#dipper is a sad broken boy
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What is your opinion on Filbrick Pines?
Oh boy... long story short, my opinion on him is pretty low, not gonna lie. I went into his character a lot in my analysis post on Ford's writing (found here), since Filbrick had a large effect on Stan and Ford's characters, even if only in subtle ways. To summarize my points on Filbrick:
Definitely abusive, in my opinion. I don't think physically, but for sure emotionally and mentally. He's the type of father who provided materially, but otherwise didn't seem very good at it.
Was way too focused on money. Now, I think it's very possible that Filbrick could have a great backstory reason for this. My biggest guess is a life of poverty and wanting to provide better for his family, but the cruel irony is that in seeking wealth, he hurt his family (e.g "Stanley, by "sabotaging" Ford you hurt our whole family, because he was going to make us millions, so I'm gonna throw you out, ignoring the fact that by throwing you out I'm currently hurting the family in the way I'm accusing you of."). He also hurt Ford. The way Filbrick treated Ford was like a Willy Wonka golden ticket. "Oh, you're smart? This college might make you a millionaire? I'm impressed!". He didn't care about what Ford wanted, he cared about what Ford's brains could get him. Case in point: he didn't seem to give a rat's ass about Ford's brains or college dreams until the principal implied it could make money.
Iirc, according to Hirsch, the quote Stan says in Little Gift Shop of Horrors ("Movies are great! You watch the movie, you scare the girl, the girl snuggles up next to you, next thing you know you gotta raise a kid. Your life falls apart. Forget that last part.") was actually something Filbrick used to say. Like DEAR GOD Filbrick said that in front of Stan and Ford? "Hey kids, my life was great until I got your ma knocked up with Shermie, and then my life was pure suck after that.". Like... who... who just says that in front of their kids? Who even THINKS that about their kids? Yikes.
The way Stan and Ford are named. The code at the end of A Tale of Two Stans is played as a joke, but when you think about it, it's... kinda sad. "A STUBBORN TOUGH NEW JERSEY NATIVE, FILBRICK WASN'T TOO CREATIVE, HAVING TWINS WAS NOT HIS PLAN, SO HE JUST SHRUGGED AND NAMED BOTH STAN.". Filbrick did not give a single f*ck. "Oh, I have twins? Eh, I'm too lazy to think about a name, just call 'em practically the same thing.". What father does this?
In the post I linked above, I also hinted at how I thought Bill's manipulations of Ford almost were a mirror echo of Filbrick (even in their character design, it's odd how they both have yellow brick and blue with hats themed designs, he's got the literal word 'brick' in his name, etc). Because when you think about it, what did Ford's father teach him but "you are a puppet to be used by me to get what I want"?
There's a reason Ford and Stan are incredibly broken people, and it all started with Filbrick. He's the one that taught Stan to believe he's worthless and a f*ckup, and the one that taught Ford that he's a tool to be used. So... nah, not a fan of the guy, if I didn't make that obvious already lol. BUT... I will say this, as this is something I did give him credit for in my Ford analysis post: a lot of Ford and Stan's positive qualities are things he passed down to them, namely their protectiveness of family and "toughness". But unlike Filbrick, who manifested that in toxic ways, Stan and Ford took a heavy albatross necklace of generational trauma and turned it around to a positive.
This goes even further when Stan passes the lesson to Dipper. Dipper learning to "fight back"? That's a family lesson that comes from Filbrick, originally, when he signed Stan and Ford up for boxing. Some have criticized the way Stan taught Dipper that lesson, but you can't argue with the end result:
TL;DR: Filbrick mostly sucks, but... like most well-written characters, he does have some gray area. Was he a good father? No. But the gauntlet meat grinder he put Ford and Stan through - worth it or not - made them the tough family protectors they are as adults. I will give him that, at least.
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Why Dipper is so loved, while Mabel is a broken base...
I'm not the biggest Mabel fan, but even I believe that all the hate that Mabel sometimes gets is too much...
Why do almost half of the fans get angry at a little girl, while praising a little boy?
Well, we're gonna find out!
*You see during the beginning of Gravity Falls, we get the idea that Mabel is supposed to be the optimistic heart of the duo, while Dipper is the cynical brain of the team.
*And for a while it was like that, but then came the episode of Mabel teaming up with Grunkle Stan to laugh at Dipper's lack of manliness.
*Which was the first of a bunch of episodes where Mabel (sometimes with Stan) treating Dipper somewhat unfairly.
*Teaming up with Stan to make fun of Dipper for being slightly shorter than her, not trying to help Dipper create a plan that will allow her to keep Waddles and prevent Dipper from accidentally giving Wendy a black eye, taking a picture of Dipper giving reverse CPR to Mabel's mermaid boyfriend to use for blackmail later, laughing at Bill shooting a hole through her brother (I know it's a dream, but still...), getting angry at Dipper for refusing to help Stan (cause Dipper believed that Stan hates him; Mabel could've at least been more sympathetic before going to help Stan)... almost giving away Dipper's journal to Bill (to impress a guy with her play), choosing to trust Stan over her brother (even though the portal could destroy the universe), then afterwards refuses to play his board game and even makes fun of it with Stan (which results in Dipper spending time with Ford), getting jealous that Dipper is spending more time with Ford then with her (which she caused), proceeds to make fun of Dipper again when he calmly calls her out on her teasing, she feels guilty but doesn't give a proper apology (something that even Stan does), gets upset at Dipper for wanting to become Ford's apprentice and stay at Gravity Falls, willingly gives Bill the device that almost ends the world and nobody finds out about it (I know she was tricked but still), refuses to leave her giant bubble until Dipper finally agrees to come home with her and creates a radical brother that would have a 'more supportive attitude'.
*I personally think that Mabel did the right thing by trusting Stan in the end, so Ford could be rescued... the portal still could've destroyed the universe, if Stan had miscalculated something.
*I'm also angrier at Stan for the mocking Dipper times, cause Mabel was a child and children don't know better sometimes, but Stan is an adult and he knows what it's like to be made fun of and yet he still does it to Dipper... no wonder Dipper briefly believed that Stan hated him... and no wonder Ford quickly became Dipper's Favorite Grunkle.
*As for accidentally almost starting the apocalypse, I don't completely blame Mabel for what happened, but the other characters deserved to know the truth and I'm surprised that Bill didn't tell them to cause drama.
*When all these things are stacked together, it's not a pretty picture.
While in comparison to Dipper, the brother is actually already quite supportive:
*Saves Mabel from gnomes despite Mabel yelling at him, he was willing to break up with Gideon for Mabel, he gave up his chance to be with Wendy twice to make Mabel happy, he doesn't make fun of Mabel's flaws, he comforts Mabel when she's sad, he helps Mabel whenever she asks for it (even when he doesn't like the thing that they're doing), he's always forgiving with Mabel, he's viciously protective of Mabel and gave up being Ford's apprentice to make Mabel happy.
*So, yeah the twins do have a bit of an all take, no give relationship... the writers could've handled it a little bit better.
*It doesn't help that Mabel technically does get called out on how she treats Dipper in Season 2, but the people that call her out are the Main Villain and a jerky unicorn, who are seen as in the wrong (but even the villains can make decent points sometimes)... Mabel had a chance to get proper character development and become a better sister after saving Dipper from Bill's possession... but Mabel doesn't really grow much as a person, not even during the finale... she's almost the same as she was during Season 1.
*Meanwhile with Dipper, he slowly becomes less cynical and socially awkward as well as braver and more kind-hearted over the course of the show... he even handled the fact that Wendy wants to simply remain friends beautifully... he still has a crush, but he respects her wishes.
*In contrast to Mabel, who keeps falling in love with guys and trying to force a romance, instead of letting it happen naturally or realizing that she doesn't need a boy to be happy... she also uses a love potion on Robbie and another girl to basically force them to get together and this is later seen as an okay thing (when Robbie hypnotizing Wendy with romantic music was seen as wrong).
*Even Stan and Ford go through a bit more character development then Mabel does.
*I think that's what truly bothers the fans... Dipper goes through character development, learns some lessons and slowly becomes a better person... while Mabel remains the same.
*Mabel isn't a horrible person... she's a fun, creative and energetic girl... but she wouldn't exactly be winning any 'Sister of the Year' Awards either.
*It's disappointing, because Mabel's character had so much potential... and the writers make her repeat the same mistakes... if they did handle Mabel's character better, she'd probably be almost as loved as Dipper.
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how do you think arguments/fights between Cade and Candy would go? would he have to take some time to cool off? or do you think they'd try and resolve it on the spot? would he ask Sully for help?
Cool off for sure… nobody wants to be around when Cade is upset, especially if that specific emotion is anger. A lot of his emotions quickly just turn to anger and frustration cause he doesn’t know how to feel much else.
Now I will say, Candy and Dipper have a soft spot in his heart. He would never raise his voice at Dipper, but Candy isn’t quite as sensitive. I imagine it’s a lot of yelling, insults in French for sure.
Though knowing him, if she actually comprehended one of his little rants or insults, he would internally be impressed and make it a note to tell her her French has improved later.
Cade is a very physical person. He prefers that over words, much the opposite of his brother in that way. He prefers to fight with fists. Cade isn’t the type to say “don’t hit a girl” not for misogyny reasons, just cause he thinks it’s stupid to treat girls different and it’s actually more insulting.
But he wouldn’t hit Candy. At least he’d be trying his best. Expect things to be thrown, pushed, broken, snapped… anything he can do to not lay his hands on her. Because he’d never forgive himself for that. If it gets bad enough that he’s thrown something or there in a screaming match, he just walks away.
He’ll go break some things, or scream it out. Cade isn’t one to ask for help, so Sully would come to him. He may be annoyed, but he knows his older brother is just trying to help, and is usually pretty smart so he’d eventually take his advice on how to apologise and sort things out.
Cade and Candy playfully bicker and banter all the time, but this is much different. You would think they hate each other if you weren’t watching closely. There just two people who aren’t very good with affectionate words. But Sully can see that Cade really cares about her, much like he did for Daffodil.
And after Sully lost her, he wouldn’t want his brother to fall to a similar fate and lose the love of his life. He’s afraid it would set Cade off the deep end and he wouldn’t come back from that. And he doesn’t want Cade to spiral and go on a sloppy murder spree and get them all caught. But also he doesn’t want his little brother hurting like that.
Plus he knows Cade would just blame himself if he drove Candy away, or worse, did something he couldn’t take back and lost her because of that. Cade doesn’t cry often, and they aren’t tears of sadness, they’re tears of frustration. But he sometimes cries after a big fight with her. But he’ll never admit that to anyone.
Last person that saw Cade cry got stabbed… go ahead and ask Sully about the scar on his abdomen just above his kidney… I dare you-
Since he’s not a man of much words, Candy shouldn’t expect to ever hear the words “I’m sorry” or “I was wrong”. What she should expect is to find Cade waiting for her in her room, or throwing rocks outside her window and standing there with a peace offering.
He will be a clingy mess if she forgives him. Expect him to be there with his head on her lap for hours as they just sit in silence. He likes that he can feel her pulse and hear her heart beat. It’s calming in a way. He’s more the “forgive and forget” type when it comes to moving on from an argument. At least when it comes to the few people he cares about.
If Candy is the one that needs to apologise, he’s gonna be an ass about it and avoid her. Or pretend he can’t hear her. So Candy would have to do something big or stupid (like attempting to get herself hurt to get his attention) in order for him to break and hear her out. Cade is a very troubled boy but he’s trying…
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hey so ages ago you talked about a cool gravity falls concept with dipper going into magic and being marked by Bill and all the trauma he and Mabel went through,,, may we hear more of this amazing idea please and thank you
Dipper is a mage without a teacher. He moves through the supernatural world without a guiding light, without someone wiser to temper his curiosity - to tell him yes, no, don’t touch that, restrain yourself - and it is dangerous.
It is not for a lack of trying. He has followed the quiet tug many times before, stumbling across others like him, men and women that had journeyed into this world just like him. But without fail, he was turned away. Out of anger, out of fear.
No one wanted the boy marked by Cipher.
So, Dipper taught himself. He let instinct be his mentor, learned to listen to the quiet not-voice that lives in between his ribs, the one that says yes, no, that’s good, that’s not enough - like the mages of old. The ones that didn’t have books or laws to help them, the ones that learned by immersing themselves in nature for years, and became something else entirely. The ones whose ways had been whittled down over the generations, confined to the pages of grimoires and scrolls.
Dipper goes back to the old ways, finding the strings of magic that were woven through the world. He loses himself sometimes in the streams, sinking into the colours and sensations, detaching from his body and opening himself up to the flow of ancient, passive power. He hears the faint whispers of long-dead mages, listens to their advice and lessons, and grows stronger.
Each time he goes deeper, burying himself in a history so few knew of and even fewer could touch.
And each time, it takes more time, more effort to pull himself back. To fold his essence back down into the too small body trying to contain him.
Dipper burns too hot, too fast, and soon he finds himself less willing to unbecome. It is only Mabel that can draw him back to his body safely - and even then, the thread is thin.
Finally, after months of watching her brother drop further and further away from reality, from her, Mabel demands a change.
“I can’t lose you, Dip,” she whispers into his throat, hugging him tight as he shakes with the withdrawals of cutting off the stream. Her voice is choked with tears. “Either take me with you, or give me a rope to pull you back.”
She can’t quite bring herself to ask him to stop - because as much as it hurts, she knows that Dipper needs this, and Mabel refuses to be the one to take something he loves from him.
But she needs him too.
Dipper’s voice is rough and low when he tells her, “There’s this ritual. A soul-bind.”
And Mabel agrees, because this is Dipper and she trusts him with everything - her life, her happiness, her soul. By the next month, the two of them are connected by a thread, thick and glowing and unbreakable.
#skitter-kitteruwu#gravity falls#dipper pines#mabel pines#dipper is a sad broken boy#and mabel just wants her brother to be safe
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Waiting For You Part Four (Ford Pines x Reader) Our Year
Before the twins arrived she helped Stan set up the attic for them. She also made sure there was plenty of food and snacks. Also, she helped make sure the shack was tween proof, and there were no signs of the supernatural or paranormals.
Stan had hired help in the gift shop for the summer, which was new. Besides Soos who had been around for a few years now. He claimed it was because you were both so close to getting Ford back, and the kids would be enough work.
Life wasn’t much different with the twins around, maybe more fun, but not too different. Mabel decided to call her their honorary Grant. The only difference being having to wait until the kids were asleep before she and Stan head down into the basement.
She tried to distance herself at first, allowing time for Stan to bond with his grand niece and nephew. When Stan told her he was going to take the kids fishing she decided to stay home and work. A few days after that there was a loud crash and Soos announced that he had found a random hidden room.
Everything in her started to panic that he had somehow found Ford’s room, but was relieved when she saw it was those creepy wax figures Stan had forgotten about.
“Why are these in here?” Dipper asks.
“They stopped attracting tourists so Stan put them away. Also,” She leans down to Dipper to whisper. “I think they were kinda haunted.” She only half jokes. They had always given her the creeps.
“I thought you didn’t believe in stuff like that.” Dipper quirked an eyebrow.
Stan and her had agreed to play off all the weird stuff in Gravity Falls to try and keep the kids away from it.
“I don’t.” She lies.
---------- When Mabel announces she has been spending time with Gideon she advies her against it. “Mabel, not to be rude, I know he’s only a child, but he’s kind of insane. Also, he’s kind of like your Gunkle Stan's nemesis.”
Mabel ignores her warning. A few days later however she came back to admit she was right.
“Mabel, I know you’re very boy crazy at this age. You’ll quickly learn that if a guy makes you feel uncomfortable or creeps you out you shouldn’t force yourself to be around them.” She offers Mabel a Pitt Cola which she happily accepts.
“He was really nice until he was really creepy.” Mabel sighs.
“Some boys are just like that.” She tells her.
“What about you? You’re so beautiful and nice. Why don’t you have a boyfriend?” Mabel sits up, excited for an answer.
Her thumb comes up to fidget with the back of her ring. “Well, Mable, I…”
“Oh my gosh!” Mabel jumps up. “Is it because you’re in love with Grunkle Stan?”
She can’t help but laugh, causing Mabel to frown. “I’m sorry, Mabel, but no. I love Stan, yes. But I have absolutely no romantic feeling for him.”
“Don’t worry, by the end of this summer I’ll find you a boyfriend for sure!” Mabel doesn't listen as she protests, and scurries off. ---------- For some reason unbeknownst to her Stan decides to throw a party at the shack. When she asks him a reason all he replies with is, “Money!” Which seems about right to her.
She avoids the party for the most part. Taking the opportunity to sneak into the basement to tighten bolts and detangle wires. It's really all she can do at this point until the other journals are found.
When the party is over Stan makes his way to the basement. “You been down here all night?” She nods. “I could use some help cleaning up from the party.” She agrees to help since there is nothing left for her to do.
She starts throwing cups in the trash can and sweeping up. She unconsciously sighs.
“What’s that for?” Stan asks.
“What’s what for?” She replies.
“The sighing, am I too boring for you?” He jokes.
She stops cleaning and looks at him. “What else can we do, Stan? I feel like I’m just sitting around twiddling my thumbs waiting for something to happen. I’ve spent hours in the woods looking for the journals, hours looking around town, in the shack, but I always come back empty handed. I just don’t know what to do next.”
Stan walks over to her and takes the broom from her hands and sets it to the side, then wraps her in a hug. She hugs him back. “All we can do is keep on living our lives. We’ve done all that we can. I’m not saying we should give up or nothing, but right now we just have to live in the present ya’ know?”
She sniffs. “I know. It’s just so hard to, when it feels like we’re so close.” She put her chin on his chest to look at him.
He smiles. “I know what you mean.” He pauses for a second. “But right now, how ‘bout a dance? Didn’t get one all night.” Stan moves to turn on a slow song, before moving back to her and taking her hands.
She laughs but doesn't argue, laying her head against his chest. They slowly sway to the music.
“This year will be our year, promise.” Stan whispers. ---------- She’s sitting on the dinosaur skull talking to Stan when the twins come barling into the room arguing about having separate rooms. She can’t but smile and wonder if Ford and Stan were like this as kids. Right as Stan is explaining there’s not another room there’s a loud crash and Soos announces, yet again, he’s found a secret room.
Everyone makes their way to go see, and to her dismay she sees it’s Ford’s room. She watches as Stan walks in and grabs Ford’s glasses and tucks them into his sleeve while lying about not knowing what the room was.
She’s so lost in thought that she doesn’t even remember experiment 78, and how she had spent the day in Ford’s body before they figured out they could switch back.
She's leaning against the door frame watching as Stan tells the kids he’ll give the room to whoever sucks up to him the most. Even though she’s feeling upset seeing this room for the first time in a year she can’t help but laugh at Stan’s antics.
As the kids are off scrambling to reshackle the roof she sits across from Stan at the table. “Really?”
He smirks. “What? Just a little friendly competition among siblings.”
She lets out a laugh. “Were you and Ford like that?”
Stan looks at her smiling, but frowns a little before pulling a fake smile. “We, uh, we were best friends our whole childhood. As inseparable as kids can get.” He thinks for a second. “Did you ever want to have kids?”
She looks down at the table wistfully. “I did,” she says with a sad kind of smile. “We did,” she corrects herself. “We had talked about having kids once we weren’t so busy with work.
Stan can’t help but feel guilty. Maybe if he had never answered his brother letter her and Ford would be happily married with a family of their own.
“Don’t think like that Stan.” She frowns.
“Like what?” He tries to play dumb.
“I’ve spent almost every moment with you the last thirty years. I can read you like a book, old man.” She smiles at him now and reaches across the table to hold his hand. He grumbles but doesn’t pull away. “You know I love you, Stan. I don’t hold anything that happened against you, I’ve told you before.”
She pulls her hand away as Mabel runs into the room and starts talking to Stan. She gives him a smile before leaving the room.
Later she finds Stan sitting in his arm chair in front of the television. His favorite show is on, but he’s focused on the object in his hands. Ford’s glasses. Silently, she walked to sit on the dinosaur skull beside him and wrap an arm around him. They both look down at the glasses in silence. ---------- At first, she finds Dipper’s Guide to the Unexplained charming. He reminds her a lot of Ford. Charming, until he starts to point the attention to her.
“She’s lived without Grunkle for who knows how long. They aren’t married or romantically involved, yet she wears a wedding ring. Could she actually be the ghost of a lonely widow who died in this house?” Dipper came up with a whole bunch of crazy theories. He followed her around with a camera until she finally had to tell him to stop.
She pulled him aside to talk to him. “Dipper, listen. Your grukle and I are friends, and roommates. We live together because neither of us want to live alone.”
“But your ring.” Dipper begins to ask.
“My ring,” she gives him a sad smile. “Dipper my fiance gave me this ring and he’s… no longer with us.”
Dipper’s face turned white as he began apologizing.
“Dipper it’s alright. I’m sure you’ll find a real mystery in this town if you keep looking.” ---------- A few days later she's reading in her room when Stan calls her and the kids to the living room. “I need you to laugh at this with me!” He motions to the little Gideon commercial on the tv.
Her heart sinks as the commercial shows the Mystery Shack being destroyed by the tent of telepathy.
Dipper asks if they should be worried about that but Stan assures him the only way Gideon could take the shack was if he snuck in and stole the deed. There’s a loud crash and Stan gets up and you follow to find Gideon had actually broken in. Stan ends up chasing him out with a broom but Gideon gives a grave warning about how when he gets the combination to his safe, Stan will never see the Mystery Shack again.
She stops Stan as he locks the safe again. “Is it really safe? Should we move it to the basement?”
He put a hand on her shoulder. “The combination is in my brain, sweetheart. There’s no way he can get it there.”
For a second her mind thinks of Bill, but he’s been gone since Ford disappeared. She decided against mentioning it to him and trusts Stan to know what he’s doing. Unfortunately, she's asleep in her room when Bill invades Stan’s mind and the twins and Soos enter his brain.
While in his brain Mabel opens a door to see Stan slow dancing with their ‘honorary Grant.’ “Are we sure they aren’t in love?” She questions before moving on.
She came into the living room to see everyone cheerful, Dipper had his grunkle in a choke hold, and she smiled. Suddenly there was an explosion knocking everyone backwards. Gideon walked in with the deed in his hands.
Dipper looks confused and says something about Bill. Her heart drops at the thought of the twins having to have had to deal with him.
They flee from the shack and all they can do is watch as a wrecking ball knocks over the sign for the Mystery Shack. ---------- The new living situation was less than ideal. Staying with Soos and his grandmother was only a temporary solution until they got the shack back.
While Gideon held a press conference Stan, the kids, and Soos watched from the front, she tried to sneak in the back. However they were both caught and thrown off the property.
Back at Soos’s house she stood in the kitchen with Stan while he called the twin’s parents. She watched as he blatantly lied to them. He hangs up the phone with a sigh and she walks over and pulls him into a hug.
“What are we going to do, Stan?” She whispers.
“We’ll do what we have to.” ---------- She was right by his side as he explained to the kids that he had to send them home. It broke your heart just as much as his to see how upset they were. She was surprised to hear him say Gideon won before he stormed out, she followed him out the door.
“You didn’t mean all that.” She confronts Stan when she catches up to him. “I know you didn’t. Stan we’re so close.”
“What do you want me to say? What can we even do? We’ve lost the shack, the kids have to go home, and we’ve lost the portal!” He shouts but not loud enough for anyone else to hear.
“We can’t just give up.” She sniffs.
Stan calms himself when he sees she's about to cry, and gives her a hug. ---------- She gives both twins a teary goodbye before boarding the bus. “I love you two. Thank you for making this summer so memorable. I’m sorry it got cut short.” She plants a kiss to each of their heads before they board the bus.
She stands with Stan as they watch their bus drive away.
Back at Soos’s house she scribbles down ideas on how to get the house back, while Stan sits on the couch to wallow in his self pity. He grumbles something about hitting rock bottom and having no friends, no family.
“What am I, chopped liver?” She jokes, biting her pen in thought. He apologizes.
He stares at the Gideon pin in his hand before announcing he knows Gideon's weakness and tells you to hurry up as he runs out the door. ---------- Stan exposes Gideon for the fraud he is. They get the shack back and the twins get to stay. Even better, Stan tells her he’s found journal number two. She can’t stop from crying when he tells her.
Stan checks on the kids while she's checking on the portal. She doesn’t come up all night, until Stan comes down with journal number three.
“Is this real?” She asks in disbelief. “All three? We have all three journals after one day?”
“We have them all.” He confirms and flips them open to the corresponding pages. She watches as Stan examines the pages and presses some buttons, and the portal lights up. “It’s working!” He exclaims. Running towards the portal and she follows.
“Here we go.” ---------- It’s not long until gravity anomalies begin to happen.
“It won’t be long now.” Stan stated.
She smiled wide and nodded. --------- The next day when government vehicles showed up she tried her best to keep her calm. Stan kept his cool and they left.
“I thought this would happen.” She confessed when they’re alone. “The gravity anomalies happened back in the 80’s when we got the portal working but the government was less observant then.”
“Don’t stress it. Soon we'll have Ford back and we won’t have to worry about the government.” Stan grunts.
She tries not to stress but it doesn't really work. She decided to help distract herself by helping Stan set up for the party. They deserved to celebrate getting the shack back. However, she can’t but notice Dipper sneaking off to Stan’s room. She goes to tell Stan right away.
She agrees to keep an eye on the party while Stan goes to check the portal. Everything is going well until the earth starts to shake. It’s not time for this yet, she thinks and checks her watch. Everyone runs off and she makes her way over to stand by Mabel, when Dipper comes running around the corner a hoard of zombies behind him. She orders everyone inside and keeps the zombies away from the kids the best she can without a weapon. They end up trapped in the gift shop and one grabs Dipper. Before she can do anything Stan shows up to save the day. When they are almost safe in the attic Dipper says there’s no way you and his Grunkle Stan can deny the thing that goes on in Gravity Falls anymore.
“Kid, I’ve always known.” Stan confesses. Dipper looks at you and you nod.
“We thought the best way to keep you two safe from it was to deny its existence. We see that was wrong now.” She frowns.
After the whole karaoke ordeal is over Stan has the twins promise not to go looking for problems, Stan lies and promises he has no more hidden secrets. ---------- She stands by Stan as he pours the fuel into the machines.
“Everyday it’s getting stronger.” He comments as his pen, mug, and notebook fly through the portal. She grabs his arm and steps back. Her eyes were wide.
“Haha, yes!” Stan shouts and raises his hand up. A stray metal bar flies up and hits him in the hand.
“This is so dangerous.” She sighs while bandaging his hand.
“I don’t care if it’s dangerous. I don’t care how long it takes. We’re gonna pull this off, and no ones going to get in our way.” He says determined.
She nods, just as determined. ---------- Stan and her work countless late nights. Finally Stan poured the last of the fuel into the machine. “That should be just enough to do the trick.” Just as he says that the timer begins.
The two of them put the final touches on the machine and Stan hits the button. The portal lights up and begins to whir into life.
“Yes! This is it!” His hat began to rise off his head.
She grabs on the nearest desk to keep herself on the ground. In a few seconds gravity returns and she lands back on her feet. “Just eighteen more hours?”
“Eighteen more hours and this will all have been worth it. Stan straps on his watch with a synced up timer. “Finally, everything changes today.”
They share a smile together. ---------- Stan says he’s going to spend the day with the kids, but she refuses to leave the basement. The kids ask where she is and he just says she’s not feeling well so she’s laying down in bed.
She's standing near the portal but at a safe distance. “Just ten more minutes.” She fidgets with her ring. While staring at the portal she doesn’t notice Soos and the kids. They don’t notice her right away either.
She checks her watch. “Two more minutes. Where the hell is Stan?” Looking around she looks back in the control room to see the kids and Soos. “What the hell?”
They walk into the portal room and gasp. “Kids, Soos, you can’t be here. You need to leave now.”
“There! Dipper yells and runs to the override keys.” Before she can run over and stop them, they turn them.
She moves to stand in front of the emergency off switch. “Stop! You don’t understand!” Soos grabs her and holds her to the side. She tries to wiggle away but can’t get out of his grasp. “Stop! Please!” She cries as Dipper almost hits the button.
Stan burts into the room and stops him before he does think. Dipper begins to argue with Stan when gravity fails.
They’re all lifted into the air. She's holding onto the timer as Mabel makes her way to the kill switch. She is frozen in fear, but Stan launches himself forward and convinces Mabel to trust him. There’s a blinding light and a figure steps out of the portal.
“The author of the journals. My brother!”
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the scrapbook documenting denki kaminari and his experiences with love, subtlety, and volumes of manga || denki kaminari.
* pairing: denki kaminari x oblivious!reader (gender neutral!)
* genre: fluff, normal conflict(??) but not much, uni!au, friends to lovers, mutual pining, idiots to lovers
* words: 4.5k
* warnings: brief scenario of intoxication, mentions of maidgirls (one of them has a gun because mey-rin from kuroshitsuji), reader has past bad experiences with relationships, bakusquad is supportive af, reader is oblivious (duh), i love sero, side kiribaku
* original request: Can you do a fluff Denki crushing on the reader but the reader is really oblivious to him just badly flirting and bakusquad gets annoyed and helps them get together 😳
* a/n: this turned out much longer than expected, but i’m satisfied with the turn-out! i call this a “scrapbook” because it’s like a collection of short moments. i’m experimenting with this writing style, so i hope you enjoy it! i started writing reader by basing them off of this one pretty girl i know (and very much like), but then reader started morphing into me projecting myself and oh boy. yeah. fun fact: i actually own the kuroshitsuji manga volume with the maidgirl on the cover (volume 22).
“please don’t like me,” is the first thing you say to denki kaminari. you don’t know who he is, though, when you say these words. all you know is that he’s presumably a college student like you and that he’s quite extroverted. behind him stand three of his friends giggling to themselves. it’s apparent they’re playing a practical joke.
the first thing the blond boy said to you was, “hey, you’re cute, i like you.” that was thirty seconds ago, after you’d put your manga down when you noticed his friends pushing him towards you.
he cracks a grin upon your response. “alright.” he puts his hands up in mock surrender. “the point still stands - you’re cute.” his eyes fall to the manga you set down. “hey- is that detective conan?”
it’s an old, worn copy of detective conan’s first volume.
“oh, yeah,” you reply.
“can i see it?” he asks. you nod.
he picks up the book, surprisingly gentle with its fading corners and creased spine.
"i used to read the series all the time," he says quietly, reliving a memory in his eyes. "i always tried to solve the crime before conan."
you're not sure what to answer, but he introduces himself before you can.
"i'm kaminari, by the way." he slips a piece of paper in your manga, setting the book down on your table. "text me."
“please don’t fall in love with me,” is the first thing you whisper to denki kaminari, hushed under the sheets in mina’s room. you're surprised he can hear you over the quiet murmurings of a ghibli movie playing on the tv; you're surprised he's awake.
“okay,” and it’s the first promise he’s ever broken, voice all low and hoarse from the after-effects of prolonged silence.
(maybe he should've feigned sleep, he later thinks, as his heart stupidly falls and crashes clumsily into love. maybe he shouldn't have said anything at all.)
he turns onto his back, staring at the ceiling. it's dotted with glow-in-the-dark stars mina and sero had impulsively hung up one friday evening instead of studying. there's a couple moons, too, which bakugou had frowned upon, stating, "where are we, jupiter? there's only one moon orbiting earth." kirishima laughed.
from the sound of shuffling sheets and a quick glance next to him, denki can tell you're now laying on your back, too. he almost makes a comment about you copying him. he stares at the faux stars overhead, not tired enough to close his eyes and allow sleep it's victory for the night. there's not much to do while awake at the moment other than strain his ear to decipher to the tv's audio. his throat feels dry, but he's not motivated enough to sit up to grab a water bottle. anyway, he supposes you and he are staring at the same sky, in a cheesy way. he remembers reading something like that in a book.
he kills the time and his aching mind by finding stupid constellations in the stick-on stars. there's a slightly distorted dipper of some sort, and a heart. there's a lot of squares. there's a shape he passes off as orion, but he knows anyone a tad more into astronomy than him would gasp at the abstract shape and completely dismiss its resemblance to orion.
eventually, your breathing slows to a rhythmic pace beside him. the logical part of his mind tells him to sleep now that you, too, are sleeping. he doesn't know why he waited for you to be asleep first. one pentagon constellation later, kaminari allows sleep's gaze to wash over and envelope him. the ghibli movie is still playing.
it seems that his friends have beat him, somehow, to the conclusion that denki kaminari has a bit of a crush on you. it's childish, really. he shouldn't like you, recalling your first words to him. they struck you apart from other people he'd met. back then, though, he never seriously thought about you like that. sure, you were conventionally attractive (enough for him to approach you to give you his number), but it was all in good fun. that's what you were, too, for the longest time: good fun and a friend.
until one day, glances lingered for too long while you weren't looking. one day, kaminari's jokes became more and more aimed for you, to hear your laughter in his ears. one day, kaminari realizes he has your usual coffee and bubble tea order memorized, when he can barely remember his own.
he pretends all of it is completely normal, but mina assures him differently. as does bakugou, which is strange, because he's usually not wrapped up in other people's affairs (when voicing this to the blond, he responded, "it's hard not to notice because you're too damn obvious"). it's kind of hard to ignore when bakugou calls it obvious (he's literally had kirishima pining over him since day one with no notice).
kaminari really does try to ignore the bubbling feeling rising at the bottom of his heart. he really does, but you keep on shaking and shaking his poor heart until it's all fizzy like a bottle of soda. he's weak, okay? one day, he’ll explode.
his friends are all urging him to confess to you already, but he cannot work up the nerve to do so. instead, kaminari drops you obvious hints that he likes you. he doesn't know whether you're completely oblivious to them or if you're deliberately ignoring them.
he's been so painfully obvious, he swears.
he's practically able to write a list of hints he's dropped. he's fairly confident he could publish it as an advice book with the title "how to tell your crush you like them without saying 'i like you.'" by this point, he's the king of obvious subtlety.
the list would go something like this, in no particular order:
pick-up lines
"did it hurt, when you fell-" you were silent, "-from the vending machine? because you're a snack."
silence. absolute radio silence. he was extremely tempted to run away from the sheer awkwardness between the two of you. as he turned to leave and freak out in private, he heard you mumble a belated "thanks," which made everything worth it.
he still left to freak out, though (and plan his next pick-up line to tell you).
manga references
"hey, y/n," kaminari had said one day, after a particular burst of confidence. you hadn't looked up from your book.
"if i were shinichi from detective conan, you'd be ran," he'd said, referencing the main love interests from the manga. "or maybe vice versa. you are the smart one in this relationship..."
you didn't bat an eye. "they never get together, though? shinichi and ran."
"they- they don't?!" he'd sputtered indignantly. he definitely needed to read up his detective conan lore. "but they both like each other?"
"true," you'd replied in typical you fashion, neither letting on whether you did like him or not. well, hey, kaminari had thought. you didn't deny it. progress.
hand size comparison (which was, in reality, just an excuse to kind of hold your hand)
kaminari had smoothly been planning this for weeks (which, according to sero, was a little sad). he'd bring up the topic of hands one day in your daily conversations, then nonchalantly slip a "oh, y/n, let's do a hand size comparison!" he high-fived himself mentally upon the formulation of this genius plan - you'd definitely fall for him (or at least, realize his feelings for you - this state of teetering between do they like me or do they not like me frustrated him for months on end). the perfect opportunity presented itself one day as the two of you lounged in mina’s room (which, at this point, had become you and your friends’ hangout spot) studying.
“wow, you type fast,” kaminari remarked as he pretended to innocently look up from the “work” (changing his laptop wallpaper for the tenth time that day) he was doing. you were focused on your work, sitting on mina’s bed with your laptop propped up by a pillow on your lap. you’d barely registered his words, judging by the way your eyebrows scrunched and how you looked up at him after a slow beat.
“oh, uh, thanks,” you replied. “i’m just copying some text down. i don’t usually type this fas…” you trailed off, eyes widening as you watched kaminari scooching next to you on the bed. he put his hand next to yours, whose fingers still ghosted the keys of your keyboard.
“look,” he said softly, bringing your hands up to eye level. “hand size comparison.” it was breathed out belatedly, but your crystalline eyes didn’t leave his. he started to curve his fingers in between yours, holding your hand so tenderly. he really, really didn’t want to let go. “we fit.” it was a whisper he wasn’t sure you could hear - did he want you to hear it? “like… a puzzle,” he added awkwardly.
you nodded, dazed, slowly bending your fingers over his. he rocked your clasped hands side to side, a fond feeling creeping through his limbs. it was warm and tingly - and maybe it was contagious. could you feel it too, buzzing past his fingertips to you?
precisely three minutes passed before kaminari’s arm started to ache. he didn’t catch your disappointed expression when he let go of your hand, but he did catch the smile that emerged when he held your hand as the sides of your fingers nudged the bed. you didn’t get much work done after that, sitting in silence with him.
brushing your hand in a popcorn bucket
movie nights on fridays were commonplace at mina’s. the plan, this time, was created by kirishima, who said that it was manly with just the right amount of romantic. kaminari hoped so. the movie settled on was some romance flick, as decided by mina, kirishima, and sero’s pleading with a very begrudging bakugou.
he can’t remember much of the movie. what he can remember, however, is the very close presence of you next to him as the two of you shared a popcorn bucket (courtesy of sero’s very romantic ideas). your hands brushed a (purposeful, on kaminari’s end) dozen times throughout the film. the last couple were accidents. on the first time, though, kaminari watched with satisfaction from his peripheral view as you looked from him to the popcorn that obscured the place where your hands made contact. he was very satisfied by the time the movie ended.
truth or drink (which just ended up with you and he both getting very, very drunk)
you didn’t particularly enjoy the taste of sake, but that night was an exception. according to your drunken explanation, you had a very rough day. your exam, first and foremost, did not go particularly well (“who cares about freud!?” you blurted. “i dooooon’t!”). kaminari didn’t have the heart to ask who this freud was. then, one of your close friends confessed to you (which almost made kaminari’s heart stop, when you first recounted it to him), and you had to turn them down. you adamantly refused any sort of relationship, you told kaminari. (“nuh uh,” you shook your head. “they’re not good.”) it was surprising to him that you opened up that night. your first couple drinks left you quieter than usual - which was scary, because kaminari was practically having a conversation with himself then. a couple more drinks loosened your tongue, though.
“there’s someone i like.” you jabbed a finger at him. “but i’m not supposed to saaaay… and it’s scaaary,” you slurred.
“ohh?” kaminari asked, more focused on the burn in the back of his throat. “whooo is it?”
you looked at your arm outstretched to him, and the pieces fell into place slower than they should’ve. he first looked around, just in case he was covering the person you were really pointing to (of course, you and him were the only ones there).
“this guy?" he asked, flabbergasted and pointing to himself. "him?!"
you nodded solemnly. "but i don't like dating," you said stubbornly. "love is dead!" you announced, flopping on the carpet.
kaminari watched the heaving of your breaths as you lay on the ground, and strained his ears to hear your soft, soberish murmuring.
"i really like you, denki kaminari."
a dopish grin formed itself on his face. "i really like you too, y/n."
kaminari then promptly blacked out, but not before hearing you running to the bathroom to throw up.
as of now, he can’t recall anything he or you said that night. on the contrary, he can vividly remember the ringing in his head and the sickly feeling that overtook him the next morning.
"you two are so frustrating!" mina declares over her sweetened iced tea. she points at kaminari, then to you standing with sero in the distance. you’re animatedly talking about some painting (“it’s renoir!” you mooned when you first saw it) while he and the rest of the group sit on a nearby bench.
kaminari puts his hands up. “don’t look at me - i tried my best!”
“yeah, sure,” mina dismisses. “and i’m the queen of england.”
“i mean, they already told me not to like them!” kaminari counters. “what am i supposed to do about that?”
“shoot your shot!” mina urges. “c’mon, what’s the worst that could happen? …wait, don’t answer that.”
“yeah, kaminari, bro,” kirishima puts his elbow on kaminari’s shoulder. “flirt a little bit more.”
“that’s all you two seem to do,” bakugou grumbles from the other side of kirishima.
“you just need a little push,” mina says. kaminari isn’t sure he likes mina’s definition of push.
“i think i’m g-”
“hey, sero, come here!” mina calls to sero in the distance, earning her a couple dirty glances from others in the gallery. “kaminari wants to look at the painting with y/n.”
oh, god, kaminari groans internally. sero, already walking toward the bench, flashes a knowing grin toward him.
“go get ‘em, champ.” sero pats kaminari on the back as the blond stands up, emitting a low, audible groan.
the four on the bench watch as your eyes light up at the approaching kaminari, who’s sheepishly scratching his neck. he says something - then you start again, rambling something about “impressionism” then “salon.” mina watches with clasped, anticipating hands; kirishima’s hand accidentally brushes bakugou’s, who’s holding a juice box and watching the two of you; sero simply smiles with knowledge that the others are unaware of.
“well, what do you think?” you finally ask kaminari, gesturing to the painting.
“uhh,” kaminari says. he was too busy staring at your face - the twinkle in your eyes, the curve of your lips - to pay attention to any of what you’d said. something about impressing and fleeting moments. he looks at the person depicted in the composition, then back to you. he remembers kirishima’s words - flirt a little bit more. it couldn’t hurt, could it?
“i think it’s pretty,” he leans into you, murmuring so he can be sure no one but you and he hears his words, “but it’s definitely not as pretty as you.”
you look down at yourself; then, for whatever reason, to sero. kaminari looks at sero, too, who’s wearing this stupid smile that sets unease in kaminari’s chest. he gives you two big thumbs-up. he’s so confused by sero’s behavior that he barely registers the light sensation of something on his cheek - a kiss. he looks at you, who’s looking away, then to the bench, where his friends are cheering despite the disapproving looks from those around them. he touches his cheek out of disbelief. light swells in his chest - it’s warm, so warm - but your aloof voice brings him back to reality (which really, isn’t much different from a dream).
“kaminari, you’re very red right now.”
“the two of you,” mina exclaims with the two of her hands clasped together in excitement over skype, “should go to a manga cafe!”
kaminari blinks. “as a date?”
“i wasn’t thinking about it like that.” mina nudges him, a sly smile creeping across her lips. “but hey, that works too. i mean, they did kiss y-”
kaminari cuts the pink-haired girl off before she can finish. “is that something… they’d want to do?”
“mmm…. probably,” mina says. “they were reading manga when you first met them right?”
he can vividly remember the somewhat tattered volume of conan, the detective turned little boy who must solve crime while hiding his own identity. really, the wear was only on the soft cover, nudged and peeling on the corners with faded text splayed on the spine. the pages were in crisp condition, he’d noted one day as he (totally, completely discreetly) watched you read the copy again. the bookshelf in your dorm and the stack of books on your desk is littered with different mangas, ranging from the old classics (astroboy) to some newer works (your lie in april). he only remembers this fact because he really, really wants to borrow a copy of black butler (yes, it’s the one with the maid on it. she looks really hot with a gun, okay?). all your manga are well-taken care of, cared for diligently as if each book has a piece of your heart in it. besides, you rarely lend out any (sero once asked to borrow jujutsu kaisen and you very, very reluctantly handed it to him), so he doubts you’d trust him with it.
“hang on, lemme ask sero if they’d be interested in a manga cafe,” mina says, pulling out her phone. “they’ve been close lately,” she mumbles as she types out a quick text to him, a quiet ping letting kaminari know that she’s sent it.
after a pause, mina excitedly reads sero’s reply: “yeah, probably.”
well, that was a definitive answer.
“there’s one nearby here,” mina offers. “hagakure told me good things about it, and she has a knack for finding the best spots in town. i’ll send you the address.”
“you think they’d like it?” kaminari says in an atypical bout of self-consciousness.
“of course,” mina replies instantly. “don’t you see how they look at you?”
usagi manga kissa makes kaminari cringe. it’s not the bunny-themed logo on the top of the building, nor is it the wide assortment of manga lining the walls, nor is it the cozy, soft seats nuzzled in the nooks and crannies of the café. it’s not even the life-sized cardboard cut-outs of various anime maid girls (he actually particularly really likes that detail). it’s the name itself. usagi is fine - kaminari likes bunnies as much as the next guy. manga is fine, too - he wouldn’t be here if not for the manga. the kissa makes him cringe for the most immature of reasons, like a five year old just learning basic english vocabulary. kissa innocently shortens the word kissaten, for cafeteria, but suspiciously sounds like the english word kiss. he does not want to think about kissing as he walks into the café with you, and especially not when the lady at the counter asks if you want a couples’ discount (you say yes, solely because it’s cheaper).
he does not want to think about kissing as he walks next to you, browsing the manga selection and passing the shoujo section that boasts illustrations of happy couples and romantic imagery. he doesn’t want to think about kissing as the two of you walk to a “couple’s” room, you rambling about the plot of the manga you chose and him with some shounen volleyball manga in his hand. kissing is the worst thing to think about as your knee touches his in the cramped apparent two-person room. he is not thinking about kissing at all when you offer him your water bottle, half full, and he’s definitely not thinking about indirect kissing or anything when he takes a sip. that would be crazy.
fortunate for him, his manga is full of not-kissing, so he’s able to somewhat enjoy it without his mind bombarding him with the fact that your face is less than a metre away. as he finishes up the volume, he realizes how much of a middle school student he feels like.
“y/n,” he looks up to you and says. you’re watching an old episode of neon genesis evangelion on the computer provided in the room, the manga you were reading sitting on the table beside the keyboard.
“yeah?” you respond and pause the anime. out of his peripherals, he can see you turn to look at him. he stares at the wall ahead of him, lacking the confidence to face you head-on.
“remember when we first met?” he reminisces.
“the cafe?” you say. “yeah.”
“if… i can ask,” he musters, “why did you say what you did then?”
you pause, taken aback. “i… i don’t know.”
“because,” kaminari starts, and you flinch, “i like you. a-and i know you said not to-”
a ghost has crossed your face. your mouth is agape, as if you suspected his feelings but never thought he’d verbalize them. he wonders what the kiss was about.
“i’m,” you gulp, breath stuttering, “i’m sorry.”
kaminari lied. five days later of zero contact with you, he realizes he’s in deep. he doesn’t like you - he’s in love with you. they say distance makes the heart grow fonder, and here he is, sifting through memories he had with you like they’re books. he should probably be studying instead of lying spread eagle on his bed, thinking of you. he can recall a promise made one night and the moment it was broken; he can remember the plastic stars he studied that night, falsely shining and lighting hope within him. he can remember dozens of constellations, half of which were geometric shapes, that he fell asleep to with you at his side. his heart aches, alighting a dull burn within him like a protostar barely able to burn hydrogen.
there’s a polite knock at his door, so he assumes it to be either kirishima or sero. mina always enters unannounced and bakugou is far too brash to knock softly. slowly - almost reluctantly - he sits up in bed, standing up and making his way to the door. he catches a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror, telling him that his hair is an absolute mess and in no way presentable. he figures that either kirishima or sero will comment about it, but he never needed to impress them in the first place. turning the knob and opening the door, he’s expecting either of his friends, maybe here to nag him or ask him to come and study or say “hey, why haven’t you spammed the group chat with memes in a while? i missed them.”
he definitely isn’t expecting you, face pulled into a worried expression and lips held in a thin, anticipating line before you meet his eyes. you’re pouring out a waterfall of apologies at a thousand words per second as soon as he opens the door, letting yourself in and hardly taking notice of his bird’s nest hair. he guides you to the couch, attempting to interject and ask you to slow down, but he finds that it sounds rude at any given moment. you’re sitting on the couch, lamentations and explanations spilling from your lips as you grip the plush material of the cushion you sit on, when you finally pause to take a breath. kaminari uses this opportunity to interrupt you.
“woah, woah, woah.” he hesitantly puts a hand on your shoulder. “can you back up?”
“oh, yeah,” you start to move back in your seat and kaminari stifles a laugh.
“no, can you start your story from the beginning?” he asks. “take your time, i’m not going anywhere.”
“i’m really, really sorry about what happened the other day,” you apologize, then look at him finally and ogle his hair. “i got… scared,” you admit earnestly. before he can make any question of it, you continue, “i like you too, see. and i never really, seriously acted on it - i didn’t want to. so when you did the inevitable and confessed… it scared me. the truth is… i’m not the best at romance or relationships. i don’t want to put anyone through that, again.” your voice wavers but finishes strong as you look kaminari in the eyes.
“that?” he asks. he’s afraid he’s crossed a line, but you reply all the same.
“i was in a relationship, once. i wasn’t… i wasn’t good enough. i didn’t do the things that people in a relationship are supposed to do, i guess.” you fiddle with the fabric of the couch, looking down at your fingers. your voice gives away the vulnerability of the topic, wrapped in a stiff disconnection; you’ve distanced yourself from it, probably once too familiar with the feelings you speak of.
“it’s okay,” kaminari says, almost too quickly. he slows himself down. “that’s… completely fine,” he admits truthfully. “we can go slow. i… i can wait.”
“can you?” you look up at him, hope shining your eyes. it dims quickly before you say, “you don’t have to. i don’t want to limit you…”
“the only person i want is you,” he reassures you, hesitantly taking your hand in his. “you’re not…” he struggles for words, “...limiting me if i don’t have eyes for anyone else.”
“are you sure?” it’s an almost inaudible whisper, clutching your hopes in three words that are held together by thin threads.
“i’ve never been more sure,” kaminari replies confidently, giving your hand an encouraging squeeze.
“okay,” you breathe out, relief tingeing your speech. “i… want to be with you.”
it takes everything in kaminari not to kiss you right there.
“oh, by the way-” you say, standing up from the couch and leaving kaminari to sit alone, “did you still want to borrow that copy of black butler?”
“the one with the maid who has a gun?” kaminari asks, eyes wide. how did you know about that?
“yeah. you kept staring at it before, so i assumed…”
“yeah. yeah, no, yeah, that’d be really great. amazing, actually. wonderful. stupendous-” kaminari shuts himself up before he can ramble on longer.
“okay, give me a second,” you respond, smiling, and exit to the hallway to retrieve the manga.
you return with the volume in hand, placing it in kaminari’s hands.
“thanks,” he says as he glides his thumb over the glossy cover and mint condition. it’s heavier than kaminari thought, and it feels like the weight of a heart. he’ll be sure to take extra care of it, holding it with ginger fingers and a sweet, sweet feeling in his chest.
#kaminari x reader#kaminari fluff#kaminari angst#bnha x reader#bnha fluff#bnha angst#denki kaminari#kaminari denki#bnha#luna's writing#kaminari headcanons#bnha headcanons
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Nice to Meet You
For @boxboysandotherwhump - Theo chose soft!Jameson, so here he is! @wildfaewhump gave me the three-word prompt “Space, shell, fair” for Jameson.
CW: Recovering pet whumpees, referenced past torture, scars, referenced dubcon/noncon, briefly referenced past dehumanization, consensual angst, fluff
When he opens the closet door, intending to press himself into his safe spot with his back to the corner, blocked by the boxes, he discovers Allyn is already there.
For a moment, his mind goes blank.
They look up at him and wince as the light cuts into the warm, velvet dark they were hiding in. Their long wavy hair hangs over their eyes, impossibly long legs bent until their knees are under their chin in the oversized sweatpants, gray eyes looking up at him, startled.
They’re more afraid of you than you are of them, whispers Nanda’s voice in his mind, soft and sweet as custard, the first owner, the one who took him on hunting trips where he had him sleep with the dogs and cut a line into the back of his thigh for every animal he slaughtered. All his memories of Nanda are grays tinged in blood - the gray of the sky, of Nanda’s eyes, the red of the bloodhounds, the drips that followed him across the floor.
Nanda also taught him about bears, while they moved through the woods. They’re more afraid of you than you are of them, boy. Vanilla custard, but held on the edge of a sharp knife, metallic under pillowy cloying sweetness. Nanda’s words always felt like blood in his mouth, spoonfed.
Allyn isn’t a bear - but they are definitely afraid.
“Why-” His voice cracks, shock of earthquake through ice on his tongue, and he considers simply closing the door and walking away. Allyn is his roommate, not his friend. He doesn’t have friends, none of them have real friends. Just other people also suffering nearby. Finally, though, he opens the door just a little wider. “Why are you in here?”
Allyn shakes their head, and it’s only then Jameson realizes their hair is uncombed, hanging lank and limp and lifeless, which Allyn’s hair never does. Their lips tremble, no perfect fucking party smile in place like usual, as they cringe back from him. No pretty blouse, no pretty anything. Just pale and shadowed, freckles standing out like someone stuck them on. “I-I’m sorry, I just… just needed-... a, a minute t-to breathe, I’m sorry-”
“This is my fucking space, Allyn. Yours is under the bed, so… go be under the bed.” His voice isn’t as rough and mean as he wants it to be, but it’s maybe mean enough - they sniff, and he sees their eyes glitter with tears.
His anger melts under something he tells himself isn’t guilt, and he exhales, slowly, before he moves to a crouch. He doesn’t like being loomed over, so they probably hate it, too, right? He’s had too many motherfuckers stare down at him in his cages. He stays that way in silence, right at their eye level, cocking his head as they breathe, wondering what color their eyes really are.
“I’m sorry,” They whisper, and he can see the shift of their oversized sweatshirt, three days past needing a wash. This isn’t like Allyn at all. Have they been like this for days, and he didn’t notice?
Well, why he fuck should he notice, they’re not friends, and Allyn is in his space, the only space in his entire life that’s all his and isn’t ringed in bars to put him on display-
No.
It’s not their fault, they’re upset, and the darkness of the closet is safer than anywhere else. You can hide in closets, he understands why they’re here. He forces down his irritation, and takes in the miserable worry in their eyes.
“Shit. Allyn, it’s... I don’t mean to be an ass, I just-... uh, what made you… need a minute? Exactly?” He should call for the big guy who runs this place, it’s his whole job to handle moments like this, but he can’t quite make it happen. Instead, he finds the voice he wants to be sharp is softer, his words feel like the heat of a kiss he actually wants, taste sweeter than any kiss he’s ever actually had.
They’re more scared of you than you are of them.
“Um, I-I was-... I was thinking… about… him.” The poison in the love in their voice is all in Jameson’s head, but he feels it seep into all his scars anyway. Acid, that him. Too much pineapple burning his tongue. They’re lucky to have had an owner they could love. Luckier still, to have one who loved them back.
Luckiest of all, to have an owner who wanted them to be happy.
Unluckiest, though, to get chucked out with the fucking garbage when the asshole died and they weren’t in his will. It’s not fair, but it’s fucking life, isn’t it? And in the end, which one of them is luckier? Him, for knowing it was suffering the whole time - or them, for having the chance to believe it was anything else?
“You miss him.” Flat, crash of knives on the ground, the clink and rattle and smack of their handles. Allyn only hears the words. He is starting to realize words feel inside him differently than they do to others.
Allyn nods, and the glitter of tears spills finally out.
He wants to touch their face - he doesn’t.
“I-I do,” They whisper. “I know I sh-sh-shouldn’t, but I… I do. I’m sorry, I know that you don’t-... that you weren’t-”
“Yeah, well.” He waves a hand, dismissive. The scars on his back and legs feel stretched, when he crouches like this, balances on the balls of his feet. He can feel the skin pull at itself, numbed but still here. Couldn’t kill me, motherfuckers, how about that? I’m still here, and three of you are gone. You’re just fucking corpses and your little blow-up doll with a heartbeat is still here. “You’re hurting worse than I am now, so I guess we’re sort of even.”
“I just… I can’t-...” Allyn’s voice buckles under the weight of their emotions, it shatters. Jameson tastes blood from the glass and watches Allyn lift their hands to hide behind them. Long fingers, delicate and graceful, even in this. Nails filed to perfect roundness. His own fingers are nothing special, two of them on his right hand broken until they don’t bend quite right anymore. He didn’t have to have perfect hands. He barely escaped Robert getting to keep his hands at all, and that was only because he was pretty fucking good at using them.
“I can’t live without him,” Allyn whimpers, muffled and thick. “I feel like… like I was made empty for him to fill up, and h-he’s gone, I can’t-... live without him, I can’t-”
He swallows the glass of their grief, buries it inside him. Wonders if he’ll ever know how it feels to give a shit what happened to the assholes who hurt him. What would it be like, to actually feel bad about the deaths?
“You can,” He says, low-voiced, and shifts forward into the closet, settling himself down and closing the door until only the thinnest crack of light can break up their safer darkness. Barely the width of a wire, the light illuminates nothing, only reminds them it’s there. He listens to the soft inhale, slower exhale, of the person beside him. Their presence is a weight, in his safest places, and his nerves are alight with how fragile it is, to have anywhere at all, how easily ruined by someone intruding. He clears his throat, uncertain, unused to being one to give comfort. More used to ignoring its existence. “You, um. You can live without them, I fucking swear it, Allyn. I lived without all of mine, for a while, ‘fore the next one caught me, or bought me.”
He hears rustling, and tilts his head just slightly to see them looking at him. They’re pale, but he is, too, a duller washed-out color from lack of sunlight for so long. Their freckles look like constellations, the stars he would stare at through Robert’s window in the dark. He notes, absently, that they damn near have a Little Dipper along their left cheekbone. “But-... but you didn’t love them… did you?”
He decides he sort of likes their voice. It slips into his mind, subtle sweetness, maple syrup but thinner. Weaker, but maybe it could be strong.
With time.
He swallows, speaking gruffly to cover up the strange twist of emotion. “No, I-... no. I didn’t love ‘em, but… but you keep going, you know? You’ll do it, too. I’m not… fuck, I’m not good for this. I wasn’t ever supposed to talk, so I’m not… super good at it now. Being, um. Like, helping… with words.” His voice is thick tar on his tongue, colored by his embarrassment.
But he tries.
There’s a silence, and he leans over, until his shoulder just touches theirs. Allyn tenses and then relaxes, and they sit like that for a while, listening to each other breathe.
Allyn’s head comes to rest on his shoulder, and he finds he doesn’t mind the weight.
“I’m so tired of being sad,” They whisper.
“Yeah, I’m-... sorta tired of being pissed off, myself.” He huffs a laugh. Then he feels Allyn’s hand - cold, slender, long-fingered - find his own, warmer and scarred. “Feels like we’re just empty seashells that get filled up with whatever the water brings, huh?”
“That… that sounds really pretty,” Allyn says softly. “Do you think pretty things a lot?”
“No. Most of my thoughts are really fucking ugly.” He manages another humorless laugh. “I guess I can surprise you, huh.”
“In more ways than one.”
“What?”
“I saw what you wrote on the wall,” Allyn murmurs, and they shift their head, breath warm on the side of his neck, where his collar is. Or isn’t. For a second, he can’t remember if he’s wearing it or not. He takes his off, sometimes. When he can. More and more often, as the days turns into weeks here.
“You did?” He closes his eyes, not that it makes much difference. They don’t let go of his hand. There is movement, out in the hall, in the rest of the house, but for the second, he and Allyn are alone.
“Mmhmm. You can read and write? Did your owner let you?”
It’s a secret he’s kept inside him for so long. It’s so hard to give it away, now. “I… no, none of them knew I could. When they took it from me, it… didn’t work. I never lost it.”
“Oh.” They’re silent for a moment. Their breath is warm, and despite himself, he feels a nervous flip of his stomach, his hair standing on end. It’s something trapped between fear and want, and it’s unlike any fear or want he’s ever felt before. “What did you write, on the wall?”
He could tell them anything. He could lie.
He tells the truth. “I wrote out our names. All of us. Um. The, Jake, and… his people. Eli, Nova, Sarita, um, Allyn…”
“Did you write yours?”
He lets his head gently fall back to rest against the wall. His heart might break out of him, bleed all over the floor. A different kind of bleeding, a kind that he sort of wants, even though he doesn’t. “Um. Yeah, I… yeah.”
“What is it?” They don’t move their head, they don’t let go of his hand. “What’s your name?”
He shouldn’t tell them.
It’s been his secret for so, so long. But… fuck, he’s so tired of secrets.
“Jameson,” He says, and it’s the taste of air just before rain, a chill breeze on a blistering day. His name, the one he gave himself. “I’m-... my name is Jameson.”
They’re quiet for a second, and then say, softly, “Nice to meet you, Jameson.”
It sounds better, in Allyn’s voice.
Everything does.
---
@burtlederp @finder-of-rings @whump-tr0pes @whumpiary @raigash @moose-teeth @orchidscript @astrobly @doveotions @pretty-face-breaker @endless-whump
#whump#bbu#box boy universe#box boy multiverse#recovering whumpee#broken whumpee#allyn bb#jameson bb#referenced dubcon#referenced noncon#scarring#scars#pet whump#dehumanization#freed whumpee#angst#all comfort no hurt#grief tw#conditioning#new rescues
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Once Upon a Constellation
Fandom: Haikyuu!! Premise: Tsukkiyama (Royalty! Fantasy! AU) Word Count: 4,831 Content Warning(s): Mentions of War, Mentions of Death
Find This on my AO3 as Well
Once upon a time, a prince fell in love with the stars. But little did he know, the stars had fallen in love back.
The stars decided to meet the prince, and together a friendship began to grow.
But when the prince was no longer able to visit the stars, the stars kissed him goodbye.
Once it came time for the prince to leave his castle for the last time, the stars welcomed him with open arms and together they fell in love once more.
-✩-
Tsukishima Kei walked barefoot out of the castle, concealing his footsteps lest he alert the surrounding guards of his whereabouts. Once outside, he could feel the blades of grass tickling his feet as he walked to the lake in the forest. For as long as Tsukishima knew, there was a large body of water in the clearing within the forest that immediately backed the castle. He had stumbled upon it one day as a small child playing tag with his older brother, Akiteru, laughter bouncing against the trees as they chased each other through them.The sun had just set when they accidentally stumbled upon the lake. There, Akiteru had pointed out the few constellations he knew to his younger brother. The older boy had traced the outlines of hunters and bears and scorpions with his finger, unknowingly causing Tsukishima to be absolutely mesmerized by the twinkling lights in the sky.
It had been that day that Tsukishima Kei had first fallen in love with the stars.
Ever since then, he had tried to make his way to the lake almost every day to watch the stars as they slowly shifted overhead. Sometimes he’d speak to them, informing them of his day and what he’d done. He’d tell them of his frustrations, his loves, his disappointments... Tsukishima knew that the stars must have been aware of every aspect of his life, but what he didn’t know was that the stars remembered. And slowly, the stars fell in love back.
It had been years since that day, and forever it held a special place in Tsukishima’s memories. Yet despite the time that had passed, he still spoke to the stars every night. A part of him wondered if the sky above anticipated his talks as much as he did.
Tsukishima was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts as he approached the lake. There, on the shore, sat an unfamiliar boy. He wasn’t sure how the boy had gotten there as the property technically belonged to the king because of the proximity to the castle, and most guards would not have allowed him to get as close to the castle as he did. Tsukishima approached the boy. He tried to make his footsteps as silent as possible, but soon realized he failed when the boy spun around and smiled at him.
The boy by the lake had an olive skin tone, yet despite it seemed to glow in the moonlight. His clothes were such a pure white it seemed almost unreal. His top was sleeveless, exposing his slender arms. There was a small gap between the hem of his top, and the belt of his long pants, and Tsukishima tried his best not to stare. Connected to his shoulders was a shear cape, and Kei couldn’t help but think his attire was odd for a midnight jaunt through the forest and view of the lake. The wind tousled the boy's choppy, almost shoulder-length brown hair- a very different effect than the mess it caused of Tsukishima’s short curly locks. Kei subconsciously ran a hand through his own hair.
“Hello there.” the boy called. His voice was soft yet sweet and seemed almost to be carried on the wind. Tsukishima waved in response, tentatively approaching. As he walked closer, he could see freckles on every exposed part of the boy’s skin, and he could almost swear it looked just like a map of the constellations. “I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi.” the boy spoke again.
“I’m pr- Tsukishima. I’m Tsukishima Kei.” he said. He was so used to introducing himself with his royal title that he almost did so reflexively. But at the last minute, he decided not to tell the boy, Yamaguchi. For once he just wanted to feel like a normal seventeen-year-old boy instead of a prince.
“I know.” Yamaguchi smiled. Kei thought his statement was strange, but brushed it aside. He tentatively approached Yamaguchi, sitting next to him as he stared at the sky.
“That’s Polaris.” Tsukishima explained, noticing where the other boy was staring. Yamaguchi turned his head towards Tsukishima and smiled again. He could almost swear that Yamaguchi’s freckles sparkled in time with the stars. “It’s the brightest star in Ursa Minor, uh, more commonly known as The Little Dipper,” Tsukishima continued.
“You seem to know quite a bit about the stars, Tsukki.”
A blush creeped up his face but he did his next to will it away, “Tsukki?”
“Is it alright for me to call you that?”
“Yeah. Yeah, it’s okay.” For some reason, the nickname sounded much more pleasant when coming from Yamaguchi’s lips than it ever had from anyone else.
Tsukishima continued to point out the constellations to Yamaguchi, tracing them with his finger just like his older brother had many years before. Tadashi listened attentively, his eyes locked on whichever stars Tsukishima was pointing to. Once the sun rose, they bid each other farewell, Tsukishima turning around to adjust before he entered the forest, but Yamaguchi had disappeared.
The two boys continued to meet every day by the lake. Tsukishima would sneak out of the castle and make his way to the shore, where Yamaguchi would already be. Every day he was dressed in the same pure white garments. No matter how long Yamaguchi sat in the grass, his clothing never seemed to stain. Tsukishima was almost jealous, as he had to hide his own clothing from the maids and wash them in private just to make sure the secret of his late night escapades wasn’t revealed. Yet, despite the trouble he went through to keep his private meetings from the rest of the castle staff, he still would not trade them for the world. In fact, despite his reputation as aloof and a loner, he valued his newfound friend more than anything he had before.
But as the two spent nights together, Tsukishima could tell his feelings for Yamauchi were changing, and he was terrified at what it meant. Before he’d always look forward to seeing his friend, but now a mixture of nervousness and excitement would stew in his belly until the sun finally set and he’d make his way to the lake. When they sat together, Tsukishima could feel his skin buzzing and heart pounding, as he prayed to any deity above to make sure Yamaguchi couldn’t hear his rapid heart rate.
“I won’t be able to meet with you tomorrow.” Tsukishima said one day, lying in the grass next to Yamaguchi. The shorter boy was sitting up, knees hugged to his chest and cheek against his knee, facing Tsukishima. Kei fought the urge to lean forward and kiss him.
He turned to face the blonde. “Why?”
Tsukishima hesitated, wondering how he could twist the truth to make it sound like a commoner's reasoning. “There’s a party for my brother tomorrow and it’s going to last into the night. I don’t think I’ll be able to get away.” It wasn’t a full lie- there was going to be a party for his birthday. A formal ball was being held for him, mainly so he could find a fiance. Despite not wanting to go, Tsukishima was forced to attend due to him being a part of the royal family. Kei had always found these fancy balls to be boring and partly a waste of time. Why would he want to dance with strangers into the night when he could instead watch the stars from his telescope? Or now, when he could go to the lake and sit with Yamaguchi.
“I understand.” Yamaguchi said. His voice sounded almost sad, but a smile was still splayed on his lips.
“I’ll still be able to see you the day after, right?” Tsukishima said.
“Who knows, maybe then it’ll be my turn to be busy.” Yamaguchi laughed at his own sarcasm. Somehow, despite his biting words, his face still appeared soft and kind. Tsukishima would be jealous if he didn’t think he looked so beautiful. Kei’s expressions had always been the opposite, having been accused of not being as sincere as he actually was on countless occasions. Before meeting Yamaguchi he almost believed his face was broken, never showing an emotion, but now he couldn’t help but offer a small smile to the other boy.
“So what constellations are you going to show me today?” Yamaguchi nodded his head upwards, but soon looked back to the blond next to him. Tsukishima tried not to blush under Yamaguchi’s intense gaze. Kei turned away first and began tracing more of the constellations in the sky with his hand. He retold every story he could think of that corresponded with the stars. But the time eventually came where the sun was rising, and Tsukishima had to bid Yamaguchi farewell. Tsukishima turned around just before he was stepping out of the clearing and into the dense forest. But Yamaguchi, once more, was gone.
By the time Tsukishima arrived back to his room and found himself back in bed, the maids woke him up for breakfast. He feigned sick, causing the maids to bring his breakfast to him instead of forcing him to the dining room with his family. Tsukishima couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty as he ate his breakfast alone in his room. He genuinely loved his family, even if he didn’t always clearly show it. But, with the ball that night and the fact they expected him to socialize, he decided it would be best to rest after his late night escapade.
Once the time for the royal party came around, he was quickly awoken and taken to get dressed. He was forced to wear navy pants tucked into shiny black boots. His white collared shirt seemed to crisp against his skin, and the matching navy vest with gold detailing too heavy. The matching formal coat was stifling, and he felt it was much too thick for a celebration held in spring. Finally, a gold sash was placed around him, extending from his right shoulder to his left hip. “You look amazing, Prince Kei.” said one maid as they fixed his rowdy curls, and an echo of compliments rang through his chamber from the few others that were there with him. Tsukishima didn’t respond, instead electing to look away towards the window.
Someone soon ushered him to wait behind a large door, knowing they were going to announce his family members' names as they entered the ballroom. First were his parents, the queen and king, soon followed by the announcement of Kei’s name. He walked down the stairs and peered down to the sea of people he didn’t know, nor cared to know. With a stoic expression plastered on his face, he made his way to stand next to his parents at the bottom of the stairs. Finally, Akiteru was called, and he walked out, all smiles and waves. Kei almost rolled his eyes at how princely his brother was before he stopped himself. He knew he had eyes on him as well, and needed to make sure all guests saw the perfect version of him he was to display.
After Akiteru had descended the staircase, the guests approached the royal family in an attempt to talk. Many female suitors talked to Akiteru, attempting to gain his attention. Tsukishima rolled his eyes then. He knew many girls wanted to marry the future king, but he still found it ridiculous that these female suitors would trip over their own heels to get a glimpse of his older brother.
“Good evening, Prince Tsukishima.” a nervous voice said from behind him. “My name is Princess Yachi Hitoka.” she curtsied after she finished her introduction. Her indigo ball gown swished around her as she nervously shuffled her feet.
Tsukishima politely bowed. “Would you like to dance?” He knew that was most likely the reason she had approached him.
“Okay!” she replied. Tsukishima extended his hand, and she cautiously took it. He could tell she was shy, most likely pressured to ask for a dance by her mother, whichever queen she was.
“You must tell your brother I wish him a happy birthday.” she said as she intertwined her fingers with his and tentatively placed her left hand on his shoulder. She somewhat struggled with his extreme height, and their standing next to each other was almost comedic.
“Okay.” The conversation died. He placed his hand on her waist and guided her in a waltz. Their conversation was stunted, more awkward than anything he had experienced before, and once the song was over, he was quick to bid her a farewell and leave.
As the night progressed, Tsukishima just became more and more bored. He danced with a few of his own female suitors and was forced to speak to many of the guests. Slowly he drifted his way towards the exit when he saw a brunette with familiarly choppy hair in all white making his way to a balcony. Tsukishima was stunned, as he was almost positive it had to be Yamaguchi. He racked his brain for how he would be there, and slowly pieced together that he must be a noble himself. It would definitely explain his constant fancy attire.
Kei pushed his way through the dense crowd, empty apologies passing through his lips as he shoved through conversations in an attempt to catch up with his friend. Once he had arrived at the double glass doors, his heart pounded. He had never told Yamaguchi that he was a prince, and he hoped his friend wouldn’t be angry at his omission. Kei pushed the doors open.
“Good evening, Prince Tsukki.” Yamaguchi said, but there was no malice in his voice; he sounded genuinely pleased to have seen him.
Tsukishima let the door close behind him. “How are you here?” Yamaguchi just smiled in response. Tsukishima knew then that he wouldn’t get a straight answer. “I’m sorry I never told you I was a prince.” the blond apologized.
Yamaguchi turned around to lean against the balcony railing. “It’s okay. I knew.” Tsukishima swallowed the lump in his throat. Now that his friend was facing the opposite direction, he couldn’t help but stare from how beautiful Yamaguchi looked. He wasn’t wearing his normal attire, instead opting to wear fitted white pants tucked into cream-colored boots. He wore a white jacket with gold details and buttons that extended to his knees in the back, but ended at the top of his belt line in the front. The boy had even put his hair into a half-ponytail, with small strands of hair framing his face. Tsukishima walked over and leaned against the railing next to him, and couldn’t help but notice how beautiful Yamaguchi looked bathed in the moonlight.
“How did you get here?” Tsukishima asked again.
“Thank the stars.”
“Thank you, stars.” Tsukishima said, half-sincere. Whatever force had brought Yamaguchi to him that night, he was bound to thank. “You look great, by the way.” Tsukishima impulsively tucked a strand of hair behind Yamaguchi’s ear. A fiery blush burned across Yamaguchi’s cheek bones.
“Thank you.” he whispered as he turned his body to face Tsukishima. Yamaguchi closed the short distance between the two boys' bodies as his eyes darted down to Tsukishima’s lips. The prince did the same, reaching out to gently hold Yamaguchi’s face as they both tilted their heads and slowly leaned in.
The kiss was better than anything Tsukishima could have ever imagined. His heart was racing in his chest, and his entire body felt like it had been lit on fire, heat stemming from every point of contact with Yamaguchi. Kei pulled away for a moment, searching for any reaction in Yamaguchi’s brown eyes. But Tsukishima wasn't prepared for what he saw. He saw a look of pure adoration, pure love, dare he say. Their lips connected again, although neither boy could tell who initiated the second kiss. The second kiss was rougher, more intense, as if making up for lost time, for every time they could've been doing the same at the lake.
“I like you, Tsukishima Kei.” Yamaguchi mumbled against his lips.
“I like you too, Yamaguchi Tadashi.” Tsukishima could feel Yamaguchi shiver from his words, and a sense of pride swelled in his chest at the effect he had on his requited crush.
For the rest of the night, Tsukishima stayed on the balcony with Yamaguchi. They talked between kisses and exchanged content expressions when doing neither. But eventually the night had to end, and Tsukishima had to bid Yamaguchi farewell. He placed a chaste kiss onto the back of Yamaguchi’s hand before heading back to the ball. He passed through the glass double doors and once he was inside the ballroom; he turned around to look at Yamaguchi once more. But the boy had disappeared, leaving behind the memory of his lips in his wake.
Time continued to pass after that day, and the two boys still met by the lake every night. Talking and exchanging glances, but now kisses were intermingled in their interactions where before it had just been silent admiration, floating in the air between them.
But one day, Tsukishima unexpectedly didn’t show up at the lake. There was no way to warn Yamaguchi beforehand, but he felt guilty at abandoning his friend. He knew it wasn’t his fault and family grief came first, but regret burned within him anyway.
An unanticipated war had just recently broken out, and Kei’s older brother had gone to calm down the enemy side. But on his way to a diplomatic meeting, he had been murdered, leaving the kingdom without their rightful heir. Akiteru’s death meant not only had he lost his only beloved older brother, but he now had to continue intense studies to be prepared to be the next ruler. No longer was he allowed to wed out of love either, but an arranged marriage would now be in his future. Kei had never envied his older brother’s duties, but whether he liked it or not, he was being forced to fill in Akiteru’s position in the family. Tsukishima swore he had seen a glimpse of Yamaguchi at Akiteru’s funeral, but if he had been there, he disappeared just as quickly as he appeared.
Because of his new future, Kei barely had time to grieve. They thrusted him into Akiteru’s place so fast his head was metaphorically spinning, and he was expected to take over his brother’s duties as soon as he could. Not wanting to let down his family, Tsukishima put his emotions under lock and key and made sure to do his best job in all of Akiteru’s responsibilities. But because of this, he rarely ever got to see Yamaguchi again.
“I’m sorry.” he apologized one day when he was able to find time to go to the lake.
“It’s okay.” Yamaguchi was always understanding, offering his support and promising to wait for him until his life calmed down. But things would never calm down again.
“I can’t see you anymore.” Tsukishima’s voice broke. Yamaguchi nodded, sadness filling his eyes as he gave an understanding smile. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” he repeated. Tsukishima had left early that night, leaving Yamaguchi behind him in his past. That day, he didn’t look back. But if he had, he would’ve seen Yamaguchi watching him disappear into the forest.
An arranged marriage soon followed, yet, surprisingly, was with someone he knew. That girl he had danced with the day he finally kissed Yamaguchi was the girl he was supposed to marry because of her family’s position. Out of all the arranged marriages he could've been put into, he figured this was the best version of his options. Yachi and Tsukishima eventually became friends, sharing secrets and childhood stories with each other.
“I’m gay.” Tsukishima had admitted one day, not wanting to hide his sexuality from his fiance.
“I’m a lesbian.” she laughed as she responded, and he couldn’t help but smile too. Yachi spoke to him of her crush, a neighboring princess by the name of Kiyoko who was set to marry another prince named Tanaka. Yachi knew her crush was unrequited, as she was aware of how much Kiyoko loved Tanaka. Tsukishima held her as she cried that day, and the two became even closer.
Yachi and Tsukishima never fell in love, but still married. They had grown to become close friends, but Tsukishima never forgot Yamaguchi just as much as Yachi’s crush on Kiyoko never faded. The first time he had formally met Kiyoko was after he was married. Yachi had invited her to the castle, and the two had talked well into the night. Tsukishima couldn’t help but notice just how quiet Kiyoko was. Her voice was soft and her eyes held a sweetness he couldn’t place. Tsukishima could tell she was pretty with her silky black hair and welcoming gaze behind glasses. He could see why Yachi liked her so much. After Kiyoko had left that night, Tsukishima held Yachi as she cried for the rest of the night.
Tsukishima wasn’t without his own tears. Once the anniversary of Akiteru’s death had arrived, he had locked himself in his office and refused to come out. He didn’t want anyone to see how broken he felt as tears slipped down his face. He had forgotten Yachi had a key to his office, and unexpectedly felt a light hand placed on his shoulder. There was his wife, looking at him with a smile so gentle he couldn’t help but think of Yamaguchi again. Tsukishima hadn’t cried for the rest of the day, but Yachi sat with him in silence anyway, her presence more comforting than he could ever express.
Sometimes Yachi would leave to visit her family back in her native kingdom, and during one of those trips the unexpected happened. Tsukishima had been walking outside in the middle of the night by himself when he saw a young man sitting on a bench in the moonlight. Kei immediately recognized him. There in the middle of his garden sat his beloved Yamaguchi.
“How...how are you here?” Tsukishima was stunned.
“Thank the stars.” Tsukishima laughed at the familiar response and quickly pulled Yamaguchi from his sitting position and immediately into a kiss. When Tsukishima pulled away, he saw an expression of pure sadness on his lover’s face, and his heart dropped into his stomach.
“What’s wrong?”
“This is the last time I can see you. I’m sorry.” Yamaguchi said, tears beginning to silently stream down his face.
“Why?” Yamaguchi hesitated.
“You wouldn’t believe me.”
“Try me.” Tsukishima was adamant. So Yamaguchi explained everything. He admitted he was the prince of the stars and soon it was his turn to rule over the kingdom of the night. As king, he wouldn’t be able to leave his position. The entire time Yamaguchi talked, Tsukishima wiped away his tears with his thumbs.
“I’m confused.” Tsukishima admitted when Yamaguchi finished his explanation.
“I figured you would be.” Yamaguchi reached into his pocket, “so I brought you this.” In his hand was a beautiful navy gem on a black chord. Tsukishima looked at Yamaguchi, confused. The brunette stepped away from him and made sure he was watching. Yamaguchi wrapped the cord around his wrist, the gem loose and hitting his forearm, and brought his hands together. He cupped both hands as if holding something and brought his hands to his mouth. Yamaguchi blew air in between his palms and opened his hands. There, in his palm, was a constellation.
“I’ve never seen this constellation before.” Tsukishima admitted.
Yamaguchi nodded. “It’s because it’s a gift for you. It’s us.” he said sheepishly, almost as if he was embarrassed by his own gift. Yamaguchi took the constellation and placed it within the gem. “This is a night stone. They aren’t found on earth and can hold certain elements, such as stars. Whenever you look into it, you’ll be able to see the constellation.” Tsukishima just looked at him, stunned.
“This is the most amazing gift I’ve ever received from anyone. Thank you.” a tear rolled down his cheek. Yamaguchi kissed every one of his tears away.
Tsukishima eventually spoke again. “I noticed on our first meeting your freckles are in-”
“The pattern of the constellations?” Yamaguchi chucked, “Yeah, I’m basically a living map. Every person in the night kingdom has a couple constellations on their skin, but I was born with them all.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Yamaguchi blushed as Tsukishima kissed every visible freckle he could.
They spoke for the rest of the night, and as the sun rose, it forced Yamaguchi to kiss Tsukishima goodbye. But once Tsukishima opened his eyes, Yamaguchi had disappeared, and in his hand was the gemstone.
After that day, no matter how many times Tsukishima walked to the lake in the middle of the night, nor how many midnight strolls in the garden he took, Yamaguchi never appeared. Tsukishima constantly wore the cord around his neck, holding it in his hand and peering through it whenever he missed him. Tsukishima couldn’t help but wonder if Yamaguchi missed him just as much as he did.
Decades passed. Wars started. Wars ended. Despite the passage of time, Tsukishima’s love for Yamaguchi was as constant as the sun rising. Never did a day pass that he didn’t love Yamaguchi. Tsukishima spoke to the stars every night, imagining his love was sitting there next to him and smiling.
When another war was started by the same kingdom that killed Akiteru, Tsukishima was adamant on going to battle himself. He was older now, around forty or so, with scars littering his hands from battles and his face even stonier than it was as a teen. Yachi had grown in the opposite, her features softening even more and her kindness growing with each passing day. The two never did fall in love, but they were content with that. When Tsukishima announced his plans of fighting on the front lines, Yachi couldn’t help but grow concerned. But no matter how much she tried to convince him not to, he was adamant on avenging his older brother.
He gave a valiant fight on the battlefield, but after a particularly gruesome battle, they had slaughtered his entire army. Tsukishima lay there, dying, blood seeping into the soil beneath him. The sun began to set just as the light in his eyes began to slowly dim. Tsukishima took a shallow breath, hoping he could hang onto his last thread of life just so he could see the stars once more. He closed his eyes for a moment from the pain.
“Hello, Tsukki.” His eyes snapped open, and of course, there before him was Yamaguchi. He still looked young, only around twenty, the same as he did at their last meeting.
“Yamaguchi.” Tsukishima whispered. He felt as if he was hallucinating. He could barely believe he was there. Yamaguchi smiled, and Tsukishima noted it was the same smile he received the first day they had met. It was a smile of pure happiness and anticipation.
“I’m sorry.” Yamaguchi apologized.
“Why?”
“That I couldn’t protect you.” Yamaguchi extended his hand as he spoke, “and I know you can no longer be king here on Earth, so I would like you to be king with me.”
“What?” Tsukishima was stunned.
Yamaguchi knelt on the ground, pulling Tsukishima’s body into his lap. “I would like you to rule the night kingdom with me. If you’d like to.”
“Please.” Tsukishima’s voice was strained. Yamaguchi smiled and placed a soft kiss on Tsukishima’s lips.
“It’s time for us to go.” Yamaguchi whispered against Tsukishima’s lips.
“Okay.” he mumbled back. Yamaguchi helped Tsukishima stand up, leaving his mortal body behind. Tsukishima noticed he was no longer in pain. He looked at his and Yamaguchi’s interlocked hands and noticed the scars had faded into porcelain skin. He looked down into the pool of blood at his feet, and mirrored back to him was the same twenty-year-old Tsukishima who had said goodbye to his lover all those years ago. He looked back towards Yamaguchi.
“I think you’ll enjoy the kingdom.” Yamaguchi kissed the back of Tsukishima’s hand and there appeared the same constellation Yamaguchi had gifted to him years ago. Yamaguchi disappeared for the last time, hands intertwined with his lover.
It was that night that an astronomer found a new constellation that appeared to form the shape of two people holding each other. The astronomer fondly named the newfound constellation, ‘The Lovers’.Tsukishima Kei walked barefoot out of the castle, concealing his footsteps lest he alert the surrounding guards of his whereabouts. Once outside, he could feel the blades of grass tickling his feet as he walked to the lake in the forest. For as long as Tsukishima knew, there was a large body of water in the clearing within the forest that immediately backed the castle. He had stumbled upon it one day as a small child playing tag with his older brother, Akiteru, laughter bouncing against the trees as they chased each other through them.The sun had just set when they accidentally stumbled upon the lake. There, Akiteru had pointed out the few constellations he knew to his younger brother. The older boy had traced the outlines of hunters and bears and scorpions with his finger, unknowingly causing Tsukishima to be absolutely mesmerized by the twinkling lights in the sky.
It had been that day that Tsukishima Kei had first fallen in love with the stars.
Ever since then, he had tried to make his way to the lake almost every day to watch the stars as they slowly shifted overhead. Sometimes he’d speak to them, informing them of his day and what he’d done. He’d tell them of his frustrations, his loves, his disappointments... Tsukishima knew that the stars must have been aware of every aspect of his life, but what he didn’t know was that the stars remembered. And slowly, the stars fell in love back.
It had been years since that day, and forever it held a special place in Tsukishima’s memories. Yet despite the time that had passed, he still spoke to the stars every night. A part of him wondered if the sky above anticipated his talks as much as he did.
Tsukishima was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts as he approached the lake. There, on the shore, sat an unfamiliar boy. He wasn’t sure how the boy had gotten there as the property technically belonged to the king because of the proximity to the castle, and most guards would not have allowed him to get as close to the castle as he did. Tsukishima approached the boy. He tried to make his footsteps as silent as possible, but soon realized he failed when the boy spun around and smiled at him.
The boy by the lake had an olive skin tone, yet despite it seemed to glow in the moonlight. His clothes were such a pure white it seemed almost unreal. His top was sleeveless, exposing his slender arms. There was a small gap between the hem of his top, and the belt of his long pants, and Tsukishima tried his best not to stare. Connected to his shoulders was a shear cape, and Kei couldn’t help but think his attire was odd for a midnight jaunt through the forest and view of the lake. The wind tousled the boy's choppy, almost shoulder-length brown hair- a very different effect than the mess it caused of Tsukishima’s short curly locks. Kei subconsciously ran a hand through his own hair.
“Hello there.” the boy called. His voice was soft yet sweet and seemed almost to be carried on the wind. Tsukishima waved in response, tentatively approaching. As he walked closer, he could see freckles on every exposed part of the boy’s skin, and he could almost swear it looked just like a map of the constellations. “I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi.” the boy spoke again.
“I’m pr- Tsukishima. I’m Tsukishima Kei.” he said. He was so used to introducing himself with his royal title that he almost did so reflexively. But at the last minute, he decided not to tell the boy, Yamaguchi. For once he just wanted to feel like a normal seventeen-year-old boy instead of a prince.
“I know.” Yamaguchi smiled. Kei thought his statement was strange, but brushed it aside. He tentatively approached Yamaguchi, sitting next to him as he stared at the sky.
“That’s Polaris.” Tsukishima explained, noticing where the other boy was staring. Yamaguchi turned his head towards Tsukishima and smiled again. He could almost swear that Yamaguchi’s freckles sparkled in time with the stars. “It’s the brightest star in Ursa Minor, uh, more commonly known as The Little Dipper,” Tsukishima continued.
“You seem to know quite a bit about the stars, Tsukki.”
A blush creeped up his face but he did his next to will it away, “Tsukki?”
“Is it alright for me to call you that?”
“Yeah. Yeah, it’s okay.” For some reason, the nickname sounded much more pleasant when coming from Yamaguchi’s lips than it ever had from anyone else.
Tsukishima continued to point out the constellations to Yamaguchi, tracing them with his finger just like his older brother had many years before. Tadashi listened attentively, his eyes locked on whichever stars Tsukishima was pointing to. Once the sun rose, they bid each other farewell, Tsukishima turning around to adjust before he entered the forest, but Yamaguchi had disappeared.
The two boys continued to meet every day by the lake. Tsukishima would sneak out of the castle and make his way to the shore, where Yamaguchi would already be. Every day he was dressed in the same pure white garments. No matter how long Yamaguchi sat in the grass, his clothing never seemed to stain. Tsukishima was almost jealous, as he had to hide his own clothing from the maids and wash them in private just to make sure the secret of his late night escapades wasn’t revealed. Yet, despite the trouble he went through to keep his private meetings from the rest of the castle staff, he still would not trade them for the world. In fact, despite his reputation as aloof and a loner, he valued his newfound friend more than anything he had before.
But as the two spent nights together, Tsukishima could tell his feelings for Yamauchi were changing, and he was terrified at what it meant. Before he’d always look forward to seeing his friend, but now a mixture of nervousness and excitement would stew in his belly until the sun finally set and he’d make his way to the lake. When they sat together, Tsukishima could feel his skin buzzing and heart pounding, as he prayed to any deity above to make sure Yamaguchi couldn’t hear his rapid heart rate.
“I won’t be able to meet with you tomorrow.” Tsukishima said one day, lying in the grass next to Yamaguchi. The shorter boy was sitting up, knees hugged to his chest and cheek against his knee, facing Tsukishima. Kei fought the urge to lean forward and kiss him.
He turned to face the blonde. “Why?”
Tsukishima hesitated, wondering how he could twist the truth to make it sound like a commoner's reasoning. “There’s a party for my brother tomorrow and it’s going to last into the night. I don’t think I’ll be able to get away.” It wasn’t a full lie- there was going to be a party for his birthday. A formal ball was being held for him, mainly so he could find a fiance. Despite not wanting to go, Tsukishima was forced to attend due to him being a part of the royal family. Kei had always found these fancy balls to be boring and partly a waste of time. Why would he want to dance with strangers into the night when he could instead watch the stars from his telescope? Or now, when he could go to the lake and sit with Yamaguchi.
“I understand.” Yamaguchi said. His voice sounded almost sad, but a smile was still splayed on his lips.
“I’ll still be able to see you the day after, right?” Tsukishima said.
“Who knows, maybe then it’ll be my turn to be busy.” Yamaguchi laughed at his own sarcasm. Somehow, despite his biting words, his face still appeared soft and kind. Tsukishima would be jealous if he didn’t think he looked so beautiful. Kei’s expressions had always been the opposite, having been accused of not being as sincere as he actually was on countless occasions. Before meeting Yamaguchi he almost believed his face was broken, never showing an emotion, but now he couldn’t help but offer a small smile to the other boy.
“So what constellations are you going to show me today?” Yamaguchi nodded his head upwards, but soon looked back to the blond next to him. Tsukishima tried not to blush under Yamaguchi’s intense gaze. Kei turned away first and began tracing more of the constellations in the sky with his hand. He retold every story he could think of that corresponded with the stars. But the time eventually came where the sun was rising, and Tsukishima had to bid Yamaguchi farewell. Tsukishima turned around just before he was stepping out of the clearing and into the dense forest. But Yamaguchi, once more, was gone.
By the time Tsukishima arrived back to his room and found himself back in bed, the maids woke him up for breakfast. He feigned sick, causing the maids to bring his breakfast to him instead of forcing him to the dining room with his family. Tsukishima couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty as he ate his breakfast alone in his room. He genuinely loved his family, even if he didn’t always clearly show it. But, with the ball that night and the fact they expected him to socialize, he decided it would be best to rest after his late night escapade.
Once the time for the royal party came around, he was quickly awoken and taken to get dressed. He was forced to wear navy pants tucked into shiny black boots. His white collared shirt seemed to crisp against his skin, and the matching navy vest with gold detailing too heavy. The matching formal coat was stifling, and he felt it was much too thick for a celebration held in spring. Finally, a gold sash was placed around him, extending from his right shoulder to his left hip. “You look amazing, Prince Kei.” said one maid as they fixed his rowdy curls, and an echo of compliments rang through his chamber from the few others that were there with him. Tsukishima didn’t respond, instead electing to look away towards the window.
Someone soon ushered him to wait behind a large door, knowing they were going to announce his family members' names as they entered the ballroom. First were his parents, the queen and king, soon followed by the announcement of Kei’s name. He walked down the stairs and peered down to the sea of people he didn’t know, nor cared to know. With a stoic expression plastered on his face, he made his way to stand next to his parents at the bottom of the stairs. Finally, Akiteru was called, and he walked out, all smiles and waves. Kei almost rolled his eyes at how princely his brother was before he stopped himself. He knew he had eyes on him as well, and needed to make sure all guests saw the perfect version of him he was to display.
After Akiteru had descended the staircase, the guests approached the royal family in an attempt to talk. Many female suitors talked to Akiteru, attempting to gain his attention. Tsukishima rolled his eyes then. He knew many girls wanted to marry the future king, but he still found it ridiculous that these female suitors would trip over their own heels to get a glimpse of his older brother.
“Good evening, Prince Tsukishima.” a nervous voice said from behind him. “My name is Princess Yachi Hitoka.” she curtsied after she finished her introduction. Her indigo ball gown swished around her as she nervously shuffled her feet.
Tsukishima politely bowed. “Would you like to dance?” He knew that was most likely the reason she had approached him.
“Okay!” she replied. Tsukishima extended his hand, and she cautiously took it. He could tell she was shy, most likely pressured to ask for a dance by her mother, whichever queen she was.
“You must tell your brother I wish him a happy birthday.” she said as she intertwined her fingers with his and tentatively placed her left hand on his shoulder. She somewhat struggled with his extreme height, and their standing next to each other was almost comedic.
“Okay.” The conversation died. He placed his hand on her waist and guided her in a waltz. Their conversation was stunted, more awkward than anything he had experienced before, and once the song was over, he was quick to bid her a farewell and leave.
As the night progressed, Tsukishima just became more and more bored. He danced with a few of his own female suitors and was forced to speak to many of the guests. Slowly he drifted his way towards the exit when he saw a brunette with familiarly choppy hair in all white making his way to a balcony. Tsukishima was stunned, as he was almost positive it had to be Yamaguchi. He racked his brain for how he would be there, and slowly pieced together that he must be a noble himself. It would definitely explain his constant fancy attire.
Kei pushed his way through the dense crowd, empty apologies passing through his lips as he shoved through conversations in an attempt to catch up with his friend. Once he had arrived at the double glass doors, his heart pounded. He had never told Yamaguchi that he was a prince, and he hoped his friend wouldn’t be angry at his omission. Kei pushed the doors open.
“Good evening, Prince Tsukki.” Yamaguchi said, but there was no malice in his voice; he sounded genuinely pleased to have seen him.
Tsukishima let the door close behind him. “How are you here?” Yamaguchi just smiled in response. Tsukishima knew then that he wouldn’t get a straight answer. “I’m sorry I never told you I was a prince.” the blond apologized.
Yamaguchi turned around to lean against the balcony railing. “It’s okay. I knew.” Tsukishima swallowed the lump in his throat. Now that his friend was facing the opposite direction, he couldn’t help but stare from how beautiful Yamaguchi looked. He wasn’t wearing his normal attire, instead opting to wear fitted white pants tucked into cream-colored boots. He wore a white jacket with gold details and buttons that extended to his knees in the back, but ended at the top of his belt line in the front. The boy had even put his hair into a half-ponytail, with small strands of hair framing his face. Tsukishima walked over and leaned against the railing next to him, and couldn’t help but notice how beautiful Yamaguchi looked bathed in the moonlight.
“How did you get here?” Tsukishima asked again.
“Thank the stars.”
“Thank you, stars.” Tsukishima said, half-sincere. Whatever force had brought Yamaguchi to him that night, he was bound to thank. “You look great, by the way.” Tsukishima impulsively tucked a strand of hair behind Yamaguchi’s ear. A fiery blush burned across Yamaguchi’s cheek bones.
“Thank you.” he whispered as he turned his body to face Tsukishima. Yamaguchi closed the short distance between the two boys' bodies as his eyes darted down to Tsukishima’s lips. The prince did the same, reaching out to gently hold Yamaguchi’s face as they both tilted their heads and slowly leaned in.
The kiss was better than anything Tsukishima could have ever imagined. His heart was racing in his chest, and his entire body felt like it had been lit on fire, heat stemming from every point of contact with Yamaguchi. Kei pulled away for a moment, searching for any reaction in Yamaguchi’s brown eyes. But Tsukishima wasn't prepared for what he saw. He saw a look of pure adoration, pure love, dare he say. Their lips connected again, although neither boy could tell who initiated the second kiss. The second kiss was rougher, more intense, as if making up for lost time, for every time they could've been doing the same at the lake.
“I like you, Tsukishima Kei.” Yamaguchi mumbled against his lips.
“I like you too, Yamaguchi Tadashi.” Tsukishima could feel Yamaguchi shiver from his words, and a sense of pride swelled in his chest at the effect he had on his requited crush.
For the rest of the night, Tsukishima stayed on the balcony with Yamaguchi. They talked between kisses and exchanged content expressions when doing neither. But eventually the night had to end, and Tsukishima had to bid Yamaguchi farewell. He placed a chaste kiss onto the back of Yamaguchi’s hand before heading back to the ball. He passed through the glass double doors and once he was inside the ballroom; he turned around to look at Yamaguchi once more. But the boy had disappeared, leaving behind the memory of his lips in his wake.
Time continued to pass after that day, and the two boys still met by the lake every night. Talking and exchanging glances, but now kisses were intermingled in their interactions where before it had just been silent admiration, floating in the air between them.
But one day, Tsukishima unexpectedly didn’t show up at the lake. There was no way to warn Yamaguchi beforehand, but he felt guilty at abandoning his friend. He knew it wasn’t his fault and family grief came first, but regret burned within him anyway.
An unanticipated war had just recently broken out, and Kei’s older brother had gone to calm down the enemy side. But on his way to a diplomatic meeting, he had been murdered, leaving the kingdom without their rightful heir. Akiteru’s death meant not only had he lost his only beloved older brother, but he now had to continue intense studies to be prepared to be the next ruler. No longer was he allowed to wed out of love either, but an arranged marriage would now be in his future. Kei had never envied his older brother’s duties, but whether he liked it or not, he was being forced to fill in Akiteru’s position in the family. Tsukishima swore he had seen a glimpse of Yamaguchi at Akiteru’s funeral, but if he had been there, he disappeared just as quickly as he appeared.
Because of his new future, Kei barely had time to grieve. They thrusted him into Akiteru’s place so fast his head was metaphorically spinning, and he was expected to take over his brother’s duties as soon as he could. Not wanting to let down his family, Tsukishima put his emotions under lock and key and made sure to do his best job in all of Akiteru’s responsibilities. But because of this, he rarely ever got to see Yamaguchi again.
“I’m sorry.” he apologized one day when he was able to find time to go to the lake.
“It’s okay.” Yamaguchi was always understanding, offering his support and promising to wait for him until his life calmed down. But things would never calm down again.
“I can’t see you anymore.” Tsukishima’s voice broke. Yamaguchi nodded, sadness filling his eyes as he gave an understanding smile. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” he repeated. Tsukishima had left early that night, leaving Yamaguchi behind him in his past. That day, he didn’t look back. But if he had, he would’ve seen Yamaguchi watching him disappear into the forest.
An arranged marriage soon followed, yet, surprisingly, was with someone he knew. That girl he had danced with the day he finally kissed Yamaguchi was the girl he was supposed to marry because of her family’s position. Out of all the arranged marriages he could've been put into, he figured this was the best version of his options. Yachi and Tsukishima eventually became friends, sharing secrets and childhood stories with each other.
“I’m gay.” Tsukishima had admitted one day, not wanting to hide his sexuality from his fiance.
“I’m a lesbian.” she laughed as she responded, and he couldn’t help but smile too. Yachi spoke to him of her crush, a neighboring princess by the name of Kiyoko who was set to marry another prince named Tanaka. Yachi knew her crush was unrequited, as she was aware of how much Kiyoko loved Tanaka. Tsukishima held her as she cried that day, and the two became even closer.
Yachi and Tsukishima never fell in love, but still married. They had grown to become close friends, but Tsukishima never forgot Yamaguchi just as much as Yachi’s crush on Kiyoko never faded. The first time he had formally met Kiyoko was after he was married. Yachi had invited her to the castle, and the two had talked well into the night. Tsukishima couldn’t help but notice just how quiet Kiyoko was. Her voice was soft and her eyes held a sweetness he couldn’t place. Tsukishima could tell she was pretty with her silky black hair and welcoming gaze behind glasses. He could see why Yachi liked her so much. After Kiyoko had left that night, Tsukishima held Yachi as she cried for the rest of the night.
Tsukishima wasn’t without his own tears. Once the anniversary of Akiteru’s death had arrived, he had locked himself in his office and refused to come out. He didn’t want anyone to see how broken he felt as tears slipped down his face. He had forgotten Yachi had a key to his office, and unexpectedly felt a light hand placed on his shoulder. There was his wife, looking at him with a smile so gentle he couldn’t help but think of Yamaguchi again. Tsukishima hadn’t cried for the rest of the day, but Yachi sat with him in silence anyway, her presence more comforting than he could ever express.
Sometimes Yachi would leave to visit her family back in her native kingdom, and during one of those trips the unexpected happened. Tsukishima had been walking outside in the middle of the night by himself when he saw a young man sitting on a bench in the moonlight. Kei immediately recognized him. There in the middle of his garden sat his beloved Yamaguchi.
“How...how are you here?” Tsukishima was stunned.
“Thank the stars.” Tsukishima laughed at the familiar response and quickly pulled Yamaguchi from his sitting position and immediately into a kiss. When Tsukishima pulled away, he saw an expression of pure sadness on his lover’s face, and his heart dropped into his stomach.
“What’s wrong?”
“This is the last time I can see you. I’m sorry.” Yamaguchi said, tears beginning to silently stream down his face.
“Why?” Yamaguchi hesitated.
“You wouldn’t believe me.”
“Try me.” Tsukishima was adamant. So Yamaguchi explained everything. He admitted he was the prince of the stars and soon it was his turn to rule over the kingdom of the night. As king, he wouldn’t be able to leave his position. The entire time Yamaguchi talked, Tsukishima wiped away his tears with his thumbs.
“I’m confused.” Tsukishima admitted when Yamaguchi finished his explanation.
“I figured you would be.” Yamaguchi reached into his pocket, “so I brought you this.” In his hand was a beautiful navy gem on a black chord. Tsukishima looked at Yamaguchi, confused. The brunette stepped away from him and made sure he was watching. Yamaguchi wrapped the cord around his wrist, the gem loose and hitting his forearm, and brought his hands together. He cupped both hands as if holding something and brought his hands to his mouth. Yamaguchi blew air in between his palms and opened his hands. There, in his palm, was a constellation.
“I’ve never seen this constellation before.” Tsukishima admitted.
Yamaguchi nodded. “It’s because it’s a gift for you. It’s us.” he said sheepishly, almost as if he was embarrassed by his own gift. Yamaguchi took the constellation and placed it within the gem. “This is a night stone. They aren’t found on earth and can hold certain elements, such as stars. Whenever you look into it, you’ll be able to see the constellation.” Tsukishima just looked at him, stunned.
“This is the most amazing gift I’ve ever received from anyone. Thank you.” a tear rolled down his cheek. Yamaguchi kissed every one of his tears away.
Tsukishima eventually spoke again. “I noticed on our first meeting your freckles are in-”
“The pattern of the constellations?” Yamaguchi chucked, “Yeah, I’m basically a living map. Every person in the night kingdom has a couple constellations on their skin, but I was born with them all.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Yamaguchi blushed as Tsukishima kissed every visible freckle he could.
They spoke for the rest of the night, and as the sun rose, it forced Yamaguchi to kiss Tsukishima goodbye. But once Tsukishima opened his eyes, Yamaguchi had disappeared, and in his hand was the gemstone.
After that day, no matter how many times Tsukishima walked to the lake in the middle of the night, nor how many midnight strolls in the garden he took, Yamaguchi never appeared. Tsukishima constantly wore the cord around his neck, holding it in his hand and peering through it whenever he missed him. Tsukishima couldn’t help but wonder if Yamaguchi missed him just as much as he did.
Decades passed. Wars started. Wars ended. Despite the passage of time, Tsukishima’s love for Yamaguchi was as constant as the sun rising. Never did a day pass that he didn’t love Yamaguchi. Tsukishima spoke to the stars every night, imagining his love was sitting there next to him and smiling.
When another war was started by the same kingdom that killed Akiteru, Tsukishima was adamant on going to battle himself. He was older now, around forty or so, with scars littering his hands from battles and his face even stonier than it was as a teen. Yachi had grown in the opposite, her features softening even more and her kindness growing with each passing day. The two never did fall in love, but they were content with that. When Tsukishima announced his plans of fighting on the front lines, Yachi couldn’t help but grow concerned. But no matter how much she tried to convince him not to, he was adamant on avenging his older brother.
He gave a valiant fight on the battlefield, but after a particularly gruesome battle, they had slaughtered his entire army. Tsukishima lay there, dying, blood seeping into the soil beneath him. The sun began to set just as the light in his eyes began to slowly dim. Tsukishima took a shallow breath, hoping he could hang onto his last thread of life just so he could see the stars once more. He closed his eyes for a moment from the pain.
“Hello, Tsukki.” His eyes snapped open, and of course, there before him was Yamaguchi. He still looked young, only around twenty, the same as he did at their last meeting.
“Yamaguchi.” Tsukishima whispered. He felt as if he was hallucinating. He could barely believe he was there. Yamaguchi smiled, and Tsukishima noted it was the same smile he received the first day they had met. It was a smile of pure happiness and anticipation.
“I’m sorry.” Yamaguchi apologized.
“Why?”
“That I couldn’t protect you.” Yamaguchi extended his hand as he spoke, “and I know you can no longer be king here on Earth, so I would like you to be king with me.”
“What?” Tsukishima was stunned.
Yamaguchi knelt on the ground, pulling Tsukishima’s body into his lap. “I would like you to rule the night kingdom with me. If you’d like to.”
“Please.” Tsukishima’s voice was strained. Yamaguchi smiled and placed a soft kiss on Tsukishima’s lips.
“It’s time for us to go.” Yamaguchi whispered against Tsukishima’s lips.
“Okay.” he mumbled back. Yamaguchi helped Tsukishima stand up, leaving his mortal body behind. Tsukishima noticed he was no longer in pain. He looked at his and Yamaguchi’s interlocked hands and noticed the scars had faded into porcelain skin. He looked down into the pool of blood at his feet, and mirrored back to him was the same twenty-year-old Tsukishima who had said goodbye to his lover all those years ago. He looked back towards Yamaguchi.
“I think you’ll enjoy the kingdom.” Yamaguchi kissed the back of Tsukishima’s hand and there appeared the same constellation Yamaguchi had gifted to him years ago. Yamaguchi disappeared for the last time, hands intertwined with his lover.
It was that night that an astronomer found a new constellation that appeared to form the shape of two people holding each other. The astronomer fondly named the newfound constellation, ‘The Lovers’.
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#.fandom: Haikyuu!!#.ships: Tsukkiyama#.media: Fanfiction#.fic: Once Upon a Constellation#yamaguchi tadashi#tsukishima kei#haikyuu#tsukiyama#tsukkiyama#haikyuu royal au#haikyuu fantasy au#.content: Fluff#.content: Angst
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The Mystery Shack Spooks - Part 4
For Holiday Truce 2020
Summary: Elle Fenton had hoped for a normal summer, a chance to make normal friends with people who know nothing about her crazy family, ghosts, or, most importantly, her status as a clone. But ghosts always seem to find her, even in Gravity Falls. Now the Mystery Shack is haunted by a unknown apparition with an unknown connection to Dipper and Mabel, and to Elle herself. The half ghost struggles to open up to her new friends and to find a way to help this lonely ghost.
Part 1 -> Part 2 -> Part 3 -> Part 4(Here) -> Part 5
Also on AO3 and fanfiction.net
Note:
Did I say this was going to be the last chapter? Ops....well I wrote what was supposed to be the last chapter and it ended up super long so I cut it in half. I'm posting the first part and once I edit the rest, I'll post the actual end in a few days.
Also, I really need a proper name for this story. So if anyone has any idea or suggestions, I'll take them. If anyone comes up with something that I ended up using, I'll be sure to credit them.
Finally, happy reading!
Her mind was anything but silent. Her brain swarmed with thoughts, throughout a quiet dinner and half-hearted attempt at board games (unsurprisingly the twins weren't enthusiastic after that sobering encounter). Long past the time she should be asleep, the half ghost found herself staring at the ceiling, her thoughts drifting. She sighed, her heart still clenching with guilt- over not telling Dipper and Mabel about Tyrone and about her status as a clone. But if she could find some way so that the twins could see and hear the other ghosts or if Tyrone would show up so they could brainstorm…..
With a huff, Elle sat up. She wasn’t going to get to sleep anytime soon, not like this, and she was getting sick of staring at the ceiling. Maybe she should go flying or sit on the roof for a bit. With barely a thought, she triggered her core to transform and floated off the bed. She flew through the roof, pausing as the light of the moon fell on her face. She let out a breath, sitting down on the ledge of the roof. The view really was beautiful; maybe she’d wait and watch the stars.
Some time passed as she looked at the sky and tried (and failed) to not worry about Tyrone. Then a creak sounded behind her. Elle turned, finding a familiar boy behind her. With the moonlight, he almost glowed ethereally; for a moment she thought he was-
“What are you doing up here?” He asked, voice without even a hint of echo.
Elle frowned. “ Dipper, it’s you.”
“Yeah, It’s me.” He looked at her strangely, repeating. “What are you doing up here?”
The girl blushed. “Oh, I was just...I was...thinking about our ghostly friend.”
“Oh…” His confused expression bled into something sad. “You’re trying to figure out who he is?”
Elle bit her lip, debating. She knew who the ghost was but she couldn’t exactly tell her friend; Tyrone had begged her not too. She sighed. “I’m thinking about how we can help him. If you and Mabel could see him...or if I could actually talk to him….”
“Oh yeah…” Dipper huffed, coming to sit beside her. “I barely thought about him today.” He looked down, guiltily.
“We'll figure something out.” Elle said half heartedly. “But anyway, what’s got you up?”
The boy sighed, studying a particular spot on the roof. He glanced at her cautiously. “Can I...can I tell you something?”
The half ghost blinked, startled by the question or really, by his attitude. He looked uncharacteristically upset. About the ghost haunting the Shack maybe? After a moment, she answered. “Yeah?”
“I keep thinking about… I keep thinking about….Tyrone.” He whispered.
Elle tilted her head, not expecting that. She was really, really not expecting that. It was like...it came from nowhere. But maybe he’d realized -
“You have?” She asked, part hopeful and part cautious.
Dipper nodded. “Since we told you about the copier and you said...what you said, that Tyrone was my clone but maybe not actually me….” Nervously, he picked at his nails. “That keeps...ringing in my head. I can’t stop thinking about it and about what happened to him and…” He trailed off.
“Oh” The girl bit her lip, suddenly guilty. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I brought that up.”
Dipper shook his head. “No, don’t be. You….you made me realize I miss him. I’ve missed him so much this year. But...I didn’t understand that that was what I was feeling or why. I mean….the two of us…we were so in sync, really the perfect team. We thought the same, like we were really the same person and….no one understood me like he did.” He looked down at the last part. “But….I kept replaying that idea, what you said, in my head and….” His voice quieted, turning pained. “I don’t…I don’t know how I didn’t see it then but…there was something different about him, compared to the others. And not just ‘cause Tyrone had a name but….the two of us actually talked and came up with the plan to dance with Wendy together. I didn’t really talk to the others, just told them what to do and they did it. And…” He laughed humorlessly. “Tyrone’s the one who got mad at me for not following our plan and the other clones just followed when he locked me in the closet.” He shook his head, a fond smile on his face. “The doofus left me snacks and a coloring book in there in case I got bored or hungry. And…Tyrone figured out how to escape the sprinklers.” He clenched his shaking fists, taking a deep breath. “There was…a light in his eyes, a spark that just wasn’t in the others. And I…how didn’t I see it?”
The girl startled at the words, the honesty. She reached out to comfort. “It’s okay.”
“No it’s just.” He ripped his arm away. “For the past…for the past year, I told myself that he wasn’t real. That missing him was ridiculous and narcissistic and the only reason I did was because I didn’t have any friends other than my sister. But….” His voice broke. “He was real, wasn’t he? Tyrone was a real, actual person. And…he’s not melted, he’s dead. He’s dead. And it’s my fault because I made him in the first place. And I gave him that freaking pit cola and just watched it happen. I’m the only one who even knew him and I haven’t even mourned, because I thought he didn’t deserve it because he wasn’t real.”
Dipper wrapped his arms around his knees. To Elle’s surprise, he’d started crying at some point. The girl shifted slightly, before tentatively putting one arm around him. Her heart ached as she let him cry. But she said nothing, too stunned to force any words out. She had...she had no idea he actually listened and thought about her words. But he had. Dipper had taken them to heart and now he was mourning and… He knew Tyrone was someone, a real person. Her heart skipped a beating, remembering the ghostly clone’s broken words. Just a copy. What will they think of me? What would they think…. Well, Elle didn’t know about Mabel but Dipper….Dipper saw his personhood, his potential. Her eyes widened; she had to tell-
The boy started talking, cutting off her thoughts. He sniffled. “But yeah, sorry to dump that on you. It’s not your fault but…I keep thinking about him, especially since...earlier...I thought I saw...”
Elle gasped, just managing to squeak out. “You saw...?”
Dipper swallowed. “I think...I think...I..I had this dream where Tyrone was floating over my bed. He was crying and….” His voice choked. “He begged me to see him and talk to him. And I could see him but….I was frozen. I couldn’t move, couldn’t talk. Then I woke up and I remembered that it happened a year ago.”
“It…? A year ago?” The half ghost would blush at her parroting if she wasn’t busy freaking out.
“A year ago.” The boy nodded. “ I used...I used that freaking copier and somehow it made Tyrone.” A sickly smile covered his face. “He’d be a year old now if….” His expression flipped, turning into a hateful sneer. “If I hadn’t killed him a f-cking can of Pit Soda. Instead he’s dead so yeah, happy DeathDay Tyrone.”
With that, the boy roughly pulled away from her and tightly clenched his fists. He looked like he wanted to scream or hit something, his shoulders tense with self-directed anger. Beside him, Elle was frozen, her mind short circuiting. Tyrone…how…why…could he really…did he really…. Her blood ran cold. Dipper actually saw him earlier. She had no idea how, when he hadn’t been able to last night. But he must have; there was no other way. But he thought it was a dream, a fantasy or a nightmare conjured by his unconscious mind. He hadn’t realized it was real, meaning….
Her core flickered with her anxiety, ice flowing through her veins.
Dipper shivered. “It’s cold. Elle, is that you? Or is our ghost friend here?”
No, their ghost friend, Dipper’s clone, Tyrone was not here. Because he was downstairs thinking that Dipper just saw him as a copy, not worth mourning. But…
“Elle?” The boy ventured.
Cold pulsed from the half ghost’s core as her mind continued to race. She had...She had to tell him, to tell Dipper that Tyrone wasn’t gone. He wasn’t...well he was still dead but he was still here. The two of them still had a chance. But...she bit her lip. She’d told Tyrone she wouldn’t; she couldn’t break his trust now. But….with all she’d told Dipper, with how Dipper just poured out his heart, how can she remain silent about this? But...she promised the other ghost. The girl felt torn in two directions by the choice.
“I need to find him.” She suddenly spat out.
“Who?” Dipper blinked at her.
Elle ignored as ice crept across the roof tiles. She ran fingers through her hair. “We need to talk. Maybe...maybe...I can convince him and We’ll-”
The other teen cut her off. “Elle?! What are you talking about?”
Her mouth snapped shut as she blushed in embarrassment and shame. “I...I’m sorry. The...the Shack’s ghost...I...I promised him...I can’t tell you.”
Dipper glared, open mouthed. “But-”
Elle didn’t hear the rest of his plea as she flickered invisible and phased through the roof.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Moments later, Elle phased through the roof of her room. "Tyrone!" She called, hopefully. He had to be here. "Tyrone!" The half ghost tried again, to silence. "Please, we need to talk. I think...I think Dipper saw you tonight but he thinks it was a dream. If we just...if I just tell him, then-"
Tyrone's sudden appearance cut off her words. His eyes were wide, brow wrinkled with shock and worry.
Elle sighed in relief anyway. "You're here! I was worried." She shook her head. "Anyway. I need to tell Dipper about you."
The ghostly clone's eyes widen even more. He wavered backwards, waving his hands. No. For once, the static was clear.
"Please Ty. I can't… I can't keep lying to Dipper and Mabel. Plus …." Her pleading tone shifted into something more hopeful. "He told me some things today. And….he'd be so happy to know you're here."
Tyrone looked doubtful. His mouth opened to argue but then, the door burst open.
Gasping, the half ghost jumped back as Dipper barged in.
“Elle!” He exclaimed. “What are you-” The boy cut himself off, eyes widening.
The girl’s brow wrinkled for a moment in confusion; he’d probably come down here to figure out why she ran off so why-
“I must be dreaming.” Dipper muttered, voice shaking. “There’s no way. This isn’t...it’s not...it’s not real.” He furiously shook his head. “No. He’s...he’s not…”
The half ghost felt her heart stop, her blood run cold. Slowly her eyes drifted from the living boy in front of the door and to his ghostly double.
Tyrone’s jaw dropped in shock. He wavered forward in the air, eyes pinned in the other boy. A long moment later, his voice warbled with static.
“No. You’re not...you’re not here.” Dipper choked. “I..I killed you.”
The living boy was shaking, looking like he would collapse or flee from the room. All the while, he stared at the misty form of his ghostly clone. More static cracked as the ghost boy tried to speak again, reaching forward.
Dipper pinched his eyes closed. “I’m just dreaming...You’re not real.”
With that Elle’s mind finally caught up. “No Dipper, he’s here…” She swallowed. “I can see him too.”
The human boy’s head whipped up. With wide eyes, he whispered. “What?”
“I can see him too. He’s real.” The half ghost said, pleadingly.
“He’s….?” Dipper’s breath caught in his throat, hope leaking into his voice. With shakingly legs, he stumbled towards the other boy.
At the same time, the ghost boy floated forward again, tentatively. He stopped, only a foot away so the two were eye to eye. It was strangely similar to last night, except…..this time Dipper’s eyes knowingly fell on the figure in front of him.
“Tyrone?” He asked, his voice quivering with a dozen emotions but paramount was hope.
The other boy nodded, slowly cracking a smile. Hey, Dipper.
“Tyrone. You’re...you’re here. You’re real.” The boy sounded like he could hardly believe the words coming out of his mouth.
The ghost boy nodded eagerly. “Yes...I’m here.”
That seemed to encourage Dipper. “You’re here. You’re actually here! I…” His eyes started watering with joy. “I missed you so much. I-”
He moved to wrap his arms around the other boy but his arms passed right through the insubstantial figure. Dipper shivered and tried again, brow furrowing. A third time gave the same result, making the living boy’s lip quiver. “Why can’t...why can’t I touch you?”
Tyrone whimpered, a grieved muttering exiting his mouth as he tried to return the hug.
Dipper stopped, rapidly stepping back. “I can’t….I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
The ghostly clone tried again but his words just sounded as a cacophony of desperate static.
The living boy’s eyes widened and he started tearing up. “Tyrone. I don’t know what you’re saying.”
Distressingly, the statement just seemed to make the ghost boy more upset. Tyrone reached forward, hand again going through Dipper’s. His lip trembled.
The other boy sniffled. “I...I’m sorry.” His eyes trailed down the semi-translucent body. “I can’t touch you or understand you or….” A tear fell down Dipper’s face “I still don’t know how to help you….”
Dipper trailed off, shoulders starting to shake. Again, Tyrone reached forward but paused before actually reaching for the other boy’s hand. He swallowed, a look of concentration covering his face. The color of his hand shifted, the limb losing some of its transparency. Then he took Dipper’s hand in his.
The living boy’s eyes widened. “I can...I can feel that.” He sounded awed.
The ghost nodded, pinching his eyes closed. “We’ll figure this out….together.”
Something in the statement bolstered the other boy. He half-smiled, despite his still watering eyes. “Yeah. Together.”
There was a pause. Then the ghost asked. “You….you missed me?”
Dipper nodded. “Yeah.” He whipped his wet face with his free hand. “I missed you so much, man.”
Tyrone squeezed the hand he was holding. “I missed you too.”
“You did?” The other boy said, part disbelieving and part hopeful.
The ghost nodded enthusiastically.
Dipper swallowed. “I’m sorry...I’m sorry about everything that happened. For using you and the others like that, for….melting you. For…” He took a deep breath. “For not seeing that you were real, back then.”
The ghost’s image flickered, his hand falling through Dipper’s as his mouth fell open. After a long moment, he shook his head and said something that was lost in static.
The corner of the other boy’s mouth twitched down at his lack of understanding.
Then Tyrone tried to speak again, his brow furrowed in concentration. “Real?”
“Yes. Of course, you’re real.” Dipper frowned, looking down. “Maybe if I’d understood that then, you’d still be here in the flesh.” He bit his lip. “Or whatever you call enchanted paper and ink.”
The ghostly clone's eyes remained wide, taking in what the other boy had said for a long while. Eventually his shock faded into a soft hope, his gaze kind. “But...we have another chance now, right?”
Dipper looked up. Slowly, the corner of his lip turned up. “Yeah. I guess we do.”
The ghost’s staticy voice buzzed in agreement. There was a silence for a while as the two boys just looked at each other. Not staring at each other in shock or disbelief. Not with judgement or scorn. But with soft happiness and wonder. Pure joy at being reunited shined in the pair’s tear-filled eyes. The two stepped forward in sync, Dipper’s arms wrapping around the cold mist of Tyrone’s chest and the ghost’s insubstantial arms returning the favor. It wasn’t quite a hug but a close approximation. As close as the living boy and his double could get when Tyrone remained unable to become fully solid and Dipper couldn’t turn intangible.
“I can still barely believe this is happening.” Dipper was saying softly. “So much has happened since...you know. I should probably tell you about it… if you want.”
The ghost boy nodded eagerly, muttering something in static.
Meanwhile, Elle shuffled awkwardly as she watched the tender scene. She bit her lip. A large part of her was overjoyed to see Dipper and Tyrone reunited but at the same time…it felt like she was spying on something intimate. This moment belonged to the two boys in front of her, for them to reconnect as best they could and to figure out who and what they were to each other.
She averted her eyes and coughed softly. “Uhh...sorry to interrupt. I’m gonna…” She jabbed her thumb towards the door.
Both boys turned to look at her. Dipper’s eyes widened as he stepped out of the semi-hug. “Oh….we’re in your room. We can uh….” He glanced at Tyrone. “We can go somewhere else to talk. Maybe the roof?”
The ghostly clone shrugged, mouthing. ‘Sure’. He floated up, pointing to himself and then towards the ceiling. He then pointed at Dipper and to the door.
The other boy nodded in understanding. “I can meet you up there.” Then he bit his lip nervously, looking between Tyrone and the door.
The ghost frowned, his lips moving to form the question. ‘What?”
His original blushed. “I...I’m kinda scared to let you out of my sight. Like...you’ll disappear again….”
Tyrone’s face softened. He floated back down. With some concentration, he grabbed Dipper’s wrists and started leading him towards the door.
“Hey. What are you...?” The living boy asked. “Oh...we’ll go together.”
The clone nodded. Then he paused in front of Elle. His lips turned up into a bright smile. ‘Thank you.’ He mouthed, his eyes shining such incredible gratitude.
“Yeah, thank you.” Dipper nodded, agreeing. “I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been here.” His shoulders rose somewhat sheepishly.
The half ghost gave him a comforting smile. “No problem. Of course I’d be here and...I’m really happy you guys found each other.”
Both boys nodded. Then Dipper opened the door. Cautiously, he poked his head out and looked both ways down the hallway. He looked back at his ghostly double and waved him forward. “Come on Ty.”
Elle watched the two walk and float down the hall, towards the stairs to the attic. Soon, the pair were out of sight and the girl closed the door.
With a sigh, the halfa returned to human form and sat down on her bed. Elle smiled. She meant what she said; she was ecstatic to see Dipper and Tyrone reunited, though she hadn’t imagined it going like that. None of the scenarios that had crossed her mind featured Dipper barging in. Granted…. after running off on him, the half ghost really shouldn’t have been surprised that he came after her. But Dipper had. He’d barged in, saw Tyrone, and the two- original and clone- had been tearfully reunited.
Speaking of original….the girl reached for her phone, smiling as her lockscreen picture of her, Danny, and Jazz popped up. She suddenly wanted to talk to her brother, to tell him about everything that happened. But...it was pretty late and with the different time zone, it was even later in Amity. But then again knowing Danny, there was a large chance he was still awake playing Doomed.
Without anymore debate, Elle dialed his number. On the third ring, her brother picked up.
“Hello?” He asked, sleepily.
“Hey Danny. It’s Elle. Did I wake you up?” She blushed, suddenly guilty.
“Nah. Just logged off Doomed.” He yawned. “Wait...Elle?” Worry entered his voice, making him sound more awake. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. I just wanted to talk to you.” She bit her lip. “Sorry. I should’ve just waited ‘til the morning.”
“It’s fine.” He said sincerely. “Just tell me what you’re thinking.”
Elle sighed. “So….I found out who the Shack’s ghost is and he’s Dipper’s clone, Tyrone.”
There was a pause. “What?” Danny asked with mild confusion.
“The ghost that’s been haunting the Mystery Shack is Tyrone. I actually saw his face this morning and talked to him.”
“Well, that’s unexpected.” The boy said, shock on his voice.
“Yeah. I can barely believe it but it’s really him. Oh and Dipper found out literally ten minutes ago; he barged in and saw Tyrone when the two of us were talking.”
"Oh, wow …..how did both of them take it?"
Elle smiled. "Really good. They went up to the roof to talk. I think you both really missed each other."
"I can imagine." Danny said knowingly. "They must be really happy to see each other." Then his voice turned sober. "And Dipper saw him die, didn't he? Losing Tyrone like that must have been horrible."The boy swallowed and Elle could imagine his pained frown. But then his tone became something more hopeful. "But finding out that he's not gone, finally getting him back. Dipper must be so happy."
"He is." The corner of her mouth turned up. "And I guess we both understand that."
"Yeah." Again, Danny sounded so certain, so knowing. And Elle understood it completely. How could she not when she and Danny had come so close to being in the same situation?
The half ghost girl remembered the older boy's face as her body fell apart, as she destabilized. She'd been terrified but at the same time hopeful as he dashed in with a solution. But then it hadn't worked. She watched as devastation overtook his features as he pleaded for her to hang on. She'd tried, equally devastated, equally desperate not to die.
She'd blacked out, an unseeing, unfeeling, unknowing puddle. For a moment, it was like she was gone, like she didn’t exist at all. And then suddenly she was back. She had eyes again. She had a head, hands, feet, a body. For a long moment, she blinked slowly realizing she still existed.
Then her eyes had fallen on Danny, her original, her cousin, her brother. She hadn't dared to even consider that yet. She'd barely been able to think he might see her as anything more than a copy, that he might even love her. But Danny was on his knees, his eyes fixed down. He was crying, muttering apologizes through his sobs.
Elle had floated from the floor. She'd quipped something stupid in a effort to cover how freaked out as she disbelieving shock turned into relieved happiness. She'd back flipped in her elation, her eyes falling on the older half ghost as he whipped around. And-
"You were really happy at Vlad's when I...uhh.. when you saved me with that ecto dejecto."
His eyes had shone with relief as he rushed forward to embrace her. He’d squeezed her in his arms, holding her tight like she was precious. Together, they'd shared a moment of pure joy, relief, and love.
Across the line, the boy swallowed. "Of course I was happy. I thought I'd lost you, El."
"But you didn't." The girl said softly. "It turned out okay."
"Yeah, it did." Something in Elle's tone seemed to bolster the other halfa. "Man...we've both really come a long way since then, huhh?"
“We have.” The girl nodded, remembering her conversation with the twins this afternoon about what she and Danny had been through. “You told our parents about your powers. I started going to school.” She chuckled, then her voice turned more serious. “And I actually have a home and family now. I’ve got Mom and Dad and Jazz and...You. You know... you’re a good big brother.”
“Aw, Elle?” The boy’s voice ticked up teasingly. “Are you getting all mushy on me?”
The other half ghost gasped. “I’m being serious! I was gonna say, you’re a really supportive and understanding big bro. And thank you for encouraging me to talk to Dipper and Mabel.” She crossed her arms, only somewhat mock offended. “But I guess that’s too mushy for you.”
There was a pause as the boy took in the words. When he finally spoke, there was no teasing in his voice but sincerity. “No, sis. It’s...it’s not too mushy. It’s...sweet, I guess.” Elle could hear the smile in his voice. “And you’re a good sister too. I’m really happy to have you in my life.”
“Oh. Thanks Danny.” The girl blushed at the compliment.
The older boy chuckled. “See, I can be mushy too.” Then his tone sobered somewhat. “So you talked to your friends?”
“Yeah, I did. Earlier today actually, before Dipper found out about Tyrone. I told him and Mabel about me being half ghost.” She smiled. “They took it really well.”
“They did?” Danny sounded happy and relieved. “That’s great, Elle.”
“Yeah. We had a snowball fight and everything after I showed off my ice powers.” She chuckled. “I felt a lot better after telling them everything.” Elle frowned, realizing what she said. "Well...almost everything."
"Oh?" Danny asked, wordlessly prompting her to continue.
"I...uhh….haven't actually told them I'm a clone yet."
"You haven't?"
The younger half ghost shook her head. "No but….I think I'll tell them in the morning."
"Really? Why now?"
"Just….some of the stuff Dipper said about Tyrone and how he reacted to seeing him again." She swallowed. "You and Jazz were right; they're not gonna think any less of me if they know the whole truth."
“Wow….I'm proud of you. And good luck with that. I'm sure it'll be great."
"Thanks Danny." She smiled.
"No problem." The boy sighed. “Man, a lot’s happened since we talked yesterday.”
“Yep. I told Dipper and Mabel that the Shack was haunted. I tried to introduce them to Tyrone when he showed up yesterday...I mean, I didn’t know it was him last night….. But the twins couldn’t see him.”
“Wait…” Danny cut in. “You said that Dipper saw him, like literally could see Tyrone earlier tonight.”
“Yeah I….did.” Elle’s eyes widened. “You’re totally right, I did say that.” She put a hand on her forehead. “I hadn’t even realized. Dipper literally couldn’t see him at all yesterday but now he can. So how does that work?” She started rambling. “Wait...I couldn’t really see him yesterday either. He just kinda looked like a shadow or a cloud. So why could I suddenly see him this morning? I mean...yeah, I worked out Ty’s name so maybe that’s why….but Dipper didn’t have a clue. He just barged in the room unannounced.” At some point, the girl had flopped back down onto the bed. She huffed, contemplatively.
Across the line, Danny hummed in thought. “Well, what changed?”
“What changed?” The other half ghost muttered quietly. What changed? Well, yes, she and Dipper had talked about Tyrone but as far as she could tell, Dipper’s opinion hadn’t actually changed. And somehow the boy had seen the ghostly clone earlier when he was half asleep. But….
Elle’s brow furrowed, remembering something Dipper had said earlier. “It’s been a year...” She muttered.
“What?” Her brother questioned.
Her eyes widened, realizing the older teen was still listening. “Dipper told me earlier that it's been a year since Tyrone...well...died.”
“And traditional ghosts tend to be stronger on the anniversary of their death. Don’t they?” The boy asked.
Elle nodded. “Right. And that’s probably why he’s visible and not just to me. But still...” She sighed, remembering Dipper’s reaction to being unable to touch and understand Tyrone. “Tyrone’s still stuck intangible and almost everything he says comes out as static. I wish I could figure out how to help him.”
Again, her brother hummed in thought. “Huh…. What if you got him some ectoplasm?”
Elle suddenly sat up, hitting her forehead with her palm. “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?” She stood up and grabbed for one of her bags. “I have ectoplasm. My supplements.” The girl frowned. “Letting him have a few should be okay, right?”
“I think so...it’s not like ectoplasm can hurt a ghost. And if I know Mom, she packeted you like half a year's worth. You should have plenty.” Humor rang in his voice. “And I won’t tell Mom and Dad if you won’t.”
“Yeah, I won’t.” Elle laughed. “I’ll tell Tyrone and Dipper about that idea in the morning and see what they think.”
“And let me know how it goes, okay?”
The girl nodded. “Yeah, of course.” She yawned. “We should both get some sleep though. Talk to you later.”
“Yeah, Love you sis.”
Elle sighed. “Love you bro.” She smiled. “Good night.”
“Night.” With that Danny hung up.
The half ghost girl put her phone away and went to sleep.
#Danny Phantom#gravity falls#CrossOver#dani phantom#elle phantom#elle fenton#dipper pines#mabel pines#tyrone pines#clone angst#holiday truce#holiday truce 2020#dp holiday truce#My fic
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MEDIA THAT I RECOMMEND YOU CONSUME INSTEAD OF SUPERNATURAL FOR BOTH HEART AND HEALTH BROKEN DOWN BY TYPE OF MEDIA AND WHY YOU MIGHT LIKE IT IF AT ANY POINT YOU, LIKE MY POOR POOR SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD SELF, WERE INVESTED IN THIS ABSOLUTE GARBAGE FIRE OF A SHOW
with apologies to anyone on mobile who’s readmore function APPARENTLY doesn’t work
(I haven’t watched supernatural for at least five years and, given any sort of luck, I will never do so again, do not @ me)
hello babes. I am talking to you know bc I keep seeing supernatural, unironically, on my dash, and I think we can all do better. I see what’s happening and I think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU3i_o5Xd4g
Supernatural is fudge stripes. You are Megan. We can fix this.
So a list of alternate things that I think are overall better written/characterized/just generally more enjoyable that might scratch some of those itches:
TV SHOWS
Good Omens
okay look if u were on tumblr last year u probably already watched this show but like. If u haven’t, it’s only six episodes babe and there’s a large enough fandom that u can go down a fanart hole for days on end
Basic summary: the antichrist has reached that lovely young age where he’s supposed to bring about the apocalypse. An angel and a demon who have decided that actually they like the world as is, thank you very much, try to stop the end times. They’re not very good at it though, which makes for a comedy of errors.
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: theologic (mostly christian) exploration/parody/imagery without inherently being a religious show. Fighting off the apocalypse narrative, which I think pretty much always goes hard as hell, but that’s just me. There’s a gay angel who’s socially awkward. There’s a fun very British demon. Touches on the hierarchies of heaven and hell, with framing Heaven as a bureaucracy and blurs the differences between angels and demons. Pining. Tenderness. A deep nostalgia for 80s music, though in this case it’s specifically queen, and who doesn’t love queen. Main character has a weirdly strong bond with his black vintage car. Satan is (sort of) fought.
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Gravity Falls
sometimes...things that are kids shows...with a set story and a predetermined ending...are better
(also this isn’t relevant to any of what I’m talking about but I really appreciate that Gravity Falls specifically went against the thing that most begged me about ATLA aka that a 15 year old girl would be like yeah I’m into a 12 year old boy because the 12 year old boy has a crush on me and I apparently don’t get to really have a say in this. How does that make sense.)
Basic Summary: Twelve year old twins Dipper and Mabel go to stay with their Grunkle Stan for the summer in a small Oregon town called Gravity Falls. Turns out this town is filled with all sorts of strange phenomena that they often have to confront, work around, learn about, or befriend!
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: The core focus of the show is a close sibling duo, but like It’s obvious that the siblings actually like and love each other and while they have their spats it’s still incredibly clear that they deeply care about each other even with their differences LIKE SORRY SUPERNATURAL YOU CAN’T JUST TELL ME THAT SIBLINGS CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER AND THEN THEY SPEND ALL THEIR TIME FIGHTING AND LYING TO EACH OTHER AND GENERALLY ACTING LIKE THEY CAN’T STAND EACH OTHER’S COMPANY BUT THEN OOOHHH YOU CRY ON TOP OF THE HOOD OF A CAR EVERY THREE EPISODE AND SUDDENLY THEY’RE SOULMATES OR WHATEVER
Anyway. Yeah. GF has a solid sibling dynamic. Monster of the week that builds up to greater over-arching plot. A little bit of body horror, you know, for humor. Fair amount of meta humor playing with the tropes of the genre. A Good Ol Big Bad that tries to pit the siblings against each other. Have to fight the apocalypse (you’ll see this point on like a good half of these recs, I really like ‘what are we gonna do about Armageddon’ media). Interesting creature design. Planned, satisfying ending (which supernatural absolutely does not have, but I still think if it had ended with the season 5 finale like it uhh pretty obviously was supposed to, that would sort of counted. Don’t revive shows that have clearly already told their stories kids.) Tie in media that gives you some fun extra stories when you miss the characters. (yes I read some of the supernatural novels when I was a c h i l d, yes I’m pretty sure there’s one or two of them still buried somewhere on my laptop, no I don’t wanna talk about it.) Older father figure (?) who owns a tbh kind of shitty shop. Both already in place and found family.
It’s a good show, and it’s two seasons. John Mulaney Voice: I dunno it’s 40 episodes
MINI REC ALERT! (mini recs are basically things that I’m not gonna go into detail about for whatever reason [probably either due to i’m not familiar enough with it OR I just don’t like. Have a bunch to say about it in regards to how it will scratch the itches presented to u by spn] but still seem like a Good Watch)
Mini Rec: Over The Garden Wall. Spooky Kids Media! Episodic! Miniseries so you can watch it in like 2 hours! Cool ass Animation! About two brothers encountering said spooky stuff! Big Bad tries to pit brothers against each other! Might haunt you for the rest of your life! Check it out!
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The Haunting of Bly Manor
I think about this show every goddamn day of my life. (Also not relevant but Greg Sestero makes a brief cameo in it and I was like hi greg my friend greg!)
Basic Summary: An girl named Dani, while staying in London, decides to take on an Au Pair job for two young children, an older brother named Miles (age 10) and the younger sister Flora (age 8) at the spoooooky and mysteeerious Bly Manor, and she gets far more than she bargained for.
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: Okay so supernatural doesn’t actually do this but I know I KNOW why we let ourselves be queerbaited in 2012. Four words for you: CENTRAL! GAY! TRAGIC! ROMANCE! You want some pining? Some tenderness? Some LOVE? Some dealing with internalized homophobia but no, like, actual violent onscreen homophobia? HAVE I GOT THE SHOW FOR YOU. If ur favorite episodes where the ones that make you sob (for me it was kevin’s death on god), I recommend this show. If you wished that supernatural literally ever had consequences or perma deaths or didn’t retcon major plot events like every five goddamn episodes so that there could be some exploration of like grief and trauma through the lens of/ higher stakes of horror, I recommend this show. If you really do stay up at night picturing a supernatural that wasn’t made by dumbass cishettie white men hack writers but was actually allowed to have Dean and Cas be in love over the course of the show so they could have like actual development and not the most homophobic gay reveal of all time, I recommend this show. Hell, if you just want a banger ghost story in general, I recommend this show.
As for what they actually have in common: horror setting/aesthetic without actually being all that scary most of the time. A strong sibling duo, though they’re not nearly as much of the focus of Bly Manor. Found family. Strong themes of grief. Questions of what turns someone into a monster (and done much better) An actual, much better noble sacrifice done out of love. Escalation of stakes until there’s a big final confrontation. Semi-big bad trying to tear this family apart. Found and pre-installed family. Sad orphans.
Watch this show. Vibe with me. Cry with me. Yell at me about Owen Sharma
MINI REC ALERT!
Haunting of Hill House- spiritual predecessor to Haunting of Bly Manor, though they’re not actually the same universe/story. However, it’s made by the same dude and has a shared aesthetic/sensibilities/some of the cast. This is only a mini rec bc I haven’t actually seen it, but I’ve heard good things and that it, while much more heavily leaning into family dynamics, has similar themes of exploring Grief and Trauma through ghooossstttsss.
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Community
Okay I know that this may seem like a Wild rec considering community is a school sitcom with basically Zero paranormal elements but just like. Hear me out. And no this isn’t just because I think it’s a realy good show and I want more people to watch it, though that is a factor. If I was just recommending comedies that I think are good and more people should watch regardless of them serving as a replacement for supernatural I would demand you all go watch Galavant and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. I’m gonna demand it anyway. Everyone go watch Galavant and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Now back to your original program:
Basic Summary: A group of students at Greendale Community College form a Spanish study group, and things quickly go Off The Fucking Rails in the best way possible.
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: All right I’m gonna be real honest this rec is for all of my (correct) bitches who’s favorite episodes of Supernatural were French Mistake, Changing Channels, and/or Mystery Spot. You think if Supernatural would’ve been fucking fantastic if it had been a committed comedy instead of a CW melodrama that occasionally landed some admittedly really fucking funny episodes/concepts, Community (and the movies on this list) will gently take you into its loving arms and give you everything you desire. It’s about the Meta comedy. It’s about the discussion, exploration, and subversion of common tropes within the format. It’s about the grand use of group/ found family dynamics in order to max both the goofs and the heart. It’s about fantastic callbacks. It’s about having one of the few “asshole with a heart of gold” leads I can actually stand because. You know. Growth. It’s about the INCREDIBLE genre and pop culture parody. Which genre do they parody, you ask. All of them. They parody all the genres. The glee parody episode is a fucking masterpiece of television. If you don’t want to watch a show that features a Halloween party where everyone turns into zombies and the ABBA discography blasts in the background, you can stop reading right now, because I can guarantee you won’t be interested in a damn thing I have to say.
MINI REC ALERT: The X-Files. I’ve also never seen this but a: everything I’ve seen out of context has been fantastically weird and delightful b: it appears that there’s a general consensus that Scully and Mulder are one of the only valid straight couples so it’s probably pretty fun and c: let’s all be honest. Supernatural was already basically an x-files rip off, it had like half of their original writers swiped from the x-files crew, I’m pretty sure if you liked especially the first couple of seasons of supernatural, you’re gonna like the X-files.
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Subcategory: TV SHOWS ( A WHOLE TWO OF ‘EM, OR MORE LIKE ONE AND HALF IF YOU WANNA GET TECHNICAL) I’M SPECIFICALLY RECOMMENDING FOR THAT COCAINE HIT OF PURE UNADULTERATED UNCUT 2012 TUMBLR NOSTALGIA
BBC Merlin
Yes, I know the show ended in 2010. Yes, it still provides that 2012 Tumblr nostalgia. 2012 Tumblr is a feeling, not an actual time period.
I love this stupid show. I plan on rewatching it all over the month of January. I harbor a deep amount of fondness for it. It’s why every time I see literally any depiction of Merlin I get just so fucking excited, and why I’ve consumed as many ridiculous Arthurian adaptations as I have (side note: my two favorite other ridiculous Arthurian legend adaptation are Avalon High, a DEEPLY silly DCOM that is required viewing to level up friendship with me, and The Kid Who Would Be King, which is the only movie that I think truly understands the comedic potential of playing a King Arthur Adaptation mostly straight but everyone in it is 12. I’m not sure it intended to be as fucking funny as it was, but again, they’re all middle schoolers. I have never been more jealous of an actor than I was of the 22 year old that got to play a 16 year old dumbass Merlin who was sometimes also Patrick Stewart and did all of his magic with ridiculous hand gestures That should’ve been me that should’ve been me that should’ve been me. Also Sword in the Stone by TH White is pretty good, because Merlin knows germ theory in the fantasy 400’s and he just uses it to be petty mostly. Also listen to High Noon Over Camelot by The Mechanisms. Also Also I tend to prefer family friendly adaptations because they don’t have the uhhh. You know. Incest and sexual violence of the original legend. Love to Not have that shit!) Whether you watched it initially and are due for a rewatch, or you’re intrigued enough by the concept of the show to watch it for the first time, you should join me on this wild wild ride.
Basic Summary: You know who Guinevere, Arthur, and Merlin are, come on. BBC said let’s make em all YOUNG let’s make em SEXY let’s make em FAMILY FRIENDLY and let’s make magic REALLY SEEM LIKE A THINLY VEILED ALLEGORY FOR BEING GAY BUT TO THIS DAY IM NOT SURE IF THAT WAS INTENTIONAL OR NOT BUT IT SURE SEEMS LIKE IT WAS. @ THE BBC MERLIN CREATORS WHAT IS THE TRUTH BECAUSE THERE WAS SOME INTERVI-
Basic Summary but like a bit more helpful: A BABY version of Merlin (and by baby I mean like 20 year old.) is sent from his small town to the big city the Kingdom of Camelot to find his destiny. Staying with the town physician and friend of his mom’s, Gaius, he ends up as both his assistant and personal manservant to Prince Arthur. But in a kingdom where magic is punished with death and the prince seems hell bent on getting himself into situations that are going to kill him, the young sorcerer has his more than his share of work cut out for him.
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: Primo supremo queerbaiting. Like, yeah, okay, it’s queerbaiting, you know it’s queerbaiting, but you watch some of the scenes and ur like okay. I know why I let this bait me. Obviously with a modern show, I would expect more, I would expect better, I would raise my standards, but I gotta admit. Some of these scenes are fuckin compelling as hell, and the subtext is like barely sub. Monster of the week shenanigans. Some awful CGI creatures but like a charming awful. Like the kind of awful that tells you their very limited budget was more focused on cool swords than realistic creatures. Episodic stories build into a more overarching plot, with things getting darker in season 4/5. Shitty father that end up eating shit and while the son of said father is rightfully conflicted and upset over the death it’s cathartic and victorious as all hell for the audience. Multiple hot evil women, and I love hot evil women. There’s also nice hot women, which is a bonus. These women don’t all immediately stupidly die, so that’s a nice change. Also like a LOT of sarcastic humor and shenanigans if u like Sass Merlin is there for u personally name a more iconic line than “Oh I’m sorry, how long have you been training to be a prat, my lord?” AND THAT’S IN THE FIRST FUCKIN EPISODE brilliant amazing fantastic show stopping. Also you know those like dumb hijink episodes where like Dean was possessed by the spirit of a dog or some shit? You bet your bottom fuckin dollar BBC Merlin has those kinds of storylines. Also I know some people go to spn bc it had that HUGE fanbase and like BBC Merlin’s fanbase is still SURPRISINGLY poppin even though it’s been a decade since there was new content so like. Have fun!
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Doctor Who but Specifically the RTD Era
Look I’m not here to say that the first four seasons of reboot doctor who are the only good doctor who or inherently better than all the rest (though the RTD era is my favorite personally) BUT when ur seekin that sweet sweet superwholock frenzy nostalgia, this is the ‘who’ that is being referred to. Also like. Stan 9. We should all collectively stan the ninth doctor. Chris Eccleston, the Objectively Best Famous Chris, deserved better.
Basic Summary: An immortal alien that goes by “The Doctor” travels across time and space with a variety of different companions, often to try and save the day or fix a (sometimes self created) mess. It’s distilled campy sci-fi with a family friendly tone that has made me cry on several occasions.
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: Monster of the week that, you guessed it, builds into bigger overarching plot style narrative. Fighting off the apocalypse, but like every couple of weeks because worlds are in danger a LOT. A semi-tragic romance that made people go absolutely buck fuckin wild bc pining n shit. Wamen, but they aren’t fridged. (actually for real though none of the main women die and I just think that’s really fun and flirty even though I could go on a COMPLETELY SEPARATE rant about the injustice of one of the character’s ending YES season 4 is my favorite season and one of my favorite pieces of media ever and I am currently actively recommending it to you YES im still fucking pissed over how it ended YES we exist) Specifically, a Wonderful and Very Excellent woman named Donna who goes on a spa trip that doesn’t end up going very well. That seems like a highly specific example, and it is, but it did happen in both shows. (Also, to anyone that continued watching SPN after like idk season 9 what happened to Donna? I always liked her and I know she became a recurring character so like DM whatever probably injustice was the end of her story line pls and thank you) I’m also extra specifically recommending for Supernatural Fans and also The World At Large: Season Four of Reboot Who. I rewatched it last year and it still goes so fucking hard. Donna Noble is the best character in existence. In regards to the appeal for SPN, personally I think the best part of SPN was when people who are soulmates went on adventures and tried to save the day and it was a good mix of banter and sincerity AND GUESS WHAT’S BASICALLY THE ENTIRETY OF SEASON 4 OF DOCTOR WHO. It’s so good y’all I wish Everything was about soulmates going on adventures and trying to save the day.
OKAY TV SHOWS DONE TIME FOR M O V I E S which I don’t have nearly as many recs for but uhh here goes
What We Do In The Shadows/ Shaun of the Dead
I’m lumping these two together bc my reasons for recommending them are largely the same, and I would call them tonally similar enough that if you like one you’ll probably like the other
Basic Summary (Shaun of The Dead): Uh-oh! London’s had a break out of some of that good ol’ zombieism. Shaun and friends decide to hunker down in a local bar, but they have to get there first. Will they survive? Will they fuck up some zom zoms? Who’s to say?
Basic Summary (What We Do In The Shadows): Some vampire roommates dick around. I think there’s technically, like, a plot, but it’s really just about some vampires Doin Their Thing. Vibin.
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: This is kind of similar to the Community recommendation, in that supernatural had the opportunity to be one of those things that was both a parody of a genre but also just a really good example of the genre. WWDITS and SotD are both those things for vampire and zombly movies, respectively. Have the aesthetic and some of the themes of a horror but is not actually all that scary. Horror Comedy is a god tier genre and I don’t know why it’s not more widespread. Fun monsters/cast of characters in general, so at least one person in it is probably going to make you go “oh gender” ya know? With SotD you have the fantasy power trip that comes with like any piece of media that involves hunting monsters. With WWDITS I go “yep that’s how bisexuals dress” and I Will Not Clarify which character I’m talking about.
MINI REC ALERT: All of Taika Watiti’s filmography. Thor:Ragnarok is one of like 3 marvel movies that I consider genuinely fucking fantastic completely independent of the MCU and my own tendency to be like “hurr bdurr I love. Superheros”. For the one that is most tonally like Supernatural But Significantly Better and Written By Someone Competent I think I would say try out Hunt For The Wilderpeople. It’s got a reluctant curmudgeonly father figure and I KNOW some of you motherfuckers were so invested in spn when you were like 16 bc you had daddy issues. This is a callout post for my friend [REDACTED], who I should text to watch Hunt for the Wilderpeople, actually.
MINI REC ALERT X2!!!: Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I’ve never seen it but it has both Winona Ryder AND Keanu Reaves so like. Goth bi rights.
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Happy Death Day (and Happy Death Day 2 U)
happy death day was one of those movies that I saw the trailer, went “eh”, heard other people say it was great, watched, and went holy fuck this slaps. Not nearly as much of a slasher film as the trailers implied if im remembering the trailer correctly
Basic Summary: Our main character Tree keeps waking up on the day she was murdered. The day resets every time that she dies. That’s right, it’s a time loop storey babey!!!!!!!!!!!
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: If you were anything like me you were foolishly lulled into supernatural for way longer than you should’ve been on the promise that the characters would idk like grow and change and become better and learn lessons and some of that would be through the power of receiving love and kindness. You know. Like how good writers would do it especially if their main characters are kind of dicks that really should make some changes. Well, Happy Death Day fucking delivers on that promise in SPADES. It’s about growth! It’s about change! It’s about making the active decision to become a better person and putting effort into doing so! There’s heavy themes of like grief and trauma and acknowledging them and facing them head on in order to move on and the negative consequences of refusing to do so and just trying avoid it until it goes away. There’s a romance that makes my dumb little self do the pleading face emoji. Tree is also one of the only good asshole with a heart of gold characters. I also think media is improved by having at least one character that is a Good Good Boy (note: Good Good Boy character does not have to be a man.) and Happy Death Day has Carter. Oh on that note: Tree Voice: I’ve only had character for (the same repeating over and over) a day but if anything happens to him I’ll kill everyone here and then myself. Also the movie is funny so like hell yeah.
that’s all I got for relevant movies right now
BOOK RECS
jk i’m illiterate. Everyone should feel free to go ahead and add their own suggestions for this section The best I can do is uhhhh I think y’all would probably like Mira Grant’s novels, particularly the Newsflesh stories, bc sibling dynamics. Also the book The Haunting of Hill House is really good. Ballad of Black Tom slaps? There’s of course the Good Omens novel that the show was based on. I’m about to recommend some podcasts after this section which will include to Welcome to Nightvale because of course it will and the tie in novels for that slap, especially It Devours!, and I’m pretty sure they work as stories even if you know nothing about the podcast. Also also I think you should read “The Long Way to A Small, Angry Planet” by Becky Chambers It’s not thematically similar to supernatural at all but it’s one of my all time favorite sci fi novels and only like four people have read it which is a goddamn TRAVESTY.
Anyway yeah that’s it that’s all there is. Onto the medium that is like books but I can fold laundry or cook while consuming their narratives.
PODCAST RECS
Okay so this is getting uhhh wicked long so I’m gonna limit myself to only three full blown recs and a
mini rec
Alice Isn’t Dead
Fuck me running this show is so good. Literally hands down my all time favorite (and scariest!) horror podcast. Mamma mia, that’s a good fuckin story. The Book version is also good and has fewer Weird events but some further character development so I recommend them both.
Basic Summary: After her wife Alice disappears mysteriously, Keisha takes up a job as a long haul trucker, traveling all across America in order to find her, but ends up finding so much. Pursued by a deadly creature she calls The Thistle Man, the stakes of her journey are raised.
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: okay so I have a lost of bullet points of things that appealed to me specifically about supernatural and how no other shows covers all of them which sucks bc it means I basically Yearn for a show that’s supernatural but good. Alice isn’t Dead, however, hits the most of these bullet points AND is so fucking good. It has monster hunting. It has stopping a cataclysmic event BUT also discussion of the cyclical nature of events such as these and how the fight never truly ends but you can make some fucking progress nonetheless. It has a central gay romance that’s actually a central gay romance. It’s the ONLY show on this list that really hits that the weird and dark underside of americana vibe but specifically the americana of not like suburbs and shit but that eerie haunted feeling you get when you’re hours into a late night drive on open roads with no civilization around and an expansive sky and it just Seems like something should be watching you. Have you ever been out for a walk at midnight and encountered a deer and you looked into each other’s eyes and it felt like it was telling you a message that you couldn’t possibly hope to parse? Have you ever felt an incredible sense of deja vu eating in a restaurant you couldn’t have possibly been in before, because you’ve been to a thousand diners a thousand times just like one, and there’s an incredibly sense of homogeneity even though you’re 2000 miles away from anyone and anything that could possibly know you? Have you ever traveled to an area that seems to be stuck in a bubble of time, the only thing that shows any evidence of having aged past 2006 being yourself, and you wonder how your cell phone even works around here? THAT’S the spooky americana I’m fuckin talking about! Messed up road trips! Too much goddamn space! America is scary because it’s big and Filled With Things but also Not Enough Things! Fuck yeah!!!!! That time bubble fuckin EXISTS in Wyoming the most recent song on the radio I heard was fuckin Hey Soul Sister!
Also has a thing where like are there even good guys and bad guys in a conflict or is it all just one umbrella nightmare that you’re trying to stand against in anyway possible (u kno..like how the overarching structures of both heaven and hell were kinda fucked in spn? No spoilers but similar shit be happenin in Alice Isn’t Dead). Exploration of what makes someone into a monster, like how do you go down that path? Also this is the only show on this whole damn list that southern gothic music really suits it so points for that.
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The Magnus Archives
You know I had to do it to ‘em.
Basic Summary: Jonathan Sims has just become the Head Archivist at the Magnus Institute, a “research” “facility” that looks into paranormal/esoteric/unexplained phenomena.
John Mulaney Voice, Again: Nobody knows what the archivist is going to do next, least of all the archivist. He’s never been in an archives before, he’s just as confused as you are.
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: Oh fuck this document is over 5k long I said I wasn’t gonna do this hhhhh so lipton lightning round: Slowburn Gay Romance but Actually Canon, Monster Hunting but Hey What Even Is A Monster Anyway, Acts Somewhat like a Loosely Connected Horror Anthology until it DOESNT, Little Things Build to Bigger Narrative, Characters Be Goin Through It (On God These People Need Therapy), Trying to Prevent/Fix The Apocalypse (X2!!!), Smug Asshole Big Bad, Horror as a Metaphor For Various Shit, Basically if you thought that the Men of Letter concept slapped and you think it should’ve been the whole damn show including being Deeply British you would probably really fuckin like TMA. Also if ur like the ideal piece of media is a horror tragedy but also like it’s a wacky sitcom but also also fuck cops. U will like tma.
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Welcome to Nightvale
IF ANY 2012 TUMBLR FANDOM DESERVES TO MAKE A MASSIVE COMEBACK AND BE EVERYWHERE AGAIN AND ABSOLUTELY FLOOD MY DASH IT’S WELCOME TO NIGHTVALE WHY DID WE ABANDON THE SHOW THAT TREATED US THE MOST KINDLY DID YOU KNOW THAT EPISODES 108-110 ARE THE BEST FUCKING BUILT UP NARRATIVE REVEAL THAT I HAVE WITNESSED IN MY LIFE DID YOU KNOW THAT IT CONTINUED TO BE REALLY FUCKING GOOD AFTER MOST PEOPLE STOPPED LISTENING DID YOU KNOW CECIL AND CARLOS ARE MARRIED AND THEY HAVE A DOG AND A TODDLER NOW BECAUSE OF ALL THE GAY PODCAST PROTAGONISTS CECIL GERSHWIN PALMER LOVE OF MY LIFE ELDRITCHIAN CHEERLEADER AND CERTIFIED BIMBO KEEPS FUCKIN WINNIN BABY. DID YOU KNOW THAT CECIL THINKS PEANUT BUTTER IS A ROCK.
Basic Summary: Welcome to the sleepy desert town of Ņ̶̏ight V̶͚̰̮͗̔̊̊ale! Community radio how host Cé̵̟͚͕̗̞̙͂͑̽̄́c̵̤̼̞͈̪͓̍̽̋̚̕͜il Pǎ̵̧̨̢͚̻̈̂̄̇͐̇̊̀̆ͅl̶͚͎͕͉͖̬͓͑́̐̒̍̿̈́͢͜͝ͅm̸̧͙̟̖̠̳̬͋́͋́͌̚̚ͅȩ̙̖͎̖͂́̒͐͜͞r̢̢̛̰̻̮̺̩͙̼̈́͋̀͘ is here to k̠̠̰̦͙̯̥̎̄̆͌̎̀̿̔̌̚ê̷̢̬̥̞̩̯̘͒̽̈̓͐̂̔̍e̶̡̝̗̺̫̪̜͆̓̿̈͌͌̆͒͞ͅp̵̹̗̬̼̠̬͙̏͐͐̉̅͊͊́͟͞ͅͅ ỷ̛͙̞̦̦͖̑̉̌̎͞͡͡͝ͅo̧̧̥͎̻̥̲͇͋́́̔̈͌͞ǔ̸̬̯̫͇̦̮͕̤̲̯̽̔̀̔͆͋̈́͘̚ up to date all the local happenings, including w̸̢̢̢̧̡̡͍͖̻̳̹̼̼̰̬̭̱͔̲͙͍̰̠̥̺̝͖̺̖̼̮̼̞̳̞̜͉̤̯͇̖̳͖̠̙̺̲̤͇͈͚͓̮̭̱̭̩͚̟̥̬̟̻̝̼̖͚̘͐̆̅̂̃̈́͆͊̉̏͒́̈́̋͗͑̄̉́̐̌́̿̌͛̾̎̊̾̃̈́̉̔̍̐͛̕͘̚͜͜͠͠é̵̢̡̛̹̥̥̞̮̯͙͈̻̝͓͖͙̦̰͍̖̜̲̰̞͎͈̭̯̳͕̗̊̓̃̐̂́͂̎̐̾̔̽̀̉́̍̊̂̿̎͂͐̎̐̄̍̔̋̐̃͗̈́͂̀̒̊̎͘͘̕̚̕͜͝͝͝͠ͅͅ��̧̨̨̡̧̨̡͈̭̫̼̯̪̞̯̰̲̘̭͎̪̱̗̝̝̞̤̱͉͙̯͎̬͎̙̜̗͉̩̦͕̪̳͇͙̺̙̰̠͚͎̜̠͔̬͎̺̣͕̜a̸̡̧̡̡̨̡̨̛̛͙̣̘̳͎͖̥̝̟̱̩̥͙͉̝̲̙̮̩̩̹̱͔͎̥̹̻̜͚̭̬̳͚̤̙̖̯͎̱̫̞̪̻͖̱̞͔̭̻̺͚͚̯̬͓͓̳͇̳̦͓̞͈̮̤̭̣͉̲̞͚̘͗̆̃͌̅̍͊̓̈̇̌̒͊͑̊̏̊͌̈̓̿͗̒̏̒͊͒̏̃̎̒̀̅̾̍̀͘͘͜͝͠ͅt̵̢̡̨̧̧̛̛̛̯̤͓̘̻̤͓̪̰͔̪̝̫͎̻͔͈͎͔͙͕͈̰͓͍̀̏͒̆͋̈́̈́͂̔͋͆͂̅͗̍̆̍̆̔̑͊̏̈͒́̽͊́̿͂́̓͛̽͐͌̌̐̈̇̃̓̆̍̅̃̔̚̕͜͝͝͝ͅͅh̸̨̨̡̢̢̡̢̧̡̧̢̡̭̜̬̬̙͕̗̙̻̯̠̘͙̻̥͉͚̼̗͚͇͉̰͍̥͉̗͎̬̫͖͉͔̼̮̯̞̫̬̟̻͉̖̙̥̫͖̬͚̟̜̭͇͎̭̘̝̲̤͕͎̰̭̗̯̮̤̙̙̯͍̞̭͚͔͎̞̹̲̟͉̩̋̆̈́͆̍̆̄̏͜ͅͅ��̨̡̖̱̠͍̺͈̟̩ȇ̸̢̢̨̨̧̛̜͍̺͎̬̪͙̻̝̣͓͈̺̩̳̟̲̠̣͈͎͎͈͉̙̪͖̳̺͇̹̊̍͊͑̿͊̌͛̿̓͊̾̀͂͛̉͆̾̽͆̈̏͛̊͛̍̈́̇͋̔͂̑͐̂̿͊̽͑͘̚͘͝͝͠͝ͅͅŕ̵̨̡̨̨̢̧̡̧̨̘̟͙̦̲̲̪̦̙̼̠̳͚̞̦̞͖͚͇̳͖̲̭͕̜̫̳̖̙͖͉͎̘̘̤̠͈̬͕̝̻͚̥͍͕̠̥͙̙̪̖̯͍̘̘̲̣̹̜̪̲̭̟̮̫̖̤̰͔̩̩͉̲͚̟̝̦̬̪̘̬̮̱͔̻̦̼̃̐̂͋̐̅̋͒̉͛́̅̈́̒̒͆̑̆͊̒͒̀̍̈́̍͌̍̏̔͋͌̒̍̌͛̓̈̂̐̕͘͘͜͜͝͝͝ͅͅͅ ̶̢̡̨̛̠͇̹̯͕͍̻̟̼̼̗̩̱̗̙̱̥̜̬̫̜͎͉̺̣͓̟̯̱͖̣̞̠̝̥͍̲̳̙̠͔̹̘̲̲̻̖̈́̊͋͜͜ą̵̡̧̟͕̬̳̜͈͈̳̝̜̣̬͔͈͈͎͉͍̯̟̞̺͎̝͇̰̥͖̬̯͙̤̬̼̲̦̯̭͓̠̺̳̱̰̮̎͋͆̈́͌͆̎̉̓̇̐͋͋́̃̉̈̄̏̓̉̿̅̒̉̒̉͂͛̄̀̇̒͊͛́͊̎́͆̌̆́̌͂̈́̽̋͛͗̑̊̀́̍͊̌͆͊͐͆̅̒̊̉̾̄͛̑̕͘͘͘͘͝͝͝͝͠͠͝n̸̡̛̛̛̛̛̙͎̬̦̠̼͓͈̝̾̍͑͛̅̒̾́̌̍͛̇̋̇̓̏͛̔͛̈́͆̿̌͐̿͊̿́͒̍̃̀̈͐̐̆͐̉̒̂̉̀̅̇̾͋̍͒̋̈̌̿͒͐̍́͗̀̌̌̚̕̕̕͘̚͘͘̚͜͠͝͝͝d̴̡̢̢̛̛̛̺̠̳̬͎̞̲̣̲̱̳̪̹͉̝̠̱̗̙̫̠̹̼̙̝͉̲̟̮̙̙̮̻̹͈̦̙̞͚̜̙̖̞͓̙̭͉̃̽̌̅̔̾̈́̒̽͑́̒͋̓̈́͆͋̽̒̃̽̋̐͌͂̍͑́̽̋̍͗̋͗͂̅̽̈̈̾͐̄̃̕̕͜͠͠͝͠͝ͅͅ ̵̡̡̢̛̛̗͚͍̺͇̲̳̯͓̰͍̙̮̙̜̟̞̣̼͕̝͔͙̺̫͈͈̠̻̘̱͍̦̭͔͈̤̺̗̮͕̦̞̘͍̯̻̝͓̤̳̫͔̩͉̬̈́͋̈́̐͒́̔́́̿̓̆͐̎͆̇͒̄̈̿̓̑̾̏̔̿͊̌͆͒̒͊̓̅̓́̔̅̀̀̀̃̿̂̑͂͆̅̎̾̏̓̂̈́͛͌̇̾͌͐̈̂̆͐̅̓̍̓̃̆͗̃͛̏̒̌̀̅͊́̽̐̆̿́̌͘͘̚̕͘̕̕͜͜͜͠͝͠͝͠t̷̢̥͓̄͗̾̄̅̚͜r̵̨̡̨̧̧̢̛̛̛̛̛͍͙͚̥̱̞̜̦̜̼̺͉̠̬͎̰̻̜̼̫̤͓͖͖̤͇̞̥̖̈́͊̆̓͊̑̑̋̒̈́̔̆͆́̐͛͑͊͋̇̈́̓̑̍̏͐͛̽̋̎͑̃̈́͒̇̂̇̌͂̀̍̊̇̓̋̈́̌̏̕͘̚̕̚͝͝͠ǎ̴̡͓͓̯̘̥̱̱͖̦̺͓̘͉͖̞̟̦͈̜̥̰̘̞͈̦̠̼̯̙̭̼͚̟̖̲̠̝̜̐̅͆̏̈́̍́͂̃̾͑̓͋̽̄̾́̾̆̾͒͋̎͂̈́͘̕̕̚͜ͅͅf̷̢̡̡̧̢̨̡̧̢̢̧̡̧̫͖̖͇̲̫̮͕͉͓̩̪̳̹̩͎̖̟̤̤̲̟̪̫̻̻̖̟̦͉̼͎͖̭͍͖͎̖̳̳͙̜͉̝̘̺̖͚̙͉͕͙̯͖̞͚̮̲̻͉͙̺̭͓͎̤͙̦̦̺̯͕̜̰͍̳̙̦͉̪̥́͋̓̅̀͋͐̀̄̊̆̉̒̐͒̀̏̈̇̊̉̆̐̏̾̀̀̓͛͆̍̾͗͌̀̄̔͒̀̍̈́͆̔̒̑̏̍̏͆́̾̐̂͋̂̔̂́̓̓̌͌̉͛́̒̐̽̏́̑͊́̌̆̂̑͋̇̈́͌̑̿̅͗̚̕͘̕̚͜͠͝͝͠͠f̴̨̨̛̹͌̂̓͌͛̀͑̾̓̍͗̽͆̉̊͗̇́̍͌̊͐̔̈́̊̇͆̄̃̑̕̕͘͘͘͠͝͝͝͠i̴̧̡̢̢̧̢̨̨̧̧̧̛̛͎̗̳̦̘̙͓̦̙͔̜̼̘͇͇̺̭͉̠̩̟̤̥̘͙̤̩͔̪̱̻͈̪̼̼̞̠͎̟̹͕̻̭̤̪̲͕̟̺̻̻͖͕͚̣͇̖̰̝̩͈̤͕͇͕̝͙̙̪͔̗̫͇͎̙̲̲͖̗̘͉̲̣̤͎̔̐̆͒̄̈́̀̎̃̃̅͆̌̈́̽̈́̅̈́̑̄̇͒͐̀̐̀̒̍̀̓͌͗̓̽́͗̓̎͂͛̅̑̔̀͛̈́̽̾̃̊͊͆̄̍͑̍̆̌̾͗̄̊̽̉̅̆̀̎̀͑̿̎̋̄̆̃͐̾̏͛͒̍̋̅͘̕̚̕̕͜͜͝͝͝͝͠ͅͅc̷̛̛͚̝̻̣̞̓́̃́̀̃̓͗͌̂͛́̒̊͑̓͆̇̈́͑̏̆̀͌̑͂͂̄͌̉̔̋́̎͒̿͗͒͛̇͛̿̎̍̕̕̕͝͝͝͝͝ ̴̢̧̢̡̨̢̡̨̡̢̢̛̺̘̹̯̤̩̘̯͔̞̟̬̠̣̟̻̥̜̤͔̥͕̠̥̞͎̗̩̱̮͉͔͎̲̯̱̙̜̥̳̮͔̦̣͖͔̜͉̗̪̳̹̦̤͇̣̙͕̯̫̖̝̼̹͍̠͎͓̗͎̦͓̲̯̱̠̰͇̮̹͔̝͉͙̹̜̹͈̹̥͖̣̳̲͖̓́͌̈́̈́̀͌̄͂̌̾́̍̔̊̓̿͋͂͋̈́̋́́̒̓̀̒̃͂̀͑̐͛̆̆͒̈́̅̿͊͌̍͗̌̌͆̂͌́̉̏̒̓͊̾̒̓̋̽͐̏̾͘̕͜͝͠͝ͅͅr̸̨̢̛̪̞̬͓͔̥̤̣͔̭̥̙͉̦̗̠̳̩͙̂̈́͑͑̿̋̓̀͋͆̋̕͝͝ë̴̢̡̨̬͈͉̖̞͔͎͓͖̼̘̬͕̰͈̥͈̝̩͎͉͉̫̜͚͕̤͔̟̯͓͎̟͙̜̭̩̗̮͎̗̤͇̝̩͎̜̺̯͕͇̝͎̯͙̖͙̮̗̮̘́̑͑͛̂̅̄̌̽̓̒̾̿͆̏̏͐͛̾̂̃͑͆̅̄̿͋̅͂̈́̽͋͒̎͐̒̓͆̌̉͑͊́̀̈̾͛̋͑̋̎̈̀̽̀͊̏͘͝͝͝͝͠͝ͅp̴̧̧̡̢̢̢̛̛̛͚̟͓̖̭̪̻̪̲̬̥̙̥̰̼̹͎͕̪̞̮̺̰̬̘̫̤͉̦͙̮̖̙̹̻͔̖̮̲̞̣̻̜̠͇̬͚̱̦̼̲̮̀̂͌̍̈̒̍̋̌̏͐̓͛̉̂̈̀͑̈́͊͗͋͗́̂̎̎̃͆͒̅̑̇́̈͐̾̀̔̒̉͑͒̅̓̈́̋͋̀̍̄̿̌̀̉͆̇̔̈́͗̋̄̓̇͗̎̉̆͊̒͗̚̕͘͘̕̕̚͜͜͝͝͠͠͠͠͠ͅͅͅơ̶̢̡̧̨̡̛̛͔̦̼̰̠̯̰̟̲̣̜͙̲͙̪̱̱͕̺̪͈͉̺̻̙̥̲̩̲̩͔̠͚̩͓̞̠̯̟̫̣̗̦̰͉͚͙̺͎̼͖̥̙͈̯̲̝̞͎̻͕̮͔̰̖͔̭͙̩̼͔̫̹̘͓͔̜̘͍̍̅̄͋͑̋̍̊̉̄̈̽̈͐̀͌͐̆͊͂̐̋̃̎͆͛̐̀̂̿̈́͂́̈̌͐̇̀̒͋͑͐́͌̐̇̊͆̀͂͋̏́͋͆̏͗͂͑̂̓̽͘͘̚̕̕̕̕̚͘͜͜͠͝͝ͅͅͅr̴̨̨̨̧̨̛̘͕͈͔͙̠̬̯̩̗̰̗̬̦͈̗̝̣͓͓̟͕͙͈̠̘̻͓̭̝̘̦̦͓̭̘͙̻̙̼̩̰̝͈̱̝̱̬͉͙̣̖̮̲͈̙̱̩̣͕̦̰̮͔͈͓̙̮͍̳̟̠̞͎̱̣̰͕̩̝̲̝͐́́̍̈͐͋̐̑̌͋̓̈́̈͗̿̈̈́͗̑̚͜͜͜͜͜͝ͅͅţ̴̢̨̧͇͉͎̣̬̣̝̗̬̹͇̮̞̈́̐̌̇̈́̌͊̐̅̂̌̂͒͌́̈͌̂̊͗̍̿͑͋̎̓͂̀̎̎͒̾̏̒͌̃̄͋̌̾̍̈́̐̏͑̊̍͑͆̉̓́̆̌̾̓͊̊̈̑͘̚̕͘͘̕͝͝͝͝͝s̴̢̢̡̛̬̹͚̻͉̦̦̣̦̠̜͕̤̳͓͙̟̬͕̘̦̿͗̉̏̒͆̓̄͊͌͛͂͑̒̃͛͘͜͝͝!
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: Honestly, probably bc Nightvale and Alice are by the Same Dudes, a lot of these points are the same as Alice Isn’t Dead, but it’s less scawy and more funney. Also hits the “horror, but make it kind of a sitcom” vibes. Doesn’t have the same road trip vibes, but DOES capture the exact weirdness of South Western USA, so I’m still giving it “fucked up americana” credit. If you’ve never been to New Mexico ur like this is an exaggeration clearly no desert town is subject to like ACTUAL cosmic horror and unexplainable sights but I’m telling you New Mexico is just Like That. (I highly recommend visiting the land of enchantment if you ever get the oppurtunity it is a deeply odd and wonderfully unsettling experience.) Look man it’s gay it’s a horror comedy cecil has a wonderfully soothing voice and it hates capitalism so fucking much like oh my god so much what more could you want.
MINI REC ALERT: Wolf 359! I have nothing deep to say about this I just like it and my gut tells me that y’all would enjoy it too I know there isnt much for physical descriptions in the show but I know in my heart that the main character is so so pretty and so so stupid. I KNOW yall like some himbos that experience character growth.
Okay since It’s my party and I’ll speak if I want to rapid fire list of podcasts I just like and want more people to listen to even though I’m behind on like all of them shhhhh: The Penumbra Podcast, BomBARDed, Dungeons and Daddies, Stellar Firma, Wonderful!
SONG RECS
okay these aren’t like replacement recs or anything they’re just really good and I almost certainly would have put them on some sort of supernatural playlist in 2013 but I don’t, like, have a good playlist for them now so I’m subjecting y’all to them also they all have the youtube link for ease of access
Woah There Kimmy- Felix Hagan & the Family
Devil’s Backbone- The Civil Wars
Blood On My Name- The Brothers Bright
Awake O Sleeper- The Brothers Bright
The Bottom of the River- Delta Rae
Old Number 7- The Devil Makes Three
The Bullet- The Devil Makes Three
In Hell I’ll Be In Good Company- The Dead South
Bartholomew- The Silent Comedy
Pomegranate Seeds- Julian Moon
Curses- The Crane Wives
Tongues & Teeth -The Crane Wives
OKAY THAT’S IT! THAT’S ALL FOLKS! FUCK!
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Fightin’ Back Chapter 3
Chapter Notes: Final stretch, boys! This is the last chapter that takes place in season one before we get into the heavier themes of season two. Boyz Crazy this time, and probably the only emotional hurt/comfort chapter of the entire fic.
So, uh, this has actually been up on AO3 for a few days already, but it completely slipped my mind to post the tumblr link until now. My bad 😂
AO3
The car is uncomfortably quiet as Stan pulls away from Lookout Point. Dipper’s leaning against the passenger side door, staring into the mirror like if he stares at Wendy long enough she’ll notice and chase after them to apologize to him for snapping at him. Stan taps at the steering wheel rhythmically, just to get some sort of noise to break the tension in the air, and Dipper sighs.
It’s sad, really. The kid had been so excited to split Wendy and Robbie up before they left that he tried to insist on driving the golf cart up there himself. But he had no idea where Lookout Point even was, and Stan was sure someone was finally going to notice that the golf karts were stolen from the Northwest Golf Course, so he offered to drive him there in the car instead. And even then, the kid had been so excited he was bouncing in his seat the entire drive over. Stan’s sure he would’ve neglected the seatbelt altogether if he hadn’t reached over and clicked it into place for him. He was going on and on and on about code deceptions and the supernatural and how Robbie must’ve gotten the CD at some evil black market, or maybe he really did burn the CD himself and he’s secretly a vampire demon or something, and how that reminds him that he should “try mixing some salt into his spray bottle of holy water the next time he’s out demon hunting”, but now that everything’s over and done with and Wendy bitterly insisted she’d rather walk home than be with any of them right now, Dipper’s looking more like a sick puppy limping home with his tail tucked between his legs.
“Ah, don’t think too much into it, kid” Stan says, and Dipper finally breaks free from his mirror trance to spare him a defeated look in his eyes. “The breakup’s still fresh. I bet by this time tomorrow she’ll be all over you, swooning over how you saved her from that horrible monster”.
Dipper doesn’t respond, just raises an eyebrow at him and goes right back into staring out the window. Least they’re too far away for him to still be staring at Wendy out the rear view mirror.
“I mean it!” Stan barks a laugh. “Never got to finish that story I was telling you earlier. So after Carla ran off with that hippie, I stuck around to see how things were going with her. I was sure there was something about him that he wasn’t telling her.” He pounds at his chest with one of his fists. “And I was right! Turns out the dude’s guitar was, uh, cursed. So one day while he was sleeping I broke into his apartment and smashed the thing to pieces. After he had nothing left to show for himself, Carla came running back to me. Even drove the guy’s van into the ravine just so he couldn’t bother us again”
There’s a hint of a smile on Dipper’s face. “I don’t think I’d sink low enough to break the law, Grunkle Stan.” He pulls himself away from the window. “Plus I thought you said she hated you for doing that"
Stan taps at his head. “You gotta work on your listening skills, Dips. I said he hated me for doing that”
Dipper rolls his eyes at him, the most Dipper thing he’s done since getting back in the car to head home.
“Look, my point is, you gotta learn to look at things more positively. Maybe she wants nothing to do with you now, but tomorrow? You never know”.
Dipper flinches at the idea, but this time when he sighs it sounds more like he’s trying to calm his own nerves than like he’s trying not to cry.
Stan pulls the car up to the back of the shack and unlocks the door. He steps out, and just as he’s about to head into the house he turns heel to talk to Dipper before the kid has time to run past him up to his bedroom to mope. “How’s about we sit in the living room with a couple a’ Pitt Colas and watch a movie to forget about the whole ordeal? Your choice”
Dipper mumbles something about movie night to himself, but only responds to Stan’s offer with a shrug. “I’m not in the mood. You can go in without me. I’ll come in when I’m ready”
Yeah, okay, Stan’s not buying that for a minute. He knows by now that when Dipper starts moping, the kid isn’t gonna move for hours. It’ll be two in the morning before he decides to come in, and even later if he accidentally falls asleep.
No mention that there’s child protection laws against leaving kids in locked cars.
…and that car-eating tree monster Stan’s sure he’s read about in that first Journal.
Screw it.
Stan gets back in the car, but Dipper doesn’t so much as blink when Stan closes the door behind him. Stan’s willing to believe that it’s because Dipper assumed he went inside, and whoa, okay, whoever put the idea in the kid’s head that he’s not worth the time of day is gonna need to start answering questions fast.
He turns the keys to start the ignition, and Dipper nearly jumps out of his skin when his door clicks locked on him. “Grunkle Stan?” he asks, once he realizes the car is pulling away again. “Where are you taking me?”
“Y’got cotton in your ears? I told you before, kid, I’m taking you bowling”
“Right now? I thought you were just saying that to make me feel better”.
“I was!” Stan flashes a grin. “But I never specified that you had a choice in the matter, now did I?”
Dipper opens his mouth to argue, but before he can get so much as a word out, Stan speeds out of the driveway so quickly that Dipper’s head whacks against the headrest of his seat.
~~~~~~~
Friday nights are usually the busiest day of the week for the bowling alley, but when you know exactly the right kind of people and have just the right amount of bribe money in your pocket, you can waltz in and get any lane you want as fast as you want.
Dipper, despite all of this, doesn’t seem as thrilled about the idea of bowling as Stan is.
“Aw, c’mon, kid” Stan gently nudges him with his elbow. “I’m letting you go first! Everyone knows the person who gets to bowl first is the person you need to beat. It’s a privilege, if you ask me”
“I dunno, Grunkle Stan” he fiddles with the laces of his sneakers. “I appreciate the gesture, and all, but...I’m just not feeling up for it tonight”
Stan raises an eyebrow. “Not up for beating me at something you know you can hold over me the rest of the summer?” He scooches closer to Dipper on the bench. “Now I know something’s really wrong. This still about Wendy?”
He winces at the mention of her name like he’d just been slapped in the face, and Stan sighs.
“Look, Dips…” he pauses, trying to figure out to work around making this sound like the most awkward conversation he’s ever had with...anyone, let alone his own nephew. “Who needs women, am I right?” He raises the can of soda he’d bought from the snack bar in a toast, but Dipper only rubs at his arm awkwardly.
There’s gotta be something that’ll get Dipper to understand how many times Stan’s found himself in the exact same situation.
Well, okay, Stan knows exactly what’ll get him to understand, but if he goes around telling so much as Mabel, the kid’s dead to him.
He sighs. “Kiddo, if you repeat what I’m about to tell you, you’re dead. Not just to me, I’m talkin’ dead dead. Got it?”
That seems to be enough to catch his attention. “O-of course” he repeats, like Stan’s about to tell him the secrets to unlocking the universe. It almost makes Stan wish that his story were more interesting.
“Truth is, that story I told you about Carla ain’t exactly how it actually went”
Dipper blinks. “I…know. You told me that earlier”
“No, I mean…” Stan pinches the bridge of his nose. “I mean, none of it was true. Obviously nobody rocketed off into the sky on a rainbow, or anything, but...Carla and I hadn’t even been dating anymore”
“What?” Dipper’s voice squeaks, and Stan chuckles.
“Well, we had been dating, y’see? But she’d just broken up with me a few days ago when I decided to stop over to the Juke Joint to see if she’d wanted to talk about changing her mind” he raises his hands in defense. “I only went in to talk. Scout’s honor, or...whatever it is your sister says.” He shakes his head. “Anyway, I get in there, and that hippy really is playing his transcendental music up on this tiny stage they had there”.
He takes a hard swig of his soda like it was a shot glass. “But Carla was up there with him, y’see? She was singing to some...weird folksy song that I’d never heard of before. Didn’t even sound like she was singing in English.” He leans back on the bench, resting his hands at the back of his head as he turns his gaze to Dipper. “That’s how I knew I lost her for good. So instead of causing a scene like some kinda....jerk”, he catches himself, “I ran out into the parking lot and hotwired her new boyfriend’s van and hightailed it outta there”.
The gaze that Dipper gives him is sympathetic, but he’s also covering his hand over his mouth like he’s trying not to giggle.
“See? What’d I tell ya?” Stan flashes a grin. “You don’t need girls to show you a good time” he raises his drink towards the television screen above their bowling lane, still flashing with Dipper’s name. “You can always have a great time with your Grunkle Stan! No chance of eventual heartbreak with me”
“I know, I know…” Dipper stands to play his turn, and pretends the weight of the bowling ball doesn’t tip him over as he chucks it down the lane. The ball careens off to the side at the last second, barely even scraping the surface of the pins. “But I don’t think that’s entirely what’s bothering me” His second throw knocks down all but two pins, leaving him with a seven-ten split. The screen switches to flashing Stan’s name, and Dipper turns to him as he returns to his seat.
Now we’re getting somewhere. Stan stands, pretending to appear dismissive in case it’s something Dipper doesn’t want to admit with all eyes on him. “You tellin’ me I just told you my biggest secret for nothing?”
Dipper blushes. “N-no! That’s not what I meant”. He sighs, looking down at his hands. “I mean, Wendy’s really one of the first people to really...accept me into her friend group.” This time he’s the one waving a defensive hand in the air. “Not that I’m saying I’ve never had friends before,” he squeaks, “...but they’ve felt…forced? Since Mabel and I were in a lot of the same friend circles, it just...always felt like they liked her better than me and only let me tag along because they knew I was related to her, or something”
Wow, okay, that hits way closer to home than Stan was expecting it to. He opens his mouth to comment, but it turns out that he’s not talking.
“But in comes Wendy, and y-yeah! Maybe some of it has to do with...other things” his face is turning pink, and he’s trying to hide in his vest. “But she’s so cool to me, and it doesn’t feel at all like she’s just using me to get to Mabel. Her friends like to make babysitting jokes whenever we tag along with them, but with Wendy it feels like she really wants us to be there” He sighs, and slumps against his seat. “What if she hates me? Or never talks to me again? Or she quits working at the Mystery Shack because she doesn’t want to be around me, or-or she does keep hanging around, but it’s just like everyone at school, and she’s only there for Mabel, but she’s too cool to cause a scene and tell me to leave, and-”
“Breathe, kid” Stan’s at his side in an instant, gripping firmly onto Dipper’s arm to help him back onto his chair before he falls to the floor. “You’re gonna give yourself a panic attack.” He loosens his grip on Dipper’s arm once the color starts returning to his face. “Tell me, you really think Wendy’s the kinda person to kick you to the curb like that?”
Dipper doesn’t respond right away, but he’s taking deep breaths, which is a good sign. “No, I guess not…” he physically turns his body towards Stan to look at him, probably to prevent another dizzying spell. “But she looked so angry at me, and she grouped me together with Robbie, and she’s probably never talking to him again, I’m just….so worried I’m gonna lose the coolest friend I’ll probably ever have”.
Stan shrugs. “Trust me, bud, you do not have to worry about that. Teenagers are just like that. Y’get angry, you need to blow off steam for a few hours, but come tomorrow you’re over it like it never happened”. Stan finally goes to take his turn, lobbing the ball down the lane like it weighs little more than a penny. It slips into the gutter, but at the last second it careens back up and knocks all the pins over. He grins, pumping his arms in the air, and turns his gaze back towards Dipper. “You should’ve seen me when I was her age! I’d break a window, I’d punch a jerk in the face, and then I’d be over it”
“Grunkle Stan, you’re still like that”
“Exactly!” he boasts. “And you don’t see me holding grudges against people who don’t deserve it, do ya? You know you meant well, Dipper, and I’m sure it won’t take long for her to realize that too.”
Dipper’s playing with the edge of his vest. “I guess so”.
“There, see?” Stan gently nudges him as he sits down beside him again. “Problem solved”. He says, but backtracks a little when he remembers what Dipper had said about his anxieties around making friends. “And if you ever need any of my advice on how to talk to girls without using any creepy mind-altering CDs, I’m your guy” he flashes Dipper a thumbs up, and it makes him smile.
“Thanks, Grunkle Stan. I’ll keep that in mind”.
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jahhshsjanabs it’s so good,,,, for dipper is a sad broken boy,,, how does Bill enter the story??
Let’s just say that Dipper dabbling in astral projection is...opening a door that is not easily closed.
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GF - Mystery Twins: Ghost
A new AU inspired by Mystery Skulls…
AO3 link
ch.2
~~~~~~~~~~
A catchy song played on the radio, making the young pair of twins in the back bob their heads and jump in their seats to the music. Ford smiled, looking back with his near-view mirror, and his smile stayed even when he had to focus back on the road. His hands and body weren’t used to driving the red Diablo, but he managed it okay, mostly because he was with his family.
Driving through the backwood-roads in the dark forest, the car was operating fine, but then the radio was glitching and the car was sputtering to a stop. The eight-year-olds in the back braced themselves as they slowed down, Ford listening carefully for an indication as to what was wrong with the Stanmobile.
“Grunkle Ford, what’s wrong?” Dipper asked, the boy who often felt like a ghost.
“I’m not sure.” Said the man who knew the most. “It sounds like the battery…”
“Maybe it has something to do with that.” Mabel suggested, looking outside and pointing to a structure they were coming up on.
The car came to a stop in front of a very large, rich-looking, antique cabin. With many levels and even a tower, this grand old-styled building seemed to be beating with life, like a giant wooden heart, and a faint reddish glow came from within. The Diablo refused to move any further, so Ford and the kids got out. The aged scientist popped the hood with Dipper by his side and they both saw the red bolts of lightning sparking around the battery and engine, freezing everything.
“Looks like somebody doesn’t want us to leave.” Ford theorized and looked up at the large house, but he gasped with horror seeing his little niece skip to the door. “Mabel!” He hissed.
Dipper turned and ran after his sister, holding his lucky pinetree hat down to keep it from blowing off his Pines’ fluffy brown hair. “Mabel, wait for me!”
The little girl stood on tippy-toes in her black flats and white socks and rang the doorbell. It sang a surprisingly joyful tune, and then the door opened. The children entered and the door remained open. Ford ran inside after his children; he knew they were more than capable of taking care of themselves, but given recent circumstances, he’d rather not take the risk.
The second Ford stepped inside the dwelling, however, the door closed by itself. The guardian wrapped an arm around each child, with Dipper on his left and Mabel on his right, and they were entertained by a small performance of bright red fire dancing in the suffocating darkness, until the flames landed on tall candles by the wall, and everything was highlighted with reds, oranges, and yellows.
Mabel’s eyes dazzled with excitement, as well as Dipper’s while he did sweat a bit on the forehead, and Ford was even more on guard. Three small goat-resembling blobs of red soul appeared from the floor and swarmed the small family. Mabel reached to pet one, but Dipper grabbed her hand and ran, and Ford ran after them.
The red fire brought life to the painting of Natives and lumberjacks. While the live humans ran down the hallways of the large wooden manor, many different ghosts flew around the air; little child-like spirits were being chased by punk ghosts, keys and keyhole were floating aimlessly, a soul-sucker landed on Ford’s shoulder, but he flicked it away like it was an annoying bug.
“This place is amazing!” Dipper cheered. “Look how many categories, Grunkle Ford!”
“Yes, it is impressive,” Ford huffed, half excited, half worried for the children’s safety. “But let’s hope we don’t meet a Level- AAAAAAAHH!!!” A trap door suddenly appeared beneath him and the old scientist fell, the hole quickly covered before the kids could see what had happened.
Dipper and Mabel looked at each other, shrugged, and ran down the hall to the shining room ahead of them.
Ford fell harshly on a cold, concrete floor and rubbed the base of his back; he would be feeling that later. He looked around. He was in some kind of cellar, a room in the basement for storage, possibly food in the olden days. Ford looked ahead, and highlighted with glowing red energy, was a casket with a square skull on the door. As Ford stood and braced himself, the door opened to find a smartly dressed skeleton inside.
A skull missing it’s bottom jaw glared at the old man, who was far too used to it to be too shaken, but he was on edge and ready to fight or flight; whichever would ensure he would make it out of the cellar alive. The skeleton had sharp cheekbones and jagged cracks. His skull levitated an inch above the collar of his suit, the lines sharp and smart, the lines and the tie coated in red, though the suit was black. His ribs were outside his jacket and his hands were an odd bland of glove and bone. But what was most peculiar was not the fact that a fancy-dressed skeleton was alive and glaring daggers at the meat-puppet before him. No, what conjured Ford’s curiosity was the golden heart beating on the skeleton’s right chest, like a badge of honor.
The ghost stepped out of the coffin, his heeled shoes clicking on the concrete floor, and he stopped right in front of Ford and pointed harshly at him. Ford glared back, hand in his trenchcoat, ready to shoot and by himself some time, but there was no guarantee if it would even have time for an attack.
It didn’t matter. Suddenly the pupil-less eyes of the skeleton were lit up with red pupils, red fire encased more candles, and with an upward tilt of the skulls, a red block of fire appeared on his head. Ford, as quick as light, whipped out his special ray gun, shot, and ran for the exit. The ghost dodged the bolt of cold blue light with a lazy motion of his head, and then started to fly after his target.
Meanwhile, Dipper and Mabel were helping themselves to big towers of warm pancakes in the kitchen, about to dig in when they heard the commotion. They poked their heads out of the kitchen and gasped to find their uncle cornered by a big ghost, definitely a Level 10, his back to the wall and his gun pointed at the angry spirit, but the kids knew they could help.
Just before the ghost could touch Ford, the pair of kids stood in front of their grunkle, both flinching and ready for the impact, their arms outstretched to try to shield their guardian, but they opened their eyes cautiously when no attack came.
The ghost had stopped, standing a few feet in front of the tiny family. His red eyes were on the children, and appeared to be… not angry. Almost sad. Mabel took a step forward. Maybe she could help Mr. Ghost feel better so he could go back to sleep. Maybe something hurt. She could kiss it better.
Dipper was right by Mabel’s side, a hand on his chin, studying the ghost curiously, his brown eyes sparkling with wonder. Mabel grinned at the ghost and waved. “Hi, I’m Mabel!”
Instantly, the ghost seemed to smile. Kind eyes and a general aura that swore no harm. The young pair of twins noticed the golden heart floating towards them. Dipper’s mouth was open slightly, while Mabel held her hands patiently for it, waiting for the heart to land on her, rather than harshly grab it and risk frightening the kind soul.
But then Ford scooped up the kids in his arms and ran for the door, leaving the kids to look back at the skeleton and for the skeleton to reach out longingly, only for the golden heart to fall to the floor and crack, now a cold, lonely, icy blue.
At once, the ghost was engulfed in rage and fire, his arms trembling with anger, and he had his red fire swallow the entire hall, with Ford jumping out, through the door, at the last second, with his kids in his arms. He piled them into the red Diablo and thankfully the ghost was too distracted to have the car deactivate again, and they sped away into the woods.
Inside the large cabin, the skeleton watched them go through a window. He picked up the cracked blue heart, tapping it so the locket opened. Inside, a picture of Stan holding his children in his arms, smiling and laughing and having a good time, haunted him. The broken spirit could only shed a single tear as he growled to himself and floated out of the manor, causing it to fade back into its tiny, pitiful, abandoned cabin once more.
#GF#gravity falls#mystery skulls#stangst#fanfiction#dipper pines#mabel pines#grunkle ford#grunkle stan#overprotective grunkles#Oops I Did It Again#i broke all your hearts#stay tuned for the next chapter!...#Thanks for reading!
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27. Stedip please (gotta have that angst)
27. “Don’t die on me — Please.”
It happens too quickly for Dipper to stop it, too quickly for him to even try. Bill mirthfully plucks his prize right out of Steven’s gut, laughing as he tosses the sparkling pink gemstone (a diamond, from the looks of it, but Dipper hardly cares) and then, within seconds, it shatters in his grasp. By the time he’s up on his feet, a horrified scream ripping from his throat, its glittering shards are raining gently down on Steven’s prone form that Bill had carelessly tossed aside. Bill doesn’t even bother to spare either of them a second glance as he continues on his way, his pack of Henchmaniacs trailing after him so they can continue their torrent of terror upon the town. As if he didn’t just do the unthinkable and tear a gem, and a heart out right at the very same second.
Dipper collapses to his knees at Steven’s side, his hands shaking as he looks at the smooth skin on his navel where his gem had just been. They’re alone--Mabel is missing, Ford’s turned to gold, the Gems are scattered and unaccounted for, and Connie’s nowhere to be found. But Dipper resolves to stay by Steven’s side. Bill himself couldn’t tear him away now.
“S-Steven…” he barely manages to choke out between the tears blurring his vision. Steven’s skin, usually warm and vibrant, just like everything else about him, has turned cold and ashy. Dark bags have formed under his eyes, which themselves are dull and glassy as he stares up at Dipper, trying to focus on him and failing all the while.
“D-Dip…” he mutters, not even able to get his full name out. He can barely move, barely think, and all the while he’s acutely aware that his body isn’t working right. That he’s lost something he needs to survive. And without that something, everything else is slowly starting to shut down entirely.
“Shh, i-it’s ok,” Dipper tries assuring him, tries smiling, but it immediately falls apart as he watches a new beat of pain wrench its way through Steven’s expression. “Y-you’ll be ok, we just--” He pauses, picking up a handful of broken pink shards lying on the ground around them, desperately trying to piece them together even though they don’t fit in the slightest. “W-we’ll put your gem back together again, a-and you’ll be just fine, I-I promise, I-”
He stops, the sharp shards cutting into his hands and making them bleed as he notices the warm, gentle smile Steven is sending his way. He doesn’t speak, doesn’t have the energy to, but the look in his eyes alone says enough. It says he knows what’s about to happen here, and he’s accepted it. However awful it might be.
“N-no...” The shards fall out of his hands as he breaks down, pressing his head against his chest as his sobs come out freely. “No, y-you can’t… D-don’t die on me, p-please!”
“D-Dipper…” Steven suddenly says, his barely audible ghost of a voice guiding his distraught gaze upward. He uses the last ounce of strength he has to pull one of Dipper’s bleeding palms to his lips, but his kiss wields no healing magic, not anymore. Not that any amount of magic would be enough to heal a broken heart. He says nothing more, his voice dying out just as much as he is as he slowly begins to close his eyes and face whatever comes next. Dipper begs him not to go, grabbing him by the shoulders to shake him awake, but it’s too late.
The only thing he can offer him now is one final sad, yet loving smile before he fades away.
(Oop. Betcha thought this was gonna be about Steven trying and failing to heal a fatally injured Dipper bc RMD is a thing that exists well NOPE I FLIPPED THE SCRIPT ON YA AND IT HURTS. Idk what this is, some AU where Bill decides to be a REAL fucking asshole in Weirdmageddon and kill off our poor baby boy. It fucking hurt to write I know that so you’re welcome I guess)
Drabble prompts are open, send away!
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constellations | cbg
genre: angst/fluff, childhood friend! beomgyu
pairing: choi beomgyu x reader
word count: 2k
summary: in a sea of constellations, beomgyu is the only star burning in your heart. but sometimes the love of your life is pried from your hands, then what do you do but be an astronaut and explore the galaxies for him?
song: 🎶 nap of a star - txt 🎶
the night you left, you and beomgyu went stargazing.
he had rented a pickup truck and driven it to the top of a secluded hill, away from the light pollution of the city. you brought sheets and blankets to pile up in the back to make it comfy for the both of you to sit for hours, gazing up at the star-embroidered sky.
as both your legs dangled off the edge of the pickup truck, you rested your head in the crook of his neck. his arm snaked over your shoulder and pulled you closer to the warmth of his body. his oversized jacket hung like a ghost around your shoulders, keeping you warm from the chill of the air but not from the worries of your heart.
beomgyu chirped as he saw a shooting star, jolting you and urging you to see it. you smiled earnestly back at him and his genuine excitement. sighing deeply, you wished you had seen that shooting star so you could wish to stay like this forever, gripping beomgyu’s hand as if it could stop the sun from rising and ending this night. separation waited for you as soon as the sun’s rays revealed themselves. you had never wanted darkness to last forever this badly before, but you did now. you wanted the light to never come, so that you could have the light you needed beside you.
“say the word,” you whispered into beomgyu’s neck, “say the word and i won’t leave. i’ll tell my parents i wont leave.”
you felt beomgyu chuckle, sadly and softly, through the vibrations and the movement of his body. his hand reached up to stroke your hair, and you swore you felt a tear drop roll off his cheek, landing on the top of your hairline. “you know you can’t do that, y/n.”
you swiveled your head, turning to him with tears brimming your eyes. “screw it. i don’t want to leave you behind. they’re forcing me to go when i don’t want to. and i’ll be gone for a long time.”
beomgyu’s sad smile reappeared as he gently stroked your hair, before pulling you closer. “i’ll wait for you, no matter how long, y/n.”
all you could do in response was let out a cry and bury your head further into him to suppress your tears. beomgyu’s other hand came forward to embrace you in a full hug. the silence fell over the two of you like a blanket, both of you so unsure of what to do, what the future held, what even to say in these last moments together. you were so scared of wasting the minutes ticking by that you just sat in beomgyu’s presence, not wanting to let go, but waiting for time to pull you from him with its cruel hands.
and eventually it did, with the rising of the sun and the sky burning yellow. beomgyu drove you to the airport in the rented pick up with your luggage lying resignedly in the back.
and still, silence. words would prick the shaky wall you had built. tears would roll out in armies. silence, even until beomgyu put his arms around you in a tight embrace for the last time. until time’s bony fingers pried you apart with boarding times and the glass wall between customs and the departure hall. it pushed you along until the rift was so big, all beomgyu could see was your back fading into the checkpoint, and all you could see was beomgyu’s black hair disappearing into the crowd. the afternoon sun blazed through the airport’s glass ceiling mockingly, blinding you from your last view of beomgyu, before your parents dragged you to the waiting lounge.
the day you left beomgyu, the sun was the cruelest star indeed.
***
the night you were on your way home, the stars shone sadly.
seven years without the boy you loved had gone by painfully. there was not a day nor a second you didn’t wish you could go home to him, or be in his arms. it had been seven whole years since your parents had forced you to move overseas so that your father could further his career. maybe you could have been more supportive of them if they had been considerate of you and your feelings, but they weren’t. and therefore you resented this entire arrangement, and booked your plane back home as soon as you were able to.
there was a person waiting for you halfway across the world, anyway.
adjusting the earbud currently falling off, you glanced out the plane window. it was covered in the dark of night. your plane cruised above the greyish clouds and underneath the glittering stars. the altitude of the plane made it possible to see all these constellations so clearly, something you never would have been able to do on ground. zero light pollution, just the big dipper, orion’s belt, the cold plane window, your music, and you.
and yet, it all felt so very empty. bright, burning balls of light from millions of years away still felt so empty now that you were looking at them alone from an uncomfortable plane seat, and not with a smiling boy. you missed him so much your heart ached, and still you hadn’t been able to get a hold of him a week before you were on your way home.
a tear drop landed on your phone. you swiped at your eye before any more of them could follow, turning your back to the person sitting next to you. the stars outside your window gleamed mockingly at you. all these damn stars mocking you.
you had no idea if beomgyu had moved out of the small town, or if he was back from college. had he chosen to live somewhere else? had he changed his phone number? it had been seven years. what if his heart didn’t ache for you like yours did? had he changed more than his phone number?
if beomgyu didn’t even wish to see you, it would invalidate the only thought that made you happy on a sad day for almost a decade. desperation filled you as you grappled with reality. you needed to see him the moment you set foot on your destination, but you didn’t know where he was or where to get him. helplessness had taken your heart hostage. in an attempty to block it out, you increased the volume of your music and glanced at the tiny television. 16 hours till landing.
the night you were on your way home to beomgyu, you felt emptier than the vacant stars in the abyss of the night sky.
***
each step you took through the arrival gates was intense manual labour. your muscles screamed with each movement and gravity pulling you down. when you entered, you had scanned the waiting area for the sight of that familiar head of black hair or row of grinning teeth, but there was not a face in that crowd that you recognised. feeling too guilty to even feel angry or sad, you just felt empty. as empty as you did when you saw those stars. as empty as your side with no one there.
your body was running on autopilot, unsure of what to feel or do. your mind was separate from your body, it was just a vessel for its inhibitence. the black luggage you were towing was weighing you down more than it should have, and so was the bag hurting your shoulders. ultimately, from all this unexplainable gravity, you dropped the scarf you were holding.
you bent down to pick it up, but there was a hand reaching to get it for you. and there was a voice that came with it. a voice you would have died to hear every day of your life. one that only appeared in dreams of longing and ended with you waking up in tears. but it was here, it was real, it was really flowing through your ears and registering in your mind, all familiar and honey-like.
“i’ve waited a long time for you, y/n.”
and suddenly, a hole was broken into the wall separating your emotions from you. they came spilling all at once as tears rolling down your cheeks. sobbing, you snapped your head to look up at the person you had longed for insufferably.
beomgyu smiled as he stroked your cheek. you realised now why you couldn’t find him initially. what was his dark hair was now blonde, and his face no longer bore the boyish look it did all those years ago. his old self was fading into the young man he was today. and yet, his smile still held all the sincerity of the boy you loved. it was beomgyu. he was here.
he pulled you in a standing position so he could hug you. there were tears streaming down both your faces as you were enveloped in each other’s scents. beomgyu held on to you so tight, as if he couldn’t believe you were actually in front of him for the first time in seven years. seven years. he had gone that long without seeing you and, little did you know, it had drove him insane.
“god, why weren’t you answering your phone?” you sniffled, reaching to wipe your tears with one hand while the other was clasping beomgyu’s hand.
beomgyu reached to swipe a tear away from your cheek. “i’m sorry, it fell into water while i was out and i was getting it fixed.”
“email? instagram?”
“i got locked out of my email, and my mom made me deactivate my instagram.”
“god, you idiot,” you laughed, “whatever. you’re here now.”
you wrapped your arms around beomgyu and he laughed. rubbing a hand up and down your back reassuringly, he whispered, “i’m here now.”
***
the night you came home, the night sky was sparkling with stars.
right from the airport, beomgyu had taken your luggage in his left hand and your hand in his other, and taken you straight to his car. without ever letting go of your hand in his, he drove for a long, long time. out from town, and up the familiar hill from all those years ago.
and throughout the entire drive, you just talked like no time had passed at all. about how much you missed each other, how many nights you were up alone, wishing he was with you. how many nights he wished he could have kissed the top of your head to make everything better. how many nights you resented your parents for dragging you across the world from him. how many nights beomgyu resented the universe for keeping you away from him. how you missed each other too much to even see anyone else, to feel anything but the overwhelming emptiness in your heart.
once you reached the top of the hill, he led you to sit on the car’s hood. as your legs dangled off his car, beomgyu draped his jacket over your shoulders before reaching to put his arm around you. you held his hand on your shoulder and placed your head in the crook of his neck, as the both of you admired the shimmering night sky, your breaths filling the air with contented silence.
beomgyu gently took your chin with his fingers and turned you to face him. his tongue darted out to swipe over his bottom lip before looking at you for assurance. instead of a nod, you held his face in the palm of your hands and connected your lips to his. it was warm and comforting in the cool night breeze, like the stars in the coldness of the universe. familiar, like all works of fate were. and like the constellations, the connection between your lips and souls were meant to be. an inscription of the universe’s plan, a love that fate had sheepishly admitted was meant for the both of you, that not even the stars could pry apart.
the night you came home to beomgyu, the only dazzling star was him.
***
#choi beomgyu#beomgyu#beomgyu fluff#beomgyu angst#txtwritersnetwork#txt Choi Beomgyu#beomgyu fic#txt beomgyu#txt fic#txt fanfic#txt imagines#beomgyu imagines#tomorrow x together#tomorrow x together fanfic#txt fluff#txt angst#txt smut#choi yeonjun#choi soobin#kang taehyun#hueningkai#childhood friend! beomgyu#Kpop imagines#Kpop fluff#kpop angst#txt au#txt scenarios#beomgyu au#choi beomgyu au
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Fanfic Rec
Hey! I wanna rec some fanfics that I've read here! They are of several different fandoms, but I will organize everything, don't worry. All the fics that I will post here arr available on AO3, and all of them are written in English.
Fandoms:
Heroes of Olympus / Percy Jackson;
Harry Potter;
Voltron: Legendary Defender;
Series Unfortunate Events;
Gravity Falls;
Batman;
The Thundermans.
Relationships:
- Heroes of Oympus / Percy Jackson:
Jasico (Nico di Angelo/Jason Grace);
Jercy (Percy Jackson/Jason Grace).
Harry Potter:
Drarry (Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter)
- Voltron: Legendary Defender:
Klance (Keith/Lance).
- Series Unfortunate Events:
Duncan Quagmire/Klaus Baudelaire;
Violet Baudelaire/Quigley Quagmire;
Beatrice Baudelaire/Bertrand Baudelaire/Lemony Snicket.
Gravity Falls:
Dipper Pines & Mabel Pines;
Mabel Pines & Stan Pines;
Dipper Pines & Ford Pines;
Dipper Pines & Ford Pines & Mabel Pines & Stan Pines;
Fiddleford H. McGucket & Dipper Pines & Mabel Pines;
Fiddleford H. McGucket & Ford Pines;
Ford Pines & Stan Pines;
Dipper Pines & Stan Pines;
Ford Pines & Mabel Pines.
Batman:
Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne;
Tim Drake & Damian Wayne;
Tim Drake & Jason Todd;
Jason Todd & Damian Wayne;
Bruce Wayne & Jason Todd;
Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne;
Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne;
Stephanie Brown & Damian Wayne;
Damian Wayne & Bruce Wayne;
Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne.
The Thundermans:
Max Thunderman & Phoebe Thunderman;
Dr. Colosso & Max Thunderman;
Allison/Max Thunderman;
Max Thunderman & Hank Thunderman;
Thunderman Family.
PS:You won't find any Top!Lance or Top!Harry
Heroes of Olympus / Percy Jackson
Jasico:
North:
Nico falls into Tartarus. Jason follows shortly thereafter.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/13019724/chapters/29776236
Countdown:
When Nico di Angelo was ten years old he met Percy Jackson, but his watch didn’t stop. He was vaguely disappointed.
Soulmate timers AU
https://archiveofourown.org/works/1119869/chapters/2256441
Even the Strongest Will Break:
Top!Nico/Bottom!Jason (I put this just to warn those who don't like it, but that is NOT the central theme of the story, it only happens once, in the last or penultimate chapter. The central theme of this story is Jason's traumatic situations.)
It had been happening a lot. Ever since they had gotten back from a recent run in with Deimos, the spirit of fear, dread, and terror. He had messed with Jason’s mind, went deep inside of him and pulled out his inner most fears. He had brought Jason Grace to knees in fear and probably would have broken him, if Annabeth hadn’t slammed an old greek vase down on the spirit’s head. He was grateful for Annabeth, but ever since that incident, there was always this feeling of fear at the back of his neck. And, he wet the bed.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/12131247/chapters/27517335
Communication: Alternative Universe - No Powers
Mute!Jason Grace
Nico works in a coffee shop and Jason is having trouble making himself understood.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/2142762
Let Us Go Then, You and I: (Alternative Universe - College/University)
Jason notices a strange boy in the library.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/1501262/chapters/3171011
To find where I belong:
“It’s Nico,” Thalia said. Jason almost thought he’d heard wrong. Nobody had seen Nico di Angelo since the war ended, and Jason still regretted that he hadn’t been able to stop him from leaving. Nico had told him about his plans to disappear, but Jason hadn't thought he'd really do it. Now he knew better.
“You found him?” Jason breathed.
“It’s a long story,” Thalia said. “But he’s been badly wounded. Think you could come pick him up?”
https://archiveofourown.org/works/1162705
The Emotion and the Response:
After the war ends, Nico disappears, and Jason isn't going to sit idly by while his friend hides away among the dead. He'll get him to come back, even if it means going down into the Underworld and dragging Nico out of there himself.
Part 1 of Not with a bang
https://archiveofourown.org/works/1086949/chapters/2186767
The Motion and the Act:
Nico and Jason finally tell the others about their relationship.
Part 2 of Not with a bang
https://archiveofourown.org/works/1138673
(it was always you):
Both overlooked, both struggling to fit in where they didn't belong, Nico and Jason became fast friends when Jason was sent to Westover Hall to bring Nico and his sister to camp. Jason was Nico's hero, his best friend, everything he wanted to be.
And then Jason disappeared.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/13371255/chapters/30620913
Consort:
Smut, Top!Nico/Bottom!Jason
"You knelt for me earlier, Jason Grace. Am I wrong to think you might do it again?"
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22643527
Exposition:
"He can think of dozens of ways for them to begin, that's all."
Jason, and how Nico could be the one for him.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22964572
Our Dictionary:
epitome,n.
I can’t think of one word that can fully mean what we have. It’s far from perfect, but it’s too good to be imperfect. It’s not always happy, but it’s not always sad either. We are together, but not quite as one. We do have each other, but we’re still separate beings just keeping each other company.
I suppose I have to concede that whatever this is, has to be love. Platonic, romantic, ours. The precious resin seeping through our cracks, holding us together, keeping us bound.
(A non-chronological series of flash fiction.)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22014838/chapters/52535770
First Step After the Fall:
As a general rule, Jason tried not to expect anything from Nico. He didn’t expect Nico to reply to every one of his postcards, or for Nico to want to be his friend. He certainly never expected to arrive at his dorm room late one afternoon after tennis practice to find Nico passed out in his bed.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/21028073
Survivor's Guilt:
Nico has unbearable nightmares. The panic attacks come in waves, his sense on his self slipping like water through fingers. When Chiron insists that the seven of the prophecy live in an apartment complex, Jason insists that Nico live with him, since he's the only one who can see how Nico is ripping apart at his seams. Nico can barely keep the horrors of Tartarus contained, and tells his stories of what happened in Tartarus. Surviving it was hard enough, but reliving it may prove to destroy him once and for all.
Written pre Blood of Olympus.
(This fanfiction is a bit complicated, so I decided to explain:
Jason and Nico are best friends, and they live together in an apartment that is in the same building as the rest of the 7 also live. The beginning of the story is basically Jason helping Nico with nightmares, panic attacks, among other things. But there comes a time when Nico tells Jason what happened in Tartarus, and a horrible creature comes back to haunt them. The thing is, Nico doesn't like Jason romantically, because he still loves Percy, this story revolves around Nico's love for Percy, but it's one-sided, because Percy dates Annabeth, but a creature comes back to attack them discreetly, and mess with it. This story is not really about Jasico, there are only a few things at the end. This story is basically about one-sided love, among other things, especially this creature.)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/1133440/chapters/2290931
Homecoming:
But he did know what his normal dreams felt like, knew his nightmares even better, and knew his flashbacks like the back of his hand.
By 2019, the crew of the Argo II have drifted apart. An earthquake, a message from a god, and Nico di Angelo bring them back together to face the apocalypse one more time.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/20545019/chapters/48767933
Jercy:
Jason Grace Doesn't bottom:
“You think the gods are meddling again?”Percy asked.
“Isn’t that what they do best?”He replied.
(Trust me, this fanfiction is one of the best Jercy I've ever read! It's wonderful! Take a look! It includes, to my great delight, unsafe Jason, and past child abuse in Jason.)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22340215
Wait for Me: Hadestown/Orpheus & Eurydice AU
(This fanfiction takes place in the original Percy Jackson universe, if you are in doubt.)
Percy Jackson might sometimes be impulsive and reckless, but he knew the gods. He had walked among them, had been asked to join them.
So he knew how to get him back.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22884169
Head.Cars.Bending:
Dom!Percy/Sub!Jason
“Percy. Please. I’m driving.”
https://archiveofourown.org/works/16422161
When It Rains, It Pours:
Tempest finally delivered Jason's message for Percy.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/20040409
Stay the night. Please.
Drabble prompt: 'Stay the night. Please.'
https://archiveofourown.org/works/8488180
The Last Summer:
It's been two years since Gaea was defeated, and a new age has arrived for the Greek and Roman worlds.
Jason finally has time to relax. He's spent the better part of those two years building an alliance between the two camp, and now his work is done. He isn't quite sure what's next, but he has plenty of time to worry about it. Summer is here, and what better way to celebrate his efforts than a stay at Camp Half Blood?
Percy is drowning. Unable to see a future for himself in the new age, he returns to Camp Half Blood feeling stuck in the past. Jason catches him at the exact wrong moment, and won't let Percy go without having a talk. What starts out as a simple conversation soon escalates into the friendship that both of them desperately need in this time of uncertainty.
The gods have gone silent, the monsters have disappeared. When a new force reveals itself and threatens the lives of everyone they hold dear, Percy and Jason must find it within themselves to help save the world one last time.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22828987/chapters/54559852
Harry Potter
Drarry:
Facts, Convenience, and Falling in Love: (No smut)
Alpha!Draco Malfoy/Omega!Harry Potter
While most of the wizarding world is under the impression that Harry Potter is an alpha, he knows it's only a matter of time before he gets outed as an omega. As insurance against the backlash he'll no doubt face when his secondary gender is discovered by the general public, Harry ends up attending an event designed to help people find mates. Who he ends up matching with might be a bit of a surprise though.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/23189614
An Unplanned Gift: (No smut)
Mpreg, Top!Draco Malfoy/Bottom!Harry Potter
"We’ve used spells every time, haven’t we? Except… when we were drunk last pub night,” Draco replies, eyes widening. “Oh, Harry, I’m sorry, I know this was all supposed to be in good fun.”
Harry shakes his head. “It’s fine. Er, what do you think?”
https://archiveofourown.org/works/20574134
Good to Me (And I'd Be So Good to You):
Tall Draco Malfoy
Everyone returns to Hogwarts after the war, but nothing is quite the same. Harry's groupies are creepier than ever, Ron and Hermione are snogging all over the place, and the once-proud Draco is shuffling around like a kicked puppy. But that's okay: Harry's got a plan.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/1385362
Such a Softer Sin: Alternative Universe - Soulmates, Alternative Universe - Canon Divergence
Angst with a Happy Ending
After Draco meets Harry Potter, he's left with two tattoos, one on each wrist. One for a soul mate, one for his enemy. He's never known any one else who has the same name on both wrists.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/6058141
Completely Screwed (In the Clean Way): Alternative Universe - Soulmates
On the night of his 17th birthday, Harry Potter receives two names, one on each wrist. One name is his worst enemy's, the other is his soulmate's. The difficult part of this is usually figuring out which is which, but when Harry's names are the same, Harry has no idea what to do. Oh, and there's the whole Voldemort thing.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/9902510
Third Time's The Charm: Alternative Universe - Canon Divergence
Slytherin Harry Potter, Abusive Dursley Family
Dolores Umbridge wasn't the only decision the Ministry made in an attempt to control the narrative after Harry Potter claimed that Voldemort came back from the dead at the end of the school year in 1994. Deciding it was too dangerous to leave Harry in Gryffindor, the House of the Brave, the Ministry decides to pass legislature mandating that students face the Sorting Hat again at the start of their 4th year. Officially, it's under the reasoning that as students grow and develop, they may find themselves better suited to another House and the Ministry is really big on Students Continuing To Develop Healthily And Normally. Unofficially, it's an attempt to remove Harry from any friends who might have believed him about Voldemort. And so, in Harry's 5th year, he's resorted as a Slytherin- the House full of children of Death Eaters just as Wizarding Britain is on the brink of another war.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/21109571/chapters/50230406
Lost:
Abused Harry Potter, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Slytherin AU
Harry Potter was perfect, right? He was the Golden Boy, the boy who lived, the Chosen One, his life had to be perfect. Well, that’s what everyone at Hogwarts thought, anyway.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/20661836/chapters/49067783
Love is Deaf: Post - Canon
Fluff, Deaf Harry Potter
A fic wherein Harry comes back for eighth year deaf. The only people who still talk to him are Hermione and Ron cause everyone else finds it so awkward. Draco watches from afar as Harry writes down all he wants to say, gestures wildly and eventually starts giving up on communicating altogether.
One day as they pass each other in the hallway Draco suddenly grabs Harry’s hand, places something in it and then scurries off. Harry looks down and opens a piece of paper that reads ‘meet me in the kitchens for breakfast tomorrow’. Harry has no idea his world is about to change forever.
So basically one of the many things Draco had to learn as a child was sign language and he decides to do something crazy and teach Harry.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/13243431/chapters/30293283
What if I had?
Hogwarts Eighth Year, Smut Later (But I don`t know if is Bottom! Harry or not)
Draco knew Azkaban was not an option, not for his crimes.
No, Draco knew that when he came out with the dark mark-his choice or not-he knew he had his fate decided.
What happens when Draco gets help from someone unexpected, unexpected and unwanted, but welcome.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/20670938/chapters/49091162
Mood Ring:
Mpreg, Top!Draco Malfoy/Bottom!Harry Potter
“We should probably see a healer.” Draco announced, rubbing Harry’s back. He had been feeling sick the last few weeks. Constant nausea and loss of appetite.
“We don’t need to see a healer.” Harry groaned, “It’s probably a cold or something.”
“Harry. You said it was like you were pregnant again.” Draco argued, “We need to take you to a healer.”
“It’s not possible. You know it’s not possible.” Harry stated stubbornly, “I haven’t been taking any fertility potions or anything. I can’t magically get pregnant without the help of magic.”
https://archiveofourown.org/works/7895914
A Mother's Son:
Smut, Top!Draco Malfoy/Bottom!Harry Potter Rape / Non - Con
All Harry wanted to do was return Draco's wand. Unfortunately no one thought to warn him that he was a Veela, even though everyone knew about Lily.
(The warning of Rape/Non-con is more specifically because it can be dub con, but there is no actual "force")
https://archiveofourown.org/works/1438927
Don't Fight (What You Can't Deny):
Harry's life changes when he comes across a book that no one else can seem to read. Except for Malfoy, of course.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/3603681/chapters/7950867
(Love) Is All You Need:
Draco Malfoy has a chance to start over after being invited back for Eighth year. Althiugh he had doubts of re joining something he helped to destroy, he finds himself wanting to go back.
As much as he doesn't want to be involved in any drama and carry on by himself, it's not something that will go as smoothly.
Especially considering that he is a Veela and his true mate is none other than Harry Potter himself.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22080460/chapters/52695160
Starting Over (Temporary Title):
Past Abuse, Creature fanfic
The war is finally over and things have changed. Or at least, people think things have changed. Harry Potter, however, sees the Wizarding World as the same but with one less murderous wizard to worry about.
During Lucius Malfoy's trial, Harry must make a decision that will change his and the Malfoy's lives. A decision that may lead to uncovered mysteries from Harry's past loved ones.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/7091590/chapters/16117288
At the Crossroads There We’ll Meet:
Time Travel
Potter keeps dying; Draco keeps saving him.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/2039154
Beholden To:
Rape / Non - Con
It's only months after the war and Draco can't handle it any longer. Stupid Potter, and his stupid attitude and his stupid having to die almost killed him. That's what happens when you're a Veela mated to the reckless golden boy.
Just a Matter of Time:
Top!Draco Malfoy/Bottom! Harry Potter
Draco's in a bit of a rut. He's nearing forty, divorced, and he still can't figure out how to make his Time Turner reconstruction work. He's bored, he can admit it, so he's not nearly as concerned as he should be when his pet project malfunctions and sends him twenty years into the past. That is, until he ends up relying on a nineteen-year-old Harry Potter for help and starts developing some very inconvenient—and possibly reciprocated—feelings.
(I have to confess that this is not my favorite Drarry fanifction. It's about time travel, and Draco is forty, and he goes back to the past. Harry is nineteen years old in the past. I don't like older people staying with younger people, even for a short period of time, as it is in this fanifction, so I put it here just in case someone likes it, because the story itself is good, Draco is just too old for Harry.)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/20680190
How to get what you want (even if you don't know what it is):
Smut, Top!Draco Malfoy/Bottom!Harry Potter, Mpreg
"Let me get this clear, shall we? You want me to bugger you in the arse, so you can get pregnant with my superior semen?"
Harry took off his glasses and rubbed his face with both hands. "I knew this was a stupid idea. The most stupid of all stupid ideas."
But Harry wanted a different life, a family, a child, and when his Healer told him it was possible for him to carry a child himself, being a wizard, the thought kind of stuck. Even if he wasn't compleatly truthful about his motives. Not to Malfoy and certainly not to himself.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/19950838/chapters/47241751
Voltron: Legendary Defender
Klance:
Together (That's How We Belong): (No smut)
Alpha!Keith/Omega!Lance
Keith’s abrupt return takes Lance completely by surprise, as do the unanticipated, yet very noticeable changes in the alpha’s appearance. Yet while the omega is secretly overjoyed to finally see the alpha again, when Keith is within his reach, Lance’s nerves get the best of him, and an accidental blunder will forever change the course of their lives.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/17204288
In This Reality:
“You may be a goofy guy from Earth, but if there’s anyone who can support Allura during this it’s you,” Keith finally says softly, turning from the sunset to look at him. It makes Lance’s heart race and he swallows drily, hoping the blush that creeping on his face isn’t visible under Kosmo’s fur. “The annoying, stupid, Earth version of you.”
While Honerva destroys realities, Lance finds himself going back in time to do things differently and is enlisted in helping an unlikely friend save the universe.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/18092651/chapters/42767819
Toward the Future:
Keith wasn’t stupid. He saw the way Lance looked at Allura. With a softness in his eyes, one Keith had only ever seen there once. He saw Allura wish Lance good luck and he saw their twin blushes and maybe Lance had been breaking his heart every few minutes since he came back to the team.
(Rewritten from the S8 with Klance.)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/17072585/chapters/40145954
Fragmented:
In a world of soulmates, Lance drew the short straw. Forever marked inferior to his soulmate, and the people around him, made worse by the first words that pass Keith's lips...
https://archiveofourown.org/works/8153570
Kick in the Teeth:
The time travel one-shot that ended up being more fun than expected.
Roughly: Post-Canon Lance wakes up in the Red Lion just after Naxzela and kicks canon in the teeth about as hard as canon tanked his character development.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/20109358/chapters/47636014
The Wrong Altean:
It is Lance’s birthday and the gang decides to surprise Lance at his farm for a surprise birthday visit, however, when they arrive, they find the place strangely quiet and even more disturbing, there are signs of struggle. A Galra blade has been found inside Lance’s house one that doesn’t belong to Keith. It is up to them to find Lance before their worst fears become reality.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22670497/chapters/54185773
Just A Touch:
Keith isn't prepared to find himself clinging to Lance, his annoying classmate at the Garrison who is also maybe his "soulmate." He isn't prepared to get expelled or to live alone in the desert and search for the source of a mysterious energy. He definitely isn't prepared to fly into space on a whim or to pilot a magical robot lion in a millennia-old war for the entire universe.
But all of that does happen, so now he has to deal with it. Keith has to adjust to life in space, to becoming a soldier, and to building close and trusting relationships with his teammates – including Lance.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/10862013/chapters/24124074
Buried Treasure:
(This fanfiction takes place in the original universe of the series.)
“Last chancey,” the captain sneered down at them. “Wheree be me treasure?” Lance couldn’t answer and Keith’s swears and denial only made pirate grin. “So be it.” And the first shovelful of dirt to bury them alive fell from above.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22361689
Because Love was Your Reality (But it wasn't Mine):
Lance found love in this reality once—he doesn’t think he’ll ever have it again. He swore to love Allura in this universe and the next, and he’s intent on keeping that promise. On the anniversary of her passing, Allura tells him that it’s okay to move on, to find love again and Lance doesn��t believe her—doesn’t want to believe her. How is he supposed to love someone like he loved her?
Altean marks, space phones, and two hearts that were denied their love once, with time telling them to try again.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/16991271/chapters/39941202
Don't Forget Your Vitamins:
Fluff, Smut, Alpha!Keith/Omega!Lance
Lance is an omega. Keith is a beta. This was something Lance had made peace with and determined that there was no way they could ever work. No matter how much he would like it to. Saving the universe and all that didn’t leave a whole lot of time to pursue such a complicated relationship.
However, when Keith finally starts getting the food and nutrition his hybrid body needs he is finally revealed to be an alpha. As he struggles with his new presentation, Lance tries his best to be there for him and support him. But it's difficult when the guy you love is now totally capable of giving you the best sex of your life.
Takes place post-season 3. Keith pilots the black lion and Lance pilots the red lion. Shiro is Shiro not a clone and everything is fine except for the impending war against the Galra.
Part 1 of Don't Forget Your Vitamins
https://archiveofourown.org/works/12245481
I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm:
Fluff, Alpha!Keith/Omega!Lance
Team Voltron and the castle are on an ice cold planet and Lance is suffering. He hates the cold. He was not made for the cold. He's going to freeze to death and no he isn't being too dramatic about it.
Thankfully, his alpha mate is Galra and they come with some useful features for his predicament. Keith is more than happy to help out.
Part 2 of Don't Forget Your Vitamins
https://archiveofourown.org/works/12484528
The Black Paladin:
Black Paladin!Lance
Shiro was gone.
He vanished into thin air after the battle with Zarkon and no one had any idea what to do. The Black Lion was back inside the castle with the shields up so nobody could even get close to her. The Hall of Lions felt cold and empty with the Black Lion just sitting there and looking majestic as ever but now with blackened eyes that might never light up again.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/9727025
Magnetic In Our Purple Season Five:
It wasn’t the first time Lance had called Keith to chat and give updates, and sometimes he was even the one picking up to hear about some especially stupid teammate or a warning that he wouldn’t be able to talk for a while because of a covert mission or something. There shouldn’t be a reason for him to hesitate to call his rival, old team leader, and best friend (longtime crush more like it), but there he was with fingers hovering over the familiar face reluctantly. He didn’t want to sound like he was whining or insulting Shiro, it was just…
OR Lance calls Keith after Shiro’s outburst, resulting in the clone's reveal and changing the entire face of Voltron. Between Keith's struggles with the idea of family, Lance's lingering strife from his time with the clone, and their growing feelings for one another, what seemed set in stone must change. For better or for worse.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/20122084/chapters/47668594
Lance Has the Flu:
Lance has the flu and Keith takes care of him.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/21375325
Diplomacy with Tentacle Aliens:
Rape / Non-Con, Top!Keith/Bottom!Lance
Lance and Keith go to engage in diplomacy with a species who, according to the Blade of Marmora, are feared by even the Galra Empire. However, due to the planet's harsh atmosphere, those who enter the planet never leave, so little is known about the species. The Red and Blue Paladins are going in not knowing what to expect, and they're about to find out first hand what happens when you attempt diplomacy with tentacle aliens.
(Fanfiction unfinished.)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/12191529/chapters/27680001
Lance Has Asthma and Gets a Respiratory Infection:
Fluff, Asthmatic Lance
(This fanfiction takes place in the original universe of the series.)
Lance has asthma and gets a respiratory infection. He wakes up in the middle of the night and needs Keith to help him breathe.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/19894864
Series Unfortunate Events
The Awful Abduction:
Kidnapping, Duncan Quagmire/Klaus Baudelaire, Violet Baudelaire/Quigley Quagmire
When the Baudelaire Orphans find the Quagmires at the bottom of Esmé's elevator shaft, they concoct a plan to rescue them. Klaus insists on staying behind however; something doesn't feel right to him.
Little does he know that this one event won't go well.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/23310241/chapters/55832605
Cracked China AU (Part One):
Graphic Depictions of Violence, Duncan Quagmire/Klaus Baudelaire, Violet Baudelaire/Quigley Baudelaire, Beatride Baudelaire/Bertrand Baudelaire/Lemony Snicket
The Daily Punctilio claims that the Baudelaire family died in the fire that destroyed their home. They've got it all wrong.
Beatrice, Bertrand, Violet, and Sunny Baudelaire were inside the mansion when it burned down, but they escaped through the secret tunnels below. Now faking their deaths and on the run, they meet up with some allies and visit familiar destinations, looking for the one thing that can free them from both sides of V.F.D.
Klaus Baudelaire was sent to Briny Beach alone on the day of the Baudelaire Fire, his sisters suddenly left behind. Strange to think how that cost them their lives. Sent by Mr. Poe to live with a man named Count Olaf, Klaus meets Duncan and Isadora Quagmire, two triplets who everyone seems to think are his siblings. Chased from guardian to guardian by the sinister Count Olaf, Klaus and the Quagmires just want some peace and quiet. Count Olaf, however, has plans for them... and their money.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/21387760/chapters/50949763
Gravity Falls
But We Could Change It:
Time Travel, Dipper Pines & Mabel Pines, Mabel Pines & Stan Pines, Dipper Pines & Ford Pines, Dipper Pines & Ford Pines & Mabel Pines & Stan Pines, Fiddleford H. McGucket & Dipper Pines & Mabel Pines, Fiddleford H. McGucket & Ford Pines, Ford Pines & Stan Pines, Dipper Pines & Stan Pines, Ford Pines & Mabel Pines
Even though everything turned out mostly okay, there was no denying Weirdmeggedon had sucked. So when Mabel found a Time Tape she suggested they go back in time and... rearrange a few things. After all, nothing bad had happened with time traveling before, right? Besides, it wouldn't be that hard to fix the past. They just had to stop Grunkle Ford from finishing the portal and getting sucked into it.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Right?
Yeah, like anything in Gravity Falls was ever simple.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/21701614/chapters/51763012
Batman
Raisin Delight:
Time Travel, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne
A year after Jason Todd dies, Tim Drake and Bruce Wayne take on the case when they notice strange occurrences in Gotham city. This has disastrous consequences, but so do most things that Tim gets caught up in, so what's new, really.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/15644082
Cracked Foundation:
Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Damian Wayne & Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne & Jason Todd
The last thing Damian expected to happen when he ran away from home was to spend a day crammed into a small space with Jason Todd. His father's second son was a black sheep. An outcast. An angry, insanity driven criminal who enjoyed screwing with the batfamily in every way he could. At least, that's what Damian thought. Maybe he was wrong about Todd.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/14234844/chapters/32821734
I am We:
Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Damian Wayne, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Damian Wayne
Damian's hit by a spell that splits him up into four different versions of himself.
Anger, Anxiety, Happiness, and one more that Dick can't quite name.
They're a handful. (He loves them all anyway.)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/21271943/chapters/50647211
Yesterday's Voices:
Bruce Wayne & His Kids
While trying to take down a drug cartel that deals with memory altering drugs, things go awry, and Batman wakes up with no recollection of the last five years. As a result, his family must now race against time to find the antidote, while also having to deal with a Bruce who still thinks Jason is Robin. A Bruce who doesn't recognise most of them. A Bruce far less jaded and cynical than the one they're used to. A Bruce who still cares.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/11035398/chapters/24597084
Secrets:
It was always on the left. He couldn’t help but laugh at the irony. That was the side his skull had been bashed in on. But it never started in his head. It started with tingling in the tips of his fingers and a ringing in his ears that wouldn’t go away. And when the pain inevitably started, just like it always did, he couldn’t help but think that getting his skull bashed in had hurt less.
Ever since he came back to life, Jason has been dealing with chronic migraines.
Part 2 of Chronic
https://archiveofourown.org/works/14770473
Can I Still Be Robin?
“Hi, Mr. Grayson?” Damian groaned and rolled over onto his side and cursed the school policy that parents and guardians had to be contacted in the event of a so-called emergency. It wasn’t even that big of a deal.
“Yes, hi. This is Nurse Amy from Gotham Academy calling about Damian?” The phone call wouldn’t do anything but cause Grayson to panic.
“Yes. We need you to come pick him up. He passed out during lunch."
Part 3 of Chronic
https://archiveofourown.org/works/14831252
Juxtaposition:
Juxtaposition (n) the state of being close together or side by side.
Or the one where Jason reminds Tim that sometimes Damian takes jokes all too seriously.
+ the one where Tim reminds Jason that he has only himself to blame.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/9606995/chapters/21704609
When the Stakes are Higher:
Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne
There's a new serial killer in Gotham, and he's managing to evade even Batman's attempts to catch him. The psychopath's inclinations have Bruce on edge, but Jason's not as worried...until it becomes personal. But when even the world's greatest detective is at a loss, will their efforts be enough to prevent another tragedy in the Wayne family?
https://archiveofourown.org/works/7826554/chapters/17865421
Time-Travel is not for Amateurs:
Tim Drake & Damian Wayne
That one time a Damian from an alternate future decided make things better.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/617874/chapters/1114756
The Thundermans
This is Your Heart (Can You Feel It?):
Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Max Thunderman & Phoebe Thunderman, Max Thunderman & Hank Thunderman, Thunderman Family
"Dad," Max chokes, clawing at the hand around his neck as the grip tightens and his vision starts to blur. "Dad...please."
https://archiveofourown.org/works/17023923/chapters/40024776
He's A Rebel:
Max Thunderman & Phoebe Thunderman, Dr. Colosso & Max Thunderman, Allison/Max Thunderman
An old enemy of Hank gets into the house and renders all the heroes powerless. Max, identifying as a villain, is the only one left standing. The question is, will he finally betray his family for good, or will he fight to protect them?
https://archiveofourown.org/works/21945634/chapters/52375057
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I hope you enjoyed these fanfictions that I chose! I have others, but they are common stories, without romantic relationships. I know that Batman's stories had no romantic relationship, but I don't read stories of Bruce having a relationship, and I don't read incest either. Anyway, these other stories, I can post them later, if you really liked this list!
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