt's the one that gets it the most. I'm just there to support him- even if I don't understand a lick of it sometimes." Bro laughs.

"I'm with you guys, too," Jack says. "All I know is magic is the sparkly stuff. Usually. Unless it's darkness magic." He chuckles. 

The car turns a street corner, and the headlights shine on an unusual sight. A large brown wolf is running down the street. 

"Whoa!" Jack slams on the brakes, causing him and Bro to lurch forward. Chase stays where he is. "Okay, there they are!" 

Behind the wolf are several other people. 

Bro catches himself on the dashboard and shakes out of his head. His eyes widen as he sees the wolf. "Oh- that's a biggg wolf!" 

Then, he sees the familiar spark of Alt's magic and he grins. "Hey!" He gets out of the car and then uses some of his super speed and flying to grab Alt and scoops him off the ground into a hug. "Alt!" 

Alt yelps and then squirms in the hug. "Chase! Jesus- why do you always tackle me??" 

"Cuz what if you were in danger and just really needed a hug?" Bro says defensively but with a teasing edge. "Can't a big bro be worried for his lil brotherrr~?" 

Alt rolls his eyes and pushes Bro's face away as he glitches out of his grip. 

The wolf skids to a halt, looking at Bro flying in comical shock. 

"Whoa!" Marvin jumps. "Wow. Jeez." He takes a moment to get his breath back. "Was not expecting... the flying." 

Alt, you didn't mention that, JJ says. 

"Or the speed," Schneep says. Unlike Marvin, he and JJ are not breathing heavily. 

Alt blinks, "I swore we said he was a superhero-" 

"Yeah but I only mentioned he could fly with Schneep and other me." Jackieboy pants, also out of breath. 

"I'm full of surprises!" Bro says cheerfully. "Hi everyone! I'm Chase- but you guys can call me Bro so other me doesn't get confused!" 

Jack opens the car door. "Hey guys." 

"Hello, Jack," Schneep says cheerfully. "I see you found someone!" 

"Yeah, he showed up in our house. He freaked Chase out, and then Chase freaked him out. Oh, Chase came with, by the way." 

And yet, Chase is not visible in the backseat. 

Bro laughs as Jack tells the others of their encounters, "Oh yeah he scared the beejesus out of me! But, he's pretty cool!" He then blinks and looks around, "Oh uh- where did he go??" 

"What is he like- invisible or something?" Jackieboy jokes. 

Jackie shifts back from wolf form slowly. He winces, pressing a hand to the worst of his burns. "I know you're kidding, but yeah, Chase can do that. He disappears. Actually, more accurate to say he appears, because invisible is the default state for--" 

"Ohhhh," Schneep says slowly. "Chase, you do not want to shock them, do you?" 

A voice comes from just outside the car. "Yeah, I think you guys should explain, first." 

"Right, yeah, we never mentioned that, did we?" Marvin says. "Uh... Chase is a ghost."

Alt and Jackie exchange looks and then look back at the others. 

"Like... because he...?" Alt asks quietly, afraid to say the whole sentence. 

"Y-Yes but- not in the way you two must be thinking. They're actually trying to find out why it happened cuz other me doesn't remember! But, he's really chill!" Bro explains with a shaky smile. 

"Oh... well-" Jackieboy says, "at least we know. It's okay, Chase, you don't need to hide."

"Are you sure?" Chase asks. "People get really freaked out." 

"Better to just rip the plaster off, I think," Jackie says, shrugging. 

"Real quick explanation," Jack says. "Ghosts still have the sign of their death on them, especially if they were killed. So you're going to see some blood. And sometimes parts of them don't appear, they just fade away." 

Come on, Chase, I'm sure it's fine, JJ says. 

"...okay." And then Chase appears, slowly fading in. He looks just like he did when Bro first saw him. 

"Oh, fucking hell!" Marvin jumps. "Eyes, Chase, the eyes!" 

"God damn it. Sorry." Chase blinks, and his eyes appear as well.

Alt and Jackie do jump a bit at seeing the eyes. But, they try their best to calm down. Though, they look at Chase's wound with trepidation. Not as much as Bro had when he first saw though. 

"T-Thanks for the warning guys," Jackie says. "Nice to meet you, other Chase." 

"Yeah- for sure," Alt says, looking a bit spooked still but trying to hide it. It's just- hard seeing the splitting image of your brother... dead.

Chase smiles shakily. "Nice to meet you, too. Weird to see a shorter version of Jackie." 

"...Am I that much shorter??" Jackieboy asks, looking at his other self. 

"Yeah, sorry." Jackie is about half a head taller than his counterpart. "Don't feel bad about it, you get a growth spurt when you turn into a werewolf, I'm pretty sure I was your height before that." 

"Fucking! Magic bullshit!" Jackieboy cries, throwing his hands up in the air. Bro and Alt laugh. 

Then Chase looks at Alt. "So... you're my brother in another universe? That probably explains your expression. Don't worry, I'm used to people freaking out." 

"You get used to it," Jack says, leaning back against the car seat. "I've seen ghosts all my life, they're freaky, but mostly harmless." 

"Gee, thanks," Chase says.

Alt flushes a bit and gives him a weak smile. "Uh... yeah sorry- just... hard to see. But, not your fault." 

"He's not freaky! He's cool!" Bro says, putting his hands on his hips.

Chase laughs, the sound strange and echoey. "Thanks, Bro. That does make me feel better." 

"So." Marvin folds his arms. "Now that we're all together, we have to find that Magnificent guy." 

"How bad is this guy, anyway?" Jack asks. 

"He almost burned down the Harvest Moon," Schneep states. 

"...he's pretty fucking bad," Alt mutters, "Now that he knows there's magic around... he's gonna be looking for a source of it."

Marvin bragged earlier that he's the most powerful witch in the city, JJ says, Marvin smiling behind him as he signs it. And that means Magnificent might go after him? 

"There are a lot of witches around, though, right?" Chase says. 

"I know there are quite a few in the hospital," Schneep says. "To help with magical injuries." 

"The most magic in the city would probably be at City Hall or the library," Jack says. "City Hall is where the Night Council meets, so there's sure to be a lot of witches there. And the library has a secret stock supply of magical texts."

"He'd go to a place with more magicians... he drains people of their magic to use for himself," Alt says darkly. "He doesn't care who he has to hurt to get it." 

"Maybe... he got pretty beat up by those wolves in the pub though," Jackie points out. 

"Oh really? Fuck yeah!" Bro grins.

"Hell yeah!" Jackie punches the air. "We're great, aren't we? That's my pack! Heartwoods 7 for the win!" 

Bro and Jackieboy laugh at Jackie's enthusiasm.

Schneep rolls his eyes and looks at the visitors from the other world. "Heartwoods is the name of an apartment complex. Floor 7 is all werewolves, it's one big pack that Jackie's a part of. He's really excited about it." 

"Of course I am, they're like, my best friends," Jackie says. 

"Should I be offended?" Jack mutters. 

"Besides you guys." 

"Aaaanyway," Marvin says. "I say we check out the library first. City Hall has witches, but it has wolves and vamps, too. The library is pretty much only witches. Or, I mean, the secret section is. Anyone can go to the library itself." 

Much easier to get into the library, too, JJ adds.

Alt nods to Marvin and JJ, "Yeah... that's a good place to start at least. ...I'll know when we find him."

"Alright... everyone who can't teleport, get in, then," Jack says, indicating the car. "We'll meet the rest of you there."

"Yay! No more running!" Jackieboy cheers, happily heading towards the car. 

Bro pouts, remembering he shouldn't be flying. "Okayyy back to the car-" 

Alt can't help but snicker- knowing Bro hated how slow cars were too. "Don't worry bro, I'm sure the time will just fly by~" 

"Yer so mean to me!"

"It's gonna be a tight fit," Jackie says. "That comes out to... other me, Schneep, other Chase, Chase, and me." 

"Well I'm not really there," Chase says, passing his hand through the car as an example. 

"Yeah, but you do make things cold where you float." 

"It is not the cold I mind, it is the static electricity," Schneep mutters. 

"Chase, if you're okay with it, I can just summon you to the location," Marvin offers. 

Chase shrugs. "Fine by me. I can explore the city some more." 

Great, that means there's just enough seats for the rest of you, then, JJ says. 

"I call front," Jackie says, climbing into the passenger seat before anyone can object. 

"We're keeping the window rolled up," Jack says jokingly.

Bro and Jackieboy laugh and get inside the car. But, Bro makes sure to knock Alt in the shoulder playfully and give him a soft smile. "Don't do anything reckless until we get there, alright?" 

Alt chuckles and nods, "I'll try my best. See you guys soon."

"Everyone buckle up," Jack says. Then he puts the car in gear and drives off. 

Marvin looks at Alt. "Let's go, then." He holds out his hand for the teleportation. 

I'll see you there, JJ says, and walks into a shadow and disappears. 

Alt nods and takes Marvin's hand, glitching them towards the library. 

---------- 

Magnificent appears on a city street with tall buildings all around. Offices, it looks like. Some of their windows are lit up in whites and yellows as the late shift works, but many are dark. Street lights shine circles of white light on the sidewalk and road.

Magnificent staggers and leans up against the closest surface he can, biting back curses and he grips at his bitten arm. Fucking mutt...! He needs a power source... fast. He's running dangerously low... and he's ravenous. His eyes search around the area, trying to find the biggest source of magic around.

There are pockets of magic all over the city, all varied in the way they feel. There are a couple distant sources of powerful magic, but the closest source nearby seems to be on the street corner. Coming from what looks like a small restaurant or convenience store.

Magnificent is past the point of thinking rationally right now- he's in pain and starving. He stumbles into the store.

At first glance, it looks like a normal corner store, with various items on sale and rows of aisles with snacks and small items for sale. But it's an illusion. Magnificent can see the wares ripple, their images briefly falling away to show more fantastical things beneath them. Strange plants and bottles of glowing liquids and lots of crystals. Behind the counter is an older woman with red hair, a few white strands mixed in. She's a witch, and the magic in her burns as fiery as her hair does. 

"Oh, uh, welcome!" she says. "Um... can I help you?"

Magnificent chuckles deliriously and bares his fangs at the woman. "Why... yes, my dear. You can." He then teleports behind her and tries to grab her from behind, aiming to drain as much magic from her as possible.

The older woman gasps. She reaches into her pocket for something and her skin suddenly gets really hot, to the point of burning Magnificent. But--he still drains her. And she soon slumps over the counter unconscious. 

Magnificent hisses at the burn but- no consequence. He has magic flowing through him again. But- its still not enough.

"Ella, was that someone?" A man with black hair and a beard comes from a door behind the counter. He's magic too, this one feeling cloudy and electric. He sees the sight and gasps, pulling a wooden wand off a display hanging on the wall.

Like a vicious animal Magnificent turns towards the man, grinning wide as the light catches his unnatural eyes. In a flash he teleports so he's in front of the man, lashing out to grab his face and drain him too.

The man cries out, trying to aim the wand at Magnificent. A bolt of lightning fires from the tip but misses Mag by a hair, and soon he slumps as well.

Magnificent lets the man drop to the floor and then throws his head back with laughter. He studies his veins as they glow with stolen power- and he starts to feel more full. He giggles and feels more like himself. There was always room for more but for now, he's satiated. He hums as he now takes in the tiny store, lookin over the trinkets- searching for anything else of use. 

"Damn. Who pissed in your cornflakes this morning?" 

What the hell? The store had been empty before, but now, there's a man in the corner, lurking in the spot where a large shelf casts a shadow on the wall. He's dressed in all black, from the overlarge black leather jacket, to the black tank top with "Bite Me" written on it in red, to the black ripped skinny jeans, to the tall black boots whose soles lend him at least an inch of height. His hair is brown and messy, and his eyes are blue with a ring of green around the pupil. Silver rings cover his fingers, and his pale skin has a gray tint to it.

Magnificent freezes and then whips around, lighting his hands on fire as he growls towards the voice. He glares at the man, then stops, finding himself momentarily confused. "...Alt?" But he gets over his confusion quickly. His cub wouldn't dress like that. 

He stands up and regards the man coolly, but keeps magic at his fingertips. "...You look like someone I know, Who might you be?"

"I've gone by a lot of names," the man says, walking towards Magnificent. "These days I like Anti. Short and to the point. But now that you know me, I gotta know you. Who are you?" His eyes flick up and down, scanning Magnificent. "You look like a witch, even a witch I know, but there's no fucking way a witch can do that fucking shit." He gestures at the unconscious witches. 

Magnificent chuckles, "Of course you are." He shakes his head then holds himself taller, "I am Magnificent. I'm more than a mere witch. I'm a sorcerer from another universe."

Anti's eyebrows raise into the air. "Ohhhh. Okay, so you're either one of those crazy cult witches, or you're telling the truth and those crazy cult witches are right. But honestly, I'm gonna guess the second one. Cause again. What the fuck was that." He walks around Magnificent and starts checking out the unconscious witches.

Magnificent laughs, shaking his head. "Even simpleton mortals can guess true things, it seems." He glances at the bodies of the witches and grins wickedly. "I siphoned their power to use as my own. It's a crude method- I have a more elegant ritual back in my own world but... too little time to do that here." He grips at his injured arm again and growls, "Plus... the beasts made me waste power... I was too hungry. Fucking hate that feeling..."

Anti glances back at Magnificent, looking down at the injury on his arm. "Werewolves? Yeah, they fucking suck." He pointed at one of the shelves. "The bottles with green stuff inside are healing potions. You're lucky it's not a full moon, I doubt even sorcerers from other worlds are immune to lycanthropy."

Mag's eyes widen at this and he hurriedly teleports to the shelves and grabs the potions, downing them quickly.

They taste like lemonade with a weird plant-like taste mixed in. His arm starts to tingle around the injury, and his skin slowly starts knitting together. 

"Don't drink too many," Anti calls. "You'll get sick." He crouches down by the unconscious man, leaning in close to his neck. When he pulls away, he looks a little less pale than he did before, and there's a red substance on the inside of his lips that he licks off. He then stands up and watches Magnificent, curious.

Magnificent stops once he feels the wound close altogether and he flexes his arm to make sure its healed. He sighs in relief and then glances back at Anti. He tilts his head curiously, studying him back. "...You're a vampire." He then looks back down at Anti and snorts, "That would explain the fashion sense."

"Heh. Catch on quick." Anti smiles, flashing the fangs. "Most people think the fashion thing is just a gimmick I'm doing. Even if I was to tell them, they'd just be like 'yeah, sure kid, that's cute,' and not realize that I'm older than them and not joking." He leans back against the counter. "So. What're you doing here, then? If you're from a whole 'nother world?"

Magnificent laughs. He leans up against one of the walls, "Well... that's the thing. Usually when my annoyances prance into other universes I try to tag along but... this time I had no idea. And I still ended up in one. And now well... I won't look a gift horse in the mouth." He grins sinisterly, "So many worlds to see... magic to steal, copycats to kill. It's all too much fun to pass up~"

Anti nods. "Cool. So... annoyances? Lemme guess, there are other people from other worlds here too, and they hate you."

"Yes. A bunch of dirty do-gooders who thwart my plans constantly. A duo of brothers. And... well. The human they cart around. The brothers pose a significant threat but the human is useless."

"They always are," Anti agrees. "Alright. I know all that now. Are you gonna go try to find these guys and stop them? Maybe kill them?"

"Mmm... mayhaps. Usually I go to find my other self and drain them- especially since most have unique magic. And knowing my cub... he's probably already found him." Magnificent grins, "But of course- if there's a bigger source to steal or even control then... that will also do nicely~"

"Yeah, I think I know your other self. He's... an 'annoyance.'" Anti snickers. "So. Can I come?"

Magnificent blinks and then grins, "... I don't see why not. It might prove useful to have an ally so versed in this world~" He laughs.

"Hell yeah." Anti grins wide, stretching his arms above his head. "I was so bored. So where are we gonna go, Mag? You want a big source of magic? I know a couple." 

“Ideally yes.” Magnificent giggles. “And a bigger source means common knowledge.. meaning we’ll lead all our annoyances to one spot~!”

"Alright. In that case, we could go to City Hall, or to the library," Anti says. "Those are the two biggest spots. Tons of magical shit, a lot of witches go there. Library might be better, if we break into City Hall the whole Night Council is gonna show up, and I don't think we should start with something that fucking big."

“Hm… no. I already caused quite the scene in a pub earlier. As fun as it would be to take down something called the Night Council- I think subtly is best at first.” Magnificent chuckles. He then gestures at Anti. “Well then, Anti. Care to lead the way?”

"Fucking 'course, Mag." Anti flashed another fanged smile. "Hope you're fast." And with that, he ran out of the shop. 

Magnificent is not expecting him to just- run. But he does laugh and teleport after him.

------------- 

The public library is a big box of a building, with a pair of stone statues out in front. One depicts a woman with bird wings--an angelic figure--and the other depicts a creature with large bat wings--some sort of gargoyle. There are benches out front, too, and it's here where Marvin, JJ, and Alt wait for the others. 

"Hang on a moment," Marvin says, tracing a circle on the ground with a stick and drawing some weird squiggly lines inside. The ground isn't soft, and the end of the stick isn't marked, but his movements still leave behind black lines. "I gotta summon Chase."

Alt glitches closer and watches curiosity, tilting his head. “…never seen a ghost summoning before.”

"It might be different in your world, if a way exists at all," Marvin says. "But here it's pretty simple if you're a witch. You just gotta draw these runes along the edges and the radiuses...radia? Radi? I dunno. And then in the center you write down the runes symbolizing who you're calling. It's easier for stronger spirits, and Chase is probably the strongest spirit I've ever seen. Weirdly so. That's why I think some necromancy bullshit went down with his death." 

Alt blinks in surprise, “Really? That strong huh? Hm… yeah that’s… hm.” 

Marvin pulls his mask down over his face and taps the circle three times. On the third, the black lines light up. Marvin chants something in Irish. "An dtiocfaidh spiorad Chase Brody amach." A beam of light shoots up from the center of the circle, and ghost Chase slowly fades into existence.

Alt glitches a bit at the beam of light and then smiles as Chase appears.

Chase steps out of the beam of light--though maybe it's more like 'drifts' out--and looks around. "Been a while since I've been here," he says. "Y'know, libraries are great. I never really thought about it before." 

Alt looks back at the library and smiles, “Libraries are great. Good place to go if you need someplace warm too.”

Marvin swipes his foot across the edge of the circle. "Hey, Chase." 

"Hey." Chase leaves the circle through the bit Marvin cleared--it must have been working as a barrier. "Hi Alt. Hi JJ." 

Alt grins and waves too, “Yo~!”

JJ smiles and waves. Good to see you. We still have some time until the others reach here. 

"Oooo, y'know what we could do, then?" Marvin pulls out a deck of cards in a clear plastic case.

Alt blinks at Marvin and then grins excitedly and glitches to be next to him on the bench. “Tarot reading!!”

“Exactly!” Marvin says excitedly. 

“Oooo,” Chase says, sounding very much like a stereotypical ghost. “I’ve never seen you do one.” 

I suppose we did have some downtime after all, JJ says. 

“Mm-hmm.” Marvin smiles at Alt. “So, what do you want to try? I can do a three card or five card fortune telling, a love reading, a personality assessment—a whole bunch of stuff.”

“Hmmm…” Alt puts his fingers on his chin to think. “…I dunno man. Whatever you wanna give me I guess! I’m curious just in general!”

“Alright. Hmm, I like doing personality assessments for new people.” 

You did that with me, I remember, JJ says. 

“Yep.” Marvin spreads the cards out on the bench between him and Alt. The backs of them are blue, with silver designs that look like crystals around the edges and an eye on the center. “You’ll need to pick five cards for this. For this first one, think about how other people think of you. Especially your friends and family.”

Alt nods and tries to think of that. Hmmm Chase calls him prickly. Which is accurate. He’s a bit cautious about new people and being touched sometimes. But he also knows his friends see him as kind- even if he felt he didn’t deserve that sometimes. He goes to draw a card.

When he flips it over, the card has an illustration of a man in medieval-type clothing with a hood pulled over his head, holding a bow and arrow towards the sky. The card is upside down, but Alt can read the words "The Hood." 

"Ah, the Hood, a rebellious figure," Marvin says. "When it's reversed like that, it often means someone who's tough on the outside but has a heart of gold. Others see you as sometimes difficult to approach, but worth the trouble."

Alt chuckles and nods, “Yeah that sounds spot on.” Huh… the illustration reminds him of something… something fuzzy from another adventure. Why is it so hard to recall?

"For the next one, think of what you do," Marivn says. "You know, like hobbies and your job and such."

Alt thinks- is magic a hobby? Probably. But also he likes to tinker with things- he wants to learn how to build stuff with magic in them. And his shows- his illusions. Guess his life did kinda revolve around magic now. He draws the second card.

This one has an illustration of a man wearing a cat-like mask, one hand pointing up towards the sky and one pointing down to the ground. At his feet is a white cat with gray patches. It's titled "The Magician." 

"Hey, same hat!" Marvin says, delighted. "The Magician is a force of will power and ambition. Someone who takes potential and makes it powerful. Your 'role', so to say, is often someone who likes making things happen, perhaps taking on big projects." 

Alt beams and glitches slightly in place. “Yeah I like making things! Magic- art sometimes- I wanna figure out how to do like… I dunno- magic machines or something.” He shrugs.

"That guy in the picture has a mask like yours, Marvin," Chase says. 

And that cat sort of looks like Higgins, JJ adds. 

"Yeah, I've noticed. That's one of the reasons I bought this deck." 

Alt looks at the cards closer and blinks, “oh yeah huh… I see it. That mask gets used a lot by other Marvins too.”

"Must be a universal constant," Marvin says. "Do you have a mask?" 

Maybe that bandanna functions as one? JJ guesses.

Alt smiles timidly and fiddles with his mask. “Uh… yeah I guess mine in this one… not nearly as cool though. Dunno if I could get away with wearing a cat mask though.” He chuckles. 

 "Oh yeah. Well, anyway. For this next one, think of... it's hard to describe. Your power, your capabilities, things you can do. Sort of similar to the last one, but more like... like if you were pushed to a limit, what would that be like?" Marvin says.

Alt blinks and thinks of this new prompt. Pushed to his limit huh…? Brief flashes of his Phoenix form comes to mind- raging electricity and bright light. He feels like that fits more than well enough- so he draws another card.

The illustration of the card is bright and vivid, showing a silhouette that's breaking apart into pixels. Two green eyes shine in the dark face, and a long scarf winds around the figure's neck. The title is "The Glitch." 

"Oooo, one of the last cards in the sequence," Marvin says. "Interesting, interesting. The Glitch--or the Error--is a figure who breaks the rules. Not intentionally like the rebellious Hood, it is just in its nature as a mistake. Either you don't think very highly of your abilities, or your abilities exist outside an established system, and are therefore very powerful."

Alt blinks in surprise. That looks like Anti from the IV universe. Scarf and all. Guess if Alt had to think of “glitch” he’d be the first one he’d think of. He laughs, “I think it’s a little bit of both?”

"You seem pretty capable to me," Chase says, giving Alt a small smile. 

"Don't worry about yourself, Alt, I'm sure you can take care of yourself." Marvin nods, agreeing with Chase's statement. 

Alt’s face turns a little red as he smiles shyly. “Heh.. thanks.” 

"Alright. Second to last one. Think of your past. Who you used to be, how different you are now, and how it's all shaped you." 

Alt’s smile fades a bit as he thinks about his past. Honestly? He doesn’t like thinking of it now… his present is so much better. His past was filled with so much hurt and hate… being Impulse, being lost on the streets… lonely and just so so angry. The him from back then felt like a completely different person now. With this in mind, he draws the card.

The card is a very simple illustration of a small child sitting cross-legged on the ground, a light shining down on them and protecting them from the darkness around. In their arms is a beat-up plushie of some sort of pink animal in a paper crown. The title is "The Orphan." 

"I never liked that title," Marvin mutters. "The Orphan is someone who is lost, often without guidance and looking for a sense of safety or home. You probably spent a lot of time on your own, not sure what to do. I'm... sorry."

Alt stares at the card with a heavy feeling in his chest. He slowly nods. “…yeah…” He then looks up and tries to smile at Marvin, “I-it’s okay now though… I’m not alone anymore.”

You have your brother and your friends, right? JJ says. He smiles gently. You're very lucky. They seem great. 

"I'm glad it's better now," Marvin says quietly. Then he clears his throat. "Alright. Last card. Think of the opposite of yourself. Something you don't want to be, with a personality composed of the worst qualities to you." 

Alt’s eyes burn with hatred as one name comes to mind: Magnificent. Power hungry and obsessive, vindictive and hurting innocents. He also thinks of the King, even if it sends shivers down his spine. He would never be like them… controlling the weak and believing themselves to be like gods. With this in mind he draws the final card.

The card that he draws then depicts a man sitting at a banquet table filled with food, and yet his face is thin and sunken. There's something familiar about the static, tattered cape he's wearing. And the title? "Hunger." 

"Ah." Marvin nods. "Hunger, a never-ending want for something, often coming with the ambition or arrogance to harm others to fulfill the want. So, you don't want to be the sort of person who reaches for power no matter the cost. That's a good thing to not want to be."

Alt feels his breath leave him as he sees the card. He’s- he’s seen this one before. Where? Where… It hits him like a ton of bricks. 

He’s in a beautiful glowing forest, a tunic on and chainmail weighing on his arms and chest. He’s.. on the ground, playing a game with two fair folk. What were their names,..? Lasta and Caba. They call Mag and mu Rith the King the name of the card… Hunger. 

Alt gasps slightly and grips at his head, his mind suddenly aching. He… He forgot so much from that journey. Seeing the card again brought some of it back.

Marvin blinks. "Are you alright, Alt?" he asks with surprising gentleness. He reaches out to touch him supportively--and in the process knocks some of the cards onto the ground. He glances down at them, frowning. 

"Alt?" Chase asks. "Do you have a headache?" 

Anything we can do? JJ asks, leaning a bit closer.

Alt snaps out of his thoughts as Marvin reaches out and he looks out at the others, glitching slightly. “Oh s-sorry I just…” He grips at his wrist and adds quietly. “…I’ve seen that card before but only once and… I didn’t… remember where until just now.” He laughs bitterly. “It… wasn’t a great experience. M-More dark magic shit so…” He smiles at the others, “But I’m okay. Really.”

JJ and Chase exchange glances. "Okay... if you're sure," Chase says. "Let us know if we can help." 

"Yeah, we're happy to," Marvin says. He bends over and picks up the cards that fell. "But, um. Also... this is strange, but... the cards fell down in a rough row, that's not... how cards usually fall..." 

JJ glances at him. Is this really the time for something like that? 

"I'm just saying. If Alt's okay... I want to talk about it." 

Alt blinks and then tilts his head at Marvin. “…a rough row? Huh… well-yeah sure. Go ahead.” Honestly, he could use the distraction.

Marvin nods. "Here. They were laid out like this." He lays them out in front of Alt, recreating it for him. 

The Hero: A man in a red hoodie and black mask, standing atop a modern building. 

Flood: A body of water, with rain falling from the sky into it. Beneath the surface are humanoid creatures with tails instead of legs. 

The Doctor: A man in a white coat and glasses, sitting at a desk and looking thoughtful. 

The Moon: A path leading from a body of water across a field, with a full moon looming large in the night sky. 

The Hierophant: A man with dark hair and black eyes--though one is half green--sitting on an ornate chair. 

The Shadow: Someone dressed in white standing against a wall, a black shadow cast behind them in mirror image. 

Fracture: A colorful background broken by a black, branching crack. 

Remembrance: A coffin, half black and half white, surrounded by monochrome roses. 

"I... don't know what it means," Marvin says slowly. "Do they mean anything to you? I think... I think that this sequence is supposed to be significant."

Alt knits his eyebrows together in confusion, looking at the sequence. He tries not to shudder as he sees another card he remembers. “I’m… not sure actually… I mean… the first one kinda looks like a hero I know. And we did meet some mermen earlier… huh…”

"Mermen? Oooo, cooool," Chase says. "Hey, are merpeople real in this universe?" 

"If they are, they don't interact with us at all," Marvin says. He stares at the sequence, tilitng his head. "...huh. If the first two seem familiar, maybe... maybe this is like a fortune telling for your journey. Probably more literal than most readings are. So, first was a world where you met a hero, then was a world of water, then was a world where... a doctor played a key part? Or maybe logic and science? And the moon is here." 

That makes sense, JJ says. We're sometimes called people of the night, us witches and vampires and ghosts and such. The moon, the night, it fits. 

"So these four will be your future," Marvin says. "Somewhere... traditional, or with strict rules. Somewhere with a... pairing? Or a rivalry? Somewhere broken, and somewhere connected to death, but not too connected to death, otherwise the Death card would've shown up."

Alt’s eyes widen. “The last world was very… doctor-y… that means… 4 out of 8… that’s like 50% right.” He pales slightly, looking at what is supposedly his future. “…so we’re not gonna get home for a while… huh…?” He doesn’t like the look of the future cards.

You never know, JJ says. You could go really fast through these worlds. 

“Fortune telling isn’t an exact art, this could all be one big coincidence,” Marvin adds, putting the cards back into the deck. “A hell of a coincidence, but it’s possible. Readings have come out as bullshit before.” 

“Even if it’s not, isn’t it nice to know what’s going to happen?” Chase asks. “To have a deadline, in some ways? Heh. Deadline. Cause… cause I’m a ghost.” He pauses. 

Marvin and JJ stare at him. 

“If I can’t make jokes about it, what can I do?” he says defensively.

Alt snorts at Chase's joke. "Yeah... I guess. Maybe we can be a bit more prepared. Guess we'll just have to see."

Marvin nods. “Always good to be prepared. Like I said, if I’m interpreting it right… somewhere with strict rules, somewhere with a rivalry or duality, somewhere all broken and probably not fun to be, and somewhere connected to death, or maybe memory. I dunno. Remembrance is a funny card, it usually means some sort of moment of clarity after a big change.”

Alt nods and tries to put that all into memory. "Sounds like it's gonna be a real fun time... goddamnit it Mag- I swear this is all his fault." He leans back and sighs but then laughs, "Then again... Visiting other worlds isn't always bad. We usually end up meeting really cool people." He smiles at the others.

Marvin smiles back. “Yeah. Maybe if you could find some way to come back without him, you could. I’d love to learn more about other worlds.” 

You also love to prove that you’re right, JJ says. Especially to people who call you a crazy cult witch for believing in other worlds. 

“I’ve never heard anyone in my life call me a crazy cult witch.” Marvin shuffles the cards absentmindedly. 

Alt beams, "Oh I'm definitely saving this place to visit again! This is one of the coolest places yet! I wanna come back and learn so many things- and look around at your shop some more! Maybe you can even teach me to read the crystaleye cards!" 

“Hell yeah, I’m up for talking cards any time,” Marvin grins. 

Chase perks his head up, looking down the street. “Wait a minute. Is that…” 

There’s a car barreling down the road. That does not look like a safe speed, JJ says. 

“You think anything faster than ten miles an hour is an unsafe speed,” Marvin says. “Jack is just going a bit over the limit, it’s fine.” 

“Bro, he just got his license, are you sure?” Chase says. 

“It’s fiiiiine.”

Alt blinks and looks back where Chase is looking and then laughs. "Oh- Jackie is gonna be clinging on for dear life. He's a dad so- he's alll about safe driving."

Chase blinks. “Your Jackie is a dad? I am too! I mean, I was? I mean, kind of hard to be a dad as a ghost, but I still see Stace and Dec around—oh uh, Stacy my wife and Declan my son. I-I hope I can introduce them to all this someday. Or at least to this new me.” 

Alt smiles, “Yeah- Jackie has 3 kids. Sweetest things. Though I swear Penny is gonna grow up to be a punk- she has that air to her.” He laughs. He smiles more gently at Chase, “I’m sure you’ll find a way, Chase. They’ll probably be happy to see you.” 

The car pulls to a sudden halt outside of the library. Jackie—the Jackie from this world—is the first to get out. “Whoo!” he shouts. “That was so cool!” 

Jackieboy tumbles out of the car, looking sick and pale. “N-Next time I’m driving- ohhh my god that was dangerous.” 

Seems our Jackies are quite different in ways, JJ comments. 

Alt laughs, looking at Jj, “For real.”

Bro hurries out of the car and grins. “Man what a rush!”

Schneep practically falls out of the car after Jackieboy does. “I am going to be sick,” he mutters. “You do not want a vampire to be sick, you will never get the bloodstain out.” 

Bro helps Jackie get over, patting his back. "You're okay, buddy!" Jackieboy groans.

“Heheh… sorry,” Jack says, looking embarrassed. “I didn’t want the guys to be waiting too long. Not to mention how dangerous this guy sounds.” 

“We’re all here now and that’s what matters!” Jackie says cheerfully. “Now we need to break into the library.” 

“No, we don’t need to break into the library,” Marvin says, standing up. “There’s a secret way in.” He points at the gargoyle statue. “That’s enchanted. See?” He walk up to it and puts his hand on the side of the plinth the statue is on. And his hand sinks right through. “It’s an illusion.” 

Alt perks up and glitches to be right by Marvin, seeing the illusion and grinning wide. "Oh cool!"

“I always wondered why there was a big hole in the side of the statue,” Jack says. 

Marvin chuckles. “Right. You can see through them. It’s also enchanted that only people with magic can pass through the barrier. But I know a way to make an allowance for Jack and other Jackie.”

"I thought the library was public..." 

"Probably not the magic part-" Bro comments. 

Well even public libraries close at night, JJ says. But you’re right, the secret part is obviously not public. 

Marvin runs a finger along the edge of the plinth, muttering some vaguely Gaelic sounding words, the eye tattoo on his hand glowing, and the whole illusion part of the plinth wavers and turns slightly green. “There, now everydays can get in for a short period of time.” 

“You guys go on ahead,” Jack says. “I won’t be much use fighting an evil witch. I think it’s better if someone stays out here and keeps watch. I’ll text you if I see anything.”

Alt nods, "If you're sure." 

Bro drags Jackie along. Jackie looks apprehensive but also curious. Alt grins and then leads his friends inside. 

As soon as the group steps into the illusion, they suddenly find themselves stepping out of a door next to the library’s AV section. Some of the lights are off, casting the shelves of DVDs in shadow, but some of them are still on so everyone can see. 

“There.” Marvin points down an aisle towards a set of elevator doors on the wall. “We need to get there. There’s a secret sixth floor.” 

“Will the elevators even work at night?” Schneep asks, frowning. 

“Of course. With maaaagic.”

"Do elevators ever turn off? Feel like that'd be a waste of electrcity," Jackieboy comments quietly. 

"..huh- I never thought of that. Yeah why would an elevator need to shut off?" Bro thinks outloud. 

Alt shakes his head, "Let's focus please?" He looks around and shivers a bit, "Though... the lights being off does make it feel kinda creepy in here."

"Creepy?" Jackie says, looking around. "It does?" 

"Seems fine to me," Schneep says. 

"Well Jackie can see in the dark and you haven't been in direct sunlight in fifteen years, so your standards are a bit fucked," Marvin says. 

Alt laughs, "Yeah that does skew things a bit." 

The group hurries over to the elevator. Jackie presses the call button and the doors open right away, so they all file in. 

Once in the elevator, Alt glitches a bit anxiously. 

Once the elevator doors close, Marvin taps on a spot above the floor five button. A glowing white circle appears with the number six on it, which he then presses. The elevator moves, and they wait. 

Even magical lifts go slow, don't they? JJ comments. Unfortunate. You'd think they'd figure a way around that.

Bro laughs with JJ, "Dude yeah! If you can magical lifts why not make them like- teleport you or some shit?" 

"Maybe some people just like the novelty of it." Jackieboy shrugs.

The elevator doors open again, revealing the secret library. It looks very similar to the library downstairs, with rows of bookcases, small sitting areas, a directory, and a circulation desk. But the style is different. Instead of metal bookcases and modernized chairs and tables, there are heavy wooden bookcases and older-styled sofas and tables. The lighting here is soft yellow-orange, and everything seems to have an art noveau design to it to match the patterns on Marvin's shirt. 

The directory lists subjects like "Spellcasting" "Witch Theory" and "Biographies (200+ yr lifespans)". 

Behind the half-circle circulation desk is a big illustration of a tree with many branches, all labeled with different words. For example, a Nature branch has an Elemental branch coming from it, which has a Water branch, which has an Ocean branch. 

There are a surprising amount of people up here for a library that was so empty in the floors beneath. A man behind the circulation desk waves at them as they come in as he scans a book titled "History of Night Councils."

Alt's eyes start to sparkle as he looks around the library, his smile only getting wider. HIs shoulder buzz and pop with electricity and glitches but he tries to keep himself contained since there's so many people. "L-Look at all of this!!" 

"Uh oh- Alt's enamored," Bro snickers. 

"Shuddup I didn't give you a hard time in the hero world!"

Chase laughs. "No, I agree, it's so cool to see, isn't it? Even if I don't understand all of it. But... we need to focus. We need to warn these people about Magnificent." 

Marvin nods. "Jackie, come on, we're talking to this circulation guy." 

"What?" Jackie says. "Why me?" 

"Because you're better at talking to people than I am and also those burns will help sell how serious the situation is." 

Jackie sighs. "Okay, fine." 

Alt shakes out of his awe and goes to follow after Jackie and Marvin, "I can try to help to!"

Outside, Jack sits in his car with the power off, trying to make it look empty. He glances up from his phone to scan the area--and sees someone suddenly appear out of the shadows. And someone else suddenly appears next to them, teleporting into view. "Oh shit," he whispers, and starts writing a text. He hopes it will reach them in time. 

"This is the place," Anti says to Magnificent. "There's a secret floor on the top where all the witches and shit hang out."

Magnificent dusts himself off as he stands tall and eyes the library. Oh... he can already feel the magic brimming within and he grins wide, his eyes glowing. "Excellent. We should pay them a visit~" 

Anti grins back. "We should. I never liked these uppity fucks. They think they're greater than they actually are. I think the floor is warded against teleporting, so we'll have to go through the library the usual way. Though it's not really all that usual, actually. There's a secret passage here." He walks up to the gargoyle plinth, demonstrating the illusory side much like Marvin did for the others earlier. 

Magnificent follows after and then snorts at the magic, "Ah, so simple." He chuckles, "Let's go then~" He heads inside.

[candiid-caniine]

Okay so, this might just be an issue because my dildo is on the big side of average (for a dildo, not a human.) and I've never actually sucked a real cock, but i uh... Have this issue where there is. Too much saliva. Like. I mostly practice in the shower, and i actually apparently really like the feel of doing it (especially while cockwarming...) but like... There's literally so much saliva that it's like. All over me just a few minutes. And yeah, it's hot, and I'm definitely into it, but I'm like. Scared of actually having a partner??? Because I've tried swallowing, and maybe it's because the dildo is so big and i have a small mouth, but it Does Not Work, and it's annoying to have to pull off every minute or so because i have so much saliva in my mouth it's about to make me gag in the Bad Way. And I'm not really sure if there's any way to fix it, or if it gets easier over time. Or if it's just Different when it's like, a real person's dick and not. Silicone.

oh the saliva thing (as i understand it) is usually how sucking a penis goes!!

my usual tactic is to just let it flow out of my mouth. it's very hot for me and my partner, and swallowing it just...isn't really an option for me, either; it all kind of tends to pool towards the front, and getting it to the back of my mouth *along with* the dick is just not happening lol.

there *is* a bit of a difference between silicone and flesh-and-blood penises: for one, irl dicks are more flexible, and not as rigid in your mouth, which may make it easier to route saliva out of your mouth in either direction without having to pull off; two, they're skin, so they do absorb/cling to some of that saliva that would only be pushed around weirdly by a silicone one; and three, they don't dry out my mouth as much as silicone does, so i produce less saliva (though not by super much.)

don't be scared of having a partner for this reason. take it slow, be confident that most people with penises find it hot, and if they don't - tell them to try sucking a dick and see how they handle it lmao.

a lot of erotica shows the person sucking the dick "swallowing around the dick" and making them insta-cum, but idk if it's bc of my focus issues or my tiny mouth, i've just never been able to do it...and my partner likes it just fine anyways :) i'm not an advanced throat king by any means. i can't get the tip more than an inch or so down my throat for more than a few seconds without almost puking (yet - still practicing) and again, my partner loves it anyway - in general, imo, sex should be a joyful thing, a shared experience. so if your partner isn't willing to learn and experiment and accept that nobody's perfect automatically, that it takes practice, than imo you shouldn't settle for that.

the pulling off every few minutes - also in line with my experience. like i said in my "love letter to giving head" post, ime, it's actually way more taxing and difficult to suck a bio-dick until it cums than porn and erotica make it seem. atm, it takes like 30 minutes of sucking/pulling off/they jack their dick a bit/going back down my throat to get my partner off orally, and they're not super sensitive, but they're also not under-sensitive compared to other penised partners i've had. for most people who aren't seasoned deepthroaters, it's unreasonable to expect to be able to kick back, spread your legs, and let your partner suck you off with no effort.

in short: don't kick yourself, this is all *so* normal, and if your partner doesn't participate when you give them oral, they're either inexperienced or selfish probably :)

[alvaeris]

cool! I think I've heard of it, but i've never played. i play Minecraft mainly, occasionally roblox. I'm so glad you like the song!! your playlist name is very true. yeah!!! I was super excited when I found out about it. also, writing a script??? that's INSANE/pos my program hasnt done that as far as I'm aware. it gets easier as you go along!! 6 hours is more than we usually do, if that makes it better. typically there is a commander calling cadence, but sometimes it a matter of watching people in formation with you. fair enough!! I just started going this year. I'm hyperverbal (basically I never shut up) so I am also a grandmaster in the sport of yapping. i used to play chess but I got bored of it. a little bit busy!! gotta stay going though. as for the questions i totally didn't forget to answer, I found your account about a month ago I believe, but i don't remember how I found it.

-🦌

it’s pretty similar to dead by daylight! or so i’ve heard. i don’t actually know anything about dead by daylight. also, MINECRAFT!! i used to play a lot, but i can’t do so anymore. i wish i had minecraft on mobile too grgrgrgrrrrr… i tried to keep a lot of pets in my minecraft days. mainly mooshrooms. i love mooshrooms so much. they’re the cutest mobs ever plus they give out mushroom soup which is… pretty insane. they’ve got a whole soup kitchen going on inside them. they’re adorable i want a million mooshrooms. i’ve also tried to keep the ender dragon as a pet, but for some reason if you spawn it in the overworld it always flies to spawn?? like it tries to go to 0,0,0 coordinates. which is fine if you live at 0,0,0, but i didn’t. so unfortunate….. one day i will try again. I WILL GET MY DOMESTICATED ENDERDRAGON, NO ONE CAN STOP ME. what games do you play on Roblox?

it’s at moments like these i realise how spoiled for choice we are with our instructor. she’s the nicest! she lets us write our scripts if we want to, as well as choose what topics we want to act on, and suggest plays we want to do. we did a horror/musical/slice of life production earlier this year. it was pretty cool! i was in the musical bit. i love musicals. sadly my role didn’t do much singing, though.

i would assume so! but it would be hard to get started if you’re completely unused to physical training. i hear 50 jumping jacks in drama for warmups and immediately wish to die. also, what’s cadence? is it, like, the rhythm or whatever of how you march? also, the image in my head that pops up at ‘watching people in formation with you’ makes me giggle, because i can just visualise a bunch of people in formation furtively glancing left and right at each other while marching, so they’re just constantly side-eying the people next to them.

i think with the length of this response it’s safe to say that i, too, like to talk. a lot. i might be hyper verbal too, maybe. i feel like i seem quieter irl, though. it’s just the speed of my thoughts, which is probably why I’m chattier when writing stuff down. i have a love/hate relationship with online chess. i love it when i win, and when i lose i decide that i despise it and always have. but with physical chess i never lose. if someone were a move away from checkmating me I’d simply eat their pieces. CHECKMATE!!!

a month is a pretty long time, damn. i hope i’ve been entertaining! i try to be, eheheheheh. you can never know how many people you have just watching you without interacting. like you, probably. you’re interacting now, though, which is great! i love interaction. i giggle and kick my feet whenever people interact with me. i just love attention in general!

i am just now realising how long this is, HELP. when i am in the mood for yapping i do not shut up ever. I AM SO SORRY.

[bobbinalong]

Your “Steph keeps the kid” au is incredible! Do you have ideas about the relationships between little Allie and the batfamily? Does she call them Aunts and Uncles? What about Young Justice? Are they the uncles and aunts as well? Sorry I am having a lot of emotions.

I'm so happy people are liking that AU, honestly. I've been meaning to draw some more of it, so I think that I will be doing tomorrow. As for your questions: I hadn't invested too much thought in it, but this is a perfect excuse to do that. So! We're doing this from youngest to oldest. (This is gonna be way too long.)

Damian, when he comes along, is faced with a rambunctious three-year-old who wants to be his very best friend. He's not used to other children, he's not used to the idea of a big family, he just pushed her step-dad off a dinosaur. She does not care. And he gets used to that eventually. I don't think she'd ever necessarily call him uncle (they're only like seven years apart), but they are close. Having another kid around does him some good.

Sorta skipping Duke because I haven't read enough of his comics, BUT I know he's cool with Cassandra and Damian, who are both more than cool with Steph and Allie, so they'd hang out eventually. He's a bit of a daredevil, I know that much, and a bit of a nerd, and I think Allie would like him. If he wants to be Uncle Duke (it's not like Bruce ever officially adopted him, his mom's still around, but he IS part of the Batfam), he'd absolutely get to be.

Young Justice don't find out for a while. Mostly because they don't even know exactly who Robin is. I think they'd just ... as a collective be very surprised by their sixteen-year-old teammate having a (step)child, but they took Anita having to raise her re-incarnated infant parents so well, I frankly don't think anything would throw them for long. They're some of Tim's best friends, they'll grow into being this kid's aunts and uncles. (Bart's her favourite.) (Because he's mine.)

Cass absolutely adores this kid. They first meet when Cass breaks into Steph's room (the only time Steph ever gets the jump on her), and she's not letting go. Steph brings her around the clock tower sometimes. Practicing to read is easier when you do it for a curious little girl. The baby doesn't expect long conversations. Cass has no experience with babies but she knows exactly what not to do, so what can go wrong, right? And she absolutely insists on being Aunt Cass.

I'm skipping Jason because frankly, I don't know enough about him to talk about him in any capacity. I know even less about him than Duke.

Dick is Tim's big brother. He almost fell off a roof when Tim told him his girlfriend was pregnant. He is not ready for his baby bro to have a baby of any kind, step or otherwise. But Tim's a good kid and Steph seems to be one, too, even if Bruce doesn't always seem to think so, and they're gonna need all the help they can get, and he's not immediately gonna take off his mask, but fuck it, he's Uncle Nightwing now. And Uncle Dick eventually.

Babs is ... not too keen on a baby in the clocktower at first. Or on Steph, even, when she's vigilanty-ing. But Tim's her bud and it's not like he's gonna change his mind on any of this, and Steph's stubborn as hell, too, and at least Cassandra is practicing her letters when Allie's around, so. O well. She comes around to her eventually. And probably doesn't want to be Aunt Barbara at first but ends up being exactly that, anyway.

Bruce is. Tricky? He's very hot and cold on Steph. He doesn't want Tim to reveal his identity to her until he does (and then does it himself), so he's not happy when Tim takes that step without consulting him in this AU. Allie's also born during No Man's Land, so at that time, he has bigger fish to fry. Jack and Dana are still around, too, so he's not yet Tim's (adoptive) father. He's not terribly involved in Allie's life, I think. And he still dies soon after Damian comes along and I'm not yet sure if I'm resurrecting him. So. I think they're getting closer before he dies, but no Grandpa Bruce in this AU, unfortunately.

Alfred seems to be very protective of Tim. He's angry with both Bruce and Steph when Bruce tell her who Tim his. (Which doesn't happen here, but. Just as a baseline.) I think he wouldn't be too excited about Steph at first. He's an old man. Maybe a little old-fashioned, too. But I think once he's sure that Tim is safe and happy and that this is what he wants, he'd get right to making cucumber sandwiches for Steph, too. His boys are just always his first priority.

And ... that's the main fam, right? I think. I hope. All the people I can say anything about in any case. This isn't the absolute happiest of AUs, but it is happy-ish. And it does end in relative harmony.

Thank for the ask. Hope I answered it properly. Feel always free to send more, if you read all that, haha.

[toreii]

Lost in the Book with Stitch part 50

Disclaimer: This is a fan translation. I apologize for any mistakes. I’m by no means fluent in Japanese, but I try my best. Please, support the official translation when it comes out. Be kind and friendly, and feel free to support me by donating a ko-fi if you’d like. Link is in my description!

*clink, clank!*

*clink, clank, clink!”

Stitch: “Heey!”

Lilia: “Oh, are the repairs complete!? Let’s move it to an open area!”

Floyd: “I see. This is…”

Uninhabited Island - Beach

THE SPACESHIP!

Yuu:

“You did it—!”

“Cool!”

Floyd: “Is it really possible for a vehicle this big to fly into space…?”

Floyd: “After the sea, then land, then flying, and now space? That’s really amazing!”

Lilia: “As soon as we're ready, let's board the spaceship.”

Azul: “Anytime is fine. We have recovered all the rare items on this island.”

Ace: “You were gone doing that while we all helped Stitch?”

Azul: “Of course. I have to erase all my sorrows about this island.”

Riddle: “I see…this long, distressful life is finally over.”

Floyd: “Even though it was distressful, it felt like we were on vacation at a resort~.”

Floyd: “It’s a shame it’s over. There was still a lot to do on this island.”

Floyd: “I had a lot of things I wanted to do with Stitch…”

Floyd: “Hey, you’re seriously not coming to Night Raven College?”

Floyd: “If you stay at our school, we’ll have so much fun.”

Stitch: “Ohana!”

Floyd: “There it is again, flower. What’s that about?”

Lilia: “‘Ohana’ probably refers to something important, like family.”

Floyd: “Huh. So, a family is waiting for Stitch to return.”

Lilia: “Stitch. You should return to your loved ones.”

Lilia: “Let us also return to our respective ohana!”

*Stitch walks over to Lilia*

Lilia: “Oh?”

*Hugs*

*Pulls Floyd in*

Floyd: “What, what?”

*Hugs Floyd*

Riddle: “It looks like he's sitting on their shoulders and hugging both their heads.”

Ace: “Those two crazy seniors really got along with Stitch.”

Riddle: “Oh…hehe. Will you give us a hug, too?” *Hugs Riddle*

Ace: “Oww. You really are strong. You truly were reliable guy.” *Hugs Ace*

Jack: “Don’t cling so much. Even if we don’t feel lonely, I’m sure we’ll meet again somewhere.” *Hugs Jack*

Azul: “If you come to our school, we will definitely treat you well. I still haven't fully repaid my debt.” *Hugs Azul*

Yuu:

“I’ll be a bit lonely.”

“Thank you for all you’ve done.”

*Hugs Yuu*

*Stitch whimpers*

Grim: “Don’t get sad. That doesn’t sound like you, Stitch.”

Stitch: “………”

Stitch: “I love you~!”

Floyd: “Yeah, yeah. We know.”

Lilia: “Hick……the older I get, the easier I cry.”

Lilia: “It's a shame, but life is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. However, if I'm lucky, the day will come when I'll run into you again.”

Lilia: “Now then, guys, let’s leave!”

Everyone: “YEAH!”

*Rumble, rumble, rumble…*

Riddle: “It's really flying! The altitude and speed are different from flying techniques... It's rapidly moving away from the island!”

Floyd: “Uh, no, more importantly…the spaceship is cramped!! We’re packed.”

Lilia: “It was originally a small ship. Well, if you leave it to Stitch, you'll be able to enjoy a comfortable flight.”

???: “WAIT—!”

Ace: “Hm? This voice is…woah! Guys, look down!”

Riddle: “Gantu…is chasing us with the flying board we left behind!?”

Jack: “That board is too small for your body! Don't you feel unsteady?”

Gantu: “No matter what…no matter what, I have to catch No. 626, and report to the top!”

Ace: “The word ‘top’ feels scary…I guess I kind of understand…”

Floyd: “Stitch~. Wanna give him the slip?”

Stitch: “Got it. Okay!”

Grim: “Funanananaaaah. It’s Swaaaaaaaaying…!”

Azul: “I-It suddenly accelerated. Are you planning on warping like this?”

*Sirens blaring*

Jack: “Warning sound? What is it this time?”

Wireless Communication: “This is the Galactic Federation Forces. Abort hyperdrive now. Repeat. This is the Galactic Federation Forces...”

Ace: “Galactic Federation Forces!? Something strange has appeared again!”

Riddle: “Geez. Unbelievable things happen when you're with Stitch!”

Floyd: “Ahaha! Until the very end.”

Lilia: “Ahaha! Stitch won’t let you get bored until the very end.”

Floyd: “It's super shaking and super thrilling. Stitch, you are truly the best!”

Floyd: “Alright, Stitch, full speed. Gantu, all of the galaxy, let’s tear it up, and surprise them.”

Lilia: “Yup. Shake everything off and aim for your family...ohana!”

Stitch: “ALOOOHA!”

[maythearo]

Oh yes that anon was me! I should probably make a little signature for myself but yes I'm the atsv enjoyer!! ^^

Also your idea with Najma is huge-brained! I love to see silly sibling interactions and I like to imagine the "tells" that Najma points out to Jamil to how she found him out so easily are super specific details, she's like "Oh cmon! spiderman doing the EXACT same thinking pose as you do?" And the idea she's the one to make Jamil's proper spiderfit is such a sweet idea :0 I'd imagine he would endup looking awesome in that! (Even if in turn he has to do some more chores.. but who knows, maybe he thinks of an easier way from being Spiderman

With Ace and Jamil's interaction I do like to imagine Ace being a massive pain especially with how he is in general, from seeing his SSR shared vignette with Deuce he'll likely pull through when spiderman is in an especially rough patch with bluffing and his speech skills. Though maaaaybe he ends up blabbing a hint to one of the villains on accident and that ends up in a Not Good Situation

And while I'm not super familiar with all the spiderman villains I do like the idea of some of them also being NRC students! Real tricky to be spiderman when someone who wants you down is your chemistry project buddy..

Being a public enemy as spiderman would be hard too, trying to resolve the accusation of murdering the second prince and all. I'd imagine the way it gets resolved was via "trying to talk it out while also having a massive fight" with like idk, Falena? Or the Zazu character that I forgor what his twst versions name is, could be interesting. This would probably then get interrupted by a Worse Baddie causing a Worse Situation for Everyone that must be stopped and hopefully redeems spiderman in their eyes

I don't know a parallel villain i could make from official spiderman lore, though reading on a few villains, I do see a sorta common thing of evil smart people or less than normal criminals if anyone else has a more concrete idea! :0 Also Jack as the Prowler is a really neat idea! I wonder what the motivation is for everyone hmm

OH and before I forget I don't know if I mentioned yet but do you think Jamil may have some more unique spiderpower along with the ones every spiderperson usually has? I wonder if he could still use his Signature Spell in the form of spideyness

AAAAAA I enjoy bouncing these idea back with you !! I'll end my messages with 🐑✨ if it helps to tell it's me :D

ALL OF THIS‼️‼️‼️‼️ REAL‼️‼️‼️ it's fun to think about having to go to the same school as one of the super villains you're fighting against, but especially if it's someone like, doc ock Azul. All the more reason for Jamil to hate his guts and glare at him for the entirety of chemistry class.

HMMM about unique powers, I initially thought about an ability related to a spider's venom of some sort. Even though the toxins of spider bites are usually not that serious, but who cares! Maybe we could even make something up to add to this venom ability, like- maybe the spider that bit him was genetically modified to have a venom as strong as a snake's!

Another ability I was thinking about, now more related to Jamil's signature spell, could be something similar to using his webs like strings to control the people caught in them like a puppeteer, if that makes sense?

[threadsun]

Holy hell.

Legit had to put my phone down and just stare at the wall for that one! O///O Brain goes BRRRR! CAN’T STOP ME NOW WITH THOSE FUNNY WORDS! I’MMA FIGHT BACK YESSIR! ψ(｀∇´)ψ MWHAHAHAHA! But like damn, being going at these antics for years and no one has put me in my place? For shame. Smdh. So yeah, I’ll oblige and keep going and going and going just not really knowing when to stop~ But SAME. There are times where I had customers ask if I was flirting with them at work when I compliment them, and I’m like 😗 “No?” But then when I PURPOSELY flirt, just because it’s fun to rile someone up or make their heart race (if we’re close that is and if they’re okay with it), I’m just like, “Yes, this is my calling!” So yeah, I can understand the struggle, especially when you’re trying to talk about something serious and they STILL think you’re flirting with them. I’m sure there are people who are totally okay with it coming here! (*coughmecoughI’maattentionwhoreCOUGHCOUGHCOUGH*) 😂 But like freaking giving Jack a massage praising how hard he’s worked and how loved he is. Letting Joesph feed you chocolate covered strawberries and expressing how grateful you are that he’s in your life while sneaking in chocolate flavored smooches every once in a while. All that loving, sensual stuff. Whispering loving affirmations against their skin as you ghost kisses along their form. Just full on body worship where both sides of him feel the amount of love, attention, and validation they’ve always craved. So many amazing opportunities that seem so easy to fulfill when it comes to taking care of the ones we love, but to them makes a world of difference. Love letting them get what they want for change (when Jack’s healthy in his case. If he got what he wanted, well, we probably wouldn’t have any friends or family around anymore.) ALSO ALL THE FINGER SNAPS FOR YOU SUN 🫰 Legitimately wrap that man like a burrito and give him all that unconditional love and support. Coo at him that it’ll all be okay and gently guide him towards healing when he’s ready. BUT FREAKING MOOD! Forgiving even the most broken of characters means that we have a chance at being forgiven too. It’s such a powerful feeling, but it’s hard to accept when it comes to ourselves. Glad to hear you don’t kidnap people though. Thought I had to ring up Paul Blart for a second there! Only prison you’ll be going to is horny jail and you best believe I’ll be following along right behind you 😂

-🎃

Awwww good to know you're okay with me flirting~ Honestly, it really is a shame that no one's put you in your place already. Brats need to be disciplined! How else can they be turned into the perfect little submissive pets they clearly desperately want to be?

They absolutely deserve that sort of gentle love and attention!! I think they'd be kinda antsy about it at first, really eager to get it over with so they can go back to being the one spoiling their partner. But the more they get used to it, the more they'll be able to actually sit back and relax and allow themselves to be loved. And I feel like especially with Jack, the more he can allow himself to be loved, the more he can reconcile with the remaining bits of Joseph inside of him. The more comfortable he'll get with his past and who he was, even if he continues to want to be Jack now.

Anyway both of them deserve lots of softness and love and forgiveness and help. It's much easier to be gentle with yourself if you learn to be gentle with characters who've made much bigger mistakes than you have.

Oh if the cops can catch me alive, I'll go to horny jail, but I won't go down without a fight. Vive la résistance! Vive les excités! Daloy politsey!