#btw thanks for sticking with me throughout all these years

[h0lymanteca]

Him, the violinist dragon.

[azsazz]

Imagine reader was a model for one of Azriel’s classes in midnight muse 😭😭

like Azriel sitting not paying attention and taking a big gulp of water and all of sudden YOU are naked infront of the class and he’s never seen anything more beautiful and it causes him to choke in shock and he spits his water out in front of the whole class much to his dismay 💀💀💀

not a req but I thought it was a funny ass thought

love ur writing sm btw!!! You’re really talented 💕

Thank you so much!! 💙💙 I had to write a little something because this would be so funny to me. I did a lil blurb for Cass and Rhys in this position at the end too.

Az:

“Oh, no you don’t,” Azriel hisses, springing from his seat. Normally, he’d care that the class’ attention is on him, but he’s more focused on the fact that you’re here, and the robe you’re wearing is slipping from your shoulders, revealing bare skin beneath. 

Azriel’s hands land possessively on your hips, his face set in stone. His golden eyes are stormy and the crease between his brows is one you want to reach up and smooth over. If he keeps looking at you like this, holding you tightly, the rest of the class is going to have a lot of fun drawing the glistening arousal between your legs.

“What are you doing?” you grit back, cheeks flushing hot.

“Me?” Azriel asks, incredulously. He glares at the boy over your shoulder who looks a little too eager to start drawing your naked form, stick of charcoal poised to begin. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m modeling for this class!”

Fuck. He wants to curse, to burn this building to the ground. No one, and he means no one, gets to see you naked besides him. 

“And you thought that would be a good idea?” The professor is distracted, talking to another one in the doorway, and if he’s fast enough, maybe he’ll be able to get you out of here.

You shove at his chest, scoffing a little. “How was I supposed to know you’d be in this class, babe? Besides, I signed up before we even got together. I needed a job and Cass said it paid decently, so I figured, why not?”

Azriel’s teeth grind so hard it makes you cringe a little. “You talked to Cassian about this?” He is so dead. So fucking dead.

You roll your eyes, “Az, please. There’s nothing to worry about, I promise. I only have eyes for you.” You pat his chest lightly, lovingly. 

“I don’t doubt that, love,” Azriel relents a little at your touch. He sighs, and there’s a hint of frustration that expels with it, but he tries his best to shove it away because now you’re looking at him with those big eyes, worry lining them as if he’s making you rethink this entire thing. “I just don’t want anyone else’s eyes on you.”

Rhys:

Rhys would be challenging you the whole time. You can feel those violet eyes on you the entire time, licking fire up and down your body. Of course, with your luck, you’re somehow always facing him, so it’s hard to focus, hard to keep your eyes away from him when he’s licking his lips like that, smirking as the muscles of your thighs clench tighter together.

Cass:

Cass would be living for it, showing everyone what’s his. Those marks he’s left on your skin, his fingerprints pressed into your hips, the pink marks dotting your neck and breasts, because no matter how much you’d begged him not to leave marks because you were modeling for the class, he’s not allowing you out of his bed without marking you as his. He’s not even in this class, he took it last year, but he’s snuck in, schmoozing the professor into letting him stay for nothing other than to see you. He doesn’t need an excuse, he can talk his way in or out of everything, and his cocksure presence in the room has you running hot throughout the entire class.

[ccuniculusmolestus]

so you know how richard literally worshipped henry and saw him as god (kinda) or at least this flawless being etc etc. this makes me curious in how do you think bunny saw henry? we know how he talked about henry rather positively during that lunch with richard. but did he also worship henry in the same level as richard's or do you think bunny had very different view of this man and could see him beyond his perfect surface??? love ur bunny posting btw :3

tank uuuu i love bunny posting also and i enjoy these asks os much so thank u for them :3

Did Bunny worship Henry like Richard did or not?

ok HUFF i have many Though.ts about this and theyve evolved ever since i read the book the first time. i wanna write a concise reply without yapping so i just cut like entire blocks of text.....sigh. let me try and gather my throughts for real

(irrelevant thoughts added with asterisk * at the end)

i think one of the biggest ways bunny differed from the others in the group-- and a big reason for henry's growing distaste for him-- was the fact that Bunny didn't worship henry like he SHOULD have.

Bunny, out of everyone (even richard), received the most amount of grace from Henry. Yes, Henry saved Richard from dying in that shithole in winter, and he 'saved' (debatable) Camilla from Charles, but how many times do you think, in the 3 years he knew Bun, did he pay for Bunny's food, clothes, and most likely medicine/inhalers etc. (thats another headcanon for another time i was just about to type a whole ahh paragraph). Considering everything he'd done for Bunny, Bunny should've been the one most devoted to him. And yet, he was ironically the least devoted. (but i'd argue he was somewhat of a devotee anyway)*

I say Bunny admired Henry enough to stick with him throughout the bachanal attempts. Given his conservative way of thinking and unserious attitude towards the practice, I was always baffled about WHY bunny even gave a shit about the bacchanal, why he didn't blow them all off. He surely didn't care enough to be involved in the practice for the sake of Francis (homosexual) or Camilla (woman, incest-er), or Charles (alabama) because by then he was disillusioned with them all. He gave a shit because Henry was doing it. He wanted to be involved because he wanted to stick by Henry.

Bunny's almost child-like dependence and clingy-ness (Read: How he drove Henry mad in Rome by following him EVERYWHERE. even to the BATH?) when it came to Henry was also baffling considering his brash and over-confident, 'masculine' character. He probs knew he was dependent on Henry, like a devotee is to a god. Or a son is to a father. (DONT. get me started on THAt. i have talked about it before i will no shutup ABOT it,)

So now we have established that Bunny did in fact worship Henry to some degree, but in the end he only saw him as another man (cough. A friend.) Because Bunny was not so detached from the rest of the world like Richard and the others were, he had a foot lodged in the door of reality and he only occasionally peeked into crazy lala cult land for the sake of Henry every now and then. He most likely assumed he'd be able to get away with it by just doing performative shit for his friends like wearing togas and singing in the forest lol.

Bunny's image of Henry's superiority or his godhood shattered in Rome, when he realized he was nothing more to Henry than...well, whatever Henry had called him in his journal. And also, that Henry was apparently crazy enough to kill a man with his bare hands. (MIND YOU, he read HENRY'S direct thoughts on the murder. Thus we can argue he knew about the murder more intimately than anyone else did. I just know Henry didn't really voice his true thoughts with any of the others (about how the murder probably felt exhilarating) but BUNNY read that shit. So thats when he realized just how fucked up Henry really was.)

Now, for richard and the others (particularly richard) the murder did nothing but lowkey solidify Henry's 'godhood' (and power) because these fucking morons were so detached from reality that they fr thought they were living in a greek myth or something. lame as hell. (me biggest greek class hater , hater #1)

Also I think its a bit karmic-ally satisfying how and why Henry meets his end lol. It IS through Bunny, and brought about by his OWN hand (Henry turned the letter, Henry pressed the trigger). But the reason Henry was really driven to it was because his own god was destroyed when he was shunned by him (Julian).

Henry's hand shoved Bunny off the cliff, but Bunny's hand wrote his ruin.

What does a scorned follower do when he loses his faith? He destroys his god. So Bunny's final act of prayer-- he destroyed Henry through Julian. Julian's godhood for Henry shattered when he abandoned him. An eye for an eye.

*Henry became extremely disillusioned with Bunny AFTER Bunny refused to observe the rites properly. Up until then, he was tolerating him despite everything, even the stupid stunt he pulled with richard LMAo. I guess the rites thing really showed Henry how little Bunny was willing to do for him, so he cut him out of the bacchanal entirely.

[hiraganasakura]

Hi so me being me I've decided to hyperanalyze the conversation Qrow and Raven had in Higanbana practically line by line bcus I have Many Thoughts and this is the best way I can think of to get them all out. If you can't tell I'm absolutely obsessed with these two. Btw.

Thanks to the RWBY wiki for providing transcripts for every episode, otherwise I definitely would have missed smth despite having just watched this scene recently lol

I put it under the read more for easier scrolling due to how long this post got!

I immediately noticed smth in the very first lines of the interaction:

Raven: "Hello, brother." Qrow: "...Raven."

You'll notice throughout the whole conversation that Raven never calls Qrow by his name, only condescendingly referring to him as "brother" this one time and never calling him anything else. Meanwhile, Qrow directly refers to Raven a total of three times throughout the conversation, and only one doesn't call Raven by her name (which we'll get to shortly)

On the other hand, Qrow doesn't bother with even so much as a greeting beyond simply stating Raven's name

It's different ways of communicating their distance. While Raven holds her relationship with Qrow over his head — never once, even outside of this scene, does she call him "brother" with affection iirc, only derision and condescension — Qrow doesn't seem to rly know how to greet her. He hesitates before saying her name and approaching her, as if trying to assess the situation before acting

Qrow: "So, what do you want?" Raven: "A girl can't just catch up with her family?" Qrow: "She can, but you're not. Now how 'bout we get on with it? Unless you plan on keeping these [drinks] comin'."

Again, Raven seems to bring up her familial ties with Qrow as a tactic to get him to do what she wants — in this case, stick around to talk to her despite him not seeming to rly want to. Frankly, it feels manipulative. We're gonna put a pin in this for now and come back to it in just a moment

Additionally, Qrow already knows that Raven's not just here for a friendly chat between two siblings, and sees right thru her facade that it is. Raven is here bcus she wants smth from him. But interestingly, it is Raven in V5 that says, in an almost frustrated/disappointed tone, "Family. Only coming around when they need something." There's another pin; keep both in mind

Raven: "Does she have it?" Qrow: "...Did you know Yang lost her arm?" Raven: "That's not—" Qrow: "Rhetorical question, I know you know. It's just obnoxious that you'd bring up family and then carry on like your own daughter doesn't exist." Raven: "I saved her." Qrow: "Once. Because that was your rule, right? Real 'Mom of the Year' material, sis."

Qrow dodges Raven's question about the Relic and instead brings up her hypocrisy in how she treats family. And it's a good point. Here she is lording her siblingship with Qrow over his head while simultaneously defending and upholding her rule that she is only obligated to help her own daughter a single time. Another pinpoint on our little conspiracy board

Also, here's the one time in this conversation Qrow refers to Raven as "sis". Like Raven's use of "brother", Qrow's use of "sis" is very pointed and with intent. But it's not to manipulate Raven, it's a snarky jab meant to rly hammer home Qrow's point

Raven: "I told you Beacon would fall, and it did. I told you Ozpin would fail, and he has. Now you tell me. Does. Salem. Have it?" Qrow: "I thought you weren't interested in all of that." Raven: "I just want to know what we are up against." Qrow: "And which 'we' are you referring to?"

A few things of note here. At some point in the past, Raven expressed an outright disinterest in Ozpin's inner circle, at least to Qrow. Qrow also feels excluded in the "we" Raven mentions being against Salem. To me, there seems to be a distinct possibility here that it wasn't that Raven felt personally disinterested in Ozpin's operations, but that she somehow felt excluded and feigned a lack of interest in order to protect herself. An idea that is further supported in my eyes by the following dialogue:

Qrow: "You should come back, Raven. The only way we'd beat her is by working together. All of us." Raven: "You're the one who left. The tribe raised us, and you turned your back on them." Qrow: "They were killers and thieves." Raven: "They were your family." Qrow: "You have a very skewed perception of that word."

And there it is. Raven's problem is laid out here for us, loud and clear: She feels like she was the one abandoned, not the one running away. She says it outright! "You're the one who left." To her, Qrow is the traitor, the one who left their family behind. If you ask Qrow (or, for that matter, Tai, Yang, and even Summer based on the scene in V9), it's the opposite

Bcus they have different definitions of family

Another thing to pin (I promise this will all become clear soon)

Raven: "I lead our people now. And as leader, I will do everything in my power to ensure our survival." Qrow: "I saw. The people of Shion saw, too." Raven: "The weak die. The strong live. Those are the rules." Qrow: "Well, you've certainly got someone strong on your side. I've seen the damage." Raven: "We couldn't have known the Grimm would set in as quickly as they did." Qrow: "I'm not talking about the Grimm. And I'm not talking about you, either."

Notice Raven's shift from "the tribe" to "our people". More of that guilt tripping!

Additionally, Raven is *obsessed* with rules. One save. The weak die, the strong live. Raven lives and breathes rules, even seemingly arbitrary ones. Guess what this is? Another pin!

Raven: "If you don't know where the Relic is, then we have nothing left to talk about." Qrow: "I don't know where the Spring Maiden is, either, but if you do, I need you to tell me." Raven: "And why would I do that?" Qrow: "Because without her, we're all going to die." Raven: "...And which 'we' are you referring to?"

Qrow's "either" here implies that he also doesn't know where the Crown of Choice is, which is... interesting. He's one of Ozpin's closest lieutenants, and is in the dark on where Beacon's Relic is? Wherever it is, it is such a closely kept secret that even Ozpin's best spy doesn't know where it is (maybe so that in the event Qrow gets captured by Salem he can't be forced into giving her the information?)

Meanwhile, Raven's "And why would I [tell you]?" implies that she does know who the Spring Maiden is (obviously. Raven's the Spring Maiden lol) but refuses to disclose to Qrow

A lantern sputters out after Qrow says "Without [Spring] we're all going to die." Now, I genuinely can't remember if this is headcanon or canon, but iirc Misfortune seems to act up when Qrow's upset. He's clearly tired of this little game of dancing around topics that Raven's been playing with him

And once again, Raven indicates a feeling of exclusion from Qrow's life in the iconic final line. She gets the final word in before leaving

We've finally reached the end of the conversation. Now what does all of this tell us?

And here is where all of those pins I wrote down are relevant. As I mentioned, the twins view family very differently

Qrow's view is pretty obvious: he views family as the ppl in his life who matter most to him. Unlike Raven, he does not view the tribe as family despite the fact that they raised him, disgustedly referring to them as "killers and thieves". It's implied that he was, in fact, neglected and/or likely abused by the Branwen tribe, saying in V6C4, "No one wanted me... I was cursed..." further explaining his distaste for them. Furthermore, despite not being related to Ruby by blood, they clearly consider one another family throughout the series, and he even seems closer to her than he seems to his niece who's actually blood related to him (I personally headcanon that he keeps more of a distance from Yang bcus she reminds him too much of Raven, who he feels abandoned and hurt by, but that's neither here nor there). Bloodlines and debts are secondary compared to loyalty, if they're considered at all. He is obviously furious that Raven only insists on saving Yang once and never directly interacting with her beyond that, despite Raven constantly guilting Qrow over abandoning his so-called "family" of the tribe. And yet. And yet. He still offers Raven a place back in his life, even if only to unite against Salem

Raven's view, to me, has been an enigma for a while. But after hyperanalyzing this conversation, after noting down all of those points of interest, I feel like I've finally cracked the code. Raven views family as an obligation, an exchange that always has an ulterior motive behind it. She seeks out Qrow only bcus she desires smth from him despite showing distaste when someone does the same to her; condescendingly calls Qrow "brother" more than his actual name and calls the tribe their "family" to try guilting him into doing what she wants; and feels fierce loyalty to the tribe but barely interacts with her daughter, only seeming to count one of the two as true family. She views the concept of family with cynicism and seems to feel an obligation to the tribe, as if she "owes" them for raising her

I think the two's perceptions of what defines family are all to do with the way the tribe treated both of them. This crosses a bit into headcanon territory, but as you can see by the above quotes and analysis, I rly don't think I'm just making it up entirely

As I already mentioned, I think it's implied that the Branwen tribe neglected/abused Qrow. In fact, we could probably blame their treatment of him for the deep self-loathing he has due to his "cursed" Semblance. But what about Raven?

Well, it's simple: I think she was abused, too, just in a different way. While Qrow was likely shown and told on a consistent basis that he was unwanted, unloved, undeserving of good things, Raven may have been shown and told she was wanted, loved, and deserving of good things... if she did what the tribe told her. If she repaid them for raising her and her brother, for being her "family". The way she uses her familial ties with Qrow as almost blackmail may be exactly the way the tribe treated her. Her obsession with following rules may stem from the fact that she had to follow the rules the tribe set for her in order to be accepted and deemed worth smth

As for her distance from Yang... honestly, I wonder if Raven is aware that Yang deserves better and keeps her distance as her way of doing that. When Summer confronts Raven in the V9 scene, Raven says, "...You're better at that life. Better than I was." She seems to have a fear and insecurity about being a good family member, a good mother, and maybe that's why she fled. Maybe she was scared of being like her abusers due to how she emulates them as a self-preservation tactic in so many other ways. Not entirely sure about this point tho

And I think too this is why the twins don't rly understand one another. They may have been unaware of the different ways in which the other was treated. Qrow, constantly unwanted and loathed, can't understand why Raven sticks around with the tribe; Raven, who obeyed the tribe and, in doing so, garnered enough of their favor to even eventually become leader, can't understand why Qrow can't just be "good", earn respect, and stay

This dissonance between the two experiences may also be completely intentional on the part of the tribe; abusers will often eliminate their targets' support systems in order to make them completely reliant on the abuser, so it's highly likely that the wedge was intentionally driven between the two siblings so that they could not find support in one another. This would also tie into why the twins seem to feel excluded from one another's lives and abandoned by one another: bcus they were made to feel that way by their common abusers, and did nothing to challenge these assumptions bcus they saw no reason to — and only seemed to keep proving one another right if they did

Which rly has some disturbing implications about how the Branwen tribe works. Like, do they just pick orphaned kids up off the street and abuse them into being perfect little bandits, molded to be of the greatest possible use and discarded if they're deemed worthless? Plus Qrow says his Semblance is how he got his name, which implies that the tribe also renames the kids they scoop up (possibly as a form of control or a way to make sure they can't be tracked down by any remaining family)? Plus there's the whole thing where Qrow and Raven were originally sent to Beacon to learn how to kill Huntsmen, which carries with it the implication that the Branwen tribe grooms literal orphan children into becoming stone-hearted murderers? What. The heck.

And if I'm right, if the Branwen tribe is that severely abusive, then like... wow, no wonder Qrow and Raven are Like That. They're both very deeply hurt people expressing it in different ways

I was considering adding their conversation at the Battle of Haven to this post, but I think that would be better as its own thing. Also I haven't gotten there on my rewatch yet so I may miss some details if I try to analyze it rn; it's better to wait overall methinks

But I have reached the point of my rewatch where we see Weiss and Whitley interact, and I think it would be very efficient to sum up what Qrow and Raven's relationship seems to be by using those siblings as a point of reference. Qrow = Weiss, actively trying to break free from and fight back against their abusers in different ways, while Raven = Whitley, continuing to do as their abusers want and have wanted as a method of self-preservation. Only, unlike Weiss and Whitley, Qrow and Raven have yet to come to a point where they can understand one another. I think that's a good way to briefly summarize the uh. Absolutely massive post this is.

In conclusion, I may have cracked the majority of the Branwen twins' pre-Beacon backstory purely by hyperanalyzing a single conversation. Oopsies

[starcrossedreaders]

how about a late night drive fic with leon i think he would do it when your both bored or just wanna relax i just thought it would be sweet for this man to FINALLY GET A BREAK FOR ONCE with y/n by his side ( btw i love your fics they make my day!!!)

Author Note: Your request made my day! There's something about Leon driving a stick shift that makes me go wild, Enjoy!

Warnings: FLUFF!

The dim moonlight shone through your windows casting a shadow to form on your fiancé's form. Normally, it was your partner that would twist in turn in the late hours of the night but now you have taken on that burden. Soft snores filled the room as your twisted to watch Leon sleep peacefully. He is so deserving of this that you didn't mind not being able to drift off.

Wedding planning is more stressful than you imagined it would be. Leon has been so attentive and caring throughout all of it that it took some of the stress off, but still, you wish he would add his input instead of saying 'Whatever my baby wants'.

Lifting your body up a little you check the time on the analog clock on Leon's side of the bed. The dim red numbers read 1:35. Sighing you plopped your body back down.

Leon was never a heavy sleeper, especially when his beloved was supposed to be sleeping next to him. Your tossing and turning had jostled him from his slumber. Squinting his eyes open he could feel a slight tickling feeling along his arm. The first thing he noticed was you drawing random shapes along his arm.

Frowning a little bit he turned his head mumbling, "Wanna go for a ride?" His deep husky voice floated to your ears.

Halting your movements you nodded your head up and down.

"Okay, let me put some pants on then we can go," Leon shuffled out of bed and went in search for some sweatpants that were lazily tossed on the floor earlier that night.

You got up stealing Leon's old RPD hoodie that has seen it's fair share these days. Your bedroom door creaked open as Leon opened it for you with your shoes in hand. You took them from hand mumbling a 'Thank you' as you slid them on while walking out to your living room. Leon grabbed the car keys as he opened the front door for you.

"M'lady,"

"Why thank you kind sir," You nodded your head as you walked out into the dark night.

The cold air bit as your cheeks with a soft breeze tossing your hair around. Leon unlocked the car as he jogged past you to open your door. Ever since the first date he has always opened and closed doors for you, despite dating for 3 years.

The black leather seats bit into your exposed legs as you hunched over and slightly shivered. You teeth clattered as Leon sat down.

"Sorry baby, I'm moving as fast as I can," Leon was quick to start the car up and crank the heat up.

A rather loud rumble shook the car when it woke up. Leaning back you watched as Leon brought the E-brake back and got ready to leave the driveway. Grabbing the aux cord you scrolled through your playlists before deciding on Self-Care by Mac Miller. The speakers shook a little as music filled the small confinements of Leon's car.

Leon's hand rested on your thigh, occasionally lifting it to change gears. You laid your head on the window as you watched the different street signs. You guys stayed in this comfortable silence with Leon looking over the check on you every once in awhile.

"Whatcha thinkin' about my love?" His hand squeezed your thigh before he changed gears again.

"The wedding... Are you sure you like the colors I picked out?"

"Baby, I want this wedding to be your dream wedding. As long as I get to kiss you and say 'I do' I don't care about the rest,"

"I know, it's just... it's your wedding too, and you only get married once so I want it to be just as perfect for you as it is for me, y'know,"

"Hm I understand. What can I do to help you not feel this way?"

This is why you love Leon, he is always willing to better himself if there's a problem, always asking what's wrong and what he can do to fix it. It makes your heart flutter whenever he does it.

"Maybe, be a little more opinionated?"

"I can do that," He looked over at you with a smile as he squeezed your thigh again.

"Thanks Lee, I love you. Forever and always."

The rest of the ride consisted of some terrible karaoke to serious talks about what your futures would look like. It had been decided that you guys would try for two kids, and have 2 dogs with a pet lizard, Leon's idea of course.

When the sun kissed the horizon your head had ended up leaning on Leon's arm as your heavily eye lids dropped down over your eyes. Leon pulled up in he driveway when he looked down at your tired body. His love, best friend and partner in crime. He still couldn't understand how he managed to be able to call you his.

Leaning over his place a soft kiss in your hair before he mumbled:

"Forever and always my love."

[training4theapocalypse]

A Nest of Vipers (Cormac McLaggen x Original Female Character - Slytherin)

Rating: Explicit 18+

Word Count: 4.3K

Warnings / Tags: Smut, Secret Relationship

Summary: Una Montague wouldn't be caught dead dating a Gryffindor. Luckily for her, the feeling was mutual as far as Cormac McLaggen was concerned.

A/N: Dear god, please forgive me for what I wrote while ovulating. First time writing an OFC but I think it's still as hot as reader-insert. OFC and McLaggen are both 18. Also I just want to say that I fucking hate JK Rowling and am gleefully bastardising her work.

Masterlist

Tag list: @countlambula, @ratsys, @aweidlich, @navs-bhat, @stainedpomegranatelips, @chiaraanatra, @xxvelvetxxxx, @ohnoitsrosie, @dracosisteer, @daisydark, @intense-sneezing, (let me know if you want removed/changed at any point btw!)

Chapter 1: Smudge

The Slytherin common door shut with a thundering echo. Una Montague looked up from her Astronomy homework and locked eyes with Meredith Prewett. Uh-oh.

Professor McGonagall had asked Sabine to stay behind after Transfiguration that day and judging by the way her high heels stomped across the stone as she stormed towards the group of sixth-years sitting by the fire, it had not gone well.

“You’re in my seat,” said Sabine Zabini with a cutting glare. 

Pansy Parkinson sprang up without argument. “Sorry Sabine. Let’s go,” she added to her friends who hastily packed up their things and made themselves scarce.

Una and Meredith rushed over from the little alcove at the lake window as Sabine sank into the onyx wing-backed chair with a woeful groan.

“Sab, are you okay?” fawned Meredith, perching on the arm of Sabine’s chair. 

“If I ever see that old hag again, it’ll be too soon,” she hissed. 

Una sat down on the hard marble table in front of them. “What did she want?” she asked. When McGonagall had asked her to stay behind, Sabine had told Una to go on without her, and so had she made her way down to the dungeons and found Meredith studying in the common room.

“She told me if I want to sit my Transfiguration N.E.W.T., I’d have to start taking remedial Transfiguration lessons with her.”

“No!” gasped Meredith. Una didn’t say anything. She knew from sitting beside Sabine all throughout the previous year that she was lucky to have even made it to seventh-year Transfiguration. But the first few weeks of term had made it apparent that she was not keeping up with the curriculum. 

“Well, of course, I told her where she could stick her remedial Transfiguration.”

“You didn’t!” said Meredith. Sabine caught Una’s eyes before rolling hers.

“Of course, I didn’t, Meredith. No, I thanked her very much for the kind offer but told her I’m withdrawing from the class. Obviously.”

“Oh, Sab,” Una groaned. “You should have just done a few extra lessons with her.”

“Ugh, as if.”

“Who am I going to make fun of her hideous hat with now?” Una smirked, trying to hide her excitement and Sabine returned it. There was one person in Transfiguration who didn’t have a partner and Una was already making silent plans to sit next to him.

Cormac McLaggen. Tall, stupidly beautiful, beautifully stupid Cormac McLaggen. God, she wanted him. But Slytherins and Gryffindors barely spoke to each other here unless completely necessary in lessons. Both houses liked to think they were the others’ opposite. But Una knew that they were simply two sides of the same coin. 

Cormac barely even looked at Una. And for some reason that made Una want him more. 

When she, Sabine and Meredith walked down the corridor arm-in-arm, boys - even the Gryffindors - couldn’t help but stare. Slack-jawed, awestruck, terrified by the trio’s powerful feminine energy. But not Cormac. He was head and shoulders taller than the three of them so he didn’t even need to avert his gaze - he just simply looked over them as if they weren’t there.

Sabine and Meredith (but especially Sabine) would be horrified if they knew about Una’s crush. Sure, he was good looking but it would be social suicide to date a Gryffindor. Even one as well-connected as him - apparently his Uncle was extremely high-up in the Ministry.

Una had a stupid habit of wanting what she couldn’t have. And, fuck, she was desperate to have him. Even just once. Just to find out what he’d be like. He was so big and broad and downright intimidating. But Una was sure she could have him whimpering, begging for her-

“Hello? Earth to Head Girl?” Sabine and Meredith looked at her expectantly. Una blinked a few times and shook her head.

“Sorry - I was thinking about… Transfiguration. What were you saying?”

“Who are you going to sit beside tomorrow?” asked Meredith.

“Ugh, I don’t know.” Una made a show of rolling her eyes. “I’ll probably just sit at the back by myself. I’ll get a lot more work done without you there,” she teased Sabine.

“You’re such a goody-two-shoes,” said Sabine, pulling her long, black braids over her shoulder. “Whatever are you going to do without me leading you astray?”

It wasn’t so much a question of what, thought Una, but who.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A bag landed on Cormac McLaggen’s desk with a thud and he looked up in surprise to see Una Montague perched on the edge of the desk, looking down at him. “You’re good at Transfiguration, right?” she asked abruptly.

He furrowed his eyebrows together. “Me?”

“Yeah, you. Can I sit here?”

What fresh hell was this? What was one of the Vipers doing sitting on his desk? It was rare to see any of them alone. Cormac looked behind her sceptically. “Where’s your friend?”

Sighing heavily, Una pulled her bag back onto her shoulder. “I’ll sit somewhere else.” 

She turned to walk away, swishing her hair as she went. But before she took a step he said quickly, “Wait - yeah, you can sit here.” He supposed it would be poor manners to let a pretty girl, albeit a notoriously mean one, sit by herself at the back of the class when there was a perfectly good empty seat next to him.

“Only if I’m not inconveniencing you.” 

Already feeling like he was about to regret it, he gestured to the seat.

Cormac continued to look unsurely at her as she slid into the seat next to him. “What happened to Sabine?”

Una rummaged in her bag. Cormac expected her to take out her textbook but instead, she withdrew a small, black compact mirror and some lipgloss. “Oh, she dropped Transfiguration...” Cormac watched quietly as the lipgloss wand drew across her lips, spreading a shimmering pink glaze over them. And for some reason, he felt like he should look away. Like he was watching something extremely private. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. “She couldn’t handle it.” 

She pressed her lips together and pouted a little in the mirror, examining her neat work. The way she preened herself made Cormac want to reach out and smear the gloss over her face, just to see her reaction.

She snapped the compact shut and jolted him out of his daze with a start. 

“I should give you two for flinching,” she smirked. 

Professor McGonagall strode past them to the front of the class and the chattering students quietened down. She announced that they were going to be working on conjuring birds today.

“Might I remind you that your N.E.W.Ts are only a few months away and none of you are yet to successfully conjure more than a feather.”

The class groaned and got to work, trying with limited success to conjure birds using the Avis spell.

“Why is this so bloody difficult,” grumbled Cormac after some time, concentrating on his wand tip while Una lazily brushed a comb through her hair - her wand abandoned on the table. “Conjuring inanimate objects? Fine. But birds…”

“Have a lot of trouble with birds, then?”

“Oh, very funny.”

“I’m serious. I’ve never even seen you with a girl.”

Cormac lowered his wand and turned in his chair slightly. Oh, so this was why she sat here, was it? He couldn’t deny she was good-looking. But still, a Slytherin.

“Oh yeah, been watching me, have you?”

“I’m just very observant.”

“I’m single if that’s what you’re asking?”

Una rolled her eyes. “You wish, Cormac.”

Cormac leaned back in his chair and looked her over, resting his arm on the backrest as he did.

“What about you?”

“What about me?” she asked innocently, putting her brush in her bag before raising her wand and pretending to concentrate on conjuring birds.

“I’ve never seen you with anyone. Except for the Vipers. Or is that a thruple situation?”

“The Vipers?”

“You know, Slytherin’s other monsters. Sabine and Meredith.”

Una laughed. He had half-expected a shrill cackle. But her laugh was warm, even genuine. “Oh, so is that what they’re calling us in Gryffindor Tower?

He shrugs. 

“It’s catchy.”

“So? Are you?”

She too lowered her wand and leaned in closer to him. “Are you asking if we fuck each other?” she murmured, staring intently into his green eyes. “Are you picturing me rolling around in the sheets with them in the Slytherin girls dorm? Making them moan my name?” she teased.

Cormac paused and swallowed. “What if I am?” he said, and was pleased when it sounded more confident than he felt. They were both playing with Fiendfyre, talking like this so brazenly in the classroom. But he wasn’t sure who was more skilled in this Dark Art.

“I should slap you,” Una said, moving closer still so he could hear her barely audible admonishment. He felt her bare leg in her stupidly short skirt pressing against his.

“Don’t. I can only get so hard.”

Her eyelashes dipped as she looked down at his lap. Una drew a sharp inhale when his fingers twitched suddenly towards his belt.

He smirked.

“I was joking. But I should give you two for flinching.”

Uno looked up again at him coolly. “You’re not gonna give anything to me.”

“Oh yeah?” He gave her an arrogant smile as if he found it hard to believe. “Why’s that?”

“First of all, I’m not that easy. And second of all, I wouldn’t be caught dead dating a Gryffindor.”

“Who said anything about dating? What if  -”

“Miss Montague, Mr McLaggen. Is there something amusing you’d like to share with the rest of us?”

Silence fell over the class again and Una and Cormac turned hastily in their seats to face the front.

“I was just explaining the theory, Professor” Una said sweetly, seemingly unphased by the interruption.

“Then perhaps you could demonstrate?” Professor McGonagall challenged, calling her bluff.

Una pointed her wand and out shot six yellow twittering canaries.

McGonagall’s lips pursed together in a thin line. Cormac was sure she was about to award Una points but instead she addressed him. “And Mr McLaggen?”

Cormac extended his own wand. A stream of feathers erupted from the end and floated down onto the floor. Una bit her lips, trying to stifle a snicker at his expense.

Any further embarrassment on his part was saved when the bell rang signalling the end of class and McGonagall dismissed them.

“I suppose I’ll see you on Friday?” asked Una casually, positioning her bag on her shoulder.

“Thursday.”

“The next lesson’s not 'til Friday.”

“Slughorn’s dinner thing. You’re not ditching it again, are you?”

“I don’t know… Sabine and Meredith say it’s a waste of time, sucking up to an old has-been like Slughorn.”

“They don’t need to come.”

“Trying to get me alone, Cormac?”

Cormac laughed. “It might just be nice for you to make some new friends. You’re not that bad when you’ve slithered away from the Viper’s nest.”

Una narrowed her eyes. “I happen to like my current friends, thank you very much.”

“Sure but I only meant  -”

“Believe it or not, I don’t actually care what anyone from your house thinks of me or my friends. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my thruple.”

And with that, Cormac watched as Una strutted out of the classroom, leaving him to kick himself for managing to fumble the quaffle so hard - right when it was going his way too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Did you miss me terribly, Una?” cooed Sabine when Una found her and Meredith beside the common room fire that afternoon.

“It was the worst,” she said, plopping herself down on the sofa, watching the way the fire danced against the green tiles. “McGonagall picked on me and didn’t even give me a measly point for doing the Avis spell correctly. And nonverbally I might add.”

“Typical,” said Meredith. “It’s so unfair. She hates us.”

“Who did you end up sitting next to?” asked Sabine, flicking through her magazine.

“Erm, that guy… McLaggen,” said Una, as if his name was of little consequence.

“Not that oaf.”

“I know,” said Una. “And it’s not like I could even copy him - he was about as useful as a chocolate cauldron. I’m surprised he’s not in remedial Transfiguration.”

Sabine laughed but Meredith paused thoughtfully.

“He is quite handsome though, isn’t he? And rich, I think.”

“Eugh, Meredith. You have terrible taste,” said Sabine.

Una quickly copied Sabine’s look of disgust while Meredith backtracked.

“I just meant he’s alright to look at. Still a Gryffindor though, obviously.”

“And an idiot. Didn’t you hear how he ended up in the hospital wing last year? Eddie Carmichael dared him to eat Doxy Eggs for a bet. Some Head Boy he is, Una. Between him and McLaggen, you’ll have your work cut out for you this year.”

Una wrinkled her nose.

“Poor Una,” said Meredith sympathetically.

“I did find out some good gossip though,” said Una raising her eyebrows and leaning back on the sofa. “The Gryffindors call the three of us The Vipers.”

“That’s rude,” said Meredith but Sabine shrieked in a fit of giggles.

“I love it!” she laughed. “We really are just living in their heads, aren’t we?”

Una grinned. “I know.”

Sabine closed her magazine and stood up. “Let’s go down to the Great Hall. I’m starving. What do vipers eat anyway?”

“If they’re anything like Ashwinders then insects. Raw eggs,” said Meredith in an attempt to be helpful.

“That’s disgusting, Meredith,” said Sabine, linking her arm through Una’s. Meredith hurriedly latched on to her other side. 

“Speaking of dinner,” Una said. “I’m thinking about going to Slughorn’s on Thursday.”

“Ugh, pass,” said Meredith.

“Why?” asked Sabine, giving Una a shrewd look. “Blaise said it was terribly boring.”

“I know but I probably ought to as Head Girl. Bit of a snub if I don’t go twice. And maybe it’ll help my marks in potions.”

“You reckon?” asked Meredith.

“Well, it can’t hurt my marks if he likes me.”

“That’s a good point,” said Sabine thoughtfully. “Alright, I’ll come too then. I need all the help I can get since I’ve got one less N.E.W.T. this year.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Shit, thought Una. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blaise Zabini was waiting in the common on Thursday night when Sabine, Una and Meredith finally ascended from the girl’s dormitory.

“Mum was complaining you’ve not written to her yet,” he told Sabine.

“I’ve been busy.”

“All four N.E.W.Ts proving to be time consuming, then?”

“Shut up.”

The four of them made their way along to Professor Slughorn’s office. They opened the door to find several plush seats already occupied around the extravagantly decorated table. Una felt irked when she noticed McLaggen was notably absent. This whole thing really would have been a waste of time if he didn’t turn up after all.

“Welcome, welcome!” Boomed Professor Slughorn. “So nice of you to join us. Blaise, good to see you again - and you’ve brought your sister!”

“Yes, sir. Thank you for inviting me,” said Sabine graciously as they found their seats and Slughorn beamed. Sabine had such a way of making people feel flattered, even special just from her presence. 

“And our Head Girl, Miss Montague. And Miss Prewett! I taught your father, you know.”

“Yes, sir. He spoke extremely highly of you,” said Meredith, sitting down.

Una sat on Sabine’s right, leaving a few seats next to her empty. Just in case, said a small voice in her head.

Slughorn began introducing everyone. Una was surprised to notice the way Blaise’s eyes lingered on a fifth-year girl, Ginny Weasley. Though she wasn’t sure if it was distaste or something entirely opposite. Interesting. Una didn’t say anything - she just made a mental note of it, the way she so often did with snippets of potentially damning information.

Slughorn’s office door opened again and Una looked to see Eddie Carmichael entering. Her heart sank as she turned back around again.

“You could have held it open,” said Cormac McLaggen’s voice. Una froze, not daring to glance at the door, incase Sabine noticed her constant fidgeting in her seat.

“Sorry, mate,” said Eddie, pulling out the free seat beside Una.

Cormac slid into the open chair before Eddie could. “That’s more like it, cheers mate.” He looked at Una. “Alright? - ouch!” 

Eddie slapped the back of Cormac’s head before sitting down on his other side. Cormac ran his hand through his dark, curly blonde hair.

“Idiots,” scoffed Sabine under her breath.

And Una had to agree. 

Cormac shuffled his seat in closer to the table. His shoulders were so broad that Una could feel his arm pressing up against her. Even if she folded her arms, she could still feel him, taking up far too much space.

As the evening went on, they listened to Slughorn regale stories of all the famous students he had taught, each of them members of what he called his ‘Slug Club’. Every time he said the name it made Una cringe. He fawned over Cormac, asking him about his father’s Ministry connections, praised Meredith’s dad’s apparent Potions prowess as a youth and asked Sabine and Blaise what their famous mother was up to. He asked Una about her father - a prominent benefactor of St Mungo's - but was more interested in Una's Head Girl duties. And Una was grateful for this - the less she had to talk about St Mungo's the better. 

After dinner, Slughorn summoned a bottle of Elf-made wine with a flourish of his wand. “Just for those who are of age,” he chided the younger students in a sing-song voice, “And only a glass each. Or else you’ll need an Awakening Draught tomorrow!” He chuckled. “And speaking of which - “ Slughorn looked at the seventh-years mischievously, “- you’d do well to brush up on that ahead of our lesson on Monday.”

Sabine grinned at Una and Meredith. It had been worth enduring the evening after all, if they were getting tips about the following class.

As Una drank her glass of wine, she felt Cormac’s leg brush against hers. Maybe the wine had emboldened her but she didn’t shrink away. Instead, she shifted slightly, leaning her leg against his. 

On Una’s left, Sabine and Blaise began sniping at each other again when Blaise suggested that their mother might send her a howler. On her right, Cormac was telling Eddie about his plans to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. 

Una lifted her glass to her lips but paused when she felt something. A large, warm hand grazing her bare leg. Cormac’s. She looked down but her lap was covered by the tablecloth. 

She moved in closer to the table and Cormac made to withdraw his hand when he felt her shift but she placed her own hand firmly on top of his, before returning hers to the table.

Cormac continued talking to Eddie as if nothing had happened while Una felt his hand trail further up her leg and under her skirt. She took another sip of wine and pretended to listen interestedly as Slughorn started waxing lyrical about a friend he had who was writing a biography about a Vampire.

“I simply must introduce you to Eldred Woprle, Miss Carrow. He has a lot of contacts at the Daily Prophet, you know.”

Una felt blood rushing below her waist as Cormac’s fingertips traced across her inner thigh. Her own hand gripped her wine glass with more force than was necessarily required, just for something to keep herself steady.

“I was sort of hoping Potter would be here tonight. It’d be good to get him on side before tryouts.”

“I don’t know why you’re arsed, mate. I keep telling you - football. Now that’s a real game.”

The plush, cozy room now felt stiflingly hot. Adrenaline coursed through Una’s body as she shakily raised her glass to her lips to try and hide her face. Cormac’s hand skirted over the crux of her thigh. Wine met her lips as she tilted her glass, letting the fruity, slightly sour liquid infiltrate her mouth.

“Well maybe I’ll tell Mum that you’ve got detention with Flitwick already - then we’ll see who gets a howler.”

Una’s heart raced in her chest. The several conversations going on in the room turned to white noise. Slowly, carefully, so as not to brush against Sabine, Una moved her legs apart. A silent invitation. She breathed shakily as she felt Cormac’s fingertips slip under the hem of her soaking wet underwear.

“My my!” cried Slughorn suddenly, causing Una to flinch and inhale an entire mouthful of wine. “Look at the time!” Cormac quickly removed his hand as Una began choking and spluttering.

Sabine gave her a concerned look as she coughed. “Are you alright? You’re bright red.”

Una wiped her lips, trying to compose herself quickly. “I’m - I’m fine,” she gasped. “Just went down the wrong way. And wine makes my cheeks flush.” She extracted her compact mirror and lipgloss, re-applying it hastily.

“It’s gone straight to your face too, mate,” said Eddie Carmichael, looking at Cormac. 

Cormac laughed and touched his hand to his warm face. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, yeah, I suppose it does a bit.” 

Una looked at him and felt herself flush even deeper when she saw him press two fingers thoughtfully against his lips. They were wet.

“Oh, how time flies when you’re having fun. You’d all better be off back to your dormitories. And if Mr Filch gives you any trouble, you just send him straight to me,” said Slughorn, waving his hand in the air.

“Let’s get out of here,” said Sabine, standing up abruptly.

Una pushed her chair back and followed her, Meredith and Blaise out of the room without so much of a backwards look.

As soon as they got out into the corridor, Meredith laughed.

“What a drag that was. Honestly, it would be worth failing Potions if I never had to endure that again.”

“I know,” agreed Sabine.

“I think I preferred it to another evening with Malfoy and the rest,” scoffed Blaise. “They’re always brooding these days. And I suppose the wine wasn’t too bad. If you don’t choke on it, that is.”

“Hilarious,” said Una.

“What did you think, Una? You were unusually quiet.”

Una’s abdomen tingled. Her brain worked overtime to come up with an excuse while blood rushed in her ears.

“Well, I had you lot squabbling on my left and two idiots on my right talking non-stop about Quidditch.” Una rolled her eyes convincingly. “But it wasn’t too dreadful. At least we know what’s coming up in Potions on Monday.”

“Well, that’s it sorted then. You can go with Blaise next time and report back to Meredith and I if Slughorn gives us any more hints,” said Sabine, with finality. 

Una mulled this over, pursing her lips together thoughtfully. It certainly would be easier to talk to Cormac McLaggen if she only had one person keeping an eye on her. She could hardly just be expected to talk to Blaise and only Blaise all night. She was allowed to network, right? And perhaps, she thought, Blaise would like to network with Ginny Weasley.

“Fine,” said Una. “But you owe me. Big time.”

Sabine linked her arms between Una and Meridith as they sauntered along the corridor to the dungeons. Una still felt faintly embarrassed about her unseemly choking display. With her free arm, she searched for her mirror in her tiny handbag, wondering if she had any wine down her front.

“Shit,” said Una, stopping and the four of them halted. “I think I left my compact.”

Meredith groaned. “I’m not going back in there. If I have to hear anything else about Vampires-”

“It’s fine - go ahead. I’ll see you two in the dormitory. See you later, Blaise.”

Una untangled herself, turned on her heels and passed the last few stragglers leaving Slughorn’s dinner party.

Her heels clicked as she walked back up the deserted corridor and around the corner.

“Forget something?”

Cormac McLaggen was sitting on a window ledge in the dark hallway, checking himself out in Una’s little black mirror. He snapped it shut and hoisted himself off the stone ledge, walking towards her.

Una extended her palm expectantly.

“What’s the magic word?” he asked, standing in front of her. Una looked up at him as he towered over her. He was so tall she had to strain - her face was only at eye level with his chest.

“Avada Kedavra?” suggested Una, attempting to snatch the compact from his hands but he reacted quickly, pulling it out of her reach.

“Ooh, not quite,” he grinned.

She took a step towards him, their chests almost touching as she looked up at him through her lashes. “Please, Cormac?”

He hadn’t expected her to surrender so quickly. Cormac grudgingly gave her the compact back and they stared at each other for a few moments, neither of them daring to address what had just happened in Slughorn’s office.

“You know, that lipgloss is very pretty,” he said, curling two fingers under Una’s chin. Her heart pounded in her chest again as she looked up into his strikingly green eyes. His own lips were rosy, tinged slightly pink from drinking the same wine. “Too pretty.”

Cormac took his thumb and slowly dragged it across her bottom lip, smearing it down her chin. He squeezed her face roughly and Una smacked his hand away, scowling.

“There. That’s better.” He gave her an arrogant smirk. “See you tomorrow.”

Una let out a scoff of disbelief as Cormac walked away, leaving her standing alone in the corridor. 

She opened her compact and examined herself in the mirror - a pink, glittering streak was smudged across her chin and there were faint red marks from where he squeezed her face.

He was right, she thought as she looked at her slightly dishevelled appearance, she did look better like this.

Chapter 2: Struggle

[shelterwoodpod]

3: top 5 favourite books?

(Loving the podcast btw!!!)

Thanks for listening!! I do a ton of reading for the show, both as inspiration and as research and loveee talking about it~ here's the 5 from this year that hit me hardest:

When The Clock Broke. John Ganz Such a fascinating, horrifying look at the recent history of rise of the far right in our paranoia-drenched country. This one, like all excellent history, both revealed the true depths of our past and clarified the state of our present.

Thrill Me, Benjamin Percy This collection of essays is a low-culture celebration of the craft of writing. Parts of it are going to stick with me for a while, in particular advice about maintaining tension. One metaphor in particular: juggling flaming chainsaws. Any time tension is relieved in one aspect of a story, introduce a new flaming chainsaw. Tighten a different screw. Which leads me to...

Lost Boys, Orson Scott Card This is a certified classic, and also the most Mormon book I've ever read hands down. It's suburban horror through and through, obsessed as it is with belonging/isolation, mundane cruelty, and the damage we do to children. But what it really excels at is keeping like 10 flaming chainsaws in the air at any given time: money problems, weird neighbors, the horrors of the school system. Not a perfect book, but structurally immaculate!

Radical Suburbs, Amanda Kolson I think it's important to read widely from perspectives you might not automatically gravitate towards, so when I saw that my local library had a book which was a full-throated defense of the potential of the suburbs, and the history of utopian suburban projects throughout American history. A fascinating read, and proof that architecture is so much more than aesthetics.

Haunted, Chuck Palahniuk This book has the unique honor of being both a book on my favorites list and one that I DNF'd. This is the most down dirty, pessimistic, disgusting festering wound of a book I've ever read. This book hates humanity, and doesn't think too much of the universe besides. But that said... I can't stop thinking about it. There's lines in this book that will ricochet through my brain forever, and stories that I'm still thinking about months later. I couldn't leave it off the list, even though I gave up just shy of the 7/8ths mark. What a wild book.

Thanks again for the ask! I love talking about the things that inspire this show, and books play a hearty role in that~

More book asks here!

[siriuslysatorusimping]

Another Level rant/update 😬

I'm posting the rant that I started the other day when responding to an ask!!

You can read it below the cut 😊

When it comes to Another Level, I love the story so much. Obviously, I adore the characters. Another Level gave me Rinko. And I never imagined she'd become what she has. She's grown and taken on a life of her own that I never expected, and it's made me love her so much more. What's getting to me recently is that I honestly am just tired of the conflict in canon. It's stressful and exhausting to deal with.

As I've been trying to write for Horizon of Chaos, I realized that the events in the manga have really shaped how much I feel about writing anything for the month in between. It's really hard to write cute and happy when I know something that big is coming up. Our proverbial 'beach episode' is so much harder with shit like that looming on the horizon, even though they're going to make it through.

It makes me want to skip past it completely and go to the happily ever after. But that would feel wrong. It would feel half-finished. It wouldn't feel like the proper resolution after so much has happened.

It's also, if I'm being honest, getting a bit outside of my comfort zone. Because I've stuck as close to canon as I possibly could throughout the entirety of Another Level, and diverging so heavily now is a bit daunting.

To give a bit of a "behind-the-scenes" perspective, I'll share a secret that might not be that much of a secret: When I first started writing Another Level, back when I wasn't even sure if I was going to post any of it, I was determined to stick with canon no matter what. Meaning if Gojo died in canon, he was going to die in Another Level. I even had two plans for endings. For if he lived or died.

But, after writing a bit, and figuring a few other things out, it felt cruel to rip that chance at happiness away from them after they've been through so much. They've worked so hard and been through so much, and while JJK itself isn't meant to be a bright and happy story, I started writing Another Level specifically to deal with all that shit, so why make it darker than it needs to be when I don't have to?

I don't remember exactly when I made the decision, but at some point very early on I decided, 'Fuck canon if he dies. Gojo and Rinko are getting a nice happy ending together where they live long lives together and have cute lil babies.'

Another Level Gojo feels so close to canon that he feels like canon sometimes, as many of you have pointed out and said you like about him (thank you so much btw, it is greatly appreciated 🥹). But he has layers of character depth that he's gained through knowing Rinko that canon Gojo doesn't have.

Canon Gojo was perfectly happy dying to someone stronger. Because that meant he got to just be 'Gojo Satoru' and not 'The Strongest.' He was fulfilled and happy to die that way, leaving the rest to his students.

Another Level Gojo is tired. He's been fighting his entire fucking life. He's been blamed for shit his entire fucking life. And he's found the one person in the world who loves him and sees through all that bullshit, and he wants to finish this garbage and just have some quiet time to live his life being an idiot with this woman who has stayed by his side and seen the human in him since the beginning.

Another Level Gojo is going to want to be truly selfish. He's going to feel cheated dying now. As you saw in the most recent part of Horizon of Chaos, he's not ready to leave just yet. He wants more time with Rinko.

Because Rinko has always seen Gojo Satoru, the dumbass who does stupid shit and is just an overgrown child who never got to be a kid. And she's indulged him by giving him cookies and letting him have those moments of vulnerability with zero judgment for things that others spent years blaming him for. She was one of few people who never faulted him for not killing Geto sooner. Gojo knows how much she hated Geto by the end because of what happened to her kids, to Touma. But she has still maintained that she understands that he was his best friend and expecting him to react any differently than he did would be asking too much of anyone.

Remember one of the things she's told him during a moment of vulnerability?

"Even the strongest fail."

She has always seen his moments of genuine weakness as something to love and not something to break him down for. And he is so ready to just spend the rest of his life showing her just how much he loves her for it. So he will.

[good-oldfashioned-lover-girl]

tell me about cornish history?

(you dont even understand i almsot cried when i saw this thank you)

OK SO for context my mums side of the family is cornish and so i have quite a random specific knowledge of its history and ill stick to my favourite parts, namely cornish pasties and tom bawcocks eve (although i could also talk abt humphrey davy for ages and the mining lamp lmao)

(idk if pasties are a widely known thing? but they’re these like pastry parcels with savoury fillings that look something like this:

(my favourite filling being cheese and onion hands down))

but anyway basically they have these pastry handles almost on the edge with no filling (almost like a pizza crust) where the pastry’s sealed and it’s quite big and has around 20 crimps traditionally and it was brought in solely so that miners could bring them into the mines for lunch. they would have rly dirty hands from all the mining yk and so would hold the handle bit so as not to get the part they eat dirty and then so that they didn’t have to carry too much half of it would be savoury and the other half sweet (ive never actually seen a sweet pasty so idk how true this is but still). i could also talk abt the mines for ages they’re so cool and tragic but imma leave that there bc i wanna talk abt tom bawcocks eve

i don’t actually know how true it is obviously but tom bawcocks eve is basically a celebration each year in a village in the south west of cornwall called mousehole where they light these lights and eat stargazy pie which is basically a fish pie to put it simply. it originated from when there was a famine in im guessing probably around the start of the 20th century? but don’t quote me on that, due to a rly big storm which meant they couldn’t go fishing, fish being a staple of their diet, as well as it ruining crops etc.. this guy called tom bawcock then risked it and went out in the storm to go fishing, and so saved the village bc he got them food.

a lot of my knowledge of it comes from a children’s book by antonia barber lmao called the mousehole cat but i’m also pretty sure that there’s some truth to this. there’s also a folk song about it which is cool

this is stargazy pie and the mousehole lights btw:

(i’ve never actually been to mousehole on tom bawcocks eve bc it’s the 23rd december but ive seen the lights most years at new years and i kid you not i have listened to the mousehole cat on cd every night to get to sleep since i was like 6 i cannot get to sleep without it)

if anyone sees this and sees any inaccuracies PLEASE tell me this is me picking up tidbits of information throughout my life and stitching them together so it’s likely i’ve got something wrong although it’s niche enough that no one will hopefully notice lmao

[apollothesunrat]

It occured to me that I should probably post a picture of the goobers I entered in the goober comp. So have my babies, the siblings ever. The are in the same au btw, I just don't have an official name for it so they're labeled by their defining factors.

Raised by the Foot Casey Jones:

Casey has been in the Foot as long as he can remember, training along side the Master's daughter. Raised as Cassandra, he trained at the same time as Oroku Karai due them being similar ages though he only saw her occasionally as he was in the New York lair and Karai lived in Japan with her Father. As he grew up, he realized he just wanted to be Casey, but no one accepted that. The Lieutenant told him he was confused, he was girl and that's what he'd always be. At 15 he had grown to hate it, the Foot's motives, the way he was forced to wear the female uniform, all of it. So he started leaving, seeking time away. He finds an empty watertower on a roof miles away from the Foot's lair After about year of doing he starts hearing whispers throughout the Foot of strange men in suits roaming the streets. One day in the midst of April he goes out, and meets a girl, shorter than him but close to his age none the less. She introduces her in broken English as "Experiment A". Finding this "name" horrible Casey offers to give her a better one amd be her friend. She agrees.

Raised by the Kraang April O'Neil:

Experiment A doesn't remember the horrible day when the Kraang took her and killed her parents but she remembers everything afterwards. She was taken to the head, Kraang Prime, he was so cruel. The Kraang never respected her, always sticking needles in her and making her use her powers to the point she was pass out. At one point, after being trained for many years, they took her to a facility on Earth. It was apparently her home planet. She didn't like what her superiors were planning, so she started escaping. The Kraang scientists in the lab never paid her any attention so snuck out and watched the humans. They didn't have a pink tinge to their akin of tendrils on their head like she did. Nor did they have teeth or nails as sharp as her. Experiment A didn't understand them, everytime she tried to say hello they screamed, called her a freak. So she stayed away, just watching and learning. Then one particularly chilly day, she met a human boy. He didn't scream at her, or call her a freak. He offered to take care of her, and give her a real name like his. His name was Casey, she thought it suited him.

~~

After their meeting both began meeting up on the same rooftop they met. Casey found a new name for Experiment A. "April", after the month he met her and it started with an A, so it wasn't too much of an adjustment for her.

They've only known eachother for about five months now. Casey gives April all his old feminine clothes to wear(she insists his are better than new clothes, they smell like him apparently and scent is important to her) and April helps him steal masculine clothes. Casey teaches April English, though getting her to spell correctly is difficult, and he showed her around New York City and gave her anything he could afford. April was never needed at the lab(Kraang Prime would make it known if he needed her) so she was always at the water tower, filling it with old blankets and pillows, stolen clothes and books. She makes it feel like home.

They have yet to officially meet their version of the turtles so the Hamatos aren't important right now. But they meet them soon.

Thanks for reading! I appreciate reblogs and thoughts on this!

(I'll go ahead and tag the comp since I posted this cause of it. @goobersforlife)

[artificialbreezy]

BRIANNA!!! I just wanted to say, i’ve been here since the Tom Holland/Marvel days and seeing your relationship with Madison blossom (I hope you two are still close btw your friendship warmed my heart) and i’ve been watching your blog change throughout the years and I just wanted to say i’m like super proud of you and seeing you get more comfortable in your writings. I hope you have a phenomenal day/night or whatever it may be where you are.

PS thank you for giving me a new bad to listen to👀

the tears are falling! you’ve been here for SOOO long omg i hope you’ve enjoyed your stay from 2016 to now. it truly brings me so much joy to know some of you are still active around these parts. and a big thank you for sticking with me thru all my hyper-fixations it means the absolute world to me! i love you to bits. and yes just so you know, Madison and i are still very good friends, she will forever have a very special place in my heart and she knows it. it’s currently nighttime where i am but i’ve had a good day thank you and please please please enjoy all the bad omens content 🩶

[stennnn06]

hey sten. i’ve been an admirer of your writing for years now. and i would like some advice from you. i’ve been in a writing slump for awhile. at first it started as not having any ideas. but now that i have some sense of what i want to get at, it’s all scattered and everything overlaps each other. that’s where i’m at right now. i keep my writing in a journal because i feel like I get everything out quicker, hahaha. i know i have my plot down and my main love interests (wlw btw hehe) but I can’t seem to get the in between narratives flowing. and i hate forcing myself to come up with things. any advice for me on how to stay motivated? because i’ve been fighting so hard to continue writing and now that i finally have an idea i’m all over the place, hahaha. ty kristen ❤️

aw thanks for sending!

haha i feel like i definitely relate to this, especially with my original stuff. fanfic too, sometimes, especially when the ideas are churning faster than i can process. im no expert, because i think my writing process is truly chaotic HA but a few things that have helped me:

-writing the outline, so i have the framework of the plot and adjusting it as necessary. i like having at least the framework down as my base and this is where i just write anything down that might be relevant: bits of dialogue that MIGHT go in a scene, bullet points, notes about what i'm trying to say, a scene starter, a cute idea, whatever. i refer to it often (even if i deviate). its a living outline and i adjust it consistently throughout the process but its where everything 'lives'. this takes weeks sometimes but it helps get all my ideas on a page

-eventually i move on to actually writing the story. i used to HATE the first draft but now its my favorite because its a free-for-all. i write the scenes i want to write without worrying about starting them in a pretty way or what order they'll appear in. i go in ATTEMPTING to put them in the order i think they'll be in, but i know realistically it may shift. i also let myself dive in to what i want to write and watch the scenes take shape without worrying about transitions or sentence structure. it helps get the story out, even if its painfully bad.

- i try to force myself to stick with a direction i want to go with the story (especially in the early stages) unless i get a significant way into the draft and realize i DO want to change the back story or an event or go in a different direction because its going to impact the rest of it. i'll then archive what i've written and save it on another page so i don't lose it, and fill in the gaps OR start the draft over on a clean page. i think most people say you need to finish the entire first draft before making that change, but for me - its how i stay motivated. i can't finish something that i know is broken so fundamentally haha.

-dialogue! i happen to be a big dialogue person. i like writing snippets of dialogue, text conversations, emails, whatever between characters in order to get their voices down. and more often than not, my outline has dialogue all over it that i can see fitting into the scenes. i think this makes the narrative piece easier (for me) and helps me figure out how we get from A to B to C. once the dialogue snippets are written, i can start to see the scene take shape -- i can see if a character should be pacing, or holding a glass, or doing x,y,z. then suddenly, a setting! action! a scene!

i hope some of this helped! i'm sure your story is going to be great!!!

[pearlzier]

omg i apologize for filling your inbox with my asks. but literally!! you get me frfr!! great minds think alike. beware for another yap session bc omg i feel so seen, like genuinely im not even kidding. like i said, this isn’t a vent, this is just me explaining how my brain processes stuff.

one problem that i genuinely have is this thing with numbers. i can’t do math like normal people, and it’s always made me stick out like a sore thumb. it’s like dyslexia, but with numbers (dyscalculia) and all throughout my school career, it’s been something that has messed with my grades. im good in other subjects, but anything that involves math is just.. not for me. everyone in my life has either said that im “too lazy” or “dumb” for not knowing basic math. BUT THATS HOW MY BRAIN WORKS !! i can’t do problems in my head, nor can i do them on paper. i haven’t seen anyone talk about this specific learning disorder ever, since i feel like it’s a little more rare?? i might be wrong though.

it’s embarrassing for me, y’know? bc im still in school and i only have like a year and a half of this stuff to go, and im definitely gonna have to do more stuff involving numbers and it’s gonna stress me the fuck out. moving on from that.. i could literally spend hours talking about how my brain works, bc people have told me so many times that they wonder how the fuck my brain works, and processes information. i don’t even know myself.

thank you for coming to my ted talk. this was lengthy but omg i hope someone knows what im talking about 😭

I GET YOU FRFR !! its okay yap sessions r fine w me love em <3

IM SORRY THAT THEY SAID THAT THAT SUCKS i've never like been through that exactly but in relation to maths my ability has just deteriorated as i've gotten older ??? like anything with numbers. is just. i don't struggle totally but i kinda get you if u get what i mean

wishin u sm luck with school btw ! ur gonna do GREAT 💓 honestly samesies my brain is a mystery even to myself and it's kind of scary that i don't even know why i behave/am the way i am and the way i do things. i confuse even myself so how is someone else supposed to know if u get what i mean. i absolutely feel you and would love to continue to hear abt ur brain because me too frfr its just ❓️ idk whats goin on up there I GET IT

[heliads]

hi! can i request a peter maximoff x reader who’s hanks sister and is living in the mansion with xavier and him and so she joins them on the mission to break erik out (could her powers be that she can breathe fire so she calls herself dragon?) and she and peter get to know eachother and stuff and develop a linking for eachother

they don’t see eachother till the events of apocalypse and the tension between them is still there throughout and at the end when peter gets gravely injured they end up confessing their feelings?

thankyou!

love your writing btw!

thank you so much for requesting this, i haven't written for my boy peter maximoff in FOREVER and that is a crime

masterlist

Three utterly fascinating things are happening in Xavier’s School right now. Seeing as the place has practically been a mausoleum as of late, what with the complete and utter lack of gifted youngsters necessary to make the school function, you are delighted to see that events of note are finally occurring again.

The three utterly fascinating things are as follows: one, a mysterious stranger arrives at the school and lets himself in, two, your brother turns into a blue furry rage monster (as you would so kindly refer to him), and three, Charles Xavier himself has stepped out of his office for the first time in what feels like weeks to see what all the fuss is about. The former professor is carrying a half empty glass bottle, so he’s at least partially staying true to form, but still. Changes, people. You’ve got to love them.

You have taken up a strategic position halfway hidden in the shadows of dust-covered mahogany bookshelves, which gives you the perfect vantage point to see whatever the hell is going on now. Your brother and the new guy have been brawling, or they were up until Charles decided to come down and ruin your show.

It seems like the typical dispute, where someone wants Charles to do some sort of mutant-related thing, the kind of thing he’s sworn off for many years now. You’re just about to retreat upstairs, entertainment over, when New Guy reveals that he’s been sent here from the future.

You aren’t quite able to stow your surprised laugh in time, and Charles, Hank, and New Guy turn to look at you in expressions ranging from annoyance to impassivity.

There’s no chance that you’ll be able to hide anymore, so you shrug and head downstairs. “Look, sorry for listening, but the guy just said he’s here from the future. Can you blame me for wanting to see what that’s about?”

New Guy narrows his eyes at you. “Funny, I didn’t know you were living here around this time, Y/N.”

You glare at him in unison with Hank. “How did you know my name?”

New Guy spreads his hands. “Like I said, I’m from the future. Are you going to believe me now?”

As it turns out, you are. New Guy, or Logan, is able to come up with a few more details on Charles’ life, and just like that, you’ve got a verified time traveler pacing back and forth in front of you. It would be fantastic, if it weren’t for the fact that he’s asking you to break into the Pentagon to rescue the one person Charles wants to see the least.

You’ve managed to insert yourself into this scheme, partially because your group is down a functioning mutant due to Charles’ current inability to read minds. Right now, you’re stuck in a car with the three of them, headed to pick up one more potential ally.

Logan stops the car outside the Maximoff residence, then turns to the rest of you to issue a warning.

“Look, judging by what I know about Peter in my time, he’s going to be a bit of a handful. Just stick with what we have to do, got it?”

You arch a brow. “What, is he a serial killer? How bad can he be?”

Logan grimaces. “If anyone, you’ll get along with him best. You certainly do in my time.”

His mouth turns down slightly as he says this, like he’s realizing that he may have revealed something about the future that he wasn’t supposed to share with you.

His hesitation, however, isn’t enough to dissuade your newfound curiosity. “Do I know Peter Maximoff well, then? Are we close?”

Hank shoves you lightly on the shoulder. “Stop bothering the guy with bone claws coming out of his hands and get out of the car.”

You make a face at your brother, but get out anyway. You’ve got a mission to do, and none of you can afford to waste much time on complaining.

The Maximoff household is nothing like what you were expecting. Ms. Maximoff initially thinks that you’re cops, and that you’re there solely because Peter stole something. This only adds to your fascination about the mutant you’re here to see- just who is this guy, at any rate?

You get your answer soon enough, once the four of you descend into the basement. Peter Maximoff is a silver-haired blur, scarcely stopping his whirlwind of motion long enough to hurl questions at you. Charles seems exasperated already, Logan is grimly aware that this is exactly what he’s been afraid of seeing, Hank is seconds from turning into the Beast again, and you, you are delighted by the whole thing.

You take your role of bothering Charles and Hank very seriously, and it’s wonderful to see that you’ll have a partner in this going forward. Peter’s also quite funny, and you get plenty of chances to notice this as he seems to keep making one-liners for your benefit. Peter’s attention, albeit extraordinarily scattered, drifted quickly from the three men to you and stayed there for the rest of the meeting. It takes Charles bringing up the fact that Peter will be able to break into the Pentagon to distract the speedster from his restless flirting.

To be fair, offering up the Pentagon as a potential robbery site would thrill just about anybody. Peter looks between the four of you, suddenly intrigued.

“The Pentagon? What are we taking out, weapons? Murderers?”

Charles furrows his brow in consternation, muttering something that sounds like ‘all of the above’ under his breath. Peter is bored by this answer, and appears by your side in a second.

“So, why are you here? Are you a murderer as well? You’re certainly killer, if that’s any compensation.”

He winks as he says this, and you grin, partially at the pickup line and also because Hank’s look of revulsion is absolutely hilarious.

“We have a friend here from the future, and he says that we’re get along well a couple years from now.”

Peter raises his eyebrows, donning the grin of a madman. You love it. “We’re close? What kind of close?”

Hank takes it upon himself to intervene. “You’re on the same continent. That’s all you have to know.”

You and Peter give Hank cross looks in unison. Charles takes advantage of the sudden lapse in conversation to try and twist the knife a little further.

“Look, are you going to come with us or not? We’re mutants, we can help you. Or, if you don’t want help, you can at least get out of your mother’s basement for a couple of hours.”

Peter nods sagely. “You know what, I’ll do it. What are your mutations, then? I feel like I should know. It’s good to be informed.”

Hank mumbles something about turning into a monster, which you note is likely some form of his guilt eating away at his consciousness yet again, Charles mentions that he can read minds when he’s not trying to pretend that he doesn’t have a gift, and Logan extends the bone claws from his hands, to Peter’s both disgust and awe.

The silver-haired boy then turns to you. “Well? I’m expecting a good show. You haven’t disappointed on any other levels.”

You match his wolf’s grin measure for measure. “I’d hate to let you down on this point.”

You roll your shoulders as if to prepare for what you’re about to do, then take a deep breath. When you exhale, what spills out from your jaws is not carbon dioxide but fire, tongues of flame that twist through the air until they flicker into nothingness just before hitting the walls and ceiling.

Peter whistles slightly. “Wow. Can I assume they call you Dragon or something else cool like that?”

You smirk. “Exactly right. Maybe Charles isn’t the only mind reader.”

Truth be told, you’re glad Peter took the news of your powers so well. A lot of people are afraid, somewhat understandably, of someone who could light their entire house ablaze with a sigh. The two of you also have plenty of time to get each other better over the long car ride, as well as the trip into the Pentagon.

You have to admit that you’re fond of him. Was there ever a question of that? You’ve never met a boy who knew every facet of you so well, yet was still so dedicated to making you smile at a moment’s notice. Certainly nobody has ever offered you a baseball cap stolen from an FBI agent before.

Needless to say, you’re quite enjoying his company. So, when the six of you, including Erik Lehnsherr newly liberated from an all-plastic prison, arrive at Charles’ private jet to take you away to your next destination, you assume that you’ll be able to chat with Peter during the trip.

However, he hangs back by the car, as if he isn’t going. The others have started up ahead, but you jog back to him when you notice that he isn’t moving.

“Hey, aren’t you coming? I’m not saying that Logan’s going to try and take up several of the best seats for him and his unnecessarily long legs, but it might happen. We should go get a place before it’s too late.”

Peter chuckles, although his smile seems forced. “I don’t think I’m coming on this part of the trip, angel.”

The happy expression on your face drops as quickly as a sudden rain. “What do you mean, you’re not coming? We’ll need all the help we can get.”

Peter reaches forward to absentmindedly fix the collar of your jacket, but judging by the fact that he’s actually making the creases worse instead of straightening it out, he’s just looking for an excuse to stay close to you for at least a second longer.

“I’m not the one making the choice. I don’t have enough experience in the field, and they don’t want to mess this up.”

You grasp his hands from where they’re still worrying your collar, and they freeze instantly beneath your touch. “That’s absurd. I’m here, aren’t I?”

Peter gives you his best attempt at a lopsided smile. “Hey, I think you could take out all of us if you tried. This is probably what’s best, anyway. I haven’t been one of your X-People for long enough, and you have.”

You’ve said your share of goodbyes before, but you don’t think any of them has hurt as much as this one. “Peter, please. If we argued now we could probably convince them to let you come with us. It’s not like you’d slow us down.”

Peter chuckles at the joke, but you can tell that his mind’s been made up. “I’ll see you on the other side, alright? I can visit sometime soon.”

You haven’t known Peter that long, but you’ve learned enough about him to know that this is a lie. You let him have it, though. It makes for a quieter goodbye than accusing him of not caring.

“Yeah, I’ll see you then.”

Charles calls to you, and you walk away without another word. Every step away hurts, but you don’t dare let yourself look back. You think Peter might have meant to say something, because there’s a slight scuffle of footsteps behind you as if he’s about to run to you, but he stops himself just in time.

You’re in a frightful mood by the time you get on the plane, and throw yourself into the copilot’s seat without another word.

Hank gives you a surprised look. “What, are you that sad about leaving your future boyfriend of two days?”

You give him a glare over your shoulder, and although he’s the one who can turn into the blue-furred Beast, your expression must have been monstrous enough that Hank shuts up immediately. “Alright, alright. My bad.”

You don’t say another word for the whole fight, even when Charles, Erik, and Logan get into a fight bad enough that Erik causes the plane to start taking a nosedive. They manage to apologize, after all, and you’re still breathing when the aircraft lands.

It doesn’t mean you’ve healed, though. Even after the mission ends somewhat successfully and Logan goes back to his future body, you still find yourself stuck on the one boy you left behind. Does Peter think about you, from time to time, when he lights a candle or laughs at someone else’s joke? You know you think of him on measures of equal unimportance.

You don’t see him, though, not for years. As expected, Peter does not show up at Xavier’s School, even when it opens up again for real and students start pouring in. There are no late-night telephone calls, no letter addressed to you in hesitantly scrawled ink. It’s as if the tie that had bound the two of you together has been abruptly cut short.

Or, you don’t see him until the world starts to end. Apocalypse himself, some primordial god who has recently awoken seemingly for the sole task of ruining your lives, appears out of the blue in Xavier’s School, taking Charles with him. Alex Summers, angered, lets out a blast of energy that destroys the whole school. You fully expect to die when the explosions start going off, but for some reason, you don’t.

You blink, and when you open your eyes, you’re standing out in the lawn, watching the mansion blow itself to hell. You’re not alone, either; to your side is the person responsible for the fact that you’re still alive, and it is Peter Maximoff.

You stare at him, unable to speak. You’ve thought about this moment many times before, so you should have at least some idea of what to say, but nothing comes to mind.

Peter manages to control himself a little faster than you. “Y/N. It’s good to see you again.”

You nod, and in this moment you remember what you’ve been thinking about all this time. “You left. You never tried to even talk to me.”

Peter grimaces. “I tried, but-”

You cut him off. “No, you didn’t. You never gave me your number, but I gave you mine. You could have done this at any time, and don’t get me wrong, I’m glad we’re not all dead, but it’s been ten years. Don’t start up a conversation like nothing’s ever happened, because plenty has happened, and you weren’t here for any of it.”

You can’t deal with this, not now, so you stride briskly away to find Hank. You need to figure out what’s going on and how to deal with the dozens of young mutants suddenly without a home or mentor, and you can’t do that while you’re thinking about the boy who broke your heart a decade ago.

You do your best to not think about it at all, actually. This grows more difficult as time progresses, but you manage to keep up a stony silence. You speak to Peter as you must, but you refuse to let yourself become captivated by his smile again, or get to a point where you’ll miss him when he goes, because there is no chance that this story ends without him leaving again.

The only caveat to your plan, then, is what happens in the final battle between Apocalypse and the X-Men. You and the rest are hiding from the vengeful mutant, trying to figure out how to get a newly hairless Charles away despite the fact that he seems inches from death. Then, in the clearing below, you see Peter taking on Apocalypse alone.

He seems to be winning at first, and then Apocalypse catches on to what he’s doing and traps him in the earth, breaking his leg. You think you cry out, but Hank managed to clap a hand over your mouth just in time so you don’t give away your position. You watch, frozen by fear, as Psylocke approaches, ready to slit his throat.

She doesn’t, though, because this is not Psylocke but Mystique. Still, the fact that Peter nearly died and is now gravely injured doesn’t escape you. Even after you and your friends manage to incinerate Apocalypse once and for all, you’re still terrified that Peter might die out here on this battlefield. The second you can, you race to his side, reaching for a hand that you’re only half certain will take yours.

His fingers close around you, and you let out a slow breath of relief. Somewhere behind you, Charles is calling for someone to get medical help, but you can’t leave, not yet.

Peter speaks, his voice raspy. “I’m sorry. I should have come to you sooner.”

You shake your head. “Don’t. We can’t change the past, not anymore. I just need you to be alright.”

He smiles, that same crooked smile you’ve loved and then despised and are now loving again, over and over in cycles. “Of course you need me, sweetheart. We’re wonderful together.”

You let out a half-laugh, half-sigh, and pull him closer to you. “You’re such an idiot, Peter Maximoff.”

He grins. “Ah, but I’m your idiot.”

This time, your laugh is real. “Yeah, you are. I love you for that.”

“I love you too,” he says, and you think you’ve never heard any collection of words sound sweeter. The battle is over, the world is saved, and you have the boy you love right here in front of you. Nothing could be better.

xmen tag list: @enchantedcruelsummer, @awaywiththe, @amourtentiaa, @elaineygrace, @rogueanschel, @caswinchester2000

[the2purpleidiots]

jasonnie lives in my head rent free now 😔 /pos. i was also wondering abt your thoughts on autistic donnie? as an autistic person i love me some good rep so im constantly brain thoughts on how jase would handle donnies meltdowns or overstimulation. the idea of them having parallel play time with each other owns my whole heart ❤ but yeah just curious on what you guys think of it. love the fics btw! I've read all of it so far and i really like them 🤠

Hello, Fox here! Sorry it took so long to answer this ask! I've been busy as hell, LMAO. But, hey! I'm glad you could join the bandwagon of Jasonnie enjoyers and enablers! There are a lot more of us than I realized, haha! Also, thank you for enjoying our fics! Even though we're not on the Jasonnie fixation as of late, it's always really fun to hear everyone else enjoying these dorks!

As for your question: Personally, I adore the Autistic!Donnie Headcanon and write him autistic in all my stories, intentional or not! Parallel play is definitely something they both just clicked on without having to say a word throughout the entirety of their relationship.

In our fics, Jason grew up in a household that disregarded his existence in nearly every sense of the word. So, after they get along and spend most of their time together? Jason enjoys it when they're doing their own things, sharing space since it's so similar to what he's used to while also being everything he's never given freely. Jason's used to blending into the background and not disturbing those around him. But with Donnie, he actually gets to share the space, to co-exist with him without fear that he's being too much or doing too little. There's no need to overanalyze and second-guess things.

Donnie's family has definitely existed in spaces together, especially when Donnie is working. But there's a significant difference between your siblings trying to help out, asking what you're doing, and getting you to build something for them, and when a kid simply blends into the space like nothing has changed. It's not like his family is constantly obnoxious, but brothers can sometimes be like that. Plus, Jason's smart, he shares the same level of knowledge with Donnie even if it isn't in the same subjects or skills, but he still blends in with Donnie's world instead of sticking out against it like his family does, if that makes sense?

It's like a mix of comforts and mutual unsaid understandings between them. They know how this shared space goes, and they both enjoy how the other exists naturally, so it's like a safe little bubble that they can get wrapped up in sometimes.

I would probably have more Jason and Autistic!Donnie Headcanons to share, but honestly, most of my Autistic!Donnie Headcanons are for my other fic series, and I have yet to think about these boys through that lens in a hot minute! (Any Autistic!Donnie-related Jasonnie ideas that are floating in my head are from the amazing people on the Jasonnie Discord Server and not my own.)

But a scene I think about a lot is Donnie and Jason cooking together. The two of them bond over their Asian Cultures, sharing their foods with each other, especially modified ones, to ensure the taste and texture doesn't disturb or overstimulate Donnie.

Also! Jason knowing his meltdown routine after a year of them being together is definitely something that delights me to no end. Knowing that when you're in that place and know you have someone you can trust to know exactly what you need and always try and follow that for you no matter how worried or hurt they may be in that moment? Because your health comes first, and they understand that? That everything that may have happened before can always be dealt with later? Fucking masterful; it means everything to me.

I do have to apologize, dear anon, for the more vague Headcanons, though? As I said before, it's been a moment since I truly obsessed over these two, but I hope I answered your question? If you have more, I'm more than happy to ramble about them and talk about them! <3

[ynscrazylife]

can i request hurt comfort with agatha harkness of reader being overworked and has an adrenaline crash and passes out? (i had one the other day bc of some stuff and idk just some agatha comfort with that would be great rn) !!! for your jess celebration! complete congrats btw your so so talented and deserve it sm and i send lots of love:) !!!

Stark’s Assistant | a.h fluff fic

Summary: Sometimes, helping someone too much ends up hurting you. Y/N learns that the hard way.

Authors Note: I’m so sorry that this is so late! I hope that you feel better now ❤️

Request to be on a taglist (or multiple) here! (Taglists are at the end of the fic)

Main Masterlist | MCU Masterlist #1 | MCU Masterlist #2

PSA: Do NOT copy, steal, translate, plagiarize, republish, etc any of my works on Tumblr or any other platform. Also, do NOT claim any of my works as your own. All of these works are either requests I’ve gotten that people have wanted me to write or original ideas I’ve had for works. If you happen to take inspiration from anything I’ve written and want to write something inspired by that, please a) ask me first and b) IF I say yes, credit me as inspo in your post by tagging me and link whatever work of mine that inspired you. Thanks.

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Being the assistant to the CEO of a major company in a highly populated city and living with a witch girlfriend in the secluded woods wasn’t ideal, but Y/N made it work. By now, she had mastered the art of broom riding and more often than not, that was how she commuted to work and back everyday. Despite Agatha being glad that she no longer had to wake up at dawn to fly you there at the beginning of your guys’ relationship, she thought back to when you two first met with a fond smile.

The last person she had expected to see wander into Westview was Y/N Y/L/N, the woman who was credited with pulling Stark Industries through the five-year Blip and was recently promoted to CEO assistant. The entire world was mystified by how and why she hadn’t been promoted sooner, but Agatha didn’t pay it a second thought until she met Y/N.

Interacting with her made Agatha notice up-close how pained not only Y/N was, but how everyone was, in Westview. Slowly but surely, the witch had a change of heart. She abandoned her evil intentions and was filled with the desire to save Westview’s citizens.

Not long after had she defeated Wanda was when Agatha and Y/N got to know each other for real and soon, they began dating. Now she spent her days tending to her garden, practicing her spells, and exploring the modern world with her girlfriend by her side.

However, there was one thorn sticking into their bouquet of roses, and it was Y/N’s job. Even though she loved it and it was preparing her to be a businesswoman, it required her to work long hours and take on many responsibilities. Usually it wasn’t that big of a problem, but with Pepper and the company still grieving her late husband, Y/N had taken on even more in hopes of alleviating Pepper’s stress. She had told Agatha only bits and pieces of it, since she knew that if she told Agatha the truth — that she was practically the CEO now — the witch would not stand for that kind of pressure.

It was a Saturday night and Agatha sat at home, a deep frown replacing her usual calm exterior. Y/N had gone into work that morning just to pick up some paperwork, but now she was gone for over half the day. Normally, she’d be worried, but she had kept on texting Y/N throughout the day, and Y/N had kept on promising that she’d be home soon but— oh no! Another thing would pop up that had to be fixed and it required specifically Y/N to fix it.

When the door finally creaked open and the pitter-patter of footsteps came with it, it was nearly 10:00. Agatha looked over her shoulder, but the annoyance in her eyes quickly softened to concern when she spotted Y/N’s state. The woman’s hear was a mess, her shoulders slumped, and her walk resembled a zombie.

“Y/N!” Agatha gasped out, oh her feet and in front of Y/N within seconds.

“‘M sorry Aggy,” Y/N mumbled out just loudly enough so Agatha could hear as she fumbled with locking the door. “I wanted to leave more than ever but people just—”

She turned back to face her worried girlfriend and, in that instant, her voice faded and her legs gave out. Agatha’s eyes went wide when she quite literally collapsed into her arms, and she stumbled back to regain her balance.

A million thoughts and ideas rushed into Agatha’s head at once. She took a split second to calm herself and attempt to think clearly, but that split second was all gravity needed to act and pull Y/N’s body towards the ground. Agatha blinked and, when it set in on what was going on, relied on instinct and used her magic to catch Y/N before she hit the ground. Taking a deep breath, she slowly lowered Y/N.

“Y/N,” Agatha called, getting on her knees and scanning the unconscious woman’s face. When she got no response, she tried again, but louder. “Y/N!”

Nothing.

When her at-first-small-shakes-turned-into-aggressive-shakes did not do the trick, Agatha was forced to take a step back before she dislocated Y/N’s shoulder.

The first thing that came to her mind was the need to wake Y/N up, but obviously that wouldn’t be happening right now. So, she used her magic to do a health scan. When it was confirmed that Y/N had passed out due to an adrenaline spike, lack of food, and dehydration, it caused Agatha to think on the cause exactly.

But that didn’t take a genius to figure out. She knew from the moment Y/N walked in that she was exhausted, and while Agatha always had a small worry that Y/N would be overworked, she didn’t think that it could or would happen.

Nonetheless, she lifted her limp girlfriend into her arms and, with a small huff, rose to her feet. She made sure Y/N was secure and wouldn’t drop like a rag doll before carrying her to the couch and laying her down gently.

The brunette sighed as she lowered herself into a chair, eyes fixated on her girlfriend so she wouldn’t miss any sign of her awakening. After a couple minutes passed of the witch being unable to sit still, she decided to make herself useful and cook Y/N her favorite meal, so she had something to eat when she woke up.

Every time she could, she’d scurry back into the living room to check on Y/N. And every time her heart dropped, as she remained still as a statue.

Just as Agatha was bringing the now cooked meal and a glass of water out to the living room was when Y/N decided to stir. It caught her off guard so badly that the normally composed woman almost tripped and spilled the food on her girlfriend! Thankfully, she caught herself, and hastily set the items on the coffee table before bringing her full attention to Y/N.

“Agatha?” Her girlfriend croaked out, her eyes hazed over with a fog before she blinked it away.

Agatha’s arm snaked back instinctively and her fingers found the glass, eyes never once leaving Y/N’s face. She brought the water to her lips.

“Small sips, huh, small sips,” she murmured when at first Y/N leant forward to gulp it down.

Y/N listened and, when she was finished, relaxed against the couch and let out a satisfying sigh. After a couple of seconds within her thoughts, she met Agatha’s eyes. “I passed out?” She guessed, the guilt already seeping in.

Agatha hesitated and then nodded. “Yes, but we can talk about it — and your work schedule — later. Right now you need it eat,” she said, and stood up to grab the plate and situate herself on the couch next to Y/N.

Y/N nodded and pulled the plate into her lap, resting her head on Agatha’s shoulder. “Can we watch a movie?” She asked in a small voice.

The timid question made Agatha grin. Her girlfriend was adorable. “Of course,” she said, and pressed a quick yet meaningful kiss to Y/N’s forehead before grabbing the T.V remote.

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