#but I was suddenly hit with this powerful bolt of 'you need to write about TS women now'

[grassbreads]

Was seized with the powerful urge to write fic out of nowhere, so now I'm suddenly 800 words into the Wei Chengxiang/Zhao Qindan idea that's been rattling around in my head for like a month

[j0kers-light]

Okay that head canon about y/n getting sick and J worrying over her was precious 🥹 What if the tables were turned and J got bad sick and refused to take care of himself?

-🍄

My beloved 🍄 anon!! How I have missed you!

You stay providing me with amazing ideas! sick!reader was fun to write! So let’s explore a sick!Joker! This big baby… I’m gonna have fun with this one. 🖤✨as always enjoy enjoy!!

Joker does not get sick. He is far too busy to be bogged down with such a trivial thing as germs. Who do they think they are anyway?

Sure he's not superhuman but you would think all that time spent messing with chemicals and stuff would make him immune?

NOPE! Baby boy gets hit with the common cold and he’s out for weeks. It’s almost funny if not for the fact that Joker fighting for his life.

If only Batman knew a common cold could have J waving a white flag. 🥴

Unlike you Joker accepts rather quickly that he's sick and needs to sit his butt down somewhere.

That doesn't mean that decision is instantaneous. He ignores minor symptoms too. 🙄🙄

Like an itchy throat, watery eyes, a splitting headache. HE'S FINE. Joker powers through as if nothing is wrong. 👀 (sound familiar?)

Frost is the first to raise an eyebrow as the days progress and Joker doesn’t improve. He hints that J might be coming down with something only to be ignored. Frost tried to warn him.. 🤦🏾‍♀️

Just imagine Joker hosting a meeting like mid theatric speech and suddenly.. he sneezes.

Mac secretly took a video to send to you later because Joker looked too cute!

Joker and just about everyone in attendance was shocked at the comical (and adorable) sneeze that comes out this scary man.

👁️ 👄 👁️ them goons were shooketh girl lol

Joker threatens to murder anyone if they laugh but a snicker does escape when J sneezes again and almost bangs his head against the table (I'm fighting back tears anon! 🤣)

One glance at Frost has the meeting adjourned because they gotta drop Joker off at your place. He can't terrorize Gotham City like this!

That poor baby is a mess! Joker is sweating through his greasepaint, his nose is running like Usain Bolt, and he swears that Bane is punching him in the head. 😀 yup he’s sick.

It's time to go when Joker passes out in front of Frost, Mac, and Neo after one sneeze too many.

There's only one person they trust to look after Joker. Are you up for the challenge?

Frost is a big guy, but even he is struggling to carry Joker into your apartment. He called earlier explaining that Joker wasn't feeling too well so you left the front door unlocked.

You thought that meant Joker got hurt while out being a menace to society. That you could deal with. Some bandaids and a proper scolding, always did the trick.

You weren’t expecting Frost to dump your semi-unconscious lover onto your couch like a sack of potatoes. Joker looks almost unrecognizable and you fear the worst seeing how weak he is.

His hooded eyes take you in and a groggy, "Bunny.... I'm dying!" escapes his lips before you lock eyes with Frost.

"He has a cold."

😀 Lawd help us. If you thought Joker was a drama queen before Chile.. This grown man acts like a child staying home from school with pneumonia rather than a cold.

J has transformed himself into a blanket burrito with only his freckled face exposed. And he look so pitiful.

He can't breathe out of his nose anymore which has turned scarlet red since he doesn't use the tissues you bought him, (you yell at him to stop using his sleeves!) and he takes random naps as his immune system tries to fight off this infection. It’s doing a terrible job.

A common cold last a few days at most. A full week and a half later, and Joker is still in the trenches.

This is when you start to worry and take his illness more seriously.

Feed a cold, starve a fever so you work overtime to nurse your man back to health. You prepare the best homemade soups, arrange all the tv marathons J could ever want, you even sneak him medicine with tried and true motherly tactics.

J refused to take medicine so you cave and buy him jello, applesauce, pudding etc. as a compromise.

Little does he know, you crushed the pills inside 🤫 In short, you watch over Joker like a hawk.

He orders you to stay away stating, 'he doesn't want his Bunny getting sick' but in the same breath, he makes you cuddle with him on the couch. J falls asleep using you as his personal teddy bear and you are totally okay with that.

Anything to help him sleep and recover faster.

The worst phase comes along when you wrestle out of Joker’s arms to grab the thermometer, and his voice stops you in your tracks.

"Ma? Is... is that you?"

Joker is delirious and you shouldn't take advantage of him when he's so out of it but what's the harm in feeding into his delulu? Its not like he'll remember anyway..

You weakly smile and reply. "Hush baby, I'll be right back."

J begins another coughing fit and has air remaining to steal yours with a single sentence. "No, I don't wanna be alone."

He sounds so weak, like a child confessing their worst fears to an adult. What kind of person can ignore a plea like that? You can't that’s for sure.

You’ll check his temperature later. Right now, Joker needs you. You crawl back into Joker's arms and he immediately wraps them around you.

"Don't... l-leave." His voice is breaking your heart, he sounds so scared!

You smooth J’s hair away to cup his face. You washed away all the harsh makeup and sweat days ago so you’re free to admire his natural beauty in all its glory.

Even fighting a cold, he's so handsome looking up at you with those glassy eyes of his. You doubt he recognizes you right now. Only you are allowed to see Joker so vulnerable.

Only you can take care of him and it’s an honor you’ll never take for granted.

"I’m not going anywhere." You promise.

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Writing share

Thanks @paeliae-occasionally here, @somethingclevermahogony here, @the-golden-comet here, and here, and @mysticstarlightduck here!

So I added this scene when I realized I should have Lexi use her teleportation explicitly in her flashback chapter from the previous year. Though I made it canon being in Alium helps dormant powers activate, so does high emotions. And it's not like you can't use your powers in Ceteri if you don't know about them. So why not add a scene?

From The Secret Portal Part One (Lexi POV)

The bell rang, and I bolted. It wasn’t until I was halfway down the hall that I realized my next class was with both Ash and Shelby. I yelped as I suddenly smacked into a wall and fell on my butt. My thoughts abruptly stopped as I groaned, rubbing my forehead where I’d been hit and blinking as I tried to figure out where I was. “Omigod, Lexi! Are you okay?” I looked up to see Trixie Jackson, who I’d met in my social studies class. She had her hand held out to me, but I didn’t grab it, especially since in my haste to leave the locker room I’d forgotten to put on my gloves. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I said as I stood, reaching into the pockets of the teal hoodie I wore and felt relief when my hand clasped the gray gloves. “Where’d you even come from?” Trixie asked as I put them on. My head was still pounding, but the disorienting feeling went away enough for me to finally process that I was standing right outside my English class. “Like, you were just suddenly there, BOOM!” Trixie mimicked an explosion with her hands. “Girl, you must’ve been bolting across the school. Don’t you have gym? I just got out of Mrs. Korrin’s class.” She gestured to the classroom we stood beside. “Must be paying off if you’re running that fast; that’s on the other end of the school!” I was panting heavily, probably sweating through the hoodie. I unzipped it to let in more airflow as I tried to remember crossing the commons, but I couldn't no matter how hard I thought. “I just saw a flash of teal, and suddenly, you were here!” Trixie yammered on. “I knew it was you because of your jacket and backpack. It’s a good color, but man, you really like teal. Hey, you’ve been quiet for a bit, are you okay?” “Yes,” I said, finding my voice. “I’m fine. Uh,” I gestured to Mrs. Korrin’s room, “I need to get to class. I’ll, uh, seeya tomorrow.” “Seeya!” Trixie smiled and waved as she took off to class.

Tagging @finxi-writes @loopyhoopywrites @sarandipitywrites @mk-writes-stuff @eccaiia

+ ANYONE ELSE

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@nebula--nix @literarynecromancy @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet

[halfbakedspuds]

Thanks to @honeybewrites for the tag!

WIP excerpt tag

Rules: share some writing!

I think I'll share a bit from Echoes of Shadows

"You're right, I don't have a reason to live anymore," Johan slowly rose to his feet, shrugging off his jacket as he did, "I've only got another half a year in me anyways, maybe less at the rate I'm going,"

From where she waited in hiding, Anastasia felt her breath hitch, and actually had to fight to lean out of cover even further to get a better look at her friend- for all intents and purposes, her brother. He looked fine, the pinnacle of health! If he were telling the truth, he'd at least look the part, right? Surely he was just bluffing? Drawing attention away from-

The pendant, the realisation hit her like a shotgun to the gut, Anna you fucking imbecile, he wears the pendant constantly.

And that she couldn't refute. The same pendant that had forcibly kept her alive after having her own heart torn out was what he wore day in and day out. Was it actively keeping him alive? Slowing whatever was apparently eating away at his life?

She felt dazed, disoriented. Suddenly her little hidey-hole felt claustrophobic in a way it hadn't before. She needed to get out. She needed fresh air. She needed time to-

She needed to focus. She had a job to do. Violently, she reigned in the whirlwind of thoughts into submission and kept listening for her cue, watching with renewed worry as Johan put down his jacket- which had been folded neatly in the meantime- and began to roll up his sleeves, much to the confusion of the assembled cultists.

"But there is something I have in abundance: Good friends. People with a shot of still making something of their lives and far more deserving of the opportunity than I'll ever be," He spoke as he rolled up and secured both sleeves around his upper arm, revealing lanky yet scarred limbs beneath.

Without warning, he threw his arms out to his sides, shaking hands clenched painfully around what seemed to merely be air, distorting it in hourglass shaped waves around him. A sudden, unholy rumble and creaking seemed to boil up out of the ground, as though the city itself were enduring torturous pain. Pipes rattled in walls, working loose bolts; ill-maintained and badly installed railings clattered; and an oddly rhythmic beat began to pulse as flimsy sheets of metal lying about in the form of old signs or corrugated plates were forcibly flexed in and out by an unseen force.

This was it: the symphony of magic, the sound of humanity driven and honed to it's apex. If only for a moment, the divide between man and raw power healed, and the universe shuddered- though whether in fear, exhilaration or som eldritch awe, no one could tell.

Anastasia felt one of her knives beginning to work its way loose from the sheath on her boot, and quickly reached down to better secure it.

"Sure, I have nothing worth living for," He clenched his fists hard and everything ceased, though it was permeated not by relief but by dread. A deep breath before a taxing sprint, "But I sure as spirits have something worth dying for,"

Open tag for whomever wants it

[codenamehazard]

.:Wild Goose Chase:.

.:InFAMOUS: No Man's Land Chapter 5:.

Hey guys! Sorry for the wait. This chapter turned out to be one hell of a challenge for me to write, but I managed to do it with listening to the InFAMOUS soundtrack on loop (Meet The Reapers specifically) copious amounts of caffeine and lots of cuddles from my cats. It was rough, but I hope you guys like it!

Big shoutout to @rogueshadeaux for her help in making sure my caffeine fueled writing spree didn't look like word-salad! I am always grateful for her help.

“Catch me if you can~!” The mocking, sing-song voice of the thief pierces through the air. My ears could barely pick up the noise over the sound of the rain and the sparks that arched from my body. I was hot on her heels despite her getting a small headstart. My head was still swimming with questions about who the hell this bitch thinks she is, but now isn't the time to play 20 questions. Right now, I need to teach this thief a lesson she won’t ever forget.

I see the darting plume of shimmering smog dart into a vent to get topside and I follow after her, grabbing onto a vertical rail to launch myself upwards and airborne, propelling myself forward on a plume of my own flames of electricity and napalm. It catches her by surprise as I make contact and the resulting blast sends her flying, but instead of the usual sounds of pain, fear or even hated; she laughs. She’s laughing!! “You pack quite a punch, sparky!” I hear her coo as I rush in to close the gap, firing black and red bolts as I do, when I see her quickly get to feet and dart around. She fires back three shot bursts of ash in retaliation, giggling all the while.

Leaping to the side and rolling to avoid the volley, I see her launch herself up off of a vent and dash forward. “Bye-bye, lightbulb~” That annoying voice chides as she unfurls her cloak more to catch the air. It almost looked like she was taking flight on smoking wings as she used her cloak like a glide suit. What is with every Conduit I meet being able to fly except for me??

Without hesitation, I leap onto a power line to give chase. The crimson sparks grow in intensity as my feet hit the live wire and push me forward after her. My skin tingles and buzzes as I engage the thrusters to accelerate. My eyes lock onto the thief and my mind starts to think about all the ways I could make her pay.

Adrenaline floods my system as my heart hammers in my chest. When one line ends, I leap and glide onto another to keep going. With every leap, I got faster as the inertia from one wire flings me to the next. I catch the masked figure turning her head to see me hot on her tail, I could see the look of surprise and… Something else. Fear? Panic? Excitement? It was hard to tell with that bone-white mask of hers. I smirk at the expression anyways; from that look, seems like she wasn’t expecting someone to catch up to her as quickly as I am.

Then again, she’s never faced someone like me before.

We were almost neck and neck until the caper dashes to suddenly change direction, forcing me to skid to a stop and switch to another set of wires to follow. Damn! The chick knows her stuff, that’s for sure, but even the best slip up and I have all the energy in the world to wait for that. My eyes stay glued on her. Now that I know that she likes to make sudden switches like that; I can watch out for the tells and react accordingly.

Rain sizzles off my skin as I race down the wire, the electricity and friction causing my body to heat. I watch the girl and notice her movement patterns: flighty, erratic and darting around; like a sparrow in flight. Making it hard for me to track, but not impossible. Memories flicker for a split second as I continue my pursuit. A memory of using birds as target practice in Empire and a memory of knocking pigeons out of the sky in New Marais. It gives me an idea of how I can clip this birdie’s wings and ground her. I up the amperage of my thrusters, sparks now flaring and arcing everywhere as I blitz forward. I notice the little sparrow about to make a dart, but instead trying to keep pace, I shoot past her. She slows down in confusion but continues forward and I smirk. Good. I slow down as I cut off the thrusters, causing me to start to lag from my lead and allowing the thief to start catching up to me; right where I want her.

I can see the panic in her eyes as she sees my arms charge up, taken off guard. She attempts to dart away, but with a good punch blast the little birdie goes tumbling down from the sky and onto a building below.

I leap down, my body charging as I plummet down in a thunder drop. The clipped birdie barely has any time to scramble to get out of the way before I make impact. The shockwave from the drop causes her to stumble over and back down. My smirk is as wide as ever as I stand up. The girl turns to smoke and reforms back on her feet. I see her about to take off again, but I’m not gonna let that happen again. I knew her trick now.

She’s not getting away this time.

“Oh no you don’t, little birdie.” With a flick of my wrist, a line of solid black and red plasma solidifies in my grip before I toss it at the scrambling woman. The hook wraps itself around her ankle and with a hard pull, the little sparrow comes flying towards me. The charged line causing her muscles to lock and leaving her unable to dematerialize. Once within reach, electricity forms around my hands into the shape of wicked blades and I slash at her. Not at her body, but at that damn cloak of hers. With the fabric damaged, I see the expression of “oh SHIT” appear on her face before it turns into one of annoyance. “Awww. What’s the matter? Baby bird hurt her wing?” I taunt with a sneer. “Where did all that spunk go?”

Now it was her turn to growl in annoyance as I summon the gigawatt blades to cut at her body, not even giving her a chance to snark back at me. Mid-swing she ducks under my cut before doing something that really caught me off guard. She grows metallic claws, definitely not something smoke Conduits can’t do. She slashes at my stomach but I was able to barely avoid the tiny daggers ripping into my skin, instead ripping into my brand new shirt. I growl before a grin forms on my face as I grip at her own clothing to grapple with her.

She lets out a yelp before struggling, twisting her body around to loosen my grip, but I put a few hard volts into her to let her know I wasn’t letting go that easily.

“Playing rough?” She hisses out before I chuckle. “You asked for it, little birdie.” I snarl before she tries to headbutt me. I use my grip on her to move her away. “Then let’s play.” Those hot-steel eyes glare at me before the little shit digs her claws into my arm. I yell out in pain as the searing metal sinks in, but I don’t let go. I can see her eyes widen in panic as she notices that I’m not releasing her. 

“Nah, I’m done playing today.” I growl before sending powerful volts into her body, bet she’s regretting sinking those metallic claws into me now.

I have to give her props, she doesn’t scream, only digs her claws in deeper. Blood drips down and mixes with the rain water as I push her to get her onto the ground. I could see the gears turning in her head as she got an idea. Instead of pushing back, she swings her body-weight down to pull me over. Planting her foot in my stomach hard before dropping back. The sudden give causes me to flip over her and the claws to rip skin, thankful with my training, I knew how to roll through the tumble and get back to my feet. I fire off bolts as she rolls on the ground to get back up.

She fires back in kind, but I can see it. Her energy was waning and her eyes were changing to a cool steel blue. The rain seemed to also be starting to take its toll on her, causing her to become sluggish. I can’t help but to grin. Only a matter of time. Electric and smog fly through the air as we trade shots, but one well timed headshock stuns her enough so I can close the gap one more time, this time with my Amp out. I rush in and before she has time to recover; ready to put this bitch into the ground and take back what’s mine!

"Hey jackass!!"

"Hu-" WHUMP!!! 

A hard and forceful burst of wind crashes into me midrush, causing me to tumble over and onto my side. Where the HELL did that come from?? I get back onto my feet to see another person in a cloak floating in midair. I stare at this new player absolutely enraged and gobsmacked. His body is covered in a white cloak and he's wearing a mask, a black one taking inspiration from those creepy plague doctors. This bozo darts over to the thief and helps her up. I hear them talk as I get up. “You okay, Caper?” I hear a male voice ask with worry as he assists. The masked thief hurries up with the help of the bird. “I’ll be fine, Dove. We need to book it though.” The white cloaked one, Dove, nods and the two start to run. Oh HELL NO. My hand charges with electricity as I fire off a series of Scythe bolts, but they are quick… Wait a minute… Were they speeding up on a sprint? They leap off the building before taking to the air again. The bird-faced bastard hooking his arm around the thief’s hip and she his; allowing his white cloak and what’s left of her tattered black cloak to take off. I damn near roar in fury as I fire off clusters of Hellfire rockets in an attempt to down them, but they were too quick. It was only then I could feel what was helping them, the wind. The one in the bird mask is an Air Conduit!!

My lips curl into a snarl as I watch them slip away like phantoms. Red hot rage burning in my blood, fury turning my vision red. That little bitch and her little boyfriend better hope that I never find them again, they’ll be nothing but a smoldering corpse on the ground. I won’t forget those masks or those voices.

Without a target to destroy, I turn my eyes on this Conduit-built haven. If I can’t take my rage out on those two thieves, then this will do just fine. The raining clouds above me and thunder starts to rumble as the anger and energy builds in my arms. I raise my arms and pull down as I unleash hell. My mouth opens and my chest tightens as black and crimson lightning crashes and strikes around me, hitting anyone unfortunate enough to be out at the moment. My throat stings and my vocal cords strain as I release every single ounce of rage on this town.

I pant as the storm ends, surveying the damage left behind. 8 blocks of town fucked up, buildings damaged, people screaming in pain or in panic, but nothing demolished. Judging how everything seems to be standing at all tells me that outbursts like mine aren’t uncommon, though probably weren’t ready for the kind of power I bring. I look down at my torn shirt and I growl in irritation. Just got this shirt too. I’ll be sure to take this slight out on that bitch’s ass too if I ever catch her again. I make a mental note to steal another shirt before I leave.

Speaking of leaving, I look out to the outskirts of the town. I got what I needed for the most part, my business here is done. I jump onto a wire and zip down it. The sparks lighting up the carnage around me I take my leave.

No point in sticking around in a place I’m clearly not wanted, after all.

[jowritesfanfiction]

Joule

Fandom: Back to the Future

Ships: N/A

Rating: General

Summary: Another dog and Emmett's on the cusp of figuring out time travel. If only he could fund it...

You can read the fic here!

Not much had changed in Emmett’s life over the past decade. Newton had grown up and passed on, Mr. Peabody was still around, and, of course, Emmett continued on with his search to figure out time travel.

He knew about wormholes and black holes, but what he really needed to know was how to generate a black hole and travel in it via his flux capacitor. It would take a lot of energy. But how much energy? And what could power that amount of energy? And how fast would he need to go?

“I heard you got a new dog, Brown.” Mr. Peabody remarked, taking Emmett out of his thoughts. 

The dog, Mr. Peabody was referring to, was Emmett’s newest friend: Joule. 

Emmett had found Joule in a box on the street. She was a tiny puppy then, and was left all alone. Emmett couldn’t allow himself to leave her there on her own, so he took her in and nursed her. He wasn’t too sure what he was doing, but he had been determined to take care of her. 

“I hope you didn’t bring it after what your last dog did.” Mr. Peabody eyed his pine trees. 

“No, I didn’t bring her.” assured Emmett.

“Good.” Mr. Peabody huffed, “Are you almost done? The weatherman said a storm’s coming tomorrow.”

“Well, I’ll have to take this back with me. I don’t have everything I need.” 

“What?! If that storm comes through and there’s lightning, my barn’s going up in flames!”

“I’ll have your lightning rod fixed up first thing tomorrow morning.” promised Emmett. 

“You better be here before I hear thunder.” Mr. Peabody threatened. 

“Don’t you mean before you see lightning?”

“You hear the thunder first. Then the lightning.”

“The rate of speed light travels at is faster than the speed—” suddenly Emmett was hit with a revelation. Emmett grabbed his belongings and the lightning rod. 

“Than the speed of what?” Mr. Peabody called back.

“Goodnight, Mr. Peabody!” Emmett returned, scampering away.

Back at the laboratory, Emmett practically threw himself at his chalkboard. Joule greeted him and sat beside him as she watched the scientist frantically scribble equations and numbers and words.

“This is it, Joule!” Emmett cried. “Lightning! Lightning!”

Joule barked in understanding. 

“Lightning can produce energy in a short amount of time, right?” Emmett panted. “But how much? How much power?”

He ran to one of the several piles of books he had lying around and haphazardly tossed books away. Joule carefully made her way over to Emmett. 

“HA!” Emmett yelled. “Right there!”

He stumbled over to the chalkboard and frantically wrote on the board. Emmett scribbled out math conversions, erasing mistakes, and rewriting. By the time Joule had made her way to Emmett, one number in particular had been circled so many times, it had crossed onto other notes written on the board. 

Out of the mess of notes and math equations, one was easily drawn to the prominently circled 1.21 gigawatts.

“What could possibly produce that much energy that fast?”

Joule barked.

“Well, of course a lightning bolt. But other than that.”

Joule sighed and laid down. Emmett flipped over the chalkboard to a blank side. He began writing down and muttering to himself. “Coal. Steam and water—that’s just hydropower— Biomass…”

Joule yawned and pressed her paw on Emmett’s foot.

“Sorry, I’ll be quiet.” Emmett whispered. “Wind…gas, solar.”

Emmett stepped back and surveyed his list. It was a good start. Now all he had to do was figure out what would be the most efficient and practical way to produce that much power. 

“The pollution of coal is less than ideal.” he muttered to himself, crossing out coal on the list. 

Hill Valley didn’t have that big of a water source for one person to use. Even if it did, how would Emmett convince anyone to let him use it for a personal experiment?

Solar energy was a possibility, but according to Einstein, black holes don’t emit light. Considering a wormhole was just two black holes, it was safe to assume there was no light in those, too. With no light, there was no way to power solar panels. 

Several other fuel sources couldn’t produce enough energy, took up too much room for storage, or were just too expensive.

After a moment or two, Emmett looked back at the chalkboard with a puzzled look on his face. “I must be missing something…”

He re-read the list over and over, hoping it would make him think of the missing source of energy. (It did not.) He walked around the laboratory, muttering to himself.

Joule let out a whine and padded over to Emmett’s bed. 

“Ah, Joule!” Emmett noticed the dog. “I’m sorry! I’ll be quieter!”

Joule barked. 

“Just allow me to finish this.” Emmett insisted. 

Joule sighed.

“Fine.” Emmett resigned, heading to bed. 

Once he got in bed, he realized he had forgotten to fix Mr. Peabody’s lightning rod. 

“Great Scott!” Emmett sprang out of bed.

Joule growled in annoyance. 

“One last thing, I promise!” Emmett vowed, gathering materials together.

Joule begrudgingly went over to Emmett and tugged on his pants.

“I must finish this for Mr. Peabody.” Emmett explained. He technically had the morning to fix it, but Emmett did not want to take any chances with Mr. Peabody’s graces.

In a somewhat drowsy and frantic mindset, Emmett slapped pieces together and attached them to the lightning rod. Joule sat and surveyed Emmett’s work, catching any pieces before they fell on the ground. “That looks sufficient, right?” Emmett turned to his assistant. “All I’ve done is replaced some of the pieces and added an extension to allow the rod to get higher.”

Joule nodded her approval and the two headed back to bed. 

The next morning, Emmett packed up the lightning rod.

“C’mon, Joule.” Emmett called, patting his leg. “I doubt you want to be left alone if this supposed storm hits.”

Emmett took his usual route to the Peabody Farm. It wasn’t too far by car, but after selling his only car several years ago, Emmett took a bit longer to get there. He had to take the bus and then walk some distance to the farm.

“Is that your dog?” the bus driver asked.

“Yes.” Emmett replied. The bus driver shrugged and Emmett took a seat. Joule sat between Emmett’s legs and eyed the other passengers. 

“Can I pet your doggie?” a little girl asked.

“Of course.” Emmett smiled. Joule dutifully sat as the little child petted her.

The rest of the trip ran smoothly and the duo reached the Peabody Farm in time. 

Mr. Peabody grumbled a greeting. “Why’d you bring your dog?”

“Joule isn’t fond of storms.” 

Joule looked up at Mr. Peabody, wagging her tail. 

“So it’s my problem now?” Mr. Peabody demanded. 

Emmett ignored him. “I’ve got your lightning rod finished.”

Mr. Peabody inspected the object in his hands. “This doesn’t look different at all.”

“I just replaced a few parts and added an extension.”

Mr. Peabody grumbled a response, then left for his barn. 

“Do you want any help putting it up?” Emmett hurried after with Joule on his heels.

“I can do it myself.” Mr. Peabody asserted. “You’ll just distract me. If I don’t get this up, that storm’s gonna destroy my farm and I’ll have to sell it.”

“Sell it?” Emmett was stunned. 

For as long as he could remember, the Peabodys had always lived on that farm. Mr. Peabody was too proud of it to allow for the idea of selling the farm to develop any further. Why was he considering selling the farm now?

“The developers have been trying to buy this land off of me.” Mr. Peabody explained, “They wanna make it into some sort of shopping center. Or some nuclear power plant. Either way, I don’t like it.”

“What’d you say?” Emmett lit up.

“I told them I didn’t like it and I’d never sell.” 

“No, about the developers.”

“They wanna make it into a power plant or shopping center.” Mr. Peabody repeated.

“Nuclear! That’s what I forgot!” Emmett jumped. “Good day, Mr. Peabody!”

Confused, Mr. Peabody made an intelligible farewell and watched Emmett and his dog run away. To his delight, Mr. Peabody noticed that the dog hadn’t disturbed his pines. 

“Nuclear energy! That’s efficient! That generates a lot of power!” Emmett rambled with the speed of an auctioneer and the excitement of a hyperactive child. “Gotta be enough to power a car to go fast!” 

Joule barked her praise.

Nuclear fission was the most feasible form of nuclear power. All he needed was a big enough unstable atom to start, then it was just a matter of letting neutrons break down the atom to generate energy. 

“We can either use plutonium or uranium.” Emmett thought aloud, “Plutonium typically generates more energy…”

Emmett paced the laboratory, with Joule right behind him. “If I use uranium, I’ll have to use more to get enough energy. Any thoughts, Joule?”

Joule barked.

“You’re absolutely correct. The radiation from the plutonium is not ideal.” Emmett nodded. “But that’s what radiation suits are for. Anything else?”

Joule stayed silent.

“I believe it’s settled then.” Emmett smiled. 

Now all that was left was to figure out what car he would travel through. It had to be a strong, durable car. And stylish. He’d only have to wait a few years before he would find the perfect car to travel in time. In the meantime, Emmett worked on refining his calculations and working out how much plutonium he would need to generate 1.21 gigawatts. 

There was one other kink Emmett had to work out: how he was going to get enough money to buy equipment for his time machine. All he had currently was his family fortune and the money from Mr. Peabody, but those were only able to cover his living expenses and wouldn’t last long. 

Emmett sifted through his mail. “Declined. Declined. Declined…” he rattled off, sighing as he tossed the pile of rejection in the trash. 

Joule padded over to Emmett and gently bit his shoe. Emmett sighed. Joule whimpered and ran over to her bowl. Emmett slapped his hand to his forehead. He’s forgotten to feed Joule. 

He headed over to the cupboard to look for dog food. When he opened it, all he saw were a few empty cans. Joule sat eagerly awaiting her food. 

How long had it been since she’d eaten? Emmett couldn’t remember. 

Joule barked. 

“I’m looking!” Emmett called, grabbing some meat and ripping it up. “There.”

Joule sniffed the meat. After inspecting it, she licked up the meat bits. 

Emmett hadn’t realized just how much money all this was costing him. Bills needed to be paid, Mr. Peabody needed repairs, Emmett needed money for his time machine, and food was a necessity. 

He would have to cut down on what he was spending. It was all he could do. 

Some weeks, Emmett would have barely any money to feed Joule and him. Other days, he was able to just get enough. After several months, Emmett calculated out his payments regarding how much he had earned towards funding the time machine. 

“That can’t be right…” Emmett scowled, checking his math. 

He groaned. After all his cuts and budgeting, there still hadn’t been enough money left over—at least not enough to make any serious progress in funding the time machine. 

It was time he made some serious decisions. 

He went back to the chalkboard, making a list of all major expenses he had to make every month. There wasn’t anything he could think of that he could cut out. He’d already filtered everything out down to the bare essentials.

Joule poked her nose at Emmett’s leg. 

“I know. I’ve gotta get your food.” Emmett reassured her. That reminded him that they also needed to see the vet soon as Emmett had noticed she was losing fur. That would take a sizable amount out of the time machine fund…

Joule poked his leg again. Emmett looked down at the dog. Joule stared at Emmett, then looked at the chalkboard, then back at Emmett. He glanced at Joule, then back at the board. Joule again. Then the chalkboard. 

He noticed a prominence of Joule-based expenses, but he didn’t want to admit it. It wasn’t that much. 

“It’ll get better.” Emmett hoped. 

Emmett tried all he could to make the situation better. He mainly worked on developing prototypes and models of the time machine in the hopes that it would help.

“If I’ve calculated this correctly, once this model hits the correct speed—which should be 60 or so miles an hour in an actual car—it will be at the opportune moment to open a wormhole and enter through in a little over a tenth of a second.” 

Joule looked over at Emmett’s demonstration from the couch, her head lazily resting on a cushion. Emmett wound up his model car and set it on the table. 

“You tell me when to release it.” Emmett said, setting down the model car.

At Joule’s long sigh, Emmett released the car. As the little car made its way, Emmett set off a contraption to demonstrate what the car opening and traveling through the wormhole would look like. 

Of course in real life, the car would go much faster and have a shorter time frame to enter through the wormhole, but for the purposes of the model, Emmett had scaled everything in proportion to the model car. 

The car hit the speed to “create” the wormhole, but didn’t travel through it in time.

“Damn.” Emmett cursed. 

As the months progressed, Emmett’s situation wasn’t getting any better. Joule suffered the most from it. She regularly got tired and didn’t have much of the same energy she used to. She stuck to her bed or the couch and didn’t move at all. When she did move, she moved like her little paws were filled with weights. 

Every time Emmett watched her walk, he felt worse. How could he just let Joule live like this? He had sat so long in his denial that he hadn’t noticed he was hurting her. 

“C’mon, Joule.” Emmett called, patting his leg. “Let’s go drop some things off to Mr. Peabody.”

Emmett packed two bags for the trip. Emmett carried his bags on one shoulder and Joule on the other. He held her in his lap through the whole bus ride.

“Does your dog bite?” a boy asked.

“Not at all.”

“Can I pet it?”

Emmett hesitated. “She’s extremely tired.”

“I’ll be gentle.” 

Emmett conceded. That wouldn’t bother Joule that much, would it? Besides, she was taking another one of her naps for the day. She would be alright. 

“What’s all that stuff in your bag?” the boy asked.

“It’s for my job.”

“My dad has a job, but he doesn’t need two bags. Why do you need two bags?”

“Uh…”

“Are you an evil scientist? Are you gonna experiment on that dog?”

Emmett gave the kid a confused look. “I would never experiment on Joule.”

“So you are an evil scientist!”

Emmett sighed. Emmett just let the kid ramble until it was time for Emmett to get off the bus.

“H’lo, Brown. H’lo, dog.” Mr. Peabody greeted them. 

“I’ve got some parts for your plow.” Emmett handed him the parts. 

“Thanks.” Mr. Peabody returned. “That’s all I asked for, right?”

“Yes, but…” Emmett swallowed. “I was wondering if you’d take Joule.”

“Your dog?”

“Yes. You see…Well…” Emmett fumbled. “Maybe she could help you on the farm?”

Mr. Peabody cocked his head to the side and analyzed Emmett’s face.

“Unless you didn’t need help, of course—” 

“What’s this about, Brown? Is there something wrong with your dog?”

“No!” Emmett waved his hands. “It’s just that she can’t stay with me any longer.”

“You can’t take care of her or something?” 

“Right,” he lamented.

Mr. Peabody sighed.

“She’s a good dog. She works hard and she’s never gotten into any trouble as long as I’ve had her.” Emmett pleaded.

“How long have you had her?” 

Emmett looked down at his friend. “Since she was a baby.”

Mr. Peabody contemplated for a moment, looked at Joule a couple of times, and squinted at Emmett. He scratched his beard a bit and stared out at the farm. 

“I suppose I could use some help. And my grandkids would love it when they visit.” Mr. Peabody decided, heading inside. When he returned, he handed Emmett a wad of cash.

“Please take good care of Joule.” Emmett sniffled, tucking the money away quickly.

“I will.” Mr. Peabody nodded. “C’mon, Joule.” 

Joule looked back at her friend. 

“Go, Joule.” Emmett breathed, weakly pointing at Mr. Peabody. “It’s okay.” 

The walk home was the longest one Emmett had ever taken.

[nel-world]

hi

roommates ben and andy ben had a break up ( writes a letter - " all i rem is pain") he gets a call from gal.. lets meet

he drives drinking .. she doesn't come..

He drives under the influence, hoping for her arrival, but she never shows up, leaving him stranded with his thoughts and regrets.

roommates drive … eat food .. hits a pole … drives off Roommates embark on a late-night drive, enjoying snacks on the way until a mishap leads them to collide with a pole, prompting a hasty retreat from the scene.

they play soccer… they take a break and smoke They engage in a spirited game of soccer, pausing midway to relax and share a smoke break, bonding over their mutual love for the game and moments of camaraderie.

he gets a missed call from gwen, worried and goes to her place they talk, she calls irresponsible.. he talks about responsible

He receives a missed call from Gwen, growing concerned, he rushes to her place. They engage in a serious conversation where she expresses her worries, labeling him as irresponsible. he sings a song " more than friends"

He sings a heartfelt melody titled "More Than Friends," expressing emotions that transcend mere friendship and delve into deeper feelings of love

going to game going to meet gwen -- song going back home This is my coffee bar.

he sings a song outside coffee shop .impromptu performance earns him an unexpected eviction as the management requests him to leave the premises. he goes to gwen gift .. apologise

He heads to Gwen's with a thoughtful gift in hand, ready to extend his sincerest apologies and mend any hurt feelings between them. gwen new bf makes fun

Gwen's new boyfriend mocks him, provoking a mix of emotions from annoyance to hurt,

did u interrupt porn.. shows new bf photo parties are best they bond at party meets shelley you were amazing musician , he said he is doing well

He meets Shelley and compliments her talent, acknowledging her as an amazing musician.

he sings a song to his roommate no survivors He serenades his roommate with a powerful rendition of "No Survivors," pouring his heart into the lyrics and melody meet gwen party meet another gal form a band play outside-- song

they see battle of bands we have three days i need to book a rehearsal space

they plan to participate in the upcoming Battle of the Bands. Realizing they have only three days left, they quickly decide to book a rehearsal spac

puts a ad on craigslist for musician Taking matters into their own hands, they place an ad on Craigslist, seeking a talented musician to join their band fresh air , busking outside .. get few dollars Seeking inspiration and enjoying the fresh air, they take to busking outside,

they audition.. funny characters come in.. he steps outside As they audition, a parade of amusing characters enters, each bringing their own unique style and flair.

he enters in .. sees his roommate play piano He re-enters the audition room and is pleasantly surprised to find his roommate showcasing their piano skills

how would u like t b in my band "I've been really impressed by your skills during auditions. How would you feel about joining my band? they both form a band With excitement and determination, they officially form a band

finds out roommate has a love interest .. i will help you Discovering that his roommate has a love interest, he offers his support and assistance

they sit on park and talk about gals , do you have jokes, have t b funny

They sit in the park, engaging in a lighthearted conversation about girls.

Feeling overwhelmed with nerves, he suddenly bolts away, unable to gather the courage to approach the girl he runs away cant approach girl just sing a song .. have u tried a song ? he sings a song to her

he decides to express his feelings through song.

he confides in a friend, lamenting that he needs a wingman i need a wingman , u dont need me meets her.. but she is not interested ..

Despite his efforts, he meets her only to realize that she's not interested,

He encounters his boss, who used to derogatorily refer to him as "Bendy Dick" behind his back, meets boss … used to call bendy dick behind back u only love one direction when is second date? never he confesses that he's only passionate about One Direction,

by the pressure of being in the band, he decides to quit, he quits the band they make up he makes a song and submit

channels his emotions into a new song and submits it

he meets gal he wakes up and sees a girls in his bed

He meets the girl of his dreams, and later, waking up, he finds her lying beside him in bed,

Wearing his oversized t-shirt, she lovingly prepares breakfast for him, she wearing his t shirt she makes him breakfast

As he places an order for breakfast, his ex-girlfriend unexpectedly calls him back, he orders breakfast ex gf calls back gf talks about movies,plays music he sings a song his girlfriend shares her favorite tunes and movie recommendations.

His girlfriend discovers calls from his ex on his phone, leading to a tense and uncomfortable conversation gf finds calls from ex ex gf goes back , casper has apologized His ex-girlfriend returns after receiving an apology from Casper, they play video games have a imp meeting with record producer They unwind by playing video game,important meeting with a record producer

He meets Shelley and tries to convince her meets shelley tries to convice her makes music video

he produces a music video starts eat altoids overdoes goes to hospital He starts eating Altoids but accidentally overdoes it,

gets a job at carpets company

He secures a job at a carpet company, embracing the opportunity for stable employment …………………………………………………

[adventures-of-the-creeping-bam]

NEVER SPLIT THE PARTY: THE ADVENTURES OF THE CREEPING BAM,  BOOK FOUR: THE HUNT - CHAPTER 14

If you’re new to the story, please go check out Book 1 first …

Boof 4 Chapter 1 is here …

IMPORTANT:  Please note this story includes content that may be considered mature, such as moderate battle violence, some strong language and occasional mild sexual scenes.

If you want to support my writing, feel free to swing by my Patreon or Ko-fi.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:  ART

Once again I’m reminded just how fucking scary sharp Shay’s sword actually is, the way she manages to cut Granzun’s wrist clean in two even though the blade was jammed right through the steel of his bracer.  She gives it a particularly rough twist as he keeps whipping her about while screaming in very clear pain, and I guess between this and her pure momentum it’s enough to cleave right through armour, bone and mahogany-tough muscle altogether.  Suddenly he’s reeling back, mostly unbalanced, and she goes flying.  I can’t tell if she pitches her sword on purpose as she tumbles to keep from stabbing herself or just loses her grip, but then she lands, and she does it hard.  Coming down face-first.

Fuck … that had to hurt.  I don’t even think about what I’m doing, I just break off the attack I was preparing to make and instead rush to her, tossing aside the sword and knife she gifted to me before we left the mountains as I land on my knees and skid to her side.  I reach out quick, already worryingly aware that she’s just sprawled facedown, limp now with her limbs just thrown out haphazard, and I’m scared to death he’s just fucking killed her on the spot.  So I take hold of her arm and shoulder and almost gingerly try turning her over, almost dreading what I’m gonna see.

Her face is a mess, her nose visibly broken with blood gushing from her nostrils while there’s an ugly gash torn deep in the now twisted bridge, but at least her jaw looks intact, and she ain’t bleeding from anywhere else.  She’s right out, though, looks like it.  I shuffle closer as I flip her over onto her back, tangentially mindful I can hear chaos erupting right behind me and knowing I’m being supremely dumb not keeping an eye on my back right now …

Still being extremely wary in case I hurt her even more, I give her face a gentle tap, vaguely hoping maybe she’s really just stunned, but it don’t illicit a response beyond a slight puff from her lips as she lets a vague gasp of air out.  But she also breathes in again too, which is a fucking relief.  She’s still alive, just knocked fucking cold.  Great …

“Is she all right?”  The voice makes me jump, I actually cock my right paw ready for an unarmed strike with my claws extending as instinct takes over, but barely manage to hold back at the last when I realise it’s just Lady Naru dropping to her knees right next to me, one arm up high as she holds onto her propped staff.  “Gods, that hit –”

“She’s alive.”  I manage to growl, my voice raspier than I’d like as my throat catches, feeling uncomfortably thick right now. Fuck, I was even more worried than I thought I was … “It’s fucking bad, though.  What about … shit, is Yeslee –”

“Also alive, but she won’t be helping out much either, I’m afraid.  Whatever he threw at us managed to shock her with something very much like a lightning bolt, she’s lucky it didn’t burn her to a crisp.  It might have done if it had been a little more powerful.  As it is she’s entirely incapacitated.”  She looks fretful over Shay, clearly, but there’s an edge to her all the same, like a cold anger too.  “Something tells me that nasty little gift from Tavarrat was intended for me.”

“Get Krakka.  Right now.  Quick as you can, get him up here, he needs to fix Shay, and Yes too.”  I get a foot under me now, preparing to push up again.  “If you can, I need you to back me up right after.  I really don’t know if I can beat him.”

Her eyes widen as she seems to realise what I mean, but I’m already turning away as I push myself up into a crouch.  For a moment I regard my sword and long knife, still lying where I tossed them, but then I realise if I am gonna try and kill my one-time friend, I’m gonna need something a whole lot more serious than them.  So I turn back round and cast about for a moment before I spot Shay’s sword.  The one she earned when she helped us kill Ashsong, the one he killed Gael with, back in the mountains.  The one that can cut right through plate steel armour …

I find it lying several feet away … and Granzun’s between me and it.  As he wheels about again, seeming to struggle now with Brung scrambling all over him and trying to inflict as much damage as he can while his target tries his damnedest to cast him off, he comes perilously close to me now.  I have to duck aside as the axe in his remaining fist comes withing a hair of taking my head off, and in the end I just dive forward, turning the landing into a clumsy roll that brings me close to the sword, but in the end I’m carrying too much momentum.  Smacking into the wall gives my shoulder a big jog, and it’s the one I got shot in the other night, so I feel an extra deep jab of hot pain that leaves me curled up where I am, sucking in a hard breath through my gritted teeth as I wince.  Fuck …

Then I sense someone ducking close by me and I react, starting to pull a knife before I realise it’s just Zul.  He drops heavily to his knees beside me, and he still looks uncomfortably shaky now I’m able to focus on him.  His eyes are glassier than I’d like, a lot of blood streaking his face from the wounds he took when he got slammed, while his hands are shaky as he reaches one out towards me.  But he don’t slur his words when he speaks, which is a good enough sign for me.  “You with me there, mate?”

“Oof …”  I sit forward , giving my shoulder a good rub while I work it a little, and while it’s sore and tetchy again it don’t feel like the hit did any fresh damage.  It was pretty much healed after last time, Krakka made sure of that before we went to the Hardway, but I guess my body’s got too good a memory to just forget about the wound.  “Yeah, that just hurt is all.  Not my finest moment.”

“Well you’re still upright, at least.”  He takes a deep breath and blinks at me now.  “Where d’you want me?”

“No, c’mon … Zul, please, just sit this one out.  You’re a mess.  You can’t do this right now.”  I chance a look past Granzun, and I see that Lady Naru’s disappeared now, which must mean she’s gone to fetch Krakka.  He might be here in seconds if she ports him, although I suspect she might be wary of doing that on the return with all this shit going on.  But either way … “Look, there’s help coming.  Just wait, I’m gonna deal with Gran myself.  Once and for all.”

“You’re sure?  I mean … Art, it’s him.  He was one of us … are you really sure you can even do it?”

Biting my lip a little, I shift my weight around a bit as I start to pick myself up again, getting my feet back under me.  “Don’t look like we got much choice, does it?  He ain’t coming quiet, and we won’t be able to take him alive.  He’s too much to handle for that.  I have to put him down.  But I don’t have to like it.”

Zul’s frown tightens as he lets a heavy, somewhat shaky sigh go, and grabs hold of my wrist with surprising strength.  “Well just fucking well watch yourself, you daft bastard.  Ain’t just you you gotta think about anymore, remember?”

Honestly, I dunno what to say to that, so I just lay my paw over his hand and give it a squeeze before pulling free and pushing away from my spot under the window, stopping to scrape the sword up in my right hand as I duck in a loose circle towards Granzun.  Just as he finally manages to chuck Brung off … and he sends him flying straight out the fucking busted window.

Seeing that almost brings me up short, but I adjust instead and change my direction as he turns and starts to approach Shay’s prone form.  Yeah, no way I’m letting that happen, so I just leap at him, bringing the sword round overhead as I grip it with both hands now, intent on just cutting right down into him with it.

I almost make it, but while my run was silent enough and he’s clearly losing a lot of blood from the spewing stump of what’s left of his severed right wrist, he’s still got his wits about him enough to spot me through the corner of his eye.  So he turns at the last and brings his arm up, intent on swatting me aside … except he must’ve forgot he’s missing a hand now, so instead the wet end only just catches me on the backswing and instead of getting belted into the wall hard enough to break my back I just get knocked to the floor instead.  I twist as I land and roll up into a tight crouch with one splayed paw out to support me, while I’ve still got hold of Ashsong’s sword.

It's a longer, heavier weapon than I’m really used to, I’ve always trained with shorter and lighter blades, so I’m not really too used to this kind of heft, but it’s not too much of a difference for me to adjust to.  So I take a moment to shift my fingers around the hilt to find a better grip as Granzun turns to bring his full attention to bear on me, and take a few low, crabbing steps to the side, putting the wall at my back now as I work on opening a little more space between us.  Not that there’s that much to work with in here to begin with.

For a long moment he just watches me, his eyes taking in the blade I’m slowly getting a feel for, already wet with his blood, then returning to my face, my eyes.  Watching for the change in ‘em he’s been trained to look for much as I been.  Any indicator of my intent.  Suddenly I got old bouts from our days in training flashing through my head, and I’m sure he’s thinking the same, remembering how hard we both found it to try and beat each other once we both got real good.

Yeah … he’s a whole lot bigger’n me, and a lot faster and more agile than he looks, but while I’m way smaller I’m also a whole lot more nimble too, and even he has trouble hitting what he can’t see.  He’s bleeding bad, maybe even bleeding to death, I could just try an’ just wear him down until he just drops, but … no, that ain’t gonna work, it’s a moron’s plan.  He’s fucking huge.  The sheer amount o’ blood in him, it’s gonna take him too long to bleed out for that to work.  I gotta beat him now, which means I still gotta outfight him.

Grunting, he takes a quick step towards me, and I shift quick to the side to dodge the attack I’m sure is coming … but instead of rushing me he just chucks the axe right at me.  Shit … It’s pitched low, too, I can’t duck under this without just dropping flat on my face, and then I’d be bait for him to just stomp me before I could spring up again.  So I Just leap up instead, springing over the spinning blade as it shrieks by under my tucking feet and then I whip them out to land in a wide horse-stance.  Only to find he really is coming right at me after all, and now he’s got his remaining hand free he’s drawing the sword on his right hip.

Fuck … like the rest of his main weapons, it’s a big bastard, to him it’s more of a shortsword but it’s easily long, wide and heavy enough to be the typical lengthy orcish cleaver that they seem to favour.  I don’t have time to try and spring away or duck past him as he comes this time, so instead I got no choice but to duel him like he clearly intends, which means when he swings at me in a big haymaker I have to stand my ground and parry.  I bring the sword round in both hands, turn and tuck quick as I can in order to catch the swing, and when our blades connect it’s as brutally devastating a hit as I expected.  It don’t quite knock me off my feet but they still skid a few feet before I can force a stop, and as he drags his sword away to recover I take a careful step back to plant my feet more comfortably, waiting for the next move while I weather the angry buzz in the steel.

He don’t make me wait long, adjusting his own footing too before jogging two big, fast steps to the left before feinting right again, and as he switches the stroke first one way and then the other he adjusts as I start to wheel aside to avoid the stroke.  Instead he comes in low from the other side, and once again I’m reminded just how uncanny his speed really is for someone so unusually huge as I have to leap aside to avoid getting cut in two by another heavy slash for my midsection.  As it is I feel the blade come close enough to pass within a bare inch of my stomach, and I’m off-balance for a blink before I’m able to right myself as he recovers from the miss.

So I just commit to the forward momentum and spring into a charge, catching myself quickly enough to avoid just spilling onto my face in the first few steps as I weave round to his left and then spring into a high leap towards his disarmed shoulder.  And he ain’t quite so quick to react in time to this one.  Ashsong’s sword bites deep into his exposed pauldron and sinks far into the side of his chest before it finally wedges, and as he reels back I hold on, letting him pull me as I kick my feet off the floor and flip them up under me, coiling my legs now.  As he reels back into the wall with a wounded grunt I bring my feet up and plant them hard into his stomach, then pull with my legs as much as my arms and back.  The blade only sticks for a second …

With a messy, wet pop, I go flying back with the now much bloodier sword still clutched tightly in both hands as a powerful spray hits me in my face and chest.  I can’t do anything but just go with my momentum as I land hard on my back, and it’s a miracle I maintain my grip as I feel the wind thoroughly battered out of me.  I have to blink to see anything with my eyes suddenly painted with arterial blood, and when I’m able to focus I see him staggering drunkenly for a few beats, his cloven shoulder gaping wide and grisly as his pulse sends another jet spraying from the open wound.  Damn, that wound’s gonna fuck him up a good deal more’n the last one … and yet he’s still coming, already fighting to focus enough to come for me again.

Flat on my back like this, all I can do as he brings a big, heavy chopping swing down on me is roll to the side, and he’s unsteady enough on his feet now that I’m already scrambling up onto my feet round his side while he works to drag the blade free from the boards.  I take a beat to swipe the back of my wrist across my face, trying the best I can to get some o’ this blood outta my face, but it’s so greasy it don’t seem to do much beside making my arm messy too.  Gritting my teeth I just take a few steps back the other way, leading him in a dance as I work on finding an opening as he starts to half-prowl, half-stagger towards me once again.

A big glob of crackling blue energy smacks hard into his good shoulder and he spins on he feet as he stumbles back, not going down but trotting about in a mad, wheeling dance.  In the end he turns full circle on particularly unsteady feet before finally coming to rest with his back making another spiderweb of the wall as he turns to me, his dimming attention shifting from me to my side, and I chance my own sidelong glance that way too.

Lady Naru’s cautiously closing in, sidestepping some herself to flank him, and she’s abandoned her staff now for her sword, held high in both hands with the tip pointing towards him.  There’s something strange about the blade, I notice, a subtle glinting shine in the steel, not like the strange flowing heat when Krakka blessed it but more a sparkling pulse.  And there’s a sound coming from it too, an eerie ringing note, subtle but just high enough to be uncomfortable in my ears.  A pregnant spell, charged and waiting for her to set it loose.  Crafty, my Lady.  Damn crafty.

Gran’s holding his sword low between us, but I know it still ain’t fatigue from the blood loss, not yet, even though he must be feeling it now.  His eyes still have some brightness as they flicker between us, blood red in their irises.  He’s ready for us to come, I’m sure.  So I hold for now, and the sorcerer’s cautious enough to do the same.

I can hear Krakka muttering behind me now, so I don’t need to look to know he’s tending to Shay, praying to his goddess to get her up again.  Thank you, Lady Naru.  You’re a fucking saint, I swear.

Gran shoves himself away from the wall, but he’s swaying badly now.  The wounds are starting to take their toll like I thought, the way that deep gouge I landed keeps pumping angry jets with each beat of his heart I know he’ll be fading now, so he just wants to end it on his terms.  I turn just enough so I can look at Lady Naru and raise my free hand enough to hold it out to her over my sword-arm.  Signalling for her to stand down.  Through the corner of my eye I see her frown, but after a pregnant pause she finally nods, taking a big step back as she lowers her sword and lets go with her offhand, and the spell seems to die as she does it.  When I look up I see Gran’s watching her close, eyes narrowed, but he finally nods too, acknowledging her compliance with a warrior’s respect.  Then he turns back to me, and nods again.  He's ready.

Taking a deep breath, I give the sword a little flourish off to the side, turning it over in my hand as I whip it to shake off as much of the excess blood as I can, but given what I’ve learned from Shay I know it’s already drinking what’s on there.  Trying not to think about that unpleasant little detail, I just take a slow, wary step forward and to the right, moving more into the space the sorcerer’s now vacating, and Gran takes a very deliberate, careful step the other way in response.  Adjusting his own grip on his much larger sword, a gesture I mirror as I tense up, ready for whatever he plans next.

Breathing out in a great hot snort through his nostrils, Gran charges me with his face tight and shoulders squared, keeping his weapon low and idle until the last moment as I bounce on the balls of my own feet and just let him come.  Then I leap aside at the last, letting him respond however he chooses, and he don’t disappoint, spinning his sword round in a blinding quick flourish that’s good enough to damn near catch me out as I duck aside the other way.  I bring the sword up with both hands and put some weight into the counter in order to swat the blow aside, and it still clangs loud with a subtly off crystalline ping as I parry the stroke.  Then I duck and weave back the way I went first, just managing to come in under his defences as he tries to wheel aside and cutting another deep upward slash right through his centre of mass.

I feel another splash hit me as I power out through his side, but this one’s weaker, and he’s already starting to falter, staggering in a wide drunken circle before his legs start to give out while I turn, giving the blade another flick to clean it again.  Then his left just buckles and he spills onto his knee, letting go of his sword so he can catch himself before he smashes down on his face.  He grunts as he lands, a thin string of bloody drool dropping from his slackening mouth as his head lolls, and there’s a more blood and … some much more unpleasant stuff starting to pour from the big, ugly fissure I just carved right through him.  He manages to hold himself for a few more moments as the rest of his guts spill through the hole,  and while my gorge starts to rise hearing that wet, heavy splatter I mostly just feel … shame now.  Sorrow and burgeoning grief and more than a little guilt as I realise what I just did.

Fuck … I let the sword slip from my paw and stumble forward, dropping to my knees beside him despite the fact his blood’s starting to pool under him now.  Feeling the lump in my throat thicken, tears starting to prick the corners of my eyes, my breathing coming quicker now.

His own breathing’s a lot more ragged now, rasping and cracking as he desperately tries to drag in fresh air while his lungs sound like they’re starting to seize … then his other knee gives out and he slumps onto his side, letting out a great winded wheeze as he settles.  His hand twitches weakly on the floor beside him, and I know it’s questing for his sword.  Of course …

Leaning to the side, I take hold of the great dark cleaver’s pommel and drag it to his hand until his fingers can touch the well-worn leather of the grip and curl round it again.  The fist tightens into something much like the approaching death-grip, and he lets a more relieved grunt go as he just settles now, his head dropping to meet the boards.  He lets it loll back a little now and his eyes search for a moment before finally finding my face.  “Oh … hey there, Art … how are you … that was … one sweet move, there …”

“I know … I know it was … I’m so sorry, Gran.”  I have to cough hard to clear my throat, my voice is already failing me.  I let the tears come, seeing that there’s no malice in his gaze now as he’s slipping away, he’s at peace now.  “I wish  … fuck, I really wish I hadn’t done that.  That I …”

“Shut up, you daft bastard …”  he rumbles, managing a weak but rueful smile.  “I don’t care … you understood in the end … I just wanna go out right …”

“Thorin’ll have a flagon waiting for you in Valhalla, I’m sure of it.”  I catch movement close by now, looking up through the corner of my eye so I can see that it’s Zul, picking his way round the best he can to join me.  Still unsteady on his feet, but good enough to stumble over, at least.  “Don’t worry, we’re here.  It’s just a shame …”  My voice cracks and I gotta take a hitching breath to regain my composure enough to try again.  “I wish Darwyn could’ve come too, so she could be here for this …”

“Tell her I’m sorry … none o’ this worked out how I wanted it to …”

“You can make up for it now, if you wanted to …”  I wince, I can’t help it, I hate myself for asking in the first place, but I got to.  I owe it to Gael.  “You can tell me what they’re doing, where they are.  Jammund ain’t here, that’s clear enough.  Where is he?  Where’s my friend?”

His smile fades as he looks up at me, but there’s none of the reproach I might’ve expected, or a return of the anger, or even bitter disappointment.  He just sighs, seeming to deflate again.  “Yeah … y’know that ain’t gonna happen … I’m sorry, Art … your’re gonna have to … oh …”  He winces too now, tensing a little, although no more than his weakened state can manage now.  His eyes are glazing now, his skin paling under the green.  “Fuck … no, you ended me all right … and I can’t give up my mates … no more’n you can yours …”

“Gran …”  I grit my teeth, fighting the urge to start screaming, wanting to shake him but holding back, clenching my paws in tight fists in my lap.  “Fuck … c’mon man, please …”

“Take care of her, you daft bastard …” he manages to wheeze out, his breathing coming shallow as hell now, his voice fading to a husky whisper.  “I saw … I saw how she looked at you … last time … she still loves you …”  His eyes slide off me now, having to search again for another moment before he manages to find Zul now.  “And you … fuck, Zul … I’m sorry about running out … on you … too … oh …”

“You got nothing to apologise for there, mate.”  Zul breathes gentle as he reaches out now, laying his hand on Gran’z big fist.  Their size difference is so significant I can easily also put mine right next to his with room to spare.  “I just missed you.”

“Yeah …”  His voice is barely more’n a rattling whisper, each breath he takes shallower than the last.  “I missed … you two’n all … listen … you see Luthen … tell her I didn’t … blame her for … well … she’ll know …”  His last word trails off into a wheezing breath that finally just dies, nothing following it.  A beat later his body sags more completely, until his cheek comes to rest on the floor entirely, and that seems to be it.

For a long moment I stay where I am, down on me knees, still resting my paw on half of Granzun’s hand, watching him as I just take it in, what’s happened.  When I finally look up I see Zul doing the same, his own cheeks are similarly wet.  Our friend is dead, and it’s by my hands.  Fuck …

Then I just kick away fast, scrabbling back on my arse as I try to get as far away from the body as possible, but I can only go so far before my back meets the remains of one o’ the couches and I can’t go any further.  I’ve landed surprisingly close to the sword, I see, still slick with his blood, but much less of it than I would’ve expected, I realise … gods, that is horrible, the way that works.   Finally I look down at my paws, seeing the speckled, splattered blood soaking into the fur on my fingers and dashing the leather of my gloves and bracers.  I almost throw up on the spot seeing that.

Instead I grit my teeth tight and brush my paws forcefully across my thighs, trying to get them clean enough to carry on at least, then just give up as I push myself up onto my feet and take a few big steps away, turning my back on the scene itself now.  Heading straight for Krakka as he tends to Shay.

He’s still got her head laid in his lap as he holds his hands to either side of her head, but her eyes are open now, and as I approach they turn to track me, seeming clear enough.  Fuck … after what just happened that’s a big relief.  Her face is still a gory mess from all the blood, and her nose is already swelling, but straight enough despite it, telling me Krakka must’ve snapped the bridge back into shape before he tried doing anything else.  The nasty gash across it seems to be mostly closed up now, too, which is another good sign.  As I draw close she tries a smile, but it looks shaky, still a certain wooziness in her eyes I don’t like.

“Hey.”  I drop into a crouch beside her, keeping my voice soft and gentle.  “Nice to see you back with us.  How you feeling?”

“Oh …”  she sighs as she seems to consider for a moment, and her voice is pretty weak too, her words a little slurred.  “I feel like shit, Art.  What did you expect?”  Her eyes narrow and her brows start to knit a little as she looks me over, trying to focus now.  “What about you?  You seem … oh … what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”  I lie through my teeth, unable to stop myself from looking away now so I doubt she believes me for a second.  “I’m just … coming down.  Adrenaline and all that shit.”  I look at Krakka.  “How is she?  Really?”

“Beaten up, but mending.  She took a very nasty hit there, though, I won’t be comfortable about it until we get her back to the temple so Shul and the healers can give her a more expert check-up.  Just in case I missed anything.”

“I’ll be all right.”  she waves her hand about a bit, not able to lift it more’n an inch or two off her chest right now so the gesture is very vague.  “M’fighting fit, me.  Daughter of Min the Reckless, toughest fighter in all the Northern Reaches.  This is nothing.”

“Of course it is.”  Krakka answers her very gently, but gives me a knowing look while he says it.  I can’t help grinning a rueful little half-smile seeing it, and it manages to fight off a little of the melancholy.

“Yeah, well just listen to Krakka.  He knows what he’s talking about.”  I take a step away now, pointing down at her.  “I mean it, that’s it for you for now.  I’m taking the lead from here on.  Do as you’re told.”

That has her frowning deeper, but she don’t say anything, so I guess she’s relenting.  Not that she’s got much choice right now, given she’s pretty out of it.  So I turn away and cast about for a moment, a little lost for what to do now.  Then I see Lady Naru crouching down beside Yeslee on the other side of the rom, and remember what happened in the middle of the fight.  Shit …

Taking a deep breath, I walk over, moving slower and more wary now, as if scared I might not be entirely welcome right now.  I got no reason to think that, no matter how she might act around me a lot o’ the time Yeslee’s my friend, I know she cares about me as much as I do her, and I’m worried about her right now.  But that was my old friend who damn near killed her, or whatever it was he did, so I wouldn’t really blame her if she did give me a little projected grief for it too.

I don’t really get a good look at how bad she got hurt until I’m close, stepping round behind Lady Naru to find the Fir Bolg sat up with her back propped against the wall, her legs splayed while her hands are limp in her lap.  There’s a whole lot of blood on her chest, but after a moment looking I see there’s no actual wounds there at least, finally working out it must’ve just come from an even worse nosebleed than the one Shay’s just now getting over.  Ain’t just her nose, either, there’s plenty more caked and crusting on her lips and chin like she just coughed it up, and even thinner tracks running down from the corners of her eyes, and her ears.  Her head’s lolling a bit, but as I approach she at least makes an effort to raise it enough to watch me, and I can see now just how badly bloodshot her eyes are.  She’s paler than I ever seen her before, and there’s a waxiness to her skin I really don’t like.  Fuck, she’s hurt real bad.  If he wasn’t so busy already I’d be tempted to tell Krakka to break off from what he’s doing to give her a boost.

“Shit …”  I barely breathe as I stop a little short of ‘em, reaching up to anxiously brush my paws up and back through my mane, too late remembering how filthy they still are right now with my dead friend’s blood.

“That bad … is it?”  Yeslee manages to grunt out, almost more of a coughing splutter than any real speech.

Honestly, I’m sorely tempted to lie, but I can’t find the words to do it.  In the end I just nibble on my lip for a beat, looking to Lady Naru, who’s looking a deal more anxious than I’m used to with her, and have to sigh deep before finally just answering honestly.  “It ain’t good.  Between you, an’ Shay, and …”

Oh … shit … now I remember.  Fuck … I get real cold now.  In the heat o’ the moment, and then everything after, I completely forgot about what happened to Brung.  I immediately take a step back, unable to help the grimace crossing my face now as I start heading for the doorway and the stairs.  “Shit … I’m sorry.”  I turn to Lady Naru.  “Can you … um … just keep an eye on her, and Shay, and … I dunno, maybe they need to go back to the temple?”

She’s just frowning deeper than ever as she watches me back up now.  “Well yes, of course, that would surely be best, but I don’t understand.  What –”

“That’s great.  Please, do that.  I gotta go, deal with the rest o’ this mess …”  I turn away in a rush and almost trip over my feet in my haste to start hustling my way back downstairs.  I’m already hating myself for completely blanking on that little detail, I was so caught up in feeling sorry for myself, and then worrying about my friends …

I’m most o’ the way down when I hear someone calling out behind me, asking me to wait up, and I almost just ignore them, I’m committed to my path now.  But when I recognise the voice it slows me, so I stop a step or two short of the bottom, just before the turn, looking back up even though I’m still tense and worked up.

Zuldrad’s following me down, but while he’s usually as agile as me he’s descending at a much more careful, sedate pace this time, clearly mindful of his still fuzzy head.  “Thanks.”  he breathes when he sees me waiting, but it’s through somewhat gritted teeth.

“For Thorin’s sake … Zul, what are you doing?  Just … sit down or something.  Go back up, I dunno … go see Krakka.  Get your head seen to.”

“Bugger that.  I had worse’n this before an’ just shook it off.”  He still grunts as he quickens his pace a little, but keeps stepping with care to join me.  “You need help.  Your friend needs help.  So I’m sticking with you.”

“After what … what just happened, I don’t …”  I falter, and he frowns a little deeper as he looks me over.  He’s a step up from me so we’re essentially the same height right now, so he can look me direct in the face.

Reaching out, he lays his hand on my shoulder and gives it a fond squeeze.  “Gran’s dead, sure, but you didn’t have a choice.  Soon as we found out it was him we knew it was prob’ly gonna end like this.  I’m just sorry it had to be you.  But it means I gotta watch your back a little closer.  Rattled or not.”

Not quite sure what to say to that, I just look him over instead, taking a deep breath as I do.  He may still seem a little shaky, but his eyes are clear enough now I’m looking, and his grip feels firm enough.  So I let the breath out in a low sigh and nod.  “Shit … okay.  Sure.  Glad to have you, mate.  Just like old times.”

Grinning a little rueful, he just reaches out with the other hand now and pulls me into a hug.  I don’t resist him for a second, likely I need it right now.  So I just give in for a few moments, letting my cheek settling into his shoulder, and maybe I purr a little as he gives my back a gentle rub.  Then when I finally start to push him off again he lets me go quick enough.

“So what are we doing, then?”  he asks as he steps down after me while I turn and start round the corner to take the last few steps onto the ground floor.

“Gotta find Brung.  After Gran chucked him out the window –”

“Alive.”  comes the low, raspy little growl alarmingly close by and I almost stumble on the spot when I look down to find the goblin in question stood right in front o’ me, staring up with that same unflinchingly baleful yellow glare.  He’s dusty but, from the look of it, otherwise largely unscathed, I don’t even see any more blood on him that I would’ve expected from before while he was still in the fight, drawn from others.  “Not happy about treatment, mind.  Fucking orc.  Want him dead.”

“Yeah, I can imagine.”  Zul sighs behind me as he starts to step round.  “Wish granted, I guess.  Art finished the job for you started.”

Brung’s bright eyes flicker back to me in an instant, and once again his unblinking attention is almost enough to make my skin crawl.  I like the goblin, I can’t help it, his unerring loyalty is one o’ the most admirable virtues I ever seen, but he still creeps me out sometimes.  “Killed him?  You?”

“Uh … yeah.”  I have to fight the urge to grimace as I start to get uncomfortable with the reminder.  “Shay already got the ball rolling cutting his hand off, but … yeah.  I finished him off.”

“She all right?”  he asks, matter-of-fact as everything else.  If he’s genuinely concerned it don’t look any different.  He’s a lot like Big Man in that.

“Took a hit, but she’s shaking it off.  Krakka’s helping.  Yes got hurt too, but he’ll get to her soon as.  They’re both headed back to the temple, anyway.”

“Smart.”  He doesn’t elaborate, and it don’t surprise me any.

Nodding, I take a breath and look round the room, taking in the fifteen or so survivors who are all conspicuously staying in their seats.  Some of ‘em are watching us now, but others are taking great care to keep their heads down and watch the floor instead.  Not wanting to catch any undue attention.  Dumoli’s planted himself on a chair too, sitting forward as he leans into the shaft of his downturned hammer, but he’s watching me, wary, but in a different way.  Likely he just overheard what I had to do and is processing what that actually means.

Driver 8 ain’t moved since we went up, still crouched low just inside the archway into the other room, but I’m sure he’s looking my way too now, in his own unique way.  Meanwhile he’s undoubtedly the main reason none o’ this lot have dared move since.

Well, now that shit’s done with … I take another breath and hold it as I drop off the last step and step past Brung, looking these folk over with a more critical eye now.  Mindful that while some of ‘em likely do work for Jammund, there’ll be others who were just patrons, and therefore mere bystanders in this.  Innocent or not, I don’t feel great about keeping them here, but until we know who’s who …

Thing is, we only really need one or two, three at most.  Preferably those who actually know what’s going on in Jammund’s operation, beyond just the usual muscle shit.  So as I move across the floor I look each one over closely, taking in not only their general appearance, but also their demeanour, their mood.  Most of all, their eye-contact, or conspicuous lack of it.

Finally I turn to look at Driver 8 for a moment, knowing he’ll be regarding me directly too.  This time I take a moment to give my paws a little wipe across the front of my leathers before reaching up to brush ‘em back through my mane, taking another breath as I turn away again and scan the room one more time.  “Okay … Big Man, you with me?”

“Of course, Art.  What do you require?”

“Any o’ this lot still armed?”  I take note of the handful I’m actually watching while I say this, and I see one in particular look up at this, frowning a little.  An older woman, human, a little portly but looking like it’s as much muscle as fat, and there’s a particularly weathered edge to her features, like she’s spent significant time at sea.  Sat down like she is, I can’t tell how tall she is, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s close to Kesla’s size.  Her features are strong, not exactly conventionally attractive but striking still, her jaw heavy and her nose hooked, while her eyes are deep set.  There’s a fierce intelligence to ‘em as she looks me over, a particularly striking blue-green, like the sea itself.  She’s got her greying sandy-coloured hair bound into a short plait hanging over her shoulder, and she’s dressed as much like an old sailor as any o’ the others I marked as most likely Jammund’s folk.

“Three.  Two of them have a knife each still hidden in their boots.  The one you are regarding now, however, seems to have two stilettos secreted in her bracers.  I believe it is of a fashion with a prowler like yourself.”

Looking a little closer now, I take note of the now empty scabbard hanging from her belt, most likely for the somewhat worn but well-made longsword close to my feet.  Another for a substantial knife I can’t find in the mix of discarded weapons lying on the floor amongst the bodies.  Now I’m looking I can see most o’ the scars she wears on her face and neck are clearly from fighting rather’n just a perilous seafaring life.  Oh yeah, this one’s definitely a merc rather’n just a regular merchantman like some o’ this lot must be.

Letting a thin hunter’s smile touch my lips, I keep my eyes on her as I take a step back.  “Point the other two out for me, would you?”

Very slowly, likely because he’s as much mindful of the amount of room he’s actually got to work with as all the people still in here with him, I hear Driver 8 start to move forward behind me, taking great care as he approaches.  I hold my ground as I feel him getting real close to my back, likely moving almost entirely on all-fours like the ogre he’s modelled after, and when I just see his right hand thump down on the floor right beside me through the corner of my eye I have to fight the urge to jump.  Then I see his other arm hover right over my head, swinging quickly to the left as he extends his finger to point towards the cluster closest to Dumoli.  “That one.”

The first one he indicates is a skinny, weaselly human male who’s already turning to regard me with a sharp, narrowed eye.  Just the one, I quickly notice, since the other one’s almost carved right out of his head by a particularly nasty puckered scar that’s mars almost half of his face, nothing but an empty socket left behind.  His hair’s greasy and lanky where it falls down the back of his neck, while it’s real thin on top, and the rest of his narrow, sallow face is scruffy with salt-and-pepper stubble.  He’s dressed in casual leathers and a shabby, stained old shirt like the other one, but aside from the empty scabbard at his hip I don’t see anything else that might indicate he’s armed.  Except maybe his twitchy hands, working restlessly in his lap as he eyes me with open hostility.

“And that one.”  Now Big Man points out one o’ the ones in front of the broken windows, definitely the youngest of the group, a half-orc male who’s nursing his shoulder while there’s a big gash just starting to scab over on his forehead.  He’s sat back in the corner on one o’ the benches, looking like he’s propped up mostly cuz he’s having trouble staying awake now, and he don’t look very dangerous now I’m checking him over.  But I could be mistaken …

“Right …”  I mutter under my breath, stepping forward again as I cast one more glance about the room, taking in the rest.  Honestly, three prisoners are probably enough to work with, and the two older ones definitely look promising.  “Yeah, all right … the rest o’ you can clear out, then.  Just get lost.  We don’t need to detain you anymore.”

Some of ‘em just look at each other, muttering amongst themselves as they consider what I’m saying, like they’re unconvinced I really mean it, but others are already scrambling up and heading my way, making for the exit now Driver 8’s made a little space.  “Not you three, though.”  I add as the woman sits forward now like she intends to get up too, and she settles back while giving me a harsh glare.

Then the ratty man plants his hands on the tabletop in front of him and starts to push himself up too as he mutters:  “Fuck this.  I’m off too.  You got no right to –”

Making sure I make it seem as casually offhanded as possible, I flick one of my special knives from its sheath and toss it at him, and he freezes on the spot, his words choking off with a shocked squeak as it thumps home.  Digging itself a good two inches into the wood of the table, barely a hair’s breadth short of cutting the webbing between two of his fingers.  Then, to make my point more final, I concentrate on the knife and think about pulling it back, and it don’t stick for a second as it plucks itself free and whistles back into my hand smarter’n a cracking whip.  I catch it and have it sheathed again in a single, fluid gesture, and after another beat I’ve folded my arms again as I give him a sharp look.

He don’t say a word, just sits down again and slumps back against the wall on his bench, now very much avoiding further eye contact.  Looking pale as a dead fish.

I turn back to the woman now as the rest o’ the room empties out, leaving just the three of ‘em in here with the rest of us.  Finally Big Man moves away from behind me, instead shunting one o’ the tables aside so he can settle down into another crouch right by the windows, leaning his elbows onto his knees as he bends forward.  Now I see Krakka starting to emerge from the bottom of the stairs, moving like he’s plodding on heavy feet now, I notice, lugging his hammer like it’s a burden again, which makes me uncomfortable to see.  I guess they’re all done up there with whatever’s left, likely Lady Naru’s already whisked Shay and Yes back to the temple for help.  I’m a moment longer realising he’s also toting my sword and knife too, gripped together in his other hand.

“She coming back?”  I ask him now as he approaches, looking over the three who’ve remained, seeming to pay particular attention to the wounded half-orc.  Much like I would’ve expected him to.

“Momentarily, yes.”  he nods back now, seeming to catch my drift quick enough, then he hands my weapons back.  “I thought you might want these back.  I take it these are … Jammund’s people?”

“Reckon it’s a safe guess, yeah.”  I turn back to the woman again as I give the knife two quick swipes across my thigh to clean the blade enough I can sheathe it again, then start fishing about in the pouch for one of my spare rags.  “I’d be much obliged if you could just confirm that little fact for me.”

She looks right back at me for a long beat, licking her lips with a deep frown before turning to inspect the rest of our group.  Her attention particularly lingers on Dumoli, I notice.  “Ain’t much point in denying it now, is there?”  she rasps in a voice like grinding glass  “Be all you get outta me, mind.”

“Oh, I dunno about that.”  I start wiping my sword’s blade with the rag, being mindful that I keep my steel real sharp, but keeping my eyes fixed on hers while I do it, and I make my smile as menacing as possible.  “There’s plenty o’ ways that can change, I’m sure.”

With a puff o’ displaced air, Lady Naru’s suddenly right there in the middle of the room, just three feet to my left.  I couldn’t have timed it better if I’d been expecting it, sometimes life just hands you these little gems.  Certainly the woman’s eyes shoot to her before returning to me, and she looks more uneasy now.  The implication of both my drawn sword and the return of one of our remaining mages clearly sinking in now to add weight to my words.  This time when she licks her lips it’s a much more nervous gesture.

“Shit …”  she hisses under her breath, sagging the rest o’ the way into her own chair, and I start to feel a little better about this whole mess.  Might be we finally got a chance at getting Gael back again ...

TO BE CONTINUED ...

[pertinax--loculos]

12 Days of Writers Self Love - Day Five

Hoookay, for day and prompt number five, flower, we’re getting a little esoteric with the links to the prompts. 😅 But hey, that’s all in the spirit of it! So I thought of flowers, which led me to thinking of blossoms, which led me to thinking of things starting, which ended up with me picking this (spoileriffic!) scene from In the Shadows of Stars:

Zayra shrugged. “I don't really see what all the fuss is about. Apart from that trick with the console, I haven't seen you do anything all that impressive. And if you need a console to do anything, why's everyone so uneasy about you? I mean, sure, the Black Hats are good at their job. They stop the government being hacked, [etc etc]. But even they are just screen monkeys, sitting at their computers all day.” Sable sat back a little. There was an odd expression on his face; something that sat uncomfortably between amusement and disgust. When he spoke, his voice was low. "That's because the Black Hats the government have working for them are neutered. Collared. Choked. Your government hasn't seen a Black Hat off the leash for years." He sat forward again, the corner of his mouth turning up in a truly unpleasant smile. "Would you care to see a demonstration?" He flexed his fingers, and the lights went out. Zayra bolted upright, her hands on the table. Adrenaline coursed hot and fizzy through her chest, her heart suddenly pounding. "What the hell--" "C'mon, Lieutenant. I'm handcuffed to the table, what am I gonna do?" The viewscreen behind her flickered to life, bathing the room in an artificial glow of wheeling lights. Zayra spun, nearly falling over herself in the process. The screen was programmed to either display a rendition of the blank wall or to act as a window, nothing else. Certainly not the dim grey screen with multicoloured rolling text it was currently showing. "You know why they outlawed AI, right?" Sable said from behind her. Zayra desperately wanted to turn around to look at him, but she was transfixed by the screen, by the separate windows popping up and disappearing just as quickly, too fast for her to comprehend their purpose. "Why they drew the line at simple automation, why they refused to entertain the notion of a real, electronic intelligence? It's because they knew. They knew the power it would have. The whole world runs on electronics these days, on computers and machines and networks. Something that can not only access, but is an intrinsic part of every one of your systems? Imagine the things they could do." Zayra could hear the smile in his voice. On the screen, a window popped up that showed the corridor outside, the guards running from the viewing room. "They could deadbolt the door," Sable said. There was a thunk from the vicinity of the door. Zayra glanced towards it, wildly, looked back at the viewscreen to see a guard try the handle, then shove his shoulder against it. "Turn off the cameras." Another window, showing the feed from the cam in the interrogation room. A moment, and the feed blurred and then dropped, showing a black screen. "Hell, they could even... I dunno, release prisoners?"

So, this is a blast from the past, and also far and away my favourite scene I’ve written for ITSOS. That damned WIP is a bit of a frustration of mine, though -- I think I’m currently trying to cram far too many ideas into it, and the bits I really like hinge upon me essentially creating an entire legal system from the ground up. So it’s a bit of a white whale at the moment.

But! That said, I still love this scene. The entire thing is about 1600 words and tbh I would’ve put the whole thing here, but honestly it probably hits harder for me because I have context and you do not. (Sorry!) So there’s just this little excerpt where Sable starts to show off what he can do. I had fun writing it. I think it flows pretty well. So I like it, and that, after all, is the point of sharing all these excerpts. :D

[griffintail]

Hi I'm so so sorry for bothering you! I absolutely love your child reader x parent dreamsmp series, it's amazing!! I had an idea for the lost ones though, or a seperate scenario if that's okay!!! What if the baby was a witch? Witches exist in minecraft, so what if as the child gets older, their powers grow. Windows breaking when they cry, things floating mid air, sparks and fires from their hands, things like that?? I think it'd be really interesting if you want to write it!! If not all the lost ones, then just tge sbi seperate please! Thank you so so very much, i love this series and i cant wait till the next part!!!!!

Magical Born

Pairings: Tommy, Technoblade, Wilbur, Philza, and Ghostbur x F! Child! Reader

Warnings: Mentions of raids, mentions of death, light blood, light violence

A/N: It’s based on Lost Ones Canon, all over the timeline, but it is NOT canon. I didn’t write all of Lost Ones because it’s already a lot to write Lost Ones as its own entity :P I added Ghostbur though for fun because I just really like Ghostbur. Technically he’s part of the SBI!

I went further than planned though so enjoy. ♥

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

TommyInnit

        Tommy screamed as he ran from Fundy, who had caught him stealing from his house, (Y/N) sitting on his shoulders as she laughed. He was making for the sewers as (Y/N) waved at Fundy.

        “Bye, bye furry.” She smiled.

        “YOU’RE SO DEAD TOMMY!” Fundy shouted.

        But now Tommy was laughing hysterically as he quickly turned a corner and made for Tubbo’s entrance into the sewer. Tubbo startled when his door opened.

        “What the—” Tubbo questioned.

        “No time, good luck big man.” Tommy saluted, (Y/N) waving her hand before Tommy held (Y/N) and jumped into the entrance.

        “WHERE IS HE!” Fundy came in a moment later.

        “Damn it, Tommy,” Tubbo muttered under his breath.

        Tommy laughed as he pushed his wet hair back, (Y/N) clapping her hands.

        “Big score for us little (F/L). And extra disc time for calling him furry.” Tommy grinned. “Let’s get home with it all.” Tommy walked along the pathway, letting (Y/N) walk behind him.

        (Y/N) clapped excitedly hearing extra disc time. She bounced slightly behind him as Tommy was bragging about this adventure.

        “The furry may be an easy target to take, but we managed to escape successfully, becoming richer!” Tommy said to the little girl, who continued to bounce, announcing as she did.

        “Boing!” She giggled.

        Tommy chuckled, not looking back at her. She had a lot of energy like him and always had to find easy solutions to let it out.

        “Boing!” She squealed with delight and Tommy froze where he was walking as she…float over and past him??

        “…What the fuck?!” He shouted, dropping the bag of stolen loot.

        “Boing!” She jumped over to the other walkway of the sewer water.

        Tommy put his hands through his hair as he watched his child fucking float.

        “What the fuck is going on?” He muttered, looking around.

        She jumped over to him, and he yelped as he caught her, staring at her.

        “Hi, big man.” She giggled.

        “We’re going back to Tubbo.” Tommy nodded, picking the bag and walking back down the tunnel. “No jumping.”

        (Y/N) gave a pout but didn’t jump as she followed after Tommy. He had her go up the ladder first before following after. Luckily, Tubbo had gotten rid of Fundy, looking rather miffed as he went back to sorting his chests.

        “I already got rid of Fundy, what are you doing?” Tubbo groaned, seeing the pair.

        “Dude, you got to see this, I don’t get it,” Tommy told him. “Ok, (Y/N) jump.”

        She smiled again before bouncing around. Tubbo raised an eyebrow as she bounced around like normal and Tommy was concerned for his mental health for a moment when she started to take large leaps again.

        “What the hell!” Tubbo freaked out.

        “Exactly!” Tommy motioned to the girl, who was making her own sound effects as she jumped.

        “Could…has she always done this?”

        “NO! You think I wouldn’t say if she always did this?!”

        “What the hell?” Tubbo put a hand on his head.

        “I know!”

        Then (Y/N) jumped too high and hit her head on the ceiling, crashing on the ground.

        “Shit!” Tommy flailed his arms for a moment before rushing over to the little girl.

        He made sure she had no serious injuries as she started to tear up then cry.

        “Hey, it’s ok.” Tommy tried to assure her, gently rubbing where she hit her head.

        But she only cried harder and Tommy and Tubbo both screamed as the windows in the room exploded. Tommy was hugging (Y/N) to him, looking at Tubbo with wide eyes as Tubbo was looking around wildly at the shattered glass.

        “What’s going on?” Tubbo gestured wildly to the windows.

        “I don’t know!” Tommy said exasperated, still gently rubbing his hand on her head, the effect doing good now.

        The little girl died down to sniffles as Tommy connected the dots.

        “Wait, she cried and the windows broke. I think that was her.”

        “What?”

        “I-I don’t get how it works but she’s doing these crazy things.”

        “Do-Do you think she’s magic or some crap?” Tubbo threw out whatever he could.

        Tommy’s eyes went wide as he nodded. “That has to be it! I mean…I don’t know where she came from after all.” He muttered now, looking at the little girl.

        “So, what, she’s a witch?” Tubbo huffed.

        “I guess…” Then Tommy’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Tubbo, can you imagine all the things we could get away with?”

        Tubbo frowned as Tommy now, as Tommy put (Y/N) down as she had calmed down.

        “This could be great! We’ll need to figure out how to teach her of course…”

        “We don’t even know what we’re doing with her as a normal kid!” Tubbo flailed his arms.

        “But she’s still alive.” Tommy pointed at his friend and Tubbo put his head in his hands. “We’ll be the greatest, richest crime trio!”

        “She’s a child!” Tubbo protested but Tommy picked (Y/N) up.

        “You can help me out now little (F/L).”

        The chaos they could cause once they figured out exactly (Y/N)’s powers were. Tommy couldn’t wait.

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

Wilbur

        “Alright little star, we have to go talk with a few people today but after, we’ll play together, just you and me,” Wilbur promised the little girl as he held her hand.

        They were wearing their matching L’Manberg uniforms and (Y/N) was humming as she walked beside him, their first stop at Niki’s bakery.

        “Ok.” She nodded with a smile.

        “Thank you, little star. Why don’t we get some cookies from Niki to make sure we’re not hungry while we walk?” Wilbur offered with a smile.

        “Yes pwease!” (Y/N) grinned.

        “Please.” Wilbur corrected gently.

        “Hello!” Niki greeted the pair as they came in. “How are you two?”

        “We’re well Niki, I hope you are as well.” Niki nodded and Wilbur went on. “I’ve come to talk to a few the citizens around L’Manberg,” Wilbur told her. “And we were also hoping to have some of your best cookies while we’re working.”

        “Your very best.” (Y/N) agreed.

        “Of course, I just finished a new batch. Would you like to see?”

        (Y/N) looked up at Wilbur with puppy dog eyes and he chuckled. “Alright, but you have to stay away from the furnaces, they’re going to be hot.”

        “Ok!” She nodded before the two went around back into Niki’s area.

        As (Y/N) watched the woman in infatuation put a new batch into the oven as she was taking the other out, putting them up to cool for the few minutes Wilbur was talking with her about how her life in L’Manberg was. The adults continued to talk as (Y/N) was now looking at the furnaces curiously, wondering how the fire worked to make the cookies.  While she was, Niki suddenly screamed, making the little girl jump as Wilbur looked around in a panic to see why she screamed.

        Wilbur saw after a moment, (Y/N)’s hands had little fires on them! (Y/N) spotted them as well and gave a shriek as his reactions kicked in as he spotted a bucket of water. He snatched it up before quickly throwing it on his little girl. The fire was gone as the girl stood soaking wet, Wilbur bolting over to check her hands.

        “I told you not to go near the furnaces!” Wilbur scolded as he carefully took her hands.

        “I-I didn’t daddy.”

        Wilbur looked at her hands confused though. She didn’t have a single burn.

        “How…” He muttered.

        “I stayed away. Just like you said.” (Y/N) shifted uncomfortably in her wet clothes.

        Wilbur looked at Niki, who had run and came back with a health potion.

        “She’s not hurt,” Wilbur told her.

        “What?” Niki looked at him with wide eyes.

        “I-I don’t know how,” Wilbur said, looking back at the little girl, freezing up as he did.

        All of the sudden…her clothes and hair were completely dry! He hesitated before touching her jacket, indeed finding it free of water.

        “Niki…I have no clue what’s going on.” Wilbur gently pulled (Y/N) to him. “Sweetie, how did you do that?”

        “Do what?” She asked confused.

        “You don’t have any water on you anymore.” Wilbur pointed out to her and she looked at her clothes, before shrugging.

        “I don’t know.”

        “Have…you ever done that before?” He questioned and she shrugged again.

        “How…how do you think it happened,” Niki asked him.

        “I’m not sure,” Wilbur muttered. “I need to send a letter to Phil or Techno; they’ve seen a lot more things in their time. I appreciate it if you didn’t mention this to anyone Niki.”

        “Of course.” The soft-spoken woman nodded.

        “Thank you, we’re going to go home early little star.” Wilbur stood up.

        Niki still gave them a few cookies and Wilbur brought (Y/N) home, making a bird call outside first.

        “Whoa, that was cool!” (Y/N) grinned as a crow landed on Wilbur’s shoulder.

        “It’s one of my father’s crows, they’re usually all around,” Wilbur told her as they went inside.

        “Your dad?”

        “I guess I’ve never told you about him.” Wilbur chuckled quietly as he sat, writing a letter to both Techno and Phil. “My father, Philza Mine Craft, is pretty old but he’s a great dad. He taught me a lot and he’s been through a lot. I’ve told him about you a few times, I suppose I forgot to tell you about him in return.” Wilbur ruffled her hair lightly, making her giggle. “I don’t talk to my brother Techno as much though…we had some arguments in the past. I’m hoping maybe we’ll put that aside to see what be happening with you.”

        He signed off the letters and let the crow have them before they flew off.

        “We’ll know in a few days though I suppose. Now, let’s play some music while we eat these cookies.” Wilbur offered out.

        Waiting for a return letter became a little more desperate the next few days. Not only had Wilbur found his daughter’s hands liked to spontaneously combust with flames sometimes, through some careful observing, but he also found if she was particularly happy she’d find herself being able to jump to his height; and thanks to Tommy, when the boy had come to visit to get instructions from Wilbur, he decided to scare the little girl, causing her to scream and Tommy, in turn, screamed when all the windows shattered.

        “Not a word!” Wilbur immediately demanded as he made sure (Y/N) wouldn’t step on any glass. “To anyone.”

        “What the fuck?!” Tommy screeched.

        Wilbur was tempted to force the boy to stay at the house to ensure word didn’t get out but after a bit of time, he got Tommy to promise him. Finally, two separate letters came in to tell him the same thing.

        (Y/N) might be a witch.

        Techno was a bit blunter about it, proceeding to tell Wilbur off a bit for just taking some orphan, but Wilbur knew it was just his brother’s ways and didn’t hold it against him. Phil’s letter had a bit more useful information and he had once researched witches. Wilbur kept that letter safe as he came out to find (Y/N) jumping around with her powers. She was smart and figured out how to activate it, she often liked to play with her floating power.

        Wilbur wondered what else she might be able to do…It was a rather terrifying thought but he’d learn regardless. She was still his little star, witch or not.

        “You’re getting good at that little star.” Wilbur praised as he came over.

        He also let the thought cross his mind if that’s why she was abandoned but pushed it away. That didn’t matter, she was his little girl now and they’d figure it out together.

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

Technoblade

        Techno watched from the porch with crossed arms as (Y/N) laughed while running from Tommy, who was armed with two snowballs. Tommy did know how to bring the energy out of his kid. (Y/N) stumbled and fell, Tommy, grinning with victory as he stood over her but the little girl reacted fast and threw snow at him before running again with a giggle at Tommy’s temporary blindness.

        Tommy shouted profanities as Techno smirked, the voices praising his child. That’s his little girl.

        “How much longer are you two going to be out here?” Techno called now.

        “Not much longer!” Tommy shouted before swearing again as (Y/N) managed to hit with a snowball while he was distracted. “THAT’S CHEATING!”

        “All is fair in war!” She demanded.

        “Don’t track snow in the house,” Techno told them before going back into the house.

        Phil was tending to one of his crows as Techno came back in.

        “They alright?” Phil asked.

        “They’re fine.” Techno nodded, going over to his enchanting equipment.

        “I’m proud of you, mate. For taking in that little girl and making sure she’s happy.”

        Techno simply shrugged as he was glad, he had taken in the little girl as well. Life would be nearly the same. He often thought about how things might have been different if she wasn’t around, he probably would have already taken out L’Manberg but he held back for her. He didn’t need people hunting him down again right now and find out about her…

        He was taking off his pick to put a new enchantment on it when his world slowed hearing a scream and Tommy shouting loudly. Running out with his pick in hand, Phil grabbing his sword off a chest as he ran after, he found (Y/N) shaking on the ground as a wolf stalked towards her as Tommy had a bloody arm. Techno dropped his pick as he ran over, taking off his crossbow, a bolt already loaded.

        He took a shot at the wolf but his panic made him sloppy and he missed! It went over the wolf, it not noticing until…

        The bolt turned around all of the sudden and hit the wolf right in the front leg. It gave a yelp, snarling as it backed away from the little girl now, who was scrambling back.

        “B-Bad wolf!” She shouted as she shook.

        The wolf noticed the approaching pissed off man and cut its losses, running off with a limp. Techno was most certainly confused about the bolt but he had other worries. Phil was already going over, tending to Tommy as Techno came next to (Y/N), putting a hand on her shoulder.

        “You, ok? It didn’t hurt you, did it?” He asked as he quickly checked the little girl.

        “No.” She shook her head before hugging him. “It hurt Tommy.”

        “I know, Phil’s got him though.” Techno hugged her before picking her up. “Let’s get inside.”

        Phil was helping Tommy inside as Techno followed, picking up his pick.

        “If it hurt Tommy, is it ok it got hurt?” (Y/N) asked Techno.

        “Yes, because it was about to hurt you too. So, it’s ok. That’s defense.” Techno told her but he wasn’t sure what happened.

        The bolt had certainly missed and then flew back, striking it in the leg.

        “I didn’t want to hurt it.” She mumbled. “But it’s right.”

        Techno was confused by her words, but maybe she had gotten confused with her own words. He put it to the side for now as he spent a bit of time with her for the rest of the day to make sure she was alright. After he put her down to sleep, he came down into the main room where Phil was sitting by the fire. Techno sat across from him and brought up the thought he had put aside.

        “(Y/N) said something weird today.”

        “What was that?” Phil looked at him.

        “She said she didn’t want to hurt that wolf. Like she was the one who fired the crossbow.”

        Phil hummed, looking out the window. “Something was weird, I saw that bolt move on it’s on.”

        “Good, I’m not losing my mind.”

        Phil gave a quiet laugh. “Not yet my son. But something odd did happen. Have you ever seen anything like that?”

        “No…Not around here at least. I’ve seen witches do stuff like that though. That’s why they’re difficult to kill sometimes.” Techno took off his mask for the day, putting it down safely on the fireplace mantle. “If there had been a good witch around, I’d say it was them.”

        “I haven’t seen a witch in some time. Pretty rare these days, some people don’t like their power with magic and hunt them down. They’ve pretty much gone into hiding.” Phil nodded.

        “Sounds about right,” Techno grumbled, leaning against the stone of the fireplace, closing his eyes.

        “Mate, you don’t think…(Y/N) might be a witch?”

        “Doubt it. Would have meant she was magic born; they wouldn’t have just left her on someone’s doorstep for them to die.”

        “It’s rare but she could have been naturally born, with normal parents, and we’re now just finding out.”

        “Even then, when she was born, she shows signs. A magical birth has effects while they’re born. The parents would have known.”

        That made Techno frown now at the thought as he looked over at quiet Phil, who had the same frown. They were both thinking the same thing; what if they left her because of the magical birth?

        “It would explain why she said she hurt the wolf.” Phil leaned back as well on the other side of the fireplace.

        “Yeah…I’ll find out more in the mor—”

        Both Phil and Techno jumped up with muscle memory at the sound of (Y/N) screaming. Phil’s crows cried out in panic as Techno was first up the ladder to find (Y/N) whimpering as she hugged herself as a few objects floated around the room. Techno went to her side as Phil came up, Tommy shouting up as he had been startled awake by the noise.

        “Hey, it’s ok little goddess,” Techno muttered to her, putting a hand on her side.

        “T-The wo-wolf.” She whimpered.

        “It can’t hurt you. I won’t let it.” Techno told her, sitting next to her and pulling her into him. “And neither will Phil or Tommy.”

        She gave a few more soft whimpers before everything in the room slowly floated down, Tommy standing on the ladder, watching amazement.

        “You’re alright,” Techno promised, looking at Phil, the two sharing a meaningful look. “We won’t let anything or one hurt you.”

        There was just more of a reason to keep (Y/N) their secret. He’d have to brush up on his knowledge about witches as well.

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

Phil

        “Alright, it’s been a while since I’ve done this,” Phil told the little girl. “So, I got to do a bit of practice.”

        “Ok.” The little girl tried to have patience as she was taught but couldn’t help but bounce in excitement.

        Phil chuckled, ruffling her hair, before spreading his wings. “Ok, let’s see if I still remember this…”

        He took a deep breath before taking flight; he grinned as he felt the wind flying by, enjoying the wonderful memories that came to him. Flying had been something he had really missed. From the ground, (Y/N) cheered in the snow as she jumped, clapping. Phil chuckled at his little girl’s reaction as he took a few warm-up laps to make sure his wings were truly back in shape.

        Techno looked up from his work at the commotion, coming out as he took off his glasses. Going out, he looked to see Phil snapping by in flight and he smiled watching his father flying again. He had seen how it affected him to be trapped on the ground. Across the field, he spotted his little sister running after their father rather uselessly but she jumped as she followed after the older man, cheering as she did.

        The older brother shook his head as he watched his father again as he leaned his back on the railing, a few of Phil’s crows flying beside him as they were going over the roof. Techno was watching when another figure went over his head, giving a shriek.

        “Techno!” (Y/N) said and Techno fell backward off the railing of the steps, his cape over his face, but he shouted out.

        “PHIL!”

        Phil looked over to find his daughter now falling to the ground?! With practiced ease, he turned and caught the girl before she hit the ground. He took a bit of a crash into the snow as his crows gave out a few cries in panic but he was alright. It wasn’t the first time he had crashed after a flight.

        (Y/N) looked around a bit of daze before grinning and throwing up her arms. “Again!”

        “Did you throw her?!” Phil exclaimed as Techno threw his cape off his face.

        “What!? No!” Techno huffed as he stood up, brushing snow off himself. “I was watching you and all of the sudden she was over my head!”

        “That makes no sense, mate.”

        “I didn’t throw her; I actually like her more than my brothers.”

        Phil looked at the little girl, who was still grinning even though she could have gotten hurt. “What happened?”

        “I jumped and I flew like you! It was a bit scary and I almost fell.” She told him animatedly. “But then you caught me and it was like Whoosh!”

        Phil looked at Techno as Techno was raising an eyebrow at the explanation.

        “Y-You jumped and flew?” Phil turned his attention back to her.

        She nodded. “I was jumping after you because I was excited.”

        “Why…don’t we go inside and then I’ll take you on a flight, alright?” Phil asked her.

        She gave a little pout but nodded. He nodded as well before standing up, letting her walk on her own. Techno followed the pair in and they let (Y/N) be before Phil spoke to Techno alone.

        “I…have a feeling (Y/N) might have magic.”

        “You think?” Techno snorted. “Where’d you find her again?”

        “A village during a raid,” Phil muttered, glancing over at (Y/N) as she was playing with a few of her toys as one of his crows kept an eye on her as a few of them were just as protective of her as he was.

        “They could have been there to get her family. Pillagers tend to like magic and hearing about magic users, they probably were there for them.”

        Phil nodded. It made sense; the village he had found was a pretty small farming village it had seemed. It had been odd to him how they were raided but now it made a bit of sense…

        “Guess I’ll have to brush up a bit on my witch knowledge. It’s been a few years since I’ve run across one, good or bad.”

        “Yeah, it’s been some time. Heard around the arctic that a few of them were going into hiding. Probably because of the pillagers.” Techno nodded, as he went over to his potions to do a bit of work.

        “Dadza! Your crows talk?!” (Y/N) exclaimed in excitement.

        Phil paled as Techno snorted into his potion ingredients chest.

        “You need to learn what the hell they can do too,” Techno said.

        That was going to take a bit of time to learn.

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

Ghostbur

        “No one else was in the room where it happened. The room where it happened. The room where it happened.”

        Ghostbur clapped as he sat on nothing as he floated above the ground as he watched his daughter sing and do her own little dance. Tommy had taught her all about his favorite musical and taught her a few of the songs. She now wanted to show off what she learned to her father and Ghostbur was more than happy to sit and watch his little blue. He even made sure Friend was there to give her a proper little audience.

        She stumbled over a few words occasionally but he loved watching and listening to her regardless. Once she finished the song, she gave a little curtsy with her hoodie and Ghostbur clapped, giving a joking call of an encore as Friend gave a baa. She giggled, coming over and hugging him. He gladly returned the hug, nuzzling the top of her hoodie.

        “That was wonderful little blue! I can teach you a few more songs and you can sing more for Friend and me!” He smiled.

        “Please.” She nodded eagerly.

        “I’ll have to get a few of my books from L’Manberg, so we can do it tomorrow,” Ghostbur promised her. “We can all go visit Phil as well and you can show him how wonderful you are. Wasn’t it wonderful Friend?”

        The sheep gave another noise and (Y/N) giggled, letting go of Ghostbur and hugged Friend now.

        “Thank you, Friend. You’re a very good friend.”

        “We should get inside, it’s almost time for dinner.” Ghostbur stood now.

        “Ok, can I ride on you, Friend?” She asked the sheep and the sheep didn’t make a noise of acceptance or protest. “He said yes.”

        “Thank you, Friend,” Ghostbur told their sheep friend before putting (Y/N) on top of the sheep.

        After, he took the lead and took the pair to their home in Logstedshire. (Y/N) gently petted Friend’s wool as Ghostbur brought the pair inside, not seeing Tommy, which meant he was downstairs in his chest room.

        “What do you want to eat today little blue?” Ghostbur asked the girl as he helped her off Friend.

        “Carrots and potatoes.”

        “Ok.” Ghostbur nodded, petting Friend before going to cook.

        He made food for (Y/N) and set her up at the table before brewing a few potions he was low on. He hummed as he brewed, (Y/N) happily enjoying her meal as she talked to Friend. Ghostbur occasionally glanced over with a smile at his little blue and the last time he glanced over, he saw Tommy had come up and snuck up behind the little girl. Ghostbur was about to speak as he held a potion bottle but Tommy moved first.

        “BOO!” Tommy gave (Y/N) a scare as he took her shoulders.

        The little girl shrieked…before disappearing.

        Ghostbur and Tommy both stood there for a moment before (Y/N) spoke, gasping.

        “Daddy! I’m like you!”

        Tommy screamed at that, jumping back as Ghostbur dropped his potion bottle, shattering it on the floor. He floated as he went towards the table.

        “(Y/N)? Are you…invisible?” Ghostbur asked, unsure how to process this

        “I can’t see me.” She spoke.

        “HOW?!” Tommy flailed at the empty spot.

        It was another moment before the little girl appeared in the chair again, grinning. Tommy put his hands through his hair as Ghostbur feet touched the ground again as he stood in front of the little girl. There were a few beats of silence before he grinned.

        “You are like me!” He picked her up, hugging her. “This is a very fantastic day!”

        “You found her Ghostbur! She’s not supposed to be like you!” Tommy protested.

        Ghostbur pouted at that as he nuzzled the top of her head. “She can still be like me if I found her.”

        “I…I’m getting Phil. This is not normal and he’ll know.” Tommy pointed at the pair before leaving the house, too freaked out to stay inside.

        “He doesn’t understand yet,” Ghostbur whispered to the little girl before grinning. “Maybe I can teach you to do it on your own like me!”

        Ghostbur had cleaned up the glass quickly as he made (Y/N) stay on Friend just to be safe before he sat with her on the floor, trying to teach her to go invisible excitedly. The moon was a good bit into the sky when Tommy came back, a worried-looking Phil coming in.

        “Phil! We were going to see you tomorrow!” Ghostbur grinned. “(Y/N) wanted to show you a few things.”

        “Like…what?” Phil questioned carefully.

        “She learned a lot of songs and we were going to learn more. Then at dinner, she turned invisible like me! Isn’t that wonderful?”

        “See? I wasn’t lying!” Tommy motioned.

        “Calm down Tommy,” Phil told the younger boy before sitting on the floor with Ghostbur and (Y/N). “Is that true (Y/N)? You did that?”

        She nodded, smiling widely. “I learned a lot of songs and I disappeared like daddy.”

        “Have…you ever done that before? Disappear like that?”

        She hummed before shaking her head. “No.”

        “It’s new?”

        She and Ghostbur nodded.

        “Well…She could be magical born.” Phil threw out, looking at Ghostbur and Tommy.

        “What the hell does that mean?” Tommy asked as he stood next to Phil.

        “She’s a witch. Her parents would have probably been too. It’s extremely rare to have a magical born in a non-magical family. And as the house that Ghostbur found (Y/N) was the way…it was.” Phil avoided the details but Ghostbur floated off the ground as he remembered. “It would make sense; some people aren’t keen on witches.”

        Tommy frowned at the thought with Phil as Ghostbur tried to just ignore the bad images. As Ghostbur looked away from Phil, he looked at (Y/N) to see her sticking her tongue out slightly as she had her eyes closed as well, looking to be concentrating. What she was concentrating on doing made Ghostbur grin widely.

        “(Y/N) can float too!” Ghostbur cheered, making the little girl open her eyes and grin herself.

        “I’m like daddy!”

        Ghostbur laughed as he scooped her into his arms, cuddling with her. Tommy and Phil shared a look though. They had to make sure Ghostbur wasn’t vocal about this…They couldn’t let little blue lose another life just for being a witch after all…

        But Ghostbur didn’t think about that as he was simply ecstatic about his special little blue.

[novelmonger]

For the Chaotic Prompts, pretty please?

Copy the fourth sentence from the tenth page of the nearest book. Copy the tenth sentence from the fourth page of the same book. Write a story that begins and ends with those sentences.

You're in luck, fellow Star Wars fan! The book currently sitting on the corner of my desk is Jedi Apprentice: The Day of Reckoning by Jude Watson, so you get a mini Star Wars fic ;) This was really fun, because it gave me an excuse to bring a couple of my old Jedi RP characters out of mothballs for this. I never really did much with them, but I think I'm even more fond of them after writing this.

The harsh command came from behind them. “Open fire!”

Even as those words registered, the Force surged through Ja'Lin, warning her to drop to the ground and roll out of the way. Blaster fire seared the dirt where she had been a moment before. Lin rolled to her feet, fingers fumbling slightly on the hilt of her lightsaber as she whipped it out. The glow of the lightsaber, as blue as her own skin, reassured her as she deflected the next several laser blasts.

Shock rippled through her as she suddenly realized she wasn't fighting more droids. The ones firing at her were the clone troopers. Their own soldiers.

Letting the Force guide her movements, Lin's eyes darted around, searching for Hor-Ka. But he was nowhere in sight.

“Master!” she screamed, struggling to get to her feet as she fended off the furious attack. “Master Fell!”

Icy shards of fear cut into her heart. The path was rocky, hemmed in by boulders. It was easy to lose one's footing. What if Hor-Ka had been hit? What if he'd fallen, and broken a bone? Again?

What if...he couldn't help her? What if she was all alone?

Fear slowed down her movements, and one blaster bolt made it past her lightsaber. Pain stabbed into her left shoulder, surprising a cry of pain from her. Now every time she raised her lightsaber, agony blazed all the way down her arm.

The chill rose up her throat, making it hard to breathe except in painful gasps. No...she couldn't do this. She'd already been nervous about the war, even with her master by her side. But without him.... She wasn't a full Jedi Knight yet! She couldn't do this on her own!

Alone? Never alone are you, with the Force as your ally. Protect you, it will. Guide you. When all others fall away, always with you, the Force will be.

Yoda's familiar voice filled her head, as if he were whispering directly into her ear. Just like so many times as a youngling, when they would sit in the meditation room, while Master Yoda strolled around them, his soft words punctuated by the tapping of his cane.

As the Force flowed through her, she let go of the desperate need to control her breathing. And as her loud gasps subsided, she heard a faint sound, just like the tapping of Yoda's cane....

Without glancing over, Lin became aware that Hor-Ka stood on one of the tall, thin spires of rock that towered over the path. She could feel the Force building up around him, like a tidal wave gathering itself up to roll toward the shore. Lin let herself be swept up in its flow, letting the inexorable power of that wave take over her body.

For a few brief moments, there was no pain, there was no fear. Nothing but the grounded certainty that she was doing exactly what she needed to.

The cresting wave crashed down upon the squad of troopers that were supposed to be aiding them. The ground beneath their feet cracked and crumbled, sending the soldiers to their knees. Their blaster fire went awry as they struggled to keep their feet.

A huge chunk of the path they'd just traversed collapsed in on itself, the rock almost seeming to melt away into a huge sinkhole. Crying out, scrabbling for purchase on the disintegrating stone around them, the soldiers fell one by one into the hole, instantly covered up by the wreckage of the pathway that had been solid rock a moment before.

Breathing hard as the overpowering wave of the Force passed on by, Lin deactivated her lightsaber. Her shoulder barely hurt anymore. In the ringing silence, she could distinctly hear Hor-Ka muttering irritably to himself from atop his spire of rock. She looked up just in time to see him step off the top of the rock and let himself fall, cushioning himself carefully with the Force so that he dropped gently to the ground. When his feet hit the ground, he staggered slightly, barely catching himself on his cane.

“Master!” Lin cried, hurrying to his side and grabbing his arm to offer her support.

It was a mark of how much that impressive show had taken out of him that Hor-Ka let her draw his thin arm about her shoulders for support without a word of complaint. She could feel him trembling slightly, though she wasn't sure if it was just from exertion or from the realization of what had just happened.

What had just happened?

“Master...they were supposed to be on our side.”

Hor-Ka snorted, hobbling over to the edge of the sinkhole he'd just created. “Clearly, they're not. Not anymore.”

Lin swallowed hard. “What do we do now?”

Hor-Ka looked down at her with a pensive frown. Lin looked steadily back up at her master's leathery-skinned face, at the familiar wrinkles and bony ridges. Once, his near-constant frown and at times harsh words had frightened her, but after the years they'd been together, she'd learned to look past the rough exterior to the warm regard and concern in those black eyes.

“Something very dark is afoot,” Hor-Ka finally said, turning to cast his gaze around their desolate surroundings. “I'm not sure what it is yet, but we'll need to be very careful until we know what's going on. Whoever ordered these troopers to turn on us will certainly notice when they don't report in with proof of our demise.”

Fear pricked at Lin's chest again, but it was much less overwhelming with Hor-Ka by her side. She knew that whatever was going on, they could face it together, just as they always had before. “So...you mean....”

With a grim nod, Hor-Ka turned and began to limp farther down the path. His leg had barely healed from the last time he'd broken it, and it looked like it was paining him again, but he pushed on without a word of complaint. Lin said nothing, just kept pace with him and offered him the support of her arm. “We'll have to go into hiding,” Hor-Ka grunted, limping along as fast as he could. “At least until we know what's happened.”

“You mean...we can't let anyone know we're Jedi?”

Hor-Ka nodded with a tight-lipped smile. “So no more displays like that for me. Nothing flashy or obvious with the Force. No lightsabers. We can't use our real names, either. We'll have to come up with a cover story, too—can't just pass you off as my daughter, not as a Twi'lek.”

Lin smiled shakily. “I wouldn't be your daughter, anyway.”

“How's that?”

“Your granddaughter, maybe.”

Hor-Ka gave her a sharp glance that once would have made her cringe and hang her head. But she held his gaze, knowing that the harrumph he gave her was tantamount to an appreciative laugh. “Well, whatever you are, you're definitely adopted.”

By the time they finally made it back to the spaceport, they were both exhausted. They kept to the shadows and the back alleys of the little town, afraid that someone would recognize them as the Jedi who had come to liberate this planet from the Separatist occupation.

Lin hated slinking around like this, but she had to think of Hor-Ka's safety as well as her own. For now, they would slip aboard a trading vessel and try to make it somewhere they could find out what was going on. Hopefully, they could blend in with the crowds of refugees and other people displaced by the war. They wore nondescript cloaks over their tunics and kept their lightsabers hidden.

[buttterknifeee]

How long is forever? - Teen Titans x Aquagirl!Reader

Masterlist

Request: "Hello, May I request an episode insert in the Teen Titans episode 'How Long Is Forever?'"

Summary: Starfire takes a trip to the future... only to find out that you and the other Titans have disbanded. Will she find a way back to the present, or will you live an unfulfilling life forever?? (from S2 EP1)

Pairings: None

Word Count: 3919

A/N: Hey!!! sorry this took a while, it was super hard to write it due to most of it being in Starfire's POV. Most of the episodes in the series are centered around specific titans, so if you have an idea for an Aquagirl centered episode, feel free to send it in!!! (theres also a grand total of one cuss word in there)

Aquagirl’s Room - 2004

“Where is it? Where is it?” you mumble, tearing your room apart. You were looking for one of your CDs that you were in the mood for listening to. You threw your clothes into the air, looked under your bed, and even checked inside of your fish tank, holding the water containing a few tropical fish above you until you gave up. You sighed, finally checking the clock. You realized that you’ve been in your room for an hour and you haven’t even said hello to the other titans. You quickly change into your suit and head to the living room.

You stretched as you walked in. “Hey guys-” you stop in confusion at the scene in front of you. Starfire was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, holding a bunch of necklaces and boxes and babbling something about “Blorthorg”, Beast Boy and Cyborg were brawling for a video game remote, Raven was reading silently and holding up a pair of nail clippers (?) telepathically, and Robin….

Anger bubbles up inside of you as you realize that he was in front of the stereo, blasting music. From your CD. You cross your arms as you march up to the Boy Wonder.

“Hey Rob, whatcha doing with my CD?” You say. “What, was Kelly Clarkson too quiet for you?”

Raven adds, “Yeah Robin, could the music be a little louder? I can still hear myself think.”

He glares at the two of you “I don’t listen- I only turned the music up to DROWN OUT ALL THE YELLING!!” He refers to the two boys. Cyborg now had Beast Boy in a headlock, holding the controller triumphantly.

“Whose turn is it now, tough guy? Whose turn is it now?” Cyborg taunts the green teen.

“Knock it off! I can't work with you two acting like idiots!” Robin yells.

“Work?? The only “work” I see you doing is stealing my stuff!” You snap.

“Great. More yelling will definitely stop the yelling.” Raven says, a sarcastic smirk on her face.

The three of you glared at each other, Cyborg and Beast Boy were still fighting, and one of Starfire’s necklaces broke, its beads tumbling onto the ground.

“STTTOOOOPPPPP!” the alien princess screamed. You stared at her in surprise. She took a deep breath and recomposed herself.

“ Friends must never behave this way, and especially not on Blorthog! Do you wish to invite the Rekmas?” she said.

“Gesundheit?” Beast Boy said, confused by her vocabulary.

“On my world, ‘Rekmas’ means ‘the Drifting.’” she explains. “The point at which close friends begin to drift apart, and their friendship begins to die.” She frowned. You immediately felt bad for all the yelling you did.

“Aw, come on, Starfire.” Cyborg comes to her side.

“We are so not Rek-whatever-ing.” Beast Boy reassures her.

“We're getting on each other's nerves a little. Big deal.” Raven says.

“Fighting’s just a part of life. As long as we resolve it, we’ll be fine.” You say.

“Yeah. This is just typical roommate stuff. We're not going to drift apart, Star. I promise. We'll all be friends forever.” Robin declares

“Forever?” Starfire asks. Before you could answer, Robin’s T-communicator beeped. The communicator was flashing red, and he turned to you and the others.

“Titans! Trouble!” he says. You all rush out of the Tower and into the city.

You find the “trouble” in the Jump City museum. It was a man wearing black and gold armor and a goatee: Warp. He was monologuing to a bunch of guards that he had frozen.

“I didn't journey back in time one hundred years to squabble, I came to steal.” You see him reaching for one of the clocks. “The Clock of Eternity. Valuable in the past, priceless in the future.” Robin steppeds forward, throwing his birdirang to knock Warp’s hand back.

“But for the present...you'll keep your filthy hands off it.” He says, announcing the Titans’ entrance. The man turns to the six of you.

"The Teen Titans. This is a treat. I read all about you in the historical archives. And now, you're all history!” He fires his laser at you all.

“Titans! Go!” Robin yells as you scramble to dodge his rays. He blocks Warp’s rays with his staff, but at the last shot the staff breaks, and he backed up. Starfire blasts her starbolts at him, but the bolts ricochet off of him and hits her, sending her to the ground. You and Beast Boy attack him now, a stream of water lifting you into the air by your feet. You put your hands in front of you and a jet of water blasts out of your hands, heading straight for Warp. He held his hand us as the water made contact with him, and froze the water. The ice traveled up the jet of water and onto your hands, encasing them in the long shard of ice. You fell, the weight of the ice dragging you down. You winced as you saw Beast Boy meet a similar fate, his animal form frozen in ice next to you. You struggled to free your hands as Cyborg and Raven both went down. Robin gives one last attempt to take Warp down, running towards him.

“You cannot defeat Warp. I am from the future.” He says, throwing disks towards Robin. He dove to the side as the projectiles exploded. “And your relics are one hundred years out of date." He grabs the clock and presses a blue lens from his armor. Suddenly, a blinding white portal forms in front of him. Your hands were still stuck so you had to squint.

“Ta-ta, Titans. I have enjoyed our time together, but I've got a very bright future ahead of me.” He sneers, stepping through the portal. You finally pull your hands out of the chunk of ice just in time to see Starfire slam into Warp, sending the two of them into the portal.

“Starfire!” Robin yells, trying to dive in after her, only for the portal to close and him to fall on the floor. You pull him up from the ground and look around. Starfire was gone.

Titan’s Tower-2024

Starfire couldn’t believe what was going on. After tackling Warp, she ripped off the lens on his suit and ended up in Jump City, 20 years into the future. She found Cyborg alone in the rotting Titans Tower, hooked up to a large battery. He explained that the day she left, the Titans fell apart, and disbanded soon after. He told her that the others can help her get back to the present, telling her where to find you, Beast Boy, and Raven.

She found herself at a circus whilst looking for Beast Boy. There in a cage, sat Beast Boy, changing into various animals. She approached the cage as he turned back into his human form. He was now a pudgy old man, with a great deal of hair loss. He looked at her with wide eyes through the bars.

“No way! It's you. But how?” he asked, peering at her with his wrinkled eyes.

“I require your help.” Starfire said.

“What kinda help?” Beast Boy asked.

“The future is not as it should be. We must find Warp. I will free you from this--” Beast Boy stopped Starfire from continuing her sentence.

“This cage isn't to keep me in! It's to keep those maniacs out!” he explained in a panicked tone, referring to a group of kids. “Look. After the Titans broke up, I tried the whole solo-hero thing. Got my butt kicked, a lot. So now, well…”

He turned into a chicken briefly to illustrate his point. “ Besides, I'm in the showbiz now.” Starfire could tell he wasn’t happy with where he was, but there was nothing she could do. She left Beast Boy and went to find Raven.

She found Raven in a room in a broken down building. She was standing in a pure white room, wearing a white cloak to match. Her back was facing Starfire when she arrived.

“Raven?” she squeaked, inching into the room. “Raven, it is Starfire, your friend”

“No such thing.” she groaned, her back still facing Starfire. Starfire’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Please, Raven I-”

“Just another figment. Don’t even look.”

“You must listen! I am here because-” she pleads, but Raven stops her.

“I’m never coming back! Go away!” she yells, Starfire backing up in fear. “It has to go away. Just like before. Just like all the others.” Starfire frowns in realization. She must not think I’m real; she thinks it's all in her head.

“Your mind.” she says softly, approaching the cloaked woman. “Without friends, you must have--” Starfire was about to touch Raven, but her familiar dark shield formed around her. She gasps, then eventually leaves the room in defeat. There was one last person she could try talking to. You.

She walked by the Jump City beach, the same place where you got your powers all those years ago. Suddenly, you rose out of the ocean, the water around you carrying you onto shore. Your face was stuck in a permanent glare, different to your constant smiles as a teen. You were taller, definitely had a few wrinkles, and you were wearing Atlantean clothing. Starfire flinched at your sudden arrival.

“Aquagirl! how-”

“I don’t go by Aquagirl anymore. I am Queen (y/n), ruler of Atlantis. And word gets around when one of your old teammates who had disappeared 20 years ago is roaming Jump City again, even at the bottom of the ocean.” You say coldly, eyeing her as she shrunk at the sight of you.

“What had happened to you, my friend?” she asked.

You sigh, recalling your memories. “After you disappeared and the team disbanded, I vowed to never be as soft and vulnerable as I was then. I moved to Atlantis, and was eventually appointed ruler.”

“Oh my, that sounds terrible!” Starfire exclaimed. “I need your help my friend-”

“No.”

“No?”

“No. It’s not terrible, I am quite fine just the way I am. And we were friends 20 years ago; things have changed.” You turn your back to her. “I must get going; there’s much I need to do.” Starfire stares at you in sadness as you walk back into the ocean, the water swallowing you up and the waves lapping like normal.

Starfire trudges through the snow-covered city, when a laser blast knocks her back. Her eyes raise to meet with Warp’s, his weapon aimed at her.

“What’s the matter, dear? Have I come at a bad time?” he snarls, opening fire once more. She dodges his shots and fires back, but the starbolts simply bounce off his modern armor. She tried to hit him close up but he held up his hand and ice formed around her midair. The large chunk of ice containing Starfire drops and shatters, leaving Starfire on the ground, shivering. She glares at Warp, who now has deeper wrinkles on his face.

“You have become so old,” she notes, still on the ground.

“That's what happens when someone steals my vortex regulator.” he says, holding out his hand. “The regulator, if you please. I really must get back to my future.” She stands up and takes the lens out from her belt. She couldn’t let him leave, especially when she’s stuck in a future like this. She held the disk next to her and warmed up a starbolt, as if to hold it hostage.

“If you ever wish to see your future you will repair the damage you have done to my past!” she yelled, anger bubbling up inside her. The villain laughed.

“Damage? Silly girl. There's nothing wrong with your past. One cannot damage history, because history cannot be changed.” He held up the clock and continued. “I went back in time to steal this because history says it disappeared. And history says it disappeared because I went back to steal it. Past, present, future. It's all written in stone, my dear.”

Starfire stood in disbelief dropping her glowing hand. No… this can't be the future we’re destined to live. Such terrible lives… she thought. Warp walked up to her shocked state and took the lens out of her hand.

“And nothing you do can ever change it.” he scoffed. Warp prepared to blast her when he was knocked into the alleyway by an unknown figure. Starfire snapped back into reality and looked around for you had knocked the villain back. A dark silhouette lept forward and threw Warp against the end wall of the alley. They threw disks at the villain, the area around him exploding. When the smoke cleared, Starfire could see that Warp had used a force field. He released his shield only to be met with the mysterious figure dropping down towards him. He stared straight at Starfire.

“Another time, perhaps.” he said. Before the shadowed person could reached him, he dropped into the ground. The person who had tried to fight him landed right where Warp had been, and as they straightened up, Starfire inched forward to see who it was.

“It’s good to see you again.” the person said. Starfire could recognize that voice from anywhere, and apparently, anytime.

“Robin?” she asked.

“I haven’t used that name in a long time.” he said, finally stepping out of the shadows. He looked nothing like the Boy Wonder she knew. His traffic-light esque uniform was replaced by a black suit with a blue bird on the front. He still wore a mask and he now had long, black hair.

“Call me… Nightwing.”

Starfire found herself in Robin’s (or Nightwing’s) base. She looked at a glass case of his old uniform, a feeling of melancholy washing over her. She was glad that he was ok, but the Robin she once knew was now nothing more than a mannequin display. Nightwing wrapped a blanket around her with a small smile.

Nightwing finally spoke. “So I’ve heard you’ve been looking for help.”

Starfire sighed. “There is nothing you can do. There is nothing anyone can do. The past cannot be repaired, the future cannot be altered, no matter how wrong it seems.”

“So it’s impossible.” Nightwing determined from her rant, walking towards a bunch of computers. “Good. If memory serves, we've done the impossible before.”

Nightwing’s words had surprised Starfire. None of the others had said anything as hopeful since she’d arrived here. A small fire of hope blossomed inside of her.

“I held on to this,” Nightwing says, pressing a button from a device. “...just in case.” Starfire’s eyes widened, realizing that it was a T-communicator. The communicator began to flash red, and to Starfire’s delight, so did her neck piece and wrist guard.

At the bottom of the ocean, you sat on a throne, talking to your advisers. As they left, your seashell necklace began to flash red. You looked at it in surprise, recognizing what it meant: it was an emergency signal that Robin had put in your necklace while you were still in a team. Even after 20 years, he had never used it until now. You began to get up from your throne when a group of your advisors came back, swarming you with scrolls and questions. You sat back down, a bitter feeling in your throat.

Beast Boy’s belt had flashed red whilst he was performing a trick in his animal form. He quickly jumped back into human form. He observed his belt for a moment before stepping back, hanging his head.

Cyborg's robotic eye flashed red as he sat alone in the Titans Tower. He immediately got up and started towards the door, only to be stopped by the wires keeping him alive and stuck inside the tower. He looks back at the power source.

Raven still stands alone in the room, her back facing the door. The brooch of her cloak flashes red, and without looking at it, she covers it with her hand.

Starfire and Nightwing venture to Jump City museum, where they find Warp, fixing his time travel suit. He wields the lens that he took from Starfire to his suit, whilst talking to himself.

“Tick-tock.” he laughs. “Just a few more seconds, and I shall finally--” his sentence was cut off by Nightwing knocking the tool out of his hand, revealing him and Starfire’s position.

“The future will have to wait.” Nightwing says, extending his staff. “You just ran out of time.”

Warp growls and fires laser beams at them, causing them to split up to avoid getting hit. Starfire shoots her starbolts at Warp again, despite them getting deflected by his force field. Nightwing however, jumped down on him again, using his staff to crush one of his lasers. He turns to face Nightwing, but Starfire lands a hit on his back with her starbolt. He tries to laser Starfire but has to dodge Nightwing’s staff attacks that barely strike him. He fights quickly and with fury, eventually knocking Warp flat on his back. The two heroes step close to him to inspect him. But Warp grins, and uses his second laser to blow a hole through the roof, snow and rubble falling onto Starfire.

“Star!” Nightwing yells, but Warp blasts him back with his laser. Warp runs over to the tool he dropped and started repairing his suit again as Nightwing helped Starfire up. Suddenly, he was blasted back by a familiar blue ray. Starfire and Nightwing turn to see Cyborg, his arm cannon smoking, but being able to function without any wires.

“Boo-yah” he says with a grimace.

“Cyborg!” Starfire exclaims, flying over to the half robot. “You are repaired!”

“Glad you could make it,” Nightwing says, joining them.

“Wouldn't have missed it. Now who said y'all could start without me?” Cyborg said as Warp stood back up.

“So sorry,” Warp said, holding up another device. “Perhaps I should finish you first!” Before he could use the device, he was attacked by a green lion, Beast Boy. Warp looked at the lens he was repairing, now crackling with electricity. In anger, he pointed a laser at him, but a jet of water shot up from the floor. You ran into view, a trident now in your hand.

“Heard you guys needed help!” you yell, a hint of a smile peeking out from your stoic face.

Before Warp could fall to the ground again, he is overtaken by magic, and thrown into the side of the wall. Raven materializes, still wearing a white cloak.

“Nobody hurts my friends,” she said, reminiscent of the first time you met her.

“Dude, that is so unfair,” Beast Boy whines, comparing his bald head to Nightwing’s flowing hair. The six Titans turn to see Warp, who has managed to create a wormhole, despite his suit being damaged.

“It seems my time has come,” Warp said, preparing to walk through the wormhole. Nightwing threw a birdarang at Warp, Warp throwing his own disk to intercept it. Starfire watched in awe as the birdirang sliced through Warp’s disk and hit him in the chest, right where the lens sat.

“Uh?! No! NOOOOO!” the six of you watched in horror as Warp regressed in age until he was nothing more than a screaming infant.

“Ok, I am not changing any diapers.” Beast Boy said, staring at the baby.

Cyborg looked at Starfire. “We gotta get you home. Come on!” he pointed at the wormhole, which was shrinking. He took the lens from the suit and put it in his arm cannon. He fired at the wormhole, making it bigger.

“Im redirecting the wormhole.” Cyborg said, turning to Starfire. “Starfire! Go!” She steps towards the portal and looks back at her friends. Their lives seemed so lonely and.. dissatisfying. Is this life they were destined to live?

“Please, must this really be our future?” She asked. The rest of you looked at her silently, sadness in your eyes. “Is there nothing I can do to change it?” Nightwing stepped up and looked directly into her eyes.

“I'm sorry, Star. There isn't time.” Nightwing said. He placed the clock that Warp had stolen in her hand and his other hand on her shoulder. He gives her one last smile before stepping back towards the other Titans, beckoning her to enter the portal. Starfire took a deep breath, and walked into the portal.

Jump City Museum - 2004

“Ta-ta, Titans. I have enjoyed our time together, but I've got a very bright future ahead of me.” He sneers, stepping through the portal. You finally pull your hands out of the chunk of ice just in time to see Starfire slam into Warp, sending the two of them into the portal.

“Starfire!” Robin yells, trying to dive in after her, only for the portal to close and him to fall on the floor. You pull him up from the ground and look around. Starfire was gone.

“Oh my god,” you whispered.

Beast Boy stared at the place the portal was. “Um, where did she-?”

Another portal opens with a brilliant flash between Beast Boy and Cyborg. Starfire falls out, curled around an item. You all rushed towards her.

“Dude!”

“Whoa!”

“Star! What happened?” Robin asked as the portal behind her closed.

“History said it disappeared.” Starfire said, straightening and revealing the clock warp had just stolen. “But history was wrong!”

The boys stared at her dumbstruck but you laughed, diving in for a hug.

You stood with the other titans as Starfire recounted her story. You covered your mouth in awe to find out what happened to you and the others in the future.

“Then Nightwing handed me the clock and I entered the vortex.” she finished.

“Woah,” Raven said, shocked by the recount of Starfire’s story.

“Bald?!” Beast Boy yells, grabbing at his hair. “You're telling me I'm going to be bald?!”

“Gosh, Star, all of our lives seem so terrible,” you say, thinking about what Starfire had said about you. You were a queen (which was cool), but you were also a cold hearted bitch (super uncool). You didn’t want that to happen, and more importantly for you to no longer be friends with the other Titans.

“Guess you were right about all that Rekmas stuff,” Cyborg said, slightly concerned.

“I don't want us to drift apart. Does it all have to happen? Isn't there anything we can-” Robin worries out loud, but Starfire stops him.

“Our friendship has already changed Warp's past. I believe it can also change our future.” Starfire says with a smile.

“Yeah I mean, the original reason we “broke up” was because of Starfire disappearing, and since she’s here now, we aren’t breaking up!” You chimed in, grinning at the other Titans.

Raven picks up the broken necklace with her telekinesis, stringing them back together.

“So… is it too late to do this festival-of-friendship thing?” she asks.

Starfire’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, it’s never too late!”

You all put on the bulbous necklaces Starfire brought in the morning.

“HAPPY BORTHOG!!!” Cyborg cheers.

“I thought it was Blort-Hog,” Beast Boy wondered.

“Okay, I feel like a wind-chime.” Raven groans.

“A very cool wind-chime,” you winked.

Starfire put the last necklace on Robin. He raises an eyebrow at her.

“So… Nightwing, huh?” he asked.

“Don’t even think about it bird brain,” you yelled from across the room, causing him to blush. You all burst out into laughter. The tower stayed cheerful the rest of the night.

[datawyrms]

snap

It is The Day I post my Invisobang fic! it was a wild ride to write everything and not post. This is actually the second fic I did, as the first fell into my pit of ‘i hate it now’ and will sit in limbo for the rest of eternity. I teamed up with Spirit ( @ghostportals ), who has done some accompanying art! That, and Red @redead-red saved my bacon by doing some betaing last moment, so tell em they’re great too. Hope you’re all enjoying the flood of finished fics and art this week! Only the first chapter is here, the rest is posted on my Ao3 and complete. hope you enjoy!

One careless fall changed Danny's life forever. He was kind of hoping one fall like that was enough for any lifetime. Clearly fate disagreed.

It's fine though! He's got this. He's fine. He can totally explain why he ran off with his own body to mom and dad.

The stairs had always been a little too steep, a titch too narrow, but he was used to them. Jazz worried too much- the whole Fenton family knew how to take them two steps at a time. He wasn’t going to admit she might have a point just because he’d slipped one time. He wished there was a railing to catch himself with- it would have spared him some of the pain of his head knocking on the stair.

It didn’t hurt that much. Plenty of ghosts hit harder, and far more frequently.

“Took a bit of a spill eh, Danno?”

Great, dad saw him slip like he was three again. He wanted to speak, wave his behemoth of a father off before he got tangled up in some long lecture about whatever they were working on down here. Just had to sit up.

He was a little stunned or something. All those late nights made his limbs rebel when he wanted them to hurry up. Come on, before he tries to help and accidentally shaves his hair off with some anti-ghost stepladder or something.

His arms stubbornly rejected his internal horror story. His attempt to say ‘I’m fine’ was more a gurgle than anything. Way to go, Fenton. Do everything to get dad to worry! Really using those genius genes. Jazz probably stole his anyway, or they got fried in the accident. Come on! A bit of self berating should have him sitting bolt upright by now. Maybe his arm twitched. He felt something move, anyway. More like a muscle spasm.

“Danny? You okay?” The large man came closer, his usual jog slowed.

Of course he’s fine. He could see dad, sort of. He totally moved his eyes to see him better, even. Stupid ghost powers were just acting up.  It’s okay,  just give me a second to stand up. You’re worrying over nothing.

 Jack had already made it over, crouching to get a better look at his fallen son. Like he was trying to look smaller or something with how carefully he was moving. Where was all that slow, ginger movement when he was driving? Or trying to tell them about some new invention that might burn off your eyebrows?

 I’m fine, dad. He couldn’t get the words to come out, but he was just fine. He really didn’t like the strange look on his father’s face. After all, ‘Jack Fenton doesn’t know the meaning of the word fear’ or whatever random thing he felt like shouting when chasing after entities from another dimension. Come on dad, stop looking like that. It was creeping him out. Moving should be easy, a snap, but part of him didn’t feel like doing it. Apparently an important part? He could visualize exactly what to do, but he wasn’t sitting up. He swore he could feel his muscles clenching but not finishing the movement. Maybe they were testing something down here that just made all the ectoplasm hiding inside him take a nap. His ectoplasm was so fired after this.

 “Can you look at me kiddo?”

 Coaxing him. This was weird. Why wasn’t he just hauling him off the floor and laughing about how clumsy he was at his age too? Looking at him was easy. Pretty hard to miss him, with all the bright orange.

 “Maddie? Can you come over here?” His question was strangely stilted, not much of a bellow.

 Dad was going to get the wrong idea because his body didn’t want to cooperate. Great. Fantastic. He could feel the warmth in his chest, the sign his heart was still going. He was just fine, just a bit inconvenienced at the moment. Why couldn’t dad just be  dad  and do something dumb like pick him up with one hand while sounding way too excited about some new tool that he built?

 “What’s wrong?” His mom said, her footsteps doing the same thing dad’s had. Speed that suddenly cut down to almost nothing. “Danny, did you hit your head?”

 “I think he might have, he’s not responding. I didn’t want to try to move him-“

 “You did great Jack, it’s okay.”

 Gross. He hoped they didn’t get caught up in one of their lovey dovey circles while he was stuck trying to get his stupid legs to remember how to do things. He was responding! He groaned, and he definitely twitched a bit. Weren’t they paying attention? He tried again, a bit more forcefully and ignoring the pang in his neck. More of a jolt from someone with too much static cling than actual pain, really.

 “Should I call 911? He isn’t moving! He just stayed there- didn’t even act all tough for his old man!”

 Jack was panicking.  Dad was panicking. Over nothing! Why wasn’t mom distracting him with fudge or some random study? No one was being normal today. Danny shuddered, he knew he did, it went with the pulse under his skin.

 “That’d be great sweetie, just stay close.”

 “In case you need my big strong arms to help carry him, right?”

 “Just in case.” She wasn’t wearing the hood of her jumpsuit, at least.

 It didn’t make it more comfortable when she crouched down, biting her lip and staring at him. Like this was concerning. It was the opposite of that, he was a klutz, a gangly teenager, it was normal for him to be a bit banged up. This shouldn’t concern her, or anyone. The only reason it bugged him was the not being able to move right now nonsense.

 “You aware in there sweetie?” she said, rather loudly and clapping near his ear.

  Yes I am, but I can’t tell you. Maybe he could focus on taking a breath and it would kick off whatever turned off his mind to body connection. Had he done anything strange before coming down here? Not really. He could absolutely feel her digging her nails into his earlobe though, ow! More motivation to move, but something wasn’t getting across. Maybe he was getting a bit freaked out about it too. Only because of his parents being weird. He was fine, he had to be fine. It was nothing, less than nothing.

 “I’m just going to make sure he’s still breathing Jack, do you have anyone on the line yet?”

 A loud response, but not to her question. “No it’s not a ghost emergency! It’s a human emergency!”

 Of course he was breathing. He couldn’t look that bad from such a small fall. Just breathe out the words ‘Hey mom, personal space’ and they’d laugh and it’d be nothing. All this fussing was making his skin crawl but of course he had to have ‘special ghost freezing up’. Was it his ice powers? Like he could get his powers being snarky like that, appreciated it in a twisted sort of way- but it would be better around people who wouldn’t assume the worst? Like anyone else. Even Dash.

 “Tell the operator he isn’t breathing.” Maddie’s voice was cold and controlled, even as she went back to biting her lip right after.

 He was totally breathing. He could feel the air that ran in and out of his lungs, the swell and fall that other ghosts knew as a weak point, a way to slow him down. He knew what being doubled over, air shoved right out of him from a harsh blow felt like, how it felt like the portal again. Throat twitching, body heaving and trying to regain what it lost. The darkness that bit at the edges of his vision as every nerve went screaming  You’re Dying . Hated that feeling, shook the ghosts who did that hard once they were in a thermos. This was nothing like that.

 “He isn’t breathing, you need to hurry! My wife knows CPR- just tell them to hurry this is my  son , please”

 Yelling to hide the quaver in his voice. Like a kicked puppy yelping. It sounded so wrong. This was going to be so awkward after. They’d just...pretend this never happened, right? That’d be for the best. No, he was going to get grounded forever for some ‘dumb prank’, since he was fine and worried them so much. Which didn’t seem too bad if it stopped all of...this.

 He moved a little. A toe, he was pretty sure. More notably was his mother, carefully getting him off the uneven stair to be flat on his back. Trying to keep his head from moving, and she couldn’t see he was looking at her? When she was this close? Too busy trying to be calm. Who could be busy enough to think he wasn’t breathing or tracking with his eyes? Another twitch, another inward curse that he couldn’t get back in control.

 “Just hold on, help is coming.” She said, but the half ghost couldn’t tell who she meant, exactly. Him, dad or herself? Either way the quiet remark did not prepare him for the sheer force slammed into his crest. Like she wanted to slam right through him! Was it so much to ask that his parents stop nearly killing him by trying to help? Just try moving again and everything will be fine.

 He couldn’t keep the mental mantra up when he heard- when he felt his ribs crack from the pointless force. She was killing him, he didn’t need help breathing, he had to get it through to them no matter how much his body buzzed and resisted his need to move. He had to focus and push through it, ignoring how cold and wrong it felt, how it seemed like he was squirming free of something that didn’t want him to go.

 Her bone crushing assault stopped once he got his arm up, not even needing to touch her before she froze. The fear was wrong, out of place so he redoubled his efforts, twisting and struggling against himself, the sticky mass that wasn’t letting him act or speak to calm them down.

 The phone hit the floor. He heard it. So why didn’t dad say anything? Danny twisted, wanting to make sure he was okay. Still stuck. At least he had a hand free and most of an arm, the edges of his fingers tracing the tiles of the floor. He could brace himself that way, pushing down hard to try and jar his shoulder loose. He could hear air moving, like a harsh breath out. Good- breathing was good. Even when it sounded so harsh and low. 

 “Jack- are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Maddie moved back, giving him the space he wanted ever since she’d cracked his ribs. They still stung under his skin, hissing at him to keep his parents away before he managed to get even more injuries over something so silly.

 “I’m not sure what we’re seeing.” The phone remained on the floor.

 That didn’t seem right. He’d sat up, mostly. Half sat up, propped up with an arm. Still mostly stuck and uncomfortable, the snapping and crackling sensation still clinging to his free shoulder. Really, he felt worse than how he started. at least there wasn’t pain in ‘hah my body is playing freeze tag without me’ land. The pulling sensation made his head ache and vision swim to the point he wasn’t actually sure if he was still looking at the ceiling or not. He couldn’t go back to just being frozen though, that’d suck. So just convince the rest of himself to get up. No problem!

Were lies in his head always this unconvincing? It felt like yanking himself free of a too sticky slime, strands clinging and tugging back until they finally snapped, parts still stuck but free of the main mass. At least ectoplasm had the decency not to stretch when you got drenched in it most of the time.  Come on, focus and keep it together.  He let out a wheeze as the last stubborn strands snapped, ignoring how loud it sounded to properly reorient himself.

 Sitting up, properly, good! Parents staring with weird, half horrified expressions: bad. Very, very bad. 

“I’m okay, I just fell.” Danny spoke, he could speak properly again. So why? “Sorry for scaring you guys?” He tried again, trying to ignore the first thought across his mind.

 They kept staring. Maddie seemed to be recovering, shoulders starting to relax, but she seemed to be reaching for her belt.

 He didn’t sound right. No, that wasn’t quite right, he just sounded wrong for Danny  Fenton. Who he should be right now, he hadn’t been able to talk, let alone go ghost. This probably looked really, really bad. How had he switched, anyway?

Mom was reaching for a gun, wasn’t she? Crud. Now he regretted talking at all, how was he going to explain why Danny Phantom was treating two ghost hunters like his parents? Or how he managed to look like their kid. Maybe he could change back and convince them they were seeing things?

Yeah no, that was way too dumb.

 “Wait.” Jack rested a hand on his wife’s shoulder, causing her to stop pulling the weapon. He wasn’t looking at the ghost at all, just her. Maddie remained stiff, not able to ignore the glowing kid on her floor.

 Okay...dad was usually the gung ho one. Maybe he could get away with this? Danny tried to get a better grip on the situation. Felt a new pain, sharp and cold in his throat. Deep green scars clashed against his white gloves and ran all across his jumpsuit,  glow intensifying as the panic choked him into silence. Fresh and angry like back- back before he managed to stumble out of the portal when he died when the accident happened.

With his human arms just as scared below them, still against the tile. The damage looked old, half scabbed over with only a dull glow deep in the death marks wounds. His arms attached to the rest of his body- that he was half out of. 

 Why? How was his body still and silent while he was sitting and looking at it. He’s cold. His body is cold. It isn’t  breathing  there isn’t some other facet of his personality sitting behind the dull blue eyes. This isn’t how it works! If he splits, it’s just temporary, he can fix it but his other half- corpse is wrong.

The pulling and clinging at his legs doesn’t feel like slime anymore. Rotting flesh that wants to drag him back, smother him in a cloying warmth that will only remind him why it burned, how it hurt. He had to move, he couldn’t stay half like this, it would get better once it wasn’t like this.

It didn’t want to let go as he tried to pull away, ectoplasm getting snagged on every nerve and muscle fiber, each pause a reminder of the shock and pain of his end that day.

He knew he screamed when he pulled free and slammed into the wall, furious green scars still marring his jumpsuit where there should be none.

 What would Mom and Dad think?

 No no no no no. He spotted movement from them and acted. He couldn’t let his mom break his body more, or look at it too closely. Dad couldn’t see what happened! This was fine, he could fix this!

 He grabbed his corpse and fled through the wall.

[theladyofmanyfandomsfanfiction]

Fear

Pairing: Jon Snow x Reader (with the ability to summon fire)

Inspiration: Season 7, Episode 6 - Beyond The Wall

Warnings: Language

Author note: Honestly my favourite scene! I had writing fever straight after.

Summary: You travel with Jon, Tormmund, Clegane and Beric and others beyond the Wall when you’re ambushed by wights.

Clegane and Tormmund slammed their bodies atop the creature to stop it from running off. It growled and screeched in a way that chilled their bloods more than the weather itself. Jorah grabbed rope from his bag and passed it to Gendry who hastily wrapped it around the creatures legs. The rest of the company watched on, ready to pounce if the creature got too powerful. 

“Jon.” You called out, voice slightly distant and distracted.

Turning to you instantly, Jon worried if you had been injured during the scuffle but it seemed that you weren’t paying any attention to them capturing the wight. 

Your eyes were wide and drawn to a large opening, face frozen with fright. Jon walked closer and noticed that you were breathing far quicker than normal after a fight. He placed a hand over your stomach to remind you that he was there and that you were going to leave but his voice was stuck in his throat when you let out a choked sob. 

“He’s coming.”

Jon was back on high alert at your words. Without questioning how you knew what you knew, he looked out in the same direction. Suddenly, everything fell silent and he heard the wind picking up in the distance with a faint rumbling. The sound of an avalanche drawing near with each second could be heard and the temperature around them dropped rapidly. 

Turning to where his company were restraining the wight, he saw that Jorah had noticed the same as fear latched onto him as well. Knowing that nothing good was coming, Jorah worked as fast as possible in throwing a bag over the monsters head. 

Thinking quick, Jon ran over to Gendry. 

“Run over to Eastwatch. Send a raven to Daenerys - tell her what’s happened.” He rushed out, frantically looking in different directions for a way out. 

“I’m not leaving you-“

“You’re the fastest. Go. Now!” Jon demanded, knowing that the danger was growing alarmingly fast and pushed the young boy in the direction he needed. Jon bolted off towards the large opening, grabbing you by the arm on his way. He couldn’t waste breath explaining himself. 

Quickly glancing back, he saw that the rest of the company were also following fast as the rumbling noise started to grow. He hoped that they’d have an advantage on open ground as one rock formation stood in the middle of an ice plain. 

Crack!

“Stop!” Jorah shouted, halting everyone suddenly. 

You finally snapped out of your fear-induced state and realised that the ice beneath your feet had started to crack. 

The noise behind switched from a rumble to a violent shake and, upon turning back, you all saw a hoard of wights charging for you. 

“Run!” 

Forgetting about the thin ice, you broke for the rock in the centre - praying to any god that was listening that it would be enough. The wights followed succeeding in taking down one of the nights watch. However, the weight of the creatures violent movements, broke the ice floor and drowned them. 

Once safely upon the rock, the company found that a ring of ice shattered around them which forced the wights to stand back. It was tense. The dead creatures stood silent, watching with blue eyes at the prey. They were ready to pounce.

“What are they waiting for?” Jorah asked. His question was met with silence, save for a few painful groans from Beric being tended to.

What were they waiting for?

“I can feel him.” You shivered, having taken a seat on a broken slab of snow-covered stone. 

“You sound like you fucked the Night King.” Clegane growled. He was tense and, quite frankly, tired of all this White Walker business. His remark blew over your head as your body trembled. 

“You don’t understand. I can’t feel my fire. Without it, my abilities won’t work.” 

Clegane rolled his eyes and grabbed you by both arms, shaking you so rough that, for a second, you thought he was trying to kill you. 

“Listen here! We’re fighting an army of dead fuckers who will rip you to shreds if you don’t get your shit straight!” He shouted. 

A hand landed on his arm and forced him a few steps back. “Get away from them!” Jon ordered. 

Clegane shook his head and turned away, muttering loudly for them to hear, “What good is a fucking 'phoenix’ if they’re scared?” 

Jon scowled at the man, almost regretting that he was with them. Then, he turned to you, crouching to your level. 

“Hey, they can’t get to us. See?” He pointed beyond the ring of water. “It’s alright.”

You frowned and looked up at him – your unintended fury surprising the young man. 

“It’s not fucking alright! And I’m not fucking scared!” You snapped, the latter part of our outburst aimed at the Hound before focusing on Jon again. “I can’t summon fire if my insides are frozen. I can’t use it to fight and I can’t do anything to help.”

Jon sighed and placed a hand on your cheek. He knew what it was like to feel lost and hopeless without the one thing he relied on. 

“Then fight. Fight to stay alive.” He told you and you instinctively gripped your Valeriyan steel sword. Just listening to his voice, made you feel like your situation wasn’t so deadly. You leaned into Jon’s touch and wondered how he was emanating heat in such conditions. 

“Only if you promise that you’ll fight to see me after this.” 

Jon chuckled for the first time since he reached beyond the Wall. He knew there was always a catch with you. Deep down, he wished he hadn’t asked you to come. You wouldn’t be in this kind of danger if he hadn’t opened his mouth. 

“I swear on my life,” He began. “That we’ll see each other after this.”

Beric paced past the couple and sighed, “I pray to the Lord of Light for it to be true.” 

It wasn’t long before night had fallen. Your energy was spent but you did everything you could from falling asleep but it was weakening you. Jon moved closer despite the winter chill biting his face. 

“Get some rest.” He insisted. 

You looked at him sadly, whispering back a small, “I can’t.” 

Clegane was taking the lookout and walked past with a loud groan. “Just go to sleep, for fucks sake.” 

Tormmund frowned at Clegane and stepped in front of him, “Watch your tone.” 

Clegane pushed past the Wildling and walked away from the Brotherhood for some peace of mind. Ignoring the Hound, Jon helped you sit down and let you press yourself against him for warmth. 

He didn’t sleep, he was on too high of an alert to close his eyes. But it seemed that being beside him, calmed you enough to lower your guard and worries. In no time at all, Jorah managed a small smile in your direction. 

“Perhaps with some rest, we may get our (Y/n) back.” He said. “Tyrion will not forgive me if his dearest friend doesn’t return.” 

“Nor would my sisters.” Jon nodded. “Or myself.”

It wasn’t long before each of them succumbed to the temptation of sleep in the cold silence. Sitting beside each other to not die. When they woke it was to the sound of their wight captive growling and snarling beneath the bag on its head. 

One by one they all stood up and saw that the wights hadn’t moved from the day before. The stood still and silent. They also realised that they had lost one of their own during the night. Saying their goodbyes as Beric prayed to the Lord of Light, Jon poured alcohol over the body before Beric lit up his sword and set his friends remains afire. 

Jon sighed and walked away to look out over at their problem, hoping that Daenerys was on her way. Jorah also made his way over and, together, they tried to solve the mystery of why the wights fell after Jon killed the White Walker. 

You were stood beside Tormmund when you felt a jolt of fear, shock through your body and fell forward on your knees - limbs numb and bones rattling. You gasped when you felt your chest constrict as if something had found its way to your heart and was trying to crush it. 

Closing your eyes briefly to null the pain, you saw the blue eyes of the Night King. 

Tormmund was at your side instantly, quickly and gently grabbing your arm to get you up, “On your feet, little flame.” He ushered. You caught your breath and looked up past the wights and to the ledge above them. 

There he was. Sitting on his horse with his generals behind. 

“He’s here.”

Tormmund helped you over to where Jon took a seat and left you with him. You sat quietly as talking would waste breath and you needed to save as much as you could for when the dead attacked. 

Crunch.

You and Jon turned sharply over to where Clegane was crouched over the end of the rockface. Tossing small stones to the side to grab a larger one. 

The pair watched as he stood back up, leaned back and then hurled the rock at the dead. There was a sickening slam against one of the skeletons as its jaw fell off. 

“Are you trying to piss them off?” You reprimanded. 

“Nope. Just you.” Clegane replied. 

You rolled your eyes angrily at him and watched as he hurled another rock - this one however, slid on the newly hardened ice and hit an undead foot.

“Shit.” You muttered and stood up. Jon thought the same and joined your side, remembering that you were fighting to stay alive.

Masterlist here

[shinsorokiri]

S/O Loses Memory and Quirk

Todoroki, Bakugou, and Kirishima HCs

Genre: Angst

Warnings: Language, violence, mentions of stab wounds and blood, a panic attack, spoiler for Bakugou’s hero name, sad bois

A/N: So I had two requests that mentioned these three with this concept and I just finished all of them and I’m so proud that I wanted to post these ones before the other two for Denki and All Might were finished but I’ll get those out as soon as possible. I cried writing Bakugou’s, so... there’s that HAHA please enjoy!

Here’s the first one with Shinsou, Aizawa, Hawks, and Dabi!

Todoroki Shouto | Shouto

Shouto knows you’re a strong woman and that he doesn’t need to constantly be there to protect you

But he does prefer to be there if something bad is happening 

The only problem is that you two went to two different agencies after graduating 

And in doing so were on opposite sides of the city

Now he always knew when something was happening on your hero route because I mean

He actually needs to in case something bad happens since it’s his JOB

But he also just really wants to be there for you if you really need it

There hasn’t been a time like that, though

So imagine his utter shock and genuine fear when that time came

He was told to go to where you were patrolling because you’d been attacked and wound up in the hospital 

You know the scene with the flame tear? Yeah that but times ten

He goes on patrol like a good little hero

But boy oh BOY did he just want to go to the hospital

You’d never lost a fight before

Not even against him

Your quirk was literally the most powerful quirk he’s ever seen and I mean like, yeah, sure, he might be biased but STILL you were really powerful

So what kind of villain could hurt you so bad you had to go to the hospital???

Luckily, he only had an hour left of patrolling 

And as soon as that hour was up

Mans bolted

He was OFF

He ran into that hospital 

And he politely asked where your room was

Because although he’s PANICKING he still is a little socially awkward sweetie and he doesn’t wanna be a dick to anyone and be labeled similar to his father no no NO

But as soon as he got the number he was sprinting man

He was so worried

All patrol he was quieter than usual

And he was ridiculously anxious the whole time

His palms were sweaty

He felt like he could throw up at any second

And right now

He thought his heart was about to beat out of his chest

He carefully opens the door

You might be sleeping, he has to be considerate

And sure enough he sees your unconscious form laying in a hospital bed

It looked like you had some broken bones, and multiple bruises and cuts which means someone must have beat the shit out of you

Lovely

That’s what he needed to see

Definitely 

Mans doesn’t show emotion that much

But when it comes to you and since it was just you and him in the room

He broke down crying

He couldn’t help it

He grabbed your hand

And just sat there crying

Poor guy can’t lose you

You were the best thing that ever happened to him 🥺

You showed him that it was okay to feel things and express those things and let people in

He let you in and he couldn’t let you go now

He was a genuine mess for the next couple of weeks

Because you weren’t waking up

He went against what Midoriya said and asked around about what happened to you

And what he heard was horrific

Apparently the villain snuck up on you

And hit you in a few different places

And then you fell down

And then you couldn’t access your quirk

And that’s why you were in the hospital 

He didn’t want to think about the part that happened after you were virtually defenseless

Around his friends he was spacier than usual

He wasn’t really retaining information

And his agency let him take more days off than usual because they knew he was Going Through It

And luckily on one of those days you woke up

He was next to you as per usual 

Holding your hand

Playing with your fingers like he always does when he gets anxious

He missed being able to do that in social situations 

Or when you two were cuddling at night and he was thinking about something that was stressing him out and he would start to fiddle with your hand and you would ask him what’s wrong

He missed you

So when he felt your hand start to move by itself

He basically gave himself whiplash with how fast he looked from your hand to your face

Sure enough

Your eyes were open

And you were looking at him

“(Y/n)…”

He whispered your name as not to scare you

You could have a concussion or mild amnesia

He has already considered everything that could be wrong with you

Because he overthinks a lot

And he was nervous about this

And there was one thing he had in the back of his mind

That would probably be the worst case scenario

And much to his fears

That was confirmed to be what was going on almost immediately

“Todoroki?”

He just stares for a moment

You hadn’t called him Todoroki since… well, a long time now

Probably back in your UA days

The two of you began dating in your second year though so

It’s been a while

“You look… older..?”

He clears his throat

Nodding

“Yes. Well… I am 20 years old now. I would hope I look older.”

“Wait, what?”

Oh shit.

He just confused you. 

Damnit, Shouto. 

“Uhh… well, um. You see…”

“Todoroki what is going on? And why are you holding my hand like that?”

He freezes

He was still playing with your fingers

And it wasn’t that you didn’t want him to

You were just genuinely confused

He knew that

“Before I say anything else that could be detrimental to your mental health, maybe you should ring your nurse.”

You do as he says

And the nurses and a doctor come rushing into your room

They do some evaluations

And sure enough

Your memory has been completely wiped

As has the access to the portion of your brain that allows you to control your quirk

The doctor explains to Todoroki that he’s unsure of how this happened

Bu Todoroki knows it has to be that villain

Whatever that villain did did this to you

And Todoroki isn’t one to show emotions

But boy oh BOY was he riled up right now

He lowkey accidentally caught something on fire

And then to fix it lowkey on purpose just turned it into a block of ice

Even though Endeavor is the worst man on the planet

Mans is persistent on shit that’s for sure

And that’s like

The only trait Shouto got from that literal dumpster fire of a father

And he wasn’t about to let the piece of shit that hurt you get away with it

Of course, when it comes to you as a person he’s very patient

Very understanding

Respects boundaries 

But he will not REST

Until the motherfucker who did this to you gets caught by him

And he will find them.

Bakugou Katsuki | DynaMight

OH BOY HERE WE GO

So Bakugou was already very protective over you

I mean that’s expected though

It’s

It’s literally Bakugou

So mans has tabs on you at all times

You don’t know how he does it tbh

He jokes

Yes, Bakugou can joke

He jokes about having a sixth sense when it comes to you

He just gets this feeling about you

If you’re sad? He knows

Happy? He knows

In danger? MANS KNOWS

And I guess he also has a GPS built into his brain???

He just

He knows

Probably because he cares extremely deeply about you

Like really fucking deeply

You’re the best thing that has ever happened to him

Ever since high school

First day

When you weren’t intimidated by him

There was just something special about you

And even though it took until after graduation and you almost DYING on a mission for him to finally accept that he can FEEL THINGS

He officially asked you to be his girlfriend

I say officially because, well

Y’all have basically been dating since like 

Second year of high school

Even though it wasn’t official

It was obvious

He was whipped

He still is

He’s known you for five years

You’ve been officially dating for two of those years

You were unofficially dating for four

You were the most important thing in his life

You even surpassed becoming the number one hero somehow

Though he will NEVER admit that

EVER

It took him a while to realize it 

But the thought of living without you?

Scared him more than any villain ever could

And that is why

Mans is all dressed up

Lookin nice

Took a day off of patrol at his agency because tonight is a special night

Of course, you don’t know anything

As it should be

He didn’t tell a soul that he was planning on proposing tonight

Okay… maybe that is a lie

He told Kirishima when he got blackout drunk with the boys one night

Long story, don’t ask how it happened, even the boys don’t know

And Kirishima then proceeded to tell everyone of his other friends 

So they all knew

But they also all knew to keep it a FUCKING SECRET unless they wanted blown up

But boy oh boy they were excited to see the pictures and the ring and the everything

But I digress

Bakugou is in the house the two of you purchased a while back

It was very much off the damn grid

For ~safety~ 

And he’s very much just messing with how he looks

He has to look perfect because he knows you’re about to 

And he can’t be proposing to you unless he’s on your level

When suddenly

He gets a

Feeling

But it isn’t the warm feeling he gets when you’re happy

Or the doopy one he gets when you’re sad

Or the wave of exhaustion he feels when you’re tired

Or the tingly feeling he gets when you’re mad

No

It’s the feeling where his spine tenses

And his blood goes cold

And his heart drops to the floor

The one he only felt one other time

The time you almost died

He was out of that house so fast

He didn’t even care if he looked all nice

You were in danger

He blasted his way through the city

Saying he was frantic is an understatement

He was FERAL

He got to where you were just in time to see you get slammed into the concrete by some piece of shit villain

You were unconscious

And you weren’t moving

He saw red

He didn’t even remember blasting over to the villain and punching them in the face

But he did that

And he did it HARD

Of course the villain was like OH FUCK

THIS IS THE NUMBER TWO HERO

I DIDN’T THINK HE’D ACTUALLY GET HERE THIS FAST

Because obviously the villain knew who you were

That’s why you were targeted 

Breaking Bakugou’s spirit is needed if villains want to become more fearful and powerful

The villain starts sprinting away

And before Bakugou can catch them

He hears an ambulance siren

He suddenly forgets all about the villain because he whips around to see you getting loaded onto a gurney

Paramedics are doing everything they can to keep you alive at this point

He’s horrified to say the least

You’re the love of his life

The last time he saw you like this is when he accepted it

Seeing you like this again just makes him realize it even deeper somehow

He runs to the ambulance

But the paramedics tell him he needs to go to the hospital separately because you’re badly injured and they need to perform some procedures on the way to the hospital to keep you alive

He doesn’t even realize he’s crying until his eyes start to sting

He wants to tell the paramedics to fuck off

Don’t they realize this is supposed to be one of the best days of yours and his lives?

But he can’t 

Because before he can

They’re gone

He chases after you though

He needs to be by your side right now

He needs to know that you will be okay

He needs you to be okay

So imagine how nerve-wracking it is for him to learn that you were in surgery

He waited in the waiting room all day long

This incident happened around one in the afternoon

and it was now one in the morning

He was just sitting in the hospital waiting room

Looking down at the little box in his hand

Crying

Which is a sight for anyone who sees him

The ring he bought for you is the only thing he can focus on

He doesn’t even notice the non-stop buzzing in his pocket coming from his and your friends wondering if the two of you are okay because the footage of the fight cut out right before Bakugou punched the villain

They all thought you were both hurt pretty badly

I mean after your quirk was seemingly taken from you…

The only thing that snaps him out of his trance

Is when the doctor comes out and says his name

His head snaps up so fast

He approaches the doctor just as fast

He knows he should expect the worst

But he can’t help but keep repeating that you’re okay

That everything will be fine because you are okay

They fixed you up

You’ll come home all happy

He’ll propose to you in the living room at this point

Today will be fixed

Instead

He hears that although you’re stable

You have what appears to be brain damage

“What kind of fucking brain damage?”

“She has severe amnesia which means that-”

“How severe?”

“Well… according to her brain scan and the fact that she said the year was two and a half years ago, I’m afraid it’s significantly severe.”

Two and a half years

Two and a half years?!

He just stares at the doctor

If you think it’s two and a half years ago

That means he hasn’t asked you out yet

That means in your mind

You’re still in high school

About to graduate

This cannot be happening

There is not way this is happening

“Can I see her?”

His voice sounds foreign to him

The doctor nods

Leading him to your room

He puts the ring back in his pocket out of instinct

And when he enters your room

He wants nothing more than for you to yell something like PSYCH

GOT YOU BLASTY BITCH

HAHAHA

But he’s just met with a your mouth opening wide and eye getting big

“Bakugou?! You’re so dressed up!”

Bakugou

Why didn’t he let you call him Katsuki sooner

Why didn’t he ask you out before two years ago

Why wasn’t he there to save you

“W-Woah… Bakugou, you don’t have to cry this isn’t my first hospital stay… wait, when did you get an undercut?”

He just walks towards you

“You also look… older… is this seriously what you look like when you clean up?”

He watches as your expression falters for a moment

“Wait… are you like… going on a date or something?”

Good to know you still have feelings for him at least

He just nods

And you try to hide the disappointment on your face

“Oh… well, you better tell me all about it when we get back to the dorms.”

Your fake enthusiasm is killing him

What killing him even more though is that the doctors didn’t tell you what was going on

So he’ll tell you instead

“Actually,”

Damnit

His voice is wavering

This is new for him

He clears his throat

“I’m not… I’m not going on a date anymore. I had one but… things didn’t turn out as planned.”

“Oh?”

He almost smiles at the sudden mood shift you had

How can you still be perky like that sitting in a hospital bed

“Yeah… because, um. It was a date with you…”

“…Oh…?”

“You got hurt pretty bad, angel…”

He explains everything to you

Well 

As much as he can

And he also finds out about your quirk

And how it’s just

Gone

You have to stay in the hospital tonight for further testing tomorrow

And you insist that he goes home

But he says it isn’t home if you’re not there

He stays in the chair right next to your bed

Watching you as you sleep

He knows you believe him

He knows that you have feeling for him

But he’s broken, truly

Not only was he not your hero today

He didn’t save you

He doesn’t know if you’ll ever remember any of those years with him

Any of your firsts

And that makes him ache

He pulls out your ring again

And just looks at it

The only light in the room is the moonlight peaking in through the window

And in that moment

He swears to himself

And to you

That the villain who did this

Is going to pay

Kirishima Eijirou | Red Riot

Eijirou has always been your rock

Figuratively and literally

He’s there for you through everything

And I mean everything

The two of you have been next door neighbors since you were kids

And he literally always had a crush on you

Of course the feelings were mutual

But neither you nor shark boy knew that

Until y’all got to high school

And Bakugou was very

Annoyed

About the two of you pining for each other

Mina was beyond annoyed 

She went to middle school with you two

So when Bakugou finally just

Screamed at the two of you to just shut the fuck up with the flirting and date already

Mina deadass jumped out of her seat at lunch and screamed thank you at the top of her lungs

Of course the two of you were as red as his hair

Which, yes

You did help him pick out the exact shade and helped dye as well

His hands were stained red because he accidentally only bought one pair of gloves and it wouldn’t have been manly to make you help without gloves on

But I digress

The two of you started dating shortly after that

And when I tell you that you were the couple everyone would look at and be all “awwwww”

I MEAN IT

And y’all are just in high school

Granted, it’s your final year and the two of you are both interning and are already confirmed to become sidekicks and Fatgum’s Agency

So y’all do be a little mature

But still

You started dating freshman year

And you’re going strong still

Of course

And words cannot describe how relieved he is that the two of you are at the same agency

Because if anything ever went bad he would be there to save you

And you would be there to save him

But literally nothing could prepare him for what was about to happen to you

It was a normal patrol

The two of you were together

Talking about graduation next week

And how the two of you were excited to move out of the dorms and into the apartment you had picked

And how you would finally be able to adopt the little mutt that the two of you love from the shelter

When out of no where

A villain popped down off of a building

Right behind you

And did something weird to you

They hit you meticulously and in specific places

Before Kirishima could even process what was going on

You were on the ground

Of course

You raised an arm

Ready to fight and use your quirk

But nothing happened

You tried again

Nothing

You and Kirishima make eye contact and he can feel the fear radiating off of you

Now he was worried

Very worried

But you knew how to fight

And he was there, too

So this wouldn’t end too bad

UNTIL THERE WAS A FUCKING EXPLOSION IN THE BUILDING THE VILLAIN JUST POPPED OUT OF

You were already back on your feet

Ready to fight this motherfucker

“Go help the people inside, Red Riot. I can handle this one.”

“But-”

“GO!”

He goes

Reluctantly

But he does know you can hold your own

Even if that villain temporarily blocked your quirk

He hardens

Turning his headpiece into a filtering mask (a great addition he thought of so he could run into burning buildings while hardened to save people and not take damage to his lungs in the process)

And luckily

There were only three people inside

So he grabs them and runs out

Easy

And he’s expecting to be met with you handcuffing the bad guy

But instead

He’s met with you getting the life beat out of you

Literally

You’re on the ground

The villain pulled out swords while he was gone

And it was obvious you were down and weren’t gettingup

But the villain just wasn’t letting up

Kirishima’s legs work before his brain

He runs over to the villain and lands a punch to their face

Which causes them to stumble backwards

Before they throw the swords at a random citizen who is observing

He immediately runs to the citizen, deflecting the swords

But the villain ran off in the mean time

Like they disappeared without a trace

But honestly

Even if they were still there

Kirishima would have run to you regardless

He immediately kneels down

“(Y/n)?! (Y/n), can you hear me?!”

He ditched the hero names this time

You weren’t responding

You were out cold

He starts panicking

Like

Full on hyperventilating

You looked bad

You were pierced by the villains swords in your side

Blood was everywhere

Your breathing was shallow

Regardless of the genuine panic attack he was going through right now

He somehow managed to control his breathing so you wouldn’t bleed out on the ground

He needed to help you

He picks you up

Instantly starting to sprint to the ambulances beginning to pull up

As soon as the paramedics see the state you’re in they get you off of him

And speed off to the hospital

Kirishima is left alone 

Staring at his hands 

Which were dyed red with your blood

All he could see was your face laughing at him because he forgot to get two pairs of gloves the first time you helped him dye his hair

…He didn’t like red all that much right now

After what feels like hours

But was really like two minutes

Tamaki shows up

Because he heard there was something going on

And as soon as he sees Kirishima on the ground and sobbing

He knows something bad has happened to you

He quickly gets him out of there

And back to the agency

Where Kirishima accidentally sees a replay of the fight on television

And he sees that you were fighting the villain just fine

But they were so nimble and fast 

And all they did was hit the nape of your neck and then the side of your temple

And you collapsed

Tamaki turned the television off before the full fight was shown

But the damage was done

Kirishima was back on the ground

Tamaki tries to comfort him

But Kirishima is out of commission

“I couldn’t save her, Tamaki! I wasn’t there!”

“…C-Come on, Kirishima… w-we should… go to the hospital…”

Tamaki is trying so hard to get him to calm down 

But to no avail

So eventually he just drags him out and to his car

He speeds to the hospital

And Kirishima doesn’t even wait for the car to slow down to run inside

He has to wait to see you

Since you were punctured 

But he was willing to wait

And wait he did 

For four days

Of course after you were done with your surgery he was allowed in your room

But it was a matter of waiting for you to wake up

He was always with you

He only went home to shower

He slept at the hospital

He needed to be with you

So when you finally woke up

He cried tears of happiness for the first time in days

“(Y/n), thank god you’re awake.”

“Eiji? What happened…?”

“There was a villain attack and they knocked you out and-”

“Why don’t you look 15?”

“What?”

“You look… older… and your hair is longer.”

“…What? You were the one who encouraged me to grow it out…”

“I… I was?”

He stares at you for a moment

His happy tears turning into ones of fear

Before hitting the call nurse button and asking you a question

“(Y/n) what grade are we in?”

“We’re freshmen at UA High School.”

No. 

No, no, no, no, no

Before he could answer the doctor and nurses came in the room

They started asking you a bunch of questions

To which you answered the best you could

But it was obvious that you were convinced it was two years ago

The doctors took you off to do scans of your brain

This can’t be happening

You think it’s two years ago

Two years

So much has happened within those two years

The two of you have done so much

Just

Imagine how devastated he is when he hears your memory is just gone

And your quirk with it

You were a hero

Your quirk can’t be gone

“Eiji… please don’t cry, it’ll be okay.”

“I can’t help it, pebble. I wasn’t there to save you and now… now you don’t remember everything we’ve done. And… and your quirk… you’re the best hero I know, and now…”

“Eijirou, I promise you it will be okay. As long as you’ll be with me, like you always are, I will be fine.”

He doesn’t say anything

He just looks at his hand holding yours

At least you still remember he asked you to be his girlfriend

But he is deadset on finding the villain who did this to you

“I will get you out of this.”

“Ei…”

“I will fix this. I promise you. I will save you. I need to.”

[descendantofthesparrow]

Tightrope x Rewrite-POYW

Im waiting for my clothes to dry and I needed to write this out or my brain would keep me up all night. REWRITE (the normal one) MEETS TIGHTROPE LES GO

TIGHTROPE WRITTEN BY @disneyfan50​ AND @thetimelordbatgirl​

=

Mal blinked in surprise, looking around the enchanted forest wildly. Where had her friends gone?? She and the others were trying to get to the enchanted lake for Audrey’s 20th birthday and suddenly the ember had flashed in her pocket? And then she was just dropped into a random spot in the forest.

Her newly discovered combo powers had to be fucking with her. Mal stood, brushing off her ripped-dyed blue skinny jeans, and attempted to find a way back to the main paths, and maybe also find her bike.

As she walked around, something felt; off. Very very off; this forest felt nothing like the one she knew? It was…ominous? Not the fantastical forest that led to so many different places within Auradon she grew to love. Mal bit her lip, considering spreading her wings and looking above the treetops in hopes to find her friends quickly.

Just as she was about to do so, a loud sound caught her attention, her enhanced hearing making it all too obvious what it was. A weapon, hitting another.

Someone was fighting? No- a group, against….three teen girls? Unfair. Mal turned on her heel and bolted forward, dispersing into blue smoke as she traveled at sound-breaking speed. Mal broke out of the tree line, now on the shore of Ursula's strait. What she saw made her pause, yes it was three teen girls but how they looked is what made her stop.

A girl who had dark skin and teal braids in a high ponytail, a red tail coat that had Uma’s symbol on the back, and a nautilus shell necklace that greatly resembled Uma’s. She stared at the Harry-Uma combo child, which was weird but it solved the question in Mal’s mind.

‘where am I?’

‘in an alternate universe’

Mal had quickly deduced what the fuck was happening, spotting another girl who clearly was a copy of Gil, or better to say-his daughter, just as the dark-skinned girl was probably Harry and Uma’s daughter.

Mal had no clue who this last girl was, with good-sized golden wings out her shoulders, her dark skin seeming to glow under the sun.

The girl with wings yelped as one of the dark armored guards wacked her across the face with a mace, chucking as she hit the ground.

“oh hell no” Mal growled, her eyes and fists igniting with blue fire as a rage flooded through her veins. No one hurts any child on her watch.

Mal darted forward, her god-like strength aiding her as her fist slammed into the guard's head, his helmet cracking under her fist and then being rocketed back into the ocean, skipping a few times. Mal smirked, turning to the rest of the guards.

“Queen Mal?” the biggest one said, confused “what are you-these are your enemies!” Mal just frowned, was-was she the villain in this world?...probably yeah, if she was correct in her assumption, Rose didn’t exist here and so her ‘proper’ character development never happened, so this world's Mal was probably the biggest bitch.

Mal then hummed, raising her fists and they ignited in blue flames, her hair and eyes following their lead. “to your Mal, maybe. To me? It looks like some assholes trying to hurt some kids” Mal summoned her wings, her 19ft span scaring the guards. The three teens all took a step back, this…Mal-it was obviously Mal; it had to be! Same face and voice.

So why was she protecting them? Them? The daughters of her enemies?

Cordelia, Uma and Harry’s daughter, took a closer look. This…wasn’t their Mal? This woman had to be just older than them, maybe 19? Her hair was blue from the midsection down, wearing more blue than purple, and she was using magic that definitely wasn’t her own-or at least a magic their Mal had never used before.

Gabby, Gil’s daughter, pulled Cordelia and the other girl-K’Marah- back towards the tree line, wanting to get away from the fight and get away from this Mal in case she turned on them after getting her fill with the guards.

K’Marah and Cordelia watched in slight horror and awe as Mal punched a guard straight into the ground, the harder sand underneath him cracking and creating a crater under him. Mal then flew up in a swirl of smoke, dodging several blades. She reappeared midair and dove back down, a strong bright blast of violet bursting out as she collided with the guards.

And out of the rising smoke, Mal stepped out, wiping her hands on her pants as she looked back at the guards “assholes” she muttered, turning slowly as she looked back at the three girls. Then she smiled awkwardly and waved “uh, hi?” Cordelia jumped back and whipped her arm around, a large wave emerging from the ocean and crashing towards Mal “oh fuck” Mal’s yelp was muffed by the water as it slammed into her; the girls taking their chance to escape.

Mal just lay on the sand as the water moved back to the ocean, her yellow-green eyes staring slightly annoyed at the sky. “hades balls” she muttered out, steam rising from her skin and clothes as she started to dry off.

Mal stood, wiping off the back of her pants and vest, shaking her head and looking back towards where the girls had run “well” Mal muttered, glancing back towards the guards, all supporting a dragon symbol; the very same one she used to wear on all her clothes. “somethings fucked up here ain't it?”

Mal spread her wings and took to the skies, intending to find out what in the fuck had happened in this Auradon. And maybe also find out-

WHY DID HARRY, UMA, AND GIL HAVE KIDS?!?!

-

Rose and Uma stared at their surrounding area, defeated guards at their feet. Harry and Gil were a few feet away with Audrey at their side, inspecting some of the fallen guards and taking their weapons for later use. “any idea on what the fuck is going on?” Uma asked Rose, who just shrugged, fixing her now slightly-worn armored gloves.

“don’t know” Rose muttered, crossing her arms as she kicked the limp leg of a fallen guard “but with how these guards are decorated? Im going to guess; world where Mal is a whole ass bitch and took over Auradon?” Uma nodded in agreement; it was just too obvious. She could sense Mal’s fae magic permeating the air too, dense and ominous. And another magic as well, Maleficent's.

This world was definitely different than theirs. “we need ta move” Harry said as he walked back up to Uma and Rose, taking Rose’s hand as he stopped next to her, Gil and Audrey just behind him “Gil hear’d more guards comin’ this way” Uma nodded, leading the way as her friends followed close behind.

Gil grabbed Audrey’s hand as the clatter of armor got closer, telling his friends to run faster “go go!” Uma growled, her necklace glowing as she whipped around with her arm out. Water drained from the trees and quickly created a wall between them and the guards, Uma closed her fist, and the water turned to a thick wall of ice.

Rose whistled, impressed. Uma then snapped her fingers, their party clothes disappearing and their clothes changing into the gear they had worn during Audrey’s/Maleficent’s attempted take over from earlier that month. Though Audrey’s had changed into a simple pair of jeans, a light blue t-shirt, black boots, and a pink jacket.

The five young adults continued to run, squinting as they reached the tree line and the sun blinded them “fuck should've brought sunglasses” Rose muttered, shielding her eyes with her hand as she and the others slid to a stop on the sand. “uhhh, where do we go from here?” Audrey asked, voice tense as she looked back towards the forest, her hand clutching onto Gil’s tightly. Uma looked around, they seemed to be on a cliffside, near one of the shores of Ursula's strait. And if she remembered correctly, around here was one of the caves she had taken refuge in before finding her mother's old place. It was deep underwater but with her help, she and the others could get there and be safe.

“we’re getting wet!” Uma yelled out, leading her friends towards the cliffside and diving off, the others pausing as they reached the edge.

Uma hit the water, looking back up as she surfaced, her eyes telling them to quickly dive in before the guards caught up. Rose and Harry were about to go but a purple bullet of magic shot between them, stopping them.

“shit” Rose cursed, twisting around and holding up her fists as she glared at the large and black armored guard holding a huge gun. “we’re in trouble”

Harry withdrew his hook, spinning it in his hand. “fuck” he muttered, glancing back towards Uma who frowned up at him. He twisted back around as another shot was fired, he screamed as he was pushed over the edge, Rose’s hands leaving his chest as he plummeted towards Uma. “ROSE!” Harry was caught by Uma and he sputtered out the water that got into his mouth. “we have’ta help them!” Harry said as loudly as he could over the raging waves around them, Uma grit her teeth, looking back up towards the cliff.

She paused as several guards joined them in the water, Uma quickly pulling them completely under and drowning them “I don’t think she needs help” Uma chuckled, trying to lift Harry’s anxiety about his fiancé but he continued to stare up at the cliff “okay okay, hold on”

-

Far within the base, Uma and the others perked up as Gil ran down into the main area, pointing back towards the entrance “there are guards! Fighting three people!” Uma stood, grabbing her cutlass as Harry, Lia, and Gil followed close behind to help these people from Mal’s guards.

Though when they arrived at the surface, it seemed like they didn’t need their help? There was a girl, a few years older than Cordelia and Gabby, easily taking on the guards, disarming them, and using their own weapons against them. Harry grabbed onto Uma's shoulder as the gunman pointed his weapon at the girl, firing the magic dark purple bullet right at her. Lia’s wings appeared in a flash to go grab the girl but-the girl just turned with a smirk, the bullet slamming into her and then dissipating into nothing.

The guards stopped dead in their tracks, staring in pure horror as the girl just laughed, a dangerous glint in her eyes “sorry” she cackled, spinning the halberd in her hands, staring down the guards as they slowly backed up “that won't work~” the gunman grunted and flopped to the ground, a younger-looking Gil behind him, a mace in his hands. “let’s deal with the rest and then find Harry n Uma again” he nodded, grabbing-Audrey?!- from next to him and pulling her behind him and bashing away several guards as they tried to rush him.

The girl took out some of the remaining guards swiftly, giving no quarter as she slashed at their throats. Three suddenly appeared behind her, yelping as a red blur slammed into them, and Harry was shocked to see a younger version of himself taking down the guards, hook in one hand and sword in the other.

Then a younger Uma appeared, water swirling around her as she drowned the last of the guards. The five teens stood in the now empty cliffside, breathing heavily “we all good?” the girl in the scarlet crop jacket asked, holding out her hand to Harry as he walked towards her and took her hand tightly, looking towards Uma and Gil as they nodded “good, let’s get moving, I don’t want to deal with a third-round-” the girl turned suddenly, locking eyes with Uma…but not her Uma “-oh holy shit”

Uma stepped out from the hidden entrance and into the light, and the others followed behind her, all of them on high alert. She glanced at the younger version of herself, younger Uma grabbing onto the girl’s arm as she stared at them “well fry my dough and call me a donut” she muttered, younger Uma and Harry giving her an odd look “I think we fell into an alternate universe that’s in the future?”

Uma hummed, crossing her arms as her Harry and Gil stepped up beside her, staring at themselves. They stared back, younger Harry moving behind the girl slightly as younger Gil puffed up. “oh chill, all four of you” the girl snapped, talking to both versions of Harry and Gil, gently smacking the back of her hand against younger Harry’s chest “now, I think all of us should explain what the fuck is going on”

Uma and the girl held each other's eyes for a good minute, before she nodded “right, come along” the girl grabbed Harry and Uma’s hands as they slightly resisted going with the older version of Uma as Gil and Audrey followed after them.

-

“so-Mal, in your world-…isn't a full-on evil bitch?” Uma asked, leaning into her palm as her head thrummed with slight pain. The girl, Rose as she learned was called, nodded.

“yep, you don’t have to believe me. But it’s true, she’s…better, actually went to therapy, fully cut ties with her mom…well the best she could, apologized to everyone, including you” Rose gestured to younger-alternate Uma, who just nodded in confirmation. “im-going to guess her relationship with Ben here is just-absolutely horrible?”

Uma sighed and nodded, crossing her arms and leaning them on the desk “love spelled him, he’s not allowed to leave her side. We’ve tried to get him away but-we couldn’t. we only just barely freed the rest of her prisoners-with help from Lia and her parents-which were the royal family and their friends who were at the coronation”

Rose hummed, tapping on her chin “Rose can get Ben” younger Uma supplied, a grin growing on her face as her older self looked at her incredulous “she’s immune to magic, one of the best fighters in Auradon as well. She can get Ben; easily.” Rose nodded in slight agreement, but Uma didn’t believe either of them.

“I hate Mal but even I have to admit she’s strong, and how could you be immune to magic? And even if you are, how are you going to beat her dragon form? I don’t think you're immune to fire?”

“im from another-another alternate dimension, my DNA don’t work with the magic in this world or ‘mine’ so It just-doesn't work on me? Also she ain't a real dragon, she uses magic for all of it, meaning her fire is magic, meaning it can’t hurt me. We’ve tested it actually.” Rose waved Uma’s concern off at the mention of it being tested by the two “besides, I’ve fought Maleficent before, in her dragon form when she attacked Ben’s coronation; they aren’t as strong as they think they are. Their arrogance is their downfall.” Uma still looked unsure but her younger-alternate self just laughed gently.

“she took down Hook, Gaston, mom, and Hades-who she body-slammed by the way-she can handle Mal, easily. Trust us”

Uma stared at them for a good minute, then closed her eyes and nodded. Then she looked back at Rose “can you really get Ben back?” Rose smiled and nodded.

“I can, I would need to know Mal’s schedule though” Rose muttered, then smirked “and a sword”

-

Mal, our Mal, flew above the skies of Auradon, and she did not like what she saw. The bright and wonderous kingdom was in ruins, villages turned to ash, restaurants and art museums she always visited with Evie, Dizzy, and Rose were now just pillars and support beams. Everything was gone; and the only thing left standing was Ben’s castle, formed into something else entirely. Gone were the white and golden spires, replaced with black, green, purple, grey, and everything that made it feel like bargain castle instead of the magnificent castle she had grown to love.

“oh, my gods” Mal whispered, hovering a good hundred feet above the castle, tears burning at her eyes. She-she did this, this worlds Mal did this; she destroyed Auradon, destroyed Ben’s dream, destroyed the safe heaven the vks had come to know. But Mal had a feeling it wasn’t the same vks she was thinking of. Those two girls, just younger than her and both matching the sea three; they had to be their kids, so maybe-the vks that had come-maybe they were their descendants?

Mal wondered if she had a kid here, and if so, were they safe? Did this world's Mal hurt them?...probably, if the entire world around them was any proof. Mal decided to look for her Ben, and this worlds Ben; she had a feeling this Mal had been up to no good with him and she needed to get him out, make sure he was safe-maybe find Uma and deliver him to her or something, Uma had always had a good heart, and if nothing else she would take care of Ben.

Mal’s eyes glowed a soft yellow and she disappeared into the darkness surrounding her, small whisps of blue smoke following her. She dove down to the spires, landing on the tile and closing her eyes, extending her senses across the castle grounds; hoping to hear Ben.

And well, she did, two of them, and herself. And yep, she could tell this Mal was just-a whole ass bitch. Mal pouted a bit, wondering if she could sucker-punch this Mal when she grabbed the bens if she had time. But then she heard something else, something that sent waves of relief through her.

It was Rose! And-and Uma! It was older Uma too, and…a completely brand-new person she absolutely did not recognize the voice of. But she seemed nice, and as helping Rose-get Ben…cool, cool. Rose would be able to get ben much easier than she would, Mal could cause a distraction if needed be! But the other two probably wouldn’t trust her, she didn’t blame them but that would make this hard.

Mal listened to their plan quickly before mentally looking for a place where she could help, and she nodded after a few moments, spreading her wings again and flying towards evil Mal; keeping her cloaking spell on until she needed to unveil herself to fuck this Mal over.

-

Rose glanced up, feeling the wind above her move by quickly, and Lia was still behind her, walking with Uma. She hummed, having a feeling her Mal was also here, and was probably going to try to help to save Ben. Rose went over the plan one last time with both Uma and Lia; sneak into the castle using the secret passage only the royal family knew of(Rose only knew of it thanks to Ben), get into Mal’s chambers where she kept Ben when she wasn’t forcing him to be near her 24/7, take Mal down with a powerful temporary anti-magic splash potion, use some enchanted lake water to dispel Ben, get him out of there with Lia’s help, and then possibly behead Mal if she had time.

The two girls nodded and Rose disappeared into the darkness, heading for the west side of the castle. She ducked under a ridge and pressed herself against a stone wall, whispering to the gargoyle that faced away from her. “Villeneuve” the wall behind her pulled back and Rose rolled back into the long hallway that was covered in dust and cobwebs. “wow” she muttered, trailing her fingers against the grimy walls. In her world, even this passage was kept clean, just in case; and now it had been totally abandoned, which meant no one knew where it was then. That was good, no one would see her then.

She quickly moved through the hall, carefully maneuvering through the maze-like tunnel to get to the other side of the passage. She soon arrived and pressed the small button that cracked slightly from underuse.

Rose popped out into the west wing of the castle, still in ruins from years ago, untouched by anyone. Rose hummed in slight condition, wondering why they had decided to leave the wing alone. But it worked in her favor. Rose traveled through the halls, heading towards Ben’s room, since most likely Mal had decided to make that her chambers. She kept to the shadows as she made her way to the north wing where Ben’s room was.

Having to dodge a couple of guards and take a couple out, taking one guard's hand/arm armor (she liked the dragon claw look okay? Also extra weapon against Mal), she finally made it to Ben’s room and quickly lock picked the door open. And she was surprised to find not only the older Ben she had been looking for, but her ben; both sitting out on the balcony waiting for Mal to get back…but if Mal was always near them or the reverse, where was Mal?

It didn’t matter right now, now Rose had some Ben’s to save “psst” she hushed out, closing the door behind her and running over to them. “Ben” the older Ben turned, confused and alarmed as her Ben casually glanced at Rose then covered older Ben’s mouth to prevent him from calling guards or this worlds Mal “bruh what the fuck?”

Ben just laughed, holding up his right hand and wiggling his fingers, one having a gold band ring with a purple gem “Mal made me an anti-magic ring after the whole ‘her mom tried to process Audrey’ thing. also works against her magic, just in case” Rose hummed, mentally patting her mal on the back for her smart thinking. Then she took out the enchanted lake water vial and motioned for Ben to take his hand away; and before older Ben could yell Rose poured the water into his throat. His eyes flashed blue, then faded back to brown, the life returning to his eyes.

“Oh, holy Zeus” he muttered, looking around the room “what-what the heck?”

“please just say fuck” Ben muttered, grabbing himself by the arm and pulling him to follow rose “let's get the hell outta here! Please tell me you have an exit plan” Rose nodded, leading the Ben’s back to the west wing, taking down another couple of guards on the way.

Luckily the three ended up making it to the west wing easily, and getting through the complicated maze-like passage as well to the other side. Ben pulled his older self up and out of the doorway and followed Rose to the tree line, where Uma and Lia were waiting to get all five out of the castle area.

“oh, shit” Rose muttered, jumping back as a blast of purple hit right where she had been “Mal knows!” Rose yelled out, cursing as Mal appeared in front of her, eyes glowing bright green and growling at her “oh fuck off you fucking no-winged lizard, you ain't fucking scary”

Older-worst fashion choices-Mal dared to look offended at that, then she held her hand up and muttered a spell under her breath, and Rose recognized it as a blasting spell “come on, gimme your best shot~” Rose taunted, giving Mal the ‘come at me’ gesture. Mal growled again and sent the blast, Uma, Lia, older Ben, and Mal all freezing as Rose just chuckled, the magic blast dissipating as it hit her body, cracking her neck to the side.

“that won't work~” younger Ben sang, clapping his hands slightly “she's immune to magic~” Mal took a step back as Rose stepped forward, drawing her sword.

“I've taken down people a lot scarier than you” Rose hummed, her eyes sharp and dangerous “including your mother; so why don’t we both make this easy on ourselves and give up.” Mal looked to her sides, trying to think of a plan, when one devious one came to mind. She lept back, smoke swirling around her body as she took her dragon form. Rose just snorted and rolled her eyes, angering Mal further.

Mal took a deep breath, aiming for Ben, to which Rose realized her plan “OI, HELL NO” if Mal couldn’t have him, no one could. Mal released a fire tunnel towards Ben, the two bens clutching onto each other and screaming.

Suddenly her flames spiraled, blocked by two large spiked wings. Mal growled, then stopped, eyes widening as she locked eyes with-herself. But a very different version of herself. Gone was the purple, green, and black color pallet, replaced by cool greys, smokey blues, light purples and swatches of black. Her eyes were bright green and surrounded by black. Her hair blue and flowing like fire.

And she had horns, real horns, not like the ones she styled into her hair, and large wings that covered both Ben’s and herself easily. And a tail. The alternate version of herself checked on the Ben’s, smiling softly as the younger Ben nodded. Mal patted both their backs then took to the sky with a strong gust of wind. Then dragon Mal was suddenly slammed back, a fist going into her jaw; she crumbled against the castle, a pained roar echoing out.

Mal tried to catch younger Mal, but she couldn’t even see her, younger Mal moving so quickly she was invisible to dragon Mal’s eye.  Under the barrage of younger Mal, dragon Mal’s scales cracked and broke off, her teeth chipping and she was slowly being battered back into collapsing. What was with this strength? This-power? If they were the same person, why did this Mal have powers she did not? What made her so special?!

But she didn’t have any more time to think, younger Mal slamming down into dragon Mal’s chest and forcing her into the ground, a crater forming under dragon Mal’s body. Younger Mal flew up, breathing heavily as she watched her older-evil self form back into her human self, completely knocked out. Mal huffed, nodding, flying back down to rose and Ben “WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!” Mal screamed, waving her arms around as her wings, tail, and black eyes disappeared, leaving just her horns.

“shit happened, we’re in an alternate dimension where the vks that were invited were your kids, by Ben’s son, and then you and your mom took over and destroyed Auradon after Jane’s kid snatched the wand and broke the barrier by accident like Jane did for us. And now four months later some more shit happened and now we're here and you’re gonna help kick your ass and your mom's ass” Mal nodded, appreciating Rose’s quick explanation “good, Uma, Harry, Gil, and Audrey are at the base and you’re gonna carry our Ben there while Lia” Mal glanced over, seeing the gold winged woman that looked a lot like the younger gold winged girl, her mother Mal guessed “carries this worlds Ben. Good?” Mal nodded again, jogging over to Ben and holding out her arms for permission to carry him. Mal laughed as he tilted into her and she moved him into a bridal carry, turning to Lia and older Uma with a smile.

“Lead the way,” Mal said, spreading her wings again, her tail returning with a flash of purple. Uma and Lia glanced at each other, then at Rose, then at Ben and Mal. This Ben seemed to fully trust this Mal, in fact he was making it difficult for her to hold him, wriggling around and putting his full weight into her arms “Ben fucki-dude-I will drop you don’t test me” Ben just laughed, older Ben stepping away slightly. Mal looked to Uma, adjusting Ben in her arms “if you want, I can drop Ben off in a certain location if you don’t want me at the base” Uma seemed genuinely surprised at Mal’s suggestion, somehow knowing Uma and Lia didn’t trust her.

Uma liked that idea better, and she agreed, giving Mal a general location to fly to, and then they would grab Ben from there. Mal nodded, spreading her wings and taking to the skies, quickly disappearing into the clouds.

Lia stared after her for a few moments, glanced at the defeated Mal, and then walked over to Ben, smiling at him “Hello Ben, im Lia. Im going to take you to the rebellion base, your wife and children are already there” Ben’s anxiety melted away with those words, a smile growing on his face.

“oh thank the gods, I've been so worried” he whispered, accepting Lia’s bear bug after she motioned for permission “it’s nice to have a clear head” Lia laughed, spreading her wings, and with one flap; she was in the skies and flying back to the base.

“I can imagine, having the purple beast in your head couldn’t have been fun” Lia joked, Ben nodding against her shoulder. They continued to talk as Lia flew above the trees and land of the ruined Auradon, Ben going silent sometimes as he spotted the once glorious buildings of Auradon city.

Soon they landed just outside the top side entrance, Gil welcoming them in and the two descended into the base. Ben visibly brightened as he spotted Audrey, cradling Briana in her arms as she talked to Alexander. “Audrey!” Audrey gasped at the call of her name, standing with relieved tears in her eyes.

“Ben!” she called back, running towards Ben with Briana still in her arms, Alexander just behind her. Ben slammed into her, careful not to crush Briana as he held Audrey close, breathing her in as he reached out for alexander as he came closer. “Ben” Audrey sobbed out, nearly collapsing against him “I thought we lost you forever”

“I thought I did too” he whispered back, holding his family close as Lia smiled at them, keeping her hands folded in front of her. K’Marah joined her at her side, glancing at Carla and Coco every once in a while.

Soon Uma, Rose, and younger Ben walked into the base, younger Audrey running up to meet him “Ben! Thank the gods you’re okay!” Ben eagerly accepted the hug from his oldest friend, patting her back slightly.

“im glad you’re okay too, and happy birthday” Ben laughed, taking out a small pink and silver necklace from his pocket, to which Audrey squealed at “sorry we all got a bit distracted” Audrey waved him off, clipping on the necklace.

“oh it's fine, we all got sucked into an alternate dimension where Mal is a whole ass bitch” Audrey chuckled, perking up and looking around at the mention of Mal “speaking of which, where is our mal?”

“back in the forest, Uma doesn’t trust her so she's staying back until we need her” Rose supplied, going over to Harry and Gil as they talked to Gabby and Cordelia. “she helped get Ben and kicked this worlds Mal’s ass” Both bens nodded in confirmation and Uma sat next to younger Harry and her daughter, to which the teen tugged at her mom's sleeve, whispering something in her ear.

Uma’s eyes widened and she sat up, mouth agape “she-she did? All three of you?” Cordelia nodded, and Uma sighed, leaning her head into her palm “apparently Mal, your mal” Uma looked to Rose at this “saved Cordelia, Gabby, and K’Marah a day or so ago, from our Mal’s guards; about the time you all arrived” Rose chuckled, crossing her arms and tilting her head.

“Yeah, I can believe that, after Mal started going to therapy” everyone looked surprised at that “I know right? She actually admitted she was fucked in the head and willingly went to therapy, anyway; she's gotten a lot better and is very protective of any kid she comes across, she doesn’t want them to experience even the slightest bit of what she went through under her mom's hand.” Malachi, Mal’s son of this world, pursed his lips, wondering for a moment if the other Mal was truly like this, after dealing with his mother and grandmother for so many years, trust was hard to give. So forgive him for not leaping to meet this Mal.

After a few minutes of discussion between the leaders of the rebellion, both Ben’s, both Audrey’s, and Rose. It was decided that the ‘good’ Mal would be allowed into the base, with the exception she would have a trusted rebellion member around her at all times to keep an eye on her; just in case. And so, Mal walked into the base spinning on her heels to get a good look at everything, and Malachi was genuinely stunned to see her, she looked-way different than his mom; real horns, wings out her back, a freaking tail, black sclera eyes with green irises, sharp teeth, and a very different style than his mother.

Her hair was totally different too, dark purple to bright blue, almost looking like-a mix of hades and Maleficent…which was weird but okay, her color pallet was different as well, a mix of blues, purples, greys, with some patches of green instead of the purple and green he and his mother had.

She locked eyes with him and froze for a good minute, then ducked into a crouch, muttering to herself “uhhh” Malachi shuffled awkwardly, crossing his arms as Rose covered her mouth and laughed. “what-?”

“she's dealing with tha’ fact tha’ she has a kid now,” younger Harry said monotonously, going back to talking with his Gil and Uma, who rolled their eyes at Mal. Mal suddenly stood and took a deep breath, looking at Malachi again then turning on her heel and walking away.

“Mal?” Uma called after her, laughing as Mal tossed her hands up and continued walking away “give her some time, she’ll come around. In the meantime, I thought you should prepare for her to come say hi at some point, because she probably will try to mother you” Uma said to Malachi, who looked mildly uncomfortable at that notion.

And Uma was right, because two days later Mal introduced herself to Malachi, and while it took a while for Malachi to get accustomed and comfortable with her, he came to…enjoy her company; surprisingly.  She was very different from his mom; genuinely kind, her dry humor easily blended with his, and what he learned, was the one to choose good in her world after taking the wand from Jane. And she had kept her word from then, growing beyond her mother and becoming her own person that thrived in Auradon, just like he had wanted to.

She didn’t feel like a mom though, more like-and aunt, a sarcastic-very protective of him and his friends-willing to kill everything for him, aunt. It was…kinda nice, having a version of his mother that actually liked him and wanted him to be safe.

It was very odd to be around a version of Mal and Uma that weren’t at each other's throats, instead of throwing snarky comments and light-hearted teasing, not a word of ‘shrimpy’ came from this Mal’s mouth. Harry still was a bit-iffy with Mal, but Malachi guessed that was a thing that would never change in any universe.

Soon, after everyone who had been a prisoner was healed up, a plan was made to finally retake Auradon. Mal had no threat to dangle in front of them, no Ben to flaunt. It was time. They would utilize their alternate universe selves, especially Mal and Rose, one who easily overpowered evil mal and the other immune to magic.

It wouldn’t be easy, but it would be easier than it would be without them; Uma made a plan that involved Mal’s dragon form, one that was much larger and more powerful than both evil Mal and Maleficent.

They had people, power, and advantages that Mal didn’t have. They were ready, they would win.

-end-

I DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO END THIS SO I JUST-ENDED IT?! SORRY IF IT FEELS WEIRD AH

also everyone is legit just wearing their d3 rewrite gear, minus Ben, Mal, and Audrey; they be wearing a(in order of previously mentioned) a suit TR Mal forced on him, dark blue jeans, a purple t-shirt, and a blue-grey denim vest splotched with dark purple. and some sneakers. Audreys outfit was already discribed so imma not do that again.