#The Dark Future Trio Prompt

[crossroads-of-the-raven]

The Dark Future Trio (if no-one has done this yet)

You know about The Celebrity Trio

You know about The Secret Trio

But do you know what binds them together.

Kur whispers in the back of Zak's mind as the Human Cryptid King works to enjoy his down time introducing Wadi and Ulraj to Ben and Rex.

Danny has perfected his false smile as he does his best not to grab Valerie, Tucker, Sam, Jake, and Randy and fly as fast as he can away from The Nasty Burger.

But these two boys are not alone in their suffering.

Jade Chan is an anomaly.

She's famous due to her Uncle Jackie being the leader of The J Team.

She's a secret and her missions with Section 13 are written in reports that only the highest clearance will ever see and fewer will ever believe.

She was eleven when she made her worst mistake.

It wasn't a real Tattoo, really it was only an ink rubbing, a rubbing taken from off the cover of one of her elderly Uncle's old books - she had placed the face of Tarakudo on her ankle and the shadows came to life.

The Shadows came to life and slowly, she lost control.

Slowly, she lost control but her elderly Uncle is clever.

He's clever and made a potion (He's clever and made extra)

With the potion, the face of Tarakudo disappeared and soon The Queen of Shadows disappeared.

The Queen disappeared and Jade Chan returned.

Time passed and Tarakudo's spirit was released.

His spirit was released and he greeted the once Queen.

Jade escape but his words remained.

He would see his Queen again and he was patient.

[morgana-larkin]

Ok so I saw a post from @dashbag-art about a guitar in Melissa’s classroom and asked for a fic in which Mel serenades her lover, so here it is! Not edited in the slightest and I hope you like it!

On another note: I’ve got like 4 fics I’m working on right now, 3 of them are prompts and the other is Mine Part 8. Stay on the lookout! Oh and Y/M/N means your middle name. 😊

At The Beginning

Warnings: just a lot of fluff

Words: 1,002 (short but sweet)

Melissa knows how much you love music, from singing in the car to singing and dancing in bars, your life revolves around music. Which is why she knows the perfect way to pop the question.

Melissa takes a deep breath as she paces yet again, in her classroom. She plans to ask you as soon as you come to get her from her classroom like always. The trio and Barb know of her plan and she made them swear to keep it from you unless they want a bat to the head. Janine took both of their classes to the gym after lunch when she saw how nervous Melissa was.

“Melissa dear, you’re sweating.” Barb says, a minute after the bell rings.

“I’m just really nervous.” Melissa says as she walks a little bit closer to her friend.

“I know dear, but it’ll be great. You’ve been practicing so much for the past couple weeks and you know she’s gonna say yes no matter what.” Barb tells her, trying to comfort her.

“I know, I just want to show her how much I love her and I don’t want to mess it up.”

“Even if you do, she won’t care. She’ll love the thought alone.”

“I think the kids will love the project next week.” Barb and Melissa both turn when they hear you talk to Janine.

“Here she comes, good luck.” Barb says before leaving.

Melissa takes a deep breath as she grabs her guitar. She watches you walk in by yourself and your face changes to confusion when you see Melissa holding her guitar. Melissa starts playing the guitar and looks at you as she starts singing.

“We were strangers, starting out on a journey. Never dreaming what we’d have to go through. Now here we are, I’m suddenly standing, at the beginning with you.”

Melissa starts singing the song and you immediately start smiling. Melissa continues singing.

“No one told me, I was going to find you. Unexpected, what you did to my heart. When I lost hope, you were there to remind me. This is the start. And life is a road that I wanna keep going. Love is a river that I wanna keep flowing. Life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey. I’ll be there when the world stops turning, I’ll be there when the storm is through. In the end I want to be standing at the beginning with you.” Melissa continues singing and you can’t help but walk closer to her and put your stuff on a nearby desk.

“We were strangers on a crazy adventure. Never dreaming how our dreams would come true. Now here we stand, unafraid of the future. At the beginning with you.” Melissa continues playing the guitar and looks at you with a smile. “Wanna sing the chorus with me?” She asks you and you nod.

“Life is a road that I wanna keep going, love is a river that I wanna keep flowing. Life is a road now and forever, wonderful journey. I’ll be there when the world stops turning. I’ll be there when the storm is through. In the end I wanna be standing, at the beginning with you.” You both sang and you look at her with a wide bright smile.

“Knew there was somebody, somewhere. A new love in the dark. Now I know my dream will live on, I’ve been waiting so long, nothing’s gonna tear us apart! And life is a road that I wanna keep going, love is a river I wanna keep flowing, life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey. I’ll be there when the world stops turning, I’ll be there when the storm is through. In the end I wanna be standing at the beginning…” Melissa sings and does one last strum on the guitar. “With you.” She ends and a tear slides down your cheek and you have a huge smile on your face. Melissa quickly puts the guitar down safely and turns to look at you. “Remember how we met here? You got introduced as my new aide 5 years ago.” She says and you nod your head. “I had no idea that would be the most important meeting of my life.” She continues and then she reaches in her pocket to pull something out and then gets down on one knee. You gasp and put a hand over your mouth. “Y/N Y/M/N Y/L/N, will you marry me?” She asks you and you launch yourself at her and hug her.

“YES! OF COURSE I WILL!” You shout and she hugs you back with a huge smile on her face. “Wait…” you say as you pull back. “I thought you didn’t want to get married. You wanted more of a common law relationship.” You ask her.

“I thought I did too, but lately I’ve been thinking of marrying you.” She simply says and she puts the ring on your finger. You look at it with a smile and then you look at her and kiss her. You both then hear clapping and cheering and you both look and see Janine, Jacob, Gregory, Barb, Ava and Mr Johnson there.

“I told you she’d say yes dear.” Barb says.

“Well how can I say no when my fiancée serenades me with a song?” You say and put an arm around her neck and look at her with a smile.

“I can’t wait to make you a Schemmenti.” Melissa tells you and kisses you.

“Oh, get a room!” Ava yells, then flips her hair and leaves.

You then hear Janine and Jacob squeal. “I can’t wait! Can we help plan the wedding!” Jacob asks you both.

“Only help, but we make all the final decisions.” Melissa tells them sternly and they both nod.

You then look at Melissa again and lean your forehead on hers. “At the beginning, with you.” You sing softly and Melissa can’t remember the last time she’s been this happy.

Taglist: @esposadejoyhuerta

@imaginesmultifandoms

@idonothingalldays-blog

@sexysapphicshopowner

@dvrkhcld

@lilfartbox1

@ricejucie

@unicorniusfallapatorius

@a-queen-and-her-throne

@sleep-deprived-athlete

@og-kxsh-420

@sasheemo

@midnight-lestrange

Let me know if you want to be added!

[thenerdykneazle]

Left Behind

Summary: Ominis is feeling forgotten when he discovers his partners have run off on yet another adventure without him. He frets about the future of his relationship with two people who seem to neither need nor want him around. Can Sebastian and MC make amends with him when they return to the castle?

A collab with the lovely @darch7995, who gave me the prompt and created the audio version of this story. Listen here.

Ominis Gaunt x F!MC x Sebastian Sallow

Warnings: light angst, sad Ominis

Word count: 2511

Ominis could hear the scrape of metal on stone as the door to the Room of Requirement materialised before him. He pushed it open and stepped inside. He could hear several cauldrons bubbling and the magical loom weaving away. The aromas of mallowsweet leaves and shrivelfigs hung thickly in the air from the potting tables along the wall.

“MC? Sebastian? Are you here?” he called as he took echoing steps into the centre of the large room.

A soft pop came from his right. “Deek saw the students leave nearly an hour ago,” the house-elf said.

Ominis groaned. “Ugh, of course, they did,” he groused. “Off to fight some dark wizards or search for artefacts in a hidden cave, no doubt.”

“MC told Deek they were going to collect ashwinder venom for a new potion,” Deek said timidly.

“What a surprise!” Ominis said sarcastically as he began to pace around the room. “That’s obviously more important than working on our project for transfiguration – like we had agreed on days ago! And, naturally, they didn’t tell me they’d miss our appointment. Plus, why ask the boy who can speak to snakes to tag along? Why would he be useful?”

Deek let out a squeak of fright as Ominis sent a hex at the adjacent wall, singeing a portrait of a witch with her pet niffler in her lap. “Deek is very sorry if he upset you,” the meek elf said in a trembling voice.

Ominis winced. “No, I’m not upset with you. I…I’m sorry,” he said, as a pang of guilt stabbed into his stomach. He hadn’t meant to scare the innocent elf. He was just frustrated.

Deek apologised again, as if he’d done anything wrong, before popping away again.

Ominis sighed as he trudged forward into the forest vivarium. Inside, he could hear unicorns galloping across the ground and jobberknolls soaring above the trees. Wand outstretched, Ominis walked down the cobblestone path to a bench by the water. The sun warmed his skin as he stepped out of the shade of the trees. As he sat there, a light breeze tousled his hair, making a few strands fall across his forehead. He usually liked to nap in the spot, but he didn’t feel up to it at the moment.

His attempt to brood angrily failed miserably, as Ominis just felt dejected. He sniffed as unshed tears made his nose begin to run. He didn’t understand why his companions constantly neglected him in favour of each other. He had been elated – eventually – to have MC make him and Sebastian a trio again. Something had been missing ever since Anne had to leave school. He thought MC had filled that void – not that she had replaced Anne, as the other Sallow twin was still like a sister to him. She was far better to him than any of his actual siblings, and nothing would change his love for her. But she wasn’t there anymore.

And Ominis’s feelings for MC were certainly different than his ones for Anne. Right from the start, they were a lot more like how he felt toward Sebastian. It had felt like a dream come true when they had decided to date each other – Ominis had thought he couldn’t ask for better partners. They both made him laugh. They both knew how to comfort him when he was upset. They both made his heart skip beats when they sat close or grabbed his hand to lead him to some newly discovered oddity in the castle or out on the grounds. Ominis normally hated when people grabbed him, but it was different with Sebastian and MC.

Though, neither was dragging him much of anywhere lately. The girl who had stolen a piece of his heart had also managed to steal most of their boyfriend’s time. They were always sneaking off to Merlin-knows-where to get into untold trouble. It made Ominis feel like an outsider in his own relationship.

Heavy thuds behind Ominis announced the approach of the hippogriffs even before Highwing’s chirping made their presence obvious. She nuzzled into the boy’s side before flopping down on the ground beside him, resting her head on the bench beside him. Caligo settled down on the opposite side of the boy.

Ominis laughed softly, despite the heaviness still in his chest at being abandoned. “At least you two still like me,” he said, giving each beast a pat on the head.

Caligo chittered happily as Highwing rubbed the side of her face against Ominis’s thigh in a display of affection.

“Maybe I should take a page out of Poppy’s book and promote you two to my best friends,” Ominis joked. He could feel Caligo’s head tilt with his hand still resting atop it. “You wouldn’t abandon me for each other, would you?”

They gave no response.

“What am I saying? Of course, you would,” Ominis said, shaking his head. “You two are a bonded pair.”

The words tasted bitter in his mouth.

“You know,” he continued to the hippogriffs, “I used to think Sebastian and I were a rather bonded pair. And, while I was sceptical of MC when she first arrived, she won me over. I thought I had gained a new partner in crime. I didn’t realise then that my old friend and my new one would slowly decide they were better off without me.”

Highwing made a sympathetic sort of chirp. At least, Ominis thought it sounded so.

“Yes, I suppose MC left you behind on this adventure too, didn’t she?” he observed. “She has a fancy upgraded broom and a duelling champion. What’s she need any of us for? Never mind that you saved her from those poachers. Or that I helped her defeat all those inferi in the catacombs – inferi that Sebastian created, mind you. But why have the blind boy tag along, right? I couldn’t possibly take care of myself – or, shock of shocks, be helpful.”

Caligo rested his head in Ominis’s lap. The boy stroked the creature’s head, smoothing his feathers gently. It made his fingers feel powdery to run them through his plumage, but it also soothed him.

“I just….I really can’t believe Sebastian replaced me so easily,” he said, struggling to get the words out as he was getting choked up. “After all we’ve been through together. After all that I’ve stood by him through. And MC…I confided in her about things I’d never even told Sebastian. They both mean so much to me, and…it’s like I’m expendable to them. They just ran off without telling me. Again. Not only do they not need me, they…they don’t even want me there.”

Ominis stayed in the comforting presence of his feathered companions. He felt a bit less alone with them on either side of him. Completely losing track of time, he just sat and sulked with them until two more people burst into the vivarium.

“Ominis?” MC called as she wound through the trees.

The blond didn’t bother replying. He had little interest in talking to either of his so-called partners. The hippogriffs scampered off when they heard their master’s voice.

“Traitors,” Ominis grumbled to himself.

“Ominis! There you are!” Sebastian said as the pair arrived at his bench. “We’ve been looking all over for you! We were worried something happened to you when you weren’t at dinner. You’d just disappeared!”

Ominis snorted out a laugh. “You two are the ones who disappeared,” he accused, crossing his arms over his chest in indignation. “We were supposed to work together in the library this afternoon, and you couldn’t be bothered to tell me you weren’t going to make it.”

“That was today?” MC asked guiltily, shifting nervously where she stood and making the leaves crunch under her feet.

“Yes, it was!” Ominis shot back irritably. He shifted away from her voice, turning his nose up in the air. “But I should’ve known better than to expect my boyfriend and girlfriend to show up to our study date.”

“I’m sorry, Ominis. We just got caught up–” Sebastian started, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Ominis shrugged him off. “You’re always getting caught up in something! And always leaving me behind!” he interjected.

“We didn’t think you’d want to come,” MC admitted, sounding remorseful.

Good, Ominis thought. She should be sorry.

“We had to fly up into the mountains to find the ashwinders’ nests, and you hate flying,” she explained.

“But I love the two of you! I would’ve gone if you’d asked,” Ominis retorted. “But you clearly didn’t want me there.”

“That’s not true!” MC insisted.

“Isn’t it?” Ominis replied.

“You know it’s not,” Sebastian stated firmly, breaking back into the conversation. He often let MC handle Ominis when he was upset, as Sebastian was under the impression that MC “had a way with him.” The blond had clearly struck a nerve to make him feel the need to speak up.

“No, I don’t, Sebastian!” Ominis argued, growing angrier. Before he knew it, he was on his feet and jamming a finger in Sebastian’s chest. “You two just don’t want your little blind pet getting in the way. You don’t think I can handle myself out in the forest, right? You think you need to protect me from harm while you both run headfirst into danger. You treat me like a child!”

“Ominis!” MC gasped, taken aback at his outburst.

“Do either of you even want me around anymore?” he asked, trying not to let the pain show in his voice.

“Of course, we do,” Sebastian said, and his anger had dissipated. He took hold of Ominis’s hand. Ominis squeezed his in return. “We didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I didn’t think you would want to go gallivanting through the Highlands.”

“What I want is to spend time with my boyfriend and girlfriend again. You two are always gone lately,” Ominis admitted.

MC wrapped her arms around him from behind. “I’m sorry, Ominis. We found a potion that might be able to cure Anne, and I’ve had tunnel vision about the whole thing. But I also didn’t want to get her hopes up if it didn’t pan out. I wasn’t sure we’d be able to find all of the ingredients.”

Ominis rested a hand on her arm that was across his stomach. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he croaked.

“Ominis,” MC said chidingly, “you know you’re rubbish at keeping secrets from her.”

The boy’s cheeks flushed with heat. “I’m not that bad,” he said defensively.

“You told her what I’d bought her for Christmas three years in a row before I started hiding it from you, too,” Sebastian argued, making MC chuckle.

Ominis could feel her chest rumble against his back, and he melted into her.

“So, you two aren’t tired of me, then?” he asked a bit timidly.

MC laughed. “Hardly,” she replied before giving him a sweet kiss on the cheek.

“Who else would be the voice of reason?” Sebastian joked. Tenderly cupping his hand over Ominis’s cheek, he added, “You know I’m mad about you, you stupid git.”

“Ever the romantic,” Ominis replied drily.

MC giggled as Sebastian crashed his lips into Ominis’s. He had clearly taken the heir of Slytherin’s words as a challenge. One he met with force. If MC hadn’t been behind the lithe boy, Sebastian probably would have knocked him to the ground.

Sebastian tasted like the treacle tarts he always gorged on after chasing MC around on some ill-advised adventure. Ominis fisted his free hand into his boyfriend’s robes as he kissed him back, sliding his tongue into his mouth and making him moan. Sebastian quickly returned the favour – and then some, as he moved to trail open-mouthed kisses down the side of Ominis’s neck.

Panting as he pulled back, Sebastian’s smirk was practically audible. “Better?” he asked cheekily.

Ominis chuckled. “Much,” he replied silkily, stroking his thumb over the back of MC’s arm, which was still wrapped around him.

“Does this mean you’d want to help us get venom from the snake I’ve got in my nab-sack?” MC inquired, lifting her head off his shoulder. “Because I’d really prefer not to get bitten again.”

“You were bitten?” Ominis roared.

“Three times, actually, but Nurse Blainey patched me right up when we made it back to the castle,” she replied as if it were as casual of a fact as that it might rain the following afternoon.

Ominis felt like he might pass out before the rage steadied him. “You let her get bitten three times?” he growled at Sebastian.

“How is it my fault?” Sebastian asked, bewildered, but Ominis had already spun away from him, refocusing on MC.

His hands worried over every inch of her. “Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked. “Are you dizzy? Or in pain? Do you want me to take you back to the hospital wing for the night, just in case?”

“I’m fine,” MC insisted, and Ominis would bet a pretty galleon that she’d rolled her eyes.

“I got bitten too, you know,” Sebastian sulked.

“Merlin, I’m so glad you’re okay!” Ominis said, pulling MC into a tight hug.

Sebastian pouted even more at being ignored.

“I am as long as I can breathe,” MC choked out.

Ominis instantly released her. “Sorry,” he muttered, raising a hand to her cheek and gently stroking his thumb over the smooth skin.

“It’s all right,” MC replied kindly before turning her head to press a kiss into his palm. “You’re sweet to worry, but I really am fine.”

“Barely! You’re never going out without proper supervision again,” Ominis asserted.

“Now who’s being treated like a chi–” MC started.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sebastian asked, offended.

“You know exactly what I meant, Sebastian,” Ominis said severely. “Clearly, you two are hazardous left to your own devices.”

“I’ll let that slight pass if it means you’ll start coming out with us,” Sebastian said lightly.

“Yes, I’ve quite made up my mind on it,” Ominis replied seriously.

“Brilliant! It’ll be great having more help. And if we all get stranded in one of those remote little cabins and have to share the one, tiny bed all pressed up against each other, well…all the better,” Sebastian added cheekily.

Ominis jumped slightly when he felt a hard pinch on his bum. “You’re a degenerate, Sebastian,” he tried to assert, but his face was going red imagining the scenario.

“You love me,” the mischievous boy stated confidently.

Ominis could tell he had stepped in rather close, because he could feel Sebastian’s breath puff over his nose and cheeks.

Ominis gave a dramatic sigh, refusing to give Sebastian the satisfaction of swooning at his flirting. “Against my better judgement, but, yes, I do. Both of you.”

“Good. Because we’ll never be tired of you, so you’re stuck with us,” MC said.

“Promise?” Ominis asked, feeling a jolt of insecurity.

Sebastian rested his forehead against his, their noses brushing together. “Promise,” he vowed.

Ominis relaxed. Pressed between the two people he loved most, he felt anything but unwanted.

[oh-no-its-bird]

Tora gets hit w the time travel beam *gestures vaguely towards the "team ro time travel to warring states era but make it Tora AU team ro" post*

And gets mistaken for a bastard senju kid and missing brother of Tobirama bc of the resemblance. But also using the same logic I used w Itachi of the "the only people allowed to draw the connection are people who personally knew Tobirama when he was Tora's age (which, if sticking to the original team ro prompt, would be like 12) so only like. The founders + Touka get to make that conclusion

Him 🤝 Tenzo -> getting mistaken for a Senju and getting lots of hugs from Hashirama that make them Feel Things (TM)

People are telling Tora he's probably a bastard kid and he's making deliberate eye contact w that one time he tried to break into the senju compound and was kicked out bc the gates keyed into senju blood specifically. He's pretty sure he's not a senju guys. Trust him. Really.

Mmmm ok but actually taking it seriously, how would Tora affect the team ro dynamics in that specific adventure? In my original post I went really in depth on what each character thinks of their situation + the founders, so would that change at all?

On top of that, since it's a few month before the Uchiha coup, it's also peak Itachi-Tora-Shisui chaos hours as they plot to stop it

I think it's mostly the same, tho maybe Tora's general affect on Itachi means he isn't quite so much in the "Hey what if we just kill Madara. What then." boat

But also I can see the opposite, with maybe Itachi instead getting Tora on the "Hey what if we kill Madara in his sleep" boat

Shisui can sense the "Tora and Itachi are doing something alarming" button being slammed in the room over and investigates

Oh my god worst possible outcome: they get Shisui on board too. I can see it tbh, they were looking for ways to avoid the coup and the possible village retaliation and like hey !!! Opportunity they sure as fuck won't be getting anywhere else!!!

Plus like, play into the "Itachi rarley offers his own opinion bc he trusts Tora and Shisui to be in charge, but when he does offer it he's listened to"

Well he sure did offer his opinion!! And he sure is being listened to!!!

They actually all just feed into eachothers stress and decide that yes. To avoid the Uchiha coup and or possible village retaliation (they dont know the massacre is on the board yet but suspect smthn similarly bad), this is the best choice to make.

It turns into Kakashi having to talk them all down (whether he does so in time or not is debatable)

They get stopped, obviously, (tho actually commiting to killing off Madara like that would be very funny) and Madara assumes it was Tora's idea bc hes a clear leading figure in the trio and the other two are Uchiha. Tora is willing to take the fall for his friend, but Itachi is not

Itachi has a whole breakdown and bursts into awful messy tears for the first time since his father took him out to a battlefield as a child.

It's a whole thing and everyone is horrified (Tora and Shisui especially but even Madara + whoever else was there are cringing awkwardly at the sight of a previously blank faced little kid just. Loosing it.)

Itachi confesses to it being his idea and, at this point we're past the time travel reveal, explains he just needs to make sure Madara doesn't freak the fuck out and inevitable fuck over the entire Uchiha clan w a shitty reputation that haunts him for years to come

Madara is horrified what the fuck

Also INCREDIBLY demoralized ab the village now, what do you MEAN he fucking left it what do you MEAN originally Izuna died (they were keeping them in the dark ab everything future-wise other than just the fact that the village existed but this kind of forced the lid off that pot)

Also note: Kakashi !! Was !! Not !! Aware of this !!! Holy shit kids !!!!!!

They end up having a whole Thing(tm) about how look even if Madara one of the causes of their shit reputation,,, it can't all be traced back to and blamed on one man. That's not how politics work you guys.

(Queue shocked Pikachu faces and disbelief of three teenagers)

Kakashi, having his own special front row seats to the Konoha politics and rumor mill + yondaime's student + experience with facing the worst of it bc of his dad, giving them some sort of speech about scapegoats and politics and the soul crushing realities of systematic oppression and blame

It's a learning experience.

[vaderkin-is-a-lightning-rod]

Hello everyone!!

We’ve got a lot of amazing pieces of art and fictions for the Vaderkin Creative Exchange 2024! I’m super proud of all of you. 💜

On this day, until the 31 August...

🎊 🎉 🎨 THE CREATIVE FESTIVAL OFFICIALLY OPEN 🎨 🎉 🎊

For the artists and writers who had this idea for one of the prompt they received but didn’t have time to make it — this is the occasion!

For creators who missed the deadline and wanted to join the event — this is the occasion!

For people inspired by one of the drawings, or by one of the fanfiction scenes — this is the occasion!

How to participate?

On Tumblr: Tag your work Vaderkin Creative Festival 2024, precise the work that inspired your art, and mention the server blog @vaderkin-is-a-lightning-rod so we can repost you.

On AO3: Tag your work Vaderkin Creative Festival 2024, precise the work that inspired your art, and add your work to the vaderkin_creative_exchange_2024 collection

This is an event to give you the chance to draw fanarts or write fanfiction on the amazing creations this event produced. You don’t need to have signed up to the event nor receive / made a gift for it. You can make a fic or an art inspired by a fic which itself was inspired by another art, make a fanwork inspired by an art of the event, and begin an art fight! The only limit, is that it must be linked in some way to one of the event works.

Basically, be inspired, draw, write, and have fun! 🥳

Vaderkin Creative Exchange 2024 Masterlist

Fanfiction

Sáinnithe by @sinvulkt for @squad-724

Field of Dreams by @fanfictasia , TiranaSorki for @mina-jamsin-derulo

Letters by @fanfictasia , TiranaSorki for @mina-jamsin-derulo

Dying Stars by @fanfictasia , AminaGila for @acryliccassetteart

Heaven Swallowed the Smoke by AshCatchem for @nightingalewritings

As Everything Burns by @fanfictasia , RivanaRita for @zero-max

Paths by @wisechaosglitter for @sunrisemcashao3

Eyes on Ahsoka by @rinn-e for @mina-jamsin-derulo

Beyond the Stars: The Enduring Legacy of a Galactic Hero, 20 Years Later by Squidwonder for @tramp-fiction

grudging sacrifices by @unlikecharlie for @cinderfeather

just like a photograph by @withyourrhythm for @omaano

Is this the droid you want to die on? by @adragonsfriend for @ladyv-aka-via

Flightless by @ravenite-void for @fancyfrey

Fragments of a Dynasty by @tantive404 for @ravenite-void

Under the Moonlight by cherrycourage for @artmelody

Present, Past, and Future by @wendingways for @mina-jamsin-derulo

knowing how it goes (but never how to stop it) by MillionLights for @vandervoiz

The Restless Devourer by @vandervoiz for @sinvulkt

in thousands of agonies - i exist by @femmefangirl for @asteral-feileacan

Brillant and Blue by @nightingalewritings for @sinvulkt

In Common by @pat-the-togorian for @fanfictasia , RivanaRita

Angel of Fire by @asteral-feileacan for @starlesssky72

How to date a Time Traveling Jedi (quickest routes, no shortcuts) by @zero-max for @yatsukisakura

Don't Look Them in the Eye by @cinderfeather for @piroporopi

Art

A Scar In the Eye and [Panel 2] by @piroporopi for @vandervoiz

Alone by my side by @nightingalewritings for @tantive404

In from the desert by @nightingalewritings for @adragonsfriend

Vaderkin Creative Exchange 2024 art by @jarenka for @rinn-e

They were great and a family by @ravenite-void for Melly (ao3)

Through time and into darkness by @ravenite-void for @wendingways

Art for Vaderkin creative exchange 2024, The Winter Picnic and Art #2 by @wendingways for @unlikecharlie

[ART] Your Mistake by @asteral-feileacan for @fanfictasia , Tirana

No Respite From The Past and A Cord Unsevered by @vandervoiz for @letitrainathousandflames

Artwork by @artmelody for @pat-the-togorian

Vader kidnapped, Disaster trio (or with Padmé) being a family, Eldritch Dragon Anakin, Anakin transforms, horrified and Vaderkin falling from the sky by @fancyfrey for @sinvulkt

Beginning at the end by @mina-jamsin-derulo for @artmelody

Eyes on the future by @mina-jamsin-derulo for @christina-stark-skarlet-stileto

Until The Night Ends by @mina-jamsin-derulo for SquidWonder

Artwork by @starlessskys-artblog for @ravenite-void

The Clone Wars: 20 Years Later! Exclusive Interview with General Anakin Skywalker-Amidala by @tramp-fiction for @wisechaosglitter

To protect, Anakin... Or Vader?, Blob Vader get BOOPED and Surrender by @sinvulkt-art for @cinderfeather

The restless devourer, The dark wyrm, The puppeteer by @sinvulkt-art for MillionLights (ao3)

Anakin and Fives shenanigans by @omaano for @fanfictasia , Amina

Of Shotguns and Band-aids  by @zero-max for @asteral-feileacan

Artwork by @ladyv-aka-via for @shevek

Massive Mer Ani by @squad-724 for @zero-max

Medusa Vader by @squad-724 for @nightingalewritings

March on the Temple by @acryliccassetteart for @fanfictasia , Rivana

Panel by @yatsukisakura for @withyourrhythm

When Your Boss is Very Heavy by @cinderfeather for MaDonz(ao3)

[Art] Mom did it better by MaDonz for AshCatchem

Chaos by @fanfictasia , RivanaRita for @femmefangirl

"I'm prepared to sacrifice my life." by @sunrisemcashao3 for @starr234

This is the fourth step of the Vaderkin Creative Exchange 2024 event. You can find the full event rules here.

[bluerosefox]

[2023 Prompt List 1][Here] [2023 Prompt List 2][Next] [2023 Prompt List 3][Next]

|Why Ra’s Would Summon the Ghost King (Also Twins AU) [Part 1] |Danyal, Danny, Phantom [Part 2] |WIP [Part 3] |Bio!Dad Jason and Bio!Mom Jazz (With Oc!Kid or Son!Danny) |Ghost Gotham (With Bonus Ghosts Martha and Thomas) |Danny Says Clone Rights |Robin’s Haunted Halloween (Feat. Ghost King Danny and Ghostly grandparents Martha and Thomas) |Library Cryptid Danny |Twins to Trio? (Dani mistakes Damian as Danny, and Damian learns his twin might not be dead) |Twins AU BUT WITH ANGST! |Mom!Dani (Square up Superman) |Free Flying Graysons (Feat. Ghostly John and Mary Grayson) |Comes in Twos (Twins! Jason and Danny die on the same day) |Foreboding Words of Warnings (Feat. Competent Ghost King Danny) |Across My Memories (Feat. Ghost King Danny, Ghost!Prince Jason) |Consorthood Via Combat (Feat. Ghost King Danny, and Danny dating any Bat of your choosing) |Wrong Number Au (Danny sends a rant text to Tucker... Only its not Tucker) |Todd and Phantom, Mostly Ghostly Shenanigans (Danny and Jason try to get out of the GZ together and bond) |Ellie “I WILL bite you” and Danny “He’s just a baby” Fenton (Deaged Danny and caretaker (and tiny bit feral) Dani (Ellie) watch out Gotham, she’ll bite.) |Double Troubles (another Damian and Danny twin au but they wanna see how long their families notice they switch places) |Everything, including the bride. WAIT, BRIDE?! (Dead Tired pairing, Tim now regrets being a smart cookie as a kid and solving a magical puzzle box while Danny regrets beating Pariah Dark cause he got the old King’s bride now as his own) |CAT Ghost INSTINCTS (Damian brings home a... interesting new acquaintance who has some interesting... quirks) |Peek-A-Boo Champ! (Jazz and her baby being taken by a cult. Jason coming to save them. And Uncle Danny being the best at peek-a-boo) |Teeny-Tiny Kitten (Danielle ‘Ellie’ makes a wish and later gets found by a certain cat and bat) |Same As The Day I Lost You (Mix de-aged Danny, and siblings!Damian and Danny, add in some teleporting/portaling when the bats are fighting the League and you get this idea.) |Cuckoo Clocks (Clockwork sends a certain RR a sticky note during his solo run to come find Phantom and later find him) |The (Not) Normal One... (a reborn/reincarnted Danny idea where he’s the normal one in the batfam... only he’s really not.) |Dip and Kiss (Jason totally would kiss the person who ended the Joker in an Oscar worthy movie moment) |The Trouble With Time Travel Guilt (Danny starts an AITA thread due to his guilt over the future that will never be, he trauma bonds with fellow heroes and time travelers over it) |Friendships Between Realms (YJ and Danny Shenanigans Being Peek Friendship) |Misunderstandings and Miscommunications (Danny panics and runs, good Fenton parents want their son home, well meaning but not knowing the full picture best friends, on a war path Jazz and the maybe wooing of RH, and the DCverse getting caught in the middle of the chaos) |A Little Robin (Danny gets stuck in a Robin doll/plush and winds up in Gotham) |Kid's y'know? (Youngblood wants to be an astronaut this time, and Danny... Has to stop him from running amok the JL Watchtower) |Gothamites Never Really Rest (Johnny was a crime alley kid, Kitty was the daughter of a mob boss, and Jason was a kid they pseudo raised before their deaths. They meet again when Kitty and Johnny return to Gotham and find budding crime lord named Red Hood)

[sincerely-sofie]

What do you think Ark's gonna do when Twig eventually dies, considering he's immortal and stuff.

Have a fic inspired by this question and this prompt by @oblonger. Be warned. It's a heavy one.

(Celebi ultimately barely appears in this, sorry. I got caught up in the Ark Angst Train ride :< )

She'd left him the house in her will. She'd left him the home they had spent their days in, that they had wept and laughed and held each other in, and he could barely stand to spend a second within its walls. Take care of it, she'd said in writing messy from the tremors in her hands rather than any lack of familiarity with the script she wrote in. The shutters still squeak and I never got around to fixing that. Sorry to leave you with chores to do. He knew she said it as a joke, but he couldn't bear the thought of her feeling any sort of guilt as she penned these pages in secret while her body broke down around her. 

Fire-types were prone to dying of disease rather than age. He was aware of this, and had hoped she'd be the exception. An infection of the lungs was nothing to fear when a Legend with the power to cure ailments owed a mortal what amounted to a life debt, so he was the one to call on his counterpart when Twig's coughing fits began to yield bloodied kerchiefs. It was a simple thing to mend lungs when one had no shortage of power when it came to vanishing disease—

— Yet Cresselia couldn't heal her. 

She tried again, clasped Twig's shaking hand tighter and murmured her command for the universe around them to abide her instructions and leave his hero unaffected by disease. 

It failed once more. 

Cresselia gave him a sorrowful glance, and he knew. He knew it was because of him. He'd tried so long to forget the curse, and now it had reared its head in the worst way possible. The infection rejected almost all mortal treatments. Now it remained untouched in the face of Legendary ones— and it was because of him. 

Twig had pulled her hand away, flexed her fingers, and laughed tiredly. “Yeah.” She smiled, and he knew it was despite her knowledge of what the two Legends were sitting in quiet terror from. “That might as well happen. Well, I had a good run, right?”

He wanted to scream when he saw her wipe away the tears in her eyes before they fell. He wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake her, to tell her to Stop trying to be brave about this. But he didn't do anything. He just sat there, numb and silent. 

***

It wasn't even a month afterward that she passed, and he wasn't there when it happened. 

(She'd told him when he'd asked, once, that she had seen a final dimensional scream after being brought back from death by Dialga. Her ability had been dormant ever since she was seized from the afterlife, but it returned for this singular vision before vanishing entirely. He asked her what she'd seen, and she told him she'd seen how she would die. It was fuzzy and vague, but she thought she'd recognize the moment when it came. He was horrified by this. She laughed and told him she was joking, that she just saw what she was going to eat the next morning, and that it wasn't anything to worry about. 

(Looking back, he wished he had paid more attention to how she backpedaled on what her vision contained only when he started to panic. She was lying. She was lying for his sake, and as he reflected on this memory, he could only recall how Kip had mentioned her hiding the fate awaiting her at the end of their mission until she was fading away from existence on their return from Temporal Tower.)

“Hey, Ark? Would you mind running over to the Future Trio’s place and asking them if they'd mind coming over sometime?” 

She sounded so tired. He spent most days at her bedside now, offering what comfort he could as her illness progressed. He looked her over, wary. “I could ask Celebi through our link. There's no need for me to leave to do so.”

“Well, yeah, but I don't want to use her as the middle man on this. You know how she only hears what she wants to hear, right? It'd be better to just go and ask them all in person so we can get an accurate answer.” She frowned up at him from her sickbed. “I know it's a bit silly, but it'd mean a lot to me, Ark.” 

“… You're certain you'll be well enough while I'm gone?” 

“Sure as sure can be.” Her smile was thin at the edges. He wondered if she was in much pain. “I'll holler for Gardevoir if I need anything. You know she'd come running if I did.” 

“Very well. I'll make haste.”

“Nah, take your time. I'm going to be okay.” 

He set off, and he would forever regret leaving her alone that afternoon. 

***

It was Dusknoir who alerted him to her passing. Ark had gone to her friends’ home as she asked, relaying her request for their company, when the man suddenly went rigid where he sat in the corner of the room. 

Grovyle asked him what was the matter, but Ark himself froze as understanding settled over him with a damning weight. 

Ghost-types could sense the life-force of those they spent much time with, which meant they could tell when that life-force was slipping away from this plane. Dusknoir looked up with tears in his eye, and Ark snapped into the shadows outside their home to hasten to Twig. 

She was already gone by the time he reached her— lying limp in her bed, curled up cozily, the flame of her tail gone out. Her journal was open to a message she'd written before passing, her pen laid across the pages to prop it open— Love you. Keep up the good work. 

She'd known. She'd known it was her time, and she had sent him away to die alone. 

It wasn't fair. 

But when had the world ever shown him kindness?

***

Years passed after Twig left his side for good. Kip was aging happily despite his grief, and had retired from his archaeology team after earning an injury that jeopardized his career— though he spent his time writing books that swiftly became cornerstone texts for those studying archaeology. Grovyle himself passed soon after Twig did. Celebi murmured something about him dying of a broken heart through her tears when Ark tried to comfort her afterward, and how he still had so much life left in him despite his demise. 

On days like this, where it rained slow and weak as if the world mourned alongside him, he couldn't help his bitterness. 

It wasn't fair. 

Twig had so much left to give the world, and so much left of it to see, and yet she'd been cut down before her time. He knew it wouldn't last forever, that she couldn't remain with him as long as he would walk the wastelands of this wretched world, but it wasn't fair. And the skies had the gall to weep like they cared. 

It was his fault, he knew. She couldn't be saved because of a curse he'd dealt himself, and that was why she couldn't be healed. But surely as much as the universe scorned him, as much as his existence was formed on grudges and terror, the universe wouldn't turn its wrath for him against those he loved. 

She'd shown him so many things. She'd changed him. She'd made him see a point to life. And she was gone.

She was gone, and it was his fault. 

He paced an empty home with his head in his hands and wailed. 

It wasn't fair.

[mrfancyfoot]

Plots & Prosody: Prompts

Raphael x Evie (f!OC)

.

- A Blank Page - "Evie starts her contractually mandated courtship friendship period with Raphael and he presents her with a gift."

A short, (uhm, mostly) cute and fluffy prompt piece for Part II of Plots & Prosody. Part II begins post-BG3 events wherein Evie begins making a life for herself in Baldur's Gate, and Raphael is making good on his plans to conquer unite the Hells...while also trying to court her (of which she is completely oblivious).

This will probably be absorbed into Prosody in some form in the future when I get to the appropriate place officially, but for now, it will live on Tumblr. :)

Thank-you, anonymous friend, for spinning up a prompt!

Prompt Rating: T / SFW Word count: 777 Timeline: Plots & Prosody, Part II - Canon Tags/Warnings: POV Evie; POV Raphael; Raphael x Evie; Fluff; Friendship; Stalking; Obsession; Dark Romance

Main Fic (Rated E/Varied): AO3 + Tumblr | Master List Related Prompts: Good Morning , Caress , Supreme

❤️ Thanks for reading! :3 ❤️

“A gift, my dear,” Raphael declared as he held out a book - a journal - to her, “to commemorate the transition to a new chapter of your life.”

Wide-eyed, Evie accepted it and ran her hands over the soft, reinforced, black leather cover.  It was embossed with her name in a golden script between a trio of tiny, glimmering gemstones arranged into a fanned shape with golden scrolling.

It was the first thing he’d given her without the expectation of receiving something in return.  She almost questioned it, though he had deliberately used the word ‘gift.’

“Oh, gosh, this feels almost too nice to use!” she exclaimed as she paged it open.  High-quality binding, pages that were thick enough that ink wasn’t going to simply bleed through them.  

He smiled smugly as she lifted it to her nose and inhaled the delicious smell of new leather and paper.  And not muck and mildew like her current one...

“Are these…opals?” she asked in awe.

Raphael nodded with a gesture, his eyes flicking between her ears.  “I couldn’t help but notice that you appear to have a preference for the gem.”  He then frowned, his brow raising in question.  “If that is incorrect, I can have another placed instead.”

Evie shook her head emphatically.  “No, no!  It’s one of my favorites.”  She self-consciously brushed a hand over her ear realising that she did wear a number of them, even if they were small and minimalistic.

“The journal is enchanted to repel the grime and spills of daily happenstance,” he informed her knowingly.

“Easier to be careful when you’re not travelling and living out in the wilds for months,” she justified as she fought back a blush of embarrassment.  “But thank you, I very much appreciate the consideration!”

“Ah!  Not to be forgotten, there is something else.”  His fingers rose to snap and a small, oblong box dropped into his hand that he also passed to her.  “I have seen that you are making strides in your endeavor to render quills obsolete, though in the meanwhile, I thought a fresh plume was warranted.  This one will take dictation.”

Slipping the journal into the crook of her arm, she carefully lifted the lid off the box.  Inside was cushioned a fine, white quill with a pearlescent sheen that reminded her of the opals.  She was mesmerized by how stunning it was and knew, again, that she would be hesitant to use something so nice.  

And she could use it for dictation?

“Oh, wow…  You really didn’t have to!”  The thoughtfulness that went into it genuinely touched her.

Today marked the first day of fulfilling her side of their contract - in exchange for the Orphic hammer, she had agreed to spending a minimum of six full days with him every month, for a period of two years.  It was really just more or less a continuance of their meetings from before…in contract form.  An easy thing to agree to, all things considered at the time.  And he still got his Crown, so almost everyone was happy in the end.

Though, from even before then, it had increasingly felt like Raphael was afraid of the possibility of losing her presence in his life since she repeatedly refused to sign over her soul to him.  He clearly saw her time as at least equal in value to the hammer.  It was cute, in a ‘contractually mandated friendship’ kind of way.

Raphael would probably, absolutely never admit it, but it was clear as day to her that the human part of the devil needed real affection and affirmation.  And so, she would gladly help to fill that need.

“May I hug you?” she slyly asked with a grin.

While he looked mildly surprised for all of half a second, he removed his hand from his hip and held his arms out.

She excitedly bounded forward to wrap her arms around him and felt him mirror her.  “I do love them, thank you.”

“Think nothing of it, my dear,” he smoothly replied with a chuckle.  “I am merely happy to see that you are pleased with them and in knowing that they will assuredly be put to excellent use.”

He couldn’t fool her.  Raphael might have been cool as a cucumber on the outside, but his heart was now beating up an awful racket in his chest.  She bit her lip to keep from giggling.

.

.

.

As he returned the fox’s silly, giddy embrace, Raphael eyed the gifted journal’s twin - where within her ink would be duplicated - nestled surreptitiously between other books upon the shelves nearest his desk.

Another way to keep a close watch on his intended.

[himebushou]

One of Buddy Daddies' central themes is the concept of change. The series explores both whether it's possible for people to change and whether they should be allowed to change.

In Episode 7, Kazuki openly admits to Karin that he fears changing because that, to him, is the same as forgiving himself for what happened in the past.

However, Karin encourages Kazuki with the words, "I bet you can make [Miri] happy too!" The rain promptly stops and the sun comes out, symbolising that Kazuki can now walk towards a brighter future.

Then, in Episode 8, Rei tentatively asks Kazuki, "You think we can change?" Once again, change is presented positively: we see Rei and Kazuki driving through darkness, but their path is paved with light the entire way.

This conversation takes place a few months after Kazuki meets Karin; therefore, Kazuki's already had time to commit himself to changing. For Rei, however, the conversation in Episode 8 serves as a vehicle for allowing the audience to know, explicitly, that he wants to change.

So: Kazuki didn't want to change but was convinced that he is allowed to. Rei didn't know if he could change but was prompted to try.

However, if we go back to the start of the series, the person who is most invested in the pair changing is Kugi Kyuutarou.

In Episode 1, as Kazuki leaves Mistletoe Café, Kyuu-chan pointedly asks:

From Kyuu-chan's perspective (and we see Karin reiterate the same idea), Kazuki has mourned for a long time — long enough that he can now be merciful with himself and think about his own happiness. The fact that Yuzuko died five years ago is significant: had she died 'too recently' (e.g. a year ago), there is a risk that the audience would have accused Kazuki of moving on too quickly and therefore failed to sympathise with his pain. However, with Yuzuko's passing taking place half a decade ago, both Kyuu-chan and Karin could be positioned to say to Kazuki, "You've been unhappy for a long time: I give you permission to move on." Of course, the five years also allows for the exploration of other ideas, such as the parallel of Kazuki's unborn child being the same age as Miri — but this is a seperate matter and I'll try to avoid going on a further tangent just now.

The scene in Episode 1 is the first indication we receive that Kyuu-chan doesn't simply care for Kazuki and Rei as colleagues. In fact, he wants to see them living better, more fulfilling lives.

Then, in Episode 5, Kyuu-chan looks after Miri and comes to the conclusion that her influence is a positive one. He does have some reservations, but he shares these with Kazuki and Rei, stating that he's unsure of whether Miri's presence will be good or bad for the pair.

Ultimately, however, Kyuu-chan gives his blessings for the trio to continue living chaotically — and let's not forget that he's indulgent enough to babysit Miri while Rei and Kazuki undertake a reconnaissance mission.

Next, in Episode 7, Kazuki 'runs away'. He whines to Kyuu-chan about his living conditions and Kyuu-chan notes, "You've really changed," with a small smile on his face.

Kyuutarou is pleased. He's wanted to see his friends happy for years — he introduced Kazuki and Rei to each other in the hopes that they would be good for one another in some capacity (and, as knowledgeable as Kyuu-chan is, I doubt he could have predicted that Kazuki would take over Rei's life in such a dramatic way). As he listens to Kazuki whinge about domestic life, Kyuu-chan comments, "Sounds like you're having a lot of fun." Kazuki protests, but it's clear thst he enjoys what his life has become.

Nevertheless, at the end of Episode 10, Miri — who has been presented as Kazuki and Rei's light — leaves with Misaki. Kazuki and Rei believe that they are doomed to return to their old, empty lives and Kazuki says, "Guess we weren't able to change." Rei agrees, offering a resigned, "Yeah." Here, the pair are too absorbed in their grief to realise that they have already changed.

When Kazuki and Rei believed that change was possible, they were both basked in light. Here, however, the shining Ferris wheel (which now represents what they believe will be their last ever happy memory with Miri) is behind them. Even the bright stars are behind them. Rei and Kazuki are locked in darkness and the idea of being able to change is consigned to their past — a foolish, naïve past where they believed that they, two men with bloodied hands, could ever be truly happy, like normal people. Once again, light and shadow are used to juxtapose the past and the future.

But this post is about Kyuutarou, so we must ask the question: how does Kyuutarou feel about all of this?

My guess is that he's devastated.

In Episode 10, Kyuutarou uses some forthright language to convince Rei and Kazuki that their life with Miri is over. He reminds them, "We're the ones who killed her father." From his standpoint, Kyuutarou needs to speak these harsh truths and intervene (by calling Misaki) in order to save lives. It's easy to perceive Kyuutarou in a negative light — however, we can understand that his hand was forced. In Episodes 5 and 10, Kyuutarou warns Rei and Kazuki that the Organisation does not show leniency; it is probable that Kyuutarou fears for his own life, also.

So when Kyuutarou shows the pair a picture and states, "All of this was only ever a dream," he isn't simply addressing Kazuki and Rei. He's also talking to himself. For Kugi Kyuutarou, too, a precious dream — one where his friends can change, one where they can be happy — is dead.

And having to be the one to sound the death knell? Having to bear the burden of driving nails into a coffin?

Kugi Kyuutarou is in mourning.

[ionlymadethissoicouldleaveanask]

Dialogue Prompt

4 - John & Cobalt-Team (pick your straight-man)

13 - Kelly & Fred

From these prompts - please, anyone feel free to throw me some more!

4 - "Could you not be a show-off while we're trying to stay alive!"

(Set in the Silver timeline)

Cobalt Team were among the highest-performing Spartan teams. They had been hardened into a cohesive unit since they were six years old, and it showed. Ice water ran through their veins. They were efficient, they were precise, and they were deadly. Unfortunately, even the best of the best had bad days.

This was a bad day.

They'd been scouting ahead for an extraction detail - yet another in a long list of embarrassingly meaningless tasks ever since Silver Team had dropped the ball and made the entire SPARTAN program a liability in the eyes of the Powers That Be. For this particular mission, Silver Team was even sent along. No one knew why not one but two Spartan fireteams had been assigned babysitting duty, but then... they weren't the type to question orders. They'd leave that to John and his band of misfit toys.

Cobalt had just split off to check a new NAV marker when they came under fire. It took only a matter of seconds for the grizzled soldiers to realize that they were well and truly surrounded - and in deep trouble to boot.

"Elite, nine o'clock," Cobalt's leader, Val-015 called out stoically. He put a three-round burst into the towering alien's center-mass. Its shields flared brightly, then cracked. Yaz-112 put a single round from her DMR through the creature's skull, its dark blue innards spraying outward in a fine mist.

Val shifted his aim. "Cobalt Three, half a dozen jackals creeping up the right flank."

"I see them, I see them!" Karim-002 barked. He distracted the vaguely avian creatures with a few burst from his battle rifle before lobbing an M9 fragmentation grenade over top of their shields. A second and a half later, their angry squawks were silenced permanently.

Cobalt were good at what they did. Quick. Efficient. Deadly.

As Val consulted the dozens of incoming enemy contacts on his motion tracker, it suddenly dawned on him that it wouldn't be enough.

"Where's Silver when you need them?" Karim asked no on in particular as he knocked down a trio of Grunts with a few well-placed shots. "John's always around to act like he's the be-all end-all of hardcore soldiers, but when you actually need him? Something better always-"

Whatever Cobalt Three had been about to say was lost in the violent report of a Condor's chin-gun. The dense foliage around the fireteam erupted into shrapnel and neon-colored plumes of blood as the UNSC dropship rose seemingly from nowhere and began to burn down the encroaching enemies.

The carpet-fire was enough to give Cobalt a brief reprieve - and then the Condor was spinning around, its gangplank hanging open and waiting to receive them. Karim groaned audibly when he recognized John-117 standing on the lowered ramp, one arm outstretched heroically.

"Come on!" the Spartans' squad leader bellowed, firing an M6 into the woods.

Cobalt scrambled onto the Condor, both Val and Yaz allowing the Chief to help them aboard. Karim stiffly refused the other Spartan's help, opting to fling himself into the hovering dropship under his own power.

Once the troop bay was sealed tight and they were headed back to their carrier, John made his way to Karim's side.

"Are you injured, Spartan?" he asked, his voice surprisingly gentle for the man who had become so synonymous with warcraft that the UNSC had all but painted him as their mascot.

"I'm fine," Karim snapped. Then he sighed heavily, staring at his boots. Finally he lifted his eyes to glare at John's visor. "Just... could you not be a show-off while the rest of us are trying to survive?"

John stared at him in silence, the small twitch of his head the only indication that Karim's annoyed request had any effect on him. "Sorry," he finally said, his tone heavy-laden. "I'll try not to in the future."

From the cockpit, Vannak-134 and Riz-028 laughed loudly.

13 - "I would rather be kissing you right now."

The UNSC Infinity was the greatest warship the UNSC had ever constructed. She was sleek, she was fast, and she was just as powerful as the most impressive weaponry the Covenant had ever managed to bring to bear.

Not the least impressive attribute of the Infinity was her Spartan Deck. S-Deck, as it was known by the ship's crew, was stocked with enough Brokkr System machines and training materials to keep an entire company of Spartans happy... and Blue Team was certainly taking advantage of that.

Kelly-087 in particular was enjoying herself immensely. With the Infinity's 'War Games' simulator, the fastest of all Spartans had finally found herself a worthy challenger: a training relay that combined all of the thrill of a life-and-death combat scenario with all of the competitive triumph of being able to run simulations over and over again until her need for perfection was finally satisfied.

"This is incredible," Kelly said excitedly between rounds. Blue Team had just sent Fireteam Boxer to the showers, thoroughly humiliated with their poor showing against the veteran Spartans. Next up on the chopping block was Grindstone. She couldn't wait to rub the upstarts' faces in her own squad's superiority.

"I couldn't imagine a better way to spend our day," she continued, jabbering excitedly. "Teaching these kids how real Spartans operate, only to line them up and knock them back down the very next day."

Although Blue Team held immense respect for the Spartan-IVs, it was undeniable that they all got a very real sense of satisfaction from knocking down the younger generation down a few pegs from time to time. While John and Linda smirked and nodded their concurrence, Kelly noticed that Fred merely cocked his head to one side curiously, and said nothing.

Curious herself, the Spartan leaned closer to the man. "Something wrong?" she asked quietly enough that only he could hear, studying his expression. They were close - close enough for her to feel the heat radiating off his unhelmeted head and to count the flecks of blue pockmarking the green of his eyes. Close enough that she could smell his breath, still minty from his toothpaste, and could see each tick and shift in his familiar face.

Fred glanced over at her and grinned, dimples forming small valleys in his cheeks. "Not a thing, Rabbit," he said with a twinkle in his eye that he seemed to reserve only for her, in moments like these when no one else would notice. "I was just thinking that there's at least one thing I could be persuaded to do instead of this."

Kelly shot back a grin of her own, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "And what might that be, LT?" she prodded.

"Nothing too important," Fred answered, his smile slowly transitioning into a smirk. "But I'd rather be kissing you right now."

With that, the Spartan slid his helmet back into place. "Time's up," he called out, turning his back on Kelly and slinging an MA5D over his shoulder. "Grindstone's waiting for us to show them up yet again... I'd hate to disappoint."

Kelly watched him confidently march away, her jaw dropping open ever-so-slightly in shock. Then, mustering all of her will-power, she closed her mouth with a click of her teeth and resolved to focus on the upcoming simulation. It wouldn't do her any favors to waltz in unprepared. But, she promised herself, she was definitely going to take Fred up on that offer.

Sooner than later.

[doctorhouse5343]

Fields Of Dandelions (Chapter 2)

It was to the sound of Ricardo's croaking mixed with death metal music (it was mostly the 'let it burn' part that terrified him out of his mind) that Dream Endless woke up, scanning his surroundings as he remembered where he was. With a sigh, he rubbed his tired face as he got out of the bed before getting dressed and making his way to the kitchen. "Good morning"  The ravenette yawned as he sat down at the table, watching the farmer make a fresh pot of coffee. The dark haired male yawned again with a smile, he really could use a good roast right about now "Something smells delightful, what is it?".

His comment brought a smile to the tattooed farmer, answering him with a happy hum "French toasts, I thought you would like them so I made some but I think that I might have went overboard" He gestured to the sweet breakfast pilled up on a plate with an embarrassed expression as he went on "If you want, there's homemade jams that Hettie made, they are really good".

Dream's eyes light up at the sight of the small jars filled with the sweet, fruity spread. His mouth watered as he inhaled the aroma of one that he opened, eagerly spreading it on the fluffy toast and letting out a delighted sound at the first mouthful. He began to eat with a happy sigh, it had been so long since he tasted something as sweet as this, his reaction brought a smile to Hobo Heart's lips once again as looked on. The sight of the city boy being happy instead of tense like the day before warmed his heart, making it flutter as he began to pour dark coffee in two mugs. The farmer shook his head a bit, he had to focus on making sure that the farm hand was comfortable and felt at home. Now was not the time for butterflies, so it was with that in mind that he gave the other his mug as he spoke "For your tasks I will be there to help you so if there is anything that you are unsure about or if you have questions, just ask and I'll answer". The pretty goth nodded in understanding as he finished his meal, a bit of jam at the corner of his lip. He frowned a bit when he saw the farmer suddenly struggle to hold a laugh in "May I ask what it is that you find so amusing?" He asked, a scowl on his face that didn't fade even as the farmer approached him.

"You have something on your face. Right...here" Hobo Heart murmured in the beautiful man's ear as he wiped off a bit of jam from the corner of Dream's lips, watching the male's face become flush as he sucked the bit of spread off his finger. What really almost made the dark haired beauty grab this skeleton looking farmer by the collar and drag him into a heated kiss was the way that he smirked before saying, in a casual manner "Now I understand why you made those sounds : it's really good". He then sipped his coffee, as if he didn't lit a fire in Dream's heart. The ravenette tried to regain his composure, clearing his throat as he settled his nerves "Thank you for bringing that to my attention, I will be more mindful of it in the future." He said calmly as he watched finish his coffee before prompting "Shall we head out to start our morning, sir?" His question was answered with a brief nod and soon the pair went outside the cozy home to begin the tasks that needed to be done. After Gertrude and the other animals were fed, the farmer cupped his hands around his mouth before yelling out 'Sweetheart!' and smiled as he heard the clatter of a bell, watching Hob run towards them. When the brown haired cow was in front of them, the white haired male was immediately kissed all over, earning a few chuckles out of them and some well deserved pats were given to the very good bovine hybrid.

The trio soon tackled the rest of the tasks as a team : all the wood -cutting was done by the farmer and the firewood was soon carried by the farm-hand his lovely helper and the harvesting of the vegetable patch was done with the help of Mervyn the gardener, who brushed off all of the male's protest "My back's alright kid, there is still plenty of strength in those bones of mine" He grinned, wiping his sweaty brow with an handkerchief while Matthew, the lad who took care of the corn field, snickered behind his back. "You are lucky the boss is here because believe me Matt, I will shove up a corn in ya, where the sun don't shine!" The older man grumbled, chewing on his toothpick as he then chatted with the farm hand "Nice to meet ya, Dream" He shook his hand while looking at Hobo Heart "Hey boss, isn't that Corin fellow planning to come with his Jeep to bring a few stuff to the market?". The frown that appeared on the young farmer's face when the question was asked told the gardener everything he needed to know so it was with a jolly attitude that he said "You can leave the rest of his training to us boss, go and take care of whatever is needed. We got this" Matthew soon chimed in, eager to take a load off the skeleton-looking boy's shoulder. After the pair insisted that everything was good, Hobo Heart went off to go see Corin, already dreading it. When he arrived, the blonde haired gentleman with his signature black round sunglasses (He wanted to break them so badly) was already out of his vehicle..*smiling* at him. The sight made his skin crawl but he did his best to hide it when the guy walked up to hug him as a greeting "Heart, so good to see you again! How's everyone? I bet they're doing well for themselves" He happily chatted away while placing the crates in the back of his Jeep, talking about the weather and such as if life was a breeze

It took every ounce of strength in the farmer's lanky body to not start letting out a death-metal scream that would have made Ricardo go green in envy, luckily the last crate full of cabbages was now in the back of Corin's car, which meant that he was finally going to leave "You know, there's this new restaurant that opened up in town, maybe we can go there when you aren't too busy. As friends of course, don't worry" The blonde smile, not seemingly aware of the glares that Hobo Heart was giving him and it was just as he was about to yell his head off that he heard Mervyn and the others chatting away, getting close to them. "Honestly, good on you kid for refusing to be near a creep like that Rogrick Burgress" The butchering of the name brought a smile to Dream's lips, which soon became wider when, while the gardener was arguing with Matthew over the correct pronunciation, he saw the tattooed farmer look at him with what he assumed was fondness, one that the male standing next to him seemed to have caught on "So this is the farm hand you hired, Heart? I honestly wasn't expecting you to hire a brooding pretty boy but hey, appearances can be deceiving" His tone was light but his face showed a hint of hatred that he tried to mask with a chuckle as he went on "Bet he doesn't mind getting his hands dirty, huh?" Corin then patted Dream on the back, earning himself a scowl and a glare from the brown haired cow standing next to him

"I would appreciate if you would refrain from touching me in this manner, as for if I am or not qualified for this job, it is up to the judgement of Mr. Heart. Not you, good sir" The handsome goth's reply made the blonde scowl a bit before grinning "Wow, you have quite the sharp wit kid but I wouldn't rely on it too much if I were you, Dream : not everyone likes a pretty thing that bites" His tone was less friendly but he still kept the playful grin as his attention shifted towards the cute bovine hybrid, who was still glaring at him "Speaking of things that bite, you really should watch your cow, Heart. Wouldn't want him to get himself hurt or hurt someone else. You might just have to tie him so that he doesn't run away" With that advice, the blonde bad his goodbyes to the farmer, whispering to him that his offer still stood before driving off into town in a cloud of smoke. Everyone was quiet until the farmer went back to the patch with the others in tow, Hob mooing while giving Hobo Heart and Dream affection to make them feel better. While the pale male giggled and gave the brown eyed cutie some well earned pets, the white haired male with the skull tattoo on his face was frowning : something was telling him that it wouldn't be the last time that he would see the man that plagued his existence

[crackinglamb]

AO3 Year End Roundup, 2023

Normally, I'd do this in a couple days, but we're close enough for government work (and I'm on a deliberate break anyhow, so nothing new is being posted). Normally this would also be a tag game, but I haven't seen it floating around yet, so...

Hey, you wanna do your own roundup? Go for it. Yes, I mean you (looking at you, DAFF crew). Consider this an open invite. Tag me back so I can see what y'all have been up to.

Words posted: 241,283 . This total has had subtracted from it the amount that already existed for the fic that carried over from last year (which was WG, of course). So this is actually what I posted this year.

Additional Words Written: ~166K. I have several WIP's going on in the background. One of which is finished and will begin posting after New Year's. Another of which is about halfway done. The rest are...procrastination projects/getting the wiggles out. They may never see the light of day. But they count as writing, so they are included.

Grand total of words: 407, 283 (goodness gracious)

Fandoms: 2

Works: 12, 11 of which were new.

Highest Kudos: Into the Current, at 271 (just like last year, I'm not counting WG since it wasn't new). The Iron Bull/OFC, rated E, 79K words, complete.

Highest Hit Oneshot: The Mighty Fall, at 706. Sookie Stackhouse/Eric Northman. Rated T, 2900 words.

New Things I Tried: I wrote a trio of fics for True Blood/Southern Vampire Mysteries this year. The WIP that's finished and waiting for the new year is a continuation of this series.

I also posted a ficlet I'd originally posted here on tumblr for archiving purposes. Some Years Into the Future...

Fic I Spent the Most Time On: Driftwood, my Bullmance series. Writing ItC itself wasn't particularly long, about two months, but T3, the next fic, is still being written. At first it was all going to be one long fic, but then I decided I've had enough of epics (meaning any work significantly over 100K words), and split it into parts.

Fic I Spent the Least Time On: The Mighty Fall. I have finally gotten to use the tag 'I wrote this instead of sleeping'. 🤣

Favorite Thing I Wrote: Usually, I have trouble with this category. I'm poly, you know. But this year, I actually DO have a fave. Okay...I have two.

How Deep the Bullet Lies - a gift for @rosella-writes, for the Solas Lovers Exchange. Solas/Cassandra Pentaghast with a whumpy open ending. Rated M, 4200 words.

More Than Mere Stone - a gift for my beloved @ir0n-angel in the same exchange. Solas/F!Trevelyan, pure fluff. Rated G, 1500 words.

Favorite Thing I Read: In Twain, by CatC. It's everything I wanted in a 'background character gets caught up in events' fic. With a sizzlingly hot Bullmance and So Much Cole. I think I've read it three or four times already. At least. If you need something comforting and wonderful, I cannot recommend it enough. It's simply delightful, and so is the author. Rated E, 172K words, WIP.

Something I Finished: I did it, at long last. I finished What a Wicked Game to Play. It was the focus of NaNo (and took literally three days once I put my mind to it, hence much of the other writing I did that hasn't been published). It feels really good to have my beloved Behemoth marked with a green checkmark. The story itself isn't finished, and I'll eventually write more for Imogen and Co., but for now, it is Done.

Writing Goals for 2024 – Keep on keeping on. I want to finish T3, so I can start posting it. I want to finish a couple other things from the WIP list. There will of course be a new Fluffuary prompt list. Biggest goal, however, is simply not to burn myself out. I've started waiting to publish until a fic is finished, which has done wonders for my stress levels. No more posting gaps on an in-progress fic.

Allow me to Gush about some things I wrote this year.

(Otherwise known as: honorable mentions)

Out of the Dark - Lark Cadash was once going to have an epic fic to her name. But I'm Tired, and frankly, I'm bored with rewriting the events of DA:I over and over again. So I've turned her into a series, where I can just put up oneshots and short chaptered things in no particular order that add up to one big story. This is one of them. Post-canon, Lark goes into the Deep Roads to find the answer to a riddle that's bugged her for her entire life. She gets more than she asked for, with a side serving of sad Solas. I've had many of the headcannons included in it for a long time, with no home. Now, they're out there in the world. Rated G, 4800 words.

What Lies Beneath - my actual giftfic for the Solas Lovers Exchange. I had such fun writing this, and had ideas for it as soon as I received the assignment. I got to set something in the Hissing Waste, which is one of my favorite places in the game, as well as write a polyship for my two favorite romances. F!Cadash/Solas/Iron Bull, rated T, 3400 words.

Maker Damned Fools - back in 2020, I wrote a Varric/Hawke short little thing for the first Fluffuary. I always wanted to go back and expand it into a fuller story. Add it to the pile of Things I Finished This Year. From their meeting to post-canon. Rated E, 32K words.

What a Wicked Game to Play - *deep satisfied sigh* It took two years and ten months to complete, with near constant weekly updates. It's 412K words by itself (not counting the rest of the series). It contains about 350 embedded images of either screenshots or fanart. It is both the highest hit (over 90K) and highest kudo'd (1535) work on my archive. Affectionately known as 'the Behemoth', extensively written with my signature yeeting of canon. Imogen McLean, MGIT, Inquisitor, beloved of Fen'Harel. I am stupendously proud of this work, but I am also incredibly happy it's done. I set out to write an epic, and I damn well succeeded. Rated E.

See y'all on the flipside! 💕

[victorluvsalice]

Valicer OT3 Week, Day Seven: Free Day!

It's the finale of OT3 Week! Thank you @ot3-week for bringing it to us! And, as is tradition, the final day is a "free day" for anything you may want to write --

And without a prompt to guide me, I naturally went back to my beloved Valicer In The Dark trio! :D Because my favorite AU of the moment definitely needs to be represented during this week as well. So have the trio hanging out in their lair after they've gotten established and fixed the place up some, with Victor bringing up an interesting topic of conversation...

--

“This is about as far from how I expected my life to go as possible.”

Smiler looked up from their spot on the floor, hand still wedged in the brushes of their Smile Sweeper automaton. “Hmmm?”

“It’s just – whenever I pictured my future, I pictured the plan my parents had made for me,” Victor continued, absently picking out a melody from the piano. “An arranged marriage to whoever was most likely to get them the status and the house in Brightstone my mother so craved. A job working in, then running Father’s cannery once he was ready to give up the reins. Children whenever Mother decided she wanted grandchildren. Things like that. I never – I hoped that I would come to love whoever my parents picked out for me, and that they wouldn’t mind me having a dog, but other than that...I didn’t really have any dreams for myself.” He looked around the living room. “Certainly not any that included me running away from home, becoming a Whisper, and setting up house in Six Towers with two people who actually and truly love me.”

“Don’t forget becoming a semi-famous criminal,” Alice put in, eyes still on her sketchbook.

Victor snorted. “That too. But yes – it’s really not where I thought I’d end up in life.”

“I don’t think any of us expected to end up here,” Smiler pointed out, finishing unwinding the thread that had tangled in the brushes. They flipped the Sweeper back over and switched on its electroplasmic battery, causing it to come back to life with a happy ping! “On my end, I thought I’d be living in Advocate headquarters for the rest of my life. Helping out fellow Advocates, advancing our causes, eventually trading Joy Serum sales on the street for taking over the shop in Nightmarket from Mum and Dad. Maybe get married and have children, maybe not – I wasn’t going to commit until I knew for sure it was going to make me happy. But in my future, I always put the Advocates first.” They grinned. “Then a man fell out of a wall in front of me and Alice, and everything took a big old left turn.”

“It was more to our side,” Alice said, smirking as she looked up. “But they have a point, Victor – do you think I expected any of this to happen? I couldn’t picture a future for myself at all for years – all throughout my time in Rutledge. It was too hard to think of a life without my family. And even when I realized I had to and defeated the Queen of Hearts to get myself out of there, I never thought much beyond the next week or so – simple survival always took precedence. Hell, even when you caught me on the way to Nan’s to talk to her about Bumby and what I should do, Smiler, I didn’t have any plans beyond taking care of him.” She bit her lip, lowering her sketchbook to her lap. “I think, subconsciously, I assumed I’d immediately get caught for his murder and Hollowed out.”

“Alice,” Victor started, getting up from the bench.

“I’m fine,” Alice assured him, holding up a hand. “And that’s the crux of the matter, isn’t it? I’m fine. Not perfect, but – bloody hell, in a better state than I ever thought I might achieve after Rutledge. I still talk to things that aren’t there, sure, but it’s not nearly as bad as it was. Wonderland’s even gone from hindrance to help, in fact – you two know my hallucinations are better at picking up things than I am sometimes. And as for the rest of it – I’ve got a roof over my head, I’ve got time for hobbies, I’m making a difference for those less fortunate than myself – in a very illegal manner, granted, but fuck the Bluecoats and all the corrupt shites they stand for–” She looked from Smiler to Victor, expression softening. “And I’ve got two people who love me, which is two more than I ever imagined.”

Victor smiled, going to join her on the couch. “Me too. I’m – I’m so happy I fell out of that wall in front of you two. Or, to the side, or – near you,” he finally said with a laugh. “Let’s just say near you.”

“I’m happy too,” Smiler said, releasing the Sweeper onto the floor and getting up to join them. “I don’t even want to imagine life without you two now. You’re my best friend, Alice – and you’re the best partner I could have ever dreamed of, Victor. I love you both so much.”

“I couldn’t have put it better myself,” Alice said, taking Victor’s hand and giving it a squeeze. “I know it was a bit of a long, bumpy road to get here, what with all the nonsense surrounding how we met and our chosen profession, but – I am so glad we put in the work.”

Victor squeezed her hand back, then took Smiler’s as they sat down next to him. “Me too. I am truly blessed to have you both in my life. I can’t wait to spend all our remaining years together.”

“Same,” Smiler said, leaning their head against his shoulder.

“Same,” Alice echoed, doing the same. “I just hope we have plenty of them – we have ticked off a lot of powerful and important people.”

“Well, they have to find our heavily-warded and ghost-protected house first,” Smiler said with a cheeky grin. “And good luck to them.”

“Mmm – though, that reminds me,” Victor said, looking between them. “I overheard in the greenhouse the other day a woman talking about how she was looking for someone to steal a brooch back from her estranged husband...”

[enbyleighlines]

Ike does something a bit reckless because he's 20 and he's beaten a goddess (not wantonly reckless, but a touch overconfident in what he is capable of doing, like some physical task he should be able to do, but has never done before). Said thing nearly kills him.

What is the thing? How do you think Soren/Ranulf would respond?

Ooof. I think it’s fair to assume that whatever he does is in the service of helping others. Perhaps he comes across someone in peril, like, getting swept down a rushing river. And Ike strips off his armor and jumps in to try to grab that person and pull them to safety.

Only… he underestimates the strength of the current, and nearly winds up having his skull cracked against the rocks.

As for how his boyfriends respond…

Well, obviously their first priority would be to rescue him from the edge of death. Soren would fuss over Ike while healing him, life flashing before his eyes, in a state of wide-eyed, breathless panic. Ranulf would be equally worried, but better at staying calm.

At first, Ranulf would wordlessly follow all of Soren’s shrieked instructions, like grabbing extra cloth to stem the bleeding, applying vulnerary to the smaller cuts and bruises while Soren uses a heal staff to take care of the deep gash at the back of his scalp, etc. But once Ike is no longer at risk of dying, Ranulf would have to step up and bully Soren into taking some calming breaths before he hyperventilates.

While Ike recovers and slowly claws his way back to consciousness, Ranulf would be talking Soren through the objective facts: Ike is out of danger, he’s not going to die, and clinging to him is not going to help him wake up faster.

As for the aftermath… I imagine Soren might be quietly upset at Ike for a while. Even though he doesn’t blame Ike, per se, he doesn’t know how else to process the sheer magnitude of emotions warring in his chest. Ranulf might try to lighten the mood with some bad jokes, but they would only serve to make Soren madder.

How can Ranulf joke around about the fact that Ike almost died? Soren is furious, and though he tries to keep his tongue still, eventually it all comes to a head and he lashes out at the both of them.

So they give Soren some space.

Despite his jokes, Ranulf is still shaken, though his reaction is a bit more delayed. One of his jokes gets a little too dark, a little too revealing about his fears of Ike’s eventual demise, and Ike holds him while his laughter turns teary and wobbly, until he’s sobbing silently in his lover’s arms. And Ike just strokes his back and peppers his head with kisses.

Perhaps Soren stumbles upon them as they’re having their moment. His anger has given away to grief, and he can’t bear spending another second not touching Ike. His fear-addled brain needs irrefutable proof that his lover is, in fact, still alive.

So Soren gets to join the cuddle pile.

Maybe it prompts a conversation between the three of them, about what happens after Ike’s death. Not in that moment, but a few days later, when the memory isn’t so tender.

Barring a horrific accident, Ike will most likely die before them. Soren and Ranulf age at a third of the rate of beorc and have longer lifespans. Although Ike is the youngest of the trio, he already looks like the oldest.

Ranulf will probably joke about how one day Ike will be a middle-aged man with two young looking beauties hanging off either arm. All the pervy grandfathers out there will envy him.

Soren does not want to have the conversation, not ever. But it has to happen.

Ranulf might say that he hopes that Soren and he can continue traveling together. Soren will get all flustered but tell him he has no objections, if that’s what Ran wants, all tsundere-style.

Ike loves that idea, and tells them so.

But too soon, Soren changes the subject. He can’t imagine a future without Ike in it, not now. And so Ike and Ranulf let the matter drop.

There comes a time where Ranulf can joke about the time Ike almost drowned without Soren flinching. And they do revisit that conversation about Ike’s death a few times, slowly chipping away at it a bit at a time.

But that is a long way off.

At that moment, they’re more concerned with living in the moment, and finding comfort in each other’s presence. And if they cling a little tighter to Ike at night for a few weeks after his near death experience, well, Ike sure isn’t complaining.

[trinoxtrinox]

A Party to be Remembered Through the Ages (Epilogue)

Ectoberhaunt 2022, Side Chaos. Prompt: Costume Party

Summary: The aftermath of Johnny and Kitty's party, and we see how Danny and a few ghosts deal with it.

Author's note: I'm finally done with this \OwO/ I swear this thing had no right to take me so long to write, why did a one-shot become a full on fic with 7 chapters I don't know, but at least now I know to be careful when writing to that my ideas don't get out of hand XD Please enjoy since I'm oficially done with this and I won't be joining in another event ever, this was too much for me considering I have plans for my own fics for the future :V

Edit: First - Previous - Next (This is the last part :D)

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“Ok, so you’re telling us that you got to the party, talked a little, played Just Dance twice, broke a fight and left the party, and it all happened in 2 hours?” Sam’s skepticism could be noticed a mile away, and neither Tucker, Jazz nor Danny could even pretend to not notice that.

“Yeah, that’s the brunt of it,” the poor halfa tried to defend himself, but the faces he received from everyone made it clear he would not be able to fly away with just that, “it’s the truth! I swear I’m not lying!”

"Wait, why was Technus disguised as himself?" Jazz asked while tilting her head slightly.

"Apparently he's the main reason the Ghost Zone is able to have technology working at all." Danny said, he was also going to continue talking some more about the different roles that the ghost can take in doing so, however he was interrupted by Tucker.

“Aha, yeah, why don’t you tell us what happened between all of that that you conveniently forgot about, huh?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow to Danny’s avoidance of going further.

“Awww, did my baby bro embarrass himself at the party or something?” She teased him while poking at his cheeks, all the while evading the blur of slaps that the brother was throwing around to avoid her teasing, “you know you have to tell us now what happened, right?”

“Will you stop if I tell you!?”

“Sure, but I want nothing but the truth little brother, got it?”

“Fine, fine, you got it.” “Woo hoo!” Exclaimed the rest of the trio, high fiving each other as they prepared themselves for the gossip that Danny was bound to offer now.

“So, I might’ve accidentally not on purpose… brokeSkulker’smindwithawhatIcanonlysupposewasabigrevelation.” That last part was said in a hurry, hopefully to avoid any further embarrassment that would be brought up by this.

“You broke Skulker!? Ha! You have to tell us how you did it now.” Tucker demanded as he pointed a finger to his best friend and laughed at the misery of the ghost hunter.

“So, apparently, the Ancients are not only still kicking around, but I’ve met all of them and made friends with half of them, beating the other half to a pulp.”

“Yeah, we’re gonna need more context for that. Who are the Ancients again?” Sam asked this time, flipping through one of the books she had with herself, “I can’t find anything on them.”

“Ok, so you remember Pariah Dark, right?”

“The dude that plucked Amity Park into the Ghost Zone?” Tucker asked, straightening himself on the seat he was on, now paying more attention to the story being told.

“Yeah, that dude. He was trapped inside the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep when Vlad released him that one time-” “-Vlad was the one that released him!?” Jaxx interrupted, putting hands in the air as her disbelief was heard from her voice.

“Wait, why am I surprised? He’s narcissistic enough to believe that was a good idea.”

“Yeah, anyways, the ones that trapped him there in the first place were a group of 7 powerful ghosts that banded together to stop his tyranny. Those are the Ancients.”

“Ok, so how do you know them all then?”

“I’ll just name them for you and you’ll get it. First is Clockwork-” “Yeah that’s a given.” “Not surprised.” “Who’s Clockwork again?” “Oh yeah you weren’t there when we had our time travel adventure.” “Oh, from the Dan incident, got it.” “Basically ghost time god.” “Well, doesn’t that rock the worldview.” “-next is Pandora.”

“Wait, Pandora is an Ancient?” “Considering her box I wouldn’t be surprised.” “Talking about those, it is safe, right? Nowhere near Boxy?” “Don’t worry Jazz, we’re safe there.”

“Anyways, the rest are Undergrowth, Frostbite, Vortex, Nocturne and Marduk.” Danny finished listing all of the Ancients’ names, a finger up for each of them until 7 fingers were up.

“Ok, so apparently we all know all of the most powerful ghosts of the Ghost Zone, and somehow became friends with 3 of them, while also managing to survive being enemies of the other half?” With each word, Tucker’s voice became more and more strained and high pitched, and in the end he seemed like a kettle in the boiling point.

“Yep.”

“That means I also got mind controlled by one of the Ancients.”

“Yeah, that wasn’t a good day.”

“That also means that that one Observant you punched in the eyeball was an Ancient, right?” Jazz was beginning to get a little nervous now, if the increase of pitch in her voice and dilated pupils were anything to go by.

“That asshole deserved it and nothing y’all say will make me think otherwise.” Crossing his arms Danny floated in place with his head up, not regretting doing said thing in the slightest.

“Wait a second, doesn’t that mean that you’re stronger than all the Ancients then? You managed to defeat Pariah alone after all.” Sam brought up a good point, a smile spreading through Tucker’s face when she said so.

“Dude, this is great then, that means that you won’t have to worry about any ghost ever again, you can just relax and goof around now.” Tucker was vibrating in place right now, stimming as his eyes shined through his glasses, “how many shenanigans do you think we can do with your fights now?”

“Oh oh oh, I got some ideas for that kind of thing,” Sam got closer to the boys, now conniving with them as well.

“At least you’ve managed to reach some peace of mind brother.” Jazz muttered under her breath as she sighed and shook her head, a fond smile adorning her face while doing so, “ok, move away, I also have some ideas for shenanigans.”

Meanwhile, in the Infinite Realms, the rumor mill was beginning to work around as ghosts were talking and spreading the things that happened at Johnny’s party the previous day, and it all started with Technus visiting Skulker.

“Skulker! I, Technus, master of all things technological and electrical have come to give your suit a check up and see if it’ll need any updates!” He trespassed into the island of the hunter with no regard to the traps that were spread around the place, moving masterfully to avoid all of them without a second thought. “Skulker!?”

When he managed to find the hunter, he was outside of his suit, just looking at the vegetation that spread through his Lair as the different hues of green were distinct enough to be distinguished from each other and the perpetual green with purple highlights of the Ghost Zone, eyes unfocused on anything as he remained there unblinking.

“Skulker, you alright there?”

“Peachy.” The sarcasm was tangible even in the soft single word that was uttered from his mouth, gaze still unfocused and to the skies.

“What happened that got the greatest hunter of the Ghost Zone in such a bad mood.”

“We’re just playmates Technus,” he finally turned his eyes away and looked directly into his eyes, “we’re just playmates to the whelp.”

“The ghost child? What makes you think that?”

“He told us about that yesterday”

“You mean that wasn’t a joke? How did you figure that?”

“Because of Frostbite.”

“What does he have to do with anything, he’s a pretty strong ghost, I’ll give him that, but he’s friends with the ghost child, he isn’t his enemy, he wouldn’t fight him of his own volition.”

“He has everything to do with this. I did some research on why he picked his costume and how come that Frostbite ghost was dressed up as the Whelp as well, and the things I uncovered were disconcerting to say the least.”

“Ok, and those things are…?”

“He’s an Ancient.”

“...What?”

“Frostbite is an Ancient.”

“You’re telling me I fought against an Ancient!?”

“Oh yeah, I forgot that detail when the Whelp chose to give me an existential crisis back then.”

“I fought against an Ancient!? I mean, no wonder it all seemed like a game from his perspective, but still, I sparred against an Ancient!?”

“And that’s not the only thing.”

“There’s more?” The whispered question left Technus’ mouth as disbelief plagued those words.

“Ember told me that the other ghost the Whelp invited is Pandora, another one of the Ancients.”

“Is the Kid friend with all the Ancients!?”

“At this rate he might as well be.”

“I-I need to sit down for a second here. This is too much.” Technus lowered himself until he was sitting on top of a rock that was next to Skulker's empty mech, bringing a hand to his head and combing his hair.

“Yes… It’s a lot.”

“Wait… didn’t Frostbite say that the Ghost Boy’s fighting abilities would be up to the standards of the Ancient of Hope Pandora?”

“Oh Ancients you’re right… Does that mean that we’re up to the standards of an Ancient?” The hope in Skulker’s voice was palpable, having the possible recognition of an Ancient as the greatest hunter of the Ghost Zone would give him the biggest boost to his ego in his whole death.

“I have to tell everyone, I can’t believe even the Box Ghost has met the standards of an Ancient.”

“Pshhh, I doubt that guy can meet anyone’s standards,” Skulker began floating to his mech and got inside, closing his face and beginning operating it, “except maybe Lunch Lady’s standards for a lover. I heard from Ember that they’re looking to take the next step soon enough.”

“Oh, they’ll have a baby!?” Technus floated a few centimeters higher when he heard the news, “I have to congratulate them, then I’ll spread the word of Phantom and us being up to Ancient standards.”

“Don’t exaggerate anything, I don’t want any powerful ghost coming to my Lair looking for a fight and destroying me,” Skulker said as he stood up and began polishing some of his weapons, “the Whelp is the one within standards, we’re just below them, remember that.”

“Sure sure, now I have to go to congratulate the lucky pair, see you later Skulker.”

And like that, a rumor began running around the Infinite Realms, starting with the fact that Phantom was up to the standards of the Ancients, and some of his rogues were as well if Danny had to take their fights seriously; then that got distorted into Phantom fighting some Ancients with the help of some of his rogues, then it distorted furthermore into Danny fighting and winning against some Ancients alone, then some rouges (between them Skulker and Technus) being able to defeat some Ancients if they work together, then that Johnny’s party was interrupted by an Ancient that Danny beat up and got out of his Lair, to then Danny fighting against 2 Ancients and winning barely with the help of some other ghosts present; to finally land funnily enough to Danny kicking out 2 of the Ancients alone of the party, which is actually true if one remembers that he did so with words only instead of fists and ecto-blasts, but that’s something only a few knew, and it’s not like doing that isn’t just as impressive as doing so with a fight.

After that small rumor mill completed its job through a month’s time, another one began working at the same time about the epicness of Johnny and Kitty’s parties, beginning with the fact that one would be able to duke it out without repercussions, to the fact that the open bar they had had some very mysterious and potent stuff, to there being the possibility of some famous ghosts assisting, to the certainty that famous ghosts always go to them, to Ancients going to them as well.

And it’s not like those 2 rumors will be leaving soon, after all they all have some nuggets of truth inside them. Danny is strong enough to be recognized by all of the Ancients, and he’s friends with some of them, not to mention that he has defeated 3 of them as well. And Johnny and Kitty both have some bottles of liquor without labels, and they allow fights as long as they happen in the backyard of their Lair, and in the latest party 2 Ancients were invited as a +3, and they’re plenty famous alright if ghosts know their history, which to be fair, that’s only a small amount of them.

By the time that Danny went to the Acropolis of Athena, all the ghosts that he came across that wasn’t part of his rogue gallery gave him a wide berth, avoiding him at all costs, and the fact that everyone say him arriving towards the Lair of an Ancient, passing over the labyrinth without being struck down, and stopping at Pandora’s room, letting those few with the ability to see though the buildings witness her receiving him with open arms and a hug, did nothing to calm down the rumor mill, if anything, it made the rumors going around worse, thus marking the day of the party as one that catalyzed the biggest rumor distortion of all time that somehow managed to stay 100% on spot.

[urbandeity]

Hey, just wanna let you know that your trio fanfics for Dark Eruri week 2023 are amazing and introducted me to a some new genres I never know I would be so interested in (and damn, DarkErwin is hot!). The way you described their thoughts is phenomenal and made so much sense despite the setting being so bizarre. I love it, keep up the good work, I can't wait to read more from you.

Gosh thank you!! I really loved the prompts provided for that week and had such a good time coming up with scenarios for the two. It's oddly freeing to write with no restraints against viciousness, almost therapeutic.

I'm absolutely certain I'll write more in the future! Thank you for reading and your lovely ask!

masterlist for urban's dark eruri week 2023