#Sparks-verse

[infamoussparks]

Chapter 1: The Monster You Made

Approx. 3,100 words; 20 minute read

MATURE THEMES & MONSTERS AHEAD

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60799630

I’m running out of the woods, the treeline hurriedly evaporating beside me. I glance over my shoulder quickly as my breath heaves in my chest and fear tears at my heart like a clawing beast. I don’t see the hunter but I feel her closing in. I try to move faster and faster still as I clench my skirts in my fists and the knee-high meadow grass whips against my shins. I’m in the open now and if she sees me, she will certainly catch me. And if she catches me, she will kill me. I’m the final defense and I am running out of breath, out of hiding, out of time.

I hear someone yelling to me but their voice sounds garbled to my ears, filled with the roar of my heartbeat and rush of my blood. I cannot understand what they are saying. As I run I throw out one hand before me and it glows with light–a bright, white flash that engulfs the shape of it and feels warm against my skin. The voice grows impatient somehow and I cannot see who is calling me. I can hear the voice in my head, echoing through the meadow, somehow surrounding me and avoiding me all at once. Before I can do anything with the light pooling in my palm, the voice cracks like a whip in my ears. 

“LUCKY–”

And I wake up.

The dream is not new but every so often I get a step further than I had the night before. I’m still not sure what it means, or what it’s trying to tell me but I know it’s a premonition of sorts and a frustrating one at that. After writing about this recurring dream and anything new I’ve noticed this time around, I slip my journal my mother bestowed upon me beneath my pillow and start my day with a hot cup of tea. The morning is slowly dawning and I welcome the light into my small apartment. Rays of fresh sunlight reflect and refract off various crystals and suncatchers I’ve strung around the windows, throwing rainbows and small light points around my walls. It is my favorite time of day, usually a welcomed slice of peace before any other beasts stirred coming for magic favors or fortune telling from yours truly.

The day outside is looking like it will be another good one. A soft fog censors the sunlight as it gains more vibrance and very few clouds hover from the evening before. The city is quiet in the soft dawn hours, monsters home and asleep or traversing carefully between our world and the one that keeps our tales spinning–the world of humans. Humans were our targets to coerce to our side, as needed. But humans were also to be feared: monster hunters resided among them and they took that title very seriously, hunting our own kind for sport. Thus, the world of monsters had to be carefully tucked away from the grasp of humans. Luckily, we monsters had developed ways to travel between the realms that kept us mostly safe from danger and left us only as tales as old as time itself that were passed down through generations of humans.

“Lucky! So kind of you to leave your door unlocked,” The familiar voice snaked behind me and I simply sighed into my tea cup and rolled my eyes. My peace is shaken for the moment by this unpleasant interruption.

“I didn’t leave it unlocked, you just simply have unfettered access to me. For now. I can revoke it at any time, Orion.”

My younger brother laughed which sent an unwelcome tingle down my spine. “Of course, Luckster. You threaten that often but at this point I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve forgotten the spell to do so.”

Although bound by blood, my brother and I could not be more different from one another. For one, he was a full-fledged incubus, a devil of a man who knew how to use his attractiveness and sexual prowess to get pretty much anything he wanted from anyone he chose. He never cared much for the emotional attachment aspect of relationships and simply focused on the sex. That was a gift from our father, also an incubus and an absent one at that. Our mother was a witch who fell for him and was left magically with two children and nothing more from the monster himself. I didn’t blame our father as much as Orion did for things that befell our tiny family in our father’s absence, but truth be told Orion seemed to enjoy the hand he’d been dealt. He made the title of incubus bend to his will. He was tall, slender with a toned build, and prided himself on his shoulder-length wavy brown hair, tanned skin, tail, wings and horns; which he kept beautifully ordained with gold jewelry at all times. He looked constantly regal–a model of a monster which never hurt when he chose his partners. They always had a hard time refusing his charm and attractiveness.

With that said, it would make sense that I was a true cambion–born of incubus and human–although somehow I’ve kept my wits about me and avoided being “incubus” as much as possible. I wanted that part locked away and I didn’t want to become like my brother nor my father. I learned the Old Magic from our mother and openly practiced her teachings in a way that felt safe and protectful. The magic seemed to come naturally to me and our mother was thrilled to see me quickly connect and bond to tarot cards, palm readings, potion-making and spellcasting. Other than being persuasive and having supernatural abilities, I looked entirely human–no tail, wings, nor horns, my skin fair and hair that fell in long dark brown waves with silver underneath half-way down my back. Being human-passing was a benefit that allowed me to traverse between realms almost entirely undetected by humans and monster hunters alike. I wasn’t bound to only crossing at certain times like my brother was or other monsters who needed the cover of darkness to make that trip safely. For all intents and purposes I considered myself a true witch, nothing more and nothing less. 

I turn to face him and lean casually against my sink, tea cup in my hands. I am completely over his quips and my day has only just begun. I’m not looking forward to what’s in store for me. “And to what do I owe the pleasure of you barging into my morning routine?”

“I need a favor from my favorite sister.”

“I’m your only sister.”

“And you are also my favorite,” Orion smiles, the tips of small fangs on display, and gestures broadly with his arms outstretched as though welcoming me into his embrace. When I don’t move from my spot and simply take a long sip from my cup instead, he scowls and drops his arms back to his side and gets to the point. “Fine. I need a love potion.”

I almost spit my tea from my lips. “I’m sorry. Hang on. I could have just sworn you said you needed a ‘love potion’ from me.”

Orion crossed his arms over his chest defensively, “I did.”

“You–an incubus, my brother of my blood–is asking me for a love potion?”

“I don’t deal with love, sister. I deal with lust. There is a difference, you wouldn’t understand.”

I shake my head and cross the room to the table that stands between us and I pull out a chair to sit, motioning for my brother to do the same. “I don’t believe in love so you’re right, I wouldn’t understand.” A bird sings beyond my window and there's a soft creaking in the floor to my left but I don’t let these things distract me from holding my gaze with my brother.

Orion clears his throat and is equally upset with me and fighting himself on something. I can see the distress beneath his scowl. “I believe my current partner may be cheating on me.”

For the second time this morning I nearly choked on my tea. “... What?” I sputter.

“I’ve been keeping my bed with a werewolf, but as you know shifters can traverse the realms without much detection when not in were-form. And lately Ferric has been visiting the human world more often than not and I am growing anxious over it.” Orion is tapping his fingers against the top of my table and I realize this is a confession of a deeper level. He didn’t want to tell me any of this but as I mentioned previously our bond is strong so I am tucking this away as a secret to keep.

“I see,” I’m gentle with my response and Orion quickly seems to settle at my table a bit more, “I can give you the potion but it won’t help you discover the reason Ferric is traveling so frequently between realms. I think you simply need to have a conversion with him.”

Orion sighs and settles back in his chair, wings tucked tightly against his form. “I was afraid you’d say that.”

“Brother, honestly. What else would you have me do? Follow him?” I laugh and take a sip of my tea and Orion’s focus snaps back to me in a way that says I have misspoke. 

Oh no.

“Would you, Lucky?” He’s sitting up slowly, leaning forward across the table. His smile is cocked and he looks absolutely devious. “Would you follow him for me? You know I can only go across that line during the dreamstate of humans. But you… You can go anytime. You can go now.”

I’m looking at him like this is the dumbest thing he has ever asked of me. I’m suddenly reminded of when we were kids and he asked me to cross to the human world to pick weed for him to smoke but this was right up there. I shift uncomfortably in my seat and do not answer him. I’m not sure if I even want to entertain this thought further. Not only would I be tracking someone on behalf of my brother, I would be seeking a werewolf–a monster notoriously known for being a natural tracker themselves. Not to mention one with incredible strength. What would I do if I found him? What would I do if Ferric found me first?

My brother is standing now, pacing around to my side of the table. “Dear sister,” he paused as he stalked around me slowly. I wasn’t phased, lost in my thoughts about how this day could possibly get worse. “Imagine how much more you could do if you simply gave in to your power?”

I hated when he brought that up. I had refused whatever power our father had bestowed upon me long ago, before Orion even existed, and yet he still harps on me for not unlocking my so-called ‘full potential’. I stand up slowly, turning to face him as he stands behind me, tea cup forgotten on the table. “And whom I could sway to my side, as you do? I’m not like you, brother.” I retort, my anger bubbles up in my chest. The floorboards creak once again, a soft signal to me. I gently wave my index and middle finger on my right hand in a quick flick to the side of my palm. Orion does not notice, nor seem to care. 

“I do not sway, I simply influence. There is a difference.” 

“Between fear and surrender?” I challenged.

He smiled so wide his fangs were fully exposed, glistening in the daylight. “Between lust and desire, sister. Nothing else matters to me.” 

“No shit,” I sigh. It seems I would be traveling today after all. “Fine. I’ll go. But I need something of Ferrics’ to help me track him when I’m across the border. Do you have fur or something small I can use as a charm? You won’t get it back.”

Orion grins and embraces me quickly, clearly joyful that I am doing his bidding to ensure his boyfriend is not cheating on him. I suddenly have a terrible feeling about this. He fishes in his pocket and removes a small glass vile, a tuft of gray and dark brown fur coiled inside. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”

“Yeah, well, this could take a bit of time without any information to go off of,” I take the vial from my brother and scoot around him to set it down on my kitchen counter and start preparing herbs and flowers necessary to transform this into a tracking charm. “Do you know where he goes or does Ferric ever say anything about where he’s been when he returns from the human realm?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Orion sighs as he crosses his arms across his chest and leans back against my table.

“Great. Well, I’ll do my best but no promises that I’ll find him today with enough time to tell you what he’s been up to in only one trip. You’ll have to give me a few days at least.”

“I trust you, Lucky. If anyone can find my wereguy, it’s you.”

I turn to look at him with a look of disapproval hanging off my lips, “Please tell me you don’t actually call him that.”

Orion chuckles, “I have better names for him that I will not be sharing with you.”

“Thank you, honestly. I don’t want to know.”

Orion places my nearly empty tea cup in my sink and then gives me a single kiss on my cheek before he simply leaves with a short whistle of happiness. If he wasn’t my brother I may have offered him poisoned tea but family was all I had here, even if the thought of killing him off now and then brought a small smile to my face.

I’ve pulled a small mortar and pestle onto the counter and I’m grinding materials down into a finer collection of leaves, flowers, herbs and fur. It’s something I’ve done for years so I don’t need to concentrate very hard on the task at hand. I let my mind wander briefly before I remember that I am not alone in this room, despite Orion having long since left my home.

“You can come out now,” I speak softly into my work. “Sorry to make you wait so long. Orion would have gotten unruly had he noticed you.”

A soft noise like the breeze through tall grasses passes behind me and then a form takes shape on my left, leaning over my sink. Shadows weave and coil like the smoke tendrils from a freshly lit stick of incense. The form is simply more defined and less blended into the darkened corner of my kitchen, a man slightly taller than myself, reaching into my sink and picking up my mug in a quiet motion.

“I wish I could go with you,” the shadow-figure confides as he turns on the water and begins washing the mug.

“I know,” I whisper, pausing in my work to look over at him. He was a sleep paralysis demon, one that thrived on the darkest of shadows in order to visit the human realm, though he preferred the comfort of our realm and the quiet he found when he visited me. I hadn’t seen him in some time though, so this yet another unexpected visitor this morning though he was far from unwelcome.

“If you wait until tonight I could…”

“Benji, you don’t have to go with me, I promise,” I reach out and rest my hand atop his soapy ones, the mug held between them. I catch his gaze and he drops his eyes to the mug and our hands almost immediately. “Besides, I’m sure you have better things to do since I haven’t seen you in a while.”

He stirs slightly, shadows weaving between our touch. “I’ve been dealing with some personal things and I didn’t want to bother you, unlike your brother.”

I remove my hand from his and tilt my head at him slightly in curiosity. “Anything I can help with?”

“No,” Benji quickly answers. “Thank you, though. I appreciate that.” He finishes washing the mug and sets it in the drying rack. The water and soap simply dissipated off his hands as though it was never there to begin with.

I get back to work on my charm and leave the pestle to rest in the bowl momentarily as I cross to my hutch and open the first drawer below the glass cabinet doors. I retrieved a small pouch made of tightly woven tulle and threaded with a ribbon as a closure to hold the contents I had blended together. As I return to stand beside Benji my intuition tells me something is off, but I don’t want to push it. He is one of my best friends and I know he’d tell me of his own accord or not at all. A master of shadows and secrets and one of the most empathetic monsters I know.

“I have no doubt you’ll find that Ferric guy but please be careful over there. Something has changed,” Benji warns me. 

I pause in filling my small pouch. “What do you mean?”

“I was over there and I got trapped somehow. I couldn’t cross back right away,” Benji explains. “It was strange… it felt like my connection to our realm was weaker somehow. Like the tether was snapping.”

Suddenly, I have a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach and I quickly finish dumping the contents from the mortar into the pouch, pulling the ribbon tightly and knotting it quickly, a soft chant whispered from my lips to ensure the pouch would track Ferric quickly beyond our world. Then I reach out and touch Benji’s arm, locking eyes with him and tapping into the power I had denied for so long. The words leave my mouth in a rush of cadence like a song left half-spoken, half-sung, “Tell me what you know, Benji.”

Benji’s eyes shift from dark brown to a glowing blue-gray and he speaks as though the truth is being lured from his lips against his will.

“The wall between our realms is fractured, Lucky. Soon it will fall entirely.”

[beemochi-art]

how would prowl react to younger jazz? Would he also be just as in awe as jazz was to his younger self?

Part one

( First things first, Jazz was a sparkling when he was born, there is a different between bots that are born and those who are built. Bots who are made in factory are put to work almost immediately and lose out on a childhood, when they grow up that are very serious and robotic. So when Jazz onlined he was a wee lil bitty. Jazz had been online for a long time before Prowl onlined.)

Prowl meets sparkling Jazz…That’s Prowl’s baby now.

Jazzy didn’t have a great childhood. Jazz would feel really sad seeing Prowl take such good care of his sparkling self and it’d make him wonder how different his life would be if he had creators that cared about him.

Now something a lil different. J&P meat new spark Jazz!

Prowl meets new spark Jazz… That’s Prowl’s baby now. New spark Jazz would be totally happy with being adopted.

New spark Jazz sees his older self would give him hope. He always grew up being uncertain of the future.

[spotaus]

Idea-dumping under the cut ig as a distraction!

(Actually this got like... long, so here's some bonus design visuals!)

So, this is mostly me thinking out-loud about those alt/personal versions of Nightmare's gang.

First establishment: in this version, Nightmare follows the *was* evil but does so poorly with several versions of the group that he decides he's probably the problem and goes searching for answers before finally settling on a few and keeping them alive. (Yes, Nightmare keeps the original 3 sets dust. Most of it was scattered, but the bits he kept all went into an hourglass. He keeps it on a shelf high in his office so no one can turn it over again.)

In this same vein, Dream and Nightmare are battling because Dream believes Nightmare is no longer his younger self and an entirely separate entity. (Is this true? Probably this time? We'll see.) So, Dream has Ink usually on-hand, and has lost a few comrades over the years, Blue being the only one who'd survived to this point. (I think he might've managed to recruit a Color at some point, Night killed both the Color and Killer. Maybe he also recruited a horror of his own, who was executed by the 2nd Dust. Point is, Blue has been around to see these monsters be cycled out and behave different and all die expendable on Night's side, and has lost friends on Dream's side.) Dream nowadays tries to stick to only himself, Ink, and Blue.

So, establishing that, there's the trouble of Nightmare and his mortals.

Nightmare lives in an older Victorian mansion rather than a castle, his domain is an abandoned au set in that time period, where him and his crew have free-reign. (Basically think the streets of London but entirely unoccupied and almost constantly night-time or rainy/dreary/foggy.)

Initially, he used this landscape to torment those he brought to his domain, whether that be chasing a new killer/horror/dust until they were exhausted or bringing au inhabitants back for his men to hunt down and torment for him. It was useful, a lot of left-over objects and items from inhabitants long since dead, and a lot of interesting hiding places. The edges of the au are just a blackness. Eventually there is an invisible wall, and if you reach that, You're easy pickings for Nightmare. he knows.

I think that the way Nightmare finally decides on his henchmen needing better treatment is when the 3rd Horror, the very last surviving one, *let* Dream get a lethal hit in on him. There was no chance for Dream or Nightmare to act, and they'd both retreated in the aftermath. Normally this wouldn't have bothered Nightmare, but that Horror had been his most obedient and resourceful one yet, and he'd actually grown to like his presence. So. The silence in the castle while he recovered from injuries and prepared for the next batch? It was particularly striking for him. It felt *icky* to not have another person there, and it felt icky to have lost that Horror in the way that he had. Not even an honorable death. He decided he needed to figure out how to keep a monster similar, if not *better than* how he'd kept horror.

After about a month of debating, he finally settled on visiting a Ccino. And no, this isn't just because Ccino's been growing on me lately. He knew one of the Killer's he had, the 2nd, enjoyed sneaking off to the fluffytale aus and he figured there must have been a reason. So. Nightmare takes advantage of his shape-shifting and what little sense he has, and finds himself in an inaccurate replication of a passive Nightmare. He goes to a Ccino, though it might as well be one involved in the multiverse, since Night is now shattering that view. He makes several trips, regularly over the course of a few months. Biding his time. The balance isn't tipping yet. Until he can become at least slightly familiar enough with this Ccino to ask the burning question. How does one care for another living being?

Ccino, at this point, is used to his weird British customer and his odd way of asking questions. Asks if he means a pet, like a cat. Nightmare clarifies that, no, he means monsters. And Ccino has to try and figure out what he means by that. Is he expecting? Is he... adopting? He asks the second one, and Nightmare nods. Ccino breathes a sigh of relief, and realizes it must be because Nightmare is a boss monster. They live much different lives from a normal monster, require less to eat, less sleep, rely on their magic a lot more heavily. He suggests Nightmare come by again the next day and by then he might have some advice.

And while Ccino mostly gives him information on how to raise kids, from babies to teens, Nightmare takes in the information. He's still convinced he's learning all this because he wants to make perfect soldiers. Monsters who will obey him through whatever means that last Horror had. So he takes in all the information he can. He focuses a lot on the suggestions for teenagers. Even though the ones he had before were certainly adults, they often had outbursts and these solutions seemed reasonable. And Ccino was kind enough to stay after closing to talk with him on multiple occasions. It became a little club, between the two of them, almost.

And then Nightmare finally went out to find new replacements. 4th time's the charm.

The first one he collected this time was a Killer. The most volatile usually, but also the easiest to coerce into cooperating with his goals. Normally, his first act would be to let the Killer run loose in the streets and hunt him down. A show of dominance and control. This time, he decided he'd show patience. He stole away the Killer like he normally would, and left him out on a street, but with a note in his pocket. Detailing exactly what Nightmare was offering and why, along with the address of the mansion incase he wanted to discuss more.

It only took two days before Killer arrived at Nightmare's doorstep. He was cautious, but Nightmare was cordial. Not subtle, no, he acknowledged that he was actively kidnapping him. That if he made a misstep Nightmare would kill him. That he was replaceable. But, he also explained exactly what he was looking for from Killer, and *offered* work to him. Killer wandered away for a few more days, before coming back and accepting.

The trial runs with Killer were rough the first few months. Nightmare visited Ccino less, and found himself trying very hard to balance authority, Killer's loyalty, and the fragile trust growing between them. Sometimes he'd catch Killer doing something and he'd physically refrain from lashing out and punishing. Other times, though strangely only when Killer was making choices poor for his own health, Nightmare lashed out. Corrective behavior was not kind, but it was for the best in Nightmare's mind.

One thing he had a lot of trouble with was letting Killer explore the domain. He used to restrict all his henchmen inside unless they were hunting or on missions. Killer had an insatiable urge to explore, and several times Nightmare saw it as escape attempts. Dragging Killer back inside with threats of retaliation. Only once he let Killer escape and *watch* what he did, he realized he was literally just looking around, picking up trinkets, once he stole a shirt and brought it back with him. Then he returned, willingly, to the mansion. It was no trick, no escape, just simple curiosity. Nightmare took a page out of the book of the advice from Ccino and actually complimented Killer's shirt when he finally wore it one day. Killer's hackles were raised about it, obviously afraid of punishment, but Nightmare waved it off. As long as he wasn't bringing harm to himself or running away, Nightmare didn't mind.

It was only after Killer proved himself capable of hunting down captives in the city maze that Nightmare went out to find another. The 4th Dust.

Dust was a bit more of a handful than usual. Maybe it was because Nightmare wasn't stern enough. Or maybe it was because this Killer was a lot more friendly than his others had been. This Dust immediately attacked. Instead of aiming at Nightmare, it was aimed at Killer. Normally, it the past, he would've let Killer get hurt. Learn a lesson. This time he tugged his Killer out of the line of fire and forced Dust to listen to him. Held him in place.

Dust did not wander into the city like Night had let Killer do. He was confined to the mansion, mainly because Nightmare knew the previous Dusts had a tendency to curl up and let themselves rot if given the chance. So, Nightmare made sure he was fed, and would dunk him in the pond if he refused to bathe, and was always on the watch for hostile attacks, all while Killer was usually playing antagonist.

Nightmare's actually not sure what it was, but one day Dust simply... stopped disobeying his orders. He was up for breakfast, and didn't make Nightmare drag him out to see Killer chase down a victim. Nightmare did his best to be genuine when he told Dust he was pleased to see him up and about.

(Killer had been part of the change in attitude. He would sit outside Dust's door when Night was out and tell him how good of a gig it was. Nightmare wasn't perfect, but the place was cool and it was better than an empty underground. Killer was right, it was better than an empty underground. He gave it a shot and found he didn't feel awful.)

Dust still had his days ofc. Days where he'd get overwhelmed during a mission and overwhelm his magic. Days where he'd be too exhausted or depressed to get out of bed. Days where he hated being there and wanted to go back to his old au. But, on those days Nightmare would check in on him verbally, and visit with meals, or a small gift, or answer a question. Dust liked it when Nightmare answered his questions. And Nightmare, sometimes, would twitch his tendrils and throw something around when Dust was out of commission... but never infront of him. In front of Killer? Yes. Infront of Dust? No. That was not for Dust to worry about.

Sometime after Dust warmed up to him, he resolved to let them visit Ccino. Ccino had been asking about how things were going, and Nightmare wasn't sure how to express the extent of his frustrations a lot of the time. Ccino had suggested a visit might help if they were antsy. Nightmare had agreed.

After a particularly hard day, Nightmare having run into Dream, Blue, and Ink while on a supply run with the two he had, he decided they deserved a break. He prefaced that they were not to torment. Not to harm. Not to do any damages or there would be consequences. When both had agreed, thinly veiled curiosity, Nightmare took them to the au. Just around closing time. He adopted his shapeshifted passive form and brought the two of them along.

Ccino has been... visibly shocked. These were obviously two full-grown, or at least in they 20s-30s, monsters. They didn't look like they were in the best states either. But he'd held himself strong as Nightmare guided them to sit at his and Ccino's usual rounded table, the two extra chairs now being used up. Nightmare handed them the menu, and it seemed he got hesitant orders from both of them before approaching Ccino at the counter. He ordered. Ccino got to work.

When the drinks were brought out, Ccino was almost pleasantly relieved to find that the two additional monsters had cats swarming them. Nightmare introduced them, and Ccino saw how Killer had one cat cradled in each arm, both purring up a storm. Dust had one in his lap, asleep, with one of his hoodie-strings trapped by the cat's jaws. Night didn't bother with a made-up story. Just vaguely explained that they had come from toxic and unhealthy environments and were staying with him for the time being. Like... roommates. Ccino just kinda has to accept that the other two don't seem to be in any immediate distress and minds his own business.

I think it'd be at least a year or two, Nightmare ensuring he's made Killer and Dust comfortable and loyal. Making sure he knows just how to keep them alive properly, and establishing silently to his enemies (the stars) that he's done using expendable pawns. That's when he finally collects the 4th Horror.

It was a hard choice for him. Something about seeing another Horror's face, especially after he'd finally been making an effort to provide better support and care to this Killer and Dust? He figured it out. His last Horror was only so obedient and relaxed because if he was, Nightmare went softer on the others. When the others were both gone, he lost hope. Nightmare, some part of him, was scared he'd do it all over again. Somehow lose Killer and Dust and be left with just Horror. That was why he focused so heavily on Killer and Dust's wellbeing this time. So this Horror wouldn't have to worry. Would turn out the same.

And the plan worked out. Nightmare brought himself to go find a Horror. One from a collapsing timeline, right in the cross heirs of Error's attacks. He was basically a scrap of code, and Nightmare tugged him to safety at the last second. This Horror was confused, but grateful, until he noticed Killer and Dust. Horror was entirely avoidant of the two for the longest time, willing to do as Nightmare said once he heard him out, saw what was happening, but he did NOT like Dust or Killer. He was cagey, kept to himself, only showing weakness if he was injured in battle or had fallen ill. Night tried to watch out for him, but that wedge between the three of them was troublesome. Night hoped it'd work itself out. It never quite did.

Night doesn't have a favorite. He'll refer to Killer for important tasks, he's been there the longest. He'll let Dust fall asleep on the couch near to him and curl tendrils around him while he haps. He'll find recipe books and new supplies from aus for Horror to try out. He'd willingly get in the way of any attack to improve their chances of survival. Having said this, he pays an extra attention to Horror. Everyone notices it, Horror finds it unsettling sometimes but can mostly ignore it. It isn't until a fight with Dream where Horror chases Ink off to the side and Ink reveals to him the fate of the last Horror that any of them know *why*. Horror takes time to process it, before bringing it up to Nightmare very very nervously.

Nightmare, pained, admits his previous faults. He's not proud of his methodologies back then. He doesn't admit how much he cares about this 4th round of them. He doesn't need to.

Fun bonus! There's a year where Cross comes into the picture. At first he seeks out Nightmare for his help. Like in Underverse, he wants to rebuilt his au. But Nightmare denies him. It wouldn't benefit him or the others, it wouldn't benefit the balance, find someone else. But Cross can't. When he tries to work alone, Cross finds that Dream and the stars intercept him. They assume he'd working for Nightmare, which he denies, and they try to talk with him. Ask what he's doing. Ink and Dream can't allow Cross to keep going, even if he's trying to make himself a new home. They ask if he wants to join them. Defend against evil in the multiverse. And as it is, he has to agree.

So Cross teams up with the stars for a while. But as he's working with them, things don't seem to be lining up. Dream claims Nightmare tortures his followers, trades them out like cheap toys. But... Cross never sees these ones change. And if one gets too injured, Nightmare calls a retreat. The same ones come back each time. Even in the midst of battle Nightmare seemed to keep tabs on all of his players.

Once, Cross isolated Dust from the rest of the fighting. He was wounded and clearly getting more exhausted by the second. When Cross pinned him finally, he asked if he wanted to stop fighting. To go somewhere safe. Away from Nightmare. Dust had always seemed like the most actively dis-engaged fighter of the three. Cross thought he could convince him. But Dust just stares at him and says "Nah." Before getting a second wind and summoning an attack again. Cross tried to knock him out, take him by force, but the hit just dazed him rather than knocking him out, and by then Nightmare had figured out where they were. Seeing, or sensing, Dust's state, he signals for retreat instantly. Cross is forced to move or get skewered by darkness, and he's shocked by how gently Nightmare scoops up the dazed Dust, and how willingly Dust let's it happen. Horror and Killer are right on Nightmare's tail and hop through the portal first. Night through very last.

Cross had never seen Nightmare pick up his men so carefully before. Usually they'd walk through on their own, or he'd lift with tendrils. This time he carried Dust in his own arms. That was... weird.

Cross, eventually, comes to terms with not rebuilding his AU, just being barred from it for so long. But it takes *ages* before he goes to Nightmare. For one reason or another, Cross realizes that the state of his friendship with Dream is unhealthy. I mean, Dream cares for him, but it feels overbearing. And when he asked to visit the omega timeline once, Dream advised against it. Basically placed him on house-arrest unless everyone was going out to fight. He had to stay inside Dream's au, since he was an outcode. A fragile one. (Dream was afraid of losing Cross, like he'd lost many others.)

During a fight, Cross decides he's going to try something new. He's going to get as close as physically possible to the portal at the end of the fight, and lunge inside at the last second. No weapons, no hostility, nothing. That Domain of Nightmare's is untraceable. He needs in there.

And when he enacts the plan? Nightmare actually allows it. On his end, acting like he didn't notice a thing until he steps through.

Ofc, Cross immediately got tackled and pinned by Killer, but Cross doesn't fight back. Night demands he explain himself, abd Cross takes one more hesitant look at the surrounding enemies before admitting. Dream's kept him on a short leash since he joined. No exploring, no harsh training, no visiting friends, nothing. He needed to get somewhere Dream couldn't follow him. Even though it was a suicide mission, Night's domain was the safest choice.

And Nightmare was frankly baffled. Someone had willingly chose his domain over his brother's? It was a bit of an honor. But I'm the sane breath, he couldn't just let Cross leave. If he did, then that wouldn't be just to his three loyal wards.

So, Nightmare gave him an ultimatum. Either he stayed and acted as a teammate, eventually earning privileges just like the others had, or they could kill him. No one can just freely enter the au and expect Sanctuary. Cross knew as much, and as much as it seemed to pain him, he agreed he'd work for Nightmare.

And for Cross? Nightmare decided to reach back into the old days. He told Cross he had ten minutes to go somewhere in the city. Evade for as long as he could. Told him to get running. Only when Cross had confusedly left the mansion did Nightmare tell the group that whoever could scare Cross the most, without intentionally wounding him, would get to choose the next big leisure item he brought back from supply-running.

Boy did the guys torment him! Nightmare kept an eye on it, and there was some excellent restraint from all three of them. It went on for several hours, and Nightmare only cut it short because he'd noticed Cross had developed a limp. Some sort of twisted ankle maybe? (For the record, Dust managed to win. He suggested a projector for movies and stuff.) Back at the castle they all sat at the table, including Cross (though he was wary) and ate. Then they had leisure time. Then curfew. The next morning, when Cross was still limping, he postponed further 'training' to check how truly hurt Cross was.

Basically, Cross figures out Nightmare only does fucked-up stuff because it's part of his nature. He needs to to survive. Outside of that? He's learned to be amicable and borderline kind to those he cares about. Cross is there to witness Killer getting his first cat, he's there to witness the three of them get into intense debates about high-level science and scribble all over a whiteboard, he's there to witness a lot of good moments. Including Nightmare bringing a Ccino for a visit to the house.

This Ccino visit is prompted by him noticing the boys haven't been by with Night lately. Nightmare assures him that they're fine, but also suggests Ccino could come by for a visit? And Ccino, friendly and optimistic Ccino, agrees. Nightmare, upon portalling them, walks a bit with Ccino. Explaining the nature of the realm and why he lives there. Ccino listens and accepts it, even if he is a little spooked. Nightmare then guides him to the mansion and shows him around. The guys are all screwing around in the kitchen, trying to make cookies with Horror. The three are excited to see Ccino and greet him. Cross, who was sitting in the corner trying nit to make things worse with the batter, was confused to find a normal Ccino visiting the domain. A part of him was angry, another was hurt, but he kept quiet. The Ccino was nice and greeted the others, then introduced himself to Cross. Cross did the same.

Ccino, at this point, officially became knowledgeable of the multiverse and unintentionally/intentionally aligned himself with Nightmare. Night seemed to be doing very well despite all the worries he'd had, and also, Ccino considers Night to be a friend. They discuss books together, play newspaper games, etc etc.

After Ccino leaves he starts getting more multiversal visitors, he can always tell, but he has his favorites.

...

Hard cut, day 2 of adding to this ramble post and now I have drawn designs with extra lore!!

Nightmare and Dream's magic from the apple incident has condensed around their skulls like halos! They can't be touched nir damaged by attacks, but they do glow when either is feeding/exerting their magic.

Nightmare did his best to keep the 4th round of the mtt in top shape, but it wouldn't last forever. Dust was the first one to get a major injury, though it wasn't very prominent visually. Shortly after they got Horror, Dust was slashed in the socket by one of Ink's corrosive paints. He fought through the pain, but upon getting back to the base, Nightmare discovered Dust's state. Nightmare's first instinct was to clean the wound like he'd been taught by Ccino, then to ask if Dust could still use the magic in that eye. As it stands, he still can't reconnect to the mana there. Night fought against every instinct telling him that Dust was broken, and to get a new one, and just told him to go rest and recover. Dust has a scar on his bone and his eyelight is missing in that socket. But he's alive, which is a testament to Nightmare's improvement.

Killer lost his leg shortly after they took in Cross. It was a combative fight where Dream wouldn't let up, hunting them down to any au they moved to, not allowing them to make the supply run they'd been on (it was after a period of quiet after Cross ran and was taken in by Night. Dream + the others believe Nightmare killed him.). It was Blue who almost got a solid hit in on Dust, but Killer got in the way to block. Only, he wasn't sturdy enough and his leg-bone practically shattered when he tried to stop Blue's swing. Horror scooped Killer up, and in the wave of negativity and Dust's cursing that followed, Nightmare signaled a retreat.

Under normal circumstances, such a substantial, mobility-altering, injury would prompt Nightmare to just put a follower out of their misery and claim a new one. But. Not anymore. He had to act fast because Killer was fading in consciousness abd Nightmare was never one for major wounds like limb loss. Luckily, Horror was familiar, and him and Night managed to stop Killer's limb from dusting any further up his body. (Dust was furious with Killer for taking that hit. Horror was shocked. Nightmare regretted not taking up the rear in the first place. Cross was mortified to see Killer in such a state and was 1000% sure Night was going to off him.)

Recovery for Killer was... rocky. About 50/50 good/bad days, but he pulled through and learned to use a prosthetic. In the meantime, Cross offered to cover for Killer on runs if he was needed, a good step for Cross and for Nightmare. But, instead, Nightmare asked Cross to focus on making sure Killer didn't hurt himself while the others were out on runs. He couldn't risk revealing Cross' being alive just yet. This leads to plenty of Killer Cross bonding time, and Killer gets to tell all sorts of stories about how much the Boss has been improving. Killer knows he was the pet project, the test dummy to this 'new him'. Nightmare hasn't laid much of a finger on Horror, abd only let them spook Cross, while Killer was tossed around like a ragdoll. And now look! Night was going through the trouble of replacing his limb and nursing him back to health! For Killer it's like watching someone take their first steps. Cross realizes then that Nightmare hasn't always been like this. He used to be worse. He's taking steps on his own to improve. And for what? The sakes of Killer, Dust, and Horror?

Meanwhile, Dream has Blue and Ink, both of whom he extends his positive magic to. Even when they're in their own domains, they can spread his aura to those they interact with and call upon his power.

Unlike those two, he's also allied with Outer and Lust! Those two are from the omega timeline, and they work to help anyone fleeing from destroyed, corrupted, or otherwise uninhabitable aus. They had their own little thing going before Dream entered the picture, but when he approached them about seeing anyone from a destroyed au, they kept in contact. Now they act as a little home-base, keeping track of the battles and the conflicts and making sure the main three fighters don't work themselves into the ground. And! Because the main 3 are always out and about? If you need help with smaller tasks, Lust and Outer are on it. Lust finds it a nice distraction from his past and anxieties, and Outer does it as repayment to Dream (who saved his life from the 3rd Killer once).

Uhhh, one last note I think? Horror is the favorite child from an outsider + inside pov. Night doesn't think that way, but he is actively more careful with Horror than the others. He feels like he failed the last one (he failed all of them but y'know) and he can fix it with this one. This one doesn't understand the treatment and often resents it, but decides not to say anything lest he offset whatever kindness Nightmare is doing for the others. The others don't mind that Horror is effectively the favorite. They know Nightmare was fucked up long before they arrived, and it was just one of his many quirks.

[technically-human]

I find it funny that your reverse charles and edwin are simultaneously so much more mature than their canon counterparts (hi trauma) but also so much younger?? they babie

it might just be the fact that edwin is no longer Grandpa in A Teenage Body but charles also seems very babie. i want to wrap him in a blanket so nothing bad ever happens to him ever again. he has done nothing wrong ever in his life and if anything happened to him i would kill everyone in this room and then myself

They babie indeed.

I think you're right! Like, just the fact that Edwin feels yourger because he is from the 80s and Charles keeping his silly attitude (even if it's partially fake) makes them feel more like... like kids, I guess. Silly teenagers. And yet they have gone through The Horrors and come from a darker universe in general, so they don't have as much wonder as the original ones.

Guess they feel more like vulnerable kids, and less like boys who can be childish sometimes.

Unfortunately for all of us, things keep happening to Charles.

[agentpeggycartering]

fuck it friday

tagged by @leashybebes 🥰

no pressure tags for @korevah @setmeatopthepyre @officialwaterchuck

Here is the first snippet that I'm sharing from a bucktommy mpreg fic I'm working on. Under a read more so that you don't have to see it if that's not your jam.

"You should text Bobby." Tommy tells Buck once they're settled into their hospital room.

They'd been sitting in silence for a few moments after the nurse had left, telling them that the doctor would be in shortly to speak with them. Explain the situation and what their options were, to go over any concerns and questions that they had. And there were a lot, at least on Buck's end, but not all of them were questions that could be answered by the doctor.

"I will. But- we should talk, too. Is this something that you want?" Buck says, worrying the edge of the scratchy hospital blanket.

"Of course, Evan. I told you that I want a future— a family— with you." Tommy says, reaching out and grabbing Buck's hand, holding it between his own, giving it a squeeze. "Is this sudden? Yes. Is it quicker than I expected? Yes. But I'm not leaving you, or… or our baby. Oh my god, we're having a baby." Tommy says, tearing up.

"Yeah, we are." Buck agrees, his own voice thick with tears.

[multibunmuses]

@connor-mark-ii: continued from [X]

"RA9 huh? Well, I'm sure I can help with whatever problem you have. I strongly recommend you come by the clinic, and I'll see to your 'furry' friend's swift recovery."

There was a tone to Spark's voice when he said 'furry', which anyone could tell he was meaning something else.

"Are you going to need the address, or can you search it up?"

[lilacevans]

𝑚𝑦 𝑎𝑑𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑒? 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑝 𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢. 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒'𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑑𝑜.

requested by @vellicore ✧.*

it's opening night at pete's place! | — pete’s place🤎

[the-sky-queen]

Hi Queenie! 👋❤️

So, I was wondering: There are some women that when they get pregnant, they like to surprise their husband with the news and come up with some creative way to tell them. Alternatively, some women like to just come out with the news, and both are fantastic and amazing.

My question though: For Amy and Rouge, what did they do when they told Sonic and Shadow they were expecting? 👀👀👀

Gimme the deets

Oooo, very good question Saph!

Let's start with Rouge. When she got pregnant with Angel, she was so unbelievably excited. She was planning on doing something elaborate to tell Shadow, but he picked up that she was hiding something pretty much immediately, so she just ended up telling him. Now as we know, the miscarriage hit her and Shadow very hard, so when Rouge got pregnant with Spark, she was really scared to say anything. She was worried the same thing was going to happen. She didn't say anything at first and managed to keep the secret for at least a couple weeks. Eventually, she pulled Shadow aside one day and just told him. It was at least another month after that before they told Ember. Dawn was a surprise baby, so Rouge didn't waste any time after she found out she was pregnant. She rushed right to Shadow to tell him the news.

Now as for Amy, she was much more creative about telling Sonic. For Joy and Lux, she gave him a gift bag that had baby socks inside. Sonic was confused at first, but then it clicked in his head and he got immediately emotional. Then he found the second pair of socks. XD For Rose, Amy slipped her ultrasound picture into an envelope and then put it in the mail pile for Sonic to find. For Elise, Amy set an extra plate at the dinner table that night. The kids noticed before Sonic did! And finally for Chip, Amy pulled out some of Lux's baby clothes that she'd been saving. She brought it to Sonic and offhandedly mentioned that they'd be needing it again. Sonic finally managed to pick up on what she was hinting pretty quickly this time.

[flameleads]

@hughesxmaes asked for a dance:

Hughes was walking over toward Roy, having just came back from the bathroom, as he moved to where Roy had been sitting on the couch doing paperwork that he was playing catch up on. They were both wearing their pajamas they usually sleep in at this point of the night. With a sly grin on Hughes face as he gazed upon his best friend, the room was filled with soft jazz music that had been playing in the background. There was a glass of whiskey on the table followed by some water and a little extra coffee for Roy as Hughes saw the other focused on his paperwork. Hughes wasn’t drunk or anything, he’s been taking his time with his drink so that he still had a clear mind and could move around because he had an idea and he wondered if Roy would go along with it. He knew the Promised Day was fast approaching so Roy had been focusing on figuring out his plan and catching up with loaded stacks of paperwork. The lighting was soft and it hit Roys face just right as he looked at him through his glasses. He began to watch the others focused eyes even though the place was a mess in front of him. He always wondered how the man could even focus on doing work with the amount of mess going around in him. Maes always saw Roy for the mess that he was though and that’s never changed. It was one of things he loved about Roy. This man kept him moving, kept him entertained, loved bickering at him at times, but it was all in good fun. He never found his time with to be unpleasant. Sure there were moments where their time in Ishval had been upleasant, but they had each other in the end to keep each other safe. To look after the other, and he knew Roy always was there for him. That was one of the reasons why Hughes fought to stay alive, to make sure they both made it out alive together. Roy saved him from losing himself completely, after everything Hughes had gone through after almost dying and then losing his family. Roy had been there to help pick up those pieces of his shattered heart. He kept him sane, kept him from doing something stupid, because he wouldn’t have known what to do had he not been able to see Roy again. It made him realize how deep his feelings were for this man alone. He loves him, every part of him, the messed up broken parts of him too. He wanted to be by his side for as long as he would let him, even if they were just best friends. His feelings continued to grow the passing months and it actually scared him a little, because honestly he’s never thought he love a man so much, he never thought he would even be at this point to even think about these deeper feelings he held for the man known as Roy Mustang. The Flame Alchemist, people who called him a Hero for something he didn’t want to be named or called. This man who meant so much to him and that he noticed every little thing he did and would admire him in secret. He held these feelings tight where nobody not even himself could realize till after it was too late when he got married and he try to squash those feelings down for the sake of his family. Now that he has lost that family, with Gracia finding a new partner to help move on with, he now had more time to really sit on these feelings he had kept pushing down. That’s when he finally focused on Roy, finally focusing on these feelings that he was so scared of having. Focusing on Roy, Maes thought it would be the perfect moment to do this because he enjoys catching this man by surprise and seeing what reaction he would make from such things he normally would never ask him. Finally reaching the couch where a busy Colonel had a pen in his mouth, deep in thought Hughes stands there a moment before speaking. “Hey, Roy.” He starts a soft smile upon said features as he bowed his body down, offering his hand out to him the soft jazz music was still playing softly in the background fitting the mood perfectly, “May I have this dance?”

He hadn't meant for the paperwork to explode all over his apartment. After he got home and changed into his pajamas, Roy's original plan was to keep his work contained to the coffee table in his living room. But, he needed almost that entire table just to see the layout of the Armstrong mansion, never mind go over the logistics of how the Northern troops planned to use it. More details needed to be planned out afterward, which included where those troops would be on the Promised Day, the signals he and his team needed to give them, how much communication they would have--and that was one portion of the plans.

That ignored his daily paperwork as well, which sat on his dining table. As usual, he didn't mean to get this behind. With a team, this workload had been much easier. Now? There was a reason for the almost empty glass of whiskey sitting on his side table, partially buried by budget proposals. It helped with the nerves, he told Hughes.

Hughes.

Maes Hughes was alive, a fact Roy cherished every single day of his existence.

How he survived was still unclear. The Homunculi weren't forthcoming on details, and it was clear they either blackmailed Hughes to not say much, or they purposefully kept him in the dark. Roy bet on the former considering he knew his friend's habits and how perceptive he was. All they told him was that he got to keep Hughes for a price: his compliance. The file sitting on the other side table next to a cold and almost empty cup of coffee, full of every scrap of information he could find about Hughes' case, was proof he didn't follow that order.

So was the rest of the mess. He had a government to overthrow. Hughes understood, but, as Roy chewed on the end of his pen, he knew he would still apologize to his new guest for being a poor host.

Apologizing, and shoving himself into all of this work, was easier than having any sort of deep conversation about their living situation, the implications, and any feelings beneath the surface. Roy knew what his purpose here was: to be a pillar of stability and refuge, to comfort, and to keep him safe. Maes Hughes had his entire life ripped away from him mere months ago when the Homunculi pulled their stunt. Now? He couldn't go back to it. Not for Gracia and Elicia's safety, especially when Gracia was seeing someone else. This was his home now--with someone he trusted, someone who had his back, someone who wouldn't hesitate to protect him if needed.

Someone who loved him with every fiber of his being.

Waking up to see Maes Hughes alive every single day was a gift. For months, he couldn't breathe, suffocating without oxygen in his lungs. These days, his system struggled to keep up with the influx of fresh oxygen, Maes' smile at him enough to make him dizzy. He couldn't ignore how his heart pounded in his chest by the mere sight of those hazel eyes either. The voice he longed to hear on the phone just one more time spoke to him every day, the sound almost bringing tears to coal eyes each time with just his name. Every brush of their hands was enough for the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and he yearned for more. Dare he say to be held? To be caressed? Kissed?

Maes couldn't want him, though. Especially not now. His life was in flames. He didn't need the Flame Alchemist adding more to it.

Thus, Roy did what he spent years doing: he put those feelings away, and he worked. His pen stayed in his mouth as he grabbed the budget proposal. Wait, hadn't he already read this? He felt like he read this one earlier. Where were his notes? Right, he didn't make any because he got distracted. This one was simple anyway: no way in hell was he approving this budget. Now, to write that in a professional way...

When did Hughes come into the room? A minute ago? He said something too. It took a minute or so for Roy to register his name, his pen not moving as he brought his gaze up.

"Hmm?" What was he... bowing? Why was he--oh, the music. Right, he turned that on a while ago to see if it would help him focus. Dark eyes widened as they stared up. He wanted to dance? But he had to--but he needed--he couldn't--why? Why did Hughes ask him to dance of all things? They never danced. Why? And why now? He was--he had to--

But, Hughes smiled at him, and Roy couldn't say no. He couldn't say no to that smile, those eyes, this man wanting to hold his hand--not when it was all he ever wanted. Putting his pen and papers to the side, he gave his hand to Hughes so he could pull him up.

"All right, I'll humor you," he replied with a grin, "I could use the break anyway. But you better know how to lead."

Hopefully, his little joke hid the fact that his heart raced, and his cheeks threatened to turn scarlet. This was fine. Just one dance.

[mushroomnoodles]

heres the normal golbaby designs for melinoe, melopia and relle. not canon to the revived timeline yet, idk if they will be. but theres a reason they look so different from morri (they along with oberon were a). not conceived through a speck of cosmic energy and b). conceived between two entities rather than GOLBetty and a human.

[hecksee]

im learning i have an intense fondness for historical gays. modern gays are good, but theres just Something about historical queers that hit my brain. bonus points if they're from the 17th-19th century.

[infamoussparks]

Chapter 3: You're to Blame

Approx. words 5,300; 40 minute read

MATURE THEMES & MONSTERS AHEAD

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60799630/chapters/158078416

Luck has always been on my side, no matter the situation. It’s how I got my nickname of Lucky. I wield it as easily as I do my spells and persuasion, good and bad luck heeding my every desire. To most, this is a magic they can only wish for, but for me I understand that it is my burden as well as my nature. So when Ferric and I burst through the portal I had created, I wasn’t surprised to see that luck had drawn together the two people I needed in that moment–Orion and Benji, both off-guard and in our way. 

We crashed into them, all of us knocking each other to the rough pavement in a burst of loud expletives and shouts. I had seconds to regroup and focus on sealing the portal behind me, a burst of white light and silver sparks weaving the tear closed before anything, or anyone, could follow us through. Portals were only allowed in marked areas of our realm but I had no time to get Ferric to a location like that when it was a life or death situation I had found him in.

“Holy Gods, you’re covered in blood,” Orion gasps as he helps Ferric to his feet. The werewolf is in bad shape, one arm slung across his stomach. He’s panting and clearly heavily leaning against Orion. My brother didn’t seem to be struggling with the weight.

“Unfortunately, most of it is mine,” Ferric laughs and immediately grimaces.

I’m on my feet and catching my own breath as I throw instructions to my brother. “Get him to a hospital, Orion. He has to shift but carefully. He has silver in his body but I don’t know how much. It’ll complicate his healing.”

“What the Hell were you doing over there, Diaz?” Orion is glaring angrily at his partner but that’s going to be a spat that’ll have to wait.

“It’s not much,” A shift in the air happens to my left and the shimmer shifts as a form takes place. A woman appears, slender and taller than I am with auburn red hair cascading down her back, wearing a deep garnet suit and gold-rimmed glasses. She narrows her eyes at Ferric, one hand reaching out to him. He eyes her hand cautiously. “Please, let me help you.”

Ferric twitches one wolf ear in annoyance before huffing softly and placing his paw in her outstretched hand. A soft golden glow envelopes their extended handshake and the woman reaches toward Ferric but does not touch him as she pinpoints the places that silver-tipped weapons entered him. The points are marked with soft golden light. After ten seconds, she nods and releases his paw. Ferric pulls it back across his stomach, his panting increasing to balance out the pain he must be feeling.

“There. Seven points, though only these four are the worst ones,” four of the golden markers flare in response. “My practice is very close if you want to take him there. I can assist with a blood transfusion–I can smell his blood type is AB.” She smiles softly and the tips of fangs can be seen over her painted lips. “My name is Doctor Rosaline Hutch, but please call me Rosa.”

“Vampire…” Ferric wheezes. “Fine, take me in. The need to shift is very strong and I grow weak against this fight. Can you work on human bodies?”

“Of course,” Rosa nods. Orion is all caution and clearly torn between being mad at his partner and untrusting of a vampire when so much blood is involved. His face shows his disdain for this turn of events.

I reach out and touch Ferric’s arm gently, “Good luck, Ferric,” I whisper, passing my luck to him to boost his survival rate and healing factor. “Orion, go with him. Now.”

My brother nodded once at me, a quickly mouthed thank you passing his lips as he noticed me pass my luck to his partner. I was sure Ferric would be okay. My luck would see him through.

“Are you okay?” For the first time since crashing in, Benji is softly checking on me. I didn’t realize how close he was to me until he spoke and I can feel myself both startled and calmed simultaneously.

I glance over myself and brush my arms over my body. None of the blood on my clothes was mine, just a casualty of being so close to Ferric as I ushered him through to our realm. “Yes, I think so.”

“You found him, huh? Looks like just in time, too.”

“Yeah,” I nod glancing toward Orion and Ferric as they are helped into a nearby building. I take a few calming breaths, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with my adrenaline crashing out. “I got lucky with finding him, but it was bad over there. He was fighting someone he called the ‘Legendary One’ and she was really strong. Her aura was all rough edges and… fuzzy somehow.” I turned my full attention to Benji and lowered my voice to a hush. “She knew his name, Benji. She was going to kill him.”

Benji studied my face, shadowed hands reaching around me and pulling me into his embrace. I stayed put there long enough to reset my emotions, feeling they were all jumbled in the memories as I tried to piece together what I had seen and what I had heard.

“You’re okay. You’re home now,” Benji comforted softly.

“That’s the thing,” I sighed as I pulled back far enough to look into his eyes. I read worry cross his face. “I don’t think any of us are okay with her over there. She knew him. She’s coming after him. And now she’ll be coming after me.”

Rosa came to retrieve us from the waiting room, wiping her hands clean on a towel and smiling wide enough for us to acknowledge her fangs. She was gorgeous for a vampire and didn’t look much older than being in her early forties. I had a good feeling about her even knowing that sometimes that feeling is a passive trait from vampires so that their potential prey feels safe with them, a lure. Despite that I didn’t feel that Rosa was luring any of us toward our doom.

“Ferric is awake and healing quickly. We got all the silver from his body and he’s all patched up.”

“Can we see him?” Orion is already standing and I knew even if Rosa said no he would go to Ferric anyway.

Rosa nodded once, “Yes. I am requesting quiet for him and no rough activities for at least 3-5 days. That includes sex.”

Orion scoffed. I rolled my eyes. No way he would adhere to that rule. My brother is an incubus, after all. That’s like asking a frog not to hop or a bird not to fly. Orion followed Rosa to Ferric’s recovery room with Benji and I in tow. When we entered the room it felt as sterile as it looked but Ferric, despite being in human form, looked well-cared for and bandaged cleanly. His scars through his right eyebrow gave him a bad-boy appeal and I could see what my brother was so hung up on. The man also had hair that was dark brown with a gray patch running from his right temple, falling around his face. The gray stretched into his beard in a streak on the right side of his face. It was like the scars pulled stress at that edge of his face.

“Diaz, you look like shit,” Orion greeted him. I shook my head and caught Benji glancing between the two.

“Shut up and give me a hair tie, would ya?” Ferric grumbled, his voice a mess from sedatives that were still wearing off.

Orion pulled one from his wrist and passed it over. Ferric took it and lifted his arms to tie back his hair into a bun atop his head. He winced with pain or soreness or both but managed the task.

In the silence that followed Ferric looked at me and cleared his throat, “We need to talk.”

“What? With her?” Orion chided. “What about us?”

“Later, Stella.” Ferric growled, keeping eye contact with me while answering my brother. I felt heat lick my cheeks as second-hand embarrassment settled in. Benji gave my hand a reassuring squeeze and he left the room in a soft dissipation of shadows and shade.

I glanced over to Orion and offered a silent apology. He snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, wings pressed too tightly against his back as his tail tip twitched like an angry cats’ would. “Orion, please?”

“Fine. But I want full disclosure about whatever it is you two discuss.”

“I’ll talk to you in a few minutes. I have something to tell you,” Ferric gave Orion a stern look and my brother suddenly looked a little crushed, some of his anger washing away. 

“Just tag me in when you two are done.” The words a mask for his annoyance as Orion left Ferric and myself alone in the recovery room.

The silence stretched between us and although I had a list of questions for the shifter, he looked like he was struggling with something that had to be said first. I let him find his words.

“First, thank you, Lucky. You saved my life back there,” He started, adjusting himself in his bed before the pain made him second think that and he settled back into his pillows as he was. I realized he must have made the connection that I was Orion’s older sister upon seeing us together. Either that or he had asked Orion and my brother told him the details before they were separated for medical aid. “How did you find me?”

I approached his bed and stood beside a chair that I pushed closer to his bedside. “I had some of your fur from Orion and I used magic. I cast a simple location spell.”

“If you are honest with me, I’ll be honest with you. I know you have questions,” Ferric softened his voice. “Let’s start over. How did you find me?”

I sunk into the chair. “I have luck on my side for everything. That’s why I let you go with Rosa for treatment. It’s how I tracked you faster than most could have,” I had nothing to hide here and everything to learn. Being honest with him was easy. “I also have a very worried brother who was afraid you were cheating beyond the veil. I couldn’t say no when he asked me to track you.”

Ferric sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, one hand raising to his face so his index finger and thumb could pinch the bridge of his nose. “Stella thought I was cheating on him? With a human?”

“Yes.”

He barked his laughter out, the sound rich and loud in the small space. “Gods, he’s an idiot, isn’t he?”

I smiled, “I couldn’t agree more with you on that.”

“Listen,” Ferric dropped his arm back to his side and he had me in full focus now. His eyes were so silver they were almost entirely white. “I love your brother. But I’m older than he is and I understand the needs of his kind–no offence–”

“None taken,” I interject.

“I had to see if a shifter and an incubus could even hope to last longer than just a fling. I heard about this oracle who toes the line between our realms and I had to seek them out to ask for guidance. But I’m an idiot in love and it took me a few visits to find the shop and then a few more to even build up the confidence to go inside.” Ferric paused and then sighed. “Okay, I see how he connected the dots to me potentially cheating on him.”

I reached forward and rested my hand over the back of his. “It’s okay. Easy mistake, right?”

“Right,” Ferric gave me a small smile and I noticed that he was opening up so much easier as we spoke about my brother. It was reassuring in a way. “Anyway, I finally met with the oracle and they did their thing and said it was fine to chase this. They said whether or not it was love would be obvious when I got home. Then I was being tracked on my way to the teleport point so I tried to shake my tail. Only I didn’t know I had two of them on me and one of them was…” Ferric shuttered slightly and I felt I was losing the lead.

“And I guess the oracle was right then,” I prompted.

Ferric looked at me with a slightly confused gaze. “How do you mean?”

“Orion didn’t leave your side. You were in bad shape and he could have just left you when we crashed through. But he got you here and he waited for you to be in the clear and he’s waiting for you even now, his anger is temporary.”

Ferric blinked. He clearly hadn’t thought about it like that, if at all.

“But I need your help now. I have you safely here and healing up and I know my brother is going to command your time as soon as you are released from here. I answered your questions, will you answer mine?”

“Yes,” Ferric agreed.

“Thank you, Ferric,” I squeezed his hand gently. “Who is the ‘Legendary One’ and why was she so intent on killing you back there?”

“A monster hunter.” He answered so plainly that I raised an eyebrow and leaned toward his bed from the chair. My eyes flashed silver, my power pushing this conversation into the direction I needed.

“Give me more.”

“Her name is Nines. I killed her father by request of her mother. Her mother was one of us, but was caught and sentenced to death for relations with a full human. Before the sentence was carried out she got word to me to kill her human lover so that the trail would go cold and her daughter would live in secret among the humans,” Ferric paused for a moment with a heavy swallow as though he was trying to stop himself from speaking but could not prevent the truth from flowing. “I could have killed Nines… she was there, hiding when I killed her father. But her mother made me promise not to. It was her dying wish.”

I contemplated this. It seemed to be a heavy burden to bear for Ferric, a secret he’s had to keep for years. I wondered how many other secrets he had like this one. I had heard rumors of assassins within the ranks of shifters but had never met one until now. I filed away that line of questioning for another day. But even with this story, I was still perplexed about the title Ferric had given Nines.

“And her title?” I pushed.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Ferric whispered, his voice low and steady. “She’s the best monster hunter in her realm because of us. She’s half of us.”

I dropped my hand from his and sat back hard in my chair. Nines was hunting monsters but was half monster herself. She was using our gifted abilities to kill us one by one. I didn’t know what abilities she had exactly, but I did know that I could at least effectively block her human ones with my own magic. Or at least, I did in that single moment to save Ferric’s life.

Ferric blinked rapidly as though regaining control of himself and I knew that to be true. My power had been dropped with the lack of contact–both eye contact and physical contact from our touching hands. I didn’t regret pulling what I needed from him in this instance and I did not apologize for it.

“Can I ask you one more question, Ferric?”

“You’ll get the answer you seek, regardless,” Ferric retorts.

I square my jaw and sit straight in the chair. “Can you share the address of the oracle?”

As I stood on the stoop of the so-called oracle’s shop, my dream journal tucked into a satchel at my hip, I remembered something that Ferric had mentioned. He had cautioned about the feeling of hovering on the edge of something that could land either in your favor or against it before he passed through the doorway. I was feeling that same way suddenly, a mix of curiosity and doubt riding the waves of my stomach. Finding the place had been easier than expected. It helped that I also looked incredibly, disarmingly human, blending in at best and narrowing my chances of running into Nines while I was across the rift. 

Unfortunately, something was definitely now going wrong with our mandated teleport points. They were marked and guarded to track our comings and goings but now something was amiss. Some were no longer opening like they should and one was spontaneously closing, trapping monsters on the wrong side at inopportune times. The one I had wanted to take was under scrutinization as it had allowed a human to cross through–a full human! Not only was that dangerous for the human but for us as well. It took a fairy a few hours to wipe the mind of the human so they forgot how they ended up here, while a shifter had to usher them home. Things were falling apart at the seams and I could not only see it but feel it as well. Something about the teleport points faltering had my magic acting up as well. It was stronger than ever and I was having trouble keeping it under control. Small bursts of sparks nearly set my curtains on fire this morning when I awoke and then nearly lit the grass aflame as I walked through my favorite park.I felt like I was bleeding magic in a dangerous way but I also have never felt so strong. My magic needed an outlet but that would have to wait.

Ultimately, I had slipped away from the view of the teleport crew and used my magic to create a portal instead. It brought me close enough to the address I had scribbled into my dream journal while keeping me out of sight from humans. I sealed the portal then, marking the location on a map I had taped into my journal, and found my way to the shop before me. But now I felt that I was wasting time and that wouldn't do. I needed answers and I needed them now. Taking a deep breath I entered the shop.

A soft tinkle of bells sounded against the door as it swung open and closed behind me. The scent of patchouli and jasmine filled my lungs as I breathed in the hazy smoke from burning incense. The shop was all wood and crystals, suncatchers tossing an array of rainbows across the wooden floor and shelves. Amethyst rocks were placed in corners and quartz stones displayed on lovely pieces of fabric that lined the shelves. I was the only one within the small confines of the room, though it felt comfortable inside the shop despite the variety of items for sale and on display, every corner a marvel to look at. The shop immediately felt like home and I could feel my shoulders relax and my guard drop.

“Took you long enough,” Startled, I spun around and saw someone standing within the beaded curtain at the back of the shop. They were leaning on a cane and had long pink hair that was half up in a messy bun, the rest cascading around their shoulders like a shawl. They seemed young and I realized the cane was not for show but for support as they approached the counter by the register. “Didn’t think you’d actually come in.”

I paused to sweep a glance behind me, but they were clearly speaking to me. I cleared my throat. “I… I wasn’t sure I had the right address. Are you the oracle?”

“Oracle, dream eater, fortune teller… I have a million titles but yes, you are right where you need to be,” They seemed to be a little annoyed, as though I was the first customer of the day and had interrupted their morning tea time. But then I saw them tilt their head at me slightly and narrow their eyes. Something like recognition flashed across their face and suddenly they were more alert.

“Then, do you know why I’m here?” I ventured.

They studied my face and slowly responded, “I actually do not, but something…” their voice trailed off and they swept a hand out toward a table at the back of the shop. “Sit with me.”

I nodded and approached the table, fetching my dream journal and setting it down atop the table close to me as I sat quietly. The oracle sat across from me, with only their cane making so much as any noise at all. They didn’t seem to be exerting themselves with the effort to sit and I wasn’t sure if they were masking any pain or if they were just so used to it at this point that it didn’t even register for them. They reached toward a nearby coffee table and pulled a worn deck of tarot cards into their hands, shuffling them in a practiced, comforting motion.

“Would you like some tea? Coffee? I have several flavors of each from both realms,” They offered.

“How did you know I’m not from… here?”

“Your aura. It’s different from humans.”

I was not too surprised by this but the ease at which this conversation was happening was unexpected. “And do you see many people from my realm often? I’m just curious.”

They nodded, “I see enough. I walk the line between the realms and I do not care who shops here as long as they are paying in one way or another.”

“Are you like us? Or half?”

“All human, unfortunately. Though my intuition is very strong, I found I could read others from a young age. I’ve honed my skills to the point of them being well-known between both realms. I can usually ‘see’ why someone is here before they even enter my shop, but you…” They pause and stop shuffling the cards long enough to set the deck between us on the table. “I can’t read you.”

I’m not sure what this means for me and I express as much, “Should I leave? I don’t want to waste your time–”

“No!” They interject so quickly that they suddenly cough and clear their throat, bringing their voice back down to a softer tone. “Don’t leave, not yet. I want to help you, if I can.”

“Alright,” I meet their clear blue eyes, the color like the glass of marbles. Something about it seems so familiar to me in a way I cannot place, like I’m falling forward into some sort of trance state, a thread tugging me gently closer and closer still… They blink and I find the strange spell broken. I shake my head slightly to reset my mind on the task at hand.

They break the small silence. “What’s your name?”

“Please call me Lucky. You have been helping a friend, a shifter with a love problem. He passed along your address.”

“Ah, I see,” They palm the top card of the deck and place it in front of themselves, facedown. “Are you here with a love problem, Lucky?”

I shake my head quickly, heat rising to my cheeks at the thought. “No. I don’t believe in love.”

They palm a second tarot card and slide it to lay just below the first on their side of the table, facedown. “That’s interesting. Why don’t you believe in love?”

“I have bigger issues to resolve than finding love right now. And I’m not about to tell you all about my love life when I don’t even know your name.”

“Do you want to?” They ask, their gaze meeting mine.

“Want to what, exactly? Tell you my history?”

“Know my name?”

Did I? Would it change anything about the answers I was seeking? I wasn't sure I should be on a first name basis with an oracle across the rift. I decided to avoid the question and I dropped my gaze to my dream journal, one of my hands gently moving to rest on the worn leather cover. “How much do you know about the realms and how they are intertwined?”

Another card palmed, but held, hovering above the table between us. “The realms are connected by various magic points that work as one-way tickets for humans, though monsters seem to be able to traverse roundtrip without issue. Humans can be pulled into your realm as long as one of you has physical contact with them. Humans rarely return as humans from your realm, and if they do they are altered in ways so as not to remember the connection points or what they saw beyond our realm.” The card lands to the left of the one closest to them on the table, again with the face of it down. A spread being pulled but not yet flipped.

I’m watching and listening and waiting for an alarm bell to sound in my mind as a warning, that maybe coming here was a trap, but nothing happens. The store is quiet, empty except for us and I’m getting no warning signals at all. “Correct.”

“... Are you going to ask me how I know that?”

“No.”

They freeze, reaching for the deck again and then place their hands on the table, leaning toward me. They are zeroed in on my face and their nostrils flare once before they sigh and lean back to slouch slightly in their seat. “Not being able to read you or hear your thoughts is making this nearly impossible for me to figure out why you are here.”

“Oh,” The noise slipped from my lips before I could stop it. “Am I doing something wrong?”

“No, it’s like you have a shield in place and I can’t work around it even though I’m trying. Not on purpose, of course, but seeing into someone’s consciousness helps me to understand what they need and how I can assist. I get more of the story that way. But with you I’m getting nothing. It’s just a wall of silver.”

I knit my eyebrows together and chew on my bottom lip slightly. “I’m sorry. I’ll be very direct with you, if that will help?”

They sigh and roll their neck slowly before adjusting themselves to sit with a better posture. “It’s… fine. It’s fine, Lucky. I’ve just never met anyone like you and as frustrated as I am by this, I’m twice as curious about you now.”

A heat rises again into my face and I push my journal toward them instead of sitting with the feeling. “The rift between our worlds is starting to break down and it’s causing weird things to happen to those ‘magic points’ you mentioned. I’m not sure what is happening or how to fix it but I’ve also been having this repetitive dream and I see a little more of it every night. I think it may have something to do with it all. Please, can you help me figure this out?”

They look at my journal and reach for it at the same time that I move my hand and we touch for a moment, fingers brushing lightly against one another. Their touch sends a strange shockwave up my arm and I can tell they feel it too, their eyes narrowing at me for a second before they break contact and take my journal from me.

“Garrett.”

“What?” The words hang in the air like mist.

“My name,” They say, “Is Garrett. Give me a few minutes to look this over.”

I nod and watch as Garrett reaches for their cane, pulling themselves to standing, my journal cradled in their other arm. They turn and disappear into the beaded curtain separating the front of the shop from the back. In the silence, I reach for the tarot deck, pulling the next card from the top and laying it facedown to the far right of the line up that Garrett had started. I leave it facedown to match the rest of the spread. I stand quietly and walk the store, my fingers trailing across the countertops, over glass and crystals and runes. Despite my anxiety about letting someone read my dream journal (especially someone not from my realm), I felt nothing but calm mixed with hope that Garrett could help me figure this out.

“I have two questions,” Garrett calls out from beyond the curtain. I spin around from my place across the shop as they appear once again, my journal open as they lean against the doorframe, one finger trailing across my words written inside.

“Ask me anything.”

“You know who the hunter is now, correct? The one in your dream?” They are studying something on the page with an intensity of focus.

I nod, even though they are not looking at me, distracted by pushing the puzzle together from what pieces I have to offer them, “Yes. I know her now. I know her name and her story.”

Garrett flips to the back of the journal, blank pages whipping by and then they page back a few from the end of the book. I hadn’t written anything that far into the journal but even from where I was standing I can tell there is writing on that page. “And who owned this journal before it was yours?”

“My mother… why?” I cross the shop to them, my feet increasing in speed until I’m right before them, reading my own journal upside down. The cursive penmanship is clearly reminiscent of my mother’s hand writing. I can’t read it fast enough before Garrett closes my journal and I meet their gaze.

“I have a few more questions and I need you to be honest with me, okay?” Garrett’s face is one of all seriousness and I only nod in response.

“You are a witch?”

“No, I mean, yes. It’s complicated. I’m technically a cambion–born of incubus and witch–but I feel more attached to my magic as of late.”

“And it’s been getting stronger? Your magic?” They inquire with all seriousness.

“Yes. And more out of control with the way the realms feel like they are collapsing in on one another.”

Garrett sighs and drops their gaze only to refocus on my face again. “I’m not sure how to tell you this…”

“If it will save my realm, please just say it.” I plead.

Garrett places my journal on the table beside us and takes my hands in theirs. I feel that same warm jolt rush through my fingers and up my arms and I’m lost in their blue eyes for a moment before they blink. “It’s you, Lucky.”

“What’s me?” I ask, clearly confused.

“The rifts are shifting and the realms are collapsing because of your power, Lucky.”

I’m shocked. That can’t be right. Garrett just met me and I’m convinced suddenly that they have no idea what they are talking about. “What do you mean?”

“Lucky, you aren’t a witch and you aren’t a cambion. You are a replaced.”

“I don’t understand, Garrett. What are you telling me? What did my mother write in my journal?” Tears suddenly invade my eyes and my vision starts to blur, leaving Garrett’s face a soft filter of pale skin, pink hair and the bluest eyes I have ever seen.

They take a breath and very softly break the news. “You are a changeling and your magic is blooming.”

[beemochi-art]

Sparkling Jazz is so cute 😭😭 What happened to his optics though?

Also I love mom Prowl we need more mom Prowl

Everyone was very surprised to see Prowl being really good at taking care of Sparkling. But Prowl wants some of his own someday so he’s done a considerable amount of research into parenting. But also somethings just come naturally to him 😽

(I had this lore about his eyes for a while but never posted cause it makes me sad and sad isn’t good for Forte-verse. But sometimes we need a lil angst.)

When Jazz war born his Optics weren’t fully developed and they were still shut. With a little bit of medical attention (that they couldn’t afford) and patience (they didn’t have.) he would have been fine.

But his young and panicking parents decided I’d be ok is they just opened them for him. It did permanent damage and made his early life miserable.

[zap2zeitgeist]

[C O N T I N U E DF R O M: Reposted From]

Virgil was a nerd, has been since as long as he could remember and like most nerds, Virgil had gargantuan amounts of anxiety when it came to those that he had feelings for, being Bisexual in Chicago meant that anxiety sky-rocketed from it’s post of the nerdy stratosphere. Whether fortunate or not, Virgil also had a tendency to talk more when he got nervous. And boy was Virgil nervous right now and it showed. It showed his whole hand and his feelings right now. Virgil was devastated, embarrassed. Wishing he could find a hole to just crawl into. His host didn’t seem to mind, although Virgil was certain that Jamie wasn’t interested and his heart sank a little. Well that was until Jamie smiled and Virgil melted. I Guess we’ll see where th’ night takes us indeed. Virgil keep some hope and at the very least he had grained a new friend who happens to be a fan of cinema, and a potentially new ally to help Virgil be Static, t’ boot. So all is not lost even if Jamie is  not in fact interested in Virgil.

“Mhmmm” Virgil hummed in amused agreement with Jamie’s assessment of them seeing where the night goes.

“Hell yeah! Expansive. Sounds like this’ll be a blast and a lot better night than I had planned.” Virgil chuckled. When Jamie asked him to help out Virgil’s eyes lit up and he sprang into action.

“Yeah! Sure thing, man!” Virgil slide past Jamie and into the kitchen. Then trying to move again but without the traction Virgil began sliding in place until he put is hand out and snapped, causing a small spark of electricity to pop and send him sliding toward the fridge, where Virgil grabbed the fridges and slide safely to a stop. Virgil chuckled to himself, as he had fun, the quibbles still in his stomach from sliding across the floor. Popping open the fridge, Virgil makes a face at the choices, he grabs a few more of what they had been having. They weren’t bad but they weren’t what Virgil was used to drinking but he’d never let Jamie know any of that. Virgil closed the fridge and headed back to Jamie and the coffee table, walking this time, sans sliding. Virgil puts the beers on the coffee table, two in front of Jamie and two where he was about to sit on the couch, giving Jamie some space, if he were to sit on the couch, with plenty of elbow room, but also not so far that if Jamie wanted to sit closer…

@vintertsarn [Jamie Barnes]

[redeemed-wren]

Calypso is not a character that I LIKE but she is a character that I want to study like a bug

[thunderstomm]

I just realised that two of the VAs on hwlr have voiced a version of Spider-Man before…