#also i made a “story” about arcade's mother first because it pisses me off how everyone talks about his dad lmao

[kapi-tanka]

what do you think about arcade gannons father? do you have any headcanons or just thoughts in general? i've seen your posts about his mother so yk just curious

sorry it took so long to answer! actually i had a similar conversation with my mutual not so long ago so i'll just copy my discord messages if it's okay with you lol... i don't know what else to add. at first i wanted to write a separate answer to your question but i guess there's no point in repeating myself in slightly different words also sorry to any marxists who get to read this. my understanding of politics is still far from confident but i try to educate myself as much as i can. TEXT VERSION UNDER THE CUT

omg i'm by no means an authority but i really appreciate it!! hmm but what are you interested in exactly? i think i've covered my headcanons on arcade's mom pretty well in one of my comics but his dad's still a bit mystical figure to me. but i have a couple of headcanons based on info from the ttrpg fallout game where arcade was josh sawyer's player character. like, i headcanon his name as mark because it was his name in the ttrpg (and i feel like some people do that too) and it seems that he knew some latin or at least a couple of latin phrases (and maybe mark even was the reason why arcade learned latin later, that and his medical education). and since cannibal johnson says that arcade reminds him of gannon sr. i feel like he was a pretty educated person too. and it may be a bit weird/hard to explain/very post-soviet of me and i'm not sure if it's even a thing in other countries/regions but i've always read gannons (or at least mrs gannon) as "intelligentsia" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligentsia). basically, a social class of the "minds" of the state who were privileged enough to get good education and, therefore, important positions in the state, primarily in science/arts/education (it's not a separate class actually, they mostly were bourgeoisie/petite bourgeoisie or on the border with the working class). education was almost inherited in such families because "intelligents" gravitated towards each other and subconsciously taught their kids the same ideals/automatically gave them some of their cultural capital. so yeah, it was pretty elitist in its core but intelligentsia was generally very politically conscious (because they had opportunities to learn in-depth theoretical politics and not only the propaganda for the working class). i obviously oversimplify it and all of this was much much more nuanced and complex, but i hope it still makes some sense and we have very tragic associations with intelligentsia here because when the soviet regime started to shoot itself in the leg intelligentsia was the first to leave the country/be imprisoned/executed/repressed in many other ways. because, again, they were educated enough to critique the state in "dangerous" ways (and many intellectuals helped to shape the communist revolution in the beginning so their importance was originally in this ability to provide state criticism). i know that the enclave is nothing like the ussr in terms of their politics and roots but i feel like similar social classes form in other secluded states too (and something similar even happened to veronica in the brotherhood so. yeah). and i feel like the enclave went through the same process of staling within itself due to lack of contact with the outside world soooo its policies became more and more right-wing with time. and gannons were somewhat oppositional even before mark's death and mrs gannon's parting with the enclave. like, we know that cannibal johnson was openly anti-enclave and even sabotaged his missions. and also cannibal johnson says the nicest things about arcade's father so i think that they had to share political views at least in some way. but mark gannon has to be much more complex than this, not all sugar and candy of course. i feel like he went through a "going anti-state" arc and was much more right-wing in the beginning of his military career and before meeting his wife (also i headcanon her name as daniela because "daniel" was originally arcade's middle name) sorry for the wall of text!!! i can elaborate on anything (also lol. it reads as very anti-communist but i didn't intend it that way. i'm an anarcho-communist myself but i think it's important to talk about war crimes of any failed regime, especially the one you want to work properly in the future)

yes same!! honestly i don't think arcade remembers him well. because everything arcade says sounds more like something other people told arcade?? and in my headcanon he internalized his mother's and other remnants' sentiments and opinions to a point of having fake memories about his dad (but i think it was mostly the remnants who formed this conflict, i see his mother as a silent and a bit avoidant type because she never told him what happened to mr gannon). i still can't figure out my own timeline for arcade's childhood but i thiiiink they left navarro when he was around 5-6 years old cuz arcade says in one of his quotes that he had to hide his association with the enclave for 30 years. plus i believe that he said something about moreno living half of his life on the wastelands already but still grieving the enclave

i think mark was mostly busy with missions to spend any time with arcade. but i don't see him as a particularly bad father, just a busy kind

like, maybe they've had so little time together that arcade remembered some moments very vividly but overthinked them? sometimes memories become foggy because you spin them in your head for too long. for some reason i feel like this happened to almost every arcade's memory of mark

[miss-choco-chips]

Favorite color

Ever since he was born, his world was filled with colors, a beautiful rainbow at his fingers. He’d look down at them at night, or when his parent’s leaving made him want to cry, or when a horror story told by a classmate in the playground scared him half to death, and find comfort in their silky touch and bright hues.

He was seven when he learned the meaning behind them. And the blaring lack of red signaled the first, but not last, heartbreak of his life.

Blue, green, purple, black… and bright yellow. A teacher, a missed opportunity, a first love, life and death… and friendship. No eternal love for Tim, it seemed.

Well. He hadn’t really expected any different. Who would love him forever, when his own parents didn’t?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

He had forgotten it, and it escaped his notice for many years. Until one night, following Dick Grayson as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, when he noticed his purple string moving in synch with him. Pointing towards his hero, the boy who had given him his very first hug that night at the circus. His First Love, his Not Meant to Be.

That night, Tim packed up early and went home. He just couldn’t stand the red uniform contrasting sharply with his purple thread.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When Dick left, he thought maybe now he could go back to his old habits, to run the streets looking for flashes of the new robin without the baggage of avoiding to look at his own hand.

No such luck.

The green made a whole lot of sense when news of Jason’s death reached him, tough.

It wouldn't be the last night he’d cry himself to sleep, holding the frayed ends of his fated Almost.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Becoming Robin was both easy and painful. Comfortable, because the blue string pointing him towards Bruce meant this was always supposed to happen; heartbreaking, because it took a kid dying. Because Tim might not have a romantic soul mate, but his hands, that had made a green string break to grant him access to the blue path, were stained red nonetheless.

Wearing Robin’s red, with all the hurt and bad memories it carried, felt like a subpar punishment.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Meeting his Yellows almost passed his awareness. In the middle of a crisis, every adult missing, no mentor to guide him, he couldn’t exactly spare a thought for the kids looking shellshocked at him, each other and their hands.

After, when Young Justice was officially formed, he firmly avoided looking at Bart, Superboy and Wondergirl. Their eyes followed him, pleading, but he’d learned no good ever came from strings that weren’t red.

And the red in his soul wasn’t from love.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Despite himself and his best efforts, they grew closer. Life or death situations had that effect on people, after all.

His own reluctance, which had in turn provoqued Kon’s anger, Bart’s dejection and Cassie’s confusion, slowly began to crumble. He was helpless in the face of their unrelenting friendship.

The strings grew shinier, stronger, healthier, the yellow a stark contrast to frayed (dead) green, cold blue, distant purple. Scary black.

Tim still despised the rainbow in his fingers, but… he could maybe withstand the sparks of yellow he’d catch from the corner of his eye, knowing just who were at the other end.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It wasn’t exactly team training. Greta, Anita, Cissie, Slobo and the others didn’t join them, for whatever reason. It was always the four of them, leaning on and learning from each other.

When Kon’s strength frustrated him, when the world around him seemed to be made of bubbles and sea foam, Tim stayed late at night every weekend to help. Every spare moment directed towards coaching him, again and again, through exercises he had to come by himself (Clark was no big help, here), until exhaustion made his muscles tremble and Kon’s anger had burned out from frustration to soft acceptance that he just wasn’t like the rest. Until he could hold still and let Superboy trace the side of his jaw with a careful finger, and exchange proud little smiles when his face remained unbroken.

Bart being raised by video games had the expected outcome; he had little to no practical, day to day life knowledge. He was the closest living thing to a Looney Toon. Which was fun and good when crime fighting, his crazy ideas often saved their ass last minute, but unacceptable if integrating him into society was to be considered. So Tim would take him out, hand in hand so he didn’t forget himself and ran on his own, to leisurely stroll down busy streets, arcades, schools, libraries. Talk to people in parks and visit recreational centers, barter with street vendors and ask the little boy selling flowers on Jump Street how his mother is doing. Whatever Tim could think of that would soften Bart’s cultural shock.

In that regard, Cassie was a godsend. With her own attentive mentor, and raised like a normal girl until she obtained her powers, she was the most well balanced member on their team. Tim had started to feel a little restless (how can he help her, how can he convince her to stay…), when he noticed her frustrated, sad face whenever Donna was mentioned on Tv, when any reporter or older hero compared the two Wonder Girls. Familiar as he was with imposter syndrome, Tim would rest his arm around her shoulders and turn to the rest of the team, loudly reminding everyone to ‘speed up guys, Cassie here’s already done with her training routine’ or slump tiredly against her while complaining about ‘how immature they are, I can’t deal, thank God you’re here to remind me competent people do exist’.

It was familiar, to help them along. To nudge them forward and watch their backs as they went, firmly making their way towards being the awesome men and woman he knew they’d become. Lending a hand here and there, working on steading their foundations, so he’d be remembered fondly when they inevitably took off and went on with their lives.

He was used to that, to looking for ways his fated people would want him around. Being a good brother to Dick, an eager student to Bruce (a good mourner for Jason).

What he wasn’t used to was reciprocation, though.

Tim had learned how to fly from the best, from Dick Grayson himself.The boy with no powers that looked at gravity and laughed, sayed “thanks, but no”. But there were some things only a true meta could experience, ways to move his body just so, to take advantage of wind currents to either speed or slow his movements. Kon also visited him in Gotham, unknowing or uncaring about its meta restriction, risking pissing off Batman himself just to spend time with Tim.

There was Bart, kind, cute, friendly Bart, who would stop eating and playing around to drag Tim to the training grounds and run laps around him, as silently as he knew how. Making Tim used to fighting against someone quicker than him, lighter on their feet. To count incredibly soft steps even when they made no sound, and use other senses to pinpoint exactly where the next hit was going to come from. And after they were done, there was always a warm smile and some sweet treat (always different, as if Bart was determined to figure out Tim’s preferences by trial and mistake), the new knowledge and delicious prize worth the dirt in unmentionable places.

As stated before, Cassie was an absolute godsend. But it wasn’t just because she was easier to deal with than the rest. Or because she understood the pressure he had on his shoulders, being raised in the shadow of two incredibly renowned heroes. When Tim’s position as leader had been taken away (after Bruce’s plans for taking out the league became known, and ‘what if he has the same for us’), she took him aside. Hugging him, promising him the team’s anger was going to pass, that she could see why those contingencies might be necessary, that even if she was officially in charge, she’d always defer to him when it mattered. Her trust in him and his heart was unshakable, firm as the arm he’d put round her when self doubt arose its head.

(It wasn’t supposed to be this way; if they reciprocated, they didn’t owe him, and then how was he supposed to keep them close? To convince him to stay, to love the boy with loveless fate?)

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Jason was unexpected, but Tim couldn’t hold it against him. Even there, bleeding out in the Tower, he felt… at ease.

His predecessor was back. Bruce’s son was back. The prodigal Robin had returned, by some miracle. Tim’s shift had come to an end; even if he died here, he had succeeded in keeping Bruce sane, and now that the real deal was in town, Jason could take over and everything would go back as it should have been. Everyone (B, Dick, Babs, Alfred) would be happier. Maybe they’d mourn him, for a bit, but with such a joyous occasion as a beloved one returning home, it wasn’t like grief could stay for long.

Someone yelled, near. Warm hands shaking as they touched his face infinitely careful, small fingers intertwined with his in a very familiar hold, a strong and slender arm around his back as he’s being held in a half hug. Cries, pleas, demands.

And while nothingness claims Tim, drags him to a well of black, yellow still clings to his eyelids. A touch that keeps him warm even though unconsciousness is supposed to be so cold.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Death and life. Damian.

Tim can see the first one, what with all of the brat’s attempts to end him. It’s the second one that has him stumped.

He knows not all strings go both ways. His purple one, for example; even if Dick was Tim’s first love, everyone and their mother knew Babs’ was his. Dick had a string pointing towards Tim, but it was a mentor-student one. Same as the one he and Bruce shared. Jason, too; Tim’s side of the string was the green of Almost, while the former Robin’s color was black (Tim taking his place as Robin, and being the only one in the family offering his hand again and again despite his murderous actions, was in some poetic sense the death of an old role, and the birth of a new family dynamic).

Damian, though… Well. He was almost sure they had the same color for each other (how else to explain such dangerous rage), but really, unless the kid was willing to share, it was only suppositions for now.

His only comfort remained the three beams of light, of a yellow almost golden in its healthy shine.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When Tim changed his suit following Conner’s death, everyone thought it was an homenage. A way to pay tribute to a hero that was his closest, dearest friend. A way to never forget (as if he could, ever, with the lifeless line of pale beige, once yellow, dangling from his twitching finger).

They weren’t wrong, but it wasn’t just that.

Red had always pained him, in a deep, almost forgotten place. A thorn on his side, scratching against his heart. For the longest part, yellow had filled him to the brim, until hurt and yearning had no place inside him. With Kon’s warmth missing, red bleed in the place between Cassie and Bart, despite their best efforts to close ranks and keep it out.

Their sad eyes followed him during the funeral, knowing what the color meant to him. Just how much he was hurting himself, right now. But, lost in their own grief, there was little to be done.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

By the time Tim got the call about Bart, he already knew.

He ignored the ringing phone, holding a sobbing Cassie in his arms, both desperately clutching at their only remaining yellow string.

Between the two of them, color like blood seeped.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Every so often, when Ra’s voice in his ear became too familiar for comfort, where lines draw in sand begane to erode and blur, he’d raise his hand, eyes locked on the three yellow strings, and watch as Cassie’s moved, disappearing end pointing always in her direction.

He was fairly sure that, wherever she was, she was doing the same. Reminding herself he was alive as well, hadn’t left her behind.

Her absence from his life was necessary, finding Bruce a priority, and the red of his new suit (his new name) was proof of just how deeply it all ran. But it didn’t mean he wasn’t yearning for her lighter color.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

They were back, and he was hiding.

He wanted to run to their arms, hug them and never let them out of his view, far from where he could protect them (keep them). He wanted Kon’s hand on his face, delicate despite his strength, un-trembling when Tim’s own would softly join it on his check and held it there; Bart’s fingers between his own, too steady and constant for the boy who didn’t know how to sit still; Cassie’s arm on his waist, his own on her back, as they shared the weight of the world in their shoulders.

And because he wanted so damn much, he couldn’t do it.

He was covered in red. His first love discarded him, his Almost died so Tim could have his Teacher, his Life and Death was so heavily focused on the last bit… his hands lacked red, but oh, how much he leaked of it in his soul.

He couldn’t let them die again, be stained by his twisted fate; even if it meant he could’t hold them close any longer.

Letting go was more painful than holding on, but he was used to it by now.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

They find him. Of course they do; even without Kon’s senses, they all have beams of gold pointing them towards him, like Dorothy’s yellow brick road.

Tim knew it, was ready for it. And as such, had prepared the words that would push them away, to where it was safer.

Or so he thought.

“We are not leaving you.”

“Who cares about fate? You are ours, Rob.”

“It’s been long enough, Tim. Time to come home, we are done waiting.”

He denies them, shakes despite his usual iron clad control over his body, heart wrenching painfully at their decided expressions.

“You don’t understand. I’m Red Robin now. I’m not… I’m no good for you.”

“I could literally snap your back with the flick of a finger, shut up with that ‘I’m dangerous’ bullshit.”

“Yeah, even Bart could be dangerous given the right circumstances, you aren’t the only one here to watch for. It doesn’t mean shit to us.”

‘

“That’s right, I- wait, what do you mean ‘even Bart?”

“Not the point, Imp.”

They don’t get it. He takes his mask off, wants to give them a good look at his eyes, to read his emotions there and finally realize what’s wrong about him.

“Almost all my strings have something to do with death, or were touched by it. Don’t you see it?” He raises his hand, despite knowing they can’t see his strings, only their own. “I have no red here, only blood. I can’t… I’m not safe to love. I’ll never be loved.”

Kon snaps, something he had rarely done since their Young Justice days, hands on Tim’s shoulders, seemingly torn between shaking him and pulling him close. The latter wins.

(As it always does)

“This is love, you idiot! WE love you!”

Tim chokes on something (saliva, his own breath, emotions). Gasps, tears coming to his eyes unbridled.

He feels two pairs of arms joining the first one, a cocoon of warmth and unconditional love forming around him.

Bart’s sad eyes watch Tim from under Kon’s hug. “I don’t have red either, Rob. Romantic, platonic, filial… who gives a fuck”, he shrugs, before hiding his face against the red of Tim’s uniform. Uncaring of all it represents for him or perhaps doing his best to defy it.

Cassie just holds them all in the circle of her own embrace, forehead to the back of Tim’s head. Her hold is the tightest, and he just realizes- she lost all of them, didn’t she? To death and grief, all too far to touch, and now that they’re back in her arms, there’s little chance of her ever letting go again.

“Love has more than one form, Tim.”

He shudders in the middle of this weirdly emotional dog pile, and thinks. About Bruce and Dick’s pride when they successfully taught him something new. Of Jason’s reluctant smile when Tim first tugged him along to some joined patrol, sneakily edging him closer to the family with every interaction. Of Damian, who would often look down at his own hands (and Tim would honestly kill someone to know just which color the young boy had for Tim) and then at him, with something like hope in his green eyes.

He thinks… yeah. And this one…

(He gives up, closing his eyes and snuggling deeper into Kon’s chest, knees buckling but staying up thanks to his three rays of sunlight holding him in place between them.)

This one’s shape might just be his favorite.

[tokugou]

do you have your favourite tdbk fanfics? (share pls i'm out of things to readdd) ♡

Finn!!! I gonna try my best to share something and hope you gonna like at least one of them. Also I didn't have time to read anything for a past month (?) so I am not very up to date with new ones.

okokok I need to share this one first because it was written for me (well i requested it but it still counts!!)

the right kind of home by @dabibones​

“comfort food”

I will start with on-going I really liked so far (I need to catch up with them too)

love lies bleeding by twopinchesofcinnamon - the best setting I could ever ask for - Zombie Apocalypse AU

“We could. Y’know,” Red-eyes sucks his teeth hard, as if his own words physically pain him. “Compromise.” Shouto lets himself slip down the railing until he’s propped against it. “What do you propose?” “Easy,” he zeroes in, contemplating, and Shouto can’t quite decipher him anymore. “Split the food and go our separate ways. We never need to speak again. Deal?” Shouto tips his chin up at the clouds. He blows out a breath, counting to seven. “Can I get two thirds?” Or: a loner, a wanderer, and flowers that glow in the dark.

20:04 by redonthemoon - it is finished already but I still didn't finish it

He’s now lying on his floor, naked, listening on repeat to the same song trying to come up with an idea of what he is supposed to do. He has watched all the movies that are out there about the topic. He has even taken the car and drove as far as he could. He has even taken a plane to another country and landed there but the second the clock hit midnight, he woke up on his bed, alarm pounding and the same date: Friday, October 28th. He can’t do it anymore. He can’t repeat the same day over and over.

let's ignore my 200 tabs opened on my phone - to read later - cos I am lazy, so I went through my bookmarks to pick the ones I think are good (and not embarassing to share) - under read more because yeah there is a few

better late than never 

Bakugou and todoroki get hit by a body swap quirk, and physical contact seems to be the only answer to their predicament

My Hero Love Story 

After the two of them are spotted at a Valentine's Day hero convention while on a mission, Shouto gets the brilliant (and extremely bad) idea to pretend he and Bakugou are there on a date together. It's brilliant because it's the perfect cover story. It's bad because he's desperately in love with Bakugou, and Bakugou has no idea.

Whatever It Takes 

That one where Bakugou agrees to pretend to date Todoroki just to piss off Endeavor, and ends up falling in love instead.

Bam Went My Heart 

Bakugou Katsuki is 100% not on a date with Todoroki Shouto

A fishy deal

Bakugou Katsuki, a rebel spy, attends an auction and leaves with more than just intel.

better than myth

Amidst domestic disasters, the infernal water bill and the armchair in the shower, there was a comfortable rapport between them. Bakugou was falling disgustingly in love with it.  

The Energy Between Us Blossoms Colors In My Heart

Todoroki Shouto has always been a bit curious about his punk roommate with red hair tips, but he never had the opportunity to get to know him better. That's until they get assigned as partners for their university projects.

Teenage Rebellion

Shouto dye his hair

Can I Get A Name For Your Order?

Coffee Shop AU

i like you so much (what do i do?)

Katsuki is really good at what he does, except when Shouto's there. another coffee shop au

i wanna ruin our friendship

Todoroki and Bakugou make out, become friends, and fall in love, all in that order.

You Set My Soul Alight

When enrolling into college, Shouto thought he’ll be freed from under his father’s thumb, but that’s not true. Never was true. Even here his father is controlling his life. To be more specific, his dating life out of all things. After witnessing his roommate, Bakugou, arguing on the phone with his mother about significant others, Shouto gets an idea. They form a compromise. Shouto is tired of his father orchestrating dates for him and Bakugou wants his mother to leave him alone. Nothing could go wrong.

Sweeter than Victory

In which Katsuki sets out to slay a chimera, ends up hunting down an elusive, mystical flower, and encounters a nymph known for being beautiful and unattainable. He really needs to have a damn talk with the Fates. Or Aphrodite. Because seriously, what kind of bullshit quest is this?

Sorry (Not Sorry) For The Distraction

Bakugou Katsuki may have made a mistake. Not that he'd call it that, of course, but he probably should've thought more about what he chose to wear when he allowed Todoroki into his home to work on their shared case.

He just hadn't exactly anticipated that Todoroki would notice his piercings. Or more importantly, not shut the fuck up about them.

hope you think of me high, hope you think of me highly

Shotgunning

Raising the Steaks

Inasa serves dishes, Bakugou serves food, Camie serves customers and Shouto serves looks.

threadache

Todoroki asks Bakugou to make his outfit for the Met Gala - nothing is what it seams.

love you sideways

Katsuki is the undisputed King of the arcade until some asshole comes in and starts beating all his high scores.

Synergy

Katsuki, a top pro gamer, encounters a worthy and very irritating rival—who may also be about to become his teammate.

Bloom

In recent years, it's been assumed that the appearance of soul bonds has disappeared. Katsuki, a cocky pro hero, and Shouto, the barista at Katsuki's favorite coffee shop, are about to discover that's not quite true.

Upon My Back

the soulmate au where every time your soulmate cries a flower tattoo appears on your skin

Vampirism wasn't in the roommate contract

“You’re a vampire?!” “And you’re a werewolf. You don’t see me complaining even though-“ Todoroki’s nose scrunched, and Bakugou could feel the vein in his head about to pop. “If you say I smell, I’m going to kick you out right now, dead blood.”

The best kept secrets aren't secrets at all

In which, Todoroki dates the edgy chemical engineering student who keeps stealing his friends parking spaces and is only just learning how to get along with others.

i want you (to want me)

invisibilia (or voyeur, of the unwilling kind)

Hagakure Tooru is invisible, and that is sometimes a lot more trouble than it's worth.

Just One Bite

This particular fuckup begins when he saves a cat from a demon in a sketchy alley.

How To Lose A Costume Contest But Still Win At Life

Bakugou Katsuki was determined to win a costume competition with the most realistic werewolf costume he could feasibly put together.

Without Hesitation

The first time Bakugou told Todoroki he was in love with him, he thought he’d die.

did i say a few? i overdid it I AM SORRY but i do hope you gonna like/read a few of these, I liked them. Also thank you so so so much for the ask! It made me so happy no one ever ask about my favorite things it was such a nice thing to do!

[mystech-master]

F/GO High School/Modern AU BS

Me and @rex101111 have been talking about a modern/HS AU ft. as many Chaldean servants as possible. Here are the ideas we came up with (I am pretty much cut and pasting our message convo, so this is a mixture of both me and Rex's ideas):

Gil is the douchbag Senior everyone hates but his dad owns the school or whatever so he can do whatever he wants. The only decent person who willingly hangs out with him is his childhood friend Enkidu who's hoping he can un-douch his bro. He has kid Gil as his little brother and Caster Gil as his older bro who both agree that he sucks (Gil is the loser middle child of the family), Caster Gil wonders what Enkidu sees in his shit head brother. "He's too good for you." "Blow it out your ass." "One day he's going to wise up, see how much of a shit you are, and when you're all alone don't come crying to me." Caster Gil is in college studying political science, Kid Gil goes to a fancy boarding school. Archer Gil goofs off and throws parties

Scathach is a swimming class teacher, mainly b/c I recall underwater training being a part of Cu's regiment under her tutelage. People were jealous of the Cus for like two seconds when they find out the swim teacher is their mom, then they see her having them do an extra twenty laps and ignoring when OG Cu starts floating in the water. "CU DIED!" "YOU'RE NOT HUMAN!" while Scathach is like "you have two seconds to stop playing around before I ACTUALLY drown you" and he's back to doing laps.

Yeah with 4-5 Cus (if you count Setanta from Arcade) that is like 5 brothers.

Nightingale as school nurse, she is friends with Asclepius who works at a hospital associated with the school (strictly professional, but the students think otherwise).

Side note, keep in mind you can have multiple servants be the same type of teacher, just for different classes/grades.

King Hassan is the old Religious History teacher. Every one thinks he's older then the rock is the school is made out of. He has a scary face and a scarier voice but most students consider him the most fair and patient teacher in the whole school. He always gets a lot of food gifts before Ramadan form the students. (A few students, such as the Guda twins and Mash, call him gramps.) The other Hassans are his grandkids, like actual grandkids. He's super strict with them because he expects a lot from them. He always praises them when they do well though. He made sure they ALL got into his class and they've been living in fear ever since. They love their grandpa but by Allah they know not to disappoint him. The only one to ever get out of anything is kid Hassan (one of the hundred face). Cursed Arm is oldest, then Asako (the main hundred face), then Serenity.

"I am very disappointed in ALL of you, have you all lost your heads? I swear I-*to kid Hassan*-ah no Habibi not you you're fine here have a candy-*back to the rest*-I KNOW you're better than this!"

VERY traditional guy, Cursed Arm mutters "Oh for God's sake" while doing a pop quiz and King Hassan looms over him and growls, "No Blaspheming In This Class Room"

For the various Artoria/Arturias, I imagined Lancer and Lancer Alter being sisters, so Saber Alter is a cousin. That leaves everyone else to just be sisters with one brother. Mother Lartoria owns a casino and gas her own yacht in reference to the summer event where she became a Ruler. If you want MHX could be a part of the family as a massive fucking Star Wars nerd. MHXX and MHX Alter are her mom and sister (so MHXX is a third sister for the two Lancer Artorias)

For Irisviel, I remember in one of the Nero Fest things that she was called Therapist Iri. Maybe she starts to get into that b/c she wants to help her adoptive son Shirou (instead of a big fire like in Zero it can be an orphanage fire thing, similar situation but a much smaller scale) , so she is the school therapist/psychiatrist. Like Maruki in P5 Royal.

Iskandar died in his 30s, Waver is around his 30s as Lord El Melloi II. The two are old college friends who still hang out and Alexander is Iskandar’s kid.

If you guys want you can see this as the two being gay dads since I know that ship is popular.

Fran had an abusive father before Babbage and Moriarty got involved. In the og story, Frankenstien has a scientific mindset like his creator, here Fran has a talent in the field, but she also hates it b/c it reminds her of him. Like imagine being talented at the thing your abusive parent was good at/known for. Moriarty tried to get it into her that SHE'S the one with the talent, not her college dropout bum of a father, "From you tell me of him Victor couldn't engineer his way out of an argument with a cat, you have a magnificent mind my dear, not letting it flourish to spite him would be a horrible waste...it's your talent, your skill. Not his." He smiles that smile she loves that scares every one but she knows he only smiles like that when he is absolutely convinced of something, "and you can out perform him without breaking a sweat."

Moriarty teaches Fran sign language while Babbage teaches her some engineering.

Jekyll is going for a major in medicine with a minor in law (in the actual irl story Dr. Jekyll was a doctor in medicine and law).

For science associated servants, you got da Vinci, Babbage, Edison, and Tesla as possible science teachers.

The Jeanne sisters. Without the Avenger BS, the reason Jalter (or Joan as one series of fics calls her) could hate her here is just inferiority complex and being compared to her perfect saint big sister all her life. Joan does have her talents, based on the summer event an, but again she doesn't acknowledge her own talent b/c of her always being compared to her older sister., in the 7 counterfeit events she is a really good artist. And it is the typical thing of Jeanne actually being scared out of her wits of being less than perfect because of all the expectations thrust on her. She gets one A- and runs to the bathroom crying and Joan has to swallow her pride and actually have a conversation with her sister for the first time in years. Jeanne Alter lily puts up Christmas decorations super early, much to Jeanne Alter/Joan's displeasure.

"IT JUST TURNED NOVEMBER CHILL TF OUT!"

"CHRISTMAS!"

Martha is Jeanne's BF since middle school and has this HUGE dog that scares everyone and growls at anyone expect Martha and Jeanne. She calls him Terry.

Rex loves Penthesilea. and we talked at length about the situation between her and Achilles. Can you not tell that he likes a woman who can kick his ass *gestures to all of his Baiken posts*

Rex's idea: I think they had a fight when they were little and Achilles, being a little shit back then, made fun of her for being a girl, and Penth has been sore about it ever since. She keeps running into big misogynistic meatheads that reminded her of that and she just got angrier over the years. She's a wrestler and can knock out just about every dude in school by herself. Achilles is very regretful about back then and wants to apologize but Penth ain't having any of it.

My idea: I thought they were on opposing HS sports teams and when Achilles handed her ass to her he forgot to drink his respect women juice and then Penth got all pissed.

In this AU, Penth and Hippolyta's dad was a general who taught them how to kick the ass of men twice their size since they were seven or something.

Penth surprises everyone when a festival comes up and she gets picked to be the one to organize everything...and does a spectacular job. Another surprise is that she plans on being a business major when she goes to college (Obligatory Amazoness CEO jokes)

Bedivere is the Arturia Pendragon family butler with a prosthetic arm. He's also the security guard, last guy that tried to steal something or cause trouble got slapped right out of the window he sneaked in from.

Francis Drake and Artoria Alter Lancer are work friends (referencing them both being associated with the Wild Hunt in F/GO's lore).

Beni-Enma is the short and shorter tempered lunch lady, last kid who mouthed off at her during lunch got smacked upside the head with her spoon. She's sweet, but if you're in detention and have to help her in the kitchen she's a mini Gorden Ramsey, "IT'S RAW DECHI!!!" She can also come into the home EC class where Shirou is her best student. Also her roasting of the other girls like in her quest. Getting Fs in Beni's class is the worst, because it isn't just an F, it's a meticulous dressing down of exactly why letting into a kitchen should be considered a war crime, dechi.

The three Avenger Nobus are three different people. 1st Ascension is basically Archer Nobu, then you got Oda Kipposhi, and then the mom is Ascension 3 with Demon King Nobunaga. The youngest Ascension 1 Nobu is a musician. Demon King Nobu is one of those "super scary but also super polite people that only makes them scarier" type, basically a female koei Nobunaga from samurai warriors (check out some cutscenes form the games with him, he's a treat).

Imagine Demon King Nobu mom in a business suit.

Suzuka Gozen and Sei Shonagon are the textaholics who always talk in slang to the point of it sounding like they speak a different language. Murasaki is the librarian but Sei is like that ONE student who just makes her job so much harder.

Every week it's "No phones in the library Miss Shonagon." while Sei rolls her eyes and types out twitter post like "fugly ol librarian at my school needs a life lol"

Oui Katsushika is a gifted art student, and her dad (not a floating little octopus), is just a normal dude with a squid/octopus like beard. She's the teacher's pet in De Vinci's art class.

Eresh and Ishtar come from a rich family, Ereshkigal is the older sister so she had a shit load of responsibility to take over the family business while Ishtar basically gets to party her life away. Rin is the cousin they each try and swing their way. Eresh wants Rin to keep up her studies and get into a good university, Ishtar wants Rin to loosen the fuck up and admit that she likes that scrawny Emiya kid already.

BB is the host of a talk show downtown so she is kind of an absentee mom. Meltryllis has prosthetic legs that she specifically asked to be made into stilts b/c she wanted to be taller, and Passonlip has a massive rack that makes life difficult (either people staring, people assuming she's gonna be a home wrecker b/c said staring must be intentional, etc.), and of course he also has prosthetic arms to match her canon claws, obviously not as massive.

Hijikata is a very serious police officer but his wife Carmilla just uses this to have fun in the bedroom. They have two Dobermans. Hijikata's route has him patrolling near the school so most of the kids know as that scary police dude that has a picture of his wife in his pocket. One day a famous Idol called Eli-chan~ (yes spelled with the ~) is about to perform in the town and the kids can't stop talking about her, so Hijikata overhears. But, being the serious dude he is he shrugs it off until he sees a picture of this "Eli-chan~" and realizes it's his sister-in-law that came to visit and suddenly the influx of parasitic paparazzi near his house start making sense.

Carmilla: "Now you see why I hate them?", Hijikata: "No you cannot send the dogs after them honey."

She almost ran one of them over in her, very expensive, car and when that reporter says she should be locked up Hijikata corrects that would only happen if she had hit him...and she would be fined. For littering.

Okita Alter being Hijikata's partner, while Okita is her younger sister who's looked up to Hijikata since she was a little kid but she has asthma and such so she's afraid she might not get accepted.

Sigurd owns a metalworks shop (referencing his myth where he was raised by the dwarf Reginn), he met his wife Brynhildr when she was disowned by her overly controlling father.

Ozymandias, Nitocris, and Cleopatra are all the high board members of a company. Nitocris specifically got wind of Scheherazade's abusive husband situation and after getting said husband arrested, she offered Scheherazade a job.

Atalanta is a college student/TA who worked with Achilles' dad who ends up at their HS for a program or something, Achilles' dad has told him a lot about her.

Amakusa Shirou is an uncle married to the CEO of Babylon Gardens Pharmaceuticals, Semiramis. Semiramis herself is kinda chill if REALLY scary. She had to be pretty cutthroat to get to her position in the company, but Amakusa Shirou helped her mellow out, but she is still a massive tsundere.

"You know you COULD poison their lunch." "Semi, dear, I'm not going to poison my coworker's sandwich for being an ass." "It wouldn't kill them! Just a bit in their peanut better and they'll be stuck on the toilet for a week, no harm no foul."

Rex initially said Taiga would be an overly enthusiastic gym teacher but then I remembered that she was a homeroom/English teacher in Fate canon, but either or can do if you wanna be unique.

For Quetzalcoatl, Wrestling club supervisor when she isn't the senior year gym teacher. Some of the male students laughed that they didn't think a woman would know anything about wrestling. Two piledrives later, the students have earned a new appreciation for the importance on how not to be two pieces of shit. She's big on Lucha as in canon and during Halloween she gets JAGUARMAN to have an exhibition fight with her. They make a show of it but later on Taiga admits that Quatz could have CRUSHED her if they were actually fighting. She takes the wrestling club out for homemade Mexican food after tournaments

For Siduri, there's a bunch of rumors she's dating Caster Gil but it's strictly professional, Caster respects her too much to consider that. Archer Gil hits on her relentlessly, she manages to wound his ego more severely then anyone else simply by being unfailingly polite in her rejections and treating him like what he is, a teenage punk jumping higher than he can handle to land.

Ibaraki is Shuten's adoptive little sister after she was taken from an abusive mother, hence why Ibaraki looks up to her. Ibuki is either Shuten's big sister who had to take on a guardian role, or just her mom. Shuten and Ibuki have a bit of a strained relationship because Shuten saw the way Ibuki acted as they grew up, taking more and more responsibilities onto herself and refusing any distractions. And she decided that her biggest nightmare is to wake up one morning and realize she's turned into Ibuki so she tries to do everything to avoid that, hence their relationship not being the best. Ibaraki is kinda stuck in the middle because she wants to side with Shuten but she sees where Ibuki is coming from. Messy.

Caren is still Kotomine’s daughter, but he isn’t a good dad and in rebellion she sleeps around despite being a woman of god. Including sleeping with local punk Angra Mainyu. Angra Mainyu seems like a bad guy but he has a shit load of issues due to being blamed for everything going wrong in his old town, eventually coming to believe them and thinking he will cause nothing but problems. Caren banging him gives him a type of closeness he’s never felt, but under very warped circumstances.

For the Tamamo family, Vitch totally fucked her way up a corporate ladder or something, imagined Tamamo Cat working at a Cat Cafe if she were a Student. Tamamo no Mae accidentally fed her prev BF a food he was allergic too, and that kind of haunted her and scared her rep. IDK basically she seriously fucked up a previous relationship, either on purpose or accidentally, and that kind of hurts her deeply so she wants to start over with Hakuno.

Nero and Tamamo no Mae are rivals over this one guy.

Kiichi Hougen is the adoptive mom, Benkei is the family friend/uncle, Taira is Ushiwaka's older sister. Taira isn't on the best of terms with her family, some drama way back caused a rift and nowadays Ushi is the only one who's willing to talk to her and visit. Benkei never lets her go alone because he doesn't trust Taira one bit. Taira and Ushiwaka are Kintoki and Tomoe's cousins (I say Tomoe b/c apparently her husband and Ushiwaka were half cousins, with their grandpa having kids with their grandmas. I tried to make a whole family tree out of a few servants).

These are the ideas we had the most to talk about, if you guys have any suggestions for your fav servants in this AU, let either me or Rex know. Or just reblog and say them here. Who knows maybe you have a much better idea for a Servant we already mentioned.

[heresathreebee]

Garrote part 10

[Starz Power Diego Jimenez x Jazmine Mann (Black!OC)]

Word count: 3.1k words

Warning(s): Mature | Gun phobia, stalking. Diego and Healy get POVs in this one while Jazmine gets some R&R with the help from her mother. This is a plot only chapter, sorry. Previous Masterlist Next

Author’s Note: No beta reader and I’m far too exhausted to edit properly. After this story, I’m gonna adjust exactly how I format my fics. My million other fic ideas plus my debate over participating in NANOWRIMO this year have been keeping me from working on this too much, I figured it was time to put this up since the last chapter was posted in September... 

The rest of the day went by with a subtle ease. The temperature was just perfect for a coat and Diego seemed to have nowhere to be. Bordering on the miraculous, it was the man himself who asked her if she wanted to go out and have fun. Feeling caught off guard, Jazmine elected to throw caution to the wind and suggest something other than a fancy nightclub to hang out in. And when Diego heard the name, his jaw dropped. 

Two-Bit’s Retro Arcade. 

He did not ask why (though he did scoff, but more so in amusement than derision). Julio was elated to hear the address (apparently he’d been before), and Miguel looked crestfallen to have to stay at the penthouse. The journey from ritzy apartment to 25 cent arcade felt like being washed in time, stepping backwards into her past with a piece that didn't belong in that memory. 

The place was decently busy, there seemed to be no parties bigger than five. A collection of young kids took up the classics section, rotating between Dig Dug, Pac Man, and Tapper Light. The young man who played pinball every day was there. She didn't know his name but she knew his three letter handle because he had the highest score on every pinball machine in the arcade. The rest were small and easygoing groups, buying beers and gathering around prize winning claw games or Dance Dance Revolution. 

"Do they have air hockey?," Diego asked over her shoulder. He was dressed down per her request, in a simple hoodie and jeans. She kept glancing at him, feeling drawn to the simplicity of liking a simple man. 

"Over here." She had no intention of hiding how familiar she was with this place. Diego gave Julio a nod and the man dissolved into the background but was never out of sight. Suddenly, Jazmine became very aware that there were now at least two guns in this public space. Air hockey was... occupied. "Looks like a college tournament. Come on, we're not going to be able to play for like a week." 

She grabbed his arm to guide him away, but the man didn't budge. He stared those college boys down, looking for a fight. If he started something… 

"Diego. Diego! Please… it's just a game, I know a better one we won't have to share." 

At last he acquiesced and followed behind, never more than a foot away. She didn't realize she was holding her breath and wondered if those guys noticed his staring… they probably thought it was normal though. 

Jazmine brought Diego to the darkest corner of the arcade where nobody was or needed to pass by. If she stopped dead in her tracks, Diego would have tripped over her immediately for how close he was, but now that he had her exclusive attention, she didn't mind. She gestured to her favorite game and smiled. 

"Welcome to Marvel Vs Capcom: Clash of Superheroes," she announced. "Nobody plays this version because there's a huge glitch that sometimes makes one character untouchable." 

"OK." Diego wore a sly grin. No doubt he intended to find the cheat character and win all matches, but Jazmine knew all of this game's little secrets. 

Unsurprisingly, Diego's first pick was Wolverine. Jazmine refrained from rolling her eyes and let him work through the board of player characters, picking her own at random and sometimes picking the one she knew would fair better against his character to make it an even game. She watched his brow grow tighter and tighter as he couldn't find the broken character. He even switched up strategies– picking the characters that looked the least strong and working up from there (the opposite of his earlier choices). At last, he picked Chun-Li, having not noticed Jazmine picked it three times already, and he glanced at her face once more to see if she reacted, but the woman gave nothing away. Not until he looked towards the screen did she crack a smile. 

The way the smugness drained off of Diego's face made her smile broaden. He looked at the controls as if they were to blame, then to Jazmine and back to the screen where Chun Li had walked off of the edge of the screen. Annoyed, he leaned over the controls menacingly and waited for an explanation from the Cheshire cat grin on his partner's face. 

It took her awhile to answer him– she was trying really hard to fight the bubbling laughter in her belly. "Yeah, that um… that's what I was talking about. If you play the same character four times, the game breaks. You can't be hit but you also can't hit and you need to hold down the joystick to keep from walking off the edge of the screen… if you let them get away, well… you have to unplug the whole system." 

Diego looked pissed. He stared her down for so long she gulped but eventually, he freed her from his penetrative gaze. His hand slipped under her jacket and found a home at the base of her spine, and suddenly she was being whisked away towards the bathrooms. 

"Where are we–" 

Diego wasted not a breath and pushed her into the women's bathroom (unsurprisingly closet sized), before crowding her space to step inside and lock the door behind. Her heart began to pound against her chest as he turned and fixed her with a commanding glare. He moved as sly as a big cat, forcing her to find purchase against the tiny wood counter with the sink and leaning over her with his lips pressed to her nose. 

He said something softly in Spanish that she didn't understand, but it sounded sultry and it sent a pleasant shiver down her back. She thought he was going to kiss her, but then there was something hard and heavy he pressed into her hand. 

A gun. 

Her eyes bulged– glancing quickly between him and the shiny dark metal of the killing contraption– and shook her head minutely. 

"Take it," he said. She just kept shaking her head, hiding her hands beneath her arms and feeling dizzy, on the verge of passing out. He growled. "I wasn't asking." 

If he wasn't pressed against her, she would be rocking for comfort. Jazmine did not like guns. Her eyes misted over as she whispered, "why?" 

"They've been following us since we left." He slid the wretched mechanism up along her arm and let it rest just below her collarbone. "Haagen's men probably. They're getting bolder– probably by their master's orders." He tilted his head as if he was speaking of something completely mundane as he said, "did you really think those air hockey guys were college students? It's a Thursday." 

Jazmine didn't mean to whimper, but she managed to keep her tears at bay long enough to touch a finger to the gun, not quite taking it, but letting him know she would. She let him show her the safety and slipped it into the back of her pants, careful not to hurt her and demonstrating an awareness of her southpaw. He was almost hugging her when he finally stepped back (as far as the little toilet would allow). When his heel clinked against the porcelain, he turned to make sure he hadn't stepped in a mess, and Jazmine bolted. 

~

"Hello?" 

There was no one else's voice she wanted to hear more than that of Lashawn Mann. Jazmine felt guilt well up alongside the anxiety that had been threatening to consume her for weeks. 

"Mama?" Her voice sounded so small in her own ears. "Can I come over and see you?" 

"Of course, baby. You can come see me right now: I'm at your place." 

Jazmine caught a cab from Essex street home, and though Diego possessed an acute lack of awareness for personal space or feelings, he did leave her alone for a while. No SUVs with fake licenses trailed her home, no voicemails and no texts came through. She put it in airplane mode to make sure things stayed that way. She had a thought to drop Healy's hearing aid down a drain but put it in her pocket instead. 

Lashawn was waiting with Hercules. The tiny bit of annoyance Jazmine usually felt about getting slobbered on washed away the instant she saw her furry grey friend. The woman plopped her butt onto the ground and let the dog run amok in excitement to see her again. 

"Mom…" Hercules settled down in her lap and weighed her to the earth like an anchor for a ship at sea. "If something happens to me, will you take care of her?" 

"What do you mean 'if something happens to you'? Child, I ain't heard from you in two months and you come back with that?" Lashawn sat down on the floor despite her bad knees and leaned on her daughter's shoulder. "Baby, what's going on with you?" 

~

Estupido. She shouldn't have run away like that. 

Diego was overthinking in the backseat while Julio sat in perfect silence. The driver would have preferred the radio on, but his boss demanded the proper atmosphere to brood in. Taking what little he knew of the woman, Jazmine was probably going to retreat to her apartment since he lived in the only other place she was safe. Whatever– she would return in her own time. Unless her own time hindered their operation. 

We can't lose this opportunity. We are so close to Porsche and revenge. Hurry up, cariño. Make our next move. 

Diego was stuck deep inside his head even as he stood with his sister hours later in yet another huge warehouse with examples to be made of. Alicia wiped the blade of her knife onto her bodyguard's sleeve, then turned the blade over to her brother. 

"Finish the last one, will you?" 

Diego hummed, distracted by the conversation at the edge of the half circle. He did not like what he heard. He dug the blade straight into the crying man's heart, then cut his throat just for good measure. The blood on his hands was drying before he was able to speak again. He and Alicia were sat in her limo across from each other. She tactfully ignored his piercing gaze, while he worried the stickiness between his fingers mindlessly. 

"What's this I hear about you staying in New York?" 

Alicia glanced coolly up from inspecting her nails. "What do you mean? Someone needs to run the business." 

"That's what that idiot and your little fuck toy Dre are for. They deal with shit here while we get Porsche back, and then we go home. Together." 

"No," she shrugged. "Dre can't be trusted, Diego. I'm staying, you're going back to Mexico. We can split parent: the girl comes to live with me for a while and then with you. Every month or so…?" 

Diego's hands ball into fists and his teeth hurt from the pressure of keeping his jaw closed. Fucking puta, he thought as the car slowed to a stop. Exiting the car, the man pulled himself up to his full height and reveled in the brief moment of fear that registered on her face. 

"I'm not your errand boy, hermana. I don't do things because you think it's convenient. And I won't be sent away like an annoying pest so you can trounce about in luxury while I'm stuck doing peasant work. Am I the only one worried about that little fucking girl?" 

Through the marble stonework of her mask, he saw the cracks in her armor. "We can talk about this later, Diego." 

"Do you even want her back?," he sneered. 

"Stop it!" 

Alicia pushed him out of her way and disappeared quickly, her entourage scurrying to follow her. Diego looked to his men to find them with their eyes cast down as if they were witness to something they should never see. He stormed away with his head full of rage and more questions than answers. 

~

Meanwhile in a stuffy police office space, Healy was getting chewed out. His superiors figured him out, and now he was sat in interrogation with a furious pair of agents awaiting an explanation and disciplinary action. 

"You took it too far, Healy," his boss said. "I mean, you have really outdone yourself this time." 

"Yes sir." 

"Fucking A, right!" Agent Brasa slammed her hand on the table. No doubt she was chewing a huge wad of nicotine gum and gunning for his immediate firing. "This was our case, Healy, ours. Mine and Holbrooke, not yours!" 

Holbrooke remained ever brooding, silently leaning against the wall and watching the scene unfold. Though they made remained neutrally poised, he could tell by the pinch in their brow they were just as angry as Brasa. Healy had given up trying to talk to Brasa, and instead appealed to Holbrooke this time. 

"You two have every right to be angry with me–" 

"Oh do I??" Brasa cut in, "I didn't realize I needed your permission to be pissed off!" 

"-- but I did it because I had an 'in.' I saw an opportunity that only I could have seized, and–" 

"Are you really going to let him get away with this, Stahlworth?" Brasa looked accusingly at their boss, who merely scratched at his neck and closed his eyes as if keeping them open pained him greatly. 

"Brasa. Holbrooke. Out. I'll handle this the way I see fit– and don't argue with me, Marie, or I'll put you on suspension." 

The two stormed out into the hall, and finally Healy was able to breathe. As soon as he had been confronted by Stahlworth, he had come clean– setting up a covert op without agency permission and using a civilian to distract the perp while he slipped a mole into the organization and collected information. Brasa and Holbrooke had done amazing work– they discovered Haagen was the head, profiled the victims, and knew many of the locations of the exchanges– but they couldn't get any further to seizure warrants or when the exchanges were taking place. 

Healy looked pleadingly at Stahlworth. "They didn't have the resources to cover all those locations with proper 24 hour surveillance, Jack. Haagen is always one step ahead of them– of us– anyways because someone in this very organization is on his payroll. I don't need the glory, I don't want the case to myself– I just want this fucker behind bars. If you have to suspend me, I understand, if you have to fire me, I get it– but please don't throw out my evidence. People's lives are on the line, and Brasa and Holbrooke need this info–" 

"Who's your informant?" Healy snapped his mouth shut as the dreaded words left Stahlworth to hang menacingly in the air. "Healy? Who. Is your. Informant? Who are you working with? Give me a clearer picture of what you've been up to, and maybe I'll ask the DA to go easy on your ass." 

Healy gritted his teeth and dug his heels in. "I can't tell you any of that. A mole for a mole, I can't afford to trust that the eyes and ears in this very room are sound. Now if you want to pass this case back over to the agents it belongs to, I just have a few conditions concerning the safety of–" 

"Is this about Meghan?," Stahlworth asked. 

Healy's voice died in his throat. A lump formed and he had to swallow it down before it consumed him completely. Standing from his chair, Healy buttoned his coat and came face to face with his boss. 

"This is about the kids I can still save. Sir."

~

After LaShawn helped Jazmine pack her belongings, the daughter decided to take Hercules to the park for some fresh air. Her mother had made it clear she wanted Jazmine to move back in with her since she'd lost her job, but what she didn't know was that before Healy and Haagen, Jazmine was two months behind on rent, and she should have lost the lease to her apartment weeks ago. As it stood now, the landlord hadn’t bothered her once– so someone was paying her bills. Exactly who would remain a mystery as Diego, Healy, and Haagen possessed the means and the interest in keeping her in New York City, so she tried not to think too hard about it. 

Jazmine picked a spot in the grass and let Herc off the leash. She threw a beat up tennis ball with a little cheap plastic arm and watched her happy grey pupper zip around picnickers and other dog walkers, always stopping to be petted by every little girl and boy who squealed happily to see her. The woman was jumpy and constantly on edge, but for some reason she barely flinched when Diego sat down next to her. 

"I'll be honest, I'm glad you're here," she said without looking his way. 

He took the plastic arm and threw the next ball watching Hercules trot over hill and dale for this throw. "Did Healy tell you about Porsche?" 

Jazmine turned to see the dark bags under Diego's eyes. "He said something about a missing baby… is that what you mean?" 

The man leaned into her shoulder. "Yes." 

"I'm sorry, Diego." 

"I want my baby back, Jazmine. I want to watch her grow up happy and healthy and loved." He turns to look at her with an expression of maturity she didn't think he was capable of. "That's why I need you. We need you. You're probably scared, but you can't be more scared than that little girl is right now." 

It felt like a punch to the gut. Part of her was annoyed by his dismissal of her fear, but for the most part she understood. It wasn't hard to figure out what happened to older girls and boys in Haagen's ring, but what the fuck was he doing with babies? The thought twisted her stomach until her head ached from nausea. 

Diego continued, scratching at his eye to cover the build up of tears that threatened to spill out. "Healy said he found evidence of sales for kids under 13 that looked more like adoption papers than anything. Requirements for private education and a separate bedroom, things like that. He said he has a stack with no names but six of them are around her age with the name of the adoptive parents on it. It's a start." 

"It's a very good start." Jazmine placed her hand on Diego's back and let him curl into her side with a sigh. "It means she's still alive, that's fantastic... do you think Haagen noticed the papers were missing? He probably has so many…" 

Diego shrugged noncommittally and dragged her down to lay in the grass with Hercules. As he did, she felt the gun in her pants dig into her back, tightening that fist clenched around her heart. She was safe for now, in this moment. But would she ever be again?

@mental-bycatch @nicke0115 @1zashreena1 @girlpornparadise @kid-from-new-zealand​

[loser-writings]

Fluff ABC’s || Katsuki Bakugo

A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

    Bakugo isn’t one to just lounge around all day, so expect him to drag you around a lot. Random hiking trips, small walks, maybe even a date to the arcade or movie theatres. His favorite dates are always the ones that end up with the two of you alone without having to worry about anyone else watching, like stargazing late at night or exploring the woods.

When he has to stay home, His favorite thing to do is to watch a movie with you or play video games. Sure, he is a sore loser and has broken a fair share of controllers, but he does enjoy playing with you. His favorite games? Zombie games like Dead rising, GTA, and surprisingly? He loves animal crossing. He can and will spend hours fishing, catching bugs, and planting flowers. God forbid you kill his lowers.

B eauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

    He admires how patient you are with him. He is very aware that he has his mothers temper, so it was only natural he found someone to calm him down like how his Dad calms his Mom. Despite many not believing it would work, your patience made being in a relationship much easier than he thought it would be, but he is also very aware not to overstep. You are not a doormat, and he refuses to treat you as such.

C omfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

    He isn’t very experienced with comforting, let alone dealing with panic attacks, but he does his best. He remembers Todoroki mentioning that there are 2 types of people. The people who relax when they feel compression because it grounds them, and the people who become overstimulated and cannot be touched. When he sees you worked up, he does his best to stay calm and ask if you need held, or just need him there to talk you through it. Your answer determines how he acts. After your attack or breakdown though? He will always end up with you against his chest as he rubs your back.

D reams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

    He never imagined that he would end up daydreaming about a future with somebody. His goal was to be the number one hero but after you came in, he realized he would be content with whatever he got as long as you were there. Sure, this doesn’t mean he would stop fighting for the Number 1 spot, but he has come to terms with the fact that his desire for a family and a place to come home to once his day is done is there.

E qual - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

    Bakugo? Passive? You’re funny. He does tend to be very dominant, but many of your friends believe dominance to be how loud and confrontational somebody is. You know the real Bakugo though. Sure, he can be quite a dominant personality, but it really tones down when he is alone with you. He loves laying against your chest as you run your fingers through his hair as he watches whatever is on the television. He loves having you scold him or baby him after he is sick. In conclusion, His dominance truly just depends on the situation.

F ight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

    When Bakugo fights, he fights with passion. Even in little petty arguments, he is really slow to admit that he is wrong even if he knows it. On little fights, he will eventually back down just by huffing and leaving the room. On bigger ones? The fights don’t stop until he says something he totally doesn't mean. He might make a nasty comment or hit an insecurity, but by then he knows he has fucked up big time.

 Bakugo would forgive his lover much easier than he is willing to admit since he often realizes that he causes most of the fights, but he never apologizes until it becomes too much for him. This can be for a good couple of hours to a couple of days. He eventually gets really annoyed with waking up every morning before him and when you sleep before him too, so he apologizes because he is tired of being ignored.

G ratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

    Sometimes he can be a little blind to what you do for him. He looks over the dinners you cook for him, how the house is always picked up, and how you never fail to make him smile. It does occur to him at random moments, Like when he is holding you in bed while you sleep or when you’re cleaning his wounds, but most of the time he doesn’t notice. It can be exhausting for you, but after he makes a note of how awesome you are, he never fails to buy you a little gift or bring you something to show his gratitude.

H onesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

    For a long time, Bakugo had kept it a secret that he was partially deaf. He struggled to admit it to you when you asked him about it, but he mumbled about how he just can’t hear himself. It’s a side effect of his quirk, and he truly can’t control it. You had never seen Katsuki to be insecure about anything really, but this was a big soft spot since so many people complain about him yelling. After he admitted this to you, you went out of your way to try to get him some hearing Aids. He hardly uses them, but he really appreciated the thought.

I nspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

    He’s a little more cautious now that you have been with him for a while. Originally, he was quite harsh and never held back. His words could be extremely painful as was his punches, but you both have been together for quite some time now. You’ve made him think about what he says and when he is fighting, he has to remind himself he wouldn’t be any help to anybody if he was dead. He plays it a bit safer during fights with villians, but he still can be a bit reckless.

J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

    Bakugo always is keeping his eye on you. He can’t help but feel jealous when you help Iida. How you smile at Midoriya. When you have conversations with Todoroki. He can feel his blood boiling every time you’re around any of his friends. Hell even Kirishima has had to deal with his wrath a few times. Normally, this happens one of two ways now. People rather run when they can tell Bakugo is getting tense, or they tell you. When you hear, you call him over, force his arms around you, and continue to talk as he just huffs in your neck.

K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

    Bakugo hates when you talk about your first kiss with him since he wasn’t experienced in the slightest. He just sorta slammed his lips against yours and hoped for the best. It only resulted in your teeth clashing together and a busted lip. Now that you’ve been together for a while, he’s learned how to kiss. Sure, there are the days where he just smashes your lips against his, but they always seem a bit more gentle now.

L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o? (Warning mini story ahead)

    He actually wouldn’t confess until he noticed how Monoma started approaching you. Kirishima and Mina had been trying to hype up Bakugo so he had the confidence to confess, but he was afraid of rejection. By the time he was going to finally ask you out, news got out that the other boy had asked you on a date. He huffed around, seemed more irritable, and just seemed antisocial. He watched you leave the dorms, feeling his heart ache since you looked so breathtaking, but was also there when you came back. It had started raining, you were soaked from head to toe, and it looked like you were pissed. “How’d the date g-” “Don’t even get me fucking started.” You barked back at him before sitting down on the other side of the couch. “Did he not even show?” He asked, turning his attention to you quickly. “Nah even worse. The asshole showed up, flirted with anything that walked, then left me with the fuckin’ bill.” Bakugo could feel his blood beginning to boil, but he noticed how you were shivering. “Hey, go change out of that. Ill make some dinner for you.” he stood up and pulled off his hoodie before tossing it to you. “Put that on. It’ll keep your ass warm.”

With that, you did as he said and change clothes. When you walk back out, Bakugo has some fried rice for you and your favorite movie ready to play. He even brought out a small blanket from his room for you. At first, you're taken back but he just huffs and tells you to “Sit your ass down”

Once you sit, Bakugo wraps the blanket around your shoulders with a small huff, grumbling under his breath. You couldn’t help but blush a little and chuckle at his mumbling. “What’s so funny?” He asked softly before sitting beside you. “You’re mumbling about attacking Monoma. I don’t blame you.” he moved to hand you the bowl of rice. “Can you blame me? That idiot seriously asked you out just to leave you the bill. It’s all bullshit.” he huffed. “You deserve someone better than that idiot.” He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. You smiled at the food before looking at the boy. “Oh? Like You can do better?” You teased a little, knowing that he was currently taking care of you. “Of course I can!” You looked over at him and smiled before shaking your head. “You’re too cute you know…” His cheeks turned pink and he huffed, turning his attention to the movie before starting it. You started to eat the food, noticing Bakugos gaze on you. He couldn’t help but stare because this was the you he adored. The messy hair, the red cheeks, and how you seemed to steal glances at him. “Bakugo,” He hummed. “Why are you doing all of this for me?”

He sighed softly and looked back at you. “Cause...I dunno.” He huffed and looked at the movie. “I feel guilty in a way? Cause like...I was going to ask you on a date but Monoma asked before I did. But I also am pissed that he treated you this way.” He shook his head and looked at you again. “I guess it’s cause I like you.” You smiled at his answer and moved to snuggle beside him. “You’re an Idiot.” He huffed and flicked your forehead, cheeks red as he put his arm around you. “I like you too.” You said as you finished eating. He hummed with a small smile and just pulled you closer. “So...Does that mean you’re going to take me out to eat tomorrow?” “Sure...I guess. You pick, I’ll pay.”

M arriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?

    By this point, You both have graduated from UA, Bakugo is a pro hero, and you both live together. You don’t live in the middle of the city though, A few miles away since you both agreed that privacy was a big thing for you both. He had wanted to propose to you for a while, hell he even had a ring since he graduated because he knew you were the one. He didn’t know what to do, and he knew that he wanted it to be private since public proposals were too stressful for you. He ended up just ordering flowers for you, adding the note, and placing the ring inside.

N icknames - What do they call their s/o?

    Not extremely romantic. He mainly uses Babe and baby, but when youre in a pissy mood, he loves calling you “Affection Rabbit” which is a joke since you call him “Love bunny” sometimes.

O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

    It ends up being fairly obvious when he is crushing or in love with somebody. It starts off with him letting you win an argument or two. Maybe him commenting on how you’ve improved on your skills. Then it turns into him siding with you on a situation, and then affection. He hardly ever raises his voice with you and genuinely cares about your feelings and opinions.

P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

    He isn’t afraid to brag about you, especially if others are bragging about their lovers too but when it comes to actual affection, he is pretty shy and reserved. He may give you a hug or hold your hand, but he will hardly ever kiss you in public.

Q uirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

    You never feel unsafe with him because seriously. He has to be in the top 10 best heros. You know you’re safe with him even if he can be a little hot headed and chaotic at times.

R omance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

    He isn’t the best when it comes to romance honestly? He tries but ends up stumbling all over the place, so if he tries to be romantic, its similar to the things you see in TV or movies. Now what would he do to make you happy? Damn near anything within reason.

S upport - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

    He may not go out of his way to make achieving your goals easier, but he will support you. He will cheer you on silently, and feel an immense sense of pride when you do achieve it. On your bad days, he will hold you and tell you reassuring words, but he also won’t let you slack off for too long. You have to earn it.

T hrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice up your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

    Its a mixture of both routines and random events. He enjoys having a routine and knowing what to expect, but when he is bored or feels like life is getting dull, he will decide to do something to spice up your life. He might add things to the bedroom or try something he saw in a random romance movie, but he will do his best to keep him happy.

U nderstanding - How well do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

    He likes to think that he knows you well. He doesn’t know everything but he knows a lot about you. When it comes to your past traumas and triggers, he does his best to avoid them but also help you move past them so it no longer hurts you as much as it once did.

V alue - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

    Your relationship with him is one of the most valuable things in his life. He would give up his life to make sure that you and any family you have with him is safe, just because he knows that he would do anything for you. Including giving up his own life. Not that he’d admit it though

W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

    The first couple of dates are actually pretty intimidating because he is so focused on being The best. He actually is really tense and stiff, accidentally stuttering a bit. God his hands are so sweaty too. He even accidentally set off a small explosion when he went to pick up a glass which shattered the poor thing. He was so anxious he had to leave to go calm down for a few minutes. After the first date, you reminded him that you liked him for him and that not everything has to be perfect. He is still a shy mess, but the date gets a lot better after you leave the restaurant to go to the local park. There, he pushes you on the swing, you play tag, and just act like kids. He would never admit it, but it was his favorite date of his life. Even now you both occasionally go to the park at night just to run around and tease each other.

X OXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

    Bakugo is very affectionate in private. He can be considered clingy and touch starved, but he also enjoys his moments where he is alone. Normally, he will greet you with a kiss, a hug from behind, or something to let you know he is there. Later on, he will pull you into his lap and cuddle you til you go to bed. On the bad days though, the ones where he can’t save everyone, He needs his space. He will brush his hand against yours, kiss your shoulder, or ruffle your hair. On those days, you just have to be patient. Being a hero also means seeing things that many cannot handle, so he needs time.

Y earning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

    He steals your perfume/cologne. He can’t help it cause he ends up missing the warmth and your scent, so he often just hides in your bed until you come home. If he isn’t at the house and he is missing you, he imagines you cheering him on or holding him. When he is missing you badly, he will hold the necklace you gave him that has a picture of you inside. It’s his biggest reminder when he is working that you are there for him.

Z eal - Are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

    He would be willing to do anything to protect those he loves. If you are in any sort of trouble, your life is above his in every way. If he fucks something up, he is willing to make up for it and do the right thing. Hell, if he was forced between working less or losing you? He would find a way to make some time for you just to make sure you are in his life. He may not fully give up being a hero, but he will find a way.

[midethefangirl]

How NRS could have done MK 11

So, a few weeks ago, I decided to catch up on all the Mortal Kombat series I missed as the last MK game I played was MK 4 and I had no knowledge of the storyline.

MK 11, however, pissed me off as there were some unnecessary deaths and retcons in the story mode. Here, I am just giving suggestions as to how NRS could have done their stories. Before I proceed, I would like to state that my ideas are not perfect and these are just my opinions.

(This is from a discussion I had with @gon2ba1e )

1. Fujin was not given enough screen time in MK X, which is unfortunate because he would have contributed a lot in helping Raiden after Shinnok’s second invasion.

I also wonder how he would have reacted to seeing Raiden taking on a dark persona. From my deductions from the MK X, Fujin is like that younger brother who tries to warn their older sibling from doing something stupid but their sibling doesn’t listen.

He would have tried to stop Raiden from attacking the Netherrealm, even to the point of asking Ashrah to use her Kriss to cleanse the revenants’ souls (NRS could have made use of the opportunity to bring back a character from the 3D era). But Raiden, as usual, refuses to take that advice (partly out of the fact that he has dismissed the revenants as lost causes and partly due to the fact that Ashrah is a demoness)

2. Cetrion: I love the fact that NRS introduced four new characters: Geras, Cetrion, Kronika and Kollector; but we do not know much about these characters.

For example, we do not know much about Cetrion except that she is an elder god, is Shinnok’s sister and also a mommy’s girl. This makes her a flat character in the story. NRS should have given us a backstory about her relationship with her brother, Shinnok and how it was affected when he became a fallen elder god.

3. Kitana killing Shao Kahn: I have no problem with Kitana becoming Kahn or even killing Shao Kahn but IMO, I feel like it was too sudden. NRS could have given her a story arc as to how she was able to defeat him but in a ‘girl power’ moment, NRS left out an important moment of character development.

4. Dark Raiden: I wish he was not killed off in the time merger. I was hoping to see him as the anti-hero who would do everything in his power and protect his realm. I would also have loved to see him meet Kung Loa, Lui Kang and his Past self. What would have been his reaction in meeting these past versions of his protégés along with the past version of himself?

Would he be overprotective over them, wanting to prevent the fate that befell them in the current timeline from occurring again? Would he advise his past self, wanting to prevent himself from putting on the dark persona? How would his past self react to seeing him? These are questions that NRS left unanswered when they killed off Dark Raiden.

5. Hanzo/Scorpion: it is obvious to the fans that Ed Boon has a boner for Scorpion which could be the reason why he killed off Hanzo Hasashi. His death was unnecessary and if indeed, it was necessary, it would not be at the hands of a character he has never interacted with.

If anything, Noob Saibot could have been the one to kill Hanzo as the wraith had many reasons to do so.

6. Jade/Kotal: to me, this ship was unnecessary for two reasons. One, Jade never mentioned having a lover in MK 9 and Kotal never mentioned having one either in the MK X comics and story mode. It is like the writers pulled the pairing out of their butts because they had nothing else to write.

7. Takeda, Jacqui, Cassie and Kung Jin: I love the fact that these new characters were introduced to us in MK X and I was hoping to see more of them but NRS decided to kick them to the curb, just like that.

I would have loved to the the romantic dynamic between Takeda and Jacqui, how it would have been affected during the temporal crisis and the friendship between the four friends. I would also have loved to see Kenshi in the story mode but they had to kill him off in the Krypt 🙄😒 (fortunately the Krypt is not canon).

8. Last but not the least, fix this damn shit: Kabal and Sindel’s retcons. I was confused when I saw Kabal still in the Black Dragon at first but later concluded that he must have been brought out of the time he was still working with them until I read his MK 11 bio which claimed that he was initially a police who left his job to become a Black Dragon. Don’t even get me started on his arcade ending where he and Sareena get together.

He gets together with FREAKING SAREENA! Sareena who has an emotional (and likely romantic) attachment with Bi-Han. Kabal has never even interacted with her for once!

As for Sindel, you can read my thoughts on this in the link below.

Credit for screenshot goes to its original owner

[mwolf0epsilon]

Out of curiosity, what are your favorite companions out of all of the Fallout games, and why?

Fallout

The Original Dogmeat (After looking into it, it feels like this ornery dog had a lot more personality than the available human companions, enough so that he made a comeback in FO2.)

Fallout 2

Goris (A sentient and intelligent albino deathclaw scholar that wears a robe to hide his appearence from trigger happy assholes. What's not to like? Goris is an interesting character and I hope there will be another deathclaw companion in a future game!)

K-9 the Cyberdog (Cyberdogs are cool. Talking Cyberdogs with good moral compasses? Even better! Super pissed the NCR ended up destroying him to gather Intel on the Enclave. That's something I'd expect from the BoS instead, and it's left a bitter taste in my mouth. Rest in peace you poor pup.)

Fallout 3

Butch Deloria (He was an asshole and a bully during his and the Lone Wanderer's childhood, but you can't deny he isn't loyal to a fault. He's still a bit of an asshole with an unobtainable greaser teen dream, but honestly he's not that bad considering he was neglected as a child thanks to his mother's alcoholism. If you scratch his back he'll definitly scratch yours, even if he pretends he's not a goody-two-shoes like you. Plus he can give you a haircut, who wouldn't want a personal barber out in the Wastes?)

Charon (His situation is an uncomfortable moral conundrum since he's basically a brainwashed slave by anything but name. Oxhorn put it best in his video on Charon's situation, and I agree that the only good thing you can do for him is buying his contract and doing good out in the Capital Wasteland with him as your companion, as a form of atonement for any past shady/cruel actions his former employers have had him perform.)

Fawkes (A super mutant who may or may not have been a man named Shelton Delacroix, Fawkes is unfortunate in the sense that he was alienated by his fellow vault-tec security officers for having a conscience, and then alienated by his super mutant kin for being uniquely intelligent and kind. To add to these tragedies, Shelton was apparently married so Fawkes has a wife he can't recall who is either dead or a mindless super mutant herself.)

Dogmeat the Second (A loyal heterochromatic cattle dog who would fight to the death if just to avenge his fallen master. Dogmeat is a scruffy scavenger and definitly man's best friend. You have to wonder if he might be a descendant of the Original Dogmeat with just how strong his personality comes off. Some dogs in the wasteland are definitely smarter than others.)

Fallout: New Vegas

Arcade Ganoon (A gay mess of a doctor with social anxiety and a lot of personal demons related to his origins. Arcade is an intelligent and interesting character in the sense that he has a deep-seated desire to help everyone, but knows the consequences of one's ideals outgrowing the needs of others. He's grateful to the Enclave Remnants's loyalty to him and his mother, after his father passed away, and he definitly considers them his family. That in itself is an issue because the Enclave's sins will follow and haunt him for the rest of his life, even if he was just born into that life and not one of the people commiting atrocities.)

Craig Boone (His story is the typical wasteland hardened ex-soldier. He committed atrocities that left him mentally scarred and suffering from PTSD, lost his wife who was the only good thing in his life, his need to avenge her has left him dangling between cold-blooded killer and decent human being, and on top of that he's a bit of a cynical asshole. Still a pretty cool companion to have around, and honestly it feels nice to have him around doing some good for the Mojave wasteland instead of stewing in his depression and self-hatred. His sniping skills could help a lot of people with the Courier's encouragement.)

Lily Bowen (She's a super mutant elite spy soldier. She's also a sweet old granny with schizophrenia and a murderous imaginary friend. Lily is another tragic character who's story pulls at your heartstrings, and the three choices regarding her meds are another moral conundrum. Again I'd recommend Oxhorn's video on her story, since I wholly agree with his assessment on what choice is actually the best for her.)

Rex the Cyberdog (His background before he joined the Kings is shrouded in mystery, with the Legion's faded mark painted on his armour platting. Rex is a loyal pup with a hate for rats, hats and people who wear hats. His greatest ire is probably reserved for rats with hats. His recruitment story arc is also pretty interesting and it definitely affects his personality and endings. If you have Old World Blues and construct Roxie the Cyberdog he even becomes a father of a litter of "Boston terrifiers"!)

ED-E (Honestly it's my love for robots that make this little damaged travel companion so appealing. His mission is interesting, and the cashe of Enclave Intel he holds can be benefitial, but most of his endings point to ED-E continuing his journey eventually so there's a sadness with letting this little guy go if you get attached.)

Fallout 4

Preston Garvey (All Preston has ever wanted to do was help make the Commonwealth a better place for people to live in. He's a selfless man who joined a militia at age 17 to do some good, and it honestly breaks my heart that the Minutemen collapsed as hard as it did. Preston had to watch as the ideals of the Minutemen were crushed underfoot by a bunch of selfish assholes, along with an entire settlement of innocent people. He did everything in his power to keep the only four survivors safe and alive, and he's clearly traumatized, depressed and suicidally throwing himself at danger because he'd rather die fighting the good fight than caring for his own safety. He puts everyone else above himself and it infuriates me that people are so hellbent in painting him off as a bland character or a pest. Oxhorn puts it best in his profile of Preston.)

X8-88 (The Institute's top of the line Courser, the closest the Commonwealth will ever get to the Terminator, and livable despite his cynical remarks and persistence that he's incapable of emotions or attachment. It saddens me that X6 is only obtainable if you follow the Institute. It also pains me that if you do manage to befriend him and destroy the Institute, you're destroying this loyal synth's only home. You're basically stripping away everything he knows and believes in, inherently doing what the Institute has done to the Sole Survivor: Taking their life away from them. It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth...)

Nick Valentine (Moral conundrums are painful. Ethical conundrums are just as bad. Nick didn't deserve anything that happened to him, and it's obvious he struggles with his identity and purpose but chooses to follow in the Original Nick's footsteps to do some good, rather than hide away and mope. He's a good person overall, even if he's a bit of a smartass sometimes. He's the perfect robodad for anyone in need of a fatherly figure in the Commonwealth.)

John Hancock (This man has a lot of emotional baggage and has made a LOT of bad choices, but if there's anyone you can trust to be loyal and helpful out in the wastes, it's definitly Hancock! His crude humour and liberal use of drugs and knives to deal with his problems can be a bit off-putting, but Hancock will defend you no matter what. Heck, he would even defend Danse from the BoS and the guy's a racist dickbag to him from the very moment they meet. That says a lot about his character.)

Codsworth (He waited for the Sole Survivor to return. For 200 fucking years. Please be kind to him, he's probably one of the nicest companions and also one of the most lovable too! He is the friend you'd wish you had if you ever found yourself in the same situation as the Sole Survivor. Cherish Codsworth, he's all you have left, and he'll protect you to the best of his ability.)

Dogmeat the Third (A brilliant genius dog that is very likely a synth. Dogmeat, like Codsworth, is a lovable guy and should definitely be cherished. I'd recommend getting the "Everyone's Best Friend" Mod so that you can have him travel with you and another companion. It's almost like FO2!)

Deacon (He's intelligent. He's sneaky. He's a pathological liar with good intentions. Deacon is mysterious and charming, and definitly a little fucked in the head. I'd like to meet his plastic surgeon if they can make him flawlessly look like a woman and a ghoul, no questions asked. Oxhorn has a pretty interesting video that explores Deacon's character and intentions, if you're interested!)

Paladin Danse (I'll admit I wasn't all that impressed with Danse when I got my first impression of him. He's rude, he's impatient, he's condescending, and worst of all he is an asshole to anyone just a bit different from him. Still, the plot-twist left space for this racist Buzz Lightyear knockoff to go through some personal growth. The years of militaristic indoctrination will probably take a while to be resolved, but Danse IS redeemable if given time. He's not inherently evil, just in dire need of a tolerance lesson.)

[chaotic-creatures]

All That We Are (Chapter One)

Written by: @gizmo-the-gay

Fandom: IT (2017)

Pairing(s): slowburn!Stanley Uris x OC,

Slight!Richie Tozier x OC, Patrick Hockstetter x OC

Word Count: 1,716

Warnings: swearing, Patrick being himself

Tag List:

•••••

Julia Martinez was many things. She was smart, she was pretty and she was a good friend. So, when Patrick Hockstetter said he would stop terrorizing her best friend, Richie Tozier, if she went out with him, Julia agreed. She agreed because she didn’t want Richie to get the same treatment he got all the time at home.

Richie had mostly everyone convinced that he had a normal home life. But Julia was observant and too smart for her own good. Plus she literally can hear his mom screaming at him from her house which was right next to his. There was no way Richie could hide the abuse from his friend, he knew that, but he could build up walls and pretend it never happened. No matter how much that frustrated Julia, she didn’t push him. He would come to her on his own when things got bad.

Julia was an eighth grader, she was considered an outcast and got picked on frequently by Greta Keene and her goons. For some reason though, the Bowers gang never touched her. It was weird considering she hung out with Richie and they bullied him and his other friends constantly. Even if it was just Richie and Julia walking home from the arcade where they spent most of their time, Henry and his friends would pick on Richie profusely but refuse to even glance her way.

That was how she got into the position she was in now. Julia and Richie decided to meet up before they headed home. As they walked they were oblivious to the blue Trans Am following them. Richie talked non stop about the newest game the Arcade put in a while ago. Julia smiled at her friend nodding along to what he was saying. She hadn’t seen Richie for a few days considering she was getting over being sick. But just because she was gone for a few days didn’t mean she neglected her friend when he needed her. As Richie talked highly about this new game, Julia’s eyes scanned over his being. She didn’t miss the small scratch on his cheek near his eye or the busted lip he was sporting.

Her eyes moved around their surroundings and that’s when she noticed the Trans Am parked across the street. Before she could even warn Richie, he was grabbed roughly by the shoulder and pulled back. Julia’s eyes widen when she hears a small popping sound and Richie cry in pain. She turns and sees Patrick Hockstetter smirking down at her best friend. Richie was holding his shoulder in pain and struggled to get up as Belch held him down with his foot on his chest. In panic, Julia launched herself at Belch and punched him as hard as she could. Her fist hit his cheek and his head turned to the side on impact. She ignored the pain in her hand as she watches Belch stumble away from Richie. It was almost like everything was going in slow motion. Victor went to check on Belch and Patrick looked from Richie to Julia was a crazed smile on his face.

“Wow. I did not expect that at all. The princess really does have a fire in her.” Patrick says amused. He didn’t even check on his friend as he reached down and pulled Richie up by the collar of his stupid Hawaiian shirt. Julia swallowed thickly as her eyes dart from Belch who spit out some blood and rubbed his cheek to Richie who’s glasses fell off and were now on the grass where he fell. Her eyes land on Patrick as he grips Richie’s shirt.

“Let him go Hockstetter!” Julia yells out getting ready to fight if she had to. This only peaks Patrick’s interest in the girl even more.

“Who? This fag? What’s he to you princess?” He asks looking from Richie to Julia. He tried to read Julia like a book like he did with everyone else but she held her composure and didn’t back down.

“He’s the only friend I got right now! Now let him go.” She growls in desperation and frustration. Hearing the word ‘friend’ made Patrick lick his lips and smirk at the girl. Now was the time to give her a choice. He took out a knife and clicked it open. The blade comes out fast and it shines in the light of the sun that was now setting. Julia’s breath hitches in her throat as she eyes the blade. Richie struggled and tried to get away but the grip on his shirt only got tighter. Now he kind of wished it was Henry Bowers and not Patrick. At least Bowers would leave a few marks. Patrick on the other hand would probably kill him instead. Or leave him to bleed to death.

“I’m gonna make you a deal princess...” Patrick says as he holds the knife up to Richie’s neck, “either you be my girlfriend. Or. Your little friend gets to be the main target of ours for the rest of his life here in Derry.” Patrick says watching as Julia gasps. Sure it was hard to read her face but her eyes gave her away quickly. She was scared. And Patrick was loving the new look. “Come in princess. What’s it gonna be? We don’t got all night.” Patrick says as he puts pressure of the knife on Richie’s neck. Richie looked at her with pleading eyes. He knew what she was going to choose and he just hoped she would be smarter than that.

Julia’s mind goes haywire. Every thought she had running through her mind so fast she was getting a head ache. Her face suddenly hardens and she looks at Richie with apologetic eyes. She looked at Patrick with her icy blue eyes and spoke with confidence.

“I will be your girlfriend on one condition.” Julia says looking at him dead in the eyes. Patrick nodded for her to go on, “never bully him again. That goes for all of the Bowers gang. And I swear to god Hockstetter, if I hear about any of you guys bullying him behind my back, I will fucking end you.” She growls the last few words. Patrick lets go of Richie and holds out the hand not gripping the knife.

“Deal?” He questions waiting for her to take his hand. Julia steps forward and takes his hand. He smirks widely and grips her hand and then tugs her close to his body. Julia gasps in surprise and misses the smirks on both Victor and Belch’s faces. Patrick takes in her scent of lavender. He presses his face into her hair and takes a deep inhale while looking at Richie who was now standing with his glasses on. Julia didn’t bother to struggle so she let Patrick creepily sniff her and grip her waist roughly. After a bit he pulls away and looks down at his new girlfriend.

“I’ll let you walk home with the fag tonight. But don’t expect it ever again.” Patrick says before slapping her butt and walking back to the Trans Am with his friends.

The walk back to their houses was deathly silent. Julia didn’t know what to say but she knew Richie was pissed, it was practically dripping off of his aura.

“I can’t believe you...” Richie says as they approach their homes, “I can’t believe you agreed to be that psycho’s girlfriend!” He yells out in frustration. “Why the hell would you do that?!” He asks his voice raising every word he spoke.

“It was either that or you get bullied the rest of your life! You don’t know if the bullying would have gotten worse or not! I couldn’t just stand there and let you get hurt Richie!” Julia exclaims, tears welling up in her eyes, “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if your bullying worsened and I was the cause of it! You get shit at home already! You don’t need Bowers and his stupid friends making everything worse!” She cries.

“You might want to watch what you say about them now! Considering you are dating one of Bowers’ friends!” Richie yells. “Did you not see the looks that Patrick and the other two were giving when you accepted? They planned this Julia! Now you are just a pawn in their stupid game!” He screams. He didn’t care who heard now. He was beyond pissed at her for not thinking and for him for being a wimp. He was so angry that he wasn’t thinking straight, “god! You’re so fucking stupid!” He yells. That did it for Julia, the tears started to stream down her face and she started to sniffle and whimper.

“Go to hell Richie Tozier.” She says through small cries and turns her back walking into her house and slamming the door. The one person that always told her how intelligent she was and boosted her self esteem, had also been the person to shatter it. Julia ignored her mother and father. She stormed to her room and plopped down on her bed. She buries her face in her pillow and lets out a scream of frustration, anger and sadness. After she calms a bit she lays still and looks around her room. Everything she had reminded her of Richie and Richie reminded her of what he said. She grabbed the picture frame that held a Polaroid of Richie and Julia with their arms around each other. Looking at it she growls and throws it into an empty box that was near her bed.

After getting rid of everything that screamed her friendship with Richie, she went to take a shower to calm down. She gets out after a while and slips on some pajamas before making her way back to her room. She was exhausted from everything that went on that afternoon. As she laid in bed she thought of what was going to happen tomorrow.

She wasn’t looking forward to the next day. The day she will be officially Patrick Hockstetter’s girlfriend. It was a big step for her, she wasn’t planning on having a boyfriend anytime soon and she definitely wasn’t planning on not being friends with Richie anymore. But what can she do?

Life goes on.

A/n: first story on my new and improved blog! Uh the title of the story is of my most recent favorite song “All That We Are” by Blue October. Let me know if you would like to be on the tag list! I will make sure I add you when I upload the other chapters! Either send me a message, comment on here or send an ask!

[kirain]

Top Ten Favourite Anime Games

For this list, I will only be including games that are specifically considered part of the anime genre, NOT games that were created by Japan Studio or other Japanese companies/creators. So games like shadow of the colossus,  Bloodborne, Metal Gear, Resident Evil, etc., won’t be mentioned. While it is arguable that such games could fit the anime genre, it’s never been clarified. So here’s a list of my top 10 anime games.

1. Gravity Rush

There’s no real order for this list EXCEPT for Gravity Rush. It is easily my number one favourite pick. I bought it for next to nothing thinking it would be a cute little experience, but it ended up gripping my interest for four days straight; which is rare for me. While at work, all I could think about was getting back to it, and it’s one of the few games with trophies that didn’t annoy me. Seriously-- not one trophy pissed me off. In every game there’s at least two or three that really grind my gears, but Gravity Rush had nada.

There are several challenges in the game that are tough but fair, and they never become boring because they’re designed in such a way that the more you play them, the better you get. You begin to learn the controls, the landscape, the shortcuts, etc., which makes for some excellent gameplay. At no point in the game do you feel like a failure, which is nice once in a while. On top of that the story is fun, the characters are lovable, and the art is breathtaking. During each new chapter, we’re given information in the form of a hand-drawn manga, which only adds to the uniqueness. The language in the game is also made up, so anyone can relate to it. And the music? Oh, don’t even get me started:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxIC6Vu1ee0&t=43s

And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, they went ahead and created a sequel, Gravity Rush 2! It’s pretty rare, in my opinion anyway, that video games have sequels that measure up to their predecessor, but Gravity Rush 2 might be even better! It lets us revisit old friends, make new friends, explore more areas, it gives us grater challenges and a newly implemented difficulty setting, and additional online adventures that have nothing to do with achievements! What really hits me about these games, though, is the freedom. You get to fly wherever you want, anytime you want, at ridiculous speeds. The world is vast, beautiful, and so fun to navigate.

After playing and falling in love with these games, I can only assume they’re called “Gravity Rush” because they’re an absolute rush to play.

2. Devil May Cry

Specifically the first game, Devil May Cry will always have a special place in my heart. I played the game a lot when I was in grade school and kept replaying it well into my high school years. All the way up until my PS2 broke. :’)

Now, I do know that this game was created by Capcom and that it was supposed to be related to the Resident Evil franchise, but director Hideki Kamiya openly stated that the game is an anime-style hack and slash action-adventure game, and even gave the anime T.V. show, Devil May Cry: The Animated Series by Shin Itagaki, his professional seal of approval.

That said, Devil May Cry is addictive with its brutal but charming character Dante, and its dark and twisted plot/gameplay. If you’re into cool characters, blood and guts, and kick-ass combat, this is the game for you!

3. Catherine

Another nostalgic game for me, Catherine was something I played constantly when I was in high school. The animation is enticing, the story is a giant mind f*ck, and the English voice acting is stupendous. Like many story-related anime games, it has multiple endings, as well as a karma metre that wraps into your choices. The story revolves around a man named Vincent  Brooks, who is beset by supernatural nightmares while torn between his feelings for longtime girlfriend Katherine and the similarly-named beauty Catherine.

While the game is mostly a platformer, the challenges are unreal, especially in Babel (an extra area not related to the story) and the arcade game, Rapunzel. If you want your brain to turn to mush, I’d suggest setting this baby to the hardest difficulty. Naturally there’s a trophy for beating everything with a gold time, so if you get that you’ll be able to gloat to all your friends about how smart you are. XD

Jokes aside, though, there are other aspects to the game that keep you going. You won’t get bored of the platforming because between each level is the story, given to us in two distinct anime styles, and a trip to the bar, where you can get drunk and interact with other characters. Depending on the dialogue you choose, you could be responsible for their dreams coming true ... or their untimely death. A remake of the game will be coming out for PS4 next year and I can’t wait to play it!

4. No More Heroes

No More Heroes is another action-adventure hack and slash video game that follows a man named Travis Touchdown ... who is a hardcore otaku. Literally all he cares about is killing and anime, which makes for a hilarious story. Travis is also a top-class assassin in a world where assassins constantly compete. Think John Wick: The Anime. This game is full of comedy and combat, as well as cool characters, crude challenges, and a cuddly kitty cat. I played this game religiously when I was in high school, and enjoyed it even up to it’s weird mind f*ck of an ending. The only downside being that it’s only available on Wii, which made for an interesting and unique experience, but a sad realisation that it will never be available for any other platform.

5. Trauma Center: Second Opinion

Just like No More Heroes, Trauma Center: Second Opinion is only available on Wii; but that in no way affected my love for it. Second Opinion is the second game in a long line of Trauma Centers, but for some reason it’s the only one I enjoy. Perhaps it’s because playing it on the Wii gave it a sense of realism. The game is a surgery simulator, and like an actual surgeon, you have to concentrate and keep your hands steady to succeed. If you move too quickly or throw yourself off balance, the patient will die. The art and music are also incredible and, believe it or not, there’s actually a pretty interesting story that goes along with each chapter. As you work your way to more advanced operations, you really take a liking to the characters and feel a strong sense of duty to your patients. To anyone who owns a Wii, this is definitely a game I’d recommend.

6. Chibi-Robo!

Chibi-Robo! This game takes me back! I spent hours upon hours playing this game, and I still would today if my copy hadn’t been stolen. This little treat is only available on the Wii and GameCube, and was created by Nintendo. It’s one of the most adorable platform-adventure games I’ve ever played to date. The Wiki explains the plot perfectly, so I’ll just post it here:

“Chibi-Robo! takes place in a 1960s-style American home and revolves around a tiny, highly advanced robot of the same name. He is given as a birthday gift to a socially withdrawn eight-year-old named Jenny Sanderson by her father. This is much to the dismay of Jenny's mother, a homemaker who is constantly stressed over how much money her husband spends on toys despite his unemployment.”

For a game that seems so basic, there are a plethora of areas to explore and they are huge. Ironically so, I’m sure, but it makes for some amazing gameplay nonetheless. As you wander, you help other creatures around the house, including the family, solve their problems and complete challenging and often comedic tasks; such as flipping burgers, cleaning up puddles, and-- you know-- helping the egg general save his fellow egg soldiers from the household dog. Yeah, stuff like that. XD

Honestly, it’s super fun and I recommend it to anyone, no matter what their age. It’s clearly geared towards children, but I can’t think of a single reason why an adult wouldn’t enjoy it just as much. It’s relaxing, freeing, and puts a genuine smile on your face. :)

7. Pokemon X and Y

Okay, I know I probably shouldn’t add Pokemon to this list, but I can’t help it! I’ve always loved the Pokemon games, but they just get better and better every time! Pokemon X and Y quickly became favourites of mine, and they consumed my life for a good two months as I captured every single Pokemon, bred the perfect IVs, and worked my ass off to get every shiny I desired. On top of that, I loved the story and, for once, how my character design turned out. What’s more, I fell absolutely in love with the Looker side quest, which is possibly the best and most emotional side quest I’ve ever played in a Pokemon game. X and Y will always be special to me, because in was with these two games that I caught ‘em all!

8. Pokemon Sun and Moon

Visually, Pokemon Sun and Moon are the best of the Pokemon games, in my opinion. They were also the first to really shake things up and give fans new and improved methods of breeding, capture, travel, communication, and more. We were also introduced to a new type of pokemon called “ultra beasts”, along with a fun and alluring story with several new characters and legendaries. Throughout the game, I found myself laughing hard at some of the experiences, and I spent countless hours capturing, trading, breeding, spoiling, and loving all of the new pokemon the games had to offer. I even transferred my pokemon from X and Y over so I could give them the same love and affection. ^_^

I have to thank @cassafra5 and @george-nordington, because they’re the ones who bought me this masterpiece! Thanks, guys! <3

9. .hack//OUTBREAK

This is a game that will always be near and dear to my heart. Back before guides were widely available, I was playing a game called .Hack//OUTBREAK. It came out in 2002, when I was only 12 years old. Back then, my dad was still alive. He never really understood my taste in anime, but he wanted to try and relate, so he bought this game for me on a whim. Little did he know I knew absolutely nothing about the .Hack series, and little did either of us know that OUTBREAK was actually the third part to two other .Hack games. Still, I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so I played the game-- and I fell in love.

Visually, OUTBREAK was one of the best games I owned on PS2, and although parts of the story were difficult to follow, I was hooked. I dedicated entire days to this game, and because there weren’t any guides, I had to write down every code and location so I wouldn’t get lost/forget them. Today, I still have pages folded safely in the case. The amount of exploration and character interaction opened me up to a whole new genre of video games. In fact, it basically introduced me to anime-style games. I could actually buy gifts for my friends and build relationships. That seems common now, but back then it wasn’t for a typical PS2 game.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck when the save cartridge was accidentally kicked by my brother and all of my data was lost. I wasn’t too concerned, since I figured I could just replay the game and get everything back ... but the disk was also severely, irreparably scratched. It no longer plays. As such, it is now merely a keepsake from my father. I miss you, dad.

But 16 years later and my sister and I are still quoting this game! XD @alannahkiwi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I-7hwgwqa4

10. Persona 5

I only recently started playing Persona 5, but it’s quickly made its way to my top ten. I can’t say too much about it just yet, aside from the fact that the animation is crisp, the story is gripping, and I’m ready to sink hours of my life into platinuming this gorgeous feet of human achievement! So much heart and sole was poured into this game and it shows with every in-game step I take. This is the only game on this list that I haven’t yet finished, but I have a sense that I don’t really need to. Thus far, every mission has been a gem and I don’t want the party to end!

[floralreddie]

falling in love with Richie Tozier: Part 3 (when they’re teenagers: part 2)

it’s easy being with Richie

it’s like the two of you were made for each other

you remind him when he’s being too much of a fucking douche 

and he reminds you when you’re being too paranoid about something (because, honestly, you can panic about something for days only to realise it’s really not that bad)

it takes you a while to understand how to manoeuvre from being such close friends, to knowing that you can now kiss him and touch him whenever you want 

he, of course, has no issue with this

the morning after he slept round yours, you’re woken up the feel of wet and loud kisses being pressed against your cheeks and neck

you had jumped awake and smacked him upside the head and aggressively wiped away the wet saliva, whilst both laughing and calling him a grim little gremlin

‘what the fuck did you just call me?’

‘a fucking gremlin, Tozier’

‘that’s no way to talk to your boyfriend, (Y/L/N)’

your parents sit downstairs calmly drinking tea and pretending they don’t hear the two of you giggling in your room. they’ve been doing this since you started sneaking the Loser’s round when you were fifteen

you’re not one for pda, but Richie fucking loves it. he has most of the Loser’s grimacing and moaning when he walks up to you and kisses your neck and hair and throws a long arm around your shoulders

you blush and roll your eyes because you’re not into pda but fuck it, Richie is, so you’re okay with it

he’ll storm into your Science Club sometimes (it’s after school on a Wednesday) and just sit at the back of the classroom and wait for you, his face buried in some fucking History book that he finds oddly interesting. you both usually walk home with Bill after this, because he’s head of the writers club and that’s on at the same time as your club

you go to the arcade a lot, still. Eddie insists that Richie is a fucking child for doing so, but Richie doesn’t give a shit and even ends up getting a job there the summer before senior year

you like going there merely because it reminds you of the day you’d found him there, after weeks of thinking you’d lost the closest thing to real, caring friends you’d ever had and the skinny boy with the glasses and wide brown eyes and had let you hang out with him

but it’s also the day you defeated a fucking sewer clown

but whatever

Mike teases you constantly whenever you go over to his farm and walk about the fields around his house. you can drive now, and your parents gifted you with a shitty, beat up car for your seventeenth, so it’s easier to get to his now

‘you two were always going to happen, though’

‘whatever, Mike’

‘do you ever think about after Derry? When College comes around?

‘...constantly’

Richie has millions of nicknames for you, but your favourite is ‘doll’. you let this slip when the lot of you are drinking in Bill’s basement and playing some shitty console came that you have 0 interest in. you slip to the bathroom and Richie is waiting outside for you when you come out, planting a kiss to your lips and tugging at your braid

‘you alright, doll?’

‘I kinda like it when you call me that, y’know’

the others get used to you two being together, and you spend that summer going on drives in your car as Richie makes cassette tapes non-stop with songs you’ve never even heard of

he slots one in one day after you’ve picked him up from his house. he skips down the steps of his porch and past his mother (who’s smoking on the bench beside the door. she barely looks up when her son passes, and you want to throw something at her for it) and he hardly mentions this as he climbs, with long limbs, into your car and grins toothily and presses a wet kiss to your cheek

you grimace and laugh and pretend to wipe it away

it’s sunny, so you say, ‘wanna drive to that lake?’ neither of you know what the lake is called, but you’d found it a few days ago after you and the other Loser’s crammed into your car and explored the outskirts of Derry

Richie nods and kicks his Docs onto your dashboard and you’re off, and he clicks the cassette into the stereo and the music is blaring out and he’s singing along because, shit, your boyfriend has a pretty good voice

you’re sitting on the hood of your car in the sunlight just twenty minutes later. you’re wearing a summer dress and socks, and Richie is wearing a buttoned open shirt with a white tee beneath and your backs are pressed against your windscreen

somewhere down the way, your can hear kids playing in the lake

a song starts playing then, soft and nice and you recognise it as The Cure

Richie shifts and glances at you and you glance at him, a curious smile tugging at your voice as he adjusts his glasses and his curly hair blows about his pale and freckled face

‘you ever heard this?’ he asks you, chewing the side of his mouth

you shrug and blink against the sun. he has a habit of speaking through songs, you know. sure, he can kiss you silly in front of every one, but it was a different story to share his affection with you verbally. ‘nope’

‘oh,’ he nods and coughs into his fist and looks back up to the clear blue sky. you almost let out a nervous, startled laugh when his cheeks start to tinge red. ‘it’s, er, called love song’

you stare at him and blink, a smile still fighting its way across your face. ‘...okay’

he throws you a scowl, because he knows you’re kind of taking the piss as he struggles with his words. ‘I, er, I put it on here because, you know...’ he looks at your and you look back, that same smile still on your face as you raise your eyebrows. ‘because...’cause I love you, (Y/N)’

you grin and kiss him, your hand finding his warm cheek and his hand sliding across your back, and he tastes like cigarettes and sugar candy and he’s warm like the sun

‘I love you, too. stupid,’ you snort, pecking his long nose as he flutters his lashes at you and tells you in a thick Italian accent that you’re the cheese to his pizza dough

that night, he sleeps round yours after going home for a few hours. it’s a Friday, and Friday's are your nights whereas Saturdays are strictly Loser nights. 

you’re nervous, somehow. you know why - something has shifted between the two of you, something beyond the childish affection you’d held for Richie since you were thirteen

you wish Bev was here, even though you hadn’t spoken to her in years. you feel like she’d like to know about this

he sneaks through your window because that’s just how Richie rolls, and when he kisses your, lips cold from the Summer chill outside, it feels like love and niceness and everything you both deserve

it feels like home

because he is home

a home that you can’t imagine leaving

and that night you sleep with Richie for the first time, and you’re not sure you’ll ever love anyone as much as you love him

[juicecupswanqueen]

Chapter 3 of “The Newsflash That Broke Emma Swan”

Warning: In this chapter, Emma tells Codfish about her love for Regina, so he’s in it. Also because he’s in it, there is an “unwanted” kiss, as well as a brief mention of their relationship. Another trigger warning is “domestic abuse” (when did you think you’d ever see THAT in a juicecupswanqueen post?).  I promise you, there is no other kisses betweem Emma and Codfish ever again.  This is very much a Swan Queen Story.

----------

The dark of night shrouds the house in shadows when Emma creeps in through the front door.  She hopes that he’s asleep. Please, let him be asleep.

 Now, that she has had hours to replay the scene from that afternoon in her head, guilt and shame weigh heavily.  Her swallow is hard to force down as her insides thrash about.

 She tries to dissect her feelings.  There is no shame in loving Regina; she has always loved Regina.  But, there is disgrace in how she behaved so wantonly, while still attached to someone else.

 All those years ago, when she arrived that first night in Storybrooke, she was instantly fascinated by Regina Mills, and over the next few weeks, it turned into an embarrassing crush, but she hardly admitted that to anyone, including herself.  Then, as time went on, it transformed into deep caring, though she tried to convince herself it was because Regina was Henry’s other mother and he cared about her.  She hadn’t expected to forge such an important connection to a woman, who by all means, was trying to kill her.

 Never in her life, has Emma experienced such a wide range of emotions with anyone other than Regina.  Not her son, her husband, her parents, no one.   Of course, she thought of the baby she had given away periodically, before he had stepped back into her life, but having a relationship with him was easy. He was so eager to know her, excited for them to work together in the beginning.  Her relationship with his beautiful and puzzling mother, though, had been a rollercoaster with constant ups and downs.

 She sighs as she leans her head against the back of the front door. The house is quiet and the thought that she might be home alone floods her with relief, until she realizes that she has a hard task in front of her.

 Killian. She needs to tell Killian the truth, because knowing what she knows now, things can’t go on any longer.

 It’s strange that a piece of news, one sentence, changes her entire life and has her behaving so unpredictably.

 Shame sets in again, but only because of how she behaved. She kissed Regina, not once but three times.  Emma Swan is no cheater; she hates infidelity.  She has been on the receiving end of a lover’s unfaithfulness.

 Now, here she is having to tell Killian that their marriage is over because she is in love with someone else.

 Not bothering to turn the light on, she moves ahead, the darkness suiting her current mood.  It keeps everything hidden.  She doesn’t want to see the new side table she and Killian bought a few weeks ago, nor the couch they made love on last week.  Her stomach rolls at the memory and she wants to cry.  She feels despair now when only hours ago, on Regina’s stoop, she felt such elation.

 Emma doesn’t get to ponder it anymore because the door bursts open and Killian and Henry stumble in laughing and shoving one another, in the way boys do.

 “Swan,” Killian says in pleasant surprise.  “We waited for you but figured you got held up doing something. I tried to phone you.”

 “Hi, mom!  Killian and I went out for pizza.  And we played a few rounds of Dance Master at the arcade and I won them all.”

 “The boy can move, I’ll give him that, but that is not dancing.  Dancing involves partners.”  He grabs her for emphasis, pulling her in and squashing her to him, and Emma has the most unpleasant thought.  Had Regina felt like this when I hugged her? Like she wants to be anywhere else?

 His lips close over hers and she feels trapped and instinctively squirms.  When his hand dips lower on her back with no indication of stopping, she shoves him off, startling him.

 “As I was saying,” Killian recovers, assuming an old fairytale dancing position.  “This is dancing.”

 Emma allows herself to be led in an old-fashioned waltz, giving her an additional minute to gather herself.  All she can think is how wrong this is.  She needs to say something.

 “Whatever,” Henry chuckles and waves them off. “Lame.”  He heads toward the stairs.  “I’m going to call mom and see how she’s doing.”

 “Oh, she’s fine.”  Emma finds an opportunity and runs with it.  She’d rather talk about Regina than think of Killian pressing his forehead against her temple.  “I saw her earlier.”

 “Oh yeah?”  Henry pauses on the bottom step.  “What’d she say?”

 Not much with my lips plastered to hers.

 Instead, Emma replies, “She made apple strudel.”

 Hook snickers.  “I wager you couldn’t wait to lay your hands on that heavenly delight, eh, Swan?”

 Emma pales and her eyes bug-out.  “What?”  She wonders what he means by that, not realizing he’s not talking about Regina but the pastry.

 “The strudel.”

 Color floods her complexion.  “Oh.  Right.” She eyes Henry who is oblivious to the awkwardness   she’s feeling.  “I didn’t have any.”

 “Well, maybe we can work something out, Mom.  Mom always saves me some strudel.”  Henry wears a smirk and climbs the stairs two at a time.

 “That kid is going to eat us out of house and home, love.”

 “Well, everyone says he has my healthy appetite,” Emma mentions fondly of her son.  “Regina says she’s started buying gallon-size milk containers now when he’s with her.”

 Regina.  A sharp inhale and a weary sigh later, Emma finds the words dropping from her lips, even before she is ready for them.  “Killian, I, we need to talk.”

 “Okay.”  A cautious aspect is added to his gait.  His back straightens and by the tone of her voice, he knows something serious is on her mind.  “What is it, love?”

 Stop calling me that.

 A weight pulls at her middle and she can’t look at him. “Something happened today.”

 They stand by the kitchen table and she gazes toward the living room.

 “Okay,” he replies again, prompting her to continue.  

 “I…”  she closes her eyes, finishing.  “…kissed Regina.”

 The words hang heavy between them and when she opens her eyes, he squints at her, as if studying her.

 “Okay.”  She watches him consider this and shrug, “So?”

 Blinking at him uncertainly, she concludes that this is a little too easy. Why wasn’t he upset or furious?

 “So, you’re not upset?”

 “It’s not like it was with another man.”  He leers at her.  “Regina, while always a thorn in my side, is also rather agreeable to the eye, is she not?”  He wiggles his eye brows at her lasciviously and she wants to throw up.  “I’ve never had the pleasure, but I hear she gives a good ride.  Her majesty has always had a fancy for bedding the occasional wench. Nothing serious.”

 Emma gapes at him.  “You know Regina likes women?”

 “You didn’t?  I thought everyone knew Regina likes women.”

 She can’t believe what she’s hearing.  Emma wonders why she didn’t know this.  Had she not paid enough attention?  How differently would things have turned out if she had?

 “Wait, you don’t think she’d… consent to…” Hook begins and gestures a finger between himself and her.  When she understands his meaning, suggesting they engage in some sort of threesome, Emma is horrified.

 “What? No!”

 “Calm down, love, there’s enough of me to go around.”

 She gawps at him. He thinks she is jealous of him being with Regina, when the thought of sharing Regina with anyone else still rankles!  It was bad enough that she had to put up with Regina fawning all over that forest dork, Robin Hood.

 And knowing that she would rather Regina not be with anyone ever again than Hook, speaks volumes about her marriage.

 “This is not… how I imagined this conversation.”

 “Oh, come on, Swan.  A kiss is not a big deal.  The Queen used to be very demonstrative with her desires.  If Regina wanted you, she’d have you.”

 His words are like a wave knocking her down unexpectedly.  Did that mean Regina didn’t want her?  The woman’s kisses said otherwise.  However, his other words give her pause and she realizes she still has a point to make.

 “Regina didn’t kiss me.”  He looks at her blankly and she repeats what she said before, but with emphasis.  “I kissed her.”

 He scoffs and jokes, “So, what?  Are you saying you’re in love with her now?”

 When she doesn’t answer, and stands there gazing at him in sympathy, she sees the realization set in.

 “You’re in love with Regina.”

 He says it like a statement rather than a question and her silence is an affirmation.  

 Hook turns his back on her.  He’s mumbling and she thinks she hears him say that this was not supposed to happen.

 “Killian…” she tries to move forward, to do what, she is not sure but he furiously whirls on her and swipes everything off the table in her direction, sending a flower vase, fruit bowl, filled with fruit, and other items loudly crashing to the floor.  Emma winces as an empty glass, hits her and shatters on the floor.

 He doesn’t react or even care that she’s been hit because he is in such a rage and he lunges at her wrinkling her shirt.  The next thing she knows, she is pinned roughly to the refrigerator, and his eyes bore into her.

 “Killian,” she tries weakly because his fist is clutching her shirt tightly up against her throat.  Her hands are around his wrist trying to alleviate his grip.  “You’re hurting me.”

 “You are my wife!”

 “I’m sorry.  I didn’t intend for this to happen.”

 “You are mine! I worked too hard for my happy ending.” He attempts to kiss her and she turns her head in denial.

 “No!  Killian, stop let me go.”

 “Never,” he says against her cheek and the guilt that had turned into fear, transforms into anger.

 “I’m warning you, let me go now!”

 He kisses her neck, which pisses her off even more and she releases his wrist momentarily, balling her fist and delivering a punch to his side. He grunts in pain and she has an opportunity to push him away enough to knee him in the groin.  He unhands her and bends over, coughing, forearms covering the front of his pants.

 He swears colorfully as his knees hit the floor and she has a mind to punch him in the face, but it’s clear she’s won their struggle.  Instead she says, “No means no!”

 “This isn’t over, Swan.”  It feels more like a threat than anything else and Emma finds herself pointing to the door.

 “I want you out.  Go sleep on the Jolly Roger.”  She doesn’t know what will happen except that things can’t go on like they were.  She also knows she doesn’t feel safe with him in the house, so for tonight, until she can figure things out, he needs to be somewhere else.  

 He steadies his hooked arm onto the back of a chair to right himself and, instead of apologizing, he glares at her menacingly.  He sways forward, and she steps back in a defensive fight stance. Instinctively, taking a page out of Regina’s playbook, Emma’s right hand unfurls and a ball of white flame ignites in the center.

 Stumbling back, he is surprised at first, but then he sneers at it because he is reminded of Regina.  Holding the former Evil Queen responsible for his pains and he snarls at Emma, “Mark my words, love.  That bitch will get what’s coming to her one day.”

 “You’re angry, Hook, and I get it.”  Somewhere inside her it registers that this is the first time she has called him by that name in a long while.  “But don’t do anything stupid.”

 “I should have killed her when I had the chance,” he spits out acerbically and Emma’s jaw clenches.  Her eyes flash in blinding hot rage while the flame in her hand burns brighter.  She rears it back, not sure what she would have done had it not been for the soft surprised voice from the living room.  “Mom?”

 The second she sees her son standing there, eyes loaded with fear, the ember in her palm dies out.  “Henry.”

 “What’s going on?”

 Telling Hook about her transgression was one thing.  She hadn’t prepared to tell Henry.

 “I’ll tell you what’s going on, son.”  The pirate walks over and puts his arm around Henry’s shoulders and aims a wounded look at Emma.  “Your mother is a lying, cheating snake.”

 Henry’s eyes dart to hers and there is a mix of emotions in them. She sees disbelief, and when she doesn’t contest to it right away, there is disappointment.

 “Remember tonight at the restaurant when you were telling me how happy you were to finally have a mom and a dad?  A family?”  He gazed at Henry while Henry looks back at him, attentively and a bit adoringly.  Henry nods and Emma casts her eyes downward in guilt.  She knows that, though he didn’t know him long, it was hard for Henry to meet and lose Neal, his biological father, so soon.  Since Neal’s death, there had been a void in her son that he desperately wanted to fill.  He had always wanted a father.

 “Well, my boy, your mom has gone and ruined everything.”  He ruffles Henry’s hair and kisses the top of his head for longer than needed.  “If you need anything, Henry, I will be on my ship.  I can’t stay here anymore.”  Hook makes it sound like it is his choice to leave and Emma’s eyes narrow scathingly at him until she sees accusation on her son’s face.

 Hook leaves and the click the latch bolt makes is deafening in the silence left behind.  Because her aching muscles remind her of the struggle she and Hook had gone through, she raises her hands and casts a protective spell over the house.

 “What are you doing?”

 “I’m locking the house down.”

 “Magically?  Why?”

 “Because…”

 “This is his house too.”

 “Henry…”

 “Is it true, Mom?”  Her hands are at her sides now.  “Did you cheat on him?”

 “Henry, let me explain…”

 “That sounds like a yes.”

 “Yes, but…”  the teenager spins on a heel, shutting her out and running up the stairs.  She hears a resonant slam of the bedroom door and it shakes the house.

 She contemplates going up to talk to him, but has no idea what to say. I’m in love with your mother.  No. She needs to think things through.

 Anyway, she knows her son, and whether he has genetically gotten it from her or by living with Regina all these years, she knows him to have a wicked stubborn streak.  She needs to give him some time to cool off.

 Wearily, she sinks into a kitchen chair, sighing and muttering to herself.  “Okay. Now what?”

----------

A/N: If you’ve gotten this far, thanks for reading and I hope you liked it.  Readers have asked that I post this on fanfiction sites, but to be honest, I’m not ready to.  I hope you can respect that.  I’m handling this a little differently.  Just flying by the seat of my pants. To get to the other chapters, click the hashtagged title below.  I will at some point post it on AO3 and FFN, don’t worry.

[knb-holy-universe-blog]

I'm happy too! *hugs* Since we both loves him and your req open, i'm gonna ask for him haha! A happy one, whatever the topic you can think of. Mayu deserves to be happy afterall ❤️❤️❤️

I’m sorry for the looong wait, but since it’s BAE, it has to be special and hell Yeaaah he deserves to be happy. So, I wrote just a part and if you like it i’ll continue it ( I didn’t want it to be just a short random one, i didn’t want it to be half assed, I hope you like it darling

                                           My ice prince (Part one):

Most of people end up showing their true colors, trueforms by time, they got betrayed by their body language or by their behavior,but sometimes you can meet a whole different kind of people, a kind that buildwalls around them to get separated from the others. You can’t tell what theythink, what they like, what they hate, these people are a real challenge evenfor someone who knows a lot psychology…

Since my first day at university, I noticed someonespecial, yeah he’s so special, during the whole class while all the studentswere introducing themselves, creating their own bands to hang with or justhaving silly chat, he was all alone, not interesting in anybody… HE WAS INHIS OWN WORLD

I approached him, asked if I could sit butsurprisingly I got not answer, I was totally ignored by him. At first, Ithought that I’ve done something to make him upset but I wasn’t the only oneignored, so many students that tried to be friends with him (especially girls)got ignored. In the next class, the teacher gave us projects and picked twostudents in each project, when he got to project “3”, while looking down at thestudents list, he asked: “ Where is Mayuzumi Chihiro”, the silver haired guyraised his hand,

“You’ll take the third project with...mmm let me seemm the girl setting next to you”

At these words, I felt so nervous I was happy but alittle bit stressed to be with him in this project:

“Let’s do our best” I said trying to break this coldatmosphere but I got a threatening glare in response, my whole world wasbreaking down, I got ignored by the same game twice in just 2 hours.

“At least it’s one project, I’ll make sure to not sitwith him again and I’ll be alright” I mumbled to myself when the teacherdragged me down:

“I forgot to tell you, I’ll be teaching you twocourses this year and the other course just like this, is done on project andthese are two main courses that you’ll be having in the two semesters of thisyear”

“Sensei, please tell me we’ll be having differentpartners in the other course” complained a girl

“I’m dreadfully sorry but you will keep your partnernot just in the other course but also during the second semester”

This teacher broke you down, how can he be so cruel!

You looked at Mayuzumi blinking, “So this guy is goingto be my partner during the whole year?”

This is how things started with this ice prince…

I think that this surname fits him, he’s cold andunbreakable from the outside just like an ice and he’s handsome and charmingjust like a prince in some old tales. Well he’s no fun to be honest, he doeshis work very well but he’s awfully quiet and the time you spent with him inthe library preparing those projects is the most boring and tiresome part ofyour student life.

No, you never intended to spend your student life likethis, you expected something more active, like hanging out with friends, go toparties, enjoying events together but you found yourself just observing thismysterious guy and trying to read him, he awakened your curiosity.

These beautiful empty eyes of him, you knew that thoseempty eyes has some dark background, you knew that this cold guy had some storybehind and that this iceberg was broken from inside…. And here somethingstrange awoke in you, you can’t really describe this feeling but it was amixture of nostalgia, curiosity, compassion and maybe more but as said youcan’t describe it. All you know is that you wanted to hug him, to take care ofhim and to make his days better, and why not draw a smile on his stunning face.

What is this feeling?

Before you could even react you were all drown in him,the love’s waves have already taken you so far away, now you’re swimming in desireand passion for this guy, No you’re sinking in his eyes.

It hurts that he already noticed but didn’t react butyou already knew that he wouldn’t let you in so easily, if he was that easythen maybe you wouldn’t fall for him.

“Mom did you bring me that book that asked you about?”

“Darling why are so much interested in psychology”

“I just want to know, to read people”

“Ahha believe me, it’s exhausting, I work as apsychologist and that’s my opinion, sometimes you find yourself analyzingpeople without realizing”

“Mom did you bring it or not?”

“Mmmm it has like 1200 pages, do you still want it?”

“Where is it?”

“It’s funny what girls nowadays can do for the sake oftheir love”

You blushed: “No I said that I just want to know, it’snot about my love or anything”

“Of course, it’s on my desk” she said amused at thisawkward situation

“Yosh, maybe with this, I can learn more about youChihiro”

Reading people was always a piece of cake to you, yourmother is a psychologist so she taught a lot about psychology, in addition,you’ve always read thousands of psychology’s books but there was one person youcouldn’t read. HIM

Tomorrow:

It’s another day and you had to go to university asalways, you entered the room and spotted Mayuzumi sitting in the back.

“Ohayooo chihiro” you said in enthusiasm

Your response was silence with a bonus (deathly glare)

“I mean Mayuzumi kun”

“Kun” he raised an eyebrow

“Oooooh alright, Mayuzumi san, are you happy now?”

He went back to his light novel but as you arrived inthe table, he let you pass and that made you so happy, that’s a big progressyou’ve made. Yeah, before, he used to tell you to sit somewhere else becauseyou’re disturbing his quiet days but as time passes, and as persistent youwere, he let you in now without comments. And of course, you learnt to keepquiet especially if he has a book in hands, you learnt that you have to respecthis private space but today, you feel like you want to take another step andtake this relationship to a higher level.

“Mayuzumi san, are you free today?”

Silence…

You scratched your back head, you were thinking of away to distract him from his book before the teacher came in:

“I have an idea” you mumbled

You took a sheet of paper and wrote down:

“Are you free today? I want to go somewhere”

You passed him the note, but he was still reading. Yousighed thinking that it was a failure, but when he was about to turn the page,he took his pen and started to write. You felt so excited, your eyes weresparkling until you read his response:

“Go whatever you want Koroshi, what does it have to dowith me?”

You put your head on the table, wondering why did youfall for him?

When you raised your head, you caused the note to flyaway in another student’s direction, he picked it up and read it but you didn’tnotice, you were too busy with coming up with a new method to make him acceptyou.

When classes were over, Mayuzumi was ready to leavebut you were still sitting there and looking at him and of course, you couldn’tcome up with anything:

You’re spending the rest of the day ALL ALONE

That fact hurt you, you were feeling a littlepathetic. When Mayuzumi started walking away, a student showed up in front ofyou, he had a shining smile on his face:

“I’m free” he said as he showed you the note

You were shocked, how did the note got to him andbefore you asked, he added:

“This note came to me by coincidence, I think thatit’s our destiny to meet each other”

You werethinking of a proper response when someone else gave him one:

“It’s our destiny to meet each other, where do youthink you are? a movie scene? A romance book? You’re so pathetic”

It was Mayuzmi, you were so pissed off this time, herefused your invitation in the worst way and now he’s pushing off this poorguy, so you decided to do something that you will probably regret later, butnow you’re too proud to step back.

“Why is it pathetic? Who knows maybe it’s destiny”

His eyes were wide open at your words and that madeyou realize that he didn’t expect you to say a word. He turned to the door’sdirection and left.

“So were shall we go? Movies, arcade games? Karaoke?”he was about to add one more suggestion when you cut him off

“I’m sorry but I love someone else”

He laughed: “Someone else, this Mayuzumi, I didn’teven know that he exists, how could you like some crap like him?” he wasmocking you and disrespecting Mayuzumi

You sighed and arranged your hair with your hands, hewas waiting for you answer, to say anything but you just turned to the doordirection and left while mumbling to yourself:

“After all, Chihiro is right to act this way in aworld messed up like this, I can’t blame him” You were adapting the same attitude as him...

When got out of the room, you found him there, restingagainst the wall.

Astonished was the least that we could say:

“Mayuzumi san what are you doing here?”

He looked at you, his empty grey eyes fixed on you, itwas too intense and that could drive you crazy.

“You disappointed me, is this the kind of guy youlike?”

You caressed you hair with your hand, feeling likeyour forces were abandoning your body but your mouth was still on:

“Don’t be dumb, you already know what kind of guys Ilike, no you actually know the only guy I like, don’t you?”

He sighed, looked away and then left you there in thecorridor alone.

What does it mean ?

�r�*�

[therealestvc]

Abridged Max ch. 6

Monday had arrived and Max and Chloe still weren’t back. Kate and Victoria had to figure out what to do with the raunchy, outspoken other versions of their friends…and how to disguise Other Max’s accent and Other Chloe’s Californian accent.

Guide on acting like Max and Chloe 1. no cussing anyone out 2. Talked in a hushed tone or don’t talk at all 3. Don’t direct any attention to yourself 4. Tea parties with Kate every Wednesday 5. Don’t and I repeat don’t beat up Warren 6. Be nice to everyone 7. Take pictures regularly 8. No smoking any Mary Jane

It was working so far, it was almost like they were their Max and Chloe…the only big tests were photography class and eating at the two whales diner. They had Taylor and Joyce to worry about, after their run-in with Joyce and David. They had to be more careful.

Their first few classes were going good until Other Max decided to punch Warren in the face. Her response was “I didn’t like the way his ugly face was looking at me”, she hadn’t known about their Max’s obvious naive attitude towards the Warren situation. His response on the way to the nurse’s office was “damn, chicks be crazy”.

After that incident, they reached lunch time and ate in the cafeteria with no accidents or threats. Other Chloe had joined them with Kate, her day went very well until she decided to speak in philosophy class about the meaning of life. The teacher fainted. When she came to, she put on a film about Ghandi and muttered something about needing a vacation.

“I didn’t know she was going to faint, my bad home dogs.” Other Chloe quipped taking a bite into her BLT.

Victoria and Kate voiced a collective groan, ‘these idiots’. They thought before taking bites into their own food. After lunch, they had to split once again for photography class which Kate, Victoria, and Max had. Usually they would talk about what they did over the weekend with Taylor. Other Chloe decided to wait in Kate’s dorm, she was under specific instructions not to touch anything. She could do it right?

In photography class, they all took their seats and since there was about ten minutes before class started, they decided to talk with Taylor. They would simply explain about Max’s lack of speech as her losing her voice over the weekend.

“So how was you guys weekend?” Taylor said smiling.

Other Max made a noise of displeasure but was quickly shutdown with a kick in the shin by Victoria. Taylor didn’t seem to notice this, she was just waiting patiently for their answer. Kate and Victoria both looked at each other silently telling the other to say something. Kate finally spoke up.

She sighed “it was good! We had a lot of fun and ate a lot, how was yours at your parents?” She asked directing the attention from her and others.

Taylor answered laughing “it was like the usual, my mother is doing good..same for my father, and my brother is a little butt like always. They should send him to boarding school, I can tell he is running up their nerves…he tried to convince them to turn my room into an arcade haha.” The others joined in on laughing except for Max.

“Haha that’s funny, I’m surprised you didn’t kick his ass Tay.” Victoria said laughing.

Kate added in “if any of my sisters did that then, they would ship off to catholic school pronto” laughing.

Taylor took notice of Max’s usual humorous comment, she voiced on her observation about Max’s lack of speaking. The response she got was “oh, she lost her voice this weekend…from screaming during the scary movies, it should be back next week or maybe in two weeks” by Victoria. 'Well if Tori says it then it has to be true’. Taylor was good because she didn’t question much things and she followed by what her friends said but mainly by what Victoria said.

The late bell rang and they all got ready to learn about what their teacher was going to teach them today. Mrs. Crumestine got the projector on and one word was read “project”. Kate and Victoria instantly looked at each other and internally panicked. Oh boy. The instructions for the project were to pick a partner and take pictures about their everyday life, create a story so to speak. It was for the next week, Taylor already snagged Max as a partner before any of them speak up. This was going to be a challenge.

Taylor told a seething quiet Max that she would meet up with her at 6 today for some first day pictures, Taylor told her that she wanted an authentic retro look. So they would be using Max’s camera. Other Max just nodded and tried to smile but it looked more like a snarl. Class ended and the girls decided to go to the two whales to get dinner. Kate called Other Chloe, telling her that they would heading to Kate’s room after Max and Victoria dropped their things off at their rooms. She also told Other Chloe “you better not have touched anything”. She was met with a nervous laugh.

Once they reached Kate’s room after pretty much bribing Other Max with 20 bucks to work with Taylor on the project. The room looked normal. They looked over to Chloe who was sitting by Kate’s desk with a jar that was turned upside down. They each quirked an eyebrow at the blue haired girl. Kate sighed stepping forward towards Other Chloe and jar, she moved the jar and out flew a fairy who looked very angry and blew a raspberry at Other Chloe.

Kate turned towards Chloe again “you idiot, what did you do?” She picked the fairy and did a quick spell sending her back to her land.

Other Chloe shrugged “I just wanted to test out a spell, plus she said she turn me into a frog if I didn’t let her out”. Other Max laughed at this, but was shut down with a slap upside her head by Victoria, she gave her the finger. “Chloe that is soo cool, I wish I could been here with you. Classes were boooorrrrinnggggg” she commented amping up her friend who gave her a thumbs up.

“Could you two not be trouble for at least an hour? You know what, don’t answer that…Chloe get up we are going to the two whales for dinner, we are just going to pick our order then going to eat here” Victoria said already heading for the door with Kate in tow who was shaking her head. She put her arm around her friend’s shoulder in support. The other two were left behind and were joking around and kicking things over.

The trip to the two whales was relaxing for Other Max and Other Chloe who were pissing off the blondes like no tomorrow, it had started with the spitballs in the back of Victoria’s seat by Other Chloe. Egging her on by Other Max who was telling her to try and hit the short haired blonde’s head. When she would hit her head with the spitballs, she was rewarded a smack on her leg by Victoria who never took her eyes off of the road. Other Max was pissing off Kate by kicking the back of her seat.

Kate was praying to the lord for her not to reach back there and beat the crap of Other Max. She was already mad about Other Chloe messing with her magic books…those things were expensive. She was so close from losing her cool when they reached the diner. They both turned around with smiles on their faces looking at Other Chloe silently telling her not to screw this up.

When they got inside the diner, they gave Other Chloe a pointed look. Other Chloe shrugged. She stepped towards her mother trying to make her voice as normal as possible. “Mother…I’m sorry, I freaked out you and the coronal” she smiled at Joyce who smiled back. “Oh it’s okay Chloe, just don’t do it again.” She nodded then walked with some sort of swagger back to the others with a smirk on her face. “That’s how you do it, dogs” the others looked at her with gaped mouths.

Kate went to go get their order of burgers, salad and fries. They reached back to Blackwell without anyone getting pissed off or almost accidents. Other Max spent her time back to Kate’s dorm whining and complaining about having to work with Taylor, in her universe…Taylor was as equally mean to her as this one was before all the changes took here. Victoria reassured that Taylor had changed and texting Taylor telling her to meet at Kate’s dorm since they were eating.

Once Taylor arrived at Kate’s dorm, she knocked on Kate’s door…the others except for Other Chloe inside urged Other Max to open the door. However, since the dorm walls weren’t that thick…Taylor could heard everything going on behind the door, she heard a welsh voice that sounded like Max and a California accent that sounded like Chloe, 'thank god for no lock rule’. She opened the door and was met with the blondes pushing Max by the door and herself pulling with help from Chloe.

“Guys what is going on here?” She asked with an eyebrow quirked.

Other Max spoke before Kate or Victoria could “none of yer fuckin business taylorrr”.

There was a loud thud and they all looked down seeing Taylor on the ground from fainting.

The blondes looked back to Other Max who just shrugged and gave a nervous laugh…'ohhh now she acts like Max’, they both smacked Other Max upside the head who in turn gave them a glare and flick of the finger.

They both again looked at their fainted friend then at each other. 'We’ve got some explaining to do’

Picking her up then putting her on Kate’s couch..how were they going to explain this one without most likely getting a call from a mental institution? How long would it be before Max and Chloe got back?

How long?