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nexus-my-beloved · 1 month

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Alright, welcome to my ramble about why Five/Lila in s4 makes absolute complete sense and why everyone tearing it down and making derogatory remarks make me ridiculously angry when they refuse to really think about it.

UMBRELLA ACADEMY S4 SPOILERS !

One of the biggest things I'm seeing people do/say about season 4 is that adding a love interest for Five ruined it or that Five "wouldn't do that" and that it was extremely out of character. At a glance, yes, that can make sense, but if you stop to think about it for five seconds longer than it becomes increasingly apparent that it MAKES SENSE.

Another thing people keep complaining about it the fact that Five was being a homewrecker/Five was being an awful person/etc. What people are doing is they are neglecting to acknowledge the fact that the relationship was as much as Five's persistence as it was Lila's. Lila was not roped into a relationship, she was just as much into it as he was! If you are going to call out Five, remember that you need to call out Lila, too.

Now that my baseline points are out there, let me explain:

When Five was in the apocalypse the first time, he felt completely alone in a barren wasteland. He was isolated, and young, and he wanted to get back to his family to save them. While he waited, though, he grew extremely attached to the first thing he could that gave him any kind of company: Dolores. He cared about her and even loved her, to a degree, proven by how he threatened to shoot Luther in s1 for trying to drop her out a window and by how he kissed the hallucination of a human Dolores when under the influence of Jayme's hallucination venom. Whether the love was real or not, he felt that it was, and it was a result of forced proximity and a lonely person wanting affection ("we only had each other")

When Five ended up trapped in the subway, he was lonely in yet another wasteland with more dangers than before. He felt isolated from the world around him, wanted to get back home to save his family (sound familiar yet?) but this time he was years older. He and Lila spent seven years on that subway, alone, together, and as would happen with forced proximity they got close. (I've heard people argue that they would've had a good sibling dynamic and that the romance ruined it, but the parallels between Lila and Dolores here are kind of obvious, I thought.) Five got attached to Lila, cared about her, and grew to love her (again, whether it was true love or not, that didn't matter when he thought he loved her, at least). In fact, throughout the entire show, Five has never smiled like he did when he was with Lila. He was happy. He did love her.

Often, Five is the one blamed for the relationship (that I have seen; I haven't yet seen ANYONE say Lila was also at fault). The issue is, Lila was the one who was married, the one who had kids, and yet she encouraged the relationship anyway. She didn't think she would get back to Diego, after a while. They were making the best of what they had, and personally, I don't think anything is wrong with the fact they had a relationship while in the subway - neither of them thought they would get home. Lila wasn't intending to cheat, she just didn't think she'd be able to get back to them and wasn't going to spend the rest of her life miserable. Five wasn't intending to play homewrecker, he fell in love and she encouraged it - what was he supposed to do? They were together of their own free wills. I think it's alright that they were together, but if you're going to blame anyone about it, both of them deserve blame because both of them were equal parts into the relationship.

I have heard people say that the stopping to rest was out of character and that it wasn't the same Five who fought 45 years in an apocalypse to get back to his family. That's the thing, though, isn't it? Five has done nothing but work to save his family since he was thirteen years old. 45 years in an apocalypse, a hellish two-ish weeks between saving them from a falling moon, WWIII in the 60s, and trying to get them out of a hotel that was hellbent on killing them. Then, when they get out, no powers, they all go their separate ways and he is no longer right with his family. He spends six years without them, working for the CIA, because working is all he knows how to do now (it's clear he hardly has a life for himself, seeing as everyone else's life was shown but Five had nothing outside of work), and when he gets put in another apocalypse for seven years you all are mad at him for wanting to have a break? For wanting something domestic? At face value, yes, it seems out of character, and it seems slightly selfish compared to his past actions, but when you really think about it IT MAKES SENSE HE'D WANT A BREAK. His life since he was 13 has been dictated by running himself ragged for his family's sake and now he might not be able to get home (similar to how it was in his first apocalypse). He's not at fault for wanting to go somewhere that he can rest. Wanting to have some sense of domesticity with Lila isn't bad.

The entire arc made sense! Five and Lila shared an experience with the commission. Both of them had been subject to The Handler and they could bond over it. Both had been through different apocalypses/problems (Hotel Oblivion, Lila was there in the sixties, they were now in the subway together) together, and both knew what it was like to get irritated by a crazy family (both, consequently, being subject to the Hargreeves). Sure, they fought in the past, and in past seasons their relationship would have never worked, but in that subway? In the subway it made sense. In fact, the show could have gone well either with or without their relationship, but adding in the relationship added to the watcher feeling the same level of defeat as Five did at the end. Losing everything, now having to lose his life, it gives the watcher empathy after watching the breakup.

Truly, I haven't seen anyone say that Five deserved sympathy for the breakup. He did deserve it, though: he was made to fall in love with Lila, and then the moment she found out they could go home, she was running off to leave like she was ready to ignore that they ever happened. He had been in love with her, made her gifts, called her "love", said that he "aimed to please" as he tried to make her happy, held her so gently when he'd kiss her because he was sweet and tender and this was the first real love he'd gotten to have, and he wanted to do it right. Then, the moment he told her she could go home, she was ready to leave, and she looked him in the eyes and said that "it was survival", practically throwing his heart to the ground and shattering it. They'd spent seven years together and he'd grown to love her and she made it seem like she was just biding her time and never truly loved him in the first place. Imagine how he must have felt? And yet he still loved her anyway. He'd known that she had been annoyed with Diego sometimes, and because he was in love and upset after getting his heart broken it made SENSE that he'd be bitchy towards Diego. Yes, she was Diego's wife, but Five was in love with her, and he was jealous that after everything they went through Diego still got to have her. He fought Diego to get out that frustration, even if (in my heart of heart's) it wasn't really frustration at Diego, but instead just generalized feelings of hurt. He dealt with it the way he dealt with things in the past: he fought. Five was forced to be a fighter, and it was the end of the world, it's not like he'd allow himself to cry. If anything, Five fighting Diego was the MOST in character thing they could've done after that, and yet people are upset at him for fighting his brother! That final "it's over, Five" that Lila said after breaking up the fight broke his heart, you could see that, in both his face and the way he blipped to the subway, ready to leave. He was heartbroken, there didn't seem to be a way to end this apocalypse, and again, Five wanted to rest. He loved her, she hurt him, and yet he STILL held her when she broke down after sending her family and the kids away on the train. He was strong, but you could tell he was hurting.

Their relationship wouldn't have worked anywhere besides the subway but it happening there made perfect sense, it made for a good feeling of Five experiencing defeat and the idea that he could never truly be loved, by family or otherwise. (Dolores couldn't reciprocate, Lila tossed him aside the second she could go home, Reginald surely was no father figure and there's no doubt he likely didn't see Grace as much of a mother, his siblings were always upset with him for some reason or other even if he was just trying to save them and out of this whole time, I believe he's only ever been called a good brother twice. He only got told that twice after his years of suffering for his family's sake.)

So, in conclusion, the Five/Lila arc made sense, it fit well with the story, there were good implications if you bother to think about them, Lila was just as much at fault as Five, Five was NOT super out of character for being a man just wanting a break (he even said it himself, it was a break, not giving up), and I'm so sick of hearing people just talk shit about them. Thank you for coming to my ramble, if you were a hater before, I hope I changed your mind, and to everyone that agrees with me thank you.

#umbrella academy s4 #umbrella academy season 4 #umbrella academy #the umbrella academy #five hargreeves #lila pitts #five/lila #lila/five #tua season 4 #tua s4 #tua #tua spoilers #tua season four #tua s4 spoilers #nex rambles #nexus speaks #enjoy my rambles #umbrella academy analysis

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gucciwins · 1 year

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guitarist y/n and harry update???? if possible

Mrs. Styles update: please forgive me 😭 life got so busy after the final show. here's a small blurb 🤍 1.7k ps: please go easy on me, do not speak Italian 🫣

After 168 shows tonight, Harry would be saying goodbye to go home and rest. He was tired but so happy. It was evident on his face whenever he talked to anyone who would listen. Y/N and Harry had said goodbye to tours before, but saying goodbye tonight to Love on Tour was hard. The tour was a love story, and Harry knew when looking back at all the videos and photos in the documentary being made, he would be able to see how his love grew for Y/N. She went from being his friend to girlfriend, fiance, and wife.

Y/N had been extra emotional during the last few shows. Harry knew she loved touring. It was her favorite thing to be on stage. It’s something they shared a similar love for. After she opened for him on his final night in Wembley, performing songs she wrote and vowed to never share, she came off stage buzzing, saying she couldn’t believe he did that every night. Harry had to remind her she did it, but she stated it was different. That final night had been his favorite because he had never seen his wife with that joy. It was something he wanted to see her experience again and again. He knows she’d never pursue a solo career, but she could play venue shows if she wanted. Y/N has a large fanbase that would go out to support her, and it’s not because of who she’s married to. Y/N won everyone’s heart long before they gave in to each other.

Tonight, no one could go longer than five minutes without crying. It was the end of the tour, and the love band would go to rest until Harry called everyone up to come back for the next world tour. Harry knew everyone needed to rest and reset because while everyone loved music and touring, there were times when everyone was feeling homesick. Many thought Harry and Y/N had it easy because they got to tour the world together, and while it was like that 99 percent of the time, the one percent sometimes won them over. It had them lying in bed, craving to return to the familiar four walls they called home instead of another hotel. Y/N missed when her sister would call and tell her about a project or how she was talking to this boy. Y/N got upset when Lila went to her first sleepover, and Y/N was not there to drop her off and pick her up. She heard all about it through Facetime, and while some would say it was good enough, it wasn’t for Y/N. Harry understood where his wife was coming from. His mother would call to update him on family events or who had invited her to dinner. Gemma would tell him about her podcast, dinner plans, and how she missed him. While Harry knew he had Y/N’s conditional love, it was easy to get lost in everything one might have missed. Although, at the end of the night, he always knew he was right where he was meant to be, in the arms of his wife.

Italy is special to Harry and Y/N. It’s a big reason Harry decided to have the final show be in Emilia Reggio. Italy is a place Y/N and Harry call home. It’s a city that has always treated them with love and privacy. Speaking Italian allowed them to blend in and become one with the community. For the final show, their family was coming out to support them. Harry had his mother, aunts, uncles, and cousins coming. He had friends he met early on in his career and his closest team members. Y/N’s mother and her thirteen-year-old sister were making the journey. Harry knew he’d have to share his wife for some time, but it was worth it to see that radiating smile. Her grandparents, Barbara and Trent, were also attending, and he looked forward to spotting them in the crowd. Y/N had her best friends joining. While she loved the band Harry and she had created, she held a special spot in her heart for the first friends she made when she picked up the guitar for the first time and decided to join a band. It changed her life for the better. It would be amazing to have everyone who loved and supported him through the years. It would be special because he had surprises that no one was prepared for, not even Y/N.

Y/N was nervous.

Harry had promised her 100k would not feel too much, but looking at the sea of people, she felt a wave of nausea. Something she wasn’t used to experiencing. Y/N was known for being calm and collected but currently was the opposite. Her hands couldn’t stop sweating, and she only managed to eat two spoonfuls of soup before she felt like throwing up.

It was the final show making her emotions go crazy, but she knew it wasn’t the only factor. She had been keeping a secret to herself, and it seemed that it would be coming out today because while Y/N wanted Harry to enjoy this special day, how she felt had left him on edge.

“Baby, I-I we can have the doctor check you out,” he offered as Y/N drank mineral water because it kept her feeling better.

Y/N knew now was the time to tell him the news. Instead of answering him, she walked over to her bag and reached into a small zipper, pulling out five pregnancy tests. She took five because she didn't believe it when she took the first two. Then, when the three others were straight positives, did she accept it. Y/N remembered how she felt finding out a few days ago and now would be sharing it with Harry. He followed behind her as she set them on the bathroom vanity. Harry looked at what she placed while Y/N looked at his face, hoping to memorize his reaction. She knows this story is one she will be excited to share with their kids one day.

Harry’s green eyes widened in surprise. He picks up one that reads “pregnant” on the digital screen. Two others say the same, and two show a deep pink line. He turns his head to meet Y/N’s eyes, and she can see the tears beginning to fall.

“You’re pregnant,” he breathes out. “You’re pregnant.” It’s clear he’s trying to wrap his head around the news. It’s something both of them have discussed openly. Harry and Y/N loving their siblings dearly and having the relationship they have with them is what allowed them to decide they did see themselves having children. Y/N knew she’d have more than one, but one was an excellent way to start.

“I’m pregnant,” she confirms in a soft voice. “I know it’s a big day already, and don’t want to overshadow it, but it’s why I’ve been feeling weird.”

Harry shakes his head as if to stop her. “No, no. You’ve only made it more special, petal.” Tears run down his face, “we’re growing our family.”

“This–it’s still early days. Got to visit a doctor soon, but,” Y/N placed a hand over her heart. “I know it’s true. We’re starting a family, my love.”

He connects his lips to hers, sharing in his touch everything he feels for her and forever will. Y/N pours all her love into the kiss, accepting that while she has always had Harry, they are now growing their family.

It’s a perfect day for Harry and Y/N. One filled with love and kisses.

Now it is time for Harry and the Love Band to take the stage one last time.

Y/N stepped forward, passing her guitar over to Mitch, who gave her an encouraging smile.

“Ciao bellezza,” Y/N greeted the crowd. “So che potresti non volermi sentire, ma c'è qualcosa che devo dire a nome dell'intera band.” I know you might not want to hear from me but there is something I need to say on behalf of the entire band.The audience cheered, and she knew she was cleared to continue. Harry looked at her curiously but did nothing to stop her. Y/N approached him cautiously until she stood next to him. He could see her hand shaking, and without a second thought, he slipped it into his, raising it to his lips for a moment. He nodded his head encouragingly. Y/N knew she’d be okay.

“Thank you for your endless support. We feel it every night. It’s what makes getting on stage so special each time. I know a final show means a lot, and I know you wanted to make it extra special for us all, but I can promise you each night is special to us all.” Y/N looks out at the crowd and spots her family quickly. Lila has her arms wrapped around her Mum, blowing kisses with her free hand. Jeff and Glenne are crying while Brad records the special moment for everyone. “I know I’ll never forget this tour. If this is the last tour I ever get the chance to play, know that I’m leaving with memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you, Harry. We love you. I love you.”

Harry lets his tears run free, hugging her close to his chest. “You’re the worst, making me cry twice today.” Y/N giggles, kissing his cheek and letting him return to his show. The night moved on perfectly, the fans loving every second, and before they knew it, Harry’s team was rolling out a piano for the final song of the night.

The love band watched on as Harry played the final song he wrote for tonight. Y/N, the only person to step closer, was leaning on the piano, admiring Harry as she let her tears run down. Life would only improve, and she was excited to share that with Harry.

As Harry walked off stage with Y/N’s hand in his, he knew he left a part of his heart out on the stage, but the other bits were safe in Y/N’s hands. It always would be. Harry was going home to rest to be with his wife. His wife was carrying their child, a baby made out of love. The best gift to come out of “Love on Tour.” This secret would be theirs for a while, and when the time was right, they would share it with his amazing fans.

For now, he was heading home with his wife to rest.

#harry styles #harry styles writing #harry styles x reader #harry styles fluff #harry fluff #harry styles x guitarist y/n #love on tour #love on tour reggio emilia

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mcheang · 2 years

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I have a prompt idea! So a rich kid transfers into DuPont who is the son of the prime minister or something. He can be bratty like Chloe and deceitful like Lila. The first thing he does is put Chloe in her place since her dad can’t do anything to him and exposes Lila as the liar she is with the help from his connections.But here’s the kicker, he has a massive crush on Marinette. But she has a massive crush on Adrien, someone he looks down on. Cue jealousy and retribution. Basically Adrien gaining an antagonist of his own because if he can have FOUR girls getting into a cat fight of her (two of whom are nasty bullies) then Marinette can have her own evil love interest. Bonus points if he is beginning to endear to Marinette after standing up to her bullies.

Remy Gusteau

Can you guess where I got his name? But I imagine him to look like Draco Malfoy if he has to keep saying “My father….” Lol

Your prompt is the first in a long while that has given my that old flair of imagination :D Thank you. Also, for anyone else who wants to send me a prompt, note I have not watched the latest season yet as I am waiting for all episodes to air first. So no spoilers please.

The only reason Remy even agreed to go to Paris after the rise of Hawkmoth was because it was the capital of gastronomy.

Even so, he refused to stay as a guest at the Le Grand Paris. There is no way he is staying in the same hotel as that bully Chloe. Honestly why Ladybug even let her remain a hero after she purposefully endangered a train full of Parisians is beyond him. And ever since he saw her purposefully sabotage a cooking show, he has been asking his father why her father was even still mayor if he could not even raise his daughter properly.

Even so, the mayor personally welcomed Remy at the airport.

Mayor: my daughter attends Dupont too, she can be your tour guide.

Remy: I certainly hope she learned to improve her personality. It doesn’t look good on France if the mayor of our capital has a bully for a daughter.

The mayor paled at the threat. “Of course she has improved. Why else would Ladybug give her a miraculous again?”

Remy: I guess we’ll see.

Later that night, Andre begged his daughter to be on her best behavior because otherwise, it might cost him his job.

Naturally Chloe was appalled. She started to protest when even her mother agreed with Andre. “It would never do for my darling to lose his job. All Chloe has to do is act nice in front of the prime minister’s boy, right? That’s easy to do. Chloe, if you can’t handle even this much, ask your sister for advice.”

The next day Chloe went out of her way to greet Remy and did not even give Sabrina orders…only to be ignored by Remy.

Ugh. Who did he think he is?

Sabrina: Um, the prime minister’s son?

The only seat left available was next to Ivan, right in front of Lila.

As Caline told Remy that Marinette would be his tour guide, Lila volunteered instead.

Lila: Oh, I can do it. As the ambassador’s daughter, I’m sure Marinette would has a lot to do anyway.

Marinette scowled at Lila. And she wasn’t the only one.

Remy himself was not happy. He recognised Marinette because of her parents and uncle. He had actually been looking forward to discuss recipes with her. Why did that nobody have to butt in?

Well that nobody was Lila, and clearly she never heard of personal space. For someone supposed to be giving a tour of the classrooms and teachers, she sure talked a lot about herself instead.

Don’t tell him that everybody actually indulged her like this?

Later that day, after class ended, he asked Caline why she does not try reining in Lila’s tall tales.

Caline: Lila has a special disease. She didn’t want her classmates to see her differently because of it.

Remy stared cooly at this dumb woman. “Hmm. Do you know something, I’ve heard the other students tell me I was in the akuma class. I thought perhaps it might be due to Chloe but perhaps you have something to do with it too. I wonder if I should ask my father to bring an inspector here.”

Caline: If you think it’s needed. I have only ever encouraged my students to forgive each other.

Remy: right, which is why you never told your class they were being lied to by Lila and denied them the chance to forgive her.

True to his word, Remy did bring an inspector around, and was he thorough! Marinette’s previous expulsion case was brought up and both Damocles and Caline were fired for mishandling the case. Remy even forced them to apologize to Marinette. Some, including Adrien, might protest this was harsh, but Remy drily pointed out that Caline’s method of forgiving bullies without punishing them was called enabling. Did she expect them to forgive Hawkmoth too? And Damocles is not supposed to turn school property into some cheap owl cave, nor punish the school for Chloe’s misdeeds. They were like children in the bodies of adults.

Oh, and Lila was exposed too. She had to confess her special ability to the whole school, outing her as someone who likes to tell tall tales.

Understandably, akumas appeared. Curiously though, they never got much chance to cause chaos. Mainly because the no-nonsense inspector and Remy struck them in the head once the transformation had finished, giving them no time to react, and proceeded to keep hitting them till they passed out.

Everyone stared at them.

Remy: What? The miraculous cure will fix everything.

And Remy finally got to discuss baking with Marinette! He just didn’t understand why she was so fixated on Adrien Agreste. The model reminded Remy of Caline, always about forgiving bullies. Spoken like someone who has never been bullied himself!

He just has to help Marinette see that Adrien isn’t worth her time. Some planned situations to show how useless the boy is. Good thing he has the mayor’s daughter at his beck and call. And he just knows she is dying to be mean again.

#miraculous ladybug fanfic #miraculous ladybug fic #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #ml fic #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #lila gets exposed #bustier salt #damocles salt #Adrien salt

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amhrosina · 2 years

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MCU Men Raising Kids With You (Pregnancy Headcanons//Pt.5)

MASTERLIST // TAG LIST REQUEST FORM

A/N: This is the 5th and final part of this mini-series. I have loved writing these and even got some ideas for more headcanons! If you have any headcanons/characters in mind, send me a message! I hope you enjoy!

Link to Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Frank Castle:

A year after you have Lucy, you find out you’re pregnant again.

Frank is over the moon when you find out it’s another girl.

Frank as a girl dad oh my GOD the thought of it makes me cry

You give birth to Lila Castle a few months before Lucy turns two. Frank cries just as hard the second time around.

You eventually end up buying a house a little outside of the city, just far enough for the schools to be better, but not so far that you can’t get there on a short train ride.

On Lucy’s first day of school, you and Frank put on a brave face for the drop-off, but as soon as you get back to the car, you’re both holding each other and crying on the other’s shoulder. They just grow up so darn fast.

The next year, when Lila’s first day comes around, you’re both expecting it to be a little easier. You’re both wrong.

Lila has always been the more independent one out of your two kids, so when you go to walk her to her classroom, she slips her hand out of yours and walks towards her teacher without any prompting from you. She doesn’t even look back, just waves her hand and walks into the classroom.

You don’t even make it to the car before you’re ugly crying into Frank’s chest.

Lucy is more like you – affectionate, giving, and quiet. Her favorite movie is Soul, and her favorite thing to do, besides reading of course, is watch her dad play guitar.

Lila is like her dad – stoic, charming, and never afraid to speak her mind. She’s sassy, but she’s still young enough for it to be cute. Frank swears up and down she gets that from you, but you’ve heard Frank in tough situations before, and Lila’s attitude is all Frank.

When the girls are old enough, Frank tells them about Lisa and Frank Jr. They ask a lot of questions, even random ones like “What were their favorite colors?” but end up cuddling their dad for hours after.

When Frank comes to bed, he’s sentimental and a little teary-eyed still. You hold him and kiss him throughout the night.

When the girls get a little older, you and Frank have to ride the wave of living with two pre-teen girls under one roof.

Frank spends entirely too long trying to reason with them when they’re fighting with each other, but eventually just huffs and cuddles up next to you.

“I think you’re the only person in this house that likes me right now.”

“Yeah, me too.”

When Lucy has her first date, Frank is wound up like you’ve never seen before.

“Frank, she’s 16. She’s allowed to go to the movies with a boy. Don’t worry about it, okay? If he gets handsy, she knows where to aim her fist. We have to give her a little freedom.”

Frank spends the entire time she’s gone pacing around the house, flicking on light switches and then flicking them off again. You watch him watch the clock as it ticks closer to Lucy’s curfew.

When she gets home, the tears in her eyes have both you and Frank very concerned.

When she reveals the boy got mad at her for not wanting to kiss him, Frank looks capable of murder. Frank’s Punisher days are long behind him, but in that moment, you swear you see a sliver of the Frank you had met all those years ago.

You’re the one that talks him off the ledge after Lucy goes to bed.

“Frank, we cannot murder a teenager. That’s a line we’re not crossing.”

You’re half joking, because obviously you and Frank will not be murdering anyone, but the look in Frank’s eyes is a little too familiar from the wild nights you shared in Hell’s Kitchen.

“We? Who’s we?”

“You really think I’d let you go after the boy that made our daughter cry by yourself? Hell no. I’m the first in line. Now, go to bed you angry beautiful man. We’ll deal with this in the morning.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Lucy and Lila end up becoming best friends once they reach their junior and senior years in high school. You think it’s because Lila’s going to miss Lucy when she goes off to college next year, but Frank says it’s because they know how important family is. You decide you’re both probably right.

Matt Murdock:

Matty loves being a dad sOoOoOoOo much.

He always finds ways of working them into his conversations, even if it’s with potential clients or the guy working the hot dog stand on the corner.

He bets you $50 that Elias will be the first one to walk, but Rosalie puts his $50 to shame when she gets up and wobbles over to meet him after he gets home from work.

Matt literally melts into the floor, like he is so proud of her. Elias soon follows, and then your lives get harder because two mini humans just got a lot more mobile.

The twins have Matt’s stubbornness, but your tranquility. They will refuse to eat anything that remotely resembles a vegetable, but they won’t throw fits about it. They’ll just sit there, arms crossed, and lips pressed together, shaking their heads.

Elias’ first word is “Foggy”, and Foggy hasn’t shut up about it since it happened.

When Rosalie shows an interest in martial arts, Matt is overjoyed. He takes her to every single practice and even coaches her on the weekends.

Elias has the athleticism of his father, so he eventually ends up in both soccer and baseball. Matt makes sure he’s at every practice, even forcing a client to meet him on the soccer field one time. Call this man Mr. Soccer Mom. He’s got a hat and everything.

When Rosalie lets her curiosity get the best of her and she stumbles upon Matt’s Daredevil costume, Matt has to have a very long and difficult conversation with the twins.

Matt doesn’t patrol all that much anymore, but he’s Matt, so of course he manages to find himself in the middle of trouble all the time.

He hasn’t come home battered or bloody in ages, but you still wake up in the middle of the night sometimes and find him perched on the edge of the bed, listening.

“Matty, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, sweetheart, ‘m fine. It’s not so much the sirens anymore. Sometimes I just listen to the twins breathing to make sure they’re safe.”

You know hearing the rhythmic sound of his family’s heartbeats puts the devil inside Matt at bay, so you coax him back into bed and pull his head to your chest.

We all know Matt is a certified soft!boy, but when it comes to his kids, he’s straight up mush.

Rosalie brings her “What I Want to be When I Grow Up” project home and when Matt sees that her answer is lawyer, because she wants to help people like her dad, he’s reduced to tears.

Foggy showing up to Elias’ games with a giant cardboard cutout of Elias’ head.

The twins are inseparable throughout high school, but they do have their own groups of friends, which you’re eternally grateful for.

Matt loves it when they bring their friends over because he wants the twins to have the “cool dad” of the friend group.

Rosalie ends up being her class Valedictorian, and she gives her graduation speech on overcoming adversity. She recounts stories about her dad, the blind lawyer who did everything people said he couldn’t, and Matt is, I kid you not, crying so hard behind those red glasses that you have to keep handing him new tissues every 30 seconds.

Foggy is a blubbering mess throughout the entire ceremony.

On your last night before the twins head off to different colleges, you host a big family dinner (Foggy & Karen included). Matt spends the evening clutching your hand like it’s a lifeline.

You all end up falling asleep on the couches in the living room watching a movie and cuddled together as a family.

Billy Russo:

Billy never really had any parental figures in his life, so becoming a parent to Theo is something he really wants to get right.

Billy’s main focus shifts from work to his family, and he continues to follow through on the promise he made you when you were pregnant with Theo.

He always puts his family first, above everything else in his life, but you assure him that he’s allowed to be passionate about his work too.

Theo is about the sweetest toddler you’ve ever seen, constantly looking for affection from both you and Billy.

He’ll latch onto Billy’s leg as soon as Billy gets home from work and crawl into your lap anytime you sit down for longer than 30 seconds.

Theo loves going to work with Billy, and one time you even see Theo mimicking Billy running his hands through his hair in frustration over a work invoice.

Theo might have Billy’s personality, but he looks like your little mini-me.

Billy and you spend your 5-year wedding anniversary with Theo at Disney World.

Billy looks adorable in the Mickey Mouse ears.

You and Billy both decide that your family of three is perfect, so you don’t try to have any more kids, but that doesn’t stop Billy from worshipping you every night after Theo goes to bed.

He thanks you all the time for giving him a second chance to be a father to Theo and husband to you.

When Theo starts fifth grade, he tells you he wants to try football.

Billy is so enthusiastic about it that it becomes a tradition for him and Theo to get up early on Saturday and practice for a couple hours.

Theo is good at football, but his real talent lies in his art. Throughout middle school, you watch his skills go above and beyond what any 12-year-old should be capable of.

Your favorite drawing of his ends up being a sketch of you and Billy sitting on the roof of your building, watching the sunrise. Your head is resting on Billy’s shoulder, and Billy’s head is resting on top of yours. A blanket is wrapped around both of you. You didn’t even know Theo was awake and sketching the scene until you turn around to leave and very nearly fall on your ass out of terror.

The drawing is framed and hanging in your foyer.

Theo’s sweet disposition follows him as he gets older. By the time he’s a sophomore, he swears his favorite thing to do is make homemade pizza with you and his dad every Friday night.

You know Theo has friends because he hangs out with them and brings them around all the time, but you refuse to mention them on Fridays when all Theo wants to do is cook together as a family.

Billy doesn’t know how he managed to raise such a sweet kid, but you remind him that he’s a sweet guy, and Theo looks at him like he hung the moon, so it shouldn’t be that surprising.

When Theo finds out he got into a great art school, you and Billy pull him into a group hug and jump around your kitchen in excitement.

On the day Theo is set to move into his dorm, Billy tries his best to hold in his tears on the drive there, but once you both hug him goodbye and make it back to the car, you’re both crying so hard that you have to sit in the parking lot for an hour before one of you can drive home.

The train ride to see him is only an hour, so you and Billy make trips out to that side of the city all the time.

Billy reveals that he never thought about what kind of family he’d have one day because he never thought he’d have one, but he’s so grateful that you and Theo showed him what family is supposed to be.

Bucky Barnes:

Bucky is daddy in every sense of the word.

If he could wear a “Proud Dad” shirt everywhere, he would.

Jessie’s first Christmas is an emotional affair for everyone involved. Before Jessie, you and Bucky acknowledged Christmas a holiday, but never really celebrated it. When Jessie was born, though, you both wanted to make it something special for your family.

Getting a visual of Bucky hauling a big ass christmas tree across the tree lot with the metal arm.

Even though Jessie won’t be old enough to remember any of the details, you still wrap his presents and address them to Jessie, from Santa.

You get Bucky a pair of socks that say “Grumpy Old Man” on the sides of them and laugh so hard when you’re trying to wrap them that Bucky is very concerned about what could be hidden in the wrapping paper.

Your first Christmas with Jessie is so magical, and you both promise to make every year afterwards as special as possible.

Around Jessie’s third birthday, Bucky and you discuss having another kid, but quickly do away with the idea when Bucky recounts how terrified he was during your pregnancy. You’re both happy with Jessie and have enough time to change your minds if that’s what you want to do.

Jessie’s first day of school is a little hysterical, if you’re honest. Bucky and you walk Jessie to his classroom and introduce yourself to the teacher, like normal, but as soon as the moms in the room lay their eyes on Bucky, it’s game over.

You watch as he is bombarded with introductions from the moms, who are so interested in his metal arm. You can’t even find it in yourself to get jealous, because you’ve never seen Bucky so nervous in your life. Gone was the charming, flirty Bucky you had met and fallen in love with. The man in front of you was a terrified kitten surrounded by hungry alligators.

You laugh about it the entire way home, much to Bucky’s chagrin, who is grumpy for the rest of the morning.

Needless to say, he stuck directly to your side when he had to make classroom appearances after that.

When Jessie comes home one day in middle school and asks his dad to come talk to his class about being a Veteran, Bucky is a little taken aback. Being a Veteran is not something he talks about often, but Jessie thinks it’s very honorable and cool, so Bucky shows up and gives a talk.

One of the students asks how strong his metal arm is, and Bucky shows them in the most Bucky way possible, by asking as many as can fit to hang off of his arm.

Jessie is officially the coolest guy in school by the end of the day.

Bucky still isn’t used to the PTA moms and their advances, but he’s learned how to avoid them 95% of the time.

Jessie gets really into baseball when he reaches high school age, so Bucky takes him out to the field every weekend and teaches him how to play.

Jessie’s not the best on the team, but he makes great friends and loves playing, so you and Bucky are very supportive.

Bucky loves seeing the jersey with “Barnes” on the back of it.

“It’s the American Dream, baby. Nothin’ better than a game of baseball.”

You and Bucky are lucky enough to be able to travel with the team when they have away games, so every other week you’re in another city cheering Jessie and his team on.

You and Bucky call baseball night “date night” because you both love it so much.

In Jessie’s final game his senior year, Bucky is in tears as Jessie hits the game winning ball over the back fence.

The life you and Bucky built together is unconventional, and maybe strange to other people, but you wouldn’t trade it, or him, for the world.

Peter Parker (Tom Holland):

Peter and you both eventually graduate college around May’s 4th birthday. The struggle for money was present the whole time, but Peter’s genius brain ends up landing him a great job in a lab, where he gets to study and create all day long and then bring home a pretty hefty paycheck.

You end up taking a job teaching at a gifted school in Manhattan, where they offer daycare services to the staff for free.

As soon as the money starts coming in, the pressure on both of your shoulders start to lift. You can afford a bigger apartment now, (plenty of room for growth lol), and May likes that it’s so close to the park.

May’s favorite super-hero happens to be Spider-Man, even though she has no idea that her own dad is the guy in the suit.

Peter definitely lets this fact go to his head.

May is a very social child – she'll say hi to everyone out in public and get frustrated when they don’t say it back.

Around May’s 5th birthday, you and Peter decide you’d be okay with another child, but it’s not something you’re actively trying for. If it happens, it happens, ya know?

Two months later your period is late, and you immediately know you’re pregnant again.

When you find out it’s a boy, Peter is so excited that he goes out a buys another spiderman onesie for the new baby.

May is so so excited to be a big sister and even suggests the name Leo, which is the name you and Peter end up going with.

Raising two kids is somehow a little easier than raising just one, but you think it’s mainly because you both have decent paychecks and you’ve already done the whole baby thing before.

May joins theater in middle school and Peter is so into the plays that he starts coaching her on her monologues, even though he’s never acted in a play before.

Leo is the eternal baby of the family, which frustrates May to no end. You and Peter treat both kids fairly, but that doesn’t keep the two of them from arguing over everything.

At one point, Peter moves the living room gaming console into your bedroom because the kids won’t stop fighting over it. You and him accidentally end up playing Mario Kart until 4 o’clock in the morning. You’re both exhausted the next day, but it was so fun that you don’t regret it for a second.

Eventually, the kids suspect something is up with their dad, who has gotten sort of lazy about hiding his super-hero identity from them.

When Leo finds a tube of web fluid in your bathroom, Peter has to come clean to the kids about who he is and what he does.

May thinks it is the absolute coolest thing ever about her dad.

Peter has to have a heart-to-heart with her about keeping the secret, even from her closest friends. She crosses her heart and promises to never tell a soul.

That doesn’t stop her and Leo from talking about it. You overhear them one night, up way past their bedtimes, wondering which building is the highest one Spider-Man has swung off of.

Peter and the kids sometimes sneak off to play their own version of tag which involves using web shooters.

Peter’s had to call you more than once to have you bring web dissolving fluid after they run out of it and Leo’s leg is still suck to a wall.

When May graduates high school, it’s a big adjustment for everyone in the house. She moves into an apartment with her friends, closer to her city job, and Peter definitely takes it the hardest.

When Leo graduates, the empty nest syndrome hits you and Peter hard, but at least you have each other and the life you’ve built together.

End Note: This document ended up being seven pages long, which is like three more pages than usual for this series. I really hope the people who have read all of them loved and enjoyed watching these families grow like I did! Keep an eye out for more!! I love writing these.

Tag List:

@purple-amaranthe @raajali3 @kokoterainonago666 @minervadashwood @emiemiemiii @h4rrys @mylifeispainandiloveit @alexxavicry @hallecarey1 @km-ffluv @mossexe @knight-core @alina02 @fightmilk @spikedhe4rt

(Also tagging the people who asked for specific character tags below!)

@xleiaorgana @dilfs5678 @blackwidownat2814 @mymamalife @messymissy @soft-emo-enby @brookiecookiez0 @raajali3

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avocado-writing · 2 years

Text

not your fault, but mine

tangerine x single mother!reader (with tangerine being paternal, I know y’all love that)

2.1k words

cw: kidnapping, brief child endangerment, a lot of swears for the wordcount

tag list: @honestlywtfisgoingon @white-wolf-buckaroo @felhomaly @venusthepirate @lunarpansexual @wanderedaway @georgiee-riviere @mushywutty @piechans @apieceoffabulousshit @4ng3l-0n-34rth @minjaz @starl1g4t @earth-elemental18 @luhvbot @underratedboogeyman @july-is-summer @vocalvixen20cp @northerngalxy @tangerinesgf @chaoticroaddreamerpasta @rxcently @skrrten @nightmarefeast @lost-lila @hardcore-flower @mrsdanieljackson

a/n: thank you to @lady-jane3 for being my beta! if you enjoy this fic you will probably enjoy this one by @whatstruthgottodowithit!

Tangerine has been a little bit in love with you since the two of you first met.

Sometimes it’s pertinent for handlers to be sent on missions with their agents in the field. Insider intel and all that jazz, overseeing what’s going on. When he saw you in the hotel lobby waiting for him and his brother he was smitten with the smart black dress and look of professional interest you wore; but he was fucked when he heard you laugh at one of his jokes.

It was enchanting. You were enchanting.

You wriggled your way into his affections without even meaning to. You worked well with them both, and you were easy on the eyes and on the soul. Strong and capable in your own right, too. The job was easy because you were there; and when you all went out to celebrate that night it didn’t hurt that you were so receptive to Tangerine’s advances you’d ended up shagging him by the recycling bins round the back of the pub.

The fact that you’d exchanged private numbers afterwards was a welcome surprise though. Tangerine isn’t usually the sort of bloke people are interested in having a long term relationship with, so he’d expected it to be a one-and-done sort of night. But then there you were the next week, getting coffee back in London. Like the two of you were civilised people, not involved in the business of murder for hire.

It became a weekly thing. No more fucking, not yet anyway; just sitting there and chatting. He found himself looking forward to it each Friday. Seeing your smile, hearing your laugh again. It was a few macchiatos later you dropped the bomb.

“If this is going to be a thing, you’d better know I have a daughter.”

He peered at you from over the ceramic rim of his coffee cup.

“Right.”

“If it’s a problem, we call it here. She’s the most important thing to me. I like you a lot, Tangerine, but if a single parent is too much for you to handle I need to know now. So you don’t break my heart.”

You were upfront about it and he respected that. Maybe if you were anyone else he’d turn tail and run at that announcement.

But you weren’t anyone else. You were you. Gorgeous, wonderful you.

“That’s alright with me.”

The grin you gave him made him know he’d made the right choice.

Then the moment he’d been bricking it over came. After a few evening dates and a couple of dalliances with you in local hotels, he was introduced to your daughter. She was a shy, quiet girl of six, who hid behind you and peeked out at him from the safety of her mum as a shield.

“This is my friend Tangerine, love. Are you going to say hello?”

When she shook her head and hid her face in your shirt, Tangerine knew he was in for an uphill battle. But he’d fight it, for you.

It was like trying to dig a tunnel through an iceberg with a spoon. The process was long and tiring. But he always made sure to be thankful whenever he was invited along to one of your days out with your daughter, to be given a chance to be part of the family.

Your daughter is cautious. It sounds like you had a nasty breakup with her dad, and you never discuss it much - but your little one has trouble trusting new men because of it, it seems. But as the ice starts to melt around her he finds himself loving her as much as he loves you.

He knows he can’t buy someone’s affections. But when he shells out an eye-watering amount for a stuffed dinosaur at the Natural History Museum and your daughter beams at him, he thinks it might be alright to cheat a bit.

She might be quiet, but she’s concise when she speaks; pithy and never using more words than she needs to. Still she has that same intensity many young children do. She reminds him of Lemon, actually, back when they were kids: sincere to a fault, but affectionate in her own way.

When she first held his hand in a crowd out in public, Tangerine grinned harder than when he heard West Ham got into the FA Cup final (didn’t win though, did they? Fucking Liverpool). Maybe he didn’t sign on to have a kid in his life, but he can’t help but feel incredibly lucky it ended up happening. And sitting with you cozied up on one side of him and your daughter falling asleep on his arm on the other, he’s even more surprised that he’s genuinely happy.

He heads to your house with a bouquet of flowers for you and a toy in garish packaging for your daughter. Oh, he’s going to earn points for this one - she never asked for it outright, but he’s seen the way she lights up whenever the advert comes on the telly. He’s not Lemon, but he’s still smart enough to pick up on these things.

And you’ll be pleased she’s happy, of course. And when you’re pleased it usually leads to him being pleased later that night.

But the blood in Tangerine’s veins freezes when he sees your door is ajar. You don’t leave it open, ever, and he can hear his heartbeat thunder when he nudges it and sees broken glass behind.

He drops the toy, and the flowers burst into petals on the concrete as he runs inside.

It’s a mess. The coffee table is shattered, furniture has been overturned - and, fuck, there’s blood on the carpet. Signs of a struggle.

He shouts for you at the top of his lungs, for your daughter, sweeping the house and checking anywhere someone could be hiding. He comes up empty. Fuck. Fuck! How could he let this happen?

Dazed, he heads into your bedroom. Sits on the bed. Fishes his phone out of his pocket, numbly taps your number to dial it.

He doesn’t hear your phone go in the house. It rings off to voicemail.

Right. Okay. Right. You must have it with you. That’s something.

Adrenaline surging through his body, he checks to see if your location is turned on. It is. Whatever happened, you made sure to know you could be found.

He stands up, clenches his fist so hard his knuckles turn white, and starts to call Lemon as he leaves.

You wake up to the taste of metal in your mouth. Christ, your head hurts. It’s a sharp ache that reverberates around your skull. Something sticky is running down from your forehead and has gummed your left eye shut, but you look around with your right the best that you can.

Some sort of warehouse. Of course. How original. Things begin to come back to you: the men smashing your door in, the couple you managed to deal with before you were overwhelmed. Your hand still hurts from the punch you delivered to someone’s nose, and you remember the satisfying crunch it made. Oh, god - and your daughter trying to run away but getting caught -

You call her name and you feel a shuffling against your back; you try to move before you realise you’ve been restrained. Hands bound behind you, ankles tied to chair legs. With a groan you crane your neck as far as it will go to take a look.

Your daughter comes to, groggy. You can just about make out her familiar shape in your periphery. If they’ve harmed a single hair on her head, you’re going to set this fucking building alight with every cunt who did this still inside.

“Love?”

She lets out a little sob of terror.

“Mum, what happened?”

“I’m not sure, sweetheart. Are you alright? Did they hurt you?”

She takes a moment to answer, her voice shaking.

“I’m… I’m okay, I think.”

You hope she’s telling the truth, and not just lying to seem brave for you. It’s not like you can turn around and check, is it?

Alright, one thing at a time. You test the restraints. No luck, shit. They’re done tight. With multiple zip ties it feels like. It’s a chore to steady your breathing but you manage to do it, and talk yourself through what you remember.

They burst in, attacked you mostly in silence, but they were talking as they choked you out - about what? Focus, focus.

Oh, fuck. A sentence comes back to you.

‘Let’s see how he likes it when he finds out we have his bird.’

Tangerine. This is all about Tangerine.

You hold back stupid tears. Crying isn’t going to solve anything, is it? But you want to, though. You want to cry over being weak enough to get fucking kidnapped, at being enough of a vulnerability to Tangerine that they’d take you to hurt him, that you got your daughter mixed up in all of this.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

The door at the end of the warehouse space swings open. A man crosses over, a balaclava obscuring his face. Despite it all you can’t help but let out a little laugh - how fucking old school, you half expect him to whip out an Anonymous mask.

“Not sure what you’re having a giggle at, love. Seems to me there’s not anything funny about the situation you’re in.”

“Oh, what do you fucking want?” you snap, squaring up the best you can under the circumstances. Keep a brave face for her. The man rolls his eyes.

“Well, darling, a very nasty man likes to get his end away with you. So we figured you’d be a useful bargaining chip when dealing with him. See, he’s pissed off the wrong person, and they’re interested in making sure he pays dearly for it. And the fact you arrange his little missions means this is a two-for-the-price-of-one deal.”

Your daughter whimpers. You bare your teeth at him.

“I don’t give a fuck what you do for me, but let her go. She didn’t do anything, she’s a child.”

The man rolls his eyes.

“What, so she can go running straight to him to tell him where you are? Don’t think so, sweetheart. No, much better to make sure she’s here. Safe. With us.”

He grins and it makes you feel sick. You open your mouth to lay into him, but a beeping from the walkie-talkie at his belt stops you. He grabs it and turns his back to you.

“What?”

There’s the unmistakable sound of gunfire on the other end.

“Oh, fuck, they’re -” is as far as the speaker gets, before he’s cut off with a bloody gargle. The man freezes for a moment, but he’s been distracted long enough - you’ve managed to wiggle one foot free from your restraints and you bring it up as hard as you can between his legs. The man screeches in agony and drops to the floor.

You call for your daughter and tell her to work on her bindings. You feel her struggle behind you. She’s small, maybe she’ll be nimble enough to get free…

The man gets back up all too quickly.

“You bitch,” he spits, and pulls out a knife from around his back. You feel the blood leave you.

Please don’t kill me in front of my daughter.

Any further action he was going to take, however, is somewhat interrupted by the fact a quarter of his head explodes all over you as a bullet flies through it. He looks shocked for a moment before collapsing for the last time.

They’re here. Tangerine and Lemon are dishevelled, covered in blood, and looking worse for wear - but they’re here. Tangerine lowers his gun and runs over to you, dropping to his knees to check you over.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, get her!” you say, motioning back towards your daughter. Tangerine doesn’t need telling twice. He picks up the abandoned knife and starts working on freeing the little girl behind you, as Lemon finishes closing the distance to help you.

You hear your daughter sob in relief and see Tangerine stagger back as she launches herself into his arms.

“Dad!” she cries, burying her little face in his neck. Tangerine doesn’t have an answer to that. It’s the first time you’ve ever seen him properly dumbstruck: standing there, covered in blood and holding your child with wide eyes.

“That’s a lot to unpack,” Lemon mutters with a smile as he finishes letting you go. You stand up and give him a tight hug.

“Am I glad to see your ugly mugs,” you sigh.

“Oi, easy! If you want to keep kissing this ugly mug,” Tangerine says, and it makes your daughter giggle even if she doesn’t loosen her grip.

A bubble of laughter escapes from your lips. Pure relief. Oh, fuck, this could have been bad. It wasn’t though.

Not when you’ve got your boys around to watch your back.

#tangerine x reader #tangerine x you #tangerine x y/n #yes its a mumfield and sons lyric and uhhhh i will NOT be taking my music taste into question thank you xoxox #divider by firefly-graphics

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eridanidreams · 2 months

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Snippet Sunday

tagging: @bearlytolerant, @silurisanguine, @aro-pancake, @fangbangerghoul, @atonalginger, @aislingdmdt, @fshenkoescape, @ninjaofnaps, @lisa-and-shadow, @a-cosmic-elf, @thatsgoodsquishy0, @hockeydemon42, @fomagranfalloon, @violenceandviolets, @therealgchu, @staticpallour, @artemis-crimson, @genesisarclite and @constellation2330

This is my brain right now...

...and I've been writing in four different fics for three different fandoms. Today's snip is from The Passage of Distant Stars...

Cait braced herself before turning, knowing what she'd see. It still wasn't enough; Sam in one of his relaxed leans against the wall, looking devastatingly handsome in t-shirt and jeans damn near stopped the breath in her throat. "Comfortable?"

"Mmm-hmm. Like they were made for me." He eyed her up and down; she'd expected something of the sort, and managed not to outwardly react. "So tell me, you invite every Starborn that comes in here for dinner and a drink, or am I special?"

"Oh, you're special," Cait admitted, and took some small amusement in his well-hidden surprise. Well-hidden from anyone but her, that is. "And yes, I keep those in there for someone like you." She could smell the paprika now, mingled with the other scents, sharp and just this side of acrid. She grabbed the bowl of chicken and started adding it to the pan. "But I don't invite every person, Starborn or not, in for dinner. Most of them just want to go straight through. Others," she glanced at him as he came over to lean against the fridge, "I want to go straight through. There's usually a few, though. People I've known, one way or another. People who need a little reassurance before making the jump." The tomatoes followed the chicken and she gave the whole thing a vigorous stir, then set a timer.

"I'm in that first group, I suppose," he said, a little whimsically. "Damn, that smells good! What is it?"

"Paprika Hendl," she replied. "Cora ever make you read her Dracula?"

A fond expression crossed Sam's face. "Sure did. In more than one 'verse." He chuckled. "Her and those books."

Cait couldn't hold back a chuckle of her own. "In my universe, I gave it to her." She laughed a little more softly, caught by the memory. "Gave her every book I could find, just to see the smile on her face. It was like to drive her father crazy some days." She caught a shift in his emotions, like a cloud pulling its veil across the sun. She cast him a quick glance, and his smile had turned melancholy. "I'm—"

"Nah," he interrupted. "No need to apologize. That was my—Lila—in a nutshell." Wryly, "I've gotten used to looking at another me from the outside. In a weird sort of way, it's good to know I'm loved, even if it's at a remove." He looked like he was going to elaborate on that, but instead took a deep breath and nodded at the pan. "So what's that have to do with Dracula?"

She accepted his silent request to change the subject. "Ah, yeah. It's the meal Jonathan Harker has before he gets to Castle Dracula. Traditional Central European dish. Supposed to be served with slivovitz—that's a plum brandy—but I'm not much for hard alcohol, so we'll have to make do with wine."

"Works for me," he drawled. "So how come I've never heard of this—Paprika Hendl?"

"Now that's something interesting," Cait said, gesturing him to join her at the kitchen island. (Multiple jumps and she still could not understand why Sam always blocked the fridge when she was cooking.) "Before we jumped, Cora and I had a theory that we wouldn't see a lot of big changes in the universes we went through, at least not the first few times. The idea was that as we started out from our own universe, we'd go through some 'close' universes, where the differences that made them were pretty minimal."

"Right. The—uh—butterfly effect, I think Cora called it." Sam leaned on the island across from her, eyes bright with interest and a sharp-edged curiosity shivering around him.

"Right," she nodded. "We figured it would be hard to change the big events, the ones that had lots of decisions going into them and lots of consequences coming out of them. But small things, things that don't matter much in the long run, or only to a very few people—those we expected to see a wide variety in." She cracked an egg with a flourish. "Turns out, recipes are one of those small things. Someone remembers their grandmother's recipe book, another leaves theirs behind…" A second egg. "Once I figured that out, I started looking. Found this one three, maybe four jumps back." A third egg joined the others in the dimpled flour; she gave it enough of a stir to break up the yolks, then carefully poured in some water and stirred that in, as well. "I thought maybe I could share them across timelines. Restore a little of Terra's lost heritage where I went."

He stared at her in disbelief as she took a heavy spoon and started beating the egg-flour mixture. "Hell, you have got to be the least Starborn Starborn I've ever run into. Most Starborn I've run into don't have the time of day for history. Or the people around them."

"That's the problem," Cait said absently, feeling for that moment when the dumpling batter came together. "In their search for power, they've forgotten everything that makes them human. Unity asks for part of your humanity when you go through, to give to the universe you leave behind. If you don't restore what's left of yourself, what happens when you run out?"

Sam stared at her, mouth all but agape, for several long moments. "Jesus, you're dangerous," he finally said, sounding half-awed. "No wonder they all want you dead."

She lifted the spoon and watched a clump of batter fall back into the bowl. Just about ready. "They want me dead because I don't play their game." She gave him a sardonic look. "Don't tell me I should knuckle under to a psychopath and his enabler."

"Of course not!" he countered. "But the Hunter's bad enough news that I'd pick my fights with him real careful. I ain't going out there punching a—a—terrormorph in the nose, either!"

Cait couldn't suppress a smirk. "Oh, I don't know, some terrormorphs are downright friendly compared to the Hunter and his followers." She moved back to the stove and started dropping batter into boiling water.

"Okay," he said, voice reflecting his bemusement, "You are officially weird."

#snippet sunday #eridani writes #starfield #starfield fanfic #caitlyn lynch #sam coe #coemancer #the coemancer crew #the starborn saga #crossover

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maspers · 10 months

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Ranking the Miracucast by how willing they are to attempt bingewatching the entirety of One Piece in one sitting.

(Disclaimer do not actually attempt this unless you have zero regard for your health)

Marinette: She wanted to when she heard Adrien was going to be there. So she's willing. But she just doesn't have the TIME. Between school and heroics and helping out at the shop and commissions and literally everything else ever, watching One Piece in one go doesn't have a chance of ever happening. 3/10

Alya: She and Nino are the ones who set up the bingewatch party, but a reporter's work is never done so she just kind of has it on in the background while she works on her latest post. It's on continuously, but she's definitely not there for all of it. 5/10

Adrien: Yes. 10/10

Nino: See Alya, except he actually tries to watch it because he wants to ensure all his friends are having a good time. Of course, the group lasted about a day before they gave up, but the attempt was there. 6/10

Chloe: Two options: she thinks the whole idea is ridiculous and isn't watching (0/10) OR she thinks the whole idea is ridiculous but also wanted to join Adrien. She makes the mistake of watching a few episodes and now she's INVESTED (8/10). Could go either way. 4/10 on average.

Sabrina: This girl watches so much anime in her downtime. Look at her. You know it's true. She would never tell Chloe, but after the great Boss/Minion Breakup of Season 5 Sabrina has all the time in the world and she is using it to watch One Piece. 8/10

Mylene: Thinks the show is charming but not all that interesting to her. But can bingewatch it with Ivan and cuddle up against his giant teddy bear body while basically ignoring the show and that's fine with her. 4/10

Ivan, Rose, Juleka, and Luka: Kitty Section as a whole loves this show to bits and when they all realized they had a two-week vacation they knew what they would be doing. Anarka basically had to host a One Piece summer camp on the Liberty for the six of them (including Adrien as part of the band, and Mylene as Ivan's +1), and they slept in shifts to ensure that they didn't have to stop the show. It was a whole fiasco. They will never do anything like this ever again. They returned to school tired and sore and in agonizing pain. Luka's hands are in excruciating pain because he just HAD to play along with the sheer emotion of the show, Ivan accidentally passed out and crushed his desk, and Adrien's modeling shoots had to be postponed until he could fix his posture after sitting so long. Even Juleka looked tired, and she never looks tired. Mylene was fine because she basically slept though most of it, but Rose is somehow still bursting with energy. "We should do that again sometime! That was really fun!" Cue a chorus of groans. 11/10

Kim: I'm not sure if Kim knows what anime is. Like, I want to say he knows, but at the same time, does he really? I genuinely have no clue. Can someone please help me here? The mind of Kim is a mind I don't think anyone can truly decipher. ?/10

Max: He has done the math. He knows how long it would take. He's not suicidal. But he does like the show, and will make token appearances at his friends' watch parties. 2/10

Alix: Sorry Alix, this is not a situation you can cheat your way through using time travel. No, Alix, having each episode open on a different viewing port playing simultaneously does not count. No points for you. -Alix/10

Nathaniel: Tried to get Marc to do it. Marc thankfully talked him out of it. Nath still dreams of doing it one day. 4/10, potential to eventually reach 9/10 if he can wear Marc down.

Lila: Says she's done it. But the entirety of Kitty Section knows she's lying. That kind of thing leaves a mark on people. 0/10

Kagami: Adrien told her where he learned most of his Japanese vocabulary from and she just facepalmed. And then sat down to watch it with him. She'd definitely not watching all of it, but she'll enjoy some in her free time? 5/10

Marc: He can see the hunger in Nathaniel's eyes. He can feel it emanating. The One Piece fan in Nath wants to come out and stay out. Marc will not let it. He will hold the line. He will never give up, never surrender. But he can feel the power, clawing at his brain. The secret feelings, deep down. "Don't you want to see if you COULD do it?" He shoves those thoughts deeper. Nathaniel can never know. Must never know. Because then the battle will be lost. 1/10

Ondine: Actually knows what anime is, and probably has the physical fortitude to make it through a One Piece marathon with minimal physical backlash. Unfortunately her actually doing that would be dependent on Kim (see above) so I hope you understand why this ranking isn't a certain as I would like. 7/10

Aurore: Not on your life. 0/10

Felix: He would never marathon the whole thing himself, but he did provide Adrien and the rest of Kitty Section with their sleep schedule for their marathon. 2/10

Zoe: She has dreamed of marathoning an anime her entire life, and now she has friends to marathon anime with! But she's not doing One Piece. That would be an absolute nightmare, only insane people try to marathon all of One Piece. Instead she has Plans. One Piece is cool tho. 4/10

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tua-five · 2 months

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Season 3 Episode 7

⚠️⚠️ S3 Spoilers! ⚠️⚠️

I always miss things. Like Lila going back and watching the Handler kill over. She repeatedly watches it. Rewinds it over and over. She is absolutely distraught because she thought she loved her. But she killed her. And then Herb and Dot come in. Kicking her out. "Oh, I get it. Ding-dong, the bitch is deal, so make her daughter pay instead." And she plays the drum pretty hard.

And Reginald, of course, causally sings while his dead "son" whom he killed is in the trunk. Who then proceeds to wake up. And reginald tells him he could've taken all of his organs... yeah. Okay, Reg. Thanks.

"You two sentient STDs." Okay, Five 😭

"I didn't get this my giving a mummy a handjob, okay?" Yeah, I didn't think so, Diego. Thanks for that information, though. Seriously, who wrote the script 😂 this is hilarious.

Okay, and once again, they don't miss Klaus. Barely notice he's gone. Like in season 1 when he was kidnapped. This time, he was, too. Ish? They ask where he is, and their response is probably Kugelblitzed. And then they move on, no grieving Klaus. There was no moment of silence for him. Nothing. That's a moment I hate. Despite him being the "druggy" brother, they still loved him. Diego was especially there for him, and for all of them to just dismiss him? No. I don't like that at all.

And Viktor, too. He's not there. And they're once again having a meeting without him. Are you serious? When has that ever gone good? Idiots. I mean, genuinely. What the heck? It's a family meeting. With both families. And they don't include Viktor. Who literally is the strongest. The best powers. Most powerful. Whatever you want to say. And you started the meeting without him. Bad move.

Diego's question is valid though and sometimes I wonder it too. "If we kill you do we get our ben back?"

And here comes Viktor, pissed and wondering about Harlan. And Allsion says she killed him. And Ben being Ben, bets on Viktor. Obviously. He now knows what he's capable of. Of course, he'll bet Viktor's gonna win. And Allsion reveals Harlan killed everyone's mom. And everyone just reacts and then continues to blame Viktor and blame Harlan. He actually genuinely didn't mean to hurt anyone. It's not his fault. It's no one's fault.

Everyone's reactions to Allison getting more aggressive are just... all over the place. Five says to take it easy, Diego looks concerned, Ben is just smirking like this is the funniest thing, Luther is yelling at Allison to stop, Five gets more concerned about Allsion yelling at Viktor and making him stop breathing without saying "I heard a rumor"... it's just... like, stop with the fighting. Luther only tells Allison to knock it off with the powers, but not the fighting.

Diego only steps in when Allison says they should've left him in the basement. Low blow. What the actual heck. No. That's too far and she knows it.

Then Viktor hits Allison, and Five checks in on HER. Not Viktor.

This is why I hate Allison. I know I've been saying that I know she's been through a lot, and I feel bad for her, but seriously.

Olay, fine. Enough of this for now. Viktor walks into Ben's room, and there's drawings everywhere. One is even being labeled Jennifer. Previously, Ben asked who Jennifer was. So either he lied and does know, didn't know they were talking about that Jennifer, or he's having dreams or flashbacks or memories of her. Of what happened with the umbrellas. A way to show that umbrella Ben is still in there. Fighting for a way out.

And Reginald. Asking what the Umbrellas did for fun. Asked where they went for family trips. Nowhere. Because yeah. Reggie really did put the "dick in dictator."

And finally, for once, Fives disappearance is mentioned. Whenever the brellies talk about what broke the camels back, they talk about the Jennifer incident and Ben's death. It's like Five never mattered to them. They only ever left after and broke apart after Ben died. And it's terrible that Five was just there. And then gone. He was looked at as arrogant and all high and mighty and thinking he's the better of them all. And he has no way to say different. Because he's gone. He doesn't come back until for him 45 years later. For them, it's just 16 years. They've kept that imagine of him for so long, and they keep it because he still looks exactly as he did. And he has to act like that because he has to save the world. He has no choice but to do everything in his power to stop doomsday because he can't bear for his siblings to die. He can't witness that again.

So I'm grateful that Klaus started to explain how the academy fell apart with Five's disappearance. Because at least Klaus noticed.

"Do you trust me?" No, Reginald. Absolutely not.

"Yeah. 🤗 I trust you." Flipping idiotic, naive, Klaus.

HOLD ON HOLD ON HOLD ON!

How come no one is talking about this? Not only does Klaus come back to life, but he also returns back to normal. After getting shot, nothing. Barely a scar. After getting hit by a bunch of cars, his broken legs are back to normal in seconds. He heals so fast. Like... that is so powerful.

Also, with all the cars that have hit him... has no one called the cops?? Like, hello???

Ben calls Viktor emo. For crying on his bed. But Ben is really the emo one. Let's be honest here.

And of course, Reginald drops Klaus off in a cemetery. Great. He has to face his literal demons.

Also, Allison and Lila was a duo I never expected.

And Grace turning evil I never expected either. Sure, she's a robot, and in every show and movie ever that's what happens, but not with dear old Grace. That's just cookoo bananas.

And poor Five has to be the to kill her. He just has to go through everything, huh.

Reginald tells Klaus that he made everyone confused about their powers so he could control them. And now he's helping Klaus master his. To control him. Klaus's is to naive to realize that, but everything is about Oblivion for Reginald. It always has been and always will be. He will always want a different timeline where he's in charge.

Christopher farting is crazy though.

Then they all celebrate. Not knowing the world is still over. It doesn't work. And what did they think they were going to do with the burning buildings outside? The billions of people gone?

Who knew luther was so crafty? That he could make a ring? And it's so sweet that he put the moon rock in it.

Oh, and Lila's pregnant. So I guess there's that huge announcement too.

"Hey, that was really nice of you. Kill Mom so Diego didn't have to." Yeah, that was n—

"My, God, we are a weird family, aren't we?" Right..

"Sorry. Yeah, I heard it as I said it." Yeah.. that was definitely weird. I'm realizing. Shouldn't be normal... 😬

"Do you know why I wanted this last jump to work so badly?"

"Because you're old and tired?"

"Because I slaughtered a boardroom full of people to buy our way back here."

Yeah. Yeah, he did.

"Little advice from someone who's been there? Don't do the math. That equation does not exist. There's no 'save five Harlans for every two Claire's' formula."

Yeah...

"People like us, we will never save enough lives to make up for the ones that we take."

"I don't accept that."

"Then you'll down. This is the price of being powerful. Sometimes, we step on ants. And the sooner you face that, the safer we'll all be."

He keeps saying we. He knows he's powerful, too. They all are. But he was an assassin, and he had cons to terms with everything. He knows what it's like.

"You know what they call a superhero who works alone and doesn't listen to anybody? A villain."

I used to interpret this as Five only calling Viktor that, but o think he's calling himself a villain too. Because he knows. And he's really trying to be better.

"But lie to us again... Viktor, I'll kill you myself."

That was harsh. He wouldn't. He can't. It's not in him. He won't. I refuse to believe it.

My lovelies, her are today's gifs

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tiredemzz · 19 days

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S4! FIONA C. AT SOME CHILDRENS BDAY BE LIKE <3

a/n: so how’s yall doing?.. I’m tired af cus I’m not a morning person lmao.

disclaimer: this is basically a rewrite of that tua s4 episode with the children birthday party with lila and diego but my oc is in this season! there will be oc x cannon involved since im shipping five x flame- not five x lila b/c it doesn’t exist on my acc. if you don’t like oc x cannon, then this acc isn’t for you sadly. also i will be adding the deleted scene with five and klaus b/c idk why they didn’t add that scene.. like why? also five & fiora r in there 20s cus its s4 & five isn’t apart of the cia b/c my boi needs a break. also dave is alive b/c klaus needs his bf <3

warnings: fiora breaking the 4th wall, gets a little spicy between five & fiora but they get c0ckblocked by klaus & dave lmao, fluff (ofc), fiora hanging with kids (she can’t stand them sadly but doesn’t mind them.), cussing (ofc), mentioning of fish head (aj aka her adopted father)

a/n: this is my first time writing for these characters, so my bad if they seem ooc. Especially five lmao. (my boy was written worse- fuck you steve.)

We see Fiona herself, smoking a cigarette outside of the birthday party place. She sighed softly in relief, taking a few puffs after a long day of singing in clubs, bars for men/women alike because the girl herself thinks that everybody deserves love in there time.

Except bad people, she really hated bad people and her adopted father, who basically forced her to do evil things and run errands for him but since he’s dead.. Fiona felt relieved and a bit of guilt flowing in her body due to her and adopted father’s relationship with each other but she chose to ignore it, putting out her cigarette and heading back inside to see Grace running towards her with her arms out, hugging Fiona’s waist, making her a bit shook but she looks down at Grace and saids “hey sweetheart, how is my favorite niece doing?” Grace looks up at Fiona and saids “I’m good Auntie Flame! Have you talked with Uncle Five yet?” Grace asks while Fiona blushed a bit by Grace mentioning Five towards her, it’s been a while since those two have talked really- Fiona heard that Five is taking a break to himself but she shrugged and said “I have not sadly. Been busy with my singing and doing alot of painting- so I haven’t really talked with anyone in a while.” Grace pouted a bit and asked “why Auntie?” Fiona sighed softly and said “ever since everything has gone back for normal, I been going to therapy to talk about the past and who I really am inside. Except I still have my powers because I want to have them forever, I don’t want them to go away. I enjoy having them. Been taking time for myself to focus on my mental health and yeah.” Fiona smiled softly at Grace while Grace understood Fiona and smiled back at her.

“Now your Auntie Flame is gonna have fun, okay?” Fiona said, going down on one knee and kissed Grace on the forehead, making Grace giggle and said “ok but make sure you join me in the ball pit later, ok?” Grace asks her while Fiona laughed a bit and saids “alright alright, I promise I will but right now.. let me go have fun. Bye bubbles.” Grace giggles, waving at Fiona and going to have fun. Leaving a smiling Fiona on one knee and slowly getting up, standing on her feet.

Fiona began to walk around the place, seeing parents having fun with there children and slowly not smiling anymore since she never found her real parents but she decided not to give two fucks about it.

She noticed the bubbles, making her smile and popping one. While she popped one bubble, she felt someone watching her from afar and she noticed that a smiling Five was watching her while holding beer in his hand, making Fiona walk slowly towards him while smiling a bit and said “Five Hargreeves, my long time frenemy and the man who killed the fish head aka my adopted father. How are you old man?” Five deep chuckled a bit and said “Fiona aka the demon gal who hated me cus I killed her horrible adopted father and had to do it for my family. I’m doing well Flame, how about you?” Five said with a bit of a sarcastic tone in his voice and taking a few sips of his beer.

“Well, I been doing great. You mind giving me beer?” Fiona said with a bit of a soft tone in her voice, Five hummed a bit, giving her a beer bottle as well.

“Thanks Romeo, appreciate it.” Fiona said while smiling softly, opening the beer bottle, taking a few sips of it and just smiling softly at the children running around the place while Five smiled softly, just staring at her and asked “you thinking about something?” Fiona sighed a bit, looking at Five and answered this “yeah, just watching the children run around the place like they own it- reminds me of myself as a child. Good times good times really.” Five hummed softly at her answer and decided to hold out his hand, he asked “you uh wanna hold my hand love?” Fiona nodded yes and began to hold his hand while taking that hand back and deciding to grab on his tie with a bit of a smirk and asked “so you uh got any plans pretty boy? I’m loving the new look of the new you. Suits your pretty self.” Five smiled a bit, looking down at Flame and said “no, I don’t have any plans really.. didn’t expect you to be confident. Why’s that?” Fiona let go of his tie, answered with “I been using my charm- I call it the demon flirt charm. It’s uh something but eh. I don’t really like to be confident in myself.”

Five sighed softly, wrapping an arm around Flame’s shoulders and said “Listen to me sweetheart, you always feel confident in yourself. Be proud of that, be proud in your heart that you can still do the things that you love. You still kick ass Flame, still do and you can’t forgot that on how many times you managed to beat me at arm wrestling.. and sometimes Smash Bros when we were back in season two.” Flame started to laugh softly, feeling happy and said “yeah, those were good times- I mostly blame my author sometimes for stupid shit.” Five chuckled a bit at the last part on what Flame said. Suddenly Klaus, alongside his boyfriend Dave started to walk towards Five and Fiona.. Klaus said “Fiona! Five!” Fiona started to run towards Klaus, giving him a hug while smiling softly, still holding her beer while looking up at him and said “Klaus! I missed you buddy. How are ya? Also who’s the boy next to you?” Klaus chuckled softly, messing with Fiona’s hair a little bit and said “Fiona, homie- this is my boyfriend Dave. Dave, this is my homie Fiona.” Fiona waved softly at Dave while Dave waved back at her and said “It’s nice to meet you Fiona, heard so much stuff about you. Coming from Klaus ofc.” Fiona laughed a bit and started to stand next to Five while smiling softly.

Five started to ask “So, how long have you been sober Klaus?” Klaus responded with “Oh, uh, coming up on three years on January 15th, but who’s counting right?” Five said “that’s amazing” while Fiona gave Klaus a thumbs up, she was proud of her bestie becoming sober for three years and Fiona said “Really, good for you buddy. Proud of ya.” Klaus smiled softly at the two and said “thanks guys, really appreciate it.” Dave started to have an arm around Klaus while feeling proud of his boyfriend while Klaus, Five and Fiona did a toast with there beer bottles.

Feeling proud of themselfs for surviving.

Flame started to check her watch, sighing softly and said “I was supposed to join Grace at the ball pit- fuck. Gonna need somebody to go with me.” Five decided to go with her while the two waved goodbye at Klaus and Dave.

While the two were walking, Five said “I don’t really have a choice on joining, do I?” Flame said “nope, you don’t. You’re her uncle ofc.” As soon as they got to the ball pit, Five pushed Flame into it, laughing a bit at Flame while Flame got a little annoyed at him but soon she saw Grace, Grace was giggling and laughing at the duo while Flame rolled her eyes playfully. Soon enough, Five got in as well- he didn’t like it but eh. You win some, you lose some.

•

a/n: well- how’s that yall? good? good. hope yall enjoyed this little oneshot/drabble of s4 flame and everybody else. Yes- I added Dave b/c he and Klaus were fucking cute! Anyway, hope I wrote Five better then *cough* Steve *cough* did. I do appreciate freedback- so if you got any freedback on this.. let me know!

anyway, have a great rest of your weekend, day, night or wherever you live. Stay safe and take care of yourself ^v^

-author anon !

disclaimer, you are not allowed to copy and paste my work on to wattpad, a03 or deviantart or tumblr. that’s stealing and plagiarizing. And I will not allow that. >:(

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nemaliwrites · 10 months

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My super secret Big Bang fic is finally not so secret! My @mlbigbang fic, In Pursuit of the Uneatable, will be posted on January 1st!

Relationships: Adrien/Marinette, Marinette & Tikki, Marinette & Chat Blanc Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Inspired by Bunny, Manipulative Lila Rossi, Self-Esteem Issues, Identity Issues, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir is not Chat Blanc, Introspection, Canon-Typical Violence, Lila Rossi's Downfall, Hurt Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Psychological Horror, Moral Ambiguity, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Unreliable Narrator Summary: Who do you trust when your own reflection becomes a stranger? In a Paris where Lila weaves tales that blind the city, Marinette stands accused, isolated. Her parents’ trust is shattered, her friends distant, and in battle, illusions blur the line between ally and enemy. As the shadows and uncertainty threaten to close in, Marinette finds herself turning to the last person who claims to be on her side: a boy in a white mask who calls himself a fox hunter.

and here's a lil snippet from chapter 12:

Ladybug’s been crafting her apology in her head for days now, but if there’s one thing she’s certain of, it’s that it’ll all fall apart the second she lays eyes on him. That is, if he even shows up — it only occurs to her now that he might not, that he might be angry enough at her to avoid her.

But he does show up. Of course he does. She never should have doubted that; the fact that she did only has the effect of making her feel more guilty. Because he would never put his own feelings ahead of their duty, and she never should have thought he would.

He comes, a shadow in the night, to stand before her. For a fraction of a second, Ladybug finds herself doubting which cat this is — after all, noir and blanc are two sides of the same coin, are they not? When she sees his eyes, though, she knows truth: his eyes that are one color, the greenest green.

“Chat Noir,” she says, voice nearly lost in the wind. The only indication he’s heard her is the way he turns. His profile, the only thing that’s illuminated, faces her. “I’m sorry.”

He says nothing.

“I’m so sorry,” Ladybug continues. Her voice threatens to break, but still, she persists. “I should have told you everything, I know that. I…I never meant to leave you in the dark like that. I just didn’t want you to worry about me—“

“I do worry, Ladybug.”

Chat Noir says the words loudly, confidently, an open declaration. She gapes at him.

“I’m always worried about you,” he says; he turns his eyes skyward, as though desperate to look at anything that isn’t her. “I worry if you’re getting enough sleep. I worry if you’re stressed out. I worry that an akuma might come for you and that this time, there won’t be anyone to save you — that I won’t be there to save you.”

And now it’s his turn for his voice to break. Ladybug steps closer, takes his face in her hands. Turns it so that he’s looking at her.

“Have you considered,” he asks softly, “that maybe you don’t like to rely on people? That you don’t want to show weakness? That you’re too focused on thinking that you can do everything yourself?”

Mirroring her, he brings his hands up to her face. They’re interlinked, intertwined, impossible to tell where one stops and the other begins. If noir and blanc are two sides of the same coin, then so too are the ladybug and the black cat.

“Maybe,” she admits, hating the way that doing so makes her feel vulnerable. But here, of all places — in her partner’s arms — maybe she can let herself be vulnerable. “Maybe you’re right.”

Chat Noir drops his hands, steps away from her. A stark contrast to his next words: “You know I’m always on your side, right? No matter what.”

“I know,” says Ladybug, because she does. She��d just forgotten it — but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Her hands fall to her sides. “And I think…I think I’ve found someone else on my side, too.”

Someone, something, somewhere, somehow.

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tleeaves · 9 months

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Wasting Beats In This Heart Of Mine - how it would have ended

Hello, folks! As some of you already know or have heard me mention previously, my TLH fanfic WBITHOM is coming to an end. I am no longer comfortable with it being in the public eye since it involves a lot of personal stuff for me, and so I have decided to delete the fic entirely on every platform it's been published on (that's Quotev, AO3, and Wattpad) rather than rewrite the entire thing. This will also finally give me the chance to focus on other written works. Maybe I'll return to fandom with a rewrite one day for anyone interested, but for now, the future is dedicated to other things. The fic will be deleted in 48 hours, so readers on Quotev and AO3 have a chance to download the unfinished fic if they so desire before then or just have one last read. I ask that no one rewrites or adds an ending to my fic and publishes it anywhere without my knowledge and permission. Never put an author's work through AI either. I still have several copies of my fanfic and its outline, so I will always have evidence of where the story comes from.

WBITHOM is a monster, with the master document coming to well over 150,000 words and the fic so far being ~146,000 words (the entire outline and all my notes makes up over 4,000 words, yes). I predict that, had I finished the fic, it would come close to 188,000 words (so, there was a decent ways to go still). It's the biggest thing I've attempted, but because of that, it is also the most time-consuming (it's been almost a year and a half of writing, and each chapter either takes two full days to write or weeks) and it takes up the most space in my head, not really leaving room for the other ideas I want to explore.

So, as someone suggested, I thought I'd give readers who were hoping to see the fic to its proper end some closure. That's what this post is for: how it would have ended. Along the way, I'll explain some things too about recurring themes and motifs and all manner of behind the scenes and thoughts behind my ideas.

Character Arc Summaries

As readers know, this story follows the characters of Lila Raftis, James Herondale, Cordelia Carstairs, and Matthew Fairchild. They're all the most significant figures, though we do see other perspectives and side characters too. Essentially, Lila Raftis struggles with loneliness due to a myriad of other issues she has to work through, and James Herondale's arc starts with his depression and turns into a journey to authenticity where he feels like his own person and not just what he has been written or expected to be. Cordelia Carstairs' physical state of being lost extends to how lost she is within, and she ends realising that she has been continuously defining herself through other people. I see her as leaving London and the love triangle with James and (unconfessed) Matthew (and Lila) to deconstruct a lot of the ideals she was trying to live up to and why. As for Matthew Fairchild, I made the deliberate decision for him to turn into a werewolf and have that separation from Shadowhunter society so that he could pursue the arts and build a better life that he would find more satisfaction with, also eventually becoming sober. I took inspiration from his time at the academy, particularly when he turns to Lila in one of the earlier acts and asks if it's so bad to not be a Shadowhunter. At first, he regrets turning, but I planned for him to wind up relieved.

Honestly, while this work is very self-insert (and that's not a bad thing generally, but I've been finding it uncomfortable as time goes on, so that's why I prefer to take it down and keep it to myself), it was also my way of going How It Should Have Ended for the TLH series as a whole. I started it before ChoT, yes, but that book only led to minor changes and alternate paths taken -- I was already using ChoI as a base to steer these characters in the directions I thought they should go.

The Rest Of Act Three

The rest of Act Three of the fanfic is summarised below (...at length. It's a lengthy summary).

We ended the fanfic on the chapter where James and Lila returned to London, 1903 of his dimension. He was gravely wounded in his left arm, which ends up being amputated despite the efforts of Lila and Lucie (and Gus' help too). This is, of course, a reference to the recent fan art of James where a headcanon went around that the reason we couldn't see his other arm was because it just didn't exist. I took it and ran, which was not planned. I knew I wanted James injured so that Lila could return the care he once had shown her when she was wounded badly, but it wasn't going to be as severe as it ended up being. This is how we ended up at the Institute instead of 48 Curzon Street as I had previously planned for the chapter. James was going to be fine, but Cordelia had decided to confront Lila about several things, and they'd end the night having kissed -- which in turn leads Lila to going for a walk to clear her head and her subsequently getting kidnapped by Jonathan Bell (the Other James from another dimension). Anyway, the change did make some of these plot points awkward (😭) hence why I spent ages editing the make out between Lila and Cordelia because I could not decide how it should start and end. It was a nightmare. As Silver pointed out, it didn't make a whole lot of sense in the order of events (Cordelia should have gone to see James first), but I was in a mad rush to finally release the update since I knew people were waiting. The kidnapping also was not quite as dramatic as I envisioned it, but oh well. I'm actually quite happy with the rest of the chapter though.

From there comes the rest of the fic that readers probably will not get to experience, so that's why I'm writing this out, so you at least know the mysteries that I won't get to reveal and how we get to the end.

Jonathan Bell kidnaps Lila and, through the use of shadow, they end up in Paris, France. This is where Matthew also fled after his mother released him from the Silent City cells after he persuaded her into it. Lila ending up there and being away from both James and Cordelia, and spending more one-on-one time with our antagonist and Matthew since the earlier parts of the book was always intended.

Jonathan is revealed to have possession of another silver pen, which is a reference to a previous fanfic I wrote (also deleted) called Chain of Lies, where the pen could literally rewrite reality if you used your own blood for ink. In Jonathan's dimension, Lila ended up staying in his world and marrying him, but she also dies of a mysterious sickness during their honeymoon, so he uses the pen to go back in time and cancel their honeymoon, under the impression she would not get sick. Instead, she was hit by a car several days earlier, and died in the accident. Jonathan goes back again to stop that from happening, but Lila ends up dying again anyway, over and over again in different ways, every time Jonathan reverses time to prevent each event from occurring. Eventually, he goes so far back in their timeline together that he's reliving the December when they met, and that's how he knows how to divert the accidents in WBITHOM that threaten harm to this other dimension's Lila (are you still with me?). But before that, he created a time loop in that December of his dimension just trying to keep Lila alive for two years of his life whereas everyone else remained the same, but stuck in time. It's supposed to be very angsty and tragic, and it's a demonstration of one of James Herondale's core traits eventually twisting horribly wrong: how he would do anything for those he loves, whether that be family, friends, or lovers.

This character flaw/strength is something I reference lightly a few times throughout the fanfic, mostly in the ways he is concerned about the safety of his family and friends which he tries to find out from Lila, who has read Chain of Iron and knows what the future is supposed to be, and then how he reflects on how he does not know what he would do when someone he loves dies. Honestly, the issue is that he cares too much about people, which is both a good thing and a bad thing, depending on how far it goes. Jonathan is the literal embodiment of what would happen if James' care went too far, if it bordered on obsession, if he wanted to keep someone from dying so bad that he would sacrifice everything else, even the universe.

So, Jonathan finally confesses to the time-loop and explains that as a drastic measure, he tried finding Lila in another dimension to see if he could save her there, but this tearing of the time-loop to escape it worsened a tear that Cordelia had already created in her fight with Belial and the Mandikhor to such a point that it started growing and expanding and destroying the fabric of time and space between dimensions and the universe as a whole. You know, wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey... stuff (Doctor Who reference for those who get it). The thing he did not realise though is that in this timeline, Lila is not meant to die, so long as she goes back home instead of staying in 1903 (he still doesn't know this, it's just a fact I would have explained to the readers when we meet Circe, the employer of Poppy Morad (P.M.) and Saint Nicholas). This is supposed to leave Lila conflicted, because as much as she wants to hate his guts for being the reason for her family disappearing and the worlds ending, even this Other James is a reflection of her own nature, which is another thing that's been lingering beneath the surface for the duration as the fic: while James has a doppelganger that demonstrates who he might become if he cannot accept loss, he and Lila have similarities boiling beneath the surface that go unnoticed until an outburst we saw Lila have where she basically accuses James of being just like her (not complimentary at the time).

Lila as a character is someone who cares deeply, but is willing to sacrifice herself and others to protect what or who she cares deeply about (yet we also see her choose self-preservation over self-sacrifice a few times before she truly starts acting in service of others). Her circle of people she cares about is more limited than James', but the shared sentiments still stand. Plus, the way Jonathan has acted this entire time has always bordered on unnerving or odd -- I did that on purpose. He's been driven to obsession, where he's basically an extreme of what James and Lila believe in. And he is both James and not James in this way, if that makes sense. We see in one of Lila's nightmares earlier in the book Jonathan saying it does not matter which version of him he is or which version of her she is -- they belong together. Fully delusional at this point, but it's meant to be scary. I'm kind of obsessed that Jonathan is also a mirror for Lila to see how she might look to her James: someone who knows you way too well, but you've also never met nor know much about at all (she might know James but she does not know this one), who's inexplicably fixated on you (granted, James did not even begin to guess Lila's feelings, and hers were rather superficial in a way until they spent more time together).

Anyway, basically, the start of this rewrite of Chain of Lies pretty much began with these dynamics between the two Jameses and Lila. It was a whole thing with diagrams and late night ranting to my poor sister and everything.

So, of course, Lila is conflicted and she also does not know how she's supposed to get Jonathan to reverse the problem he has created -- whether he's also supposed to go back to his dimension and whether that will be enough to repair the tear. Most of this happens in the Notre Dame cathedral because I said so (I like cathedrals as settings, sue me if you dare).

Meanwhile, Matthew has been in Paris and totally avoiding Charles, so he also hears nothing of Will and Tessa being notified about James' injury in London and leaving by portal. But he does hear some French Shadowhunter gossip about the Consul's werewolf son's disappearance when he discovers Lila being taken to the cathedral by a masked man. Then ensues a solo rescue operation. Honestly, I always have a lot of fun writing Matthew, it's hard not to include him more. Anyway, the rescue is successful, and he takes Lila back to his hotel room to lay low for the night before he gets her back to London with the others (since he recognises that they must have no idea where she is, what happened, and she's an integral part of solving this whole mess, as people are still disappearing in this world).

I had a really nice scene planned that I'd been waiting the entire book to write, but basically Lila and Matthew spend a sober night together (as opposed to their time in the Silent City together) where they talk about all their woes, including their love lives, and eventually they get on to the topic of how they could have smoothed over both their dilemmas if they just had each other as lovers, if only their similarities were not such that would probably be self-destructive at this point in their lives. Because we've seen often in the book other characters compare these two, but it's these two themselves who recognise that, yes, they are alike in some ways, but not the ways it counts in order to have a healthy romantic relationship. They settle on being good friends. Matthew also takes her measurements so they can pick up some quick changes of clothes since Lila's still wearing her grimy outfit she wore during the explosion. And she also brings up that she knows he's an artist, but asks that she have the chance to sketch him, and he offers to do so in return, so they spend the rest of the night drawing, which I just find so sweet. There's not much significance in that at face value, it's just cute, but I also see Matthew embracing an old hobby as one of the first steps he takes in moving on from all his pain and finding better outlets for it.

Also, the platonic nature between Lila and Matthew, the complicated romance with James and Cordelia, and then all the familial themes and side-plots going on are all part of an idea I had going into this that I wanted to demonstrate many facets of love and the importance of each in their individual right. If anything, given the extreme slowburn I've come at James/Lila/Cordelia with particularly, I want to end this book purposefully with none of them winding up together because so many other things mattered more than their romance, and even the kind of loves they have for each other are a reason they don't end up staying because they would all rather see each other safe and not see each other at all than know they might cause other problems by being in the wrong dimensions.

Anyway, because I do multiple perspectives for everything, while Matthew and Lila and Jonathan have their bit going on in Paris, back in London we see James coming to terms with his disability and in all his rumination over what's happened and Lila being missing but him being unable to go out and find her, James finally (FINALLY!) realises his romantic feelings for Lila. This also leads to a scene between him and Cordelia where they both discuss Lila and their feelings for her. Cordelia also confesses how she has felt for James for a long time, but she also explains that she wants nothing to come of it anymore because she does not see herself settling down with him like she previously thought. James is a bit stung by this (I mean, my guy had no idea about Cordelia's true feelings until now and then she also springs a rejection on him at the same time when he's just begun to realise some of his own feelings around her) but is ultimately relieved since he feels he needs more time to figure out who he is and the life he wants without the bracelet numbing him.

We also would have seen Poppy Morad and Saint Nicholas again and their increasing distress and alarm with how difficult Jonathan Bell has been to track and control since he's hared of to Paris with Lila.

When Jonathan finds out Lila's gone, he feels betrayed and frustrated by his failure. Because while he feels he has saved her, she's refusing to be his as she once was in his dimension (also why he was confused and then against her leaving and going home earlier in the story). The world is breaking down around him (we start to see parts of Paris going up in flames, not unlike London 2021 of Lila's dimension) and he's about to go track Lila down again (but now he's going a bit more heavily into Villain Mode).

We also see Poppy Morad closing in on Jonathan as he returns to London when she's defecting orders from Circe, her higher up, to take him down instead of corralling Lila's effects on the timeline.

Lila and Matthew return to London on Christmas Eve just hours before the end of the world properly starts in 1903. This is also when she and James interact for the first time since he passed out on the bridge several days ago. I was a bit undecided on how I wanted this scene to look, other than I needed them to finally confess their feelings for each other in the rain like a cliche after they have an argument where Lila says that James has everything she wants (and this is where we realise the root of her problem in this whole book is not simply loneliness, but a dissatisfaction with herself and her life, which has lent itself to the more superficial issues she's been having) but that ultimately she also just wanted him though she knows she cannot be with him without risking everything. So, when James confesses his side, they decide to spend what little time they have left with each other as best as they can. (And this where I as an author push them together like Barbie dolls and go "now kiss").

Have I mentioned this story has too many layers and plot points and it's been driving me mad this entire time I've been writing it? Anyway.

They quickly determine with The Gang™️ that "Belial" and "Lilith" are not who they seem to be anymore, because while Alastair just got arrested for the murder of Lilian Highsmith (oh yeah, that happens while Lila and Matthew are in Paris, because I wanted a reversal where it's Thomas who stands up for Alastair when he's accused of murder, just for funsies) everything else that has happened seems to be related to whoever this P.M. (remember when Cordelia was also accused of murder because Filomena thought she saw Cordelia when she was attacked?) and Matthew body double is (spoiler: Poppy Morad and Saint Nicholas are codenames for other versions of Cordelia Carstairs and Matthew Fairchild in another timeline, I'll explain more about this later, but what you can probably surmise already is that this alternate Cordelia has taken the place of Belial within this dimension and is the one murdering all the victims (including her father. That was a difficult point, because we see in a PM and Saint Nick scene that he's concerned about whether she can go through with it) and Matthew has taken Lilith's place in some minor ways (like hiding and then handing back Cortana at the right moments)).

Anyway, because Lila's kind of behind on some events, she goes to confess to Cordelia (but explain how she also feels about James), when Cordelia says there's a lot more she wants out of life before she pursues romance again. That she's been so consumed by it, by finding love, by getting married, she's lost who she is beneath it all. (Have you noticed the theme for every character in this fic is basically authenticity and finding oneself despite whatever circumstances they find themselves in?)

Then, we also would have seen Lila dedicate herself to taking down Jonathan herself since he's the main problem that's tearing things apart and perhaps if he's killed then he can no longer influence time and reality.

Vaguely, I had planned that James and Lila would have what my outline says is "an emotional night together" because it could mean literally anything and I wasn't totally sure where I wanted it to go. So. Interpret that one how you will with whatever you prefer, honestly. Anyway, while that's happening, we see Matthew go home to his mother who is, understandably, worried sick and mad because he never wrote to her like he was supposed to and Charles return without him. We see Matthew collapse into her arms and just sob. That was the plan. It's important to me that he's actually vulnerable with her for once and that he, a young man too big to be in his mother's arms, lets himself be held anyway. There was also supposed to be a wholesome Thomastair moment that I hadn't really planned, though I knew Alastair would go home with Cordelia afterwards and she would start her journey to forgiving him. We also would have seen her kneel in front of Sona to confess A Whole Lot Of Things about what's been happening in her life, from as early as the marriage blanc and the Blackthorn Manor incident. Basically, everything is supposed to be hopeful even if it hurts just a bit and feels a little bittersweet. Because then in the chapter this all would have taken place in, we'd end with Saint Nicholas and Poppy Morad collecting the pithos from Christopher who picked it up in the background of everything (basically, all the Belial storyline has still been operating as it should, except it's being orchestrated by PM instead of Belial), when Jonathan sneaks up on them and fatally wounds (he had the intent to kill) Saint Nicholas, who he is shocked to find out in that moment is an alternate Matthew.

AND THEN, next chapter we would have had at the tolling of midnight, signaling Christmas day, PM the alternate Cordelia (whose character is the way it is because she's been hardened by some long and traumatic years -- she and alternate Matthew have a tragic backstory that I've been keeping in my back pocket that wasn't really necessary to be explained in the story, but if you want to know more, just ask) drags a dying alternate Matthew back to their tent where Circe, their mysterious employer, is torn away from her work elsewhere to start enacting emergency world-fixing in this timeline. This is also when we find out Circe's identity: she is Cassandra Clare, once again (if you read Chain of Lies) who's codename was derived from the common shortened CC she's referred to in fandom, who has universal powers and basically controls (to an extent) a good portion of the universe. Like a god. But also not. It's a whole mysterious thing that I never intended to explain because I think some things are better unexplained.

THEN, Jonathan shows up to 48 Curzon Street, covered in blood and calling for Lila. A fight between him and James (and sort of Lila who's attacking Jonathan though he refuses to attack her) ensues before he ends it all by taking out a silver pen (The Silver Pen) where we see 'Nikoletta' engraved on it, and writes a time-loop which snaps the final threads keeping all the timelines and dimensions in order.

Act Four Explained Slightly More Briefly

This is the final act of the book and also the shortest. It was planned to only be about six chapters long. Now, I was most excited about this part of the book because I had ✨visions✨. No, literally, the entire inspiration of this entire fanfic came from a dream I had about James Herondale as Spider-Man, me impersonating Cordelia Carstairs and not knowing how to do Shadowhunter things, Santa Claus as Father Time, and the end of the universe, and this is where we would have finally get to see it all come together.

We kick it off with an entire chapter dedicated to a lot of scenes similar to what I've written earlier in the book with Lila and James' nightmares, where nothing makes complete sense and yet the reader is meant to feel on the cusp of understanding something alongside the characters before the dreams usually end. Only they don't here. The dreams are reality, but reality is broken, and there is no waking up because there is also no sleeping and there is no normal but faint memories of what came before. So not only is the environment ever-shifting (think of it almost like a kaleidoscope and you have maybe a quarter of my vision here), but the people also keep "glitching" between different versions of themselves at different points in time and in different realities even (sometimes the doubles join and then they split apart, it's a weird nightmareish sort of thing in my mind), and so they also have different memories and levels of knowledge about things that have happened and what's going on. We see it mostly through Lila and James' perspectives. There's supposed to be a lot of angst and a feel like everything is a fever dream.

In the next chapter, things only start to get slightly ordered when Jonathan Bell finds Lila and says he'll rewrite the universe she wants so that it's perfect for her, and can have it be anything she wants, so long as they are together (major creep vibes though, honestly, as sweet as this might sound to some). This is also me addressing a problem from my original fanfic before this one, Chain of Lies, where I basically gave that silver pen waaay too much power, and now I'm demonstrating what it can do and so, like the one ring to rule them all, it must be destroyed (once Lila or someone else gets a hold of it to rewrite and fix the fabric of everything). Alastair saves Lila from Jonathan this time (he's still a bit prickly, but we see he still cares about Lila anyway), and demands she go find Cordelia to end Jonathan (Cordelia has Cortana which can cut through anything, which is important). Then we also would have seen that James is stranded somewhere with a fluctuating Matthew (the vision is that he keeps changing states from a werewolf to a living corpse to himself at various ages) and they are attempting to find PM, the alternate Cordelia, who knows Circe who should be able to fix everything as PM explains (she got separated from Circe and Saint Nicholas when the world went crazy). She leads them partway before she's taken by the collapsing world (she disappears basically, because that can still happen to people). When Lila finds her Cordelia, she's in the Paladin state (imagine glowing eyes and a vague aura of scariness with a glowing sword and you've got it) and it takes a bit to get through to her so they can make a plan to take down Jonathan.

Chapter after that, we have Cordelia distracting Jonathan so Lila can steal the pen, but she realises she does not know how to write an ending that does not kill all the Jameses since, as Jonathan once put it in her nightmares, "it does not matter which version of him I am... we are the same". This hesitance gets Cordelia fatally wounded, though she's not quite dead yet, but it's the final push Lila needs to kill Jonathan with Cortana (as also seen in a dream she had ages ago without realising it), and Circe finally manages to pull enough worldly strings in this chaos to pause time long enough for James and Lila to reunite to do the re-writing with her.

From there, we have two alternate paths. I called these basically "the happy ending that could have been" and "the bittersweet ending that was", which I was inspired to write by The Umbrella Academy (if you know, you know, I won't spoil it for anyone else who doesn't).

In the happy ending that could have been, we see the characters a couple years down the line. We also find out that Lila would not have died like she did in the other universe. She and James are together and they end up planning to propose to each other on the same day, which is the day after Lila successfully ascends. Then we see Cordelia and Matthew travelling together across the world as friends. After that, we would have seen Thomas and Alastair having dinner at the Lightwoods'. Finally, the Raftis family believe Lila is missing, presumed dead, but after a couple years they are finally moving on.

The bittersweet ending that was though is where Lila goes home. The friends she's made in London 1903 see her off before James takes her back to her dimension where they'd have one final goodbye on Blackfriars Bridge. That night, Cordelia gets on a train to set off and travel on her own. We also see Matthew, who has already picked up Oscar a couple days earlier, going to Gus' flat to complain that Oscar misses Gus and would not stop whining until they came by. We see Matthew finally tentatively suggest a first date, and Gus would accept. We close this part of the ending much like we started the book, with James walking alone in the night, just as he was when he left the Devil Tavern and his story took a different direction to canon when he found himself outside Cornwall Gardens where he met with Alastair. This time, James is alone, and he's feeling a little hopeful about the future ahead.

We get one final chapter before the epilogue where it's mostly Lila's perspective as she finally gets to experience Christmas with her family in 2021 and I planned for the beginning of some family healing and bonding to occur. Then we would have seen future James once more, who it turns out is now tasked by Circe (CC) with maintaining the space between dimensions, but this means he can't be in any one for very long since it's a lot of work that takes up time.

And now we get to the epilogue. Every time I imagine this, I get a little emotional. The epilogue would have began several years in the future with Lila dropping a bi-annual letter into the Thames, which I liken to the River Styx, in that it's where all lost things end up. We see, rather comedically, that she has moved out with the money she gained from some things she "stole" from Curzon Street, as well as her mysterious finding of the adamas, which scientists in her world are still amazed by. We are surprised to see though that when she goes home, she's living with the version of Matthew who nearly died in his previous role as Saint Nicholas, because CC gave him a chance to live out a new life elsewhere, in a dimension where there was not another version of himself. He and Lila seem to be doing well.

We cut to James of around December 1905 who has gone to visit his family at the Institute, where Lucie and Jesse are pouring over Cordelia's latest letter from abroad. James says he was just at Matthew's flat, and Gus was telling him about theories of time travel that the mundanes at the university Gus attends were discussing. We also find out that James himself has written a book, a science fiction piece with a ridiculously long title, about different worlds and the doubles of people that exist. After the dinner, he goes to Blackfriars Bridge and produces several of Lila's letters out of a pocket before stowing them away and shadow travelling to her dimension to leave a letter for her.

The fanfic would have ended on James' letter, which mentions briefly that he is having nightmares again of Belial's return since they have heard nothing have what happened with CC. Aside from that, the letter is rather sweet. But we see that Lila never gets a chance to read it, because CC collects it first and burns it with a lighter while humming "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas".

Concluding Words

And that, ladies, gents, and fair folk, was how Wasting Beats In This Heart Of Mine would have ended. It has potential for a sequel. One I never want to write except in my head because, man, I am so exhausted by this fanfic alone after I already did it as a rewrite of Chain of Lies. If anything, this is the sequel to Chain of Lies and the next potential story would be the third book. It's been a long few years, I'll tell you that.

Some final things:

If you're wondering about that green coat I was always mentioning: it was supposed to be my tell, along with the gold-ringed eyes, for Saint Nicholas being an alternate Matthew, who is also the leader of the SoHo wolf pack in his origin universe. For Poppy Morad as the alternate Cordelia, who worked as Matthew's partner in time shenanigans, it was the fact that people forgot her face once they saw it because of a facial rune she applies (one that does not exist but she has courtesy of working for The CC). That's why people often knew they saw Cordelia, but could not remember the details of that meeting, if they managed to remember her at all.

The reason Lila has essentially what I call "a death aura" is because of her alternate selves, many of whom die, and it's something that leaks between worlds as the walls steadily break down.

At some point in Le Grand Reveal Of The Time-loop, Lila realises that the detailing on Jonathan's mask matches the floral detail on the back of The Joker card she's been carrying around with her sister's initials this whole time, which hints at just how significant some of the objects in this story are and the meanings they can give (The Fool and The Master being other common names for the card, related to its unpredictability and capability of being anything).

Jonathan wears, obviously, his crimson cape, but his clothes are a deep navy blue and this is part of my reference to Spider-Man and the original dream that inspired all of this.

Future James does indeed have diamond stud earrings. I said so.

At the end of the book, CC would have reinstated Lilith and Belial (whom she removed for previously causing problems in other dimensions where they became too aware of alternate timelines) with altered memories, so the stories can generally continue where they left off (some a couple years later, which has some interesting effects if I wrote the next book, in theory).

And I think that's all I have. But if anyone has any questions at all, feel free to reply to the post to ask, message me, or put it straight into the ask box, I'm more than happy to answer since I'm already depriving you of a properly written-out neat ending to everything. Reminder that I am deleting the fanfic WBITHOM in roughly 48 hours from the time of this post, so after that it will not be available on any public platforms for reading. I am not taking down any of my other fanfics (except for the few that I already have some weeks ago).

Thank you to the readers who have supported me on this longass journey. You were often the reason I kept going when I wanted to give up on writing fanfic, especially writing this one, which has been a very trying process (I mean, it took me half a day just to explain the last approximate third of the damn book, for crying out loud). I appreciate the kudos, the comments, and all the enthusiasm. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Take care now, and I'll see you in the updates of other works in the future.

-- streettealee

P.S. special thank you to @thevagabondexpress who endured many hours of me blabbering way too much about this fic and these characters, who I pestered to give me feedback as I fretted over whether I was doing everything right (spoiler: there's no right way, just better ways), and who cared about this when I struggled to. You suggested I might find a way to give readers some closure. And so I also give thanks to @faithfromanewperspective, who went nuts for an Australian OC (understandably, as I would too) and blazed through my entire fic and encouraged me inadvertently to start updating again after a long dry spell. You still absolutely get to see my drafts and outline next time we catch up in person, but I hope for now that this is a good description of the rest of what the book would have been and it gives you some closure, as well as for the other readers. Thank you also to @quantummeep for reading and commenting! I can never get out of my head how even early on in your reading you recognised all the plot threads that I had been weaving together, and it meant so much to me that you appreciated the level of detail I tried to work with.

Thank you all and to the other readers who also supported me 💛

#wasting beats in this heart of mine #wbithom #the last hours fanfic #tlh fanfic

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sunny6677 · 27 days

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Spookytale: The Rewrite.

Spooky Month x Undertale crossover.

Summary:

After hearing the call of a strange, hypnotizing flute—Skid awakes to find himself laying on a bed of golden flowers—with several others surrounding him, and a strange bright light he hadn't seen before beaming it's rays down.

Meanwhile, John—who has no idea how any of them ended up in this strange place, attempts to guide the group to a way out. But he finds himself going on a journey he never thought he'd ever find himself on.

PROLOGUE, PART 2: Panic.

( @mayisgoingnuts @crossover-enthusiast @facelessthefreak @dexter-apologist-5000 )

————

..John, despite the aching pain he felt in his head and all over his body, was able to vividly recall what had took place. Even though he shouldn't have—considering the impact of the fall appeared to be very long—judging from the distance between the ground and the hole.

He shouldn't have survived. None of them should have survived. He didn't think anyone would actually survive when he found his work at the station interrupted by the distant noise of a soft flute. Playing the same eery tune.

He felt himself sent into a panic—rushing around the corridors as the melody sounded in the air. He burst into the main area of the station where his partner had sat with the phone ringing continously in his hand.

He had screamed that the piper was back. And after that, they.. and sort of rushed out toward the vehicle outside of the station and dashed toward the forest. They ended up finding Ms. Lila's kid sobbing on the sidewalk, and picked him up to keep him safe since he was the one unaffected.

And.. well.. after that, it got kind of blurry. Either the kid had run out at some point and they went after him. Or he had ran in while they were confronting Piper.

Regardless, all John remembered was Jack just shooting at Piper, and then..

Well—the music defintely wasn't coming from him, seeing as it kept playing. All John remembered was them staring at the hole. And then everything fading to darkness.

And then the next thing he knew, he.. just woke here. A few moments ago in fact. His eyes barely spreading open as the light from up above filled his sensitive eyes.

For a moment, he glanced behind himself. On the flooring that wasn't covered by a patch of green, there was simple stone ground leading up to a long dark hallway up ahead. The hallway made him feel a chill run down his spine, and swallowing, he looked away.

He stared longer around the area. Everyone in town that he knew appeared to be here. Ms. Lila, her kid, that candy kid, and.. well, from what it seemed, none of them were under that melody's influence anymore. Judging by the clearer stare in their eyes, and the confused expressions on their faces rather than ones of shocked bliss.

"Ra—Rad?"

He heard a familiar voice speak softly from behind him. Seemingly not to him. But the sound of the voice caused him to snap his head in it's direction as everyone spoke out of turn. Different voice grunting from all sides of the room.

"Wil—wha.. what's going on?"

"..uh.. I dunno. Skid—do you know?"

"No. I just heard weird music and everyone started following it. It wasn't spooky at all. It was-a scary.."

"..kids?"

"Kevin!"

"..what the—where.. how did I end up here?! What—what is this place?!"

"..Streber?"

"..wh.. mmh.. Eth—Ethan..?"

"Wh.. what are you two weird kids doing here?! Where'd you take us?!"

John, despite the many voices echoing echoing around him, managed to tune them out. And focused on the familiar source of the voice he had heard. In the corner up against the wall. A small, long-faced boy with a dimple on the right side of his face—his hair made into blonde girls and his blue cap laying on the flower bed. Alongside a taller young man with curls of blonde hair, and a dimple on the left side of his face.

The younger man forced himself upward by prodding his elbows against the ground, grunting. "..ughh.."

The small boys eyes trailed over him, his mouth slightly hanging open as he did so. Finally, after a moment, the younger man's eyes darted toward him. And his eyes quickly became wide. "Wh—what the—Robert? Dude—what are you doing here? You.."

He stopped. His eyes scanning around the area. "..where.. what is this place?"

"I—I don't know. I just.."

The smaller boy paused. His eyes now wide. It was only after a moment of standing that John realized the boy was now staring back at him.

Immediately gaining his senses back, John walked foward—forcing himself to ignore the ache in his legs.

"..un—uncle John? What—" Robert stuttered, his face now worried sick and his mouth twisted into a frown of concern. "What are you doing here? How did we—"

"I.. I dunno, kid. I really don't." Johns eyes scanned around the area once more. He saw a black haired man with a round face and a missing arm being helped up by another more gothic-looking guy. Jack slowly helping up Patty who had apparently been in the corner.

He went quiet, and sighed. "Look—just—just stay calm, okay?"

He then turned around. Everyone appeared to either be helping themselves up, glancing around in confusion or on the verge of having a panic attack, or clearly still passed out.

Lifting his hands, he grunted out, "Okay—people, I need you to stay calm." His voice rang out among the several others that mingled together, all of which seemed to slightly hush upon noticing he was speaking.

"Do—do any of you actually remember how you got down here?"

Silence filled the air. Everyone looked around in confusion. A soft voice from a young girl in the corner spoke up.

"..uh.. I don't. All I remember was that I was just drawing, and then.. I.. I heard something. And everything went dark."

"Yeah." A kid in a pumpkin mask nodded, "I was playing in my room, and then I heard a song."

"Okay. Is.. is that true for everyone else here?"

The silence appeared to signal a yes, as they simply glanced around at eachother in quietness.

"..I see. Well.."

John spun around with a slight huff. "Al—Alright, I'm.. I'm not really sure how to tell you how y'all got down here. Honestly, I'm.. not even sure what actually happened. Does anyone remember anything different?"

The room was filled by people either shaking their heads, or giving a verbal refusal.

"..well.. alright. Okay—just.. gimme a second, people—alright? I'll talk with my partner about what to do. Don't panic yet. Just sit tight til we figure out what to do."

Voices of soft protest began to erupt—some either protesting directly against what he had said, and others simply talking to whoever was next to them.

"Wh—what?!" He heard the candy kid yell out, "How are we supposed to stay calm?! We literally—"

"Mom—what's.. what's going on?"

"Hold on, hold on—we can't just—!"

"People—people. Just stay calm—I'll figure things out. We—"

"Ugh.. why did we have to get stuck down here with you—plebians?! What's happening?!"

"Wait—there's a hallway right there, isn't it? Why can't we just go through that?"

"Dude, that's just gonna lead to one of us going missing like in one of the horror movies!"

..John let out a long sigh, quietly approaching Jack who stood beside Patty. A frown curled on his thin lips, with Patty who was practically slumped against his shoulder.

John muttered, "You okay, Patty?"

"..yeah." Flatly, Patty said. "I'm fine."

"What.. what are we gonna do?" Jack softly inquired, lifting his head in Johns direction.

John hesitated, before letting out yet another sigh.

"..I guess we're just gonna have to figure that out."

Grumbling a bit, his eyes darted toward the ceiling of.. whatever it was they were in again. The dark rock from above made it appear as if they were inside something. And they most likely were. The only possible conclusion he could come to was that they were beneath a cave of some sort, or a mountain.

But.. that wasn't possible. They fell through a hole that was in the grass of the forest. They hadn't gone to a mountain or a cave at all. At least.. he didn't remember doing so.

..he needed to find some solution here. And fast.

————

..the area around them as completely filled with soft chattering as Skid sat beside his friend. Who had comfortably shifted next to him and his mom, along with Susie who appeared to be fidgeting with her hands and anxiously glancing around.

Skid wanted to know why they were here or what the music had even led them to. The slight panic he felt was somewhat calmer now. To be honest, the area looked pretty spooky with how dark it was.

From all around him—different voices chattered at once, discussing possible scenarios or just what to do in general. It was only after a while as the dampness hung in the air that a gruff, masculine voice spoke up from the farther end of the room.

"Okay.. everyone—everyone."

Everyone appeared to slightly hush, some either still talking or slowly looking over at him. The black haired one shifted beside him on his left, holding a stern expression on his face.

When the room became quiet enough, the sheriff grunted, "Okay.. I'm not sure how many of you noticed, but there's a hallway right behind us." He gestured in it's direction. "I dunno what it might lead to. But.. incase there's a way out, me and my partner will go check."

"Wai—wait.." The man with the movie glasses on stuttered, "But—but what if there's something dangerous back there? You might get hurt!"

"Son, we have guns." Huffed the officer. "It'll be fine. If there's anything dangerous, we'll let you know."

The officer let out a long sigh again. The round headed man with red glasses and a missing limb spoke again, his somewhat nasally voice speaking up over the several others.

"Wa—wait—what are we supposed to do if you don't come back? What if something bad happens to us if you go off?"

"..I'm.. I'm not sure. But—just stay put. If you think somethings gonna happen, then feel free to get up and go wherever we went."

"..mmh.."

The Gothic man from beside him gently asked him if we was okay, and John looked around. The balding man from before still hadn't woken up yet. And several people still spoke all at once.

..this seemed sort of familiar to Skid. Not the experience itself, but rather the situation. And in all honesty, he wasn't sure why.

The brown haired officer finally turned around, the black haired one slowly turning at the same rate.

"Just stay put, okay?"

The officer huffed, now facing the darkness of the narrow hallway—the dark shadows seeming eager to swallow them whole as they let out a sigh.

"We'll be back in a second."

#spooky month #spookytale #undertale #spookytale: the rewrite #undertale x spooky month #spooky month x undertale

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