#alt-j relaxer

[caspercubed]

top 5 albums! top 10 if you're a true and seasoned musichead

my TOP 10 ALBUMS:

An Awesome Wave by Alt-J

How to: friend, love, freefall by Rainbow Kitten Surprise

Are You Serious by Andrew Bird

Up From Below by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes

This Is All Yours by Alt-J

Dear Wormwood by the Oh Hellos

My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men

Creatures of Habit by Kiltro

Woodland by The Paper Kites

Hozier by Hozier

i thought id only be able to come up with 5 tbh cos i dont usually listen to full albums BUT!!! i realized there were more than i thought!! these r the albums where every song rocks and i love them sm :D

also made me realize i havent listened to some of these in awhile so im gonna need to go turn on up from below again now! YAY!!! thank u for the ask my friend!!! <333

[twistedappletree]

hair the way the sun really wants it to be,

whiskey soda please, your g&t’s empty.

[neighbourhoodtwo]

managed to get my hands on QI A to C and the complete tlog series 1-3 so. win for me!

[obscvra]

Alt-J - Deadcrush

[juhnkit]

Motivational Music in the Morning ... #AltJ, #DeadCrush ... from the Album #ReLaxER [Official Music Video] (2017) #MMitM1

[rainbowbeanstyles]

listening to alt-j and my uncle just told me he's enjoying their stuff😈

[sordidmusings]

Drown in You (Sanji x Reader)

Art by tsuyomaru

Prologue: It is no secret to the crew that you know soul magic. Robin was the first to understand what you were talking about - it is, after all, a practice from a far off island whose resident have all but vanished. While she would ask you actually engaging questions, almost all the others are just begging you to use it, but you refuse to budge and show them. You tell them about it though, wistfully and reverently. At first, Sanji would beg and wax poetic about it the most of all, but as you grow closer he learns to just listen. With your deepening trust and his lack of pushing, you decide it’s time to give him a taste of the heady bliss of brushing souls.

A/N: Getting this up quick before getting back to asks 👏🏻 This was written for me to practice using my magic stuff instead of just thinking about it lol I use it constantly in daydreams so why not try to actually get it down and see if others like it too 🤷🏼‍♀️ as far as this fic goes, visualization is used to control the energy of the soul then have it flow over Sanji then all his happy chemicals go ~W O W~

Word Count: ~3.8 k

Warnings: gn reader, just so much non-sexual intimacy, ✨magic✨, flirting, pet names (all gn), Sanji being down bad, reader finding it cute, it’s more opla down bad not anime down bad in this one, besides that I think he could be read as either

Hope you enjoy guiding Sanji through feeling a soul the first time 🤍🤍🤍

Suggested Music:

~ ~ ~ •���• ✦✦✦ ••• ~ ~ ~

“If you relax it will help,” you instructed.

Sanji was trying his best to relax but how could he? He had seen how dreamily you talked of your experiences with this, of how comforting and relaxing and intimate it felt. After somehow convincing his way into receiving the touch from you, he was ecstatic. Then the reality of it - of how vulnerable it would leave him - started to sink in and anxiety began to taint his excitement.

You laid a hand on top of his, stopping his fingers from tapping at his thigh. You didn’t have to reach far to touch him; both of you were sitting cross-legged on the floor, so close that your knees touched. 

“Really, don’t worry,” you soothed. “We’re only brushing so you can get used to the feeling, yeah? It’ll be a lot at first, but nothing entangling or invasive. And we stop if anything’s too much.”

Sanji’s shining blue eyes took their time examining your own before turning to the floor. He hoped that looking at anything else would help him think; whenever your eyes met, his mind went blank. The patterns in the blanket separating you both from the sleeping mat didn’t help him find his words. Neither did the pillows and extra blankets encircling your seats. As you started to pull away, he felt your soft skin trail against the back of his hand and suddenly the words came.

“It’s okay, I’m fine,” Sanji rushed out. It took only a second for him to adjust back to flirtation. “Just got tongue-tied looking at you.” 

You giggled at the cheesy line and how flustered he was. His practiced silver tongue didn’t seem to be helping him at the moment, which was probably making him even more nervous. You took mercy on him by not pointing it out.

Instead, you offered him your other hand and he quickly slid his into your upturned palm. He settled it so that your palms nestled into each other, giving you perfect access to run your thumb back and forth over the inside of his wrist. Sanji responds with a gentle squeeze. You pull your other hand away to resituate your hand-holding on that side to mirror the other. Sanji looked between both embraces with a soft affection that had your heart skittering. A deep breath helped steer you back on task.

“Okay. If we sync our breathing it will help the whole process and keep everything moving nice and slow,” you explained. Sanji  gave you a short nod and a shaky smile. “Watch me and follow.”

You started by breathing through your nose until you felt the air refresh every corner of your lungs. Sanji held your gaze and followed the action a split second after he heard the soft sound of your inhale start. You held that air for just a moment before gently pursing your lips and slowly blowing the air through them. His eyes shot down to watch your lips and his breath left him in a short quiet sigh. The gentle breeze you blew out brushed the back of his hands. You started your next inhale fast to exaggerate the sound and it snapped him out of his trance. He smiled in apology, squinting those shiny baby blues of his, and got right back to following you.

The feeling of your lungs stretching out your ribs, and the pressure of the exiting air tingling your lips, was soothing your mind and body. The effect grew with the sounds of your own controlled breathing and amplified with Sanji’s mimicry until there was a pleasant murkiness to the edges of your thought. Judging by how hooded Sanji’s eyes had become, he was feeling it too. Time to start.

“Now keep your hands in mine, it may feel destabilizing if you pull away suddenly,” you gently warned, voice quiet in your unwillingness to disrupt the tranquil air.

“Comforting,” Sanji responded, scrunching his nose. He resettled his expression to the flirtatious one you were much more familiar with. “Promise to nurse me back to health if anything goes wrong?”

“How else am I supposed to get my favorite treats if you’re out of commission?” you teased.

“Say that you’re mine and I’ll give you all the treats the world has to offer,” he promised, earning an enabling chuckle out of you.

“Well, we’ll see if you can handle that,” you said, voice affectionate instead of condescending. “Now less talking, more breathing. I’m going to start and I want you to save your words for anything feeling uncomfortable.”

At his nod, you began.

Sanji watched with curiosity as you closed your eyes and stopped all motion except for your breathing. He thought you looked absolutely radiant sitting in the warm afternoon light cast through the porthole, drenched in bottomless peace. Matching your breath became second nature surprisingly quick, making his mind free to absorb every beloved detail of you sharing this with him and to charge with anticipation for your next move. 

He felt but he did not see - no matter how hard he stared at the feeling manifesting on his skin, whatever was moving there stayed invisible to him. It started with your hands radiating warmth out, growing so gradually that he didn’t notice until it felt like his hands were shoved in laundry fresh from the dryer. The heat held steady for a moment, turning his grip lax as it melted any tension, before he felt the sensation change and grow up his arms. It felt both liquid and air against his skin; a summer breeze that swirled and toiled like an ocean current. A shiver crept up his spine, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Each place the sensation curled and puffed across was stuck between enlivening with an electric flush and sinking into the heaviness of a body deep in sleep. By the time it was encroaching on his shoulder, bleeding straight through his clothes as if they didn’t exist, his breathing stuttered to something of a gasp.

Your concentration faltered at the sound, offering Sanji a light reprieve as the energy lost its ability to ignore his clothing. You opened your eyes to check in on your companion and gasp too. His eyes were hazy and staring at you like you had given him his first sip of water in days. His blue irises  stood out even more above the light blush on his face, even with his love-blown pupils. You flushed at the look, but brushed it off; the first feeling is usually overwhelming and confusing and sets off many happy chemicals to douse the whole brain and body. You thought you hadn’t pushed out too much of your energy on him and it was all soothing and content, but his eyes told you that you had bombarded him with permeating affection. Too bad you couldn’t connect your energy to his to figure out precisely what he was feeling.

“Sanji, honey, talk to me,” you asked quietly, encouragingly. “What are you feeling?”

“I feel…” he started, but he trailed off and simply kept taking you in with his soft eyes. You squeezed his hands and bumped his knee with yours to jostle him a little closer to coherence.

“Sanji, is it bad?” He certainly didn’t look like it felt bad, but too much good can quickly lead that way.

“It’s… strange?” he offered. His brows scrunched from the difficulty he was having conjuring the right words. “Good strange. Breezy. Warm. It’s a lot though.”

“Too much?” you probed, already starting to lighten up the energy.

“No,” Sanji insisted, leaning towards you in his urgency. He caught the surprise in your eyes and forced himself back again. He cleared his throat. “Please.” He exhaled heavily. “Keep going, love.”

“As long as you're sure.” You took a deep breath yourself, needing to settle your own worry back into calm concentration. You gifted yourself a moment to caress his wrist with your thumb again, enjoying how soft the skin felt in comparison to his calloused fingertips. You gave one more warning: “It will peak before you adjust and it settles out.”

You did not wait for a response to continue. Shutting your eyes so sight wouldn’t battle you on your way back to your visualizations, you were back to your task. The way you’ve gotten success in controlling your own soul’s energy was with water imagery. In your mind’s eye, a lake behind your head leaked to the space between your eyes, where it poured down in a roaring waterfall. The majority of the torrent flooded down through your neck, into your ribcage, and along to the cradle of your pelvis. On the way, it bounced and flung off a boulder built of your heart and splashed to make trickles on your ribs, spine, and hips. There was, however, some water that took a different path. The highest rocks it crashed upon rested in your shoulders, making the water spray and rush its way down your arms. Its journey from rapids to stream took place along your forearms to control the flow by the time it reached your hands. There, the water became a gently swirling pool in each palm. By the time this vision had become immaculately clear to you again, Sanji’s grip had firmed back up on you.

Sanji’s nerves had worsened instead of smoothed out, but he'd be damned if he was going to back down from this. He needed to know that feeling you had tried to describe to him and the rest of the crew. And like he had said - it wasn’t bad, but it was.. startling? Unnerving? He knew the feeling was coming from his skin but it almost didn’t feel like it was his own skin; it felt like it was coming from a whole new body. It felt at once thrumming and alive as well as heavy and enveloping. He shut his eyes against the overwhelm.

With your own eyes closed, you had to use the strength and tremble of Sanji’s grip to guide you on when to pause and when to push forward. As you anticipated, the greatest reactions came when the mental water flowing from the pools in your palms up his arms snaked to wrap around his chest and then it inched further down still to dance around his waist and stomach. Through the process, he had shifted himself ever so slightly closer to you, seeking grounding and comfort in the flourish of feeling that threatened to puff his mind into smoke. Noticing his cute nudging closer, your heart burned with fierce affection for him. You had to hold yourself from releasing his hands to pull him into and embrace. That would be too much; he’s too unused to the process and you’re too unpracticed to keep the flow stable through that action.

Finally, you imagine the long journey of the water making its way over his hips and down his thighs to cover the remaining pieces of his body. All except the head. Saving it for last was generally the best idea for someone’s first time feeling the presence of a soul; the heart is where many emotions are held but the brain has the most ties to the soul. It was much better to prep it before the plunge.

“Sanji, are you doing okay? Ready for the last bit?” you checked.

“Anything you’re willing to give, love, I’ll take,” Sanji mumbled. He sounded pleasantly dazed like a drunk existing half in the waking world and half in dreams. You wished you could open your eyes to see him.

“It’s going to rise up over your head and then it should smooth out,” you explained. A lethargic hum resonating from the depths of his chest was his only response.

The conflicting reactions his body was giving to the river of air around him had begun to center slightly by the time you had spoken. All that progress went out the window when he felt little licks of wind flicking at his neck. He trembled under the electricity they buzzed along his spine, but found himself happy to be at their mercy. He felt so very alive and that in itself was stumping him. Had he been alive? Can you live before knowing a touch that feels so implicit after only a small taste? One of the few pieces of his mind that remembered the Before and that there’s an After to this experience was repeating the daunting fact that this is only the beginning of connecting to a soul. How beautifully terrifying.

More brushes of liquid air played off the skin of his neck and he found himself tilting his head back for more of it. The rise was steady, moving past the stubble of his chin, the ears peeking out from his hair, the ends of his bangs, his curled brows, and he was submerged. 

For a split second, the impulse to jump to his feet and run until he was unable to move almost overtook him. He was a lit fuze and needed to burst or surely there would be agony. But agony never came. What came was the comfort of a morning bed on a taskless day. He was surrounded by perfectly radiating body heat in a dark cocoon. The unfamiliar aspect was how he felt like he was sitting underwater, weightless and gently rocking at the whims of a constantly swaying current. He distantly thought that if he’d open his eyes he’d find the dark pits of the ocean yawning around him and all he could find in himself to think of such a haunting notion was ‘how nice’. 

Meanwhile, you were much more sure of agreeing to go through this whole thing because of how languid Sanji had become. His hands lay mostly limp in yours, except for the occasional movement of a finger to enjoy the feel of your skin. The little affections burst joy in your heart and made that path of water that your mind held flow richer and with more ease. Knowing he’d need at least several long minutes in this stage, you let yourself relax fully into your own meditation built on your rushing blue visions and his delicately moving fingertips. Just as he had learned to mirror your breaths earlier, your hands took to mimicking his own.

Time was a muddy thing from the moment he fell fully under until the moment his body was coming back to the world. It trickled in gradually, starting with the feeling of the blanket and mattress pad he sat on and ending with the brush of his clothes on his skin when he finally shifted. The great abyss around him shrunk back to the initial feeling of twirling winds over his skin. Unlike the initial feeling, this didn’t send his body and mind reeling; it left him warm and relaxed like a decadent hot oil massage. There was still a sense of being enveloped, though. It had him thinking back to the last time he had fallen asleep wrapped in the arms of another. Despite the easy comparison, there was no unsatiated hunger plaguing him from the closeness. He was at ease.

Sanji’s eyes began to blink open once they were ready, and he was glad they did. In front of him you sat as peaceful as he had ever seen you. Once he was able to move his gaze away from the little shadows your lashes cast onto your cheeks or the enchanting curves of your resting lips, he began fully taking you in. Slowly trailing his eyes over every detail, his heart swelled with love until it pressed a placid smile on his lips. The pieces he most wanted to store away in his mind forever were the content look making your face even more beautiful to him and the sight of his hands held so caringly in your own. He let out a happy sigh as he watched your thumbs trace him once more.

“Sanji?” you called softly.

“Yes, dear?”

“How are you feeling?” He almost laughed at your question.

“I feel wonderful,” he breathed out. You could hear the smile shaping his words and were struck with the bare emotion in his statement. He sounded just like he said.

“Perfect. You’ve done beautifully, sweetheart,” you spoke through your own smile. Even with your eyes closed, you could tell he was preening at your praise.

You lightened up your conscious control of your energy flowing around Sanji. It continued on its path with ease, enough that you were able to let the feeling of its circulation sustain itself instead of needing your imagery. The repetition of it over the long time spent meditating helped you to focus in on what your energy feels like. Usually, that was something too abstract for you to be able to call on straight away. It would take hours and hours more in that sensation before your brain could own and control it with ease. For now, you were good enough to latch onto it once it was there long enough so you fully release the envisioned control by blinking your eyes open.

Sanji was already looking at you. He was no longer flushed and fidgety; every roused edge of him had polished out to a serene shine. The smile stuck on his face was delicate, only pulling his lips to curl enough to press into his cheeks and threaten to crinkle his eyes. Those eyes were half-lidded but still glimmering as they looked back at you. You darted your eyes back to his smile, which now exposed a hint of his teeth between his gently parted lips.

“What now, love?” Sanji asked. He was loath to interrupt the moment, but truly needed to know what he was supposed to do now that he had reached the goal of this whole endeavor. Would you just suck the feeling out right away? Would you pull your hands from his? Would you leave him to process this whole thing alone? Leave him to starve for a taste he’d never get again?

You took one last moment to check him over before deciding to be a little self indulgent. Sure, this would help him ease back out to no soul contact more than just sitting there, but it also wasn’t absolutely necessary. You didn’t think he would mind though.

“I think we could both use a lay down and maybe a nap,” you offered, nodding your head to the side to gesture to the head of the sleeping mat. Now his smile split wide enough to scrunch his eyes.

“You’re going to spoil me rotten, love,” he jokingly admonished, already leaning himself in the direction you’d motioned towards. He wasn’t going anywhere fast though; his body felt as heavy and slow and syrupy as his mind did.

Deciding to expose more of your soft spot for him than usual, you respond, “Good. You do enough spoiling to deserve some in return.” 

The fondness in your voice let him know that it was true care offered instead of easy flirting. Hearing you send that tone his way had his supporting arm collapse under him, sending him down to his elbow. Were it any other time, he would’ve tried to hide the slip or recover quickly, but it wasn’t any other time and he simply went with it to finish crawling the short distance to the head of the mat. The movement to get to his side was more flopping than laying, but the shift to his back was at least smoother. Those lovely blue eyes fluttered closed and refused to open.

You kept close to him the whole way, smiling and snorting at his lack of grace under the influence of the new and potent headspace brought on by your own energy. Yes, you wanted to be close anyway, but it was functionally to make it easy to keep him within the swirl of your soul. Once he had surrendered to the position his body ended up in, you began adjusting him to make sure he was as comfortable as possible. An arm was saved from its strange angle, his head was raised and placed on a plush pillow, the most luxurious of your blankets was grabbed to place on him. The whole time Sanji was mumbling sweet pet names along with his thanks.

Ever since you had mentioned sleep, Sanji felt it pulling at him. It only got worse when he moved and laid down. He was existing so sweetly in a waking dream, stuck half-lucid in a body that was being tended by your very soul. He thanked whatever lucky stars were up there and shot a “thank you” to whatever past life had earned him this; he didn’t think it could get any better than the bone deep contentment that saturated him. 

That was until you laid down next to him and started snuggling into his right side.

The feeling of your warm and soft body shifting into him until you molded perfectly against each other had one more flurry of tingles and skipping heartbeats work through him. Your cheek was nestled against the top of his pec and you were happy to find that the fabric of his dress shirt felt soft against your skin. The arm that laid over him was reached out so that your hand could rest on the shoulder opposite your head. The whispering sound of your skin brushing over the fabric of his pants filled the air as you bent your right leg just enough to nestle in between his. You couldn’t help the deep, contented sigh that left you at the pleasant feeling of his thick thighs cradling one of yours. You had nearly forgotten to pull the blanket up over the two of you with how harshly the drain from concentrating and moving your energy had started to hit you. It didn’t help that Sanji was just as enviously comfortable as he looked.

Sanji drank in every touch you offered with satisfaction and serenity. Every single one seemed to solidify the heaven that wrapped his every sense in comfort and peace. His left hand managed to make its way up and hold the hand you had rested on his shoulder. His right was placed down lovingly on your waist. You mumbled something that could’ve been “sweet dreams” and he mumbled back with just as much clarity. 

With your last waking action, you gave him a gentle squeeze then fully relaxed your body into his. Sanji stayed conscious for as long as he could, basking in the feeling of being truly held.

~ ~ ~ ••• ✦✦✦ ••• ~ ~ ~

No Pressure Taglist: @click-and-flash-pest-captures @gingernut1314 @writingmysanity @hey-august @schoute @feral-artistry @haveatthee83

Masterlist

[causenessus]

cold kisses

part 0.14. MAIN ATTRACTION

PLAYING FROM KODZUKEN'S STREAM . . . matilda by alt-j

kenma acted more like a cat than he liked to admit. to his distaste, he’d copy something goldfish would do without meaning to and she would always point it out. it was a common sight for her to find him sleeping around in multiple areas of the apartment, sleeping the day away. 

she’d always wondered; had nekoma high been made for him or had he been made for nekoma? she’d once teased him about it before. she’d flopped onto his bed one night and brought up the question while he was playing some game by himself.

he’d immediately cut her off with a huff, saying, “neither. neither of us were made for each other. i’m not a cat.” then he’d turned back to face his monitor, pulling up his hood and tightening the drawstrings to block her out of his sight. but she’d seen his headphones. he still had the side of his headphones close to her pushed behind his ear in case she said anything else. he was still listening.

not a cat, he persisted, yet he was always aware of his surroundings. eyes darting around, head perking up at any sound. and perhaps her first mistake was thinking she could sneak back into their apartment late at night without alarming him.

when she first walked in, she found him at the kitchen, head resting on his arms. he looked like he was sleeping and her heart twisted with guilt. had he even moved since last night? when was the last time he’d eaten? she knew him well. she had a feeling he’d stayed in the kitchen the entire day.

she’d planned to wake him up after she’d placed her bags back down in her room. she would look in the mirror, fix any stray strands of hair if needed, prepare herself, and then walk back out to wake him up and talk to him.

she didn’t get to do any of those things.

“y/n.”

she heard the voice behind her and immediately froze.

“hi,” she turned to look at him, trying to keep her voice a steady tone. when had he even left the table? she wanted to keep herself calm and emotionless. she wanted him to talk first, but looking at him, both of them standing right in front of her bedroom door, dimly lit by the kitchen light, she just wanted to pull him into a hug and confess everything. his hair wasn’t pulled back–a sight she couldn’t recall seeing for months–framing a grim face. he looked similar to when they had still been in high school together, more closed off, shy, and small. he was taller now, and she looked up at him as he came to stand closer to her.

“can we talk?” he asked softly. had she even seen him look so emotional before? she had to force herself to look away from his eyes, she was so caught up in how glassy they looked, as if he was on the verge of crying. she wouldn’t be able to keep herself together if she kept staring.

“we can talk after i put my bags down. just wait,” she answered, turning back around to open her door before a hand gently but firmly grabbed her wrist turning her back around.

“i'm sorry," he immediately blurted, looking at her as if was trying to apologize for grabbing her and numerous other things but he didn’t let go of her wrist. “i’m sorry, i can’t wait. i can’t–i’ve been so horrible to you and all i can think about is apologizing to you. and you made me wait the whole day–” he relaxed his grip when he felt confident she wasn’t going to leave him again and let his head drop onto her shoulder, a small, nervous laugh coming from him.

she laughed too, all of her previous plans left behind. she ran one hand through his hair, the other wrapped around his neck, holding him close. “i’m sorry, no one told you the plan for today did they?”

she felt him shake his head slowly against her shoulder before he pulled back. her arms fell back to her sides while he exhaled a long sigh. “i’m sorry for everything i said. i said i didn’t care because it’s the exact opposite. i care so much about you, y/n. i was so wrapped up in my head about you being with atsumu and about talking to you that i said the wrong thing. but i do care about you. this…whatever we’re doing–it’s more than just a thing to me. being able to be so honest and close to you, it's the best thing that's ever happened to me.” he looked down to pull at the sleeve of his sweater, “sorry, you know i’m not good with words.”

“yeah, i do know that,” she replied, smiling when he looked back at her.

she thinks his eyes are flicking between her eyes and slight lower at her lips but there’s too many things happening for her to focus on that. her heart is beating fast as well, trying to think of how to tell him how she feels, “i’m sorry, too, for giving you the wrong impression and walking out on you. that wasn’t fair to you at all, so i’m sorry i caused you all this stress in the first place.”

he shakes his head again at her words, “you don’t have anything to apologize for. i’m the one that assumed things and god–this is never going to end with the both of us. i’m the one that needs to apologize, i said something i didn’t mean and i shouldn’t have. i made you feel like i’ve been pretending this whole time when everything i’ve said to you is real. i do love you, more than just a friend.”

he’s closer now, and she absentmindedly pushes back a stray strand of hair falling in front of his face. when she brushes it back, he’s close enough that she can see the light pink blush covering his face and ears and inherently bites her lip.

“can i kiss you?” he whispers.

her hands are already on the back of his head, pulling him to her.

prev. | m.list | next

extras <3

iwa and suna are both y/n's equally scary guard dogs

the difference is that iwa guards from afar while suna stays right next to y/n

like suna is focused on making sure y/n is safe while iwa ensures that the entire perimeter is safe <3

also everytime she stays over none of them ever sleep in a bed either they're all in the living room and suna and iwa are sleeping on the floor while she's on the couch or they all fall asleep cuddling <3

iwa did NOT let y/n go skate with oikawa until she had deleted her tweet like a true mother

and when suna, iwa, and oikawa came to watch y/n's skating practice ukai (and atsumu) were both slightly off put by the three towering men who walked in

but then he recognized them all and was like "ok chill"

when they sat next to ukai he started talking to them about how he thought they were another publicity photographer and how last time the photographer was shamelessly trying to take photos of him as well

bc i mean i would do the same he has no business being that good looking

kuroo bought coffee for y/n only when they met up because he still wanted to buy her something after everything that had happened

original song for this chapter was supposed to be stargirl interlude but matilda played while i was writing the majority of this chapter so it got chosen again (this is ur sign to listen to @eggyrocks' cold kisses playlist!!)

it wasn't even a fair fight tbh i would give alt-j my firstborn for any song

taglist: @rinheartshyunlix @kettlepop @cr4yolaas @httpakkeiji @keioover @does-directions @calx-bdo @staygoldsquatchling02 @cherrypieyourface @iluv-ace @kitty-m30w @h3xi2g0n3 @mylahrins @thechaosoflonging @momoriii-i @localgaytrainwreck @a-pastel-edgelord @bugglesboop @polish-cereal @osakis-gf @phoenix-eclipses @faesix @ryeyeyer @skylarkalchemist @kunimix @sereniteav @kodzubaby @stayyyyyyyyyyyy21 @r0seandth0rns @gsyche @kitnootkat @seillarium @tamimemo @myromanempiree @coldcigarette @eclipticnikki @squiishymeow @vivian-555 @cryptictheseus @eclecticeggknightpsychic @kodzukein @kawaii-angelanne @luvly-writer @kodzuken-hoe @kodzuken88 @bookworm-center @theweirdfloatything @glitch-karma @spicana

[elsweetheart]

Ellie and abby and reader get high together PLS I need more poly content😣😣😣 both of them at once is the sluttiest need plsss

i caved …

three’s a crowd.

🎀 let’s imagine a alt universe where abby + ellie + joel never have beef and everything is sunshine and rainbows 🌈 okay? okay. ⬇️ kinda smutty !

“ohhh, amateur alert.” ellie jeers as abby coughs, having taken a deep inhale from the joint. you sit between your two girlfriends, the two of them passing a blunt between you. you felt hazy, hyper aware of their touch— the weed headed straight for your cunt.

“shut up.” abby rolled her eyes but a lazy smirk stayed put on her lips, her strong hand adjusting itself where it rested on your shoulder. she passed the J towards ellie, who turned to you immediately, the smoking paper pinched between her long fingers.

“y’want another pull, babe?” her eyes darted towards your bottom lip, flushed and swollen from where you’d subconsciously been sucking and biting on it watching your two partners smoke so casually. you weren’t sure why, but something about it was so attractive.

“mm, one more.” you grinned, eyes barely open with how sore and heavy they felt from the high. ellie brought the blunt to your lips, shuffling closer to you and and you leant in, meeting her half way to inhale it. as you leant forward, abby’s eyes drifted down your tank top, your nipples pebbled against the fabric. you squinted as you held the smoke in your mouth before exhaling, ellie grinning almost proudly at you.

“burns so good, huh?” she comment on the way it felt and you nod, relaxing into abby more.

“no more for this one, m’not sure she can take it.” abby instructed, her voice tired and low. you nuzzled your cheek into her chest as she cradled your head, looking down at the way you giggled against her. “yeah i can… can take it really good.” you purred, pushing your face up to be eye level with abby. you were fully aware of the double entendre, and the way your tits were pushed together as you cuddled up to her. she eyed you, before curling a finger beneath your chin and letting your lips press slowly and lightly to hers, the tease of it making your cotton underwear more damp in your shorts.

ellie sat back, manspreading in the chair as she watched you makeout with abby. she finished off the joint, holding it between her fingers as she eyed you.

“hey, you forgotten ‘bout me already? maybe i want a kiss too.” ellie leant off the seat to reach your waist to pinch it with her free hand and you pulled away from abby breathlessly, letting her thumb away the string of spit connecting the two of you. you turned your attention now to ellie as she sat back, who didn’t miss the way the blonde slightly rolled her eyes at this. the freckled girl sat a little further on the long couch, so you ended up on your hands and knees to crawl to where she sat, your back arched a little for abby’s viewing pleasure as the weed had made you bold.

ellie raised her eyebrows with a pleased smirk, her eyes trailing down to your tits before returning to your giggly smile. with determination, she tossed the blunt to the side before grabbing your cheeks with two hands and pulling you in for a passionate kiss. as she did so, abby’s hand almost in a trance slid up the back of your thigh as she admired your position, running up to grope your ass feeling her own skin heat up from arousal. “nice fucking view.” abby’s thumb pressed between your folds through the material of your thin shorts making you jolt and whine against ellie’s mouth. ellie pulled you away for a moment, her hand gently around your neck, thumb stroking your throat distractedly as she peered round to check out what abby was doing. she looked back at you, watching the way you were grinding back against abby’s thumb and smirked.

“we gotta find more weed, makes our girl so fuckin’ horny.”

♡

[englandamericaitaly]

It's time for more Batfam Big Bang!!

I got the wonderful honor of working with @disillusioneddanny to draw for their WONDERFUL fic!!

Link to fic

@batfam-big-bang

Alt text for image: Drawing of Jason Todd and Tim Drake from Batman. Both characters are wearing white, hooded, plastic jumpsuits over their standard clothes. Both characters are seated with their knees pulled up towards their chests. Jason is on the left and Tim is on the right. Jason is more relaxed but frowning and concerned. He is looking at Tim with his eyes but does not have his head fully turned towards him. The top of a red t-shirt peeks through the top of his jumpsuit. Tim is holding himself with his knees fully against his chest, his arms wrapped around his legs, and his forehead rested against his knees. His eyes are closed with dark circles under them. Behind them is a light brown plywood wall with small shards of glass imbedded throughout it. Above their heads, the bottom half of the word "ROOM" is spray painted in red, all-caps letters. Both characters have various scars with the most prominent being a capital J carved into Jason's left cheek, a bullet graze scar on Tim's right cheek, and almost identitcal scars across their throats.

[skelexguts]

Drawing smiling critters but draw in my artstyle with some of my hcs I’ve put!!! pt 2!! + close up of the drawing + hcs in alt!!! Here are the rest of them!!! :3

Here are headcanons I’ve for awhile

- Picky would teach crafty how to bake and make sweet treats with her and crafty make treats based what picky like such as pb&j sandwiches but in a shape of an apple which is picky’s pendent as well as an apple clip as shown here and picky loved it very much!!! (Food coloring my beloveds)

- Kickin and bubba are the best of buddies as they help each other out such with kickin help bubba to relax and not to overwork himself as bubba helps with things that kickin is struggling as well giving advice to him, but kickin has a small crush on bubba and flirt with him to give hints but bubba is sorta of oblivious to romance but eventually he start to notice the flirting and signs that kickin giving out (bonus: they’re both boyfailures in own ways)

[thetravellerssnotebook]

What Kinds of Songs the Bad Batch Would Listen To

Echo:

Classics/Oldies

-Really just any sort of swing/cafe music from the 30's-50's. He's such a sweet gentleman, so old-fashioned and romantic <3. I don't think he would like much of the new stuff. Secretly a sucker for slow dances in the living room with candles while it's raining...

Hunter:

Classic Country/Classic Rock

-I feel like Hunter is a sucker for all the Marty Robins, Lynyrd Skynyrd, etc. stuff. Just the classic things that all your parents know and love. They're calming. They help him relax and remind him of easier days. And he deserves it

Tech:

Alternative Pop

-Just hear me out. Most people's impression of him is probably classical music and black tea and fancy, intellectual things of that sort, but I honestly think he would enjoy the upbeat, electronic, modern works by people like AJR, ALT-J, Imagine Dragons, etc. It just feels like him. I can imagine him listening to 'Weak' while tinkering under the console in the Marauder

Wrecker:

Parodies/Remixes/Youtube crap/Disney cartoon songs

-Honestly this man's music taste is just all over the place. I can easily see him listening to some stupid parody of 'Never Gonna Give You Up' while eating chocolate pudding at 3AM

Crosshair:

Chill Beats/Lofi/Chill Hip-hop

-Most people probably think he'd listen to hard rock or something, but honestly, this man has some really intense stress hidden deep down in there, and these things just help him relax and let go. Definitely vibing with a headset in the middle of the night in his bunk

[huffle-dork]

Long Live the King

Chapter 2: Birds of a Feather

Read Fantasy Masks | Read Swapboys | Read the first FM adventure | Other Multiverse Adventures | Read on AO3

The fall is rough. Is traveling through universes usually like this? It can't be, can it? But it doesn't last forever. 

Dr. Jameson Jackson lands on a wooden surface. Not a floor, because it's... swaying slightly. Jameson blinks rapidly and tries to get his bearings. He feels the rocking and feels his stomach churn a little. Ugh… he hasn’t felt that since he was a lad… where are they? 

He looks around and sees Henrik only a few feet away from him. The way Alt explained it- he half expected to be alone. So, the good doctor is startled a bit as he sees Henrik prone just a bit away from him.

They've both landed on... a boat. Of course, that's why it's swaying. This is about the size of a modern sailboat, maybe a bit bigger, but with the wood and canvas makeup of an old sailing ship. Looking over the side, the boat is docked on the bank of a river. There's a handful of tents set up on the grass.

Dr. J pushes himself up and staggers over to help shake the other man awake. Henny blinks blearily and then looks up at Dr. J. He smiles with a bit of daze, “Ah hallo Juwel…! You… why are you… tilting?” 

Dr. J chuckles, “It seems we landed on a boat, my friend. Are you alright?” 

Henrik pushes himself up and then pats himself down. Then he grins and nods eagerly. “Yes! I am fine!” Then his eyes widen as he takes in the sights of the river and landscapes and fresh air. He excitedly runs towards the railing and leans against it, laughing breathlessly, “Juwel!! Mein god!! Look at all of this!! It’s- it’s-! atemberaubend-!” 

Dr. J startles and follows Henny with concern, “Henrik! Please be careful!!” He wishes he could be as carefree as the teal haired gentleman… but Dr. J can’t get the image of Alt and Bro out of his head… What if they were seriously hurt? Would they be able to find them? 

Suddenly, a hatch on the deck opens, revealing a staircase leading down into the hold of the boat. Two people walk up into the deck, busy talking with each other. One is brown-haired, wearing a scarf and white tunic, and the other is blonde, wearing a blue coat with an eye-patch covering his right eye. At first, they sound like they’re speaking random nothing, but then the translator spell kicks in mid-sentence. “—just saying it does not make sense,” the blonde one is saying. “They’re not all above when She is below. Not really fair.” 

“No, I understand, but I think it’s the thought that counts,” the brown-haired one replies. 

The two of them are walking in the opposite direction of Dr. J and Henrik. But even with their backs to them, the two newcomers can see the white masks hanging around the pair’s necks.

Dr. J startles at hearing the hatch open and watches as they step out and walk away. He watches with fascination as their language starts to morph into something he can understand. And… those white masks- they look just like Alt’s! These must be the Masked Phantoms. 

Henny is rocking excitedly against the railing of the boat, looking like an excited kid. He blinks back at Dr. J and then brightens up with a grin. “Oh oh! New friends already!! They have the maskes!!” He waves wildly, calling out, “Hallo!!” He is… very loud- kinda hard to miss. 

"Kovatch--!" the blonde one shouts in surprise. He spins around first, pulling on his mask--one of the more elaborate ones, looking a bit like a dragon. Strangely, it only has one eye hole. The brunette turns around only slightly slower, also reaching for his mask. But he stops. He stares at Dr. J and Henrik, blinking in confusing. And for good reason. If this man's hair was teal instead of natural brown, he wouldn't look too different from Henny. The man laughs. "I think I understand what this is," he says. "Relax, Vsevna. They may be friends." He waves back at them. "Hello! Can you understand us?"

Henrik gasps in delight at seeing the two men. He grabs Dr. J’s arm and shakes him. “Juwel!! Juwel!! It is me!! Another me!! Hallo, other Henrik!! And your friend- is not one of us! But I very much like his mask!!” 

Dr. J laughs and waves as he gets shook. He’s used to this. “Hello- yes we can understand you. Our friends Alt and Chase told us so much about you! They wanted us to come to visit.” He looks to Henrik and makes a motion to breathe towards him in sign before stepping back up and resting a hand on his chest. His voice is much more quiet and subdued compared to Henny’s. “I’m Dr. Jameson Jackson, but my friends just call me Dr. J. Or, Juwel, if you’re Henrik.” He grins then gestures, “and Henrik already gave his name… in a way.” He laughs. “And… forgive his… energy. He’s very excitable.” 

The brown-haired man grins. "I am also Henrik! It's so nice to meet you, other me. No need to apologize, ah, Jameson. My friend Jackie is quite excitable as well, I am very used to it." 

Vsevna relaxes slightly, pulling his mask off. He smiles at the two of them. "Well. The visitors from another world that I have heard about. It's been a shame that I was not there to see those two. How nice to meet you, too. And thank you." His smile widens into a grin. "I worked very hard for this mask design." 

"Yes, and then you hardly use it," Henrik mutters, making Vsevna laugh. 

Dr. J looks to Vsevna and smiles, “And you’re Vsevna then? A pleasure to meet you both.” 

“Ah Juwel- how is that name spelled?? I don’t think my ear thingys are getting it right.” Henny asks, tapping his ear. The phantom masks can see something that rests inside his ear.

Henrik leans to the side a bit, trying to get a better look at what's inside Henny's ears. "Oh, maybe you are not getting it right because your ears are plugged up. Unless--that is normal in your world?" 

Henny laughs and shakes his head, “Even if my ears are plugged up it would not make difference! I am deaf- less so now though! These devices help me to hear but- it is very complex and I am not sure I understand it well still.” 

"Oh! Really?" Henrik's eyes light up. "That is amazing! I have heard of spells to help with deafness but they must be redone again and again. It would be so much easier to just be able to put something in your ears and have it help." 

Dr. J brightens up, “It is a fascinating procedure! It’s all to do with the inner ear bones- and though it can’t restore it back fully it can help him re-experience sound in a new way!”

"I would offer to spell my name for you, but I do not think it would work properly," Vsevna says. "They said that the alphabets are not the same--and there aren't even the right letters in Glassish, so I doubt it will be conveyed in another world's language."

Dr. J smiles and nods and goes to Henrik, “I believe it’s V-S-E-V-N-A, Henrik.” He spells the letters out in sign. 

Henny follows along and nods, trying out the name. “Vee… es- na… Vsevna!” Dr. J nods with a smile and Henny looks to Vsevna excitedly. “Vsevna! So good to meet you!!” 

Vsevna smiles. "So good to meet you, too! Henrik--I mean, my Henrik, sova--" Henrik blushes a little "--should we go find your other friends who were there for the last visit?" 

"Y-yes, we should." Henrik nods. "They are on shore." 

"Of course they are, everyone is!" Vsevna laughs. "I will take care of the gangplank." 

Henny and Dr. J share a glance with each other at Vsenva’s and Henrik’s exchange. Henny smirks.

As he walks off to do that, Henrik looks at Dr. J and Henny. "Did anyone else come with you? Alt, or your Chase? We need to find them if so, they've probably appeared in a different location just like last time." 

Dr. J’s face falls a bit at the question. “Ah yes… they came. They brought us here… but… I fear they may be in trouble.” 

Henny’s eyes flash with a slight growl, “Magnificent… that schmutzige Katze! He did something to them… we just do not know what…” 

Henrik's expression darkens. "Yes, Magnificent came here last time. We saw him, and, though not for very long, it was clear he's a threat. If he... 'did something to them'... well, I doubt it is good." 

Dr. J looks a bit shaken, thinking about confronting Mag and Henny is quick to hold him close by his shoulder. “All I know is… it looked like dark magics. But- most of the magics he does is like that so…” Henny sighs. 

“However, Alt did think ahead this time.” Dr. J adds, rolling up his sleeve to show his bracelet. “This can help lead us to them.”

Henrik leans closer, looking at the bracelet. "Ah, this is a tracking talisman of some kind, then. Clever. Hopefully your friends are nearby. They weren't too far apart from each other last time they arrived." 

"Aye!" Vsevna shouts from the edge of the boat. Part of the wall has swung outward, a plank pushed into place leading down to the nearby river bank. "We can't do much on a boat!" 

Henrik laughs. "Yes, that's a good point. Here." He gestures for Dr. J and Henny to follow him as he walks towards the gangplank.

Henny and Dr. J follow close behind- though neither seem to have very good sea legs. Even if the boat isn’t moving.

"Ah, here." Henrik offers a hand to support them on the boat. "I know it can be difficult." 

"You get used to it," Vsevna says cheerfully. "Careful on the plank. We don't have one with railings on a boat this small. Unfortunate." 

"Unfortunate," Henrik agrees. 

"Unfortunate." 

"Unfortunate." 

The two of them seem stuck in a repetition loop for a bit until Henrik shakes his head. "Sorry, that was strange." Vsevna bursts into laughter. 

Henny bursts into giggles. “Chase and Jackie do that a lot!” 

“It’s a phenomenon called echolalia!” Dr. J explains, “Sometimes we just like to repeat sounds from around us- especially if it’s someone we love. Or are fond of.” 

"'Eh-ko-lahl-ee-uh,'" Henrik repeats, carefully sounding out the syllables. "Good to know. We don't have a word for that here." 

Vsevna laughs for a bit more then becomes serious again. "But to be true for a second. There are many of us here. All of us are trained to fight, and some of us have magic as well. We can keep your friends and you safe." 

Henrik nods in agreement. "Magic is not faster than shooting an arrow."

Henny grins and nods, “We are quite well versed in taking on Magnificent. Bro and Alt are very strong! I’m sure we’ll find each other and everything will be okay!” 

Dr. J doesn’t look like he shares his friend’s optimism. But he does try to smile, even if it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Right… at least we are around allies…”

Henrik smiles at the two of them. "Yes, I can promise no harm will come to you here. There is that, at least." 

The group walks down the gangplank. There's a bit of a chill in the air, but it's not nearly as cold as it was the last time Chase and Alt were here. Not that Dr. J or Henny would know about that. There's a handful of people walking around the camp, most of them working on packing stuff into bags. All of them have masks. They glance at the group as they pass, confused on the newcomers' strange clothes--eyes tend to linger on Henny's hair--but they seem to shrug it off when they see Vsevna with them. 

Henny smooths down his hair self consciously. He laughs nervously, “ah… maybe I should have brought a hat…?” 

Dr. J shakes his head with a laugh, “I don’t think it would have done much good, friend. Our clothes already set us apart- especially your bright attire.” 

“I like all the colors of the modern world!” Henny almost whines. Dr. J pats his back. 

"You know your friends best, Henrik, where would they be?" Vsevna asks. "Or perhaps we should look for the other otherworld travelers first?"

Dr. J looks back at Vsevna and then hums quietly, “Well… maybe we should see who is closer by.” He rolls back up his sleeve and whispers the seeking word, holding it out to see if it can sense any of his friends nearby.

The gem starts to glow, trails of blue-green magic--more blue than green--heading straight through the camp and over the curve of a hill. 

"Ah, I think Jackie went in that direction," Henrik says. "Our Jackie I mean, I know you have a Jackie too." There are also fainter, barely-there lines of green magic tracing down the river. "And that is the way we came from," Henrik says. "Towards Suilthair, the capital."

Dr. J studies the magic and hums. “Well… Alt said blue is nearby- and green is farther away so… maybe we should head that way to see.”

"Yes, great idea." Henrik nods. "Vsevna, do you mind finding Chase and Jameson and telling them about what happened? I'll go with these two to search." 

"You don't want anyone else to come?" Vsevna asks. 

"I will be fine for a short walk," Henrik says. 

"Alright, then. You all be careful. When you get back, I do not doubt those two will want to meet these two. Especially you." Vsevna looks at Dr. J. "I think Jameson would like to meet another him."

Dr. J smiles and laughs lightly, “I’m quite eager to meet him as well.” 

Henny jumps a bit, excited to see more of their friends. “let us get going then!!” He looks about ready to run up the hill himself.

Henrik grins. It's strange seeing someone with his face so enthusiastic, but nice, in a way. "Okay, okay, let's go." He starts off after the magic. "Meet us back here!" 

"You have it!" Vsevna agrees, and goes to look for Henrik's other two friends. 

◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈

The fall is just as rough for Jackie, though he has a softer landing than the other two. Relatively speaking. 

Jackie cries out as he hits the ground and rubs at his head, "Jesus fucking christ!" He curses, blinking the spots out of his eyes. The hell was all of that?! Alt didn't mention any of that! Fucking.... Marvin. This wasn't going to be relaxing at all was it? 

He landed on grass-covered ground, near a copse of trees. There's maybe about seven or eight of them, nowhere near a big forest. Nearby there's an old stump, like one of the trees collapsed. 

SHING! THUMP! A knife flies through the air and smacks against the stump, gouging a mark in the wood but not getting embedded in it. "Cadé aan saolile?! Hwaet!" 

Jackie stiffens as he hears the knife fly and startles backwards in surprise, falling onto his back with a oof. Then he rolls to look at who yelled. 

There's a man standing about thirty feet away, wearing a bright red cloak and a white mask shaped like a wolf. "Kárth inigh tu?! Ní fedire leata beitle like that! Didn't you see me?!" The translator spell kicks in mid-sentence. 

Hey- that's a cool cloak! Jackie pushes himself up and wipes the grass off him before waving at the other man, "Uhhh h-hey there!"

"...wait a moment." The man looks him up and down, noticing his strange clothes. He pulls his mask off to reveal--Jackie's own face! Just with less stubble and longer hair. "You're not--are you--I'm so sorry about almost hitting you, by the way, I-I was practicing, I'm not very good at range--But--are you...?" He gives Jackie another look. "Those clothes. Like the other ones."

Jackie's eyes widen. Then, he grins, laughing a bit nervously. "Ah well... A-Alt told me to expect this so... not as weird as it could be." He walks closer, sticking his hands in his pockets casually. "Oh don't worry it's chill. S'hard to predict someone just- coming outta nowhere. I wouldn't have blamed ya if you had hit me!" He laughs. Then he offers his hand. "I'm Jackie... Jackie Mann. ...but that feels dumb to say now cuz- you're... me. Fantasy me... I mean- who else would you be, right? " He laughs more, a bit more nervously," and uh yeah! Alt and Bro wanted to bring us here to meet you so... hi? ha- ...im talking too much, fuck-"

Jackie--this other Jackie--laughs. "No, it's okay! I talk a lot, too. Nice to meet you, Jackie Mann. I'm Jackie, son of Fiona." He holds his hand out. The motion draws attention to the wealth of weapons on his person. A sword on his hip, a sword on his back, several sheathed knives across his chest--holy shit. It's all safely secured but that's a lot. "You all have unfortunate placing with this realm jumping of yours. Last time, Chase says that your Alt friend showed up as he was loosing an arrow."

Jackie Mann's eyes widen, "Holy fuck that's a lot of weapons..." He breathes out in surprise. 

Other Jackie looks down at his chest. "I don't usually have the knives," he says, as if that is the only bit of weaponry his other version is reacting to. 

But then Jackie Mann laughs and shakes his head, "Yeah uh- Alt warned us about how... mixed jumping is. Said it can be good or like- really bad luck. So... sounds about right." He then straightens a bit as he remembers how Alt and Bro looked right before they fell and he curses again, quickly looking around. "Ah fuck right! Speaking of Alt i... s-something happened to him and Chase- my Chase... Bro! I don't know what but... i know for sure that fucking bastard Mag is behind it." He looks back to Jackie with a bit of desperation, "I was willing to take this all slow but... n-now im really worried. Can you help me find them?"

Jackie’s eyes widen as the other him talks. "Ah! Right, yes, okay. Elders damn it, uh--" He turns around. "We'll talk as we go back to camp. That'll cut down on time. Is it just the three of you and that 'magician' guy? Because I have to say, you appeared at a bit of a difficult time. We're on the move right now. Trying to get back to the main base."

"No uh... Henny and Dr. J are here too... your Jameson and Henrik-" Jackieboy explains while looking to keep up with the Phantom Mask Jackie. He frowns at hearing this and looks around, "Damn... shitty timing for real... Bro was like- super excited for us to see the- the dragon thing! God.... nothing's ever that simple, huh?"

"Oh, um... yyyyea." Jackie winces. "Wyvernlair was discovered. We were chased out a couple weeks ago. So..." He laughs. "Nothing's ever that simple for sure. We have a new base at the Cliffs of Feall. It's on the south end of the mountains."

"Fuck man..." Jackie Mann sighs. "Well- I'll stick with you but... hopefully we can find the others soon..."

Jackie nods. "Hopefully. Last time both of them appeared in Wyvernlair so they shouldn't be too far away. Even if that Magnificent appeared farther--that's not a good sign--whoa, what?" He squints at the field ahead of them, dotted with slight hills. "Do you see that glowing? Is that a will o'the wisp? We should probably stay clear."

Jackie Mann nods along, trying to make sure he's listening. ...he took his ADHD meds today right? He then perks up as he hears the other him and sees the glowing, "Oh! That's the spell Alt set up for us to find each other! jesus how did i almost forget that??" He laughs and messes with his hair, "At least one of the others remembered...."

"Really? Oh, useful!" Jackie grins, speeding up a little. "I wonder if we can use something like that. Marvin used a tracking spell to find Chase and Jameson while in Suilthair, maybe there's a talisman that can do the same." 

"I think that's what Alt made! If he's okay... I'm sure he'd love to show you guys how... He talked our ears off trying to explain it!" Jackie Mann laughs. 

The two of them go over the top of the hill, and-- 

"Ah, Jackie!" Henrik waves. Dr. J and Henny are with him. "And another Jackie, I think?"

As they crest the hill, Jackie Mann relaxes at seeing his friends. "Hen! Jays!" 

Dr. J also relaxes and waves, "oh good- Jackie's alright..." 

"JACKIEEEE!!" Henny shouts and waves his hand wildly, "HALLO MEIN FRIEND!!!" 

The two Jackie's reach the others and Jackie Mann laughs, "Jesus Hen- s'only been a few minutes! You're gonna wake up the whole shore!" 

"Ah yes Henrik... maybe it's best to... try to keep it a bit quieter?" Dr. J suggests, warily looking around.

"Ah, actually, we are quite isolated right now," Henrik says. "And we have scouts out even farther who would alert us if anyone comes close. You'd know if someone was around who can hear us." 

"Always better to be cautious, though." Jackie says that, but he's smiling and playing with the edge of his cloak. It's just so exciting to meet more people from this other world! Especially himself. "But, uh, I don't think anyone's sleeping right now so you're not going to 'wake up the whole shore'." 

"That is true," Henrik says. 

Dr. J sighs in relief and nods, “that’s good to know…” 

Jackie Mann blushes a bit and rubs his head more, “That… makes sense. Dunno why I… said that… when it’s… day…”

"Now, brief introductions.” Henrik says, “Jackie, this is the other Jameson and the other me. And you two, this is Jackie. The Jackie from this world." 

"This is going to get confusing fast," Jackie mutters. "It was bad enough with just Chase."

Dr. J laughs softly, “to avoid confusion you can call me JJ, or Jay. Doesn’t seem like you use the Dr. title much here.” 

“Eh you’ll always be a Dr, to us, Doc,” Jackie Mann says with a grin. 

“You can call me Henny! It is nickname that I like very much!” Henny says with bright enthusiasm. 

“And uh… well my wife calls me Jackieboy. S’kinds long but… you all could call me that… to help.” He laughs again with a shrug. “Even if we haven’t been to as many worlds as Alt and Ch-Bro… we get how confusing it can get.”

Jackie nods. "Got it. Under lock up here." He taps the side of his head. 

Henrik smiles. "I am a doctor, actually. But you are right. It is not usually a, ah... title.”

Dr. J laughs quietly and nods, “Ah right. Forgive me, Dr.” 

“Oh! And did they get home alright after they left here?" Henrik continues. 

"Of course they did, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to tell their friends about us," Jackie points out. 

"...right." Henrik winces. "I'm sorry. I am still..." 

Jackie pats him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Schneep. We get it." 

JJ then tilts his head at Henrik as he winces, curiosity in his expression.

Henrik nods. "Alright. Jackies, I told Vsevna to get Chase and Jameson to meet us at the shore. We have to talk about things." 

"Ah, you're involving him, are you?" Jackie says, grinning. "Glad to see it." 

"Shut up. He was there when these two appeared. I-it's practical." 

"But you would tell him anyway." 

"...yes." Henrik nods. "He was so disappointed to hear that he missed the last two's visit. He loves new places, you know this." 

Jackie laughs. "Yea, I do." He becomes serious for a moment. "The things we have to talk about involve those other two, doesn't it? Jackieboy told me that something happened." 

"Yes, it does." Henrik nods. 

"Well, you three wait to give us all the details until we find Chase and Jameson," Jackie says, starting back towards camp.

Jackieboy looks between Jackie and Henrik and smirks, going to change the subject until they get to camp, “mmm? I’m sensing something here… with this Vsevna guy?” 

“Oh yes, other me and him were very friendly on the boat!” Henny points out. 

“Yo you guys landed on a boat?! That’s fucking sick!” 

Dr. J smiles as he watches Henny and Jackieboy talk. He sticks close to the thems from this world, still anxiously glancing around them. He plays with the chain of his pocket watch as they all follow them down to camp.

"They're courting each other," Jackie immediately says. 

"Jackie!" Henrik shoves him--which honestly doesn't move the other man that much. "I-it is a recent... development." 

"Aaaand they both had feelings for each other foreeeeever," Jackie continues teasingly. 

"I will shove a smoke potion down your throat." 

"Nooo that's probably poisonous!" 

Jackieboy grins, “I knew it! Alt’s the same way about Oliver.” 

“As if you’re not completely love sick every time Zara comes home.” Dr. J comments. 

“Hey! That’s my wife! I’m allowed to be love sick about her!” Jackieboy replies.

The banter continues as they go down into camp. With the appearance of a new stranger in different clothes, the glances resume, but no one says anything as the group continues towards the shore of the river. 

Vsevna waits there, as well as three others. The Swaps don't know them, but they can figure out who they are. Chase has his bow and quiver close by, the deer mask on his belt (with the antlers pointing down to stop them from poking his stomach.) Jameson is fidgeting with a bandage around his arm, the rabbit mask around his neck. And the third man runs right up to the group. "Hey! What gives?! You send your partner to find those two but not me?!" 

"Ah... hi, Marvin," Henrik says awkwardly. "I-I was... I thought you would still be busy." 

"No, but if I was, I would still want to know about this! Fuck!" Marvin sighs. "It's alright," he says in a softer voice. "I understand." His cat mask is pushed back onto his head. An actual cat walks from his side up to the newcomers, sniffing them. 

The swaps blink at the sight of the others. And Jackie actually seems a bit startled to see Marvin run up to the group. Ah… weird seeing Marvin’s face… not corrupted now. It makes his stomach churn. 

Henny looks excited to see everyone, “oh wows! Other Juwel and Chase! So good to be meetings you!!” Then he gasps in delight at seeing the cat and bends down to let him sniff him, “Oh mein god! Tiny Kätzchen! Oh you are so pretty Hallo!!” 

Marvin laughs. "That's Draco. He's my familiar." Draco sniffs Henny's hand and then shoves his face into it, practically forcing him to pet him. 

“Hallo Draco!! You are very very pretty!!” Henny coos, giving Draco all the best pets. He’s so tiny compared to Sahne though so he’s trying to be gentle. 

"So good to meet you guys too." Chase smiles. There's a strange tiredness to it, but it's no less warm. 

Jackie lifts a hand to wave at the others, “uh… sup?” 

Chase blinks "Um... 'soup' to you too." 

Jackie bursts into laughter at Chase saying soup. “Hahaha! I guess I need to chill with the… words I use huh?” 

“That’s gonna be so hard for you,” Dr. J lightly teases. He nods politely to everyone. “Pleasant to meet you all… you can call me Jj or Jay. To hopefully avoid confusion… and call our Jackie, Jackieboy and our Henrik, Henny.” He gestures to the others as he introduces them. 

Jameson looks at his other self and gives a small smile. Pleasure to meet you, he signs. 

"Oh, wait." Marvin grabs his amulet. It starts to glow white, and he pulls some of the light away. He gently throws it at Jameson, and it swirls around him for a moment before dissipating. "Try again." Jameson nods. It's nice to meet you, he signs, and small transcriptions appear to each of the newcomers. They're not really there, just in their minds, like a personal set of subtitles. 

Dr. J and Jackieboy blink at the strange hand signs- then look fascinated at the subtitles. 

Jackieboy grins, “Damn… where was that spell when I was learning sign for Henny?” He laughs. 

“We both didn’t know magic existed then,” Dr. J replies. 

Jackie rubs the back of his head, “ahh… maybe for you-“ 

Henny looks up and sees the subtitles and his eyes sparkle. “Oh!! How cool!! Hallo other Juwel!!”

Dr. J sighs, “I hate to ruin the mood but.. I’m afraid we don’t come with… the best news.” 

Everyone becomes serious once more as Dr. J mentions having bad news. "Yes, it's that other villain of yours, da?" Vsevna says. 

"Magnificent," Marvin says darkly. "Bastard." 

"They also mentioned something about... something happening to Chase and Alt?" Jackie recalls. 

Chase's expression flashes to worry. "Go on."

When the tone shifts Henny gets to his feet and stands by his friends, nervously fiddling with his watch. 

Dr. J sighs but nods, “We’re not sure in what state they could be in… all we know is… M-Magnificent,” he shudders as he says his name, “Managed to grab Alt and the device we used to get here right as he was using it to come here. And whatever magic he used… it… it hurt them somehow.” 

“They were screaming,” Jackieboy says, holding his arms, “It was awful… everything around us started to… to break. Like glass.” 

Henny looks nervous, “But um… we have our bracelets so… maybe we can try to find them before Magnificent does…! We have to hope, ja?”

The guys all look very concerned when JJ reports what happened. 

Jameson and Chase catch his reaction to Magnificent as well, and exchange sympathetic glances. “There’s always hope,” Jackie says. “How do the talismans work?” 

“They used one earlier,” Henrik recalls. “There were two faint trails pointing that way.” And he points down the river. 

Jameson winces. Back towards the city? 

“I thought we agreed that staying there was bad,” Chase mutters. “That spirit is going to be waiting for us. And we already have a, uh, quest.” 

“It’s not a time sensitive one,” Marvin points out. “At least, Sam didn’t give me the impression it was.” 

“You all know you’re probably confusing the strangers,” Vsevna says, folding his arms.

“To be fair- all of this is confusing…” Jackieboy sighs, “We thought by now… alt and bro would have found us. Cuz you know- Alt can glitch and Bro can fly…” 

Dr. J nods, “The first trail we used led us to Jackie… so Alt and Bro must be the other way, down the river. Didn’t you all say that was the capital? S..Suilthair, I think you said.” 

Henny fiddles more with his watch, looking nervous. “Oh… what if something did happen to them?! Is this city… dangerous?” 

Henrik laughs. Then covers his mouth. “I’m sorry, that is not funny, I don’t know why I laughed.” 

“Suilthair is where the King lives,” Chase explains. “It’s his home. Which… I’m going to assume your friends told you how bad he is, but it’s worse than we thought two seasons ago. It turns out the King is possessed. Do you… have possessive spirits where you’re from?” 

“They’re very rare even here,” Marvin adds. 

“Yes.” Chase nods. “A-and the one controlling the King is very powerful.” He laughs darkly. “Turns out, I was communicating with the real King all this time. Through… magic dreams. That sounds ridiculous, I know, but it’s true. Do you guys know someone named Jack in your world? Or Aodhan, that’s his given name. They’re both very common names so maybe that doesn’t help… anyway I’m talking too much. Sorry. The point is, King Aodhan has been possessed for about seven years now and the spirit is the one doing terrible things.” He pauses. “Sorry. That’s a lot to just drop at your feet. But it’s been a while since your friends visited. A lot has happened.”

All the swaps eyes widen. 

“…yeah they told us about the king but… d-damn… that’s… insane.” Jackieboy mutters. He’s dealt with possession but… not by any evil spirits. 

Dr. J looks disturbed, grabbing his watch for comfort. “7 years… I-imagine being trapped in your own mind for so long…” 

“But Alt said he… he scared the King off last time! With his ah- lightning Phoenix thing! Surely… he would not go after them again… right?” Henny adds with worry. 

“…but Magnificent would…” Jackieboy mumbles bitterly.

“Oh yeah, that thunderbird thing he did!” Jackie gasps. “Elders. Yea, if I was a possessive spirit I wouldn’t want to mess with that.” 

“Yeah…” Chase nods, a bit distractedly. He’s thinking about what JJ said, about being trapped in your own mind for so long. He has to find some way to help Jack, he really does.

“I’m guessing Magnificent doesn’t have a helpful tracking bracelet,” Marvin drawls. “So we can’t know what he’s doing. It’s possible that he’s with them.” 

"God i really really hope not..." Jackieboy mutters, gripping at his arm, "Poor Alt is always being targeted by that maniac... but... I dunno. He can't seem to keep Chase down for too long! So... maybe it'll be okay?" He doesn't look too sure. 

That settles it, we must go back, Jameson says. 

“Are you sure, Jair?” Marvin asks gently. 

Jameson nods. You all came back for us. We need to go back for them. 

“If that is our plan, I will get some of the crew to ready sail,” Vsevna says. “Everyone else must finish packing up. Don’t worry about leaving tents behind, we have extras and we can stay on the boat at night if needed.” And with that, he heads off. Henrik glances at the others before following him. The group can vaguely hear him asking Vsevna about what a ‘fee-niks’ is.

Dr. J watches Vsevna rush off and looks back at the others, "...how far away is the capital from here?"

Not far enough, Jameson comments. We sailed all of the previous day to get here. 

“So about eight to ten hours by boat,” Jackie sums up. “On foot it’s quite a bit longer. Hence, boat.” 

“I can help a bit with my doorways,” Marvin offers. 

“You spent so much magic yesterday, though,” Chase says. 

“I know my limits. And if we want a small group to cut away some distance, I can help.” 

“We’ll keep that in mind, but for now let’s stick with boat travel,” Jackie says.

Dr. J nods and holds his arms, suppressing a shiver. He should have brought more layers… he thought they’d all be more prepared. Then again… none of them were expecting this to happen. “Alright that’s… not ideal. But not terrible either.” 

“Yeah Alt said it was a lot of travel last time too- at least for him and Bro, who are massive cheaters.” Jackieboy tries to laugh, “They don’t gotta walk around like us normal guys.” 

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Henny asks timidly. “We do not want to be such a burden… or cause you all to use too much magics or energy!”

Chase smiles. "Don't worry too much about it. Maybe just help us pack up some of this stuff. And tell us more about how things are in your other world. If there's anything you guys can think of that would be helpful, it'd be great to know." 

"Do you guys have a way to speed up time to make us go faster?" Marvin says jokingly.

Dr. J and Henny exchange glances, Henny fiddling more with his watch. “Well… I ah… do have… time magics… I have not tried to speed up time before though… do you think I could, Juwel?” 

Dr. J rubs his arms and shakes his head, “Ummm I don’t know if now is the best time to experiment Henrik…” 

“Other things hm…” Jackie thinks, “um… nothing of note I don’t think. Things have been kinda… tame since Alt and Bro got back from their first trip with the TRVLR… even mag has kinda left us alone. Alt’s mostly just been trying to get better at his magic…” He sighs and shakes his head, “It’s times like this I wish I had some kind of magic… if we could just… see if they’re okay… maybe we wouldn’t need to worry so much… but- can’t FaceTime in a place with no wifi-“ 

“Jackie… so many of those words are going to confuse them,” Dr. J sighs. 

“I understand them now!” Henny says brightly, “It would be useful to use our handys-“ 

“Henny I’m begging you not to call it-“ Dr. J starts to say as Jackie holds back a snicker.

“No please keep calling it that dude, god I love it so much!” Jackieboy giggles. 

“You are such a child,” Dr. J shakes his head, but he does smile a bit. 

Honestly, it seems like the rest of the group stops listening the moment Henny says he has time magics. They all stare at the group with expressions caught between shock and blankness.

"Did you... just imply... that your magic controls time?" Jackie says haltingly. 

"To borrow a phrase I heard your friends use," Marvin says. "What. The actual. Fuck."

The swaps blink and then look at each other. Henny laughs nervously, “oh yes ah… I forget that… that is unusual.” 

“It’s really cool!” Jackieboy grins proudly. “Henny once used it to save Bro from Mag!” 

Henny blushes, fiddling with his watch. “Um… I could… try to… demonstrate?” He asks timidly, not really meeting the Phantoms’ eyes. “I am… still trying to… figure it out but… it is not… magics I was born with. I use this.” He holds up his watch, and the clock’s face glows teal as his eyes do too.

Henrik returns at that very moment. “Why are you all standing here still?” 

“Your other self can control time,” Chase states. 

Henrik blinks. “What?” Then when Henny takes his watch out he gasps and leans close. “Oooo! What an interesting device! I hear they are making things like those back in my home of Alterde. But without the magic, I mean. Where did you find this?”

Henny smiles and looks at Dr. J, “Well… Juwel collects these watches… and he just so happened to give me this one. But it is.. from our past. And It just… came to life with magic one day.” 

Dr. J chuckles, “I still think part of it is you, Henrik. The watch never showed any kind of magic for me or my step father. But… Alt is far more knowledgeable about that than me.” 

“I mean- from what I know… s’not unheard of for someone with magic to like- need something to make it stronger. Like… needing crutches!” Jackieboy comments. 

Henny blushes more. 

Jackieboy nudges him a bit. “C’mon bro! Show it off! You’re not usually this shy!” 

Henny looks away and mumbles, “ah… we are making it seem more… fantastical than it actually is…” 

"Fantastical?! I don't know what it's like where you're from, but controlling time itself is fantasy here!" Marvin says. "Do you know how many theories I've read of wizards and oracles and sometimes sorcerers trying to do that and failing?! Time is just--time is as controllable as the Wyldlands are! Trust us, anything you can do will be amazing." 

"And everyone here has their share of abilities, too," Henrik says. "If you ware worried about standing out. People may be confused but they are very accepting o-of the strange here." 

"Oh! After this, we need to get you guys some new clothes," Jackie says. "We have some spares in storage, everyone will have to lend stuff. I mean, if you all want."

Henny blushes more and fiddles with the dial. 

Dr. J perks up at the mention of clothes, “Oh that would be… much appreciated. I didn't account for the chill here…” 

“Well i feel fine-“ Jackieboy shrugs. 

“How you don’t constantly burn up in that jacket is beyond me,” Jj mutters. 

“Before that though! Let Henny show you!! C’mere Schneep i got an idea!” Jackieboy pulls the taller swap down to him and signs something to him in BSL. 

Henny’s eyes light up and he giggles, looking kind of excited. “Oh… that could be funny!” He looks back at the others and grins as his eyes light up teal. 

To everyone else- it seems like nothing has changed. But to Henny, he paused time for just a few minutes and has gone around and switched the others’ masks around, so everyone is not wearing their own. He then stands behind them and restarts time and sharply whistles to get them to turn around. To the fantasy boys, It looks like Henny in a blink of an eye had just appeared behind them!

The guys are left staring at the spot where Henny was. Jackie turns around immediately in surprise, followed by Chase. Henrik, Marvin, and Jameson need to take a moment to process what just happened. Then Jameson laughs--an odd voiceless breathing--and that queues Jackie and Chase to start laughing, too. Henrik and Marvin look more confused and intrigued than anything. 

"Wait a moment!" Marvin reaches up and feels his mask. Why does it have antlers? "Wait a--wait a moment!" 

"Elders, you're wearing mine!" Chase laughs. He grabs the mask on his belt, finding a rabbit instead of a deer. "Whoa! Hey! Did you just--" 

"Amazing!" Henrik gasps, taking off Jackie's mask. 

"How did you notice that your own mask was different before you noticed anyone else's?" Jackie asks Marvin. 

"You didn't notice, either. Now give me my mask back." 

They all swap their masks around again. 

That is incredible! Jameson says, grinning.

Henny giggles and looks at them proudly, “He he… it was nothing… but it was fun to see your reactions!” 

Jackieboy whoops and jumps up, “Yeah!! That turned out amazing! Just like something in a comic book!” 

“Of course you got the idea from there,” Dr. J laughs. 

Henny looks down at his watch and smiles, “as far as I know… I can stop time… and then I can go back… but not too far back. The farther I do… the more it drains me.” 

“Yeah! When he saved Bro apparently he went back a whole day!! And then he was out cold for like 3!” Jackieboy exclaims. 

Henny nods, “And uh… oh! I can make things do the… the floating! And stop certain things- like it is ummm frozen!”

"That is so, um, 'cool!'" Chase says. "Did I--did I use the word right?" 

"Sounds right to me," Jackie says cheerfully. 

Jackie laughs and nods, “Yeah you guys got it!” 

"That is--that's--" Marvin laughs. He's bouncing a little. "That is--wow. That's--" He laughs again. 

Henrik grins. "It has been a while since I saw you so excited Marvin. So, ah, 'giddy.'" 

"I-I like magic!" Marvin grabs his amulet again, holding it in his fist and shaking it--that's not him using his own magic, that's just him being excited. The amulet is very shakeable. "Going back into the past? That's--I mean, of course it would use a lot of energy, all magic uses energy. But still! That's--Elders and Sisters, that's--that's great." 

Jameson laughs that silent laugh again. I know what you mean. Being able to change the present is incredible. Anyone can change the future with the right actions, but... well, I suppose the present was once the future. He looks thoughtful. 

"Okay, okay." Jackie shakes himself. "We have to focus. That was--that was very 'cool,' but we have stuff to do. Um, how about I show you guys the tent where we've been storing our clothes? Everyone brought their own but we put all the bags in one tent.”

“Can’t believe we taught people from the past how to use the word ‘cool’…” Jackieboy grins mischievously, “Ohhh the power we could holddd!” He jokes in a weird deep voice. 

Dr. J rolls his eyes and baps Jackie on the head. “No no- stop that.” 

Henny laughs, “Yes yes we can do that! Please do the leading for us!”

"Great!" Jackie grins. "It's right this way." He starts to turn around, then looks back at the others. "And the rest of you?" 

"We'll start packing our stuff," Chase says. 

Henrik nods. "Yes. And then we should start to help load it." 

"Wait, if everyone brought their own clothes, whose clothes are they going to wear?" Marvin asks. 

"I mean, I was going to let them wear mine if they wanted," Jackie says. 

“Oh! It is like getting hand me downs from mein brothers!” Henny says excitedly. 

“You get so excited about the simplest things, Hen,” Jackieboy laughs. 

And if they don't fit, feel free to look through mine, Jameson adds. In fact, I'll go with you to point them out. He pauses. And I'll also point out that we're not REALLY from 'the past', it's just that your world is a bit ahead of ours in terms of tools and such. 

Dr. J smiles at his other self and nods, “Excellent point! I think Jackie just wishes this was our past-“ He chuckles. 

"Ah, you say 'garden' I say 'garden'," Jackie says dismissively. The phrase doesn't really make sense to the Swaps. Clearly this saying doesn't translate well. "Let's go, guys. It's just this way." And he starts walking again.The swaps follow after Jackie.

Jameson starts to follow Jackie and the visitors, but Chase pulls him back for a moment. "Do you... think Alt and other-Chase are okay?" he asks quietly. 

I don't know, Jameson says. I can't look into their futures at will. But... they were quite tough. Even if things aren't good right now, I'm sure they will be. 

Chase nods slowly. "Okay. You're right." He lets go. "Go on, then." Jameson smiles a little. 

We'll be sure to hurry, he says, and follows.

◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈

It took a couple hours for the King to gather some of his special forces, appoint a regent (a blonde woman who Magnificent could sense strong magic from), and commandeer the city's ferry to get everyone to the lake shore. Unfortunately, they could not commandeer a boat to sail down the river. Aneirin explained that he'd tried to keep boats limited to prevent too many people from leaving the city without his knowing. But that decision was coming back to bite them now, which he cursed. They would have to proceed along the bank of the Muinra Avon on foot and horseback--since horses were easy to acquire from the stable attached to the ferry docks. Now they were off. The Green Lake--with Suilthair in the center--is shrinking into the distance.

Magnificent didn’t mind…well once the King allowed him to be on one of the horses. Even if it was… embarrassing to have to be lead by the hero. But- horse lessons weren’t really something he got to learn. It was annoying to not have a direct line to the rebels… One thing he didn’t like about this world was the need for traditional traveling. But, the magic thick air more than made up for that. He breathed in and felt the magic flowing strongly in his veins. A very valuable resource for making sure the Brodys stayed under. Magnificent watched with a smug smile as he sees Alt travel in front of them on foot, using the tracking bracelet to keep them on the right path. Seeing his cub so loyal was such a sight to see… 

The King glances over at Magnificent from his own horse--tall and with a jet black coat. "Enjoying yourself?" he says, a small smile on his face. "I'll guess this is very... satisfying for you." He nods at Bro and Alt.

Magnificent blinks and then grins wide, “Oh yes… very much so~!” He giggles. He glances back at Alt and hums. “I’ve had Alt under my thrall many times before… even made him my pet. So… I do enjoy seeing him caught in my power~!” He then glances at Bro and his eyes flash, watching him stoically follow after Alt, now dressed in a warrior’s outfit too. “But… it is so rare to get the annoying hero too! So I can’t wait to see how this plays out~ to see the hope drain from all those other pathetic puppets eyes!” He giggles madly, leaning against his horse’s head.

The King grins. "There is a sort of... vicious delight in finally getting what you've always wanted from them." Aneirin looks down at his hands--Aodhan's hands--and tightens his grip on the reins. "Personally, I can't wait to see that look in those rebels' eyes. Fools trying to undo what can't be undone. They'll see what they get." 

Magnificent shares Aneirin's grin, "Exactly~!" 

Alt is walking a bit farther ahead than the horses. As such, he has an unobstructed view of the sky. There's a bird up there. A small bird, its wingspan about fifteen inches long. It has brown feathers, a V-shaped tail, and wings that sort of look like a boomerang. Has it... been there for a while? Wait a second, is it circling them?

Alt pauses a bit in his walking and takes notice of the sky. As he registers the way he has seen this bird circling, his eyes narrow. He then pulls out his bow and nocks an arrow, lighting the end with some lightning. He aims to shoot it down.

The arrow goes a bit too wide. Which is understandable, this is a small bird that is flying very fast. 

The King's head snaps towards Alt. "A klaíoh, why did you shoot?" He calls. Then he looks up into the sky and sees the bird. "Because of that? That's just a swift, they're common in this area. They are not messenger birds, if that's what you were concerned about."

Alt startles at the King's voice and then looks back towards him and bows slightly, "Ah... sorry, mu Ríth. I thought it... could have been one of the Rebel's birds..." He looks embarrassed now and apologetically looks away. "I-I'll stay more focused... Apologizes." 

The King narrows his eyes slightly, then nods. "Your intentions were just. But in the future, bring it to our attention before taking action. We don't want to waste arrows." 

"Of course, mu Ríth..." Alt mumbles quietly. 

As Alt looks away, and as the King is too busy reproaching him, the swift in the sky does something... strange. There's a flash of light, and it suddenly jumps ahead in position. The jump is accompanied by a snap, a snap that... for some reason, brings lightning to mind. And then it turns and flies away. Like any other bird would. Maybe that weird jump was just his imagination.

Alt sees the swift seem to jump and his eyes widen slightly, staring after the bird. Magnificent watches with mild fascination, his eyes narrowing as he sees the swift jump. Strange... 

Bro keeps leading them to go forward, not really paying attention to anything but the path. 

"Very good." The King nods, turning his attention back to the river beside them. The rebels had a boat... they're probably still using that boat now. They should be prepared to board. Meaning he should save his power. But these enchantment powers cost very little. He experimentally reaches out mentally, but still finds no human minds within range. And they probably won't for a while. "If the rebels made camp at night, they could be twelve hours away by now," he mutters. "We need to prepare for long travels."

Alt gets snapped out of watching the swift and starts a little before getting back on track following the spell. "Y-Yes, your majesty." 

"We won't rest until we find them, mu Ríth." Bro answers dazedly but with determination. 

Magnificent frowns then nods, leaning on his horse more to watch the landscape. 

This was going to be slow going for a bit... but it would be worth the wait. 

[rathesy]

If YOU are Kim Gong-Ja's 'Spirit'/the Sword Emperor! Fem reader

Alt: Kim Gong-Ja is a simp for half of it and I'm simping for the other half; (Earlier chapters btw and unedited)

You drive him crazy in terms of mental, physical and emotional. Mentally because of your loud cocky personality, whining, complaints and remarks, physically because of your 'training' and emotionally because how is it POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO HAVE SUCH A CUTE SMILE WHILE ALL THIS. Even when you put him through really rough training, just seeing you smile proudly at him makes his heart beat rapidly.

When he first met you, as in when he accidentally took you in, he thought you were gonna be an annoying ghost. And you are but you are HIS annoying ghost and you somehow took his heart. God bless him because he's gonna lose it when he realises his feelings.

He wanted to tease you by calling him 'master' until he realises how weird that is and quickly tried to play it off. However, you use this to teased him everything and he gets red every single time.

He's probably gonna get hard on accident. I'm sorry but this is a depressing shut in man and you're telling me that he hasn't had human contact for years? Boom. Especially with you outfit, revealing your jacked arms and a little bit of a chest, he's a man and he's half honest.

Anyways, you have the dynamics of; (Dumbass x Oh fuck I guess they're MY dumbass both ways), (Buff x Lanky), ( *fighting* → *making out* /j) and (Pining x Dumbass at love)

Fun scenario if you both date fr:

"Are you serious?" You raise an eyebrow at the man in front of you. "Yes." Kim Gong-ja says so determined by his desire that he just told you. "Fine whatever, you weirdo," You grab his arms and pull him in a hug. His head on your chest while he simply relaxed as if he's in cloud nine.

"..You still have training."

"10 more minutes."

I'm just thinking of like a scenario where you try to comfort him but also showing your vulnerable side sjwgwjgewj don't mind me

YOU KNOW THE CHAPTER WITH THE DOLLS? After finding out about the backstory and such, you face away for a moment before facing towards him and leaning against him to comfort both him and yourself from what you've seen. Yes, you may be a powerful and cocky person but you're not a monster. Imagine you joining in with playing with the 'children' even if you're a ghost, that'll be so cute.

You cannot tell me that Kim Gong-ja isn't a MALEWIFE that will kill anyone who is a threat to him and his wife(you). He is the malewife husband that works. I wanna see how affectionate he can get with you and soft.

I don't know what my brain is on rn but I hope you like reading this short blog😅

Tell me if they're OCC because I think I forgot some stuff💕