#fanfic chapter

[realmofthewd]

Realm of The Walking Dead Series - Season 1 - Chapter 19: Sin Pared, Sin Paz

[rasshu-benaiokny]

〚 Happy Birthday 〛Exclusive Academy Chapter

• A small Gyutaro x OC Kimetsu Academy Chapter

• Based off of “Kimetsu Academy AU” fanfiction

• Both featured characters are aged down to 19

[Setting: This is one year after the Kimetsu Academy story where Rasshu resides within the same apartment complex as the Shabana twins. Rasshu and Gyutaro always had a bit of destain for each other but after Gyutaro witnessed Rasshu graduate without him just to fly straight into college he seemed to grow ever more frustrated. Maybe she is too good for him now… Maybe its too late?]

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The sunrises as the college student glances at her calendar while gathering her bundles of books. Rasshu’s hair is sleek and freshly and she dawns her favorite burgundy sleeveless sweater. As she walks out of her apartment, locking the solid door behind her, she sets off down the stairs! And like clockwork, her neighbors; the Shabana twins begrudgingly slam open their door just to be scorn by the bright sunlight as they get ready to go to school!

The gruff looking brother stares tiredly at the freshman successful college student already scurrying down the stairs, barely noticing the twins. His eyes are filled with a melancholy frustration as he lets out a scoff. Throwing a raggedy satchel around his broad shoulder, his sister follows suite. Finally, the twins depart for school but Gyutaro’s eyes constantly shift towards where Rasshu had left… His frustrations lie towards her after all. Miss all grown up and successful…

The day struggles to pass on by while Rasshu grapples with her heavy work load, trying to balance her studies accordingly. likewise, Gyutaro shirks off his normal schoolwork at Kimetsu Academy but something bothers him as he sits in his chair tilted back. His teeth grind slightly as he reminisces back on last year when both he and Rasshu were classmates. He would always bother her as she did her work but now, she left and graduated while he got expelled and held back a grade. But despite his mean and grudgy reputation, he understands the one thing that ails him at this moment. So he waits for his time to come, gently creaking his chair back and forth to his classmates annoyance.

After a dreadful time at college, Rasshu holds her remaining work in complete dismay as she tiredly stuffs everything haphazardly into her backpack… all that she wants to do is go home as her feet pound from walking everywhere! Finally walking out from her campus, shes greeted by the cloudy night sky above her. its always dark and devoid of people when she gets out, so she walks to the train station, ready to be home once more…

A few more hours pass, but at last, shes at her apartment. Walking up the stairs, her footsteps vibrate along with the thin steel beams holding each step. Eventually, fumbling around in her pocket, she gets out her keys as she unlocks her door but before she can enter she hears another door open? Behind her, a frustrated Gyutaro slowly creeps out of his home, trying not to wake his little sister. His teeth form a crooked frown as they lock glares. They both seem to give eachother a stare of uncertainty as she begins to turn away from Gyutaro; after all, he was always distant and mean when it came to her. Rasshu always had a bad feeling from him with how hes always glaring at her so it was natural that he’d creep her out. But as she went inside to close her door, a dirty boot stops it from closing. She glares up exhausted at the equally drained Gyutaro but then his demeanor softens as he gently slinks his boney hands over hers, slipping a box into her fingers before reverting back to his aggressive ways, slamming her door closed!

Rasshu’s brows furrow as she stares at the back of her door, muttering obscene jabs at the drop out… Still jaded, believing that hes just a miserable person but the box… it beckons for her attention. So cautiously, Rasshu peers into the box confused but then her eyes soften in surprise… everything makes sense now as her denial peaks at an all time high. A small red beaded bracelet with a small heart locket with a small sloppily written note sit perfectly snug in the box-

“Happy birthday geek… hope you get the hint…”

╘════════════════════╛

[theromanticscrooge]

New chapter of "Not Quite an Elevator Pitch"!

How approachable is PV, actually? He starts to question how vulnerable he's been with others over the years, especially romantic prospects.

[akeminkk]

As my first post on this side blog, here's some writing stuff

Been working(procrastinating) on a Piconell fic for my AO3, and Wattpad... Here's the chapter names w/o summaries cuz I like to keep people on they toesies...

1- I THINK (titular name)

2- TAMALE

3- HE / IFHY

4- NEW MAGIC WAND

5- A BOY IS A GUN*

6- ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?

7- I THINK(2) / WHAT'S GOOD

8- SLATER

9- I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE

10- GONE, GONE / AWKWARD

POSSIBLE 11 CHAP— CAMPFIRE/BEEMER, this one might actually just be a one shot LOL

Jumps for joy!!! Time to get on that grind!!!!

Stupid guy

[secretgaygenttomura]

A Life Worth Living - Chapter 1

A lone moth fluttered past Shigaraki's viewline.

The villain mindlessly swiped at the bug as it perched itself on a windowsill. He looked over at Touya, who was hunched over himself on the couch opposing his; his white hair shimmering against the light of the fireplace in the room. Shigaraki groaned, "I thought your fire didn't attract bugs."

The former Todoroki glared back at his boss, "It doesn't. I haven't seen any since we got here. Have you started coming up with things to complain about these days?"

Shigaraki's brows furrowed; his long hair draping his face in shadows as he snapped his gaze towards the windowsill, "I just saw a moth-" Accusatorily, he pointed at the windowsill, now missing the winged insect, "It landed right there."

Touya rolled his eyes; gesturing his hand towards the spot lazily, "I didn't see shit, boss. Maybe you should get the doctor to check you."

Defensively, "I'm fine!" Shigaraki re-composed himself; shaking his head. "It's a too late for that anyways, Sensei's gonna warp us any minute now."

He said the name gingerly, as if it was a disease. Shigaraki's eyes squinted at Touya's current outfit. It looked less like actual clothes and more like loosely tied together white scraps of fabric. "That's really what you're wearing to this?"

"Of course it is, when you look like you're in hell with what you've got on."

In stark contrast, Shigaraki was uncomfortably fitted into a black three-piece-suit. He scoffed, rolling his eyes. Shigaraki had recently had the realization that his 'Sensei' wasn't the role model he always made himself out to be. In hindsight it was completely obvious.

He treated Shigaraki more like a doll than a human. Dressed him exclusively in things that only he himself, All For One, would wear. Spoke of becoming the next version of him, as if Shigaraki was in any way similar. Trained him in his own theatrical mannerisms and ideals. It was all Shigaraki had ever known.

But now it wasn't. Shigaraki knows now, after his Sensei couldn't be more obvious about his intentions. Shigaraki felt utterly humiliated when it'd happened.

Just three months ago after being reminded of his past traumas and awakening his quirk, All For One forged a copy of his quirk and all others within it, handing it over to Shigaraki as 'the final thing he needed to become the next Symbol Of Evil.' And Shigaraki mindlessly accepted. He'd only realize how badly he screwed himself over the moment his Sensei seized control over his body and acted as if it was his own. And nobody outside the League even noticed, because All For One ingrained his own goddamn personality into Shigaraki's. No one's dared to bring it up since it happened, not even a word.

A feeling of shame washed over Shigaraki every time the thought occurred. And now his Sensei resumes control over him, as he dooms his ward to an unwinnable war. He felt an uncomfortable lump in his throat and immediately grew nauseous. A glance up at Touya quickly proved it wasn't just him, as the villain's hunch was suddenly much more extreme. It was his Sensei's warp quirk. Expelling the liquid from his throat, a dark sludge enveloped them and spat them out on the rooftop of a building on UA grounds.

Touya's voice could immediatly be heard, a sort of groan that could only come from someone who was holding themself back from letting their last meal be spilled over the floor, "God I fucking hate that quirk-"

Shigaraki felt much alike.

All For One grinned wildly from under his protective, new, streamlined helmet. An invisible glare was aimed directly at their apparent two-timing traitor, Yuuga Aoyama. "-That's why you would've never realized... That I had this much cavalry with me! It's already far too late!"

Several top heroes emerged from the other side, from something that looked like Kurogiri's portals as Aoyama screamed about his side's future victory. His own caretaker hadn't betrayed them too, had they?

Touya lashed out immediately from beside Shigaraki with a burst of cerulean flame. It concerned Shigaraki, how sudden the switch of mood was, it was like he spun directly into mania out of the pressure.

"Dabi." Shigaraki called.

It appeared Touya had already caught sight of his father emerging from the opposing portals, announcing with all of his chest, "Didn't think I'd get to meet you here, my dear father! Shall I start with your allies' cremation!?" A bout of laughter escaped from him.

So this is what that ironically cold exterior was hiding the entire time, Shigaraki noted to himself. But there was little time to pay attention to that now. The terrain started to shift around them as stone cages erupted from the ground around them.

Needless to say they were broken through within seconds, but it gave the heroes enough time for their portal quirk to immediately scatter them about all of Japan. They couldn't rely on eachother's help anymore. Shigaraki was spat out into the sky, scrambling to look around him as he fell, then catching a look at the floating fortress that was now UA. It looked like it had emerged right out of a sci-fi movie. As the wind rushed past his ears, deafening him; Shigaraki realized that the escapees and liberation army had failed to accompany him. He was alone. At least, he hoped; wishing that his Sensei wouldn't revoke him of his control once again.

He uprighted himself, applying one of his new quirks to lighten his fall and stick the landing with a hand plunging towards the ground. But as he did so, his quirk detonated explosives in the ground under him. Shigaraki jumped out of the blast range, shielding himself. But as he leaped, he ran himself directly into the electric dome around the fortress, seizing up all his muscles uncontrollably.

He tried to move, but just as that happened, denim struck and wrapped in rope-like constructions all over his body. A glance downward immediately confirmed his suspicion, Best Jeanist had just attempted to bind him to the electrocuting barrier. Shigaraki lashed out, immediately severing the fabric with clawed fingers.

"You must feel safer with me suspended in the air like this, huh?" He evaded fabric snakes skillfully striking around him, "But as soon as I touch the ground again, we'll be outta terrain in no time."

The screech of metal plates scraping against eachother grated against Shigaraki's ears, as Jeanist snarkily commented, "I'm not concerned about that at all."

With a thumb pointing behind him, Jeanist pointed out that the ground that Shigaraki had destroyed was already being replaced by new ground. "We have plenty of material to replace whatever's lost. You're wrong for once, Shigaraki, has your brain short-circuted already?"

The nerve...

"This place was specifically created in order to defeat you." Other heroes emerged from the woodworks. Shigaraki glanced around, trying to identify the team they put together.

Miruko, Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight, Eraserhead and Manual from the back, and... some kid in a waistcoat.

Extending a hand out in the direction Dynamight was flinging himself at him, Shigaraki didn't bother listening to the teenager's harsh scream. But of course, his quirk did not activate at impact. He could hear laughter, faintly, in the distance,

"Not the biggest fan of erasure, are ya, Mr. "Final Boss"?!"

But of course, Erasure did not target every quirk in his posession. Hyper-regeneration activated, and his right hand grew into a horrific mass of flesh and fingers. He could hear Miruko and Dynamight's shock as he flung the mass directly at the rabbit hero.

It was disappointing really, Shigaraki thought good ol' Eraser's quirk had more potential... "I used to think you were so cool, Eraserhead. What a letdown." His limb grew to unreasonable proportion, then as one of the Erasure users blinked, the Hyper-Regen was deactivated instead of Decay, and Shigaraki aimed his attack at the school, both crushing and starting to reduce the building to ashes.

Obviously, one of the heroes assumed that Eraser's Erasure had full effect on someone with multiple quirks, so when he heard Edgeshot question his power- "What?! Then that's not a quirk?!" - Then, Shigaraki easily lied... A little too easily.

"This is just growth...

Nothing, but flesh.

Just like the hairs on your head, or your nails grow. A quirk will evolve, and so the body must adapt to it, giving birth to a new form."

He could feel his voice uncomfortably shifting towards All For One's formalistic tendencies, and he tried to push it down... But he was fading in and out.

"Heroes..."

"Trying to supress..."

"So oblivious!"

It was repressed under the ringing in his ears, but he heard the heroes arguing, on how to get Midoriya to the battleground. A surge of greed that was not his immediately surfaced, but Shigaraki fought it to stay conscious. Glimpses of the battle reached his consciousness, as the world raged around Shigaraki. Like a broken audio cord causing a speaker to cut in and out. It was incredibly irritating.

He caught flashes of Suneater and Nejire-Chan, who had joined beside the heroes. There was no way he could keep up a battle like this. Why wouldn't his Sensei just leave him alone?!

The annoying tone of his Sensei's poor imitation of him hit his ears, "Various external factors... Molding this body into..." The voice became clearer for a minute, "With this body and it's power, I... Shall create a new world! I'll become god... and rule above everyone else."

Part of Shigaraki thought it was sheer cruelty that their unfortunate bond let him hear just this message of demise for it's original soul. For it was the last thing he'd heard for a while as the world fell into darkness.

The first time this happened, Shigaraki thought he'd died. He was thrown into the depths of a piercing cold that left him grasping for anything that could pull him back. But nothing, not even the vestige of his quirk existed here as a form to take. The cold stung, with a static-like sensation covering his nonexistent body, like if you were to completely cut off all blood circulation and the feeling of pins and needles persisted for hours on end.

His awareness of reality did not return until he heard the most absurd claim he'd ever heard in his life cut through the depths like it was a sword.

"So you never had any friends."

The return was so sudden that Shigaraki didn't even have a chance to compose himself, before instinctually retorting much more like a stubborn, younger version of himself, "I do have friends!! Mikkun and Tomo said 'You're really nice, Ten!' And Mon likes to go on walks with me so of course I have friends!"

He was plunged back into the darkness moments later, the adrenaline dropping immediately as Shigaraki was left confounded on what he just said.If it weren't torture, Shigaraki might have preferred to hide in this awareness purgatory now.

He started getting glimpses again as he regained the ability to push back against his Sensei's power. It was more separated now, and he could tell what was going on again. His Sensei had taken down Dynamight, but in the short time he'd been under, it seemed like Deku had come soon before many thought he would, and Shigaraki was so kindly greeted to the newcomer by a punch directly aimed at his face. From the short time he saw Izuku's face, he saw a merciless rage behind the student's eyes. He could handle one, but the punches kept coming, and a splitting pain appeared in his skull that was not relieved by the Hyper Regeneration quirk, supposedly erased. For a moment, the ashes falling from his destruction looked like snow...

Blood dripped from his scalp, down his forehead and into his eyes, blinding him. Instinctually, he blinked his eyes closed, and… he could have sworn he saw the flap of a moth's wings in the void behind his eyelids.

When his eyes opened again, he was plunged into another void, but it was... different. Colder. The surrounding area was like a vaccuum, it sucked all of the air out of him. So this was death? He had imagined nothingness, a complete lack of awareness, but this was much more painful.

However, he could see clearly, that something existed... A light.

How cliche.

But then, something caught his eye. There was another... And another, and another... They dotted the void like stars. Maybe they were stars… And just like stars, they were held together by immense amounts of gravitational pull. Shigaraki could feel himself being pulled unwillingly towards one. In panic, he tried scrambling away, but it was useless swiping at empty space, as he was dragged into the core of it. A sinking feeling immediately took to his chest, like he was falling from a great height.

And then something touched his shoulder. And then shook it, violently,

"Tenko? C'mon Tenko, wake uuuuup!"

He was shocked awake, instinctually reaching a hand to whoever had bothered him when he was so stressed, his hand coming in contact with a pale arm in a harsh grip.

"Ow-! Ten!!" The familiar voice voice whined, as the person snapped their arm back out of his grip, with tearful dark eyes and a quivering lip, "What was that for?"

He realized who he was looking at, finally. It'd been decades...

"Hana…?"

[bunny-is-cute]

WIP Chapter 29 of “Tell Me True”

By @bunny-is-cute for the fanfic version of @angelic-fertility-potion-au

Husk has to be the most depressed soul in Heaven right now.

He walked along the streets of Heaven and felt uneasy. The genuine smiles that many winner-souls wore seemed like mocking grimaces to the sinner. He wished there was a pebble he could kick around the pavement, only something that could distract him mildly. No litter in sight. There was not even a crack in the smooth pavement.

Heaven was perfect.

Heaven wasn’t right for Husk.

Oddly enough he felt more at home along the rough streets of Hell, where he knew no one could be trusted. It was what he knew.

A place where all grief, worry, and anger could be suddenly gone? That sounded so numbing.

He caught a reflection of himself in a nearby window. He didn’t even look like himself. His black fur was a light brown color, and his eyes sparkled. His color palette was off, skewed, and looked unnaturally bright.

For a moment he thought about if he had any possible family members he could visit up here, but he knew that wasn’t possible. Husk always had a troubled home life — his father was a gambling man himself who had the worst luck on Earth, and his mother, for she was a good mom, was not a good woman, to say the least.

He had tried to find them in Hell many decades ago, or some family, but they’d been killed off by exterminators before he even had a chance to see them after his death.

His only family was his children and Angel — and he couldn’t lose them.

The sinner found a place to sit down and take a breath. He needed a moment to himself, a rarity as a new parent to three babies. He looked up to the golden sky and it felt like mockery. He missed Hell’s red sky.

He missed Hell…something was wrong with him.

“Husk!”

The cat looked over and saw Charlie and Vaggie rushing over to him.

“Oh hey, is everything okay?”

“We need to go! There’s a lot to explain but we need to go back to Hell!” Vaggie said.

That sounded like a relief to him.

“Okay.” Husk simply said and stood up.

“Where’s Angel?” Charlie asked.

“Oh, he’s at his ma’s place. His ma and sister are up here.”

“Oh, that’s great! Maybe now Angel will have the motivation to redeem himself!” Charlie said. “So he can be reunited with his family!”

Husk faltered at those words. He’d almost forgotten Charlie’s entire purpose was to redeem souls to get into Heaven. She wouldn’t understand how he didn’t want that to happen, cause he knew he sounded like a selfish asshole.

“I’ll show you where she lives,” Husk said as he began walking, leading the way to Angel’s replicated childhood home.

[scourge-lover]

Chapters: 19/? Fandom: World of Warcraft, Warcraft - All Media Types Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Falric/Marwyn (Warcraft), Arthas Menethil/Jaina Proudmoore (mentioned), Kel'Thuzad/Arthas Menethil (mentioned), Arthas Menethil/Original Male Character Characters: Arthas Menethil, Bolvar Fordragon, Jaina Proudmoore, Original Female Character(s), Falric (Warcraft), Marwyn (Warcraft), Original Male Character(s), Male Night Elf | Elves (Warcraft), The Lich King (Warcraft), Undead (Warcraft), Mr. Bigglesworth (Warcraft), Gnoll character Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Minor Violence, Dysfunctional Family, Kidnapping, Imprisonment, Suicidal Thoughts, Depression, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Suicide Attempt, Self-Harm Series: Part 3 of Death and His Daughter Summary:

After leaving her parents, Sapphire goes on a journey as she tries to reconcile with her dark nature and learns how to keep those she loves safe from herself. Feeling betrayed by everyone, Arthas decides to take matters into his own hands and get his destiny back on track with or without the ones he cares about. Yet in the darkened landscape of Northrend, other forces are at work that could break both of them.

[ponds-of-ink]

Notre Dame AU Chapter 10: “Entering The Court”

Ruin really just said “here, have some extra lore to spice up your incredibly alternate universe :]” and I couldn’t be happier.

Anyway, here’s the next chapter to celebrate! :D

(Also, character spoilers are in the tags because I wanted to tag accurately. At least you’ll see them shortly?)

-

After a few quiet moments of navigating this twisted landscape, Vanessa and Agonia finally arrived at their destination. The kingdom and its forest, though charred and battered, still triggered reactions from both travelers. For Vanessa, an extra pang from the stab wound. For Agonia, a somber expression with a twinge of homesickness. “I hope that the bell tower is still standing,” he admitted as they wandered through the last rows of blackened trees. “I wanted to ring in the hour one more time.”

“Hey, looks like you’ll get that chance,” Vanessa replied, gesturing to a tall structure in the distance. “The bell’s intact and everything.”

Agonia hobbled ahead, processing the sight before him. The castle was still looming, yes, but patterned wires had ensnared the entire structure. Violet-colored patterns, from what he could tell.

Once they reached the courtyard, the rabbit approached a bundle of wires spreading up the tower like ivy. He cautiously neared them and put his hand out. Some energy pulsated through, but not enough to cause anything.

He got even closer. Surely, if he...?

Vanessa put a hand on his arm. “I don’t think you should be messing with those,” she advised gently, shaking her head. “What if they drain your battery?”

Agonia slowly lowered his arm. He let out a sigh through his voice box. “That.. is a good point,” he conceded sadly. “Perhaps we will find out what they do later?”

Vanessa only shrugged before pushing on the door. She shoved with all her might, but only a sliver of progress showed on the door. “It’s jammed shut,” she grumbled, resting on the doorframe. “Someone must’ve blocked it while we were traveling.”

“That is not the only door,” Agonia smiled, maneuvering around another large strand of wires. “There is another. Follow me.”

Vanessa carefully moved behind him as they circled around to the back part of the building. The blackened glass windows made her shudder. “Whatever’s lurking in there must be a nightmare to deal with,” she remarked, trying to keep a steady tone. “We’ll have to be ready for anything.”

“If this threat is electronic, I can handle it,” assured Agonia while he placed his hand on a plain metal door. “Part of my training required me to know about how to handle faulty programming.” As if to prove his point, he sent a surge of purple electricity through the door. The lock turned with a heavy thunk.

Vanessa reluctantly pushed the opened door. “I just feel like we might get ambushed,” she explained as they stepped inside. “And I don’t just mean by the judge.”

The door ominously shut behind them. Only two or three candles flickered in the darkness of the hallway. Vanessa led the way, using the faint LEDs on Agonia’s robotic form for extra light. She wandered into the slightly charred main foyer, then crept her way to a side door. Placing her ear against the fake stone, she listened closely. A distant jingle made her eyebrows raise.

Agonia would’ve asked her about what she found, but she had already swung open the door and hurried down the steps. He lingered behind, keeping his ears ready for anything. Aside from the echoing drips of water from the bottom of the staircase, nothing alerted him... yet.

Vanessa stopped, finally remembering to look to behind. She raised her finger to her mouth, then signaled her follower to come close. Her watch illuminated the narrow passage before them. Pure stonework made the walls and ceiling. A gravel path with a vague trail of human-like feet imprints. No other light to aid them as they trudged along. All signs clearly pointed to what Vanessa suggested, yet they continued on.

The jingling resumed, but now it was much closer. Vanessa turned off her watch. Agonia positioned himself like he was her living shield. Both braced for the inevitable.

Two bluish rectangles shone in the darkness. Then, a floating red circle joined in. Seconds later, a beam of orangish light revealed the source. “Well, look who it is!” Moon chortled hoarsely, twirling a flashlight in his hands. “The golden knight and her...” He leaned towards Agonia, examining him closely under the flashlight’s rays. “Spy for the judge!” the former jester exclaimed, veering back. “That wouldn’t do! That won’t do!”

Vanessa unsheathed a dagger from her pants pocket. “He’s not a spy!” she retorted angrily, her weapon-wielding arm stretching in front of the puzzled rabbit. “He’s just—“

Two hands nimbly tied a thick scarf around her mouth and neck. “Don’t interrupt me!” Moon hissed as he did the same for Agonia. “You’re very clever to have found our little hideaway. Too bad you naughty children won’t be able to tell the tale...”

Moon laughed again as he sprang past his two captors. With a floaty skip and a twirl, he bounded over to a certain section of the wall and pressed down on a loose brick. A rush of glockenspiel clangs gave way to thumping, ominous cellos. Light entered through the other end of the passageway, though Moon was sure to steer clear of it. His voice grew less shrill and raspy as he led an unseen choir that sounded like ghostly echoes of yesteryear.

Maybe you've heard of a terrible place

Where the spiders and monsters collect in a lair

Maybe you've heard of that mythical place

Called the Court of Miracles—

“Hello, you’re there!” Moon cried out from behind, making his captives jump. As his invisible helpmeets continued, he guided them down the lit part of the hallway.

Where the lame can walk

And the blind can see—

“But the ‘dead’ don’t talk!” Moon cut in again, before ramming the pair against a plain wooden door. “So you won't be around to reveal what you've found!” was the only warning that those two received for that.

As Vanessa and Agonia hobbled into this new area, Moon eagerly pulled them along— All while wrapping up the song, of course.

We have a method for spies and intruders

Rather like hornets protecting their hive

Here in the Court of Miracles,

Where it's a miracle if you get out alive!

Moon thrusted the two prisoners onto the ground. Agonia, being in a robotic body, managed to open his eyes first. He squinted as if that would help his servos recalibrate faster. He did, however, manage to spot two things: An old computer wired to a box and some sort of nightmarish contraption made up of mangled Daycare toys and endoskeleton parts. A contraption that, if he reverted to old habits, he could dismantle in seconds.

A hidden smile shone underneath his scarf. Yes. That sounded like a “fun” idea.

So, as soon as Moon concluded some rambling prelude, Agonia “begrudgingly” marched behind his ‘executioner’. Vanessa followed suit, though to say that she was very confused and genuinely annoyed would be an understatement.

Both lined up at their stations. Moon hopped between them, his long fingers rapidly setting up each trap. He was humming the second verse rather than singing it now, but the pair was able to catch most of it. “Any last words?” he asked once he finished his preparations.

Vanessa tried to yell a counter-argument, but the scarf muffled every word. Agonia, meanwhile, expressed his sentiments with a more deadpan tone.

“That’s what they all say,” Moon sneered, skipping his way to the cubical computer. He flicked a switch on the side, readied some sort of program, then attempted to lead the tune into a crescendo.

“Wait, I object!” Moon’s hand puppet called, flailing its little yellow arms.

“Overruled!” Moon snarled back.

“I object!”

“Quiet!” Moon hissed, furiously whacking the doll on the head.

“Hey...” was all the puppet could stammer out before going limp.

Moon chortled. He resumed his business, now switching his singing protocols last minute. The orchestra instantly swung into a different key, as if it was expecting a grander finish.

You must be sad that your “life's” at its finish

Because of some rightness you want to display

But you must recall that it comes to me pard’ning

the worst crime of all...

...So you’re going to pay!

Though puzzled by the sudden shift in the lyrics, Agonia prepared for the worst. He shut his eyes. His hands clenched. All his ghostly energy was primed for transferring. It now was up to Moon to activate the computer.

Or it would’ve been if a third stranger didn’t creep up behind Moon and jammed an orange-handled prong into the back of his head. Moon struggled against it, but it was no use. His entire body slumped onto the floor.

Agonia and Vanessa looked behind. Vanessa’s look of relief turned into shock. There was her old mask, but a little girl was holding it. Vanessa tried to warn the newcomer, but her mouth was still covered.

“It’s okay,” the girl assured, putting the orange-plated tool in her pocket. “Moon should be resetting soon. All I did was plug the Faz-Wrench into his head. Guess all the stuff that happened here really got to him..”

Vanessa nodded in acknowledgment, then pointed to the mask with her foot.

“Oh, this?” the girl questioned, slipping the accessory back on with ease. “I found it somewhere a while back. It’s been making me see all kinds of crazy stuff—“ She cut off her own remark as soon as she noticed Agonia.

Agonia–who by this point had undone his restraints–carefully neared Vanessa. He said nothing, but it was clear that the girl was paying close attention. Even after he untangled Vanessa’s scarf, his attention was fixed on the newcomer.

The girl slowly bobbed her head, then removed her mask. “Sorry, Mr. Bellringer,” she said softly. “I’ll try to be more careful.”

Agonia smiled warmly, then loosed Vanessa from the contraption. Vanessa took a step forward, but the girl made it to them first. “What in the world did he say, Cassie?” Vanessa asked, getting down to the youth’s eye level.

“He told me that I shouldn’t be wearing your mask so much,” Cassie explained, handing it to Vanessa. “Something about ‘Judge Glitch’ using it to track me.”

Vanessa looked back at Agonia. Agonia gave a look of approval.

“He’s not wrong,” Vanessa added with an eye roll. “Back in the day, Glitch could use my mask as a way to track my... ‘progress”. Now that I’ve reprogrammed it, though, the worst that could happen is your head getting scrambled for the next few days.”

Agonia lowered an ear. Huh. He didn’t know about that.

“You should use it less, though,” Vanessa resumed, keeping her focus on Cassie. “Glitch has every opportunity to make sure your face gets glued to that thing. Literally.”

“Does... he have glitter glue?” a soft voice chimed in, alarming everyone else. Moon woke up, but his colors were now a strange mix between his two forms.

Agonia shook his head to the combined jester. He then mimed one potential way that malfunction could happen: A false signal to the mask’s system.

“Ohh,” ‘Moon’ said knowingly. “So he wouldn’t need glitter glue. It was just a figure of speech. Thank you, kind sir!”

Agonia grinned in satisfaction. He gave a low bow.

“Moon—Sun?—Whatever program you’re running,” Vanessa sputtered out, now returning to a more authoritative stance. “We need to leave and get Cassie out of here fast. Do you have any idea where we can exit without being noticed?”

The jester’s head whirred this way and that. “Maybe you can leave through the back door,” he suggested, mildly swinging an arm towards large tapestry nearby. “But I wouldn’t try it unless you know it’s safe.”

”Do you think you can scout the area while we get more acquainted?”

“Sure!” the jester exclaimed weakly, lightly bouncing from foot to foot. “It’d be my pleasure to help, Officer Vanessa! And you too, little girl and tall bunny!”

Vanessa refrained from correcting the now-casual robot and stepped aside. All three watched as their new scout hopped his way to the tapestry and slipped out. “Now that we’ve got ‘Eclipse’ out of the way,” Vanessa continued, turning to her new companions, “let’s just sit down and talk. We all need a break after that experience.”

[ravensroleplays]

About to go to bed, but before I do, here’s the latest Sins of the Fathers chapter!

[bluejay-writes]

A sort of Fairy Tail - Chapter 10

Rating: T / PG-13, SFW. Fandom: Mystic Messenger Relationships: 707/MC (Jaena)/Saeran Chapter 10 Wordcount: 3147 You can also read this on AO3! <- Also a good place to check tags.

Chapter 10: Coffeeshop AU

Paradigm Coffee was located just south of downtown, and it attracted an eclectic variety of clientele, from the usual hipster coffee crowd, to the tech sector folks who didn’t want to work from the office, to the local goth community, and beyond.

The owners, Tyler and Cassandra, had taken over for her grandfather, who was all too ready to hand off his business to a worthy (and youthful) successor.

The coffee was good - a nice medium blend that didn’t taste burnt like one of the popular chain’s did, and the specialty drinks weren’t bogged down in sugar the way the other popular chain’s were.  If you asked Tyler, their real draw was the food that Cass cooked, down home favorites that kept everyone warm in the cold snowy season, and reminded them of home.  If you asked Cass, their draw was the hot barista. Tyler drew in so many people, women, gay men, teens who wanted to be him. His model looks, golden blonde hair and deep blue eyes made anyone swoon for him. (He disagreed, of course, and wished people would stop hitting on him in front of his girlfriend.) For her part, Cass didn’t mind him getting the attention. She was perfectly happy to blend into the background, with her dark brown hair in its cyberpunk inverted-bob and way too much eyeliner lining her brown eyes.

They had lots of customers, but the regulars always caught their eye.  Sean, who was always there on Wednesday and Friday working from the shop - he ordered a coffee or some kind of baked good at least once an hour, as if he was paying rent on the space.  Oftentimes on Fridays he’d claim the largest table, and throughout the day a gaggle of college students would come and hang out, doing their own assignments or gaming. Oddly popular, that one. Then there was Liz with her long red hair and her boyfriend, the latter who never came inside but always waited outside while she was getting drinks, hood up and skateboard in hand, even in the dead of winter when skateboarding on the city sidewalks was a death wish. Cass always felt like all of them had such unique stories, and she wondered what would happen if she wrote stories around what happened in the shop. 

The news in Seoul was full of stories about the cult up in the mountains, and the millions of won that they’d been contributing to Prime Minister Saejoong Choi’s campaign for President.  The response from his campaign was swift and decisive, denying any knowledge of these donations having been from a cult, and pointed the media to his records, where they were all linked to the parties thrown by the RFA.

The RFA, of course, retaliated with details about all of the Prime Minister’s illicit dealings throughout the years, with a video wherein up-and-coming musical actor Zen presented ‘just a fraction’ of what the Prime Minister had done over the years, which included information about his twin sons, Saeyoung and Saeran, both of whom were missing, along with the RFA’s newest member Jaena, who’d gone missing during her vacation in Seoul earlier that summer. They also implicated the intelligence agency Saeyoung had been first targeted by at the request of his father, and then recruited by later, once the cult had started funneling money to the Prime Minister through it.

The coverage was so thorough that the news spread to other countries, appearing on every local news station, the scandal and terror of the cult’s existence and the way it preyed on the fatigue of white-collar workers and the general lack of proper discourse about mental health issues becoming trending topics across social media. The fact that an American woman had gone missing amidst the scandal did its part to make the situation an international one, when it might otherwise have stayed isolated.

A few weeks into the tense media circus that surrounded the situation, Saeyoung Choi reappeared, worse for wear, but alive. He explained how he’d been taken by his father in an attempt to clear his name, but between the RFA’s information campaign and the dissolution of the agency, there way no way to use him to that effect. The Prime Minister was booked by the authorities on several felony counts, as well as multiple more pending, and the leadership of the Agency likewise.

People were so shocked by Saeyoung’s reappearance that he had interviews on basically every channel, and even was a guest on Noprah’s show, where he basically told his life story, including fighting his way free of the agency that basically owned him, losing, finding, and losing his brother, and meeting but missing out on the woman of his dreams. At Noprah’s insistence, he made a plea into the camera at the end of the segment.

“Wherever my little brother and my perfect scarlet are out there, I hope they’re watching. I love you both so much, and I hope you’re taking care of each other. Stay put, I’ll find you soon. I promise.”

Cass tore her eyes away from the TV in the corner that was showing that episode of Noprah again. Daytime TV was the worst. That episode aired over a year ago, and they were still rerunning it.

“That episode is always on.” the girl at the counter said, and Tyler laughed.

“Yeah, that whole thing was an entire time. I’m so glad we live in a civilized country.” he said, and Cass just rolled her eyes.

“Plenty of bad things happen here.” Cass said with a smirk. “But that ginger really is a media darling, isn’t he?”

“Wasn’t that around the same time as you started running the shop here?” The counter girl asked, grinning.

“Yeah, actually. I think his Noprah segment was the first thing that was ever on that TV.”

“And it’ll be the last, too.” Cass said, rolling her eyes. “They’re never going to get sick of airing that nerd.”

“He’s cute though!” counter girl said, and then slapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh my god, don’t tell my boyfriend I said that, I’ll never live it down.”

“Haha, we won’t.” Tyler said, and Cass reached out to tousle his golden blonde locks. 

“You need a haircut. Quick before winter hits and you just hide it under hats until it’s unbearable.”

“Baaaaabe, we’re at work!” Tyler pouted, and she laughed and kissed his cheek.

“Okay, okay, I’ll leave off until later.”

“Crazy lovebirds.” The girl at the counter said, standing. “Thanks for the coffee, see you next time!”

“Bye Liz!” They chorused unintentionally, and waved as the girl with long red hair sauntered out of the coffee shop, meeting up with a boy in a hoodie who’d been standing outside smoking while she got coffee.

When she was gone, Cass let out a breath she didn’t realize was trapped. 

Tyler sighed. “Gods, she reminds me of…”

“…Jaena.” Cass said, nodding. “You really do need a haircut.”

“I do. And your roots need a touchup.”

“Do not.”

“Do too.”

Later, in their tiny apartment above the coffee shop, Cass sat scrolling through Tripter on her laptop, her brows creased in a slight frown. Tyler walked up behind her, and started massaging her shoulders. “Checking in on Zen and Yoosung again?” he asked, and she nodded.

“It’s easy to check in on the famous ones. I know the articles about Jumin’s abortive presidential bid and supposed illicit relationship with Jaehee are all trashy journalism, but at least Yoosung’s meTube channel shows me the face he wants me to see, and Zen’s tripter is still full of thirsty women as usual. He’s got a new role, looks like he’ll be starring in Phantom.”

“Oh, that’s lovely.” Tyler said, but she could tell his heart wasn’t in it. He turned away from her, and went into the kitchen, puttering about uselessly.

“Ty…”

He turned to look at her, and his cheeks were wet. Immediately, she stood and closed the distance between them.

“I don’t want to be Elfstar anymore.” He said, an old reference that not only made her chuckle but also broke her heart. She reached out and gently wiped the tears off his cheeks.

“I love you.” she said, as if it was the only thing that could help him feel better.

“I love you too.” he said, pulling her into a hug. “But I shouldn’t. We shouldn’t. I feel so guilty.”

“I love him too, still.” She said. “You’re twins. You’re so similar but so different. I’ve done lots of shady things in my life, but I don’t consider loving two men one of them.”

“Can you just… say my name… once?”

She chuckled, and moved away so she could look him in the eye. “Saeran, dear. You should take those contacts out so we can sleep.”

His cheeks pinked, and he leaned forward to press a soft kiss to her lips. “Okay, Jaena.”

Seasons passed, and summer turned to fall, with the bright colors on the trees flaring to life and fading to brown before falling and being replaced by the unbroken white of fresh snow.

Cass walked up to Tyler, who’d paused at the front door while unlocking it to open. It was a Wednesday, and after the fresh snow last night, it was unlikely they’d have a big crowd. Just in case, Cass made a batch of Mac & Cheese, their sign outside calling it out as the “Warm-up Special.”

“Hey Tyler, you okay?”

“Yeah, I just like looking at the snow. It’s so beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful.” Cass said, nudging him in the side.

“No you.” Tyler pouted, and turned to head back to the counter.

As predicted, it was slow. Cass didn’t mind, it gave her time to catch up on her reading. Or, in this case, to be irritated by the perpetual reruns of that same Noprah segment with Saeyoung in it. Fuck, I miss that idiot. 

Distracted by her own thoughts and reminiscences, she wasn’t expecting the sudden influx of college students. She hopped up to assist Tyler who was quickly taking orders. 

“I know you’re not that chain place, but you wouldn’t be willing to write “shitty hair” as my name on my cup, would you?” the student at the counter said, and Cass turned to look at them, exaggeratedly eyeing them up and down. “You look more like a ‘dunce face’ to me.”

Tyler looked at her like she’d grown an extra head. “What did you just…?!”

“OMG is that you, Bakugo? I never knew you were a goth barista!”

Tyler realized, then, that this was a reference to one of her shows, and tuned out, taking the rest of the orders while they continued to chatter on about characters and quirks and who knows what else.  Eventually, drinks were delivered, and most of the group congregated at a set of tables unsurprisingly around where Sean was working. Weird, she thought It’s not Friday. Guess the snow motivated them.

Cass continued to chatter with the student, while Tyler went to take a break in back. That many people was still a lot for him, even after 18 months of experience. When the bell above the door jingled to signal more customers, Cass called “Be with you in a moment!” as she was busy pulling up photos from comic con a few years ago, to show off that Unbreakable Red Riot she’d seen.

“This is still the best cosplay I’ve ever encountered.” she said to the blonde, who took her phone and stared at it. 

“Wow, that had to have been a ton of work.” They said, and handed her phone back.

“You know the best part?” she said, and they shook their head.

“That was my actual hair.” a voice next to them said, tone full of mischief.

Cass’s head snapped to the side so fast she thought she might have given herself whiplash, her mouth gaping open like a fish. Am I hallucinating?

Her call to the customers was also Tyler’s call to come back out front, and he emerged from the kitchen, giving Cass the customary kiss on the cheek that he’d done every day for more than a year, before realizing who was standing in front of him.

“Friend of yours?” he asked, one eyebrow quirked up, which helped Cass get a hold of herself.

“K-kindof?!” Cass squeaked, her fight or flight reflex leaving her frozen but leaning heavily towards flight.

“Wait, is this that cosplayer?” the student she’d been chatting with said, which got the attention of the rest of his group. 

“Whoa, that’s Saeyoung Choi!” one of the girls said, and immediately the redhead standing in front of them was swept up into the hubbub of students, despite any attempt to escape them. Cass took one frightened look at Tyler, who waved her toward the kitchen door, an excuse to exit that she happily took.

Anything could have been happening in the front of the shop. Cass’ blood was pounding in her ears, and she collapsed into one of the break room chairs, and immediately put her head between her knees to try and forestall the panic attack and/or fainting spell that both seemed equally likely given the situation.

What could have been seconds or hours later, the back door from the alley swung open on its creaky hinges and her head snapped back up. No one came in that door, except if they just took the trash out. She left the hinges squeaky on purpose. 

In front of her eyes stood none other than Vanderwood, with one eyebrow quirked up at her, in that way that spoke volumes only he could manage.

“How the fuck… D-dad?!” Her hands slapped over her mouth when she realized what she’d called him, but it was too late.

“I think Alfred would be more appropriate.”

That startled a laugh out of her. “I don’t have Bruce Wayne’s budget, I’m sorry, but your position has been eliminated, sir.”

“You can’t fire me, I quit.” He said gruffly, and turned as if to leave.

“N-no!” She said, suddenly, launching out of her chair so suddenly that it fell over backwards. She ran into him at speed, and wrapped her arms around his middle, managing nothing more than knocking him into the wall with the force of her motion. “You can’t go.” she choked out, having surprised even herself with the tears running down her cheeks.

“I won’t go anywhere. Let me turn around, treasure.”

She dropped her arms, and he turned around and pulled her into his arms, one hand rubbing her back while she sobbed.

“I found you, just like I promised.”

“About fucking time.” she said, between sobs. 

They just stood there for a few minutes, until her breathing calmed, and he let her go.

She opened her mouth to ask something, but was interrupted by a call from the front.

“Cass! I need you, babe!”

“Fuck.” she said, and then louder “Be out in a sec, washing my hands!”

A quick dash to the mirror above the sink by the door to the front - installed for this exact purpose, though she hadn’t needed it for Vanderwood and Seven’s presence ruining her makeup as much as their absence - allowed for her to quick fix her makeup before washing her hands and reappearing as a completely functional coffeeshop owner… to a flood of people who’d shown up when their friends told them Saeyoung was here.

“Whoa.” She said, and Tyler shot her a glance that told him he was already beyond overwhelmed, but even so was more worried about her than about himself. “I’m fine.” She said, immediately getting to work putting together complicated coffee drinks.

“If you need an extra set of hands, I’m happy to help.” Vanderwood’s voice said from just behind the door to the kitchen. “He tends to draw crowds wherever he goes these days.”

Tyler whipped around, already holding a spare apron as Vanderwood stepped through the door. 

“Put this on. Do what Cass tells you.” 

Cass would have been more surprised by Tyler’s tone, except for the fact that he’d known Vanderwood a sum total of 12 hours, 6 of which he’d been asleep, and all of which were 18 months ago.

As he finished tying his apron, Cass looked Vanderwood up and down. “You know how to run an espresso machine?”

“I’ve been making coffee longer than you’ve been alive.” That one-eyebrow look again.

“Good. Recipes for the fancy drinks are on the counter.” She said, and turned to make the complicated smoothie concoctions instead, choosing to trust her chosen father-figure with the coffee that was his lifeblood while Tyler manned the counter and the bakery case.

Finally, they hit a lull, and Cass turned to see Seven looking a little worse for wear. At least to a practiced eye. He was still smiling and being his goofy 707-self, but she could see the strain of it.

“I’m gonna—“ she started.

“Go, he needs it.” Tyler interrupted, and she nodded, dishing up a bowl of mac & cheese and grabbing a PhD Pepper out of the cooler before slipping out from behind the counter and over to the area where Seven seemed to be holding court. He looked up and saw her, and turned to address the group.

“Hey, my dinner’s here. Can we pick this up in a bit?”

For some reason, they all nodded like he was the one doing them a favor by eating, and shuffled off to other tables and conversations.

“Mac & Cheese.” She said, handing him the plate. “And your lifeblood, good sir.”

He didn’t say anything right away, simply took a bite of the food she’d brought, and washed it down with a sip of soda.

“It really is better with the vegetables in it.” He said, then. “Damn vegetables.” He looked at the dish as though it personally betrayed him.

“It meets your standards then I hope, Mister Celebrity.”

“More than. God, Scarlet. You look so different. If I hadn’t heard you talking about my cosplay, I might have missed you entirely.”

“I never would have missed you, my Red Riot.” she said, quietly, trying to keep herself from crying. “Not in a million years.”

“Was 18 months too long to wait?” he said suddenly, sharply, his gaze not on her but on the counter, where Tyler had his back to them and was walking Vanderwood through something. “Who’s the handsy blonde, and where the hell is my brother?”

Cass froze at his initial question and then slapped a hand over her mouth to cover her laugh at his follow-up questions.

“Seven, I… your brother is behind the counter. He’s blonde. He’s your fucking twin, how did you not recognize him?! You Have. The Same. Face.”

Seven blinked, then shook his head. “Seven.exe has stopped working. Abort, Retry, Fail?”

Author's Note: Saeran's commentary about not wanting to be Elfstar anymore is an old school (as old as 1984...) reference to anti-D&D religious propaganda, specifically a chick tract called "Dark Dungeons". I don't agree with any of the messages from that hate group, but it's one hell of a meme, and seems like exactly the kind of shit the twins would know about and mock-reference. Here's an article from The Escapist about the tract, that has a good breakdown of what it's about without furthering the hate.

[teastainedprose]

Chapter 2, Chapter 3

Play With Fire ( Homelander x Reader)

18+ for language, female (plus size♥) reader | You walk into an elevator with Homelander...💋 [AO3 Link]

You can only stare at Ashley’s cold dismissal. Not Ashley Barrett, of course. You’re not high up enough to get personally fired by the CEO. Her assistant is the one doing it, also Ashley. 

There were too many fucking Ashleys in this office.

Your head is buzzing and you can’t exactly focus on the words that spill out of her mouth. She has such a pleasant smile plastered on her lips. A fake, corporate smile as she tells you that as of today? You no longer work at Vought International. A job you had scraped and clawed for. Survived an unpaid internship in fucking New York City for, moonlighting as a waitress in a diner where patrons had sticky hands even for one such as you.

You stare at her, having no idea what words her placid smile makes. Something about turning your badge in at the front desk on your way out. That they’ve packed everything up at your desk already and it will show up to your house in two to four business days. An easier transition, she says. How kind.

Neatly packaging your existence away and shipping it off in the post as if it didn’t fucking matter. You blink and you’re already stalking out of the office. The dismissal had been clear. They had saved it for when you normally would be packing up for the day. Less drama. Always better to fire someone on a Friday afternoon. Not many witnesses. At least you can slink out with some scraps of your dignity. Before you realize it, you’re fast walking through the hallway to the elevator lobby. All your mind can focus on is getting in that elevator and escaping this fucked up place. That is your one goal as your insides churn with bitter anger and your brain buzzes.

Your rage is impotent, with no outlet. What could you even do? Nothing against Vought. Not with their airtight security. You knew how Vought paid everyone and anyone off to make undesirables vanish. How they mopped up the ‘accidents’ of their precious supe products. How your firing was another one of those casualties, dismissed at a whim of the Seven. You knew specifically who. That star-spangled blonde bastard. One typo led to one tantrum from the supe and you had to suffer for it.

Rage pushes your feet to move a little quicker as you spot the open elevator doors. Someone must have just exited, you see the retreating forms of a handful of people down the opposite end of the hall. Perfect, except those doors are closing and you’re too impatient to wait in the lobby a moment longer.

At the sight of the closing elevator doors, your feet pick up their pace. You can’t stay in this building a moment long, not in this hallway with the chance of spotting anyone you know who may recognize the set of your face as something amiss.. Some of them know you well enough to know that would mean something’s wrong, or they knew the bad news before you. That gives you the motivation to snap a hand out to stop those closing doors, praying it’s empty so you can take a breath alone. You need it.You deserve it. It’s the least the universe can do for you at this moment. The universe is not kind today.

The doors stop at the presence of your hand while you slip through the opening. Your regret is almost instantaneous as you step into the re-opening doors because there stood Homelander.

Fucking Homelander in his stupid suit, looking all the world like Uncle Sam shat out the perfect Boyscout. Except, you know far better. There was a monster in that human suit.

He looks ever the caged predator within the confines of the enclosed metal space, wholly uninterested in you. There’s only the briefest of glances your way before his attention is back on the elevator’s LED number display. Oh, but you hate him. Stuffed up supe, high on his own importance.

You’d seen him about the office, from a distance. A wolf among doting sheep, bleating for his attention. How did anyone dare to get close when he flashed those canines? You should flee, but the elevator doors click behind you with a finality. No, fuck it. Fuck him. You don’t care. All you care about is getting out of this shit hole and this elevator ride will be your last here. One way or another. The white hot rage is back to roiling in your gut and you feel as if you’d choke on it.

Homelander’s cold blue gaze flickers over you once more as you stew, taking you all in within an instant. Your badge and your name. Another useless Vought employee, a wriggling worm at his feet. The Hero Management Department by the logo on your badge, but he’s never noticed you. No wonder. You’re too short. Someone who could get lost in a crowd. His lips turn up in a cruel sneer. Fat, too. A pudgy, little grub. At least you’re dressed well. You need to be if you work here. Almost demure in that dress that must have cost half your pathetic paycheck. He wants to be disgusted by you, but you meet his eyes. People rarely did that. There’s fire burning in those wide eyes. A defiance he’s not used to seeing often. Especially not from something as breakable as you. It gives Homelander pause. He’s puzzled. That sort of volatile hatred was usually reserved for dear William, but you? It was almost comical seeing such a delicate thing like you sparking with it. You looked like a little firecracker about to go off and Homelander wonders what sorts of sparks you’d show.

Your expression was utterly, almost eerily calm yet he could feel the rage rolling off of you, it was a palpable taste on his tongue. An almost bitter tang that made Homelander reflexively lick his lips. That gets your attention. Previously, you’d let your eyes dart around the elevator in your unrest. Now your eyes fixate on the flick of Homelander’s tongue while the wheels within your brain begin to whirl. What is the stupidest thing you could do on your last day at Vought? Something reckless and impulsive. Suicidal even.

He watches you with interest now that you’re daring to meet his gaze, scrutinizing this little mortal confined in the elevator with him with anger steaming off your body. Normally, Vought employees fawned over him while reeking of fear. They cowered and all but tried to tongue his taint in their need to appease him and soothe Homelander’s volatile moods. Yet here you were, looking as much like a caged animal within the confines of the elevator as he felt most of the time. 

Homelander senses the shift in you, from anger to something else. He can’t pinpoint it, not yet. Not with how the adrenaline pumps through your veins as you fix your eyes on his face, a heady perfume if there ever was one. It’s a little like prey backed into a corner, finally deciding fight over flight. Homelander doesn’t fear you or any possible outburst you could throw his way. How could he? He’s a god and you’re an ant. Still, he’s curious as to what you’ll do. Homelander can see the tension in your body, how your muscles coil before a pounce.

You weren’t quick, by any means. Homelander could have deflected you with his pinky finger, but the determination in your eyes kept him still. What were you even planning to do to him, of all people? Seeing you unleashing your anger on him would amuse the supe. Give him a valid reason to crush your fragile skull in his fist with a satisfying wet crunch. Yet, you surprised him. All that anger and vitriol boiling over shifted into something else entirely, but it still burns.  It burns so much that you need to let it out. Which you do, by pressing your lips against Homelander’s. It’s pure impulse and oh so reckless. He’s killed people for lesser slights but you don’t care. Not in that moment. You want this, maybe even need it. Need to vent out all your frustration on the man who caused all this in the first place.

So you dig your nails into the leather fabric of Homelander’s suit, having to get up on your toes to press your lips against his own. 

They’re surprisingly soft, Homelander’s lips. You hadn’t expected it. A contrast to the lack of give against his body because leaning into Homelander is like leaning into a brick wall. Unmovable. The only give is from his lips and you suspect that’s because you took the supe by surprise.

The audacity of this little bug!

Homelander’s eyes are wide, shocked even at your brazen act. Staring down at this impertinent little human daring to touch him.There’s a desperation in your act, in how your face is still twisted up in rage and confusion but softening as you stubbornly keep your lips moving against his own.

Still so curious. 

He lets you kiss him, even goes as far to settle into the kiss himself. He can’t help it. Softness was a rare thing for him to feel and you really are oh so soft against him. Pliable and willing now that you’ve settled into properly kissing him. You’re not bad at this either, knowing exactly what sort of coaxing pressure to give him while teasing Homelander into giving back more.

So he does.

Homelander hooks you in the steel grip of one hand, fingers digging into your waist and he finds you yielding. Soft and giving as your lips. He should have expected that given your size, but he finds that he likes it. He can dig his fingers in a little deeper with no fear of snapping ribs with the slightest of pressure.

Homelander is kissing you back. Fucking Homelander! You half expected to get thrown across the elevator shaft for your action, but he was almost holding you gently. Almost. This close you can feel the restrained power of him that all but hums through the supe’s body. It should frighten you, but it’s thrilling having a monster yield so readily to you of all people.

You need something to ground yourself because this can't be real! You grab for Homelander's hair, sliding your fingers through it. Idly, you muse at the softness. It wasn't gelled and hard to the touch as you expected. Leave-in conditioner, that must be it. The thought makes you smile into the kiss, tightening your hold on Homelander's hair with a playful tug to coax his mouth closer.

You don’t expect the needy moan Homelander releases against your lips at the gentle tug. Would have never expected such a sound from a man like him. You greedily swallow it up, using it to your advantage to slide your tongue over his lips. They part under the pressure and then you’re kissing Homelander deeper. This is far from an innocent, impulsive act now. He’s meeting your fire, consumed by the flames as much as you are. More so because now Homelander seems intent on devouring you as he fits his lips to yours, bruising them while his tongue slides slick over your own within your mouth. He growls. Homelander fucking growls into the kiss and you feel that tremor down to your toes, arousal a white hot flash through your system. Thus it really can’t be helped when you mold your curves into the hard lines of his body, fingernails scraping at Homelander’s scalp while you try to taste every corner of his mouth. His free hand even comes up to take an ample handful of your ass as he pulls you flush against him properly, and is that- Holy fuck.

The chime of the elevator hitting the ground floor snaps you both out of the moment. You jerk apart and even in his surprise, Homelander’s grip is loose enough for you to step away safely. You stare up at him a beat, taking in Homelander’s flushed features and how he pants.

You did that. You did that to the most powerful supe of the Seven, possibly the most powerful supe in the world. Smug satisfaction settles on your shoulders for a moment.

You can see the rage building in his eyes, disgust twisting up Homelander’s features and there’s even the glaring threat of red sparking in his gaze. Holy shit. Your heart squeezes as the smugness shifts to the instinct to survive. It’s time to flee or die.

Homelander sneers at you and you know he’s about to say something scathing to put you in your place before he obliterates you. Instead of cowering, you flash him a thousand watt smile. The sort you’ve employed on dates with hapless men to get them giving dopey grins right back to you. It works well enough.

He blinks, the red glare vanishing from his eyes. People in this tower never smile at Homelander like that. Another surprise. You exit stage left before he recovers, almost running into someone on your way out of the elevator. It’s Ashley. CEO Ashley this time, with tablet in hand.

Her gaze flicks up from the screen as she gives a little start before suspicion tinges her features. “Weren’t you fired?” She whispers the words under her breath, brushing past you before stiffening up at the sight of the supe still within the elevator. “Homelander! There you are!” She chirps out with faux cheerfulness and a dead smile. “I’ve got fantastic news on your latest numbers!” That gives you enough time to slip away, with Ashley crowding up to Homelander eagerly to stroke his ego so he’s kept calm for another day and no one dies. You certainly didn’t die. Personally, you think the supe’s mind will be occupied by other things today. You turn your badge in at security’s front desk with a self satisfied smirk.

For his part, Homelander silently steps out of the elevator with eyes fixed on your retreating frame. He doesn’t register Ashley’s yammering as she tries to tell him the good news about a ten point boost. No, Homelander’s mind is too busy contemplating what he will do to you. Little bugs like you can’t get away with taunting gods.

A wide, shark-like grin spreads Homelander's lips now that he has revenge on his mind. He snaps his attention to Ashley, voice sharp as Homelander lifts a finger in her face for silence “Ashley. That woman. Give me her name, now.”

[realmofthewd]

Realm of The Walking Dead Series - Season 1 - Chapter 18: Monstrum Adventi

[starsaver94]

Taming the Beast Within Ch.5

Soft snoring filled the air of a fifteen-year-old Kyoko’s bedroom. A thin line of drool flowed freely out of her mouth and made a small stain on the sheets as she slept peacefully. At least, until a soft yet loud knock resonated against her bedroom door. Kyoko groaned as she stirred from her newly disturbed sleep.

“What?” She whined out at whoever was currently at her door.

“Kyoko, it’s 8:00 am. You need to get up!” Her mother exclaimed from the other side of the door.

“Why?”

“Because your entranced exam for U.A is today. Did you forget? I made breakfast for you, so hurry and get dressed. You don’t want to be late.”

“Oh,” Kyoko mumbled before closing her eyes again in order to go back to sleep. But as soon as they were closed, her eyes shot back open again.

“Crap!” She shouted, quickly scrambling out of bed, changing her clothes in a rush, grabbing her backpack and bolting out the door into the hallway. Kyoko runs up to the kitchen counter and grabs a small bowl of eggs and rice that her mother had just made.

“Good morning, dear.” Reiki greets her newly awoken daughter “Did you sleep well?”

“Mm-hmm. I slept really well.” Kyoko mumbles around a mouthful of rice, stopping for a moment to gulp down some water from a tall glass.

“Careful dear, you don’t want to choke do you?” Reiki warns as Kyoko finishes the last of the rice and runs to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

“Did you pack everything you need, sweetie?”

“Yeah, I packed everything in advance last night, remember?”

“Ok, well, just be careful out there and do your best, alright?”

“I will.” Kyoko reassures her mother before kissing her check and heading out the front door “Bye mom! I love you and I’ll tell you how things went when I get back!”

Reiki smiled and let out a sigh of both pride and sadness “My baby’s on the path to achieving her dream.”

As Kyoko walked down the street, she began to notice other students around her age walking down the same path she walked.

They all must be taking the entrance exam as well.

Kyoko continued to walk down the street until she rounded the corner and was met with the large entrance gates of U.A High School. The sight of what was considered the top hero school in Japan made Kyoko’s heart race.

It’s much bigger than I thought. Should I really go in? I mean only the best of the best can attend, and my quirk is…

Thoughts of doubt raced through her mind as she walked through the gate and down the entrance path, pausing only to take another look at the school in all its glory. That was, until a sudden force was felt against her left shoulder that nearly knocked her off balance and snapped Kyoko out of her daydreams.

“Watch where your standing idiot!” A harsh male voice growled while continuing down the brick path. He was wearing a black coat with matching black pants and had a tan scarf wrapped around his neck. An aura of somewhat subdued anger seemed to follow him.

Kyoko didn’t get a good look at his face, but one thing in particular about the unknown male did stick out to her. A head of spiky, ash-blond hair that looked almost painful to the touch.

Just another student going to take the entrance exam.

Kyoko shook her head and continued down the path towards the front doors of U.A. As Kyoko walked, she passed by a brown-haired girl who was standing next to a boy with a head of fluffy, green hair who was… floating?

Just more hopeful students. Keep walking.

Kyoko walked through the large double doors with an equally large 2 painted on it. She continued to walk through the large main hall until she finally reached the exam room.

There’s got to be an empty seat somewhere… Oh! There!

She ended up taking a seat next to a boy with sharp red hair.

After Kyoko took her seat, the lights in the exam room flared to life. This revealed a man with long yellow hair that was styled in a way that made him look like some sort of parrot.

“What’s up U.A candidates? Thanks for tuning in to me, your school DJ.” The man flashed a somewhat cheesy smile and opened his arms out towards the crowd of exam takers.

“C’mon. And lemme hear ya!”

Silence. Complete and total silence.

Is this guy for real?

“Keeping it mellow, huh? Alright, guess I’ll skip to the main show. Now, let’s talk about your practical exam.”

“ARE YOU READY? YEAH!”

More silence.

Who is this guy?

“Today you rockin’ boys and girls will be out there conducting ten-minute mock battles in an epic urban setting. After I finish here you’ll be sent to your specified battle center, sound good?”

Wait… did he say… battle?

Kyoko’s heart dropped. She hated fighting, more than anything else on earth. Now she has to fight if she wants to get into the academy.

I must’ve missed that part on the application form…

Kyoko quickly pulled out her exam ticket in order to check her battle center location. It read “Test Location: Battle Center B”.

She looked back up at the screen which now displayed what types of enemies would appear and how many points they were worth when defeated.

“Excuse me, sir? But I have a question.”

A single light beamed down on a taller, black-haired student. The light reflecting off of his glasses.

“On the printout, you’ve listed four distinct types of villains. Not three like you said. With all due respect, if this is an error on official U.A material, it is indeed shameful.”

He went on to explain how U.A was supposed to be the most honored school in Japan before pointing at the green haired kid from earlier.

“You with the unkempt hair. Yes, you. You’ve been muttering this entire time. Stop that at once. Because if you can’t bother to take this seriously, then you can leave. You're being a distraction and nuisance to the rest of us.”

Wow… Hopefully the teachers aren’t that strict.

The exam supervisor went on to explain how the fourth villain type was merely just an obstacle and wasn’t worth any points if defeated.

“That’s all I got for today, so I’m going to sign off with a little present for you guys! It’s… a sample of our school motto!”

Suddenly a large projection of the phrase “PLUS ULTRA” flashed onto the screen. Kyoko could feel her heart thumping in her chest at a rapid rate. She was nervous, but at the same time, she was also excited. This was her first step towards becoming a hero. And she was determined not to let something as simple as a mock battle stand in her way.

The exam room quickly emptied out and Kyoko followed the students that were in Battle Center B. The group of students soon arrived at a large metal door. Kyoko began to fiddle with her coat nervously. Her heart was going so fast it felt as if it could pop out of her chest at any minute.

This is it...

My dream…

My career…

My life…

It all…

Starts here!

[mikkeneko]

PSA for Google Docs writers

[Edit] Also for Firefox, as per @essayofthoughts in the notes: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/delete-g-docs-type-to-insert/

If you (like me) use Google Doc to write fanfic, you may (like me) have been annoyed by the new "feature" they added in the past few weeks, "Smart Chips," where by default every time you open a new line it auto-inserts a "@" symbol and then prompts to add additional people into the doc for review or whatever other useless thing I immediately closed out of.

There doesn't appear to be a way to turn off this "feature" in GDocs however someone has put out an extension that nixes it:

[fonulyn]

since I've seen it talked about in several places recently:

if you are going to do a whump- or kink- or ANY-tober or other similar challenges please please please don't post them as one fic with 31 chapters unless it actually is one coherent fic. if they're 31 completely separate fics or ficlets then please just make a collection for them or just post them as separate fics. it doesn't matter if they're only 100 words or if you think they're too small or insignificant to post alone, they're not.

and why this?

because if you post all 31 of them in one fic the tagging is absolutely useless. if I look for things to read on ao3 I'm gonna look at the tags, and if the tags include something that's a dealbreaker for me, i won't even click on the fic. I might not even SEE the fic because I've filtered out the nope-tag! so I'm gonna lose out on reading 30 perfectly nice fics because of one fic that my nope-tag applied to.

ao3 is about archiving. it's about clear tagging and being informative. there is nothing informative about it if the tags in the fic apply to random chapters while others have nothing to do with it. it makes so much more sense to have each work as an individual fic with its own individual tags and warnings, so readers can make informed choices.

of course, you do you. I can't police what other people decide to do. but personally, I find it incredibly frustrating to weed through 31 chapters to find the ones I actually want to read. so I don't. I automatically scroll past all works posted like that. and I know some others do, too.

there is absolutely no shame in posting short things on ao3. there is no minimum word count. no one is going to look at you funny if you post a small ficlet on its own, I promise. it's just going to make some readers very happy when they can actually find the things they want to read.

so, please. at least consider the upsides of posting each work as their own fic.

signed, one very frustrated fandom grandma.

[thatskindarough]

“‘I just…I thought you might like to come back, one day,’ Crowley said very quietly. Aziraphale’s foot pressed against his again, and Crowley drew in a sudden breath, as if he hadn’t been breathing properly since Aziraphale had stopped touching him.”

This piece was a commission from the lovely @fellshish for their lovely friend, @alphacentaurinebula ‘s fic What Are You Doing Here? This fic is cute, funny, heartwarming, and incredibly spicy, and I’m very much looking forward to finishing it! Thank you Fells for being wonderful to work with, and happy (belated) birthday to you Alphacentauri, I’m very happy I could do this for you!