#cliff hanger ending

[vintagegirl01]

Remember the Time (Pt.2)

Genie Steven Grant x female reader

Summary: As you fight for your sanity in the present, you work through trying to decipher fantasy from reality. For how can someone you remember so vividly be a figment of your imagination.

Meanwhile, in the past, you and your handsome genie are becoming more than just acquainted with each other.

A/N: There are some negative depictions about mental health institutions as well as talks about the reader ‘s mental health. As I mentioned before, some of this story will follow the Once Upon a Time in Wonderland Story but not entirely. Otherwise, just sit back and enjoy the next part of this series.

Though you have been in this stinking asylum for only a few months, it’s been nothing but cruel torture. Though, not for the reasons one would think.

You were sent here after the incident that occurred.

Despite the recurring dreams of you and your handsome genie that you met what felt like a lifetime ago, you can’t bring yourself to think of what happened to him. Of what you saw happen to him.

Therefore, you try to hang on to the happy memories that you do have of him while you can before they get taken away from you by the doctors here.

The ones that are trying to convince you that Steven, your Steven, is nothing but a figment of your imagination. Of a little girl within crying for love and attention from those around her.

________________________________________

“Is something wrong, Steven?” You note the way the handsome man keeps looking over his shoulder. “You seem a little on edge.”

Steven turns around to face you. “Sorry… Being a genie is like being a wanted man.”

“Someone’s always after you?” You asked.

Steven continues looking around the outdoor pub you two are currently dining in, with a playing with a piece of paper. There’s various patrons walking around the two of you but none that you notice who might be interested in either of you.

“Do you know who that someone is?” You question.

Steven looks around the two of you for a moment. Once you feel he thinks that the coast is clear, he faces you again. “At the moment, a man called Jafar. He carries the staff with the head of a serpent, so if you ever see him…”

“What…?” You asked carefully.

Steven then smiles at you. “Well let’s just hope you never do, love.”

There’s only silence for a second before you fill the silence again. “What does he want with you?”

“What everyone wants…” Steven starts. “What they don’t have.”

You look at him, feeling bad for him. “You don’t have to stay out on my account. If you’re safer in your bottle, you should…”

“No,” Steven instantly replied, with a smile still on his lips.“This is the closest thing I've had to freedom in a long time.”

You smile in relief. The last thing you want is to make Steven uncomfortable. “I could say the same.”

“If your home is such a prison, why make it your wish to return?” Steven asked in confusion.

“….I… I have nowhere else to go,” you finally replied.

Steven gives you his best smile. “You have the whole world, (y/n).” I can show it to you. All you have to do is wish.”

“But, I have more questions,” You say, giving him a pouty look.

The genie lets out a small laugh. “What else would you like to know?”

“Everything,” You respond. “The people you’ve met, the things you’ve done…Have you ever slain a dragon?”

He nods.“Once. Though I can’t recommend it. ”

“I’ve never been comfortable with a sword,” you blush in embarrassment.

Steven gives an incredulous look. “You’ve never felt comfortable with a sword?How have you managed to survive all this time?”

“There’s other ways to fight,” you playfully countered. “And in Wonderland, you just have to be creative.”

“Like this?” Steven then hands the scrap paper that was in his hand towards you. Though instead of it merely being a scrap of paper, it was now in the shape of a rose.

He then offers it to you to take. “It’s beautiful, Steven.”

As you bring the beautiful piece of heart close to your face, you catch a whiff of it…and it actually smells like a rose.

“It’s Magic Paper,” Steven replies. “A little something I picked up on my travels.”

“You traveled a lot, I take it?” You ask him with curiosity.

“Indeed. It’s the price of many masters. I’m never in one place very long. They make their wishes and just move on.”

“I’m afraid I know the feeling. I know what it’s like to be moved on from.”

“I find it hard to imagine anyone wanting to move on from you.” Steven then motions for the magic paper flower in your hand to bloom even more beautifully than before.

Your smile never leaves your face.“Amazing… Can you teach me?”

Steven smiles, nodding. “An origami lesson shall be yours.”

“… Actually, I meant the swordplay,” You internally winced, wondering if he would actually be willing to teach you, a woman, how to do something like this.

As always, Steven agrees to your request with a smile and soft laugh. You look down to notice that your white, magic, paper rose has changed from the color white to red.

_________________________________________

You and Steven swords clashed against one another for a bit until he finally says, “For someone who’s not comfortable with swords, you’re quite good.”

The two of you begin to walk in circles. “I must get one of those someday.”

Noticing how Steven reacts, you clarify. “No, that wasn’t a wish.”

The two of you continue to clash swords and banter for a bit more until you are left with your back towards a tree and Steven trapping you with his and your own sword.

You sigh.“It’s hard to be creative when your opponent is uncommonly creative too.”

“Well I suppose the trick is to always be smarter than your opponent, which means you have to know what you’re up against,” Steven says a bit cocky. The first time he’s sounded so for that matter.

“I’ll remember that” you responded innocently.

“So (y/n), what now?” Steven is still in position with the swords trapping you.

Though you could easily leave from under them, you decide to go about this differently. “ I think I know my opponent. I think I know his weakness…”

“Really?” The handsome man questions.

You nod unsure. “ I hope so.”

You then close the gap between the two of you and kiss Steven. After a few moments, you pull away for a second. “Looks like I was right.”

Steven drops both swords and instantly uses his hands to bring you in for another kiss.

_________________________________________

Present day…

You lay again in your room with your back facing the door when you hear a creak.

Another session of those doctors trying to break you regarding everything. About your adventures in Wonderland. Steven. Falling in love with the genie. Why you scream at night…

You close your eyes as hot tears fall to your cheeks. Even after all this time, that day still feels fresh.

——————————————————————-

You and Steven were admiring the view of the Boiling Sea.

“I’ve heard of it before but to see it in person is even more amazing,” you say in astonishment.

Steven looks to his side to face you. “As are you.”

You both look at each other intensely for a bit until you almost trip over the ledge of the cliff the two of you stand on.

“Careful, love” Steven says as grabs you from your upper arms to pull you back to safety.

The two of you giggle. “I’ve never met a human quite like you, (y/n).”

You smile. “And I’ve never met a genie quite like you, Steven… Actually, I’ve never met a genie.”

“Okay,” Steven mutters to himself.

As he notices the confusion in your face, he begins to explain himself. “Forgive me, I’m not used to… I was always the one granting wishes, not making them…”

“Making them? What do you mean, Steven?”

“For centuries, I was tethered to a bottle. A slave to the 40 dreams of man and all that time I only had one wish: to never be a prisoner again. And now I have another.”

Before you can respond, he interrupts. “Wait. I think the people in your world do this down on…”

“Yes!” You say instantly and excitedly.

“What?”

“Yes! Yes, I will!” You exclaimed happily.

“But I had a whole speech. It was charming and eloquent and had…”

You bring him up from his feet and kiss him.

After a few seconds, Steven pulls away to show you the necklace on him turning bright red. “Our hearts are intertwined. Now I’ll know when you're near and you will know.”

The happy moment between you two is interrupting by thumping from the ground.

“(Y/n), Run!” Steven tells you.

_________________________________________

You jolt up from your sleep.

Though you are glad to know it was just a dream, you are once again met with the reality of where you are and the fact that Steven isn’t with you.

You aren’t left to think too long when you hear the door to your cell unlock. You don’t look up. Figuring it’s another doctor coming to pick your brain and sedate you.

“(Your full name). It’s nice to finally make your acquaintance,” an unfamiliar voice says.

You look up to find a man with dark shoulder length hair, facial hair, dark eyes, and wearing a black cloak. The thing that sticks out the most to you is his serpent staff. “Who are you?”

The man smirks. “My name is Jafar, and I believe you and I can help one another.”

“Not interested,” you quickly responded. Though you can’t remember why, your gut tells you that you shouldn’t trust this man.

The smirk on the man who calls himself Jafar doesn’t leave his face. “Not even for your genie?”

Taglist:

@autismsupermusicalassassin @missdictatorme @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @my-secret-shame @bit-dodgy-innit @angel-of-the-moons @ominoose @faretheeoscar @official-mr-knight @oscarssimp @reallyrallyauthor @runa-falls @emma23 @writefightandflightclub @anny-writes @nathanbatemanfucker @giona45-5 @ivystoryweaver @mylittledelulucorner

[shorthaltsjester]

watching the sdcc panel and i am just very :) about how sweet their answers to “what are some of the micro moments from the game that have stuck with you the most over the years?” are. taliesin saying what the fuck is up with that which was the first like The Party Gets To Know Each Other moments of c3. travis saying asking his wife if he could kiss her in campaign. marisha going way back to the cannonball competition in campaign one. ashley choosing the beauyasha date but also just the silly goat noise matt made. liam adding onto that to compliment matt roleplaying grass so well and then saying his favourite moment was writing a story for laura and reading it to her as caleb for jester. and then matt saying that was his answer, and that his favourite moments of the game are when they find ways to give gifts to each other whether tangible or not. and sam saying his favourite moments have less to do with the story and is more so when he can just. see his friends across the table from him. when marisha perches and when laura and ashley are (badly) drawing dicks and liam saying he loves when sam sneezes and ashley tells him to stop it and just. yeah. they Are an extremely popular online powerhouse, but i’m so happy that they’re also friends building a world together out of gifts to and love for one another.

like i Am so enamoured with the characters and the world of exandria but the moments when you can feel the love that those people have for each other reach out from behind the stained glass of their performances (to steal a metaphor from brennan lee mulligan) are so extremely special and i am endlessly grateful that they decided to share their silly little home game with the world.

[0xeyedaisy]

Ough... Love the expression..

[hischiershoe]

hey there! for your sunday funday can I please request 02. pushing strands of their hair out of their face with john marino? thank you queen!!

thank you for sending in!!

John was never an overly touchy person. He wasn't a big hugger. He always made sure to keep enough space between him and someone else. It wasn't that he was against it, he just thought it to be intimate and an act reserved for loved ones. At least he did until he met you.

When John moved to Utah, he obviously hadn't had many friends outside of the team, but then he stumbled into you in the lobby of his building. He had nearly ran you over trying to get to practice one morning, apologies tumbling out of his mouth as he helped you pick up the contents of your purse. You were sweet, telling him that it was perfectly fine and accidents happen.

You had reached for your lipgloss at the same time that John had, your fingers brushing together for a fleeting second in a way that made goosebumps rise on his skin. The touch makes him freeze, giving you the opportunity to gather the rest of your stuff and rise to your feet. You watched as he shook his head and his curls bounced around before he stood to his full stature, which was tall.

"I'm sorry, again," He rushes out, his brown eyes soft and genuine.

"It's okay," You reiterate, your smile making John's heart ram into his chest, "I promise, but I do think you owe me something."

"Oh, yeah," He chuckles, quirking his brow as he looks down at you, "What's that?"

"Your name, maybe," You smoothly affirm, lips twitching in amusement.

"John," He introduces, giving you a smile of his own as he holds out his hand, "Yours?"

Your name filters in through his ears, but the second your hand slides into his, it was like everything around him disappears. Your touch makes him feel something warm, something unfamiliar. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but the one thing he was sure of was that he wanted to feel it again.

As your friendship with John began to grow, you came to realize that physical touch was definitely his thing. He was always throwing his arm over your shoulder, pulling you into his chest, and he always sat close enough to you that your thighs were pressed against each other. It never bothered you and you never thought anything of it, but after a few hangouts with his teammates and friends, you realized that he was only like that with you.

The realization gave you hope. Hope that maybe your relationship with John had all the necessary components to progress into something more, something romantic.

“I don’t see why you insist on walking here when it’s this windy,” You complain as you try to keep up with John’s long strides, “I have a perfectly good car at the garage!”

“Because it’s the routine,” He states matter of factly, slowing down so you weren’t having to take such large steps, “We do this every game day.”

“Hockey players and their damn superstitions,” You let out a teasing groan as you knock your shoulder against his bicep, “Our routine couldn’t have been like, I don’t know, door dashing breakfast or something.”

John’s ears perk up at the way the words ‘our routine’ flows so effortlessly off your tongue, and it makes the warmth in his chest spread all the way to his finger tips. He tries not to let himself focus on it too much, wanting to be present in his time with you, but damn can he not stop thinking about it.

By the time the two of you finish eating and are heading back to the complex, John has nearly convinced himself that he was ready to tell you how he feels. He couldn’t pretend with you anymore, he needed you to know.

“Are you coming to the game tonight,” He asks as he comes to a stop right outside your door.

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” You confirm, shifting your gaze to him, “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Your hair had fallen in your face during your search for your eyes, and you were seconds away from pushing it back when John beat you to it. He gingerly brought his hand to your face, his fingers grazing your cheek as he pushes the loose strands behind your ear, his eyes never leaving your face.

Your heart was ramming into your chest, your breathing uneven and shaky from his touch alone. Your skin was on fire, anticipation building in your stomach as you waited, hoped, that he was finally going to make a move. His thumb brushes the curve of your jaw as he retracts his hand back to his side, snapping you out of your haze before you take a deep breath.

“Almost had me there,” You nervously let out.

“What do you mean,” He earnestly asks, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

“Thought you were finally about to kiss me,” You swallow as you immediately let your stare fall to the floor. That way if he rejected you, at least you wouldn’t have to see it.

“You—,” He cuts himself off, taking a step closer to guy before he continues, “You want me to kiss you?”

“Obviously, Johnny,” You mumble, throwing your hands in the air, “I don’t look at your lips all the time for no reason. I thought maybe yo—”

He doesn’t let you finish your sentence. Instead, he hastily closes the already small gap between you and slams his lips on your own. Your reaction is instantaneous, your hands fisting the fabric on his chest as you kiss him like you’d never kissed anyone before. His hands were pulling you in by your hips, the two of you clinging to each other like you were the only thing keeping each other anchored to reality as your mouths moved in sync.

You were getting dizzy, both from finally kissing John and from lack of air getting to your lungs, and you reluctantly pulled away from him. You don’t get too far, though, only moving enough to let your forehead fall to his chest as you catch your breath. His chest heaves under you as he does the same, his arms circling around your lower back to keep you close to him while the two of you stand there in silence.

“I hope you know this is a part of our pre-game ritual now.”

[kurosstuff]

Hopefully thos is a good casual talk(not totally idk HELP ?)

HELP- Im still watching so forgive me if I didn't write her wrll I don't remember much from the first time I watched- tell me if I need to change anything from how I write "soft" carmilla(which tbh I don't think would be all that soft given who she is bur she tries)

Warning(s): fluff no angst(maybe a tiny bit? Idk), soft Carmilla, MAYBE ooc carmilla, carmilla is just head over heels for you, CLIFF HANGER ENDING, kinda rushed idk

Carmilla x human! Reader: late night talks

It's not every day or night you get alone time with your beloved girlfriend...or mate? Whatever the proper term would be. Carmilla was always busy doing God's knows what. From being with her sisters and planning whatever they do in that meeting room, going out personally to ensure her plans are working herself. Never allowing herself a break not even the Queen vampire herself is free from paper work.

Just comes with the responsibilities she has on herself

Makes nights like these so worth it- how she wore her sleep wear finally relaxing in bed with you awake this time- a hand gently scratching your scalp- her retractable claws shortened to ensure your comfort and safety- how she pulled you snug into her chest- "my darling?" She spoke softly- making you grin nuzzling into her making her hum softly

Oh how lucky you are- the only one in the universe itself to hear her speak speak in such a soft way- "my mate?" She purred out softly kissing the top of your head smiling softly once you looked up at her "now what's on your mind? So much I had to repeat myself to gain your attention?" She purred softly the usual playful glint in her eyes when she looked at you.

But you knew. Everyone knows how she loaths repeating herself. No matter what it is- but when it's you? She doesn't seem to mind that much...but even she has limits with you.

"You~" you replied, quickly leaning up to kiss your lover softly, making her hum content almost smug at your words "oh of course~ my darling Carmilla adores to be thought about no?" You teased softly moving to sit up stretching

A soft growl followed by a grumble escaped the vampire behind you- followed by rustling "you know your the only one I want to think of me in such a way. Like how you plauge my thoughts and dreams~" Carmilla purred out, moving to wrap an arm around your waist, pulling you close, practically dragging you on her lap- you'd call her clingy if you didn't get hissed at before from the 'lies'

"Oh~? I plauge you my dear? Such a horror no?"

"Indeed it is~" smirking softly kissing your lips softly her cold fangs brushing against you in a soft motion "but I wouldn't want it any other way my lovely little human~" she hummed out softly leaning to look out the window- the full moon shining as she huffed

You knew exactly what that meant. That distaste on her face. How irritated she became so fast- so quickly. You prayed you had longer to be with her. In her arms

"I must leave soon"

"Must you?" You cut her off knowing anyone else? Wouldn't have survived much less gotten a half of a glare. "Must you leave? You can stay longer~? With me.. in our bed~ our room? Cuddling more?" Turning in her hold to face her fully as she hummed thinking it over

"..not too much longer. My sisters think I spoil you too much, " making you fake gasp- earning a soft laugh,"but I believe you're not spoiled enough~" staring at you softly in that loving look- how you truly help her unbeating heart as she holds your beating one

"What do you think of marriage?"

The room fell silent as she stared at you- mouth slightly open before she hummed. Automatically, you felt guilty. Knowing from what she spoke before- she doesn't enjoy the idea of it. How she would have to share her status? Share control? Both things she hated the most.

Hated giving control to anyone. Even her own sisters. To the point it would lead to arguments. Rare fights between them all- but as you understood, they did to- so their would always be a condition. Agreements. How Carmilla would have more control then the others even just slightly. It's something no one could blame her for it.

"Oh god i.. carmilla, I'm so sorry for suggesting g the idea i-" you quickly rushed to fix your slip up- something you never wanted her to know. The one selfish(you deemed) thought.. dream to have. To have her as your wife- more then just a girlfriend as you spilled over your apology- Carmilla watched you closely in thought

"Marriage?" She hummed softly, rubbing your waist in an attempt to calm you - which as always did. "I have thought of it," she hummed softly, "marrying you. Making you mine for eternity." Leaning agaisnt the bedframe making you look at her once again flushed- earning a smirk from her "being your wife~ now that. Isn't a bad thought~" she hummed in thought tapping your waist in deep thought of what that could mean

Of what she's saying.

"My gods.. Y/N.. how inlove with you must I be to allow this thought?" She spoke softly speaking parts of her mind allowed. You stayed quiet listening to her as she gathered whatever she had planned "marriage is on equal standings with each other. Of course we are now but. Their was always that control I had fully. I'm a queen- your my human lover." She hummed softly tilting her head furrowing her eyebrows

Had you heard anyone else say that- you'd be upset. Mad. But not her Not at your Carmilla. You understood why she said that- why she saw you as an equal being but not. Your still a human- not even you can make her see humans as more then a pest- but you've always been seen differently in her eyes

"...I think I'd like it" Blinking, you looked back at Carmilla, who almost seemed bashful.. an odd contrast from what you usually see. The usual calculating face. Of someone who planned what she would do. Planned to say before hand

But now- you hear the rare thoughts allowed before she herself thought it through "I would love to marry you one day. Maybe not soon. But one day. When you and I are both fully ready." Holding you closer, not minding the fact you are now too flustered by her words to reply - she already knew the answer - so she smirked, kissing you deeply trying to show her deep love to you in a physical way "so I'll ask you~ my darling human~ my mate~" she purred against your lips leaning back- to hold your hands kissing the finger where a ring would sit

"Will you marry me one day?"

[lfghughes]

Won't Do It Again pt.3

It was easy to fall back into this habit with Jack. All the times he hurt you would be erased from your mind and instead you lived in this love filled state. It had been a couple of weeks since Jack had reached out and it had been a blissful couple of weeks. You were getting the attention you wanted from him and he was over essentially every night.

When you weren’t with Jack, you were still spending time with Nico. Of course some guilt filled you when you were with Nico because yes you liked him and yes you liked spending time with him but he wasn’t Jack. It also made you feel worse because you knew he liked you a lot more than you liked him.

Earlier today he had asked if you wanted to go watch his practice and you agreed because why not. You barely had spoken to Jack at his practice but you weren’t really expecting much from him during his practices. It also wasn’t shocking hours later when he ended up at your place. Both of you laid on the couch, his arms around you as his fingers playfully traced your skin. “So you and Nico have been hanging out a lot…”

Your stomach took a small dip at the mention of Nico but also a part of you wondered if Jack was slightly jealous. “Yeah, we’re good friends. You know this.” You shrugged as you looked up at him, trying to decipher the look on his face. “So that’s all it is? Just friends? You’re not into him a little?” He asked and you shook your head. 

“Why are you asking? Trying to make sure you still get invited over?” You teased. Jack rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. “No, I don’t care. You can date whoever you want. Doesn’t matter.” And with those words your heart sank into your stomach. It was clear he didn’t notice how much his words hurt you and so you sat there in silence, not sure what to say. Part of you wanted him to leave but another part of you still wanted to believe he was just jealous and didn’t mean what he said.

Suddenly you felt his fingers trace against your skin again. “We’re going on one of our road trips for our games. Kind of hate going because can’t be here with you every night.” He mumbled and once again you were melting into him. “I’ll miss you too loser.” You teased him as he gave you a quick kiss to the top of your head. “I’ll make sure to call you before bed every night.”

And he had kept that promise. While he was gone he did indeed call you every night he was out. How were you supposed to convince yourself that he wasn’t into you when he did little things like this. It was getting close to the time when Jack would call you. It was one of their last nights on this trip and hopefully by tomorrow you could see him again.

When your phone rang you expected it to be Jack but instead you saw Nico’s name pop up. You answered, slightly confused from the phone call but you weren’t about to ignore it. “Hello?” You said into the phone. “When were you going to tell me about you and Jack?” And just like that your stomach took a big dip as you became speechless on the phone.

[nonbinarykai]

Guys… guys.. the whole reason we don’t see Cole and Zane’s reaction is because their going to parallel what happen to kai to the aftermath of Zane’s death in s4 and the tournament GUYS… GUYS WERE GOING TO SEE MORE OF THE NINJAS REACTION TO KAI BEING GONE GUYS PLEASE…

[estinesstories]

𝓒𝓸𝓻𝓴 𝓘𝓽, 𝓟𝓲𝓰. 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 1-2

𝙃𝙖𝙯𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙃𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙡 𝙭 𝙁!𝙋𝙞𝙢𝙥!𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙑𝙖𝙡, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙜𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 💗

𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨: 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙥𝙞𝙢𝙥 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙨𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙮, 𝙨𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧/𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙢𝙞𝙭, 𝙨𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙑𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙤.

𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮: 𝙑𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙗 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙞𝙜 𝙗𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙨, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙜𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙢. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜.

𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: 𝙑𝙪𝙡𝙜𝙖𝙧 𝙇𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙜𝙚, 𝙑𝙞𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝘼𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙚, 𝙎𝙚𝙭𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙏𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙈𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙍—𝙥𝙚.

(𝙃𝘼𝙕𝘽𝙄𝙉 𝙃𝙊𝙏𝙀𝙇 𝘽𝙀𝙇𝙊𝙉𝙂𝙎 𝙏𝙊 𝙑𝙄𝙑𝙕𝙔𝙋𝙊𝙋! 𝘾𝙍𝙀𝘿𝙄𝙏𝙎 𝙏𝙊 𝘿𝙄𝙑𝙄���𝙀𝙍𝙎 𝙂𝙊 𝙏𝙊 @𝙘𝙖𝙛𝙚𝙠𝙞𝙩𝙨𝙪𝙣𝙚! 𝙂𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙖 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 💗)

You tapped your foot impatiently as you waited for the demon at the front desk. It had been thirty minutes, thirty minutes since you were supposed to meet Valentino for direction issues. You growled to yourself as both your arms and legs were crossed, your ermine coat sagging on your shoulders and showing your gold chains and velvet dress. Your star glasses rested softly the bridge of your nose as you looked around the room. Pulling out a cigarette, you lit it and watched as the demon at the front desk tapped away at her computer. Finally, the door in front of you that led to the hallway to the studio opened, revealing Val in all his glory. He smiled evilly at you through his glasses while you glared at him. He took a drag of his own cigarette as he watched yours hang from your mouth.

“Y/n! Good to see you again~.” He slurred your way, watching as you stood up and strutted over to him with narrowed, pink eyes.

“Your lucky I didn’t leave, ya fuckin’ lump.” You growled at him as you walked past.

You’ve never liked Valentino. You were aware he abused his cast members and employees, so you tried your best to stay away from him. You didn’t need him anyways, you were the biggest pimp/porn director in hell! It helped a lot that you were half-hellborn, so you could travel to all of the rings and make videos for everyone. You were also friends with Asmodeus, who gave you plenty of tips and tricks. He also taught you that list should be enjoyed and never forced, and that it’s an art. Which was specifically why you and him alike hated who Val was and what he did. He was just lucky Ozzie couldn’t travel to the Pride ring, or else Val wouldn’t have a career anymore, let alone a life. The only reason you were teaming with him for this was because you his movie meant really good money.

Val glared at you as you walked in, but held his tongue for the money. As you entered the studio, you looked around at the actors and crew members. All of them looked rather… on edge. You furrowed your brows, but ignored it.

“So, where’s the star?” You huffed as you looked around the room, multiple large, buff sinners as well as tiny petite, skinny ones as well. Val seemed to be searching as well for a moment before growling and turning to you with a very forced smile.

“One moment.” He seethed before stomping off to a door on the other side of the room. You quickly glared at him and stopped his movement. Her stopped dead in his tracks and cold sweated as he heard your heels walk up behind him.

“I’m gonna get ‘em y’ abusive prick.” You whispered to him, making sure no one else could hear as they worked. “Go back t’ yer fucking chair.”

You heard him scurry off as you softly knocked on the door that read Angel Dust at the top, golden plate. Moments late, a hesitant “come in,” came from inside. You gently open the door, having to duck your head as to not hit it as well as your horns on the top of the frame. You smiled at the sinner in front of you, a white, demon, spider boy in a red velvet robe. He looked at you with wide eyes.

“Hey, darlin’,” you cooed as you strutted up to him, subconsciously swaying your hips. You took note of his funny expression. “Are you my star?”

“Who are you?” He inquired, turning in his chair to actually look at you.

“I’m y’ new co-director, doll!” You cheered. “Whenever yer ready, come on out. We’ll wait for you.”

Angel looked utterly confused as you twiddled your fingers his way as if to say goodbye before walking out of the room and back over to Valentino who sat impatiently in his chair. You sat in the one next to it leaned back.

“If I ever find out you hurt another one o’ yer workers, girls or boys, I will rip your limp dick off of your bald balls and chop it in half, and then I’ll shove one half up your ass and see it shut. The other half will go in your throat, and then I’ll see that up too.” You threatened him in a low voice, not looking at him in the eyes. You just heard his breath hitch for a moment before Angel’s door opened, revealing him in nothing but black leather boots. You snatched the script from the table beside you and looked over the first scene. You turned to Valentino with a snarl.

“Are you kidding me? The main subject is gonna be some random robbery rape? No one’s gonna like that shit.” You whispered at him. He huffed at you with crossed arms.

“Fine then. You direct it if you’re so full of it.” He seethed. You scoffed at him but stood and walked over to Angel and the group of large sinners.

“We’re changin’ the script up a bit, fellas.” You took a huffed of smoke and blew it down and away from their faces, something that made them raise a brow.

“Who the fuck are you, bitch?” One of the bigger demons rasped out. You narrowed your eyes at him.

“I’m Y/n, owner of Star Streaks. And your new director, since your old one,” you growled out, glancing back at Val, who was glued to his phone. “Is a bit busy at the moment.”

Their eyes widened at your names, and they all immediately shut up. Your eyes finally landed to Angel with a sweet smile as you looked down at him. “We took out the rape-y-aspect of it, darlin’, don’t worry about it.”

Angel’s eyes seemed to soften slightly till you finally looked back to the others. “Alright, here’s the new script,” you snapped your fingers, making each of their hands hold a packet of papers. “I’ll give you an hour to memorize it. Now, I’m gonna order everyone some bloodbaths from Frazzola’s!”

Before they could say anything, you walked off and pulled your phone out, failing the bakery. “Aye, Baldi,” you turned to Valentino, who looked like he was having the worst day ever. He gave you a half-assed glance. “How many people are workin’ on this right now? Cast and everything.

“Uh, like, I don’t know, forty?” He sighed with a rose brow. You smiled at him and walked off, listening to the cheerful woman answer the call.

You watched carefully as the sex scene finally took place. Suddenly, your phone vibrated on your lap. You picked it up and looked at the name, your assistant’s popping up on the screen. You showed Valentino and watched him silently nod. You exited the room quietly and stood outside to pick up the call. A few seconds later, a blonde woman you knew as the princess of hell, Charlie Morningstar, walked up to the door to the studio. Your eyes widened.

“Excuse me for a moment, Honey.” You whispered to her, looking to Charlie again. “Princess Charlie! What a lovely surprise.”

Charlie seemed startled by your voice before widening her eyes at you. “Y/n Star? Woah, I didn’t know angel works for you too!”

You chuckled at her and smiled sweetly at her excitement. “Oh no, honey. I’m just his co-director. Speaking of, make sure yer quiet when you go in, their recordin’.”

She nodded at you silently before entering the room. You then unmuted yourself and apologized to Honey for having to hold on her.

As you were talking with Honey about statistics, which quickly just turned into how excited she was that she was pregnant with her dear wife’s baby, it was a few minutes after Charlie went into the room, and you heard crackling and screams coming from the room. You also noticed an orange hue illuminated under the door. Soon, smoke poured out of the door, and the screaming stopped. Your brows furrowed.

“Holy shit, I’m so sorry darlin’ I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I think there’s a fire in the studio.” You hurried out and hung up before whipping open the door. Behind it, stood charred equipment that had been knocked over, as well as multiple workers and actors sprawled all over the room, terrified expressions on their faces. It didn’t help that you looked furious. You searched the room and landed your eyes on Charlie, who looked more scared than anyone there. You frowned and looked at her worriedly. “What the fuck happened in here? Are you okay?” You put a hand on her shoulder, but she didn’t speak. You turned to the rest of the sinners and demons in there room. “Is everyone okay?”

You got multiple nods and “yeah”’s from everyone, making you sigh in relief. Suddenly, you realized you couldn’t find the two most important people of the movie in the room, Angel Dust and Valentino. You seethed, angrily storming to Angel’s room and slamming open the door so hard it causes the handle to get stuck in the wall. Valentino whips his head up to look at you, and all color leaves his expression as you slowly looked down to Angel Dust, who was crumbled up on the floor in pain, and held a black bruise on his eye. You were absolutely fuming. Angel looks at you with a painful expression, tears just barely brimming his eyes. You looked back up to Valentino. You stepped over Angel and towards Val.

“Angel, go get Charlie and leave. Tell ‘er you ain’t comin’ back ‘ere. And remember not to be mad at her, be mad at this little cunt sucker.” You growled, never taking your wild eyes off of the abuser. He said nothing, and only left. You ripped the door out of the wall and slammed it shut. “Are you FUCKIN’ KIDDING ME!?”

“W-wait, Y/n! Please, it was an accident-“ He stuttered, backing up as you stepped closer. You growled as he finally fell back onto the couch in his room.

“Fuckin’ accident my ASS, you SHIT DICK BITCH!” You screamed in his face before slapping him hard across the face. The hit caused him to fall to the side, but you caught him by the throat before he could go very far and slammed him back into the wall behind the couch. “What’d I tell you!? WHAT THE FUCK DID I TELL YOU!? I TOLD YOU IF I CAUGHT YOU DOIN’ THAT FUCKIN’ SHIT I WAS GONNA FUCK YOU UP, RIGHT!? IS THAT WHAT THE HELL YOU WANT ME TO DO TO YOU!?”

You slammed a flat palm onto Val’s crotch, causing him to let out a mangled mix between a pleasured moan and a pained grunt. You narrowed your eyes at him in disgust as he looked at you with wide, lustful eyes. Your grip on his neck tightened, causing his top hands to grasp your forearm weakly, his bottom hands spreading flatly onto the back of the couch to hold himself up.

“You, are fuckin’ disgustin’. You’re the sluttiest, bitchiest, most insecure, insufferable piece of pimp trash I have ever had the torment of meeting. You’re lucky that I have a lick of damn sense, or I’d rip that hard little mealworm you call a cock into pieces. I know that you own Angel’s soul. Give me that contract or I’ll still consider your damn punishment.” And with that, you let go of him. He panted and quickly snapped his fingers, the golden contract appearing before your eyes. You snatched it and glared at him before storming out of the room. You turned to the sinners who were still left in the room, an apologetic look crossing your features. “I am so sorry t’ all of ya, y’all can go take the rest of the week off, and I’ll make sure to give you all your paychecks by Tuesday.”

Soon, everyone left, and you stepped out of the room left with a closed eye sigh. Your index and thumb were rested on the bridge of your nose as well as your hand on your hip as you felt a headache coming along.

“Uh, Miss Star?” You were startled at the name, whipping your head to the side to find Charlie and Angel seeming to wait for you outside the room. They stepped up to you when you softened your gaze. Charlie smiled sadly at you, while Angel just kinda looked sad.

“Oh, what is it sweet heart?” You asked tiredly, leaning down a bit to talk to them both. Charlie looked over to Angel and nudged him towards you encouragingly. He sighed.

“Thank you. Thank you so much fer helpin’ us,” his voice cracked, and he sounded like he was about to cry. Your frowned at him. “Fer helpin’ me.”

You smiled gently at him and looked in between the two. “Can I give y’all a hug?”

Charlie looked ecstatic, while Angel rose a brow, but you pulled them both in for the most genuine, comforting hug either of them had ever felt, like that of a mother. They both relaxed into your embrace for a moment before you suddenly remembered. “Oh! Angel, I forgot.”

The then snapped, the contract the sinner had signed appearing in front of all of them. Angel’s eyes widened, tears brimming them yet again.

“Holy fuck,” he muttered and grabbed the paper, before you set it into cold flames, causing him to jump.

“You’re free now Angel, no more abuse, and no more pornos unless that’s what y’ want.” You spoke softly, placing a hand on his shoulder with a smile as he turned to look at you. Suddenly, he rushed to take you in a tight hug, leaving you surprised. But your gaze soon softened at him.

“Thank you…” he whispered, and you patted his back.

“Course, honey! Now, if you did wanna keep working, do not work for that man. If you want, I’ve got an open spot for actor. No contracts needed, tons of friendly demons, loads of breaks, and you can totally quit whenever. But I do understand if you don’t wanna keep the business. Just make sure you call me if you want the gig!” You gleamed at him, giving him your card as you started to walk down the hall to the elevator. “Or, you can just call me! I’ll be happy to talk whenever! Love you, kids!”

And with that, you left, strutting iconically down the hall and leaving the two staring at you in shock.

“Oh, she’s definitely my new idol.” Angel mumbled.

“Uh huh.” Charlie answered.

𝙄 𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀𝘿 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙊𝙉𝙀!! 𝙃𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙤𝙤! 𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨! 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙪𝙮𝙨 💗🫶

[banana-pancake5]

Thought:

I see a lot about “Leo’s real smile” and I always ADORE the concept. So wholesome. So good. Lots of angst potential. But…. Idea. What if, in the future, Leo learns to fake his real smile. Obviously, wouldn’t be a perfect replica (or it could be if you really want it to be), but it’s just close enough to be uncanny. It’s just that one bit off that makes it all feel so wrong. So when that “real” smile comes out, it’s comforting… and then it’s so so painful. Because that’s why Leo does it!! He realized in the future that his little fake smiles stopped bringing comfort, but his true smile always did! And it’s so devastating for his brothers because through all the masks, all the facades that Leo puts on, his real smile always shone through. There was at least one thing Leo couldn’t hide. There was one part of him that was still genuine in the midst of the show. They thought he could never take that away from them. Never dull the light of that smile. And then one day, he did.

now my tiny lil ramble abt this in lfmfs under the cut :D

Recovery period. Leo smiles. First real one in months. Everyone lights up when they see it, whether it’s the beaming smile and the surprise hug from Mikey, or the soft and proud look from Raph. But… Donnie. The Donnie who has been trapped in the future for the past two years. The Donnie who has been forced to watch a twin much older than his own force a smile in every conversation, every laugh a plea to ignore the pain present in his eyes. The Donnie who has been forced to take note of every detail of that real smile as to not mistake it for the fake. The Donnie who has learned that real smile is never coming back. It’s always a fake. It’s always off in some way, but it got harder to spot each time. When he sees his twin sitting with his family, with that same smile, His face falls. It’s fake and he knows it. He searches for the twitch, for the slight discomfort, for any tell of the facade. It HAS to be fake. It’s a mirror of the countless “real” smiles of his older twin. The others notice Donnie’s face. His twisted expression in a time of so much relief and joy. He falters. The way Leo’s face dropped into something of worry when he met Donnie’s expression, was the smile real? Was Donnie just so stained by the future that he can’t accept the present? That is Leo, his twin, his 17 year old twin, his real twin who hasn’t been dulled from years of loss and war. That smile was real. Leo finally felt free to reveal it to them after all the chaos. And Donnie ruined it. He ruined the moment, he ruined their happiness, he ruined it and he doesn’t know how to fix it because he doesn’t know how to fix himself.

“Don? Hey, are you alright?” Leo’s voice rang in his ears. The true concern in his voice made the pain worse. Donnie was broken. Leo was happy only a moment ago and he ruined it. He was fine. They’ve already addressed his issues. He is healing. He is supposed to be fixed by now. It doesn’t matter how he feels. He is better now. Confronting his dumb-dumb mental block would only set them back.

The mask slipped on without warning, he smiled one he’d seen so many times. He opened his mouth to let a lie slip ‘I’m fine’ he wanted to say. ‘it’s nothing’ he wanted to plead. Instead, knowing his own notoriously great track record with lies (he thought sarcastically), he dropped the fake smile and just… left. Not his greatest moment but far from his worst.

[vintagegirl01]

I have a feeling we aren’t in the 21st century anymore! (Chapter 5)

AU Young Leto Atreides x fem reader

Summary: You find yourself in a time and place you aren’t familiar with. Now trying to find your way home, you come across a man unlike any other.

A/N: Finally have part 5 written out. Thanks to all those who took the time to vote for what should happen next in this story. Hope it meets expectations... and please let me know what you all think.

“You grace?”

“Huh?” The dazed Duke of Caladan says, coming back to reality from his thoughts.

Thoughts filled with you and him. In both innocent and pleasurable situations. Thoughts that have only persisted since the distance you put between yourself and him.

“I said, it seems you and Lady Jessica are hitting it off. No?” Gurney Halleck, Leto’s war master, asks him.

“It seems you are wrong, my friend,” Leto muttered to himself.

Though it was expected of him to consider taking the Bene Gesserit acolyte to be his concubine and eventually have a child, he felt that he couldn’t go through with it. Not when you were there.

The war master smirks at Leto as if he had been confirmed of something. “Is everything alright, your grace?”

Leto looks at the war master in confusion. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

“I asked you if I could be relieved of my responsibilities for the rest of the day… and it isn’t even noontime. Now if I had been a new recruit, I wouldn’t haven’t questioned you, but we have known each other for quite some time, have we your grace?”

Leto is speechless. For the war master had caught him there.

Gurney, seeing the look on the duke’s face takes mercy on him and walks closer to him until they are face to face.

The war master gently pats the man on his right shoulder. “Tell me what ails you, your grace. For I’m not only your war master but I’m your friend.”

Hearing this, Leto lets out a sigh and decides that it may be best to get another perspective in this situation he currently faces.

“…And since then, things have been different between us. Like she’s present but her mind is elsewhere,” the duke swishes his glass wine around in his right hand.

The duke and his war master barely finished their lunch of fish pasta with a mix of various vegetables and savory white sauce to top it off. Though it was a usual favorite of Leto’s due to its rich flavors, he could hardly be concerned about it when he was worried about you and what he had done wrong to cause the distance between the two of them.

Gurney gives his duke a look as if the answer were right in front of him. “Don’t you see that Lady (y/n) is in love with you, your grace?”

Leto gives his war master a look of confusion. “I… um… what?”

If this situation wasn’t so important to his grace, Gurney would have let out genuine laughter at the Duke of Caladan’s cluelessness in the matters of the heart. “The sweet lady (y/n) is in love with you and everyone but the two of you have noticed.”

“Are you sure of this?” Leto asks, worried that these words were too good to be true.

Gurney nods. “From what I hear, yes. Though, I’m not the one you should be asking this, now, should I?”

Getting the hint that his war master and friend were giving him, Leto stands up from his chair. He then thanks Gurney and starts to make his way towards your room.

You are in Leto’s library, your nose stuck in a book —about some of the future civilizations beyond Earth (though history for Leto and those in this time)—in a hidden nook when you feel a presence standing in you.

Feeling that whoever was in front of you was wanting to get your attention, you look up from your book to see Leto in front of you. “Is this seat next to you taken?”

Realizing that you must look foolish looking up at him, you shake your head and invite him to join you.

It isn’t too long until you finish saying those words that Leto fills the space next to you. “I didn't find you in your room, so I figured this would be the next place you would be.”

You close your book to ensure you are giving him your undivided attention. “You were looking for me?”

Leto nods. “We haven’t spent much time together recently… and I missed you.”

You look at him in shock. “I had no idea. I figured you hadn’t noticed since you have been spending your time with Lady Jessica and…”

The rest of the words that you say become background noise to Leto as he realizes what has caused this distance in your relationship with one another.

Wanting there to be no more doubt at your end regarding his feelings towards you, Leto gently takes your hands into his own in hopes of calming those doubts running through your mind.

“My dear (y/n) …” Leto brings your knuckles up to his lips to give them a kiss. “How did I not realize this before?”

Still trying to recover from the gentle kisses he’s blessed your hands with you manage to get out, “Realize what, Leto?”

Leto looks at you filled with determination. “I don’t have feelings for Lady Jessica because my heart belongs to someone else.”

Before you can form a response to Leto’s statement, he leans in close. “My heart belongs to you, Lady (y/n) and has since the moment I laid my eyes on you… Will you accept it?”

While a part of you should have known better than to give in as you two were both from different timelines, even backgrounds, you eagerly find yourself accepting his words of love and bring his hands to your lips to kiss them. It isn’t too long after this that the two of you notice how close the two of you are.

Eager to explore this new aspect of your relationship together, you lean into kiss Leto.

When Leto initially doesn’t react, you think you may have read into the situation wrong and were about to pull away until you felt the man bring his hands to your face. Gently caressing you as if you were the most delicate thing in the world.

Unbeknownst to you both, a shadowy figure watches the two of you in anger. For you were ruining the plans that were meant to Bene Gesserit …and they have that now, can they?

Taglist:

@autismsupermusicalassassin @missdictatorme @nathanbatemanfucker @bit-dodgy-innit @angel-of-the-moons @reallyrallyauthor @runa-falls @steven-grants-world @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @gills-lounge

[tea-potato-gt]

A Borrower at the end of the world part 12

Word count: 2000ish

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***

Three Years ago…

The sun trekked across the sky and beat down on Jace, he sighed, knowing he was going to sunburn and freckle. He currently sat behind a tree waiting for one of the traps he set up to catch something. 

On Briar’s part, he sat on a branch at eye level with the boy. He watched the various pitfall traps he had the boy dig.

The borrower managed to climbed up there on completely on his own. He even walked through the woods, though much slower than the bean. When he arrived at the perfect tree, he swung his hook out and climbed up on a low branch to lie in wait. Jace never touched the borrower as promised.

Each pitfall trap was about two feet deep, with a metal pot or box at the bottom. On top were piled leaves and a bit of canned corn sprinkled around to incentivise an animal to come looking. When any animal that weighed more than a few ounces stepped on the trap, the creature would fall through the leaves, into the pot to be (eventually) killed and eaten by the bean and borrower waiting behind the tree.

The key to hunting is patients. Though it seemed Jace didn’t have much of that in his body. He was still young, only 11. He began to grow bored too quickly and wanted to fill the void of silence.

“So…” Jace started. 

Briar sighed and looked towards the boy. The borrower wasn’t used to long conversations with others and it just seemed like a drag. His heart stopped for a second when they made eye contact, he also wasn’t used to being visually perceived by a bean. “Yes?”

“Why did you decide to help us?” Jace wondered aloud.

***

The pre-teen remembered that a month or so ago, he and his sister were left to die by their own people. When food became scarce, the humans grew mean. After the kid’s mother died, they were alone. No one to care or provide or protect them. People were dying left and right. Jace had to resort to stealing from the few who were left alive. Eventually, they ran out of food too.

At the time, the kids had nothing to eat, no clean water and their clothes were filthy rags. As the days wore on and the hunger grew stronger, Jace found himself not caring anymore. He had no motivation to move, until all he wanted to do was sleep away the pain in his empty stomach. Jace had all but given up. 

Then a silver can rolled into their room in the middle of the night…

No human had helped the kids. They were abandoned by their own kind. Jace felt a bitterness towards those who had forsaken him and his sister. Who left them for dead. He even felt a bitterness towards his own mother for dying and leaving her two children to fend for themselves. A bitterness towards the world that turned against them.

Only by the grace and kindness of a man the size of Jace’s hand were the kids still alive today.

Jace owed everything to this borrower, he thanked his lucky stars every day that they met.

But why? Why would this man, a stranger, (not even the from same species,) help them when their own people refused too?

***

“Do I have have a reason to help you?” The borrower seemed defensive.

“I guess not,” Jace conceded, dropping the subject.

Briar paused for a long time. Why was he helping two gigantic beans? He wasn’t entirely sure himself. There were so many potential reasons and none of them seemed to satisfy why he was doing this. But he settled on one reason that might make sense to a child. 

“Borrowers believe in helping each other, no questions asked.” Briar began. “My parents always opened their doors to travelers if they ever crossed paths. We never had a lot, but what we had we shared…” he sighed, “And I mean it when I say we didn’t have a lot. My Ma and Pa couldn’t seem to stop making more mouths to feed. Then Pa would bring home travelers to add to the chaos.”

Briar chuckled at the memories of his childhood. A tiny home full of laughter and excitement. His siblings and his cousins sitting around the fire listening to the tales of the new borrower currently staying in their home. In his youth, Briar was determined to have some adventures of his own like them when he grew up. Tales he could pass on to the next generation of borrowers he might come across.

“I learned a lot from some of those people, like how to properly string up animal skin to dry in the sun. Picked that up from a vagabond guy, liked to backsass my mother, but damn if he didn’t love yapping about his wife.” Briar believed his name was Sprout? Or Piller? He couldn’t remember.

Jace hung onto every word as the small man spoke.

“Since there are no other borrowers around anymore,” Briar looked at the bean who stared back. “I suppose you two were the next best thing.” The man’s smile revealed the years of wrinkles, pain and loss that decorated his small face. 

He really is all alone too, Jace thought.

A smile slowly grew on the boy’s face. Being a borrower sounded lovely, everyone caring and looking out for each other. Even complete strangers. Jace couldn’t imagine getting the same kindness from other humans.

“Do you… Do you think your parents would have liked me?” Jace asked.

Briar was quiet for a moment, looking at the sky for an answer. “Well, if I’m being completely honest, I think my Ma would have fainted at the very sight of you.” The man laughed. “She was deathly afraid of Beans. She even refused to move into a house where more than one lived.”

“Oh,” Jace looked down at his hands. He never thought of himself as scary. But he supposed if he faced a giant, he'd be pretty scared too. 

Briar saw the change in the child’s demeanor. Jace became very self conscious, like he wanted to disappear into the tree behind him.

Briar didn’t want the poor kid to be upset so he continued, “But if she got over her fear. Yes, she probably would like you.” He chucked, “I think she’d probably yell at me for not feeding you two kids enough. She’d think you’re too skinny and try to fatten you up with the last drops of her stew. She was always giving things away to people in need.”

“She sounds nice.”

“She was.”

Silence returned between the pair, both thinking about their respective loss of parental figures. The only difference was that Briar had become a fully grown adult when he lost his parents. He had enough time to know his Ma and Pa on a personal level, he would even go as far to call them his friends.

Jace and Layla on the other hand will never get that chance. 

“I envy you, Jace,” Briar offered. 

“You do?”

“Yes, you have that picture of your family. Perfectly captured in a glass frame. You’ll always know what they looked like.” Briar conceded. “All I have to remember what my family looked like is up here,” he tapped his forehead. “As the years go by I remember less and less. Like, which brother had green eyes or how tall my oldest sister was. Even the sound of their laughter grows quieter in my mind.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“Ah, such is life for my kind.” The borrower shrugged. “We don’t exactly have the same luxuries you Beans have… had.” 

Jace thought long and hard about everything the borrower said. And what he didn’t say. For one thing, the small man still hadn’t told Jace his name. Something the borrower decided to keep close to his heart like the most important secret in the world. But something about the fear Briar talked about made Jace think. 

“Boss… A-are you afraid of me?” Jace looked at the small man sitting on the tree branch then looked at his own hand. How could he not be afraid when Jace was so much bigger than him? “Is… is that why you didn’t show yourself sooner?”

Yes. 

But the boy didn’t need to know that. Briar steeled his face to hide a flash of anxiety from crossing his features as he thought of an answer. “I’d say I have a pretty healthy fear of you, boy. I recognize that in a fight, I’d never beat you. But I trust you enough to sit here with you right now.” The Borrower nodded. “But between the two of you, I’m honestly more scared of your sister.”

“What?” Jace burst out laughing, “She wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

But Briar didn’t laugh, “I saw what she did to that doll.”

Jace immediately got quiet, he knew exactly what Briar was referring to. 

***

Last week, Layla had accidentally popped the head off a barbie doll while trying to brush its hair.

Unfortunately for Briar, he was watching the whole thing from the walls. He had nightmares of his neck snapping or his head popping clean off for days.

Briar almost ran away from the giants right then and there. Choosing to never speak to or see either of them again.

But the way Layla cried and begged her brother to fix her doll made Briar falter. She definitely wasn’t careful, but she definitely cared if she broke or hurt something. 

Now was that ‘care’ connected to possessiveness over her toys? Maybe. She was a young kid after all.

Would she also think of Briar as a doll and try to play with him? Twist his arms and legs into shapes they weren’t supposed to bend. Or try to brush his curly hair till his head pops off too. 

Layla often played too rough with her toys, smacking them into eachother and throwing them haphazardly around the room. If it was Briar’s body that she was manipulating and throwing like that, he'd be dead in minutes. 

She was still a child. Briar had even seen his little sibling play the same way in his youth. He completely understood. He just never wants to be anywhere near her giant chubby hands. He wasn’t a toy. He was a living, breathing, thinking individual.

Briar had a healthy fear of the strength the children had over him. And he hoped that wouldn’t come back to bite him in the ass later. 

***

Briar looked at Jace and continued, “With you, on some level at least, I feel like you respect me. You have been respecting me enough to not touch me at least.” 

“I did promise,” Jace smiled.

“Now with a child, any child— not just your sister— I doubt I’d be seen as anything more than a toy.”

“I think you’re being too harsh. Layla is a good kid.”

“I’m not saying she isn’t. I just have to always be careful around beans. My life is in constant danger just by existing.”

“Well, the way I see it, the only difference between us is I’m slightly bigger than you. You’re just a person. A really, really, really, really–”

“I get it.”

“-Really short person.” Jace finished with a mischievous smirk. 

Briar smiled back, the boy was referencing one of the first things the borrower ever revealed about himself to Jace and Layla: That he was not human, but he was still a person. “Size be damned?”

“Size be damned.” Jace agreed. 

After coming to an understanding, they settled into a comfortable silence.

They really weren’t so different. Both the Borrower and Beans were trying to survive in this messed up world. 

They sat under the afternoon sun in silence for a while till…

THWAP.

The sound of crushed leaves and a quiet thud interrupted the stillness.

One of their traps had been activated. Jace and Briar froze and looked around the tree towards the trap. A gaping hole in the earth sat where the pre-teen had previously laid down leaves.

Jace stood up and quickly walked towards the pitfall trap. “I think we got something, boss!”

***

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[stagefoureddiediaz]

Why are we all jumping to Eddie dying??? Or presumed dead????

Most likely thing is that the hiring freeze is over in episode 813 so Eddie gets offered a job at the 270 - starts work etc and things seem to be looking up for him but it also leads to a big argument with his parents (mom). Then they get sent to help with the biohazzard thing in LA - Eddie gets to go as he knows LA - it all plays out however it’s going to - with someone dying (at this point it seems likely to be Bobby 😭) . The El Paso crew stay for the funeral procession and then return to El Paso after.

Eddie will go back to El Paso but be sad and missing LA and his real family (the firefam) - Chris can see it and they have a conversation and we end up with them both choosing to move back to LA in probably 817 - where they move in with Buck!

Because at this point if we get a presumed/dead Eddie he’d be in a 270 casket and headed back to EP - not in a 118 casket!

[zmboroki]

`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴

Backstage Lovers | PT. 1

⊹ ࣪ ˖ Find part 2 here!! : Backstage Lovers | PT. 2

⋆˚꩜｡ zomzom's extras : Fic request from multiple friends!!! This is a Band + Quirkless AU fic, mentions suicide/suicidal intentions and drug usage, you have been warned!!

⤷ chapt summary : Izuku and Katsuki quit talking, avoiding each other for months until Katsuki purely gave into his temptations.

mha!aged up ; angst!

🎸⋆⭒˚｡⋆ 19:54 ; Saturday Night Gig

The wind blew harsh against Izuku's skin. It whipped through his green hair as he clutched tightly onto his guitar pic. With a deep inhale he stepped up a short staircase which had a door that led backstage. There sat his other two band members, the only two friends he had left. 

"Are you two ready?", His voice rang out, it echoed through the backstage dressing room. The two of them looked up, one with brown hair and big brown eyes, the other with green hair that was long enough it almost dragged across the floor when she walked. 

They both gave an enthusiastic thumbs up before standing up. The three of them walk out onto stage giving the roaring crowd a wave. Ochako took her spot first, her hand wrapped tightly around the shaft of the mic. Next was Tsuyu, she sat down on a small stool behind her keyboard stand, the poles were covered in stickers. Lastly came Izuku, his heart racing like crazy in his chest, with each thump he felt his headache grow.

With a gentle strum he started them off after Tsu's count. Majority of their performance he kept his eyes closed, trying to avoid staring into the crowd. This didn't help though, he felt a pair of eyes on him, granted there were hundreds, but there was one pair that he could feel more than the others. His own eyes fluttered open only to be met with a red pair staring back at him. 

His breaths grew heavier as he continued playing. For only a second he glanced away before looking back to where he saw his childhood spiky haired friend sitting in the stands. While doing his double take, he noticed that who he saw wasn't truly there. He tried to shrug it off and keep preforming, but it ate away at him the entire time right until the last moment. 

As they were exiting stage he heard his name being shouted out in the crowd, he stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face the hundreds of people. He could hear his heart thumping in his ears just before he heard his name again.

"IZUKU!", The voice was raspy, a tone only a certain person that he knew could make. Once again he peered out into the crowd, not seeing whom he had been looking for. He held his hands over his ears until he made it backstage with the other two.

Tossing his guitar onto the couch, he chugged a bottle of water. Both Tsu and Ochako both gave concerned glances at each other before one of them spoke up. 

"Deku..? Is everything alright?", Ochako asked, her tone gentle but still mildly concerned.

"Oh? Yeah I'm fine. Don't worry about it." Such an awkward interaction left the walk back to his car silent, as well as majority of the drive back to their shared apartment.

゛ ⸝⸝.ᐟ⋆ 23:38 ; Damn Near Sunday Mornin'

Mina tied up her shoes and readjusted her clothes, standing in front of the mirror before turning to Katsuki, who sat with his feet propped up on a coffee table in front of the couch. Although he didn't say a word, there was a certain expression that was plastered across his face that didn't quite scream his usual demeanor.

"What's wrong Bakubabe?", Mina questioned before turning to face her back to Denki to zip up her top in the back. 

"Nothings wrong, freak. And quit calling me that. It's getting old.", His voice sliced through the upbeat atmosphere in the room like a knife through butter. 

"Yeesh, no need to be so harsh dude!", Exclaimed Hanta before Denki butted in "Yeah c'mon man, we're on in five."

He grabbed his drum sticks, they were battered. The same wooden pair he had since they were 1st years in highschool. The four of them stepped on stage, Mina in the middle near the front where the mic stand stood. 

"How we feelin' out there tonight!?", Mina excitedly shouted into the mic in attempts to get the crowd riled up, and sure enough it worked. They were met back with screams louder than the ones when they stepped on stage. 

Kyoka, from backstage, gave them the okay to start and began working the lights and making sure that their instruments sounded just as good through the speakers of the venue. Katsuki gave the count per usual with a four count tap on the rim of his drum. 

In the middle of the 2nd song, right before his solo, something inside him snapped. His mind kept rewinding to that moment, the last moment he shared with Izuku. Their last few words uttered to each other in the pouring rain.

As the band continued his playing grew sloppy and off beat, his mind running off to other places that weren't the sheet music he had memorized days in advance. With each movement the sticks slammed harder into the cymbals. Without paying attention to where exactly his sticks were landing, he hit his wrist.

Once it made contact all hell broke loose from there, the force from the impact fractured his wrist causing a chain reaction of events that left the audience in shock. 

Without a second noticed he stormed off stage shoving Kyoka out of the way but not hard enough for her to fall. He slammed the door to his dressing room shut and let out a loud and guttural scream. With it came a string of swears. 

Back on stage Mina was making an attempt to keep the crowd calm whilst Hanta and Denki continued playing. "Alright guys, Bakubabe seems to be having a bit of wardrobe malfunction, we'll be back out in 10!"

The three of them quickly exited off-stage only to be met with the not-so-muffled sounds of Katsuki's yells. Before long he was quiet, not even a peep could be heard. 

On the other side of the door he hesitated with his contacts open. His finger hovered over the call button before he gave in and pushed it. Impatiently he tapped his foot as he heard the dial tone. 

✎ᝰ. AHH SO SORRY FOR THE CLIFFHANGER ENDING!! Depending on how fast I can finish editing part two it'll most likely be up tonight as well or tomorrow evening!! part 2 finished and up now!! linked above!

[redo-rewind-if]

(o゜▽゜)o☆ progress report time! ☆゜

Next Update (Chapter 4):

Opening: 100%

Avoid August/Confront Him: 100%

A Normal Day at Work: 100%

You Can Fix This, Right? 🤡: 95%

Keep Your Friends Close...: 35%

Avoidant Route: 0%

Good news everyone! I'm getting really, really close to finishing the writing for this chapter. I'll still need time after for editing and coding and all that jazz but soon... soon...

My current (admittedly probably too optimistic) estimate for the Chapter 4 release is late February/Early March. No promises but I think it's doable. This chapter is shorter than the last, it's just complicated due to the time loops and the variations I need to add. Oh well, got nobody to blame for that but myself lol. 😅

[jane-the-good]

SLEEP TOKEN

Take Me Back To Eden

(as a hoodie)

[motleyfam]

In the most non-judgmental way possible (because fandom is for fun and everyone is welcome to enjoy it whatever way suits them best), it really amuses me when people bookmark an ongoing fic series as “to read when complete” or something similar. Like, every individual fic within the series will be completed—it’s not a cliff hanger or anything!—but since the series itself is still actively updating, they’re holding out for that green check mark before they dive in.

Like maybe it’s the binge media consumption culture we live in or whatever, but it’s just so funny to me. Because when I get invested in a particular fic universe—whether as a reader or as the writer—I hope it never ends. I hope the author keeps on getting more ideas and expanding and growing and adding to that world that they created because it’s giving them so much joy they don’t ever want to stop. I hope we all get to play in that sandbox they created as long as possible because… what else was the point of making it?

An ongoing fic series just means that there’s still potential for more, and it always leaves me scratching my head how that could ever be taken as a bad thing.