#bookworm blue strikes again

[constantfragmentation]

TWO MASKS

Okay kids. Here it is.

Regency Silco One-shot request by @popoisatan

TWO MASKS on AO3

Rating: Explicit

Silco/Reader Silco/You

Regency Silco AU

You are the daughter of a wealthy councilman. A bookworm and blue-stocking that isn't interested in marrying or interacting with the dull and pretentious people in Piltover society. Your father unable to marry you in the past two seasons, decides to throw a masquerade ball, looking for a husband for his only child.

The problem is, she meets a shadowy figure from the Underground and everything changes.

Here is a quick snippet:

A low chuckle emanated from the shadows and forced a little yelp from your throat as you lost your balance and gripped the stone to keep from falling over the edge. The moon's rays outlined a man leaning against the corner of the balcony.

He looked like the devil himself, draped in black from head to toe. Beneath the mask, one of his eyes glowed, and you wondered if he wasn't a demon sent to punish you for defying your father.

Pushing yourself back, forgetting about the dance card sticking out of the plant, the ribbons swaying in the breeze, you found your footing once more.

"Declare yourself, sir," your voice attempting some self-preservation.

The man smirked, striking a match to light a cigar. The embers flamed until he drew in the smoke, letting it billow in the hazy light. Long, slender fingers elegantly twirled the tobacco as your eyes followed the glowing tip until it raised to his mouth again.

Straightening your shoulders, your chin jutted in authority. You might not be the lady of the house, but it was still yours, and this man was a guest intruding on your privacy.

"I must ask you to leave, sir."

"Why? I was here first," he replied. "You leave."

The arrogance! You gestured him to the french doors.

"I came out here for some privacy if you don't mind."

"Ah, so did I," he remarked, a smile threatening to emerge. "And, I do mind."

[huffle-dork]

Swap Beyond the Crystalverse Chapter 1: Swap/Bad End Revisited

Co-written with @crystalninjaphoenix Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs

Other Multiverse Stories: SITCV | SATCV | GITHV

Alt, Bro and Oliver are all in Alt’s old apartment before he moved in with Bro. The big area has been cleared of all the TVs and stolen goods- and instead has been padded with mats and supplies for training. Punching bags and equipment for them to learn to fight with. They even have wooden swords and targets with dummy arrows- just in case they felt nostalgic for the medieval world. 

It’s been a couple months since they all returned from their last adventure. Alt had been putting his nose to the books, trying to learn more about Glitches, theories of multiverses and working on his magic. But, a 1-2 months could only get him so far. Bro wanted to try to keep them both sharp while they waited- even Jackie wanted a better place to practice things. So they converted Alt’s old place into this training space. 

Oliver is sitting on the window sill, watching Alt and Bro trade blows. A med kit sits next to him, just in case.

Alt ducks and rolls away from a punch Bro sends into the ground. 

Bro grins and nods, “Good one!” 

Alt pants and wipes sweat off his face, “How are you not exhausted??” 

“Hero stamina, baby bro!” Bro laughs, patting his chest. “That’s why we’re doing this more! We gotta build yours up too!” 

“I-I need to be studying more magic-“ Alt mutters and then glitches out of the way of another blow. 

“You also need to get out and move, Alt, magic or not.” Oliver gently reminds him, “Sitting in a dark room everyday hunched over books isn’t good for you!” 

“Yeah, listen to Ol! He knows what’s he’s talking about!” Bro grins. 

Alt rolls his eyes. “I don’t really see how trying to get me to fight like you is helping…” 

“You never know, dude! You could face something that like- takes your glitches or magic away! You can’t rely on it forever- “ 

“Says you…” Alt smirks, “I’m a Glitch, remember? I’ll just bend the rules around~!” 

Bro can’t help but shiver a bit at this but he tries to shake it off, “It’s still good practice! Glitch or no- you gotta get your blood pumping, bookworm!” He goes to strike again and Alt blocks his punch with both of his arms then throws him back with a little zap. Alt grins as he watches Bro stumble, his blue green eyes sparking a bit. 

And then--there's another zapping sound. A bit of green electricity appears out of nowhere at the edge of the room. It zips through the air, leaving behind a black line, hanging unsupported by anything. The line opens up, becoming a wide rip--a wide rift. And out of the darkness steps a man wearing mostly black, with a green scarf and an eye-patch hiding his right eye. He looks around the room, taking in all the details. "Impressive set-up," Anti says.

Alt glitches back in surprise. Oliver nearly falls off the ledge, “what that hell?? Hello??” 

Bro turns around then grins brightly, “Anti! Wassup??” 

Alt’s eyes widen as he straightens up, “…i-is it time?”

Anti looks back at the Brodys and nods. "If you want it to be time, it's time. I don't want to rush you. But sooner would be better. You'll probably want to call your friends and such."

Alt’s eyes narrow in determination towards Anti, magic sparking around him. “Y-Yes! We’re ready!” 

“Uh- I’m not??” Bro raises his hand, “I mean I’m okay if we go now but if it’s not an immediate rush then like… I wanna change out of these sweaty clothes at least.” Bro also points a thumb back at Alt, “I’m also not like Alt’s who’s had a bag ready for months, just in case.” 

Alt flushes bright red, “Chase! C-C’mon man!”

"Heh." Anti grins. "Really? A bag ready? That's... fun." He glitches over to the wall, leaning against it. 

Alt blushes even more, “L-Look last time I didn’t have my spell books or-or our bracelets and I-I need fuel especially if we’re gonna be glitching at all so that needs to be stocked and Oli, Jackie and Dr. J would throw a fit if I didn’t bring first aid and-“ 

Bro laughs and claps Alt on that back. “Relax bro! I was just teasing- lemme just get changed okay?” 

"Well, like I said, you'll probably want to take care of things. Go on. I can wait." Anti says. The edges of the rift crackle with green electricity and it shrinks until it's barely big enough to stick your arm through. 

Bro grabs the bag he brought with his spare clothes then hurries down stairs, “I won’t be long!” 

Anti looks up at Oliver. He blinks. "...Oliver, right? Or is it just Google here?" 

Oliver blinks in confusion, “Um- what? T-That’s a nickname for my brother but uh-“ He looks to Alt for context but Alt just shrugs, shaking his head. He’s only met one other Ollie. 

"Where I'm from, there are four... brothers... all called Google. They're friends of a friend. You look like them."

Oliver blinks back at Anti, “O-Oh! Huh… n-never thought me and my brothers would be in… these things. But I guess if it’s a multiverse- that makes sense.” He laughs, “Imagine calling all of us the googles- Griffin would be so mad about that.” Then the nurse tilts his head at Anti and kicks his feet slightly. “So, uh… Anti. What is it exactly that you’re taking Alt and Bro away for again? They’ve tried to tell me but… I dunno- it’d be nice to hear from the person they’re going with.” 

Anti nods. "We're going to find the pieces of a device called a TRVLR. When it broke they got scattered across different worlds. I think that all of us working together will be faster than just me." He glances back at Alt. "Though... we'll have to stop by Sam's world first, to get the rest of the parts I've already collected. Don't worry--a lot's happened since they were last there. They won't have to worry about that Anti attacking them." Then back to Oliver. "Once we get the TRVLR together, we'll have to track down the person who broke it. Another version of me. But we don't have to do that right away... probably." 

“Oh… right- that… doesn’t sound so bad…” Oliver says, biting his lip a bit in worry.” 

Alt had headed over to the corner and has been changing into his other clothes while they talk. Mostly just changing his shirt and putting on an oversized short sleeved hoodie with different patterned long sleeves. He ruffles his hair as he walks over, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He tried to smile at Oliver. “Don’t worry Ols, we’re used to this kinda stuff. I’m sure this will be a breeze.” 

Oliver huffs out of his nose and crosses his arms, “Yeah- but every time you go on these things… you come back hurt…”

Anti stares at Oliver silently for a moment. Then, a bit after the moment starts to get uncomfortable, he says, "I'm coming with them too. I can help protect them. Not that they'll need it, of course." 

Alt looks at Oliver with worry and opens his mouth to say something but Anti says something instead. So he just grins nervously. “S-See Ol? We’ll be fine.” Oliver frowns, not looking any less worried. 

Anti looks over at Alt. "Did you hear what I told your Oliver here? We'll have to go back to Sam's world first. There's no more corrupted, though. And we won't be there long."

Alt can’t help but freeze a bit as he hears this but he nods, “No more corrupted huh? That’s… that’s good.” He holds onto his arm, rubbing at the back of his hand��� as if he can still feel the burning of the corruption there. 

After a few more minutes, Bro hurries back up the stairs. “Sorry! I’m good!” As usual- he’s wearing some off-brand bootleg stuff of his own hero merch, a big cozy hoodie version, ripped jeans and sneakers, with a slick half collar tank top with the eye logo on it. He fiddles with his utility belt- his mask pushed up into his hair, making it shimmer halfway between green and brown. “I texted the lads but uh- how long do you think we’ll be gone this time?”

"Hard to tell," Anti says. "One of the universes is a bit lacking in technology. But hopefully Sam will be able to drop us close to where the TRVLR parts are." He pauses, thinking it out. "Four days, maybe. But time is inconsistent, of course."

“Okay… four days… could be worse! I’ll let them know.” Bro says, pulling out his phone to text them. 

Oliver fidgets a bit at this and then finally jumps off the windowsill and grabs Alt’s hand, “Alt, let’s talk over here real quick!”

“Oli what are you- agh!” Alt gets tugged to one of the corners. Alt frowns at him. “Oliver… What's wrong? It’s… better this time right? We’re not just… disappearing without a trace.” 

“I know I know I just…” Oliver bites his lip, “I can’t help but worry! Especially after last time when you got a concussion and didn’t even tell anyone and-“ he stops in his ramblings and sighs, holding both of Alt’s hands in his own. “…I know I can’t stop you… I know you need to do this… I just… you all went through so much last time.” He hesitates then runs a hand against Alt’s jaw, tracing the very faint scar there. Alt leans slightly into it and closes his eyes before looking back. “…I want you to try to stay safe and… look I… I know you’ll be okay but j-just in case I have something I’ve been wanting to give you and just- now feels like a good time!” 

He lets go of Alt’s hands, leaving Alt to blink in confusion as Oliver digs around in his duffel bag of supplies. He pulls out a box and then opens it and takes out what’s inside- handing it to Alt. “…I asked Blaise what good charms she had in her shop for you… for l-luck and protection even if I don’t.. f-fully understand. She said this was… indicative of your magic.” He holds out a necklace on a thick black leather chain with a sliver chaos star charm. 

Alt’s eyes widen as he gently takes the necklace. “O-Oli…” 

“J-Just- use this to… to promise me you won’t do anything d-dumb… and you can use it to think of m- u-us! Us… if you need to. Everyone who’s waiting for you to come back… s-since all those worlds… gotta make this place feel k-kinda boring, huh?” Oliver says timidly, looking away. 

Alt’s face drops and then he looks nervous, cheeks flushing as he pulls in Oliver for a quick kiss. His face is super red but he just whispers. “Never… We’ll come home… I promise.” He slips the necklace on and gives Oliver a weak smile. 

Oliver smiles back, cheeks flushing as he squeezes Alt’s hand. “…Good. Y-you better.” 

Bro blinks at the two of them exchanging stuff- then can’t help but smile dopily at them. He chuckles and walks over to Anti. “Guess they need another minute… wonder if I should pop by to say bye to Stacy…”

Anti also watches, more fascinated than anything. So this is what a version of him who was into romance would act like. He'd only ever met ones who didn't care for it. That didn't mean they were all heartless of course... even though many were. He shakes himself out of it and looks over at Bro. "That depends. If she tried to text you or call you during this absence, would she shrug it off and wait or get worried? If she would get worried, you should probably at least send her a message explaining it."

“Mmm… she knows about my hero stuff now… but m-maybe I should pop by…” Bro says nervously, “But I uh… haven’t really explained like.. magic and the rifts…. And I don’t want to delay us more… I’ll just explain to her I’m out on a mission…” he says hurriedly and sends her a text, his own cheeks kinda red. 

Alt and Oliver kinda just stare at each other for a second before Alt coughs and looks away and Oliver does too. “T-Thank you… for the gift. I-I’m sure it’ll help and well… I-It’s nice to have a… a piece of you.” 

Oliver giggles, “Sap-“ 

“Hey! you were first-!” Alt laughs. 

Oliver pulls him in by his shirt and kisses his cheek. Then, he pushes him towards Anti and Bro. “…go on- you got multiverses to try to go save, right?” He smiles. 

Alt touches his cheek and flushes more but he nods. “Y-Yeah…” 

“Hurry up before I decide to keep you~“ Oliver says with a cheeky smirk. 

“R-Right!” Alt glitches over to the others, hiding his face somewhat in his mask and now fiddling with his new necklace. “S-Sorry! Ready-“

Anti tilts his head, looking faintly amused at all this. But he doesn't say anything. "Alright, we can head on out then." He turns towards the small rift. That green lightning appears around its edges and it grows larger once more until it's big enough to step through.

Oliver watches with awe as it opens back up but keeps his distance. 

Alt hoists his bag onto his back and straightens up. “Alright- let’s do this.” Then he blinks and looks to Oliver, “Oh Ols! Y-You’ll take care of Glitches right??” 

“Of course, you doof!” Oliver laughs. Alt laughs too. 

Bro finishes typing up his message and puts his phone away. “Alright! Let’s do this! Bye Oliver!” 

Alt smiles and waves, “Bye. Be back soon… promise.” 

Oliver smiles and waves them off as the Brody bros step through the rift.

Anti nods back at him as he steps through right after. And then, with that, the rift disappears, leaving no sign it was ever there.

—————

Walking through a rift isn't the same as being pulled into one. Bro feels a jolt, like he stepped down a curb when he wasn't expecting it, and everything grows dark with the hint of the green light usually found in the space in-between. Then, sensation returns. 

He is standing in what looks like a cafeteria of some kind. There are rectangular tables lined up, and up against one wall are counters with food. And not only that. There are appliances like mini-fridges and camping stoves. White lights in the ceiling light up the area, but... they don't look like traditional fluorescent lights. There's something off about them. Honestly, this whole place looks weirdly temporary.

Bro stumbles a bit and catches himself as he steps into the new area. He looks around a bit in confusion- especially since Alt and Anti aren’t there. Man- it’s been a while since they were immediately separated. But, he’s not too worried about it.

"Chase? When did you get here?" an accented voice asks. The question comes from one of the tables--the only one currently occupied. 

There are three men sitting there, each with a mug, and a teapot and coffee pot in the space between them. One man is wearing glasses and a pale blue sweater, some yarn bracelets on his arms. Strange branching scars crawl up the left side of his face. Another is wearing a yellow button-up with overlong sleeves. He has a mustache. The last is wearing a maroon sweater with the words Stay Strong printed on it in white. His hair is short around the edges but a bit longer on top, slightly covering the raised scars lining the upper half of his face. 

Bro jolts a bit as he hears his name and then he grins awkwardly and raises a hand in a wave, “Oh uh hi! Not… not the Chase you know uh sorry- um… I- didn’t meet any of you guys last time-“

The man with the yarn bracelets blinks. "Last time...?" 

The man with the mustache gasps slightly. He nodded, and looks at Bro in recognition. Of course! You're that Chase from another world! 

"Huh?" The man with the scarred face looks at him. "You remember him?" 

I do, but it sounds like he doesn't remember me. Which... makes sense. I wasn't really there. The mustached man waves. I'm Jameson. This is Henrik and Marvin. But... I assume you know that? I think we're all your friends in your world, yes? 

Bro’s eyes widen a bit as he takes in Jameson’s face. “Oh- Oh you were… you were the one that… that Anti used to-“ 

JJ nods. Don't worry about it. I know what you mean. 

Bro swallows nervously then tries to smile. “Well, N-Nice to officially meet all of you. I wondered if that’s who you guys were but uh- s-sometimes it’s hard to tell.” 

Henrik pulls on his bracelets. "Ah, right. Of course you are not our Chase. You look... um... more... fit?" 

Marvin laughs into his mug. "Be glad Chase didn't hear you say that." 

"Well it is true." 

Bro laughs a bit more at the comment, “Yeah I get that a lot… but I think he even realized that when we met.”

Marvin laughs some more and put his tea down. "Alright. So... you're the Chase from another world. Nice to officially meet you, too." His smile falls into something more serious. "What are you doing here?" 

"Do not be rude, Marvin," Schneep says. 

"Oh. Sorry, didn't mean to be." Marvin looks a bit embarrassed. "But—last time you came—with that other Anti and that other Jackie and that fucking..." He goes a bit pale, and doesn't mention Magnificent by name. "Last time you all came here, you were lost or something, right? Are you... still lost?" 

"And those others, are they with you, too?" Schneep adds.

“Mag isn’t here,” Bro says hurriedly, “Just me and my brother and our friend, Anti. I think he said we’re just here to see Sam and pick up supplies!”

"There are two Antis where you come from?!" Marvin blurts out. 

I'm sure that's not it, Jameson says

Bro laughs, “No just the one! Other Anti is from another world- he’s like- pretty powerful though so he’s helping us find our device that got broken that we used to travel between worlds. We gotta… find another anti and… try to stop him from doing something… bad.” 

Oh, you want to see Sam? I don't know where They are right now... 

"If They are in camp, They will be at Jack's tent," Schneep says. "Ooooh, should we tell our Chase that this Chase is here?" 

He and Stacy might be with the kids, though, JJ says.

Bro tilts his head, “Same camp as last time? …I wanna say I know where that is but then I’d probably just get myself lost-“

"Oh right!" Henrik nods. "Last time you appeared, the resistance was still in the caverns. Well, that has changed since then." 

"God, the time loop was still in effect, too," Marvin mutters. "That's also been fixed since then. In fact... a lot's been fixed. Though we, uh, still have problems." 

“Oh fuck I forgot you guys were in one of those! We didn’t stay long enough to really… feel that though-“ Bro says sheepishly.

Henrik stands up, smiling a little. "Do you want to see the camp?" He points at a set of double doors. 

JJ sighs. I suppose we're cutting tea time short, then. I'll clean up. 

Bro waves his hands a bit, “Oh I didn’t mean to interrupt! You guys can finish, I'm chill!”

JJ blinks. Are you sure? 

Schneep sits down. "We could finish our drinks, then. I'm sure there is no risk. The camp is very safe, ever since we drove Iris out." 

JJ nods slowly. Would you like a drink then, Chase? We have mint tea and coffee.

“Oh I’d love a coffee-“ Bro smiles and goes to sit down, even if he feels a bit awkward. “…did you guys say IRIS?”

Schneep gets up to grab an extra mug. "Yes--Iris Hopkins, the fucking.... worst." 

Marvin swirls his mug of tea like it's a glass of wine or brandy. "Fucking worst. She's a magician. Used to be on the Réalta Council which is... apparently? The magician government?" He shakes his head. "Anyway, she did some shitty things, so they kicked her out of camp. Now she's on the run somewhere in the city." 

“Oh.. they’re a person- okay,” Bro says, looking a bit relieved. “I’ve heard that name with like a pretty fucked up company so… got worried there for a second. Glad you all drove her out! She sounds like bad news.” 

Schneep returns and pours the coffee pot into the mug. "Here you are." 

Bro looks up at Schneep and gratefully takes the coffee, “Thanks!”

JJ nods. Very bad news. Sam says she likes to push the borders of magic. 

"I got locked in a room overnight once," Marvin mutters into his tea. "Jack had to uncorrupt me before she agreed to let me out, even though Cat was no threat to anyone."

“What?? Jesus that’s… that’s awful-“ Bro gasps. “That’s… Jesus-“ He shakes his head. “You’d think she’d have some kind of empathy if you weren’t a threat…”

"Yeah, you'd think that, wouldn't you?" Marvin says. 

She's who we're dealing with now that Anti is... no longer the center of corruption, JJ says. 

"But we have not seen her in some time, so it is all fine!" Schneep says.

“Yeah our Anti told us the corruption is gone… so… Anti is… what’s his deal now, then?” Bro tries to say casually, but his fingers dig into his mug, a bit of anger bubbling deep in his gut. 

"Anyway--you probably have to find your friends, yes? Your Antis?" Schneep says hurriedly. 

Bro blinks then smiles a bit at Schneep and nods, “Yeah uh- we have a lot of places to visit I think… but you know- …coffee.” He says with a small chuckle as he takes a big sip.

"Coffee." Schneep nods understandingly. "I have forgotten much, but I never forgot the sweet taste of coffee." 

Sweet? It's rather bitter, I'd say, JJ says jokingly. 

Neither of them had addressed Bro's question about Anti. After taking a big drink of his tea, Marvin mutters, "Anti got more than he deserved. By which I mean... more mercy than he deserved. But apparently it was necessary, because of how he and Jack are linked."

Bro’s expression darkens, gripping his mug tighter, threatening to crush it. “…is that so?” Dangerous light flickers in his eyes. Like the first sight of lightning before a storm starts.

JJ puts a hand on his arm. Breathe, he says. And don't break the mug—it's communal. 

Bro blinks as if he wasn’t aware of what he was doing and looks down at the mug, carefully letting go. “Oh- r-right, sorry…” 

"Trust me, I know how you feel," Marvin says. "But... this is how it is." 

"Anti is... actually... trying to be... not bad," Schneep says slowly. "Though clearly, he is not going to win back hearts."

Bro nods to the others, his expression still somewhat stormy. “I guess… he’s only still around because of Jack. Still… doesn’t seem fair to all of you- to have to see him.”

"Oh, I'm not seeing him if I can help it," Marvin says. "I don't know how these two are okay with... being there." 

JJ shrugs. It's not worth ruining the peace to me. 

Schneep is thoughtfully silent. He finishes off his coffee.

Bro follows Schneep’s lead, downing the last of his like a shot. “Well uh- thanks for filling me in. This is all good to know… I should really go find Alt…”

We'll go with you, JJ signs. 

"Yeah, I'd... like to see Alt... again," Marvin says awkwardly. 

Bro smiles, “I’m sure Alt will be happy to see you all alright… I remember him uh… talking about what… happened to you. It really affected him…” 

Marvin nods slowly. He subconsciously rubs his neck. JJ puts a hand on his shoulder. 

"I will put the cups away, then we will go," Schneep says, standing up. 

Bro gets up to help. Hopefully Alt hasn’t run into any trouble… 

----------- 

After a jolt, Alt appears in a grassy field. Surrounding him are some temporary-looking buildings and round, colorful tents—a campground, of some kind. The sun hangs in the sky in its afternoon position, a few wispy clouds drifting across the blue expanse but not enough to dull the sunlight. There are some people wandering about. They all give him a second look, surprised to see him... but no one approaches him.

Alt blinks at the appearance of the field. So much different than what he dealt with last time. He looks around, wandering towards some of the tents. Guess… it was time to try to find Sam, right? He plays with his necklace as he goes- already finding it comfortable to fidget with.

As he walks past a green tent, the flap unzips and someone starts walking out—almost running right into Alt. "Oh, sorry!" The man backs away. "I didn't see you. Are you here to see..." He trails off. "You're not Chase." The man is wearing a blue t-shirt with a cloud pattern on it, a red hoodie tied around his waist. Many scars marr his arms, all of them unnaturally straight lines.

Alt glitches back in surprise, “No, I-I wasn’t watching where I was…” He trails off as he takes in the sight of the other man and his eyes widen as he scrambles back a bit more. “Y-You’re - you were E-Error…!”

Jackie's eyes widen. "A-Alt?!" He also backs up. "I—you—what're you—I-I um—" He looks nearly as panicked as Alt is. 

Alt tries to keep his breathing under control- because clearly Jackie isn’t Error anymore! But he sees- he sees him leaving with Anti- abandoning him as the corruption ate him alive.

There's a slight green glow in the tent behind them. A small golfball-sized green eye slips past Jackie, where it then grows bigger, to soccer-ball size. {ALT!} Sam says cheerfully.

Alt swallows shakily and then glitches again in surprise but relaxes at seeing Sam. “S-Sam! Hi…!” He grins nervously.

Sam tilts to the side, like an animal cocking their head. {ALT... I UNDERSTAND YOUR FEELINGS.} Their mental voice is soft, gentle. {BUT JACKIE IS NOT THE SAME. HE HAS GONE THROUGH A LOT AS WELL. YOU DO NOT NEED TO FORGIVE HIM, BUT REMEMBER THAT.} 

"I... I can... leave," Jackie says slowly. "I just... th-thought I would... get Jack something from the cafeteria..." He can't look away from Alt.

Alt winces a bit at Sam reading his feelings. But soon enough he shakes his head, “n-No it’s… it’s fine. Y-You were… you weren’t you… then.” He tries to laugh but it comes out forced. “and you had it w-way worse than I… I did.”

Jackie nods slowly. "O...kay. Yeah. I... I really am... so sorry. I'm... so sorry." 

“It’s okay… really.” Alt says sincerely. 

"Jackie?" A voice comes from inside the tent. "Who are you talking to?" 

"Uh..." Jackie glances back over his shoulder. "Do you... remember Alt? Did you see him?" 

"Do I remember—oh, I'll never forget Alt—wait, is he here?!" There's a shuffling noise. 

"Jack no, be careful!" Jackie hurries back into the tent.

Alt perks up and then smiles brightly at the sound of Jack’s voice. “J-Jack?!” He blinks in confusion at Jackie’s reaction then glitches inside after him.

There's some furniture inside the tent. The central area has a circular table with two chairs, then there are two alcoves to either side--one with a twin-sized bed with a metal frame, the other with a series of cubbyholes that have various things inside--a couple card sets, puzzles, and folded clothes. Jack is sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing a white hoodie and gray pants. He looks a bit thinner and paler than the form Alt saw last time... but he's solid. He has a physical body. Jackie is standing nearby, holding a pair of arm crutches out to Jack. 

"Alt! Hey!" Jack waves at him cheerfully. "Oh my god, it's good to see you!"

Alt’s expression brightens as he sees Jack. “Y-You’re awake…!” He gasps and glitches over. “God- it’s good to see you too, dude!”

Jack laughs. "It's good to see you too! Hey, is it okay if I hug you?" 

"Be careful, Jack," Jackie says. 

"C'mon, I'm not gonna shatter if he hugs me."

Alt laughs and nods, “Y-Yeah of course!” He glitches a bit closer, hesitates for just a second then goes to hug Jack.

Jack hugs him back as tightly as possible. "God--I missed hugs," he says, and laughs a little. 

Alt laughs and smiles warmly. “I’m… really happy to see you’re okay…”

As they pull away, Jack asks, "What are you doing back here?" 

{THE THREE OF THEM ARE HERE FOR THIS.} Sam flies over to the cubbyholes, landing in one near the top.

Alt blinks and looks to where Sam is going. “Oh yeah! Sam has parts of the TRVLR… it got destroyed so we’re going to go look for all the missing pieces.”

"Right, your device." Jack nods. "Sam said something about keeping an eye out for things a lot recently..." 

Jackie walks over to the cubbyhole and grabs the things in the cubby where Sam landed, bringing it back to the table. There's a plastic bag full of computer-y parts, a small clutch of some kind made of slick black fabric, and three small items. Meanwhile, Jack straps on the arm crutches Jackie left by the bed and walks over to the table. 

{THE TRVLR IS NEARLY COMPLETE,} Sam says. {THERE ARE ONLY EIGHT PARTS LEFT, BUT THEY ARE THE MOST ESSENTIAL PARTS.}

Alt’s eyes widen as he glitches over to the table. “Woah! You found so much- honesty I thought we’d have to find a lot more!”

{THE GOOD GLITCH HAS BEEN A GREAT HELP,} Sam says. 

"What're those?" Jack indicates the three small items. They're orbs made of glass, designed to look like eyes with green scleras and blue irises. The pupil is the size of a fingerprint, slightly indented. 

{THEY ARE TO HELP FIND THE PIECES,} Sam says. {TRACKERS, OF SORTS.}

“Ohh! Neat!” Alt grins, picking up one to look at. Then he looks at the fabric clutch. “And what’s this?”

{WATERPROOF BAG,} Sam explains. {TO PROTECT THE TRVLR PARTS.} 

Jack raises an eyebrow. "Going somewhere with lots of water, then?" 

{OH, I AM NOT GOING. BUT YES, ALT, BRO, AND ANTI WILL FIND A WORLD WITH A GREAT OCEAN.}

“…one we’ve been to before or- somewhere else?” Alt asks, blinking back at Sam. He starts to take the TRVLR parts and puts the plastic bag inside the fabric one.

{YOU WILL ONLY BE VISITING TWO WORLDS WHICH YOU'VE BEEN TO BEFORE,} Sam says. {THE FIRST OF WHICH, YOU WILL MEET UP WITH THE HENRIK WHO GOT CAUGHT IN YOUR LAST JOURNEY. THE SECOND OF WHICH... WELL, YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO TRANSFORM INTO MERPEOPLE.} 

“So somewhere new,” Alt laughs. “That was a really round about way of answering that.” 

"You went to a world where you turned into merpeople?!" Jack gasps. 

"They what?!" Jackie's eyes widen.

Alt blinks then grins, “We’ve been to two worlds where we got to do that! One was in the far off future on an alien planet with really weird fish but they had like- mermen alien fish hybrids so we got to be some of those. Then- once we landed in a world where actual mermen existed too! Honestly it was really cool,” Alt laughs. “I got to practice some cool spells to make it happen!”

"Whoa..." Jackie whistles, impressed. "I don't think Marvin could do that. Don't tell him I said that, though." 

"Alien planet with weird fish? That sounds cool!" Jack says. "So... you need to meet up with your brother and this other Anti, right? Sam, do you know where they are?" 

{ALL THREE LANDED IN THIS CAMP,} Sam says. {I BELIEVE THEY WILL MAKE THEIR WAY HERE. YOU DO NOT NEED TO MOVE.} 

Jack sighs. "Yeah... probably for the best." He looks at Alt. "Turns out, having your body in a coma for years has some side effects. But we'll take what we can get. Better than being ghosts."

Alt looks relived the others aren’t far. “Well if they’re on their way here then- I don’t mind keeping you company.” He says with a shy smile. “Maybe you guys can… catch me up? Seems like a lot has happened since we were here last!”

"Oh you have no idea." Jack sits down at the table. Jackie hovers nearby. 

"Uh... short version. Surgeon left the Place where Anti was keeping him. But unfortunately the tradeoff was the cave where the resistance was hiding was found. But in the escape I managed to uncorrupt JJ. Then, turns out, this camp was here the whole time--this place is run by magicians, turns out there's more of them than just Marvin and Raven, hah. So we all came here. I uncorrupted Schneep. Then this group of other magicians led by a woman named Iris arrived--turns out she was secretly doing shady magical shit. We got Cat out of the Place by tricking Anti into thinking we were somewhere else. I uncorrupted him, he's Marvin again. Anti then freaked out, and..." He glances at Jackie. 

"He... really held onto Error tightly," Jackie says slowly. "Ended up... fucking with my head enough that I wanted to leave, even in that state." 

"So I uncorrupted him, then," Jack says. 

Alt listens carefully to the story, nodding along. He seems relieved to hear that Marvin is no longer Cat. Then, He looks sympathetic towards Jackie when they explain about Error. 

"Then uh... the Place kind of... became part of the world? And the corruption... became its own thing? And started controlling Anti?" Jack continues. 

"That part will probably take a little more explaining," Jackie mutters. 

"That whole thing made Anti start to reconsider shit," Jack says. "That, and some of the voices--holy shit, you don't even know about the voices, uh... that's a long story too. But to sum it up, I went into Anti's mind and got rid of the corruption, but as a result... we both... returned to this body." Jack pauses. "Anti is... in here." He taps the side of his head. "He's... asleep right now, though."

Alt’s eyes widen as he hears about the corruption. Then, at Jack’s last statement, he inhales sharply and glitches back. “H-He’s what?!” He squeaks, turning a bit pale.

Jack winces. “Yeah no I expected that reaction. Don’t worry, he’s not gonna pop out or anything. He only wakes up once I fall asleep, and I’m not planning on doing that anytime soon. A-and even if something happened, he’s not… going to… H-he doesn’t hurt people anymore. Or, he’s trying not to. And the corruption is gone anyway…”

Alt slowly relaxes- even if he still looks wary. “Oh uh… o-okay. If you say it’s nothing to worry about… I-I trust you.”

Jack lets out a breath. “Yeah… it’s uh… really awkward, given… everything that happened.” 

“Understatement,” Jackie comments. 

“Everyone’s keeping an eye on him, but he’s really not gonna try anything,” Jack continues. “Besides, we both lost a lot of our powers once we got our body back, so he couldn’t if he wanted to.” 

Alt nods, giving Jack a weary smile. 

“Oh, I can do some party tricks, though. Jackie, hand me the tablet.” 

Jackie picks up a small tablet—like an iPad, but slightly different—from the bed, and walks over to hand it to Jack. He props it up so Alt can see the screen. A bit of static flickers across it as Jack opens and closes some apps just by concentrating. YouTube, some idle matching game, an art program that’s currently on some drawing with a lot of red splatters—which Jack closes quicker than the rest. “See? This is the most we can do now.”

Alt blinks a bit- impressed. “hey- that’s pretty neat!“ he laughs.

“Really?” Jack brightens. “I mean—I know you can probably do a lot more with your like electric magic but I’m really proud that I’ve managed to do this, it’s taken some practice—” 

“Ha I can’t do anything like that! So I think it’s pretty cool!” Alt laughs. 

Then suddenly, there’s the sound of static. Anti—the green scarf wearing, eye-patch’d Anti—appears inside the tent near the entrance. 

“Jesus fucking christ!” Jackie jumps in surprise.

Alt glitches a bit in surprise but quickly recovers, “Oh hey Anti! You gotta give these poor guys a warning or something-“

“Sorry,” Anti says to Jackie. “And sorry I’m a bit late, Sam. I showed up right next to this world’s Chase and Stacy, had to convince them I wasn’t this Anti who’d suddenly escaped his body. I think they’re coming here to check.” 

“Oh yeah- that’d probably freak them out,” Alt laughs nervously.

“Oh. Cooooool.” Jackie nods slowly, still looking a bit rattled. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a box of BandAids, applying one to a cut that’s suddenly on his arm. 

{ALT’S BROTHER IS HEADING THIS WAY AS WELL,} Sam says.

Alt blinks at Jackie a bit in confusion. Then brightens as he hears Bro is on his way. “oh good!”

Anti glitches over to the table--surprising Jack in the process--and picks up one of the glass eye trackers. "Did you explain to him how this works?" 

{I FIGURED IT WOULD BE EASIER TO EXPLAIN WHILE THEY'RE BOTH HERE,} Sam says. 

"Fair enough." Anti pockets the glass eye. He then looks at Jack. And seems to freeze. "...Hi... Jack." 

"H-hi?" Jack gives a little wave and laughs. "This is so weird."

Jackie notices Alt's confusion from the bandaid and looks away, seeming somehow ashamed. 

Alt looks even more confused- and now concerned. He glitches over and he hesitates before asking, “…you okay?”

Jackie jumps slightly. His eyes dart around a little. "I... don't want to freak you out." 

“You won’t, it’s okay-“ Alt tries to say gently.

Jackie hesitates... then nods slowly. "The... the glitches. You probably remember Error's glitches. They're... still around. Meaning... there's still a bit of corruption in me." He whispers that, eyes wide with panic. "I-I don't think it's affecting my brain. But... the glitches are still there."

Alt doesn’t look too freaked out- he looks more worried than anything. “O-oh… I’m so sorry Jackie… t-that must be really hard…” he glances over at Jack and Anti, “…I’m guessing Jack can’t help anymore, huh?”

Jackie shakes his head. "He tried. We uh... did this spell to go into my mind to check on things. It's... If there's some way to get it out, we can't figure it out." He gives a small smile. "But on the bright side... no one else has any left in them. Just me."

Alt’s eyebrows furrow, “…that’s still not something you should have to deal with… that really sucks. I… I wish I knew how to help…”

Jackie smiles. "Thanks. It's okay, we'll figure it out eventually. It'll just take a while. Besides... sounds like you guys have something else to work on, right?" He glances towards the tent entrance. 

Alt chuckles, “Yeah… we got a pretty big mission from the sounds of it.” 

Jackie hums, "Wonder how far your Chase is. The camp isn't that big, he'll probably be here soon." 

----------- 

"--and over in that direction is the meeting building, the magicians set it up very quickly," Schneep says. He's been giving Bro a verbal tour of the camp as they walk. "It is amazing, actually." 

"Yep, magic's amazing," Marvin says a bit smugly. 

Jameson chuckles. 

There are a few people up and about camp. They occasionally glance at the group, but apparently this isn't an odd enough sight to stare at.

 “Yeah dude this is really impressive! This was a magician’s camp?” Bro says. He smiles at people as they walk by, trying to appear friendly.

Jameson nods. Turns out, the Council that's in charge of all magicians in the area knew about the time loop and set up this camp to keep an eye on things. Once the time loop broke, we all came here and let them know about the corruption. They've been a great help since then. 

"Can't believe I never knew about them," Marvin mutters.

“Damn! That’s really great- well besides that Iris woman but… good you guys got help right away!” Bro smiles.

"Yes, very good," Henrik agrees. "Oh, perhaps if you stick around a bit I can introduce you to Fern, she is a magician doctor! I think she is at the clinic now." 

"Fern's great," Marvin says. "A real miracle worker." 

“Oh! That’s cool! Don’t meet too many magician doctors! You’d think that’d be more prevalent…” Bro laughs. 

"Hey!" A voice shouts. "Guys!" 

To the left, a pair of familiar faces are running towards the small group. 

"Hello Chase!" Henrik waves. "And Stacy!"

Bro blinks then grins, “other me! Stacy! Hi!”

"Oh! Hey." Chase skids to a halt next to Bro. He's wearing a brown aviator jacket, his hair a bit longer and shaggier than last time they were in this world. 

Stacy's hair has also grown out, now only the lower half of her shoulder-length hair is dyed blonde, everything else is its natural brown. She's wearing a yellow long-sleeved shirt with little pink dots around the cuffs. 

"You are here, then. Uh, good to see you!" Chase says. 

Stacy nods. "So... weird question, did you really come here with your brother and some other, glitchy version of Anti? Or should we be worried?"

Bro laughs, “I really came here with Alt and another Anti! We’re picking up some stuff to try to fix the thing we use to visit other multiverses- Sam collected a bunch of it!”

"Ohhhh, that would explain that plastic bag in Jack's tent," Chase says. 

"We are heading to that tent now, actually," Henrik says. "Do you two want to come?" 

Stacy nods. "Sure, why not? The kids are being tutored so we might as well keep an eye on things." 

As the group continues, Chase explains, "We were in the hangout tent together when this Anti guy suddenly appeared. Gave me nine consecutive heart attacks seeing him. He, uh... really looks like our Anti. Except with an eye-patch. And a scarf. I don't think Anti would like scarves." 

“Oh yeah he’s kinda freaky when you first meet him,” Bro chuckles, shaking his head. “I never got to see what your Anti looked like but I can imagine. You can trust him though- Sam does. And he’s also like… saved me and Alt multiple times. He’s moody and acts aloof but he’s- he’s a good guy.”

So like Marvin? Jameson says. 

"Wh--hey!" Marvin sputters. 

Chase laughs. "Alright. If Sam trusts him, we'll trust him." 

"I'm not moody," Marvin grumbles. Henrik pats his shoulder.

Bro hides a laugh, “it’s okay dude- some of the best people I know are like that! Alt is like that too.”

Marvin smiles a bit. "Heh... that helps." 

"Honestly, it's good to see you be a little moody," Chase says, smiling back at him too. 

"Really? O-oh." Marvin blinks. "Hah... I'll try not to be too moody, but, uh... thanks." 

Bro smiles warmly at Marvin. 

They're approaching a green tent. Jameson points at it. That's Jack's tent. He's not staying with the rest of us because of the... Anti situation.

Bro blinks at Jameson before looking back at the tent. “Oh yeah uh… he was in a coma right?”

"Yeah..." Chase nods slowly. "I remember you and Jackie could hear him. But, uh, now he's back in his body!" He smiles... then the smile slowly fades. "Unfortunately... the side effect of that is that Anti is also back in the body. He, uh... They kind of take turns. When one falls asleep, the other takes over." 

But Jack should be awake right now, you won't have to deal with Anti, JJ reassures him.

Bro’s smiles hearing Jack is awake- but it quickly falls as he hears Anti is with him too. “…that’s- gotta be hard to deal with… t-the way you all were talking about him… thought he’d be separate from Jack at least-“

Marvin winces. "Well... it meant that the corruption went away, and everyone was uncorrupted again. So I think it's... worth the trade-off." 

Chase sighs, rubbing the back of his head. "At least they don't just randomly turn into each other. That'd be weird. And at least Anti's not trying to hurt anyone any more. He's, uh... trying to... redeem himself?" 

Marvin looks away. Jameson purses his lips and doesn't say anything.

Bro’s expression darkens again, “Hm… hard to redeem turning people into corrupted monsters against their wills. …I believe in second chances but that… I dunno if I would… I dunno if I could with him. Not after what he did to Alt.”

Stacy nods. "Well... you're not alone in that. All of the uncorrupted people are staying in camp too. And a lot of them..." 

"They are not happy," Henrik states. "To put it lightly." 

"The fact that he's stuck with Jack does make things difficult," Stacy says. "We don't want to punish Jack for what Anti did. But the magicians are at least keeping track of him." 

Bro at least feels a bit better knowing he’s not the only one upset. “Yeah… poor Jack… having to deal with all this…” 

As the whole group approaches the tent, Anti--the one who came with Alt and Bro--glitches outside the entrance. 

"Holy shit!" Marvin jumps. 

"Yeah, freaky, isn't it?" Chase mutters. 

"Sorry," Anti states. "Hi, Chase. Bro Fantastic, I mean. Alt's inside."

Bro blinks then grins, “Yo Anti! Heard you gave other me a heart attack-“ 

There's the sharp sound of more glitching and Alt appears by Anti at the entrance. He grins at Bro and the others, “There you are!”

"Ah, hello!" Schneep waves. "So you are Alt. I didn't meet you the last time you were here, nice to see you now." 

"Hey!" Chase waves, and Stacy nods. 

Good to see you--though you are a bit strange, Jameson says, looking at Anti. 

"I can imagine," Anti says, shrugging. "We won't be here long, though." 

Marvin stares at Alt. He raises a hand. "Hey. You look... good."

Alt blinks at eveyone then smiles sheepishly and waves, “Hi…! Good to officially meet you all…” His eyes meet Marvin’s though and they widen. He glitches over, then smiles a bit. “H-Hey…! It’s… god… good to see you out of that… y-you know. You… look good too.” He laughs a bit.

"Whoa!" Marvin takes a step back, then laughs. "Thanks! I'm sure even the scars are an improvement to how you last saw me." He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. "I, uh... yeah. It's good to be uncorrupted." 

Alt smiles and nods, “I’m sure it’s a relief…” 

The tent flap opens again, and Jackie peeks out. "Oh, uh... hi everyone. H-hang on." He disappears for a moment, and then he and Jack come out, with Jack using his crutches to support himself. Sam flies out after them. 

"You, uh, forgot these, Alt." Jackie holds up the two glass eye trackers. 

{YOU'LL NEED THEM,} Sam says. {HELLO, CHASE.}

Alt jumps a bit as everyone else comes out and then laughs, going to grab the trackers. “oh I- didn’t mean to lead everyone outside! T-Thanks though.” 

“Yo Sam!” Bro grins, “Good to see ya!” He blinks at seeing Jack and Jackie but then smiles more, “And Jackie and Jack! Good to properly meet ya both!” 

Jackie waves a bit, smiling shyly. "Nice to properly meet you, too." 

"Hey!" Jack grins. "Yeah, last time I was still a coma ghost. So glad that's over with." 

"Ah yes, because it was so easy for you to become not a coma ghost," Schneep says, deadpan. 

"It only took the whole Place being dragged out to the city," Chase says jokingly. 

Anti blinks. He looks over at Sam. "Was that what you were dealing with that time those five got stuck in-between? Is that why you were late?" 

{YEP.} Sam swishes Their optic nerve. 

"Well... shit. No wonder."

Alt and Bro blink in surprise. “T-The whole Place?” Alt asks in awe, “wasn’t that place like… infinite???” 

"Oh--no, not infinite," Jackie says. "I mean, it definitely seemed like that when you were wandering around and its hallways were shifting, but at most it was as big as the city." 

"If you look over thaaaat way..." Chase points to the side. Part of the sky seems... red? "That's where the city is. You can see the effect the Place had from here." 

Bro looks at Anti and Sam and tilts his head, “Damn… then it’s only been like… what? 2 months? Since all that happened? That’s crazy…”

It's been longer for us! Jameson says. It seems time in your world runs slower than ours. I think it's been about... four months or so. Twice as long. 

"Even so, yes, that is a lot that happened," Henrik agrees.

“Still… four months isn’t long at all… you guys seem to be adjusting well,” Bro says with a gentle smile. 

Alt looks towards the city with furrowed brows, “…what happened to the city? I-Is that why you all are out here?” 

"Yyyeah..." Jack says slowly. "It's uh... it has a red sky now, and there are weird hallways everywhere and the sewers and caves are a maze... it's a fucking mess." 

"Yeah... that's our main problem now," Marvin says. "Fixing that and finding Iris again."  

“why are you looking for Iris? I thought she got ran out of here…” Bro asks. 

"Yeah, ran out of here and into the city, where she's probably plotting something." Marvin folds his arms. 

"Besides--she's broken magician laws, so she's basically a fugitive." 

“Ah… makes sense then.” Bro nods. Alt frowns at the city in worry.

"What are those things, by the way?" Stacy says, pointing at the glass eyes. 

{ANTI, YOU EXPLAIN, MOST OF THEM CANNOT HEAR ME,} Sam says. 

"Right." Anti nods. "They're trackers so we can find what we're looking for." He takes out his own glass eye from his pocket. "You put your finger against the dent where the pupil is and the information gets beamed directly to your mind."

Alt’s attention gets drawn back from the city as Anti explains the trackers. He hands one to Bro. 

Bro whistles, “Impressive! … and a tad bit invasive but- guess that can’t be helped-“ He and Alt immediately go to try it.

Immediately, Bro knows that all the TRVLR parts in this world are in that black clutch Alt is carrying. 

Alt merely becomes aware that there are no other parts besides that in the area. 

Bro and Alt still seem impressed. “Cool!” Alt grins. He stuffs it into his pants pocket for safe keeping and Bro stores his in his utility belt. 

"Oh, it works on a world-by-world basis," Anti adds. "But Sam knows which other worlds have the remaining parts. We're actually going to that universe with the Glitch Henrik next. He probably found the part there by now.”

Both of them look delighted to hear they’ll be seeing Schneep next. “Aw fuck yeah! I bet Schneep crushed that-“ Bro grins. 

"So... are you guys just gonna leave right away, then?" Jack asks, a bit disappointed. 

The brothers exchange looks before Alt says quietly, “I guess… we can stay for a little bit longer- if you guys want.” He smiles sheepishly.

"Well I mean--this is important, isn't it?" Chase says. "I'd hate to delay you. And there's not a lot to do at camp, really." 

Marvin brightens slightly. "We could play Insane Monopoly." 

The others all groan and immediately start to protest. 

That's sure to make them want to leave! JJ says. 

"And that will literally take all day!" Jackie adds.

Alt and Bro burst into laughter. “As crazy as that sounds… we.. we probably should go.” Alt says, holding his necklace. “…we have uh.. people waiting for us at home….” His cheeks turn a bit red at this and Bro smirks.

"Ah... of course." Schneep notices the blush and nods. "W-we... we understand." 

"Hen's gonna spend the rest of the day with Trisha, oooo," Chase says teasingly. 

Schneep nudges him. "And? What about you two?" He gestures at Chase and Stacy. 

"Huh, what? I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Chase protests, face getting red. 

Stacy's eyes widen and she fidgets awkwardly with her sleeves, looking away. 

Bro smiles at Chase and Stacy though, maybe they’re getting along better! That makes him feel more secure with his own relationship. 

“Careful guys- you’ll make Alt jealous~” Bro teases, “His boyfriend threw a fit that we had to leave-“ 

“C-Chase!” Alt protests, pushing him slightly and looking away, hiding his face in his mask. Bro laughs.

Sam flies away from the tent. {LET'S GET SOMEWHERE CLEAR, THEN. THAT IS BETTER WHEN MAKING A PORTAL.}

Bro looks at the others and smiles, “Wanna help send us off then?” 

"Hmm? Help how?" Marvin asks. 

"I mean, sure, we'll wave goodbye!" Jackie laughs. 

Bro laughs, “That’s what I meant!”

"Alright, come on, everyone after Sam," Jack says, making his way after Them. Everyone else follows, matching his slower pace. Except for Anti, who immediately glitches over to where Sam is waiting in a clear spot away from most tents.

Alt glitches to walk beside Jack, playing with his necklace timidly. Bro keeps up with the others.

It's a clear day. The clouds are only wisps. 

But... suddenly... there's a feeling of ozone in the air, like the moment before a lightning strike. 

Anti's head whips to the side, eye widening in alarm. 

{NO!} Sam shouts. {THAT'S IMPOSSI--} 

And then a shockwave of red light blasts outward from midair as a rip is torn in space.

Bro holds his arms over his face and digs his feet into the ground to try to not get blown away but he ends up getting thrown back. Alt yells out in surprise and glitches to cover Jack, curling his body around him to keep him safe-Jack gasps as Alt suddenly appears in front of him, stumbling but managing to keep his feet. 

Chase and Stacy, out in front, get thrown through the air. JJ and Marvin are just behind them and both get knocked to the ground. 

Anti glitches out of sight and then returns just in time to glare at the black rip in midair. "Y͏̛ou.̶̷" 

A figure forms from the red light as a low, threatening laugh echoes through the clear day. Another Anti, glowing red and black, eyes filled with white static and a scar wrapping around his neck. He floats a few inches off the ground. "Did you think I wouldn't notice?" His voice comes from all around them. "Those three little blips I could brush off, but you. The ripples you caused getting here again... I'd be a fool to ignore it." 

Alt got knocked to the ground too trying to keep Jack up but he quickly glitches back up to his feet. He goes to hold an arm out in front of Jack and the others and his stomach drops. “N-No…!” He breathes, blood running cold. 

Bro hurries to push himself up and rushes forward. His eyes fill with blue light as he growls. “Y-You! …w-what are you talking about??”

"Oh? Do you not recognize me?" The red Anti grins, and his image shifts, until it's abundantly clear--this is the Anti from the first world with the rifts. The red light quickly returns, darkening his appearance. 

Bro bares his teeth at the red Anti. “oh, I’d be hard pressed to forget you bitch-“ He snarls. 

"And do you think I'm a fucking moron? There's always people like you in every world! People like you who will get in my way. And that's what you're doing now, isn't it? Are you trying to stop me?" 

“Of course we’re trying to stop you! We’re not gonna let you destroy innocent worlds!” Bro bites back.

"Who the f-fuck is this?!" Marvin says, climbing to his feet. 

"Someone bad, clearly," Schneep says, shuddering. 

"He's the one who broke the TRVLR," Anti says, glaring at the red image before them. He summons a knife. "Leave this world alone! It's been through enough!" 

{I WILL PUSH HIM OUT!} Sam says. {I WILL--} 

"You won't do anything," Red Anti says, snapping his attention to Sam. He grins, tearing his face in two. "Don't you think it's strange how you couldn't see me?" 

Sam backs up. Being just an eye, it's hard to read Their expression, but They seem taken aback. 

Bro’s eyes widen, “S-Sam can’t see you?!” Then he growls, “That doesn’t matter cuz we’ll find a way to stop you!”

"I'm an anomaly," Red Anti says in a soft, threatening voice. "You can't fucking stop me." 

Alt pushes Jack gently towards the others, “G-Guys…! G-Get Jack to safety- g-get out of here!” He warns them- but he doesn’t take his eyes off the other him.

Red Anti laughs, and turns his attention to Alt. "You care about him then? I'll show you what happens when you care." His image disappears, and red lightning races towards Alt and Jack.

Alt panics and yells out, holding out both hands and shutting his eyes as a green-blue electric bubble curls around him and Jack.

The red lightning bounces off the shield. Red Anti's image appears outside it, growling at Alt through the electricity. "Why can't I grab your power?!" he demands. "It's magic! It's energy! It should be--" 

Alt stares at Anti with terror clear on his face and he stumbles back. “I-I don’t…!” He tries to say. 

A bolt of green light passes through the image from the side. Marvin, having got to his feet, has his hand extended, green light coming from his eyes, his pupils now contracted to narrow cat-like slits. 

"Did you think that would work?" Anti's voice says. "I'm not there. I'm everywhere." More red lightning forms behind Marvin and shoots towards him. 

At the same time, another bolt shoots towards Bro. Bro yells and tries to rush at Anti but gets blasted back and skids a couple times across the ground.

Marvin cries out, falling to the ground as the lightning sneaks up on him. 

"Marv!" Chase gasps, scrambling to his feet and rushing over. Henrik also runs over, his doctor training kicking in as he checks Marvin over.

“Chase! Marvin!” Alt calls out and then he tightens the bubble more around him and Jack- unable to hide his shaking.

"H-he is okay!" Henrik reports in a shaky voice. 

"You bastard!" Jackie shouts, a few squares of colorful static flickering around his shoulders. He rushes for the image of Red Anti, but he disappears well before he gets there. 

"He doesn't have a physical body!" Anti snaps, his eye darting around. "I'll buy you some time. Sam, a rift!" 

Abruptly, he dissolves, turning into shadowy pixels and then disappearing. Red and green lightning flicker around the clearing, zapping through the air. 

Bro slowly pushes himself back up and then quickly nods, momentarily watching the Antis battle before he rushes over to Sam. 

{RIGHT!} Sam grows in size, now more like a beach ball. {YOU ALL MUST GET TO THE NEXT WORLD! AND I MUST EXPEL HIM BEFORE HE DOES ANYTHING ELSE! JAMESON, WE NEED TIME.} 

JJ, now kneeling by Marvin's side, looks up in surprise. Then he nods. He takes a deep breath, and his irises turn gold. The lightning... slows down. Like someone put a video in slow motion. 

"Y-you have to get out of here!" Jack says, grabbing Alt's arm. "Don't worry about me. The others can protect me."

Alt jolts a bit but then nods, holding onto Jack’s arm and squeezing it. “O-Okay- just- be safe okay?” He then lets go and glitches out of the bubble- leaving it intact just in case as he glitches over by Sam. 

“S-Sam what do we do?!” Bro pants, “We didn’t think he’d be on our trail already! We can’t even fight him!”

{FOR NOW, WE CAN ONLY STAY AHEAD OF HIM,} Sam says. {AND THERE WILL BE A WAY TO FIGHT HIM, I AM SURE OF IT. WE JUST HAVE NOT FOUND IT, YET.} A bit of green lightning appears, unzipping a rift. {HERE. GO HERE!} 

"Wait, your Anti!" Chase gasps. The green and red lightning are moving slowly, crashing against each other. 

Jameson glances around at the others. I can't hold time forever!

Alt looks at the lightning with worried eyes. But then he shuts his eyes and grabs Bro’s wrist and turns them towards the rift. “H-He can catch up to us-! I-I think…! Right, Sam?” He hesitates right before it.

{I'M SURE HE--} 

Then JJ gasps and time starts up again. The red and green lightning crack through the air, and two figures form as a red one tackles a greenish shadowy one to the ground. The shadows glitch over, reaching Alt and Bro in a second. 

{YES, HE'S WITH YOU NOW!} Sam says. {NOW GO!} They turn around towards the red figure, slowly growing in size as a second rift opens up behind it. 

Alt doesn’t hesitate now and both him and Bro rush through the rift. Alt looks back with a bit of worry towards the others then turns to hurry through.

Jack waves them off. The others also all look over, watching them leave.

The last thing Alt and Bro see before the rift closes is a shock wave of green light pushing all the red light towards the second rift.

[writerleo86]

Terravenger - Season 5: Part Two - Episode 436 (Do Not Copy)

   One month later, everything on the great planet called Terravenger began to return to normal. The buildings of each city that were destroyed have been rebuilt along with the roads. And the schools had opened once again.

   Coming out from the elevator was the fair lieutenant, Victoria Sidney. She had on brown eyeliner and peach lipstick. And her long blond hair was formed into a high bun while locks remained at the front. She wore a pink blouse with long sleeves, white pants, and short red boots. She also had on a golden necklace with her MAF badge placed at the center. And she wore a pair of fingerless white gloves.

   And walking by her right side was a familiar face.

   "Don't worry," Victoria told the person. "If Mercury says that you are ready, then you have the credentials."

   A pair of doors slowly opened before them. Then the pair walked into the large training room of the Midas Academy.

   The newcomer turned out to be the youthful maiden named Keira Fakinos. She was a fairly tall girl with fair skin and short black hair that was parted into two sections. Her eyes were as blue as an ocean. She also had on black eyeliner and pink lipstick. She wore a white shirt with short sleeves and a V-neck collar. She had a thick golden band around the top of each arm. She also wore a pair of tight black leggings. And she had on a pair of short brown boots.

   "Ma'am?" Keira asked. "Will you explain why we have come to this place?"

   "It appears your cousin has not fully explained your situation," said Victoria.

   "My situation?" repeated Keira.

   The pair arrived at the center as the entire room was empty.

   And Victoria responded "We train our students -- their minds and their bodies. We perform our training everywhere in this city. But our favorite location is here, in the Training Room."

   The young girl carefully looked around as she said "I see."

   Victoria told her "I will test you in order to determine if you are what Mercury claims. We will figure out if you indeed belong here at the Academy."

   Then Keira faced her and asked "Will I have to battle?"

   Victoria stood at the other side of the room.

   And Keira asked "You? Is it you I must fight?"

   "It won't be me," answered Victoria. "But I will monitor all that happens her. You can consider me to be your referee."

   "Then who will be my opponent?" questioned Keira.

   Finally, Victoria walked two steps away as another person came inside from the doors at the other side.

   It was the teacher Tori Sanderson who stared directly at the youth with determination. Tori wore a long purple top with a short sleeve covering her right shoulder while the left side had no sleeve. She had on a pair of baggy purple pants along with short black boots. High on the center of her top was a small purple brooch shaped as a flower. Her MAF badge was placed on the left side of the top. And a pointy purple hood was worn over her head.

   She informed Keira "Welcome to the Midas Academy, Keira Fakinos. I am Tori Sanderson. I am Head of the Language Arts and Reading Department at this school. And I'll be your opponent."

   And Victoria replied "If you beat her, then you Keira will automatically be enrolled at our school. You should be careful though. Ms. Sanderson.... She is no ordinary bookworm."

Terravenger -- Season 5: Part Two -- Episode 436: Keira Fakinos -- The Shooting Star of Greece

   The two competitors faced each other until Victoria commanded "Begin!"

   First, Tori flew directly to her opponent. She began throwing a barrage of quick palms as Keira blocked every strike using the back of her wrists. Keira continued until she started attacking using her palms, knees, and kicks. And Tori blocked those strikes using her backhands and knees.

   After that, the young girl turned in a clockwise pattern away from her opponent. Keira soon formed her left hand into a circle as she held it near her mouth.

   "Ice Release!" She called. "Schoini Chioniou!"

   A long rope made of white liquid shot from her hand which tried to grab Tori who began vanishing away repeatedly.

   Victoria gave a soft smile as she thought to herself "She is able to wield Ice Release with little energy used. As far as I know, Mercury doesn't possess this element. And I know now that Keira can control the use of ki which is not common for many students."

   Once she appeared above her side of the battlefield, Tori was caught by the rope which wrapped around her waist.

   "What?" She cried.

   Keira began to pull her down as Tori placed her right point-finger on the rope.

   "Reflect!" She called.

   The long rope from Keira quickly melted into falling water which landed on the ground.

   Next, Keira blew a large wave of wind from her mouth.

   "Wind Release!" She yelled. "Pump of Hermes!"

   Tori threw her palms forward and the wind changed into white sand. As the sand fell to the ground, the teacher blew small purple bubbles down to her opponent from her palms. And Keira blew her right palm up which was followed by a large wave of wind.

   "Almighty Push!" She yelled.

   Then every bubble dissolved after the wind blew them to the ceiling.

   "But Keira can use attacks from Wind Release like Mercury," implied Victoria. "The whole Fakinos family must specialize in that element."

   After that, Keira lowered to her right knee. She placed her left hand on the ground as a circle of white smoke slowly rose around her.

   "Ice Release..." called Keira.

   Then she rose up and placed her palms forward. A large wave of white smoke blew from her palms toward her flying opponent.

   And Keira yelled "Foverotsimpima!"

   As soon as the smoke surrounded her, the entire body of the unsuspecting Tori was trapped in ice.

   "The cold fog," thought Victoria. "Keira used a technique from Ice Release to form Sanderson into a frozen statue."

   As it began falling from above, the entire body of Tori quickly melted into a large wave of water as a shocked Keira noticed it.

   "Was that a Substitution?" questioned Keira.

   Someone quickly appeared behind her and threw out a Right-Handed Chop. Keira rolled to her left side and spotted the well teacher standing before her.

   "Sanderson used a Substitution technique to avoid Keira's attack," thought an impressed Victoria.

   Keira hurried away using three back-flips. And the two fighters faced each other once again from their separate sides.

   "Lieutenant Sidney was correct," implied Keira. "You are not a simple librarian."

   A smiling Tori shook her head and answered "You are so bright. I am actually a witch, trained by the legendary Sirene herself."

   "But the attacks you just displayed," replied Keira. "They were not from simple witchcraft. My cousin would attest that."

   "Correct again," Tori informed her. "Those were basic attacks taught to certain soldiers and students. I was testing you on your endurance. I wanted to see how much stamina you had. Evidently you can throw out great attacks without using a lot from your ki. You are better than the average student."

   "I was trained by Rhoaina Fakinos," informed Keira. "Not only to defend myself from many types of opponents. But Milady taught me how to use a great set of offensive techniques which the knights of my country would learn."

   "Wow!" responded Tori. "Then you are above novice level. Actually, your awareness is like the veterans here. It is rare to see that in someone so young."

   "Truly?" asked Keira.

   "Yes ma'am," answered Tori. "I know there are a handful of students that are just like you. And I'm sure you're a very smart girl."

   "That is what is said by many from Greece," said Keira. "But I think I still have much to learn."

   "Don't doubt yourself Dear," Tori told her. "With enough training, you are capable of becoming a captain of your own squad someday."

   Tori placed her right hand toward her face while her point-finger was up.

   And she calmly informed Keira "Let me tell you something else. You are the only female after all these years to go this far."

   "Seriously?" cried Keira.

   "Ms. Sanderson is right!"

   Keira faced Victoria who responded "Not many females are able to make it up to a great position at the Academy. You, Keira Fakinos, would be the first woman in decades to proceed to become the greatest soldier, if you were to enter the Academy."

   Tori spread her arms apart and told Keira "Now I'm taking my kid gloves off. So prepare yourself. I won't go easy on you."

   Keira gave a confident smile as she went into her battle stance.

   And the young girl answered "I can continue, Ma'am. I am able to take whatever you throw. So you do not have to worry about me."

   Tori gave a soft smile and said "You are going to do fine here, I know it."

   Then the teacher announced "Now I'm going to show you my true talent. This is what made me one of Midas' greatest soldiers. Like I told you before, prepare yourself!"

   A pale-violet light shined from both her hands as Tori called out "Summoning!"

   And a large puff of smoke formed before the teacher.

   "She will now fight with her full power against Keira," thought Victoria. "Tori Sanderson... Not only she is the Head of the Language Arts and Reading Department. She may also be a free spirit at times. But these mask her true instincts. She is actually more than what she claims to be. She is one of the most deadly warriors that have ever been placed in this city."

   Once the smoke cleared, Keira finally discovered what stood in front of her opponent.

   The youth cried "By the gods? Just what is this?"

[besttropeveershowdown]

Since the bracket screenshots are very hard to read, here's a list of all the matchups for round 1!

Side A

Found Family vs. Soulmates

Foil vs. Mirror Character

Decon-Recon Switch vs. Our Trolls Are Different

Rousseau Was Right vs. Historical Badass Upgrade

Science Is Good vs. The Artful Dodger

I Owe You My Life vs. Bait-and-Switch Tyrant

Badass Pacifist vs. Battle in the Center of the Mind

Gambit Pileup vs. Buffy Speak

You Did Everything You Could vs. The Team

Moral Dilemma vs. "Not So Different" Remark

But They Stayed In the Car vs. Self-Sacrifice Scheme

Starfish Aliens vs. Outlaw Couple

Dream Sequence vs. Silly Rabbit, Cynicism is for Losers!

Drunk Hookup-> Hilarious Morning After vs. Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?

Storyboarding the Apocalypse vs. Break The Cutie

Murdered Cousin vs. In Medias Res

Fire-Forged Friends vs. First Contact

Time Travel vs. Self-Inflicted Hell

Ragtag Bunch of Misfits vs. Your Days Are Numbered

Time Loop vs. Unreliable Narrator

Friends to Lovers vs. Everyone Is Bi

Important Haircut vs. Came Back Wrong

The Anti-Nihilist vs. Mono No Aware

Shadow Archetype vs. Hurt/Comfort or Whump

Knight of Cerebus vs. Prophetical Semantics

True Companions vs. The Trickster

Locked in a Room vs. Magnificent Bastard

Beethoven Was an Alien Spy vs. Genre Savvy

Evil Twin vs. Minor Injury Overreaction

Grey-and-Gray Morality vs. Body Swap

Enemies to Lovers vs. Accidental Parental Figure

From Zero to Hero vs. Horny Scientist

Side B

Berserk Button vs. Caper Crew

Flock of Wolves vs. Team Pet

Five Man Band vs. Disguised as Male

Shapeshifting Trickster vs. Anthropomorphic Personification

Dramatic Irony vs. You Can't Go Home Again

Subverted Kids' Show vs. Badass Bookworm

Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass vs. Isekai/Genre Refugee

Wham Shot vs. Unseen Evil

Little Miss Con Artist vs. Punch-Clock Villain

Mama Bear vs. Internal Reveal

Sleight of Tongue vs. Enemy Mine

Guile Hero vs. Tsundere

Memory Gambit vs. Recursive Crossdressing

Disguised Horror Story vs. Wham Line

Secret Identity vs. Terror Hero

Students' Secret Society vs. Mugged for Disguise

Road Trip Plot vs. Fantastic Fauna Counterpart

Opposites Attract vs. Amnesia

Heel-Face Turn vs. Rewriting Reality

Bavarian Fire Drill vs. Butterfly Effect

Morality Pet vs. Cloning Blues

Tragic Villain vs. Clipboard of Authority

The Con vs. Battle Couple

Beware the Nice Ones vs. Animal Motif

Hitman with a Heart vs. Big Damn Heroes

Friends to Enemies vs. Hurricane of Puns

Affably Evil vs. My God, What Have I Done

Swamp Monster vs. Chekhov's Gunman

Fake Dating vs. Gentle Giant

Stupid Sexy Flanders vs. Non-Human Head

Sea Serpents vs. Furry Reminder

Children's Covert Coterie vs. The Creon

Side C

Arrested for Heroism vs. The Dragon

Unreliable Expositor vs. Well-Intentioned Extremist

Friends to Enemies to Lovers vs. Undying Loyalty

Precision F-Strike vs. Powerful, Fucked-Up Family

Pragmatic Villainy vs. Big, Screwed-Up Family

Ape Shall Never Kill Ape vs. Tragic Bromance

Just You and Me and my GUARDS vs. Tomato in the Mirror

Lovable Rogue vs. Refusal of the Call

Second Law My Ass vs. Batman Gambit

Not Quite Dead vs. Sapient House

Call A Human a Meatbag vs. Faux Affably Evil

Nice Job Fixing It Villain vs. Conversation of Ninjutsu

Beach Episode vs. The Gadfly

Beware the Silly Ones vs. Jedi Mind Trick

You Are Better Than You Think You Are vs. Superpowered Evil Side

Murder Is The Best Solution vs. Comedic Sociopathy

The Power of Language vs. The Power of Friendship

Face Death With Dignity vs. Prolonged Pining

Too Dumb to Live vs. Central Theme

Suspiciously Specific Denial vs. Deadpan Snarker

Blessed with Suck vs. Setting as a Character

Cast Full of Gay vs. Heel-Face Revolving Door

Aliens Speaking English vs. Stumbling Upon the Lost Wizard

For the Evulz vs. Spare to the Throne

My Powers are Gone vs. Reformed But Not Tamed

King and Lionheart vs. Marriage of Convenience

Even Evil Has Standards vs. Then Let Me Be Evil

Delirious Misidentification vs. Big Beautiful Man

Playing Nice for Now vs. Teeth-Clenched Teamwork

Intimate Haircut vs. Arranged Marriage

Dating Catwoman vs. Incurable Cough of Death

Ambiguous Gender vs. Kill the Gods

Brackets for BTES

Brackets are out, everyone! (that was quicker than expected)

We have 192 submissions, so the plan is to have 3 sides of 64 tropes each, the champions of which will make up the final three! Polls for side A will be released sometime this weekend, with side B and side C coming shortly after.

Side A:

Side B:

Side C:

[babybluebanshee]

What the Mercs read

Lord help me, I’m back on my bullshit again. Yeah, in case you guys didn’t notice, I watched a bunch of SFM videos last weekend and now I’m back on a TF2 kick. So you get some headcanons! Yay~

Scout: Mostly comics and sports magazines. He doesn’t really have the attention span to read anything longer. If you try to suggest a book to him, he’ll be like, “Um, excuse you, that thing has 200 pages and, like, no pictures and you expect me to read that?” Spy did manage to get him to read a couple Hardy Boys mysteries once, but he’ll never openly admit to enjoying them.

Soldier: Despite what most people think, he can read. It’s just that he generally doesn’t look that deeply into it. He’s obviously read The Art of War (something a dude from the Midwestern US wouldn’t casually stumble across), but grossly misinterpreted it. He mostly reads war stories and westerns, and only because they are relevant to his interests. Start throwing around “literature” and “sci-fi” near him and he’s suddenly illiterate. That being said, Spy once got him a copy of Starship Troopers and he begrudgingly enjoyed it (and spent the next week shooting his rocket launcher at every bug he came across).

Pyro: Doesn’t like reading so much as being read to, which they frequently ask of the Engineer when he’s not busy. Their favorites are fairy tales and fables. Spy has made a habit of tracking down various volumes of different fairy tales from around the world for them, and Pyro is absolutely ecstatic whenever they get a new one.

Demo: Really likes folklore and history, much to the shock of everyone who knows him. Although he’s far more interested in the oral side of storytelling, he’ll flip his way through a volume of legends from around the world or Scottish history when he’s not in a yarn-spinning mood. Scout also introduced him to horror comics, and he loves a good monster story. After that, Spy let him borrow his copies of Dracula and Frankenstein multiple times.

Heavy: Dude has a PhD in Russian literature, so naturally, that’s what he loves. He mostly reads what a lot of my college professors call “art fiction”, about real people in the real world doing real things and having real feelings. He tries not to be, but he can occasionally be a bit snobby about it, because how can you read silly comics or adventure stories when the art of Tolstoy exists. Spy understands this and finds him Russian-translated works of other popular literary fiction. Heavy has no idea how Spy accomplishes this, but he does love the Russian copy of Revolutionary Road Spy gave him for Christmas one year.

Engineer: Engie has been addicted to science fiction ever since he was a little kid. From Weird Science comics to Asimov and Wells, he devoured tales of men pushing the boundaries of human understanding. Of course, while most boys were content to just lose themselves in the adventure and forget about it as they grew, Engie has turned the stories he loved into blueprints. He kept his battered copies of I, Robot, The Time Machine, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in his desk to pull out on slow evenings, to work on that real-life Nautilus or time machine he’s always tinkered with. When these eventually fell apart, Spy bought him leather bound copies of The Foundation trilogy and the complete works of H.G. Wells.

Medic: Most of the time, Medic doesn’t care for fiction, instead preferring medical journals or something similar. But there’s one genre he’ll always come back to, and that’s horror. It’s not even really that he finds the stories all that scary. In fact, he reads them as bedtime stories for the most part, to unwind after a long, grueling day on the field. He does this by sitting there and basically riffing on them. He read Psycho and Scout swore he heard him mutter, “Well that’s just inefficient body disposal” at one point while he was reading it. Spy has taken to buying him box loads of trashy paperbacks, usually picking them based on which ones have the most grotesque covers.

Sniper: Obviously, Sniper loves a good adventure. He’s happiest when his stories involve daring-do, man vs. nature type stuff, and maybe more than a little swashbuckling. Read loads of it is his tree hideout when he wasn’t throwing rocks at people who wanted to beat him up as a kid. His heroes were Allan Quartermaine, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Zorro, and Tarzan. Spy finds similarly pulpy dimestore adventures for him, although he tries to sneak in some actually literature from time to time. He hit real success when he gave Sniper a copy of The Fellowship of the Ring, with Sniper devouring the rest of the series as soon as he learned there was more.

Spy: If you couldn’t tell by the fact he appears in every one of these, Spy loves books. Having grown up in as difficult a situation as he did (I’ve mentioned in other posts that Spy was a human trafficking victim, starting very young), reading was an escape for him. He taught himself to read, and whenever he had a moment of reprieve, he’d fish out the books he hid under the floorboards and lose himself in them. He kept up the habit well into his adult years, and reading provides him with a sense of calm, something not even a cigarette can replicate. He loves all sorts of stories, but finds himself drawn most to fantasy and mysteries. All of his books are well-thumbed, and are in English and French. It’s his go-to gift for people he really likes. If he needs to get a close friend a present of any kind, it is guaranteed to be a book, after he has carefully thought out exactly what they’d enjoy. If Spy gives you a book, you should feel flattered. It’s the biggest compliment he gives.

[octaviasdread]

any girls! dark academia movie recs? i really struggle to find anything not about a group of boys (as much as I love them)

SO MANY!!! This is probably a far more detailed answer than you were expecting but this is a popular question and I want to keep a list for myself and others.

Feel free to add to it/give opinions. I've tried to give a tw for anything I can remember

Girls! Dark Academia Movies/TV Shows

Mona Lisa Smile (2003)

1950s Women’s college

Art professor! Julia Roberts

She’s legit the female Mr Keating of the art & college world

Feminism vs. Tradition

Maggie Gyllenhall x Ginnifer Goodwin; their characters were more than friends. Fight me.

Does not end how you expect

Strike!/All I Wanna Do/The Hairy Bird (1998)

MY FAVOURITE!!!

Free on YouTube under one of its various names

Comedy

1960s all girls boarding school

Young Kirsten Dunst

Group of girls plot to sabotage a merger with a boys school less prestigious than their own

Secret attic clubhouse meetings of the D.A.R aka Daughters of the American Ravioli (eaten cold, ew)

girls get political & advocate for their rights using ANY elaborate and chaotic scheme

TW: eating disorder, vomiting & creepy male teacher but the girls plot against him too

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)

based on a short book I read for uni by Muriel Spark

1930s girls school in Edinburgh

Scottish teacher! Maggie Smith, controversial with a focus on romantic ideals

Spoiler alert, the liberal teacher is actually a fascist

Her group of fave students has cult- vibes and it’s fascinating

Picnic at Hanging Rock

1970s movie or 2018 mini series

Never watched either but I plan to

Wild Child (2008)

00s romcom every UK teen girl loves

Emma Roberts as the spoiled rich American teenager sent to a strict English boarding school

Plots to get herself expelled but oh no she’s making friends with the girls who help her

And the headmistress has a hot son, and he’s nice??? Double oh no

ICONIC SCENES

Everything! Goes! Wrong!

omg she burns the school down

Feel good, comfort, nostalgia

St Trinians (2007)

English girls boarding school

The kids are all criminals, no joke

So are the teachers

CHAOTIC

gay awakening for british girls

Art heist pulled off by school girls

Government tries to shut them down but oh no, the education minister & the headmistress are ex-lovers

Colin Firth x Rupert Everett in drag

Superior cast: Jodie Whittaker, Gemma Arterton, Juno Temple, Stephen Fry, Colin Firth, etc...

embodies the phrase 'problematic fave'

St Trinians 2: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold (2009)

Mystery, pirate ancestors, hidden treasure

omg Shakespeare was a woman

girls disguised as boys to infiltrate and rob the posh boys school

Villain! David Tennant in that ICONIC boat scene

Teen girls vs. ancient misogynist brotherhood

like the first film but MORE chaotic and BETTER!???

The Falling (2014)

1960s all girls school

best friends! but its unrequited love

Agoraphobic + distant mother aka mommy issues

Sudden death and the school suppresses/ignores the students grief, sparking mass hysteria & a fainting epidemic in the girls

Cast: Maisie Williams (GoT) & Florence Pugh (Little Women) & Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders)

TW: teen pregnancy, death, vomiting, underage s*x, sibling inc*st, past s*xual assault

READ THE PLOT SUMMARY FIRST

The Book Thief (2013)

Based on an amazing book by Markus Zusak

set in 1940s Nazi Germany

Daughter of a communist whose family were taken by the Nazis/died is fostered by an older couple who teach her to read & she paints a dictionary on the basement walls

Coming of age story about a compulsive book thief. No joke, this kid steals books from banned book burnings and breaks into the mayor's library through the window

Family hides the Jewish son of an old friend in their basement and he helps her to start writing about her experiences in the war

TW: death, bombings, WW2 anti-semitism

Mary Shelley (2017)

Overall good & roughly biographical

Pretty costumes and aesthetic

Modern feminist take on Mary Shelly in her own time period

So many INACCURACIES for the drama so don’t take it as truth

Percy Shelley slander and not all of it is justified

Cast: Elle Fanning, Douglas Booth, and Maisie Williams

The Secret Garden (1993)

Based on a fave childhood book

1901 colonial India & Yorkshire, England

Orphaned, spoilt & neglected girl sent to live with her reclusive Uncle in the English countryside

Gothic elements, mysteries, secret doors/passages/locked gardens

local boy with a flock of animals, magic, kids chanting around a fire and all around immaculate vibes

Happy ending!!!

Hidden Figures (2016)

African-American women as mathematicians for NASA

1960s space project

Women balancing a career and family obligations

Deals with racial & gender discrimination

Loosely based on the lives of Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan who worked for NASA as engineers & mathematicians

Anne of Green Gables (1985) & sequel (1987)

Adaptation L.M. Montgomery’s ‘Anne of Green Gables’ books

Canada (late 1890s/early 1900s)

Highly imaginative & bookworm orphan is adopted by a reclusive elderly brother and sister duo

Small town & school years comedic drama

Unrequited Enemies -> Friends -> lovers

Inspiring new woman teacher

Girls re-enact Tennyson’s poem and nearly drown for the aesthetic™

Dramatic poetry reading with INTENSE 👀eye contact👀

Writer! Anne & English teacher! Anne dealing with unruly girls school antics

Collette (2018)

biographical drama on french writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Collette

Victorian & Edwardian era France

More talented than her husband so she ghostwrites for him

Fight for creative ownership of her wildly successful novels

Affairs with a woman called Georgie and also with Missy, born female but masculine presenting

Cast: Keira Knightly, Dominic West, Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark)

Enola Holmes (2020)

Netflix book adaptation

Younger sister of Sherlock Holmes

Victorian era! feminism/suffragettes

Mother-daughter focus

Mystery, adventure, secret codes, teens running away & escaping from (and eventually fighting) assassins

Cast: Helena Bonham Carter, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Fiona Shaw, Millie Bobby Brown

Ginger & Rosa (2012)

1960s England

best friends since literal birth navigating troubled teen years

poet & anti-nuclear activist! Ginger

off the rails but also catholic! Rosa

Shout out to Mark & Mark the gay godfathers we all want

family troubles 

TW: older man has an affair with a 17 yr old

Testament of Youth (2014)

based on WW1 memoir by Vera Brittain

young woman (writer & poetry lover) escapes traditional family & goes to study at Oxford University

abandons to become a war nurse

romance, tragedy and war trauma

Cast: Alicia Vikander, Kit Harrington (GoT), Taron Edgerton (Rocketman), Colin Morgan (Merlin)

Little Women (2019)

Writer! Jo & Artist! Amy

Mother/daughter focus and sister dynamics

the March sisters’ theatre club is *chefs kiss*

champagne problems edits of Jo x Laurie are a mood

Ambivalent ending perfectly captures Louisa May Alcott’s dilemma with the book the movie is based on

set in 1860s America

ALL STAR CAST and a Greta Gerwig masterpeice

Lady Bird (2017)

coming of age in early 2002/2003 Sacramento, California

all girls catholic school

writer! Christine aka Lady Bird wants to get outta town and start her life again at college 'in a city with culture'

Mother/daughter dynamics - so realistic!

I live for that Jesus car stunt & the nun's reaction

school theatre program

Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Timothee Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein

Another Greta Gerwig gem

Beguiled (2017)

Virginia, civil war era

Girls school with only five students and two teachers left

Find an injured Union army soldier & bring him inside

Women & teenagers want his attention (v. problematic) before uniting against him

(tbh you'll either love it, hate it, or watch once & forget it)

Sofia Coppola film so its very feminine gaze

TW: violence, death, underage

Legally Blonde (2001)

No questions will be taken

Elle Woods was the blue print

TV series:

House of Anubis (2011-2013)

I know it’s a kids/young teen show but I still unironically love it

ANCIENT EGYPT!!!!

Modern day with Victorian era links to treasure hunters & Egyptian research expeditions (stealing from tombs)

Chosen one plot lines, curses, kidnapping, mysteries, secret tunnels under the school, elixir of life

Teens have investigate & protect themselves cus oh no the TEACHERS are involved in some shady stuff

new American kid at British boarding school is the actual premise not just a fanfic au

Nostalgic, light-hearted, funny, and kinda cheesy but I will accept no criticism

The Alienist (2018 -now)

Mid 1890s, New York

Woman’s private detective agency (Season 2)

Serial killer mystery

Woman secretary turns detective and teams up with a criminal psychiatrist and a newspaper editor to solve crime

TW: violence, child pr*stit*tion

Cast: Dakota Fanning, Luke Evans, Daniel Bruhl

The Queen’s Gambit (2020)

Woman chess prodigy

1950s & 1960s

TW: drug & alcohol abuse

Gentleman Jack (2019 - now)

Based on the diaries of Anne Lister

Victorian Yorkshire, England

Upper-class lesbians

Confident, suit wearing! Anne Lister x shy! Ann Walker

Business woman! Anne running the family mines

Cast: Suranne Jones (Doctor Foster) & Sophie Rundle (Peaky Blinders)

TW: violence

Gilmore Girls (2000-2007)

bubbly/ambitious single mom + intelligent daughter

bookworm! Rory Gilmore gets into a prestigious private school and then an Ivy League college

Small town drama is comedic gold

Fast dialogue packed with pop culture and literary references

Comforting & nostalgic

TEAM JESS

Anne with an E (2017-2019)

Loose adaptation of L.M. Montgomery’s ‘Anne of Green Gables’ books

they completely change the plot lines but it’s still very good content!

Orphan girl with trauma and a love of books/poetry is adopted by an elderly brother & sister duo, bringing light and fresh ideas to a rural community

Feminism, girls writing club, lgbtq safe spaces, girls eduction, black/indigenous representation

Miss Stacy as THAT inspiring teacher

Aunt Josephine’s lavish gay parties have my heart

TW: creepy male teacher tries to marry a student, racial discrimination, indigenous assimilation school

Victoria (2016-2019)

Adaption of Queen Victoria’s life

Victoria navigating her political, royal, and personal life

Albert’s involvement with The Great Exhibition, 1851 (on cultural + industrial innovations)

Alfred Paget x Edward Drummond is exquisite

Gorgeous costumes and aesthetics

TW: bury your gays trope

Derry Girls (2018-now)

1990s Northern Ireland during the troubles

Comedy, episodes 20-25 mins long

English boy sent to an all girls Catholic school with his cousin

✨Dead Poets Society parody episode ✨with a free-spirited female teacher

Sister Michael, the sarcastic nun who hates her job & reads the exorcist for giggles

Wee anxious lesbian! Clare Devlin (plus her friends wearing rainbow pins)

Badass with bad ideas! Michelle Mallon

Main Character! Erin Quinn

Lovable weirdo who would fight a polar bear! Orla McCool

Wee English fella & honorary Derry girl! James Maguire

Dickinson (2019-now)

Loose adaption of the poet Emily Dickinson’s life

Set in 19th century Massachusetts, US

Historical drama with modern dialogue & music that works SEAMLESSLY

gives a great understanding of Emily Dickinson’s poems

💕Vintage gays! Emily x Sue💕

Theatre club, writing, poetry, dressing as men to sneak into lectures, love letters, teen drama, feminism, and an underground abolitionist journal as a brief side plot in season 2

Wiz Khalifa plays death in a horse drawn carriage

TW: opium use

A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017-2019)

Based on great childhood books

Bookworm! brother, Inventor! sister, and baby sister with sharp teeth

Mystery, secret organisations, orphaned siblings figuring things out & fending for themselves against the villain after their fortune

Adults either cartoon evil, comedically incompetent, or SPIES

Boarding school, library owner, scientific researcher, and theatre episodes

Ambiguous time period which is really fun to try and pin point

Killing Eve (2018-now)

Classic detective who has homoerotic tension with the assassin she is tracking down

British Detective! Eve Polastri figures out the notorious assassin MI5 are investigating is a woman, is fired & then put on a secret MI6 case with a small team

Assassin! Villanelle, a psychopath with a tragic past and a mastery of both accents & fashion

Woman MI6 boss! Carolyn Martens, head of Russian section

Travel Europe following Villanelle’s killings and escaping the assassins sent by Villanelle’s organisation

‘You’re supposed to be my enemy and moral opposite but omg you’re the only one smart enough to get me and why am I obsessed with you????'

🚨 GO IN FOR A KISS AND THEN STAB YOUR ENEMY 🚨

Cable Girls/Las chicas del cable (2017-2020)

Spanish drama set in 1920s Madrid

Four young women at a telecommunications company form a group of friends and help navigate the difficult situations they are all in

Secret identities, dangerous pasts, murder, crime, lgbtq couple & throuple, trans man character, feminism/suffragists

girls commit crimes for humanitarian reasons and cover! it! up!

UNDERRATED SHOW!!!!

Gorgeous costumes and set

Haven’t finished it yet and I’m catching up

TW: abuse, violence, death

Outlander (2014 - now)

haven’t watched yet but plan to

Woman time travels to Scotland, 1743

Rebel highlanders, pirates, British colonies, American revolutionary war

Time jumps between 18th & 20th century

[rockislandadultreads]

Book Recs: Feline Reads

Mimi Lee Gets a Clue by Jennifer J. Chow

Mimi Lee hoped to give Los Angeles animal lovers something to talk about with her pet grooming shop, Hollywoof. She never imagined that the first cat she said hello to would talk back or be quite so, well, catty - especially about those disastrous dates Mimi's mother keeps setting up. When Marshmallow exposes local breeder Russ Nolan for mistreating Chihuahuas, Mimi steals some of her cat's attitude to tell Russ off. The next day the police show up at Hollywoof. Russ has been found dead, and Mimi's shouting match with him has secured her top billing as the main suspect. Hoping to clear her name and save the pups Russ left behind, Mimi enlists help from her dreamy lawyer neighbor Josh. But even with Josh on board, it'll take Mimi and Marshmallow a lot of sleuthing and more than a little sass to get back to the pet-grooming life - and off the murder scene.

This is the first volume in the “A Sassy Cat Mystery” series. 

Lawyer for the Cat by Lee Robinson

Sally Baynard is one of the best lawyers around. In the years since her divorce from Family Court Judge Joe Baynard, she dedicated herself to representing the worst and craziest Charleston, S.C. had to offer. But none of the murderers, burglars, or angry divorcing clients compared to Sherman, the dog her ex-husband appointed her to represent. Although the miniature Schnauzer found his way into her heart (and brought his handsome vet Tony along too), his case was a thorny one. With that business out of the way, Sally is happy to move back to non-canine clients... until a probate judge asks her about a cat. Agreeing to represent Beatrice, a black cat who's the beneficiary of a multi-million dollar trust and a plantation, Sally must put her wit, charm, and brains to the test, choosing among three colorful potential caregivers while dodging the former owner's angry son. Meanwhile, Sally must juggle the demands of the court with those of her aging mother and make a decision about Tony, who wants to get more serious. Lawyer for the Cat is Southern women's fiction at its most delightful, featuring strong, smart characters, a charming setting, and plenty of adorable critters.

This is the second volume in the “Sally Baynard” series. 

Probable Claws by Rita Mae Brown

With the New Year just around the corner, winter has transformed the cozy Blue Ridge Mountain community of Crozet, Virginia, into a living snow globe. It’s the perfect setting for Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen to build a new work shed designed by her dear friend, local architect Gary Gardner. But the natural serenity is shattered when out of the blue, right in front of Harry and Deputy Cynthia Cooper, and in broad daylight, Gary is shot to death by a masked motorcyclist. Outraged by the brazen murder, Harry begins to burrow into her friend’s past - and unearths a pattern of destructive greed reaching far back into Virginia’s post-Revolutionary history. When Harry finds incriminating evidence, the killer strikes again. Heedless of her own safety, Harry follows a trail of clues to a construction site in Richmond, where the discovery of mysterious remains has recently halted work. Aided as always by her loyal, if opinionated, companions, crime-solving cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and Tee Tucker the Corgi, Harry hunts for a link between the decades-old dead, the recently violently deceased - and ancient secrets that underlie everything. And while other deaths are narrowly averted in a flurry of fur, the killer remains at large - ever more desperate and dangerous. The deep-rooted legacy of corruption that’s been exposed can never be buried again. But if Harry keeps pursuing the terrible truth, she may be digging her own grave.

This is the 27th volume in the “Mrs. Murphy” series.

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa

Bookish high school student Rintaro Natsuki is about to close the secondhand bookstore he inherited from his beloved bookworm grandfather. Then, a talking cat named Tiger appears with an unusual request. The feline asks for - or rather, demands - the teenager’s help in saving books with him. The world is full of lonely books left unread and unloved, and Tiger and Rintaro must liberate them from their neglectful owners.

Their mission sends this odd couple on an amazing journey, where they enter different mazes to set books free. Through their travels, Tiger and Rintaro meet a man who leaves his books to perish on a bookshelf, an unwitting book torturer who cuts the pages of books into snippets to help people speed read, and a publishing drone who only wants to create bestsellers. Their adventures culminate in one final, unforgettable challenge - the last maze that awaits leads Rintaro down a realm only the bravest dare enter...

[lovelynim]

Turning Tables

Genshin Impact - Chongyun x Xingqiu

A/N: It’s my first time writing for Genshin Impact, but I’m really glad it’s about this two. I like the dynamic they have, even if Xingqiu is a little mean sometimes, it always lead to very cute scenarios. I hope it was worth the wait, anon!

As usual, for whoever is reading this, enjoy it ~

Summary: After falling for another one of Xingqiu’s tricks, Chongyun decides it’s finally time for some proper payback.

Word count: 1486 words.

Chongyun cackled and threw his head back, leaning against the wooden wall behind him. The exorcist tried to tug on the pair of mischievous hands kneading at his armpits, but it was no use. He felt the blush on his face getting stronger, just like the heat getting more intense, but there was no way to fight back or run away, completely trapped and left at Xingqiu's mercy.

"PLEHEHehease! T-too m-muhuhuch!!" He pleaded between tears of joy, feeling his stomach hurt due the laugher,

The hydro user smirked, it seemed it was about time to stop the little 'prank', but not before word a proper teasing.

"How curious, you said "somewhere else" a while ago, but you seem to be as ticklish here as you are on your ribs, or even more, if I may say," the gallant commented, easing up the way he moved his fingers, allowing the other to catch up his breath and rest, the laughter soothing into small giggles and eventually stopping.

"Thahat is not... fair," the light-blue haired pouted, as if the pranks and the spicy food weren't enough, he still had to deal with the constant pokes, tickling and... the embarrassment after it.

"I mean," Xingqiu slowly stood up, getting into his knees before doing so and patting his legs, "I really thought there was an evil spirit behind us back there," he chuckled, offering his hand to help the other stood up.

Chongyun shyly took the offer, but still frustrated about getting wrecked like that. The bookworm raised his eyebrow and confidently smiled, patting the exorcist on the shoulder, "well, you can always get me back for it anytime," the mix between a teasing and a mocking tone was pretty obvious in his voice, knowing the other wouldn't dare to take the initiative in such a thing.

The cryo user simply looked away, trying to clear his thoughts and move on, but a tiny pinch of him was claiming for revenge, urging to show Xingqiu that he could get him back if he wanted. And that's what he was going to do.

They eventually resumed their walk, side by side, changing topics, later on Xingqiu would buy a popsicle for his friend in a way to ask for forgiveness, even if he wasn't really sorry for what he had done. Ending at the Liyue Harbor, they would say good bye to each other, promising to meet again on the next day.

In his way back home, Chongyun thought about his plan, he was determined to show his friend that he could play the chords if he wanted to, even strike back if the situation needed. The exorcist smiled, excited for the next day.

As the sun shined bright in the sky, the light-blue haired made his way to their usual meeting spot, finding Xingqiu already waiting for him. The hydro user greeted him, waving his hand as the other approached him, starting their usual walk.

The duo made a few stops, both of them having a few things to deal with during the day, but always by each other's side. The time passed and it was near noon, Xingqiu made a small stop, placing his hand over his eyes and looking up.

"It might be close to lunch time, do you want to take a break," he looked to the other after talking, watching Chongyun nod and agreeing with the idea. Another usual part of they daily routine.

There was something off about the exorcist on that day, but the dark-blue haired couldn't exactly point out what it was. During their meal, he found the exorcist to be more careful than usual, making it hard to add a bit of spice sauce in his meal or trick him in anyway. Was his friend up to anything?

Having arrive rather earlier in the harbor on that afternoon, the two friends stopped by, Chongyun watching the view as Xingqiu amused himself with a book, or at least, pretended to do so.

"Chongyun..."

"Yes," the other answered right away.

"...is there something wrong today?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You seem different today, acting a little unusual," the hydro user noticed how those words made the other flinch.

"It might be... only your imagination."

"Are you, perhaps, up to something," the swordsman questioned, closing his book., the sound of it making Chongyun look to him, clearly nervous.

"No! No, no. What would I be up to?"

"No? Very well," he said calmly, placing his book on a safe surface, before turn back and tackle the other down, shoving his hands under the other's small coat and wiggling his fingers.

"Xihihingqiu," the exorcist cried out softly between, tugging on the boy's arm and trying to pull it away, "w-why ahahaha, wait!"

"Tell me what you are up to," the other requested firmly, pinching the light-blue haired's waist and making him yelp.

"NO-Nohohoh!"

"So you admit you were up to something, after all? You know, lying is a really bad thing to do."

The tickly assault continued, getting even a little more intense. Xingqiu was aiming to the best spots he was familiar with and were easy to reach, keeping himself busy with it, he didn't notice the moment that the exorcist let go of his hands and stopped trying to push him away.

It surely tickled. A lot. He struggled to do it, but if he wanted to show the hydro user what he was able to do, he had to endure it and give it a try. If the plan failed, it might back fire in an even worse punishment, but if it was a sucess, then...

Chongyun's fingers pinched the other's boy waist, making a gasp come out of his mouth, it was hard to see as he scrunched his eyes while laughing, but it was surely the reaction he was looking for.

Putting all the effort he could, the cryo user used both his hands to grab the other's waist, pinching and kneading his hips, noticing how the tickle would ease up and the teasing words slowly changing to Xingqiu's giggles along his, it was time.

Pushing the other to the said and taking advantage of the very few seconds he earned with that movement, Chongyun went for his counter attack.

The dark-blue haired widened his eyes in shock as he found himself on the ground, seeing the other coming for him so quickly and barely having time to prepare himself for what was about to come.

Chongyun had to test and be ready to find the best spots, afraid of the possibly backfire and second turn, but what happened was even more surprised. He was barely tickling the other and Xingqiu had already cracked, he slowly spidered his fingers up the other flanks and got him melting in giggles, pleading. Xingqiu was that ticklish?!

"Wha-hahaha, whahahat a-are you dohohoing?!"

"Paying you back," the exorcist said, confidently and resuming his experiment. For someone so composed and gallant, it was surely surprising how little it took for him to laugh like that.

Chongyun kept tickling, testing what was the best spot, but everything seemed to be a good one. Xingqiu would release a high pitched squeak and then go back to laugh every time the other changed spots, his underarms seeming to be the worst so far, but the cryo user wasn't satisfied. Xingqiu wasn't pleading or looking like giving up, like he often made Chongyun do, so he still needed to keep going.

The exorcist, in his focused search, tugged on the other's boy knee to push his leg out of the way and it was on that very moment he saw the other flinch in a different way. He tested it again, gently squeezing Xingqiu's knee, the response came as fast as it could.

"D-Don't-"

"Are you ticklish here too?" He mimicked his friends words from another day, wrapping one arm around the hydro user leg's and focusing on that sweet spot. Just a few seconds had passed and he managed to take the bookworm to tears.

"NAHAhah! PlehehaAHAH- I c-can't! S-STAHAhahap!"

The light-blue haired found himself blushing at that sight, it was rare to see the other laughing so free, specially if no one was caught in one of his pranks. Attending to his friend's pleads, the exorcist let him go, help him seat down in front of him. Xingqiu was panting, the smile remaining in his face along with the fading laugher.

"That was... unexpected of y-you..."

"You said I could get you back... so I did it."

"Y-yeah, you really di- AH!" The boy screamed in horror, "behind you!"

Chongyun widened his eyes, turning around and finding... nothing Before he could even protest, he felt his hips being squeezed, yelping and quickly holding the hydro user's hands and pushing them away from his body. The exorcist blushed at the other's smirk.

"It still works."

"Shut up..."

[theodora3022]

The LoveSick Schemers

Summary: Claude and Yuri as Yanderes, as per requested.

Notes: Someone wants three houses yanderes?! Yeah I am also a FE blog pffttt- Anyway I assumed you meant separate, not poly(I’m not comfortable with that) or competition(sounds tempting, maybe I’ll do it once I clear out my inbox). I set the reader to be a fellow student in Garreg Mach for the convenience’s sake, hope that’s alright. I happen to love these boys a lot too, so hello fellow schemer lover!

These are pretty tame since you didn’t specify anything, I don’t want to accidentally trigger anyone! The Yuri one is gender neutral, the Claude one is a bit on the female side. 

Warnings: Spoiler for the game(obviously), possessive behaviour

Claude Von Riegan

“I’m from the ruling house of the Leicester alliance, but don’t worry about all that madness.”

To draw his attention, you’ll have to be a trickster yourself, or an ideal-bound conservative like Ingrid. The former would light that competitive fire, while the latter your serious ways are amusing to behold to him.

At first Claude would only see you as a pleasant distraction, he has grand plans after all. But sometimes he would find himself eyeing at your concentrated form as you swing weapons, or study magic tomes, with a genuine smile on his lips.

It was at that moment, Claude knew something had slipped out of his control.

His mother and father told him what love feels like, but this is the first time the seventeen-year-old prince has experienced it firsthand.

If you are in another house, Claude will find a way to convince Byleth(or anyone leading the Golden deer) to have you transferred. But seriously, he can be charming when he wants to be, you won’t be able to say no. If even that doesn’t work, how about scouting away all of your friends so you’ll have no choice but to join the Golden deer!

He will go out of his way to spend time with you, finding flawless excuses so you won’t suspect a thing (even if you are as cunning as him). If your goal is to become an archer, that’s more than perfect for Claude because expect him to invite you to target practice everyday. “It’s a house leader’s duty to make sure the member honed their skills properly. Now, do you want to try with this killer bow?” Authority class is also a good way to bond with you!

Expect Claude to invite you every meal possible, with Hilda. You will feel odd to dine with him at first, but once you get used to it, he is just another goofball who has good tricks up his sleeves.(Claude will deliberately make himself appear dumber so you would lower your guard) If you are a goodie-two-shoe(A/N:like Ingrid), you might even scold him for his lacking of table manners!

Claude would try to make your relationship as normal as possible. As a prince, he had seen enough toxic relationships in the royal court of Almyra. Someone as wonderful as you should not be a caged dove, a mere wife for your crest or bloodline(if you are a noble that is). He wants you to flourish alongside him, as a formidable mage/soldier. The future Queen of Alymra should be able to defend herself at least!

But him only. Don’t even think of getting into someone else’s arms.

That Blue lion lad who asked you to the grand ball? How unfortunate it is to hear that he had fallen off from a clift on a mission. That Black eagle boy who is getting too handsy with you at lunch? It was disturbing to know that his black magic backfired leaving him permanently disabled.

Too bad if you liked any of your suitors back. Because they will get their due for attempting to lure you astray from your dear Claude.

Would persuade you to become House Riegan’s knight during the timeskip so he can stay close to you. Golden deers need to stick together, especially during these chaotic times right?

Once you are in the Deirdru with him, that is when the new Duke will start trying to court you formally.

If you are charmed by his amorous advances during the five years, he will be overjoyed and the dark side of the moon will never come into play. Although Claude would be concerned about how to reveal  his real identity before officially announcing the marriage, and how his parents or the people of Almyra would think of another Foldanese Queen.

If you somehow didn’t get swayed by his smooth ways, that’s okay too! As long as you do not promise your hand to another! Surely he can work out something after this war. Since you are in his domain now, no one is allowed to make inappropriate advances towards you because of the Duke’s warnings. They wouldn’t want themselves and their family exiled from  Reigan territory, or even the entire Leicester Alliance.

Yuri Leclerc

“Don’t let that pretty face fool you. He is a rouge, through and through.”

I imagine Yuri would like someone who is naive, virtuous,kind hearted like Ashe(A/N: It’s a crime they don’t have at least a B support IS!!!). You are that refreshing breath of air, the one who reached out to help him when almost everyone looked down to the residents of the abyss.

You are probably a sheltered noble lady, who has not learned about the sinister world well enough to not display kindness towards anyone. Or someone like Mercedes, who loves to take the role of an older sister to others in the Academy.

He would want to preserve your innocence, that precious pureness in this dirty, corrupted world. Yuri is a rat who lurks in the cold shadows, it’s only natural your radiant warmth would attract him.

When he is taken in by Byleth to the Officer’s academy, you are the first to invite him to the dining hall for a decent meal. You even gave him half of your peach sorbet to him since it charges extra and he didn’t spend money on it. “You have a sweet tooth, right? Well, I haven’t touched mine yet, here’s half of it.”

Another naive little fool, guess it’s only fair for him to protect you, to make sure your kindness doesn’t get exploited by other people.

Yuri always has interesting stories for you, or if you are a bookworm, he will bring you some banned books from the Shadow library. Be careful though, better not let Seteth see you reading them.

This guy is smooth and he knows it. Yuri would slip in some flirtaious words here and there, they can be considered as friendly even.

You in turn helped the people of the abyss in any way possible. If you are a white mage, you are happy to heal their wounds or care for the sick, since only a few healers are willing to devote time to “the underground”. If you are a soldier, you would teach the people how to wield a weapon, to defend themselves from thieves and bandits.

Realization didn’t strike Yuri all at once. Constance and Hapi are the first ones to notice how his gaze never strays away from you, and they love teasing him for it. He would deny it, saying he merely thinks of you as a good friend. Then when the thick headed Balthus also agrees with them, that is when his composure would collapse.

Genuine affections? Romantic attachments? Those things should not take up so much space in his heart. They can be perceived as weaknesses, to be used against him. How dare you make him feel this way, who gives you the right?

Maybe the goddess does watch over Folan and this is her punishment for all Yuri’s sins.

Like Claude, Yuri knows how to wear a smiling mask as if that is his true nature. He is a gang leader, he is not afraid to dirty his hands. Yuri is a lot less merciful than Claude when it comes to rivals. While Claude would not takes lives, only causing them enough harm so they get the hint, Yuri will resort to murder as he sees fit. He got underlings at his disposal, his rivals will be nothing against him even if they come from an influential family.

During the five years, since Yuri cannot leave the abyss, you two will keep in touch via letters, unknownst to you he also got some of his trusted henchmen to watch over you, making sure you are in good health and safe.

Once you return to Garreg Mach, you two can pick up where you left off! Don’t worry, Yuri won’t let you die or out of his sight again!

[itsjustmyfantasyroom]

Here for you

There really needs to be more Nick loving. Although I do love only sharing him with a few hehe.

Warnings: Just fluff and baseball talk.

WC: 782

Enjoy x

Nick knew your last trip home was mentally and physically draining and this time when you were back you weren’t yourself. He managed to get out of Amanda that it was just a drama filled time away and that things had been said and done that had gotten to you more than it should have. You were quiet and always looked sad, which was opposite to your usual bubbly somewhat loud happy self. Nick waited till late Saturday morning to make sure that nothing big came in at work, jumping on his laptop buying two tickets to that afternoons game of the Yankee’s vs the Blue Jays. Nick jumped up showering and changing into his baseball jersey, put his cap on backwards, jeans and white runners and running out the door.

The cab drive over was quick and before he knew it he was knocking on your door waiting for you to answer. The door swung open and Nick could see how blood shot red your eyes were and your hair was a mess still in pj’s,

“Nicky” you cleared your throat crossing your arms over your chest to cover your bra-less breasts “Is everything ok?”

“Yeah, can I come in?” Nick smiled at you.

“Ah yeah sure- why are you dressed like that, are you going out with Gil?” you moved out of the way to let him walk in.

“Nope I’ am taking you to the game. You need to go and shower, we have to leave in an hour. Make sure you wear your jersey”

Tears filled your eyes again and you stepped forward, Nick matching your steps you both now toe to toe,

“You’re taking me to the baseball- I love going to the baseball Nick” tears ran down your cheeks.

Nick giggled and pulled you into him wrapping his arms around you peppering your cheek with kisses as you rested your head on his chest,

“I know, you haven’t been yourself, I want to treat you and show you that I ‘am here for you. So go shower so we can go, mi hermosa ”

You pulled away wiping your face with the back of your hand, turning and walking to the your bedroom,

“Give me 30 minutes” you said over your shoulder.

Nick was leaning on your kitchen bench and looked up when he heard your bedroom door open, his eyes scanning up from your white runners, up your bare legs, to your jean shorts, to your tight white tank top with “I only kiss Yankees fans” printed on the front with your Yankee’s jersey over the top, your black Yankees cap, hair straight with light make up with pink gloss lips. Nick stood up straight with a big smile and he wolf whistled as you got closer making you giggle and blush,

“You always dress like this for a Baseball date, Y/N?”

You stopped walking just as you got to Nick raising an eye brow at him,

“This is a date?”

“Well yeah I don’t just take anyone to the baseball” Nick stepped closer to you wrapping his arms around your waist and you giggled as he lifted you up off the floor, your hands going to his cheeks “I’am taking you on a date and I’ am a Yankees fan so you going to kiss me or what?” Nick grinned big putting you back down on the floor lifting your hat up to rest on top of your head, his hands sliding into your back pocket, yours resting on his arms just above his elbow and you going up on your tippy toes. Nick’s lips landed on yours for a sweet kiss that quickly turned heated and all tongues.

You both pulled away to get your breaths and Nick pulled you into his body more leaning down to kiss down your neck,

“Thank you Nick”

“For?” Nick pulled back locking eyes with you.

“For all this. For just being you. For being here for me. For taking me out.”

Nick peaked you on the lips,

“Anytime babe. I’ll be taking you on more than one date. Blue Jays first strike and I’ll buy you an ice cream” Nick kissed your nose stepping back taking your hand in his threading his fingers with yours pulling you towards the door. You chuckled stopping and pulling Nick back into you, your other hand going to his neck pulling him back to you kissing him deeply again, you both melting into each other, Nick’s free hand going to your hip, your lips now at the shell of Nick’s ear,

“First walk and you come home with me, first foul and you’ll get your own home run.”  

 Tags: @beccabarba​ @the-baby-bookworm​ @thatesqcrush​ @permanentlydizzy​ @lovebennycolonmiguelgalindo​ @amorestevens​ @teamsladsandgents​ @kriegsverlobte

[storydays]

Season 1, ep 5, p1

You opened your eyes to see a young child running through luscious green gardens. The child was giggling and quickly slid on his stomach to hid underneath a bush. Your sight cleared up a bit to see the child was you, age 5. Younger you peeked out and yelped when you were picked up by large hands, and you heard your father's booming laughter. "Found you, my little waterbender!" Your father turned you upside down and tickled you, making you squeal and cry out, "Uncle! Uncle!"

"All right, Bumi, dear, be careful with him. He just ate lunch." A beautiful (H/c) woman walked over, her short hair flowing in the wind. Your father chuckled, before setting you on his shoulder, and walked over to your mother. "Sorry, love. I couldn't help it! I've missed you both so much." He wrapped his free arm around her waist, and kissed her passionately, making you groan in disgust.

"Ew, Mom, Dad, gross." You stuck your tongue out in disgust. "Oh, what are you talking about gross?" Bumi growled playfully, tickling your sides again. You laugh, and wiggle out of his grip before running to hide behind your mother's leg. You heard your mother giggling which made you suspicious, but shrieked with your mother when you both were in the cold water. You clung to your mom's back, giggling like mad. 

Your father's pale blue eyes sparkled with mischief, while he remained dry on land, laughing so hard, he was clutching his stomach. Your mother tickled your side, your secret signal for getting your father. You both summoned a giant wave and brought your father into the ocean with you. You jumped on his back, and he began swimming around like a polar bear dog, your mother swimming behind you. 

You then wrapped an arm around your mom's neck, and hung between the two adults, and looked at them hopefully. "We'll be like this forever, right?" Your innocent question made their hearts hurt, but they couldn't bring themselves to tell you the truth, not yet. So they held you closer, and smiled . 

"Of course, kiddo." "Yes, my love."

*End vision*

You opened your eyes to see Jinora and Nevermore over you, looking worried for you."(Y/N), are you okay?" Jinora whispered. You looked outside to see it was dark out, meaning you fell asleep reading again. "Hey, 'Nora. Yes, I'm okay. Are you okay?" You sat up, your hair sticking up everywhere and poofy. She giggled, but then looked down at her hands, shyly peeking at you. "I-I had a nightmare, and I can't go to Mom and Dad." 

Nevermore crawled into the little bookworm's lap. "How come you didn't go to Korra?" you wondered. "Because Daddy says that Korra needed to be alone for a little while. Can I sleep with you?" She used her polar bear pup eyes, and you sighed in playful defeat. Lifting your blanket, you silently told her to come under. She snuggled into your side, and Nevermore curled near your heads. 

"Good night, (Y/N)." Jinora whispered. "Good night, Jinora." 

*The next day*

You exhaled sharply, as you wrapped your knuckles up tightly. "It's been great to have you back, Korra." "It feels great to be back, although Tarrlok isn't please with our leaves of absences." Bolin scoffed. "Hey, (Y/N) created the Fire Ferrets and Korra, you joined before you joined his task force." "Okay guys, team huddle." You clapped your hands, making the younger teens walk over and put their hands over each other shoulders. 

Bolin grinned goofily, making Korra grin goofier, and you and Mako glance at each other uneasily before Mako clear his throat before taking over. "It's our first match of the tournament tonight. I know our team has been having some ups and downs for a little while. But even so, the Fire Ferrets have been on top of their game. Are we ready?"

Korra and Bolin echoed: "We're ready!" "Not yet." a sweet voice sung from behind you guys. You broke your group up to see Asami holding up a new uniform. "You'll need these." Mako immediately walked over. "Hey Asami." "Good morning, sweetie." She replied happily, as the firebender admired the outfits. "These new uniforms look great." he complimented. You and Korra looked at each other before rolling your eyes at the 'couple'.

"You look great, champ." Bolin rolled his eyes, Korra gagged when they rubbed noses, and you scowled, but you all fixed yourselves when they turned to you guys. "Well, teammates, I'll see you before the match tonight. Asami and I have a lunch date." "Okay, we'll check with you guys later!" Bolin cheered, waving. "Yeah, see ya when we see ya." You  grumbled, before turning away, and tightening your ponytail. 

You watched Bolin and Korra from the corner of your eye. "Soo, Korra...There they go, here we are. All alone in the gym, just you and me, two people alone. Together, alone." Bolin sputtered when Korra said, "What about (Y/N)?" "(Y/N) doesn't count; you've seen him in matches." You huff a laugh at that.

"Uh..I got to head back to Air Temple to train with Tenzin. See ya!" Korra ran out of their awkwardly. You pat Bolin's shoulder as he pouted in sympathy. "Soo, you like Korra don't you?" you smirked. He laughed, avoiding your gaze. "There's no use hiding it. And guess what, I'll be your wing-man." The Earthbender grinned as you began to explain your plan. 

*That night*

"Work with me, Pabu! You want to look spic and span in your new uniform, don't you?" Pabu chattered angrily as Bolin put him into the warm bath water. Nevermore smirked from the other side of the room, her tail lazily swinging back and forth from your shoulder. "So, what do you think of Korra in a girlfriend sort of way?" Bolin asked outloud.

"Personally, I don't see Korra that way. She's like my little sister, if I'm being honest." You hummed, turning in the mirror to brush your hair out. "She's great, but I think it makes more sense for me to go for Asami." Mako thought aloud, stirring the dinner. Your grip tightened around your brush, as you glared at the Firebender's back.  Bolin was also irritated but for a different reason. 

"I was talking about a girlfriend for me, Mako. Leave some ladies for the rest of us!" Bolin snapped, as Mako realized his mistake. "I know, that's what I thought you meant." "Sure, Mako. That's why you said, 'I'." You said sarcastically. "I don't know, Bo. It doesn't seem like a good idea for you to date Korra." "You just said, she was great two seconds ago." The Earthbender narrowed his eyes at his brother. 

"Yeah, Korra's a great athlete and Avatar and stuff. But I don't know if she's really girlfriend material. She's more like a pal." "A-A pal?" You questioned, turning half away to share a look with Bolin. "Bro, you're nuts. Korra and I are perfect for each other. She's strong, I'm strong. She's fun, I'm fun. She's beautiful, I'm gorgeous." You laugh as he continued. "Okay, I don't care what you think, I'm going to ask Korra out." 

That caught Mako's attention. "Look, it isn't just a smart idea to date a teammate, especially during a tournament. Keep your head out of the clouds and your priorities straight, okay?" Mako turned to finish cooking dinner. "You know what I'm talking about, don't you, Pabu? I'm talking about real love." He whispered to the Fire Ferret.

 You laugh again, putting blue beads in your hair. "Don't worry, Bo. You'll find the right girl one day." You went silent again, watching Mako from the mirror. 'This whole thing with Asami isn't good. Someone is going to get hurt, most likely Asami and/or Bolin. So how....how can I stop it?'

*A few hours later*

You tied your belt around your waist, listening to the announcer talk to the crowd.

"This is it folks, after a year of waiting, the pro bending tournament is finally here. Tonight is the first set of matches in our single elimination, 16 team bracket. And I gotta tell ya, these are the most tenacious and talented bending trios this arena has ever seen. " 

At that point you made it to the platform with your team, and the light shining on you guys. "Introducing our first team, the Future Industries Fire Ferrets." Everyone began cheering, you could even hear Korra in the background cheering. "Yeah, (Y/N)!" You looked into the stands to see Nagisa and Kazan calling you. You didn't know they were coming tonight, but it made your heart happy. 

"You can do it (Y/N)!" Nagisa cheered with Kazan waving from your Aunt Rene's shoulder. You waved back and blew a kiss to your aunt. "And their opponents, the Red Sand Rabbaroos." The crowd cheered louder when the two opposing teams made an explosion right away. "What an explosive opening volley. Both teams recover quickly and unleash a barrage of bending, I am astonished with how amazing the Fire Ferrets have improved! No wonder, Councilman (Y/N) and the Avatar haven't been in the pages lately. They've obviously had their noses to the grindstone in the gym." 

You used your ice to protect Bolin from an incoming Earth disk he wasn't aware of. "The Ferrets advance into Rabbaroo territory and are holding nothing back. Nice sprawl there by Mako, Bolin strikes, Ula dodges and all three Rabbaroos are down! The Fire Ferrets easily take round one, now onto round 2."

You smirk, using the water to knock the Firebender down the back. "The Rabbaroos are looking for payback, and they go after (Y/N). Bolin comes to his rescue, and he Earth disks Umi back into Zone 2! The Ferrets are on fire tonight, and they win round 2!" You, Mako and Bolin high fived each other.

"Round Threeee!" drawled another announcer. "With the Rabbaroos down two rounds, they'll need a knockout to win, and with the way the Ferrets are playing, I don't see that happening." The crowd began booing. You punched the air, making water fly at your opponents. "These Ferrets are moving like an well oiled machine." Bolin grunted as he sent three Earth disks to the opposing firebender, knocking her back. 

"Bolin bashes Adi into Zone 2, and the Ferrets get the green light to advance. The Rabbaroos are just fighting to stay on their feet at this point, down goes Adi, Ula, and Umi." "All three rounds go to the Future Industries Fire Ferrets who win their opening tournament match!" You all cheered, with giant grins on your faces. 

As you all walked back to the room to change, Mako spoke to you, not noticing Korra was there waiting for you guys. "Wow, we were really awesome tonight in that ring. Glad to have you back, (Y/N)." You took your helmet off and grinned wider. "Yeah, it's great to see we haven't lost our spark." Korra came up to you guys with a smile on her face and grinned. "Yeah, you guys were awesome out there!" "Thanks, Korra." Your cheeks were hurting from smiling so much at that point. 

You went behind the curtain to change into your street clothes, hearing Bolin talk to the audience more. Korra seemed to forgot you were in hearing range because as you were getting dressed, you heard her talk to Mako. "So, I've been thinking we should spend some time together." Mako chuckled, "We've been spending lots of time together." "I mean, outside of the gym and not while searching for kidnapped family members, or fighting chi blockers." she clarified. 

"I don't know. Asami and I are--" You almost fell over when you heard Korra say, "Look, I really like you and I think we were meant for each other." 

Silence followed. 

"Korra, I'm really sorry, but I just don--" at that moment you walked out, and cut him off. "Don't think it isn't a good idea to not hang out as friends." "You heard all that?!" Korra asked, blushing a bright red. "Kind of hard when I'm changing in the next room, Kor." "Will you excuse us for a second?" You pulled Mako away from her as Bolin came in. You then pulled Mako's ear, making him groan. 

"Ow, (Y/N)! What was that for?" he demanded. You frown at him, cross your arms and stare him down. "Mako, what in the entire hell is wrong with you?" you countered. "What do you--" "Don't play stupid with me! You don't even love Asami, you're in love with Korra! I don't know what is up with you lately, but you are being a ass! First you try to shoot Bolin down when he asked you for advice about his love life, and now you're trying to shoot Korra down hard." you whispered shouted. 

"Look, Mako, I'm telling you this as your best friend," you placed a hand on his shoulder, making amber eyes look into your (e/c) eyes, "You can't have it both ways. You need to make a decision and make it before anymore people get hurt." You walked away, leaving the firebender to trail behind you. 

"Congratulations, guys! You looked amazing out there." Asami beamed as she came into the room, giving Mako a kiss on the cheek. Mako smiled weakly before looking at a heart broken Korra. You raised an eyebrow at Mako, making him look away in shame before walking away with Asami. 

Rolling your eyes, you sighed aggravated, but felt your mood life as you heard little feet running towards you. "(Y/N)!" Nagisa's body slammed into you, hugging your waist, while Kazan hugged your leg. "Hey guys! It's been a while!" You knelt down to hug the children listening to Bolin ask Korra something.  "So, Korra, I was thinking you and me,we could go get some dinner together. Sort of date situation." 

"Oh, that's really sweet, but I don't think so. I don't feel very date worthy." She said sadly. "Are you kidding me? You're the smartest, funniest, toughest, buff-est, talented-est, incredible-est in the world!" Bolin said, a slight blush on his cheeks. Korra giggled at the Earthbender. "You really feel that way about me?" she asked slightly. 

"I felt that way since the moment I saw you. Trust me,I know we're going to have so much fun together." Bolin encouraged."You know what? I could use some fun. Okay, sure." "Yes! Who's the luckiest guy in the world? Right here, Bolin!" 'Good for you, Bo.' You smiled, zoning back into Nagisa's chattering.

The little girl was talking about how cool it was living with your aunt. "Yeah, Aunt Rene is pretty cool. I like visiting her because she's so much fun." You turned to Kazan and signed, 'What do you think of living with Rene?'  He smiled toothily, and signed back, 'She's really nice! She's a firebender like me, and has been teaching me to use my powers. She also has a waterbender teacher come for Nagi.' Suddenly he frowned, and signed, 'I just wish there were kids my age around. It'd be nice to have other people around besides Ms Rene, Nagisa, and her staff.' 

You hummed, and then brightened up, before turning to your aunt. "Why don't you guys come to Air Temple for dinner? I can cook, and Nagisa and Kazan can meet the Air kids." Rene looked at the two children and smiled. "Sounds good, let's do it." You turned to Kazan and signed,'Well, you are about to get your wish, little dude. You can come meet my cousins.' 

Together you walk out, Kazan riding your back, and Nagisa holding Rene's hand, and chanting, "Food, food, food!"

Neo nuzzled Kazan when he came forward, and you helped Nagisa onto Neo's saddle. "Hold on tight okay, we're going to take the fast way. 

*Timeskip*

You walked into Air Temple and found your family relaxing in the garden, waiting for you to come home. Ikki brightened up and ran over to you, with an excited look on her face. "(Y/N)! How'd it go? Was it super cool? Did you win? Are you going to the next match to-" You cut her off by laughing, and splashing her with a litle bit of water. 

"Hey Cheeky Ikki. Yes it was super cool, we did win, and we're going to the next match. But I have some friends for you to meet first." You went to the side and revealed the shy firebender and excited waterbender. "Hi! I'm Nagisa, and this is my brother Kazan!" Ikki, Jinora, and Meelo looked at the sister brother duo curiously. "Nagisa, Kazan, meet the Airbender family: This is my Auntie Pema, and Uncle Tenzin, and my cousins, Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo. Family, meet Nagisa and Kazan, and you all know my Aunt Rene." 

Rene wrapped an arm around you and smiled. "Cooking competition?" she grinned deviously. "Cooking competition." you agreed. "Yay! On your mark," Meelo started, "Get set," Ikki giggled with Nagisa. "Go!" Jinora cried, as you and your aunt began cooking at a rapid pace. "And done!"

You presented: 

Vegetable curry, for the vegans of the family, while your aunt presented:

Meat surprise for the meat lovers of families. 

"Enjoy!"

[plaidbooks]

Dating Pains

A/N: So! I was looking through some old files and found this Sonny Carisi x reader story I wrote in September that I had completely forgotten about! After reading through it, I figured “this is actually pretty good, I can post that” so here’s part one of four(?).

Tags: mentions of rape, mentions of murder, attempted drugging

Words: 3026

Taglist: @the-baby-bookworm @beccabarba @thatesqcrush @itsjustmyfantasyroom @stardust-fray @permanentlydizzy @infiniteoddball @ben-c-group-therapy @glowingmess @whimsicallymad @reading--mermaid @averyhotchner @mrsrafaelbarba @detective-giggles

You puckered your lips, painting them with the bright red lipstick that you loved. You smacked your lips a couple times, smiling at your own reflection. You were in comfortable jeans that hugged your ass perfectly, and a loose shirt, the sleeves draped around your upper arms rather than your shoulders, bright red and orange flowers on the black material. Your makeup was simple, neutral, except for the lipstick—but you couldn’t help yourself, you loved the color.

It was a first date, and you didn’t want to over-do it by over-dressing. Besides, it was a first date with this guy, and you were running out of cute, clean clothes. But it was your third “first date” in two weeks; your friends had set up a Tinder account for you and had been forcing you to go out on these dates. At first, you were reluctant, unwilling to stoop so low as to use an app to find love. But, after about a month of trying it the “old fashioned way,”—you at bars and clubs, striking out over and over again—you gave in to their insistence. Though, most of the guys on Tinder only wanted hookups, and you wanted something, well, more. You were looking for love, as cliché as that was, and that was something your friends loved to tease you about.

“You can wait around and find love whenever, but why pass up a chance to get laid?” one of your friends asked. You had blushed and tried to fumble through an excuse about why you didn’t want a hookup, why you wanted a real relationship. It wasn’t like you were necessarily against having a one-night stand, but it just wasn’t what you were looking for.

It took weeks and a lot of weeding through shitty profiles and messages until you found at least someone that seemed interesting. Your first date was alright; he seemed nice, polite but there just wasn’t a connection there. You both agreed that there shouldn’t be a second date. The second man was a real estate agent. He was once divorced, from his high school sweetheart, lived on Staten Island, had finished paying off his college debt, and was debating going back for a BS in Computer Science since that’s where the real money was. You knew all about his family life, too, because never once did he stop talking about himself. When he asked for a second date, you politely declined. Then again, and again, until you finally had to block him. If you didn’t already have this third “first date” set up, you would’ve given up on Tinder entirely.

Looking yourself over once more, you headed out the door and towards the bar that you were meeting the man at, nervous butterflies fluttering in your stomach. You had made sure you took screenshots of the man’s profile and messages, sent a picture of his profile picture to your friends, and told them where you were going. You were positive that serial killers didn’t use Tinder, but it was always better to be safe.

You made it to the bar and scanned the faces in the cramped space. Your date, Jerry, had said that he would be wearing a navy-blue polo shirt and black slacks, not that the dim lighting in the bar would help you tell the difference between the two colors. Your eyes did a full scan, not seeing anyone that looked familiar; maybe he was running late? Sure enough, you felt your phone vibrate, a message from Jerry saying that he was running behind and would be there in 5 minutes. Shrugging to yourself, you made your way to the bar, ordering a sprite and finding an open table. Being late wasn’t a deal-breaker for you, and at least he had messaged you.

You let your eyes wander through the crowd, people watching, and, if you were being honest with yourself, looking for anyone that looked attractive and hopefully alone…just in case this Jerry-guy didn’t work out. There were a couple of cute guys in the bar, but all of them seemed to be with someone, whether friends or with a girlfriend. Your eyes did settle on one man, though; he was tall, even when sitting, his hair carefully slicked back. In the dim bar lighting, it was impossible to tell if his hair was grey, blonde, or a light brown. He was in a blue, button-up shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a black striped tie, and a suit jacket was on the back of his chair. He had a beer in his hand, his long fingers wrapped around the dark bottle, with his head thrown back in laughter at something that one of the two women he was with said. One of the women was older, with long brown hair, who exuded command, even though she was also chuckling. The other woman was younger, closer to your age, with blonde hair that was tied back, beer in her hand and obviously the one cracking the jokes.

You looked away as you saw someone approaching your table out of the corner of your eye, smiling as you saw that it was Jerry—at least he matched his profile picture. You stood, giving him a polite hug, before you both sat. A waitress came up and took Jerry’s order, in which he also insisted you got a drink, too, to help loosen you both up. Not wanting to appear rude, you agreed; one drink wouldn’t make you drunk.

It took you about 5 minutes to realize that Jerry was the same, if not worse, than your last date was. He was incredibly full of himself, talking about how women just “didn’t get him” and how he was only on Tinder because he was “too busy” to actually go out and meet people. You were about to excuse yourself to the bathroom, planning to have a friend come save you, when he got up himself to go. While he was gone, you seriously contemplated leaving, but you couldn’t—you weren’t that mean. But you did instantly forget about texting a friend for help. Instead, your eyes travelled back over to the cute man with the slicked-back hair. You were shocked when you saw his bright blue eyes watching you. He quickly turned away, as did you, your cheeks flushing hot. You were too afraid to look back over, your face still feeling warm…warmer than a normal blush. You were looking hard at the table in front of you when you noticed that it was moving. Confused, you put your hand out to rest on it; it definitely wasn’t moving, but now the room looked like it was moving, shifting, and you felt like your skin was on fire now.

You stood suddenly, and almost went right back down. There was no way you were drunk, so what the hell was happening? You took a couple of stuttering steps before you felt hands on you, an arm wrapping around your waist, a hand on your shoulder, helping you up.

“You okay, honey?” Jerry asked, his fake, honey-covered voice concerned.

Your mouth moved, but you couldn’t form words. It was becoming hard to keep your eyes open, and you felt sweat forming on your forehead. You vaguely noticed him guiding you towards the door, out of the bar. Suddenly, a shadow was looming over you. You looked up, squinting at the figure above you. All you saw was slicked-back hair, and bright blue eyes, full of concern and a quiet rage.

“Sorry, man. My girlfriend just had a few too many,” Jerry was saying, trying to laugh it off. Something clicked in your sluggish brain. This is wrong, you thought, but your body wasn’t reacting to your mind. Without knowing what you were doing, you reached towards the tall, lanky man in front of you, who was now speaking harshly to Jerry. But you couldn’t understand the words. Your mind was fading fast, darkness coming to meet you.

You gathered all the strength you had left, and whispered into the loud, over-packed bar, “help me,” before the darkness overtook you.

 **********************

You woke up in a soft bed, sheets pulled up to your chest, the soft whirring of machinery around you. You squinted against the harsh light as you opened your eyes, the fluorescent lights blinding you slightly. You groaned and pushed yourself up, your head pounding and your throat dry. You froze; you were obviously in the hospital, but you had no memory of getting there, or why you were there in the first place. You took mental stock of your body; besides a splitting headache, you felt fine. So why were you there?

“Oh, you’re awake! How are you feeling?” a soft voice asked. You looked over and saw a nurse coming into your room, clipboard in hand. She didn’t wait for you to answer as she started playing with the machinery you were hooked up to.

“I-I’m alright,” you rasped, throat completely dry. She wordlessly poured you a glass of water on your side table and handed it to you. You gratefully took a sip, wetting your throat. “Head hurts, though.”

The nurse nodded as she took the glass back. “That’s normal.”

You cocked an eyebrow in confusion. “Normal for what? Why am I here?”

The nurse seemed surprised for a moment before she realized. “Oh, of course you don’t remember. You were drugged last night; roofied.” Your heart sunk. You were roofied? How? You never left your drink unattended; how did someone sneak it in? And does that mean…? The nurse had continued talking, but you tuned out, mind and heart racing. She concluded with a little cup of pills for you to take, and now your heart really sunk. You knew that doctors gave women the morning after pill, as well as anti-STD pills after being assaulted. So, that must have happened to you, too, right? And you remembered none of it. Was it better that way?

“Are you alright, Ms. [Y/L/N]?” the nurse asked, looking at how you regarded the cup of pills. “It’s just eletriptan…for your headache?”

“Just—just headache pills?” you asked. The nurse smiled, nodding.

“Yes, just headache pills.” As she was heading out the door, she added, “oh! There were two SVU detectives here to see you. Can I let them in?”

Confused as to why two detectives wanted to talk to you, you nodded absentmindedly, taking the pills and downing them with a gulp of water. You had only a moment to think about it—SVU? Were you a Special Victim, even if you weren’t assaulted?—before they entered. The first detective that came in looked vaguely familiar; a young woman with her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. The second detective, though, made you pause. You had definitely seen him before, but you couldn’t place him. Tall, lanky, slicked-back, dirty blonde hair, and bright blue eyes that pierced into yours with some sort of…guilt? Pity? It was hard to tell what was there.

“Have we met before?” you blurted, unable to stop yourself. The expression in the man’s face intensified for the briefest moment before it was replaced with a cool professionalism.

“Uh, kinda,” the woman replied. “I’m Detective Rollins, and this is Detective Carisi. We met at the bar last night.” You thought about this, trying to will your still-aching mind to remember the events from the past night, but there was nothing there.

“Do you happen to remember anything from last night?” Carisi asked. “I mean, if you remember meeting us, maybe you remember more?”

You tried to go back through what you did remember from yesterday; getting lunch with friends, getting dressed for a date, putting on your favorite lipstick, then…nothing. Flashes of music and lights from the bar, but nothing more.

“I…don’t really remember much…. Do—do you know what happened to me? I—I remember leaving my house to meet a date, but then it’s all fuzzy—” you scrunched your eyes closed, trying to force your mind to work correctly.

“Hey, don’t hurt yourself. It’s normal to not remember after being roofied,” Rollins explained. “It may come back to you in the next couple days, and it may not. Do you remember who you were going on a date with?”

You sat for a moment before you remembered. “Oh! Where’s my phone? It was some dude on Tinder—I saved screenshots of his profile.” You found your purse on the side table next to you and dug until you found your phone. You ignored the texts and missed calls from your friends, probably freaking out since you haven’t contacted them yet, and pulled up the pictures. “I went on a date with Jerry last night,” you said, showing the pictures to the detectives.

“This is perfect, definitely enough for a warrant,” Carisi replied, smirking and giving you an impressed glance. You felt the blush crossing your cheeks and fidgeted uncomfortably. “Can you text me those pictures?”

You agreed and he gave you his number. You tried to ignore the fact that you now had his personal cell phone number as you sent the photos to him, your stomach flip-flopping.

“Is it alright if we talk to you in a couple days? See if you remember anything?” Rollins asked, already making her way to the door.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” you said, watching them leave. Carisi gave you a small smile before he made it to the door. “Wait!” you called out, making him stop. Carisi stood in the doorway, brow furrowed as he looked at you. “Can you please tell me what the hell happened last night? Even if you only found me somewhere—I just, I need to know something. Was I…was I attacked--?”

Carisi’s eyes filled with a sadness; he was obviously upset that you couldn’t remember anything. He turned to look out the door. “You go on to Barba’s, get the warrant. I’ll meet up with you,” he said to his partner before coming back into the room. He pulled over the visitor chair and sat down next to your bed.

“I’ll tell you all I know; I was at the bar with my Lieutenant and Rollins after work when I looked over and saw you sitting there with Jerry. Now, Jerry looked like a suspect from a case I was working a couple months back. So, I was keeping an eye on ya, just in case.” He paused for a moment, looking slightly embarrassed that he admitted watching you, but all you were feeling right now was appreciation that someone had your back. Thank god he was there, had noticed something. “When you stood up, I knew something was wrong; you were swaying and looking like you were about to pass out. I told my Lieu, and we were coming over to make sure you were alright when Jerry came back. He was trying to tell us you were drunk, and he was going take you home. Right then, you collapsed, asking for help. My Lieu arrested Jerry right there, and Rollins and I brought ya here. But we couldn’t hold him, and we couldn’t prove he was the one to drug you. But, with your screenshots, hopefully we can check his place, find roofies in his possession.”

You sat there, dumbfounded with how incredibly lucky you had been that three NYPD detectives were there when you were drugged, and how bad it could’ve ended for you if they weren’t.

“Thank you, so much, Detective Carisi,” you managed, trying to think of something else to say.

“Please, call me Sonny,” he replied, smiling. You felt yourself melting at that smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling, though, concern was still deep in his expression. Then, a thought struck you.

“That case you were working on a month ago, that Jerry matched the description for. What did he do?”

Sonny suddenly seemed uncomfortable, unwilling to talk, considering how lengthy of a description he just gave you from the previous night. That wasn’t a good sign.

“We, uh, we were investigatin’ a man who would roofie a woman, then rape her and leave her…dead body in her own bed. The only connection he had to the victims were that they used Tinder. But he would delete his account before we could find it. All we had was security footage and some eyewitness accounts of the man.”

Your heart started beating faster at the words “dead body.” If Jerry was indeed this man, then you almost died last night. You didn’t quite know how to process that.

You were staring at the bright white of your bedsheets when you heard Sonny ask, “[Y/N], are you alright?” He dipped his head down, trying to get in your line of sight. You snapped out of your thoughts, looking up to him.

“I—yeah, I just…I almost died?” your throat constricted on the last word. You felt hot tears in your eyes, and you blinked fast, trying to not let them fall. You really didn’t want to cry in front of this man, and not just because he was cute; you didn’t want to have a full breakdown in front of someone you didn’t know.

“Hey, it’s okay, you’re safe now. ‘Sides, we don’t know for sure if Jerry’s our guy, or just some predator. Either way, we’ll get him, I promise you.” Sonny gave you another heart melting smile, before he stood up. “You have my number if ya need to talk, okay? Don’t be afraid to shoot me a text.”

You smiled as he left, shutting the door softly behind him. You already wanted to text him, but to ask him out to coffee, not to help you through your shock. But you also didn’t think that that was very appropriate, asking an SVU detective out after he saved you from being assaulted. Besides, your mind was reeling from the past 24 hours. First thing’s first, better text all your friends and let them know you were alive and unharmed. And then you were definitely deleting Tinder.

[punkinroses]

Alright gang I got two rounds of next gen kids done, let's move onto the ones who names I struggled the most with. The previous two posts can be found here and here, showing Zuko and Kataras family, and Sokka and Sukis families, respectively. So, here's the next family on the list:

Taang Kids

Jai Bei Fong is the eldest child of Avatar Aang and Toph Bei Fong. An Earthbender trained in the art of Metalbending by his mother, he has been requested numerous times to take over her school by others. He has simply refuted numrrous times that those running it now are more than capable and prefers to keep to a more minor teaching role in coaching. He has become a Pro Bender instead and has become a part of a very famous team -- and boy does he love to showboat, even if just a little. He does coach minor league and junior teams. He uses a lot of his jovial cockiness for the purpose of getting people to underestimate him and his skills, and to aggravate his opponents to cause them to mess up so he can strike at the perfect time. He has, however, been dealing with a lot of frustration in his own personal life with relationships that never seem to lead anywhere, the struggles of a single father and feeling a responsibility to try and help his family more with his own father gone and them all being...not really about it. Jai is considered the most handsome between him and his brother, with styled black (greying) hair, green eyes and fair skin with his fair share of scarring from fighting. He chooses to wear a lot of darker greens and silvers to match his metal, always wearing a metal cuff with him presented to him from his wife.

Jai lost his wife Reilah a mere few years sgo but it has felt like an eternity without her. She was his biggest supporter in his matches...and a bit of a rival for him, as they had been Pro Benders on separate teams. They always made playful bets on what would happen if one lost -- and one of those times he used to propose to her. He still lost that fight, but she told him that she wouls have said yes regardless. She was mischievous and free spirited, and a little hotheaded. But she was a very formidable Firebender who picked up some tips to better her bending from her in laws. Her career, however, would be cut after she fell ill. Her illness spread slowly and try as they might, there was no permanent solution to heal her and she eventually succumbed to it, breaking his and their daughters hearts. She had short dark brown hair, piercing golden eyes and tanned skin and had an intricate tattoo sleeve that included Jais name and their daughters name.

He has tried to find love again after her, as that was something she was very poignant on. "Don't you dare try and shut your heart off. Don't swear off finding someone who can make you happy. Or I'm coming back and lighting a fire under your ass." But, so far, all of those attempts have failed, either because of a lack of chemistry between the two and from rifts between his daughter and some of his potential girlfriends.

Their only child is named Anzu. She is a rough and tumble, bright eyed Earthbender who has her Dad wrapped around her finger, especially after the loss of her mother. She struggles connecting her extended family, however, as it feels like they all grew apart way back when, but she idolizes her Grandma and Toph is rather close to her as well. She's been struggling to learn Metalbending, but she's stubborn and does not want to give it up. She's also very adventurous, loving every "life changing field trip" she and her Dad go on, and has a collection of various souvenirs on a shelf in her room. She's on her own Pro Bender team that she's currently struggling to whip into shape and has been dealing with that stress on top of trying to be happy for her dad finding love again...but with the ones he brings home constantly trying to replace her Mom. Anzu has shoulder length black hair that she keeps in a messy ponytail, gold-green hazel eyes, and tan skin.

Nyima Bei Fong is the second born child of Aang and Toph. A skilled Earthbender who found herself drawn to the art of Sandbending as well as Metalbending, she has pushed herself to make her own lot in life. She has opened her own resorts across the Earth Kingdom, and one that'll be opening on Ember Island soon. She has wanted to open one close to one of the Air Temples as a way to find a reconnection with her Dad, but her sisters are absolutely against it. She's a very business savy woman who also wants to expand into other new horizons. She's also a complete smartass and doesn't take anyone's nonsense. In her youth, she, like her sisters, was very vocal in reformation to make better changes across all four nations and Republic City, and she was always the most ready to go full out for a cause, even if it stressed both of her parents out. She's claimed she's held herself to a higher standard in recent years and wants to find success while creating a relaxing environment for everyone. Though, if you press the right buttons, her old streak may come out. She's got short, curled black hair, grey eyes and fair skin, and wears muted colors that's topped off with a colorful, stylish scarf.

She has been in an on/off relationship with her childhood romance, Bo. The two have been almost married on four separate occasions, but things have always put a stop to it -- usually things started by Nyima and what people have suggested could be a fear of commitment. Bo is a good humored, free spirited boy raised in the Air Acolytes by his father Teo and has always had a passion for romance and making a positive change in the world. And he's always been able to pull her old spirit out of her when she needs it. He has medium length brown hair with some pulled back in a ponytail, grey-brown eyes and fair skin.

Their eldest child is their daughter Jesa. She is a happy go lucky girl who is very close to her Dad and trying to develop a closer relationship with her Mom, but sometimes feels like she can be too busy and lost a sense of herself, especially when finding old pictures of how her Mom used to be. The two have gotten a bit of a closer bond upon the discovery that she is an Airbender, like her Grandfather before her, though it's lead to even more tension between her parents and aunts who have polar oppositr ideas as to what Jesas' furure should be. She wants to define her own future, like her Mother did for herself and how her Grandmother did. Her best friend in the world is Lian, who she's always felt a big connection to. And after she finds out she's the Avatar...it leads to a whole new world of adventure. She has long dark brown hair, grey-green eyes and fair skin and she wears bright colors, namely golds and greens to honor both her heritages and and she wears a headband similar to her Grandmothers.

Their youngest child is their toddler son Bisang. He's a rambunctious little boy who loves wandering around the resorts and getting to be strapped up in a baby sling while his Dad air glides through the air. He knows no fear and loves to be unabashedly himself. He also is a bit of Mamas boy and clings to her and has been showing promising signs of being an Earthbender.

Tophs final pregnancy shockingly resulted in the birth of triplets. The eldest of three being Hien Bei Fong. A gifted Airbender, she was the first to get her Airbending tattoos after mastering the 37 levels of the practice and it's something she holds in great reverence. She has since gone on to become a leader amongst the reborn nation of Air Nomads and sits among the council, residing on Air Temple Island in Republic City. She works with the newest wave of Airbenders to teach them the old ways and do what she can to revitalize the culture her father almost lost. She was once far more free spirited as a teenager and even though she was a very loud advocate for change, she could find when she could relax and enjoy life. Now her top priority is the politics to keep the balance and to preserve history in the name of her Father -- something that has put a strain between her and Toph, who reminds her that Aang wanted her to be her own person and to have fun. She keeps her bangs shaved off to show her arrows, and the rest of her black hair pulled into a side braid, and has piercing grey eyes, and many remark her glare reminds them of an owl.

Hien has no spouse and prefers not to find someone to be married to. She actually used to date a lot in her youth, but as the years have gone by, she does not want to settle down with someone, feeling they'd never be able to selflessly love all of her and her responsibilities, nor could she do the same.

She does, however, have two children of her own from very brief, unknown relationships.

Her eldest child is probably the eldest out of all of the next generation, her daughter Dema. Dema has struck out on her own, away from her mother's strict thumb and rigid traditionalist nature. She ran with a circus for a time after first running away, before finding herself starring in the new and upcoming phenomenon of Movers. Her actress life has landed her a cushy life in Republic City, which has lead to awkward encounters with her mother, but she stands her ground on the decisions she has made for herself. And Toph always tells her "I think you looked amazing in your new film!" And she always laughs along. Currently, Dema is engaged to one of her more frequent costars, a nonbender named Raiden. She has long black hair, with long bangs, dark blue-grey eyes and and olive skin.

Her youngest is her teenaged son Tenki. Tenki is an Airbender wise beyond his years and is an avid bookworm. He's also the most relaxed member of the family and is very go with the flow, and wants to simply travel around, experience the world with his nothing but his books, and maybe rediscover Wan Shi Tongs library. He has a shaved head, having just gotten his arrows and dresses in typical Air Nomad clothes, with a prayer bead necklace on him at all times.

The second born of the triplets is Hayato Bei Fong. Nobody really knows why Hayato always had a chip on his shoulder. Born with the same airbending abilities as his sisters, he found himself struggling with it and his spiritual side, having more of a stubborn, hardheaded side to him. He rejected getting his tattoos and took to heart the idea of going out on your own and making a name for yourself, though it broke Aangs heart when he left after a fight and never fully reconciled with him. A fact that hit harder following Aangs untimely death. Hayato has since gone off to work in his mothers home town of Gaoling to help bring in industry and has been working on his own company to produce automobiles and motorcycles, rathering to focus on making waves towards the future than tapping into the past and to the spiritual side. Now if he could just get his mother to stop trying to drive one of his automobiles... Hayato has shoulder length black hair, usually pulled back into a bun, dark grey eyes and a small scar going through his left brow. He's discarded any bright Air Nomad colorings for blacks, greys, silvers, and dark greens.

Hayato has a husband named Kazu. He's a nonbender, and an author out to publish his own books and also writes news reports as a gig to bring home money. He has a taste for the darker fashion style of his husband and writing about the struggles and triumphs of mankind in a post war world. He has layered black hair, hazel eyes and pale skin.

The two are looking to adopt in the near future!

For now though, they are quite happy with their Crococat, Boots.

Born the last amongst the triplets and the subsequent youngest child, Huuro Bei Fong is her own terror twister of an Airbender. She was the wild child of her siblings, always getting into her own antics and probably the protestor that almost got her and her sisters arrested numerous times in their youth. She gained her tattoos after the creation of her own move. She has since moved to the restored Southern Air Temple and is always causing trouble for the new elders to show the newest generation how to have fun. She's also been known to be quite skilled on the Sungi Horn, much to somes delight...and others dismay. Huuro wants to help the Air Nomads to find fun, lively and searching for new purpose, to establish new traditions and celebrations while acclimating to the modern world. She keeps her black hair long, flowing and down, and her grey eyes always are full of life.

Huuro is here and looking for love around every corner! She wants to find someone who loves life as much as her and wants a life full of new experiences.

[the-omni-princess]

Wait for Me (I’m coming)

Author: @the-omni-princess​

Summary: One last mission. One more death.

Prompt: “All I’ve Ever Known” - Hadestown

Word Count: 622 w/o the lyrics (925 with!)

Pairing: Bucky x winter soldier!reader

Warnings: Angst! Wow! I write that now?!

A/N:

For @sunmoonandbucky​ and her #5kconstellationswc

Congrats!!!

Funfact! My first oneshot ever was for her challenge so here we are :D 

Super sorry it’s late, writer’s block is killing me. This is pretty different than what I usually write

-

[General Masterlist] [Bucky Masterlist]

I was alone so long I didn't even know that I was lonely Out in the cold so long I didn't even know that I was cold Turned my collar to the wind This is how it's always been All I've ever known is how to hold my own All I've ever known is how to hold my own

-

Truly the only thing you could remember were two things. The cold. Pure ice climbing your veins. Choking your voice, glazing your vision, until black dots overfilled your mind and you were falling and falling and falling. Down and down and down.

The second thing you could remember, no matter how many times your brain was fried, lit up, with the smell of electricity in the air, was sky blue eyes. Ice. Metallic. A metal arm. Harsh when the scent of electricity and grime filled the room. Soft, tender when the eyes weren’t watching.

-

But now I wanna hold you, too You take me in your arms And suddenly there's sunlight all around me Everything bright and warm And shining like it never did before And for a moment I forget Just how dark and cold it gets

-

Now you were awake. Forcibly shoved into the land of the living. He was gone. That much you knew for sure. You weren’t sure if they had finally snapped and ended him, or if he escaped. It didn’t matter. You were alone again. Why fight? There wasn’t a point. You havent felt human in what felt like an eternity.

Ten words. Screaming. Blissful calm. Locked in your own mind. A witness to everything you destroyed. Unable to stop it. Another gun pressed into your hands. Another life ripped from somebody you didn’t know.

-

All I've ever known is how to hold my own All I've ever known is how to hold my own But now I wanna hold you Now I wanna hold you Hold you close I don't ever wanna have to let you go

-

Another mission. More lives to take. A leather wrapped Grim Reaper. A dog on a leash.

Something was wrong. Stalking the halls, curious eyes racking each shelf. A pause, gun lowering. A simple picture. Familiar sky eyes.

“Drop the gun and this doesn’t have to get ugly.” Every muscle in your body seemed to tense, the photograph in your hand fell to the ground, shattering as it hit the floor. You turned, watching as one thing you always remembered went wide. “Oh God,” he mumbled.

“Soldat?” your head tilted against your own violation.

“It really is you… they sent you to kill me, didn’t they?” He simply sighed, his own gun lowering faintly, still on edge and watching you closely.

“Not you. Him,” you lifted your head towards the shield beside him.

“You’re not going to hurt him,” he took a step closer, your own thoughts finally lit up, starting to put things together. You mouth disregarded these thoughts. It disregarded the voice you’ve become in your own head, a voice behind prisoner bars.

“You left.” You sounded weak. You hated it.

His visibly softened, “Is that what they told you? Please put down the gun. I can help you.”

-

Now I wanna hold you, hold you tight I don't wanna go back to the lonely life Say that you'll hold me forever Say that the wind won't change on us Say that we'll stay with each other And it'll always be like this

-

For once in your abnormally long life, the shell of a body you were obeyed the screaming inside its cage. The gun tumbled to the floor just as your knees buckled.

He came closer, slowing his movements as you flinched. “It’s alright now, дорогая, no one will hurt you.” He only froze for a second more before metal and flesh rose, pulling that godforsaken muzzle off, tossing it aside. “There you are.” He smiled warmly, something you couldn’t think he had done before. You would have remembered that smile. A smile that radiated like a thousand suns. It would have been burned into your memory just as his eyes were etched into your very soul.

“I-…” you swallowed harshly, taking a breath as the cage around you started to crack. “I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore, Soldat.” Your admission came in a small voice, and yet he heard you. Slowly, gently, he pulled you into his arms. Tenderness. The fleeting memories of this started to come back to you in flashes. You accepted it, falling into his chest.

“You won’t have to hurt anyone anymore,” he murmured softly, holding you close, not mentioning the hot tears starting to roll down your cheeks. “Bucky,” he added. “My name is Bucky. Soon, you’ll be able to remember you name too.” With those words you felt one more death at your hands. The death of your cage.

-

I'm gonna hold you forever The wind will never change on us As long as we stay with each other Then it will always be like this

----

Tags:

Permanent Tags:

@minetticatinwonderland​  / @lumar014​ / @maniacproffesor​ / @gollyderek​ / @nerdy-bookworm-1998​ / @avengerstones​ / @momc95​ / @loving-life-my-way​ / @agentpeggybarnes​ / @marvelmaree​ / @thefridgeismybestie​ / miraclesoflove  / hello-fanfiction-goodbye-grades  / deathofmissjackson

Bucky Tags:

@cassandras-musings​  / @darkness-doughter​ / @novaddictx​​ / @thedancingnerdmermaid​ / @mood-pancakes​ / @gracethegeek9902​ / @ravennightingaleandavatempus​ / @sunkissedbarnes​ / @annavega333​ / @im-not-an-armrest-im-short​

For a tag, just reply/comment, if I don’t see it, just message me. Tell me what you think! Literally, any comment makes me happy! Like, comment, reblog, interact <3

(striked out wont let me tag)

[detroitbecomeyandere]

The Unquiet Grave

Ahhhhhh okay so I was re-watching Penny Dreadful on Netflix and wanted to do something with the same dark romantic feel. And after talking to @confessions-of-a-yandere-freak I got the idea to do a Frankenstein thing. Thank you so much CoaYF (follow her she is amazing) Thank you @birooksun for talking with me about it and figuring out more of a direction to go in. And thank you @tara-the-quiet-bookworm-2016 for beta reading for me! Love you guys so much.

Italics are flashbacks 

Summary: Markus creates his monster

Warning: Medical procedures, kind of gory

Word count: 1.6k

The storm was moving in much slower than Markus would have wanted, the entire ordeal taking a greater toll on his mental state than he had anticipated. Even in his own laboratory the anxiety of being caught before his experiment could even truly begin was eating away at him. Hearing thunder off in the distance Markus made a short walk to the window to glance out, hoping to calm his nerves but only able to think of the illegal act he committed not even a day ago.

The shovel was a familiar and comforting weight in his hands as he made the trek through the cemetery, having only the cold light of the moon to illuminate his way.

“A lamp will only bring attention” Markus had told himself, being caught and sent to prison was not something he wanted to experience. Walking as swiftly and quietly as possible he made his way to his destination, a fresh grave.

A flash of lightning in the sky brought him back to the present. Turning to his experiment he made his way across the room quickly, retrieving the tools of his trade.

“There’s still work to be done.”

He placed the tray full of sterile medical equipment next to the body, briefly he mused if using sterile tools even mattered when the patient was already dead. Pushing the amused smile off his face he set to work. The body was in a relatively decent state, no noticeable decay had set in. The eye he had to replace looked almost normal, needing proper healing for it to settle in. As Markus worked on opening the body for the internal examination his mind started to drift again.

The grave was easy enough to find, with the burial being just that morning. The earth still fresh and slightly damp, the soft spoil making a satisfying “thu-sh” sound as he began the task of digging. It should have been a morbid task this grave digging, something that would have made those with true morals shudder at the thought of defiling a final resting place of the departed. To Markus however it was nothing more than a necessity, though maybe it was because he had already buried those thoughts deep within himself this morning as he watched the body laid to rest. It’s in the name of science, surely the poor soul who was under this dirt hadn’t wanted to die so young. A whole life was head of them, a life he could restore.

“Thunk”

The sound of metal scraping against wood snapped him out of his small moral crisis. Tossing his shovel out he moved as much to the side as he could and pulled the lid back.

Rain started to fall against the windows, causing Markus to realize just how little time he had to finish the examination. Truthfully he should have done the exam before now but his work at the local surgery had kept him busy much longer than he would have liked. Then the task of having to find a replacement eye hadn’t been easy, he thanked his stars when he went to the morgue and found a fresh body. He moved swiftly in removing the left eye, it was a different colour than that of his specimen but he supposed a heterochromia wasn’t all that strange. In a way it made it feel more personal to him, almost as if his creation would be more like him.

Attaching the eye into the socket was a simple enough task for someone trained as he, Markus found himself wondering what had caused you to lose an eye at this age. You couldn’t have been more than 23 years of age, he found himself thinking of his childhood stories of pirates and their eye patches. He laughed as he thought of someone as soft and young as you battling at sea, the more likely explanation was that you had simply gotten an infection in your eye causing it to be removed.

A simple incision was made, skin and muscle tissue peeled back, ribs cracked carefully to reveal the chest cavity.

The heart looked healthy enough, no tears or clogged arteries that needed repair. Kidneys and liver fine, intestinal tract intact, reproductive organs healthy. The lungs had a bit of scarring and upon further inspection they looked slightly damaged.

“Consumption, that must have been how you died. A painful death of drowning in your own blood, a shame.”

Inside the casket laid what Markus could only describe as an angel. Your skin almost porcelain in appearance, most likely due to the lack of blood, your hair carefully combed and styled in an appropriate way for a funeral. The only thing that gave away the body before him as deceased was the fact that there was no rise and fall of the chest. Upon closer inspection of the face he could see the left eyelid was slightly caved in, clicking his tongue Markus thought it a pity that a creature such as yourself had to live a life damaged in any form.

“You will do.” Quickly Markus scooped up your body and laid it in the tarp he had brought with him, mindfully wrapping you up for an easier journey home.   

Finished with the examination and pleased with the results he set to placing your ribs back and stitching your chest cavity up. Sutures was one thing Markus had always prided himself on, even in medical school his professors admired him for his steady hand and his tight stitching. Snipping the thread after the final stitch Markus had nothing more to do than to wait for the storm to grow closer. 

Standing to admire his work he was once again struck with anxiety in his stomach, what if this didn’t work all his hard work would be for naught. His sins would weigh upon his soul forever, surely he would be damned to whatever Hell there was for robbing a grave if this did not work. Perhaps even if it did work God had already damned him for trying to do what only the divine should do.

Markus thought back to his adoptive father, the anguish and emptiness he had felt when Carl passed. If he could prevent other hearts from breaking like his own then surely the eternal damnation in hellfire would be worth it. 

Cradling your bony cheek in his hand he begins to imagine what will become of the creature he creates.

“What shall your life be I wonder. Will you know the pain, happiness, and sorrow that life has to offer? Who will you become, a heartless demon of a person like my brother, or someone kind and soft as my father. What wondrous heartbreak is in store for you my dear one, I will be sure to guide you for as long as I can. Be by your side in all your trials and tribulations, documenting them all.”

As he spoke Markus’s hand drifted along your body, down your neck, along your collarbone, further down until he reached your chest. Lightly ghosting his fingers over it he imagined what your skin looked like when it was flush and alive, a loud crash of thunder made him realize that image may soon come to fruition.

Working quickly as the storm grew stronger Markus moved your body into the tub of chemicals. Markus then pulled the lever to open the sky light in the ceiling, running the lighting rod through the opening and anchoring it in place. 

Careful not to slip he runs to the switch, there he waits for a strike. Rain pours over his head and soaking him to the bone, suddenly the air filled with tension and the arm on his arms stood up on end. 

“CRASH”

Bright white electricity runs it’s way down the rod and into the tub, Markus pulls the lever down and the electronics surrounds the vat glow a bright blue. Sparks shoot from the devices causing them to short circuit, shutting the whole system down. 

Frantically Markus moves to the tub, watching as the liquid bubbles and churns around you. His heart beating against his chest so hard he’s sure it would be out of his chest. Lighting a small lamp he watches you closely for any sign of life.

5 minutes 

10 minutes 

The longer time goes by Markus fears his experiment is a failure, heartbroken and on the verge of tears he closes the sky light. Exhausted, he walks to his desk to write down his notes and failures. As tears roll down his face as he sorrowfully writes down what happened. Markus knows he will try again in the future, but that brings him no comfort in this moment. 

Slumping in his chair he absentmindedly watches the ink dry, his silent tears turn into body wracking sobs and wails. So caught up in his disappointment is he that he misses the sound of water moving. He misses the small gaps for breathe as you emerge from the tub. He doesn’t miss the sound of a body slamming into the floor. Alarmed Markus stands his chair falling and ink spilling, whirling around he seeing you. Shivering, cold, trying but unable to stand on your legs as if you are a new born fawn. As he moves toward you he sees you shrink into yourself and look at him with wide mismatched eyes, reminding him again of a fawn.

Shrugging his coat off he drapes it over your shoulders, your pale shaking hands wrap around it and pull it closer to him. Kneeling in front of you he places his hands on your shoulders.

He had done it, Markus was on par with God Himself now. 

“Hello, I’m Markus Manfred. Your creator”

[marvelgirl7]

Congrats on 700 followers, and knowing how you write, I know it was well deserved. I would love a drabble with Sebastian's character Charles Blackwood and the Disney theme as Cinderella. It can take place at the dance where the clock strikes twelve and she runs off, or you can do anything you want with the drabble. I just would love to read something with Charles Blackwood, there honestly isn't enough of that character. Thanks!

First off I am deeply sorry that this took forever I loved this and I hope you did :) 

Warnings: None just fluff and romance 

Parings: Charles Blackwood X Ella 

For my 700 Followers Celebration 

700 Followers Celebration Masterlist

You dreamed about going to Blackwood Manor and attending one of their dances. You had made your dress and hoped to sneak in unnoticed if your step-mother saw she’d be angry. Walking in you fit perfectly with the rich folk your blue dress was glowing. You walked around just enjoying it. You watched as everyone danced when you felt someone tap your shoulder.

“May I have this dance?” You lookup your breath catches in your throat there was Charles Blackwood. He was so charming every girl in the town wanted him but he always turned them down.  

“You May.” Charles pulls you into the dance floor as you two dance and dances the night away. You two end up running off somewhere outside around the manor as you gaze in his eyes.

“Who are you, my beautiful princess?” You blush you weren’t a princess but you could pretend for one night.

“Just Ella.” Charles leans in his lips brushing yours.

“Okay, Just Ella.” He presses a kiss to your lips as you melt in it. You were falling off the cliff. You curl your toes when you hear the clock strike.

“I’m sorry I must go.” Charles looks at you shocked as you bunch up your dress and runoff.

“Wait! Ella!” You keep running as you hurry you had to beat your step-mother she couldn’t know.

“Ella please!” Charles begs you stop for a second and look at him with a sad smile on your face.

“I’ll always remember this evening thank you, Charles, for such a lovely night it was everything I could have asked for.”

Charles stares at you as you run off again he chases you but sadly never catches you.

=============== 

You were still daydreaming about the dance, Charles and his lips. You missed him you did but it wasn’t meant to be.

“Ella The Blackwoods asked for these flower arrangements delivered I’d do it myself but I’m far too busy you are to deliver and nothing more.

You nod and get the arrangements put together and head to Blackwood Manor. You knew Charles wouldn’t recognize you and what was the odds he’d even been there. 

Knocking on the door you await as the maid opens the door.

“Hello, I have a delivery for The Blackwood’s.” The Maid ushers you in as she has you go to a room.

“Wait here please.” You nod a bit confused as she leaves the room. You pace as you look around the room it was beautiful and nice. 

“You know running away from me was not nice.” You feel a chill as you look behind as Charles stands there hands in his pockets. You quickly look down as Charles walks closer to you.

“Mr. Blackwood Sir I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m simply dropping off these flowers you ordered.”

Charles shakes his head his eyes watching you.

“Really? You think I wouldn’t recognize you? Or remember those beautiful eyes of yours? Ella… When I was a little boy there was this beautiful little girl who always gave me flowers. She once said to me I’ll always remember this day thank you for some reason I never got to see her again never understood why. But I vowed to found her. When you appeared and said your name and I saw those eyes I knew it was you. Then you said thank you and I was even more certain. Ella, I’ve waited for you forever now. Please come home with me be my princess.”

Your eyes water as you slowly look at Charles and start to sniffle he rushes to you his lips on you again.

“Please my Ella.” You look at him and nod.

“Yes, Charles.” 

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