#don't worry anthony is actually in this chapter

[ronandhermy]

Dark AU: After Ascot a stranger from Kate's past arrives and the London Season is never the same.

Also known as the Prince Jai arrives to sweep Kate off her feet AU.

[markantonys]

bridgerton s3 part 2 thoughts! full spoilers for the whole season, and i will also discuss some book spoilers relating to the future siblings - i haven't read the books and never will, but i know the main points of most of the siblings' stories due to Existing Online. haha i also briefly discuss some wheel of time book spoilers because i was reminded of a certain WOT couple at one point in these episodes!

first things first: I AM SO EXCITED THAT WE GOT NOT ONE BUT TWO (2)!!!!!!!!! CANONICALLY QUEER BRIDGERTON SIBLINGS!!!! AND MY TWO FAVORITES, AT THAT!!!! but i will save that for discussion at the end of the post because it is BY FAR my favorite aspect of these episodes.

but even with that aside, i definitely liked this half a lot more than part 1! screentime felt more balanced and it didn't feel like the sideplots were eating up as much time as it did in part 1.

penelope and colin storyline

they were Fine to me in part 1, but their story was more compelling in this half since we moved on from bland run-of-the-mill childhood-friends-to-lovers and into the meaty and much more unique emotional drama of how penelope being lady whistledown affects their relationship. just as i'd hoped for! and i thought the pacing of this was pretty good too because colin found out early enough that he had enough time left in the season to react properly and work through it, rather than it being some 11th-hour reveal that's hastily swept aside to make way for the HEA. it was juuuuust when i was starting to feel that the "colin makes a hater comment about LW in front of penelope, causing her to look ill with anxiety" shtick was getting old that he found out the truth, so, pretty good timing.

colin was more interesting in this half due to wrestling with the whole "penelope is LW" reveal, but overall, in the season as a whole, he was kinda giving us nothing. they really dropped the ball on him because he just never at any point felt like the co-lead character of the season. for daphne & simon and kate & anthony it felt like a pretty balanced exploration of both characters as individuals on top of the romance, but this season it was 100% the penelope show and colin felt basically like a prop. and penelope's a great character and had great stuff this season, so i enjoyed all the time spent on her, but we needed more for colin to go along with it. after 8 episodes, i still don't feel i know much about who he is as a person besides that he's nice and loyal. although on the flipside, i have no problem with male characters whose entire personality is loving their wives haha i love that shit! so a warm welcome for colin into the Wifeguy Club!

speaking of wifeguys, time for my WOT connection, which is that penelope and colin were SO gawene-coded in a couple scenes that it actually killed me! colin's lil arc of feeling kinda jealous of/intimidated by penelope's power as LW at first and most importantly his "what use can i ever be to her when she's so self-sufficient and doesn't need anything from me?" worries, culminating in him realizing "if the only thing i do in my life is love and support such an incredible woman, i'll be completely satisfied" (paraphrasing), i was like, that is soooo TOM gawyn with egwene being amyrlin!!! and when penelope had that line to him about like "i don't need you to take care of me, i never loved you because of what you can do for me, but because you're kind" (paraphrasing) i gasped and clapped my hand to my forehead because it was almost exactly what i had egwene saying to gawyn in my fic chapter that i posted mere days ago!!!!! literally shook to my core haha i was the leo dicaprio pointing at the TV meme x10 in that moment.

eloise and cressida storyline

wonderful to see eloise and penelope's friendship mended! i thought that whole arc was really well done this season, and especially in this half when eloise is dealing with her ex-bff being engaged to her brother who doesn't know she's LW but eloise knows and feels caught in the middle, just lots of messy, complicated emotions in that whole situation and they did a great job with all that.

i really enjoyed cressida in the first half of the season, but in this half it felt like she got a bit too much time. she also kinda reverted back to her mean girl ways (though out of desperation rather than malice), which was less interesting than the different, softer side we saw from her in the first half and made her time in this half feel like more of a drag. but overall, she's a very layered character and the actress did a fantastic job with her, and in this half of the season i always understood why she was doing what she was doing and sympathized with her. it can't be said that she didn't fuck around and find out, but i still felt bad for her in the end! i really liked the moment when colin with his rose-tinted glasses was like "but your family will forgive you and all will be well!" because that's what family has always been like to him, and cressida was like "ummm no, some of us have shitty families and you bridgertons are too naive to realize that", it was a very good moment.

(i will also say, i know this is a highly unpopular opinion for a queer bridgerton fan to have, but i was never on the eloise/cressida train haha i can 100% see the vibes that others picked up on, but they just never did anything for me for whatever reason! i know eloise was the "obvious" choice for a wlw bridgerton but i personally am so SO thrilled that they went for francesca instead, i guess just because i connect so deeply with her character in a way i never have with eloise. also, now that i'm thinking about it, i think eloise vibes the most like aroace to me, i struggle to picture her having a relationship with *anyone* of any gender.)

other storylines

i'm so happy for violet and marcus!! crossing my fingers that we'll see more of them in s4 since their romance is only just budding; it would be so interesting to see him interacting with her kids and getting integrated into the family dynamic (and for us to meet his kids too! though i acknowledge we don't need MORE side characters haha). and i loved the danbury siblings scenes and them getting to the root of their childhood issues and working them out. and of course, violet and lady danbury continue to be THE best duo of all time <33 i adore their friendship so so much, i can't even describe how much!

we got more time with kate and anthony in this half, and all of it was perfect. they're gonna be parents!!!! though alas, it seems like they've made their final exit from the show with them going off to live in india for a while. sad to see them go, but not surprised at all. i see lots of book fans whining about the prior leads leaving and how it's weird for daphne to not be at her own brother's wedding etc, and i do agree that the show/family is gonna start feeling kinda empty as the older siblings & spouses exit, but that's just a necessity of this medium. you can't have main cast be contracted for 6 more seasons just to show up for 2 lines of dialogue per season and hang out in the background of wedding scenes. you can do that in a book, but you can't do it in a tv show. just something we have to live with! and a lot of the complaints take such a "how DARE these actors want to move on with their lives and do other projects instead of dropping everything to prioritize having a minor role on bridgerton for the rest of this decade" tone, which stinks of Fan Entitlement.

i am curious about what might become of penelope, because it sounds like she's kinda continuing whistledown but just as herself and in a more responsible manner that won't hurt people (tho idk how a gossip column can possibly NOT hurt anyone haha the whole "penelope shouldn't give up LW because it's Feminist and Empowering and Gives A Voice To The Voiceless" narrative kinda had me going X Doubt). update: i just saw an interview with the showrunner where she confirmed that penelope will be in s4 and have a storyline. nice!

the featheringtons had much less in this half which i was glad about and they were taken more seriously and not just treated as comic relief, and portia had some really good scenes with penelope.

there was also much less of the mondriches, which i was fine with; i'm very fond of them and enjoyed their stuff this season, but it felt appropriate that they took more of a backseat in this half. i was sad will had to give up the club though! it felt like he had to fully capitulate to the ton and give up his own work that he's passionate about in order to win the esteem of snobby aristocrats, which was a bummer. the showrunner interview mentioned we'll be seeing them again in s4 and will be seeing some more of will's friendship with benedict, so i'm happy about that!

NOW ONTO THE GAYS!!!!

we've all been yearning for bi benedict ever since s1, and i can't BELIEVE it actually happened!!!! i'm over the moon!!!! and i'm so glad i watched the episodes straightaway without having seen any spoilers first so i got to experience the "holy shit, are they............are they going where i think they're going????" adrenaline rush completely pure and unknowing. it was the absolute most wonderful surprise!!! i'll give a lil summary here for those who are curious about how much queer content there actually is.

so, in episode 7 (or maybe it was the end of 6?) benedict gets invited to dinner with his female FWB and her male friend, who turns out to be her other FWB. AS SOON AS this invitation was extended i was like "oho, is benedict going to be needing 3 tickets to challengers?" so imagine my delight when it turned out that indeed, the 2 FWBs invited him in hopes of a threesome! benedict has a very brief moment of connection with/attraction to the man, and then he gets propositioned, but he's flustered and leaves. he returns to talk to his own FWB the next day and she explains to him about bisexuality and he's like icarly interesting.jpg and says that he's met men who like other men in the past but that he himself has never felt attracted to a man "before" (implying that last night, he did, for the first time). he does some soul-searching and then leaves his own brother's wedding reception to go have a threesome, which is extremely biconic of him. (at the wedding he also gives eloise a nice speech about how love is infinite, in the context of her worrying that colin and penelope marrying each other means they'll have less time for her, but it vibed to me like benedict is poly as well as bi, but who knows if that will go any further than this FWB threesome situation; i'd imagine his endgame will still be a monogamous relationship, but you never know!)

this storyline concludes with the female FWB admitting that she's caught feelings for benedict and wants to become serious (and monogamous) with him, but he politely turns her down because he feels "free" for the first time and wants to keep exploring life and isn't interested in a serious relationship right now, and might not ever be. my only gripe with the storyline is that i wish the male FWB had been introduced an episode or two earlier so we could watch benedict building a connection with him and feeling a budding attraction for an episode or two before the initial threesome proposition occurs to trigger him to actually acknowledge that attraction; as it is, it all happens kind of abruptly and our boy speedruns his entire bi awakening in the span of a single episode, bless him lmao but i'm assuming neither FWB will appear in s4 (they felt like one-season characters to me), so if so, it's fine to not spend too much time developing those specific relationships. the Point of the storyline was for benedict to realize he likes men too and likes non-conventional relationships, and that was accomplished with flying colors!

later on there's reference to "next year's masquerade ball" and i know a masquerade ball is where benedict first meets his endgame love interest in the books, so it seems just about guaranteed that s4 will be about benedict's book. i'm super curious about what direction it will go in! in the book, it sounds like their trope is Forbidden Romance, with the forbidden aspect being class difference (he's an aristocrat and she's a servant), so adding some kind of queer element as an additional reason for why it's Forbidden feels like a viable option, especially after s3 took pains to establish that benedict is interested in queer/non-traditional relationships.

but what form might that hypothetical queer element take? a monogamous m/m romance with genderbent sophie? or could we see trans or genderqueer sophie, in line with the cinderella metaphors about masquerade and disguise and identity and presenting differently in different environments? or might they go for some kind of poly or open relationship endgame for benedict? i don't know! there's so many options! it's also entirely possible that sophie will remain a cis woman and benedict will have a monogamous endgame with her, which i would also welcome because it is actually VERY rare to see rep of bi people ending up very happy in monogamous different-gender relationships, while still remaining firmly bi (most of the time bi characters end up in same-gender relationships, or end up in different-gender ones while dismissing their prior same-gender attractions as just a phase, or are chaotic sluts who cheat because they aren't content with only being with one person).

now on to francesca. we know for 100% fact that her love interest has been genderbent into a woman, because she was introduced at the end of the final episode! so francesca's endgame love story is guaranteed to be wlw, which is so exciting! (for context, her book endgame love interest is john's cousin michael stirling, and in the show she met john's cousin michaela stirling, so that's how we know with 100% certainty.)

taking it back a bit to the rest of her story this season, we see her and john courting, then getting engaged and married in a small wedding at bridgerton house with just the family, because they both hate being the center of attention. it was all incredibly wholesome introvert4introvert content and i adored it!!!! kept going "this is literally my ideal marriage" during so many of their scenes haha

but there is somewhat of a question of, is francesca actually attracted to john/men in general? throughout the season and even after the introduction of michaela stirling, i assumed yes; francesca clearly adores john and states that she loves him, and her body language around him seemed to me to show attraction. but after finishing the season and reading discussion online, i saw people saying that francesca seemed disappointed with kissing john at their wedding (which i'd interpreted as her just feeling shy about kissing him in front of people) and that it was a marked contrast to how flustered and interested she is when she meets michaela. so for me, the jury's out on whether she's more bi-leaning or lesbian-leaning; now that i know canon wlw francesca is a thing, i'd need to rewatch the season again to analyze her behavior with john more closely to decide what vibe i'm getting there! because on first watch it wasn't even on my radar to consider that maybe she's not actually attracted to men.

i will admit, i would be kinda disappointed if she *isn't* truly in love with john, just for the fact that i found it so delightful and refreshing to see a quiet romance that's so different from the loud melodramatic ones, as is discussed many many times during francesca's storyline this season. and i did notice that francesca tripping over her words upon meeting michaela is exactly what violet had said she did when she first met her late husband, and violet was bringing this up to say "but your way of loving john is different from that and that's valid". so i definitely CAN imagine that maybe they're making a deliberate point here that, actually, the reason why francesca's love for john looks so different from other characters' for their spouses is because she does NOT in fact have spousal love for him, but rather platonic love that she's misinterpreted as romantic. but i would just be mildly annoyed if The Point turned out to be "actually, violet is right and True Romantic Love must always be flustering and tongue-tying and dramatic" lmao but that's a personal gripe for me as a very quiet person who loved seeing the type of romantic relationship i would prefer depicted with francesca and john; i can also see the counterargument that a storyline of a repressed lesbian trying to untangle her actual feelings from comphet and societal expectations would be very powerful and important! and particularly interesting to explore in this regency context.

now on to some bigger book spoilers. so from what i understand, in the books, john dies, leaving francesca as a widow, and her love story with michael is about dealing with grief and learning to open herself up to love again after loss. i've seen the argument that francesca actually being a lesbian who wasn't genuinely in love with john would cheapen this storyline, and i can see that point for sure, but otoh it's abundantly clear that she does have a very deep care and love for him regardless of whether or not it's romantic/sexual, so i think no matter what, we will still see her being very affected and pained by his death and struggling with guilt about falling for someone else (his cousin! a woman!) etc.

what i'm most curious about here is the timing! there was some leak that michaela's actress is allegedly booked as a small part in s3 and a main role in s4. i'd been wondering if maybe they would start combining books, but in the interview i read, the showrunner confirmed that the plan is still to do only one book/sibling per season, so it seems that s4 will only be benedict's book. which makes sense, because i believe in the books francesca is married to john for 2 years before he dies and then it's another few years before she starts romancing michael, so i'd guess s4 will just see francesca develop a friendship with michaela and then maybe john dies towards the end of the season, then we do a timeskip between seasons and s5 is about francesca and michaela. but then there's still eloise to contend with, maybe she would be s5 and francesca not until 6.

i really really hope we'll get some francesca-benedict bonding next season (or s5/6 depending on the timing of francesca having her gay realization; it seems still subconscious for her as of now) since they are officially The Queer Siblings!!! i need to see them find this out about each other and talk about it together and be confidants for each other. it will also be so fascinating to see violet & the other siblings react to a queer bridgerton endgame romance. violet wants her kids to be happy, but she sometimes struggles with realizing that what happiness looks like to them may not align exactly with what happiness looks like to her, so i could definitely see her needing to take a moment to readjust her perspective and realize that francesca not being able to legally marry michaela in a public manner known to all of the ton and have biological kids with her doesn't mean they can't be just as happy as her straight kids and their partners. (on that note, i remember that in the past people have suggested francesca could be a great candidate for a wlw bridgerton because her status as a widow allows her a lot more societal freedom than a never-married woman, so i love that the show went with her! i can totally see her endgame being that of a respectable widow living peacefully in the countryside with her Dear Friend.)

i remember straightaway francesca set off my gaydar in 3x01 when she was reluctant about entering the marriage mart and dismissive at the idea of finding True Love and going ??? when people asked what qualities she wanted in a husband, and there was a scene of her talking with other debutante girls and i went "man i would love it if she got a girlfriend" but never in a million years did i actually think that was a real possibility! so i'm SO thrilled that they're going there, and like i mentioned before i quite like that they went with the polite introvert sister instead of the outspoken rebel sister to be the gay one because it just feels like a subversion of expectations and stereotypes for me, and because all season i'd been seeing so much of myself in francesca and then, finding out she's gay like me!!!! cherry on top!! and then for michaela, in the books i believe michael is yet another rake, which the show sets up for michaela too with her joking about being even more scandalous than john's stories might make her out to be - the rake is the backbone of the regency romance genre, so getting to see a wlw version of the trope with a female rake is going to be SO much fun!! esp with the setup that francesca is fairly society-conforming as of now; michaela broadening her horizons could be something interesting to explore.

wow this post got super long lmao i'm just so excited! canon queer bridgerton siblings singlehandedly turned this show from "i casually enjoy it as a few hours of fun which i forget about soon after it's over" to "i'm literally frothing at the mouth i need the next season NOW" and That is the power of representation, baby!

[thekatebridgerton]

I know the scene won't make it to the final draft of the second to last chapter of gaslight gatekeep girlboss without a lot of editing but here's a snipet of the rough draft of the dialogue of Kate getting in Colin's face about his feelings for Penelope.

(Aka how I think RMB would have gone if Colin had looked to Kate for love advice instead of Daphne)

Kate: After all this, you still keep saying that she's just a friend?

Colin: yes she is my friend, the best of friends I want her to be happy

Kate: my brother in the force! to use the words of Sophie's favorite poet lady Camilla Cabello You say you're just friends, But friends don't know the way you taste!

Colin: how exactly did you... actually no I really don't want to know

Kate: look little globetrotting man child I am getting sick of your crap! I've got worse problems to worry about than your inability to commit, so you say you're just friends with Penelope fine, I'll find her a husband within the week! Don't think I won't

Colin *gasps in manchild*: you wouldn't

Kate: Try me !

Colin: Penelope doesn't want to get married

Kate: of course she does furthermore it's going to be way easier than getting Edwina a husband. Edy wants a marriage of love, but Penelope, she just wants to get it over with and marry any friendly gentleman who she wouldn't mind having babies with .... And that's like half the men I know

Colin: now I understand why Anthony wants to kill you half the time, you're evil incarnate. I demand you stop matchmaking my wi... friend

Kate: all I'm saying is that I've got options for Penelope if you continue to be an idiot, you know the Earl of Essex is 50 but he's not that old looking for her, she could have a baby or two and be a happy widow in 10 years

Colin: Kate stop talking, this is ridiculous, I'm going to call Anthony

Kate *ignoring him*: Then there's the Count of Savoy, his estate is a little far from England but he'd treat Penelope with respect and if she's lucky she'd only have to sleep with him 3 times a year.

Colin *visibly more enraged* : you are NOT introducing Penelope to a French rake, especially one known for having 5 Mistresses

Kate: hey don't badmouth Francois, His ex wife ran off with a Russian pirate, I think he would be happy to have a nice wife like Penelope after what Madeleine put him trough

Colin *seriously losing it* : ANTHONY BRIDGERTON COME GET YOUR WIFE BEFORE I MURDER HER

Kate: ....

Kate: .......

Kate : such an infant

[whiskeythefishski]

hi i am very curious about everyone’s roommate situations in ur college au and honestly just any other cool n random bits of info you have bc im so excited for it lol

i actually finally watched Nerdy Prudes Must Die(its been in my ‘watch later’ playlist on youtube) because of this au!! im personally craving more spommy content in general but im also a sucker for like college/highschool aus bc im currently that age and ig its something i can actually imagine/understand 😁😁

Omg hello! I'm so, SO glad to hear that you're enjoying this story so much! It's easily the most self indulgent thing I've ever written, so the fact that other people are resonating with it means a lot! Also - congrats on finishing NPMD! I loved it so much (if you couldn't tell, haha), I hope you did too! And don't worry - this AU has plenty of Spommy moments coming up! :D

Roommate situations:

Trevor has a roommate, but they aren't a character in the story so I haven't thought about who they are too much. They share a traditional college double. Trevor has the top bunk. He just transferred in for the spring semester, so he hasn't made many friends yet.

Arasha, Angela, and Chanse have a little college apartment with a common room and a shared bathroom. Arasha and Angela share a room and Chanse has his own.

Erin and Heidi share a double.

Spencer and Alex Tran share a double. Tommy and Kiana both have singles in the same hallway/floor as Spencer and Alex.

Kimmy and Jackie live together off-campus. They rent a small 2-bedroom house cheaply from Kimmy's aunt.

All of the seniors in the story - Shayne, Courtney, Damien, Olivia, and Keith - share a college apartment with a common room and a full kitchen. Shayne and Damien share a room, Court and Olivia share a room, and Keith has his own room.

Amanda and Sarah weren't roommates when they were in school, but they were friends and probably had a lot of sleepovers.

And finally, when Ian and Anthony were in school, they were roommates all four years! (oh my god, they were roommates)

Other tidbits:

Before he transferred, Trev did a year at a culinary school. He also went to a high school that offered a culinary program.

Trevor is shown on his phone a lot in this AU because he's texting his friends from his old school. One of them is Josh (as in Mythical Chef Josh), who was childhood friends with Shayne. Josh asked Shayne to look out for Trevor, and Shayne is happy to do so!

Arasha skipped a grade in elementary school, so even though she's a sophomore, she's about Trevor's age.

On the other hand, Spencer and Damien both took a gap year, so they're a little older than their counterparts in the same year.

Chanse, Angela, and Arasha have weekly wine and movie nights, where each of them brings a bottle of wine to try and they pick a show or movie to watch in their PJs.

Kimmy and Jackie have parties fairly frequently, probably about once a month. I think nearly everyone in the cast has probably spent the night there at least once.

Spencer is one of the only ones with a car on campus, so he often finds himself carting his friends to the grocery store, pharmacy, etc. Sometimes he and Tommy go on late night drives when Tommy's feeling overwhelmed.

That's all I've got for now! In the next few chapters there will be POVs from more cast members, so we'll get to see into their heads a little more :) I hope you enjoy! And thank you so much for the ask! :D

[whumping-valentine]

🦌 Fawn and Hunter - Part 12 🦌

"Anaira and Ethel"

Content: Vampire whumpee, werewolf whumper, kidnapping, restraints, threats, supernatural shit, lady whump (even though I actually hate that term but whatever. Why are women a separate category??? Fuck you)

2400 words

Hey hey, sorry about that cliffhanger last chapter, but cliffhangers and plot twists are my specialty! It's simply not my writing without long, wordy dramatics and throwing you for a loop. Also, apologies for taking so long. I think I'm overcoming my writer's block now so hopefully it won't happen again.

This is a direct continuation of the last part, so if you need to look back and read the ending it's here!

Hope you enjoy! 🐺🦇

     Anaira didn't respond to her, simply squeezing her eyes shut as she tensed. Shit.

     “What do you think you’re doing here, huh? Feelin’ suicidal, are you?” Ethel said, nudging for an answer.

      “I’ll have you know I was trying to leave. You're the one making trouble where there's no need.” Anaira turned to her; Ethel's face was covered with her skull mask as always. She realized she was no longer wearing her own.

      “Mmhm. And what were you doing here in the first place if not causing trouble?” Ethel folded her arms, “Any other fang-toothed, sunburnt heathens out where they shouldn’t be?”

      “How am I supposed to know?”

     “They're your colony. Sounds like bad leadership to me. I know where every member of my pack is at all times.”

     “That sounds like a real cult to me. I’m trying to protect my own. You just want control.”

     “Trying to talk back to me on my own grounds, are you? Sorry, but that’s not gonna fly.” She yelled out, “Anthony! Agnes! Over here, NOW!”

     Anaira took off immediately without a second thought, leaving Fawn and Hunter behind. Ethel ran after her, while Fawn and Hunter were roughly tackled to the ground.

     “Ow, fuck!” Fawn exclaimed as they were jumped. One of them— impossible to tell who— sat on top of them. Their knees jabbed into their sides, and fingers tore into their shoulders as they were held down. “What the fuck!”

     “Sorry.” A feminine voice said, “Leader’s orders.” She looked to the other, “Ant, get the gun off them.”

     “Can’t you see I’m struggling here?!” He said, Hunter effectively fighting back against him, trying to push him off.

     “Anthony, it’s a human.”

     “A strong human! You got the weak one!”

     “Hey!” Fawn exclaimed at the insult, while Hunter chuckled. They managed to kick Anthony off of them, but before they could run, Agnes pounced them down face first into the snow, and quickly tossed their gun out of their reach. Before Hunter could even process what was happening, she slipped a pair of handcuffs around their wrists behind their back.

     Fawn tried to make a run for it, but Anthony pushed them down again. His hands firmly held down their upper back before he grabbed their wrists and wrangled them to their feet. Agnes was standing with her foot on Hunter’s back, holding a second pair of handcuffs waiting to be put on Fawn.

     Fawn struggled while Anthony held their wrists tightly behind their back, walking them over to Agnes, “H-hey! Look, we’ve- we seem to have been caught up in some wrong stuff here, we’re innocent and- we don't want any trouble! I’M innocent, actually! Take them, and not me! I didn't do anything! I swear!”

     The two ignored them, Agnes taking them off of Anthony as she cuffed them, “Oh, come on, please, I don’t wanna be double kidnapped, this isn’t fair! This is— mmhph!” They mumbled as cloth was shoved into their mouth, followed by duct tape, then a bag over their head. The same was done to Hunter, and the two were walked off to God knows where.

     Their captors' hands held tightly onto their upper arms, painfully digging their fingers into them, forcing them forward. It was hard for either of them to feel worried when the only thing they could think about were the sore pains. Their arms felt like they were actively in the process of bruising. Like their muscles were being ripped into.

     It wasn't too long before they felt themselves enter a building, the snow turning to concrete while their surroundings warmed. When they heard the doors shut behind them the harsh howling winds were replaced with pure silence. Their footsteps echoed off the seemingly large walls as they were led down a set of stairs. A metal door could be heard opening before both of them were shoved inside. The metal doors closed and the pair could be heard walking away, their footsteps fading back up the stairs until it was silent.

     Fawn struggled up onto their knees and vigorously shook their head until the bag flew off. They threw their head back to push their glasses back on their face and looked around. Hunter was sitting, and clearly angry by the situation (yeah who’s fault is that?).

     Fawn carefully stood to their feet and walked over to them, turning around to grab the bag off their head. They then walked in front of them and made a grabbing motion with their hands. Hunter leaned into them and Fawn pulled the tape from their mouth. They then walked behind them, got on the ground, and put their mouth to their hands, and Hunter did the same to them. They both spit the cloth out of their mouths and took a moment to collect themselves, sitting in silence.

     “Great going, Hunter.” Fawn said bitterly, “You just HAD to go looking for trouble, didn’t you?”

     “How the fuck was I supposed to know they were supernatural?!” 

     “Supernatural or not, you still went looking for a fucking cult. Honestly, I’m fucking embarrassed that out of everyone who could’ve kidnapped me, it was you. What the hell does that say about me? You’re fucking stupid!”

     “No, you see, my mistake was not killing you on the spot.”

     “Oh really? That was your mistake?”

     “Yeah, it was.”

     “Well MY mistake was apparently thinking going for a walk was a good idea! God, I just wanted to take a fucking nature walk! That’s all I wanted! God DAMNIT!”

     “Yeah, maybe don’t wander off the trail.”

     Fawn glared at them, “I will fucking strangle you!”

     “Good luck with that.”

     “I should’ve let you stay gagged. I didn’t have to help you, you know?”

     “Yeah and I didn’t have to help you, either.” Hunter said, “Yet we both still did.”

------

     Anaira was running as fast as her legs could carry her, fueled on pure adrenaline. She knew Ethel was faster and stronger than her. This was a hopeless chase. Though still, she persisted. If she could catch up with her colony back on the other side of the forest, they could all gang up on her. She just had to last a little while longer.

     She cursed herself in her head while she ran. It was such a risky thing to go out into Ethel’s part of the woods, and she knew that, of course she did. It just wasn’t fair what they took from them. It was originally theirs, but Ethel didn’t want them to have it. The blood rivers that ran through it were too good for them. Anaira’s colony was just so thirsty, so she risked it all. She would do anything for them. It’s not like any of them asked for this life…

     So then why was she leading danger to them?

     Anaira slowed to a jog, then a walk, then she stood, and collapsed to her knees in the snow. She hung her head low and closed her eyes.

     “Oh, so first you run away like a coward, and then you just give up?” Ethel said, “You’re such a pathetic fucking creature. Get up.” Anaira obeyed and stood to her feet.

     Ethel smirked under her mask, “Oh, what a day this is! This feels good. That’s right, get over here, you leech.” She grabbed the defeated vampire by her shoulders and roughly dragged her back to base.

     When they entered inside the building, all the other identically dressed pack members looked at Anaira, and whispers filled the quiet air. Some confused, others nervous, most excited. Anaira kept her head down in shame, while Ethel walked with hers held high in pride.

     She was led down a set of stairs into Ethel's quarters, where she was thrown onto a chair and tightly tied. Neither said a single word until Ethel tied the last knot and stepped back behind her.

     She chuckled darkly, “ So, Anaira. How's it feel?” She taunted, “To finally be caught? Oh, I always wondered how long it would take you to finally give up!” She put her hands on her shoulders, “I'm so glad today was that day.”

     Anaira took a breath and sighed to calm herself. She tried to shrug her off her shoulders, but Ethel just dug her fingers into them.

     “How do you think your colony is going to survive the apocalypse without you?”

     “There is no apocalypse.” She mumbled.

     “Do you think all of this end-of-the-word talk is nonsense?” Ethel said, “For once the conspiracy idiots are actually right. The gods are upset and it's time everyone pay.”

     “Can’t imagine why they'd be upset when some of us are raging beasts.”

     “Oh, so the bloodsucker is the one trying to take the moral high ground? If one of us is an unholy spawn against the gods, it's going to be the one who should be dead.” Ethel let go of her shoulders and walked in front of her, “We're obviously more connected to the gods than you are if we can feel it coming.”

     “I think you're crazy is what I think. There are no gods.”

    “And you wonder why they're upset.” Ethel stood with her hands folded behind her back, “How do you think it’s going to look when your colony finds out I captured their leader? Not good, is it?”

     “You don’t scare me. You think you scare me?”

     “I’m not trying to scare you. I asked you a question about your colony, I didn’t ask if you were scared.” her voice was calm and methodical, “You bats like to claim we’re nothing more than raging beasts. Which one of us seems to have better control of our emotions right now?” While her face wasn’t visible, a smirk could be heard in her tone.

     “I’d like to see you be all calm and collected if I were the one to capture and tie you up.”

     “Mm. I’m certain I would be.” She walked over to Anaira, bending over with her hands on her knees to get on her level, like she was speaking to a child, “Darling, have you forgotten all those times you’ve called me a beast?...” She lifted a hand and grabbed her chin, “Anaira, I would eat you alive during a full moon. And, if I recall correctly…” She whispered, “The next one’s tonight…”

     Bloody tears welled in Anaira’s eyes, her breathing accelerating.

     Ethel moved her gloved hand from her chin to her throat, “Or rather I should say…” She slowly squeezed, “Within the next hour…”

     “E-Ethel-” She choked. In a few quick seconds, Ethel removed her hand, pulled off her glove, and slapped her across the face. The impact echoed in the space, and left an immediate bright red mark. The impact was so harsh it disoriented her, making her dizzy.

     Red tears leaked down her cheeks as she squeezed her eyes shut, “What... what are you gonna do with me? K-kill me?” She forced herself to look at the masked woman, her unreadable features terrifying. 

     “I should.” Ethel responded. “I will. But for now, I’d like to keep you. Who knows if we'll need an offering or sacrifice during the apocalypse? You and your little friends will serve good bait if needed.”

     Anaira’s eyes widened, “You- you got Rudy?”

     “If you’re referring to one of those humans you so nobley left behind, then yes. What a good person you are, to take off without a second thought.”

     Anaira dropped her head in shame. Ethel scoffed a chuckle, “How pitiful.” She said quietly, and slowly left the room. When Anaira heard the door click shut she broke down into tears. She cried until she had nothing left in her.

     All alone in the cold, deafening silence, only hearing he own thoughts bouncing around her head. The chill ran to the bone. Her breath fogged like smoke in the air, and she shivered. Shivered from the cold, from fear, from the anger she had towards both Ethel and herself. Maybe the colony was better off without her.

     When Ethel finally returned hours later, she nearly knocked the door off of its hinges. She fell on her hands and knees and let out a crazed, wild laugh, and she said with a growl, “Guess who's turning! Oh, yes, you've never seen me turned before, have you? Oh, we're all turning tonight.” She crawled over to her, a strain in her voice, "How much damage do you think I can do with claws?"

     Anaira watched with wide eyes as Ethel started to transform right in front of her. She was growing wilder than an animal, the sounds purely unnatural. Her whole body grew, stretching out her clothes as her limbs distorted and grew fur. Her sharp claws scratched into the concrete.

     Anaira had to get out of here, and there was only one way that would be possible. Her powers were unlocked now that it was night. Though she was so low on strength… but she could do it. She could.

     She closed her eyes and focused her breath. It took so much concentration and power. She felt her weak heart beat with whatever little blood it pumped. Before Ethel could attack, she was engulfed in black smoke, turning into a bat, out of her bonds. She flapped her wings as hard as she could and flew her way through the halls while Ethel growled.

     She flew up the stairwell, and out an open window. Ethel completely knocked down the door as she ran after her on all fours. Anaira flew through the trees, disoriented from the dark, and the wind, and her low magic. She felt herself grow dizzy, and before she knew it, she briefly blacked out.

     Her frail wings gave out on her as she lost consciousness. When she came back to she was falling from the sky, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it. She collided in the snow, breaking her fall. She heard the crunch of snow and growling approach her.

     Ethel picked her up by the wings, pinching them together with her claws. She growled a laugh and held her up in front of her face, her mask perfectly fitting her muzzle. Her voice was almost an echo, an unnatural tone.

    “Oh, Anaira… when will you learn you can’t run from me?”

Hell yeah back into the whumpy shit (just with different characters lol)

I really love vampire werewolf rivalries (and rivalries in general) so this shit is so fun for me. Also I can feel my alien phase returning which is good because, uh, aliens next part? 👀

(Also whumpy-wyrms you are the reason I felt motivated to buckle down and finish this so thank you 👍)

Taglist: @parasitebunny @whumpy-wyrms @fruitypinapple00 @otterfrost

Lmk in the comments if you want added or removed !

Thanks for reading !! 💕🦌

[drowninginredink]

WIP List

I always like it when people talk about their WIPs. I live for that. So it's my turn. But I am a one-shot writer at heart with way, way too many ideas, so here is a list of everything I'm toying with. For the record, some of these don't even have a single word written yet, and none are that far along, so don't get your hopes up too high.

Smosh One-Shots

"Feelings are so fragile" — Platonic Shaymien thing where I project really hard onto Damien. (Yes it's for the aro collection)

"Most euphoric I've ever been" — A spetney fic based the fact that yes, they're technically a m/f couple... But like, no. Put them together, you've got nonbinary lesbian vibes. Sorry Spencer, you're getting your gender transed because there's no way you and Courtney are straight.

"But what's a home?" — A Damian QPR fic. Damien/Ian is already such an interesting rarepair and then you make it a QPR and it's like... They end up living together just temporarily because Damien's housing falls through and turns out they both really miss when they used to be living with their best friends and look I know everyone likes romance but do you know how good QPR fics can be? I love the idea of them as a QPR so much?

A thing for @aro-soulmates-fest about Anthony getting all his tattoos to hide the fact that he doesn't have a soulmate one.

A murderverse one shot about Arasha because God I fucking love gang AU!Arasha

A vampire!Spencer fic where Shayne plays the role of Johnathan Harker

"And I lie like the right thing to do" — me taking @generaltrashshecox 's whole "Anthony sleeping with Damien to cope with unrequited feelings for Ian thing that I love so much and just doing my own version of it where I lean into the angst so hard. With permission from bun, don't worry

A (platonic) nintendogs fic where I decide to do a little bit of own voices stuff on the fact that The Chosen is suuuuuuuuper schizo-coded

I bought a new ray and it's time to use it. Let's make Ian aplatonic this time.

"Then it's done." Killing off Spencer. Very one-sided Spommy.

A lil smut based on Anthony asking Tommy to choke him.

Hey @generaltrashshecox infected me again and now aro4aro Antmien needs to exist

This post into a real fic

Smosh not a one shot but also kind of a one shot?

14. "Once in twenty lifetimes" — A no smosh AU that's going to go through all the different ways Ian and Anthony could have ended, choose-your-own-adventure style. And as the title suggests, only one of them is the reunion. Most are things falling apart. And also to fit the title, it's going to be in twenty chapters (although that does not mean 20 endings. I don't hate myself.). So it's multichapter, but also it'll all be posted at once so it'll basically be a one-shot. It's going to end up as kind of an epic and God I hope it turns out as good as it is in my head. Inspiration for the good endings is "Cardigan" by Taylor Swift, and for the bad endings and a lot along the way is "San Cristobal" by Mal Blum.

15. Partners (in crime) — my Changela QPR fic that was supposed to be a one-shot right up until I wrote the thing, and actually wrote a chapter one. Not sure how long that's going to be, but I like it so far.

Smosh Multichapter

(The fact that my very one-shot oriented self has multiple of these is such a problem)

16. "Puppy Love" — I don't need to say anything about this. There are already 5 chapters on AO3. Either it's extremely your shit or you're wondering what the hell I'm doing and why I'm writing this extremely specific concept. If you're wondering why I still haven't posted chapter 6, it's because that has sex in it and I fucking hate writing sex scenes so I'm procrastinating really hard.

17. "I'll use you as a warning sign" (aka the evil fic, so named because chu-tea thinks I'm evil for coming up with the plot) — yeah so what I planned for PL was just a straightforward kind of fluffy ianthony piece. And then a certain friend of mine (*cough* chu *cough*) accidentally inspired me to think of a different ending that is such hardcore angst and hurt that I absolutely needed to make it happen and have been obsessed. It's interesting when you've already made the bad decision to start a long project and then oops, now you just really want the next 6 chapters to be done already so you can write the alternate ending. This one will *really* not be everyone's shit because I will rip your heart out in 6 different ways. But God I'm obsessed. Anyway, if you want details... I'll just say "major character death" and leave it at that. Oh and rarepair.

18. "I've come back changed and I can feel it in my bones" — an AU where "what if Anthony left because he got psychosis." Basically very hardcore projection on my part. This is on the back burner for a while because obviously when I have projects that aren't going to be emotionally gutting to write, I'd much rather work on them.

Non Smosh Stuff

(I'll be honest, I'm so deep in the smosh obsession that you should not get too excited about any of these. I know myself, so I know the smosh flame will eventually burn out but these are based on things I will be obsessed with until I die. So I know they'll happen. But not for a long time)

19. A Phantom of the Opera one-shot for @aro-soulmates-fest. This is the one thing I will actually write within a reasonable amount of time, because it's due March 17.

20. "Baby, please don't bore me" — A Series of Unfortunate Events — Sunny (well, Sorrel in this version because oops I transed their gender) teams up with Olaf to find their siblings after years of separation. I find them to be a very interesting chaotic, morally gray, bantery duo.

21. "Because the same night awaits us all" — ASOUE — A Klaus/Lemony fic that I swear I will write someday. Very morally gray, very much a codependent relationship, very leaning into the age gap. Basically they're together because they do not have anyone else in the world. It's just so delicious a dynamic that I will explore I swear.

22. ASOUE — I'm still not entirely convinced I'll ever be bothered to actually write this one, but I might do a Kit/Fernald FWB thing. I'm not sure where on earth the idea of that came from, but it's been living in my head for a long time now. Long enough that there's an early one-shot version of it that I don't really like anymore on *gasp* fanfiction.net

If anyone actually bothered to read all the way to the end of this long-ass post, you deserve a medal.

[dreamyfanfix]

Chapter 6: Strength is for the weak

Updates (AGAIN): Please note I made a few major changes to this chapter. Read it again!

Past:

As Violet walked with Kate and Anthony through the party Kate was surprised by just how much she was able to keep such a stoic face. Kate on the other hand was petrified, she held onto Anthony's hand for support. Anthony looked at her and smiled but it did nothing to calm her nerves.

Kate and Anthony are led to a room with a patio view of the party. It was a stunning view. On the patio, Kate can see Lady Ledger seated with documents in her hand.

"Hi gran. What's all this about?" Anthony asked.

"Kate, I've only known you a short time, but it's clear you're a very smart woman," Lady Ledger spoke and Kate smiled up at Anthony and then at her "But, I will not permit you to ruin my grandson with your ambition,"

"Gran!" Anthony exclaimed. Anthony held her hand a little stronger.

"I'm sorry to tell you but Kate has been lying to us about her family and her father," Violet spoke now. Kate could finally see the resemblance between Violet and her mother.

"What? What are you talking about?" Kate asked.

"I hired a private investigator to look into her past," "Mother don't you dare," Anthony interrupted but Violet continued, "She said her father passed away 3 years ago from cancer but that's not true,"

"What?" "Mum stop!" Kate and Anthony interjected but Violet continued undeterred.

This time speaking directly to Kate "Your birth mother's husband is very much alive. During her marriage, she cheated on him and ran away with a mechanic, and before she could be located, as she was pregnant, she ran away to England,"

Kate could barely hear the words Violet was saying "No. No. No," Kate for the first time in her life had no words.

Kate tried to take the pages from Violet who was trying to hand them off to Anthony and took a look at them. She saw the marriage certificate, the missing person's report even the attempt to dissolve the marriage all with her birth mother's name on them. Kate could barely breathe.

Violet took the pages from Kate with little fuss and tried to hand them to Anthony "It's all right here,"

Anthony looked furious "You had no right!"

"We had every right!" Violet exclaimed.

"No, you did not!" Anthony said.

"Do you know what kind of scandal this would have caused for Kate to be hiding something like this?" Violet asked Anthony.

Kate was now just feeling so small. She did not care about Violet or Lady Ledger anymore she looked up at Anthony "I didn't know,"

Anthony looked at her in the eyes and then back at his mother with fury. Before he could say anything though Violet spoke "We cannot be linked to this sort of family,"

Kate was now tearing up. It reminded her of her childhood when she had been scolded by her parents, she was both ashamed and embarrassed. She wished the ground would swallow her whole. She glanced at Lady Ledger and she had a smug smile on her face. Kate felt like she was going to be sick for the second time that day.

Violet spoke "Anthony we could not even be sure her father is her actual father. Can you imagine that? The scandal of it all!"

Kate took a step back while Anthony and his mother went back and forth yelling at each other. Kate thought about all the times people would say she and Edwina looked nothing alike. It stung because Edwina was stunning but Kate always thought that she just took after her mother's side of the family. It hurt Kate in a spot of her heart that she had spent her whole life guarding so strongly: her family.

"Mother I do not care what you think about her family. I love her!" Anthony said.

Violet tried to grab his hand and said "In our lives, family is everything, Anthony! How can you be with someone who might have been keeping this from you?"

"Cause I already knew!" Anthony hollered.

"What?" Kate said and Anthony looked at her. 

"Don't worry Kate, I already knew about all of this before this ambush," Anthony said in a soothing voice.

Anthony took a step towards her but she took a step back "Why did you know all of this before I even did?"

Anthony looked confused "Kate I do research on most people in my life,"

"You do realise how messed up that is, right? Were you just gonna hold that information about me forever? At what point in the 8 months we have been dating do you think of telling me about this? You have no right to even be mad at your mother then!" Kate exclaimed. Anthony tried to respond but Kate held her hand up and looked towards Violet "You don't have to worry about me messing up your family reputation Lady Bridgerton, because I want absolutely nothing to do with your family,"

Kate hated feeling small, she hated people who tried to drive a wedge with her family. She had spent years feeling insecure with Mary as a stepmother especially after Edwina was born but Mary had treated her like nothing less than a daughter even after her father died. Mary mourned for a good month and then resumed getting her Edwina prepared for schooling. Reminding Kate to eat while she studied, called her and always tried to keep her close. Mary had run away from her family so Kate understood that her mother just wanted to keep the family she had left close. Mary was not the best at organisation and planning but Kate loved it and was good at it so she stepped up. Kate always had at least one loving parent in her life and she was not going to let Violet & Anthony Bridgerton take that away from her.

Kate ran away from the scene. If you asked her how she ended up being escorted out of the party by Simon then you would not get a straight answer. There was a ringing in her ears, a lot of shuffling and bumping into people and then she was in a car with Simon holding her as she cried.

----

Present:

Kate loved 'Nailed It' on Netflix. The premise was simple: Under a time limit, amateur bakers have to recreate often elaborate cakes to the satisfaction of the judges. It was simple enough that Kate could mindlessly watch while she ate popcorn for dinner cuddling her corgi puppy Newton. Popcorn was not Kate's usual choice of meal but between her long schedule and her inability to open her spice cupboards without getting an overwhelming sense of nausea, popcorn had to do.

Living alone was not something Kate ever sought. She loved being with her family or friends in uni. The only time she ever thought about living with someone else was when she was with Anthony so it came as a shock to everyone when she decided to move out after her breakup. There was something about living at home that felt claustrophobic, between Mary and Edwina's knowing and pitying eyes and the constant reminders of not just Anthony but other people she had lost, Kate had spoken with her therapist and decided that maybe a change of scenery was what she needed.

She started looking for flats in and around the area, and then she went to viewings but it wasn't until 'Moving Day' did it all feel real. Kate remembers how mad Edwina had been about her decision and on that day she had refused to come out of her room because she felt like Kate was making a drastic change in their lives. Kate was sad but Edwina eventually peeked out to give her a goodbye hug. It wasn't until she went to leave that she saw the sadness in Mary's eyes and even though she was able to make until she got to her place. She broke down. It was supposed to be the Sharma women vs. The world and Kate felt like she was letting them down and she felt guilty.

2 weeks later Kate was feeling a bit better about her new normal when Mary showed up at her door with a sad smile, Butter Chicken (because it was one of the only dishes she knew) and a corgi puppy. Mary explained that they weren't mad that she had gotten her own place, they were sad because they felt like she was running away from them and she did not think it was a good idea for Kate to be alone so soon after her breakup. Kate explained herself and that it was not an easy decision for her either and Mary agreed so in an effort to calm Mary's mind and for Kate to still have company she adopted a corgi puppy for her. Kate named him Newton, her father would have loved that, if he ever let her and Edwina get a dog that is.

Kate was hesitant about taking care of a dog but Newton was so cute at times it caused a deep yearning in her she tried to ignore. When her therapist suggested she join dog groups online for advice or socialising, Kate was hesitant but her therapist reminded her about being more social and finding avenues to be fulfilled outside of work and her family. Kate joined a dog group that met at different local parks and from the suggestion of one of the other dog owners, she joined other Facebook groups like one for painting, horseriding and swimming.

Kate had made quite a few friends through the activities and was surprised at her popularity among young active men. It turns out that once she opened her horizons outside her field there were nice and like-minded men. She went out with a few, some bad, some good, some good in one aspect only (Pav was overall enthusiastic but not that bright) and then there was Ryan Bagwell. 

Ryan was not Kate's usual type, he was relaxed, artistic and spontaneous. He was one of the volunteer instructors for the painting group and Kate felt a bit turned off by it at first that was until he showed her what he did. He was an architect, more alternative than the average architect but he also owned galleries. It was through him that Kate had her first run-in with a Bridgerton since the breakup. Benedict was there viewing Henry's work (Kate's fault for not getting Henry's last name) and they bumped into each other. The interaction was stilted but when Kate mentioned she was with her boyfriend Ryan, Ben relaxed and said Anthony was also seeing someone. It hurt but only for a moment. Benedict tried to exchange numbers but Kate was not interested and he was nice enough to leave it at that.

It was after the show that Kate had to tell Ryan about her history with the Bridgertons. Ryan was understanding and told her that he liked her and wanted to be in it with her for the long haul so Kate was happy. Edwina loved him and Mary found him interesting so it seemed pretty simple. For once her dating life was stable. Her and Ryan would go out dancing and hiking and Kate had never felt more alive than when she was with him. He was good about her friendship with Simon he also encouraged her to make other friends and that is how she reconnected with Sophie from Law school.

So to have to break up with Ryan was not easy. She did not want to lead him on and things in her life were not going to slow down any time soon. She told him that she did not want to ask him to wait for her to get her life in order and he understood. He told her he was always going to be here for her and told her to not feel weird about attending painting classes because he would still like to see her. I mean they were friends before they dated so it was easy to slip back into it. Still, Kate wondered how Ryan had gotten so well-adjusted and if she could steal his personality.

--

So it was a Thursday night and Kate was on her couch cuddling with Newton and eating popcorn when she heard thundering knocking on her door. Kate checked her phone and saw the time (10.30 PM) but also that no one had called or texted her in the past few hours that would warrant such urgent knocking and that's when the knocker spoke.

"Sharma, open the damn door! I know you are in there!" It was Simon.

Kate went to open the door and Simon walked in aggressively "How nice of you to drop by unannounced Si," Kate closed the door behind him.

Simon had sat at her kitchen island but was turned to her with a scowl "Don't treat me like an acquaintance, you know why I'm here,"

Kate's blood froze "Who told you?"

"What do you mean who told me? You didn't think I would notice you haven't been working at the firm for the last month?" Simon asked.

Kate visibly relaxed and went to get some wine glasses and a bottle, she placed the glass in front of Simon and poured him a bit and then one into her glass but she did not move to drink it "I'm sorry it has been a chaotic time, I meant to tell you the last time I saw you but things were tense after the news around Anthony. I forgot,"

Simon took a sip from his glass and then said "I need this. Between Daphne and the baby and the mess with you and the Bridgertons, I have not had a good moment's rest,"

Kate could not help her curiosity "What's going on with the Bridgertons?" Simon looked at her with a look that said 'Do you truly want to know?' and she continued "Oh please, you so came over here to vent,"

Simon sighed "Things have been a bit messy. Daphne and Benedict have tried to step up and take over some of the responsibilities that Anthony was dealing with but it is becoming clearer and clearer that the family had no clue of what it took to maintain them," Simon sighed.

Kate scoffed "They are a smart brood they will get it eventually,"

"Well eventually cannot wait. Benedict has been so stressed out that he spaced and missed the payment for Eloise's second semester at uni and she almost lost her spot. Luckily, she decided to take it over because Ben then ran into issues when Colin almost got arrested in the Phillippines for smuggling drugs luckily the ambassador in Manila is a friend of Violet's and was able to get the prescription we faxed over for the drug to the police. It has been one thing after another, there are too many Bridgertons and not enough hands. It's stressing a very pregnant Daphne out, which is stressing me out," Simon took a rather large sip of wine after his rant.

"I'm sure you guys will get a handle on it. I feel bad for Ben, handling the family like this was not something he ever thought he would do..." she added the next part in quieter "...or even wanted to do," 

Simon eyed her oddly at her statement "Yes... Well, I'm tired and I need you right now," the last part came out as a bit of a whine.

Kate reached across the table and grabbed Simon's hand "I'm here if you want to talk,"

"That's not what you said last time we spoke,"

Kate straightened up her position and sighed "I was tired and overwhelmed. I'm feeling a lot better about it now. You are my friend and you made me godmother to that little Basset baby and I'm not going to let you down," she said with a smile.

He returned her smile "How does Ryan feel about all of this? Are you guys still taking that break?"

Kate sighed. How much was she going to tell Simon? Honesty is the best policy "I'm pregnant,"

For about 10 seconds all you could hear was the mindless chatter of the TV in the background until Simon reawakened and asked "It's Ryans, right?"

Kate was taken aback "Why did you ask me like that?"

"Is it Benedicts?" Simon asked in such a hushed tone Kate grew concerned.

At first, she thought he said the wrong name but then she looked at his face and realised he was serious and began to laugh.

Simon stood up and exclaimed "Kate this is not a laughing matter,"

Kate said wiping her eyes "Except it kind of is," 

"How far along are you?"

Kate did not answer so Simon came around the kitchen island and lifted her shirt "Jeez Simon, that is a violation. You don't go around lifting women's shirts,"

"You do when they are your friend and they refuse to answer straightforward questions,"

"I was going to answer you if you had given me the chance. I'm about 4 months," Kate said.

Simon took Kate's wine glass and the bottle of wine to the other side of the island and finished all of Kate's glass, immediately pouring another glass and said "Well, you are barely showing,"

"Yeah, small pregnant bellies run in the family," Kate said with a shrug.

"You never answered my question though. Are you and Ryan back on?" Simon asked all his attention on her.

"Well, no actually we broke up," Simon's eyes widened and took a sip of wine but a thought popped into Kate's head and she asked, "Wait, why did you think the father could be Benedict?"

Simon's eyes widened but he sighed and spoke "Well, I've seen how close you guys have been since he had that art show. Ryan might have expressed concern that Benedict might be a problem but I shut him down..." Simon took a breath and continued "Then Anthony also expressed he felt you and Benedict are close. Benedict is single and a bit reckless when picking partners,"

"Hey, I liked Henry and seriously Simon, that's it? That sounds like you're slut-shaming Ben which is rich coming from you and Anthony," Kate said incredulously.

"That's what I thought too until after the baby shower," Simon said with a shrug.

"What happened after the baby shower?" Kate asked.

"I saw you leave with Ben, Kate. After you told me about taking a break with Ryan, what else was I supposed to think?"

"That I got pregnant with my ex-boyfriend's brother's baby? What do you think of me?" Kate said with what she hoped was massive amounts of sarcasm.

"You forget that I was the one who picked you up after 2 one-night stands," Simon said gesturing.

"That was months ago before I even met Ryan," Kate said incredulously.

"The night of the baby shower Ben and Anthony got it a huge fight. More blows were exchanged than that night Ant caught me with Daph. Ben told Anthony that he was ashamed of him,"

Kate's heart constricted as she sighed "That's not good. The last thing I wanted was to come between them,"

"Well, the week after that, we got the news of Anthony being in the hospital so it's not been easy,"

Kate covered her face with her hands, she needed to speak to Ben soon "Ben only helped me because he knew I was pregnant already," She sighed and then closed her eyes before saying "He knew the baby was Anthony's..." Simon looked shocked and ready to speak but she continued "That's why I took Anthony aside to speak to him at the shower, he had been ignoring my calls. Ben told me I had to tell him but then Anthony yelled at me so terribly and Ben heard so he took me home and comforted me. He's more like a brother to me, like you,"

"When did this happen, Kate?"

"I just said at your baby shower," Kate answered.

"What?! Did you get pregnancy brain? I meant when did you and Anthony hook up?"

"Hook up? Grow up," Kate said as she rolled her eyes but she continued when Simon gave her a stern look "During your engagement, me and Anthony realised we could not ignore each other forever so we agreed to be friendly,"

Simon scoffed "You two only have two gears: at each other's throats or madly in love. No in-between,"

"Yes well, Ryan noticed that as well and that's when we decided to take a break. When you guys were coming back from your honeymoon Anthony and I thought it would be a good idea to host a lunch for the day you got back so we met up and well one thing led to another and we ended up staying in his bedroom for most of the day," Simon took a healthy sip of wine and she continued "Ben caught me in his apartment later in the day so when Ben, Anthony and I got together to organise your baby shower, he saw me throwing up and he put two and two together,"

Simon took a few seconds to ingest all she had told him and then asked "So I'm going to guess you are keeping it?"

Kate nodded and Simon stood up and came around the kitchen island to embrace her. She was not sure if it was pregnancy hormones but she got teary-eyed.

"Thanks, Si," Kate patted Simon's back "I'm guessing you are no longer angry with me for ignoring you all this time, huh?"

Simon chuckled "Oh no I am. Only now I'm mad at you for stealing my thunder," Kate giggled and Simon leaned back and said "Congratulations Kate. You'll be a banging mum,"

"Thank you," Kate said definitely crying now.

----

Kate telling Simon about her pregnancy started to make the whole thing real. At this point, more and more people who were not the father were beginning to know.

Before he had left her place last night, in a super expensive Uber, Simon had scolded her for keeping her pregnancy news for as long as she did but Kate had concerns, especially after Anthony's outburst and then hospitalisation. She wanted to visit him but she was afraid if she did then she would blurt it out and the idea of being vulnerable to him like that was unnerving. Her therapist had told her that if she had Anthony's baby she would be tying herself to him and his family for life and that there was no way of escaping it. It was a scary thought.

Kate thought long and hard about it, seeking advice from Sophie on it. Sophie tried to leave her Family Law self at home when advising her. Reminding her that at any point something could make her a single mother and that she should only have the baby if she wanted to be a mother, with Anthony by her side or not. Sophie did sneak it in that Kate should draw up documents to leave her parental rights to her stepmother Mary and Kate asked if she would consider being second after Mary and Sophie hesitated but accepted. It was a gloomy conversation that ended with laughter and tears.

Kate did not want to be one of those women who never allowed their baby's father in their life but Kate could not help but feel hesitance whenever she thought of the Bridgertons and the idea that her child's grandmother was going to be Violet Bridgerton. It was a hard thing to deal with but Simon was right, Kate was 4 months along, and the moment to keep Anthony from the fact was coming to an end.

Kate was not Anthony's mother, she was not going to baby him, she would tell him about the baby and if he wanted to be a part of the child's life then they could do that but if not she felt ready to deal with it on her own. She would set ground rules about his mother and other family members and make it clear through a co-parenting relationship contract on what it meant if he went against it.

When Kate spoke with Simon, Simon was ready to villainize Violet but Kate said there was no point. The contract was all she needed. A long time ago Kate actually forgave Anthony for not knowing any better but forgive and forget were two different things. 

After their day in the bedroom, Anthony had called her to talk and they met at a cafe. Anthony told her he had broken up with Sienna. Anthony thought they would get back together but Kate told him that she was not interested. She was not angry with him anymore but the reality of who he was, was just not something she could easily forget. She emphasised that it was important they remained civil for the sake of their relationships with Simon and Daphne.

Kate thought Anthony might be too fragile to hear the news but Simon informed Kate that Anthony was doing better. At first, Simon did not want to bring up Anthony at all but since Anthony is involved he told her about the progress he had made since he left the hospital.

Anthony had gone no contact with his mother which caused issues because the younger siblings (Francesca, Gregory & Hyacinth) missed him but Daphne had been reassuring them that it was important for Anthony to get better.

Anthony had been seeing a therapist regularly and set up a treatment plan that did not include medication for the time being as they figured out what he needed and what caused his issues.

Anthony had decreased the hours he worked at the company to do other things outside of investments and property development.

Kate was happy for Anthony, she knew better than anyone that bad habits are hard to break.

----

"Come along Katie," Mary said as they walked up the steep road to Anthony's place. Mary was accompanying her to give Anthony the news.

Kate had told Edwina and Mary that she was going to tell Anthony about the baby at breakfast the day before and the whole kitchen had gone silent.

Edwina was of the mind to leave it be but once Kate brought up the fact that Ben and Simon now both knew it was only a matter of time before Anthony did and that would be worse.

Kate made it clear that she was not asking them for permission, she knew that she was opening the door for the Bridgertons to be back in their lives again and Edwina was not a fan. Although she had gotten on with the younger Bridgerton siblings, Edwina felt them and their friends at school to be stuck up and Edwina had never felt comfortable, she was so excited to be graduating from high school soon. So when Edwina heard about the real reason Kate and Anthony had broken up she was far from happy.

Edwina insisted on coming with Kate for backup which Kate found cute considering Edwina was almost a foot shorter than her and, maybe Kate was biased here, but Edwina was too cute to pass for intimidating. If it wasn't for Edwina's exams, she would have come but Edwina then insisted on Mary going with her. To which Mary agreed. Kate told them she could do it on her own but Mary was already making plans to move her shift and Kate had gotten a fresh wave of emotion at the solidarity in the room. It made her wonder if her dad would have been proud.

Any way Kate and Mary made their way to Anthony's place around noon and Mary insisted Kate walk, as Kate had taken a break from her many activities due to the pregnancy.

Kate and Mary stood outside Anthony's gate for a bit before Kate was able to gain enough courage, she saw that a car was parked in the driveway so she pressed the buzzer. The intercom had a bit of static but she thought she heard someone say hello "Hi, it's Kate. I need to speak with you, Anthony. I can leave if you are busy," Kate had to give herself an out, at the end there.

There was static on the intercom and then the gate opened.

Kate took a breath and then she and Mary walked up the steep driveway and she regretted not driving again, once they made it to the top of the driveway the door to Anthony's flat opened and there stood Violet Bridgerton.

[couldntbedamned]

Back to Where You've Never Been - Chapter 14

Summary: In an alternate reality, Peter Parker is living out his dream of being Spider-Man and working as an intern for Stark Industries (and the Avengers!) under his hero, Tony Stark, before heading off to college. For the most part, it's incredible. Okay, the Avengers treat him like he's still a child, and Mr. Stark's not exactly the friendliest mentor. But still, it's good.

Except that recently, Mr. Stark's been in the worst mood and Peter finds himself the unwitting focus of the man's ire. He tries to keep his spirits up and tell himself that it's not personal, that anyone in the lab would be a target, but when Mr. Stark kicks him out, Peter knows he's done.

Then he finds himself falling for what feels like an eternity before returning to New York. Only it's not his New York City and the Iron Man he ends up fighting alongside is definitely not his Iron Man. Anthony Stark is kind of perfect. The Other Avengers are kind of perfect. Everyone here seems to love him. And when he and Anthony are tapped by Dr. Strange to help seal the rift between realities, Peter finds himself wondering if he was supposed to be in the reality with Anthony all along.

Warnings (or AO3 tags):  Peter Parker needs a Hug, Tony Stark has Issues, Peter Parker Whump, Tony Stark is a Dick, Alternate Tony Stark is Perfect, Alternate Avengers are Perfect, Peter Parker is of Legal Age, Pain. Lots of Pain.

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Chapter 14 - 6:02 AM EST

-------

New York City rejoices when they realize that their hero - Spider-Man - has returned.

A few news sources question the change in his suit - apparently the red and blue is missed. But the silver, blue - Anthony's blue - and black aren't going anywhere. This suit is his last tie to the life - and man - he'd loved.

He doesn't patrol nearly as often as he used to before that fateful day in Mr. Stark's lab. It's an ordeal again, getting to a secure place, suiting up, and then slinging up and away. It's a pain in the ass to make his web-fluid in the kitchen he shares with May. And most of all, he resents the need for secrecy.

He remembers how wonderful it had been to just be Peter Starr, aka Spider-Man and not have to worry about the people he loved being in danger. He remembers what Steve said with such conviction.

"We don't hide behind masks."

He'd been free, in a way.

He thinks about actually doing it, about revealing his identity to the world and taking his chances. Then guilt roils in him until he's sick in the stomach. He can't risk his Aunt May like that, or MJ or Ned. It's so selfish to even think about it!

It was simpler, Over There, he thinks.

Life was better Over There.

He finds that he's resenting being stuck Over Here. Everything he's once loved now feels tainted somehow. He doesn't like it at all and he especially doesn't like how he's starting to feel apathetic.

"We need a plan."

If it was like before, when Peter was still with them - with him - where he belongs, Anthony would tease Steve for how serious he's being.

But this is no time to tease. The stakes are far too high.

"Agreed," he says. He looks at America. "How does this magical girl star power thing of yours work?"

America considers. "I concentrate really heard about where I want to go. Then I just sort of, you know, punch a hole in reality and step through. Once I'm through it closes."

"And you haven't noticed any deterioration of the realities?" Strange asks.

"No," she says emphatically. "No, and I spent a lot of time studying up on it during all of my travels."

"How do we make sure we're hitting the right reality?" Hope asks. "I don't want to risk inter-dimensional war."

"I think if I had something of Peter's, from before, it would help me focus." America looks at Anthony. "Did he have anything on him when he fell through?"

"Just his suit and web shooters."

"Do you still have them? The web shooters?"

Anthony nods in answer to Sam's question. "Yeah. I couldn't bring myself to throw them out." The web shooters and suit are in a little box in the back of his closet. They were his last tie to the man he'd loved.

"Okay. We make it Over There. What then?" Steve asks.

"We need to make sure we're not risking civilians," Sharon says. "And we need to be careful. They're still Avengers and from everything Peter said, they're considered heroes there like we are here. The public probably won't take a group attacking them too well."

Anthony scowls. He doesn't like the idea of those people being considered heroes. Not when they were so terrible to Peter.

They talk through the plan, poking holes in it where they can and refining until they have something solid.

Then Bucky speaks for the first time.

"We can't just steal him back."

"I'm sorry, what?" Anthony bites out. "You've been in on this planning session with the rest of us and you're just now offering your thoughts?"

"Look, we know he didn't want to go back, but if we just show up and forcibly take him, are we any better than they are?"

"He's happy here," Wanda argues.

"I know that!" Bucky exclaims. "And I want him back just as much as you all do. I'm just saying that he deserves to be able to choose to come back." He looks at them all. "You know I'm right."

Anthony runs a hand over his face. "Yeah, we know." Then he sighs. "He'll probably say no."

"You don't know that," Bruce says.

"It's who he is," Anthony argues. "His whole thing is ignoring anything he wants if he thinks it will make others happy, because... because..."

"Because he doesn't think he deserves to be happy," Nat finishes.

"We can least offer him the choice," Pietro says. "We can give him that, which is more than they ever have."

"And we can kick their asses," Ava adds fiercely. "They have it coming."

"They certainly do," Steve agrees, shocking them all. "What?" He adds defensively at the incredulous looks. "I never said they don't suck!"

"I need you to know that I'm so proud of you, Spangles. So proud," Anthony tells him. "One day you'll learn to swear properly."

Bucky snorts. "Remind me to share some stories from the Commando days."

"I don't think that will be necessary," Steve says with a sheepish look.

"We should all get some rest," Strange advises. "This trip is going to take a lot out of us."

"Do you know how this turns out?" Anthony asks him after the others have filtered out and it's just the two of them.

Strange's face is blank. "I can't answer that," he says. "I know it's not what you want to hear but it's all I can say."

"Your job sucks," Anthony says after a few moments.

"It's not without its difficulties and frustrations," Strange admits.

"Any sightings?" Tony asks.

There have been no sightings of Spider-Man since last week, Sir.

Tony sighs and rubs his face. It used to be that the kid couldn't get enough of his patrolling. He was always chomping at the bit to be free of his classes so he could suit up and sling around the city helping anyone he could. Peter isn't even coming to the Tower so he can make his web fluid. For all that Tony had wanted Peter out of the line of heavy fire, he almost wishes the kid was fighting bad guys on the regular like he'd been so determined to do.

"Keep your eyes open, J."

Of course, Sir.

"Tony?"

He turns to see Pepper leaning against the doorway to his lab. He searches his mind and frowns when it comes up blank. "Did I forget a board meeting or otherwise important shindig?"

"No," she says softly. "But you have been forgetting to sleep."

"I'm not sure I know how," he says. "Pep, I messed up, so much worse than I could have imagined and I don't know how to fix it. He won't talk to any of us and he's hardly going out as Spider-Man, either."

"He's not the boy you knew," she says, moving over to him and cupping his face while he looks up at her with saddened eyes. "He did an awful lot of growing up while he was gone and he's never going to be the Peter he was before."

"I was just trying to keep him safe and away from all of this, you know, before. I know I'm an unbearable ass when you go on vacation and I'm left in charge of everything but knowing that I hurt him the way I did kills me. And realizing just how unfair we've been to him? We were terrible and I was the worst of us. And it doesn't even matter how much I apologize, because he's not going to accept. I can't even blame him for that, either."

"All you can do is give him time. And maybe give him that data stick that he had on him when you all pulled him back."

He rolls his chair back and stands up. "I never have been the patient type," he admits. "But since I can't just build him a new suit, I suppose I should make sure he gets this data stick. I'm not sure I see the point; if he's homesick for that place, it might just make it worse."

"Tony."

He sighs. "Yeah, you're right as usual, Ms. Potts."

He calls for one of the Iron Legion and sends the Mark 47 to the kid's apartment, data stick in hand with a message: You had this on you when you came over, must have fallen out of your pocket during all of the hustle and bustle.

Pepper leaves after securing his promise that he'll catch a few hours on the lab futon. He actually means it, too.

He looks around, wishing he'd been in a state to properly appreciate the last time Peter came bouncing through the doors to the lab, cheerful and ready to work.

He'll probably never get that again.

'You really are the worst, Tony," he mutters to himself.

Peter looks at the data stick the Mark 47 had given him.

He's so glad to have it back; he'd promised Anthony he'd take care of it and he'd lost it! Hell, he'd forgotten all about it!

"Hey Gwen, can you interface with this?"

The nanites in one of Peter's web shooters reform to accept the data stick and plugging it in, he pulls on his mask and lays down on his bed.

“Hey, Pete. If you’re viewing this, then I guess you made your choice, and it was to go back.”

"I didn't!" he wants to scream at Holo-Anthony. "I didn't chose to come back here! I wasn't going to leave!"

But Holo-Anthony can't hear him, of course.

His heart breaks over and over again as he watches the message Anthony had prepared for him, just in case.

“Maybe this whole recording thing is a no-starter - miracles happen - and you’ve chosen to stay. But either way, Peter, there’s two things I need you to know. One is that I love you, more than I thought I’d ever be able to love anyone. And the second is that you, Peter Starr, are the very best of any of us. Okay.” Holo-Anthony nods with tears brimming in his eyes. “I’m done.”

Before he can scream or cry, video starts playing.

“J, give Peter here the same access and rights as me, outside of the Core files."

Very well. Mr. Parker, I am at your disposal.

“Say something to him,” Anthony prompts. “Ask him anything.”

“What do you like to do for fun, JARVIS?” Peter asks.

There are several hackers within SHIELD that I enjoy shutting down on an almost-daily basis. I also spend time interfacing with my brothers.

“The bots Anthony built?”

Yes.

“That’s really nice,” Peter tells JARVIS. He looks at Anthony, delighted.

“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you Peter Parker?” Anthony grins. “I don’t think anyone living here has ever asked J that before, have they, J?”

They have not, Sir. Including yourself.

Anthony rolls his eyes. “Oh please, J, you know I love you.”

Peter tells Gwen to pause the video and clenches his eyes shut. That had been his first night Over There and officially one of the best nights of his entire life. He'd been warm and safe and without the consistent pangs of hunger that had plagued him for years. He'd met Anthony. Seeing it again just makes the pain of being trapped Over Here worse.

He lays in bed, miserable. He half wishes that Mr. Stark had just kept the damned data stick.

Hopefully Mr. Stark hadn't seen anything on it; that would be too humiliating. What would Mr. Stark even think of him, falling in love with Anthony the way he did? And the dietary needs? Mr. Stark and the others would probably just think he's some helpless little charity case.

Maybe he should look for a real job. He can make money that way and since he's not patrolling and has no interest in attending NYU, he'll have plenty of free time. He hasn't really had so much free time since he started working on the...

He sits up suddenly.

“...First and foremost is your whole healing the reality barriers deal, since one, it’s brilliant and two, I can’t imagine you not carrying on back Over There."

The barriers! How could he have forgotten?

"Way to get self-absorbed, Peter," he mutters to himself. "You really are the worst." He suits up and climbs out the window. He has a sorcerer to see.

They're quiet as they congregate in the lab where Peter had been taken. Hank and Janet are present, both eager to observe America's powers at work.

"We shouldn't be too long," Anthony assures them.

He's waved off. "We were in the superhero game before you were even in school," Janet tells him. "We still have some tricks up our sleeve if anyone decides to cause trouble while you're gone."

Hank nods. "Don't underestimate the ants."

Well, that is a terrifying thought, Anthony thinks, looking around. There's a restlessness in the air despite the early hour.

Sharon checks her powered garrotes and Natasha fiddles with her Widow's Bites. Clint is rearranging the arrows in his quiver while Bucky flips one of his knives. The others are similarly nervous.

Anthony is regretting the third cup of coffee he drank after waking up; he has visions of vibrating out of the suit mid-reality jump and somehow dying. He shakes his head. America has assured them it's safe and she's the expert.

"Is this everyone?" Strange asks as he portals in.

"We're just waiting on our friendly ghost," Anthony says. "JARVIS said she's on a slight delay.. She'll be here in a few minutes."

"Is she up for this?" Steve asks Sam. "I know she's been struggling."

"Oh, she's more than ready," Sam insists. "She's probably just drinking that stabilizing tonic Janet created for her to make sure there are no mishaps."

Ava enters the lab suited up and ready to go.

"We good?" Anthony asks.

She nods, a hard glint in her eyes. "We're good."

"Remember the plan," Steve says as they gather in a circle. "We've probably only got one shot at this, so let's stay focused and show them just how hard we're willing to fight for Peter." He looks at America. "Whenever you're ready."

America pulls the web shooter out of her pocket. She holds it tightly, closes her eyes, and takes several deep breaths. When her eyes open, they're glowing white. She steps out of the circle, turns, and with the hand holding the web shooter punches forward into the empty air.

The air splits into the shape of a giant star and through it they can see the different reality's Central Park. She steps through the star and pauses. She looks at the web shooter and then out at the park, searching for something only she can see. Then she turns around to face them.

"This is it. Come on through."

They jump through in two's and three's until the last one through is Strange, who does one of his sparkling circle things and makes the star disappear.

"It's in the mirror dimension. That way no one can accidentally wander through."

"Smart," Nat says.

"Alright. Let's do this," Anthony says.

Tony startles awake when the alarms go off in the Tower. He glances over at the clock.

6:02 AM EST.

"J, give me the scoop," he mumbles.

There appears to be a temporal distortion near Central Park. I've attempted to surveil the area but all camera feeds are currently non-functional.

Tony groans. "Well, better go see what AIM is up to this time. I assume the others are on their way to the location?"

They are indeed.

"I'll be there in a few," he said, calling his suit up and flying through one of the access hatches.

There's nothing there, when they all arrive. Sure, it feels weird, the place, but it's as empty as Central Park can be just after six in the morning.

"There's nothing here," Nat says. "Something is off, but nothing's here."

"Let's fan out," Steve suggests. "Stay on the comms, though."

The energy signatures have them moving around through the park, not nearly as spread out as Steve was hoping for. But the way they moved here, then there, then forward, to the side...

They were being herded.

Doctor Strange isn't at the Sanctum.

At least, that's what Wong tells him.

"When will he be back?" Peter asks.

Wong looks torn.

"Oh, just let him in!" come the good doctor's voice.

"You're supposed to be sleeping," Wong scolds, turning back to where Strange is coming down the stairs in a robe that's far shorter than Peter ever wanted to see the man wear.

"Please. I'm used to thirty hour days," Strange says. "I'm good for another ten hours at least." He motions for Peter to come inside. "How can the Sorcerer Supreme be of assistance?"

"When I was Over There, I was helping Anth- I was helping Mr. Stark and the others with stabilizing the barriers between reality so that that Dr. Strange and other Dr. Stranges could work on fixing them. And I know I've been selfish and having the world's biggest pity party since this Mr. Stark and these Avengers pulled me back here, but I was hoping I might be able to help you with it, too. I'm just sorry it's taken so long to reach out."

"Taking time to grieve isn't selfish, Mr. Parker," Strange says. "And if you want to share your strategy for stabilizing the barriers, I'd be happy to hear it." He pauses. "But it's not your job, just so you know."

Peter frowns. "But it was, Over There. Why would Over Here be any different?"

"I can't answer that," Strange says cryptically. "Just know that the situation will be handled."

He doesn't understand, not at all. Why was the other Doctor Strange so insistent while this one is so unconcerned?

"Can I offer you some tea?" Strange asks.

It's early in the morning, just after six.

"Actually, that would be nice. Over There spoiled me for coffee so hot tea is about all I can stand, caffeine-wise."

"You speak of that reality fondly," Strange says once they're seated, each with a cup of tea and saucer.

"I was going to stay," Peter admits. "I didn't choose to come back."

"I'm sorry for how things worked out," Strange tells him. "And for my part in assisting them in their endeavor."

Peter shrugs. "I could have been stuck in a hell dimension for all you guys knew."

"I was fairly certain that wasn't the case," Strange says. "They were very insistent that they needed to save you and make things right."

That has Peter rolling his eyes. "They can't make it right," he says. "I didn't deserve to be treated the way they treated me and I don't think I can forgive them for any of it."

"I was so happy," Peter says after a few minutes. "I was in love. For the first time in my life I felt like I belonged and coming back here has been a nightmare. One they caused."

"You don't have to justify your feelings to me." Strange refills Peter's cup with more of the steaming tea. "And you're well within your rights to forgive or not forgive any of us."

Peter thinks about that. "I'll probably forgive everyone eventually," he admits. "I'm not built for grudges. I always feel bad for keeping them, even if letting them go feels like losing."

Strange chuckles. "You have such a kind heart, Mr. Parker. That's something to cherish."

The area they all end up in is deserted at the early hour, even though New York City almost never slept.

"I don't like this," Sam says. "Something ain't right."

"Agreed, but this is where the energy signatures stopped and we ne-"

There's the sound of a repulsor and Tony goes flying back into the side of one of the brick buildings.

A blue suit appears - an Iron Man! - and the face plate lifts to show another Tony Stark - Peter's Anthony. The Other Avengers plus a teenage girl and another Doctor Strange surround them, crackling into the reality from that damned mirror dimension that apparently all Doctor Stranges love so much.

"What the hell was that for?" Tony asks, pulling himself up to face his hovering counterpart.

"You took something that doesn't belong to you," Anthony says with narrowed eyes. "We've come to bring him back."

-------

[collectionoftulips]

Still early I guess but I'm so thankful to see that my latest Strictly AU chapter was so positively received.

For some reason, my brain has decided I need to write longer chapters and that's become a real road block for me somehow so I'm really thankful you're all being patient as I try to dissolve this self-imposed road block I put in my own path.

I also wanted to say I'm really thankful of the reception so far of the newest chapter and where I'm taking the story (I'll put it under a cut, just in case someone hasn't had a chance to read the chapter yet):

I've throughout the Strictly AU story kind of hinted at Anthony's problematic relationship to alcohol but actually more explicitly framing it as a 'problem' or issue for him to overcome or address, felt controversial and I was worried about how it was going to be received.

I'm unsure of whether it comes across as clunky or not, but I felt really strongly that I wanted Kate realising what was going on and for her to react with compassion rather than conflict. Especially as their relationship so far has been quite contentious due to their inability to directly communicate with each other due to various types of trauma and/or insecurities. Deep down, she does know him and see him for who he is, even though she doesn't always realise it. And I was kind of seeing it as a modern version of the parallel to the scene with the bee on the show - on the show, her natural reaction to seeing Anthony frightened and hurt is to comfort, and I wanted something equivalent in this universe. It would be really easy for her to go up to him and be like 'wtf dude' and she might have those instincts, but upon seeing him struggle, she gives him some compassion and changes approach, because she senses that this is more about him and his internal demons than something to do with her, or even the competition.

Another reason why I'm really heartened by the response so far is that while I don't have any addiction struggles myself, I think that we as a society are far too punitive when it comes to addiction and do not offer enough support or compassion to people in these situations on the whole, and seeing at least so far people extending that compassion to Anthony's situation, even if it's all fictional, is really nice.

As always, thank you so much for reading my stories. I really really appreciate it. Also the fact that the Strictly AU is now 100k is bananas to me.

[desos-records]

Chapter 6: All The World

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Ghost possession doesn't happen often, but fatality rates are high. Even if an agent does survive, there are the aftereffects to worry about.

After surviving a possession, Lucy Carlyle struggles with recovery, delving ever deeper into the memories of Visitors and, in the process, stumbling into the world of blackmarket Sources.

Meanwhile, George Karim races to learn the truth behind ghost possession in order to protect Lucy and save future agents.

And Anthony Lockwood must face his own past with the London underworld if he wants to save his friends and himself.

-

Asset.

Lucy could hear the word ringing in her ear as she stormed down the dark street. Of course, that's why they kept her on. These boys had their little partnership and just needed a Listener around to balance out their Talents—just needed a girl around to look more legitimate. Hadn't the advert said preferably female?

Of course, it took their first few cases together, when he saw what she could do, for Lockwood to finally warm up to her and stop calling her Ms. Carlyle. He'd just been waiting until she'd proven her worth, hadn't he? George still didn't think much of her, obviously.

You wanted me to fire her last night—maybe you were right.

And to think she'd actually started to feel like she belonged somewhere. Like there might be people who cared about her that were just down the stairs instead of gone where she couldn't follow.

Or at least, where she shouldn't want to follow. Sometimes, after a rough case or the nightmares that haunted quiet nights, she couldn't help but wonder if Norrie and the others had it better.

Lucy shivered from a sudden surge of cold, making her look up, psychic Senses flaring. It struck her that she'd walked far outside Marylebone, somewhere full of angular, dark shapes forming buildings she didn't recognize. London streets remained stubbornly convoluted even after all these weeks tramping around them for cases. Her boots tapped loudly on the cobblestones as she walked.

She coasted to a stop. Annabel's ring, safe in its locket, stung like ice against her sternum. A run-down cinema loomed over her, grey and green from the dim ghost lamp down the street. Posters for plays hung in the windows and she couldn't tell if they were faded or if the windows were cloudy. But she could've sworn she'd seen the broken marquee before.

No. Annabel had seen it before.

The heavy wood doors opened before Lucy even realized her hands had touched them. She distantly wondered why the place wasn't locked, but the thought couldn't overrule her desire to find out why Annabel had led her here.

"What is it?" she muttered to herself. "What do you want to show me?"

Inside, the dusty seats and shabby stage were drenched in darkness, save for the ghost light standing centerstage—an old sickly green bulb in a wire cage fixed to the top of a pole, much weaker than the ghost lamps outside. Someone had taken a crowbar to some of the seats, wrenching them free of their bolts. They must've been caught in the act because one crowbar was still there, lying half in the aisle.

Lucy could hear music and someone singing faintly, like a badly tuned radio several rooms away. She didn't recognize it, but her chest ached with familiarity anyway.

do not believe his vows

She flinched, for a moment dead certain someone had spoken from the stage. Her vision flickered and the silhouette of a man appeared, then just as quickly vanished. 

A curl of fear wound through Lucy's stomach. It occurred to her that she didn't have her rapier, not a bit of salt or iron—save her iron earrings, a gift from Norrie. If something manifested, she had nothing to defend herself with.

"Come on, Annabel," she whispered. "I don't have all night."

Lucy stepped onto the stage, despite every instinct and ounce of training blaring alarm bells in her head. The necklace flared with another wave of cold and she winced. Someone screamed.

didn't do anything!

Rage rolled through her, the shaky, brittle kind that left her in tears. It didn't feel all that different from how she'd felt when she'd slammed the front door of Portland Row—God, that must've been hours ago now. Lucy's legs gave out and she crashed to the floor.

She tried to blink the tears out of her eyes and then she saw it. Wedged in the creaking slats of the stage, she found a single cufflink. It was nothing special, gold with something geometric carved into it. When she picked it up, the pattern clicked. They were letters.

J. W. F.

It had no psychic energy to it, but Annabel's memories seemed to push at the edges of Lucy's mind, threatening to break through. Only the silver-glass of the locket kept them back.

"This belonged to the man who killed you, didn't it?" Nothing responded, but she felt something inside herself settle.

She shoved the cufflink into her pocket and staggered to her feet, stumbling and nearly falling down the stairs off the stage. The railing, eaten through with rust, snapped in her hand. Halfway up the aisle, she heard something else. 

Two gunshots in quick succession. Lucy dropped, ducking low. Her breath turned to white smoke and a creeping dread snared itself through her ribcage. As it echoed through the room, she realized the sound came from something long gone and long dead. Whatever hold Annabel had over her shattered, replaced instantly with fear loud enough to shake her bones apart and searing anger at herself for being so stupid. She froze for too long, emotions warring with each other.

The gunshots fired again. Plasm shot over her head. A shape hovered in the doorway leading out of the theatre. Its arm extended, pointing straight at her.

Lucy's anger won out. It burned straight through her fear, clear to the other side where her better instincts waited for her to get a grip.

She glanced around, willing her eyes to dig something useful out of the darkness.

The crowbar. It sat there in the dust a few aisles ahead of her. The Spectre rippled, then rushed towards her. Lucy dove for the crowbar. Her fingers latched around the cold metal and she swung it like a bat, as hard as she could.

The iron bar cut neatly through the plasm—close enough that ice dusted the edges of her hair.

She didn't wait for it to reform. Muscles stiff and lungs burning, she forced herself upright, then dashed for the exit and crashed through the front doors into the familiar, watery light of ghost lamps.

Halfway down the street she remembered she still had no idea where she was.

[2802mi]

How I would make an adaptation of MK1 (1992) that would not stray from its original direction

INTRODUCTION

Upon seeing story mode of the recent MK reboot (2023) , somehow called MK1, I started thinking more and more about my favourite MK story, which is original MK from 1992. I asked myself, what does MK 1992 have that further games and movies depicting the Earthrealm Tournament did not have? The answer is actually simple, but I don't think many people are aware of what made MK 1992 so distinctive.

When you pay attention to the original story of Mortal Kombat 1992, you actually realise, that original MK is a standalone story. MK2 and further show us heavily modified version of how events of Earthrealm Tournament played out, including the existence of Outworld and changing it from secret tournament that you hope to leave alive to a game between two dimensions where you fight not for yourself but Earthrealm or Outworld. Also, you get characters like Jax, Sektor, Cyrax or Sheeva included in the Earthrealm Tournament, which does not feel right. The proper adaptation of MK 1992 story should focus on basics I present below, which are:

-The only characters are the original 7 player characters + Goro + Reptile + Shang Tsung, so no Cole Young, no characters from sequels or Mythologies.

-No mention of Outworld, no mention of Netherrealm, the only place of action is Shang Tsung's island, maybe some locations in Earthrealm showing the invitation of our heroes.

-Characters have limited abilities, no further than their special moves in games and fatalities, both censored and uncensored versions of the game. Which means no Avengers stuff like Sub-Zero freezing entire area or Johnny Cage surviving falling from >50m of height.

-Characters depicted have their stories and motivations based of their bios and endings in the game and not their sequels or prequels, so no retcons like Sub-Zero working alongside Scorpion to kill the good guys or Raiden suddenly loving Earthrealm and defending it despite his arcade ending being launching Armageddon.

-Adaptation would be either as a comic book or animated series. Characters' and stages' appearances based strictly off the arcade game, so The Pit does not look like its counterpart from MK2, as depicted in MK9. In case of animation, the voice actors for characters would be: Sub-Zero -> Steve Blum, Scorpion -> Patrick Seitz, Sonya -> Tricia Helfer, Johnny Cage -> Andrew Bowden, Kano -> Michael McConnohie, Shang Tsung -> Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Goro -> Gary Anthony Williams, Raiden -> Richard Epcar, Reptile -> Steve Blum, Liu Kang -> Tom Choi

Now I can start the story and show you how I would depict the Earthrealm Tournament based solely on MK 1992.

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

The first scene would be the writing of the invitation to the Mortal Kombat Tournament on the ancient scrolls, taking place soon. After that, we see Sub-Zero reading it in the Lin Kuei headquarters, with his gaze totally cold and unaffected. We can only hear a voice, reminging him, that 'he must stay focused on his mission, for which he will be rewarded with a bounty exceeding all the previous'. Next scene is Johnny Cage, returning home from his film award ceremony, noticing the scroll on his table, wondering, how did it ever get there, but upon reading what was written, he decides to take that chance. Later Raiden holding his scroll with invitation with his face showing total indifference, as Mortal Kombat tournament is nothing unusual or exciting to him. Scorpion and Sonya and Kano were not exactly invited and they will arrive to the island through pure coincidence like Sonya and Kano, or by sheer hatred and hunting Sub-Zero (Scorpion's case).

Liu Kang, however, is seen among other members of White Lotus society, holding his invitation with a serious, somewhat worried and anxious look on his face for he is actually acknowleged with the gravity of his situation: he is heading off to Mortal Kombat Tournament, which was originally held by Shaolin Monks, whom he belongs to, but centuries ago Kung Lao was defeated by Goro. The tournament then was taken by Shang Tsung, who corrupted it. Liu Kang knows it's his task to win the tournament and defeat the evil Shang Tsung and Goro, the undefeated champion as for now. Yet he accepts his fate as the best fighter among his Shaolin peers and after bitter-sweet goodbye, he is sent off to represent the Shaolin Order.

Liu Kang, Sub-Zero and Johnny embark the same ancient, wooden ship, which will take them to the mysterious island. Johnny is the center of attention: he is not yet aware of how dangerous his next days are going to be. He tries befriending other kombatants, who usually do not recognise him, even though he is a talented and awarded actor. He notices Sub-Zero on the deck, standing totally still, speaking to absolutely no one, staring at the ocean. After he tries speaking to him, the mysterious Lin Kuei assassin punches his stomach and throws him across the deck, his eyes turning from numb to cold anger. Cage was wondering if he will die by Sub-Zero's stare alone. Liu Kang runs up to the actor and lifts him off the ground, asking, if he is okay. Johnny is surprised by Shaolin's hospitality. They befriend each other and spend the following hours just by talking. Cage was happy to see that Liu Kang was actually a fan of his movies, despite living in the isolation. Kang was very curious about life in Hollywood, the mindset of movie star and the career in overstimulating society. Sadly he realised that his new friend is not aware of the true nature of the tournament - he will know later, and scream in fear.

The ship fianlly reaches its final destination - the island, which was very beautiful and full of colors and life, with plants and trees seen nowhere else in the world. The only thing that was odd, was that two motorboats, one civilian, one military, could be seen crashed on the beach.

Some kilometers away, a man can be seen running away from armed soldiers, led by their leader: Sonya Blade, who knew it was now or never to finally catch the man, who's alias was Kano. However, she and her team was ambushed by Shang Tsung's private army, which made her doubt her perception of reality. They were surrounded by men wearing oriental clothes and armor and aiming at them with very outdated weaponry. After quickly analysing the situation the team has gotten into, Sonya decided not to throw their lives away in vain and they surrendered.

This chapter/episode ends by Raiden casually descending from the sky and heading directly towards the host's palace. The last shot/panel depicts Scorpion jumping off the ship and following footsteps on the beach, further hunting for his prey - Sub Zero. He has found him - and now he will do everything to kill him.

CHAPTER 2: THE TOURNAMENT BEGINS

This chapter begins by the official inauguration of Mortal Kombat tournament. The host is dressed very rich, with his blue robes covered in gold and diamonds, much to Liu Kang's disgust of this display of vanity, confirming what his superiors told him about the host. He introduces himself as Shang Tsung - although no one can really be sure if that is his real name or just a nickname. His appearance is plain disgusting: balding, with thin white hair on his head, saggy skin and creepy looking face he announces that 'it has begun'. Asked about the prize which comes after victory, he only utters with a really unpleasant voice 'your continued existence'.

Kang and Johnny after the inauguration decide to train, as the following day, the fights begin. Cage has been heavily underestimated - having thought of him as living in another world, unprepared and inferior to Shaolin martial arts, Kang was bested by Hollywood star by simple leg sweep. Even though Liu Kang was the best among the Shaolin and chosen by the Secret White Lotus society to wrestle the tournament back from corrupted Shang Tsung, it mattered not in the face of having lost just the friendly sparring by being too relaxed and not taking the opponent seriously. The sudden realisation hit him harder than any fist could: he can actually lose. Even worse, he may actually die by the hands of fearsome Sub-Zero, who gave off the feeling of a killing machine. Or anyone else. It clouded young man's mind for a while with anxiety and fear, but he knew that to win, he must be in control of himself. So after few moments, he asked Cage to continue their training. It was a really constructive lesson for White Lotus' chosen, as Johnny Cage has trained with many martial arts masters, who taught him really well. Despite seeming like an unserious person who is just an actor, kombat revealed his true talent and skill as a disciplined fighter.

Sonya's team and Kano have been transported to some unknown location. Shang Tsung waited for them. The host informed them that he will not let them go - some abstract concept like international law or human rights was something foreign for him. In fact, hearing about 'human rights' from Blade, he laughed out loud unpleasantly. They were his property now - if they wanted to be free, they had to fight in the tournament. Tertium non datur. Kano with no problem agreed - Sonya after speaking with the rest of her team decided that she will fight and win the freedom for them all, asking for one more thing - fight with Kano and with her winning, taking him away to prison. Tsung agreed to that, hoping for more bloodshed in his tournament.

Sun has finally set. Everyone went to better or worse sleep. Except one man - heavily focused on his mission, Sub-Zero left his designated tent and immediately started infiltrating the island. Armed with short dao, he was sneaking around the palace and looking for ways to enter. He memorised every single one - as well as the tracks which host's armed guardians were using. When the time comes, they will prove useful to him - after finishing the task and escaping from the island. During his return to the tent, he was grabbed by his throat and thrown into the ground. The demonic voice only seethed 'MURDERER'. It narrowed very little in Sub-Zero's mind. He killed too much people to remember every single one of them, much less care about them. Yet he recognised the robes and the deformed face - it was Scorpion. He could not believe it. Did he kill him? If yes, did he come back to the living? Is he undead? Too many questions, and as no clear answer could be given, Lin Kuei assassin decided to be sure this time his past target was eliminated for good. He reached his dao and waited nervously for Scorpion's move. Quickly the fight broke up between the two, with one being totally quiet, and second screaming about finishing him, taking off his head, burning him alive, for all he has done. This time there were no fatalities - the fight was interrupted by Shang Tsung himself. Not pleased with another intruder on the island, he quickly examined him and sensing the pure hatred in his heart, directed towards Sub-Zero, he offered him a chance to challenge the cold-blooded killer in Mortal Kombat - in return, Scorpion is forbidden from even touching his object of contempt.

CHAPTER 3: BLOODSHED

Sonya did not want to talk to anyone in the Kourtyard - everything pissed her off, everyone was a rival or a potential obstacle to her freedom. Especially the sight of Kano, whom she wanted rotting in prison after all these years of chase, was making her angry. She was stressed very much, knowing that her and her teammates' freedom depended entirely on her.

Suddenly, the drums started playing. The very first pair of kombatants entered the arena. It was the first time Raiden could be seen - a seven feet tall, with glowing blue eyes his dominating presence could make anyone run away. But it was too late for his unnamed opponent, who despite his effort, lost both round very quickly and beaten thoroughly, asked for mercy. There was none. Raiden raised his hands and shouting some irrecognisable words, which sounded like 'GIMMIMAMONEYYYY' he shot a spark from his palms, resulting in loser's head exploding.

'Raiden wins', said Shang Tsung, watching this spectacle with much delight.

'Flawless Victory.'

'Fatality.'

The host raised his right hand and closed his eyes, with his face becoming relaxed and losing a couple of wrinkles. Raiden, rumored to be a god of thunder, looked at him with contempt, as if he knew something about this elderly man that others did not. With a disgust on his face, he cleaned his white clothes from blood. Decapitated body was taken off the arena, as new fight took place. An unfortunate fighter from Middle East, at least he looked like it, lost his fight with Sub-Zero. The Chinese assassin also killed him, ripping his head off. With spine. That was too much to bear for Johnny, who realising that he dies if he loses, threw up. His life is in danger, he might die on some weird island no one knows about and no one will ever solve the mystery of JC's death. Kano, the kombatant of the third fight, ripped a heart off his rival on arena. He looked directly in Sonya's eyes as he did it, hoping to intimidate her. Now it has truly began.

'The next is Johnny Cage! A disciplined and famous around all the world actor, who will surely show his skills on this arena against his opponent and not die like the previous ones!' Shang Tsung laughed and started clapping his hands. Johnny, now wondering if he lost his mind, entered the arena, thinking of how that old prick knew of him and even worse, if that old man can read his mind. 'There is something truly terryfying about the host', he thought. Nevertheless, his opponent looked even more stressed than he was, so he decided to be calm and win his survival, at least for now. When the fight ended in Johnny's favor, Tsung yelled

'FINISH HIM!!!'

Cage looked at his defeated rival, who's eyes watered and were begging for mercy, even though his mouth was deadly silent. Johnny Cage had his mind in pieces, about what he should do now. He decided to do the right thing in the end. He kicked the loser in the chest and shouted back to the host 'I will not kill him!', which enraged the old man, who only said in return 'Johnny Cage wins.' After descending from the arena, he felt like he will faint from all the stress. Liu Kang approached him and placing his hand on his shoulder, he only said to him 'You are a good man. And a hero, even if you don't know it yet.'

CHAPTER 4: THE LEGENDARY SEVEN

The Shaolin was right. Johnny's act was indeed heroic, saving that man from death. It was the first act toward cleansing the corruption of this once noble tournament. Even more, it was the first time, when someone openly defied the intimidating Shang Tsung, who despite looking physically weak due to his age, presented a very threatening aura. He only smiled seeing kombatants lose their lives, repeating this weird gesture of raising his hand and closing his eyes. When someone was not killed however, the old man looked at the victor with pure hatred. Liu Kang became seriously worried. Could it be possible that there was some kind of ritual in play? Is it just the way this man seeks pleasure from looking at carnage and death? Is he cursing their dead bodies? Does he defile their souls? Or even worse, does he steal them? White Lotus members shared rumours of some dark magic taking place during the tournament, but these were just rumours which were unconfirmed, as surely there would be some kind of visual sign of sorcery. Maybe that gut wrenching feeling that everyone got when they saw Tsung raising his hand after each fatality could be the sign of it? He came up to Johnny sharing his worries, to which Cage just replied 'just like Hollywood. These soul-sucking execs and producers sometimes too get too drunk on their power and--' he did not finish as Kang looked at him with some kind of grave disapproval. Hollywood's prodigy quickly realised why, and corrected himself, explaining that it's just the atmosphere of working with producers and the show business. 'When this ends, I invite you to the Shaolin order. It is of no use for someone like you to waste himself on these charlatans', ended their conversation Kang.

They came up with a plan - that whatever Shang Tsung is doing with the dead, it's surely something horrible and is used as a means to spread corruption to this tournament. Which is why they have to convince everyone else to refrain from killing their enemies, no matter how much they cared not for them or hated them. After the surprisingly rich and pompous dinner the host organised for the remaining seven kombatants, which were Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Kano, Raiden, Cage and Liu quickly went to enact their plan. They decided to come up to Sonya first.

'What do you want from me?' She quickly and laconically asked, seeing two men approach her. Her guard was already up, fearing confrontation.

'Relax, babe' said Cage, in his nonchalant manner, but upon seeing her face flush with red, the Shaolin quickly stated their business.

'We ask you not to kill Kano tomorrow if you win the fight. And anyone else for that matter.' Her eyes were now unnaturally big, looking at him with sheer disbelief. 'You expect me not to kill him? That scumbag? Do you know how many people he killed? How many women he raped? What if I have no choice but to put down this dog for good--' but was interrupted by Cage, who replied with 'Bend this motherfuckers knee backwards if you want to eliminate him for good' Sonya smiled at this suggestion, but listened further to what this handsome, although kind of giving an immature vibe guy had to say. 'Whatever shit is happening here, me and Liu-Liu are sure only Shangsy is benefitting from it. I mean, not to sound like some kind of conspiracy theory wack, but have you seen his face, looking at fatalities?'

'You believe in fairies and wizards with magic hats, Cage?' Sonya asked.

'Maybe? I am not an expert. But his pleasure alone of staring at death like it's Marilyn Monroe herself on the bed is disturbing, so just spare Kano's life just to spite that old creep.'

After hearing this argument, Sonya finally truly smiled for the first time since she had started pursuit of this dangerous criminal. Her posture became relaxed, her face stopped being stiff with anger and revealed that she is in fact a beautiful woman. Seeing that hers and theirs interests align, but also they are genuine, honest men, she decided to stick with them and aid them. After a short consultance among them, they decided to go to Sub-Zero, as speaking to Kano was not an option, Scorpion may be hard to talk to, and Raiden obviously looks at them with contempt and disdain so they will decide if speaking to Japanese ninja and thunder god even makes sense.

They waited for the Lin Kuei near his tent. Seeing that he returns and is constantly looking around him, seeking danger, they approached him openly and firmly, after Johnny said to Kang 'I knock you speak', as if they were going to principal's office in school. Liu started to enjoy his humour, Sonya had yet to get used to it.

'Sonya Blade.'

'Liu Kang.'

'Johnny Cage!'

After this short and direct greeting, Sub-Zero, the menacing assassin who killed at least 6 people here since the start, quickly looked at them and analised if they are armed and if they were working with Scorpion. No marks of the Japanese clan could be seen on them and Kang's face looked Chinese, so it calmed down the Lin Kuei a bit. He crossed his arms and standing in complete silence, he waited for what they had to say. After quick glares exchanged between the trio, Sonya decided that she will speak to him.

'Sub-Zero, we know that professionally you are an assassin. We ask you firmly that you kill no one else in this tournament.' The only answer was one eyebrow raised by him, which was enough for Blade to read it as listening what she has to offer.

'I know that you are not here to win this tournament. Whatever you are here for, I don't care about it at all. I am here against my will and as you saw how this tournament looks, you know it's rigged and mainpulated. Shang Tsung wants you to kill people so he benefits from it. How exactly, we don't know. The most important thing is, that he serves only himself and we must defeat him if we want to get what we want. However we don't want to cross your path and for you to stay in our way to our goals. Can we agree?'

Finally, they heard Sub-Zero utter his first words.

'Stay in my way and I will kill you. Otherwise, I agree to the deal.'

Blade has not seen the former sentence as the threat, only as the insurance for the Lin Kuei assassin. It was the latter that mattered.

Later, having approached Scorpion, he listened carefully and they thought he would agree, but he could not be convinced of not killing Sub-Zero. That is why he is here for. When he was speaking about the Chinese warrior, his eyes looked dead inside. Johnny seeing the 'blue one' and the 'yellow one', as he codenamed Sub-Zero and Scorpion in his head, could not ultimately decide which one was more intimidating.

Liu Kang decided to speak with the Thunder God. Having approached him, he said in unsusual for him, cocky manner

'Raiden. We ask you to stop killing your opponents in the tournament.'

'Consider to whom you speak, mortal. Who do you think you are, that you do not call me Lord Raiden and bow to me? Why should I care whether more or less of you die?'

Liu smirked and looked at Johnny. Cage knew that this face meant. 'Watch me', he could read from Kang's smile. The Shaolin's chosen continued.

'We are here on equal footing, during this tournament. You are here no more and no less powerful than we are. Which means, you are vulnerable to death. It is entirely in your interest that we agree on not killing each other.'

'You speak like you could actually win. I have met many arrogant men like you - all dead by my hand, in mere seconds. This tournament is no exception.'

'Your victory is not guaranteed. You are in your human form, which could be damaged or destroyed, and in this rigged tournament, I would not risk it making me your mortal enemy. All I ask is we fight on a fair ground when the time comes, and whoever wins, spares the opponent.'

'You are not in any position to demand anything from me, you pathetic weakling. I will kill you after I punish you for your stupor in the kourtyard.'

Liu Kang knew that it is his last chance in life to wrestle the tournament back - if he dies, he dies. Failure was not an option.

'Then may the best man win.' Liu said it to the god's face, and they have gone to train Sonya for her fight tomorrow.

CHAPTER 5: THE LADDER

The fight between Sonya and Kano will take place in palace gates. The beautiful scenery will soon be dirty from blood and sweat. Sonya hoped that it will be mainly Kano's blood and not hers. Liu Kang teached her that during tournament fights, what matters the most is the balance and avoiding relishing in anger and hatred, which betray you ultimately. After both she and criminal got introduced on stage, she set her guard up and waited patiently for announcement. Which was hard, as Kano tried to psychologically throw her off the balance, yelling at her, 'BITCH I WILL KILL YOU. I WILL RAPE YOU. I WILL RIP YOUR HEART. I WILL HOLD IT AT IT WILL STILL BEAT. I WILL WIPE THE ISLAND WITH YOUR ENTRAILS'.

'FIGHT!' happily announced Shang Tsung.

Kano screamed as loud as he could and ran to Sonya, hoping to take her down to the ground and make advantage of their weight difference. Kano was behaving like a rabid dog. He threw punches in blind berserk rage, hoping for one lucky blow that will knock her unconscious and then he will humiliate her. He has landed several blows on her, so round 1 was in his favour. Things have gotten very bad for Sonya. Is she loses, she dies. However, her nemesis seemed to lose the steam. He was not as fast as in previous round and his blows were not as hard. She took advantage of his weakness and impressively ended the round two, smacking his face by throwing him using her legs while handstanding. Even Sub-Zero, watching this fight, nodded in approval. Round 3 was all or nothing - Kano regained some of the energy, however his nose was broken and he is losing blood right now. He ran and jumped like a cannonball, pushing Sonya to the ground. He grabbed her by the throat and started choking her and slamming her skull. She has mere seconds to do something or she dies, with the man she hates on top of her. Nothing could be more humiliating for her, and perhaps that thought alone made her fight for her life - she put a finger in his eye and his hold of her dropped. She quickly started punching his face just so his balance is thrown off and regaining vision is impossible. Then, the unexpected happened - Kano grabbed his knife and tried to slash her. Fortunately for her, his show off backfired, as he threw the knife at her and missed. It was time for her surprise - she activated the blaster in her gauntlet, knocking the criminal to the ground.

'FINISH HIM!'

Sonya hesitated. It was her chance - he would kill her. Or maybe, he would rape her on stage and Shang Tsung would force everyone to watch. The thought of that alone created a conflict in her head whether she should just kill him and not risk any further encounters. Finally, having heard Johnny's 'BEND THAT MOTHERFUCKERS KNEE BACKWARDS', she smiled and stepped on. With full force, she twisted her boot on Kano's knee and watched as he squirmed and yelled, with helplessness this time, 'FUCKING PSYCHO BITCH WHORE CUNT I WILL--', after he passed out. Blade quickly checked if all her teeth are still intact and with utter contempt, she spat at defeated opponent.

'I have defeated the challenger, Shang Tsung! I demand you give him to me and give back my freedom!'

'You will demand NOTHING! Freedom is granted only after you defeat everyone!'

Sonya quickly realised that she may be trapped here forever, as even if she defeats Liu Kang and Johnny, then she might not win against Raiden - who will pop her head like a bubble gum. Her satisfaction with the victory was very short-lived.

It was too much for her. She went to the beach and did not want to talk to anyone - sitting alone she could let her emotions out - she started crying, hoping that waves will deafen the pathetic in her opinion, sign of weakness. She wanted just few tears out - but she could not control it. Maybe she is truly so pathetic that she does not deserve freedom?

'Miss Blade, maybe we can negotiate', she heard.

She didn't turn her face to him - even though it was Shang Tsung, who could backstab her or have his men abduct her, she didn't care. As long as he didn't see her face covered in blood and tears, everything was fine.

'What do you want from me? I am your bitch anyway, I know you will never give me freedom. So fuck off.', She told him.

'Yes you are.' Even though she never heard him swearing, that confirmation that he indeed sees her as his property made her even more angry. Shang Tsung continued, 'I am here to offer you freedom. As you see, our interests align, and a deal could be done. I just need you to do me a favour, if you are interested of course.'

'Cut the bullshit and tell me already. I have no time for your elaborate introductions.'

'I need you ma'am to defeat Liu Kang.'

'He's just a Shaolin boy, are you scared of him? I thought a man so powerful like you could handle him himself.'

'I like my life as it is now, ma'am. Mr Liu seeks to defeat you - never trust these boys from the Shaolin order. Do you think yours and his goals are the same?'

'We want you to fuck off and that's all, creep. You will not get into my head.'

'He was sent here to depose me - and he is focused on his mission alone. All you have done - your ridiculous agreement is only because that little boy is afraid of dying. If the Shaolin told him to kill you, he certainly would. I think they even taught him that specific technique of theirs, where you cause as much pain as possible before killing. Are you certain that he actually has any honour? I would disagree. He only cares about his order - about you, not at all. I, however, want to prevent him from causing you further pain - if you defeat him and send him home, be it alive or dead, I will grant you freedom and for your men.'

'How should I know you will keep your part of deal?'

'I hold all the best cards already, Miss Blade. You can disagree, but you still fight Liu Kang tomorrow. Then, even if you win, you would have to face many more challenges, and I don't think that Mr Sub-Zero, or Mr Scorpion will hesitate to kill you. They were born killers.'

'I can handle them.'

'Or be it Lord Raiden. Have you seen a man win a fight against a god? Because from what I see, he is really enjoying this tournament - as he knows that no one can challenge him. Not even that snotty Shaolin who is arrogant beyond belief.'

Shang Tsung saw the change in Sonya's mood - he has broken her. She finally agreed to fight Liu Kang and not yield, in exchange for her freedom. Which may finally not be obtained at all, as she didn't trust Tsung - but she had no choice. When the host disappeared, she felt that weird feeling that she feels no pain and body damage, at least physically. Psychologically, she was ripped to pieces.

The fight took place in Shang Tsung's palace, full of ornaments and red carpets and columns. He preferred it that way - he wanted to be sure that she and Kang won't plot against him. Fight between them was bitter - both knew that they are fighting for their people first, and that their friendship was perhaps something temporary. Sonya however, could not force herself to brutalise Liu like Kano - even though she fought for freedom since she enlisted in the Special Forces, she valued friendship - she also saw that Liu is conflicted in his soul and certainly pulls his punches. Seeing no further sense in her life, Blade made the decision - she set herself to recieve a punch in the jaw from Liu Kang. Angry Tsung, seeing that she failed him, yelled to Shaolin that he must finish her. Sonya started begging the victor to do it - as she feels empty, broken and without any honour left, having made a deal with that 'old psychopath'. Liu Kang stared at her with utmost shock - she betrayed him, yet she looked at him with utter shame and resembled not the Blade he has met earlier, full of pride and determination. Frustrated enough, the host grabbed his sword and pulled it out, saying only 'I will finish you myself then.' Unexpected happened. That 'snotty, arrogant boy', hugged her and replied to him 'I WILL NOT LET YOU KILL HER', as if he wanted to get slashed by the sword instead of her. Shang retreated and ordered the guards to take her away. Sonya returned the hug, telling to Liu that 'Thank you. You are my good friend. Please defeat him.' She looked like she would sob in any second.

'I will save you. I will beat him and I promise you I will wrestle your freedom back. Be strong.' he assured her. Then, the guards went in and took her away.

CHAPTER 6: THE LADDER, PART II

Although the fight did not end in the old man's favour entirely, the results were satisfying enough - he has seen the Shaolin's chosen with a conflict in his heart. He is not as strong as he considered himself to be. That conflict was certainly a chance to exploit and break him before he poses any further threat. Shang Tsung also thought about Johnny Cage - he is also dangerous, but others don't see it, which amused the host. Johnny's aura suggested that he has a true warrior's heart - despite behaving like an immature manchild. There was also something unusual about his aura itself - it manifested some kind of 'green energy', whatever that was. Shang immediately realised what must be done - he has to pit Liu Kang against Johnny Cage so he has only one threat to deal with against of two. He knew that Scorpion and Sub-Zero were not that much of a threat - and also knew that Raiden can be dealt with. In fact, he needed Raiden the most. If only he could kill him - and take his soul - the soul of the god - then he would become a god himself. He would ascend to the pantheon of gods and have a greater influence than ever. That would come with a risk, of course. Taking a god's soul could be too much to bear for Shang Tsung, and rip his body to pieces. But risks are to be taken if you want to have what you want.

The host approached Sub-Zero when he was meditating and started analising his soul - something was not right about him. He needed to investigate immediately. Could it be that this man had his special abilities? After all, his nickname, 'Sub-Zero', indicated that he was a cryomancer, a very rare type of human. The Lin Kuei clan surely have to be proud of him, although considering he is a thief and an assassin, they can't boast about him too much, even though there are legends around all the world about this 'Sub-Zero'. Shang Tsung started talking to the cryomancer and offered him a life of luxury and riches and all he would wish for - in exchange for abandoning Lin Kuei and service to Tsung. After all the elaborate arguments and depicitons of what the assassin could have - the only reply was

'My loyalty is to Lin Kuei only.'

Even though that reply angered the host deeply, as Sub-Zero could be a very powerful asset, it was only a ploy to read his mind - something Shang could easily do with others, sensing their auras and using them against people. But cryomancer's souls are harder, much harder to read - the only thing that could be sensed was that something is very off. Did he choose to side with Liu Kang? Why exactly is he here for? The Lin Kuei surely are not that stupid enough to send their best assassin into a tournament which they know is rigged by its host. Whatever Sub-Zero and the Lin Kuei are plotting, it is for the best that he is dealt with.

'Tomorrow you will fight Scorpion. If you take my offer, I can rig the fight so you win easily and don't die.'

Having heard no reply at all, be it verbal or nonverbal, Shang Tsung vanished. Sub-Zero however, despite being always cold and calculated, knew that his mission must be done quickly - the sorcerer is very powerful and even worse, he suspects him. He thought about this snake's offer - would it be truly worse than what he wanted, which was a retirement and peaceful life? After a few moments, he made his choice. He will complete his task, flee the island and end the life of an assassin.

The fight took place in the kourtyard. The choice was not a coincidence - Shang Tsung knew that Scorpion wanted to kill Sub-Zero. Not only kill, but humiliate him also, so everyone sees the fall of the legendary Lin Kuei. Scorpion, seeing his nemesis on stage, almost leaped at him before the fight even started - he had every reason to hate him. Some time ago, the Lin Kuei marked the Japanese ninja to be murdered. They wanted be sure that the job was done, so they sent Sub-Zero after him and ordered the decapitation of the rival's clan member. Scorpion now roams the Earth as an undead spirit of vengance - he is here only to kill that blue bastard who separated him from his loving wife and child, who he will surely never see again - he is not a human anymore. He is a dead man walking, existing to avenge his death. Which can be done now. After the host calls the fight to begin, Sub-Zero stands calmly and waits for his clearly unbalanced emotionally foe. He tries to read his moves. When there is a chance, Sub-Zero strikes at Scorpion with his slide attack, which takes his enemies by surprise - but this time, the surprised one is the Lin Kuei assassin himself, as yellow ninja completely disappears, like he was made of ash. Blue warrior gets hit in the back of the head by teleporting enemy, which makes everyone awe. The fight is now balanced, as both kombatants have their supernatural abilities. It worries Sub-Zero deeply - what else can Scorpion do now? After bloody fight between the two, Scorpion reaches his Kunai and throws it, targeting his enemy. He yells 'GET OVER HERE' and starts pulling the string, hoping to pummel him to death. The last chance. With the rest of his power, the cryomancer shoots an ice orb into the spectre - and freezes his body so he can't move. With his last breath he kicks Scorpion in the jaw, knocking him out and winning the fight. This time, Shang Tsung does not pressure the assassin to rip the spine off - he needs the undead for his bidding and who said that Sub-Zero can't later 'accidentally' meet Scorpion who will gladly slit his throat? The Lin Kuei looked at Liu Kang and Johnny - he had a deal with them. He will surely fight both of them or one of them soon. They are not to be underestimated. But they seem like honorable men, who defied the host earlier - so he spares Scorpion now, and they spare him in case he loses the fight. Having made his choice, he stops choking his rival and raises his fist with pride, signaling to his for-now allies, that the deal is still in effect.

Next fight is now between Liu Kang and Johnny - taking place in The Pit. Shang Tsung certainly knew what he was doing - he pitted them both here, so they fight on a narrow bridge with spikes below, which must result in death of either movie star or the Shaolin. Before the fight, Johnny winks at Liu. Also, he notices something strange on the moon. Looks like Santa Claus. Not that it matters now, but it was very funny to him. As a surprise to Liu, he beats his friend effortlessly, leading to a double flawless victory. Not wanting to throw Cage off the bridge, sending him to a dishonorable death by spikes already dirty with corpses, he tries to punch him so that he falls flat on bridge. Unfortunately, Cage slips. Liu quickly grabbed him and even though technically it would be a fatality, he pulled him back on the bridge. He knew what Johnny did - he yielded the fight, but didn't tell anything to his friend. Needless to say, he did it perfectly. 'No wonder he has won so many acting awards', Kang thought, but didn't admit it. He said to Johnny

'You are a hero and a friend for sure, but a dumb one.'

Johnny just winked. 'I already did everything what I wanted in life. You however, have that saggy bony ass to kick - for your Shaolin bros. Don't fail it!' he winked again.

'Mr Liu, I think that fight has been done unfairly, very unfairly. You jeopardise my tournament and make mockery of it. I think that a punishment is in order.'

As the punishment, Kang was sent to the bottom of the Pit. The smell of rotting corpses there was unberable, so unberable that he almost puked. He noticed easily the way out - the door leading to stairs. Dumbened by the odor, he tried to escape - only to get kicked in the stomach and flying few meters. He has never seen that guy before, not before, not during the tournament. He looked a bit like Scorpion and Sub-Zero, but... green? Liu was trying to focus, trying to figure out whether this ninja is not one of them, but he only yelled

'YOU HAVE FOUND ME'

'NOW PROVE YOURSELF!!'

He was unlike anything before. Never has Liu Kang fought someone so fast, so strong, so unpredictable. He had to watch out for both Kunai attacks as well as slides similar to those used by Sub-Zero. The mysterious warrior could also disappear and appear somewhere else, just like Scorpion. In fact, he could be both of them at the same time. Could it be so improbable, after everything they saw here on the island? But the time for thinking was later. For now, he had to defeat his opponent, who could be victorious. Shaolin count on Kang. Johnny and Sonya count on Kang. Liu Kang counts on Kang. Failure is not an option. The teared skin on chest and back brought much pain to our Shaolin - he had to focus, use that pain and not panic. After a battle against much skilled, faster, stronger, unpredictable fighter, Liu somehow emerged victorious. How? He does not know himself. Could it be the importance of his quest? Could it be the power of friendship? Could it be sheer luck? He thought on luck as the most probable, considering that his skin is full of wounds by the sharp nails of the green ninja and is out of breath. He has proven himself just like was asked by the mysterious man. He came up to him, bowed and asked 'I defeated you, even though you proved to be a serious challenge. I want to know your name.'

'You have defeated Reptile.' the ninja said and tried to stand up, but could not because of sprained ankle.

CHAPTER 7: ICE AND THUNDER

Having returned from the Pit, everyone was shocked to see Liu Kang so wounded and struggling to move. Raiden smiled. He relished in the thought of killing the kombatant soon. He already knows how he will do it - he will use his powers to reduce him to ash - so that every single human bows to Lord Raiden as they should. He was bored with the tournament - as the god among men, he defeated them without any trouble. Why should he be limited to humans, when he could just depose Shang Tsung himself and make a tournament for gods? For him, the sorcerer was a waste of breath who tries to appeal the thunder god, surely because a god taking part of a tournament raises the prestige of the event.

Kang was angered to hear that he will fight Sub-Zero very soon - this time, it's the first challenger of the seven kombatants, who is not his friend - it's up to debate whether the assassin will honour his part of the agreement and not just slay him. Also, he was a very skilled, adapting fighter - but also he is here clearly for something else rather than victory in the tournament. He decided to go to Johnny, asking whether he could train him further.

'Have you seen Ninja Mime?' asked the actor.

'Does it have anything with fighting? Because if not, then stop'

'Yeah it does. Can you please let me finish? Besides, you should watch it when you come back from the island, maybe show your Shaolin bros'

'Why for? I don't get it. You are already popular in America. You want to export yourself to Chinese Market?'

'Liu-Liu, don't take this as an offence, but you are like a book when you fight. I can read you easily.'

'So what? I have won every fight so far!', Liu Kang now became unreasonably cocky.

'I beat your ass fair and square China Boy', Johnny became irritated by Liu's ignorance, especially because he knew that even if Sub-Zero spares him, Raiden will not. Shang Tsung will not.

'During the sparring. That does not count.'

'Dude you want to win? Then take my advice. In my movie, the titular Ninja Mime was unpredictable - he did what everyone thought he would not do, and presented himself as wacky and goofy, and yet kicked everyone's ass. Why? Because his enemies underestimated him and thought of him as not a threat. Be like water, just like Bruce Lee said. You kinda look like him, you know?'

'But how do I become unpredictable?'

'Be like me.'

The fight between two Chinese men in the palace was a torture to watch for Shang Tsung. Looking at them, both waiting for the other one to do something, was boring. It was tiring. Tedious. Frustrating. They both stood still and have not moved one bit. Then Liu Kang started stepping slowly forward. He also learned about other martial art, called 'the drunken fist', but as he did not want to embarass himself, he started to pretend that his leg is hurting very much and that he is immobile. He put all of his heart in the act - making Sub-Zero believe that he can strike, only to have this round won by Liu, who surprised him by casting a flame from his hands. Next round Sub-Zero got the upper hand by waiting so much time that Liu lost his temper and tried to knockout the assassin. It resulted in round 3 lasting without a single punch for two hours, as both of them knew that patience is the key. They stood still, both with their guard up. The breaking point was when they both fired their orbs, resulting in vapor covering the room. This was when both of them fought fiercely, ultimately leading to Liu Kang's victory. To his surprise, the Lin Kuei assassin got up and bowed to him. Sub-Zero knew that now Shang Tsung now will have to focus on rigging the tournament to eliminate Liu Kang and that gives the Lin Kuei the time and space to do what he was sent here for, as now no one can challenge him to the fight.

Few days later, it was finally announced that Liu Kang will fight the god Raiden. Johnny was very worried about this fight. Even though he believed in his friend, he knew that Raiden is no joking matter - even for someone who laughs about everything. The fight will take place in the Warriors' Shrine - where every kombatant got his statue. In the middle, there was a statue which depicted a giant muscled man with four arms. Liu Kang, having looked at the statue, thought 'I haven't seen him before. That must be the legendary Goro, who defeated Kung Lao. I better be prepared for him.'

Raiden arrived to the fight an hour late - he knew he will not be disqualified as Shang Tsung needs him, so he did not need to bother. Kang bowed before the fight as always to show the respect to the thunder god who will now kombat him - in return, he got none of that respect back. The fight started poorly for Liu Kang - a god in human form who was taller than him by about a feet (around 35cm) wiped the arena with him by just flying and tossing him around. Raiden toyed with him like a sadist who tortures bugs before frying them with sunrays. Round 2 was in favour of Liu, who pretended to be afraid and scared and waited for Raiden to fly to him so he could grab him and use his weight against him, tossing him to these statues. One of these tosses hurt thunder god's back badly - he was now struggling to walk and kick and every punch he threw made him fell pain. Shaolin then ended the round by punching Raiden's chest as hard as he could. Something cracked in Raiden's psyche - during round 3, he started teleporting whenever Liu tried to punch him. Liu Kang decided than to change his tactic, as he is dealing with a god - a cowardly one for sure, but still powerful. He started to stand still, hoping for Raiden to try his flying-yelling gimmick once more so he can throw him to the ground and defeat ultimately. Raiden however, started walking slowly to Shaolin, trying to make advantage of being much taller and having further arm reach. It's now or never - Liu Kang pointed at his chest and asked loudly 'HEY WHAT'S THAT ON YOUR CHEST?!' and when Raiden looked down and leaned forward, he was hit with an uppercut to the jaw - so fast and powerful - that he made few steps back and collapsed. Knowing it's the time, Kang quickly ran and placed his foot on god's throat.

'I told you about the risk of arrogance - I could kill you now just by crushing your throat. Yield.'

'FINISH HIM!!!' Shang Tsung screamed so loudly it pierced everyone's ears. He knew that now even though totally unexpected, this outcome is now even more beneficial. Liu Kang kills Raiden, Shang Tsung steals Raiden's soul and becomes a god. That boy just needs to push his heel further down.

'Yield. SAY IT!!! You challenged me and you lost, I won.'

'I... I y-yield.' exclaimed defeated Raiden. He lost. He has lost. He has lost. He will go mad soon.

'I want you to remember this fight forever. Just so you remember that you are not invincible. That if you ever come back to corrupt this tournament, I WILL beat you into submission again.' After making this threat, Liu took the heel from the throat and bowed respectfully after the fight. Raiden just went up, took his hat and put it back on his head, and flew away, humiliated forever.

'Send me to the Mortal Kombat current champion, Shang Tsung. I defeated all the challengers and by the rules, I DEMAND YOU GIVE ME GORO!' Kang started talking to Tsung with voice full of determination.

'You will not fight him yet. You have a next fight in three days.'

Johnny immediately ran up to his friend and told him 'You are now truly unpredictable warrior, Liu-Liu. You showed that jobber god his place. Though I never thought I would see a god defeated by gimmick I used in 'Ninja Mime', I am talking seriously'.

'I learn from the best' replied the Shaolin and smiled.

Meanwhile Tsung checked the underground of his palace to examine if the surprise he has for the kombatant soon is ready. Looked like it was. He hoped that it will kill him, or at least cripple him. That boy became too dangerous.

The next fight took place in the Kourtyard again, with everyone nervously awaiting that secret kombatant. Everyone was shocked. It was a mirror match, although no one could explain, how is it possible to have two Liu Kangs on the same arena. The original proved better than a copy, which resulted in copy laying on the ground and turning into dust. Who knew if that was the only sorcery made by Shang Tsung? Can he make the clones of other kombatants? Could he make a clone of himself? Now his magic abilities were confirmed, only making him more menacing as both the fighter and schemer. And yet, Liu Kang was not given a fight with Goro yet. He has three other challenges coming up before he has a chance to try to defeat the giant.

CHAPTER 8: RIGGED TOURNAMENT

Next fight was postponed very greatly, although no one knew, why. No one even bother to ask the host of the reason. Meanwhile night before the fight, much more happened. The guards started dropping dead - someone killed them. Whoever did it, made it flawlessly. No footsteps could be found, but the fact alone that someone breached the palace without noticing was very worrying for Shang Tsung. He realised that he is being hunted. By whom exactly? He hoped that it's not Raiden, no matter how delighted he was by seeing him defeated. Maybe these Special Forces came for Sonya? Maybe the Lin Kuei? Their Japanese counterparts? Now not only the lavish luxurious lifestyle was endangered - but the sorcerer's life itself. He has to solve it before something truly terrifying happens.

He runs quickly to the Warrior's Shrine, patiently waiting for his armed men to come. His breath was heave, heart pummeling, skin full of sweat. Then, he felt a chill on his body. To be more exact, all his body was now frozen to the bone. A punch shattered his body and frozen head taken. Sub-Zero now knew he has to run. NOW. He completed his task - he assassinated Shang Tsung, as ordered by one of his wealthy enemies. Now it's time to escape, while he has time. Unfortunately for him, it ran out.

'I have always heard the legends about the assassin cryomancer', said Shang Tsung. He somehow is in a jump distance from Sub-Zero, grinning devilishly as never before. 'I know you are the best of the Lin Kuei - and needless to say, you performed very well, both on the Kourtyard, and now, enacting a flawless assassination. The problem is, I have survived every single one assassination. Had you taken my offer, you would have lived peacefully. Maybe under my heel, but you would be safe under my influence. Now that I know you were sent here to kill me, I hereby end my hospitality I had for you. Shame on you, Sub-Zero.'

After this monologue, Tsung snapped his fingers, ordering Reptile to kill the cryomancer. The fight was now to the death - even though the assassin proved to be a very formidable warrior and fighter, he was bested by sorcerer's bodyguard.

Reptile looked at Tsung, waiting for an order.

'Let him go.' said the old man and again snapped his fingers, making Sub-Zero completely unable to move. He was now stiff like these statues. 'I know Scorpion is somewhere here. He will soon find you, bore you to death with his monologue about vengance and then, finish you for good. Have a nice day.' Shang Tsung laughed loud and left with Reptile. As he said, soon after Scorpion came up to his nemesis, handed to him on a silver platter. He walked around him, thinking of best way to enact revenge. Should he use his spectre powers and burn him? Or maybe he should rip his head with his spine? Or just torture him, mutilating his body? Suddenly, Sub-Zero punched Scorpion and tried to run away, seemingly breaking away from the spell Shang Tsung cast on him. Scorpion though reappeared in front of Sub-Zero.

'To the death.' said calmly cryomancer and reaching for his short dao, he fought to death with his nemesis one last time. Severely wounded after previous fight, he was bested this time and waited for Scorpion to kill him. The spectre took off its mask, now revealing that there was only a skull under. Scorpion exhaled a huge flame at Lin Kuei warrior, burning him to death. His revenge was now complete. Unfortunately for him, he will never rest again.

Liu Kang was shocked to face a duet of Sub-Zero and Scorpion, always having thought of them as mortal enemies. But, as the kombat further proved, they were clones, just like his mirror match was. Next fight, with quasi Sonya-Kano duo only proved that further. The third endurance match was something he feared greatly - he knew that Tsung will pit him against Cage-Raiden clones duo. He didn't know if he will beat them - he knew that no tournament would allow clones, but that is now that psychopath's event - he freely does whatever he wants, playing with other people's lives like they are toys.

When that fight came, it was clear that the host uses psychological wafare against Liu Kang. He brought Sonya Blade, now in chains, looking like she didn't eat for a week. It angered the Shaolin and thought of beating the sorcerer with a stick. The clones came to the palace, much to the Johnny's disappointment that his clone looks so ugly. He hires better body doubles than whatever was now standing in front of Kang. The fight was very tough, even though a cloned Raiden was much weaker than original. Also the cloned Cage did not have not only his charm and looks, but the original had skills and talent that the doppleganger did not. After emerging victorious, Liu Kang just stood and stared at the sorcerer, speaking firmly

'I think Goro is hungry for a fight. Either allow me to fight him or yield the tournament!'

Shang thought carefully before he said anything. His gimmicks were now limited. He lost kombatants, his clones. He has no other choice.

'You will fight Goro. TOMORROW AT THE DAWN!'

The perspective of fighting the Goro himself made Liu Kang very anxious. The Great Kung Lao was bested by him - so why should he, Liu Kang, a 24-year old Shaolin boy be any different? Even though he won every fight in the tournament, he knew that nothing was guaranteed.

Suddenly during the night, both he and Johnny were surrounded by men in dark clothes, who reached for their daggers. Among them, one had red glowing eye - it was Kano.

'Son of a BITCH' whispered Johnny.

'How are you even walking?' asked Liu Kang.

'Well, the Shangy knows somethin' 'bout the Chinese medicine, mate' Kano laughed. 'Allright boys, KILL THEM'

Both Liu and Johnny knew that their best option was to escape, as fighting bare-handed against multiple opponents armed with daggers is going to end in their deaths. By pure luck and clear mind, they escaped, knowing that now they will be searched for. Friends decided to hide and pick the assassins one by one, having no chance in open fight. Liu Kang was barely controlling his anger. By now, he wanted to slit Shang Tsung's throat open, for making this island a living hell, despite how beautiful it was. Torturing Sonya, making up rules just to remain the host, sending clones to fight, it was all disgusting to the Shaolin. They defeated the assassins by surprise, leaving only Kano.

'It's me and you boys', he smiled, as he attacked them both with his knives. They had to be careful - one successful slash could kill them. Kano was also stronger and faster than usually - not only he has his knee miraculously healed, he looks younger than he used to and his muscles are more defined. Now it was Johnny's time to shine - he came up to Kano, and punched his testicles so hard, that Kano collapsed on the ground and couldn't move. Johnny pummelled his face - out of sheer anger that because of this scumbag, Sonya is now tortured in Shang Tsung's palace. That he tried to kill them. He spat at him, as he detested him completely.

CHAPTER 9: THE FINALE

It was the dawn, finally. It angered Tsung to see that Shaolin brat alive - what he didn't know was that Cage went to free Sonya from imprisonment. Even if he knew, he wouldn't bother - he will lose the tournament soon, if Goro fails. Walking with Liu Kang to the Goro's lair, he started talking.

'It will be great honour for you, Liu Kang, to be ripped to pieces by him. He is hungry for you.'

'How could you know?'

'Your Shaolin masters never told you how Goro defeated Kung Lao? Of course they wouldn't tell you, otherwise you would never come here'

'So? How did he die?'

'He tore all his limbs, slowly and ate him alive. Goro told me that Lao cried for mercy and begged to be spared, like a pathetic weakling he was. The legends are not true. Your hero Lao was a weak man, both in heart and the body. You are no match for him'

'You are afraid, Shang Tsung.'

'Of you?'

'Yes. You are afraid that I will win. That sending clones against me was not sufficient and your assassins failed. That no matter who I fought, I won.'

'Nobody who has challenged Goro, has lived after.'

'You are afraid that I will. You cannot hide it.' said Liu Kang, looking Tsung in his eyes. He knew that he has to be sure of himself, if he intends to win.

Finally, he entered the Lair. The sorcerer was right. Many bones were thrown around, although it was not sure if these were kombatants or just Goro liked to eat human meat. Finally, Goro and Liu Kang met. After bowing to Goro with respect, he told him

'Goro, I am here to challenge you in Mortal Kombat. You will be defeated.'

'I am very pleased to hear that.' exclaimed Goro. Even though he was a monster, an ancient human-dragon hybrid, there was something noble and high-class about his manners.

'Before we fight, I want you to ask one thing. You fought with King Lao himself. How did the fight end?' Liu hoped for an honest answer.

'He was a great warrior. He had been fighting fiercely and honorably. Even though I finished him, he looked me in the eye when I snapped his neck. He was brave till the end.'

'Why did you kill him?'

'Shang Tsung asked me to.'

'Five hundred years ago?'

'Exactly.'

It made Liu Kang feel uneasy, fearing that Shang Tsung may end up even harder to beat than Goro. What ultimately matters now, however, is defeating Goro.

'Worry not, Shaolin. I will give you a warrior's death.'

For Liu, it mattered not whether he died or not. If he fails now, he can die anyway. He started casting flames at Goro, which only angered him. Halfdragon tried to stomp him to the ground, without much sucess. Liu knew that fighting Goro in close distance means death - he is even taller than Raiden by a huge margin, he also has four arms, rendering many techniques he learned useless. But then, Shaolin saw the giant jumping. When he landed, the ground trembled and Kang fell on the floor. He was grabbed by the throat and was told 'It is fine. When you die, you will be remembered as the Great Liu Kang, who progressed that far in the tournament.' He interrupted Goro by casting a flame targeting his eyes. Monster screamed in pain, holding his face with one hand, and using three others to hit the man. Liu attacked his knees, knowing that if he manages to do that, then he will make Goro immobile. When one of the knees popped, Liu started casting fireballs at him, hoping to enrage the monster, who is now partially blind and with only one leg working. However, Goro hit him in his head with backhand - Liu is now feeling dizzy, trying to hold himself on both feet. He finally gathers all strength he has and using the Flying Kick, he kicks Goro's jaw. Goro is defeated.

In the same time, Johnny Cage is now the action man - not just playing one of these. After taking away Kano's knives and equipment, he sneaks to the palace and fights off the remaining guards one by one, using his skills from the movie sets. He proves himself capable by his skills in use of naginatas, bows, and arts of distraction. He found her. Releasing her from hostage, he tells her

'Liu Kang is fighting Goro now. If he makes it, then Shang Tsung is defeated for good.'

Sonya has smiled for the first time in many days, as she is tortured in both physical and psychological ways. When freed, she however quickly returns to life and her former self, telling Johnny

'I am not your damsel in danger. We both go and free my men. You up?'

'Hell yeah I am!'

They go to the dungeon in which Sonya's men were held and they both prove themselves to be a really working team, despite looking like from two different worlds. He turned out to be a mature man, who can be serious and practical when the time comes, she on the other hand has a sens of humour, even when they are fighting Tsung's guards.

In the Lair, Tsung is surprised to see Goro laying unconscious on the ground. Liu Kang looks at him with a stare full of passon and desire for that final confrontation.

'Shang Tsung!' Liu yelled. 'I have defeated all your kombatants. You are alone now. No one can fight your fight. Be a man, and face me in Mortal Kombat!'

It was a very dangerous move to make. He was directly after his fight with Goro and was hit in the head - he is certainly not in the best condition to fight him. On the other hand, it's now or never. If he does not fight him now, that coward will certainly make more clones. Send more assassins. Heal Goro and throw him again against him. He can't let that happen.

'You are sure? You cannot win this fight. I have the sould of Great Kung Lao - of all other great fighters and warriors - their souls only make me more powerful. You will become one of them. I will use your soul to kill more Shaolin. It's your last time to yield, boy.'

'I am sure. You enslaved my friend. You sucked the soul of Kung Lao. You tried to kill me in dishonorable ways - only because you are a coward, who is afraid to fight! Why would you need all these souls if you have no bravery of any of them!

When Shang Tsung tried replying, Kang interrupted him, saying 'No more talking. FIGHT!'

'So be it.' replied Tsung and summoned a fire skull, directed at Liu Kang. It was so fast that Shaolin couldn't dodge it - it knocked him on the ground. Sorcerer laughed loudly, although with uncertainity in his voice. 'The supposed champion, who loses to an kind, elderly man? Are you sure you do not want to yield?' Hearing that Liu says something, but very quietly, he decided to approach him, hoping for his opponent to yield, even though on his knees and breathing heavily. Which was a mistake on his part, as young man only faked his condition - he got up on his feet quickly and punched the sorcerer in his face with great force.

'Nice one, child. You are not the only one with tricks though.' said the host, changing his appearance to Scorpion.

'What?!' asked Kang, fearing what his enemy could also do. He became even more determined to defeat him. His hopes of shapeshifting being just the facade have failed - Tsung copied abilities as well, so he constantly teleported as Scorpion, much to Liu's frustraton. He didn't fight Scorpion in this tournament, so he cannot use tactics from the fight. He has seen how Sub-Zero defeated Scorpion however, so he stood and patiently waited for that cowardly sorcerer to finally attack. When there was an occasion, he kicked Tsung in his stomach with full force. That unfortunately, didn't make him lay on the ground. He changed his form to Raiden, hoping that if he uses his quasi powers, then he will toss Kang to the ground and kill him. That also failed, with Shang changing his form to other kombatants, sometimes in the middle of the blow. Managing to strike the Shaolin's prodigy a copule of times, he changed into his basic form and started summoning fire skull one after another, so Liu gets killed by them. However now with Kang knowing of these skulls, he actually managed to dodge them.

'You see, you can't win! Surrender and I will spare you, boy!'

'You are sweating.' calmly replied Liu Kang, throwing the sorcerer off the balance. He knew he can win. He knew that he must win.

Then, Tsung changed his form into Goro. Liu hoped that it was the best he could do and not turn into some demon form.

After a long fight with gimmick using Shang Tsung, they both realised that this is the end and one of them ends up defeated. The host changed his form from one to another, but he could not decide which should he use. Liu Kang however decided that it's now or never - and by the Flying Kick he knocked Tsung on the ground, barely conscious.

'SAY IT! YIELD!' yelled at the defeated.

Victor noticed that sorcerer's body is convulting and shaking - at first he thought that he damaged his brain, but then he realised that the trapped souls escape the body - among them, the one of Kung Lao. The ancient warrior manifested himself in a form visible to Kang and saying not one word, he bowed to him, and spread into air.

Liu Kang then found Johnny and Sonya, who managed to apprehend Kano and contact with a ship near the island - the trio was finally saved, and the tournament returned to the Shaolin. Shang Tsung died of old age - as he lived more than five hundred years, these souls were his life support. Raiden was not seen around mortals ever again, and there were rumours about Scorpion being seen in Japan. Kano ended up in max security prison. Sub-Zero's loss was mourned among other Lin Kuei assassins, who pledged to hunt down Scorpion and avenge their brother. Sonya was promoted in the army. Johnny Cage has made a movie 'Mortal Kombat', with many successful sequels. Liu Kang studied the previous Mortal Kombat tournaments, restoring pride and honour they had once.

THE END

[magicalqueennightmare]

Sins & Amends Chapter 32

Billy Russo x Female Reader (60 part story)

This follows pre- the punisher into the storyline of daredevil, punisher season 1 and beyond

This is NOT Canon Billy. This is decent human being Billy left with bad options over worse decisions

This was also posted to A03 under: WaywardGaPeach. That account and this one is the only place you'll see me post this. If you see it on any other platform/account know it's not me.

Chapter Summary/Warnings: While chasing a lead down Frank ends up saving the life of Special Agent Dinah Madani who also has stake in what happened in Kandahar

The longer the clock ticked by without you hearing anything from Frank the more worried you got. You knew he could handle himself in pretty much any situation but this whole cover-up, everything that had happened in the last year was so much bigger than you had ever thought possible.

With everything Frank had told you about Kandahar and with the S.A.C. for New York being involved you didn't know just who Frank would be going up against or if Micro could be trusted.

You were making the beds in the bunk room, trying to stay busy. Alice walked in behind you and flopped down on her bunk "So what are your plans for tonight or does Matt have you wrapped up?" You laughed and shook your head "We don't have any plans currently why?"

She shrugged "Me and Kenz were wondering if maybe you wanted to come out to dinner with us? Matt can come too or Karen" you stopped what you were doing and cut your eyes back at her "Is Kenzie's mom in town? That's normally when you drag me around to be a buffer" she grinned and said "Possibly but she loves you! I swear at times she wishes Kenz was engaged to you instead of me" 

"She does not!" You argued but added "What time and where? I'll check Karen and Matt's schedule to see who'll be easier to drag along with me" she jumped up and pulled you into a hug "I love you! Around seven? I'll text you the address!" She walked out dialing Kenzie's number. You shook your head and went back to finishing making the beds considering you only had two left then inventory of the rig before Ash and Riley would be in to take over.

---------------------

You dialed Karen's number as you were walking into your apartment. Matt had already agreed to go with you to dinner, which considering him and Foggy had both known Kenzie since she was in med school and they were in law school was a plus for you and Alice both.

"Hey Y/N!" She greeted and you could almost hear the nervous smile in her voice. "Everything's fine Kare. Breathe" you replied sitting your med bag down in the closet and kicking your work boots off. "Thank god. Ok what's up?" You took a breath then said "Wanna get together tomorrow night? We can go out and get a drink or just hang out at one of our apartments"

"Sure! Sounds good actually!" She said so you glanced around then said "I'll call you later. I've gotten roped into dinner with Alice's future mother in law so I begged Matt to come too. I've got to find something to wear" "Good luck with that" she laughed then added "If you need me just call" before she said goodbye and hung up.

-----------------------

You were sitting between Matt and Alice across from Barbara, Kenzie's mom and her step dad Anthony. "Y/N how have you been sweetie?" You managed a smile when you felt both Alice and Matt squeeze your knee closest to them. 

"I'm good. I mean there's days that's still rough but between Alice, Kenzie, Matt and a few other friends I don't really get to far in my own head before one of them pulls me out" Kenzie shot you a smile before Alice said "She's always been there for all of us" Barbara actually smiled then said "I'm glad Kenzie found Alice. They have their own little family here with all of you" 

The rest of dinner was quite pleasant even though Barbara made sure to ask you twice if you were going to be one of Alice's attendants or one of Kenzie's. "I'll just fill in wherever they need me" you answered with a smile. When the check came Anthony ended up paying for everyone even though you and Matt offered to pay your own bill. "Nonsense. It was good to catch up with both of you along with these two" he said nodding back towards Alice and Kenzie. 

-----------------

When all of you walked out the restaurant Alice and Kenzie were headed to drop Barbara and Anthony back off at their motel so after a round of goodbyes in the parking lot you and Matt watched them drive off before starting to walk towards his place

You had your arm through his and were enjoying the cool night air. "How was your shift?" He asked after a few blocks of silence. You half smiled "We didn't lose anyone so I count that as a damn good shift" he nodded and said "I agree" 

You were starting to do that over thinking thing a lot more recently where Matt was concerned. Mainly the fact that if he wasn't sleeping with you regularly would that open him up to finding something longer lasting? You'd be lying to say you didn't care about Matt, hell you loved him but the love you had for him was the same love you had for Karen,Foggy or Alice. He was your friend and you found comfort in his arms more than one night but more and more you were wondering if maybe you were being selfish and a few startling thoughts about you acting like Billy by continuing to sleep with someone when it was obvious the two of you weren't meant to be together as a couple.

"You're thinking pretty loud over there. I don't need to see your face to know you probably have that little wrinkle between your eyes that pops up when your thoughts get a little too loud"  you glanced at him and saw he was turned a little towards you as you walked. You laid your head over on his shoulder with a sigh "Frank's birthday is tomorrow" it was true that you'd been thinking about that even if it wasn't everything you'd been thinking of. "Oh. Do you wanna do something?" You smiled at the offer "Actually Karen has me claimed for tomorrow night" he smiled then and said "Guess that means I should enjoy having you tonight then huh?"

By then you were at his place so you laughed and said "Exactly Mr Murdock"

--------------------

Matt had court the next morning so after you got breakfast with him you headed home. You needed to call Curtis and see if he'd heard anything and just to think for a little while. 

When Curtis told you that he hadn't heard anything from Frank you decided to try the tracking app for the burner phone you'd thrown into Micro's trunk but that proved fruitless. You should've known Frank would've spotted it and disabled it to keep you out of things for now at least. You knew he just wanted to protect you, even with Maria gone he felt that was his job as far as you were concerned but dammit you wanted to help him.

----------------------

There was nothing you could do but wait. You ended up going to the aquarium and wandering from tank to tank for a couple hours. During the week like this was a bit calmer than when you used to come with Maria and the kids. You still half expected to hear one of their voices calling you to come look at something.

You hadn't noticed the time until your phone started ringing and you saw it was Karen "Your place or mine? I'll get the wine, you grab the takeout" was the first thing out her mouth and that pulled a laugh from you. "Well if wine is involved wanna come to my place? I do have a spare bedroom if you need to crash" she laughed and said "Meet you in an hour" before hanging up.

--------------------------

Two hours and a bottle of wine later you had Karen laughing while you recounted a story from one of your trips to the cabin with the Castles. "I swear I didn't know there was poison ivy but him and Billy both swore I did it on purpose!" 

She covered her mouth with her hand and you could see tears in the corner of her eyes as she laughed "God it's hard to imagine Frank like that" you nodded, taking another sip of wine "That man's still in there. He just has a wall built up. I see the old Frank at times. When he tells me to be careful, when he talks to you and can't help a little smile peeking out, anytime he says attagirl" 

She sighed and laid her head over on her hand "Do you think it'll ever be over? That he'll finally get enough answers to finish it?" You answered as truthfully as you could "God I hope so for all our sake"

You started to steer the conversation back to lighter things while you flicked through movie options. "We need more wine" Karen said with a pout at her empty glass. You handed the remote over then got up to retrieve the second bottle from your kitchen.

You heard your phone ring but before you could tell Karen to answer it the ringing stopped. "Who was that?" You asked as you walked back into the living room. She glanced at your phone and handed it to you with a shrug "Number isn't saved" any number Frank called from would be blocked so you laid the phone down in front of you "If it's important that's what voicemails are for"

------------------------

The following evening you had just gotten home when your phone started ringing. It was a blocked number so you answered it without hesitation "Hello?" "Y/N?" You recognized the voice. It was Micro. "Where is he?" You could hear the edge in your voice and didn't try to hide it.

"He's fine but look I have proof. I need you to know what's really going on" you took a breath then said "Pick me up then" you knew it was reckless to endanger yourself but this asshole had Frank and they'd been radio silent for days. He told you where to meet him so you hung up.

You didn't think you needed your full med bag so you slipped your first aid kit into your purse and was about to walk out the door but decided to err on the side of caution so you grabbed the gun out of your nightstand and put it in the purse as well.

--------------------

You spotted the blue car before it slowed to a stop so you walked to it and climbed in the passenger seat. Micro barely looked your way when you climbed in.

You made it across town before you finally spoke "I know about Sarah, Zach and Leo. I helped Frank track them down. I know why you're trusting him with this but why are you trusting me?" He didn't say anything so at first you thought he'd ignore you until he said "You're his family. You arranged his wife and kids' funeral. You've been around him for most of your adult life. If you believe me after I show you what proof I have he will"

"and if I don't believe you?" You asked and he laughed "then you or him one will shoot me since you probably have the gun he bought you in that bag"

---------------------

He drove around in a complete circle before pulling into some abandoned complex "Did you kill him?" You finally asked once he climbed back into the car after locking the gate behind you.  "No. He's sedated but he's fine" you glared at him and asked "What fucking drugs did you sedate him with?" He nodded at your bag "Nothing as good as you've got believe me"

He pulled into a building and parked so you followed him out and saw Frank laid out on a cot. You started to go to him but Mirco stopped you "See what I have first and listen to what I have to say" your eyes flicked over to Frank's still form twice before you nodded and walked over to the line of computers he sat down in front of.

-------------------------

The mission from Frank's time in Kandahar was code named Cerberus. As it turned out it was never officially sanctioned, meaning CIA agent "Orange" had made Frank and all the men involved into his personal team of hit men. 

You sat down heavily next to Micro as you re-read over the files he'd bought up. "Smuggling, murder, fucking war crimes. They killed Maria and the kids to cover it up. They tried to kill you" he nodded and was watching you closely when he asked "What will Frank say?" You ran a hand across your face then stood up "One way to find out"

You walked over when Frank was still unconscious on the cot. You knew better than to simply shake him from years of sharing a bed with Billy so you stepped far enough away and leaned over to tap him. When he jerked awake you moved back quickly.

You could tell the sedation was still working out his system so you moved forward to help him sit up "Y/N what are you doing here?" He asked when his eyes finally focused "Micro wanted to make sure you didn't shoot him and figured I was the safest bet"

------------------------

A few minutes later Frank was absorbing the information Micro had told you. You stood back leaning against a wall, drinking the cup of coffee Micro had offered Frank. 

Both men were quiet until Frank looked at him "One condition. They all die, no trials" Micro cut his eyes at you apparently trying to gauge your reaction and when you didn't blink he said "Yeah I can live with that" Frank nodded then pointed at you "and you stay away unless we call to let you know it's safe. Don't fucking argue if I'm doing this I need to know you're out of it" "Ok" you agreed because hell what other option did you have? At least he wasn't counting you out completely this time.

------------------

A part of you was tempted to ask Micro to run the number that had called you on Frank's birthday simply because you were curious that no message had been left. You simply chalked it up to a wrong number realized too late.

You knew Frank had him trying to track down a shipment of guns that were coming in to the greeks. Did it worry you knowing that? Yes of course but it also made you worry slightly less because you at least knew some of what Frank was up to even if it meant Micro calling you to bitch or to try to get you on his side in an argument.

The most recent call from Micro had been him asking if he should worry about Frank having Sarah's number and being around his kids. "Frank was an amazing dad. He'd never let anything happen to them on his clock" was what you'd told him and that seemed to pacifier him slightly. 

------------------------

You were walking into a store when your phone started ringing and you saw it was Curtis. "Hey Curt. What's up?" You greeted walking down an aisle, trying to find the specific type of cereal Ms Johnson had asked if you could pick up on your run. "You know Lewis right?" You paused then said "Yeah the kid from your group. He's a bit messed up from being over there and won't accept the help he needs" 

You grabbed a box of the cereal then headed for checkout after grabbing yourself a drink. "Yeah he's trying to apply to Anvil" "Oh Curt you can't let that go down. He needs help not to be thrown back into another war zone. He's not capable of having those men and women's backs" you replied before he even had a further chance to elaborate. He let out a huff of air then said "Yeah that's what I thought too, just wanted a second opinion"  "Anytime Curt" the two of you said goodbye right before it was your turn at the register.

---------------------

After you dropped the cereal off with Ms Johnson you headed up to your apartment to grab a shower. You were supposed to meet Karen when she got off so you focused on that instead of the thousand other things running through your head at the moment.

--------------------

"Karen I really don't know what to do here" you confessed sitting across the table from her. Frank was of course not a subject that could be talked about in public so instead you had bought up the conflict you were feeling where Matt was concerned. "You two have been really honest with each other from the start of this thing. I think if you just tell him how you're feeling he'll understand" she was trying to reassure you but you still weren't sure. 

"What if I'm just projecting the way I felt towards Billy onto myself? What if Matt decides that if I say I want to drop the intimate aspect of our relationship he doesn't want me in his life anymore? I love him as much as I love Alice, Kenzie and you but I don't think I could ever love him in the way he loved Elektra or I loved Billy. I just don't want to lose him either though" you felt a bit foolish but also relieved getting the thoughts out in the open. She shrugged "Give yourself a little more time to truly think over what you want but if you still feel the same Matt is not going to remove you from his life. He cares about you too much. I'm proof he really can be friends with someone he's dated"

You nodded and about that time the waitress came over with the menus. "Now let's decide what to eat because I need to tell you what Ellison did" she said with a grin that told you a laugh was coming at his expense.

------------------------

You were still thinking about Matt the next morning. Frank had contacted you just so you knew Micro had found the shipment and that he was going after it that night. You were glad he was holding onto his end of the deal to keep you enough in the loop that at the very least you could make sure to be far enough away from anything to have plausible deniability.

You decided to meet him for coffee before he went into court since by the time he'd be getting out you'd be headed into work.

You walked in the diner and smiled when you saw him sitting in the corner booth the two of you usually grabbed. You sat across from him and he smiled "Hey" "Hey yourself" you replied letting your hand brush gently against his. You enjoyed spending time with him, the sex was amazing, he was everything you should have wanted but you couldn't give him the pieces of your heart that had been shattered and you felt like you were holding him back from finding someone who could be in love with him not just love him.

You hadn't realized how long you'd been sitting there without saying anything until Kaitlyn sat a cup of coffee in front of you. You stirred from your thoughts and moved to add sugar. You could tell Matt knew something was off. After Kaitlyn walked off he reached across for your hand again. You let him grab it and smiled at how gentle he was with you "Y/N are you ok?" You nodded then thought about it so you said "Yeah Matt I..I'm just a little tired"

The little frown that slipped onto his face told you he'd picked up on that lie so you quickly said "Can we get together later this week? I work back to back the next two days but then I'll have a free night" "Of course" he replied with a small smile before pulling his hand away from you to drink his own coffee.

By the time the two of you were ready to go both of you were smiling. You kissed him on the cheek and said "Kick their assess in court today" he kissed your forehead in return and said "Go save some lives"

------------------

You were laid back across your bunk half asleep when a call came in for a one vehicle accident near pier nine. 

You felt a jolt go through you when you remembered Frank saying that's where the hijack was going down. "Shit" you muttered under your breath as you and Alice ran out to the bay. She cut her eyes at you but didn't say a word.

-------------------

You weren't sure what you were expecting when you rolled on scene but finding a Homeland agent near a totaled mustang wasn't near the top of the list.

You were on your knees next to her checking her over for other injuries while Alice secured a neckbrace and the two of you strapped her onto a gurney. "What'd you say her name was?" You asked the agent who'd met the rig. He'd introduced himself as Sam Stein. "Dinah..Madani"

You nodded and leaned back across her "Agent Madani. I'm Y/N. This is my partner Alice. Do you remember what happened" she blinked against the light you were checking her eyes with and that was a good sign.  "I flipped my car" she mumbled and you nodded "Ok. We're gonna take you to the hospital to get you checked over. From what I can see the concussion is the biggest worry but you could have internal damage. Your ribs don't appear to be broken but you'll need some xrays to rule it out completely"

"Ok" she said weakly so you looked back to Sam "You following us Agent Stein?" He looked around then said "Um yeah I guess so" you helped Alice load her up then shut the door and looked back at him "Homeland or not don't tailgate me" 

--------------------------

The following morning as soon as you got home your phone started ringing the moment you stepped in the door. "Did Micro tap into my buildings security cameras?" You asked and heard Frank chuckle "Possibly. How's agent Madani?" "She'll live. Did you have a hand in that?" "Possibly" you shook your head then asked "Was she conscious when you pulled her out?"

You took his silence as answer enough and simply said "We'll deal with those consequences later then..did you get what you went after?" "Yeah look sweetheart.. She's probably going to start questioning people once she's back on her feet...Zubair was her partner"

You closed your eyes and fought the urge to scream. Why the fuck did he always have to bury the lead? After taking a deep breath you said "Fuck it, all she can do is ask questions. She has no proof. Who will she question? Me, Curt and Karen. None of us are saying shit. Don't worry about me. I can handle her" "Oh I know you can" he replied then told you where Micro would meet you later to bring you to their hideout and what medical supplies he may need just to have on hand.

"See you then" you said then hung up. Fuck every time you thought you were ready for what came next a curveball would smack you right upside the head.

@intothesoul

@weallhaveadestiny

[daniwritessometimes]

First 555 Words

It Keeps No Record of Wrongs

Love Never Fails 7

By Danielle Cheri

NaNoWriMo 2023

Chapter One

1911

Beryl Dyer was Victoria Osborne's oldest and dearest friend. They had been playmates for as long as Vick could remember. It was a little stab every time one of her friends married or had a child, but it was an assault when Beryl announced her own engagement.

Vick smiled and hugged Beryl and told her how happy she was for her. But deep down she was having a crisis. The pair of them had each respectively celebrated their 25th birthdays. The biggest difference was that Beryl was always surrounded by interesting men, but Vick rarely was. Sure, there were plenty that were attreacted to her and paid calls, but she never felt anything beyond friendly with most of them.

Sometimes, when she was feeling particularly petty, she blamed other members of her family. Susan, Anthony, and Zoe lived very comfortably together in their modest home. No one ever said aloud that her brother and sister shared their relationship with Susan, but every wione knew. And Anthony had been arrested for indecency when he was found in a compromising position with another man. This had been long before Victoria was born, but if she knew about it, then so did all of London.

Then there was Jason and his wife. Or rather, his husband, she supposed. But that was a slightly better secret than Anthony's past. Though there was plenty of talk about the man who had moved into the house Jason and his wife had once shared. And they way Michael treated Phillip, it was easy to see that there was more to the man than one first saw.

Beryl brought the invitation in person as the summer started to set in. It was a pretty cream with gold lettering.

"You are cordially invited to the nuptuals…."

Vick smiled, "A country wedding?"

Beryl laughed, "Yes. I know it sounds quaint, but Mama insisted we show hospitality and do somwthing out of the ordinary. Besides, Rupert's family actually owns the neighboring estate, so we've decided to make quite thr show of it. Your mother is invited, too, of course. We wouldn't dream of leaving her out so soon after your father's passing. And Mama has offered to be her companion the whole time she isn't fretting over the wedding. She also thinks your mother will have plenty of insight to the final preparations with how many of you there were."

Vick gave a laugh that she didn't entirely feel. "I'll make sure to pass this along to Mama. But unofficially we accept the invitation."

"That's just grand!" Beryl gave Vick a warm embrace and then sat back. "And don't you worry, Rupert and I are putting our heads together about all the elegiable men from both our guest lists and will introduce you to as many of them as we can at all the festivities leading up. Perhaps you can find your prince." She leaned in close, "Or at least find someone to have a memorable affair with."

Victoria felt her cheeks turning red. "Either way, I will do my best to be a good sport about it, but please leave it to a minimum."

Beryl held out her pinkie. "Promise."

Vick wrapped her own pinkie around Beryl's.

[bellascarousel]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

Tagged by faves @harnitbee and @stars-of-kyber ❤️❤️❤️

1- How many works do you have on AO3?

54 all total

2- What's your total AO3 word count?

611,647 Wow!

3- What fandoms do you write for?

Bridgerton currently. I used to write for The Originals, but Kate and Anthony have taken over my entire brain.

4- What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1.) Let's Run Away Together - 1442

2.) Ruined - 1061

3.) Closure - 448

4.) Don't Leave - 396

5.) Kathony Advent Calendar 2022 - 379

5- Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I generally do. I love when people have nice things to say about my writing, and I want to acknowledge them and thank them. Yes, my responses can feel repetitive to me - it feels so weird and insincere to write "thank you for reading and commenting" at the end of every reply, but I want to thank them, even if I am bad at it. LOL That said, sometimes comments get lost in the shuffle. So, if I don't reply to your comment, it's not that I don't appreciate it. It's most likely because I originally read it in my email when I wasn't in a position to be able to go to reply to it and then my ADD brain promptly forgot either that it exists at all, or that I didn't reply to it.

6- What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

While I do write angst, everything I write has a happy ending. That said, the planned ending to In This Life Or The Next would probably have been the angstiest if I hadn't switched fandoms before I could finish it. While everyone DOES end up together and happy - they do so in the afterlife. It was literally going to end on a "rocks fall, everyone dies" scenario that would include things like a guy being forced to kill his little sister, and one guy that they weren't even sure COULD die and were kind of worried would spend Eternity completely alone in a fucking void where the planet used to be.

7- What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Like I said, everything I write has a happy ending. But, I think my happiest ending might actually be Measuring Time. It ends with little Mary's wedding and then an epilogue-like paragraph about Anthony watching his grandchildren grow up and start giving him great-grandchildren. I really liked getting to see even a small glimpse of the long, happy life him and Kate enjoy together - and how hopelessly in love they still are even at the end.

8- Do you get hate on fics?

I had one reader go on diatribes and get into arguments with other readers about my characterization of Edwina in the first two chapters of Let's Run Away Together. Which was hilarious, because she wasn't even IN the first two chapters. Dude was complaining about things Kate and Anthony said. It was a whole big thing. The comments are still there, so go read them if you want. The whole thing is actually kind of funny, really.

9- Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes. Umm... not sure what you mean by "what kind"? I've done pretty much everything from pretty explicit to fade to black. It always depends on the situation and how much the sex serves the plot and/or characterizations.

10- Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I started one crossover. Between The Originals and The Black Jewels Trilogy. I only wrote one chapter, but had a whole lot planned out. Writing The Sadiablos interacting with the Mikaelsons was oddly fun.

11- Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of.

12- Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I am aware of 🙂.

13- Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No. Not really something I'm interested in, either. My hat's off to anyone that CAN work with a cowriter. I can barely get my brain to cooperate with ITSELF, much less someone else.

14- What's your all-time favourite ship?

Kathony, obviously. Though, also obviously, Haylijah are a close second.

15- What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I still have plans to finish all of my Kathony fics. My The Originals fics, though... I would LOVE to finish those but I just don't see it happening. (Love Heals and High School Confidential are the top of my list of fics I wish I could get myself to concentrate on, but doubt I ever will.)

16- What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and characterization

17- What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptions. Everything from the characters, to the settings, to actions. I am just bad at descriptions. And consistency. I want to try to get into a writing habit, but my ADD brain hates me.

18- Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I would do it if I trusted myself to do it right. But, unfortunately, I do NOT trust myself to write in Kate's native language. Maybe I'll have Hyacinth spout something off in Italian at some point, LOL. (I DO write occasional dialogue in Italian in my novel, because of Catie being a native Italian, and Eli also speaking the language.)

19- First fandom you wrote for?

Actually physically wrote down? The Originals.

Created in my head, never saw paper, but could probably be recreated if I ever felt the urge to? The Incarnation Of Immortality

20- Favorite fic you've written?

This is like asking me to choose my favorite child. I can't do it.

I suck at tagging games. So, just tagging anyone who hasn't done it and wants to.

[pennylaneblue]

Chapter 1. The Rainbow

"We have been waiting for too long, you know..."

The lights of the city were brimming, looking like tiny stars as they both loomed over them at the lookout.

Zephyr took a drag of her cigarette, the tip of it barely hanging on as she stuttered "Plus it's fucking cold man... how much longer do we need to wait?"

She didn't even turn to look at her friend. It was fucking cold, but Zephyr had been complaining non stop for the past 15 minutes. "He said he will be here soon" was her stern response. "It's only been a couple of minutes. You need to chill."

Zephyr stood up from her improvised rock chair. "I should have brought a coat"

"Yeah you should have".

"Well I thought that by now we would be getting smashed at the Rainbow '' she said glaring at her as she rubbed the top of her legs, barely covered by her shimmering pantyhouse. "It's always the same with Anthony, if he couldn't pick us up he should have just said so''.

As soon as she mentioned his name, almost as if she were invoking him, the two girls saw a pair of headlights speeding up the dark hill. Loud music blasting through the broken speakers. The red car drove up to their spot, and a dirty blonde haired man got out. He was wearing a ridiculous hat.

"Ladies" he said with a smirk.

"You're late" The black-haired girl said, rushing to get into the backseat.

"Only by a little" he dismissed Zephyr with his hand. And then he turned to look other girl. "So Jenn, what do you think?" He raised his eyebrows as if signaling the hat on his head.

"I should give Slash a call and tell him you stole his hat" she teased him slightly, also walking towards the car and opening the passenger door.

"As if he wants anything to do with you after the incident at the Riot house last year" he said getting back into the driver seat. "And I'll have you know that Slash's top hat it's a Homburg, and this beauty here is called a Stovepipe.. it's a common mistake".

He backed the car into the curve, the low bass of the random rap song still wreaking havoc on the speakers. Jennifer glared at him as she turned the volume down, "I can't hear shit in here" she muttered.

"Sorry mom" Anthony rolled his eyes as he sped down the Hollywood hill, his long hair flowing with the wind. "So how did you two end up here, huh?" and then he added "Maybe I should start charging you for gas money..."

"Maybe we should charge you for rent for all of those years you were bumming out on our couch." Zephyr said, sticking her head between the front seats. "Plus is noneya"

"Noneya?"

"None of your damn business" she stuck out her tongue.

Jennifer smiled as she remembered the unremarkable story of how they got stranded in the hills after their weed contact fell through. But she knew Zephyr wanted to play it up a bit to get his nosey ass upset. "You would kill us if you knew," she added, pretending to be concerned.

"Nah I ain't falling for it, you idiots are messing with me again. You probably just got kicked out of some random's mansion after Zephyr stole their coke"

"That's oddly specific... are you speaking from past experience Ant?" Zephyr leaned back into her seat, and rolled down the window as she lid up another cigarette. They were now entering the city, the lights now looming over them.

Anthony ignored her, he glanced towards his right side. "So Jenn, have you talked to Blackbyrd lately? I have been getting some concerning calls, something about burning down my house" He was trying to laugh it off "Was hoping you could put in a good word for me, pretty please?"

"I don't know dude... I heard he was pretty pissed after you guys let him go" Jennifer added while she touched up her makeup in the mirror. "I haven't really seen him since last year, and wasn't planning on it actually..." He looked a bit concerned, so she gave him a friendly smile and added "But I'll ask Debbie to get him to chill.. you shouldn't worry too much".

"Nah I aint worried" He said trying to look nonchalant "I have better things to worry about."

"What about that new guitarist DH brought? What's his name again?" Zephyr asked, and she looked as if she were already drunk, laying down on the back seat and smoking her cigarette.

But Anthony didn't get to answer as at that moment they almost ran into a garbage truck. Anthony hit the brakes so quick and strong that Zephyr was thrown into the air, and Jennifer felt her friend's head slamming against the back of her seat. "Fuck" she exclaimed massaging her forehead "I almost swallowed this shit". She threw the crushed cigarette into the car's ashtray.

"Should have worn a seat bell" Jennifer smirked at her.

"Man, Anthony is right, you really are acting like a mom lately, did you have a secret kid or something while you went away?" She spat back, Jennifer just rolled her eyes at her.

In the meantime Anthony was trying to appease a very angry Chinese old lady, who came up to his window. Apparently he had run over her sidewalk sign in front of her antique's shop, when trying to avoid death with the truck. She didn't speak English very well and Anthony had resorted to giving her all the spare cash he had in his wallet. "I'm so sorry ma'am, that truck came out of nowhere."

Jennifer glanced outside, she could spot the Rainbow's colorful sign only a block away. "I'm gonna head out, you coming?" She asked Zephyr who nodded enthusiastically "Ant, I'm sure you can figure this out right?" She smiled playfully at his frustration.

"Fine, get out, leave me if you want" he was being dramatic. "Tell Flea I'll be a little late, I'm sure you can explain."

"Will do" Jennifer quipped as her black heel boots stepped into the pavement. Zephyr's usually straight hair was all messed out as she got out of the car too. "Here" Jennifer said, trying to brush her hair a little with her hands.

"Don't even bother girl, what I need it's like six shots of tequila right this instance". She stood up straight and walked confidently as if she hadn't almost suffered a brain injury.

Jennifer followed suit, holding her faux fur coat closer, as the autumn wind wrapped around them. There was a big line outside as per usual, but Zephyr just walked up to the front door as if she owned the place.

"Hey gorgeous" she told the bouncer "How you doing tonight?"

"Miss Zephyr. Miss Lola" he nodded to them sheepishly. Jennifer smiled at him. "It's good to see you Eric, is your sister here tonight?"

"Yeah, she was hanging out upstairs I think". He answered as he stepped aside to let them in,. they were greeted by the collage covered walls of the entry hall, with pictures ranging all the way from Marilyn Monroe to Ozzy.

The whole place was crowded as usual. The red leather booths filled with people drinking and smoking like there was no tomorrow, and the pathway to the main bar on the left was also packed. She tried to zoom in to see if she could spot anyone, but Zephyr beat her to it.

"I see DH!" She exclaimed and pulled Jennifer through the people, almost crashing into a waitress. "Sorry!"

"Shit Ilianne, slow down, this is a new coat and I would prefer to not have it covered in beer by the end of the night". Zephyr looked at her horrified by the use of her real name, surely about to complain. "Oh don't start, no one heard that, it's too loud.. Come on, I'll buy the first round of shots".

They headed slowly towards the bar, where a young man with dreads was waving at them. "My dear Darren" Zephyr acknowledged him flirtatiously, pecking him on the lips, as per her usual demeanor with everyone who crossed her path.

"Rough night?" He said looking at her still messy hair and handing them both a beer.

"Oh you have no idea, it's been an absolute odyssey. We almost got mugged and gang raped at the hills."

Jennifer almost snorted the sip she just took "That's fucking crazy" she exclaimed at the other girl "How do you even come up with this kind of shit?" Then she turned to DH "We did almost get into a car crash with Anthony though".

"What for real? Where is he?" He looked around worried.

"Probably fighting with an old lady about some broken sign or something" Zephyr added and then directed her attention towards the bartender "Hey Mick, another one please" she said holding up her now empty beer bottle "Oh and miss Starr here mentioned something about some shots, amiright?" She said to Jennifer, emphasizing on her fake name.

DH looked at Jennifer, seeming confused. She shook her head. "Anyways, I'm supposed to relay the message to Flea. Any ideas where he could be?

He looked towards the stairs next to the bar. "Last I saw him he was going up with Kat and John".

"Who's John?" Zephyr asked while drowning down her second beer, already looking kinda tipsy.

Jennifer was about to excuse herself to go upstairs, but as she turned around she almost bumped into Flea. "Hey, I was looking for you".

"Please tell me Anthony is here, Lindy has been waiting like an hour for him" he asked her, looking tired, his usually joyful demeanor nowhere to be seen as he kept looking behind his back, hoping to see his friend come in.

"He will be here soon... let's just say he got into some issues while parking the car" Jennifer said trying to calm him down.

"Yeah parking it straight into a garbage truck" Zephyr retorted, and Jennifer glared at her. Flea looked too stressed for that type of comment.

"Did something happen?" Jennifer asked the curly blonde, passing him a beer.

"I don't know man" he sighed "Lindy said he has some important news but we all needed to be there..." He turned around "Fuck where the hell is John now?" He turned back at the group. "Man, everyone keeps disappearing on me." He looked straight at DH "Don't you go anywhere".

'Where am I gonna go?" DH laughed as he leaned into the wall. "You need to relax, if it was truly serious stuff, Lindy would have wanted to meet at his office instead of here."

"Agree" Jennifer added "Let me go look for Anthony, I need a drag of fresh air and some delicious nicotine anyway". She squeezed herself between the people surrounding the small side room, and headed back outside. She trembled as the wind hit her, having forgotten how cold it was outside.

She walked over to the brick wall, the names of all the bands who had graced this place written into it. Possible one of the most iconic walls in all of LA.

"It's about 100, in case you're wondering?" a voice said behind her. "The names of the bands, I mean" he added kind of sheepishly. The voice belonged to a young man, with a baby face hidden behind an out of control curly mane.

"Oh so you have counted them?" She asked sarcastically "What are you, some sort of groupie?"

"Fuck no. '' He said defensively, without even thinking about it. She raised her eyebrows at him, looking amused and surprised, and his face turned red, he was trying to back track his words. "Not that that's a bad thing, I mean I don't think it is. I just.. I have heard about you, you know. You're kinda famous around here."

"Oh so you are now implying I'm a groupie?" She said as she took off her green coat, and sat down on the sidewalk.

"I didn't mean it like that..." he said, shuffling his hair.

"No it's okay, I guess that's true to a certain point. Or at least it was... it's been a while." She sighed, glancing at the wall again.

"You don't look that old," he took out a cigarette and sat next to her. Jennifer took one out of her own pack too.

"Well I think it's a combination of me looking younger than I am, and also, that in hindsight, I started "living" way too early" Jennifer reminisced as she leaned closer to John so that he could light her cigarette. She inhaled softly, looking at the dancing flame of the green lighter, before she sneaked a brief glance up to his face. He had really nice brown eyes. "If I'm being honest, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, I was only 12 years old when I came to LA... and I was swept away by everything, all at once.”

He smiled fondly, looking at the bystanders around them. People wearing extravagant clothes, smoking and laughing, as if there wasn't anything else to care about in the world. There were a couple of people on roller skates, and a boom box party going on in the parking lot next door "Yeah, this city has a way of doing that..."

It felt like the minutes went by as they stayed in silence, just observing the ambience outside. And then Jennifer remembered. "Oh shit, I forgot, I'm supposed to be looking for someone" She excused herself, throwing away the cigarette and standing up in a rush. "I didn't catch your name..." she said looking back at him.

"John" He looked happy that she asked. "It's been a pleasure miss Lola Starr '' He bowed with his head and hands in a silly motion and she laughed. She wondered if maybe she should give him her real name, but he had already turned around and went back inside before she even had a chance. Jennifer stood there looking like an idiot, feeling a bit strange as she thought about the interaction. John seemed like a pretty sweet kid. She shook her head to get some clarity, and looked around to see if she could spot Anthony.

[dirtyoldmanhole]

last time in Valla, we just wrapped the first level.

Ryoma, now that he doesn't have to be worried about shanked by invisible allies just by visible traitors, mate, remembers about Scarlet.

god i love the cinematography in Fates. check out how that boulder perfectly frames Ryoma by resembling the oncoming wall of grief/sorrow, and how the edge highlights Corrin. and then you get the immediate birds eye view that shows all the characters almost lost adrift the stone texture that swallows them up too.

it's one of the better moments of grief in the series.

i would bet you literal cash money somebody in the fates camera-work team studied film theory, more so than the other FE's. the emotional resonance is too good, versus just what's "efficient" or clear.

camera swings around and look who's pretty prominently back on the screen ~

in hindsight, him abruptly reappearing should have been a huge yellow flag to the player.

(...I pinky promise posting every screenshot of Gunter in this last third of rev is less about being that brain rotted and more an extremely useful fic resource to see when he shows up, heh. plus going forward the cinematography theory 101's going to be useful, since I was frankly stunned the first go-around at how well that this story landed some deceptively tricky story beats.

i know a lot of people don't like rev's story! and there's definitely structural complaints to make about it, and it probably doesn't hit as hard if you're interested in a different/more linear type of story, but god if it did not poleax me in the best of ways. i can forgive almost any flaw for that.)

anyway, ryoma makes corrin promise him that scarlet's death will not be in vain. cut to, the next chapter.

next chapter doesn't have any gunter, surprisingly ~! but it is a lot of juicy info on azura finally infodumping to the others on what Anankos is. two things of note:

one, i actually totally skipped over the knowledge that garon + sumeragi were aware of valla. :o

that makes for a pretty tight timeline if garon's aware of it but gunter isn't re: the sheer age similarities? maybe it was a strict 'need to know' thing for the royals? in an emergency, and the past generation of royals all died so swiftly/suddenly that the knowledge transfer didn't go down?

interesting!

then two, this bit when azura was talking about anankos possessing people:

.... how the hell does gunter survive so long under anankos' thrall (literally 2 decades by the pelucid crystal artbook) while his mind's mostly intact? does anankos just simply ease off the gas pedal so to speak? does force of will matter/gunter fighting back all the time versus garon willingly surrendering?

there's no easy answer b/c then there's also what happened to takumi/mikoto/scarlet/sumeragi......

anyway anthony (random ass kid you see in the middle of valla who becomes slightly important in a few chapters) show up, so off to rescue him ~~

but before that, time for some gunter level grinding. :P (he's at lvl 19 rn and aiming to go for the full 30 levels b/c i'm a masochist yes)

enjoy this obligatory aesthetic(tm) screenshot i took grinding this motherfucker :P ~*PURPLE*~

(i actually made myself extremely sad when i was counting how many levels + maps i had left to grind him and then forgot you didn't have him at all during ch26 for uh. reasons. WHELP.)