#ON A SERIOUS NOTE I miss all my groups and I hope they members are healthy and doing well

[emeraldbabygirl]

WHY IS EVERYONE SO FUCKING HOT

[musings-of-a-college-dork]

Hear me out. HEAR ME OUT.

Some angst…but like fluff idk OKAY.

Say the reader and Eddie are in the upside down and the reader gets separated from everyone and is presumed dead, but had escaped through another way. Ya know all sad etc cause eddie thinks he’s lost his soulmate, but when the fundraiser at the end of the show happens it could be he’s placing posters up of them…then BOOM reader appears and it’s all tooth rotting fluff etc

I Thought I Lost You

Eddie Munson x GN!Reader

Word count: roughly 1.5K

Eddie lost his partner in the Upside Down and his friends convince him to put up a Missing Person flyer.

Warnings: SEASON FOUR SPOILERS, angstyyyy but fluffy at the end, mainly just spoilers, and serious divergence from canonical plotline

Author’s note: So sorry this one took me so long to write but I love a good piece of angst melted to fluff!

The past two days had felt like years. After the world had literally cracked open many citizens of Hawkins had begun evacuating but many stayed. They stayed out of hope. Hope that those they thought were lost may come back.

Eddie was one of those such people. When he had returned along with Dustin to meet up with the rest of the group, Steve was the one who had to gently break the news that Y/N…they had gotten separated and…well...

Presumed dead. Those had been the words people had been saying about them. About everyone who had been lost. Of course, Eddie knew it made sense. Most of the people missing had to be…but Y/N… He had been inconsolable. When Steve had broken the news there had been no reaction. None. None whatsoever. He hadn’t cried or yelled or broken down. He had just gone quiet which for Eddie was scarier than any of the other things combined. He knew they couldn’t go back to find them. He knew that. And so he had simply said nothing and shut himself away in what was left of the trailer without a word to another soul.

Dustin had come by the check on him a couple of times and each time Wayne said he wasn’t eating, sleeping, or speaking - he hadn’t even had any music on. Eddie truly felt like the world was crashing down. He couldn’t explain it but it was so much worse than when his mom had died. He was young then and it was a disease. There wasn’t anything he could do about it. But here. With Y/N. You could have been with them, his mind reminded him for the thousandth time, you could have stayed with them and not let them out of your sight. You could have protected them. But you didn’t. You had to go and play hero with Dustin. And now they’re dead because of you.

On top of all of that, people were still blaming him for the murders that had happened. The police had been by several times and had asked Wayne to speak to Eddie. Wayne had explained the situation and had begged for time. The department surprisingly gave him to his request and he figured it was solely because they had so many other things going on and Eddie truly hadn’t moved since the day of the split.

When Wayne told Eddie the police had been by, he hadn’t said a word. Merely nodded to Wayne and turned his focus back to the polaroids he had of Y/N, the same ones he had been flipping through for days as if looking at their photo would bring them back. And in that moment, Wayne felt fear. Fear because he realized without his soulmate, Eddie was starting to not care what happened to him. “I lost them,” He had told Dustin when the teen had finally coaxed him into speaking at Wayne’s insistence, “I lost Y/N, and now…Dustin, they were my world. What’s the point when my life has already been lost?”

After Dustin had told Steve about Eddie’s complete collapse, Steve had talked to Robin who had somehow managed to convince Eddie to come with her and Steve and Dustin to help out at the high school where everyone had basically created a shelter. Anyone who had lost their homes, or family members, or needed food, supplies, or medical attention was there. It was the bulletin board of Missing Persons Robin mentioned that was ultimately what convinced Eddie to go. Along with his friends, he had managed to create a missing poster for Y/N, convinced that maybe, maybe if he made the poster someone would find them and they'd come back to him. His friends had been silent as they helped him, knowing the chances of them coming back from the Upside Down were…well…

But he had done it anyway and it had gotten him out of bed and that in and of itself was something to be grateful for.

The nerves had boiled up in Eddie’s stomach as they had arrived at the high school. The four of them had taken Steve’s car along with a few boxes of items to donate - sheets, clothes, toys - and the flyer for Y/N. The drive had been silent and so was the walk in. Eddie tried his best to ignore the stares he received as the group passed by, holding his head up high…well as high as he could with the sinking feeling that had taken up permanent residence in his chest.

“Hey,” Robin had whispered when she watched him get caught up in his own mind. “We’re gonna put up the poster for Y/N, drop this stuff, and then we can go-”

“No,” he shook his head, “I…I want to stay. To…help.” She had gone silent after that and Steve and Dustin didn’t protest. As they walked in though, Eddie couldn’t keep his eyes from the missing person’s board. Dustin watched as his focus totally shifted, turning his attention to Robin and Steve.

“You two go on ahead,” Dustin said with a nod. The other two teens hesitated for a moment but Dustin shooed them along as Eddie continued to stare at the board.

“You wanna go put it up?” Dustin said as he looked at the flyer Eddie was clutching in his hand.

“Yeah,” Eddie nodded, his voice barely audible, “But…” Dustin watched as his gaze shifted to the police officers.

“Eddie, man,” Dustin placed a hand on his DM’s shoulder, turning Eddie to face him, “You didn’t do it. You’re just gonna go over there and put up the flyer,” He still seemed unsure leading Dustin to sigh, “Here I’ll come with you. Ok?” Eddie nodded again and took a deep breath before following Dustin’s lead and heading over to the board.

“Uh hi,” Dustin greeted the officer who looked between him and Eddie for a moment but didn’t say anything, “We have a missing person poster to put up.” The officer eyed them both once more and went to say something before clearly thinking better of it.

“When did this person go missing?” The officer asked as he held his hand out for the poster. Eddie hesitated to hand it over but with some urging from Dustin, he did.

“The day of the earthquakes,” Dustin said, not quite sure what else to call them. “They were near one of the sites so…we…yeah.” The officer let out a little hum before turning his focus to the paper. His eyes narrowed as he squinted at the photo before they went wide.

“Something the matter?” Dustin asked, “Have you…do you know anything about-” The officer cut Dustin off with a point as he gestured to one of the medical stations. Dustin and Eddie both turned at the speed of light to find a figure sitting in a chair that the cop had pointed to. They were chatting with the nurse who seemed to be checking their vitals, a soft smile on their face as they seemed to make conversation. They looked worse for wear, still in the clothes they had been wearing when they went to the Upside Down. Bruises and scrapes as well as a ton of dirt littered their skin…but they were there. Dustin could watch all the blood drain out of Eddie’s face. It was like he had seen a ghost. And in Eddie’s mind, his fear was that he had.

“Y/N,” was all he said before he began to take slow steps toward the figure. They didn’t notice him as he approached but the nurse did, looking at him with a confused gaze. Y/N must have caught her glance as they turned to look and…

They had the same dumbfounded look. They took a moment to just stare at him, mouth opening and closing as he approached, step by step. This continued for a moment before they stood up on shaky legs as if they could have been blown away by the wind.

“Eddie?” They asked in a cautious tone, their voice shaking as they spoke.

“Oh my god,” he murmured before they were in his arms, holding them with everything they had in them.

“Eddie I thought-”

“But you were-”

“We lost-”

“Y/N we thought you-”

“I know but I was-”

“Where have you-”

“How is-”

The pair couldn’t form full thoughts and the nurse simply backed away to allow the pair a moment as tears brimmed in both of their eyes.

“Y/N, we thought you were…” Eddie couldn’t finish the thought as he felt Y/N squeeze him even tighter.

“I know,” they nodded as they pulled him in, “But I’m here. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”

And Eddie knew they spoke the truth at that moment. He knew whatever came next was going to be a hard battle. The fight to prove his innocence wasn’t going to be easy. But with them by his side, his life and his soulmate restored, for the first time since Chrissy’s death, he thought he may have a fighting chance.

And she's done! Again so sorry this took so long but I hope it's sorta what you were looking for!!!!

[aubaee]

SERENITY: Schedule One

word count: 1354 SERENITY | next

synopsis: Who knew ‘We Got Married’ would bring back the heat for this upcoming season with an “ACE” couple, let alone a couple who ended terms with each other before their debut. Would their old flame spark once more or would they pass each other instead? With the exciting news starring Lee Heeseung from ENHYPEN and Choi Areum from SERENITY, would the old lovebirds be able to show us their profound partnership through challenging missions under one roof?

[Ari POV]

"Congratulations ladies! You did amazing out there," Yui exclaims as we enter our dressing room, the stylists surprising us with confetti thrown into the air. We grin triumphantly, it was our fifth win for our comeback promotion 'Eyes On Me' from our tenth album ‘Yours Truly’. All those sleepless nights of producing the songs while on tour were definitely worthwhile seeing our fans enjoy our music. It’s always fun having to interact with them during pre-recording as they show us their undying love and support.

Jaemi, our leader, raises the trophy excitedly waving it in the air, "Our hard work is paying off! You know what calls for tonight~"

"Sleeping in?" I joke half-heartedly, earning a 'are you for real' look from Lihua. "What? I just miss my bed." I continue to pout.

“Anyways,” Hyejin continued, dismissing my joke as she shook her head, “Why don’t we celebrate by eating good tonight with delivery?”

“That sounds like a good idea. I’ve been craving fried chicken these past few days,” Lihua gestures to her stomach, rubbing it in circles. "We should also add tteokbokki and ramen to the order."

“Should we also go on Weverse for a bit?” I suggest, earning a nod of approval from our leader.

“We should, especially since we won an award today,” she said, “I’m sure they’d enjoy that. We can go on while we wait for delivery.”

"Since your promotions will be ending next week, I'll have the company request a short break for you girls soon after the scheduled activities. You've worked hard for the past year during the world tour. It's about time you deserve a break," Yui announces, quickly taking note of it on her phone. However, I doubt the company will even acknowledge how overworked we have been since the tour. Our fans, Aurora, have been active on social media platforms regarding the demand for a vacation to our company. I've noticed how tired my members are despite the facade we display for our audience. I'm worried that it will become too late and the public will be outraged by the company's neglect. I sigh, eventually, our voices will be heard before anything serious happens.

"Hopefully we'll be able to go somewhere with no cameras," Lihua said while removing her in-ear pieces, setting her mic down in its case. "I still need to go to Monaco from my bucket list. I need to see Lando at least once in my lifetime."

"Honestly, I doubt that. We've been the hot topics for news articles since last year," Hyejin states, quickly dismissing our hopes of privacy. "Especially since all eyes are on us during promotions."

"If only these paparazzi could leave us alone, we'd get a sense of peace of mind," I interject, my hair stylist quickly adjusts my hair for our photo to be taken soon for our twitter page.

"Maybe one day there will be world peace," Jaemi counters with a shrug. "Should we head out soon to take our photos?"

"Whoever is done touching up can take their solo selfies first," Yui announces, "We do have a dance challenge with a few groups today."

"Alright, I'm taking off first then," Lihua raises from her seat, quickly taking her phone and trophy in hand, with quick snaps on the camera roll with a variety of different angles and poses.

"I'll favorite the ones I like," Jaemi announced as it was her turn to take photos with the trophy.

"Which groups are we doing the dance challenge with again?" I ask, tilting my phone upwards with the trophy by my face. I smiled, quickly giving different types of facial expressions on camera.

"We'll be with Stray Kids and SEVENTEEN today," Hyejin answers before taking photos of herself.

"Ohh, that means Lihua gets to be with her boyfriend~" Jaemi teases as she nudges by her side.

Lihua shakes her head with a smile, "Don't get me started with you now."

Jaemi laughs, her brows raised in response, "I'm just saying, I'm glad that our fandoms were happy for you and Mingyu. Shoot, I was scared when the company officially announced your relationship with Mingyu."

"Oh shush, don't remind me. We were both in a pickle at the time," with a groan, Lihua pinches Jaemi on her side. "Knowing our fandoms, they're very respectful and considerate to us."

About six months ago before our world tour began, Mingyu and Lihua were caught by paparazzi during one of their late-night dates which caused a stir in the industry. Not long after the release of their article scandal, causing distress to some netizens regarding their relationship status, our company made an official announcement confirming their relationship to the world and that they’ve been an item for over a year. Of course, not everyone was pleased to hear the exciting news from the agency, but that didn’t stop the couple from showing their affection for one another, which quickly gained massive support from both fandoms and non-fans. Now, they’re known as the “VISUAL CHEFZ” couple, earning the nickname from their fandoms.

"Alright ladies, let's take the group photo now," Yui interjects their banter, catching our divided attention to our manager. "Go out the halls and take the photos by the stairs. Let's go."

"Yes ma'am," we all say in unison, walking out of our room together.

***

"Thanks for your hard work," the girls, Lihua and Hyejin, bow towards Mingyu and Soonyoung after quickly finishing the dance challenge for each other's promotions with the approval nod of our manager.

“Congratulations again on winning!” Mingyu grinned sheepishly, opening his arms for Lihua, which she returned with a hug. If this man isn’t the most obvious person on earth, he is so love-struck for Lihua. I chuckle at his demeanor towards her. It’s so cute looking at their interactions.

Do you want to know the story of how it all started for the couple? I'd say it was all due to us playing Cupid, by 'us' I mean Soonyoung and I. We became close after doing a couple of dance challenges together, with him quickly adding me to one of his group chats with other dancers.

I was shocked to see a text message from him one day, asking me about Lihua, which I assumed Soonyoung wanted to be more than just friends. Turns out it was actually Mingyu who wanted to get close to her.

From passing each other through the company hallways to doing dance challenges together, Mingyu finally received the courage to ask Lihua for her phone number.

I look towards Soonyoung who also glanced towards me with his eyebrows raised, a playful glint in his eyes. "Oh boy," I muttered under my breath, "Here comes trouble." Soonyoung tilted his head toward the couple who was too busy in their own world to acknowledge his presence as he slowly crept up to them, or rather Mingyu specifically. Soonyoung bumps into Mingyu from behind, sending him to corner Lihua on the wall with his arms trapping her in between. She looks up with a surprised look as Mingyu briefly apologizes to her with a quick kiss on the cheek, quickly chasing down a mischievous hamster down the halls. Ah, I can’t wait to relax and finally be in bed.

***

[SERENITY Dorm]

"Wait a minute," I say, trying to digest the announcement coming from my manager Yui, "So, what you're trying to say is that the reality show I'm selected for is We Got Married."

I stood up from my couch in disbelief, "You're kidding with me right?" I say, my eyes pleading for Yui to say it was a prank. My streak of not getting into a dating scandal quickly crumbles down the drain. Knowing how dispatch and the netizens react, they'll automatically assume one of us is in a relationship or spread rumors like usual. "I can't get out of this can I?"

"Oh honey, I wish it was. The director personally chose you as the next star to go on." Yui states, giving me an apologetic look. "You'll have to sign the contract tomorrow first thing at the company. The director will have a brief meeting with you in the morning." Ah, I wish I was in Monaco instead of being here.

a/n: first chapter is here~ i hope you enjoy and look forward to this smau series 🥹

pls like, comment & reblog ♡

[skyler10fic]

Alter Ego

Summary: Daisy Johnson might be falling for her new roommate, but she has to hide her secret identity as the masked vigilante Quake. Her superhero rival, Captain Marvel, gets hurt one night on the job, and behind the helmet lies a surprise!

Notes: For @ficwip All Ships Ship Week. Prompts: Domesticity / living together, Sickfic / hurt/comfort / whump, Double life, and “Who did this to you?” Yup. I worked all of the prompts into this one!

Read on Ao3

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Quake may have been the city's most mysterious vigilante hero, but that didn't pay the rent. In her normal life, Daisy Johnson was just an IT girl at Stark Industries during the day and she needed a roommate if she was going to keep her apartment. She sighed at the bills piling up on the dining room table. 

A notification pinged on her phone. “Hi, this is Carol Danvers. Are you still looking for someone to sublease your second bedroom? My uncle is Nick Fury. He said it was exactly what I'm looking for.” 

Daisy sat up straighter and typed a response back that yes she was and that Fury had mentioned he might know of someone but hadn't said who, which ended up in Carol scheduling a day to come over. Fury was Daisy’s dad's friend, former boss, and longtime mentor at “the US State Department” aka the top secret spy agency Shield. She'd assumed Fury was just being polite when she mentioned her roommate search at a family barbeque and he seemed to have someone in mind. Now his own niece was on her way over. 

Daisy just hoped Carol didn’t ask too many questions if she noticed Daisy went out at night. The last thing Daisy needed was for Carol to mention it to her uncle and then for Fury to pass the suspicion along to Daisy’s retired spy dad and agency-contractor pilot mom. No one could know about Quake and her illegal vigilante crime fighting.

—---- Carol loved the apartment, but as Daisy finished the tour, Carol’s phone beeped at her. She enjoyed being Captain Marvel, but her uncle emphasized no one could know, for her own safety and that of their spy agency that she technically worked for. Her paychecks said the US State Department, and the story she told everyone, including Daisy, was that she was a low-ranking assistant to the physics specialist of the federal scientific policy advisory board. That was usually sufficiently impressive and complicated enough to satisfy other people without having to answer too many questions. Meanwhile, she was flying around the world and beyond as her alter ego defending earth from terrestrial and extraterrestrial villains. 

Today, however, she wished she didn't have to answer the call to duty. At least not right this second. They were having far too much fun already after a few hours of conversation and coffee. Daisy was so smart, kind, and generous, not to mention exactly Carol’s type, and Carol could already picture her bedroom furniture in the empty room Daisy had to offer. 

“I am so, so sorry,” Carol said, glancing at her phone. “I have to go, but send me the lease and I'll get it back to you ASAP.”

“That's a yes then? Good. I was hoping you liked it. We have to have that Mario Kart tournament after all. If you're brave enough to challenge me.” 

Carol didn't miss the hope in Daisy's teasing smile. 

“Oh it's a plan.” Carol stopped herself from pecking a kiss to Daisy's cheek. She'd never done that with anyone else before, and it would be even weirder to start now with a near-stranger she was about to move in with. 

—----------------------- 

An exasperated sigh sounded from behind Quake in a dark alley where she’d just prevented a hate group member from setting off a shrink ray. “Not you again.” 

“You’re welcome!” Quake retorted, voice muffled by the black mask covering her mouth and nose. She finished hogtying the criminal and he grunted, nearly coming back to consciousness. 

“I’m serious.” Of course she was. It was Captain Marvel, the head-to-toe red, blue, and gold do-gooder. She was like the stereotype of Supergirl, Wonder Woman, and “truth, justice, and the American way” comic book perfection come to life. She stood watching Quake from the roof of a parked delivery truck, as if to show off that she could fly and Quake couldn’t.

“Oh I know. Captain Mighty here to save the poor criminal,” Quake sassed.

“It’s Marvel,” the blonde annoyance grumbled. “And I have to take him in. Ever heard of the justice system? A fair trial?” 

“Don’t need a civics lesson, Girl Scout. He’s all yours.” Quake built up vibrations with her palms toward the ground and blasted off to the rooftop of the nearest building, high above the alley and even Captain Marvel, who was now checking that tonight’s evil henchman was still alive. He always was. Quake knew her own power. She could take out the whole city, maybe more, if she tried. She’d taken down a dozen of these ordinary criminals and never left them with fatal damage. Not that they didn’t deserve it. But that was the vigilante in her talking. 

She’d dropped out of Shield agent training as she hit against protocol again and again, ashamed she couldn’t live up to her family legacy but unable to excuse the politics driving who got their help and who didn’t. Her father’s retirement and subsequent declassification of several of his missions in which he had similar concerns only reinforced her choice. She was better on her own. 

When she got home, Carol was in the shower and it was easy to sneak in unnoticed. Having a roommate added difficulty to the whole secrecy thing, but Carol was so easygoing and fun, she probably wouldn’t even be phased by the truth. Daisy realized she was considering telling Carol, if nothing else, just to make herself feel less ridiculous when sneaking into her own home.

—------------------- 

Home from superhero duty, Carol couldn’t shake the feeling that she knew Quake’s voice. She could never hear it clearly because of the mask, but there was something about her that niggled at Carol’s sense of familiarity, beyond their crime-fighting run-ins of course. Carol had never gotten close enough to see Quake’s eyes, and besides that, they were heavily lined with black makeup. The pain in the ass usually wore a hooded leather jacket or hoodie as well, covering her ears and hair. Carol hated that the vigilante got into her head like this. Sometimes the obsession felt like jealousy over Quake’s freedom, and other times it felt like lust, if she even dared admit it to herself alone in the shower. Seeing Quake use her powers, even in frustrating ways that made Captain Marvel’s job harder, was just plain hot in all the ways that turned Carol on. Which made Quake even more obnoxious. 

She heard Daisy come in and hurried to get out of the shower. After dealing with Quake the Reckless, it was refreshing to think about Daisy’s gentle smile and quick wit. She grounded and comforted Carol in ways no one else did. Even when she couldn’t know why Carol needed it. 

—-------------------

Quake heard the telltale thump behind her of Captain Marvel landing forcefully on a car roof. 

“Ugh, I didn’t even get there in time tonight—” Quake spun around to defend herself from Captain Marvel’s scolding. By the time she had arrived at the top-secret lab, the glass greenhouse roof had already been shattered with black goo everywhere. A hovercraft was flying away, hauling a screaming alien blob covered in giant flowers. Quake was left staring up at them in the parking lot, having only just arrived and discovered the empty lab. 

Captain Marvel didn’t land on her feet, however. The thump was her body falling from high above. She cried out as she rolled to the ground. She was protecting herself by falling with her body tucked in, so she had some awareness of what was happening, but by the time she hit the asphalt and Quake rushed over, she was slipping in and out of consciousness. 

“Who did this to you?” Quake panicked as she looked over a bleeding, prone Captain Marvel. While she wished they stayed out of each other’s business, she certainly didn’t want any harm to come to Little Miss Perfect. The bleeding seemed to come from the neck, under Captain Marvel’s helmet. 

“Shit,” Quake swore. “I’m going to have to take off your helmet. Is that okay?” 

Captain Marvel groaned and slowly crossed one hand over to the opposite wrist. It must have been a release button because the helmet retracted, leaving Quake in true shock.

Quake’s hands shook as she tried to find the source of the bleeding. She kept looking back to her superhero rival’s face. It was Carol. This wasn’t just a woman who resembled her. Her voice rasped out a sentence Quake didn’t quite catch. 

“It’s going to be okay. I’ve got you.” Quake looked around helplessly. There was no one to pass this one off to so she could maintain her cover. No nearby crowd to call to for help or off-duty nurse running their way to take over. She was alone. 

Carol tried to speak again and the lines on her brow furrowed. The bleeding had stopped, and her neck looked intact. The blood had to be seeping up from her shoulder. That was a good sign. Quake had repaired her own shoulder injuries more times than she could count. 

“What’s that?” Quake leaned down, as Carol seemed really adamant about her mumbled phrase.

“Call an ambulance, dumbass.” 

Quake almost laughed. “Right. Sorry. I forgot you are all legal and everything, not a secret from the government.” 

Carol grimaced again and pulled up a holographic number pad from her forearm. Quake dialed 911 and immediately hated herself for wondering if she should wait around. Of course she would. This was CAROL. The realization was still sinking in. Captain Marvel was Carol. Her roommate and friend and crush Carol was her greatest annoyance Captain Marvel. But Carol was so laid back and cool. And Captain Marvel was so all-business and by-the-book. 

In an effort to look more like a normal person and less like a vigilante superhero, Daisy made minor adjustments to her appearance as the ambulance loaded Carol in. Daisy noted the truck had a government license plate, not a standard one, and one of the EMTs glanced at Daisy like he knew her. 

“Are you coming?” the familiar EMT called. She placed how she knew him: Shield. He was one of her dad’s former coworkers from Shield.

“Um, yeah? Yes.” Daisy’s mind was made up. She would be there for Carol through whatever came next. And if Carol hated her for it when she realized the truth, then at least it was better than this secret eating at her alone. She sat on the bench by Carol’s feet as the EMTs sedated her and worked to get the supersuit off. It certainly wasn’t cuttable by anything they had in a standard ambulance, but with the disengaged helmet and some quick guessing on Daisy’s part at the buttons on Carol’s wrist, they managed to get the top off without causing further injury. 

Without the supersuit, Carol’s white ribbed tank top further hammered home the situation. Daisy had seen her wear it around their home a dozen times at least. She’d even folded it, or one identical to it, as they did laundry together last weekend. 

Carol was rushed off to triage care as soon as they arrived at the emergency room, leaving Daisy to pace the waiting area. Eventually, the nurse at the reception desk cleared her to go back to Carol’s newly assigned hospital room. She’d been here so many times with her parents that it took a second to realize she hadn’t needed directions. They were at the Shield ward of Walter Reed’s classified Agent Care Center. Everyone in here was current or former FBI, CIA, NSA, and the like. But only a few knew how to even access the Shield floor. She punched in the Shield-only access door code from pure muscle memory, and when the check-in desk receptionist tried to stop her, she simply kept walking and greeted a nurse by name. 

Even with her mask off, the Quake professional-badass energy was still coursing through her. That is, at least, until she saw her roommate/friend/crush bandaged and badly bruised in a hospital bed. 

A nurse stood at Carol’s bedside holding a Shield tablet, and he startled and then softened as he saw Daisy. “Hey, you’re Phil and Melinda’s kid, right? I have here you’re also on Carol’s emergency contact call sheet and approved disclosure list.” 

Daisy nodded. She hadn’t known she was one of Carol’s emergency contacts, much less on the list of safe people to communicate declassified information to. In fact, she was only just realizing that Carol’s job sounded suspiciously like a cover story for the agency. As the puzzle pieces fell into place, Daisy watched as Carol’s body glowed slightly, healing itself.

“Damn, I’m jealous of you even when you’re sedated in a hospital bed,” Daisy quipped, more Quake than roommate. 

Carol grumbled as she awoke but didn’t open her eyes yet. “And it’s still somehow never you taking the hits.”      

“I’ve got bruises to prove that’s not true,” Daisy countered.

The nurse, satisfied with Carol’s slow waking, said, “I’ll leave you to it” and closed the door discreetly behind him. 

Daisy scooted closer and took Carol’s hand to coax Carol to stay awake. This time her voice came out softer, more love-smitten friend than bitter rival. “Hey there, Girl Scout. Turns out we need to talk. Roommate to roommate.” 

Carol struggled to open her eyes, but then blinked hard when she did. “Daisy? But I thought…?” 

She was about to say “never mind,” to blow off the confusion as part of her injuries, but Daisy watched the excuse die on Carol’s lips as she took in Daisy’s outfit and makeup. Black eyeliner, hooded leather jacket, tight black ripped skinny jeans and dark grey shirt. The hood was off and the gloved gauntlets were stored securely in her inner jacket pocket, but recognition clearly passed over Carol’s face. 

“You’re? But you can’t… You wouldn’t.” Carol’s glowing body, meanwhile, was rapidly fading her many bruises and repairing the damage as they spoke. She tried and succeeded with great effort to push herself up to sitting. 

Daisy choked back a half-laugh half-cry. Carol was going to be okay. “I’ll tell you the story later, but it’s really me, both your Daisy and the Quake you chase around, making sure I am always doing the right thing, even when we disagree on what that is.” 

“My Daisy,” Carol sighed and laid down again. The IV in her arm sent painkillers that along with the super-healing was sending Carol back to dreamland. 

“We’ll talk when you’re better. Just get well okay? Maybe we can even find a way to work together.” 

For now, Carol didn’t fully process these words as she slipped back into recovery rest. But eventually, Daisy would make good on that promise. 

—-------------- 

Fury had known the enhanced division couldn’t operate as ordinary Shield agents forever. This latest development proved it was time. Phil had always told him he needed to let superheroes be superheroes, as dangerous as they could be. It’d be more dangerous to have them out there unsupervised with no backup. His thorough, proposed revisions to Shield policy had recently been unanimously accepted by the governing board as well. 

That said, no one was more shocked than Phil to find out his sweet baby adopted daughter turned fully grown superpowered adult was the masked vigilante no media outlet could get a picture of. Humble pie was eaten by all that day, as Fury reinstated Daisy as a provisional agent of Shield’s enhanced division, with full honors upon finishing her remaining training courses. Only this time, the training was suited to her learning style and experience as a hero. The mutual compromise came with maturity on Daisy’s part as well as she learned to work as part of a team and put trust above impulsivity, even when she offered constructive, instead of explosive, feedback. 

The key in all this, of course, was the newly mellowed Captain Marvel. Whether it was the time in physical therapy rehab or making things official with her roommate/girlfriend/superhero partner, Carol and Captain Marvel blended more seamlessly into one another, with Carol more confident and Captain Marvel more flexible and less anxious about perfection and pushing herself beyond her limits. Daisy helped her bring her full self to the job, and Carol helped Daisy find belonging and attachment, each helping to heal part of the other. 

The only people who didn’t enjoy this partnership were the villains, henchmen, and run-of-the-mill supernatural criminals they encountered. For them, it was a nightmare ending behind bars as two superhero girlfriends holding hands walked away into the sunrise of a safer, happier new day for all.

[404writes]

being raised by daryl dixon: part one

Masterlist!! Get added to my taglist!!

Being raised by Daryl Dixon masterlist!! Being raised by Daryl Dixon taglist!!

A/N: this is just a little freestyle thing (idk if you can even call it a fic) i wrote. easing back into writing and i've been wanting to make a post like this for a while! hope you enjoy, mwah mwah <3333

-S404

note-able that y/n is the same age as carl. y/n is more feminine, although i believe it is easy enough to brush off if needed.

word count: 1k-ish

At the start, Daryl was just another member of the group, if it weren't for his temper and tendency to separate himself from the bunch, you probably would have been too caught up in everything else to notice him.

You were interested in what business he had being around the group, he didn't fit in whatsoever. Occasionally, Shane or Rick would catch you staring at him curiously, they'd redirect you every time, they didn't want you bothering him.

After getting over the hurt of losing his brother, Daryl started to involve himself in the group and became helpful. At some point he began noticing you.

You'd been orphaned shortly after the beginning of the apocalypse, both parents dying on the highway into Atlanta. If it weren't for Carol a few cars behind, immediately taking you in with her family (much to Ed's dismay), you would have died there too.

After learning that information, as well as of the hesitance of the others to take you under their wing, Daryl constantly kept an eye out for you from a distance.

It first happened around the campfire at dinnertime. He'd notice you weren't sitting with the kids, and would be quick to appear at your side. He'd look at you, decide you were getting too thin, and shovel half his food onto your plate most nights. Of course, making sure no one was looking at his display of affection first before taking action.

Still, he never spoke a word to you, and wouldn't be caught tending to you if there were others observing, he couldn't let himself be seen as weak, or 'motherly' as Merle would call him if he was there to see.

Daryl didn't know how to care for a child, that was apparent. He'd watch Carol during the day, and see how she loved you and made you smile. He took serious mental notes.

He got better as time went on, asking "How're ya doin' kiddo?" frequently, and letting it be known to the rest of the group that this kid was his. You tried to hug him a couple of times, but his still stature made it clear this wasn't something he was open to.

At the CDC you saw him happy, he was laughing and conversing with the rest of the group, cracking jokes and getting along with people. It was definitely a sight.

At dinner one night, Rick let Carl try some wine, afterwards you looked straight over at Daryl and he said "No way in hell," to which everyone laughed. He never said anything, but that moment was special to him, he knew he had won you over after that, you had looked to him for approval first in that moment, even though it was over something so trivial.

Daryl was furious at Dr Jenner after he revealed the CDC was going to self-destruct, not because he was betrayed, but because you were. Shane had to restrain him from punching the Dr square in the face.

Everyone grew bleak after the CDC, especially after Sophia went missing. You lost Daryl for a while there, he was gone all day and even nights sometimes, searching for her. You spent all your time with Lori, sitting with Carl, you two had grown close.

One night after returning to the highway, Daryl noticed you waiting on top of the RV with Carol, it took him a while to realise you had been waiting for him. It clocked to him how absent he'd been. He came back with a stuffed bear for you the next day.

After Carl got shot, a lot changed. No one had attention to give you, except for Carol. So far she had acted as a maternal figure to you, her presence brought you comfort whilst Daryl was gone, you knew he trusted her. She was projecting her lost daughter to some extent, and you were aware of that, but you let her braid your hair and tuck you in at night anyways.

A few days into your stay at the farm, you were reading a book next to Carol when Maggie came over to introduce herself. She thought you were Carol's daughter, which stung for both parties. Later that night whilst looking for Daryl, you stumbled across Carol crying to him about the earlier exchange.

You watched Sophia stumble out of the barn, you were in the back of the crowd. Everyone fell silent, frozen, some cried, you just stood there. You weren't exactly close with Sophia, but it felt more real than any death you'd experienced thus far. Daryl had to restrain Carol for several minutes, although after the first the hold seemed like more of an embrace.

Eventually, after everyone else had left the scene, you walked up to the pair who remained. Daryl, upon seeing you, moved closer, he held you in his arms for the first time and did not let go. In that moment, he swore to never let you meet that kind of fate.

You watched him blame himself for Sophia's death for months. You'd stay awake some nights and eavesdrop on him and Carol talking. He'd be talking to her about everything that had happened, and without prompting, she'd periodically tell him it wasn't his fault, that he couldn't have prevented it, and that she didn't blame him. He hated that it worked.

On the night the barn burnt down, you had been playing cards with Glenn, you left in a car with him and Maggie. He drove as Maggie held you in the backseat, you were weeping, scared of the uncertainty in the group's survival.

Your group was the last to make it to the highway, everyone was relieved instantly after your arrival. Although you had all mostly made it to this checkpoint safe, the group had to deal with the question, where to next?

~

taglist: @unadulterated-syd

[dp-marvel94]

Face to Face- Chapter 54

Summary: When Danny went through the ghost catcher, he expected to be cured of the ghostliness that had haunted him since the accident, not to wake up on the lab floor with his parents saying he’d been overshadowed but everything’s back to normal now. But why does Danny Fenton cry himself to sleep to then dream of flying? Why does Phantom, the ghost who was supposedly possessing Danny remember a life that wasn’t his? Most of all, why do both the human and the ghost feel that something vital is missing, in their very soul? Or: Trying to cure himself of his powers one month after the accident, Danny accidentally splits himself but neither his ghost nor his human half know that that is what they did

First -> Last -> Next

Word Count: 7,517

Also on AO3 and Fanfiction.net

Note: Finally! The much awaited (for me at least XD) concert chapter! This is probably the most self indulgent thing I have ever written. 😅😳

Seriously though, I put so much time and thought into this love letter to my two favorite things: Danny Phantom and Christian rock. 😂 I hope ya'll enjoy it just a fraction of the amount I did writing it.

(And on a serious note. A warning for some minor religious references and discussion here- the name of Jesus in a reverent context, a character asks another if they would like to be prayed for. I wrote a very long post on Tumblr going to more detail on some of these and my reasons for including them. See the link in the end note.)

Excitement grew, buzzing in Danny’s chest as everyone piled into the GEV. Even Jazz.

The boy raised a brow at his sister. “I figured you’d wanna stay home and read about the psychology of troubled teens or something.”

The red-head rolled her eyes at the comment. She shook her head. “Spike is going. He’s really into the metal scene and I thought going myself might be informative.”

Dad glanced back. “Is that your boyfriend, Jazzirencess?”

Jazz blushed. “We’re just friends, Dad.”

The parents exchanged looks, saying nothing else on the topic. Instead the conversation shifted, back towards the subject of the concert.

“Danny, sweetie. Who are we seeing again?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Less than ten minutes later, the group arrived at the park. Dad pulled into a parking spot and turned the vehicle off. The teens were out almost before the van even stopped and practically run across the grass.

There was the stage, set up the field where Sam, Tucker, and his two halves had played frisbee golf on Thursday. Danny stopped a dozen feet away, just staring for a long moment. Not even four days ago he’d fought a dragon here. Signs of the struggle still mard the area: patches of dead grass, a few fallen trees, and –Danny winced at the sight– the destroyed bathrooms, bared off the caution tape. A row of Port-a-Potties has been set up in their stead.

The sound of a guitar broke through Danny’s thoughts. “Feels like I'm stuck. Going nowhere fast.” An older teenage girl was singing while playing. “My life is on the line. I'm running out of time.” The instrument suddenly cut off. Then her voice pitched down, speaking normally. “I’m gonna need more guitar in my ears.” A few more strums. “Perfect.” She glanced over at another teen, holding a bass. “Maggie?”

Beside Danny, Tucker leaned in, right next to his ear. “They’re sound checking!” The half ghost could practically hear the stars in his friend’s eyes. 

“We’re listening to GFM sound check!” Danny felt just as giddy.

More strumming instruments, banging on the drums, growling and yelling into the mic. “Mic check! One, two, three! Can you hear me?!” 

“Yeah!” Woah!” The few people already gathering in front of the stage yelled an affirmative.

“Sounds good, CJ.” The bassist backed up from the mic, leaving her instrument on a stand. “Let’s get dinner.”

“Pizza!” There was a cheer from the drum set.

The other two band members, all sisters if Danny remembered, left the stage, now empty of people. 

Sam tugged on her friends’ arms. “Let’s scope out merch.”

The three hurried over to the merch tables, the group clustered under a tent. First GFM’s merch table, all black and pink and green. Shirts and tank tops. A jersey and hoodie. Wristbands and stickers. Pins. Even a skateboard- with cupcakes and a cheerleader in a black and pink cheer outfit with fishnets.

“I want one of everything.” The goth gushed. 

Next Relent’s table- black cloth covered the table, displaying fewer options but no less enticing.

Danny eyed one particular shirt. 

Tucker pointed. “Dude, check it.” The shirt showed a typical, if spooky, bed-sheet ghost, the scene complete with the band name, fire, lightning, and little bats.

“I’m so tempted.” The half ghost grinned.

Then Protest’s. A huge banner with the band’s logo hung on a frame, shirts displayed around it. In front of that was a table with posters, cds, stickers, and other offerings. A man with long brown hair and an upper arm tattoo was hanging up one last jacket.

“That’s a sick zip-up.” Tucker commented.

The man turned around…. He looked vaguely familiar. “Thanks man. My bro designed it.” He pointed to another man, a few tables down who was talking to some other people. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m-” He held out his hand to Tucker, only to be interrupted.

“Joshua Bramlett!” 

The four turned, only to see-

“Grandma?!” Sam’s eyes crinkled in disbelief of the old woman zooming across the path in her electric wheelchair.

The man’s (presumably Joshua) eyes lit up behind his glasses. “Miss Ida!” He stepped around the group, bending over to hug the woman as her chair stopped. “How have you been?!”

The trio of teens stared, confused. “What is happening right now?” Danny asked.

Meanwhile, the bearded man and Sam’s grandma chatted. “These old joints are acting up. But I wasn’t going to miss seeing you boys for the world.” She patted his hand. “You have to meet my granddaughter.”

Grandma Ida wheeled forward, the man walking back to the trio with her. “This is Sam.” The old woman introduced.

“I’m Josh.” The man offered his hand with a smile.

“Sam.” The goth nodded, accepting the gesture.

“Tucker.”

“Danny.”

Two more hand shakes were given. 

Josh then lowered his hands, putting them in his pockets. “Have you ever seen us before?”

“Us?” Danny raised a brow and the man motioned to the banner. “Oh.” The boy blushed. “You're in the band.” That really should have been obvious; hadn’t he seen him on the flier for this very show?

Josh chuckled, giving a shrug. “I sing for The Protest.” The words were so casual, “Are you excited for the show?” and the question eager and genuinely interested.

The half ghost instinctively felt himself relaxing. “Yeah! We’ve been talking about this for weeks.”

“Me and the boys will be sure to put on a good one for you.” He chuckled, before pointing back at the stage. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got more set up to do. I’d love to talk to you guys more after.”

Sure enough, Josh turned and walked away. The three teens stopped, watching for a long moment.

“He seems nice.” Tucker commented.

“That young man’s one of the sweetest, most genuine people you’ll ever meet.” Grandma Ida nodded, eyes twinkling with her smile. 

“Who you’ve apparently met before?” Sam frowned down, hands on her hips. “You know the Protest’s lead singer. How come you haven’t taken me to see them before?”

The old woman just shrugged, a mischievous look flickering across her face. Then her eyes lit up, gaze flickering to something near the stage. “Is that Marco Pera I see?!” She called out. “Don’t you run off now! Come talk to Grandma Ida.” The old woman wheeled off, leaving the three teens behind.

The goth lowered her hands to her sides, mouth open. “Unbelievable.”

Danny tugged her arm, diverting her attention. “Come on. There’s another table.”

Sam turned back. Her brow furrowed. “I thought there were only three bands playing.”

Tucker shrugged, leading his friends to the table. Sure enough, there was more merch displayed. 

“They have everything.” Danny’s eyes widened. Bags, CDs, posters, stickers, and pins were typical fare. But there were shirts in just about every color, not just black or gray. Keychains and coasters. Wristbands too. Even jewelry, bracelets that looked like they were made of leather.

“You should get that one, Sam.” Tucker pointed teasingly at a pink leather bracelet with the band’s name.

The goth rolled her eyes, giving the technogeek a punch on the arm. 

“Hey!” Tucker protested. 

Sam ignored him, instead reading the writing on the banner behind the table. “Chaotic Resemblance. Who are these guys anyway? They’re not on the flier.”

“We got added last minute.” A blond man, late twenties with a lip ring, looked up from his phone, putting the device in his pocket. “We’re good friends with the guys in the Protest and playin’ a few hours away tomorrow.” The man shrugged. He had an odd accent Danny couldn’t quite place. “Figured we could swing by.”

“Cool.” Danny said with a slight smile. He had no idea who this band was but the prospect of hearing cool, new music was always exciting.

Briefly, names were exchanged; the man’s name was Travis, yet another lead singer. He asked the trio if they’d heard of any of the other bands playing today and who they were excited to see.

“GFM.” Sam’s eyes sparkled. “I’ve been following their vlog for like a year now. The music kicks ass. And their music videos! I love the one for SMILE.” She stopped, blushing in seeming embarrassment from the rant. “So, yeah. I’m excited.”

Travis laughed, expression open and kind, before asking Tucker and Danny the same question. The technogeek mentioned reading a review of The Protest’s new ep on a music website he liked and listening to the songs a bunch. And Danny…

“Relent’s super cool. Sam introduced them to me, since they’re on that same label GFM used to be on.” He blushed, cheeks scrunching up with his smile. “I’ve listened to the new cd like a hundred times. Especially Ghost and Heavy.” Just a hint of sadness brushed his mind at the thought of that second one. “I… really like those songs.”

“You’ve gotta learn the words, right.” Tucker elbowed him playfully. 

The halfa just felt more embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, well uh…”

“Don’t be embarrassed.” Travis leaned forward, a conspiratory twinkle in his eye. “Let me tell you a secret. We love it when fans know the words.”

“Really?” Danny asked hesitantly.

“Yep.” The man nodded. “So you better sing really loud for those guys.” The half ghost nodded eagerly. Then, suddenly strumming sounded from the stage. Travis’ head jerked in the direction. “Oh, we’re sound checking. I have to go. It was great talking to you.”

Again, the trio watched him go. And Danny’s shoulder untensed. He felt better, embarrassment and lingering sadness gone. He knew all the words to Heavy because, well… he’d listened… and cried through the song many times. It’s not like anyone could blame him, right? The last two months had been the hardest of his life. But he’d gotten through it. He’d learned and he’d grown. And that song had been a tiny part of that.

Shaking the thought away, the trio of friends returned to their spot near the front. On the way they passed Danny’s mom and dad, both seated in their camping chairs with what looked like a few other parents. Jazz and a teen with black spiky hair and a nose ring stood on the other side of the stage, a little ways back.

The trio stood in front of the stage, excitement building as the band checked their sound. Minutes later, the musicians walked off, leaving the stage bare and ready. Music crackled to life on the speakers. Pre Recorded but familiar, fast paced and energetic, from bands Danny recognized. Anticipation grew.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The shadows were lengthening now, the golden light of late afternoon bathing the scene. The wind blew gently, not too hot or too cold. And the crowd gathered, people packing closer together near the stage. The half ghost’s heart fluttered with excitement. The show must be starting soon…

A cheer rang out around him. The boy looked up.

“Who’s ready to rock?!” It was an older man, maybe ten years older than his dad, bald but with a big, wispy beard and tattoos in a biker jacket. “I’ve always wanted to say that.” He chuckled. “I’m Dave. I’ve been volunteering with Guardians of the Children for ten years now. We’re so excited to have all of you guys here today. ‘Specially these awesome bands on the Gotta Rock ‘em all Tour.” 

Another cheer rose up and Dave clapped. “Yeah! Give it up for these dudes.”

“Woo!!” Danny yelled, voice joining his friends.

More clapping and cheering… slowly the sound died down.

The older man pointed. “Later, one of my buddies is goin’ to tell you all about what we Guardians do. But now… are you ready to have your faces melted!?”

“Yeah!” “Woo!” “Yeah!” The half ghost caught a glimpse of Sam, her fists already in the sky. Tucker, mouth open to yell.

“Our first band wasn’t originally planned to be here. They’re on their own tour now but makin’ a special trip to see us. I love these guys. If you’re in my generation, you’re in for a treat.” Dave’s eyes sparkled knowingly. “Give it up for… Chaotic Resemblance!”

To cheers, the band sauntered onto stage, one by one. The drums pounded, cymbals clashing. Then the bass, an easy strum. The guitar, with a flourish and…

“How are we doing, Amity Park?!” Travis ran onto stage, now in a jean vest with studs and hair unbound.

The first song started, unfamiliar words fast. The guitars slung notes, fast and driving. The singer’s voice rose, high and resonating, with a twang. 

Danny bobbed his head, a smile growing as he listened. The sound tickled his ears. This was cool! Not his typical style for sure. Maybe it was closer to something he’d heard his parents listening to…? 

A hint of a bridge. The guitar solo. On stage, hair flew. The song swept up. 

Around the half ghost, the crowd was swept up with it. Danny’s heart beat faster, hair flopping on his forehead with his movement.

The chorus, on final time…. 

“It's time we break!” Travis half-sung, half-yelled.  “The identity crisis toda-ay!” The note held out, long high and reverberating. Instruments clashed, one finally flurry of head-banging. 

With a final shout, the sound died…. And the crowd cheered.

“Yeah!!” The halfa clapped, the motion big and exuberant.

One voice rose above the rest. “Woah! Radical, dudes!”

Danny looked back, cheeks bright red. That was his dad, hands up and grinning like a mad man.

On stage, Travis chuckled, pointing. “Thank you, sir.”

The half ghost face palmed….

The show rolled on, embarrassment long forgotten. 

“We’ve got one last song!” The singer started. “Thanks for having us.” A cheer from the crowd. The guitars started shredding. “We love you guys. God bless.” A final yell. “Let’s start a riot!”

Travis pumped the air with a fist. “Hey! Hey! Hey!”

Soon the crowd was copying….

Jumping. Hair slinging. Figuring out what to do during the song was natural, the crowd moving as one. 

“This is the Riot Anthem!” 

“Riot! Riot!” The boy’s heart pumped, grinning.

“Our final call to action!”

“Riot! Riot!” He shouted, fist punching the sky…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The set ended but the show went on, Relent playing next, just as the sun was starting to set.

“What you're about to see is not for free. No, I ain't got time for apologies!” Danny spat the words to the much loved song. “I'm a south boy killa. No scope headshot winner.” Screaming. “I can feel something staring at me!”

Bouncing, the half ghost’s spirit soared.

But the next song was Heavy. “I wrote this song based on my wife’s story. She’s been through so much. So many horrible, painful things. But she’s come out victorious.” The singer’s eyes flicking over the crowd. “So I hope her story helps people. I hope it helps you remember you’re not alone. And it helps you find the strength to break the silence and talk about the things that aren’t talked about enough.”

The drums pounded, slow and steady. The emotional words rang out. “I cannot take the pressure. This feels like forever…”

Danny sang along, vision threatening to blur…. 

The singer fisted the mic, eyes closed. “Look what you did to my soul. Look at the size of the hole.” He lamented. Tears collected in the corners of the half ghost’s eyes.  “Why do I, why do I, why do I feel so heavy?”

The song trickled to a stop and Danny’s heart squeezed. He whipped the tears away….

One final Relent song. The music pounded. Danny jumped and head-banged, excitement returning. His head swung at the bridge, the best part of the song. He sung. “Time’s up! What! What! What! Welcome to the-”

A puff of cold air. Danny stumbled to a stop, looking side to side. His eyes caught on… he blinked. A young man with sandy blond hair, a leather jacket. Was that… the motorcycle ghost he saw in the Zone?

Nervous curiosity squirmed in Danny’s gut as the set ended with a bang. The instruments pounded as the people cheered. With waves, the band left the stage.

The half ghost glanced back, his eyes meeting the other ghost’s. The biker raised an eyebrow. Danny turned back to the front, biting his lip. He should probably go talk to the guy. There was a little time before GFM started.

He tapped on Sam’s shoulder who turned as he leaned closer. “Save my spot. Be back soon.” The goth’s brow furrowed for just a second. Then Danny muttered. “Ghost.” He vaguely motioned with his head.

With no more discussion, he ran off, weaving through the crowd. Sure enough… there was the biker ghost. Johnny? That was what the green haired woman he’d been with before had called him, right? Quickly, Danny approached, half a dozen questions buzzing in his head. But what came out of his mouth…

“You should put that thing out.” His eyes narrowed at the death stick in Johnny’s hand. “Don’t you know cigarettes can kill you?”

The older ghost burst out laughing. “Shit, kid.” He dropped the cigarette, the object disappearing into mist as it fell. “How can you even see me?”

“You’re standing right in front of me.” The halfa raised a brow, arms crossed.

“I’m invisible.” He rolled his eyes like it was obvious. “You a medium or something?”

“A medium? What-” 

“Shit, I’ve seen you before.” The biker interrupted, snapping his finger. “You look like that twelve year old who was looking for his Mama.”

“I’m fourteen!” Danny bared his teeth. A cold feeling flickered in his eyes, green light swirling in them. 

“Holy….” The other ghost’s eyes widened. “I thought you were the live twin to your dead bro. But… holy f-king hell….” He pointed. “You’re a halfa.”

Said halfa dropped his arms. “What… How?… I just flashed my eyes and knew it like that?”

“I felt it, now that I’m actually lookin’ at ya…” Somehow, Johnny’s eyes widened more. “How come I didn’t feel it before?”

Danny blushed. “That’s complicated…” He shook his head. “What are you doing here?” The question was curious, just a hint of suspicion. 

“Watching a show.” He motioned to the stage, matter-of-fact. “Me and Kitten stumbled on a natural portal. Thought we’d have a bit of fun.” He leaned forward, voice lowering. “She’s good about knowing how long one’s gonna be open. Said we’ve got ‘til midnight.”

Danny’s brow furrowed. So that was apparently a thing…? But he didn’t ask. Instead he looked side-to-side…. “Where is she?”

“Snooping around backstage.” The other ghost grinned, mischievously, a hint of sharp teeth flashing.

New suspiciousness flashed in his eyes. A desire flickered- to get the thermos and catch the two ghosts before anything happened. But…. the boy sighed. Johnny was just standing here, watching the show like any other concert goer. He sounded like he was enjoying the music. Maybe Danny could hope….

Danny rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Can you at least try not to cause trouble?”

“Trouble?” The man laughed. “We won’t do nothing too bad.” He winked. “Besides, I’m digging these guys… and girls?” His eyes widened slightly, set on something behind. Probably GFM getting on stage. He shook his head, expression just a bit more genuine. “Believe me, the last thing I want is to stop the party.”

At that, Danny sighed. Behind him, cheers started. “Great. I’ll be near the front. Have fun.” He started turning to leave. “And really, don’t try anything. My parents are ghost hunters after all.” He pointed a thumb to the two Fentons adults, standing in front of their chairs. “You saw that big gun my Mom had in the Realms? She knows how to use it. And…” He flashed his eyes. “My folks aren’t the only ones’ armed.”

For a second, Johnny’s face paled, nervousness flickering across it. Then he smirked, summoning another cigarette with a flick of his fingers. “Alright, kid.” Burgeoning respect shone in those eyes. “See you ‘round.”

Danny ran back to the front, pushing through the crowd. In front of him, pink-colored smoke still shot up from the stage. He arrived at his spot just as Maggie ran on stage. 

“What is up Amity? I need you all to make some noise for me tonight!” Arms spread, head back, the teen brought the mic to her mouth and growled….

“Don’t tell me to! Don’t tell me to! SMILE.” A guttural yell. 

Hair flying. The crowd chanted around him. “S.M.I.L.E. Why don’t you smile for me?”

His feet pounded, his heart pounded, sweat running down his back. Beside him, Sam spat the words; he could almost hear her growling along. Tucker banged his head, glasses hanging on for dear life. Even so, his friends’ faces shone with gleeful happiness.

The second verse swung around, the chorus again. Danny’s mind filled up with the words, the rhythm. No room for anything more than the sheer exuberance.

The guitar and bass cut off, drums pounding the beat. “Okay, everyone settle down. Boys and girls, are you ready?” The guitarist, CJ, more chanted than sung.

The crowd clapped and yelled, hands in the air.

“LuLu, are you ready?” Pointing at the drummer. “I know I’m ready!” With a grin. “Maggie, are you ready?” Voice pitched up, a performatively raised brow. “Maggie?”

A pause. The audience held their breath, gripped with anticipation and...

“Go!” A growl from said teen. The breakdown hit.

And the crowd lost it. Jumping. Headbanging. Pushing and shoving. Moshing. The horde jolted. Someone ran past Danny. And…. they were circling?! The half ghost grinned manically. 

“Jack!”

His ears twitched at the cry. A look back, eyes widened. And… Danny just about felt his soul leave his body. His Dad… his dad was in the circle pit. A flash of worry. But the man was keeping up no problem, sure on his feet. 

Danny chuckled, turning back to the front as the last chorus started. His voice joined the rest. At least his dad was having fun….

“Anyone want cupcakes?!” Maggie yelled.

This was it, the last song! And there they were: clear plastic containers with neon-frosted confections. The famed cupcakes!

“Misery loves company, I bet you're fun at parties.” Cupcakes flew. “Chasing after all the things you think will make you happy.” Instinctively, Danny ducked. “You've been played so many times, you'd make the perfect barbie.” The sugary goodness rained down. “Pretend your life's a fairytale, the story's getting boring….”  The guitar sped up, fingers flying across the cords.

Adrenaline rushed through his veins, heart pounding a mile a minute. He sang his lungs out. “I don’t need your fantasy!” 

Beside him, Sam’s eyes shone with passion, a balled fist to the sky. “'Cause I'm gonna say, gonna say what I wanna say…” 

A cupcake nailed her in the shoulder, pink icing smearing across her shirt and face. Danny laughed, pointing. The shocked look on her face!

“…my voice. You can't take it away!”

Something chocolate brown and blue flew at his face. The half ghost flailed to catch and… 

“You can’t!”

Blue icing coated his hands. He dropped the cupcake…

“You can’t! You can’t!”

Right into Tucker’s hands. The technogeek smirked, taking a huge bite. 

Danny lost it, bursting out laughing. Mind, body, heart, and soul wrapped up, caught up in the moment. Just him and the beat. The stickiness on his hands. His grinning, screaming, laughing friends. The press of the crowd around him. The words pouring out of his mouth. 

“This is my life, my voice. You can't take it away!”

His core sang, buzzing inside him. This. This right here. It was amazing, incredible, perfect. The feeling almost euphoric. 

This is awesome! The words were more yelled in his head than thought. An almost physical thing, like throwing the idea with his mind to-

“Misery loves company, I bet you're fun at parties.” Sam’s jump sent her careening into him. “Chasing after all the things you think will make you happy!” She’s never looked so happy to be wearing pink.

The breakdown. Tucker’s flailing arm jolted his side, icing smeared around the technogeek’s  mouth.

“Now, you’ll see… I don’t need your fantasy!” With bared teeth, head raised to the sky, Danny had never felt so alive….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The set ended with a bang, the clashing of instruments as people cheered. The three sisters left the stage. The previous soundtrack started again, so much quieter than the live music. The half ghost almost felt the crowd breath out, decompress as one of the Guardian of the Children volunteers came up to speak. The mass of people shifted, the space for moshing filling in as some snuck closer to the front and others left. Jazz and Spike drifted closer, standing right beside Danny and his friends.

Danny took a breath, whipping his sweaty forehead.

His sister laughed, giving him a knowing look.

The boy raised a brow. “I’ve got icing on my face now, don’t I?”

“Yep.” Jazz’s tone was full of teasing.

“You want some?” With a grin, the little brother swiped for her.

“Danny!” The older teen shrieked, jumping away.

“Come on! Let me give you a high five!” He reached again.

Jazz weaved, dodging. “No!”

“Come on!” Danny got her right in her face.

“Ew! It’s sticky!” The girl fished in her bag, pulling on a sleeve of wet wipes. Frustiously, she whipped at the blue frosting. “Here, you heathen.” She shoved the package at her brother.

The boy rolled his eyes but obliged, whipping his hands. It did feel nice to get the sticky feeling off them. 

A sudden screeching sound through the mic brought Danny’s attention back to the speaker. 

The older man speaking smiled sheepishly. “Got too close to the mic there. As I was saying…”

What was the man saying? Danny should probably pay attention…

The boy shuffled foot to foot, watching, listening. He was getting tired from standing here so long. And thirsty. He’d sung, and screamed, and sweated a lot. He glanced back, wanting to go get some water. But his coveted spot…

Another screech. Danny’s gaze jolted back, focus returned. The mic was giving the guy problems, huh? He watched the stage, the lights  slowly brightening in the growing darkness. It was well past sunset now. A flicker of movement below the stage caught Danny’s attention. Some thing darted by, dark and strangely formless. That was weird… 

A few more minutes and the volunteer finished speaking, leaving the stage. The soundtrack returned as the lights on the stage dimmed.

Danny’s insides fluttered, anticipation rising again. He was still tired, previous emotional high lessened. But the last band was about to come on soon! The headliner!

Beside him, Tucker shook with excitement. “Oh, man. This is gonna be awesome.”

Danny nodded. The lights shifted, spot lighting the drums. And…

“Make some noise, Amity!” Josh ran on stage, jumping. “I wanna see you on your feet!”

The music rumbled and the crowd obeyed. A roar from the background track. Josh fisted the mic and growled. “I caught you like the monster hiding under my bed. Now I’m gonna rip you right out of my head! Like a baseball to the side of the face, I’ll make you disappear without a trace.” Heads bobbed, hands raised. “The match is in my hand… The match is in my hand!” The crowd shook, starting to jump. “You’re just a paper!”

A deafening pop and sound and lights died.

“A paper tiger!” The last yelled words sounded, only audible because of how close Danny was to the stage. 

For a few more seconds, the crowd continued jumping, the band still trying to play as Josh sang without amplification . “Nothing more than a… silver tongued… liar?” 

But the movement stalled, fizzling out. The half ghost stumbled to a stop, brow furrowing in confusion. Around him the crowd started to murmur.

On stage, the guitarist closest to the trio, short cropped hair and bare faced in a tank top, stummed, no sound coming through the speaker. His head turned toward the others already gathering around the drum set. “Did we just lose power?”

The drummer shrugged. One of the lights flashed on, randomly swiveling on its display. The spotlight shone right in the short haired musician’s face. “Woah!” He closed his eyes, head jerking away. The sound echoed out. The man blinked. “Hey, the mic’s back.”

More strumming attempts. Josh tried his mic again, lowering it with a confused look. The drummer motioned to something on the laptop set up beside the kit.

The guitarist turned his attention back to the audience. “Well, that’s how you know it’s live and we’re not just playing over a recording.” He laughed, strumming his guitar and making a face. “Anyone want to hear a joke?”

Under the stage something black flickered again. Danny titled his head, brow furrowed.

“What's a vampire's favorite kind of candy?” He gave a pause for effect, murmurs of question coming from the audience. Then… "A sucker."

Around him, people chuckled lightly, several groaning at the bad joke. On stage, the man continued. “There’s more where that came from. What do….”

The words drifted over Danny’s head, unable to keep his attention. Instead, his focus was on a… weird, unnaturally dark shadow. It undulated, half-slinging-half-crawling in the recesses under the stage. 

Another electric pop. The lights swiveled.

Danny almost swore he heard laughter….

The half ghost’s head turned side to side, looking. Was… no one else really seeing this?

The creature…. The ghost (it must be another ghost, with the way his ghost sense was swirling in his throat) chuckled again, static echoing through the speakers.

A few people winced, covering their ears. “Okay, okay, no more dad jokes.”

Somehow no one was seeing the ghost. How? Other people had been able to see the Lunch Lady and Dora. Wait…. It must have been the partial invisibility like Sidney showed him. But why…

“Hey!” The word was hissed, just a hint of ghostly echo. 

Danny’s head jerked, looking for the source of the noise. His gaze scanned the crowd. For just a second, his eyes met his mother’s, her brow wrinkled in concern as she stood up. 

Then… his gaze met a wavering, ethereal figure. Johnny…

“Cut it out!” The ghostly man hissed. He drifted forward, unseen by the crowd even as he literally, intangibly floated through them. 

Danny’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “I’m not doing anything.” He muttered hotly, earning a confused look from Tucker.

The biker ghost “What? No, not-” Another crackle cut off the word, the man covering his ears. His eyes narrowed, fixing on….

The strange embodiment of darkness. 

Oh. Danny realized 

“Cut it out, Shadow.” The man complained. “I’m actually enjoying this. Go make a kid drop their ice cream or something.”

Danny raised a brow at that last part but Johnny waved him off, attention still on the shadow.

“I’ll bring out the flashlight, man. Just you keep it up and see.” The other ghost threatened.

The living (unliving? undead?) shadow seemed to deflate. With something like a sigh, it zipped off.

The lights came back on. “Hey!” Several positive shouts came from the stage. 

“Now we’re getting somewhere!” Danny picked up the words, from the other guitarist and unamplified.

The half ghost turned his attention back to Johnny. “What was that about?” He asked quietly.

The man shrugged. “There’s a reason they call me Unlucky Johnny 13.” He motioned, waving in the general direction the shadow had gone. “Thing’s got a mind of its own.”

That… answered no questions. But the other ghost ignored Danny’s confused look, instead lifting a hand. “There you are Kitty.” His eyes lit up and in a blink, he disappeared, materializing at the green-haired woman’s side seconds later.

Danny just blinked, taking in what had just happened. That was… something.

“...feel like my ears are burning. They’re talking about me, aren’t they?” The words drew the half ghost’s attention back. The guitarist pointed his thumb at his bandmates. “I’m being voted out of the band, aren’t I?” The look was falsely aghast. “This’ll be my last show with the Protest, guys. It’s been fun.”

What the heck had he missed?

Just then, his mom tapped on his shoulder.

Danny turned jerkily, surprised. “When did you get here?”

The woman’s brow furrowed in concern. “You had a strange look on your face. Is everything alright sweetie? ”

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” His eyes flickered to the two ghosts standing at the edge of the crowd. The halfa’s voice lowered, stepping closer to the woman. “There’s two ghosts, the biker couple we saw in the Realms. And this weird shadow ghost that was messing with the sound. The dude, Johnny, yelled at it to stop and it flew off somewhere.”

His mom looked in the direction his gaze had flickered. “I can’t see them.”

“I don’t think anyone else can either. Just me.” The boy shrugged. “It’s a ghost thing.”

“What are they doing?” She asked.

“Just watching the show. Johnny said they came through a natural portal and wanted to have some fun.”

Her forehead wrinkled in worry at the statement. “A natural portal again?”

“We’re good to go!” The crowd cheering interrupted Danny’s response. Josh’s words echoed. “Let’s start this again.” 

“We can talk later.” Danny had to raise his voice to be heard. Accepting a nod in response, he turned back to the front.

The band was walking off the stage, only to return moments later to cheers. 

The instruments pounded. The singer held the mic to his mouth and… “I caught you like the monster hiding under my bed….”

The song started again and Danny jumped, previous confusion and worry quickly forgotten.

“You’re just a paper! A paper tiger! Nothing more than a silver tongued liar! Paper! Paper Tiger! Incinerated by my new found fire!”

The crowd jumped and screamed. Song after song, excitement built.

Josh sang. “You may feel a change but don't be afraid.” 

“The transformation has just begun!” The short-haired guitarist quipped with a grin, pointing at the audience….

The words half-chanted. “In the freak show. In the freak show. In the freak show.” Hands flailed, shoulders shook as Danny and his friends danced.

 “Your mind will be blown away! Hey!” Each word punctuated by a fist to the sky. “Hey! Hey!” 

“Welcome to the Freakshow!” Second chorus ending, the crowd reached a fever pitch.

His heart beating in time with the music, Danny head-banged. His hair flung, dripping with sweat.

Something square and silver at the edge of his vision. Head turned, brow furrowed. His mom had her phone out, lens facing him. 

The boy snorted. Sore neck bobbing faster, he stuck out his tongue at her….

In the small break before the next song… “You’re supposed to take pictures of the band, not me!” Danny laughed…

The set forgaged on. Shredding guitars, pounding drums, screamed words. The songs were incredible. And the message in between…

“If you leave here tonight with one thing, know that you are loved so much. Do you guys understand me?” Murmurs of agreement. “So much. You have no idea.” Josh’s eyes were wide and earnest, so much conviction behind the words. “After we’re done playing tonight, we will be over at the merch tent. Please come talk to us. You are looking at four sinners so we don’t have all the answers, I promise you that. We don’t. We would love to hear your story. We’d love to pray with you. We’d love to talk with you. That’s why we’re here. That’s why all of these bands are here, why we drove hundreds of miles to be here today. To share the hope that we have in Jesus. We love you guys so so much. Come hang out with us. We’ve got a few more for you….”

Danny’s heart squeezed, something deep in him touched by the words. He didn’t know about all of this, but that offer… to be heard, to be listened to. There were plenty of things he couldn’t say but…

Another song started. By now, the almost euphoric excitement had smoothed, lessened, morphed into a more quiet, heartfelt joy. Even still, the words sent goose bumps over the half ghost’s arm.

“This is the time for life revolution

Setting a course to reclaim the broken.

We look to find those lost in the night.

Following hearts that lead like a compass

Fire will rise and we let it guide us.”

The singer leaned over the crowd and the half ghost sang, his soul pouring into each syllable. “Despite the pain, we’ll stay unbroken.” 

Each voice ringing in harmony, brown eyes and blue eyes met. Something in Danny’s chest fluttered, breathless and awed. He could never describe the feeling, not completely.  But when gazes met… belief resonated. Both meant every single word….

To cheers, the set ended. The lights dimmed as people started walking away. And for a long moment, Danny stood in front of the stage, eyes wide and heart light. That amazed feeling stirred…

“We need to get a picture!” Jazz’s hand on his shoulder drew him out of himself.

“Yeah. Go for it.” The boy smiled, letting his sister put her arm around him. 

The pair took a selfie, each with matching grins. The red-head lowered the phone. And Danny finally registered his friends and family hovering around him.

“That first band was so good!” His dad gushed. “They’re just like that band I was in in college! Good ol’ Skunk Punks! But they’ve got much better hair. And better lyrics.”

“Your strengths are in things other than lyrical composition, dear.” His mom graciously didn’t speak on the hair comment. 

Sam pulled him and Tucker across the grass. “We need to get pictures with everyone! And merch! I want one of like everything.”

“Yes! I need the GFM snapback. Their set was so good!” The technogeek laughed, pointing at the icing staining her shirt. “They got you to wear pink. And.” He puffed out his chest. “I’m the only one who didn’t get icing on them

The goth rolled her eyes but then a mischievous look passed her face. “That’s what you think.” 

“What are you- Hey!”

She swiped a glob of crusting icing from her shirt and shoved it at him. “Ha!”

“Not my beret! Sam, how could you!?”

Danny just laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everyone bought merch. The Relent Ghost shirt and a wristband for GFM and The Protest for Danny. For Sam, the pink and black skateboard, a delightfully cute and creepy pink, green, and black shirt, and a bunch of CDs. (“Who even buys CDs anymore? You can just stream that.” Tucker wrinkled his nose. The goth pulled his hand down over his face. “I want to actually support the bands I like, Tucker. Spotify doesn’t deserve a cent.) The technogeek proceeded to buy his own CD and his coveted snapback.

Danny’s parents even got in on the action. Dad apparently bought a Chaotic Resemblance shirt for everyone in the family. And the famed pink leather bracelet.

Pictures were taken with every band. 

“A silly one next!” Noses were scrunched up in ridiculous expressions. Two members of the Protest pretended to be punching each other. Danny laughed more still.

Words were exchanged, excited ones about the show….

“Awesome set!” Each GFM member was offered a high five.

More casual ones, about school and interests. (Unsurprisingly Josh and co were very personable.)

“Yeah. I just started ninth grade. It’s going pretty well.” “What’s your favorite subject?” “Science. I’ve always wanted to be an astronaut…”

And somber ones.

The last band Danny got to speak to was Relent. His heart twisted, words lingering heavy on it. You should say something, a voice in him, not audible but very much present, whispered. The ghost boy listened.

“The last few months have been… really hard for me, for a bunch of reasons. But… I’ve listened to your song, Heavy a bunch of times. And it’s really helped me. Like… uhh… when I couldn’t sleep and just wanted to cry. And… yeah. I’ve listened to it alot and all your other songs so…. Thanks for writing them and putting them out. And… uh… thanks for being here tonight.”

Danny looked down, nervousness flopping his stomach.

“That’s why we write songs and tour.” The lead singer (In their introduction, Danny learned his name was Miggy.) “Like I said on stage, I hope that our songs help people. Thanks for telling me, man.” His expression softened, earnest. “Do you mind if I pray for you?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Danny’s friends and family walked back towards the GEV, the boy lingered for just a moment to look over the field. For just a second, three ghostly figures flickered into existence. Kitty and Johnny, the black shadow curled at the man’s feet, floated in front of the stage, unseen by all except the half ghost. The man nodded in his direction, lifting a cigarette-gripping hand. The green-haired woman waved.

Danny returned the gesture, lips quirking as the couple disappeared. He had a feeling he’d be seeing them again.

With the ghosts gone, the boy turned his attention back to the activity across the field. The bands were still active, packing up instruments and putting them in the vans and buses. Soon enough the stage would be torn down as well, leaving no evidence of the concert that had been here. 

Even so, the half ghost’s heavy heart felt lightened. He felt better after talking to Miggy; that had been good for him. The boy sighed. This had been an incredible night. 

Sam bumped his shoulder. “Come on. Tucker asked and your dad said he’s taking us to Nasty Burger for shakes.”

It looked like the night wasn’t over yet.

Everyone piled into the GEV and his dad pulled out, leaving the almost empty parking lot. A few minutes later found the trio sitting at a picnic table outside the restaurant, each nursing their own shake.

Chatter batted back and forth, jokes and memories. The three looked through the pictures that had been taken.

“That’s a good one! You got him mid-head bang.” Tucker pointed while he and Danny leaned over Sam’s phone, admiring a picture of Josh Bramlett with his hair spread in a halo above him.

“I love this one.” The goth swiped. This photo was of GFM’s drummer, an excited grin plastered on her face.

“Drummer pics are so hard to get! That’s awesome.” Danny congratulated.

The conversation continued on, milkshakes almost finished and… 

The half ghost sighed. “Thanks guys for being there.” 

That got him strange looks. “Dude, of course we were going to come to the show with you.”

“No, that’s not what I mean. I…” Danny shook his head. He wasn’t exactly sure what prompted this line of thinking but… “I mean…. Thanks for being here for me. With the accident and then splitting myself. I know it’s been hard and you’ve been the best friends I could ask for.” He’d told them as much at Sam’s that day, when they’d convinced Phantom to talk to Fenton about re-fusing and his denial of his death. And even before that…

He blushed. “You guys are the ones who convinced Phantom me to stop denying we were the same person. You guys… you saw me.. You knew me even when I didn’t know myself. So…” He bit his lip. “Thanks for sticking with me,” There in the Hot Topic dressing room, after his ghost self had flown off… “even when I was a jerk to you guys.” 

His friends’ expressions softened. “You really don’t have to thank us, Danny. That’s what friends are for.” Sam said.

“Yeah.” Tucker smiled. “We’re your friends. Of course we’ll stick by you. You’d do the same for us.”

Danny sighed, shaking his head. “Like I said, you guys are the best.”

His best friends both reacted out. An awkward group hug… the table in the middle had just their arms touching each other, heads close together. But Danny closed his eyes, heart warm.

This really had been the best day.

End note: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy it. :) As always, feel free to let me know what you liked.

[lyriumheart]

ok i finally have the braincells so here's some of my criticisms/pointing out of .... questionable content in bg3 that i've personally come across. it may get a bit long. apologies for if it's difficult to read, i'm just trying to lay out my thoughts here. some things are also more serious than others.

The Dark Urge this one is relatively small, as playing the dialogue for the dark urge kind of hints at it, but i do think that it needs a MUCH clearer indication that it can be dark and probably disturbing/distressing to play as. and also that it should probably not be reccomended for a first run, as it does change things quite a bit.

sexuality and romance choice i think it would just be helpful if, when a party member hits on you or shows interest, that you are able to say 'i'm not into girls/guys/anything at all'. and that this specifically shuts down their comments. i have a friend that was disappointed that he couldn't say this to lae'zel, and got further uncomfortable when she kept on saying 'you will wonder what i taste like' when he's a gay guy trying to play a gay guy. it would also be uncomfortable for someone not interested in that aspect of the game/romance and sex in general, i would imagine. also related to this, and i do understand why every single romanceable character is bisexual as this just makes things a lot easier, but i do feel that there should be characters that just are not bi, even just among npcs. there's some npcs in same gendered relationships which is good, though i think there needed to just be more characters that clearly are not bi. (though given the dragon age modding scene's track record, i also get just wanting to avoid that outright.)

trangender characters you the player character can be trans and i love this. i do wish there was a way to have the more feminine frames with a flatter chest, and vice versa, though. i mean we have genital options, but no chest options...? (also no weight or further body shape options but i digress). i also think i noted maybe, two? npcs? that were transgender? and i feel that there really needs to be more trans and nonbinary npcs, specifically prominent ones and not relegated to background characters that you blink and miss (which one of the ones i found was). bg3 has given me as a player far more options to play a trans nonbinary character than any game ive played thus far, but there needs to be more beyond just the player themself in terms of trans rep.

party member racism as a romani person myself, i found myself relating to the tiefling group quite a lot. i dont expect larian to not include fantasy racism in the game, but playing as a tiefling and having a party member, lae'zel, call you and your kind 'cockroaches' with no way to chew her out for it, and just having no proper way to direclty combat the racism of your party members in general is. very uncomfortable. astarion also has some lines like this, and while he does eventually change his attitude, i havent been able to change or confront that with lae'zel. not good for someone youre meant to adventure with and trust.

the goblins and treatment of the way that the goblins are depicted and treated (while not wholly larian's fault since they didn't make the setting- still not an excuse tho) could have been handled better. there are a few instances where you can stand up for them as being people without condoning their actions, but overall they are treated as 'dirty uncivilised tribals' and i hope i dont need to explain why that kind of depiction is bad. they're background cronies of the bbeg, explicitly revealed to having been manipulated and controlled into serving the bbeg, and any exploration of actual goblin culture is treated as a joke.

murdering goblin kids specifically is okay apparently on the topic of the goblins- i was appaled when i realised that in order to free halsin, you have to kill two goblin kids. in fact, if you choose to attack the whole goblin camp, you kill more goblin kids. nobody bats an eye at this. yet, when you do the reverse and attack the grove where there are children that you can kill/cause the death of, this is explicity treated as a bad thing. it's just disgusting that goblin children being killed is not given the same treatment, just because they're goblins.

ableist abuse is fine when the person was abusive to you first in the underdark in act 1 (and later in act 3 if you helped them), there is a dwarven? couple, baelen and derryth bonecloak. baelen has gone missing, and you can find and rescue him. he clearly has some kind of neurological disability, and has difficulty with verbal communication and his memory. his wife, derryth, berates him and treats him as stupid for his disability. you can confront her about it in act 1, and later in act 3 go snooping and find out more information about their relationship- baelen, prior to whatever caused his disability, was an abusive and evil man who beat her and gave her the facial scar she has, among other abuses. of course this abuse is horrific, but this is then used to justify derryth's own abuse of the man, since he now is reliant on her for food ect. she basically says that she can treat a disabled man however she wants because at least she cares for his needs and he abused her anyways so it's payback. i do believe that his disability does not override or excuse what he did in the past and that she has every reason to still hate him, but this still does NOT excuse this treatment of him now that he is disabled and relies on her as a caregiver. becoming disabled is not a fucking punishment and it's disgusting that larian even chose to include this kind of thing in their game at ALL. it's also worsened by the fact that i see many people commenting on how they're going to just kill him because he deserves it, and it's 'doing him a favour since he's disabled now'. this is the kind of sentiment that larian are encouraging by having this narrative in their game and as a disabled person myself, and someone who has family and friends who literally act the way baelen does with his disability, it is not fucking okay.

twin drow sex workers i hope i don't need to explain why it's fucking gross and creepy that larian have two sex workers in act 3 be twins that regularly participate in sex with the same client at the same time, and the player is also able to do so. some party members, such as karlach, comment on how them being literally brother and sister is gross, so it's not as if larian are not self aware enough to see why it's not good to fetishise incest. but they put it in there anyways! for the player to indulge in! and it's depicted as sexy! being a survivor of incest csa, i was pretty shocked and appaled by that inclusion. they could have very easily just had the two be runaway lovers. there was literally no need for them to be made twins.

sexual slavery and abuse is sexy when it's halsin if you do actually sleep with the aforementioned drow along with halsin, he will have a new dialogue where he talks about being held prisoner in the underdark 'chained to the bed, somewhere between a prisoner, a guest, and a consort'. so, he was kept as a sex slave and just slave and captive in general by drow for a while. the player can say that's horrible, but halsin brushes this off and says it wasn't so bad. because apparently he liked being kept as a sex slave? this is just brainwashing and coercive rape, larian. considering how they handled astarion's sexual abuse and slavery, it was outright shocking to learn that halsin's own abuse is handled so poorly and in fact turned into some weird bdsm fetish instead.

[aaronstveit]

jaaaaamie i need book recs pretty please; you know what i like :) (also HOW ARE YOU ILY)

hiiii arwen my beloved!!!! i'm good, how are you? 💛💛

this is truly so much pressure.... i genuinely have five tabs open just to answer this ask, it's that serious. i don't know if you've read some of these but i hope there's at least something on this list you enjoy!!

first things first you can always check out my book recs tag or my goodreads <3 i have an all-time favorites shelf and shelves of my favorites each year if you're interested!

putting the recommendations beneath the cut because this got longggg omg

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand — Young adult, horror, mystery, LGBTQ+. Three teenage girls come together to fight a dark and magical force that has been killing young women on Sawkill Island for decades.

Cover Story by Susan Rigetti — Adult, contemporary, crime. A young woman becomes trapped in a con artist's elaborate web.

To Break a Covenant by Alison Ames — Young adult, paranormal horror, LGBTQ+. A group of close friends investigate the haunted mines beneath their town.

Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson — Coming of age, historical, understated. A young woman leaves home to attend a women's college. (Jamie's note: the summary of this book says it's loosely based on a real-life disappearance. There's no evidence this is true other than the fact that Shirley Jackson lived in the same town as the missing young woman and her husband taught at the college the young woman attended.) This a strange book with little actual plot — it's much more a character study of our main character, Natalie. That said, I really loved this book. It's very fascinating to try to piece together what is really happening in Natalie's life and what is her imagination running away from her as a coping mechanism.

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard — Adult, mystery thriller, contemporary. Over the course of 56 days at the very beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, two people go from strangers to living together - and then one of them is murdered. This is one of the strangest and twistiest books I've read in the last few years and I am still not completely sure how to feel about it.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill — Adult, mystery thriller, story in a story. Four strangers are sitting together at a table in the library when a scream sends the building into lockdown. While they wait to be cleared to leave, the strangers become friends. Later that day, a dead body is found in the library. One of the four characters from the table is the killer. But how, and why? And then, of course, there's the other story.... This book genuinely creeped me out. The dual storylines aren't for everyone but I personally loved it.

Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall — Young adult, paranormal horror, LGBTQ+. In the faux-documentary style of The Blair Witch Project comes the campfire story of a missing girl, a vengeful ghost, and the girl who is determined to find her sister—at all costs. A group of teens disappear into the woods in the middle of the night to play a game that will help them find the ghost of a lost girl and the main character's missing sister. I believe my review of this book describes it as "a mindfuck and a half."

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd — Adult, contemporary fantasy, mystery. A famous cartographer is murdered and his estranged daughter, whose academic reputation he singlehandedly destroyed, begins to investigate his death. This book has rare maps, one of the most original magic systems I've read, second-chance romance, dual storylines (with flashbacks that I found, at times, more interesting than the modern storyline) and a main character named Nell. What isn't to enjoy?

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson — Adult, mystery, humor. A man attends a family reunion at an isolated ski lodge where the members of his family are slowly but surely being murdered. I believe I've recommended this one to you before! It was silly and definitely a love letter to golden age mysteries. A little outrageous at times, but it definitely kept me interested.

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley — Young adult, mystery, romance. A teenage biracial Native girl witnesses a murder and is thrust into an undercover investigation inside her close-knit community. This book made me cry approximately a billion times. I have my problems with the romance portion, but this book truly blew me away. It's a slow-build that tackles a lot of topics but ultimately I think it does a phenomenal job.

I'm the Girl by Courtney Summers — Young adult, mystery thriller, LGBTQ+. A teenage girl discovers a dead body on the side of the road and quickly finds herself thrown into a world of luxury, opulence, and violence. It's dark and uncomfortable, but it's also a powerful and emotional read. Also includes a nod to Summers' earlier novel, Sadie. (If you haven't read Sadie, I also highly recommend it! Very gripping and dark YA mystery novel.)

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li — Young adult, crime, contemporary. The story of a group of young Chinese American adults who plan to steal back stolen Chinese art on the dime of a mysterious benefactor. This story is a lot more about the characters and their lives than it is about the heists, so make sure you're ready for that going in. This is a stunning, fast-paced novel with multiple POVs and characters you can't help but love.

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé — Young adult, mystery thriller, dark academia. Comped as "Get Out meets Gossip Girl," this is the story of (the only) two Black students at a private school with a sinister secret.

The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe — Young adult, thriller, LGBTQ+. Seventeen-year-old Nora, her girlfriend, and her best friend are trapped in a bank while it's being robbed. Or are the robbers trapped in the bank with Nora?

The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould — Young adult, paranormal horror, LGBTQ+. A book about a small town, the things that lurk in the dark, and two teenage girls who team up to discover what is haunting their home and killing their friends.

Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu — Graphic novel, sports, LGBTQ+. This series follows Eric Bittle, a gay hockey player at a liberal arts college. There are few series that hold as special a place in my heart as this one. It's got found family, a cast of the most lovable characters you'll ever meet, baking, vlogging, romance, and more. Just writing this recommendation makes me wanna reread right now.

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales — Young adult, romance, LGBTQ+. A teenage girl who sells love advice anonymously is hired by a classmate to help him win back his girlfriend. This book is for the bisexuals. It's also probably my favorite YA romance in the world.

okay this is getting out of hand so i'm gonna end it here. i hope there's something here that you enjoy <3333 and i also hope you haven't read all of these because that would be so awkward </3 anyway ilysm arwen!!! 💕💗

Trigger warnings: (Preface to the trigger warnings: I'm listing these a while out from reading them so these lists may be incomplete, I recommend checking out reviews as well to get a more complete picture.)

Sawkill Girls: murder, death of a parent, death of a sibling, grief, grooming, body horror, child abuse and neglect, suicidal ideation, misogyny

Cover Story: car accident

To Break a Covenant: death, loss of a loved one, gore, animal death, mention of suicide attempt, child abandonment

Hangsaman: implied sexual assault, misogyny

56 Days: murder, suicide, death of a loved one

The Woman in the Library: murder, mentions of sexual assault, stalking

Rules for Vanishing: death, loss of a loved one, murder

The Cartographers: murder, death of a loved one, fire

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone: murder, death of a loved one, death of a child, drowning

Firekeeper's Daughter: murder, suicide, rape, drug use and addiction, gun violence, grief, kidnapping, racism, misogyny

I'm the Girl: Murder, sexual assault, grooming, death of a loved one, grief, suicide

Portrait of a Thief: generational trauma, colonialism

Ace of Spades: racism, homophobia, stalking, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, murder, car accident, forced outing, bullying, panic attacks, gun violence

The Girls I've Been: listed by the author here

The Dead and the Dark: murder, drowning, major character death, homophobia, hate crimes, grief

Check, Please!: homophobia, anxiety, overdose, sports-related injuries, sports-related violence, internalized biphobia, bullying

Perfect on Paper: biphobia, underage drinking, divorce, cheating

[absentcaryatid]

San's New Friends

An ATEEZ fanfic by AbsentCaryatid

San makes some friends, including the reader, who help him de-stress from a busy career.

2.3K words, Content note: all tumblr using ages, gender neutral reader, cats, food, cheating is referenced, no pronouns used for the reader, no reader romance, there are characters named Spider and Ant but no actual bugs in the story

~

With a blissful grin, San cooed into the phone, “You know I miss my baby. Can I come over to your place tonight? I can make it quick.”

The other teammates eyed each other as they took a rest break mid-practice. ATEEZ did not have a dating ban, so the conversation was not surprising for that reason. Instead, the concern felt by all of them from Hongjoong to Jongho was due to the knowledge that San's partner was currently out of the country. Dancing resumed, but the mood was uneasy. When the others wearily trudged to the company vans to be chauffeured home, San broke off and headed out on his own.

When he got back to the dorm that night, San was smiling like a Cheshire cat. It did not go unnoticed by his teammates who were strewn about the living room engaged in a multitude of activities. For various reasons from a love of drama on Wooyoung's part to Yunho's concern for their good name as a group, nobody had wanted to miss San's return.

The first to speak, Yeosang commented warily, “You look happy.”

“Yes, very much so. I have a new friend.” San continued to beam as he passed through the room toward the kitchen.

Wooyoung trailed him and watched as San got himself a drink of water. Leaning against the cabinet beside the sink, Wooyoung wanted to know, “Is that all? Sounded like more on the phone earlier. Baby, was it?”

Unreadable, San drained the glass before responding. “Just friends, I promise.”

“With benefits,” Wooyoung snickered.

San laughed. “I guess you could call it that. I even feel like I am cheating sometimes.”

Hongjoong had been listening in. Risk taking sounded out of character for San, so he felt the need to caution, “Whatever you have going on, don't let it blow up in all our faces.”

The other members trickled into the kitchen to keep up with the conversation.

“All our careers are linked, and anything you do can tarnish the name of the whole team.” Seonghwa's serious tone matched the others' worried expressions.

“Whoa! I know that, and really am not doing anything dangerous.” Finally aware of the gravity of their assumption, San began to clear his name. “Here is what I have been up to. You will be okay with it, I promise.”

~

After bouncing around workplaces looking for something that felt meaningful, you had recently landed the perfect job for your skills and interest- manager of a cat cafe. It had been your idea to take on the project in an effort to increase adoptions from the shelter you worked for. With no interest in dealing with the food service part of the cafe, the current offerings were limited to several vending machines, but that did not seem to slow business down any. People generally weren't after the restaurant experience when they visited a cat cafe anyway.

The draw, of course, was the shelter cats hoping to find a permanent home. The playroom side of the cafe let prospective owners interact with cats in a far more comfortable environment than the shelter cages offered. Other people came to relax by playing, petting, or merely watching from the tables. College students living far from their own beloved pet were regulars, and you had recently seen an uptick in their numbers around the stress of finals. Seeing the community benefit from your job gave you a strong sense of pride.

You were pinning another adoption success story photo to the corkboard when a new visitor came in. He looked like a typical college age customer in casual clothes, mask, and brimmed hat pulled low on his face. The man got a can of hot coffee and also made use of the pet food vending machine to get a tube of salmon paste. He was guaranteed to be popular in the cat room with that choice.

First sitting at a table, he seemed mesmerized by the activity behind the glass wall. Some kittens zoomed after each other while the more sedate older residents zoned out with petting and massage from other customers. When you came by to remove trash from the next table over, he asked you about the two Siamese cats.

You tried to hold back talking too much, but it was difficult when he had asked about your favorites. “The bigger one with the gangly legs, we call her Spider, and her brother is Ant since he was the littlest in their litter. I'm hoping they end up in a home together, but at the same time, I am in no hurry to see them go.”

The man who listened happily to your tale of rescuing the orphans from a drainpipe soon became a regular customer very eagerly greeted by the cats due to his frequent purchases of the most expensive treats. Sometimes his visits to play were midday on the weekends, but more often it would be late on a weekday. There were also times when whole months would go by without seeing him.

It was after one of those absences that he came to the door very late begging for five minutes in the cat room just at closing time. With a gesture far more successful than expected, while still outside he took his mask off for the briefest moment to win you over with a show of dimples.

You hoped it was not visible on your face, but you immediately recognized him as Choi San from ATEEZ. All this time, you had had your suspicions when his eyes reminded you of one of your favorite artists, and then the voice too, but to know it was really him left you impressed. San had never acted like a big shot star, waiting in line for the vending machines like anybody else or making friendly conversation with the staff. His humble attitude impressed you.

The long absences coinciding with ATEEZ world tours made sense, and you were enough of a fan to know he had just gotten back to the country today. If letting San decompress with his favorite local cats was a thing you could do for him, you were eager to give this simple gift. “Take all the time you need, I'll be cleaning up and restocking for a while.”

The work went fast as you smiled to yourself. You left San alone, knowing he was there for the cats and some likely much needed relaxation. When it finally came time to move the residents to their cages he offered to assist, and you readily agreed to give him more time with them. It didn't hurt that you enjoyed watching the interactions either.

“Here you go baby, tuck down for the night.” After he put Ant away in his labeled enclosure, San made conversation with you too. “Thank you so much for this time. I have a job that can be stressful and don't get to see my own cat while I live so far from my parents. Tonight really helped.”

You nodded. “You must miss the comfort of Byeol terribly. I wouldn't want the hectic life of an idol for the world.”

San stopped petting Spider who was now snuggled in his arms, purring away. “You recognize me? You didn't freak out.”

Shrugging, and hoping the smile under your own mask reached your eyes, you explained, “I figured you wanted some normalcy. Cats probably make a nice break from effusive fans so I respected that.”

“Thank you. I love being here because the cats like me for who I am as a person rather than my looks or fame.”

When you laughed at him, San took it in good humor. “You win them over with salmon paste! You're gentle with them sure, so they feel safe to be around you, but we both know how well they respond to the customers who spoil them.”

From that night onward, you always got a special head nod in greeting when San showed up. It was clear from the behavior of the staff under your direction that his identity was kept close to your chest. Understanding San would lose the ability to relax at the cat cafe once his visits became public knowledge, you made sure to protect this secret. The two of you were always friendly, but you also made sure to limit your interaction, giving San space to be just like any other cat admirer.

It was right after another concert tour when San returned at closing time with a catnip gift for his favorite nearby cats. When you mentioned Spider and Ant were adopted while he was away, his shoulders slumped. “I hoped to see them again, they really did a lot for me when I missed my Byeol, even if it did feel like cheating on her sometimes to be giving affection to another cat.”

Luckily, you were able to soften the blow with some good news. “Well, if you want, I can take the present home to them, or you are welcome to visit and give it to them yourself. I live nearby.” Suddenly you were hit by how that sounded. “It really is an offer for you and the cats, I'm not looking for anything more from you.”

San laughed, “No worries, being undesired for once makes a nice change. I'm really pleased you gave in and adopted them yourself like you were always threatening to do.”

From then on San would come to play with Ant and Spider from time to time, watching them grow up and calling himself their uncle. He even video called from a tour once because his parents weren't answering to let him chat with Byeol and he really needed some cat time. It soon became clear you were also friends in your own right, the cats alone were not the only draw.

You could tell San felt comfortable after seeing you weren't begging to meet the other members of your favorite group, and could enjoy his company as just a person. He even teased you about it once when he brought snacks for an evening of dramas. Protesting you did like him for far more than being a provider of gourmet smoked salmon, San enjoyed the listing of traits you rattled off as to why his friendship was so valuable to you. None of those reasons had anything to do with his fame or looks, other than the happiness his smile brought you.

Shifting his cat time and friendship visits to the privacy of your home worked well because given enough time, even with the mask, it was a sure thing San was eventually going to be recognized by someone at the cat cafe. Once that happened, with the secret now out and mobs lingering for the chance of spotting a much-admired star, San gave up going to the cafe now that he had an in with you for cat access. Since his association with the shelter run cafe was already publicly discussed online, San approached KQ Entertainment with an idea to help the remaining unadopted cats he had gotten so much benefit from. Since the business was a non-profit, his employers agreed and you greatly looked forward to the project.

The day came and the cafe had a sign out notifying customers it was temporarily closed. Two sedans and plenty of equipment trucks arrived for a video shoot. You held it together far better than your giddy employees as ATEEZ filmed in the cat room. Jongho cheerfully complained but had a soft smile as a cat snoozed across his outstretched legs. Others seemed more at ease, such as Hongjoong who strutted around regally with an orange fur collar licking at his earrings.

In another corner, Yunho and San were splayed out on the floor letting cats walk on them while Yeosang taught a small gray cat to high-five. Seonghwa laughed as the kitten in his arms playfully batted at his bangs. Also true to character, Wooyoung was making recipes mixing together treats from the cat food vending machine to an appreciative audience. And then there was Mingi. The microphone on his shirt picked up quiet words of affirmation to the fat cat named Princess lovingly cradled in his lap, reveling in affectionate forehead scritches and Mingi's soothing voice.

Watching through the glass dividing the animal room from the cafe tables, you were in awe to see how easily San and the others slipped into model mode for the photography session afterward, even with the added difficulty of interacting while holding a cat. The resulting shots designed to showcase each available animal resulted in a complete emptying of the shelter you worked for. The pictures were passed around online, and in no time at all, even the previously hard to place cats had homes with dedicated fans.

The photo of Princess and Mingi in tiny matching tiaras generated the most interest. She was quickly spoken for, however. One of the managers on site that day came back soon after to make her his own to the delight of his family. Thereafter, Princess was occasionally seen around the KQ building on request, but for San she was no substitute for his beloved Byeol, or friends Spider and Ant. Regular visits to those local cats continued, as did his time with you.

San's romantic partners came and went, but your steady presence in his life as a person outside his idol work remained a cherished friendship. When the day came for him to settle down in a permanent relationship, you planned to be there cheering him on. And, should the happy couple wish to add a cat to their household, you would be ready with plenty of suggested feline companions in mind.

~

Masterlist of stories with no romance

General Masterlist

[libertineangel]

What about the RCP? They have been hanging up posters in my neighborhood regularly

They're the local chapter of the IMT/RCI, whichever country you're in - all the different national branches rebranded to call themselves RCP instead of their individual local names (Socialist Appeal, Fightback etc) in advance of the IMT's relaunch; when I'd only heard about the allegations against Fightback in Canada I'd hoped it was a problem localised to that branch, but knowing similar shit's happened repeatedly in IMT parties on multiple continents makes me distrust the whole organisation.

The recruitment meeting I mentioned was for the south London branch of the RCP, the people seemed nice enough and there's every chance they don't notice the high-control group nature of the organisation, but throughout the meeting (which was only a day and a half after I gave the site my details, the local recruiter and branch secretary together meeting with me specifically) I could tell they were fundamentally trying to sell me a membership - their description of the '92 split that formed the Socialist Appeal was far more charitable than my interpretation, and they blamed other parties' issues with abuse allegations (e.g. Comrade Delta) on a lack of proper commitment to good Marxist principles which is plainly bollocks. I think it's also worth noting that just a few days ago they added me to all the local WhatsApp groups as a member even though I haven't spoken to them in several weeks and never actually joined the organisation, which reeks of desperation in a way that's both alarming and just kinda sad.

And, of course, one mustn't overlook just how stupid it is that an ostensibly serious revolutionary party in 2024 seems to genuinely believe that the best means of building a revolutionary movement is to sell a bloody newspaper, I explicitly asked in the meeting what day-to-day membership entailed and I honestly don't remember any other actual activities; I never read their whole handbook 'cause it started sounding unavoidably cultish (always be a good representative of the party at all times in person and online, the local branch meeting is the most important thing you can do and you should never miss it for anything other than priority party actions, blah blah blah) but going to their meetings and selling their paper seems to account for pretty much all of their activity.

[prosegalaxy]

"Uniting Heroes: The Battle of Legends"

The sun had barely risen when the first rays of light began to peek through the clouds, illuminating the city in a soft golden glow. The city's skyline was dominated by the towering headquarters of the two most powerful superhero groups: the Justice League and the Avengers. Both groups were united by their commitment to protect humanity from any threats that may arise. Inside the Justice League headquarters, Batman stood with his back against a wall, staring at the holographic display that showed the location of all known superheroes in the city. He was deep in thought, contemplating the recent events that had taken place. Suddenly, a soft voice called out to him from behind. "Bruce?" It was Diana Prince, also known as Wonder Woman. She approached him and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" Batman sighed and turned to face her. "I don't know, Diana. Something feels off. I can't put my finger on it, but I sense a great danger looming." He glanced at the holographic display, noting that several superheroes were missing from their usual positions. "Perhaps they have been called to action," Wonder Woman suggested, her voice filled with hope. "We should check on them and see if we can find out what's going on." Nodding in agreement, Batman and Wonder Woman left the headquarters and soared into the sky, their capes flowing behind them like a pair of powerful guardians ready to protect their city once more. As they flew across the city, they exchanged words with other superheroes, trying to get a sense of what was happening. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in the distance, and Batman and Wonder Woman raced towards it. Upon arriving at the source of the light, they found their long-lost family member, who had been thought dead for years: Superman. His presence changed everything, and the stage was set for an epic battle against a formidable enemy that threatened to shake the very foundations of their world. Batman and Wonder Woman stood side by side, gazing at the city that they had sworn to protect. The air was heavy with tension, and Batman couldn't shake off the feeling that something was amiss. "I sense danger, Wonder Woman," he said, his voice filled with worry. "We always have enemies, Bruce," she reassured him, her eyes scanning the horizon. "But we will never falter in our duty to protect this world." As they soared through the sky, their powers amplified by their unwavering determination, Batman and Wonder Woman reached out to their fellow superheroes. "We have a situation," Batman said over the communicator. "A powerful enemy is threatening our world, and we need everyone's help." Wonder Woman added, "This is not just any enemy, heroes. It seems as though our long-lost family member has returned." The other superheroes exchanged glances, their hearts racing with anticipation. And then, they saw him – Superman, their estranged brother, standing tall in the distance. Batman and Wonder Woman approached him cautiously, knowing that the fate of the world rested on their shoulders. As they stood before him, a sense of unity washed over them. "We are family," Superman declared. "And we will stand together against this darkness." With newfound resolve, the superheroes prepared for the epic battle that awaited them, ready to face whatever evil forces threatened their world. And as they fought side by side, they discovered not only the strength in their unity but also the truths about themselves and their pasts that would help them find inner peace. Batman and Wonder Woman, two of Earth's mightiest heroes, stood side by side in the heart of Gotham City. The air was thick with tension as they both sensed danger lurking just beyond the horizon. Their instincts warned them that something was amiss, but Wonder Woman remained hopeful. "There must be a reason for this," she said reassuringly. Batman nodded, his expression serious. "We can't ignore these feelings. Let's reach out to our fellow superheroes and find out what's happening." They immediately contacted their allies and began coordinating efforts to investigate the source of the unease. As they did so, a shocking revelation came to light: their long-lost family member, Superman, had returned. The news sent ripples through the superhero community. Batman and Wonder Woman wasted no time in visiting Superman, eager to understand why he had reappeared after so many years. Upon reuniting with his kin, Superman shared a dire warning: an evil force was amassing power, threatening to destroy their world. "We must unite against this enemy," said Batman, his determination unwavering. "Superman, we need your help." With a nod, Superman agreed, and the heroes prepared for the epic battle that lay ahead. As they fought together, each hero discovered truths about themselves and their past, ultimately finding inner peace in the process. United, they defeated the evil forces and saved their world from darkness. In the quiet streets of Gotham City, Batman and Wonder Woman stood side by side, both sensing an imminent danger lurking in the shadows. Their spidey-senses tingled as they felt the weight of this unknown threat. "Batman, what is it?" Wonder Woman asked, her voice filled with concern. "I can't put my finger on it, but something is off," Batman replied, scowling as he clenched his fists. As they discussed the matter, a sudden, blinding flash of light caught their attention. In the blink of an eye, Superman appeared, a look of urgency etched across his face. "I come with news of grave importance," he announced, his voice reverberating through the air. "An evil force is amassing its power, threatening to destroy everything we hold dear," Superman continued, his eyes filled with determination. Batman and Wonder Woman exchanged glances, their hearts pounding in unison as they realized the magnitude of the situation. "We must prepare for battle," Wonder Woman declared, her voice strong and resolute. In that moment, a spark ignited within them. Batman realized the importance of trust and unity among heroes, while Wonder Woman discovered the strength that came from accepting one's own vulnerability. They knew they had to put their differences aside for the greater good, and with Superman by their side, they embarked on a mission to save their world from darkness. As Batman and Wonder Woman stood side by side, they scanned the horizon, searching for any signs of trouble. They knew that something was amiss, but couldn't quite put their finger on it. Suddenly, an alarm blared in the distance, signaling that danger was near. "We need to gather the team," Wonder Woman declared, her voice filled with determination. Batman nodded in agreement and quickly made his way to the Batcave. Meanwhile, in a hidden location, Superman stood vigilant, sensing a dark energy emanating from the depths of space. "I feel it too," he murmured to himself, his eyes scanning the vast expanse before him. Unbeknownst to him, the sinister force was drawing closer, ready to unleash its malevolent plan upon Earth. As Batman and Wonder Woman reunited with their fellow superheroes, they shared their concerns about the impending threat. "We need to find out what's happening," Batman said, his voice firm. "I have a feeling it's connected to our family," Wonder Woman added, her eyes filled with worry. Just then, a blinding flash of light pierced the sky, and there stood Superman, their long-lost family member. "Superman!" they exclaimed in unison, rushing to embrace him. "We've been looking for you," Wonder Woman said, her voice filled with relief. "I have news," Superman began, his eyes serious. "There's an evil force coming our way, and it's unlike anything we've ever faced." The heroes prepared themselves for the impending battle, each making their own self-discoveries along the way. Batman tapped into the power of his ancestors, while Wonder Woman called upon her divine heritage. Together, they fought alongside Superman, ultimately defeating the dark force and restoring peace to their world. In the process, they discovered more about themselves and the incredible strength that lay within them. In the heart of Metropolis, a dark cloud loomed above the city skyline. Batman and Wonder Woman stood side by side, scanning the horizon for any signs of trouble. Little did they know, the evil force that threatened their world was already in motion. A sudden gust of wind swept through the air, carrying with it an eerie whisper that sent chills down the spines of even the most fearless heroes. Batman and Wonder Woman exchanged glances, sensing the impending danger. As they called upon their fellow superheroes to join them in battle, a figure appeared on the horizon, cloaked in shadows. "Who dares to defy Darkness?" the figure hissed, its voice echoing through the city streets. Batman and Wonder Woman stared at the figure, their hearts pounding with anticipation. To their astonishment, the figure revealed itself as none other than Superman, their long-lost family member. "Superman!" Wonder Woman exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock. "We thought you were lost to us forever." "I have returned to warn you of a great evil that threatens our world," Superman explained, his voice filled with urgency. "An ancient force known as Darkness has risen once more, and it seeks to consume all light and life." With newfound determination, the heroes set out to prepare for the battle against Darkness. As they trained and honed their skills, each hero discovered a deeper understanding of themselves, their powers, and their place in the world. United as never before, they faced the darkness head-on, ready to defend their world from the evil force that threatened it. In the end, the heroes emerged victorious, having defeated Darkness and saved their world. As the sun rose once more over Metropolis, the superheroes stood together, united in their bond, and found peace within themselves. The battle against darkness had brought them closer than ever, forging a legacy of heroism that would echo through time. In the aftermath of the battle, the superheroes stand victorious, having found inner peace and a newfound respect for one another. The world is safe once more, and the heroes know that they can face any challenge together. Batman and Wonder Woman continue to lead the Justice League, while Superman returns to his role as Earth's protector, knowing he is not alone in his duty. Lex Luthor, having discovered a sense of purpose, uses his intellect for good, no longer driven by greed and ambition. The heroes have not only saved their world but have also learned the importance of unity and self-discovery. They have grown as individuals and as a team, ready to face any future challenges that may come their way. And so, the heroes live on, ever vigilant and prepared for whatever threats may arise, knowing that together they can overcome anything. In Metropolis, Batman and Wonder Woman sense danger and call upon fellow superheroes to join them in battle. Superman reveals himself as their long-lost family member and warns of the ancient force known as Darkness. United, the heroes train, discovering self-understanding, and defeat Darkness, ultimately finding peace within themselves. The heroes have not only saved their world but have also learned the importance of unity and self-discovery. They have grown as individuals and as a team, ready to face any future challenges that may come their way. In Metropolis, Batman and Wonder Woman sense danger in the air. They quickly call upon fellow superheroes to join them in battle, knowing that a great threat is imminent. Superman emerges, revealing himself as their long-lost family member, and warns them of the ancient force known as Darkness. United, the heroes begin to train, each discovering new insights about themselves and their powers. As they grow stronger, they learn to trust one another more deeply. Batman, with his keen intellect and strategic mind, devises a plan to confront Darkness head-on. Wonder Woman, her strength and wisdom unmatched, leads the team in honing their combat skills. Superman, the embodiment of hope and power, assists them with his incredible abilities. As they train together, each hero gains a better understanding of themselves, their strengths, and their weaknesses. During one intense training session, Superman shares a memory of his childhood on Krypton, where he learned about unity and cooperation. This story resonates deeply with the other heroes, inspiring them to work together even more closely. They learn that, by combining their unique abilities, they can overcome any adversary. Finally, the day of reckoning arrives. The united superheroes face Darkness in a monumental battle. With Batman's strategy, Wonder Woman's strength and leadership, Superman's power, and each hero's individual skills, they are able to defeat Darkness. In the end, they find not only victory but also inner peace and a deeper understanding of themselves. They have not only saved their world but have learned the importance of unity and self-discovery. As a team, they are stronger than any force that may come their way in the future. In Metropolis, Batman and Wonder Woman sense danger and call upon fellow superheroes to join them in battle. Superman reveals himself as their long-lost family member and warns of the ancient force known as Darkness. United, the heroes train, discovering self-understanding, and defeat Darkness, ultimately finding peace within themselves. The heroes have not only saved their world but have also learned the importance of unity and self-discovery. They have grown as individuals and as a team, ready to face any future challenges that may come their way. In Metropolis, Batman and Wonder Woman sense danger and call upon fellow superheroes to join them in battle. Superman reveals himself as their long-lost family member and warns of the ancient force known as Darkness. United, the heroes train, discovering self-understanding, and defeat Darkness, ultimately finding peace within themselves. The heroes have not only saved their world but have also learned the importance of unity and self-discovery. They have grown as individuals and as a team, ready to face any future challenges that may come their way. In Metropolis, Batman and Wonder Woman sense danger and call upon fellow superheroes to join them in battle. Superman reveals himself as their long-lost family member and warns of the ancient force known as Darkness. United, the heroes train, discovering self-understanding, and defeat Darkness, ultimately finding peace within themselves. The heroes have not only saved their world but have also learned the importance of unity and self-discovery. They have grown as individuals and as a team, ready to face any future challenges that may come their way. In Metropolis, Batman and Wonder Woman sense danger and call upon fellow superheroes to join them in battle. Superman reveals himself as their long-lost family member and warns of the ancient force known as Darkness. United, the heroes train, discovering self-understanding, and defeat Darkness, ultimately finding peace within themselves. The heroes have not only saved their world but have also learned the importance of unity and self-discovery. They have grown as individuals and as a team, ready to face any future challenges that may come their way. In Metropolis, Batman and Wonder Woman sense danger and call upon fellow superheroes to join them in battle. Superman reveals himself as their long-lost family member and warns of the ancient force known as Darkness. United, the heroes train, discovering self-understanding, and defeat Darkness, ultimately finding peace within themselves. The heroes have not only saved their world but have also learned the importance of unity and self-discovery. They have grown as individuals and as a team, ready to face any future challenges that may come their way. In Metropolis, Batman and Wonder Woman sense danger and call upon fellow superheroes to join them in battle. Superman reveals himself as their long-lost family member and warns of the ancient force known as Darkness. United, the heroes train, discovering self-understanding, and defeat Darkness, ultimately finding peace within themselves. The heroes have not only saved their world but have also learned the importance of unity and self-discovery. They have grown as individuals and as a team, ready to face any future challenges that may come their way. In Metropolis, Batman and Wonder Woman sense danger and call upon fellow superheroes to join them in battle. Superman reveals himself as their long-lost family member and warns of the ancient force known as Darkness. United, the heroes train, discovering self-understanding, and defeat Darkness, ultimately finding peace within themselves. The heroes have not only saved their world but have also learned the importance of unity and self-discovery. They have grown as individuals and as a team, ready to face any future challenges that may come their way. In Metropolis, Batman and Wonder Woman sense danger and call upon fellow superheroes to join them in battle. Superman reveals himself as their long-lost family member and warns of the ancient force known as Darkness. United, the heroes train, discovering self-understanding, and defeat Darkness, ultimately finding peace within themselves. The heroes have not only saved their world but have also learned the importance of unity and self-discovery. They have grown as individuals and as a team, ready to face any future challenges that may come their way. In Metropolis, Batman and Wonder Woman sense danger and call upon fellow superheroes to join them in battle. Superman reveals himself as their long-lost family member and warns of the ancient force known as Darkness. United, the heroes train, discovering self-understanding, and defeat Darkness, ultimately finding peace within themselves. The heroes have not only saved their world but have also learned the importance of unity and self-discovery. They have grown as individuals and as a team, ready to face any future challenges that may come their way. In Metropolis, Batman and Wonder Woman sense danger and call upon fellow superheroes to join them in battle. Superman reveals himself as their long-lost family member and warns of the ancient force known as Darkness. United, the heroes train, discovering self-understanding, and defeat Darkness, ultimately finding peace within themselves. The heroes have not only saved their world but have also learned the importance of unity and self-discovery. They have grown as individuals and as a team, ready to face any future challenges that may come their way. In Metropolis, Batman and Wonder Woman sense danger and call upon fellow superheroes to join them in battle. Superman reveals himself as their long-lost family member and warns of the ancient force known as Darkness. United, the heroes train, discovering self-understanding, and defeat Darkness, ultimately finding peace within themselves. The heroes have not only saved their world but have also learned the importance of unity and self-discovery. They have grown as individuals and as a team, ready to face any future challenges that may come their way. In Metropolis, Batman and Wonder Woman sense danger and call upon fellow superheroes to join them in battle. Superman reveals himself as their long-lost family member and warns of the ancient force known as Darkness. United, the heroes train, discovering self-understanding, and defeat Darkness, ultimately finding peace within themselves. The heroes have not only saved their world but have also learned the importance of unity and self-discovery. They have grown as individuals and as a team, ready to face any future challenges that may come their way. In Metropolis, Batman and Wonder Woman sense danger and call upon fellow superheroes to join them in battle. Superman reveals himself as their long-lost family member and warns of the ancient force known as Darkness. United, the heroes train, discovering self-understanding, and defeat Darkness, ultimately finding peace within themselves. The heroes have not only saved their world but have also learned the importance of unity and self-discovery. They have grown as individuals and as a team, ready to face any future challenges that may come their way. In Metropolis, Batman and Wonder Woman sense danger and call upon fellow superheroes to join them in battle. Superman reveals himself as their long-lost family member and warns of the ancient force known as Darkness. United, the heroes train, discovering self-understanding, and defeat Darkness, ultimately finding peace within themselves. The heroes have not only saved their world but have also learned the importance of unity and self-discovery. They have grown as individuals and as a team, ready to face any future challenges that may come their way. In Metropolis, Batman and Wonder Woman stood side by side, their eyes scanning the bustling city for any signs of danger. They had sensed an impending threat, and it was up to them to rally the superheroes and save the day. The sound of a distant explosion caught their attention. "Batman," called Wonder Woman, her voice cutting through the chaos, "I sense something's off in the distance. We need to investigate." Without hesitation, they sped towards the source of the commotion, their powers combined in a formidable force. As they arrived at the scene, they found Superman, his face etched with concern. "Wonder Woman, Batman," he called out, his voice filled with urgency. "I've discovered something terrible. An evil force is threatening our world, and we don't have much time." Batman and Wonder Woman exchanged glances, their minds racing to devise a plan of action. "We need to gather the other heroes," said Batman, his voice determined. "Wonder Woman, you contact Diana, Aquaman, and the Flash. I'll reach out to Cyborg and Green Lantern." As they called upon their fellow superheroes, a sense of unity began to form. The heroes assembled in Metropolis, ready for whatever battle lay ahead. Superman revealed his true identity as their long-lost family member, his presence stirring both hope and fear in their hearts. Together, the heroes trained, pushing themselves to new heights of strength and wisdom. Through these trials, they discovered more about themselves, learning to embrace their individual powers and understand their roles within the team. Finally, they stood ready to face the evil force known as Darkness. United in their purpose, they battled the darkness, ultimately defeating it and finding inner peace. The heroes had not only saved their world but had also learned the importance of unity and self-discovery. Now, they were prepared for any future challenges that might come their way. In Metropolis, Batman and Wonder Woman stood side by side, sensing the imminent danger that threatened their world. Their minds connected through years of teamwork, and they knew it was time to unite the superheroes once again. With a flicker of their wrists, their communicators emitted a signal echoing across the city. "Assemble, heroes! We need you all. A great threat looms, and we must stand together!" Batman's voice rang out through the airwaves. One by one, the heroes appeared, each with their unique abilities and talents, ready to protect the world they cherished. Their meeting place was an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Metropolis. The heroes gathered, exchanging glances and nods, knowing that their unification was a symbol of hope for their city. Wonder Woman stepped forward, her voice strong and steady. "We have been called together for a reason. We must find the source of this darkness before it consumes us all." As they delved deeper into their investigation, a figure emerged from the shadows. The heroes' hearts skipped a beat as they recognized the long-lost family member they had never known existed. Superman, their cousin, stood before them, his eyes filled with worry and determination. "I come to warn you of an evil force that threatens our world. It is called Darkness, and it has been growing stronger in the shadows." Batman and Wonder Woman exchanged a solemn glance, knowing they had to act quickly. Together, they led the heroes through rigorous training, pushing them to their limits. Each hero discovered new strengths within themselves, forging bonds of camaraderie and understanding. Finally, the day came when they would face Darkness. With courage and unity, the heroes charged into battle, their spirits lifted by the knowledge that they were fighting together for a common cause. In the end, they emerged victorious, having vanquished the darkness that threatened to consume them all. Through this experience, they had not only saved their world but also learned the importance of unity and self-discovery. The heroes returned home, stronger individuals and a team ready for any challenge that lay ahead. As the sun began to set, casting an orange glow over the city skyline, Batman and Wonder Woman stood side by side atop a high-rise building. The air was thick with tension as they scanned the horizon for any sign of the impending darkness. Suddenly, a figure appeared in the distance, quickly gaining speed and closing the gap between them. "Wonder Woman," Batman called out, his voice urgent. "I recognize that symbol. It's Superman." As the Man of Steel approached, Wonder Woman's eyes widened with surprise. "Superman?" she asked, her voice a mix of shock and relief. "I thought he was long gone from our world." "So did I," Batman replied, his gaze fixed on the distant figure. "But here he is, and it couldn't be at a more crucial time." Superman landed gracefully beside them, his face somber. "I've come to warn you," he began, his voice filled with urgency. "The darkness approaches, and it threatens our world like never before. We must unite as heroes and stand together against this evil force." Batman nodded in agreement, while Wonder Woman clenched her fists in determination. "We will face this darkness," Wonder Woman vowed, her eyes flashing with resolve. "And we will prevail." As the trio stood united, the air buzzed with anticipation and strength. They knew they had a battle ahead, but together, they were unstoppable.

[inksandpensblog]

I've waited for this 👀 (longer than I needed to, apparently. I'm so sorry again for being late I somehow missed it when you first posted😅 I hope I'm not too late)

I think it's important to remember that Blue was created to be a fighter. He's from the same "sticksfight.com" site as the other three members of the color quartet. And while he has grown beyond this being his primary trait, I believe it's still a key part of him. Given that we see him still fighting for fun after the five-month timeskip at the end of AvA4, as well as various other times throughout the Minecraft series, the Actual Shorts, and as recently as Wanted, I don't think he has any desire to "overcome" this aspect of himself. I mean, look at the Gunslinger short; that may have been a bit but it was still fighting XD

I'd noticed Blue trying to keep peace within their group, and avoiding starting fights within their group, and I agree that Blue's "pacifism" is more about wanting to keep interpersonal relations smooth and avoid infighting. (My clearest example is when he tries to stop the brewing conflict in PVP, but I think Wanted provides a more recent example as well: Blue is the only one of the quartet to step forward when Chosen is pushing Orange too hard, even though they all seem to agree that it's too much pressure for Orange.) But I hadn't considered that Blue's decision to go to the nether alone was connected to this desire to keep his friends away from any potential conflict or danger!

I also want to note, though, that just because Blue doesn't like infighting, doesn't mean he isn't above showing his irritation. He certainly had no qualms about hitting Red upside the head with an iron helmet after Red faked being possessed in Rediscovery. And while Yellow ignited the TNT that got thrown after the first building contest, Blue is the one who not only launched but also provided said TNT. In the Texture Pack short, he was as gung-ho as Orange and Green were about fighting Yellow and Red. My servermates and I used to joke that the easiest way to characterize Blue was to make him a living personification of this meme:

I think Blue has gotten more nuanced since then but it was still a fun way to think of him XD

I was wondering if you'd mention how deaths within the group seem to have the most devastating effect on Blue. All the sticks mourn when Green seemingly dies in PVP, but Blue is the one so wracked with grief that Yellow feels the need to comfort him. All the sticks launch themselves at Dark when he kills Red, but Blue leads the charge, despite his grief seeming to almost sap his strength instead of fueling it; he tries to shove Dark and can't budge him an inch. But you mentioned something I hadn't noticed before, that being Blue's impulsive protectiveness. I hadn't considered how the Ghast short might tie into this, do you have any other examples?

(It's also interesting that you mention Blue not being as instinctual as Orange, because I've noticed on at least two occasions that Blue seems process things slower than other sticks in a scenario. One being during the fight against the witch, when Blue is distracted by the potion that the witch threw overhead and doesn't see the potion that the witch threw directly at him; Green noticed and had to throw Blue aside and take the hit himself. The other being during the vs Arcade special, when Qbert hops into the Tetris Man's doorway; if you go frame by frame you'll notice by their body language that Blue actually noticed Qbert before Orange did, and yet Orange moves to tackle him first.)

I definitely remember everyone being all over Blue not trusting King specifically because of how much the situation reminded Blue of Purple. That was so much fun to talk about, back when Ultimate Weapon had just aired. It's especially intriguing to me though because my servermates and I were headcanoning Blue as a serious grudge-holder way before this, as early as 5 days after the release of Showdown. But by this point, Blue seems to have either gotten over any grudge he may have held against Purple, or he's putting it aside for the sake of keeping the peace while everyone has fun doing Parkour and League of Legends. So it's interesting that Blue can still hold the misgivings born from that betrayal, even in the absence of any resentment over said betrayal. I think it's neat ^_^

As for Blue leading a villager uprising, well...Blue is also the star of all Orange's nature-restoration dreams. Alan has described Blue as a pacifist, but he's also used the word "hippie." People forget that hippies had a lot of involvement in civil rights and environmental movements.

--

I had a lot of fun reading your analysis, I'd been looking forward to it ever since you'd brought up the idea. I'm sorry I didn't realize earlier that you'd already posted it 😅

AvA Blue Character Analysis

Starting this analysis, I thought I would have trouble coming up with something important to talk about with Blue. Their character's been pretty stated, right? They're a pacifist potion-creator who likes eating weird stuff and is good with a bow. They're pretty acrobatic, they're a decent builder but not the best, they don't like being in leadership roles. That's their character, right?

No, it isn't.

The first statement in that list is wrong. Or, at least, is missing many key details that explains a lot more about what Blue is actually like.

Blue has been commonly described as a pacifist, and I can understand why. Before looking into this topic, that's how I thought of them too. They've never been one to start a fight with their friends (unlike most every other member of the Color Gang) and in Piglin War, they wouldn't hurt the piglins, only the zombies.

But that doesn't make them a pacifist. It highlights another aspect of their character that I will discuss later in this analysis, but it doesn't make them a pacifist.

Blue has been shown, time and time again, to kill. They killed the ghast with Green in season 1, along with Yellow's ghast friend in one of the shorts. They have fought pillagers with lethal force, and taught villagers to do the same. They even killed piglin brutes along with the rest of the Color Gang in the Ultimate Weapon. They never hesitated to do that, despite going out of their way (and almost dying) to avoid hurting any of the piglins in Piglin War.

Additionally, they seem to enjoy the act of fighting. They happily join sparring matches with the rest of the color gang, and will even initiate them as long as they know it is all in good fun. So they do sometimes enjoy battle, and show no hesitance to kill when the situation requires it.

This doesn't make Blue any worse than the rest of the characters, since they have all fought mobs and killed before and they all like fighting, but it certainly doesn't make them entirely peaceful. So why do they have a reputation as a pacifist? Why do they seem so reluctant to start serious fights, and why were they so careful around the piglins in Piglin War?

Well, the answer to that seems to be that Blue forms a very close protective bond with those they care about, and they form those bonds very quickly. Everyone in the Color Gang cares about each other, of course, but Blue tends to express their bonds in a different way, and forms said attachments so quickly, that their actions tend to resemble pacifism.

Blue has consistently been quietly protective of their friends in a way that none of the others seem to express. They avoid fights - with their friends. They try to stop conflicts - between their friends. They go out of their way to make sure their friends don't get hurt. They risked their life multiple times to save their piglin friends, both in Piglin War and in The King. Their main focus is often to support their friends and, most importantly, keep them safe.

In fact, while they've never backed down from a possibly-dangerous adventure, they also have never (purposefully) started one. The only time they did start anything of the sort, they went out of their way to not bring any of the others. New adventures can be dangerous after all, and the last thing they want is for their close friends to get hurt.

This apparent desire for peace that has led to Blue's reputation as a pacifist is really more a focus on keeping their friends safe by avoiding infighting, rather than them disliking battle in general. But this still seems like a good thing, on a surface level, since being the protective mediator should help to keep those friends they value so deeply safe.

But there is a problem with Blue's thought process. Because their friends have gotten hurt before. And, worse, people who Blue had started to view as a close friend have hurt them. And they haven't taken either scenario well.

Blue often appears to be the one who's hit the hardest whenever it appears their friends have been hurt or killed. Everyone cares, everyone's upset, but Blue always appears the most distraught. They're so afraid to lose their friends that they will regularly risk their own life or even harm their friends on accident - most notably in the Ghast friend short - in an attempt to protect them. Blue isn't instinctual like Orange, but their actions can still be misguided when they don't have time to think everything through.

But there's more than one way to lose a friend. Purple's betrayal seems to have affected them deeply, such that - significantly after the betrayal, even after it appeared Purple was their ally again - Blue was very reluctant to trust anyone who reminded them of Purple. Far before Mango revealed their plan, Blue still did not trust them, solely because Mango reminded them of Purple. Blue puts in so much energy and trust into their friends that losing one through betrayal hits them incredibly hard.

Blue is a lot of things. Like all the Color Gang, Blue makes friends easily. They always do their best to keep their friends safe, both from outside threats and from each other. They're crushed at the idea of their friends dying, and will risk their life to stop that from happening. They're afraid of betrayal.

But one thing that Blue is definitely not, is a pacifist.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed, you thought of this topic in a new light, or at least found it interesting! I'll be honest, I really did think of Blue as the pacifist one up until now, but from what I can tell now that's based in something entirely different.

Thanks to rigatoniiiiiiii for the suggestion to do something for Blue! And sorry for like directly contradicting the one thing you said about them but this was the topic I came up with- 'XD I was considering doing something on their relation with Green here too but this is a long enough analysis already so I'll do that some other time.

[bellarosethefangirl]

hello! i hope you’re doing well so far ❤️ i was wondering if i could have some headcanons of the bucci gang with their fem! crush who’s usually on the reserved side when she joins the team but they later find out she’s actually not as reserved? for context, let’s say the reader was hanging out with some of her close friends on one of her days of (i doubt this could happen on a regular basis considering how being in the mafia is time consuming) and when she sees the bucci gang also out in public, she invites them to join the group. the bucci gang initially assume that this hangout with the reader and her friends is gonna be chill and reserved, but NOPE THEY THOUGHT WRONG. they don’t cause major trouble in public, but the reader and her friend group is just a bit…chaotic. at one point, the reader and one of their friends hears their favorite song playing in pubic, and they full on dance to it, not caring if anyone was watching. if they’re out in some parking garage (or a place where there’s barely any people, the group will pretend to make moaning noises (LMAO 😭). and in those apple stores (let’s just pretend this all takes place in the modern world instead of 2001 😂), the reader and her friend group will just go out and change all the computers, phones, ipads, etc. backgrounds into cursed image while laughing about it. yeah, just overall, the bucci gang finding out the reader is secretly hella chaotic (and the only reason she was just reserved was due to how serious being in the mafia is). btw, i kid you not, some of things i listed here were actual things me, my cousins, and some friends did when we hung out. we were at the mall and in the parking garage, for a few minutes, we made fake moaning noises, and we went into an apple store and we changed some of the backgrounds into cursed photos 😂💀 sorry if this is a bit too long haha. ty!!

Author Note: Thanks I'm doing okay, not the best week for me unfortunately. I appreciate your patience I know it took me a while. So this request is fun. I adored this request. Please send more 🤣 Also none of them are allowed to make room for judgement when they're all pretty chaotic themselves. Hope you enjoy the scenarios with each of the members. I decided to do separate headcanons with each of their reactions. For the scene w/ the garage I tweaked it for story purposes but reader and her friends are still going to be moaning lol I found that funny I used to do stuff like that with my friends too.

One more thing. You and your friends kinda reminded me of Mei Lee and her friends from turning red which I loved.

Bucci gang x Crush! Reader who turns out to be surprisingly outgoing & carefree (Modern AU)

Headcanons

Giorno Giovanna

Giorno thinks you’re a perfect addition to the gang. You’re helpful and understanding of him. Giorno is also reserved so he likes to stay by your side a lot of the time.

He developed a crush on you over time as you were put on missions with each other. He got to know you very well. 

One day you asked if he would like to join you and your friends at the mall then a movie after at your friends. Not missing this opportunity to spend more time with you he agrees.

Giorno wore a different colored suit seeing as his usual one was bloodied from today’s mafia work. He wore your favorite color not that you noticed he did.

At the mall you and Giorno headed toward your friend group. He was happy for you because he saw how excited they were to see you. When you introduced him he thought it was nice that they each introduced themselves.

While you’re all wondering the mall you and your friends realize your favorite song is playing and all sing along to it excitedly. You begin dancing along with them. Giorno will give a small smile and he’ll give you a smile when you pull him along to dance. He’ll gladly join.

Your friend needed a charger and decided to buy one from the apple store. More hilarity ensues when you all decide to change all the computers, phones, ipads, and backgrounds into cursed images while laughing about it. Giorno was both curious and amused. I think he’d lightly chuckle about it. He wouldn’t expect the image you all chose but he’s definitely laughing at the scene.

Giorno was surprised by the moaning noises you and your friends made at the empty parking lot. You’re all so carefree and fun. His eyes widened upon hearing your false moans he blushed a bit about it and his mouth is agap (Like this👇) he’ll be thankful no one saw

All in all Giorno is very surprised by some of the actions of you and your friends. He’ll admire how much fun you and your friends have together. He’s going to think it was fun when you all started dancing. He’ll think your singing is cute.

As for his thoughts on you he’ll think that its nice you’ve got a carefree and extroverted side. He wasn’t expecting some of it. He’ll be embarrassed about your false moans and blushes when he thinks about it after today. He hopes you’ll continue to be carefree and extroverted around him.

Bruno Bucciarati

Bruno respects your hard work you display while on the job with him. He is thankful having another companion such as yourself. Your introverted side doesn’t bother him in the slightest he thinks it’s admirable. 

He develops a crush on you since he enjoys all his conversations with you. He admires your personality and your hard work ethic.

You invite Bruno along with you and your friends to a shopping trip. He had free time on his hands so he gladly accepted. He couldn’t wait to spend more time with you. He’ll be sure to make a good impression on your friends while he’s at it.

He’s happy to see how joyous you and your friends are being together again. They greet Bruno with a carefree, “Hi” or “Hey!”. He greeted them like such a gentlemen they were all taken back a bit but smiled nonetheless.

Bruno was looking at watches while you and your friends were looking at clothing nearby. When a particular song plays in the store you and your friends immediately sing and dance together. Bruno was surprised but he’ll laugh and smile. He thought nothing of it. He’s used to Mista and Narancia doing the same.

At the apple store Bruno didn’t realize you and your friends were switching out the background photos on all the devices. Not his humor but he is smiling at the shenanigans. Nothing new for him. He’s thinking about Narancia about now as he is watching with an amused smile.

At the parking lot with no people around he enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere so when you and your friends loudly moan then laugh afterwards, he’s very shocked. His blue eyes are huge. He was surely surprised by your actions as well as your friends. After the shock he’s going to smile at the fun you’re having. As long as you’re happy he is too. 

Bruno wasn’t expecting your actions today. He’ll make a teasing comment but its light hearted. He will like to see more of your extroverted side in the near future. The fact that you’re so carefree really makes him happy for you. It’s all he desires for his dearest crush.

Narancia Ghirga

Narancia thinks you’re a lot of fun to be around. He will think as a team mate you’re reliable and he’s always glad to be paired with you. Your introverted side is very much the opposite of him so he’s liking the dynamic you both have. Your conversations are a lot of fun because of this.

He has such a big crush on you because you’re understanding and patient with him. You’re kind and ready to help. He finds you to be so admirable.

When you invite him with your friends to the mall he’s beaming with delight. He’ll be so excited and gladly accept your invitation. He hopes he’ll get to spend more time with you.

You’re all chatting about when you and your friends pause realizing what song is playing. Narancia is understandablely confused until and of you break out in song and dance.

Narancia will be very impressed he’s going to be joining with his own impressive dance moves. He’ll even do the torture dance to which you and the others are begging him to teach. He happily obliged and teaches everyone outside of the store.

After learning the torture dance you’re all in the Apple store now. Narancia was bored until he heard you and your friends giggling. He notices what is going on and joins in laughter. He’s going to want to help all of you change the background photos of all the devices in the store to cursed images.

Everyone is laughing hard afterwards before leaving the store where the poor apple employees are left with said images on the devices in the place.

At the empty parking lot Narancia is lightly dancing as he’s following behind since he has a song stuck in his head. He does a double take when you and your friends make loud false moans. He finds it absolutely hilarious and is joining in. You and your friends are commending him. They compliment his dancing and hope to see him again.

Narancia is thinking how awesome you are as well as your friends. His crush for you grows deeper and he believes you two would make the perfect couple. He’s brewing up a couple ways to ask you out after today. However he is surprised you’re more laid back and fun than he thought you were. After thinking it over it made since why you’re more serious at work. He’s incredibly happy learning you’re as carefree as himself. He finds it very attractive.

Guido Mista

He’s thinking you’re pretty attractive and bad ass. He’s thankful you’re a good team mate and not some dirt bag mafioso. He’s also super thankful you’re paired with him on missions many times because he gets to flirt with you and tries impressing you. Your fast friends but he also grew a fat crush on you.

Mista grew a crush on you because you’re dedicated to him and the others. You’ll do whatever you can to help. You’re also protective so he finds all these qualities attractive.

You invite Mista with you and your friends to the mall so he’s looking forward to it. He’s going to try impressing you at all costs. He’s also going to make a flirting comment wondering if it’s a date. You don’t think much of it and laugh it off. You explain the plan to him.

At the mall Mista is pretty happy for you. He’s thinking you and all your friends make a wonderful group. He wasn’t expecting it from you or your friend group but you’re all pretty carefree. When they introduce themselves to him they each compliment his outfit. Expressing how they like fashion because it isn’t mainstream. Something he was grinning about since most people mock his fashion sense.

Mista is having a blast especially when he joins in on the dancing when you and your friends randomly decide to do so. Afterwards when you complimented his dancing he offered to teach you the torture dance. You agreed and Mista set up a time with you for a different day together.

At the Apple store Mista is thinking how boring it is until he notices you giggling. When he asks, you explain how your friends decided to put cursed images on all the photo backgrounds of devices in the store. Mista wasn’t expecting it. If the image is funny he’s laughing but if it isn’t his humor he’ll simply say he likes the act in itself and approves.

When you’re all leaving the mall and notice how empty the parking lot is your friends are taking advantage of it including yourself. Mista’s mouth drops at hearing all of your fake moans. He’s particularly flabbergasted by your fake moans. He’s not sure what to say but he does find it funny. He’ll laugh about it later but at the moment he’s stunned. This was the last thing he’d ever expect from you.

Your friends enjoyed his presence and expressed it to him before leaving. They also compliment his dancing. Mista’s ego is definitely boosted.

All in all Mista is pleasantly surprised by your carefree side. It makes his crush for you deepen. He’s wanting to see more of it. He hopes he can get you to be like that more often. He’s looking forward to more dancing with you as well.

Leone Abbacchio

He thinks you’re a blessing to have in the gang because you’re not annoying and get the job done. Your no nonsense attitude is also a plus and he also finds it attractive.

He grew a crush on you when you showed him exactly how you get the job done no questions asked. He also admires your care for him. It’s your best quality yet and he won’t let it go unappreciated though he is a tsundere at times so he’s not going to outright express his feelings to you.

He’s pleased when you invite him with your friends. He’ll simply give you a small grin and a “sure”. He wants to be around you more so this is his opportunity.

When he meets your friends they weren’t what he was expecting. They’re carefree and are giving you a group hug. He thinks it’s nice that you’ve got a group of friends outside of Passione.

He is wondering how you met a bunch of carefree individuals when he notices they’re all looking at him. They introduce themselves with such kindness. It’s very nice.

Inside the mall you’re all looking over a bargain bin while Abbacchio is looking at CD’s nearby. A new song is playing in the store causing you and your friends to gush then dance. Abbacchio is thinking how cute you look dancing but he’s pleasantly surprised by it. He’s blushing about it a bit.

At the Apple store your friends snicker while changing the photo backgrounds to cursed images. You join along upon realizing what they’re up to. Meanwhile Abbacchio is thinking what you’re all up to. He stood behind all of you and figures it out immediately. He simply huffs and leans against the wall. He’ll begin listening to music until you’re done. When he glances up he realizes how fun you’re all having and lightly smiles. When you all notice him you drag him to another store. He’s never been dragged like this before. He’s allowing it because you’re holding his hand.

In the quiet parking lot Abbacchio raises a brow upon witnessing you and your friends making loud fake moaning noises then laughing about it. He’ll be a stick in the mud about it for sure but he’s secretly flustered about hearing the noises you made. He’s excellent at hiding it though.

Your friends tell him they hope to see him again and how happy they were spending time with you as well. Abbacchio thought it was a nice sight seeing you and your friends in a group hug.

All in all he thinks you and your friends are immature but he’s kinda used to it. He did get annoyed when all of you made fake noises but he can easily let it go. However he does think it’s nice you’re all enjoying yourselves. It reminds him of his friends so it’s nice to him too.

He’s surprised you’re so carefree and outgoing a revelation that makes him hope you’ll show that side more around him. He’s wanting to learn everything there is about you. He understands working for Passione can be shitty which is why you’re so serious. It made sense to him and he would like to see more of your true self whenever he can. He’s also not going to stop thinking about how you held his hand.

Fugo Panacotta

Fugo admires your effortless work you do when getting a job done. You’re reliable, loyal, and easy to get along with.

He easily grew a crush on you for all your admirable qualities. He also enjoys being around you.

Fugo was surprised you’d invite him with you and your friends to the mall. He thought it would be a nice trip. Though he would never be prepared for all the chaos that would ensue.

He is sure to shake all their hands and get their names upon meeting them. It was so formal that your friends will be a bit stunned but accept it immediately after.

Fugo thinks it’s sweet how excited they were seeing you. They gave you a group hug. You even held some of their hands.

In one of the stores a song plays and all of you begin dancing to it. Fugo will smile and chuckle when he sees you dancing. You invite him over ready to witness his dance moves. He surprises all of you by being a good dancer. He thought it was a lot of dancing with all of you.

In the Apple store he’ll simply roll his eyes playfully but he won’t say a word simply nod your direction while you and your friends change the backgrounds to all the devices. The cursed images made for a funny site to see. All of you were laughing. Fugo thought it was nice to see you so carefree and extroverted. He never got to see that from you before. He’ll smile despite how ridiculous he thinks the situation is.

Later on in the parking lot your friends start letting out fake moans and you join in and do the same. Your laughter made him blush but your false moans turned his face into a red hue.

Fugo never suspected you to be this carefree it’s fun but also a pleasant one. He’s not sure how to react at first but after he collects his thoughts it’s admirable to him despite not having the same humor. Your friends give him goodbyes before leaving. Fugo kindly returns the goodbye.

All in all Fugo will think it’s nice you’re carefree and outgoing as you are. He wished he knew sooner so he could dance with you more. He will work on bringing that more out of you. He wants you to express yourself always and is ready to support it.

[weirdkpopgirl]

Young Love | Jisung Imagine #1

Title: Young Love

Genre: A little angst, a little fluff

Warnings: mentions of being insecure

Word Count: 595

Author’s Note: This is my first official imagine for Jisung. I’m so happy to be posting more stuff for the individual members. Hope you guys like it ^-^

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You had gone out to get some snacks for your boyfriend and his group members. Meanwhile, the guys took some time for a break from their rigorous dance practice.

Earlier you had come over to visit, which Jisung greatly appreciated. He loved any opportunity to impress you with his dance skills.

“How long have you and (Y/n) been together now?” Chenle asked the younger beside him.

Jisung tried to restrain the bout of glee when her name was brought up. “Almost a year now.”

“Wah, your whole face lit up when we mentioned her,” Jeno chuckled. The others made sounds of awe. The maknae’s cheeks had become a light shade of red as he shrugged.

Mark leaned forward. “But seriously, Jisung-ah. You seem happy with (Y/n).”

“I am,” Jisung said truthfully. “She’s...amazing.”

He thought of how supportive you were of his career and how you took the time out of your day to ensure he was taking care of himself. How you were always by his side to reassure him when he wasn’t feeling his best. How you reserved a loving smile, only for him.

“Whenever I think about her, there are so many things I feel,” Jisung exhaled. “Sometimes I feel like she deserves someone better than me.”

Haechan put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “What do you mean?”

“(Y/n) struggles on her own, a lot. But she never says anything because she doesn’t want to bother me.” Jisung’s hands began to tremble. “I’m such an incompetent boyfriend.”

The others quickly caught on to the younger’s voice wavering as he said this. Jisung hadn’t realized he had gotten so caught up in his emotions.

“I’m sure (Y/n) doesn’t think that at all, Jisung-ah,” Jaemin cooed. He patted the maknae on the back.

A few moments later, you reentered the room only to see your boyfriend in tears. Your hands tightened around the grocery bags as a slight panic filled you. Immediately, you were confused as to what you had missed. Nonetheless, you put down the grocery bags and rushed to Jisung’s side.

“What’s wrong?” You asked, kneeling beside him. “Did something happen?”

Your eyes darted to the other boys in the room. They had all taken a step back for you to handle the boy.

“Nothing bad,” Renjun spoke up. “We’ll let Jisung talk.”

Jisung then squeezed you into a hug, catching you off guard. He rarely showed affection in front of his members.

“I’m sorry, (Y/n)-ah.” His apology puzzled you. “For not being there for you enough, and leaving you alone all the time.”

Hearing the second half of his sentence, turned a switch on in your brain. Then you were holding back tears. You didn’t want to cry in front of the guys. Especially when your boyfriend was already upset.

Your fingers clenched onto his hoodie, as you hugged him with an equal amount of effort. Possibly more. Softly, you murmured, “Knowing that I have you no matter what is all I need. I’m sorry for not showing that enough, Jisung-i.”

Jisung pulled away with slightly puffy eyes. Regardless, you and his members thought he looked cute even then.

“I just…I just love you so much.” He sniffed, accepting the tissues Jaemin gave him.

In return, you smiled sadly and whispered that you loved him too. A chorus of “awes” and “cute!” filled the room. You didn’t expect to experience such a serious moment with Jisung in front of the Dreamies. But they were very understanding and supportive. In short, they were grateful to witness their youngest member be in a loving relationship.

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[beyondspaceandstars]

A Simple Housewife

Relationship: Mob!Bucky Barnes x Reader AU Warnings: non-graphic violence, angst Summary: Mob!AU - A new member starts getting too friendly with you one night, forcing Bucky to show a side of himself you’ve never seen before. And possibly never want to see again.  A/N: in my list of favorite AUs right under soulmate!au is mob!au........idk why i can’t explain it but I love it it’s such good content. and i realized well i can contribute to it as a genre so here I am lmao. (also, for reference, the work contains college-age peter parker - i aged him up fyi)

Masterlist

You liked how you two worked as a team. Bucky liked to hold meetings at your home, and you liked to host them. It was an unspoken agreement every time he’d come home and rattle off who was going to be around the next night.

These instances always sent you into a frenzy, but a good kind of frenzy. It gave you something to do. While a simple housewife per your husband’s request, these events meant you could fill your days planning menus, table settings, wine pairings, grocery shopping… It was therapeutic in some ways and even nicer knowing it would be appreciated.

His men loved to fawn over your perfectly cooked food or premium hand-picked wine and you simply adored it. While it sometimes rubbed Bucky the wrong way seeing you all giggly over compliments from other men, he typically let it slide. It was never very serious and certainly never went beyond sweet comments. You embraced your hosting duties while pretending to ignore the conversations that would go on in the next room after the meal, much to Bucky’s content.

The night had started like any other. Bucky came home the previous day and told you there was going to be a meeting tomorrow night and to expect to host ten of his men. That seemed like such a smaller crowd than he normally had over, so you inquired, curious.

"Only ten?" You asked, already rushing to grab your pen and paper for the planning.

Bucky nodded, leaning against the counter. "Yeah, we’ve got someone new coming on and I don’t want to overwhelm him."

"A new guy?" Your eyes lit up. "You mean someone who hasn’t tasted my lasagna?"

Your husband couldn’t hold back the chuckle at your innocent awe. Moments like these made him wonder how someone so warm could ever deal with someone like him. 

You weren’t totally clueless about his career, you knew at least a general description of what he did for a living, but, on the other hand, you hadn’t ever seen it. You roughly knew there were… multiple sides to him but those all seemed so distant, so pointless, at the time. In this home, with you, he was just Bucky. Your Bucky. Your husband. The one who showered you with love and appreciation.

"Yes, doll," your husband confirmed. "There’s someone who hasn’t had your famous lasagna."

"Wonderful!" You clapped and started writing out the menu. "Are there any requests? I certainly don’t want to mess anything up. God forbid the new guy thinks I’m a bad host or something."

You heard Bucky sigh as you continued making your notes. A hand came to your shoulder softly, halting your actions. You turned to face your husband, who was looking down at you with a soft smile, easing your worries nearly completely.

"Everything is going to be just fine," he said, placing a loving kiss on your forehead. You helplessly melted into the touch. "There’s nothing to worry about."

***

You were running around the kitchen like a mad man when Bucky came home the next night with a couple of men already following behind. He called out to greet you like some cheesy sitcom entrance. You force yourself to halt your panic, knowing it was in your best interest to go greet him and the first guests. Smoothing out your apron, you double-checked nothing would explode in flames upon your absence and made your way to the foyer.

"Hi, honey," you smiled as your eyes landed on your well-dressed, sophisticated-looking husband. For all the time spent together, he never did fail to make you swoon simply by just standing there.

"Hey, doll." Bucky matched your smile and gave you a kiss on the cheek knowing you would stress even more if he dared to smudge your lipstick.

When you two parted, your eyes wandered over your husband’s shoulder to the two men standing in front of the door. The one staring at you two exchanging welcomes you recognized right away as your husband’s right-hand-man Steve. Ever so strong and important looking.

But the boy standing next to Steve was a mystery. He was a bit smaller than them both but still had some height on you. This didn’t take away, though, from this timid look. He gazed around your home seeming so in awe of it all. He didn’t realize you were staring at him until Steve nudged him.

Bucky picked up on your curiosity and immediately jumped into introductions. Motioning towards the boy, "This is Peter. He’s the new member I was telling you about."

"Oh, of course," You smiled, outstretching your hand. Peter accepted the shake, a little on the enthusiastic side. "Very nice to meet you."

"It’s very nice to meet you too, Mrs. Barnes." The boy responded, holding slightly too much eye-contact, but you couldn’t blame him.

Your hands disconnected and you chuckled at the formalities, waving a hand in dismissal. You told him to call you by your first name. "The whole misses thing feels so serious," you insisted.

Peter just smiled, a twinkle in his eyes almost. He seemed to relax at your casualness. After the introductions, you led the men into the front room, offering up drinks and hors d’oeuvres. They helped themselves as you started to make your way back to the kitchen. For some reason, you decided to look back at the group. Your eyes met Peter’s immediately. The other men didn’t seem to notice, engrossed in some conversation as they poured their beverages. You simply smiled at the boy and headed back to the food.

It wasn’t too long after the first arrivals that the rest of the members started arriving. You didn’t have time to personally greet them all but Bucky assured you that was never necessary. You two had your own things to run, he liked to joke.

With everything places — food, silverware, centerpieces — you called the men into the dining room. They oohed and awed at the spread of lasagna, bread, veggies… All food groups were represented, you thought. As predicted, they began praising you for the meal as if it was the first time in their life that they’d ever eaten and it made you giggle. These were some of the toughest people you’d ever known and yet a simple baking dish of pasta and sauce could amaze them.

Once everyone was seated and digging in, you took your seat at the other end of the table, directly across from Bucky. As you began passing around the bread, you surprisingly found Peter sitting next to you.

"They made you sit down at this end?" You asked, handing him the breadbasket. Usually, the members dreaded sitting near the wife. While they were all so kind, in moments like these, they’d rather be at the other end looking so important.

"New guy," Peter shrugged, taking a piece of bread and moving it along.

"I thought this meeting was, like, for you," you said, cutting into the slice of lasagna one of the other men were so kind to serve you.

"No," he shook his head, beginning to eat. "At least that’s not how Mr. Barnes described it. Doesn’t matter, though. It’s just nice to be here."

You smiled, delighted by his optimism, having not seen many new members in your time with Bucky. "I hope the foods okay. I got nervous when Bucky said there’d be someone new coming around."

Peter scoffed as if finding your worry crazy which eased your mind a little. He took another bite of food. "This is easily one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time."

"Thank you, Peter," you said, taking a sip of your wine. Peter copied your motion, looking at you above the wine glass rim as he sipped.

"You did everything, yeah?" He asked, holding his wine while motioning towards the tables and surroundings. "Foods, plates, all of it?"

You nodded, probably coming off a bit more eager than you should’ve, but you couldn’t help yourself. Sure, Bucky’s guests loved to compliment your cooking but no one ever acknowledged the other pieces put into the meal.

"I try to change the table setting every season," you said, "and I like the food to be seasonal, too. There are some lovely markets around and I just adore browsing them… Oh! And the centerpieces, I got the flowers there, too…"

Your rambling died down as you caught Bucky staring at you from the other end of the table. One guy was trying to talk his ear off but he seemed interested in your conversation. Curiously, you started eying your husband back as you picked at your food. His face held an unreadable expression but, eventually, his eyes left yours and were now more focused on the one sitting next to you.

Appearing oblivious, Peter continued the conversation. "Well, I think the flowers are a nice touch," he said. "Pretty flowers picked by a pretty girl."

Your heart skipped a little at that comment. You couldn’t ignore the fact it was quite bold. While you were away of the gazes you got sometimes and the possibility you were talked about behind the scenes but to say it here? At the dinner table? With your husband just in earshot?

But at the same time, you had to consider, he was nice and probably just trying to butter you up hoping for a good word put in with the bossman. There was no doubt people thought they could get to Bucky through you but, in reality, you didn’t stick your hands in any of it. Nope, you just married into it.

Not completely sure how to respond, you simply accepted the compliment, "Well, thank you. That’s very sweet."

Peter smiled at your words, looking a bit proud of himself. You turned back to your plate and tried to eat your meal in silence.

Once everyone was finished, the group started making their way out of the dining room. You shooed them, promising to be out with coffee in a bit.

You were deep into cleaning, having finally carried all the dishes from the dining room to the kitchen when someone entered.

At first, you didn’t explicitly hear them as the faucet was running heavy from your battle of scrubbing dishes. Suddenly, you could sense a presence right behind you at the sink. Turning around, you nearly jumped out of your skin as you came face-to-face with Peter, looking almost amused at scaring you. You were surprised and also… not surprised.

"Sorry," you let out a breathy chuckle. "I didn’t hear you come in."

"That’s okay," he said and motioned towards the dirty plates lining the counter. "Do you need any help?"

"Oh," you frowned. "Shouldn’t you be in the meeting with everyone else?

He shook his head, "Mr. Barnes doesn’t want to start until he’s had coffee."

"Well, you can let him know it’s brewing away," you said, trying to keep your tone serious as you could. You turned back to the sink, praying he got the hint.

He hadn’t, you realized, as Peter came around to stand at your side, leaning against the counter. He stood, arms crossed, watching you.

It was weird — actually, this entire situation was weird. You didn’t think anyone but you or your husband had been in this kitchen before let alone actually know where it was in your home.

Despite how odd you found it, the last thing you wanted to be was rude. You didn’t want to think about what could ensue from your husband losing a guy.

"It’s kind of sad, Mrs. Barnes," Peter crossed his arms, seemingly ignoring your previous request to call you by your first name. You glanced at him, confused. "You’re so kind to do all this and none of them even offer to help you clean up."

"Oh, no, It’s okay-,"

"It’s really sad," He repeated, completely cutting off your attempt at a defense. You frowned and went back to cleaning the plates, praying your attempt to ignore him would encourage him to walk out. There was a weird feeling growing in your gut.

"Such a pretty girl shouldn’t have to do so much," Peter said, softly. "It’s not fair to you."

And that’s when you felt it. His hand slowly came up to rest on your lower back. You immediately tensed under his touch, mind spinning. What the hell had you ended up in? Should you have tried harder to get him out? Gosh, but he seemed so harmless-

His hand started inching upward and then back down, creeping a little lower each time with the motion. With your stance frozen, all you could do was focus on the soapy water in the sink, unsure of your next move. He took the hesitance as a chance to close the gap between you two. A few more shifts and he could have you fully pressed against the sink.

But before you could even ponder about his next move, the swinging kitchen door busted open. You both flinched at the sudden noise but Peter didn’t seem to move. You looked over to find it was Bucky in the doorway, gun drawn and pointed directly at Peter.

Your heart sank when you saw the weapon. Sure, you knew there was weaponry stored in the home but you had never definitely seen it. You could sometimes make out outlines of guns in suit pockets but now you were on the other end of one. While it wasn’t meant for you, with your poor positioning, a single shot and you could be taken down. And by your husband-

"What the fuck are you doing?" Bucky finally spoke, never taking his eyes off the person nearly towering over you. The gun was very steady, just like his words. But everything else about him was unlike anything you’d ever witnessed before. His eyes were dark, his features so harsh. This felt like a man you had never seen before.

"We were just talking," Peter answered. His voice was casual but you could feel a slight tremor in his hand. Or maybe that was just your body shaking uncontrollably. You couldn’t tell. "I offered to help her clean up."

Bucky cocked the gun. "Get your hands off her."

"Honey," you spoke softly, your voice slightly cracking from the tears that were beginning to form. "Please put the gun down."

"Not until he gets his hands off you, doll."

"Bucky, please." He wouldn’t look at you. He was determined to look beyond you and it scared you to death.

"You have five seconds to back away from her," Bucky took a step closer. "Or I’ll be forced to mess up my girl’s lovely kitchen."

You gasped at the sharpness in his voice, the entire darkness of it all. You started begging under your breath, hoping whoever or whatever heard the helpless prayers.

Finally, after what felt like hours to you, Peter stepped away from you. You turned to look back at the copy water where your hands were still submerged. They shook as you removed them and you let out a breath you hadn’t even realized you were holding.

Regaining some composure, you backed away from the sink and turned to your husband. Bucky still had the gun pointed at Peter, completely focused on him. Slowly, you approached him, your hands raised as if surrendering. You just needed to get the gun put away and then you could run to your room for some solitude. Fuck the other people probably oblivious, just relaxing and joking in your front room. This was typical business for them, they probably encountered your husband’s dark demeanor day in and day out, but this was going to take a toll on you.

"Honey, his hands are off of me," you whispered, slowly tiptoeing closer. "Put down the gun."

"He put his hands on you, doll," Bucky was answering you but he somehow sounded so distant, so consumed. "I let someone into this house that was going to do God knows what to you."

"No, no," you shook your head and you meant it. You didn’t think Peter was totally malicious. Just someone with a crush, high off excitement in a new place. "I really don’t think he meant harm."

"You’re too kind," Bucky scoffed. "You’re too kind, too innocent, too naive-,"

He held the gun stronger, seemingly preparing to shoot any second now. You were at the end of your rope with the realization. The waterworks were flowering uncontrollably now.

"James," you said, anger breaking through the tears. He seemed to freeze ever so slightly at your usage of his first name. "You really want to do this in front of your wife?"

Something clicked. You could feel it, you knew it. He didn’t answer and instead slowly lowered the weapon, placing it on the counter. Your husband turned to you. Seeing his opportunity, Peter sped past you two out of the kitchen. Neither of you really registered it. You were staring at one another, watching each other even begin to realize what had happened.

Now you were actually clueless. Were you meant to talk about this? Or did you just deal with it in time? The silence was killer but all your mind could focus on was the coffee machine that had gone silent, telling you it was done brewing. It was such a stupid, random thing to even focus on but you felt like your brain would explode if gave anything else the time of day.

"The coffee is ready for your meeting," you said, pulling off your apron and throwing it on the counter. Bucky watched you as stormed out of the kitchen, looking completely stunned and equally clueless.

You sat at your vanity in the bedroom. Thankfully you were able to avoid the front room, having no desire for anyone to see you in with mascara running down your cheeks.

You furiously scrubbed off your make-up despite it already almost off from the tears. Your emotions were just all over the place at this point. You didn’t know if you were angry, surprised, sad…

Mostly, you realized, you felt dumb. You could parade around being a little housewife, pretending she lived a normal life with a normal husband who had a normal job but that just wasn’t it. That wasn’t your reality in this moment. As much as you knew what his career entailed, seeing it up close like that was a whole new level. You thought you knew. You thought you knew so much.

You were just finishing changing out of your dress when the bedroom door opened. In the mirror, your angry eyes met Bucky’s worried ones. He entered slowly, shutting the door behind him. Part of you was pleased with this situation. He chose to check on you, pausing his meeting, but at the same time, you didn’t know if you could deal with anyone right now.

"How are you doing?" He finally spoke up, voice cutting through the tension.

You scoffed, "I just saw my husband pull a gun on a person in our fucking home."

Bucky shook his head and made his way over to the bed, where he sat at the edge, facing you. He wanted to get at you for swearing but much worse things had happened tonight that he didn’t know the point in it. Bucky never wanted to bring anything like that home.

He didn’t take care of that kind of "business" in this house. The meetings were routine, typically check-ins, but any deals or assignments were handled off the premises in fear of something turning ugly. He just wanted to keep you from that ugly. His sweet, soft wife who got excited over making lasagna and picking apples at the farmer’s market was never meant to be thrown into any of this. Especially not in the kind of way that just went down.

"I didn’t mean for that to happen," Bucky said. You rolled your eyes and turned quickly in your chair to face him. He ignored your attitude. "He had his hands on you. He was practically on top of you. Do you understand that? Please tell me you understand how that would make me angry."

"God, Bucky, you pulled a gun on an unarmed person!" You exclaimed. "I understand you were upset, I completely get that, but what… What was that? Who was that?"

His head tilted, confused, questioning. You shook your head in disbelief. Did he not even realize the mode he went into? The whole other person he seemed to encompass in those few minutes?

"You… you weren’t yourself," you mumbled and averted your gaze to your fingers which were fidgeting, restless. "You were scary. Disconnected. I didn’t know that person."

Bucky didn’t say anything at first. He got up from the bed and walked over to where you were seated at your vanity. He crouched down, trying to get you to look at him. Your heart pounded furiously at his close presence.

"You shouldn’t have seen that," He said. "You shouldn’t have seen any of that, doll."

His hands came to grasp yours. You wanted to pull away but you weren’t fast enough. He gripped your hands firmly as if scared you were going to vanish. Your head was swimming with even more confusion as he avoided your questioning.

"Can you even explain yourself?" You asked, finally looking up at him. Bucky’s worry seemed to have melted away and was replaced by something you once again couldn’t put your finger on.

He shook his head. The grip on your hands got tighter. "You have to understand when things come up I must act accordingly."

You didn’t understand but you had to understand. You knew you did. He was right. While jarring, that other side of Bucky did exist out there and he was probably the reason he could be so successful. And while that was something you could work on accepting, you didn’t want to see it in your home.

But for now, you didn’t want to deal with it. Emotions for you both were running high and there was no telling what could come out of your mouth anymore. You’d come back to it and work it out. There was no way you could avoid it. You didn’t think you could ever be scrubbed clean of what you saw.

"Okay," you mumbled and felt his hold on your hands loosen. "Just… Please don’t bring your work home for the time being. We can discuss this in the morning."

Bucky nodded, running his hand from your hands to your shoulder, lovingly. He mumbled okay and you sighed in relief.

For a second you wanted to just sit there, engrossed in the comfort his touch was bringing, completely and fully enjoy that you had your Bucky back, but then your brain remembered the people downstairs.

"Oh, honey," you said, "the guys are probably waiting for you."

"No," Bucky’s head shook. "I sent them home. You’re more important."

You melted at the words. Yes. Confirmed. Your Bucky was back to you. The man you loved and gave everything. He was putting you first.

"You didn’t need to do that," you mumbled, bashfully. Bucky chuckled at your reaction.

"Of course I did," he insisted. "I was worried. I never wanted you to see that. You didn’t sign up for that."

"No, Bucky, I really didn’t," you shook your head.

He sighed, "And I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

You looked down again, suddenly worried you were putting too much guilt on him but at the same time, that felt silly to even consider. You weren’t sure anymore. The day was overwhelming as the minutes continued.

"Could we just go to bed now?"

Bucky removed his hands from your shoulders and stood, allowing you to get out of the chair and make your way to the bed, under the fluffy comforter. Your husband watched, waiting until you were comfortable.

"I’ve got a few phone calls to make but then I’ll come to bed, okay?"

You nodded, eyes shut already halfway into your dream world. You heard Bucky chuckle as he turned out the lights and shut the door quietly.

You lulled yourself to sleep, head still spinning from the earlier acts. The whiplash your husband gave you was starting to catch up but how much more could you think about it? It’d come back and you’d have to deal but for now, you could pretend. At least while you slept, you could go back to putting that distance between yourself and any side of Bucky that wasn’t husband Bucky. For just a bit, you could pretend you didn’t know so much.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

taglist note: i chose not to tag in this work b/c it is an AU and was unsure if people were comfortable with being tagged in such.

[leviiattacks]

teacher!levi and teacher!reader headcanons please 🥺

author note :: i expected for this to be better but idk,,, um, you know maybe it’s just me who wishes i executed it better but i wrote this at 3am that’s my excuse. ANYWAY I HOPE U ENJOY ANON :-))) i know it’s not headcanons but here!! also my ask box is always open to feel free to drop by !! 

word count :: 5.4k (after i had to severely cut the word count down because my tumblr wouldn’t let me post the longer version with more detail,,,,)

honestly you’ve never fit in well with the math teachers in particular but you’re still amicable with most

however, there’s one unbearable member of the group that happens to want to play jump rope with your patience constantly

and that person just so happens to be mr ackerman

every single staff meeting the both of you sit furthest away from each other whilst silently exchanging bitter glares

maybe it’s his stony disposition or his unrealistically harsh grading system that makes him seem so off putting to you.

or perhaps it’s your soft and gentle approach to teaching that drives him up a wall

but to make matters simple, the two of you have never got along. nearly everything he says you disagree with and nearly everything you say he has to rebuke.

every outlandish suggestion of his at meetings is met with firm disapproval from you and every time you bring up wanting to provide the children with more time for extracurricular activities he sneers in annoyance

today he’s proposing a plan to set exams as soon as possible

???

you wonder if he’s even thinking with his head attached to his neck because it’ll be impossible for the children to handle all of the content in the form of an exam paper so soon

the workload he’s been pushing onto his math class has become far too ridiculous for your liking and you want to put an end to the man’s reign of terror

it just so happens your classes are scheduled in the blocks next to each other meaning he always sees your students an hour before you do

it’s got to the point where your pupils trudge into english class completely EXHAUSTED

the other day a boy fainted because of lack of sleep and now mr ackerman has the audacity to put forward the exam dates???

“we need to instill these children with discipline. taking them by surprise will give them a much needed reality check.”

you groan at his speech and raise a hand

“may i interject?”

professor ackerman’s tongue pokes at the inside of his cheek the irritation is painted on his face but he nods although he seems reluctant

“these children do not need standardized exams to-”

“would you like for me to completely scrap exams from the curriculum?” without even allowing for you to present your argument he has to cut you off with a mocking grin

“levi, i think-”

“that's mr ackerman to you.”

his blunt correction has you rolling your eyes because YES!! you understand the two of you aren’t exactly the best of friends but he doesn’t even want to be on a first name basis with a colleague of two years??

his pettiness has your blood boiling in searing displeasure

“you have to stop going so hard on these children.”

he’s shuffling through some paperwork not even batting an eye in your direction.

“personally, we aren’t hard enough but of course the english teacher has trouble understanding that.”

the jab he makes at your job only causes the anger inside of you to bubble up again

why does teaching english have ANYTHING to do with this???

“you teach math yet you can’t calculate the reasoning behind your subpar love life. do not insult english.”

personal insults are your favourite to throw at him because he always gets so riled up

and actually for once you have the answer to a math question.

the reason why his love life is so uneventful has to be because of this :

his personality + his obnoxious humour + his looks = a good looking but undatable man

his jaw clenches and the grip he has on the stack of papers in his hands strengthens

ok,, that is kinda hot but that is not relevant at all

you’re able to make out miss ral one of the other math teachers make a move to speak and god you fight the urge to punch her every day because she’s always gushing about mr ackerman

seeing as you don’t want to punch her or anyone for that matter you turn to give her a “if you speak right now i swear to god i will lose my shit” look

she gets the memo incredibly quickly because her mouth closes shut immediately

mr ackerman takes a sip out of the cup of black tea next to him. “i would appreciate if you just sat back and let me do what’s best.”

“children fainting in my lesson is not what’s best.” your rebuttal catches him off guard and he seems more than a little surprised

“wait- fainted??”

you eyes flick over to mr zacharias, you had told him to pass the message on but the way he’s sheepishly looking at the floor avoiding your eyes clearly tells you all you have to know

“looks like someone forgot to pass the message onto you but the other day falco fainted in english.”

“is he- is he okay?? did he say why?”

eyebrows raising you’re quite surprised to see any sort of reaction from him let alone concern

“he stayed up all night completing your homework.”

lips pressing together into a fine line it almost looks as if he’s guilty

“i’ll talk to him about it later.” his voice is back to its usually plain tone and any trace of his previous worry has been masked.

an awkward silence follows. he coughs choosing to not continue the discussion about exams.

principal smith takes the hint and moves on to discuss planned school trips

HOORAH victory!!!

yet another day where you’ve saved your students

“who is fallacy and why are they pathetic?” a few snorts and giggles are heard around the class and you force yourself to laugh at falco's miserable attempt at a joke

you’ve noticed falco’s been cracking more jokes around his new seat mate gabi.

she’s small but feisty always willing to debate and she’s really a joy to teach although she can get a little bit aggressive with the others at times

honestly it’s quite obvious that falco has a fat crush on her. well, actually it’s been obvious from the moment she step foot into your class

and... you couldn’t just ignore the way falco looked at her could you?? and there was an empty space next to him too sooooo, what harm would there be in placing the two together?

it seems as if your attempt at getting the both of them to talk has worked. gabi and falco compete desperately for the top position in the class and are two of the best students you’ve had in a while

also after the day falco fainted in class gabi has been noticeably nicer. things like asking if he’s drank water or how much he’s slept

you have a small inkling that she may like him back

and the budding romance is adorable to you because you too once had childhood crushes

it feels rather nostalgic to see the two interact

but today you notice the two aren’t in

in fact, you notice half of the class isn’t?

“where are the others?” your question sends a jolt through one of your present students but he stays silent choosing to pretend to clean his glasses as a distraction

crossing your arms over your chest you walk over towards his desk

“udo, you can tell me what it is.”

“professor ackerman said not to tell.” udo looks petrified and you’re just kinda wondering what in the hell is going on

lucky for you his resolve is thin and he quickly cracks under pressure

“okay. you can’t say i told.”

nodding in agreement he looks around making sure no one else hears what exactly it is he’s about to disclose

“he’s kept some people back to talk to them about something top secret. i don’t know what but he asked for the students who like you.”

at that you feel a little bitter because if he asked for the student who liked you why on earth is half the class still here??

but oh well, you guess you can’t please them all

“oh no, no, no. you’ve got it wrong. we all wanted to stay but he didn’t let us.”

udo looks genuine so you let it slide

either way it doesn’t really matter as long as the majority prefer you over that sick and twisted math teacher you’re alright

“he does know he’s cut into my class time right?”

“falco told him that and he whispered something about how you’re bothersome.”

you???? bothersome???

WHEN HE’S THE ONE BOTHERING EVERYONE?/!:£:!/)

you don’t even look back as you walk out frankly furious at what’s happened

english is important

ACTUALLY!!!

ENGLISH > MATH

you will stand by that till the day you die

your knuckle meets with the wooden surface of your sworn enemy’s classroom door and almost automatically you’re able to hear the shuffle of chairs and padding of numerous footsteps approach

the door swings open and you step aside to allow your missing students to pass through

they look nervous but one look at your reassuring smile lets them ease up and relax

“well.” a voice behind you snaps “look who paid me a visit.”

“we’re talking about this later.”

you try your best to sound serious but you don’t know if you pull it off as well as he does because he just ends up giving you a disappointed sort of look

“y/n. stick to being the good cop it suits you better.”

“we are not on first name basis. you said it yourself.” is your narrowed comeback

finally turning to face him you’re surprised when your eyes travel to the triangle of space behind him and you’re able to get a peek of what looks to be a list of books on his whiteboard

pride and prejudice

wuthering heights

jane eyre

ville-

before you’re able to read the rest he moves in front of your line of vision

he’s got quite the selection but,, when did he of all the people on this planet start showing any interest in literature?

“the books on the board what’s that about?”

your inquiry flies over his head and he shuts the door behind him completely

his face doesn’t move and if it does it only shows the slightest hint of confusion

“what books are you talking about?” he replies and don’t know why your knees feel a little weak when he looks you straight in the eyes

snap.

out.

of.

it.

“i saw books on the board.”

“you saw wrong.” he barks back and he’s getting agitated now

maybe you did imagine it...

and you have to get back to teach your class so okay fair enough you’ll let it go because you do know you have a habit of daydreaming randomly

however that doesn’t stop you from giving him another skeptical look before you leave because there is NO WAY you imagined it, but it is you and it really could be a possibility

the click clack of your heels against the floor sound out as you remove yourself from the conversation

you assume he’s returned to his classroom

that’s why it catches you by surprise when you hear a hesitant voice behind you

“there were no books on the board.”

you don’t know why he has to tell you that again because it only makes himself look all the more suspicious

“but if they were a list of book recommendations then what would you recommend i read?”

the question is peculiar coming from him

are you in an alternate universe?

is this a dream?

are you talking to a clone?

a robot?

because this can NOT be the same man you’ve been working with for two years

maybe he’s having a change of heart?

but that sounds unlikely

maybe he’s planning to read the book and somehow with that big brain of his formulate a calculation to score it a measly two out of ten

yeah. that sounds more likely.

nevertheless, you still want to give him a recommendation, maybe he’ll find out he’s into books this way

“you should totally check out pride and prejudice :-)”

for once you’re smiling at him and he doesn’t know what to do because the change is sudden but he doesn’t say a word after that

instead he retreats into his classroom

god.

now you’re sure he’s just asked to form a stupid calculation or whatever the hell it is math teachers do.

“he likes you.” hange has a shit eating grin on their face and you can’t help but narrow your eyes and sigh in exasperation

no he does not like you but you don’t try to correct hange because you know they’re firm in their stupid belief

“would you ever date him?” hange fiddles with the last of their potato salad absentmindedly waiting on your reply

the question literally has you choking on your lunch

“i would rather fight for survival in the wilderness. thank you for asking.”

“oh come on... he’s got a thing for you. you read romance novels all the time you should be able to tell he does.”

“yeah and that thing he has for me is wanting to shove my head onto a pitchfork. you’ve got the wrong end of the stick.” shoving a piece of pasta into your mouth you sigh dreamily at the taste. it serves as a momentary distraction

you get one lunch break and you are not!!!! in the mood to talk about him whilst you’re on that break

he’s attractive

and you have to admit he looks handsome in his crisp white button up and pristine black suit AND his cologne is really...

okay, you are digressing from the point

none of what you just said means anything!!!

at surface level he seems like a catch but it’s what’s on the inside that matters and he said he finds english stupid

that’s more than enough of a reason to dislike the guy?

he thinks stuff like the pythagorean theorem and y = mx+c are entertaining

y = mx+c ??? over literature???

you read books to teach and you read books for your own enjoyment

it would be a complete travesty if you had a crush on a book hater

and levi ackerman most certainly can be classed as a book hater.

a pessimistic book hater if the specifics are needed

“OH! SORRY Y/N GOTTA BLAST MOB’S OVER THERE!!!!!”

you don’t even get the chance to say goodbye because hange makes an eager run towards moblit

hange and moblit are inseparable, both are the shared heads of the science department and since he’s been off on sick leave recently you understand why hange’s rushed off to greet him

you wish you had a teacher friend like that but the sad truth is you’re pretty much a lone wolf. the other english teachers are wrinkly old pickles and talk about antiques or quiz shows :-(

“this seat free?”

no way.

it’s not him

it can't be

what does he even want??

“um, well yeah it is free b-.”

“good.” he takes the seat without you even inviting him and now you’re stuck in an awkward situation you didn’t even expect to be in today

you're about to burst into tears because is it too much to ask for a peaceful lunch period???

mr ackerman clears his throat and places a book in the center of the table. “pride and prejudice although not my cup of tea was... mildly enjoyable.”

wait...

is this him...

admitting defeat!??

HELLLOOOOO

you are over the moon right now because you know he really had to have enjoyed it a lot and is simply choosing to withhold that information for his own reputation

“i’m happy to hear you took a liking to it.” you’re munching away at your pasta a little more upbeat now

“okay but the start of the book assuming all single men want a wife? no, all i want is a good night’s rest for once. also mrs bennet needs to calm down, elizabeth can marry who the hell she wa-”

“someone’s a little passionate aren’t they?” you giggle into your glass of water and you catch mr ackerman frowning

“i liked it okay.”

“i thought you said it was only mildly enjoyable just now?” grinning and looking at him through your lashes his cheeks become red

you guess he’s angry or something but that’s the usual with him

“yeah, whatever. i just wanted to play fair and apologise.”

“apologise?” oh wow, now your interest has really peaked because never in the past two years has he apologised to ANYONE

not even principal smith for the one time he flipped out and nearly cursed at a mouthy student at parent's evening

grimacing a little before he does it he finally speaks again.

“english is important. i’m sorry.”

your lips tug up into a bright smile

well???

this is a great interaction??

an apology coming out of levi ackerman of all people

“apology accepted! i’m glad to know you liked the book but now that we’re a tad bit friendlier with each other i wanted to ask for a favour.” your eyes gleam and he swears he can see specks of shining stars in them

“...okay, it depends.”

he’s warming up to you so he considers it

“please don’t cut into my lesson time levi.” his name slips out of your mouth but it’s so natural you don’t even care to correct yourself

“i’m sorry about that too y/n.” your name now ventures out of his mouth too as it tests the waters

wordlessly the two of you agree to first name basis

BUT more important matters are at hand such as how he’s issued you yet another apology?

this is satire surely

because why is he so willing all of a sudden...?

well, that's the power of pride and prejudice, wow you’re really thanking the heavens for blessing this world with jane austen’s existence

jane austen. a woman capable of remarkable things, she's even managed to make an unmoving book hater somehow become a lover

poking at your tuna pasta you and levi are now quiet.

“soooooo, any opinions on mr wickham?” you ask the question hoping to initiate a longer conversation than before

and luckily for you your attempt works

SUCCESS!!

levi pinches the bridge of his nose and the creases on his forehead show he clearly isn't particularly fond of wickham

“don’t get me started he’s so indescribably annoying?”

ok, ok, ok

you don’t even know how it happens but you and levi really hit it off

weeks have passed and you and him have even become lunch buddies

it was so shocking to moblit at first that he dropped his lunch on the floor when he saw you and levi enthusiastically exchanging words

then again, two mr wickham haters are bound to get along

you’re seriously wondering how the two of you ever survived as mortal enemies

yeah, you still disagree a lot but you’re getting there!!

sometimes he helps you out when your computer stops running and in exchange you’re willing to offer him book recommendations

he swears he doesn't want any recommendations from you but you know he enjoys it

yesterday he got microsoft excel out and showed you how useful it really was and you went :O because you never really understood the need for it at all

you’re a little bit of a granny when it comes to tech...

and just today at lunch you recommended he checks some plays out but his nose wrinkled at the mention of shakespeare so the both of you went through a long list of dramas and eventually you were able to interest him in j.b. priestely's an inspector calls

another victory for you!!

anyway, right now the two of you are sitting inside of the staff room seeing as it's that time of the month again.

time for the monthly staff meeting

it's the first one you've had since you and levi became friends and you're worried the both of you will be back at it butting heads

wait, are you friends?

well, you wouldn't mind if that were the case but to be honest you would like to be a little bit more than friends mayb-

no!!! no!!! no!!! stupid thought!!! you retract that statement immediately

no you do not want to be more than friends with levi ackerman, yes he's lovely to a degree but you are not going to elaborate on why it's a terrible idea to fancy him

okay wait, let's elaborate for the sake of elaborating

he's surprisingly charming and wittier than you thought he would be. the fun conversations are making your days now and to be honest it is nice to have someone to spend lunch with (hange usually skips out on lunch all together to tinker in the science labs and set up experiments)

wait... weren't you suppose to explain why you don't want to get with him?

you're an idiot and you don't notice how dumb you really are until everyone just kinda gawks at the both of you because it's so odd seeing you in the same room let alone within a three feet radius of each other.

fuck, you completely forgot you and levi sat at opposite ends of the room

principal smith enters and even he looks visibly shocked at the change in seats but he doesn't mention it and you're grateful he doesn't because you didn't purposefully sit here it just happened on accident

erwin turns in your direction and smiles

"would you like to start off with your proposition for extracurriculars?"

nodding your head you begin passionately.

"well, i'd like to say i don't think we offer the children enough. we have spare funding so why not open another club? cooking perhaps? i understand many of you may not understand the importance of teaching them how to cook but-"

"do you have an obsession for setting these children up for failure?" tensing up you notice it's levi who's spoke and he doesn't sound remotely happy

blinking once and then twice he realizes his tone isn't the best and he mutters an apology "sorry, go ahead i'll add in when you're done."

whispers travel through the room straight away

"did he just say sorry?"

"actually why are those two sitting together?"

"do you think they're you know...?"

miss ral who's sat a little further away is the next person to disagree with you

"i understand the intention but would it not be better to let them have extra math lessons?"

"oh, so you can get a pay rise?" the comeback you make is aggressive and dripping in displeasure

she sits up face burning up

"no- no- absolutely not i take pleasure in teaching all of my classes." flustered and trying to hide her nerves she takes a sip out of her water bottle

you want to pour all of the water out onto that ginger hair of hers

the reason why her interjection is getting on your nerves is due to the fact you overheard her and another one of the math teachers plan to bring this specific point up

and you are well aware that her reasoning behind it has nothing to do with the children

she couldn't care less about them

"do not make me repeat what you and mr bozado were chit chatting about earlier today."

the threat is enough to silence her and just when you think you've handled the situation levi has to give his input

"let's ignore petra's motivations and talk about how teaching these kids how to cook means nothing if they have no tradable skills to offer in the real world." levi's not looking at you. he's either too annoyed or too preoccupied with his thought process

at that moment you feel naive, you thought maybe he would try to understand your opinion seeing as he's been spending so much time with you as of recent but that looks to not be the case

murmurs of agreement fill the room at his statement and you feel pathetic

it's practically the entire room against you now

genuinely how is it these people can manage to be such spoiled sports about everything?

"recently, i asked all of my classes to write an essay about school stress. maybe you won't understand my views because you haven't read their pieces but they need a fucking break." the expletive flies out of your mouth without warning and you flush in embarrassment

that

was

not

professional.

"oh god, i'm sorry i got worked up i shouldn't hav-" fumbling over all of your words you feel even more mortified

the principal raises his hand signalling you stop and you clamp your mouth shut. you're in huge trouble that's for sure

but,,, in spite of the clear difference in opinion between you and the other teachers, soft and well spoken principal smith says the unthinkable

"i have the final say and i believe you are coming from a good place after reading your student's work. how would you feel about running the new cooking club?"

scanning his face for a second you can tell his question is legitimate and the wave of relief that washes over you has never felt better than ever

sighing contently you agree and as the topic of conversation shifts to something else entirely you sense your heart rate picking up

you feel like you're back to square one with levi.

it's yet another day where you’ve saved your students and you should be feeling overjoyed but if anything you feel a little deflated

you wish he would have come around and understood but you can't teach and old dog new tricks

again, the feeling of disappointment wears you down

two weeks have passed since then and your favourite time of year has come. it’s spring term meaning MACBETH

the english curriculum includes plays and it just so happens that today is your first lesson covering shakespeare

and you LOVE shakespeare

something about all the intricate foreshadowing always has you excited

but some children are missing

and it’s way too many to blame on sickness

so you wait for a few minutes but it's consistently radio silent

the last time this happened the culprit had been levi and he promised to never cut into your lesson time

but you could count on him to break his promise after the fiasco that was the monthly meeting

is he back to hating you and hating literature?

well, that's his loss if that's the case!! and no!! you will not upset yourself over the loss of the budding friendship

sighing you get to your feet making a beeline to the door but gabi and falco rush to stop you

awkward chuckles activated they wave their hands to get your attention “OH NO, they’ll only be five minutes!!” their sentence comes out as one big blur of words but you manage to understand them

now you’re doubtful because you know falco and gabi would usually ignore you and allow you to walk out

giving them a knowing glance the pair look between each other

their eyes are clearly communicating and asking if it’s alright to tell you

“i promise i won’t be mad.” you sigh

perhaps if you reassure them they’ll be more likely to spill the beans

“it’s not that you... i don't know. you might be upset.” gabi isn't one to care much for other's feelings so you're slightly anxious even though you shouldn't be

but you’re a tough nut to crack. so, absolutely not. you are not going to upset yourself over whatever it is

“i won’t be hurt. i’ve suffered through reading some of the most emotional classics to ever exist.” hitting your chest with your fist you wince a little because you hit yourself a little too hard

falco’s seems to be too shy to come out with it so gabi takes the lead as she normally does

“some students were talking badly about you so mr ackerman kept them behind to have a talk.”

oh.

yeah, actually you are a teeny weeny bit disheartened because you think you’re nice to all of your pupils but it’s nothing too bad, not everyone will like you

“if that’s all i’ll go get them. thank you for letting me know.” giving them two thumbs up you leave the class immediately

levi is probably scolding them to hell and back

not because he cares for you but because he hates disrespect in general

as you’re nearing the open door of his classroom you hear something you never thought would emerge from levi’s room

“final question. why does mr darcy say he doesn’t want to dance with elizabeth at first?” oh yeah, that’s levi’s voice for sure

an english question?

is he quizzing them on pride and prejudice?

you wait hoping your students don't fail you and are able to provide the correct answer.

“ummm... she’s not pretty enough!!”

levi hums “you answered all five questions right. do you all know why?”

you can’t see the children’s faces but they have to be confused if there’s no immediate response

he grunts in agitation “because your english teacher works hard to teach you every single day. have some respect because that teacher of yours is one in a million.”

taking your bottom lip in between your teeth you fight the urge to smile

“do you know how at every single staff meeting there’s only ever one teacher fighting for you all and what you want. i can assure you that teacher isn’t me, but i believe you can all guess who i'm talking about.”

your heart does a back flip in your chest and you feel jittery but in that really fuzzy good way

like that super duper fuzzy and hazy good way

he’s really very sweet for saying all of this and you're now smiling like an idiot

one pupil takes a chance to make amends “we’re sorry mr ackerman.”

but before levi can give them a response you clap your hands together and walk in unannounced 

“apology accepted, now if you want to all be forgiven forever please return to class and answer the questions on the board!” directing them to the door with your hands you make sure they're conscious fo the fact you aren't mad at them

still, never have you seen them so eager to run off to analyze macbeth. you guess levi's deathly stare is the cause for it

holding back a laugh you clear your throat after the last student leaves

“thank you levi :-)”

it’s quiet for a second and you think to ask him about what has been gnawing at your mind

“you didn’t have to do that. you disagreed with me before so... why did you?”

“i say this at every meeting and you never listen but children need to be disciplined.” his unchangeable tone is unwelcoming

again it’s awkwardly silent and you sorta regret even coming over to see what was going on because now you and levi are just having an uncomfortable staring contest

then he scratches the back of his neck and heaves a heavy breath

“it may also be because i really fucking like you, but i look like an idiot saying that when we’ve been at each other's necks for two years.”

oh.

the sudden and brutally honest confession has the wind knocked out of you, you’re stunned

and then you get hit by it too. the realization hits you like rain hits umbrellas on stormy days. you like him too.

you like him for his witty sense of humour, his pure honesty and his hatred for mr wickham only serves as a bonus

yes, you have your differences. many of them. but you like him

he’s no longer a book hater and so by default you can fancy him. he goes against none of your guidelines essentially

you like him, he likes you back?’//’.;

[SCREAMS]

“well, what do you say? will you be this mr darcy's elizabeth bennet?” hearing the cheesy pickup line from him of all people has the butterflies in your stomach exploding in delight 

“you sound weird, where's the grumpy math teacher from before?" now you and him are simply shamelessly flirting but HEY!! you have no complaints at all

he scoffs at your sarcastic question

"do you want the equation for a two dimensional heart on a graph beca-"

"can i just kiss you?"

wOWIE are you being bold today y/n???

thankfully you don't have to wait for his answer. levi’s right hand pulls your face in and he slams his lips against yours. he gives your waist a squeeze and you hold him tighter by the neck in response. he has a way of somehow making it all feel gentle and relaxed in the same breath

and... you know what? maybe you should have recommended pride and prejudice to him earlier

but oh well.

what matters the most right now is that you're kissing your mr darcy!!

and he’s kissing his elizabeth bennet

:-)