#because she likes most of everyone and is one of those scientists who cries thinking about their chosen field

[harpalion]

basically the relationship between harpalion and muka is like they are so in love with eachother that it’s actually a little sickening even if you aren’t a hater. harpalions pyramid of things she cares about are like Muka (almost the entire pyramid) and strategy games like chess and mancala (tiny line at bottom of pyramid). well she likes biology but only because muka is a biologist really. harpalion does not especially care for anyone beyond muka… she tolerates ameqran (mukas best friend and caregiver), and respects tafrara (gigantic dragon), and she actually has a strong code of honor and morality. but she doesn’t particularly like anyone, besides muka who is the center of her universe. yuri is real

[akesdraws-blog]

Finding one of the turtles asleep on the couch

Version: 🎞️TMNT Bayverse🎞️

Who hasn't fallen asleep on the couch at some point? It happens to all of us, it could even happen to turtles.

⚔️Leonardo🍵

Like Donnie, it is very strange to see him asleep on the couch, but not impossible.

But for what you want, don't walk near this turtle if you see him collapsed on the couch.

Maybe you will say, why?

Well, Leo usually falls asleep on the couch only when he had a specifically heavy patrol and was also punished in the Hashi, and maybe you will say, What's wrong with that? Well, Leo ends a a little more tired than normal, which causes him to fall asleep, but also his reflexes to take over.

That's how it is.Walking near Leo when he is like this will probably only cause some accidental bumps. (Almost all in the abdomen and legs)

Casey was unlucky to find out after spending almost half an hour writhing in pain on the floor while he hugged his aching stomach.

Only Splinter is able to wake him up to go sleep in her room. (He is the only one with enough reflexes to avoid a blow)

Another thing, although it may not seem like it, Leo would be the guy with a very heavy sleep, Mikey could be playing his drums with all his energy, Donnie could be using one of his loudest tools, even Raph could be using the blender to prepare his protein shake, no one knows how Leo can sleep like that, but he'll wake up practically right away if a little bit of light hits his face.

🥊Raphael🧸

He is one of those most likely to see you asleep on the couch.

Maybe there was a “Fast and Furious” movie marathon.

But everyone will know he's in the room by the loud snoring that echoes through the sewer.

No matter how hard you try to wake him up, it's just not possible.

Raph will just say 5 more minutes and he'll fall asleep again.

Although he is also an honest grump.

You could ask him anything and he'll grumble back at you.

And he will literally say anything you ask him.

Last time Mikey asked if he loved him (at first he just wanted to see him frown and take a picture), and in response he received an honest reading of how much she adored his little brother, no matter how many times she made him angry. (Mikey almost cried after that)

While asleep he is so honest that sometimes his brothers use him as a kind of psychologist.

Leo even apologizes for the times they have fought, Donnie sometimes lets out some insecurities, Mikey just wants to hear his brother say that he loves him.

But changing the topic.

If you want to wake up this big turtle, just move one of his weights and he'll be there in a second.He does not like the weight to be modified or altered if he has not been notified beforehand.

Do it and he'll be checking every weight he has for about an hour.

⚛️Donatello ⚗️

Seeing him asleep is practically a miracle, because this adorable mad scientist doesn't sleep unless his body screams it at him.

So when you enter the lair and discover that the one on the couch is none other than Donnie, it's a huge surprise.

Of course, that also comes with certain caveats.

1. Don't try to wake him up or tell him to go to bed. (If you do, the thought of going back to sleep won't cross his mind again.)

2. Don't try to prank him when he's in that state. (Everyone learned the hard way that they shouldn't do it, and I'm talking about EVERYONE, even if you are their partner, revenge will come to you if you dare to do it)

3. Do not touch anything that has been left lying around.

The last one is the most important. Don't try to tidy it up, don't try to pick up the trash, don't even think about moving that plate with a half-eaten slice of pizza on it.

For heaven's sake, don't do it.

Because when Donnie wakes up and notices something different, he'll spend a full hour complaining that it wasn't a mess, it was a materialized brainstorm.

That's right, it seems that the empty soda can that Leo had thrown over had a purpose.

So if you don't want to have a dramatic Donnie, don't move anything around him.

🎉Michelangelo🍕

He is the one we will always see asleep on the couch.

Most likely, he tried to defeat a final boss from his most recent video game. (Courtesy of April)

So sometimes you could see his fingers move.

Donnie discovered that it was a combo that Mikey creates in his head and he writes it down so when Mikey wakes up he applies it. (And he copies it for when he wants to have an advantage)

But you should be careful if he stayed up late because of a horror movie marathon.

Because at any moment you can hear him screaming as loud as his lungs allow... and then he falls asleep again.

That's something everyone has experienced when Mikey is asleep after a horror movie.

Leo almost always loses his balance due to his brother's unexpected scream, but in the end he considers it as involuntary training for his reflexes.

Raph ends up breaking his comic book, or his water bottles burst from the force with which he crushes them in surprise.

Donnie ends up breaking his keyboard, or an experiment explodes.

°•~°•~°•~°•~°•~°•~°•~°•~°•~°•~°•~°•~°•

Hello everyone!, here returning from the lowest of my emotional state.

But here we are!

Tags: (Because it hasn't been tagged for a long time)

@turtle-babe83 . @dilucsflame33 . @thelaundrybitch . @scholastic-dragon . @leosgirl82 . @tmnt-tychou .@little-bunny-in-space . @happymoonangel . @lazyafgurl . @kikithedreamerwriter .@androidships007.

[lemonboywriter]

Chapter 1:Escape

Tang’s POV

Alarms were ringing throughout the halls. Everything lit by a red light because of it. Tang could hear himself panting as he ran through these halls with a metal pipe. He just needed to get to his lab, where the expirements he cared for were. The groaning sound was getting louder. Almost, he’s almost there, just let him reach it in time!

Tang got to the door, scrambling for his keycard in one of his many pockets in his lab coat. Thankfully he opened the door just as the creatures were turning the corner. Tang slammed the door closed when he got inside. He slumped down against the wall, trying to catch his breath. 

“Mr. Tang…?” A boy’s voice sounded through the lab, Tang looked over to one of the rooms with a single long glass plane to look at the experiments. The boy was sixteen years old with brown hair that went down to his shoulder, it was a “failed” experiment, they were supposed to be a person with monkey features, yet none of the experiments conducted on the boy worked. Meaning Mr. Tang was stuck with the sweet boy. His name was Qi Xiaotian though everyone else called him MK.

“Hi.” Tang greeted as he stood up, his legs trembling. “Everyone else asleep?” MK nodded, “What’s going on? Why do you have a metal stick?” he asked, his voice shy and barely audible.

“Not important right now, wake up the others.” Tang said as he pulled out his card and unlocked the door that held all the other experiments. Mainly because Tang couldn’t ever think about separating all the experiments under his care into giant rooms all alone. They were experiments taken from birth to when they were eighteen. Tang was one before, he managed to escape and get an education before deciding he wanted to help others escape as well. MK got all the others up quite quickly. 

Sun Wukong, a name he told everyone, only his younger brother, Xiaotian, knew his name was originally Shihou before changing it in a spur of the moment. 

Tang always had questions, but never bothered to ask, after all, he himself never answered anyone’s questions about himself. 

Then there was Nezha and Red Son (they mainly called him Red though), both held the ability of fire, taking forms differently, Nezha in lotus flowers that burst into flames when making contact with something, while Red’s flames are more destructive. They thought of themselves as siblings as far as he could remember when he came back to the lab. 

There was Pigsy and Sandy next, Pigsy was as the name implied, a pig demon while Sandy more of a water one. There was also Mei who was experimented on to look like a dragon but was left to rot when she apparently failed. Tang managed to get her into this room without anyone noticing. Most of them were silent, rarely ever talk. 

“We need to go! C'mon!” Tang hissed at them

Everyone took the hint and rushed out, everyone had seen Tang panicked, but not this panicked. 

Tang opened up another door in this room, it opened up a hallway. They ran out, the little ones being held in the teens or someone else's arms, Tang led the way. They haven't encountered any of those creatures yet. That was good at least.

Tang saw as other scientists and researchers were escaping. He could hear the clanking of chains, Tang glanced and saw a black furred monkey experiment that was muzzled, maybe the same age as Wukong. The others looked at the experiment. Tang shivered at the glare the monkey sent at him, but he didn't care.

Tang went into the room, he was lucky that the key he has was the same for all the chains around here. He unlocked them, “C'mon! We have no more time!” He hissed, grabbing the monkey's arm and dragging him out before all of them continued to run.

The monkey had a look of surprise on their face, their golden eyes widened.

They were almost to the exit, until they met themselves with scientists reaching up from the basement floor, “Please! Help us!” they cried.

The experiments stiffened at the sight of them, Tang had no clue what to do…

[scarlettaagni]

deep into season 2 of G1 Transformers. miscellaneous thoughts:

my favorites thus far are Starscream, Bumblebee, Jazz, Mirage, Beachcomber, and most surprisingly, Rumble

he simply delights me

Jazz gets better with every appearance and I'm delighted he gets focus even after a ton of new characters are introduced

literally who liked the original S1 Transformers theme enough for it to become iconic and even bring it back

the singing is off-tune, the song is missing a line to space it out well, and everyone rushes like they spent too long on a lyric or ran out of breath but the music follows them which means someone intentionally wrote it like this and they should answer for their crimes against the concept of sound

this show literally invents new animation errors on the fly

my mom was born in 1974 so she grew up with G1 and she told me this was all they had in a slot on Saturdays so I'm convinced this show just tricked kids into liking it via Stockholm syndrome

it almost got Sage

but I saved them

but the S2 theme slaps and I vogue to it

I would like it if Warpath shut up forever

I also would like it if Seaspray shut up forever

this show feels like they have characters and several episodes after their first appearance, only then decide on what their personality trait and voice is (Skywarp and Thundercracker)

sometimes they do it even after they decide what their Thing is (Warpath)

I would like it if Huffer shut up forever

he literally has nothing good to say ever. except those two or three episodes where he was weirdly chipper for no reason

Ravage kity

Megatron and Starscream take turns with the one braincell between them

Hoist's legs look horrible

also he is dating Grapple but here I am stating the obvious

I AM BLOWN AWAY BY THE COMPETENCY OF THE FEMALE CHARACTERS. THEY'RE ALL CRAZY AND I LOVE THEM

Grimlock gets to be Grimlock and then there's my terrible son Fuck. why

I am a Constructicon apologist, I fully believe they wanted to build Grapple's solar tower just out of love for their field regardless of alignments and made up the ulterior motive when Megatron caught them. they were all extremely cute

will Starscream and Skyfire ever Catradora again

HEY IN THAT EPISODE THEY JUST HAD DON'T FEAR THE REAPER PLAYING IN THE BG? THEY TOOK THE GUITAR CHORDS

where is Frenzy you fucking cowards

is Wheeljack bowlegged? they kinda. just have him standing like that in wider shots sometimes

I wasn't expecting to see Chip so often after his first episode, I'm glad he's a mainstay

if Autobot Spike was about Carly the conflict would be she doesn't want to be human again

Reflector can go fuck himselves

I dunno what pronouns to use for characters that have different genders in Earthspark cause it feels wrong to he/him Frenzy and Skywarp

do you think Starscream was this insufferable and maniacal as a scientist or he won a fight and that defined his life goals for eternity

I just want to hug so many characters. they're all so huggable. they need hugs. I almost cried when Optimus held Bee like a cat and then hugged him.

I also almost cry when humans or Autobots get pat on the head by other Autobots

you know everyone talks about that episode where Megatron removes Lincoln from his monument and sits on his chair but no one ever mentions this is the episode where they discover Atlantis, the telepathic frog-fish-reptile Atlanteans form an alliance with the Decepticons, it rises to the surface and they fucking invade Washington DC

THE LINCOLN MONUMENT THING IS THE MOST NORMAL PART OF THAT EPISODE

Starscream lives because God hates Megatron

[flame-nova]

Chapter 1: Beginning

My name is Berwick. I came from a family of powerful demons. My father was a respected scientist, my mother was a well-known botanic, and my grandfather was a fearsome fire mage. When I was born, it seemed that I had inherited the ability of my grandfather as I almost gave my mother a fourth degree burn if she didn't know anything about healing magic

Growing up, I was seen as a monster. Demons the same age as me didn't want to hang around me. Because I had a bad temper. If I lose control of it, I'd burn them alive. My family saw it as a gift, but I view it as a curse. Knowing that my power could harm those around me, I spend my days as a loner. But in result of that, I became socially awkward and quiet.

My grandfather was especially proud of me. At the age of 7, I was send to the most expensive academy in Granadia to learn how to control my fire magic. There, I met Rosetta, a mage who was equally good at magic, but she was talented in water magic. In contrast to mine. She was also quite the bookworm, always had her nose buried in a book and she was often the class representative. She was the only one who was willing to talk to me and approach me. I don't know why, but she particularly enjoyed teasing me, to which I find irritating.

There was also another girl at the academy to which I had a vague memory of. I think her name was Leone and she was said to be the princess of Granadia, the next in line of the throne. But to me, she didn't seem all that special. She was shy, very timid and said sorry a lot. She also annoyed me to a certain degree but not as much as Rosetta does.

I graduated from the academy when I was in my early twenties. I was quite young and arrogant, always confident in my own power. I would often look down on those who couldn't surpass me. On the outside, I was that one brat that everyone disliked. But no one knew how lonely I was deep down.

Everything changed after the day I met him.

It all started on a normal day. As usual, I would often leave and go to a secluded area to practice my fire magic. I even named one of my arts Flame Nova. While I was at the academy, I took an interest to astronomy and it fascinated me of how elegant their names were. So ideas came and I named the art Flame Nova. I was having trouble with one of the arts I was studying until I heard noises coming from the far distance. I was curious of what it was, so I snuck over. I made sure that no one could spot me before I peeked out to see what the ruckus was about.

By the riverbank, I saw a group of 3 fighting against each other. One of them was a girl. They had weapons in hand and the sounds I heard was the clang of the blades. They seemed to be sparring as they were careful not to hurt each other. I was amazed by the power they displayed in swordplay but none was as fast and graceful as one. He stood out so much for me to the point I couldn't move my eyes off of him. He had ocean blue hair, his amber eyes focused on the demon before him as he tried to parry the other demon's attack.

"Quick Draw: Brilliant Blade!" He cried as streams of water formed around him. My eyes opened wide as I saw his wounds and scratches were slowly healing as he dashed toward the other demon. He seemed to be caught off guard as he stumbled backward. Without warning, the water demon unarmed him.

"Man, your art is as powerful as ever Vox." The defeated demon wiped his brow as he laughed. "That was a tough battle for me to be put up against."

"You'll get better Duke." Vox said as he went to pick up Duke's boulder breaker and handed it over to him. He thanked Vox and left to take a break.

"Hey captain, duel me!" The girl pipped up, standing from the rock she had been sitting on. In her hands were two axes. "Riviera, you should really train on your stamina before you duel me you know?" Vox shook his head helplessly. Looks like stamina had been this girl's weakness. To which I can relate since I also have poor stamina.

"Besides," I heard Vox again. "Queen Juno may need you two at her palace. I believe she had something planned for you and Duke to do. You don't want to keep her wait."

Duke and Riviera nodded before taking off. I was about to leave as well, but something made me stop in my track. The water demon picked up his blade, got in a fighting stance and waved his sword in the air. No wonder why he was so strong, he continues to train himself even when training time was over. I marveled with admiration. He truly was fitting to be the captain of the Juno Templers.

That was when a wild thought popped in my head. I want to join the Juno Templers. I want to be part of the special guards that protect this kingdom. I know I was capable of it. My fire magic was exceeding that of my grandfather's.

I was going to come out of my hiding place, but I noticed that it was getting late and I should probably head back home now. I sighed with disappointment. Hopefully I'll get to talk to him tomorrow if they do come by again. I stood up, snuck away from my hiding place as quiet as I was able to and left the riverbank. On the way home, the path was dark and it was getting hard to see. I ignited a small flame on the tip of my index finger as a mean of light source for me to get a better idea of where I was going. A few feet away from me up ahead, I saw some eyes glowing in refection of the light. I groaned. Looks like I'll have to kill some monsters before I can enjoy my peace and quiet again.

I took a deep breath and kneeled on the floor. Small swirls of flame begin form around me. I waited for the monsters to approach before I unleashed my art.

"Flame Nova!" I yelled. A pillar of fire tornado rose up in front of me and soon, the monsters screamed before the flame swallowed their demise.

Since Flame Nova takes time to charge, I had to use small magic attacks in between. By the time Flame Nova was ready again, I unleashed another powerful blow on the monsters.

However, more of them appeared and my poor stamina was starting to slow me down. Pretty soon, I had no strength left to use another Flame Nova. As more and more monsters closing in on me, my life flashed before my mind. Was I going to die here? Heh, of course I am. I was born alone, and I will die in the same way.

I closed my eyes, waiting for my fate. But it didn't come to me. It never did. Instead, I heard a male's voice yell "Quick Draw: Brilliant Blade!" Before I fade into unconsciousness.

-----------------------------------------------

Author's Note

Hey hey hey! Thanks for reading this to the end! I really appreciate it!!!

Okay, so you might have noticed that Thetis was not in here. Well, I was told that he joined the Juno Templers after Berwick so I don't know. I haven't been a GS player for that long. I joined during the Shaman King crossover and Berwick was my first KoB unit. He had been super helpful to me and I grew attached to him. So yeah, you can see now why my name is Flame Nova XD

Also a few minor diffences. You might think it's strange that Berwick knows Leone and Rosetta before he became a Templer. I've heard older players say that they used to be in the same magic school learning magic together. I don't know if this is a fan canon, but I honestly think it makes sense.

Anyways, I think that's all I have to say. If you have any questions or anything you'd like to add, you're welcome to comment in the comment section. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed chapter 1 so far!!

[simpscripts]

Drunk in Love (Viktor x F!Reader)

Prompt: Jayce invites you to one of his fancy rich parties, with an open bar. Stuck in purgatory pining for someone who has pushed you away and rarely even notices you, what else is there to do but drink?

Jayce had abandoned me long ago, running after councilor Medarda like a puppy the second she arrived to the party. I could care less, I headed straight to the bar the moment we arrived and refuse to move unless I pass out or get dragged out by security.

My eyes squinted at my glass, body feeling like it was sinking into a goopy pile on the floor. Am I draped pathetically over the bar? Maybe. Do I care? Not really. Its hard to care about being observed or noticed, when the one person I wanted to recognize me won’t give me the time most days.

Speaking of the scientist is that him? Across the room I swear I could see his mop of brown hair, the curve of his back, those long arms. It was him, it had to be! Vision blurring as I exerted what little muscle strength left in my jello bones. I would tell him to his smart, dumb, beautiful face just how rude he is being ignoring me!

“Viktor!” I slurred out with as much force as I could.

“Hey Y/N” Jayce mused while passing before stopping in his tracks. “Woah Y/N, ok that’s enough alcohol for you.” I could feel his arms wrapping around my waist and pulling me away from the blurry vision of Viktor.

“Jayce let me go” The words jumbled with dizziness.

“Oh no we are getting you home, I just have to say bye to Mel.”

“Ooh beautiful Mel, well lucky you, bragging to everyone” Pffft how did Jayce get Mel and I can’t even get a hello or goodbye from Viktor.

“Ok weirdo don’t worry you’ll sleep this off and laugh about it tomorrow.”

I started tuning out, I didn’t want to go home and if I did go home nothing would be waiting for me. I think I heard Jayce talking to Medarda but I was too busy burying my head into his back angrily.

“Sorry but I have to get her home, Viktor would kill me if he knew I let her get this drunk.” My ears perked up at the scientist name.

Before I could even speak up my feet were back on the move, being dragged along with Jayce’s long strides. With enough trip ups he paused to pick me up in his arms bridal style.

“Ngh put me down, I’m not your girlfriend.” I slurred at him while trying to pound pathetically against his chest.

“Oh no, I am not missing another da- I mean meeting with Mel because Viktor is lecturing me on why you have bruises from falling.”

“Viktor doesn’t care, fuck him.” I am going to stop caring about him right after I give him a piece of my mind.

“Huh yea I bet he’d love that.” Jayce huffed under his breath barley registering through my minds fog.

“Jayce take me to him right now, I am going to fight him!”

“Oh no, I am not getting in trouble for this and besides Y/N, you know its not nice to fight a man with a cane.” He laughed loudly adding to my rage.

“You take me to him right now or I’ll tell Mel about that thing I walked in on with you and your hammer!” Pounding on his chest with loosely clenched fists.

“You wouldn’t!”

“MEL!” After one shout he started shushing me loudly trying to drown out my drunken cries.

“Ok ok fine, but you better protect me from him if he gets angry.”

“Mmhm sure big guy, you gots it.” With my small victory I settled against his chest, gaining some sleep to rest up for the fight I was dead set on having.

My mind pulls back to the time when we were all friends. Viktor didn’t always ignore me, in fact I would consider us to be best friend once upon a time but seemingly out of nowhere he started adding distance. Distance that felt like miles and chasms being pushed away from the one man I wanted to spend all my time with.

Heels clicking against the grand marble floor, watery sounding heartbeat pumps muttered through layers of flesh and muscle, little hums and huffs from my lips as I try keeping focus. The last drink I pounded at the bar was sinking in fully, sending me to an even foggier state of mind. The chest under my face tenses as the sound of his back hitting the door thuds out.

“Hey... Vik?” Jayces voice rang out quiet even to my own ears next to him.

“Jayce.” The other voice in the room sounded panicked, footsteps and another softer thud echoes close to us. “What.. did you do?” Damn my alcohol ridden brain sending shivers down my spine at his deep growl highlighted by his accent that rang through my core.

“I’m sorry, I think she had one too many at the bar, she asked me to bring her here. Although she may have said something about trying to fight you.” You whined out and pushed against Jayce as the two men shared a soft laugh.

“Alright come bring her over to the couch, and please be careful with her.”

The two of them started chatting softly overtop my head somewhere. I was drifting in and out of the moment, floating through an empty space as voices popped in around my head every once and a while. I managed to pick back up on Viktors voice and anger sparked through my body giving me just enough energy to pop up randomly.

“I am going to fight you Viktor!” With my voice ringing out I made out some surprise yelps from my sudden movement. “I’m going to fight you, you beautiful bastard!”

“No you need sleep, lay back down darling.” His hand on my shoulder started pushing me back down but the warmth from his touch and words sent more jealously and anger coursing through me.

“No you can’t say things like that. You cant tell me what to do. Especially when you don’t even notice me when I am around!” The words were slurred but the message got across clearly. The hand on my shoulder flexed.

“Y/N I-“

“No why wont you notice me?” My voice trembled as whimpers threaten to spill out. “Why do you hate me Viktor, you were my best friend.”

“I am gonna give you guys some alone time..” Jayces voice floated out of the room as he disappeared. The alcohol fueling every emotion kept bottled away instead of burying them deeper like I had hoped, tear spilling over my cheeks irritating the skin. My very own truth serum releasing the floodgates I have carefully locked away behind painful barbed wire bars.

The room was filled with an suffocating silence besides little gasps and whimpers from myself. Shivers shoot down my body as I feel his hand move to my back and run soothing circles over the skin.

“Oh darling...” His voice trailed off sadly as my mind is left reeling from the emotional whiplash. This is the most I have heard him speak to me in a long time.

“I didn’t want to hurt you, I just wanted to give you space to spend more time with Jayce, among other things...”

“Jayce? What does he have to do with anything?”

“You’re so happy everytime he is here, I didn’t want my silly little feelings to get in the way.” His hand pulls my head up to meet my eyes. “The only thing I care about is your happiness little firelight.”

The anger is bubbling up even more, frustration clouding my head and leaving all secrets out in the open.

“But I love you! Ive always loved you! If you don’t want me tell me! Don’t just push me away!”

His face is twisted in pain and I am wrapping what little brain function I have left into deciphering it. He is disgusted, that must be it. Disgusted, repugnance, and abhorrence must be burning through him right n-

Silence, my mind is swirling in nothing by warm silence as he cuts off my internal monologue with a kiss. Its a bit sloppy and he is putting in most of the work but its still him and his soft lips. Despite my heart yearning for more I try pushing him away and he reluctantly pushes back.

“I don’t understand.”

“I am sorry my dear, I have been working through my own emotions. Taking out my jealously on Jayce and pushing you away in the process. I never thought it would hurt you this much, I promise I will make this right.” He rested his forehead against my slightly sweaty one with a deep sigh. “I love you little firelight.”

I couldn’t help but melt into his embrace, we can go over everything once I was fully present and sober but for now I was just happy to be in his arms after all this time.

“You still going to yell at Jayce?” I murmured against him, fighting off sleep.

“Mmm probably, you still going to fight me?” He chuckled against my hairline as he held me close.

“Mmm probably, well more like wrestle you underneath of me.” Sighing and snuggling in closer, feeling his muscles tense as he no doubt got flustered.

“Well in that case I might want to buy Jayce a present.”

[sciderman]

Was going through some old writing files (of which there are hundreds!!) and stumbled across a high school AU I was writing a while ago! (an actual one! not a tantalising dream-sequence involving cheerleaders, though we all know I love those...) 

I don’t know if I’ll resurrect it, but there’s a bit of fun to be had - Peter’s anger issues are something that I’d like to see explored more in spideypool fic, and I just... I love high school AUs okay... 

Read some of it under the cut! 

-----------------------

“What’re you in for?”

“Something stupid.” Peter grumbled.

“Love it.” The boy said, grinning. Peter noticed a missing tooth. “I hid a frog in the student counsellor’s desk. You should’ve seen him scream.” 

Peter was quiet, but his lips quirked. 

“Immature”, he eventually said. 

“The guy’s a dickhole. And,” the blond rocked on his chair, buzzing, “technically, I saved a life.” 

Peter raised an eyebrow. 

“Saved the frog from one of the labs. They were gonna slice him open. Imagine you’re just sitting on your lily pad one day. Chilling. And then some jackass scientist scoops you up and cuts you open. Starts prodding inside you. Gross.” 

“Okay, yeah, gross.” 

“My name is Wade, bee-tee-dubs.” 

Wade. Peter remembered. He’d only joined the class at the beginning of last semester, and sat near the back of the class. He hadn’t recognised him by his face because he’d always had his hood up. Not that Peter had ever paid enough attention to his peers to remember them by face anyway.

“Uh.” Peter said, eyeing the hand he was being offered as a greeting. He didn’t return the handshake, but he responded with a simple “I’m Peter.” 

“Cool.” Wade nodded, looking at his feet, heels bouncing off the linoleum floor. His shoes were scuffed and worn. 

A moment of silence passed. Both boys turned their attention to the floor, as though it were suddenly the most interesting feature of the room. 

Peter side eyed his company, in the moment of quiet. There were shallow craters on the boy’s face, Peter noticed, like chickenpox scars that hadn’t fully healed. Wade definitely seemed conscious about it, with his hood being nearly always drawn, and his shaggy hair that often covered his face. 

“Peter Parker.” The principal called, peering through the door at the boys. The principal glared at Wade, who put up his hands in response. Clearly Wade was a regular. 

A wave of smugness came over Peter, who leant in close to Wade. 

“I broke Flash Thompson’s arm.” Peter whispered, before standing up to enter the principal’s office. For a second Peter saw Wade’s face light up, like that was the coolest thing he had ever heard. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

“Mr Parker, I recognise you’re going through a tough time – And I’m sorry.”

Peter sank in his chair, eyes fixed on a hole puncher sat on the desk.

“I understand you must be going through a lot of emotions at the moment, but you,” the principal wrung his hands, “you hospitalised one of your classmates. Eugene Thompson –” 

The principal’s voice faded in and out of Peter’s attention. As usual, he stood alone on Planet Peter Parker. 

He thought about Aunt May. Her eyes, pink and puffy. Thin hands trembling as she held them by her mouth, recounting all she remembered about that night to the police. The police, who with empty looks, mechanically took down notes. Jaded. Like a family hadn’t been just destroyed. Like a good man hadn’t just been murdered in cold blood. 

Peter's uncle was a humble man. Simple, but good. He wasn't ambitious, or gifted, or clever. But he was wise. 

Clever. Wise. Peter hadn't understood there was a difference between the two. 

He took him for granted, Peter admitted to himself, as he cried that night, and the days following. He cried for the first time in months. Months of distancing himself from the world, before the world decided to stage a head-on-head collision with him. 

“Peter? Peter, are you listening?” 

Peter at last looked up, and with the movement, a tear managed to escape his eye. He brought the heel of his palm up quickly to wipe it away. 

“Look, son, I want you to see the student counsellor tomorrow.” The principal said, taking down a note. Peter scowled at the pen, as it scribbled. “It will help, Peter. I want you to see the counsellor every Tuesday and Friday, last period. We’ll keep track of your healing process.” 

Peter took the note when it was offered to him, and pocketed it without a word. He turned to leave.

“Peter. I didn’t dismiss you.” 

Peter sighed, turning back, red-eyed and tired. 

“I’m sorry about your uncle. But when Eugene returns, you will apologise.” 

Peter swallowed, voice quiet when at last he spoke. “I didn’t mean to hurt him.” 

Whether that was true or not, Peter was still undecided on. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The school day dragged at an excruciatingly slow pace. Peter couldn’t hear the teacher. All he could hear, all day, were the whispers amongst his peers. Right now, Peter wished the walls he built to keep the world out were soundproofed. 

“Did you hear? He put Flash in the ER.” 

“Puny Parker? No way.” 

“He’s an absolute freak.” 

“He’s probably really screwed up right now, guys. I think his like, Uncle died or something.” 

Peter snapped his pencil. 

“Can I be excused, miss?” 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Peter ran as fast as he could out of the school doors, gasping in air as deeply as he could. He was at his breaking point. If everyone in class saw him crying, he’d really never hear the end of it. He’d be seeing the school councillor until he graduated. 

The air was cool but his face was scalding hot, tears streaming down his cheeks. He buried his face in both hands and screamed. With all the effort he could afford he tried to steady his breathing. In and out, in and out, until he started to feel lightheaded. 

He could’ve broken the school doors off its hinges. He could have slammed his fists so hard on the walls, until they crumbled, or he did. 

He threw a kick so hard on a nearby trash can that it flew across the courtyard.  

He hated this school. He could’ve tore it down right where he stood. 

“Dude.” 

Peter turned so fast his head nearly knocked off his shoulders. Wade stood, back against the wall, casual as anything. He had a cigarette in hand. 

“You’re an animal, dude.” Wade said, blowing out a cloud of smoke. 

Peter’s mouth hung open, finding it difficult to find words. He brought up a sleeve to wipe up his face. 

“I, just. I –” 

Peter swallowed the lump in his throat.

“I hate this place.” 

Wade nodded, a calm demeanour about him that almost served to calm Peter by osmosis. 

Peter Parker was always a very rational boy. Quiet. Reserved. He never lost it like this. He’s never –

“I heard – about your uncle.” 

Peter’s eyes were exhausted from crying, he couldn’t afford anymore tears. Peter’s entire body felt it was going to sink through the earth. And Wade could see it. Wade could see it on Peter’s face. He looked to Wade for mercy. To let him fall off the planet’s surface. 

“Listen, if it were me I’d – I’d kill him. I’d kill whoever did it.” 

Peter was quiet. Wade’s words felt like an electric jolt, sobering him up. 

All the hollow words of consolation had left him numb, but this rang through Peter’s ears. 

Eventually Peter found his voice again. 

“You’d kill him, but you’d save a frog?” 

“Yeah.” Wade said, as if it were obvious. “The frog didn’t do anything wrong.” 

Silence followed. Peter couldn’t look up from the ground. His hands formed fists at his sides. 

All the way home, Wade’s words replayed in Peter’s head. I’d kill him. I’d kill whoever did it. 

The police were apathetic. Crimes go unsolved. And that made Peter’s blood boil hotter than it ever had. The thought that someone – out there – would be getting away with it. 

That Aunt May might always carry that hollow, broken look in her eyes.  

Later that night, Peter threw on a red hoodie, pulling the drawstrings tight. He snuck out his bedroom window, like he did every night. 

News reports tell of an escaped robber cornered in a building downtown.

[theramenbandit]

27 and 41 (supercorp) for the prompt please!!!

From this post here

Describe how I’ll combine them: Like so.

-

Kara is bleeding. Kara’s not supposed to be bleeding.

Fear was not foreign to Lena. In fact, in all of Lena’s years, she has found that fear was quite the constant. It has become something of an annoying neighbor: loud and obnoxious, always unwelcome, never invited. Potentially dangerous to confront, but may also, if you ignore it for long enough, go away on its own.

Fear came around again today. But something about today was different.

Today, Fear clouds her vision, clamps down like a vise grip on her chest, sends her heart plummeting to her gut. 

Kara is lying flat on her back, motionless. Her breathing is shallow, and the pool of dark, dark red around her grows as the gash on her side weeps profusely. 

“Supergirl!” Lena yells, half hysterical as she rushes over to the heroine. She kneels next to Kara, frantically assessing the damage, applying pressure to the wound with both hands. It oozes some more when she does, and her panic threatens to overtake her. She growls into her comms for a medic.

Concrete slabs and large chunks of debris surround them, the aftermath of an all-out brawl. Her suit was compromised early in the fight, and the Kryptonite had already begun to leak in. By the time Kara threw herself in front of Lena to shield her from a piece of cargo ship hull, she was already sluggish, exhausted, and decidedly not indestructible.

“Lena,” Kara whispers hoarsely, “hey.” 

“Hey, hi. You’re going to be fine, okay?” Lena fights to keep her voice level and calm, even as her pulse thunders, seeks to beat right out of her skin.

“Okay.” Kara tries for a smile, but only manages to grimace. In the next moment, she's coughing up blood, and then her eyes roll back and she falls unconscious. 

“Kara? Kara! Where is that goddamned medic?”

--

Two full days pass. Two full days of anxiety and impatience and sleeplessness. Two full days of not knowing when, if Kara would wake up. Lena spends both of those days outside of the medbay. She couldn't bring herself to look at Kara, couldn't even stand to be anywhere near her, but she also wanted to immediately know of any change in her status, so she’d claimed an entire bench for herself and did the only thing she could do: wait. 

It’s the most torturous two days of her life.

--

The moment Kara regains consciousness, the entire building is ablaze with activity. Everyone is crowding her, checking vitals, administering meds, hugging her, and just being there with her. 

But not Lena. 

Lena is still outside on her bench. 

Alex walks over to tell her that Kara is mostly recovered enough to be sitting up now, but there remains the matter of bandaging her hand.

Alex insists that Lena do it, much to the brunette’s annoyance and bewilderment. She'd just watched several medical staff walk out of the room, why should she be the one to do it? She opens her mouth to protest, but Alex gives her a look that leaves no room for questions. She accepts the supplies with an insolent huff, then puts on her coldest, meanest business face and strides towards Kara. She starts dressing the wound in complete silence.

“Lena?” 

The brunette ignores her and proceeds to wrap the gauze around the heel of her palm.

“Lena, please say something--”

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Lena says sharply, trying to inject enough venom for it to sting. “Why the hell would you do that?”

Kara startles at that, and her face conveys nothing but abject confusion as Lena finally breaks down, going from stoic to outright screaming and crying in the blink of an eye. 

“Goddammit, you could have DIED, Kara. I could have lost you that day and I only just got you back. Do you even have any idea what kind of hell that would be? Knowing that you died because… because of me?”

She’s given up on her task now and is covering her face with her own trembling hands.

“Hey, hey.” With her uninjured arm, Kara tugs Lena closer, holds her tightly to her chest. 

“I had to,” she whispers into her hair. "And I'd do it again in a heartbeat." 

“I know that. I do.” 

She does. It's just who Kara is. And she knows that even if it weren't her who was about to be killed at that moment, Kara, sweet beautiful selfless Kara, would still have jumped in and taken the blow. 

“And it’s so stupid. You’re so stupid.”

Lena Luthor, genius scientist with several degrees and quite possibly all the business savvy on this Earth, is reduced to a blubbering mess with the vocabulary of a four-year-old. It’s embarrassing, really. But she's had a rough couple of days and Lena can’t muster the energy for anything more than to desperately cling to the woman in front of her. Such was Kara’s power over her, and if she were being honest with herself, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

After what feels like a minor eternity, Kara gently pries Lena’s hands away from her face and settles them in her own, half-bandaged hand. With the other, she wipes the tears from her eyes. She tucks a lock of dark hair behind her ear, trails her fingers along her jaw, and gently tips Lena’s face up to meet hers. 

Kara’s so close now. So close that they’re breathing each other’s air. So close that Lena sees, probably for the first time, just how otherworldly the blue of Kara's eyes is, belatedly notes how her heart skips four beats entirely when those eyes wander towards her lips.

-

Alex, Kelly, Brainy, and Nia are on the second floor, watching the security feeds. 

“Well, are you gonna kiss her or not?” Nia complains very loudly around a mouthful of chips.

“Which one are you talking to?”

“Both of them.”

Kelly chuckles as she chews on a pretzel. Alex grabs a handful from the bag in Nia’s hands. 

“You know, I wouldn’t be sitting through this if I didn’t have any money riding on it.”

“It’s twenty bucks, sweetie,” Kelly says reasonably. 

“Twenty bucks and a hundred points at game night,” Alex corrects her.

Kelly is shaking her head in fond amusement when the one other person in the room catches her eye. 

“Clearly, the suspense is killing him."

Brainy is standing in stony silence behind Nia’s chair, his fingers steepled together, watching the monitors with rapt attention.

“Well, yeah. The bet was his idea.”

-

Ever so slowly, Kara leans in. She’d yearned for this moment for so long and now that it was finally here, Lena is equal parts elated and scared. She thinks she might be daydreaming, or that maybe the drugs are still coursing through Kara’s blood and this is merely a trip. But the hand on her face is very warm, very real, and Kara isn’t hesitating, so she closes her eyes and allows herself to hope that, whatever this was that she was feeling for Kara, Kara was feeling for her, too.

Her lips part of their own accord and she waits for Kara to utterly devastate her.

She doesn’t.

“Hate to ruin the moment,” Kara whispers, a hair’s breadth from her lips, “but apparently Alex and the gang have a bet going on who’s kissing who first.”

“Heathens. How much?” 

“Twenty bucks and a hundred points at game night,” Kara replies, still so close, still breathing her in.

“A hundred points will put them in the lead over us.”

“Can’t have that.”

“No, we can’t.”

-

“Oh no… No, no, no, no!”

“Wait, no. No, don’t-- Ah, fuck.”

-

She could hear the cries of agony all the way down here, but Lena could not care less. Kara’s mouth is intoxicating, and the way her arms wrap around her waist has her feeling weightless and tethered at the same time. Her heart is roaring in her ears, mingling with the sound of her breath being snatched from her lungs. It felt like drowning, it felt like floating, it felt like coming home. 

When finally Kara releases her lips and touches their foreheads together, whispers I’m sorry, Lena knows she’s not apologizing for saving her. She’s apologizing for the anguish that her decision had caused. 

Lena shakes her head. Understanding, accepting. She kisses Kara softly. “We’ll be alright.”

“Okay, now they’re betting on which one of us is... proposing?”

Lena laughs, free and easy, and kisses Kara again.

[tokoyamisstuff]

Scandal Ch. 6 - Loki x Reader

Summary: In that most crucial moment, how will Loki decide? If he doesn’t take this last chance your husband will be beyond redemption.

Warnings: Violence, Death, Mentions of Torture (just the same amount as in the original movie)

Words: ~1300 sorry it’s so short

I Story Masterlist I General Masterlist I

Taglist: @catlover092402152, @hi-there-x, @haloangel391, @misssilencewritewell, @babayaga67, @accioremuslupinn, @mochimommy2002, @just-someone-who-likes-to-write, @damalseer, @bethanystan, @loser-alert, @star017, @nina1800, @queenariesofnarnia, @n1fangirlsblog, @vengefulsokovian, @lunamoonbby​, @freyagallileaevans, @emmojoy​, @literate-lamb​, @aninnai​, @justsomerandompersonintheworld @spicy-avocado​ 

“You have your mother’s eyes...”

Even in the face of destruction, Loki could not avert his gaze from the little being in his arm. It had been way too long since that fateful night - and this time, your husband wanted to imprint every little detail of his son’s face into his heart.

“Liam...” his name was a sacret prayer on his lips, “Yes, she chose your name well. You will grow to be the strong warrior that protects our new kingdom.”

The baby took a hold of his father’s finger, making him gasp in awe and adoration - this was everything he had wished for. “How could I ever doubt my love for you?”

Loki took firm steps onto the balcony of the Stark Tower, as if the death and destruction he caused was not still happening, right there under his feet.

Countless screams and cries were unsucessfully dringing to his ear, yet not his mind as he invested himself with what he thought most important.

“Your mother and you will have everything you need and more” he cooed confidently, gesturing towards the flames igniting the city. “Out of the ashes, I  will create a new kingdom. I promise to make our wildest dreams become reality, to care for and protect you for all eternity!”

"Don’t fucking touch my child with your filthy hands!” Startled by the familiar voice, Loki finally managed to look up from his son’s face. “Take your hands off of him!”

“Oh, my...” he uttered, his trademark grin decorating his face. Just a small bit of magic was needed for him to teleport Liam a safe distance away, holding the sceptre in his hand now. “What a foul mouth you developed, my love. You sure have stayed on Midgard far too long.”

You had only awoken mere seconds ago, broken by the dramatic scene unfolding right in front of your very eyes, with your husband blissfully unaware of those consequences of the atrocities he was committing.

And if only you knew that he had stabbed Thor out of jealousy for taking his place, just before throwing him down the tower...

“Look around you, Loki!” Even though your tone was full of anger, you never stopped believing that your husband could still have a change of heart. “Wake up from that unjust dream! This is madness!”

You grabbed his shoulders, shaking him ever so slightly. “Please, can’t you see how the people are suffering? Is this a world in which you want Liam to grow up in?”

“Why can’t at least you understand me?!” your husband now shoutet at you, and you would never get used to seeing him like this. “Together, we can make a better, greater world! Where no one has to go through the same misfortune that we had to! These sacrifices are necessary!”

However, just as he was voicing his reasons, a sole tear escaped his eye - and when he blinked, that same shady blue was shining in his irises.

“Snap out of it, Loki! I beg of you!” Frantically, your lips found his, hoping for your healing aura to reach through to him. “Do it for us, your family!”

“If you fail, there will be no realm, no barren moon or crevice where he can’t find you.” Just when Loki was about to win the battle he was fighting inside of his heart, the words of Thanos and his cruel torturer shot through his mind like a painful lightning stike. “You think you know pain, Odinson? He will make you long for something as sweet as pain...everyone you love will die right in front of your eyes, in the most gruesome deaths imagineable -  starting with that woman and her child!”

“I-I cannot stop, Y/N!” His voice was shaking, struggling internally if he could really doom so many people just to know you safe. “I want- no, need to do this, for Liam and you!”

“That’s just your fear speaking, Loki! Your mind is betraying you!” You clung onto him for dear life, trying to make him understand. “Whoever did those unspeakable things to you so you’d work for him, we can beat him! Together!”

“It’s not that easy!”

“Can’t you for one damn time trust me?!?” Every syllable of that sentence hit his heart like daggers “I do, Y/N, but-”

“No!” Never before, no matter how sad or frustrated you were with him, you had raised your voice - but now you were practically screaming on the top of your lungs. “If this is your final decision, then do it: Take me under your spell. Because I couldn’t live with myself if I’d allow this to happen.”

You grabbed the handle of the staff, pressing your chest against it’s tip. “The Avengers will defeat you, and take care of my child. At least them I can trust!”

“And this is where she is right.” The voice was Tony, god knows just how long he was listening to that scene from behind the bar. The Hulk had appeared outside of the building as well, while the other Avengers were still busy evacuating the civilians.

“Y/N, I would never...” Loki completely ignored the threat at hand, still devastated by your declaration. “Be sure of my unconditional love, at least!”

“He’s slipping!” you yelled towards the team, waving for them to come over. “Loki is only doing this due to the Tesseract manipulating him! We need to destroy it!”

“Easier said than done, sweety” Iron Man scoffed, “It’s leading this army towards humanity. We’ve been onto it this whole time.”

“Enough!” Loki threatened, baring his teeth! “We are gods! No one talks to my wife like that! And I will not be bullied by-”

At long last, the Hulk interrupted the Trickster God’s speech through sheer violence, and you could only cover your eyes at the sight of your husband being thrown around like a ragdoll without him making an attempt to fight back.

“Stop!” You screeched, sobbing as you ran towards the beast. “Please, he’s willingly getting beaten up! We yield, so stop!”

You fell onto your knees, gently putting your wheezing husband’s head onto your lap as you tried to tend to his wounds. “It’s over, Loki.”

“Ha...” he laughed weakly, “I knew you still cared for me.”

“Of course, you insufferable fool!” Tears of yours dripped down your chin onto his face, and you placed a forgiving kiss on his forehead. “Welcome back, my love.”

“The...the device-” you wanted him to spare his strenght, but he insisted that it was important. "All this time, I don’t know what happened, but- it was like being in trance...yetw I managed to slip a subtle order to that scientist, Erik Selvic - to make it imperfect. The machine can be turned off or even destroyed. It’s not too late, go!”

“I won’t leave you alone!” With your whole essence, every fibre of your being, you would swear. “Never again! We won’t get separated, no matter what follows!”

While the other Avengers were assembling again, ready to stop the apocalypse, you held your husband tight. His mind was still messed up, like waking up after being in a dream-like state - but he would pull himself together and stay strong, for you.

Yet subconscious, he had always been present that whole time. "Everything I have done, I-I don’t know where to start. Someone like me doesn’t even have the right to apologize.”

“I think you have wallowed in your own pity long enough, am I not right, my love?” you scolded him harshly, yet still with a hopeful smile on your face.

Carefully helping him back up, Loki would collapse right into your welcoming arms once again. “Will it really turn out to be alright?”

“Yes. We will figure everything out, and then you will continue living - so you can apologize to me, Liam and everyone you have hurt every single day. Do you understand?”

[intheticklecloset]

What You Miss (Dr. Stone)

Summary: Gen decides it's high time Senku got something that he misses from the old world to repay him for all he's done.

A/N: I AM SO EXITED TO SHARE THIS ONE!!! My first Dr. Stone fic!! I love this anime so freaking much and I can't wait to write a whole bunch more for it! For now, please enjoy my full-length fic debut into this fandom! Enjoy!!

Word Count: 2,013

@skribblz for convincing me to give Dr. Stone another try and for all of the amazing fanart she's drawn for me recently!

@giggly-squiggily for the major Dr. Stone writing inspiration! Check out her stories; they're amazing!

~~~

“What is it, Senku?”

The question surprised the scientist, who turned just as Gen came up on his left, watching him with that soft smile and mischievous glint in his eyes. Senku quirked a brow at him. “Nothing. I’m just resting my shoulders. They hurt sometimes when I work for too long.”

“No, I mean…what is it you miss?”

Senku stared at him, waiting for an explanation.

Gen looked out over the water and the village. “You’ve worked so hard to bring back so many things that modern society has lost. You make cola for me, and all those crazy things that don’t seem possible for the villagers. But you never make anything for yourself. Isn’t there anything you miss?”

“Heh.” Senku rolled his left shoulder with a slight groan. “I don’t care one millimeter about material things I’ve lost. My only concern is bringing back what humanity worked so long to create to make a better world.”

“Then what about non-material things?” Gen asked, eyeing him closely, curious. “Your father?”

The words stopped Senku for only a moment before he switched to rolling his right shoulder. “My father is long gone. Nothing to be done about that now.”

“Come on. Surely there’s something you really wish could be brought back from the old world. What is it?”

Gen was persistent, Senku had to give him that much. He paused for a long moment, deciding to consider the question seriously. Finally he sighed and put his hands on his hips. “Honestly, Gen? I miss laughing.”

That certainly wasn’t what the mentalist had expected. “Laughing? But you laugh all the time.”

“No, you know what I mean.” Senku’s eyes softened as he looked out at their view of the village. “I mean watching a video that’s so absurd you can’t help but bust a gut. Watching your classmates make simple chemistry mistakes that literally blow up in their faces. Humor. Real laughter. I don’t get much of that out here.” Senku smirked. “I don’t remember the last time I really laughed at something. I guess that’s what I miss, if I had to choose.”

Before Gen could reply, there was a loud crashing sound from somewhere behind them, causing them both to turn and look just as a cloud of dust rose up in the air behind the observatory.

“Well,” Senku said, turning to walk towards the ruckus, “I’d better go see what that was.”

But Gen stayed put, watching him, already thinking of a way to pay Senku back for everything he’d done for this stone world.

*

Some weeks passed, and Senku forgot all about his conversation with Gen, losing himself in his work as he always did. He didn’t notice the subtle looks he got from the mentalist every now and then, or if he did, he didn’t let on. He simply went on as usual, working and directing and gathering materials for the next project to tackle.

Then, one night – when he was particularly exhausted and ready for bed – Gen pulled him aside.

“Senku,” the mentalist said, “I have something for you.”

“Okay?” Senku yawned. “What is it?”

“It’s a surprise, so I need you to put this on.” Gen held up a strip of cloth that was meant to serve as a blindfold.

Senku hesitated. “The last time I wore one of these, you surprised me with an observatory for my birthday. I hope you haven’t done anything quite that extravagant again.”

Gen put a hand to his chest in mock offense. “Extravagant? Me? I would never.” Then he smirked and held it out. “Just take it. Trust me.”

The scientist waited only another moment or two before taking the offered cloth and tying it over his eyes. “At least I can put it on myself this time.”

“It will make the surprise that much more surprising.” Gen took his arm and started walking. “This way.”

Senku could tell from where they’d begun their path and the trajectory of Gen’s leadership that they were headed to his lab, though for what he couldn’t begin to guess. It didn’t help that he was tired. All he wanted to do was crawl under his covers and pass out for the night. But he didn’t resist as his friend helped him find the table and sit on it.

“Now, keep that blindfold on for just a bit longer, Senku,” Gen instructed. “Positions, everyone.”

So there were others here. Senku could hear the shuffling of a few pairs of feet – probably four or five, probably consisting at least of Chrome and Kohaku. He couldn’t tell who else. Then – without warning – he felt hands grabbing his arms and legs, gently but firmly pulling him down so he was lying on his own lab table, his wrists and ankles pinned to each of the corners.

Suddenly he grew nervous. “Whoa, wait a minute here. What’s…?”

Then he felt another set of fingers sporadically poking up and down his ribs, making him gasp aloud. He tried to curl up, but his other friends (presumably) were holding him too firmly for him to do more than squirm. He gritted his teeth against the traitorous snickers that threatened to bubble up out of him.

“W-What is g-going on here?” he managed, sounding strained even to his own ears. “Guys—”

“You said you missed laughing, Senku,” Gen said sweetly from somewhere above him seconds before he felt a weight settle on his hips, further trapping him. “We’ve all decided this is the best way to go about helping you with that.”

“This w-wasn’t what…I’d had in mihihind.” Senku pressed his lips together, really struggling to hold off his mirth against the light tracing along his sides. He breathed rapidly through his nose as though hyperventilating, limbs shaking.

“Ugh, you are so stubborn.” Gen huffed. “Time for some drastic measures, everyone. You know what to do.”

Suddenly there were fingers everywhere – from his underarms to his stomach to his knees and even his feet – and Senku gave up the fight. What was the point? They already knew.

“Nohohohohoho,” he giggled helplessly, submitting to their hold but squirming all the same. “Guys, come ohohohohon…”

There was a huge smile in Gen’s voice. “There we go! Just took a little coaxing, didn’t it, Senku? Now, to really get you laughing.”

“Thihihihis is chihihihildish,” Senku protested, jerking when Gen squeezed his sides harder. An actual laugh slipped out of him, and the knowing hum his friend gave him in response sent a shiver up his spine. He could feel heat rushing to his cheeks. Was he blushing? Senku didn’t blush. Another squeeze drew another bark of laughter, followed by a warning and pleading, “Gehehehehehen!”

“Just testing~” Gen giggled. To whomever held his arms he said, “Try some spots up there. See how he reacts.”

“W-Whahahahat is this?” Senku sputtered, grinning despite himself. “An expeheheheriment?”

“Of course! A ticklish experiment, to learn where our dear Senku is most sensitive. That way we can make you laugh all the time!”

“Thihihis ihihisn’t what I meheheheant and you knohohohow it.” Senku tried pulling his arms down to protect his armpits, but whoever had him held him tight, not allowing him any leeway.

“I know. You two at the bottom, try some spots. I’m pretty sure I’ve got a good one right here…” He squeezed Senku’s sides again, earning a surprised yelp and even more helpless giggles. “…but we’d better cover all our bases.”

Someone squeezed at one knee and someone scribbled under the other knee; Senku could tell it was two people because of the difference in hand size and roughness.

“Guys, quihihihihihit teheheheasing me,” Senku grumbled as best he could through his snickering.

“Oh? It is rather surprising you haven’t asked us to stop yet,” Gen observed, kneading his thumbs into Senku’s ribs. “Is it because you like this?”

“I alreheheheady said I m-mihihihihiss lahahahauging. And you seheheheheem determined to p-puhuhuhuhull it out of me by fohohohohorce, so why wahahahaste time? I’m tired. Just gehehehehet it over wihihihihihith.”

Gen chuckled. “As you wish, Senku~”

Some silent cue must have been given, because the next thing Senku knew there were hands all over his most sensitive spots, digging harder than before, drilling with purpose, and finally he lost the battle against his own laughter. It burst out of him in a surprised cry, followed by long strings of genuine cackling.

“GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! WAHAHAHAHAHAIT, NO!!” He squealed, jerking the hardest when his sides became the focus of their ruthless tickling, unable to see any of them to know who exactly was seeing him so helpless like this. Not that he really cared. It was no secret he wasn’t the strongest person among the villagers. Even some of the children were stronger than he was. Still, he doubted any of them had been subjected to this kind of childish play for so long before.

“There you go!” Gen encouraged, and for the first time the scientist could hear some giggling that undoubtedly belonged to Ginro, followed quickly by a shushing Kinro. So now he at least knew who his attackers were. “Doesn’t it feel good to laugh again? You said you missed this, didn’t you?”

“GEN!!” Senku cried, going steadily crazy from how defenseless he was against the purposeful squeezing of his sides. He even snorted once in his hysterics. “GEN, STAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!!”

“But you like this, don’t you?” Gen teased, messing with him just because he could now. “You didn’t say stop until all of us were tickling you. Can’t take so many people going for your sensitive spots at once?”

Senku had to admit, the laughing was making him feel tons lighter than he’d felt since waking up in this stone world. For once it felt good to not be in control, to actually laugh rather than just smirk or chuckle at something. He’d really, truly missed this simple pleasure.

Still, one more squeeze along his sides broke any further resistance down. He couldn’t take much more of this. “STAHAHAHAHAHAP!! PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE, GEN!! I’VE HAHAHAD ENOHOHOHOUGH!!”

Gen hummed thoughtfully, then released him. “All right. I believe you.” Moments later the other hands released him as well, and Senku went limp on the table, gasping for breath and still giggling lightly, shakily reaching up to pull his blindfold from his eyes.

Thankfully it was after dark, so he wasn’t blinded by the sun upon being able to see again. Still, he could see the beaming smiles of four of his friends, whom he had all guessed correctly: Chrome, Kohaku, Ginro, and Kinro. And of course, Gen at the head of the pack smiling at him as he climbed off and stood nearby with the others.

“All of you,” Senku managed, “are pulling double duty tomorrow for this.”

“What?” Ginro whined. “That’s not fair! It was Gen’s idea—”

Kinro shushed him quickly. “Enough, Ginro. I’m pretty sure he was joking.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Senku groaned as he sat up but couldn’t wipe the smile from his face no matter how hard he tried to. “Don’t think you suddenly have permission to tickle me all the time. This was a one-time deal, got it?”

Chrome grinned. “You got it, Senku.”

“But it was great to hear you really laughing for once,” Kohaku added, smiling and winking at him.

The others agreed before the scientist waved them off, and all of them left beaming and chatting with one another as they retired to bed for the night.

Senku finally got his own smile under control and leveled a stare at Gen, who looked back at him innocently.

“Are you mad at me now?” the mentalist asked breezily, though a hint of nervousness underlined his tone.

Senku watched him for a long moment, then smiled again. “Nah.” He hopped off the table, unsteady on his feet for only a moment before he straightened with the help of both the furniture and his friend. Then he, too, left the lab, calling a soft, “night, Gen,” over his shoulder as he went.

Gen swelled with pride, vowing to make sure Senku never missed laughing again.

[nocturna-starr]

Intentional Creation

Prompter: @phantomphangphucker

Prompt: Danny created Phantom intentionally and knew full well what he was doing, the first time.

Words: 1508

In Danny’s totally unbiased opinion, his parents were naive. They were creating a portal to another world! Did they not expect said inhabitants from said world to make an appearance in the living realm? Or did they believe that somehow the very creatures they wanted to study wouldn’t be curious themselves?

“Don’t worry Danno! No ghost would dare cross through Jack Fenton’s portal!”

Sure.

“Danny, your parents are the experts, right? Just leave it to them! Everything will be okay!”

Yep… Nothing to worry about…

“Ghosts aren’t even real!”

Was everyone around him actually this stupid?

He should be playing the newest update for DOOM or studying for Mr. Lancer’s test on the Merchant of Venice. He should not be studying his parents research to make sure they didn’t blow up the house or contaminate him and Jazz again like they did the last time Jack and Maddie Fenton tried to invent a green energy source.

Suddenly Danny heard a knock on the door.

“Danny, it’s Jazz. Aren’t you going to get some sleep? We have school tomorrow!”

“Just looking over some papers.” Danny called. He heard his sister huff, but fortunately she didn’t push the issue forward. No doubt she herself would be up all night studying some new psychology book she had found in the library.

And she said that she was nothing like their parents.

He found himself glancing at the numbers. Math may not be his best subject, but to his untrained eye the calculations his mother made had no mistakes. The machine they were going to finish would certainly rip a hole into another dimension.

Then his dad would tell anyone and everyone who would listen that he would protect them from the threat he himself had created. His dad would go up against the wrong supernatural creature and…

Despite how much his father annoyed him, Danny loved the man. He couldn’t imagine a world without Jack Fenton. His mother, a former cop, might be able to handle the situation slightly better, but even she would become overwhelmed by the ghosts eventually. They needed someone who was on the same power level as the ghosts and who would protect humanity rather than harm it.

Didn’t his parents say that someone had gotten ectoradiation due to their naivety the first time they had built s portal? What was his name again… Paul… Chad? It didn’t matter. Maybe it was possible to replicate something like that! But instead of being contaminated, maybe one could fuse with the ectoplasm.  But who could he convince to give up their humanity for the world?

Danny put down the papers. Didn’t Sam say she wanted to make a difference?

xXx

“Whoa! I can’t believe it dude! Your parents actually made a real portal.” Danny’s best friend Tucker Foley gawked at the expensive machinery in the wall.

“Yeah, if only it worked.” Danny eyed the knobs at the side of the portal. Everything was still in position fortunately. His dad for once in his life had decided not to fiddle with something he had not done.

“It’s actually pretty cool, even not working. Imagine the worlds that are barely out of reach.” Sam sighed.

Danny smiled. Sam was still innocent. He hoped that her optimism, despite being a ghost, would remain. It would suck if he had to repeat the experiment all over again. Tucker wouldn’t be as powerful a ghost. Anyone after that would be a malicious ghost that Jack Fenton would have the honour of destroying.

The goth gently touched the portal, as if it were something sacred. It was like she knew her place of death was here. Tucker snapped a couple of pictures. Danny watched them, noting each soft smile or excited look sent his way. Would they feel this way when the portal took everything they knew in a couple of minutes?

“Wanna look inside?” Danny asked. He felt his heart begin to race. This was the moment that would forever change humanity. In the future, kids would be talking about the origin story of Sammy Geist or Tucker Ghouly. Would they see him as a good person, or a mad scientist? Would they understand why he did this and not judge him only on his actions? Or would they allow his name to fade to time because no one would ever know that the accident wasn’t an accident?

“Sure Danny!” Sam grinned. Without a second thought she walked inside.

“I’m good dude. I’d rather not be inside, and the thing click on.” Tucker didn’t look up from his PDA.

Maybe he should have tried to get Sam to dress in a Hazmat suit. The extra protection could have led her into a false sense of security which would allow for mistakes to occur. The Hazmat suit also could have acted as a disguise. Sam Manson, Amity Park’s most famous goth, would never have been caught dead in one of those.

“What are all of these wires for? What about all these buttons? Tuck you’re the tech guru, you should really come inside.” Sam called.

“Actually Sam, I think you should get out.” Tucker warned. Did Tucker suspect something? Danny had never even written his thoughts down in a journal let alone share them with anyone else! How could his best friend even know?

Why did he suddenly feel so guilty?

“Just a sec Tucker!” Sam called. Her hand grazed a large red button. Danny wanted to tell her to push it or to startle her and cause her to “accidentally” press it. Yet the words refused to come from out of him. Why did he feel so terrible for wanting to save the world? What was one life to billions? It wasn’t like she was actually going to die!

Why was his life more important than Sam’s?

“Hey Sam, I want a turn to see!” Danny found himself calling. He watched as she safely exited the portal. He grabbed the suit his father had made especially for him and put it on.

Sam grinned, ripping off the picture of his dad’s face that he insisted on putting on everything. “You aren’t going in with that on, are you?”

“I guess not.” Danny tried to smile.

“Nervous? Just think of all the cool worlds that this portal can connect to.” Sam grinned.

He nodded, hoping to disguise his dread as minor fear. He took a step in the portal and began walking towards the button that Jack and Maddie Fenton in their infinite wisdom had chosen to keep. Time seemed to slow the closer he got to it. He could hear his own heart beat and feel every breath he took. Once he was transformed, would he miss feeling of breathing?  There was no going back. If he chickened out now, Danny knew he would never build the courage to do this again. Then the world would be doomed.

Once he was close enough, Danny “tripped” and pressed the button. His walk of death couldn’t compare to the absolute freeze in time that occurred just after he pressed the button. The youngest Fenton swore he heard the phrase “All is as it should be…” before the light engulfed him into a world of agony.

He was glad that he didn’t force his best friends to experience it. His essence was ripped apart then sewn back together again. His heart raced before falling into a slow and steady rhythm. He was Danny Fenton, then he was nothing. He was human, until he wasn’t. Everything became dark.

He saw flashes of his life slip by and flashes of the future. He heard the screams of the dying and cries of those who were living for the first time. He felt sudden felt a weight that he had never known fall off of his shoulders. The freedom was only felt for a couple of seconds (or was it years?) before a much heavier weight was flung onto him.

He felt himself begin to walk. A light and a voice beckoned him forward. He felt something grabbing his leg, trying to keep him away. He knew he had to fight against it. If he stayed, then there would be no one to fight against his parents’ mistakes.

As he moved forward, the thing clutching his leg felt heavier and heavier. His steps became smaller and smaller. Maybe it was best if he stayed behind? Just as the it seemed that the thing would win, he broke free. He raced to the light, determined to not be trapped again.

“DANNY! DANNY!” Her heard a woman cry.

As he came closer, the light became a doorway. He smiled and stumbled across.

“Danny is that you?” Sam cried.

It worked?! Danny grinned. Everything would be fine now. Tomorrow there would be problems, but now there could be solutions. Ghosts would attack and he would be right there to stop them. The lack of sleep the previous night and the exhaustion of the portal claimed him. Danny fell into his last peaceful rest.

[restlessfandoming]

“the president and the troublemaker” (part 10) (chilumi fic)

“Lumine is the student council president and Childe is the school’s number one troublemaker. They cross paths more than they’d like. Especially when Childe finds out Lumine’s big secret. Highschool AU à la Kaichou wa Maid-sama.”

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 6] [part 7] [part 8] [part 9]

[Fic Masterlist] // [AO3 Link] // [Main AO3]

the president and the troublemaker (part 10)

Lumine should have known the instant she saw those blue highlights and mischievous grin that the new student was going to be trouble. Not as much as a certain ginger, but trouble nonetheless.  

He was playing his ukulele and singing about himself as his introduction, and the teacher wasn’t even stopping him. It didn’t help that their classmates were encouraging him with their words of praise and loud cheers. 

Lumine stood from her seat. “Great introduction—Venti, was it?” she said, keeping her voice as cordial as possible. “But we don’t allow personal instruments during class time. You can put it away in your locker later.” 

Venti’s face scrunched up sheepishly. “Ehe, sorry.” He tilted his head at her. “Wait, who are you?”

Lumine gave a polite smile. “I’m your student council president.” 

Venti shrugged. “Oh, okay,” he said. He turned to the rest of the class. “Sorry, looks like I’ll just have to play for you guys later.” 

There were utterances of disappointment as the new student sat in his seat, and Lumine sighed. “Rules are rules,” Lumine said to the class. 

Within the next few hours, as she led him through a tour of the school, she realized that everyone who met him, instantly liked him. Lumine had no idea what it was. Perhaps it was his cheerful and carefree disposition, kind with some sass—and of course his constant playing of his instrument as they roamed the halls. 

“Could you stop playing your ukulele, Venti? I’m afraid it’s a bit distracting to the other students who are in class,” Lumine said. It was the fifth time she had asked.

“I think we would all be better off with some light music in our lives, don’t you think, Madame President?” Venti replied with a light giggle. 

A tiny group of students had gathered around the two of them, and Venti happily played for the crowd. Lumine sighed, as it meant they would have to stop their tour again. 

“Oh, hi, Lumine!” Xiangling said, approaching from the crowd. “What’s going on?”

Lumine leaned against the wall. “New student causing a scene. He keeps playing his little ukulele, even though I’ve told him to put it away. Many times.”

Xiangling closed her eyes and listened for a second. “Wow, he’s pretty good!” 

“Not helping,” Lumine said as she rubbed her forehead.

“Where’s he from?” the chef asked. 

“Not sure,” the blonde answered. She turned to the new student, in attempts to stop him from playing, and asked, “Where did you say you were from again, Venti?” 

Miraculously, the bard stopped his music. “From the outskirts of Mondstadt! The countryside,” he answered with a smile.

“Ooo,” Xiangling uttered excitedly. “Why’d you decide to come here, to the city?” 

An even brighter smile. “Well, I actually lived here a long, long time ago, but I had to leave because a family member of mine got really sick. He passed away recently.” 

The whole hallway stilled, the mood expectantly dampened as Venti shared his past. 

However, his expression never changed; he kept smiling, blue highlights glowing in the sunlight. “And now, I’m back here to find my first love!” 

Everyone blinked at Venti for a second. Then, the crowd erupted into swoons and whoops as questions upon questions were thrown at him: What’s her name? How did you two meet? Where is she now? Is she cute?

“She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen!” Venti gushed. “She was always so kind to me, even when others bullied me. Oh, and she always made me the most delicious grape juice ever!” He perked up. “She knew I really loved grape juice.” 

“How romantic!” Xiangling squealed. (Well, of course; her love language is food, Lumine thought.) “But how do you know if she’s still here or not?” 

“Right,” Lumine agreed. How could he be so tiringly optimistic? “What if she moved away while you were gone?” 

Venti thought for a second, before shaking his head. An endearing fondness washed over his face. “Then I’ll just keep searching.” 

His teal eyes met Lumine’s. He gave her a smile, one not as cheeky as before—softer, more bashful. “After all,” he said, “I promised Lumine I’d always come back for her.” 

…

???

LUMINE?!

Lumine. 

As in me?!

She felt like she had been tasered right in the chest, her whole body locking up as eyes shifted towards her, whispers breaking out in the crowd—“But isn’t that…?” 

Venti, his head in a world of its own, nearly skipped down the hallway, humming to himself, oblivious of the reactions around him. 

“I wonder if she’ll hear me if I sing loud enough?” he wondered aloud as everyone saw him head outside. The gathering of students all followed him out the door.

Xiangling looked at the president, still frozen, with wide eyes. “Uhm, Lumi? Are you okay?” 

Lumine nodded stiffly, her head reeling as she searched her memories for anyone who looked like Venti. 

“Is that true?” her blue-haired friend asked. “What Venti said? About you...being his first love?”

Then it hit her. 

Lumine and Aether did play with a kid named Venti all the time as children. They played pretend as princesses and knights and dragons; the twins would giggle and laugh at Venti’s silly songs all the time; and Lumine would peel grapes and mash them up with sugar for everyone at the end of a long day of running around. It was a child’s simple recipe for “grape juice,” but Venti genuinely thought it was the greatest drink in the world. 

She would even scare off his (and Aether’s) bullies. Venti’s family wasn’t around much, so she took it upon herself to look after him: making sure he did his work, tending to his injuries, cheering him up when he cried. 

It felt like an eternity ago, those memories of happier, more innocent times. 

Lumine’s hand flew to her head, slowly pushing back her blonde bangs as the realization dawned on her. “Oh my god,” she whispered. “Tone-deaf bard,” she said, her old nickname for him ghosting off her lips. “I-I knew him. Me and Aether, we used to play with him all the time.”

Xiangling’s eyes grew wider, if possible. “It’s true,” she whisper-yelled. “You are his first love!” she yelled, louder. 

The two stopped their conversation as they heard loud singing coming through the window. They peered outside, where Venti had climbed the tallest tree in the courtyard, and was serenading out to the entire school. 

Lumine’s jaw dropped, and she quickly ran out the door as well, Xiangling hot on her tail. “That idiot! He’s going to fall!” 

She made it to the foot of the tree, where she now clearly heard Venti shouting, “LuLu~! Where are you~?” 

LuLu…

That was definitely him. Venti was the only one who ever called her that nickname. 

“Venti! Get down here right now before you fall!” Lumine shouted up at him. 

He stuck his tongue out at her, and strummed his ukulele. 

As he started singing, drowning out Lumine’s demands for him to come down, Lumine felt the familiar irritation she felt so long ago, when she had to care take of him, despite all the stupid decisions he made. 

She grit her teeth. “Get down here right now, you tone-deaf bard!”

Venti stopped strumming, his head snapping to where Lumine stood. 

There was a brief moment of silence. Then, he jumped down. 

Lumine felt all the air rush out of her lungs as she gasped in shock, her feet carrying her to catch him before her brain could even think about it.

But as he fell, Venti tucked and rolled, gracefully landing on the ground, standing up straight in front of Lumine. 

“You,” he said, his tone the most serious it had been all day. “What’s your name?”

“Lumine,” she answered. She quickly added, “But I’m really different now; I’m not like I was back then—”

Venti leapt on her, arms wrapping around her in a tight embrace. His ukulele was even forgotten, dropped on the floor nearby. 

“LuLu!” he cheered breathlessly. He spun her around, breaking into giggles. “I’m finally home!” 

As the students around them broke into outbursts of shocked gasps and encouraging cheers, Lumine glanced at them, awkwardly patting Venti on the back. The bard was oblivious to her stiffness, ignorant of the craze he had just caused, the consequences that would follow his little public confession. 

Lumine could only imagine it now, all the gossip and questioning that would surround her within days, hours even. 

Please let this blow over quickly. 

* * *

“Venti…,” Childe muttered. At least he had a name for the little twerp. 

His posture slouched as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, dark eyes watching the scene unravel below with Lumine and the new kid. It was his first day, and yet, he was already causing a wave of news around the school. 

From the open window he stood by, Childe had heard everything. Venti was a childhood friend from Lumine’s past, and he had returned to her because she was his first love. 

To everyone else, this new student was an immediate favorite. Childe, on the other hand, felt acid pulse through his veins as Venti called out Lumine’s name, and he nearly jumped out the window when the two were embracing. 

Venti definitely wasn’t a fighter, right? It would be so easy to dispose of him—

Childe let out a sharp sigh, running a hand through his hair. 

What was this? Why was he feeling threatened by this new kid?

“Wouldn’t it be much easier for you to make it official?” someone said next to Childe. Looking to his right, his eyes met Albedo’s.

“You and the President, I mean,” Albedo continued, his piercing blue eyes trailing down to the courtyard. 

“Astute observations as always, Albedo,” Childe said. “What do you know about me and the Pres?” 

“I know that what the President told me was a lie,” the scientist answered. “There is definitely a sort of romantic chemistry between the two of you.”

“Oh? How do you figure?”

Albedo loosely crossed his arms. “I specialize in observations. Stolen glances, affirmative body language, rising body temperatures—habits indicative of romantic interest. For the two of you, it’s mutual.” He paused. “I don’t plan on telling anyone. I’ve kept it to myself, if you were wondering.” 

“Don’t scientists share their findings with the world?”

“I’m more interested...personally. I’d like to see how it plays out.” His blonde head tilted slightly. “Though, why you two haven’t started dating baffles me.” 

A tiny scoff escaped Childe’s lips. “Why’s that?” 

Albedo put his hand to his chin, thinking. “It would surely benefit the both of you. You would stop receiving those weekly confessions from every girl in school, and the President wouldn’t have to continue her tiring charade of acting like she doesn’t know you. It looks painful for you both.” Below, there were cheers from the students surrounding Lumine and Venti. “And you wouldn’t have to be silently fuming from up here while the President is being reintroduced to, quite possibly, her first love as well,” he added. 

Childe clenched his jaw. He hadn’t even considered that possibility. 

He started walking to the stairs without a second thought. 

“Interesting observations, Albedo,” he said as he walked away. “Do me a favor and use those skills of yours to find out anything about Venti for me.” 

He left the scientist mulling over his request while he headed straight to the courtyard. 

* * *

Lumine had managed to shoo the gathering of students back into their classrooms without too much of a fuss; Venti was a lot harder to get rid of, however, as he was currently glued to her side, his arm linked with hers. 

“Okay, Venti, it was nice catching up, but you have to go to class now,” Lumine said as they walked down the hallway. 

“Just like old times! You’re still trying to get me to be more responsible.” 

“And just like old times, it doesn’t work.” She unhooked her arm from his, putting her hands on her hips. “Seriously, Venti. You need to go to class. I’m not saying this as your friend; I am saying this as your student council President.”

“Aw, I forgot how scary you could be, LuLu,” he responded sheepishly. “Hey, what do you say we go to that old café by your house? Do you still live there?” 

Lumine rubbed at her temples as she rounded the corner. Thankfully, Venti’s classroom is closeby.

She stopped in her tracks when she looked up and saw Childe there, leaning against the wall as if he had been waiting there for her. 

“Ah, so you are alive, Pres,” Childe said. “I was beginning to think you were dead. Or were you just ignoring me?” 

Lumine gnawed on the side of her cheek. Of course he would show up right now.

“It’s a busy time for the student council. We’re planning our class trip,” she replied curtly. 

“LuLu, is this one of your friends?” Venti asked, teal eyes lighting up. He held out his hand. “I’m Venti! How do you do?”

“This is Childe,” Lumine interjected, gently pushing the bard’s extended hand down. “He’s a delinquent. Don’t associate with him.” 

The delinquent in question gave her a strained smile. “Ouch. I’d say my ways are quite reformed now, don’t you think?” He peeled off the wall, coming a bit closer—completely ignoring Venti. He continued, “In fact, I’ve saved you a few times, haven’t I?” He flashed a grin of faux-innocence. 

What was he doing? Was he really about to reveal all their secrets in front of Venti? 

“Venti, go to your class. I’ve got to deal with Childe,” Lumine said, desperate to get her old friend out of there. When Venti started to protest, she clenched her teeth. “Now.”

Venti let out a shaky laugh, his eyes shifting from Childe and Lumine, then disappeared into a nearby classroom. Childe’s eyes seemed aflame as he tracked Venti leaving. 

Lumine let out a heavy sigh. “What are you doing?” she asked, voice dropping to a whisper. “Do you want the entire school to know about us?!”

A smirk. “There’s an ‘us?’”

Now Lumine’s face completely burned. “Look, I’m sorry I haven’t been coming to training, but I really have been busy with the student council.” 

Childe didn’t respond, and just stared at her. “Who is he to you?” 

“...Who? Venti?” She pursed her lips. “He’s a childhood friend. We used to be close, I guess. But I haven’t talked to him in years.” 

“Did you ever love him?” 

“Wh-What kind of question is that?” Lumine sputtered. 

Childe pressed in closer. “Just answer the question, Lumine.” 

She took a step back. We’re at school, idiot! If a student decided to walk out of a classroom at that very moment, their secret would be out. 

“I don’t know,” she answered. “I honestly can’t remember that much right now.” 

Childe’s lips tilted into a frown. “That just won’t do, Pres.” His voice had lowered. “Aren’t you going to save me?” 

Lumine’s heart rate sped up as she recalled the two of them, on the beach, whispering promises to save one another. 

“Save you from what? Be serious, Childe,” she said, annoyed. 

“Loneliness.” He flashed a quick smile. “Let’s go on a date.” 

Lumine stumbled back from Childe as if she had been electrocuted. “I-I don’t have time for this right now.” She turned on her heel, stomping away. “Go back to class!” 

She finally relaxed when she found an empty classroom to clear her head. Thankfully, Childe hadn’t followed her. 

He liked her. She liked him. So why am I still being like this?

Even with her limited knowledge of romance, she knew the next logical step would be for them to start dating, right? 

The prospect made her antsy. 

It was a complete unknown. There were too many ways it could go wrong, too many ways it could end in pain and ruin everything. To chalk it up, she was scared. 

She and her family had been absolutely heartbroken when her father had left. She witnessed firsthand what a broken relationship could cause, the damage it did to everyone involved. 

And yet, knowing all this, having all her fears festering within, she still insisted on seeing him. Childe. 

He made her feel normal, even with her secrets. He made her feel welcomed and safe. So she didn’t push him away. She wanted to stay with him. 

DING!

Lumine jolted from her thoughts, and pulled out her phone to check. It was the student council group chat, all wondering where she was, needing her to be present for another meeting about the upcoming class trip to Liyue. 

She sighed, pocketing the phone, quickly making her way to the council room.

I don’t have time to think about that stuff right now, she thought with a frown. 

Just get through the class trip, and then I can worry about that later.

Lumine glanced outside the window. Gray clouds had gathered in the sky. A storm was brewing. 

She stopped, and prayed for a smooth trip to Liyue.

* * *

[part 11]

[sassyhobbits]

16. "I can't believe you're making snow angels at a time like this!"

and here we have the ONS christmas special!! my last xmas fic this season and i hope you all enjoy! have a great holidays everyone!! <3

~~~

Aelin Galathynius loved Yulemas.

She loved the smells, the sights, the foods. She relished in spending time with her closest family and friends, giving them gifts she knew would make their faces light up. She loved laying by the fire and reminiscing.

This was Aelin's third Yulemas with Rowan. She fell more in love with her husband everyday, and always enjoyed spending the holiday with him. The only thing that she could have wished for this year was that their daughter had decided to join them.

Aelin was heavily pregnant. Their daughter was about a week late and Aelin wanted her out, out, out already. It wasn’t only that her feet were always swollen or her back ached constantly, but also that Rowan had become terribly overbearing. There wasn't a single thing Aelin tried to do that her husband didn't attempt to do for her before she could. At the beginning of her pregnancy, she enjoyed it. She liked when Rowan would grab the remote or get out of bed to fetch her slippers if she asked. But by now, it was beginning to lose its charm.

It was Yulemas eve. The palace was filled with their friends and family. They had even invited some of Rowan’s cousins to Orynth. Arlene and Isolde were excited to enjoy their first northern Yulemas. 

They had all spent a few hours lounging in the parlor, indulging in wine and other spiced holiday drinks. Aelin sipped on a hot chocolate, cuddled into Rowan’s side, his hand a steady weight on her belly. It had all been wonderful, but after a while Aelin began to feel a bit warm with the fire and the bodies stuffing the cozy parlor

"Hey, Ro?" she whispered to her husband.

"What is it, Fireheart?"

"Will you take a walk with me?"

He smiled and nodded. "I'd love to."

He helped her off the couch, grabbing her boots and her coat and helping her slip them on. No one noticed when they ducked out of the parlor, walking down the halls towards the entrance to the gardens. 

They had become a wintry wonderland in the recent days, covered in a fresh blanket of soft snow. The night was silent, the sky clear and beautiful. Aelin held Rowan’s arm tightly as they meandered slowly over the snowy path. 

Suddenly, Aelin hissed in discomfort, placing a hand over her huge stomach as their baby girl fussed.

“Is everything alright?” Rowan asked, brows knitted in concern.

“Fine,” Aelin assured him, not wanting him to go full mother hen mode. “She’s just making herself comfortable, apparently.” 

Her husband sighed heavily. “It seems she likes it in there.”

“Well, it’s cold as hell out here so I don’t blame her.”

Rowan released a bark of laughter. “I was hoping she’d be with us by now.”

“Me too.” Aelin pouted down at her belly. “I had some adorable little Yulemas outfits for her.”

“I know you did, love.”

They continued their trek through the gardens, admiring the lights that had been strung up and other holiday decorations. Aelin always enjoyed decorating the palace. It was one of her favorite parts of the season. 

The princess was just about to suggest they go back inside when she felt something strange. A sensation she had never endured before; a little pop followed by something decidedly wet between her legs. Aelin didn't have to be a rocket scientist to realize what, exactly, that feeling was.

"Rowan?" she rasped, tightening her grip on her husband's arm.

"Hm?"

"My water just broke."

"Your water just what-?!"

Rowan’s head whipped towards her, eyes wide in shock. In his bewilderment, her normally graceful husband wasn't watching where he was going, stepping on a slick piece of eyes. His feet flew out from under him, tumbling back into a fresh bank of snow.

Despite herself, Aelin released a laugh. Rowan leaned his head upwards, flakes scattered in his slicer hair, arms spread on either side of him like a star.

“I can’t believe you’re making snow angels at a time like this!” the princess cried playfully. “We’re having a baby!”

Rowan blinked once, a slow smile spreading on his lips. “We’re having a baby,” he repeated in a whisper. “We’re having our baby!”

Aelin could only grin.

…

It didn’t take long to head back inside and gather the things they needed to make the trip to the hospital. Aelin had thought Rowan was being ridiculous earlier, but it was nothing compared to his actions now. He was everywhere at once, not allowing her to pick up anything or even open a door for herself. Yet, Aelin was too nervous to even really scold him about it. 

She and Rowan were already getting into a car in the garage by the time they let their other friends and family know what was happening. Before she knew it, they were on the way to the hospital.

Aelin knew that she likely still had a fair share of time before things would get serious, but her mother had faced many complications when giving birth to her. Aelin’s entire family had agreed to play it safe. 

There was a private, secure suite waiting for Aelin by the time they pulled up to the hospital. She was only just starting to feel the first of her contractions when she slipped into the shapeless hospital gown. 

Aelin spent a few hours speaking with nurses and doctors, getting poked and prodded and questioned. She spoke with her friends and family over the phone, convinced Rowan to read to her even though her husband seemed much more nervous than she did. 

As the night wore on, Aelin’s contractions grew stronger and more frequent. A little after one in the morning, the doctor came in and informed her that it was time to start pushing. It was then that Aelin felt those first twinges of fear. 

“Rowan?” Aelin squeaked, looking to her husband who was seated beside her.

He reached out, brushing a strand of her hair from her sweaty forehead. “What is it, Fireheart?”

“I’m scared.”

His lips tightened a fraction of an inch, grabbing her hand and giving it a firm squeeze. She could see in his eyes that he was frightened too, but he would be strong. Strong for both of them, and the little girl they were waiting to meet. He leaned close and kissed her flushed forehead. 

“I’ll be here every step of the way, Aelin. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

…

The birthing process wasn’t easy, though no one was expecting it to be. Aelin felt as though she was being torn in two, her throat raw from screaming in pain. Even through the haze of the agony, she could tell that Rowan was beyond stressed and seeing her like this was likely shaving years off his life. It was a good thing his hair was already silver, because this experience probably would have turned his hair gray anyway. 

Still, he was nothing but supportive: whispering words of encouragement, letting her grip his hand as tightly as she needed, dabbing her sweaty forehead with a cool cloth. 

It was the wee hours of Yulemas morning, the sky turning a buttery yellow as the sun rose above the jagged peaks of the Staghorns. Aelin was beyond exhausted. She had been pushing and screaming for hours. All she wanted to do was sleep.

A ragged cry tore from her throat before slumping back on to her pile of pillows, tears streaming down her cheeks. 

“I’m so tired,” she sobbed, voice hoarse and crackling. “Ro, I’m so tired.”

“I know you are, love. You’re doing so good. You’re almost there.”

“I don’t know if I can do it.”

“Yes you can, Aelin.” Rowan squeezed her hand tightly. “You’re the strongest person I know. Just a little bit longer. I know you can do it.”

“He’s right, princess,” the doctor said from his position between her legs. “Your daughter’s nearly here. Just one more big push. Can you do that for me?”

Aelin clenched her jaw and nodded. She had survived much worse than this. She could do anything. The princess sucked down one last deep, bracing breath, preparing herself before giving a mighty push.

Aelin wailed as she put everything she had in her into this last push, sure she must have been breaking the bones in Rowan’s hand with how hard she was gripping it. 

And, where one cry ended, another began.

A shrill shriek that did not come from Aelin filled the air just as her own voice failed her. Her strength left her body, collapsing against the pillows just as she saw the doctor hand a screaming, bloody, wiggling thing to the nurse.

Her daughter. That was her daughter. 

Aelin forced herself to sit up straighter as the nurses carried a bundle of pink blankets towards her before carefully placing it into her arms.

The tears wouldn’t stop flowing as Aelin held her daughter in her arms for the first time. Her face was red, and her little face was pinched up as she cried, but she was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. 

“Hi,” Aelin rasped, giving another tiny sob. “Hello. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Rowan was a warm presence at her side, looking down at his daughter in wonder. “She’s beautiful. She’s perfect.”

“I’m so in love already it doesn’t feel possible.”

The doctor smiled at the little family before them. “Have you picked out a name for the little princess yet?”

Aelin nodded, tracing the shape of her daughter’s nose. “Eliora. Her name is Eliora.”

The doctors and nurses took a few steps back, giving them a bit of privacy as they grew acquainted with one another. 

“Happy Yulemas, Eliora,” Rowan whispered to the newborn. 

“It is Yulemas, isn’t it?” Aelin asked. She had lost track of time during the birthing process. “It looks like we’re gonna have to wait to do presents.”

“No offence, Fireheart, but I don’t think you can out do yourself now.” He ran his fingers over Eliora’s silvery-blonde hair. “This is the best Yulemas gift I’ve ever could have asked for. Thank you. I love you. I love you both so much.”

Aelin looked up, beaming and kissing Rowan quickly, scooting over so he could sit beside her on the hospital bed. He perched himself on the corner, tucking Aelin under his arm and holding both her and their daughter close.

Now Aelin Galathynius had another reason to love Yulemas.

[oddarin]

It is one of the most meaningless thing I’ve done in time - all least-to-most ranks and just characters’ fact answers (those that with no pictures) from oficial Ask Arcana gathered in one place. Have no idea what that information could be used for and if it even useful but it kept me occupied and distracted from some life shit for a while, so let it be.

who is most to least likely to enjoy the movie Frozen? Lucio, Portia, Julian, Asra, Muriel, Nadia

Out of the cast, who is the most to least likely to be the jealous type? Portia, Lucio, Muriel & Nadia (tied), Julian, Asra

would you like to rank the characters from who cries most to least ugly? like from sniveling to shoujo manga tears? Muriel, Lucio, Julian, Portia, Asra, Nadia

who is the most to least superstitious Portia, Julian, Nadia, Lucio, Asra, Muriel

most to least excited to be at a WWE event Portia, Lucio, Asra, Julian, Nadia, Muriel

From worst to best at handling children Nadia, Lucio, Muriel, Asra, Portia, Julian

From worst to best for alcohol tolerance Muriel, Asra, Lucio, Julian, Portia, Nadia

Character ranking from best at keeping secrets to loose-liped gossip? Asra, Muriel, Nadia, Lucio, Portia, Julian

best to worst dancers? Asra, Portia, Julian, Nadia, Lucio, Muriel

Most to Least likely to slap you for stealing a mcnugget Nadia, Lucio, Asra, Portia, Julian, Muriel

Least to most likely to eat something weird (read: probably shouldn't be eaten) because of a dare? Nadia, Julian, Muriel, Lucio, Portia, Asra and not even on a dare

how old are each of the revealed characters? everyone is old, but in order of least old to most old: Asra, Portia, Muriel, Julian, Lucio, Nadia

Who's the best kisser? Who's the worst? Best kisser: Faust (good snake smooches) Worst kissers: Mercedes and Melchior (too much cronch)

-------------------------------------------------

If the main 6 played MTG what color decks would they play? Asra: Blue Nadia: White Julian: Black (Portia made his for him) Portia: White/Green Muriel: Green Lucio: Red

How did cast look as babies? Nadia: The best baby, perfect in form and function Asra: A cute baby, always looking around Julian: Not the most handsome baby, a little gangly Portia: Round, squealing delightful baby Lucio: Red-faced screaming awful baby Muriel: Sturdy and well insulated for the long winter

Of the main six characters, which ones are capable of juggling and which ones would absolutely love doing needlepoint? capable of juggling: Portia, Asra, Muriel absolutely love doing needlepoint: Nadia, Julian incapable of juggling/ absolutely hate doing needlepoint: Lucio

what would the cast choose as their job in the mmo final Fantasy XIV? Julian: Dragoon Asra: Astrologian Lucio: Ninja, but he messes up the mudras Nadia: Machinist Portia: Summoner Muriel: Paladin

What would be the favorite attractions/rides of the cast at Disney? Julian: Pirates of the Caribbean Asra: Astro Orbiter Lucio: Tower of Terror (RIP) Muriel: Matterhorn Portia: California Screamin' Nadia: Carousel of Progress

What do the rest of the cast smell like? Nadia: Les Larmes Sacree Du Thebes by Baccarat Asra: Lord of Misrule Lush Shower Cream Julian: Leather seats in a rental car Portia: Cocoa butter and laundry soap Lucio: Fireball, Axe body spray & ass Muriel: myrrh

What board game would The Arcana gang be? Nadia: Clue Asra: Twister Julian: Sorry! Portia: Mouse Trap Lucio: Monopoly Muriel: Guess Who

Who do all the cast main in over watch? Nadia: Ana Asra: Sombra Julian: Reaper Portia: Zarya Muriel: Bastion Lucio: Genji

If everyone participated in a Winter Olympic sport, which one would they be in? Nadia: figure skate (singles) Asra: snowboarding Julian: alpine ski Portia: freestyle ski Muriel: luge Lucio: ice hockey

Main casts Starbucks orders? Julian: Black coffee and he flirts with the barista until it’s ready. Nadia: London Fog Latte. She comes in at exactly 8 every morning. Asra: Matcha latte unless there’s a new radioactive-looking Frappuccino flavor and then he gets that. Muriel: Waiting outside in the car, asks Asra to get him a water. Asra comes back with a hot chocolate and a cake pop. Muriel grumbles but accepts them every time. Lucio: Salted Caramel Mocha extra whip extra sprinkles nonfat no foam soy upside down actually coconut milk instead and then he yells at you if you get it wrong. Portia: Pink Drink and all the baristas get excited when she walks in because they love her and she always tips.

The cast as Kanye songs Nadia: Power Lucio: No Church in the Wild Asra: Love Lockdown Julian: Heartless Portia: Paranoid Muriel: Coldest Winter

Which characters would be in the fire, water, earth, and air nations? Slightly different from what you asked, but: Asra - waterbender Nadia - airbender Julian & Portia - non-benders Muriel - Earthbender Lucio - Firebender

What kind of parents are the cast at their child’s soccer game? Nadia: standing on the sidelines in sunglasses and heels biting her thumbnail and watching every move on the field because she doesnt trust the ref Asra: cheers whenever anything happens, takes as many kids as can fit in the car out for ice cream but doesn’t check with the parents Julian: chats up the other parents relentlessly and isn’t watching when his kid gets hit in the face with the ball Portia: “cmon cmon cmon cmon cmon cmon cmon AW WHAT WAS THAT” Muriel: watching from the parking lot inside the car Lucio: yelling on the phone the whole time, spills all 24 oz of his salted caramel mocha on the bench and doesn’t do anything about it

Which Disney movie is the favorite of each of the cast? Nadia: Fantasia 2000 Asra: The Emperor’s New Groove Julian: Muppet Treasure Island Portia: Muppet Treasure Island Muriel: The Fox and the Hound Lucio: Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True

what kind of youtube channel would each character have (letsplay, cooking, craft, etc)? Asra: very unstructured mostly-cooking channel that also features videos of him just eating weird things, and videos of Faust existing and being cute Nadia: beauty guru with very polished high-end editing Julian: doesn’t know how to use youtube but Portia made an account for him and uploads her shaky/blurry phone videos of his jazz performances Portia: likes and comments on all of Nadia’s videos while occasionally posting cute cat vids Muriel: does not have an internet connection Lucio: extremely loud letsplayer, mostly FPS

What would the cast be as animal crossing villagers? Muriel: Cranky Bear Julian: Smug Eagle Portia: Uchi Cat Nadia: Snooty Ostrich Asra: Lazy Wolf Lucio: Jock Goat

What Fire Emblem Fates' classes would each character be? Asra - Diviner Nadia - Priestess Julian - Adventurer Portia - Maid Muriel - Wolfskin Lucio - Berserker

if the arcana cast were naruto characters, which ones would they be Portia: Naruto Muriel: Gaara Lucio: Orochimaru Julian: Itachi Asra: Kakashi Nadia: Fancy Shikamaru

If the characters of arcana watched rupaul's drag race who would be their faves? Nadia: bebe, raja, peppermint Asra: yara, aja, adore Julian: nina bo’nina, sasha, raven Portia: chichi, bob, ginger Lucio: willam, kimora, mimi imfurst Muriel: Latrice Royale

WHAT ARE THE CHARAS PREFERRED FLAVOR OF ICE CREAM? Nadia: Lavender Lemon Asra: Rainbow Sorbet Julian: Pistachio Portia: Cookie Dough Muriel: Rocky Road Lucio: Red Velvet

Please please arcana cast as mcr songs Lucio: It’s Not a Fashion Statement, It’s a Deathwish Julian: Thank You For The Venom Asra: Welcome To The Black Parade Muriel: House of Wolves Nadia: You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison Portia: Give Em Hell Kid

What are the characters going to be for Halloween? Asra - glow-in-the-dark mermaid Nadia - [elegant ballgown interpretation of] a swan Julian - tortured vampire/werewolf hybrid Muriel - sheet ghost Portia - ninja turtle Lucio - slutty angel Faust - a very long hot dog

If you had to assign the characters from the Arcana to characters from Labyrinth who would they be? Nadia: Jareth Asra: Sara Julian: Sir Didymus Portia: Hoggle Muriel: Ludo Lucio: The Chilly Down birds

What's each character's favourite fruits? Nadia: Concord Grape Asra: Blue Raspberry Julian: Fig Portia: Banana Muriel: Lemon Lucio: Pomegranate

what's everyone's favorite season? Asra - spring Nadia - summer Julian - autumn Muriel - winter Portia - spring Lucio - summer

Who would the Arcana cast be in a cliche Noir Film? Nadia: boss with kinetic ball bearing desk ornament and brandy in the drawer Asra: first love turned old flame that you run into halfway around the world Julian: haggard scientist with an unbuttoned shirt scribbling on the walls Portia: wisecracking secretary who takes a bus a train and a ferry to work Muriel: ominous farmer that lets people use the phone after a car breaks down Lucio: raging starlet shattering a vase after being blacklisted by every studio

The Arcana cast as Michael Jackson songs? Nadia: Man in the Mirror Asra: You Are Not Alone Julian: Smooth Criminal Portia: Will You Be There Muriel: Ben Lucio: Bad

What would each character be in cats? This probably wasn’t supposed to be Cats the musical but if you think i’m gonna pass this up Nadia: None they’re all awful/ Munkustrap Asra: Mister Mistoffelees Julian: Macavity Portia: Jennyanydots Lucio: Rum Tum Tugger Muriel: Grizabella

what would their favorite emojis be? Asra: 🌚 Nadia: 🍷 Julian: 🎷 Portia: 👀 Muriel: 👁 Lucio: 💃💸😏👑

What panic at the disco songs describe each character best? Julian: Death of a Bachelor Asra: I Write Sins Not Tragedies Portia: She’s a Handsome Woman Nadia: Northern Downpour Lucio: Victorious Muriel: From a Mountain in the Middle of the Cabins

What stereotypes for a super cliché highschool do the characters fall into? Nadia: Valedictorian who has been doing independent study and hasn’t set foot in the building for the past two years Asra: Shows up late every class with loud ass Sunchips, does homework in glow in the dark gel pen Julian: Eats lunch with his teacher so they can keep talking about mitochondria Portia: Gets really hype about dances, always ends up fighting at dances Muriel: Puts away all the folding chairs that everyone left behind Lucio: Gets on the intercom to talk shit about the teacher who gave him a D+ on his plagiarized essay

What sports would the characters play? And would they be any good at those sports? Muriel: Any solitary sport. He likes track and shotput. Nadia: Swimming. She isn’t on a team, she just likes the water. Portia: Wrestling. She’s got a few championship belts. Julian: Grandma Devorak forced him to take One Sport in high school, and he chose long-distance running. Asra: Beach volleyball and snowboarding. He’s just there to have a good time. Lucio: Ice hockey, but he spends it mostly punching other players.

what dragons from books/movies/games match each character best, would you say? As for dragons, one of our writers plays Flight Rising obsessively so here’s every character as a Flight Rising breed. Asra: Fae Nadia: Imperial Lucio: Wildclaw Muriel: Guardian Julian: Skydancer Portia: Snapper

What is each character most likely to do with the mc when they're feeling 'unusually affectionate'? Nadia: feed them champagne grapes and engage them in conversation so she can watch them try to talk with their mouth full Asra: stare at them and stop acknowledging anyone or anything else Julian: preen and spoil them to the point of being a public embarrassment Portia: constant cuddly contact Muriel: follow them at a respectable distance Lucio: belt out an aria at the sight of them

What's everyone favorite manga if they read any in this world? Nadia: Rose of Versailles Asra: Yugioh Julian: Blackjack Portia: Ranma ½ Muriel: Hunter x Hunter Lucio: Berserk

how much does faust like all the characters? like, who does she like the most/least? does she like the main character at all? Faust adores the main character almost as much as she loves Asra. But if she had to choose from the rest: Most good smelling: Nadia Most fun to squeeze: Julian Most too big to eat: Muriel Most hard to hide from: Portia Most attackable: Lucio

what kind of drunk is everybody? Nadia: capable, professional drunk on the move. Never in the same room twice Asra: touchy-feely but won’t leave the couch, still somehow manages to catch on fire Julian: morphs into The Storyteller, everyone in earshot ends up caught in a dramatic reenactment of his life story waiting for him to take a breath but he never does Portia: makes 6 new friends in the bathroom line Muriel: moody, talks to no one, keeps taking everybody’s empty bottles out to the trash Lucio: the loudest, the drama, the legend, the first to dip out when the cops show up

Of the Characters: Who tells a dirty joke? Who doesn't understand it? Who is disgusted? Who laughs? Who hides a smile? Who gets annoyed? Lucio: tells a dirty joke Muriel: doesn’t understand it Julian: is disgusted Asra: laughs Portia: hides a smile Nadia: gets annoyed

What are the characters usual reactions when subbing their toes? Nadia: It Does Not Happen Asra: hops it off Julian: hissing, closes his eyes while he savors the pain Portia: (string of curses) “ok………. i’m fine” Muriel: doesn’t notice because his toes are too far away Lucio: shrieks, revenge kicks the wall, shrieks harder

what you think everyones deadly sin would be? the deadly cliches: Nadia - Pride Asra - Lust Julian - Wrath Portia - Envy Muriel - Sloth Lucio - Gluttony

On a scale of good to bad, who sings karaoke? Nadia has a silky voice with impeccable vibrato. But she only sings karaoke alone in the bath. Asra has an airy, intimate voice. He’s the worst at karaoke because he doesn’t even get up off the couch. Julian has very limited singing ability, but he will talk sing the whole way through if he has to. He’s great at duets, somehow. Portia has a throaty, powerful voice. She brings the house down with Heart and Bonnie Tyler ballads, even if she squeaks on the high notes. Muriel has a gravelly grumble that he is convinced is useless for singing and if you hand him the microphone he’ll drop it and go stand in the corner. Lucio has an overdone musical theater voice but he is tone deaf. He will shout out the high notes and power through the rest and if you try to skip his song there will be hell to pay

which social media platform which each character Prefer™ ? Asra - twitter (RTs a lot of memes and shitposts, posts incomprehensible dril-like tweets at 3am) Nadia - instagram (flawless makeup and aesthetic™) Julian - yahoo answers Portia - snapchat Muriel - what is social media Lucio - LinkedIn (you will NEVER stop getting email notifications from him)

what dnd classes would the cast be (like mage, assassin, cleric etc)? Nadia: Paladin Asra: Warlock Julian: Rogue Portia: Bard Muriel: Fighter Lucio: Barbarian

what would each characters spice girl name be Asra: Mystery Spice Nadia: Boss Spice Julian: Suffering Spice Portia: Sassy Spice Muriel: Surly Spice Lucio: Spicy Spice

how complicated is each character's personal hygiene routine? Nadia’s personal hygiene routine: an exact science and takes a practiced team of servants to execute. Julian’s personal hygiene routine: splashing his face 5-7 times and gargling with his famous mint vodka peroxide formula Asra’s personal hygiene routine: sticking his head underwater until he’s awake Portia’s personal hygiene routine: putting her hair in a bun and scrubbing herself with a cloth and bucket down by the frog pond Lucio’s personal hygiene routine: milk and caviar bath every 13 hours Muriel’s personal hygiene routine: standing in the pouring rain

What's everyone's favorite alcoholic drinks? Asra - St Germain, tequila, blue curaçao,  lime juice, hibiscus syrup (serve in a champagne flute or martini glass, garnished with a wildflower or tiny umbrella) Julian - whiskey, Kahlua, Grand Marnier, lemon juice (serve in a highball glass) Nadia - Chambord, white wine, seltzer (serve in a wine glass, chilled or on the rocks) Portia - beer & apple cider with a shot of rum (serve in a lowball glass) Muriel - Baileys, butterscotch schnapps, hot chocolate (serve warm, in your coziest mug) Lucio - Jägermeister & Goldschläger topped with overproof rum (serve as a flaming shot)

what would be each of the characters' favorite genre of music? Asra: Bossa Nova and EDM Nadia: Obscure Opera and Calming beach sounds Julian: 20 minute tracks of Quality Jazz Portia: Reggae and dad rock Muriel: New wave and white noise Lucio: Top 40 and Dark Funky Disco

who would the arcana characters be from mean girls?? Asra: the guy who asked what day it was Nadia: cady Julian: gretchen weiners Portia: janis Lucio: regina george Muriel: damian

Which Hogwarts house would each of the Main Cast belong in? Asra & Julian - Ravenclaw Nadia - Slytherin Portia & Muriel - Hufflepuff Lucio - Gryffindor

What would the characters modern!au job/career of choice be? Lucio owns and manages several nightclubs and has a trashy daytime talk show Asra does really low-budget magic shows at kids’ birthday parties by day, and DJs at one of Lucio’s clubs at night Nadia is the city mayor, an international chess champion, and concert pianist Portia works at Home Depot (used to be a waitress at Red Lobster but the tips were terrible), but she wants to be a zookeeper Julian is a doctor at an underfunded hospital with lots of drama Muriel lives off the grid in a broken-down van in the woods

Just due to mild curiosity what would be the casts favorite musicals? Asra - Legally Blonde: The Musical Nadia - Chicago Julian - Les Mis Muriel - Wicked Portia - Cats! Lucio - Phantom of the Opera / Kinky Boots (it’s a tie)

what cryptid is every character Asra = Chupacabra Julian = Mothman Nadia = Nessie Portia = Loveland Frog Muriel = Bigfoot Lucio = Jersey Devil

how would the game's characters celebrate the MC's birthday with them?? Asra would take them on a long journey without telling them where they were going (but would keep them entertained with riddles) to a scenic oasis, where he would pretend to drown so MC has to dive into the water and at the bottom is a magic flute that can summon a swarm of bees (their favorite!) Nadia would throw a tastefully brief festival in their honor. MC would be lavished with pampering (by professional pamperers) from dawn to dusk and when the clock struck midnight, they would be presented with seven bejeweled eagles (one for every day of the week) Julian would meet them for dinner in a shady tavern, bring them heaping plates of food and offer unsolicited advice for the coming year. About halfway through the meal he would have to scramble out the back door because law enforcement arrived on the scene but he’d put it an order in the kitchen to bring them something for dessert Lucio would declare the day a holiday and call it Day of the Beloved One of Lucio. They would have to sit uncomfortably still while a master artiste painted their portrait and a mile-long line of peasants laid gifts at their feet. Muriel doesn’t celebrate birthdays because time is a human construct Portia would throw a big loud party with a barbecue :D

Since it is soon, what would the characters do for Valentines day with us (the MC)? Nadia would take you on an elegant river cruise stocked with 130 varieties of tiny cake and a private crooner hired to serenade you but she would end up throwing them overboard for not hitting the high notes Asra would take you to the mall and splurge on all the stuff you both can’t afford but wait way too long to get lunch so you get into a fight and he proposes in the food court Julian would show up on the 15th after with all the candy he scored at 75% off, pretend it was on purpose that he got the day wrong, and wake you up at 3 am to come clean because the guilt was eating him alive Muriel would light some scented candles, cook up a sensual meal and throw a bearskin rug in front of the fireplace for you to enjoy alone while he escapes into the woods Portia would pack a picnic of chicken and tortilla chips, take you to the beach where you could splash around until the sun goes down and lull you to sleep on the sandy blanket with her acoustic guitar Lucio would have servants fill your room with floor to ceiling flowers while you sleep and wait impatiently for you to wake up like

Would you roommate with any of the characters? it’s hard to decide, so here are some pros and cons Asra - pro: never home / con: leaves dishes in the sink for weeks Nadia - pro: your home will be spotless / con: it’s spotless because she orders you to clean it for her Julian - pro: medical professional / con: half of your apartment is now this

rate the characters on how #extra they are Muriel: 4/10 Lucio: 13/10 Everyone else: 10/10

Which character could be best described as "tender"?? "Spicy"??? “tender”: Muriel “tender”/“Spicy”: Asra, Portia “Spicy”/”tender”: Julian, Nadia “Spicy”: Lucio

what the favorite Pokemon of all the characters were. Asra - Ekans, Delphox, Espeon Nadia - Noctowl, Gardevoir, Musharna Julian - Absol, Bisharp, Murkrow Portia - Chansey, Politoed, Hoothoot Muriel - Pangoro, Aggron, Wigglytuff Lucio - Houndoom, Pyroar, Skarmory

[sukausotsuki]

Firstly, I wanna say my English is bad. so if you find many mistakes, please correct me.

I have this idea stuck on my brain :

two years which Shinichi need to finally got his normal body back and finally the organization already dead.

he is finally come back to Ran and finally, they are dating.

after gained his normal body, Shinichi told Ran about everything, except about Haibara who was the one made APTX 4869. in the end, Ran never knows Haibara also shrunk and a scientists.

as time passed, day after day, week after week, Ran became suspicious with Shinichi and Haibara relationship because the way they talk didn't seem like a stranger to stranger. somehow it reminds her the way how Conan and Ai-chan talk. but Ran just shrugged it off.

one day when class has ended (they are in college now) Ran and Shinichi walk together and she always listen Shinichi rambling about Ai-chan who always torturing, roasting him, and sometimes don't want to help him with his cases. at first Ran just thought it was normal. but, as time passed, Ran found out that everytime they were walk together, there will always Haibara in their conversation. even though, it most about Shinichi frustration to Haibara that didn't want to cooperate with him.

when Ran, Shinichi and Sonoko hangout together in cafe, they were accidentally saw detective kids hangout together. Sonoko said something like; "hey look! there are detective kids. oh my, I feel pity to Ai-chan. she looks like a single parent now. that bespectacled brat just decided to go and left her. he is still kid but already act like an ass." yes, Sonoko doesn't know the story behind missing Shinichi Kudo.

Ran glance to Shinichi to see what face he made and when she about to ask why, Shinichi already ask Sonoko with irritated and confused face. Sonoko said like : "isn't it obvious? they were always act like an adult and took care those brats. not just like adults, but parents figure to them. sometimes I saw Ai-chan and that bespectacled brat gave them—I don't know? such as advice? heck! they were just children and told advice to children? I can't believe it! and there were times I saw Ai-chan scold that brat to take care those children. wow, what a married couple for young ages!"

Ran finally, finally realized. Conan and Ai-chan were look like parents figure to detective kids. and Ran could conclude that Ai-chan not really a kid. She isn't just normal kid who has genius brain like Shinichi said everytime Ran asked Shinichi how old Ai-chan truly was because that little girl always act indifferent, calm, and not-so-kid-like.

Ran didn't talk about what she found to Shinichi but she is more aware with Shinichi and Haibara talk.

so, the jealousy feel became clear to Ran. and she is afraid that Shinichi might leave her, again. at first Ran thought she shouldn't feel that way to Ai-chan because she just a little girl. a junior high school girl. but now, the possibility Shinichi leave her for someone else might happen.

and something comes up to her mind. Ran also found out that Shinichi bought Ai-chan branded things like Fusae bag, Prada, and everything as a deal for their negotiation. those were simple things that almost she didn't look.

and when Haibara decide to leave Japan and goes to London, Ran heard Shinichi and Haibara had serious talk at Prof. Agasa house. Ran didn't mean to eavesdrop, she just accidentally heard their talk about; "You should have that pill too!" or "Your home is here, why would you go somewhere else?" or "Just stay here. Everyone doesn't want you go." or "You should back to your old body too."

and it click everything to Ran.

Haibara left. Shinichi not seem Shinichi anymore. they relationship became... dull. Ran cried. every love words from Shinichi feel empty. Ran couldn't feel emotion in it.

Shinichi often found himself waiting for Haibara news or her condition.

Shinichi often found himself think about Haibara when he passed by branded store.

Shinichi often found himself think about what present should he gave to that evil-eyes-yawny-girl because that girl really hard to please.

Shinichi often found himself think about Haibara when everyone (ex; Ran, Sonoko, Ayumi, Genta, Mitsuhiko, Prof. Agasa, his parents, even Hattori) found out something that suit for Haibara and think it will cute for her while for him, Haibara never a cute girl in the first place. so how could everyone think she is cute?! Shinichi never know.

Shinichi often found himself waiting for her call just to argue and roasting each other (well, Haibara was the one who always roasted him). and when the call ended, Shinichi felt more relieved than he thought.

Shinichi often found himself feel there is something not enough, less, wrong everytime he tried to close some cases and need help, but Haibara didn't there. Haibara no longer here.

Shinichi never knows how often he found himself think about a certain scientist, except people around him (including Ran).

Shinichi never knows how he hate himself for his inability to protect her when she was dying at another country that he couldn't reach and just remembered that he promised her to protect her.

Shinichi worried sick to know her condition and wanted so bad to go after her, but unfortunately he also made a promise to not go after her. and Shinichi more hate himself.

his relationship with Ran ended bad. he made her cry for thousands times.

Shinichi dissapoint Ran, for thousands times.

for the first time, Shinichi didn't know how to make his-think-love-of-his-life happy, again.

for the first time, Shinichi think about other girl to how to make that girl stay here instead go somewhere he couldn't reach.

for the first time, Shinichi realized. he loves Ai Haibara (or rather Shiho Miyano now) when finally, finally, after feels like centuries to him, he saw that girl. in front of him. in her old body. her strawberry blonde hair reach her shoulder and it made her look stunning. and more importantly, she wore branded things he gave.

took Shinichi ten years to realize everything. if Sonoko never said something like parents figure about Ai Haibara and Conan Edogawa maybe he still believe that he loved Ran.

and Ran discover about something. Shinichi and her were not wife-husband couple which always Sonoko said to them. it was Conan and Ai or Shinichi and Shiho now. Sonoko wrong about that, huh.

Ran discover about something. She learnt that all is fair in love and war. Ran learnt how to accept that she couldn't end up with her childhood friend. Ran learnt no matter how long have you been with him, no matter how much you know about him, it won't always end up with him.

Sonoko once said Shinichi and her look like a couple that won't separated even earth and sky broke down. no one can break their fated strings. but, Sonoko wrong. yes, she is wrong in the first place. because they don't have fated strings in the first place. it ain't for her and Shinichi, the red strings. the red strings for Shinichi and Shiho, the time Shinichi began swallow APTX 4869.

SSKSJSJSJSJ I'M SORRY. I'M SO SAD BECAUSE IT HURT ME SO SO BAD EVEN ALREADY KNOW SHINICHI WON'T END UP WITH SHIHO IN THE FIRST PLACE, BUT OH GOD! JUST PLASE! MAKE A PLOT TWIST AOYAMA-SENSEI 😭 im so dying 😭 actually i really want to make this as a fanfic, but seriously my grammar really bad. im not confident :(

but i just want have a thought where Shinichi need Shiho in his life. Shinichi still love Ran, but not in romantic way. CoAi and ShinShi shippers let's cry together. I don't wanna cry alone!!! 😡😭

and well... I love the thought Shiho/Ai has long hair. idk... she looks stunning with her long hair. I can't help it. I really want to see Shiho/Ai in long curly hair hahahaha.

[pennamesmith]

For Want of a Skeletor

Entrapta hosts a Princess Alliance meeting at the Crypto Castle and absolutely nothing goes wrong. More Skeletor stories!

*

The lights were on late in Dryl. 

Stars shone outside the windows. Entrapta sat hunched over her desk, studying datapads and readouts. A polite cough from the laboratory door caused her to look up from her work.

“Oh! I’m sorry Hordak, did I wake you?”

Her partner stepped softly into the room and shook his head. “Imp did. You know how he gets when either of us take too long to come to bed.” 

Hordak crossed the cluttered floor and joined Entrapta at the desk. He was holding Imp in his arms, and the smaller, winged clone whined plaintively when he saw her. Entrapta kept her screens on, but leaned gratefully into Hordak’s side and curled a tendril of hair around his waist. She yawned, despite herself. 

“I know. I just want to make sure I get everything right before the other princesses come over tomorrow.” She glanced back at the data, nervously tapping her fingertips together. “I’ve never hosted an Alliance meeting before! And this rescue will be our biggest mission since… well, you know. I don’t want to mess anything up.”

Hordak smiled. “Your diligence is admirable. But I also seem to recall someone telling me that imperfections are beautiful.”

Entrapta stuck out her tongue. “No fair.” 

“I’m afraid the science is sound. Come to bed, my dear.” 

The scientist scoffed, but she did not protest when Hordak gathered her up in his arms. She wrapped more of her hair around him, and Imp settled sleepily in the resulting nest. Entrapta could already feel herself drifting. 

“You will be a shining star tomorrow,” Hordak promised, as he carried his family back to rest. 

“Tomorrow,” echoed Imp.

*

The next day saw the Crypto Castle’s largest meeting room filled with princesses, dignitaries, and other honorary Alliance members. While Scorpia and Perfuma admired the tiny refreshments laid out for everyone, Mermista split her time between groaning at Sea Hawk’s boasts and trying every available chair to find the most comfortable one. Glimmer and Bow stepped uneasily around the edges of the room, watching carefully for anything that might be a trap, and Frosta followed their lead. Netossa and Spinnerella tried their best to find a chair Swift Wind could sit in. 

Adora and Catra, wearing increasingly baffled expressions, were conversing with two domestic-looking robots who sat at the head of the table next to Entrapta. One was tall and skinny, and the other wore a welded-on handlebar mustache. 

“Entrapta has parents?” Catra was asking, her face a galaxy of disbelief. 

“Adopted, technically. Or adapted,” the skinnier bot explained. “We’re Entrapta’s parental units. She built us when she was six. You must have seen the painting in the foyer.” 

“Yeah, we’ve been here pretty much the whole time,” the mustachioed model added. “You kids sure made a racket during your last few visits. What was that all about?” 

“Uh,” Adora faltered. 

To her immense relief, Hordak swept into the room at that very moment, flanked by Imp, Emily, and the reprogrammed Horde drone Entrapta had dubbed ‘Skeletor.’ 

“Welcome, everyone,” Hordak boomed, bringing the gathering to a respectful hush. 

“Witless fools! I’m in charge now! And if you know what’s good for you you’ll do as I say!” Skeletor shouted. 

Hordak scowled and shooed the fussing robot away from the table. “Pay no mind to that one,” he grumbled once he’d regained the floor. “Now then. Please allow me the honor of introducing the unparalleled mind who has made this operation possible, Princess Entrapta.” 

“Thank you all for coming!” Entrapta started, while everyone took their seats. “I know you’re all excited about what we’re planning, but there’s still a lot of preparation to do before we can take off. As the chief science officers for this mission, it’s vital that Hordak and I gather as much data on your abilities as possible! Interdimensional travel is severely unpredictable and —” 

“Hold on,” Mermista interrupted. “Exactly how high are the chances of us getting mutated by cosmic space energy or whatever? Because I only want cool mutations, not gross ones.” 

“Maybe thirty, thirty-five percent?” Entrapta guessed. She shrugged. “A lot of this is theoretical. You guys will be like my guinea pigs! By which I mean the small robotic animals in the castle I protect and care for. And experiment on, sometimes.” 

She laughed heartily. Glimmer and Bow shared a nervous glance. Perfuma turned slightly green. 

Entrapta regained her composure and pointed back to the display board. “Ahem. Anyway, the good news is we already know some things about where we’re going! Probably.” She shuffled her notes, gaining confidence as she spoke.

“Before Adora found the Sword of Protection, historians debated ancient records of She-Ra. Some claimed she was called ‘Her-Ra’ and fought for the ‘Power of Grayskull.’ But I theorize that what those archaeologists actually uncovered was evidence of —”

“I have a question!” Frosta yelled. “Will there be hunky guys in the other dimension? I’m asking for a friend.”

“It’s funny you mention that, actually,” Entrapta replied. “Listen, just let me finish and…” 

Unfortunately, anxious impatience had already gripped the assembled Alliance members. They clamored with questions, all talking at the same time. Entrapta shrank back in her seat and pulled her welding mask down, seeming to reach for something under the table. 

Hordak stood up. Just as it looked like he was about to do something violent, a loud alarm sounded and the lights in the room flashed red. 

“Uh-oh.” Entrapta glanced around at the assembled company. “Um, get ready to tuck and roll everybody!”

“Get ready to what?” Mermista cried out, but it was already too late. Multiple trap doors swung open across the meeting room floor, and with flailing limbs and startled shouts the guests were sent tumbling down chutes in every direction. In moments they had all vanished.

“I always feel so much better after doing something bad!” Skeletor cackled. “Now we begin phase two!” 

*

Adora and Catra, who had clung to each other as they fell, landed with a bump in a darkened, underground space. As soon as they arrived, bright lights flickered to life and a huge screen lit up against the wall. 

Entrapta’s face appeared on the monitor, larger than life. “Oh good! You’re alive,” she chirped when she saw the other two. 

Adora clambered to her feet. “Entrapta! What’s going on?” 

The scientist glanced away. “Well, I guess Skeletor didn’t like that we were ignoring him. So he stole my map of the castle and activated the security systems! Which means we’re all lost in the labyrinth until I can catch him. Isn’t that great?” 

“It’s something,” Catra groaned, rubbing her head. 

“Exactly! Now, without my map I can’t come find you. But if you can make it through the traps, the hallway you’re in should take you back to the meeting room. Then you’ll be safe until I can fix things!” 

The screen dimmed again before Catra or Adora could protest. Left with few other options, they turned to get a good look at whatever dangers lay ahead. 

They were standing at one end of a long corridor. Square blocks floated along its length, suspended in midair with anti-gravitational tech. An interrogative punctuation mark flashed on one, while a squat robot with painted-on angry eyebrows shambled slowly back and forth beneath it. 

Catra took it all in. “You have got to be kidding.” 

Adora had already drawn her sword and begun to venture forward. Catra was about to follow her, when something made her ears flick. A suspicious frown crossed her face.

“Hey, Adora!” Catra called. “Listen!” 

“What?” 

Catra pressed her ear to the wall. “There! Do you hear that?” 

“Obviously not,” Adora huffed. “Now stop dawdling, the first puzzle looks pretty easy.” 

Catra stayed where she was. “Hold on a second. This part of the castle feels familiar. I remember walking through here back when, uh, back when it was still Horde territory.” She coughed awkwardly, and then reached up to tilt the frame of a big-eyed kitten painting. “Look!” 

Something clicked and the wall slid open, revealing a new passageway. Distinctive laughter could be heard coming from the other end of it. A purple neon sign reading “Secret Entrance!!!” buzzed to life. 

Adora sighed and rolled her eyes. 

“One time Entrapta had me and Scorpia over for a life-size Snakemen and Ladders game that got a little out of hand,” Catra explained as they entered the tunnel. At the far end there was a brightly lit office; inside, it was filled with laboratory equipment, video monitors, and a humble but dignified desk. 

Hordak was sitting at the desk, in what appeared to be a smaller version of his old Fright Zone throne. It swiveled. Entrapta was sitting on the desk, and she waved as the other couple entered. 

“Myaah! Sleep gas and stun-rays only, my evil minions!” muttered Skeletor, who was busy working the video monitors. On closer inspection, Adora realized that each of them showed some of the other princesses as they traversed the castle labyrinth. 

“Welcome to mission control!” Entrapta sang, spreading her arms wide. “Hordak didn’t think you’d find us, but I had a hypothesis you might.” 

“It was a ruse!” Adora gasped, scandalized. “You’re not lost at all!” 

“You really need to hang out with Entrapta more if that still surprises you,” Catra observed. She looked at the monitors. “Ah, are they gonna be okay?” 

“Better than!” Entrapta sprang off the desk, hanging by her hair as she showed off multiple datapads. “Everyone was getting a little… distracted upstairs, so I just decided to speed things up a teensy bit! The princesses using their powers to escape the maze will let me get all the readings we need, and then we can have a nice little party! I had the baker make tiny cakes.” 

“I made sure Hordak’s doomberry pie was especially tasty!” Skeletor piped up. 

“And it’s all perfectly safe!” Entrapta promised. Discreetly, a ribbon of hair reached out to push a blinking button. On the monitors, Mermista and Sea Hawk were rescued from a robot shark attack by a convenient change of the currents. 

“This is hilarious,” Catra laughed, looking more closely. On one of the screens, Swift Wind was gleefully running loop-de-loops along a curving racetrack. “I think they’re actually having fun in there. Can we stay and watch?” 

“I’m afraid not,” Hordak said. She-Ra’s — and your — assessment is the most important of all. But we’d love to have you over to the castle for dinner soon. Shall we say eight o’clock next week?” 

“That sounds nice!” Adora chimed, before Catra could stop her. 

“Splendid. I’ll cook,” Hordak concluded. Then he pressed a button on his desk, and a trapdoor sent the younger women plummeting through the floor. 

Catra and Adora yelped in surprise, only for their fall to be cut short by an enormous pile of pillows on the level below. They struggled to their feet. Another corridor stretched away in front of them, filled with further challenges. Floating gold coins, each about four feet tall, indicated a pathway. 

“Try not to have too much fun,” Hordak called good-naturedly as the trapdoor slid shut. 

“Use the warp zone! It’s faster!” Entrapta added. 

“Have a nice trip down!” said Skeletor. 

*

Hordak settled back in his chair (it had soft armrests, and a cushion for lumbar support) and watched his partner at work. Entrapta flitted from screen to screen, taking notes and making adjustments. On one display, Bow and Glimmer had met up with Netossa and Spinnerella while navigating a cage minefield. On another, Frosta was making an ice bridge to help Perfuma and Scorpia cross a slow-moving spike trap. 

“I’m sorry you had to use your backup plan. They really are utter fools if they ever doubted your genius,” Hordak mused. 

“Different people have different strengths and weaknesses,” Entrapta replied, without looking up from her work. “And a good scientist collaborates whenever they can! Even if that requires a little creativity sometimes.” 

Hordak nodded. “Fair enough. Nevertheless, I would not blame you if you wished to have nothing more to do with the Princess Alliance. Even their attempts to help you can seem… insensitive. You’re not obligated to forgive that.” 

Skeletor looked up from his control panel and shook a fist. “Don’t you get awfully tired of being a hero all the time? Don’t you ever feel like doing something evil?” 

“They’re trying to be good friends,” Entrapta defended. “And so am I. And if I really did need their help, maybe things would be different. But I’ve got it all under control!” 

She vaulted across the room, flipping switches and turning dials along the way. On the monitors, Perfuma’s fall from a tall platform was gently broken by a sudden anti-gravitational field. 

“Besides, forgiveness isn’t always about the person being forgiven. It’s also about taking back potential energy that was lost.” 

“Did you learn that in my brother’s therapy group?” Hordak asked. 

Entrapta smirked. “Actually, he got it from me.” 

A pleasant ding sounded and Entrapta clapped her hair. “Hooray, everyone made it back! I’ll calculate the high scores and then we can continue the social experiment!” 

“You astonish me every day,” Hordak purred as he rose to follow her. Entrapta put out her hand, and he took it. 

“Wait for me!” Skeletor cried out. “You might get lost by yourself!” 

*

One week later, a much smaller gathering of royals met in Dryl. 

Catra and Adora sat together in one of the Crypto Castle’s least intimidating dining rooms, listening with barely-contained delight as Entrapta’s parental units thoroughly embarrassed their former boss. 

“...And so I said to him, ‘I have charging ports Hordak, can you download raw data offa me?’ Ha! Oh, you shoulda seen his face!” 

Hordak slouched in his chair. “I do not think we need to bore our guests with the details of this particular story,” he protested, feebly. 

“Oh, I’m not bored at all! I want to hear everything,” Catra said. She leaned forward, grinning. “So, was this before or after you hooked him up to the lie detector?” 

Entrapta giggled, and gave Hordak a gentle pat on the shoulder as she reached for another helping of his tiny quiche. All things considered, the night was going surprisingly well. 

It was exactly what Entrapta wanted. 

After dinner, wheeled bots carted away the leftovers and dirty dishes. Hordak poured coffee for himself and Adora, and the parental units retired to wherever it was they lived in the cavernous castle. Entrapta, lost in thought as usual, felt a familiar feline presence approach her. 

“Thank you,” Catra said, sincerely. “Not just for this. For everything. For being so nice all the time. For making this mission happen. It means a lot to me.” 

Entrapta smiled softly. “To me, too. Everyone makes mistakes. It would be a shame not to learn from them when we can.” 

“Did you say something?” Skeletor squawked, suddenly materializing in the doorway. 

Entrapta, unbothered, immediately produced a datapad. “Oh we’re just talking about the big rescue mission! Actually, you should probably take a look at my data, Skeletor. I haven’t told you much yet, and we might need you!” She held the blinking screen out happily. 

Skeletor looked at the datapad. At first he seemed confused; then he boggled as he registered the information in front of him. “Eternia?” he gasped in disbelief. “Grayskull?” 

His voice rose to a fevered pitch. “He-Man!”

For once, Skeletor had no words. He shrieked incomprehensibly instead, fists shaking. 

Hordak chuckled. “It’ll be just like the old days!” 

Skeletor screamed.