#aurora isn’t on here because she is a ship

[ropes3amthoughts]

Dungeon Meshi Subnautica AU. There’s no spoilers if you’ve finished the whole anime, but there are lots of spoilers if you haven’t played Subnautica. Do you guys see my vision?

This is some old DunMeshi Subnautica AU art and stuff. I was going to post this when I drew some more stuff, but this has just been sitting around in my camera roll for a while so I’m just gonna post it like this. These are like 2 months old and have some of the first times I drew like most of the characters so they’re not that good lmao maybe I’ll draw some newer versions some time.

Marcille likes seafood, but she doesn’t want to eat aliens. (She ends up eating the Peeper)

I made Izutsumi more fish-like so she could still have dynamic movements and such in the underwater setting. It got super blurry so here’s what the notes (from left to right) say:

“Think she’ll be more fishy to fit into the world better,” “Underwater. Floating,” “On land. Soggy,” “Swims like a fish,” “No room for bow :(“ “Gills,” “Still has claws also webbed hands,” “Flipper parts [are] white,” “Scales and fur! Not the best combo…” “Thick tail for swimming,” “Her feet are flatter like flippers.”

Some closeups because the quality sucks:

I imagine Senshi would be a Degasi survivor and have a greenhouse similar to Marguerit’s

Sea Dragon Falin 🔥

Very messy Reaper encounter idea. Loosely based on the “Ohh, hello, handsome man!” post. Don’t ask how they can all cram into a single Sea Moth just pretend it’s able to seat a bunch of people

Lmao I even started writing a fanfic about it. Here’s the description lmao:

Delicious in the Depths

Description: After the Aurora is destroyed and the Canaries declared they will not be making any recovery efforts, Laios has to take matters into his own hands to retrieve his sister, who had been onboard the Aurora when it had mysteriously blown up. With the help of Marcille and Chilchuck, the three are able to sneak onto 4546B in search of Falin. There’s only one problem: An alien weapon gunned down their ship and rendered them completely stranded on the alien planet, which consists of nothing but ocean for kilometers on end. (A Dungeon Meshi and Subnautica/Below Zero crossover)

I didn’t get very far in writing it but if y’all want me to like post it or something I can. This next thing isn’t the fanfic it’s just kind of a ramble on how the AU would work.

My kind of basic thoughts are that the party would function kind of the same as they in the DunMeshi universe, but instead of going into the dungeon they explore different planets. Falin would be on board the Aurora, which ends up mysteriously crash landing on planet 4546B. The Canaries (they take the role of Alterra) say that they don’t know what happened, but there won’t be a recovery effort because the planet is too dangerous. Laios decides he will find his sister when the Canaries refuse to make an effort and Marcille and Chilchuck join him. They end up crashlanding onto 4546B (sort of like Robin in Below Zero) and they would land in the Kelp Zone near the South of the map to put them closer to the Floating Island because that’s where they would find Senshi. They would find survivor recordings, some of which are from Falin, and try to track her down. The planet is full of mana, making revival possible, but it also harbors dangerous alien creatures (they are still the same creatures from Subnautica). I wasn’t quite sure how Thistle would work since having control over a whole planet is a bit more difficult compared to a dungeon, but I was thinking he could be a Precursor and he’s in charge of things like the Quarantine Enforcement. I also thought it would be cool if Falin was a chimera mixed with a Sea Dragon Leviathan, so I made that happen even though it doesn’t make much sense as to how it would happen. There’s so many characters in Dungeon Meshi, but Subnautica is very isolated, so I’m not so sure how Dungeon Meshi events would translate into the Subnautica universe. I guess a lot of people would be crashlanding.

If anybody likes Subnautica and Dungeon Meahi and has any ideas, feel free to share! I’d love to hear what you think!

The rest of this was anime safe, but this last part has Major Dungeon Meshi Manga and Major Subnautica spoilers:

Maybe the Winged Lion would be the Sea Emperor Leviathan but if she was evil then? He’ll lure the gang down and then try to leave the planet maybe and he needs to be stopped? The Winged Lion isn’t really evil, but he’s the antagonist, you know what I mean? Plus the way the ghosts communicate with Laios and the way the Winged Lion talks to Laios in that dream is kind of similar to how the Sea Emperor communicates with Riley. Or maybe the Winged Lion is somehow responsible for the Kharaa bacteria? I need to work on it still lmao

[rainbowstargazerlilies]

Mechs Ships Tournament: Shipping Round 4 Poll 1

Propaganda:

Polymechs:

They're inseparable they hate each other they would die for each other they actively enjoy killing each other ect ect ect

Look they're immortal and stuck in a spaceship you don't think they've hit all possible combinations over the years and settled into a weird comfortable vibe you can only get if youve murdered, been murdered, and had sex with every one (maybe minus nastya) of your friends?

immortal space pirats.... cuddle piles, romantic... not romanticm... poly mechs <3

(Points to every album) there thats my propaganda. But in all seriousness they are a group of immortals with nothing to do but sing and love each other in their own fucked up ways <3 

Chaotic little guys on a ship for a long time, the relationship web they got going on could rival the coven web

you cant tell me you would live with people for millions of years without it getting even a little gay.

Polygamy

when you spend millennia doing music and violence and shenanigans with the same 8 other people on a ship (and when the ship is technically another person), there's bound to be some group canoodling

i care them

they're everything to each other!!!

i refuse to pick

it’s polymechs!! what isn’t to love

Look at them.

how could you pick individual ships when they are so good together!! with the exception of nastya + jonny cos they are siblings your honour.

a lot of people have polymechs with her and aurora being monogamous but she canonically has queer orgies. on mechs tumblr account she describes herself as "The only one seemingly capable of a committed, responsible and fair relationship" so polymechs with all of relationships besides nastyaurora being on and off and everchanging is both the best polymechs and the most canon compliant polymechs to me

The idea that they're crewmates. You ask one of them what their relationship is with another and they say, "That's my crewmate". And then, maybe one of them meets someone on another ship, and they mention they don't have strong feelings about someone because, "they're only my crewmate" And they just cannot comprehend the idea of being crewmates with someone and not having strong feelings about them. They're immortal and half of them hate life, but even if that wasn't true, they'd die for any of the others a million times over. They've murdered billions of people on a whim, but even if that wasn't true, they'd murder anyone if it made one of their crewmate's lives a bit better. Remember how Tim blew up a moon for Bertie? He had only known Bertie for about 10 years. What would he do for people he had known for about 10 millennia? What would Ashes do for the people who would never betray them? What would Nastya do for the people who would always spend time with her and never die? What would Brian do for the people who would always forgive him for following his beliefs? What would Raphaella do for the people who are always willing to help her with her experiments? What would Ivy do for the people who'd always stay and tell their stories? What would the Toy Soldier do for the people who only ordered it to do what it wants to do and always lets it be involved? What would Jonny do for the people he could never permanently hurt? What would Marius do for his family? They all love each other more than anything, even if they don't have the words for it. (via @mchasmfiend)

Loki/Sigyn:

https://youtu.be/TdKCUmOa5Jw?si=Y3owraM96zp4kdrs and https://youtu.be/nxVjWJJmt9Q?si=76dQ6LBg00eldlUY

anti ship lesbians/sappics

Transgender lesbian anarchists.

spsaphics

Round-up for the round here :)

[aralana765]

Listening to OUaTiS again, and once again I am reminded of just how well Nastya is able to play Jonny like her viola. The convo in The Aurora Strikes starts with Jonny already upset, and she continues to tell him things that upset him, and yet he still ends up happy. Because she knows exactly how to tell him. So we start with:

N: We’re not going to argue about this. (Fact)

J: I don’t understand it, Nastya. We’ve been watching billions die for the last three decades, and we’ve been having a great time! (Defensive, doesn’t want to give up his comfy spot)

N: I know, I know. (Placating, not fighting, just like she said, letting him say his piece)

J: And now you want to go white knight over a science project with a broken snooze button? I don’t buy it. (Here I have a theory that he breaks out “white knight accidentally cause he likes being the white knight [though he would never admit it, even tho Nastya knows], and he knows that’s not Nastya’s thing at all)

N: W-well, you see, Jonny, that is because I have not been telling you the whole story! (A story! There’s a story, Jonny! We have a story here! A sure way to catch his attention) It is, uh, not actually me who is complaining. It is, uh, Aurora. Our starship. (You could argue with me, Jonny, but would you argue with the ship herself?)

J: Fuck the ship! (Fuck you, you know I wouldn’t dare)

N: I do. (Sibling moment here, also something to distract Jonny from his clinging to anger)

J: Ew! (It worked)

N: Anyway, Jonny, I am merely informing you out of courtesy, uh. You see, I’ve already told Brian to lay in the coordinates. (I told you we’re not arguing. The ship wants to go. We’re going. BUT what’s crucial here is that she keeps her tone very light, never confrontational. She’s just passing along the message)

J: Brian! That insubordinate piece of brass! (Only angry at Brian, maybe Aurora, but not Nastya, who was only passing along the message)

N: Yes, yes, I know, and we are on our way. (Very placating, very ‘I’m just updating the captain’ instead of ‘I fully hijacked the ship and crew’)

J: …well. I suppose that there’s no real danger… (I am fully in love that he actually does take the crew/ship’s safety into consideration here considering who they are. But also, here’s where he starts sliding down the slope Nastya prepared for him)

N: No there isn’t. (Confirming, gently leaning in)

J: For the ship or us. (Thinks of Aurora first, the non immortal crew member. Doesn’t have anything to do with my point. I just love that)

N: No… (letting him ease himself down the path she made)

J: And it has been a while since we’ve had any really good violence. (There’s a story here. Nastya brought up a story, this could make for a very good story)

N: It has indeed. (Says Nastya, who’s solution was to kiss the princess, and mock the idea of violence to computers)

J: Alright. [audible smirk] Let’s go.

Anyway, I know this post is a million years long since I put in the whole scene transcript + my notes, but I can’t listen to that part without imagining Nastya and Aurora having a conversation in the hall outside Jonny’s room being like “I know, I’ll just play it cool, not argue, keep his hackles from going up” and “ooh yes, good idea, make it sound like it’ll be good for a song, I love it” and “oh yeah, go tell Brian where we’re going so I can tell Jonny we’re already on the way. How is he gonna stop us? Is he gonna fight you, the ship??’

Anyway, I love these space pirate siblings who know each other so well they can have each other wrapped around their fingers when they need to

[heyo-428]

With the upcoming announcement of a new Stephanie Garber book, here are all the ideas I could think of in the Caraval/OUABH universe! Even though, I’m fairly certain it won’t be in this universe, but hoping it is!

Not proofread, Enjoy!

- TellaLegend Daughter. I don’t think it’s super likely to be honest. Stephanie would have to set it in the future because Donatella’s only like 16 at the end of Finale if I remember correctly. I think Stephanie may want to put more in between but who knows!

- Chaos/LaLa story. This is more possible than TellaLegend daughter as of right now in my opinion. Stephanie obviously set them up and while I’m not the biggest fan of this ship as it currently stands I think Stephanie could come up with a very good plot like for them. They will also continue the some-what enemies to lovers that the other ships have, at least looking through the females perspective with her ships!

- Jacks’s former Fiancée. Stephanie dropped her name and never said anything again. For anyone wondering, her name was Alessandra, page 139 of the US paperback Legendary. I guess it could be nothing but for her to name drop and then not do anything is just weird, to me at least.

- Aurora Story and possibly who she freed from the Tree of Souls. While the bonus epilogues aren’t canon, it could be Stephanie’s way of tricking us. The story curse always mixing some true in with the lies so maybe Aurora DID free someone but not exactly who was said. The man also seems to know her. I think he’s from the past and the story curse isn’t allowing her to remember.

Additionally, I remember a post of someone who said that it could be Aurora because she’s a somewhat villain of the story. Same with how Jacks was in Legendary and Finale. Then Jacks got his own story so maybe Aurora will. There’s SO many narrative parallels between the Caraval trilogy and OUABH trilogy so this would make sense.

- Prequel short story collection. There’s a lot of short stories from the past that we know very little about. How the Merrywood Three came to be, The Fates and all there backstories since we don’t have more of them, Paradise the Lost, Legend (he told Donatella a story but like was that true?), Esmeralda, more on the Valors since there’s a lot more there, and probably a lot more. This is kind of unlikely in all honesty, I just really want it. I’ve always loved prequels because they make you rethink things and they like click then and it’s just so good always.

- Phaedra of the Damned. This could classify as a “prequel short story collection” technically, but was she not interesting in OUABH? She communicated with the dead and was brought up once. Maybe she’s a scam or maybe not? Also, soemthing highly confusing to me, is that when Evangeline first met her, she had a birth mark and the book specifically said “Her birthmark was something Evangeline would have recognized.” (US paper back, page 393 of OUABH) What does that mean? Previously it describes it as a “Starburst mark the color of currant wine on her left cheek.” that’s like really really specific. And I don’t think a starburst was ever one of the universally known fairy tale symbols that were on most of the arches? I’m going to look more into this.

I actually have some more ideas but I’ll probably make a part 2 for that.

[clockworkbee]

Love how Holly Black takes the most obvious and typical plots from fairytales and then twists them in her books, only to then end them at some absolutely cliché scene 🤌🏼

I am sorry, which ones? I cant see them in Holly Black books

Hmm. Okay.

I’ll start by clarifying (for you, anon, and anyone else who comes across this post) that when I say fairy tale, I don’t just mean the Beauty and the Beast category, I also mean those children books like Goldilocks and Pinnochio etc. as well as the many stories I've never read but heard from my dad or grandmother in my childhood (in urdu—not that they’re relevant in this post) and I’ll tell you why I thought so/saw (see) it as quoted in your ask, but just because I did doesn’t mean everyone would—and this isn’t to convince you either (but it low-key is, lol)

SPOILER WARNING: the books mentioned in this post may or may not contain minor/major spoilers about the plot but do include more information than the synopsis so if you haven’t read Holly Black’s books and would prefer knowing as little as possible before going in, I think it’s best you save this post for later <3

The Folk of the Air: My first books by the author were tfota, and the world, plot, and characters were quite refreshing to read, but then on my first read, when I read about the prophecy and the curse within the series, it hit me that within this ‘faerie’ story was an aspect of the ‘fairy’ ones, kinda like ‘beauty and the beast,’ ‘a cursed prince turned into a frog,’ or another that's mentioned in the 3rd book, but then, the way to break the curse was not so typical in my opinion, and I loved that. And of course there’s the famous parallels between Jude and Alice from Alice in the Wonderland; a human girl in a fantasy land where she doesn’t belong. (If you’re interested, you might like how it’s shown here by @rosiethorns88 and the third and second last paragraphs written here by @sensenoi unless you’re interested in reading the whole post, that is) As for the cliché ending here, I think those cheesy, happy dialogues in tqon are exactly that.

The Darkest Part of the Forest: in this standalone (which I wished so hard that I’d read before tfota), there’s a prince who’s banished and (I think, can’t remember, sorry) also cursed to sleep. So again, this was like Aurora sleeping after pricking her finger or Snow White after biting the apple, however, the way to wake up that prince wasn’t his true love’s kiss and he doesn’t love the person who finally breaks him free either, so I kinda liked that twist; the boy getting the prince instead of the girl. (You know, like a change of perspective in a fairytale retelling such as Maleficent’s pov showing love instead of hate for Aurora, I guess)

The Modern Faerie Tales (Tithe + Ironside): the story of a faerie raised as a human finding herself lucky enough to earn power over a royal faerie. For this ship, there was this storyline of ‘win your love by completing a quest’ and that’s what felt fairytale-like to me. Only, it was a bit twisted because faeries can’t lie, and that made the quest tricky.

The Modern Faerie Tales (Valiant): In this one, the ship and the insta-love were kinda it (fairytale-like), but then there was this scene where the girl almost lost the one she loved and the way she tried to delay that happening and then saved him was what actually hit like a Faerie fairytale to me.

The Stolen Heir (duology): sooo, I loved how the story started with a girl wishing for more in her life, wishing for magic, and then in a way, having that wish come true, only it’s a Holly Black story so of course magic only mostly brings horrors instead of sparkles, leaving one of the most common messages/warnings from fairy tales, ‘be careful what you wish for.’ I also loved that our fmc was made of sticks and snow, which again, is something I’d heard before in a fairy tale as a kid (I think it’s also mentioned in a grishaverse short story, the witch one? I don't actually remember, but yeah.) The twist added here was that, unlike those stories I heard where a girl who was made this way could be unmade by other people just as easily ‘if someone did this or that,’ (or maybe it’s still a part of the books, I can’t recall), Holly made Suren extremely powerful and almost invincible, and I loved that a lot. (Also, I didn’t see the Snow White story stuff here until I read this post by @of-the-way-and-wildflowers , but after reading it, I definitely do see it, and absolutely love it!) The cliché ending here, I suppose, is the way Suren came back?

I hope you got from this the answer you were looking for, anon. I don’t think I ever made a post on how I see fairy tales in these books before, so thanks a lot for this ask!

—bee 💗

[photogirl894]

"Sun and Rain Part 2: Age of the Empire"

Chapter 27

"Bracca"

A "Bad Batch" fanfic!

Pairing: Hunter x fem OC, Echo (more best friend pairing)

A/N: Here I am again with another installment of this beloved fic of mine! Now, we're really getting back into the thick of the main story from the show. This is where things are really gonna get interesting...if you catch my meaning 😜😅😁 Enjoy this, why don't you?

Taglist: @the-sad-batch , @nimata-beroya , @intrepidmare , @cole-kenxbi , @tech-aficionado , @ladykatakuri , @d1n0-dan , @sammi9498 , @darthzero22 , @scarlettrose9901 , @thebadbatchscyare , @chxpsi , @ilikemymendarkandfictional , @4pplecider , @locitapurplepink , @l-lend , @nekotaetae , @eternalwaffle , @merkitty49 , @avathebestx , @idoubleswearimawriter , @techs-stitches , @fantasyproductions

《 Chapter 26

》 Chapter 28

All chapters (Part 2) (Part 1)

Explanation: Kimber, Rex and the Bad Batch venture to the junk planet of Bracca to get the Clones' chips removed...but their goal won't be so easily achieved.

Hunter ended the call with Kimber and Rex, standing now outside the Aurora. When he’d first answered the call, he was surprised to see Kimber looking calm and put together, thinking her time visiting the crash site would’ve been much more emotional. Before he could ask how she was, she’d informed him that Rex knew of a place they could go to in order to get the Bad Batch’s inhibitor chips removed: a junk planet called Bracca. The planet was almost clear across the galaxy from Ord Mantell, so it would take a few days for both parties to get there. Hunter was surprised to be hearing back from them on that front so quickly. He wasn’t entirely sure at first how that place held the answers they were looking for, but he trusted Rex. More than that, he trusted Kimber and she had stood by Rex’s decision during the transmission. That all was enough for him. It was decided that Rex and Kimber would head there together immediately instead of Rex bringing Kimber back to Ord Mantell. That had been at Kimber’s insistence, saying time was of the essence and they’d be able to solve the chip problem faster if she just stayed with Rex instead of having him bring her back. At first, Hunter didn’t feel sure, but that feeling was short-lived because, once again, he trusted the Captain. If there was anyone else outside his squad and the Koriena Force that he would trust to take care of his sweetheart, it was Rex. He’d get her to Bracca safely.

With a new course now in mind, Hunter retreated back into the Aurora to round up the rest of his squad. As he entered the main area of the ship, he called out, “That was Kimber and Rex. We’ve got our destination. Let’s move.”

“Where are we going?” asked Omega. 

“I’ll tell you on the way,” said Hunter. 

As the rest of the squad made their way over, Rina cried out, “I’m coming with you!”

“I will, as well,” added Kida.

However, Hunter looked back at them and told them, “Negative. This could potentially be dangerous. I won’t have you two be caught in the middle of it.”

Kida put her hands on her hips. “Isn’t that our choice to make, Sergeant?”

“What about your son?” Echo asked her.

Then Lex answered, “Irys and I will gladly watch him. Wouldn’t be the first time we’ve done that while Kida goes on a mission.”

With an almost uncharacteristic pleading look in her eyes, Rina spoke up, “Look, I’m worried about Wrecker. I need to make sure things go okay and Kida wants to be there for Rex, as well. Besides, you might need our help.”

Kida shot Rina a look and stated, “I'm also going so I can make sure you stay out of trouble, shortstacks.”

Rina glowered up at Kida. “Don't ever call me by the lizard lady's nickname,” she warned her.

When they both turned back to the boys, Hunter sighed and shook his head. “I'm sorry, but I have to disagree. If things go south with Wrecker's chip, I wouldn't be able to take it if something happened to you both. I need you to stay here where you're safe. Got it?”

Then without waiting for a response, Hunter turned and walked out of the room, the others following behind him. Wrecker, however, stopped for a moment and looked back at Rina, an apologetic look on his face. 

“I'll be okay, babe. Don't worry,” he said to reassure her. Then he flipped around to follow his brothers, crying out over his shoulder as he ran off, “Love you!”

Rina stiffened up at hearing him say those words again and Kida just chuckled. 

“You know…I get the feeling he still doesn't quite know the gravity behind those words,” said Kida.

“I overheard him telling Hunter once that he says it because Hunter and Kimber say it to each other all the time,” said Lex, who was carefully rocking Kori in her arms. “They're happy together and Wrecker is happy with Rina…so he's just following by example, even if he doesn't fully understand.”

“One day, he will,” Kida stated. Then she looked down at Rina and asked, “Well, what do we do now?”

Determination in her eyes, Rina answered, “Simple: while the guys are out resupplying and refueling the ship, we stow aboard the Marauder. There's no way the Sarge is making me stay behind, not with Wrecker's well-being on the line.”

Then Irys spoke up behind them, “How do you plan to do that? Hunter has enhanced senses and he'll pick up your scents easily, you with your sweetblossom and Kida's perfume.”

Rina, though, just turned around with a grin. “Oh, I've got a plan,” she said slyly. 

Irys smirked and shook her head. “Of course, you do.”

A couple hours later, the Bad Batch were now soaring through the bright blue tunnel of hyperspace on their way to Bracca to meet up with Rex and Kimber. Wrecker was feeling nervous about the whole plan knowing Rex wanted to cut open his head--all their heads, as well, as Tech reminded him nonchalantly--but Hunter was doing his best to keep him calm. During their flight, Tech continued to work on his brain scanner with Omega’s help. 

“Do we really have to do this?” Wrecker asked Hunter apprehensively. 

“If Rex is sure, we should trust him,” Hunter responded. “I know it's not ideal, Wrecker, but this is our best course of action.”

Wrecker groaned in defeat. “If you say so,” he relented. 

Just then, Hunter's senses picked up something unusual. It sounded like voices…voices that didn't belong to anyone that should be on the ship. They were quiet, but loud enough for his enhanced hearing to detect, and were coming from the back of the Marauder in the bunk area. They also sounded familiar. 

He briskly made his way to the back area, earning curious looks from the others at his sudden movements before following him. He detected the voices coming from Wrecker’s bunk. 

“I can't hear them anymore.”

“Get away from the door, then, before Sarge catches us.”

“Unbelievable…,” Hunter groaned quietly as he activated the door. 

As the door slid open, two figures leaning against it yelped in surprise as they fell forward and hit the floor as Hunter stepped back. Dressed in large, black shirts over their regular clothes and lying prostrate on the ground were Rina and Kida.

Putting his hands on his hips, Hunter said aloud, “Are you two kidding me?”

As they both sat up and got up to their feet, the others realized the shirts the girls were wearing were the same as the tops of their blacks, but they were at least three sizes too big for the women, so the shirts looked like tents on them.

“Are those my black shirts?” asked Wrecker. 

“Yeah. How else do you think we were able to sneak aboard?” Rina asked.

Then Kida added, “We figured Hunter would be able to pick up our scent, so we used these to hide them, knowing he wouldn't question anything with his brother's scent. However…we didn't account for his apparently enhanced hearing.”

“What are you doing here? I told you to stay on Ord Mantell,” Hunter chided them. 

After pulling off Wrecker's shirt from over her clothes, Rina responded to him, “No offense, Sarge, but you're in charge of this squad…not us.”

He reared back, startled. 

“Listen, if I stayed behind, I don't think I'd be able to sleep, not knowing if Wrecker was okay or if the rest of you were okay,” Rina admitted. “I sensed something really wrong with his chip and I can't shake the feeling I got. I have to be there.” 

She stole a look at Wrecker and he was a bit surprised to see the evident worry in her eyes, something he wasn't accustomed to, seeing as she usually was more guarded about her emotions even with him. Whatever she'd sensed regarding his chip must've really shaken her up. That and it only made him more nervous about the whole situation on top of it all.

“Besides, if something does happen to either of us, then it'll be on us, not you. You told us to stay on Ord Mantell and we didn't listen, so it'll be our responsibility,” then said Kida.

For a moment, the Clones said nothing. Only exchanging looks with one another. 

“Well, we're already in the middle of hyperspace. Can't turn back now,” stated Echo. 

“Perhaps their company on this venture will prove most beneficial,” added Tech, mostly to Hunter. 

While still displeased at the fact Rina and Kida had stowed aboard and disobeyed his orders, Hunter sighed in defeat. “Fine. Guess we have no choice.”

“Look, sorry we snuck onto the ship, but you also might need our help,” said Rina. “We won't get in the way.”

Kida stepped closer to Hunter and laid a hand on his arm. “I know you're not happy with us right now, but we're here because we care about all of you, Hunter. We just want to make sure you all get out of this safely.”

Then Omega, flashing her brown doe eyes up at Hunter, asked, “That's not so bad, isn't it, Hunter?”

He sighed again, this time a little softer. “I guess not.” Then he looked between the two ladies and said, “Well…looks like we're all going to Bracca then.”

“Well, I'm glad they came because now, my best girl is here!” Wrecker exclaimed, scooping up Rina into a big hug. 

She groaned both shyly and gratefully at the same time. She didn't know why, but Wrecker calling her his “best girl” just really set her heart a flutter. 

After planting a big kiss on her cheek, he stated, “With her around, I feel better already.”

A few days passed and Kimber and Rex reached Bracca, a planet completely filled with space garbage; transport scraps, decommissioned starships and more. After Rex landed the Y-wing inside the remains of a larger starship, he told Kimber they'd wait there until the Bad Batch arrived, activating his tracking beacon so they'd be able to find them when they got there. He urged her to stay put while he quickly scouted the area for the ship they'd come to find. 

While she waited, Kimber sat back against a wall, waiting patiently for her squad to come. She could only hope the plan Rex had in mind for them would work. If it could get their chips out, then they'd be truly free from any possible Imperial influence, like Order 66.

Remembering Order 66 made her think of Crosshair. Now knowing the chips were really a threat and it was what made the Clones turn on the Jedi and serve the Empire, it explained everything about Crosshair's erratic behavior from Kaller as well as Kamino; why he suddenly seemed so keen on following orders and why he'd turned on the Bad Batch for the Empire. If only he were with them now, then he could get his chip removed, too. He could finally be back to normal and be one of them again. If only he were here….

That was it! Perhaps if she reached out and told him what they knew, then maybe he'd see reason and join them on Bracca. If he could get his chip out, then he'd leave the Empire and be part of their squad once more. They'd be partners again…the eyes in the sky…brother and sister….

Without a second thought, she fished into her pack and pulled out her encrypted holopad. Even though he hadn't responded to any of her previous transmissions, maybe this one would finally get his attention. All she had to do was tell him about their plan and--

Kimber heard movement close by and it startled her that she nearly dropped her holopad device before shoving it back into her pack. When she looked, she realized it was just Rex coming back. He was back from scouting quicker than she'd anticipated. 

“Lucky for us, the cruiser we need is already nearby,” he informed her as he approached. 

“That's good,” she said. “Then we can get right to it once the boys get here.”

“Exactly,” he replied.

About an hour passed before they heard the sound of engines overhead and when they peeked out from their hiding place, they saw the Marauder coming their way. Kimber couldn’t help but smile at seeing that junk of a shuttle she loved so much. Soon, the Marauder docked next to the Y-wing and Rex and Kimber made their way towards it to greet the others. Hunter came out first followed by Omega and the others. 

“Right on time,” Rex greeted Hunter, the two of them grasping arms.

As Kimber was about to say something, she caught sight of two faces in the back of the group she wasn’t expecting to see. “Rina? Kida? What are you two doing here?” she asked. 

Rex peered around the Clones to see the two women, as well, once Kimber called attention to them.

“They stowed away,” said Hunter, sounding slightly miffed still, giving the girls the side-eye.

“Hey, we said we’re sorry,” said Rina.

Then Kida added, “We just thought you all could use some extra help. Plus, someone was worried sick about her man and refused to stay behind.” Then she looked down at Rina, who blushed bright red. 

Rex smiled to himself at seeing Kida. Something about her being here now made him feel less nervous about the whole ordeal. “Well, we’re glad you’re both here,” he said.

“So how’s a junk planet gonna help us?” Wrecker asked him. 

After donning his helmet, Rex simply replied, “Follow me.”

After Kimber and the other Clones--sans Omega--put on their own helmets, they followed after Rex as he led them out of the scrapped ship they’d docked in.

Hunter leaned in and asked Kimber quietly, “How are you, my love? Are you doing okay?”

She nodded to him, knowing he was referring to her previous venture to say her final goodbyes to Jesse at his grave. “I am. I’m doing better,” she told him. “You were right. I really needed that closure. Now, I can move forward with peace and clarity.”

He grasped her hand tightly for a moment and he replied, “For that, I’m glad.”

“Thank you for having Rex take me there,” she said back.

He bowed his head in return.

The whole group walked up a slight incline of a toppled steel wall that overlooked much of the area. The entire landscape before them was just covered in ship junk for miles. 

“Bracca may not be much to look at, but it has exactly what we need,” Rex told everyone as they came to the peak. 

Before them just yards away was a huge decommissioned Venator cruiser set amongst much of the rubble, its engines facing them. 

“I had my inhibitor chip taken out on a Jedi cruiser just like that,” stated the Captain, pointing to the ship. 

“Then why’d we land all the way over here?” Wrecker inquired, puzzled.

Just then, Hunter spotted something in the sky and ordered everyone to get down. They obeyed and crouched down as low as they could as another smaller ship flew overhead.

“That’s why,” Rex answered Wrecker.

Behind him, Tech flipped down his visor to analyze the ship. “It’s the Scrapper Guild,” he said a few seconds later.

Rex then told everyone that the Scrappers controlled the entire planet and that they needed to keep out of sight from their different patrols. They waited a few more seconds for the patrol ship to pass before Rex told them to move. They took a turn to the left and made their way down into more ship wreckage to keep themselves hidden. The metal of the damaged walls and support beams groaned and creaked all around them, echoing almost ominously as they walked. They moved quickly yet stealthily so as to not catch any attention and also not disturb the rubble around them lest anything come loose and cause a ruckus or injure any of them. Caution was key in a place like this. They had to climb up onto platforms and carefully maneuver across support beams until they successfully made it inside the Venator. Once inside, Rex, Echo and Tech pulled out their torches so they could see through the dark corridors of the crashed ship. 

“The last time I was aboard one of these, it didn’t end so well,” Rex commented as they went, stealing a quick glance at Kimber since she really was the only one who knew where he was coming from.

Then Echo asked him, “If the inhibitor chip isn’t something you can control, how’d you get yours out?”

“I…had help,” Rex answered.

He then halted abruptly and signaled for everyone else to stop as they came to a break in the path that fell into a chasm filled with water below. 

“The medical bay is at the other end,” Rex stated. 

“How are we going to get over there?” asked Kimber.

Rina cracked her knuckles and suggested, “I could Force-push everyone over there.”

Turning around to face her, Rex replied, “Firstly, I’ve been pushed around by the Force too many times for my liking. Second of all, the foundation of the ship could still be unstable and compromised on the other side. Using the Force to throw us all over there could cause things to give way if we’re not careful.” 

Then Kida snapped her fingers and declared, “I’ve got an idea!” Then she gestured to something lying wrapped up on the floor next to Wrecker. “Wrecker, grab that cable,” she told him.

He knelt down and grabbed part of the cable, immediately getting anxious--more so than he had been a second ago at seeing the deep ravine--and stammering, “This? W-Why? W-W-What are you gonna do with it?”

“Hand me the end,” Kida told him, holding out her hand. Once she grabbed it, she said, “I’ll get to the other side and secure the end of this cable over there. Then the rest of you can use it to get across safely.”

“Then how are you getting over there?” inquired Kimber.

Kida just grinned deviously. “I’ve been known to be pretty light on my feet, so I shouldn’t cause any problems,” she simply said. Then she took a couple steps back, glanced at Rina and said, “Rina, Shooting Star.”

Rina gave her a nod and before anyone could ask what was going on, Kida grasped the cable tightly and bolted for the edge of the walkway.

“Kida, don’t!” Rex cried out, reaching out for her.

As she got to the edge, Kida leapt through the air towards the other side and Rina stepped out, pushing out her palms in front of her with a Force push. Then Kida suddenly jolted further and faster with that extra push, doing a graceful front flip all the way to the other side and landing softly in a three-point stance on the ground. She straightened up, looked back over her shoulder at the others on the opposite side and confidently blew them all a kiss before moving to tie the cable around a nearby beam.

“See, Cap? Your baby mama’s got this,” said Rina, elbowing him in the arm.

Rex was thankful his helmet was on so no one could see the bright shade of red he was sure his face was turning at Rina’s comment.

Kida finished wrapping the cable, made sure it was secure and then cried out, “You’re all good to go!”

Rina was the first to go, but instead of using the cable, she just took a big Force jump across the entire chasm all the way to the other side, landing effortlessly next to Kida. Then she turned around and called out, unable to hold back a smirk, “What’s the hold up? Hurry up, slowpokes!”

“Yes, very amusing, Rina,” Tech replied flatly. 

Hunter stepped forward. “I’ll go first and help everyone get across on the other side,” he said. Then right away, he crouched down, wrapped his legs around the cable, grabbed on with both hands and proceeded to climb along the line to the other side of the chasm, joining Rina and Kida.

“Nice job, lover boy,” said Rina.

He just gave a small grunt in response before looking back and gesturing for the next person to follow. Rex motioned with his hand for Kimber to go next, so she obliged. Though, she had an easier idea. She took out her sniper rifle, laid it over and across the cable and held onto both ends of the rifle. Then she stepped off the edge and slid fast down the cable like a zip line. Hunter was nervous for a second seeing her dangling over the chasm, but he trusted her and trusted she knew what she was doing and braced himself near the edge on his side to catch her. She zipped down and as her feet touched the ground, his strong arm caught her around the waist to steady her landing. 

“Well done,” said Hunter, impressed.

“Ha! Showoff,” commented Rina to Kimber, smirking in amusement.

Then followed Rex, Tech and then Echo. Kimber was worried at first for Echo, wondering how he’d get across with his scomp arm, but as always, he proved that there was nothing to worry about as he was able to shimmy across with no issue. However, when he dismounted the cable, his feet touched the very edge and slipped, but Kimber was quick to catch him. 

“I got you,” Kimber told him as she pulled him back.

“Always there to catch me when I fall, right?” he asked.

“Always,” she said back.

Omega and Wrecker were the only ones left. It was clear Wrecker didn’t want to go due to his crippling fear of heights. He was standing behind Omega nervously rubbing his hands together. Omega went ahead and climbed across the cable. Rex stepped up and held his hands out to catch her when she got all the way across and she did so without any problems. 

“Nicely done,” Rex complimented her as she let go of the line.

“You’re up, Wrecker!” called out Hunter.

“Uh…yeah, my head doesn’t hurt anymore. I’m fine,” Wrecker tried to lie to get out of going across. “You guys go without me.”

“You can do it! Just keep your eyes on the cable!” Omega encouraged him.

Then Rina cried out, “We believe in you, big guy! You’ve got this!”

Still feeling as anxious as ever yet willing to try, Wrecker gingerly knelt down and got himself on the cable. Due to his weight, the cable dropped a little, which made him even more nervous. He inched forward a bit and it dropped again, but he clung even tighter to it.

“That was close,” he commented.

Snap!

The line broke free on his end and Wrecker started plummeting down into the chasm on the cable.

“Wrecker!” yelled Kimber in alarm.

Rina immediately dashed to the front to look over the edge. She, Kimber, Rex, Hunter and Omega all watched as Wrecker swung back on the cable, hit the side of the wall and as he fell towards the water, he spun through the cable and it ended up wrapped around his ankle, halting his fall just inches above the waterline. Omega got down on her knees and shined the torch she’d been given just then from Rex down so they all could see Wrecker, now dangling above the murky green water.

“Are you all right?” Rex called down to him

From down below, they all heard him answer, “No! Smells awful down here!”

Right then, they could see a large dark shape move underneath the water and everyone’s anxiety spiked.

“What’s that?” Omega asked, concerned.

Hunter peered over and said over comms, “Wrecker, start climbing.”

“Why?!” Wrecker asked back, his voice cracking anxiously.

“Hurry!” yelled Kimber.

Suddenly, there was an echoing roar from below and then a giant tentacle sprung up from under the water, wrapping itself around Wrecker and tugging him under the water. 

“Wrecker!” cried Omega.

Kimber stayed at the edge with Omega to watch for Wrecker while everyone else sprang into action, grabbing the cable and pulling together to get Wrecker out of the water. Kimber watched as Wrecker came up above the water, pulling his large vibroblade from his boot and slicing the tentacle off him. Then he pulled himself up and began climbing up the line himself. Kimber caught sight of the creature as it briefly emerged from the water, seeing more tentacles and a round mouth with several curved, razor teeth pointing inward. She recognized it from her studies of other galactic creatures.

“It’s a dianoga!” she shouted.

“Faster! Pull faster!” Wrecker shouted up to the others in alarm.

Then Kimber moved away and started helping pull the cable with the others, getting in front of Rina.

“Give…my big guy…back!” she heard Rina grunt out behind her.

They strained trying to pull the line, inching further and further forward. Even with all of them pulling except Omega, their strength was no match for the dianoga’s as it pulled Wrecker back down. Suddenly, the weight on the line disappeared, making it slacken and everyone fell onto their backs. That wasn’t a good sign. That meant Wrecker was no longer on the other end.

“No, no, no, no, no…!” Kimber cried, panicking, as she rushed back to the edge.

Rina was right on her heels, calling out Wrecker’s name as they both looked over to see if they could spot him.

There was no movement save for the waves of the water rushing back and forth. There was no sign of the dianoga nor Wrecker. The others began to fear the worst.

Just then, there was a splash and to their relief, Wrecker appeared again at the other end of the line, climbing his way up.

“Pull!” Omega called to everyone else.

However, the dianoga appeared again below him and all of its tentacles came out of the water, wrapping themselves around him. It was determined to drag him down below the depths.

“You will not have him,” Kimber stated out loud, pulling her sniper rifle off her back. 

Echo had the same thought as she did, drawing his blaster, and together, they both began firing shots down at the creature in the attempt to wound it enough so it would release its hold on Wrecker. After a few shots made contact, one hit it straight in the mouth, it released a low groan of pain and the tentacles retreated, letting Wrecker go. Feeling the cable slacken again, the others resumed pulling it to get Wrecker to safety. A few seconds later, Wrecker reached the edge and both Kimber and Rina grabbed his arms to help pull him up. Once they got him, the others released the cables and collapsed onto the ground.

“What…was…that?” he asked, out of breath, as he came up over the edge.

“Something that’ll think twice before messing with us again,” Rina answered. Then her voice got softer as she laid a hand on the back of Wrecker’s shoulder and asked, “You okay, babe?”

Still breathing heavily, he answered, “Yeah…I’m okay.”

“Makes you miss battling clankers, doesn’t it?” Rex then asked him, trying to be optimistic. 

“Yeah…,” Wrecker groaned, exhausted.

After taking a brief rest to catch their breath and letting the adrenaline from the situation die down, the group resumed moving again through the Venator towards where the medical bay should be. They maneuvered a few more corridors before reaching the right spot. The door to the med bay was open just a tiny sliver at the bottom, so Rex and Tech both pushed the door up so it was open completely. It was dark inside just like the rest of the ship, save for the lights from their torches, and in the center was a large surgical pod. There were squeaks coming from the room, meaning rats were scattering about inside.

“This will do nicely,” Rex stated, removing his helmet as he looked around.

Though, Tech had a rebuttal, saying, “I would no longer call this medical bay a sterile environment.”

“Do you prefer to use the facility on Kamino?” Rex asked back.

“This will do nicely,” Tech replied, changing his mind instantly and agreeing with the Captain.

Echo informed everyone that’d calibrate the surgical pod to get things going. He inserted his scomp into the appropriate socket, activated it and seconds later, the lights in the room came on along with the pod and the computer attached to it at the foot of it. The screens beeped as they came to life and electricity whirred and pulsated through the surgical pod as it slowly gained power.

Wrecker was holding his head, moaning in pain as he took his helmet off and sat on the edge of the surgical table, Rina guiding him by the arm. Everyone else started removing their helmets and setting their packs and weapons down against the walls.

Tech pulled out the brain scanner he’d made and declared, “Time to get scanned, Wrecker.”

“Let’s…get this over with,” Wrecker groaned out, ready for the whole ordeal to be over as the pain in his head was seemingly getting worse.

Kida gently pulled Rina away from Wrecker so Tech could put the scanner on his head. “Let Tech do his thing. It’ll be all right,” she soothed Rina as they stopped in the doorway of the med room.

Turning away, Rina said quietly, “He’s in more pain now. I can sense it getting worse and I don’t like it.”

Kimber moved next to the two of them, hearing Rina’s concerns, and said, “Stay calm as best you can, Rina. Tech knows what he’s doing. We’ll get Wrecker’s chip out and everything will be fine.”

“I can’t!” Rina almost snapped back in a hushed voice. “I can’t stay calm until that thing is out of his head.”

“You don’t think I’m worried, too?” Kimber asked in reply, a little frustrated. “Hunter’s going to get his head cut open, as well; all of my boys are. I’m scared to death right now…but panicking isn’t going to help things. The boys need our support right now because they’re all scared, too, even if they’re not outwardly showing it. Not just for Wrecker, but for themselves, also. For once, we need to be the strong ones for them. They're going to need us if they're gonna get through this, so straighten up, okay?”

This was the first time Kimber had ever gotten short like that with Rina and both she and Kida were taken aback at her abruptness. Though, it was understandable why Kimber was so upset. Her whole squad was about to have their brains operated on, which was incredibly risky in and of itself. If something went wrong, there could be dangerous consequences. Rina thought her own worry was bad, but it hadn't even occurred to her how much more afraid Kimber would be. Rina only had one person she feared for most. Kimber had four. 

She heaved a shaky sigh. “You're right, boss lady,” she said. “We gotta be strong.”

“Wow, so authoritative,” Kida commented to Kimber. Then she smirked deviously. “I'm sure Hunter loves that…especially in bed.”

“Oh, shut up,” replied Kimber, lightly shoving her. 

With a grin, Kida just said back, “I'm incorrigible, I know.”

In that moment, they heard Tech state aloud, “I think I found something.” When everyone gathered around him, he pointed out Wrecker's brain scan on his datapad, showing the chip was ninety degrees from his right orbital floor, below the parietal and temporal intersection.

However, Wrecker was getting more and more agitated and suddenly ripped off the brain scanner from his head, growling, “Get that away from me!” as he shoved it into Tech's chest. He grabbed at his head again, his groans of pain getting louder.

“Something's not right,” Omega pointed out. 

“We need to speed this up,” Rex urged. 

Echo pressed a few more buttons on the console controlling the surgical pod, hoping to get it to power up faster. 

Then Rex spoke up, “You boys got lucky. Very few Clones were immune to the effects of Order 66. It's rare.”

“When the regs attacked the Jedi on Kaller, we didn't understand why,” Hunter responded. 

“Uh, maybe we shouldn't talk about the thing that triggers the inhibitor chip around the person with a clearly malfunctioning chip,” Kimber said under her breath, gesturing subtly to Wrecker. 

Seeing her point, Rex and Hunter stepped off to the side to continue talking. Kimber looked down to Omega beside her and ran her hand over Omega's hair comfortingly. 

The young girl looked up at her. “I'm worried, Kimber. I don't like how much pain Wrecker's in.”

Kneeling down to Omega's level, Kimber told her, “I'm worried, too, but it'll be okay, Omega. He's strong and so are you. I'll be here with you every step of the way.”

Omega began to smile, but then they both heard the sound of a choked cry followed by Tech gasping Wrecker's name. Then Wrecker's voice spoke aloud in a deeper, darker tone no one had ever heard from him:

“You're in direct violation of Order 66.”

When everyone flipped around to see what was going on, they were aghast to see Wrecker holding Tech up by the throat and then, with a loud growl, throwing him into a nearby wall. Tech crashed into the cabinets and collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Wrecker then turned to face the rest of them, an angry and almost bloodthirsty look in his eyes. As he stood up, his tall, hulking form seemed to ominously tower even more over them all. 

His chip had activated. 

Immediately, Kimber pushed Omega behind her.

“Wrecker, stop!” Rina shouted, moving in front of everyone. 

“Rina, don't!” Kimber warned. 

The smaller woman looked back steadfastly over her shoulder and simply said with surety, “Don't worry. He would never hurt me.”

Kimber gulped nervously. 

Then Rina turned back to face Wrecker, his anger-filled eyes trained solely on her. “Listen, babe, you gotta get your head back in the game,” she said firmly to him, carefully inching closer to him. “This isn't you. You'd never hurt anyone here. I know you…and you know me.”

The giant Clone leered down at her in a way that made the others almost afraid, something nobody had ever experienced with Wrecker. This was definitely not like him. He would never look at Rina in this way, not ever. 

He then replied in a voice devoid of all normal emotion except for contempt, “You're a Jedi, Rina Caska. By Order 66, all Jedi must be eliminated.”

In the dim, blue light of the surgical pod, she saw the glint of a single tear falling from his eye.

“Wrecker, I--”

Wrecker moved faster than anyone could've anticipated. He lunged forward and his arm swung out, hitting Rina square in the stomach and sending her flying towards the doorway of the med room. There was a hollow thud and a sickening crack as her back made contact with the doorframe. Then her limp body landed on the floor, motionless, as Kimber and Kida screamed her name in horror.

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

New Gossip Girl OCs

just updated the masterlist too, but posting a bit of information here too

(gossip girl besties I'm also very here for crossovers 👀 @the-witching-ash @manyfandomocs @ginevrastilinski-ocs @cecexwrites )

Chanel Rhodes in Got A Secret (x Tripp Vanderbilt)

Lily Van Der Woodsen’s niece / Carol Rhodes' daughter, through complicated family drama & CeCe’s interference, she comes to live with them around the debutante hall

Clara Waldorf in Scars Of Love (x Tripp Vanderbilt)

Blair's twin sister, toxic to semi-healthy Tripp ship had an affair with Tripp (he thought she was 19, she was 16, he ends things as soon as he finds out) but reconnect when she’s out of high school and begin their affair again (possible side scandal pregnancy but idk that feels like too much drama/scandal); she 100% is at a bar underage, Tripp can tell she's underage but she lies and says she's 19 because he's hot and she gives 0 fucks, they have an affair for a while until he finds out that she's actually a friend of Nate's and in high school, he ends things, they start hooking up again probably when she's 18 Maintains an image of perfection but between the divorce, her own mental health issues, whatever the fuck is going on with Tripp, and substance abuse issues, she's cracking under the pressure of everyone watching her all the time

Emerson Archibald in Heartlines

Nate's younger sister, Jenny & Eric’s age, Eric’s go-to fake girlfriend/date to things and the only person who knows he’s gay

James & Vic Locke in Oh No!

Vic is broadway & music icon and her daughter, James, is an up and coming pop starlet/broadway girlie, both very famous James just got back to New York from a tour, opening for her mom, and is going to be at Constance while she works on her next album and auditions for Broadway shows

Sawyer Archibald in Hollow Lies

Nate's half sister, The Captain had an affair and passed her off as Nate’s twin Anne won't admit that her husband had an affair so instead she claims that this girl is her daughter/she had twins, with a side of claiming that they didn't announce both at once because the girl was very sick as a newborn and they didn't wan to make an announcement in case she didn't survive (... just ripping off Aurora Anderson's backstory here)

EDIT

for organizational purposes, also adding the new plot bunny asks!

Corrine Adler in Art Deco (x Serena Van Der Woodsen)

The definition of That Bitch. Influencer before influencer culture took off, rich, hot, never misses a party unless she’s busy jetsetting to another country. Everyone wants to kiss, kill, or be her She and Serena have known each other for years, they were party girl besties before Serena went to Connecticut. No one is happier than Corrine when Serena returns, but Serena has changed and Corrine has spent a year trying not to change, and their twin flames no longer quite fit

Odette Beck in Flashing Lights ( x Blair )

Heiress, known for always having the best outfits, you can always find her on page 6 and having her style analyzed on every fashion blog, wants to work in the fashion industry but isn’t sure what specifically she wants to do bit of a spoiled princess, artistic, preppy, usually seems very put together but is known to have a wild side was always superficially besties with Blair and Serena, but she and Blair developed a much closer friendship after Serena left

Rhys Astor in National Anthem (x Blair & Serena)

Richest boy in New York; good intentions but can be out of touch with the world, has a party boy streak for sure Wants to use his money for good but not always totally aware of his privilege; very absent family, raised by nannies Plays the right sports, is in the right clubs, says the right things, knows the right people, but it was all planned and chosen for him, 0 sense of self identity Dated Blair when they were younger, the summer before high school.  Blair said I love you, he couldn’t say it back (no one had ever said it to him before, he had a bit of a freakout), Blair dumped him.  He was all set to say it to her on the first day of high school and ask for another chance, but Blair showed up dating Nate Archibald, he never fully got over her, TBD when Serena becomes part of the dynamic

[lilypadlys]

Mushy May Day Sixteen - Cooking A Special Recipe

Ship: Cumulus/Mountain/Aurora/Phantom

Notes: Prompt list by @forlorn-crows. See prompt list here

Word Count: 914

Read on AO3 or below the cut

Mountain turns back from digging in the fridge. “How many eggs?”

“Three.” Cumulus recites. “And can you grab the butter while you're in there, please?”

“Here you go, Feather.” Mountain tries to hand her the butter but she’s looking past him.

“Whatcha doing?” A pair of voices ask.

Mountain has to stop himself from groaning. This was supposed to be a surprise. When he turns, sure enough Phantom and Aurora are peering into the kitchen. He shoots Cumulus a lost expression but she smiles.

“Hello you two. We’re making a cake. The thing is, it’s a surprise so you can’t tell anyone, okay?”

“Kay.” Phantom chirps. Curiosity sated, he makes to head back to the common room. Aurora however has other plans.

“Can we help?”

It’s lucky Mountain isn’t facing the ghoulette because he can’t hide his panicked expression. Cumulus takes it in stride though.

“Of course, dears. In fact, we haven’t decided on what flavor to make yet. What flavor do you two think is best?”

The two young ghouls shout out their suggestions at the same time, Aurora voting strawberry and Phantom for chocolate.

“How about both? We can do layers of each and then top it off with chocolate covered strawberries?”

Everyone agrees that that sounds good and they get started.

Four ghouls in the kitchen at once is at least two to many. Mountain knows Cumulus has the cake well under control so he works on the part he’s best at.

“Hey Rora, want to come to the greenhouse with me to pick out some fresh strawberries?”

“Okay! Let's go!”

The pair leave as Cumulus begins having Phantom read off the recipe for her. On the way through the halls, they run into Swiss. The multi ghoul waves good naturedly until he seems to realize something and shoots Mountain a puzzled expression.

“Hey Swiss. Rora and I are gonna go pick strawberries. Cue’s making dinner tonight by the way.”

Swiss nods. “Okay then. See you later!”

They part and Mountain quickly distracts Aurora by asking about a new painting she’s working on.

Soon they reach the greenhouse. Aurora gives the task of inspecting every single strawberry every bit of her attention, meaning Mountain doesn’t even need to hide pulling out his phone to send a few texts before joining her to help. They quickly amass a basket of fresh berries with plenty of extras as some will inevitably be munched before they’re able to make it onto the cake. Mountain gently teases Aurora when she’s already stuffing one in her mouth before they even get back inside the ministry.

“Wha?” She swallows her bite. “They taste good!”

He snorts and steals one for himself.

They make it back inside with the basket still mostly full and find Cumulus mixing cake batter. Phantom sits on the counter licking a spoon and has chocolate batter on his nose.

“Just in time.” Cumulus grins. “Trade you.” She reaches for the strawberry basket and gently swats Phantom of the counter with her tail. “Keep this one from eating all my cake batter.”

“Haha, I’m not sure I can.” Mountain laughs as Aurora choses that moment to reach for another strawberry.

Through some miracle, the strawberries are washed, a handful mashed and cooked down to add to the strawberry batter, and enough are left over for chocolate covered strawberries for garnish. The pans are slid into the oven and they get started on icing.

Cumulus works with Aurora to make strawberry buttercream with the leftover strawberry compote. Mountain and Phantom make chocolate ganache over the stove. Everyone is guilty of sticking their fingers in the icing more than once. The oven timer finally dings and the cakes are removed. Cumulus and Aurora cool the cakes with a gust of chilly wind and they’re ready to be iced.

They all let Aurora, the resident painter, take the lead on icing. Once the cake layers are evenly sliced, she stacks alternating layers of chocolate and strawberry cake with strawberry compote in between, then covers the outside in the buttercream. The chocolate ganache is drizzled over the top of the cake so it just begins to drip down the sides. Then halved chocolate covered strawberries that Phantom dipped while she was icing are placed around the sides of the cake.

“How about you go get everyone so they can see your cake? I think they’re out in the garden” Cumulus suggests.

Aurora and Phantom both eagerly race out of the kitchen and Cumulus and Mountain smile at each other.

“Well that was close.” Mountain sighs.

Cumulus giggles. “Haha, I know! I was panicking on the inside when they came in.”

“Nice save though.”

“I’m just happy it worked. Let's add the final touches.”

Phantom and Aurora head outside to find the garden empty.

“Huh? Where is everyone?” Phantom chirps.

Their phones go off.

“The group chat says they’re in the den.” Aurora says.

“I guess let's head back.”

They go back inside. When they reach the den all the lights are off. They make their way to the common room in the dark. Just as they step through the threshold the lights flick on and there’s the pack and Copia.

“Surprise! Happy Summoning Day!”

The room is decorated with streamers and balloons and the cake sits on the coffee table with the addition, “Happy Summoning Day Phantom and Aurora!” Piped on top.

“Ahh thank you!” Aurora and Phantom both grin as they’re embraced by their pack and Papa.

[late-to-the-magnus-archives]

And Eat it, Too: Chapter Fourteen: Lonely

In which Jon gets closer to monsterdom, destroys the dark sun, and is nearly poached by Peter Lukas....

>>> NOW ON AO3!

Lonely-typical content. LOADS of psychological torment in this one.

The Lonely always felt like depression to me, and Jon lands in it head-first.

(Masterpost including playlist)

*

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Of course, if no one is here at this time of year, it’s unlikely he’ll find a working phone.

There is a sort of docking area. Maybe he can find a ship. Or flag one, or… something.

“So many other avatars get some sort of flight, or... fast travel ability, but do I get some?” he grouses to Book Michael. “No. I get to talk to people.” He pats the book in his shirt. “Still think I’m powerful?”

The book does not answer.

There are no lights in the research facility, unsurprisingly; Jon doubts they even left any of the bulbs intact—

Though he can hear generators, creating power. Even the People's Church of the Divine Host need heat.

But that means they’re here.

He pauses.

And hears the cock of a gun. “Nice and easy, there, pal. Raise your hands.”

American. Jon doesn’t know this voice, but knows this is Christopher Lorne’s younger brother, Ennis.

Jon raises his hands. The Beholding thrums through him, because Ennis has a story to tell.

Ennis also has a gun. Jon isn’t eager to be shot.

His captor speaks into a walkie-talkie. “You were right. He’s here.”

Manuela’s voice comes through, all static and bitterness. “Bring him. If he tries to talk to you, knock him out.”Jon preemptively winces. He’s not sure how long he can avoid asking questions.

Especially since he’s still feeling weirdly giddy, which definitely makes him unwise.

What the hell are you doing to me? He thinks at the Eye, and gets no answer.

And then they’re marching, faster than Jon likes, through landscape he can sense more than see, while Lorne is clearly utterly comfortable in the dark, and seems relieved when they step inside, away from the aurora, and into complete and artificial night.

#

But it’s not the Dark. Jon doesn’t give a fuck, after what he’s been through today.

He knows where they are, like heat vision, in the room—four utterly miserable humans, laced through with the Dark’s power, but ragged—not as ragged as he, but not that far off, either.

He wants to ask what happened so badly.

Needs to.

Isn’t going to be able to hold it back much longer.

Manuela is the one to approach him; he feels her, knows she is in a bad, bad place—a place beyond hope, which makes her completely without boundaries or reason. “So you’re the one who replaced Gertrude.”

“How did you—” He stops himself, and it hurts, like all his insides just jammed themselves in his throat.

“I was visited,” Manuela whispers with a sort of sour desperation. “We waited here, for so long, waiting for his word that never came… and finally, he speaks to us… just because of you.” Her bitterness is terrible, as if she blames Jon for her god’s apparent silence. “Mister Pitch wants you back, Jonathan Sims, and we’re going to give you to him.”

He should be afraid of that.

For some reason, he’s not.

“Maybe it’ll be enough,” someone whispers (Arnold McKirby, Jon’s brain supplies, English, a member of the Church for seven years, father to—)

“It won’t,” says Manuela. “It’ll be three hundred years until we can pull that much power again—but it’ll make me feel better.”

Lorne handcuffs Jon’s wrists behind his back—which seems very silly; his hands don’t do much—and, patting him down, finds the book.

“Don’t touch it,” says Manuela. “There’s weird power.”

“Then shouldn’t we… take it?” says another (John Ascot, English, formerly nightwatch at the museum of—)

“No,” says Manuela. “Could be a trap.”

They know better than to mess with potential Leitners, too.

She grabs his arm, presses her gun to his side, and begins walking him down the hall.

He wonders at his own calm. It wouldn’t be the first time he thought he’d run out of fear, but that isn’t it.

The stories here. The Eye wants what they know, through Jon’s eyes.

That need, that hunger, is eclipsing (see what he did there) everything else.

He tries, he struggles, he really doesn’t want to do this, but the question slips through, pops out, no more his choice than the beating of his heart. “Where are you taking me?”

Oh.

It came out… different.

He’s never compelled like this—smooth and natural, like exhaling, easy and gentle like a stream, power but so sweet and clear that for the very first time ever, no one in the room seems to realize what he’s done.

Manuela has gone still.

No one moves.

“I’m throwing you into the pits,” she says. “Into the brackish water, blessed with Its stillness.”

And now that it’s happening, he has to keep going, like he has to keep breathing (does he?). “What happened when your ritual failed?”

And suddenly, they’re all talking at once.

“We had hundreds of sacrifices prepared and ready, plunged into darkness and terror for days on end—”

“Maxwell was here, ready for our moment of triumph, to begin our seven-day feast—”

“Plunged its claws into his chest, freeing the darkness within him—”

Jon sways and gasps, inundated, trembling, drinking their memories like wine from their minds, and their words are clear and even and almost unfeeling, and their fear is new and old and laced with pain.

He drinks it, drinks it in, the tiny part of him that is horrified at himself unable to make a fuss.

And that’s how he learns how the ritual failed, about Hither Green’s congregation blowing up, about their arrogance in believing that Darkness is the only real thing, about their heartless sacrifices of innocents they’d gathered to fuel this rite.

He grows angry as he hears what McKirby did to his children, because the ritual was failing and they didn’t know why, because they’d tasted the incarnation of their god (and all admitted to the deep, draining fear that gripped them, even as they celebrated) and then panicked as Mister Pitch pulled away.

He is riveted to learn the dark sun is definitely still here, in another room. Waiting.

He needs to see it.

That’s mad. It is dangerous. It is something that should not exist. It could do such damage to him.

He has to see it.

And then they’re done, all four of them are done, and panting, and realizing what he did to them.

Jon feels dizzy with power, buzzing, strong. “Take me to your dark sun.” That tiny, horrified part of him demands, What are you DOING?

Manuela laughs, still gasping. “It’ll destroy you. Only Maxwell and I could ever even come near it.”

“What happened?” whispers McKirby. “How did he—”

“Fuck this guy,” says Lorne, and moves.

“No! He’s for the Dark!” snaps Manuela, and there is a tussle.

Jon can’t look. He feels the dark sun. He begins walking.

McKirby gets in his way.

It is a bad idea to get in Jon’s way.

“You fuck,” says McKirby. “How dare you bring that back to me, how dare you make me feel our worst failure—”

“That wasn’t your worst failure, though, was it?” says Jon in a voice he hardly knows, smooth and low and without a single imperfection. “Your children. You heard them scream, and you threw them in anyway. Maybe you should feel what they felt instead, staring at your face, believing to the last second that you would save them, and then you… did… not.”

And McKirby is screaming, McKirby is on the floor, and Jon sways on his feet, that little voice telling him he is doing something monstrous, that he needs to stop, that there’s no going back on this path.

“Stop it!” Ascot shouts. “We have to do this! Mister Pitch will feed!”

“I’m not going through that again!” shouts Lorne, and the gun goes off.

Jon is walking.

Vaguely, he’s aware he shattered what little stability they had left, aware he dragged them through the worst night of their lives and turned them on each other, but he doesn’t know how he did it, and it doesn’t matter.

He has to see the dark sun.

It is eager for him.

He arrives at the door he knows it’s behind, and pauses, because it’s sealed with a wheel lock like something on a submarine, and his hands are cuffed.

A childlike frustration rises in him; he needs to get in there. He needs to see.

So very verbal, he whines at the door.

Another gunshot goes off behind his back, then silence, and he feels Manuela approaching.

She is gasping. Laughing softly at nothing, dragging her foot. “Destroy everything, don’t you?” she breathes, shoving him aside and turning the lock. “Gertrude, now you. You’re worse than the Desolation.”

Jon isn’t in control of his tongue right now. “How does Mister Pitch talk to you?”

“Dreams. There’s no other way now, with Maxwell gone.”

The door is opening, creaky and terrible as if not opened for years. Something… pushes through, like radiation, warping the air, ringing in his ears.

“Have fun,” she says. “I hope it hurts.” And she limps away, and Jon knows she is thinking terrible things.

He needs to care about this. He needs to stop her. He—

Needs to see the dark sun.

His steps are unsteady as he walks inside, fighting himself, twitching with a war of desires, but then he sees it, and nothing else matters.

It’s like harmonics in the wind, mournful like old metal left to rust on a hill, and static is building, a frying in the air, and it is piercing and terrible and strong.

“It’s beautiful,” Jon whispers, nearly crying with it, overwhelmed, seeing a thing that cannot be seen and would not be seen if he were not who he was.

He feels it trying to unmake him, reaching for his eyes, his power.

Yet he sees.

“So beautiful,” he whispers, and the impossible sun of darkness and void begins to flake away.

Somewhere behind him, Manuela screams. He cannot turn.

Faster, it’s dying, this connection to darkness and fear turning to ash, and still, it tries to unmake him, and still, it fails, weakening power sliding along his skin and falling away.

Too soon, it is gone. Too soon, it is not there to see any more.

And suddenly, Jon is released.

He staggers, horror filling the emptiness in his gut, and feels she’s going to—

Jon turns and runs down the hall as fast as he can, trying to find that place inside him with power, trying to find that smooth and beautiful pull. “Stop! Stop!” It won’t be enough. Frantic, he tries something else. “Tell me about your parents!”

And Manuela, her gun pointed at one who was once her friend, stops—shaking with grief and resignation, she has to start talking.

She’s still talking as Jon slams into her, trying to knock her down, to stop her doing this, to do… something of any good at all.

His hands are bound, and he doesn’t land well.

Someone tries to stomp on his head, and he rolls.

There is another gunshot.

Jon curls around himself, crying out, suddenly aware how loud it is, how painful, unsure how the hell he didn’t even notice before—

Something punches into his side so hard that it winds him, and then whoever did that gets pulled away, and he tries to roll under a table for cover.

Half of him knows what’s happening (Lorne kicked him) and the other is in confusion, half-blind and dazed with overstimulation.

There is a horrible thump, a whistling exhale, and silence.

Only one person is still alive now—Manuela herself. She pants, holding the knife, and Jon knows she is not surprised that she had to murder her former catechists, her fellow failures of the Dark. It had to be. He isn’t sure why she put it off. She isn’t, either—but she is not surprised.

Manuela sinks to the floor, hands over her face, and sobs.

Jon tries to sit up. Without one’s hands, it’s quite difficult. “Are you… right, no, of course you’re not okay.” He hesitates. “After all the lives you ruined, you shouldn’t be, either. But I… I know it’s not that simple.”

The horror of what he’s done here today is still growing, and he has nowhere to put it, no boxes large enough. He tries to pretend it is not there. “Manuela?”

“Just go. I don’t care anymore. I don’t think it’d even… matter if I fed you to him. He’s abandoned us. He’s abandoned us. He’s abandoned us.” And she sobs.

Compassion wars with disgust.

Common sense raises a point. “Please let me go, Manuela.”

And he didn’t compel her, didn’t do anything but ask—yet she does, fishing out the key and undoing his handcuffs.

He rubs his wrists. Memory of that smooth and perfect power has already faded; he has no idea how he accessed it, where it is, what it cost. The Beholding, giving him a little treat because it wanted to see the sun. “What are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know.” She is small, seated, holding her legs.

“You don’t… you could turn it around. You don’t… have to stay here, to—”

“Don’t.” She’s disgusted. “Why would I want to do that? You think I have regrets about anything I’ve done?”

Well, there goes Jon’s empathy.

“No,” she says. “My only regret is we failed. Get out of here. Go. Before I change my mind and just shoot you in those stupid glowing eyes.”

Glowing eyes?

Jon blinks, looks down, tries to see if they’re lighting his cheeks, or something.

Not as far as he can tell. Maybe she’s seeing something that isn’t… literal.

Is it safe to leave her here? (He has no idea what he’d do if it isn’t.)

What he sees when he tries to know is a frightening thing: her faith in the Dark is shattered, and it doesn’t want her anymore.

He can see it, see the tendrils of lightless fear coming from nowhere and reaching in her direction but stopping just short—as if they find her distasteful.

She may cause some trouble down the road, but it won’t be through apocalypse.

Jon tries to think of something to say, anything—some wise thing, or comfort, or condemnation.

“Good luck,” is all he can think to do, and—feeling like an idiot—he makes his way back out.

#

He’s not sure where he’s going. The People's Church of the Divine Host took over this island, cut it off from communication. He’s not even sure how Manuela is going to leave.

If she leaves.

The docks make sense. There might be a way to communicate, or at least somewhere he can wait to be rescued.

Though it would be far too late to stop the Stranger.

The docks, he tells himself, trying to ignore the rising certainty that he just doomed the world to save a monster.

A monster he can’t even be sure is there.

“I’m an idiot,” he tells Book Michael.

There is no reply.

It is cold. He isn’t as protected as he was an hour ago, and he doesn’t know why.

Every step takes effort, breaking through the icy crust, into increasingly uncomfortable snow. His shoes and socks are soaked.

He swallows, fearing blackened frostbite, fearing scarred, healed feet without any toes left, because that’s how the damned Beholding would do it.

Things don’t grow back. They just scar.

He tries to hurry.

What’s the point? he thinks, and stops. There isn’t a ship there. There may not even be a way to call home.

And even if there were, what of it? Elias can’t travel instantly, like Michael. Salesa could have another toy, but he’s also in hiding.

Jon could try the book—but if he messes it up, he could destroy Michael, or doubly trap himself.

“And I don’t even know if you’d help me, do I?” he says, trying to be fair, trying to be honest with himself, because they had not parted on good terms and Michael is a monster.

The Distortion still wants revenge. Jon knows that. Well, leaving Jon here would do that, wouldn’t it?

Of course he’d leave you here. Everyone leaves.

Jon is puffing, trying to breathe around the enormous fist of pain in his chest.

Nobody NEEDS you.

No, they… they don’t, do they? They have the explosives, and…

All Jon does is show up on fire and expect everyone to put him out.

He wipes at his face, is a little frightened to discover his tears are freezing.

A very tiny, reasonable part of him points out that he just got out of the Dark, and he’s fragile, and his emotions are not trustworthy right now.

The rest of him grieves.

I bet they’d be relieved if you don’t show up again. If you just quietly went away—not even a body to dispose of.

He tries to take a step. Goes to his knees instead.

Safer without you there. All of them. Couldn’t even properly help Basira and Melanie and Daisy, and they asked.

Jon looks up. The dock is barely visible through the blinding snow, the wind having picked up—he hadn’t noticed.

He shakes his head. Something isn’t right.

The something not right is YOU.

No, he’s… not arguing that.

He thinks there might be a ship there. Possibly. There is a dark shape, and—

Mist, fog, something, is obscuring his vision. It’s wrapping the world, wrapping him in cotton, keeping him away from all the things he might break.

And what if there is a ship? You’ll go on board, make everyone there relive their worst trauma, then dream it all night long?

Oh.

That hurts.

His chest is heavy, physically heavy, despair winding its way through his fingers and into his mouth with sour realization.

Let them go.

Let them move on.

You can give them that much, can’t you?

“The Unknowing,” he breathes, and takes out the book to stare at it. “Don’t they need me for… for… something?”

The book doesn’t answer.

Why would they? They have Elias. Anything you can do, he can do far better.

That isn’t… is that right?

No one needs you.

Oh…

No one wants you.

Oh.

Let them all go and do the first unselfish thing in your whole waste of a life.

Jon curls down around himself, dropping the book, too heavy to rise.

He’s gripped. Cannot think. Ringing with this broad, empty pain.

It’s true. Even his grandmother—after his parents died, she… did her best, but… even as a child, he knew he was a burden.

It’s true.

“I should give you to Elias, but I don’t think I will,” says a familiar voice, and Jon remembers the man in Elias’ office (Peter Lukas, he’s a Lukas, that means the Lonely, that means…)

Means what? What does it matter? You can’t hurt anyone here.

That’s true.

Jon stays down.

“The way I see it,” murmurs Peter Lukas, who has not bothered to come closer because he does not hit with fists, “it doesn’t matter who you do the ritual for, if you’re marked deeply enough. You see what I mean?”

Tears, falling and freezing. Every beat of his heart hits him with pain, like some crazy gong. Alone is better for everyone.

“True enough. Don’t worry, Archivist… I’ll keep you plenty fed. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some preparations to make.”

And suddenly the prospect of being truly alone and isolated shocks Jon, and he gasps, and barely manages a whisper: “Don’t go.”

Lukas is gone.

Jon makes a high, drawn-out sound—

And then a man comes stumbling out of the fog as if he’s been thrown, and he has trauma, he has a story, and Jon is reaching for him without any plan to do so, and without any way to stop.

#

He is sick, afterward.

There is a pinch of clarity, granted by this thievery of fear from this poor man, Brian, who went to the Institute to talk about spiders and ended up being swallowed by the Lonely.

Which is where Jon is now. He knows.

Peter Lukas had been tracking him, though he does not know why, nor does he understand what the man was talking about.

Preparations? What ritual? Marked deeply enough? What?

It’s hidden from him, hidden by some massive, unassailable thing, blocking him from knowing what the hell is going on.

He feels awful for eating Brian’s fear. He didn’t try to. He was wounded, and it just happened.

And now Brian will be in his dreams every night, trapped in the Lonely when awake and stared at in silence when asleep.

I’m dangerous, he thinks, not fighting it now, because it’s true and he should say it. I can’t be trusted around anyone. No one is safe near me.

If he goes back, what will he take next? Whom will he assault?

Tim?

Daisy?

Martin?

So it’s better to be alone.

Jon cries, wishing he’d never gotten close to them at all.

The cold penetrates him gently, almost tenderly; it isn’t like the Dark, isn’t cruel and punishing, but it is deeper, a weight of numb sorrow that threatens to drag him down.

If he goes down, he won’t feel things anymore.

He knows this. That’s what it wants—a dubious blessing, but maybe the only one he deserves for what he’s done and will do.

How am I any better than any of them? he thinks, and knows he’s not.

The Lonely feels like depression, comes next. And it’s related to the Dark, after that.

And that is important, because… because…

Something. Just out of reach.

His mind goes silent for a while.

Breeze picks up, cold and stone-scented; this is a place that feels like it’s never known warm blood apart from his.

Vaguely, he is aware that there is no snow beneath him now. It’s dead grass, old soil, and nothing. Nothing. This is the Lonely—its own separate reality. No one can find him now.

And that’s good.

Isn’t it?

Jon exhales, rubs his face. Tries to think.

Fog fills the world, inside and out. Everything is vague, but he understands one thing. All those… horrible, hurtful things… maybe they are true. They landed because on some level, Jon believes them. And it hurts.

But if he stays here, Lukas is going to do some sort of ritual with him.

Jon can’t imagine what; Lukas’ last one failed.

Spectacularly.

Thanks to Gertrude.

Really, who could’ve imagined a well-placed tip to a newspaper would undo Lukas’ incredible, stuffed-full apartment block of lonely, isolated people, unwillingly worshiping Lukas’s god?

And then Gertrude’s tip engendered all kinds of attention, and community outreach, and Lukas’ ritual died in newsprint and pity.

It’s funny, if Jon lets himself feel it.

So Lukas wants to do some new ritual, and Jon is part of it.

He frowns.

It is true that no one may miss him; it is true that he may have been nothing but a burden to everyone, all his life. (His grandmother’s weary face slides past, but he tries not to think about that. Tries.)

That doesn’t mean he actually wants to hurt anyone.

Jon feels alone, unworthy of love, isolated for the best, horrifyingly unhappy.

But he still cares.

“So I’m selfish,” Jon says, agreeing with the wicked little thoughts. “At least I know I am.”

It’s so odd, how just… facing these thoughts takes away some of their power. He still feels awful, numb, but no longer paralyzed.

He will not stay here and be used. If he’s going to become a weird Eye Hermit, he’s going to do it on his own damn terms.

He exhales slowly, and looks.

The Lonely is powerful; small, creepy shapes from the graves the Lukases have dug here for generations are visible, and not much else.

Jon looks harder.

And sees a way out.

Jon takes the book and walks, clinging to it like a teddy bear.

Every step costs him. Every single one is a new choice to push against the desire to just lie down, stay here, be forever alone.

“It’s funny,” Jon tells Book Michael. “If he hadn’t said something about a ritual, he’d have had me. He mostly still does, to be honest. But I… wouldn’t see any reason to fight. Funny, right?”

Book Michael does not reply.

And suddenly, Jon is in snow again, and he’s free.

It’s so anticlimactic. He’s just out.

And… exhausted.

Even with all the statements he’s taken today (literally taken and that feels so horrid), it took all his strength to walk out of the Lonely’s domain.

Jon is gasping. He falls to his knees.

Soaked.

And very, very, cold.

Breathing hurts. How much power does it take to disintegrate a fake sun and then walk out of the Lonely? he thinks, hysterical. More than I have!

He tries to rise, cannot. Falls onto his knees in the snow.

Too cold.

Too… stiff.

Weak.

He’s not going to make it to the dock or anywhere else.

Panic makes him try, scramble, stumble—

And somehow, he trips on Michael’s book.

He’d dropped it, somehow, and now he’s torn it, the cover half off, pages ripped, and he falls beside it onto his knees and sobs, because it’s for sure over now, because he’s destroyed Michael now, because he damns everything and everyone he touches, and if he had gone to Wales with a cat and some cows, they’d all be dead because of him—

“Oh, Archivist,” comes softly in his ear, and long arms lift him from the snow, fingers sharp and irritating, and long, spiraling hair falls into his face, ticklish and annoying, and Michael holds him close, real and living, and Jon cannot parse this fact in his current mental state.

The Distortion shudders, because it would, because whatever is happening in Jon’s head, true or false, it is twisted. “Delicious,” it whispers, “but I think that will do. You need a door—even if you don’t think you deserve it.”

And it carries him through, and the rush of reality and warmth and people so many people in the WORLD and the wildness of the Corridors and surreality of up and down is too much, and Jon gratefully, eagerly, passes right the fuck out.

part fifteen

[hamartia-grander]

So many things ab my Spotify wrapped. First of all that's not enough minutes listened because I switched to Spotify around April, previously I was using only am*zon music but then decided to pay for Spotify instead of leeching off my father. So yeah. I've listened to much more music than that.

I knew AURORA would be my #1 artist because she's my favourite and I listen to her too much, but I cannot believe Troye Sivan beat Hozier for me??? It doesn't seem right I feel like I listened to so much Hozier.

Also- Pillowtalk?? I only listened to that song because I was writing a fic that needed the vibes!! EMBARRASSING!!!

Serial killer by moncrieff. It's a kickass song and I listened to it so much. BITE by Troye Sivan is one of my favourites by him but I know for a fact I listened to Touch more so idk why that's not up there. So Bad by Brandon Colbein, also a ship song, but also just so beautiful and raw and I love it. A Dangerous Thing by Aurora. I was feeling shit okay.

There's more to my Spotify wrapped below the cut. If you even care.

Again, not enough minutes. This is only 373.6666666667 hours which is only 15.5694444444 days. Not nearly enough. I'm mentally ill and queer I've listened to way more music than this.

My personality isn't nearly as cool as this, this is false advertising. Also 177 times is my most played song?.. That doesn't feel like enough either. But maybe that was also on AM. I do not remember.

Top 0.05% of Aurora's listeners. Fuck yeah. I'm in love with her. Also "you couldn't stop listening to A Dangerous Thing" listen here. Shut up.

Noice. I didn't even know "Indie poptimism" was a thing lmao but cool. Also cvideo game music" is, unfortunately, referring to music played in/for video games, not actual video game soundtracks. That's up there because I listened to Hunting Shadows by Aurora, which was for Assassin's Creed, so many times. It's an amazing song. I did listen to the AC and DBH soundtracks on YouTube tho!

I already knew that lmao you're supposed to tell me why I'm so mentally ill or what that says about me as a person

If you read all this, thanks I love you. And I would LOVE TO SEE YOUR SPOTIFY WRAPPED!! So if you're reading this, please tag me in yours because I wanna see them so bad

[rainbowstargazerlilies]

Mechs Ships Tournament: Shipping Round 5 Poll 2

Propaganda:

Arthur/Gwen/Lancelot:

that one post where its like theyre the us government but if it actually did whst it said it did. three different people of equal power keeping each other in check. also they aLMOST SAVED THE STATION WITH THE POWEROF LOVE [Pollrunner's note: post here]

POLYAMORY

I just love them a lot and blood and whiskey is so good and ”maybe just this once there could be a happy ending” makes me cry every time 

blood and whistey

the track where they decide

Polymechs:

They're inseparable they hate each other they would die for each other they actively enjoy killing each other ect ect ect

Look they're immortal and stuck in a spaceship you don't think they've hit all possible combinations over the years and settled into a weird comfortable vibe you can only get if youve murdered, been murdered, and had sex with every one (maybe minus nastya) of your friends?

immortal space pirats.... cuddle piles, romantic... not romanticm... poly mechs <3

(Points to every album) there thats my propaganda. But in all seriousness they are a group of immortals with nothing to do but sing and love each other in their own fucked up ways <3 

Chaotic little guys on a ship for a long time, the relationship web they got going on could rival the coven web

you cant tell me you would live with people for millions of years without it getting even a little gay.

Polygamy

when you spend millennia doing music and violence and shenanigans with the same 8 other people on a ship (and when the ship is technically another person), there's bound to be some group canoodling

i care them

they're everything to each other!!!

i refuse to pick

it’s polymechs!! what isn’t to love

Look at them.

how could you pick individual ships when they are so good together!! with the exception of nastya + jonny cos they are siblings your honour.

a lot of people have polymechs with her and aurora being monogamous but she canonically has queer orgies. on mechs tumblr account she describes herself as "The only one seemingly capable of a committed, responsible and fair relationship" so polymechs with all of relationships besides nastyaurora being on and off and everchanging is both the best polymechs and the most canon compliant polymechs to me

The idea that they're crewmates. You ask one of them what their relationship is with another and they say, "That's my crewmate". And then, maybe one of them meets someone on another ship, and they mention they don't have strong feelings about someone because, "they're only my crewmate" And they just cannot comprehend the idea of being crewmates with someone and not having strong feelings about them. They're immortal and half of them hate life, but even if that wasn't true, they'd die for any of the others a million times over. They've murdered billions of people on a whim, but even if that wasn't true, they'd murder anyone if it made one of their crewmate's lives a bit better. Remember how Tim blew up a moon for Bertie? He had only known Bertie for about 10 years. What would he do for people he had known for about 10 millennia? What would Ashes do for the people who would never betray them? What would Nastya do for the people who would always spend time with her and never die? What would Brian do for the people who would always forgive him for following his beliefs? What would Raphaella do for the people who are always willing to help her with her experiments? What would Ivy do for the people who'd always stay and tell their stories? What would the Toy Soldier do for the people who only ordered it to do what it wants to do and always lets it be involved? What would Jonny do for the people he could never permanently hurt? What would Marius do for his family? They all love each other more than anything, even if they don't have the words for it. (via @mchasmfiend)

Other Poll This Round Here :)

[ladystrallan]

Once Upon a Time season 3B thoughts

I’m rewatching OUAT and I wanted to share some of my opinions on each season!

- Aurora and Philip are back

- Yes snow has long hair again!

- I’m not a fan of the pixie cut

- Ugh walsh

- He’s ugly and his eyebrows are weird

- Rumple is gone :(

- Did his body go back to the enchanted forest or???

- Omg Neal’s apartment

- People probably think that hook is LARPing in the park

- Omg the intro of outlawqueen

- Help! My boyfriend turned into a flying monkey!

- “Henry lend him a hand” lol

- The iconic red jacket!

- YASSSS ZELENA

- I love her omg

- “I don’t care if the lollipop guild is protecting her” lol

- Ohhhh Regina and Emma are working together

- “I sealed it with blood magic” foreshadowing

- My girl Zelena is so gaslight gatekeep girlboss

- Omg he turned into a flying monkey

- “What was that thing?” “Don’t look at me I’m a doctor not a vet” dr whale is so funny

- Rumple really gets around

- Cora, Regina, Zelena

- That’s a whole family

- Yikes she’s got rumple

- Zelena I love you but you’re sinking my ship a little

- Rumple’s gone mad!

- He looks hot with facial hair

- Ooh shaving with the dark one dagger

- Zelena’s outfits are so slay

- “I love him, all of him” awwwwww

- LUMIERE

- Killian and Neal bromance

- AAAAAA that is so nightmarish

- Neal morphing into rumple

- NO NEAL

- “I love you papa” I’m crying :(

- Rip

- I hate seeing rumple defeated

- But Zelena is such a girlboss

- I’m conflicted

- CUTE BABY ZELENA

- That intro was cool

- Rumple can’t even go to his son’s funeral :(

- Unpopular opinion: Zelena has a more tragic backstory than Regina

- “This isn’t the wild west” “No dear it’s the wicked west” iconic

- Zelena is so powerful slay

- Lol the blindfold

- Fifty shades of gold

- Gotta look fab for the big fight

- YASSSS ZELENA DESTROY HER

- “Isn’t it obvious? You were born” slay

- “I have that effect on women” rumple you are so funny

- The boys and I bought you a prostitute

- Get her belle!

- Ooooh they’re gonna consummate the marriage early

- For the séance, if the person died of natural causes what would be the murder weapon and who would be the murderer? God???

- Oh no she’s pregnant

- Omg it’s leopold

- Oh that’s what Cora has against Eva

- Wow rumple that was a sexy way to get back the dagger

- “Never on the first date dearie” lol

- Not an outlawqueen fan because I don’t like either of them

- Flying monkey jumpscare intro

- “The name’s grumpy not stupid” lol

- “Rumple bumple isn’t here” rumple the poet

- Belle: rumple look at me this isn’t you

- I forgot that the heart splitting happened this season

- Omg Neal sent the message

- I think it should also say baelfire on his grave

- Awww Zelena could have had something good with those witches

- “No one is taking your seat Zelena” DOROTHY IS LITERALLY SITTING IN IT

- She’s melting!

- Noooo that’s so scary looking

- Why did I think the time travel spell worked?

- Maybe it does later idk

- RUMBELLE PROPOSAL

- YASSSS I LOVE THEM

- Oh no rumple swindled belle

- Oh I guess it did work then

- Lip bite

- I just realized that Regina is a horse girl

- She literally has horse stuff everywhere

- RUMBELLE IS SO CUTE

- Do people in the land without magic think that belle is Australian?

- Captainswan mission

- I love this

- Woah he traded his ship for her

- YASSSS THEY’RE KISSING

- RUMBELLE WEDDING OMG

- Outlawqueen is about to get ruined lol

- “Sometimes the best teacup is chipped” This is so adorable omg

- RUMBELLE ARE SO ADORABLE OMG MY HEART

- Omg this is so funny because I don’t like Robin or Regina

- Ooh it’s Elsa

- Memorable lines: “Wicked always wins”

How I feel about the characters this season

Love: Zelena

Like: Rumple, Belle, Emma, Hook, Neal

Neutral: Aurora, Philip, Henry, Snow, Charming, everyone else

Dislike: Robin, Regina, Glinda

Hate: Walsh

Season rating: 9/10

My girl Zelena was so slay this season. Everything about 3B is just so good! Zelena is a great antagonist and character in general and the flashbacks with her are amazing. I also really liked captainswan time travelling. The only thing I didn’t like was Rumple being defeated basically the whole time but that wedding at the end saved it!!!

[pennywaltzy]

Time And Space Displaced Persons (5/5 - A “Between The Stars” Story)

I totally forgot to post the last chapter until last night, and then I fell asleep before I could post it here. Ro’s entrance on the Enterprise is done, but there are still more stories to tell (one of which I hope to write today, if my sprained shoulder will let me)! Many thanks to @simdoodleswrites for their patience with me and for letting me play with Ro in the AOS universe.

Time And Space Displaced Persons - Aurora "Ro" Holiday has a life in Kansas City that involves her job, her family, and her podcast about aliens that isn't all that bad. She likes this life, she does, but she wonders if she's meant to do more, be more. Then comes a freak storm and one minute she's in her attic fixing her equipment and the next she's on a spaceship 300 years in the future, in a bulkhead full of uniforms. When the drama surrounding her arrival settles, she wonders more about where she is, when she is, and who she can trust. The answers are beyond her wildest dreams...

READ CHAPTER 1 | READ CHAPTER 5 | SERIES PAGE

It took a few hours, but Dr. McCoy returned with Jim and they stood to the side talking. She knew they were talking about her, but she couldn’t tell what they were saying because they were too far away. Surprisingly, when they came over, Jim undid the handcuff cuffing her to the bed. “Sorry about that. Just being safe.”

“I can understand that,” Ro said, rubbing her wrist. “So I guess I’m not a prisoner anymore?”

“Well, we can’t let you roam the Enterprise, but no, you aren’t under security’s guard anymore,” Jim said with a grin. “So. You’re from 2066? One of my favorite periods of time that I’ve studied.”

“Yeah,” she said. “I’d like to get back there, but Dr. McCoy said it might be hard?”

“Leonard, please,” he said. “And yeah. We have our analysts working on it, but the science squad can’t figure out how you got here yet. They’re running through your...what is it?”

“Laptop,” Jim said. “And your cell phone, too.”

“How did you manage to power them?” Ro asked, surprised.

“I collect antiques. Turns out I had the same cords your laptop and mobile phone use, adapted for the power outlets we use. I can let you borrow them for as long as you’re here.”

“Thank you,” she replied. She sat up more. “Can I get something to drink? My throat is dry.”

“Sure,” Jim said as Leonard went to get her something. He came back with a pitcher and a glass, and when he poured it she saw it was water with ice. He handed her the cup and she took as long a drink as she could stand, then put the cup on the table by her bedside where the pitcher was. “We need to make plans for you to eventually either stay aboard the Enterprise or make your way out in the Federation. It would sit better with me if you stayed here on the Enterprise for a while until you can adapt well enough to the changes you’ll learn about. Dr. McCoy here has offered to teach you as much as he can, and we have datapads you can use to fill in the last two hundred and fifty-so years.”

“So you’re not going to just dump me?”

“Nope,” Jim said. “That’s not my style, but I’ll admit, this is a situation I haven’t really been in before. I’ve been in a similar situation, but it...didn’t end well. You’re the second person we’ve had on board this ship from the past, but unlike our other occupant, you haven’t been acclimated to your future timeline.”

“Ah,” Ro said. “I guess I should say thanks?”

“You don’t have to, but it’s appreciated,” Jim said, grinning at her. “I’ll leave you in Bones’ capable hands now. But if you want to get anything from the past you may need, let me know. I may have it or can acquire it for you.”

“Then thank you,” Ro said, giving Jim a small smile. Jim gave a small salute and then turned and left the medbay as Leonard sat down next to her bed. She turned to him and studied him. He seemed a little more worn than he had when she woke up, and she wondered if he ever slept, not that she was sure if it was daytime or nighttime right now. “Bones?”

“His nickname for me. Short for ‘sawbones’,” Leonard said with a grin. “I figure it’s been a long day for you. We can start going over things and get you one of the private rooms here in the medbay tonight, or we can do it after you get some more sleep.”

“I’m not really tired,” she said.

“Then let’s get you out of that bed and into a room,” he said, lowering the bed by pushing a button. Then he lowered the railing and she gingerly set her feet on the floor. The floor was surprisingly warm against her bare feet, and she realized she wasn’t wearing a typical hospital gown. Her backside was completely covered in a tunic-style top that went to her knees and had buttoned-up flaps on the shoulders. She stood up, a little off-balance, but Leonard steadied her. She had to wonder how bad the neck pinch had really been and how long she had actually been out.

Once she was sure she wasn’t going to fall over, she let Leonard lead her out of the room and into the medbay proper. Her eyes went wide looking at all the updated technology and new technology she’d never seen before. The medbay was empty save for another blue-tuniced woman, but she didn’t have too much time to gawk as McCoy lead her outside the medbay and down a hallway. “That stuff looks amazing,” she said.

“Are you into medicine?” he asked.

“I’m an EMT back in my time. Emergency Medical Technician, I mean.”

“We still have EMTs, at least in San Francisco,” he said with a soft grin. “Maybe if you stay we can have you train in the medbay and go with away teams to give medical treatment.”

“I think I’d like that,” she said with a nod. At the end of the hallway were a set of rooms with locked doors. “I’m going to be locked in?”

“For now,” he said. “More for your safety than anything else. We still need to run tests, get you vaccinated with the vaccines we have now if your immune system can handle them, and get a real room prepared for you. But for now, Jim left some classic literature in here and a datapad so you won’t be super bored, and I’m almost always close by, so once we make sure it’s safe for you to really be out and about, I can start showing you how medical equipment has changed over the years.” He opened the door and she saw a comfortable bed and a stack of books, all of which looked old but in good condition. “For now, we’ll use your datapad to go over some history. You ready?”

She sat down on the bed with Leonard sitting next to her. “Ready.”

“Good. Let’s get started.”

[zoeyeen]

Little art doll review: I got my tiny aurora flower dragon in “mint-lavender” from Gift of Mercury! I ordered her June 8th and she shipped July 18th. They’re a European company, but she shipped from within the U.S., so they must have a hub they send to here.

She is adorable. Very charming sculpt, incredibly soft fur, and the most gorgeous eyes—I wonder if GoM make them themselves. I would guess they’re resin. Not much to say about posing because this style of tiny doll isn’t meant to do much (she is balanced well enough to sit up on her own!), but I love the way they embraced and embellished the simple construction by using colored glass beads at the joints. It reminds me of antique teddy bears. She came with a little card with the names of the designer, painter, and seamstress, which I think is really cool.

Would definitely recommend!

[thefangirlthatwaited]

The City of Dreams and Crow's (Chapter 7) - A Destiny Universe Story

Uldren Sov x Original Character

When I left my bathroom, my hair now neatly in a bun, I found Joylon sitting on my bed.

“Knock much?”

“Your door was open.”

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. “That isn’t an open invitation.”

“Aurora,” I knew that tone. We might be twins, but that was the tone he used when he was about to play older brother slash father.

“Whatever you have to say, make it fast. I’m already running late.”

“Alright. I’ll cut straight to the point. Your nightmare.”

I stopped my hand on my Vestian Dynasty as I put it in its holster. “What about it?”

“You’re still shaking from it. What happened this time?”

“Really? It was a nightmare, Jol. I get them all the time. I don’t come barging into your room after you wake up screaming from one.”

Jolyon’s eyes narrowed. The Black Garden was a sore spot. “You’re deflecting, Aurora. This nightmare... It was different.”

I refused to meet his eyes because he wasn’t wrong. This wasn’t a typical nightmare. This was a vision. The only thing Jolyon wasn’t aware of was that I had visions. No one did. “I got stabbed, okay? The nightmare was vivid.” That was the understatement of the year.

“By who?”

“I don’t know. It wasn’t real, Jol. Can you drop it, please?” 

He sighed, shaking his head. “Fine. Just be careful.”

“I will. Now, I gotta go. If I’m late, Mara will kill me.”

“No, she won’t.”

“You’re right. Her pain in the ass brother will.”

“Aurora...”

“Bye, Jol!” I waved him off as I took off to my ship. Flying away from Pallas, I felt bad that I was at Mom’s and Joylon’s throats today. I didn’t want to be, but their hovering and incessant questions were annoying. Jolyon was the one that was damaged, not me. Yeah, I took off and hid on a barren moon for a decade or two, but that was ancient history now. I was a Corsair and a damn good one too. Mara relied on me and my expertise about our borders and what lies beyond. 

I figured that’s what this meeting was about. A few weeks ago, I spotted a Fallen Armada approaching the Reef. It wasn’t the first time the Fallen passed by, but this was the first one who wasn’t trying to go around our borders. They looked to be going directly through it.

I wasn’t thrilled to be talking to Mara again so soon after my last meeting. With my vision and Riven’s words constantly playing in my head, I wanted to avoid our Queen as much as possible to avoid arousing suspicion. She knew of some of my powers but not all, and I’d like to keep it that way.

I landed in the Dreaming City and headed towards Mara’s meeting chamber. I picked up the pace, knowing I was already late and didn’t want to incur her wrath. Rounding the corner, I found somewhere waiting outside for me.

“You’re late.” Uldren scoffed. Of course, Uldren was waiting for me. Jolyon and Uldren were as thick as thieves, but given the choice, I would throw Uldren off a cliff. He was an arrogant asshole whose whole life was being the Queen’s Brother.

“I will be on time if you will let me through,” I growled, pushing past him. 

“When the Queen demands an audience, she expects you to be here earlier.”

I rolled my eyes before turning back to him. “I will keep that in mind, and when she asked me why I was late. I will tell her you held me up.” I glared at him through my helmet, and he glared back. 

“ULDREN,” a voice boomed. Uldren got on one knee right away, and I followed suit. “I hope you aren’t holding my Corsair back,” Mara asked as she approached us.

“Of course not, my Queen.” I stifled a snicker that I felt building in my chest.

“Aurora, you are just in time,” Mara said, standing before me and holding out her hand. 

“I am sorry for being late.” 

“You are here now; that is all that matters. Come.” I stood, not looking back at Uldren, and followed the Queen into her Throne room.

Full Chapter on Ao3

[sunnydotjpeg]

Nobody asked but I’m bored and listening to the mechs on a car ride so here’s my mechs gender/sexuality headcanons :)

Jonny: he’s a trans man!! he/him, either gay or aro I can’t decide which. Maybe both. Who knows. He has adhd and stims with his harmonicas. Nastya has to make him sleep when he hyperfixates on writing an album

Nastya: she/her trans lesbian! Jonny’s sister also. She’s autistic and has temperature and light sensitivity :D

Ashes: they/them pansexual icon, has tourettes

TS: it/its, technically aro but it’s just here to Have Fun With Its Friends (queerplatonic), also autistic! Likes textures and clicks its heels to stim a lot

GP Tim: any pronouns including neos, bisexual, steals raph’s skirts bc he likes the swoosh

Brian: he/xe, gay, I love him and Jonny so they’re either romantic or qpps, xir hair is super soft somehow

Ivy: he/she trans ace lesbian (or maybe pan bc prisonmechs,,,) also autistic and adhd, infodumps <3

Raphaella: she/her trans girl, bisexual, is she autistic? probably,

Marius: he/him, trans and bisexual, qpps with Raphaella because they’re Best Friends

And of course the honorary mechanism:

Lyf: they/them, chaotic bisexual, Done With This Shit