#he's mad at them for creating julian

[comic-sans-chan]

I adore how unhinged Garak is about the people he likes, because there's this theme of them being similarly unhinged. Like that colleague from the Order in Second Skin that he had to shoot and was like, "Aw :( ...Well Anyway" about. Or like Tain and Mila, both crazy bitches, imo. Or his last remaining contacts on Cardassia who he called up in In The Pale Moonlight who were all down to raid the Dominion’s underwear drawer at the drop of a hat. Like that's what Garak is used to. He likes excitement, he likes a bit of malice, he likes some cunning. And that's part of what makes Garashir so goddamn funny is Julian is actually a bit of a cunning, malicious little shit sometimes. If you watch the series knowing Julian's an augment, these moments come up all the time where it's clear he's fucking with people for his own amusement. Taking people for a bit of a ride just to see what happens. Then ofc there are all the gross incel fuckboy moments, but. 

I just love the idea of Julian going on some insane borderline villainous monologue about something or other and Garak sitting there with hearts swirling around his head. Don't get me wrong, Garak loves Julian for his goodness first and foremost, but Julian's not perfect and I think that makes the ship so much more interesting because I can't really see Garak finding most of Julian's worst flaws anything but thrilling. We go on about Garak loving Julian's infodumping and argumentativeness, but after the augment thing comes out, I think he equally enjoys watching Julian play dumb with people and Knowing he's playing dumb. It compliments his own Just a Simple Tailor routine so perfectly. They're just normal men. Just innocent men.

[artsofmetamoor]

Young Caleb and Diego.

Caleb and Diego were both found by Julian, a while after the rebellion against prince Phobos broke out, they grew up together in the middle of all the chaos, living the struggles that no child should be able to endure. Despite Julian becoming a caring father figure to the boys, he was also busy leading the whole resistance and thus he had to prepare Caleb and Diego for the upcoming war, which forced them to grow up far too quickly, relying on each other, and the rebellion for survival.

Caleb of course grows up to become the next rebel leader after Julian is lost in battle, and Diego his right hand man.

Their pose was inspired by the painting "The Princes in the Tower'" by John Everett Millais, 1878. The whole story and melancholy of the piece portraying the children facing the dangerous unknown together reminded me of our boys ❤️

@katerinaaqu 's written work featuring Diego (and Caleb), her portrayal of this original character of ours is always fantastic ❤️:

Uneasy Lies The Head

Hidden Truth Prequel: The Peak of Madness

I've not been posting much lately I apologize for that, life was keeping me... and recently much to my frustration my motivation is just dying, even tho I really want to draw... there's no better way to put this, I overall just feel like shit... just lost, empty and sad.

But regardless I decided to try and fight against all these nasty shadows over my head and force myself to create something, anything, hopefully more will come.

One step at a time I suppose, may it all get better.

Hope everyone is alright, take care ❤️

[beybladefanboy]

Metal Fury Has The Weakest Villains

After thinking about it, I have to admit that as much as I love Fury and still consider it my favorite season of Beyblade, one thing Fusion and Masters have over it (besides a better written Kyoya, still the only problem I have with Fury that majorly affects my enjoyment) are the villains. Aside from Johannes, who is very memorable and honestly does way too much of the heavy-lifting for a henchman, Fury's villains are really forgettable.

Starting with Fusion:

Its main villains are definitely Ryuga and Doji but I'll throw Reiji in as well since despite being in fewer episodes than some of Fury's villains, he's far more memorable than them.

Reiji, along with Doji and Ryuga are very memorable villains. I remember their goals, their beys, how they battle, how they look and sound, and just who they are in general even when it's been a long time since I've seen the series. Destructive purple dragon, giant torture snake, and wolf that drags people into darkness are just very distinct. These characters' goals are very simple. However, I will always remember the way Doji and Ryuga go about those goals by manipulating notable characters like Yu, Testuya, Tobio, and Ryutaro into the Dark Nebula to ultimately just use them and all the ripple effects that causes. Not to mention the way Reiji is merely Doji's sadistic puppet, the way he gleefully and viciously tortures children, his breakdowns that they never properly utilized, all of that sticks in my mind and creates a set of very memorable villains.

Masters, while less iconic, also does its main villains really well.

Ziggurat is probably the most realistic villain in the entire series. Slight goofiness and generic design aside, a mad scientist who's so concerned with whether or not he can do something that he didn't stop to think if he should is very rooted in reality and quite frankly, that's terrifying. And like Doji, Ziggurat also manipulates Bladers into his cause like Damian, Jack, and Zeo, the last of which causes so much interesting conflict for Masamune and Toby. Damian and Jack as well, while technically "henchmen" too, are very memorable thanks to how they look and how they fight. Like the Fusion villains, Peacock the Ripper and dog who drags people into hell are memorable and interesting. Plus the way Ziggurat swayed characters from earlier in the series to join his cause like the Garcias and Julian, and the ripple effect that especially the latter caused was very engaging to watch, and similar to Fusion with the Dark Nebula, makes even the henchmen interesting.

And then there's Fury.

Johannes, I think, is actually done well. He's, despite fandom perception, actually competent as a henchman, knowing when it would be most optimal for his plans to flee or fight and cleverly swaying both Aguma and Chris to his side with just his words. He's also got a distinct look and way of acting in and out of battle. "Cat boy thingy" is memorable, if on the silly side.

The other Fury villains though...

While it's cool that Pluto works in the shadows and wears a mask most of the season, he doesn't have anything besides that to make him stand out like these other villains do. Often when I rewatch Fury, I only remember he's the masked man after he takes his mask off and when he does, he just becomes some guy to me. He doesn't do much outside of the big semi-final battle when he uses his special move to separate the legendary bladers and prevent them from making Zeus's Barrier, which is cool and engaging in the moment but easy to forget about when I'm not actively watching those episodes. It's more memorable because of how Kenta breaks through it and saves the day rather than anything Pluto does.

And then Rago...

Rago just sucks. I'm sorry. He's again just some guy who showed up out of nowhere when the villains literally brought in to control Nemesis. Yeah, I know Reiji was also kind of just "some guy who showed up" but him never being seen before (even by others in the Dark Nebula) was something that was used to add to his creepiness and intimidation factor, and build up the feeling of uneasiness throughout his battle with Hyoma. Plus, Reiji was basically kept in the Dark Nebula's basement prior to "showing up", not off some undisclosed somewhere in the world like Rago was.

What else is there to Rago? Well, he killed Ryuga... rest in peace, legend.

That and the whole "copied bey spirits" thing (which admittedly is a really cool visual) are the most memorable things Rago does honestly. He's also, I think, descended from the original controller of Nemesis. Or maybe that's Pluto. I don't know. They blend together in my mind so I can never remember which is his descendant when I'm not actively watching Fury.

Hell, for that matter, I can't remember anything about either of these characters when I'm not actively watching Fury. Who are they? Why do they want to destroy the world? Who are they outside of that goal? How do their actions (not Johannes's) affect the main cast?

For Fusion and Masters' villains, I, and probably you reading this, can answer all these questions easily.

For two random examples from each:

-Doji likes orange juice, uses a Dark Wolf, hates cacti and childrens' happiness and is a manipulative sociopath who wants to use the dark power to take over the world.

-Damian is a brainwashed germaphobic child who uses a Kerbecs bey and believes using the arrangement system is the best and only way to become a powerful blader.

Hell, I can even do this for Johannes in Fury: He likes cats, using a Lynx bey with different spin track lengths, is a bit of a weirdo and a coward, and believes in Nemesis's cause to destroy the world and bring about a newer better world.

Pluto and Rago don't have any traits like these that make them stand out. I'm not saying they need to be silly but my god give them something. Or at least consolidate them into one character. Why couldn't Pluto just be the one to control Nemesis and maybe be unmasked earlier? That alone would've made him at least a little more memorable than what we got.

Tldr: I love Fury but compared to Fusion and Masters, its villains are lacking.

[bijoumikhawal]

you mentioned julian getting sexualy assaulted, do you mean the alien impersonating jadzia in if wishes were horses? I think I've also seen several people talk about how 'creepy' julian's sexual fantasy of jadzia is... there absolutely should be discussions of his misogyny but shouldn't they be focused on his behavior and words and not his unconscious (he was literally sleeping having a dream) sexual fantasy... which only gets revealed to jadzia when the privacy of his mind is violated and someone pretends to be her and tries to have sex with him under false pretenses, a.k.a. sexual assault. idk, there seems to be some underlying assumption that men always enjoy and want sex which is kind of the main argument of rape apologia with men as victims and women as perpetrators. and of course it's also based on the patriarchal ideas of manhood that create rape culture that leads to horrific sexual assault statistics with women as victims and men as perpetrators. sorry for rambling it just made me uncomfortable and I'm glad to see someone point it out (if I correctly understood which episode you were talking about).

I also remembered that in one of the mirror universe episodes sisko has sex with mirror! jadzia who doesn't know that it's not her sisko. that it's another person. and it's such a throwaway moment that feels like it was written in just to be edgy and sexy. bad writing choice lol

no that's exactly the episode and EXACTLY!! EXACTLY!!! Not only that but people are weird about Julian being queercoded in relation to that scene- I've seen comments like "he moans like a woman" and implying him not being okay with being felt up in his sleep and trying to get the person he thinks is Jadzia to back off him means be doesn't like women. As well as uncritically accepting Jadzia's perception of the other Jadzia as submissive, which she is not lmao. If she was Julian wouldn't have to literally sprint to get away from her touching him later in the episode.

I actually don't watch most mirrorverse episodes because they make me fall asleep during them, which is the worst criticism I can have of something I'm watching when I'm not trying to sleep. But in general, Star Trek includes a lot of sexual violence in various forms that it does not understand as sexual violence on a Doylist level. It's kind of interesting in a fucked up way because Jake is preyed on by adult women in two episodes; one where the writers clearly don't understand he's a victim, and another where they do. There isn't a consistency in understanding which I suppose is the hazard of many writers. But something that especially frustrates me because it resembles my own trauma is how mad people get when you talk about the specific dynamic of women assaulting men in Trek, because it happens A LOT. There's both a resistance to acknowledging that particular dynamic of violence in society, but people are also desperate for Trek to be progressive 100% of the time, to the point of derailing conversations about when it isn't and being deeply condescending.

[footprintsinthesxnd]

haya! i know u’ve casted mutuals as bob characters, i was wondering if u could cast mutuals as the pacific characters (if u havent done it yet)? no presssure btw <3

Ooh yes I love doing these. I’m doing it as the Saturday Night Asks because I’m finally getting time to do them.

So I’m starting with @georgieluz who is 100% Hoosier. He’s definitely hugging the dog during an artillery barrage and honestly if I was stuck in the Pacific his sense of humour would help keep me sane. But he’s also a big softie. But he also reminds me of Ack Ack probably because of how emotionally destraught Julian was after his death but I also feel like Ack Ack is a strong, steady, reliable character and Julian is always there for me so I feel like this fits.

Next @malarkgirlypop is making me lean towards Eugene Sledge because she is such a sweetheart and I love her so much but she could also definitely defend herself and she’s been emotionally scared from our chats (I’m so sorry 😂)

Then @sweetxvanixlla gives me Sidney Phillips vibes. You’re such a loveable, softie and you’re always so supportive.

@merriell-allesandro-shelton how could I cast Louise as anyone other than Snafu (I think she would murder me) I’m not sure whether you share many character traits but you are now Snafu 😂

@panzershrike-pretz why do I feel like you have chaotic Chuckler vibes 😂 Pretz liked to create chaos on the discord group and I feel like Chuckler suits this vibe.

@mads-weasley is making me think of Lena Basilone. I feel like she’s a strong, independent woman but you’re also amazingly supportive and kind. But I also feel like some Leckie vibes come through because she is an amazing writer.

@coco-bean-1218 also gives me Sidney Phillips vibes. You’re such a sweetheart and although we haven’t chatted much I’ve loved all our interactions in the group chat.

@next-autopsy makes me think of Burgin. I’m not sure why but I feel like you’re the mature one in the group chat but you also enjoy the chaos 😂

@whollyjoly also gives me Chuckler vibes from the group chat chaos. The bottom text gang has been an extremely confusing ride 😂

@holdingforgeneralhugs I’m thinking maybe Edward Jones. You’re Ack Acks right hand man. You’re reliable and dependable and you’re Winters in the group chat so you have become our leader. But you also make me think of Ack Ack for this exact reasons so you are both the leader and the right hand man 😂

@liptonwashere as John Basilone. I feel like you’re really reliable but also a lot of fun to talk to. But most important your work is incredible and everyone needs to check out your videos because they give me life (not necessarily related to the character but I couldn’t not mention the video edits)

@samwinchesterslostshoe I feel like you’re a mixture between Runner and Hoosier. You never fail to make me laugh and you have initiated some of the most hilarious conversations 😂

@mutantmanifesto you are so unbelievably talented with your drawings. You’re giving me Leckie vibes.

@bucky32557038ww2 you also give me Lena vibes. There’s just something about you that I feel makes people just want to be your friend. Your so friendly and kind.

@xxluckystrike although we aren’t mutuals I couldn’t not include you. You also give me Burgin vibes. You’re always supportive in the group chat and you fit right in with everyone. I feel like you’re also quite an open and approachable person.

I think I’ve included everyone. Sorry if I’ve missed anyone. This was so much harder than casting my mutuals as Band of Brothers characters. I feel like there are less Pacific characters to pick from 😂

[dyns33]

Wanting more

Part 2 of my Julian Kaye x reader story

If she forgot about his job, life with Julian Kaye was pretty normal.

They had already created a sort of cocoon, a very domestic routine, and that hadn't really changed after their relationship became official.

After a few weeks, Y/N had asked Julian to come live with her. She had thought he would hesitate, too attached to his bachelor pad and his sense of independence. Scared too, because of his strange schedules.

But no, Julian had been very enthusiastic, collecting the few things he had in his motel to put them in her cupboards.

The schedules were still special. He sometimes came home very late, or after several days, totally exhausted. And he didn't talk about his day. He could not.

"First, I have a confidentiality agreement. And even if I changed the names, neither you nor I want to talk about my clients, and what I do with them."

"You can understand that I'm a little curious. And worried, when I see you so tired."

"Like everyone else when they come home from work, but everything is fine. I want to forget and only think about you. I only think about you all day."

Y/N wasn’t jealous.

She often told herself that she was not jealous. She had no reason to be. Julian loved her and he was just doing his job. Like an actor, a masseur or a doctor. He touched other bodies, but there was no feeling. It's a mechanical act, business, and when he came home, he had already moved on to something else.

To avoid a catastrophe, he had spoken to her a lot at the very beginning of their relationship. He had listed all the things his clients could ask him. He had presented Y/N to Lorenzo, his boss, so that he could also explain everything to her.

The one who had declared that their story could only end badly had understood that he had before him two people who loved each other deeply, and he had sighed.

“Julian never had a girlfriend.”

“I’ve had girlfriends, thank you.”

"Yeah, when you were twelve. Nothing serious since you started working. It's a first, and he tells you everything. No secrets, no shame. Maybe it'll work. The guy always follows the rules, you can trust him."

The rules were simple : the customer pays in advance, the customer says clearly what they want and what they don't want, they have no right to hurt or get attached to the gigolo, no refund.

There had been times when Julian had come home with marks. Bites, scratches, hickeys, hits. Most of the time he tried to hide them, keeping his distance for a few days.

He always apologized, as if it was his fault.

"They're not allowed to leave traces, but sometimes they act without thinking, and I don't have time to stop them. Sometimes I don't even notice."

"It's alright."

"I see this makes you sad. It's not alright."

Y/N kissed him to reassure him, repeating that she wasn't mad at him. He still continued to apologize.

Even though they weren't talking about his work, these marks and his late returns were a bit heavy. But there was nothing else. Julian didn't give any details. He took a long shower before coming home, washing away the lipstick, the perfume, everything that these women had left on him, on this body that belonged only to Y/N.

He wanted to show her, to reassure her, not being able to believe that she completely accepted the situation.

During one evening, he behaved as if he were with a client. It was the most horrible evening of their relationship.

"No. Stop, no." Y/N asked him, wanting to jump out of bed, trying not to cry.

"Baby, what's wrong ? Did I hurt you ?"

"It's so… cold. Violent. I don't feel like it's you."

"Because that's not me. Never me, and they're never you. I want you to know that, really know that."

"I know that, Julian. But thanks for showing me."

“I promise I’ll never show you that again.” he sighed as he took her in his arms, showing her his love and affection.

This was nothing new to Julian, but it had been a long time since he had known tenderness. Being in bed with a woman who just wanted to talk and hug him without asking for anything else. Who will prepare breakfast and dinner for him. Who loved spending time with him.

When her family and friends wanted to get to know her boyfriend, he begged her not to tell them what he was doing. He wasn't ashamed, and she wasn't ashamed, and Julian didn't care about being judged, but he didn't want others to judge Y/N.

They were going to ask prying questions, they were going to make stupid remarks, they might try to hire him to play a prank. It was too risky.

"Tell them I'm a coach, or a psychologist. It's basically the same thing. I get paid to help lonely, desperate people feel better for a few hours."

“What if they want to hire you ?”

“Impossible, I don’t take relatives as clients. I have to remain distant and objective.”

Even saying he was a coach, there were comments. Y/N's family thought Julian was superficial, flashy, with his muscles, his jewelry, his clothes. They were afraid he was with her for the money.

Which was ridiculous, since he had a lot more money than her. It happened that he earned in a week what she earned in a month. And in addition to helping pay the rent, the food, many things, he gave her gifts. Indecently expensive gifts.

"… There's really no need."

"To give a beautiful necklace to the most beautiful woman in the world ? No doubt, it's not necessary, but I want to. Try it."

“Julian, really, it’s too much.”

"For the car, okay, maybe it was a little too much, but it's just a little necklace. Please, I want to see you with it. I want to see it bounce between your tits when you are riding me.”

“You are impossible.” she mumbled as she felt her cheeks heat up, letting his hands caress her neck after attaching the necklace.

Y/N didn't really understand what was happening the evening when Julian prepared a romantic dinner, displaying a big smile. It wasn't a special day, even though he hadn't been around for several weeks, his hours seeming to have decreased.

Still with his proud smile, he placed two papers on the table. On the first piece of paper, there was a telephone number. The other was a check, of a fairly large amount.

"I don't understand." she said, looking at it, and seeing that the check was not for her, but in the name of Julian Kaye.

“My new phone number, and my first paycheck for my new job.”

"… What ?"

"I spoke with Lorenzo. For the past month, I have sometimes been a bouncer in his club, sometimes a bartender, and I give advice to new gigolos. It's not as well paid, but it's not bad. And as I'm not going to see my old clients again, I changed my number."

"Julian. Why ? You love your job."

"I love you more, and before you tell me that you're not ashamed, and that I can do whatever I want, it's not your fault. I kinda did it for you, but also for me. At first, I kept telling myself "think of Y/N, imagine that you are with her, and everything will be fine, then you come home, and you will really be with her". But I couldn't. They weren't you, and they were asking me things that you would never ask of me, and I was starting to be disgusted by these bodies, these skins, everything. I only wanted you. I said to myself, 'but what are you doing ? Sleeping in this bed, instead of being with her ?” So I talked to Lorenzo, and that’s it.”

Faced with Y/N's silence, Julian's smile faded a little, which saddened him. He seemed really proud to tell her this news. Over the past month, he had changed a lot of things for her, without her really noticing it, even if she was happy that he was home more often.

Slowly, she reached out to caress his cheek, sitting on his lap.

“Doesn’t that make you happy ?” he asked shyly.

"I just want you to be happy. Are you happ y?"

Julian looked at her with sparkling eyes before kissing her. Obviously, he was very happy and that was the only important thing.

[drustvar]

Ch. 20 : Lacerations

Something is at work beneath the city. Something old and dark. Something that inspires violence in people.

WC: 2.7k A/N: Woo hoo 20 chapters! This is the longest I've stuck with a project. Thanks to all my pals who have read and encouraged me along the way! ♥

Ao3 Link in Reblog || Full text under cut

The patrons of the Jagged Dagger hardly gave the pair a second glance as Rosie kicked open the door and strode inside, their entrance never once coming close to cutting through the noise of the pub. The air itself felt heavy, salty like sea brine, and thick with the smell of smoke and liquor. It didn’t bother her, in fact it felt almost familiar.

“Fuck’s sake!” Rosie yelped as she jumped back, narrowly dodging a silver plated tooth that whizzed past her nose and became lodged in the wall. “Goodness! You alright, dear?” Julian caught her against his chest, his arms snaking snugly around her middle. “Was that a tooth?” 

“It certainly was,” Julian laughed as he pulled it out of the small crater it had created and tossed it back from whence it came—a small scuffle that had broken further out on the bar floor. “How charming, eh?” He grinned and rocked back on his heels, still holding her close. Rosie pursed her lip as she watched the fight; none of the people involved seemed actually mad at one another, it almost seemed…scripted. As if it was a play, or, chillingly, perhaps a recreation of one of the gladiator fights. But still, her hackles raised. “Stay close to me,” She murmured as she slunk forward along the wall, making their way to the bar at the far end of the building. Her grip on his hand was tight and warm. From the corner of her eye she watched as a musician was grabbed off of a makeshift stage and had his own poorly tuned instrument smashed over his head.

“Quick!” Julian grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged them both down, just narrowly dodging a hefty steak knife stabbing into the wall. Rosie hissed, shrinking against him as they stared up at it.  “Julie…” 

“Ah, we’ve made it this far though, uh, haven’t we, darling?” He laughed, though the telltale shake of apprehension shook his words. “Might as well see it through, eh?” 

“I just hope they serve a good drink,” she muttered as they continued on, now at a low crouch. “Doubt they’d draw a good crowd like this if they didn’t.” 

“Intuitive as always,” Julian laughed as, now in the safety of the alcove the bar was fitted into, they both straightened up. “What’ll it be, dear?” He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head as she scanned the jaggedly drawn, half-erased chalkboard menu. He hummed quite as her fingers easily laced with his. “Acorn ale, if they have it…” Just as Rosie spoke, the woman who had sat at the otherwise empty row of bar stools suddenly fell backwards, her empty tank rolling away as she lay there, stiff as a board.

“...Scratch that. I’ll have whatever she’s had.” “Ohoho, Rosie I could simply die,” He fluidly slipped around her, his fingers tracing her edges as he practically passed through her to get to the bar.

“Two of what she’s had,” Julian said to the unimpressed and unsurprised barkeep. There was silence, before the barkeep narrowed his eyes and grunted, making a gesture for money. His sour expression lightened slightly as soon as Julian dropped a weighty gold coin in his hand. 

“Keep the change. Great atmosphere you’ve got in here. Coliseum's so empty and quiet, it’s good to see the bloodlust underground is alive and well. City’s not lost its bite yet, eh?” 

“They’ve sure tried,” the bartender grunted as he pulled a small barrel from under the bar and began pouring a steaming, glowing liquor into their tankards.  “Say, remember the Scourge?” Julian asked as he casually leaned against the bar top. “He was huge, wonder whatever happened to him and what he’s up to now.” 

The barkeep shrugged as he poured. “Folks say he just lost it one day. Tore out of the Coliseum like a bat out of hell.” Their voices were becoming distant as Rosie tuned them out, there was something on the opposite wall, far at the back end of the tavern, calling to her. It was pulsing and glowing, some kind of magic, hypnotically strong. She had to know what it was, it was calling to her; dragging her in. The closer she got the more she could see it was some kind of rune, it looked as though it was billowing near invisible plumes of smoke. Just as she reached to pull away a piece of the aged paneling, she was backed into by possibly the biggest, meanest looking brute in the whole bar. 

“Watch it, missy.” He towered over her, his voice like rolling thunder as he stared down at her through reddened, drunk eyes. 

“Watch it?” Rosie snapped, her attention painfully torn away from the glowing rune. “You ran into me!” 

“Listen, tart, I says ya backed into me, so I-” 

Rosie spat, hitting him squarely between the eyes. She never knew steam really could come out of a person’s ears. 

“Mangy fuckin’ tramp,” he swung for her, his fist heavy through the air as she ducked and headbutted him square in the gut. The man sputtered and stumbled, the wind knocked from him. Just as she was about to kick him and send him to the ground, she was swept backwards out of his range. “Hands off-” Rosie swiped behind her, nails narrowly missing Julian’s face. “Julie!” “You her monger?  I’ll pay ya’ the damage if you let me teach her a lesson in manners-”  He was interrupted as Julian swiftly kicked one of the abandoned tankards on the floor at him. “You’d have to kill me to lay a hand on her.” 

Julian put himself directly in the brute’s path. Just before he could be hit, Rosie struck their assailant with a bolt of bright, crackling energy. The man reared like a wounded bear and let out an equal roar as he turned on her. 

“I’ll crush you both!” 

“Like to see you try,” Julian ducked a wide, arching swing. “My, aren’t you slow? You’ll have to do better than-”

Time seemed to stop. Just as Rosie reached for the knife on her garter, the stranger’s knuckles met Julian’s temple with a hard thunk, sending Julian reeling to the floor. She must have screamed, but she couldn’t hear her voice. Her ears were filled with the sound of her heart pounding as her vision drowned in hot, burning, red. A rage she’d never felt before, fierce and deadly roaring in her chest. She lunged, sinking her nails into the man’s back, clawing around and trying to tear into the flesh of his throat before she was shoved backwards. Everything became a blur of anger and muscle as several other patrons jumped into the fray; fists and drinks filling the air with raucous shouting. She strained to hear Julian’s voice over the violent symphony, and struggled to keep her eyes on the flashes of auburn hair through the crowd. 

‘Julian. Julian, Julian, Julian,’ his name repeated over and over in her mind as she tried to shove her way through, shouldering and ramming past faceless members of the crowd. A single vivid focal point on her horizon: Julian pinned to the floor. His head was bleeding and both of his hands were trapped above him by a meaty fist, one of his arms looked painfully twisted. 

Rosie couldn’t even fully hear what he was saying; something along the lines of asking his assailant if they’d gotten everything out of their system; but it didn’t matter. She threw herself at the attacker, slamming hard into him with her shoulder, bowling him over and freeing Julian in the process. Before the man could finish getting to his feet, Rosie lunged, aiming for his throat. It was only by sheer luck that he was able to raise his arm in time, and she instead sunk her teeth into the dense muscle of his forearm. She shook her head violently, the wet, visceral sound of sinew and tendon tearing only barely drowned out by the man’s screams.

Now, time seemed to double in speed as she realized she was sailing through the air, the iron taste of blood in her mouth turning from hot to cold. For the briefest of moments, she regained some kind of clarity, just before it was knocked out of her by landing in the center of a table. Crashing through the wood, sending splinters and tankards everywhere. 

“Rosie-” Julian appeared briefly above her as a worried kaleidoscope before her vision stilled. “Oh, oh darling, I-” She winced as she sat up. Her throat tightened with tears as she watched blood sluggishly drip down his temple. Before either of them could say anything else, they watched as the man got back to his feet, wincing and staring down at his injuries before shifting his gaze to them. 

The pair rose at the same time, guarding one another as they stared him down. Rosie’s eyes burned into him, daring him to lay a hand on Julian again. The silence that hung in the air was suffocating until she spat a chunk of flesh onto the floor. The man stared at it, before shifting his gaze to his injuries, back to her, before finally grunting and stumbling off. Just like that, everything was back to normal in the bar. Tankards clanked and people laughed, as if nothing at all had happened.

“Julian, I,” 

“Let’s get out of here,” He pulled her back into his arms, supporting her just as much as she supported him as they slowly made their way out of the tavern. Her hip spasmed, sending pain radiating across her pelvis and up her spine in vibrant, agonizing spikes as they limped to a small, secluded corner of an alley. It wasn’t until they were finally hidden behind a pile of barrels and crates that she let herself collapse.

“I’m so sorry, darling, I shouldn’t…I should have known better,” Julian said as he spread his coat out and guided her down onto it. “How bad is it?” His voice almost broke as he rolled up his sleeves. “Tell me where it hurts and I’ll-” 

“I’m fine,” 

“Rosie, let me do this for you,” The mark on his throat was already beginning to glow as she forced his hand away. “No, I won’t have you suffer for me,” she said as she propped herself up, licking the pad of her thumb and gently wiping the blood from his brow. His eyes welled with guilt as he pressed her hand to his cheek. “Oh, Rosie…my Rosie…I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have let you wander off.” 

“It isn’t your fault-”

“No, it is. I made us go in there, I led you into harm’s way…just like I knew I would.” 

“Julie,” She gripped his chin, coaxing him to meet her eyes. “It. Wasn’t. Your. Fault. You cannae take credit for everything, that wouldn’t be fair.” “Well, no,” he half chuckled. “My dear, your spirit is indomitable. But, uh, your mouth is bleeding.” 

“It’s not mine,” Rosie said as she wiped her mouth on her sleeve. 

“You bit him?” Julian asked, although his voice was shocked his eyes looked…hungry.

“Oh, are you jealous?” she grinned, her teeth stained a faint red. “You know I’ll bite you anytime, anywhere you want.” 

His gaze traced the line of her mouth and the points of her canines. He bit his lip, red to the tips of his ears.

“Rosie…”He let out a quiet groan as she swiped her tongue over her teeth. “D-don’t, oh…uh, I, uh…Well, uh. I’m still sorry about it. Sorry about the blood in your mouth, that is.” He murmured as he traced her jaw with his thumb. “...I wish it was mine.” 

She pulled him down to her level and pressed her lips firmly to his. Another soft groan escaped his throat as he went slack against her, eye fluttering. How truly convenient it was to have a large crate hidden away at just the right height for the two of them. If only her body wasn’t screaming in agony. If only they had time. “I told you to let me handle it,” she said as she lightly tugged his hair.

“I did, I was your backup,” He said as he tilted his head back, straining her grip. “What kind of man would I be to just stand aside as that brute threatened you?”

“Do you think I cannae handle myself?” she asked, her voice sly and heavy. “No, of course not,” he said, taking her hands and kissing her more softly. “But you’d already burned through some magic-muscle. Which you wouldn’t have had to spend in the first place if I wasn’t here,” he trailed off, his eye wet with grief again. “I’m just dead weight. I can’t stand it, it kills me. I need to be useful.” 

“Julie,” Rosie’s voice was gentle as she sat up and coaxed him into her arms. “Don’t say that. You’re never useless, not to me.” 

“I couldn’t even distract him-” 

“We handled it, together.”  He quieted as she gently traced her thumb below his eye. 

“But will we always? How often is it going to be that you take both the brunt and the blame?” 

“Julian, I will always find a use for you.” She smiled at the low, pleased noise he made. 

“I wish you’d tell me. List the things you’d use me for, I’m sure there are dozens. You magicians are real creative types after all.”

“Witch,” Rosie murmured, her nails trailing slowly around his neck. “I’m a witch. Magician is too formal for me.”

“Oho, even better,” he grinned. “Much more unfettered, much less restrained. I’m just dying to know what you can come up with.”  She hummed as she traced his jaw. ‘I want to take care of you. I want to protect you. I want to love you,’ she thought. ‘I want to build a life with you, someplace safe from this dark cloud hanging over us. Just us two…’ Before she could put her thoughts to words, they heard the door to the pub slam open and the same angry rumble from before:

 “Find ‘em boys. Find ‘em”, followed by footsteps heading in different directions. 

Julian swore as he helped her to her feet. “We’d best make haste. We handled that brute fine enough by himself, but uh, I don’t think either of us are in shape for another round.”

Rosie groaned as she leaned against him, the ache in her back heavy like a vice. 

“I’ve got you, I’ve got you,” he steadied her, and seemed to be debating trying to convince her to let him use his mark again before a crash at the front of the alley decided for him that they didn’t have the time. “This way. Quickly as you can manage, dear.” 

Julian steered them down a narrow, half-hidden alley that was more akin to a corridor, with weathered spiraling steps that led up to a balcony of sorts set into the earth itself. 

“Where are we going?” Rosie whispered, daring a glance over her shoulder as she gripped his arm tightly as he led her across the slope of a roof.

“There’s a small inn not far from here, I think,” he paused, just as a loose shingle clattered away from where he had been about to step. “That is uh, if memory serves.” 

“We’ve no time-” 

“You need to rest… we both do.” The pair stared at one another, the smog and sounds of the hidden world around them seeming to fade away for just the briefest of moments. Rosie’s heart twinged at the worried crease in his brow and the guilt churning in his dark eyes. It wasn’t his fault. No matter how much he may argue against it. No…neither of them were to blame…she thought back to the strange sigil carved into the wall, how it felt as though the hostility that had hung in the pub’s air had been spilling directly from it. Something very old and very powerful was at work beneath the city, she was more sure of it than ever…

“Darling?”

“You’re right,” she murmured as she reached up to press a soft kiss to his jaw. Julian murmured and seemed to melt, shifting to meet her lips with his as her nails traced gently over the nape of his neck. 

“Promise me you’ll rest, too.” 

“Yes ma’am,” he whined  as she nuzzled his throat, very clearly wishing to feel her teeth. But enough blood had already been spilled that day. 

“Lead on then, brave doctor,” despite the pain radiating at the base of her spine and the entirety of her hip, she managed to smile. 

[d4rkshad0w]

So, we know that Kieran has talked about how he feels something dark in Faerie because of how he's connected to the land. Do you think that darkness will specifically be Janus because he's not of this world and from Thule or do you think it will be Ash because of everything he is (Shadowhunter, possibly mixed with some demon because of Sebastian, and Faerie royalty)? Or possibly it's even Kit since he is starting to reach for his powers and Mother Hawthorn once said that when the First Heir reached for their power all of Faerie would fall under shadow?

I've been thinking about it lately and I was just curious if you had any thoughts of your own!

i haven’t really thought about this before but i doubt it’s Janus’s connection to Thule that causes a problem, although he is from Thule and not of their world how would he affect Faerie, he’s also the same as Jace so if Janus were to effect Faerie wouldn’t Jace also effect it, and when Julian and Emma went to Thule, Sebastian couldn’t tell that they weren’t from that world so i don’t really think that Janus being from a different world would effect Faerie if anything it would effect the Nephilim

i think it’s either Ash or Kit, it could be Kit because of what Mother Hawthorne said about him reaching the full extent of his powers, he was safer in TDA because he didn’t know that he was the First Heir but after his encounter with the Riders or Mannan/him using his powers and then with what Jem and Tessa told him about Auraline. i think that by tlkof he will definitely know more about his powers and what he can really do because i’m pretty sure his powers have come out by accident a few times, so if he goes into battle and uses his powers with purpose to their full extent then he will definitely be dangerous to Faerie and their future, or it could also mean maybe a curse about how the First Heir can control the land or something and with Kit being older and more of a threat that’s probably what the “something darker” Kieran feels

i think it’s mostly Kit because he’s the main character 😅 but it could also be Ash and his blood (angel, demon, faerie) like maybe the Seelie queen dies and Ash becomes influenced by Janus to take over the Seelie Courts or maybe Janus takes over the Seelie Court but if either becomes King i’m sure something bad will happen and i’m not saying it will be Ash’s fault but i think that Janus will use Ash and his royalty/connections to do something bad to Faerie, like maybe he tries to shut it off from the shadow world/ earth i guess Ash also had his connection to Faerie and how creatures and animals are drawn to him so maybe he gets mad at something that someone did and creates an army to go like fight them and in doing so he destroys part of Faerie, another one of my theory’s is what if the Seelie Queen finds out about Kit and uses Ash to take Kit to Faerie and maybe Ash succeeds but Kit escapes and bring the battle to Faerie where it’s Kits First Heir powers against Ash’s connection to the land and while they’re fighting they destroy a big part of Faerie

i just think Kit and Ash will play a huge role in the future of Faerie and Janus will be helping escalate the situation

Kieran feels something dark in faerie because of his connection to the land but Ash is also connected to the land so what if he’s sensing Ash’s powers and his demon/angel blood so maybe it is Ash

i never really thought much about Kieran’s little ‘prophecy’ but thank you so much for bringing it up and asking for my opinion and sorry it’s so long 😭

[kingovharts]

I don't know if this ask was asked or not, but here it is. This is a classic.

How would ROs react if someone started actively flirting with MC right in front of them? + Difference if MC responds to flirting(To make RO jealous) or looks very uncomfortable.

This took me a while to answer lol.

I have answered the one where someone is actively trying to flirt with MC here.

I will be answering in the context of the MC responding + crushing stage and they’ve known each other to an extent.

Yudai Sakaguchi: Will smile sadly.

“I wonder, is this how my mother feels every time Mr. Julian’s within reach. Someone near that you can’t have but you wanted by your side.”

⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆ ⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆ ⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆ ⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆

Vivienne Ramos: Disappointed but expected it.

"I thought that maybe, just maybe, I had established something with MC. But reality always slaps me hard in the face. It was only the reality I wished for. MC was only the imaginary number in my made-up equations. I can have millions of equations, but MC will never truly fit where I wanted them to belong."

⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆ ⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆ ⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆ ⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆

Héctor Alonso: Hurting.

“Ah, is this how it feels to be abandoned the second time? MC’s there, they never left. But I suddenly feel lonely.”

⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆ ⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆ ⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆ ⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆

Matyáš Dvořák: He felt kinda relieved.

“MC is better off with someone who carries lesser emotional baggage. I will just drag them into this spiral of madness that my grief has created. It’s painful but it’s better for the both of us.”

⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆ ⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆ ⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆ ⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆

Genevieve: Will also smile sadly.

“Whoever MC ends up with, despite my own feelings, I hope they’re someone who will make them feel happiness. I am satisfied with liking them from afar.”

⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆ ⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆ ⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆ ⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆

A Wadia: Upset at their self

"Wow, Amala/Amrit, you really expected MC to like you back? You have your hopes up! News flash: you aren’t the only person in the world. Look at them! They’re beautiful, kind, and, well, rich. It would be more of a surprise if someone disliked them! You’re an idiot, Amala/Amrit. You’re an idiot for them."

[vampires-bitrs]

I too believe that some of Rejet's games take place in the same universe! The events of Black Wolves Saga took place several centuries ago, when the Sakamaki were children, and everything that happens in Dance With Devils, Carnelian Blood and Diabolik Lovers is happening at about the same time. And yes, I'm sure Karl is the big bad in all of this histories 💀.

OMGGGG YESS! The cat people in Black Wolves Saga are never mentioned in any of the diaboys routes unlike races like the Vampires (obviously), Wolves, Vibora, and Alder. It was a little suspicious why there were so few races mentioned in Diabolik Lovers.

It's easy to assume that those four just stood the test of time, and that might be true. However, there was such a wide variety of races in the beginning of Black Wolves Saga, but most of them were either dead or dying, like the bunny boy, Zara Skeens. He's the last of his kind, and the only reason he isn't dead is that he was taken in by Foina's dad, Edgar Galland.

The same goes for the cat boys, Mejojo, Auger, and Julian. I would say the same for their parents as well, but most of them met an unfortunate fate, by the start of the story and now their whole race is slowly dying just like the humans the wolves were killing at the time. Yes you read that right there were humans living in the demon world more specifically Weblin a place for both humans and demi-humans, (creatures who have the power to shift between both human and animal forms.) before Arles made it his life misson to eradicate them.

I'm also assuming their lifespan is not nearly as long as vampires. But it wasn't just the rabbit race human race or the cat race that were dying some wolves were also catching a disease that was wiping out their race aswell (seriously, what's up with Rejet and having diseases decimate entire races?).

The disease was called Zodiva, a.k.a. "Mad Wolf Disease." Some known characters afflicted with this disease were Arles and Rath. However, it's puzzling why we don't see this disease affecting modern-day Diabolik Lovers wolves. My theory is that Karl released this disease to quell the rebellious wolf population; as the wiki states, "For many years, humans, cats, and wolves shared political power, but one day, the wolves revolted, plunging the country into chaos." and "Arles reportedly led a revolt against the monarchy 10 years before the story's beginning and was thus driven out along with the other wolves."

Karl has a history of afflicting people with diseases to defeat them (cough, cough, the founders).

While we're on the topic of founders, we can imply that the person who created Endzeit was Carnelian Brecht from the series Carnelian Blood @vampirerosemary explains it way better then I ever could so I would recommend you read these 3 post!

IT’S ALWAYS KARLHEINZ

🦇Carnelian Blood & Diabolik Lovers🦇

🦇DIABOLIK LOVERS IN THE SAME UNIVERSE AS CARNELIAN BLOOD?🦇

Regarding Carnelian Blood in Dance with Devils, it's 100% canon that vampires exist, and they are the main antagonists in the game, alongside the church. Both settings take place in Japan and involve magical beings, but it's a little confusing why vampires are mentioned in Dance with Devils while devils aren't mentioned in Diabolik Lovers. Kanato and Laito make references to Incubus (Kanato literally had the spirit of an Incubus possess Teddy and hold Yui down), and Urie is an Incubus. So, it's possible that devils are a small or lesser-known race in Diabolik Lovers.

It's also interesting that Nesta is canonically the father of Lindo, and the fact that Nesta and Karlheinz share a striking resemblance, from their hair to their clothing style, it's noteworthy to mention Karlheinz's affinity for cosplaying different people, like Reinhart, and having kids who all look different from each other suggests that he might have assumed various identities and appearances throughout history. This idea is even supported by the fact that Kanato mentioned that their father could change his appearance, becoming a man or a woman at any time, and even they don't know what he truly looks like.

You can argue that Lindo gets his hair colour and eye from his mom

But keep in mind, Karl has a track record of making red-haired kids.

Fun facts it is sorta kinda canon that lindo and ayato met. Just look at this cute little screenshot ( 〃▽〃) Source: @itsaboutyourstruly

In my own personal headcanon, vampires age every 50 years. So if what the wiki says is true, that Karl is about 2000 years old, that means he's in his 40s.

In conclusion, Karlheinz is having the world's worst mid-life crisis, and he's making it everyone's problem. 💀

[macabremayhem]

This sketch is old, but gold. 2021, traditional art and I was mesmerized by the idea of this masochistic boy going slightly mad. Or, maybe, becoming more sane and… mature?)

This dynamic is quite specific. Surely, it goes far beyond the conventional frame. And, to be honest, I'm a near perfectionist and I find it difficult to please me in fanart and fanfiction content — few people share my vision, so I decided to create content by myself. And sometimes I feel like I'm up against the most part of the fandom in my vision. :D

I enjoy the thought the fact that Valdemar are scientist — anyway they are still scientist, no matter how strong their sadistic side is — affects their mindset a lot. The scientific approach makes one see things as they are. Valdemar are not free from some sorts of obsessions or affections, but at least they are totally aware of them.

I like the idea of a specific form of interest between Valdemar and Julian in a rather sadomasochistic way.

This is a form of complete, true acceptance without romantic emotional overtone — at least, from Valdemar’s side. And a mature understanding of the entire process as it is from Julian's side — 'cause he knows how they treat him, and accepts that.

With the inevitable — oh, dear audience, believe my humble experience — attraction between the sadistic and masochistic nature.

"Nur ein Herz aus Eis

lässt dich weitergehen.

Nur ein Herz aus Eis

lässt dich wiederstehen.

Weißer, weißer, weißer als weiß.

Weiter, weiter durch's ewige Eis."

/art: Lunatic Sun/

[readingunderstars]

Blue Dream - One

Dealer!Ellie Williams x OC, College/University AU

Sypnosis: 

Ria Ortiz is a sophomore at Valerie College, grappling with the difficulties of a long-distance relationship. In preparation for her friend's birthday party, Ria needs to get her hands on some pre-rolls. Her regular plug only sells edibles, but he refers her to another dealer on campus—Ellie Williams.

Warnings: 18+!! recreational drug use

Word Count: 2.5k

⊰✭⊱

Professor Vargas’s office was everything one might hope for in a study. A massive shelf consumed the far wall, full to the brim with science books. Before it, a colossal desk was home to the Chair of the Biology department at Valerie College. Photographs from decades of research adorned every corner. Professor Vargas was in all of them, holding sea urchins, embracing her teams, petting turtles.

Ria stared at them in awe as she waited for the professor to finish whatever she was writing in her computer. At once, the typing ceased, and Professor Vargas removed her glasses, setting them aside. “Thank you for your patience,” she said, and looked at Ria in the chair opposite her. “Miss Ortiz, I have news for you.”

Straightening her posture, Ria fidgeted with her ring. “Did you hear back from the Monterey program?”

Professor Vargas opened one of her drawers, and retrieved a blue envelope, sliding it across the dark wood of her desk. Ria took the envelope. It was from the Biology department. She looked up to Professor Vargas, who was watching expectantly. “Did I get in?”

“Open it,” Vargas said with a smile, and Ria’s fingers trembled as she ripped the side, pulling out a folded letter. 

This was it. The reason she had come to Valerie. Well, not the only reason, but it was the biggest one. Valerie College partnered with the Monterey Bay Aquarium to create a marine biology summer program for its students. It was everything Ria wanted, from field work all over the west coast to the chance of studying marine life. Especially green sea turtles. She had spent countless hours preparing for this—studying, building a relationship with the department, interviewing, writing essays. And now she held the decision in her hand, a year and a half of hard work condensed into a single moment. 

She opened it, and gasped as she read it, her eyes filling with tears. “Welcome to the team,” Professor Vargas said, standing to offer a congratulatory hug.

Ria jumped into her arms, closing her eyes, crying with happiness. “Thank you so much, Professor.”

“Please, we’ll be working together soon,” she replied. “Call me Melissa.”

Ria ran out of the science building complex and into the green center of campus. “AJ!” she screamed. Her brother looked up at the sound of his name, standing up from his spot under Old Tree, where she had seen him studying earlier. “I GOT IN!”

AJ laughed, grabbing his head with his hands. “For real?” 

“YES!” The wind ran through her curls as she charged at AJ. Ria threw her tote on the ground as he braced for impact. She ran straight into him, launching them both unto the grass.

Rolling off him, Ria sighed and stared up at the massive canopy of Old Tree. Little laughs escaped her, still in disbelief.

“Congrats, renacuaja,” AJ said. Tadpole.

Ria shoved him, but couldn’t manage to be mad. She’d gotten in.

“You gotta tell Julian.”

Sitting up, Ria’s smile dropped. “You couldn’t let me have a moment before thinking about that?”

AJ shrugged. “Sorry,” he said. “But you do have to.”

“Ya te oí,” Ria said, waving her hand. I heard you already.

Ria’s phone vibrated in her back pocket, and she jumped. Unlocking her screen, she opened Snapchat to a notification from the only person she ever texted on the app—her dealer.

Ryan Murphy had replied to her question about some pre-rolls for tomorrow’s party. 

murphyslaw: i only sell edibles

Ria groaned. He was the only dealer she’d bought from since her last one graduated, and Ria had promised to hook everybody up.

“What’s wrong?” AJ asked, going back to where his laptop sat.

“Murphy doesn’t sell bud,” she replied, twisting to look back at AJ.

He tsked. “I could’ve told you that.”

Giving him a look, Ria laid her head back down on the grass. Another notification popped up.

murphyslaw: my friend sells bud tho, she might have some. u want her info?

Fuck yeah, I do.

ria.ortiz: Yes pleaseee

murphyslaw: alr hold on

murphyslaw: @el_will

ria.ortiz: Thanks Murph, see you around

Typing in the username into the search bar, Ria laughed. El Will. The Will? She wondered if Murphy’s friend was Hispanic. It didn’t help that the account had no name, just an emoji of a fern. Ria added her.

Standing up, Ria swiped away any pieces of grass on her clothes and hair. Then she spotted her bag several feet away and picked it up, sitting against the trunk of Old Tree beside AJ. “What kind of gifts does Sasha like?” he asked.

Ria’s phone lit up again. “Um,” she said, seeing the dealer had added her back. That was quick.

el_will: you came from Ryan, right?

“Ria,” AJ called.

ria.ortiz: Yeah, he said you might have pre-rolls?

“What?” she said, not really paying attention to him.

“I asked you a question,” AJ said.

el_will: i do. right now i’ve got a sativa-dominant hybrid. that good?

“Hm?” Ria looked at him. “Oh. She likes candles.”

ria.ortiz: Yep, I just need 10 for tomorrow

“What did you get her?”

“Just get her a candle, AJ,” Ria said, watching as the dealer typed. “Can’t go wrong with that.”

el_will: alr so it’s 10 half-gram pre-rolls, $7 a piece. can you meet at 6?

ria.ortiz: Sounds good and yes

el_will: come to the green house across the street from Cedar Hall.

⊰✭⊱

Ria spent the rest of her afternoon in her dorm, first calling her parents to tell them the news, then doing assignments until her brain practically rotted. Closing her eyes, she decided to leave the rest for the following day, before the party.

Checking the time, she saw there was enough to grab dinner before picking up everyone’s share of the money. She grabbed a sad plate of pasta and questionable chicken and climbed up the hill to Birchwood Hall. Halle and Katherine had left their dorm unlocked for Ria, and the money was on Halle’s desk.

Two floors above them, Jamie handed her the cash. “I’m making jello shots. What flavor do you want?”

Looking at the flavor boxes laid out on Jamie’s bed, Ria took the blue one. “Berry Blue.”

“The only option,” Hugo said, walking into his boyfriend’s dorm. He took out his wallet and counted enough for two joints. “Thanks, Ria.”

“Anytime,” she said, and headed out.

The last stop was Sasha’s suite on the first floor of Cedar Hall. It was the dorm building across from the dealer’s house, and where the party would be held the following night. Ria knocked as a courtesy but didn’t wait for an answer before turning the knob—none of them ever locked the front door during the day.

The suite living room connected the three dorms within, two doubles and a single. Party decorations had been dumped on the small table, waiting to be put up. A foldable chair sat to either side of a couch, upon which one of Sasha’s suite mates sat, knitting. Rosa’s hands worked to make something Ria couldn’t identify out of the sage green yarn on the ground.

“Oh hey,” Rosa said, and stopped knitting to point at a roll of cash on the coffee table. “It’s all there. Sasha’s in her room, in case you wanted to see her.”

“Thanks,” Ria said as she counted the bills, walking to the door directly past the couch. Her hand barely touched the handle before Sasha opened the door, smiling brighter than usual. 

“So?” she said, her brown eyes wide. “Did you talk to Vargas?”

That same happiness flooded Ria again, and she smiled just as brightly as Sasha. “I got in,” she said.

Sasha screamed jumping as she took Ria’s shoulders. “Oh my God!” Then she stopped, her jaw dropping. “Oh my God,” Sasha said. “Now you really have to tell Julian.”

Ria groaned, throwing herself on Sasha’s bed. “Why is that the first thing everyone says?”

“He’s your boyfriend, Ria. He needs to know at some point.” Sasha knelt beside the bed, and Ria turned her head to face her. “What’s scaring you?”

“I’m not scared… It’s just that we only see each other when I go home, and if I stay in California over the summer,” she covered her face with her hands, “I know he won’t like it.”

“Alright, so he doesn’t like it. What’s gonna happen?” Taking Ria’s hands away from her face, Sasha leaned her head on the mattress. “Would he end your two-year-long relationship over this?”

“No,” Ria said, staring at the ceiling. Sasha had placed glow-in-the-dark stars on it, the kind Ria had always wanted as a kid. “He wouldn’t. But the distance is already hard on him, and I feel bad.”

“Isn’t the distance hard on you too?”

Ria shrugged. “I don’t really think about it a lot.” Looking down at Sasha, a heavy weight fell on her stomach. “Is that bad?”

Sasha considered it, pressing her lips together. She softly stroked the hairs on Ria’s forearm. “I can’t answer that for you.”

Ria chewed her cheek. “I guess,” she said, getting up. “Oh, by the way, Murphy didn’t have pre-rolls so I’m getting them from his friend.”

“I could have told you he doesn’t sell pre-rolls.” Sasha said, and Ria glared in disbelief. How did everyone know that except for her?

“Whatever,” Ria said, laughing as she opened the door. “Find me if I get kidnapped.”

“Of course,” Sasha said as Ria stepped out.

“See you tomorrow, Rosita,” Ria said, and Rosa waved.

Ria crossed the street, crossing the boundary between the campus and the world outside. She walked down the hill to the only house that matched the description.

It was a small house with two floors, the green paint beginning to crack. Hand-painted pots held flowering plants on the porch, and a wooden bench leaned lazily beside the front door. 

A rather large, dark gray Toyota truck was parked outside, pristinely clean and sorely out of place. Ria admired it as she passed. She spotted a doorbell camera as she approached the door, and began to feel awfully self conscious. A chime rang as her finger pressed the button.

Seconds passed as she fiddled with her promise ring. A dog barked in the distance. She was about to ring the doorbell again when the door opened and a tall, bronzed girl with cropped hair appeared behind it. Her dark eyes squinted in the sunlight, perfectly smudged with black eyeliner. She smiled softly at Ria as she walked past, crossing the same street she just had.

Ria couldn’t help but watch her.

“You Ryan’s girl?” A voice said behind Ria, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Turning to face the source, Ria eyed the girl at the threshold. She was just taller than Ria, her dark auburn hair pulled back into a bun. Her eyes were the same soft green as the painted panels of her house, set among freckled cheeks. The sleeves of her flannel were rolled up to expose a tattoo which covered the whole of her right forearm. She didn’t seem to notice Ria’s startle.

“Ellie,” the girl said, holding her hand out for Ria to shake. 

Ellie. El Will. El is short for Ellie. What’s Will short for? Williams? Ellie Williams? Definitely not Hispanic.

She took it. “Ria.”

Ellie nodded. “Come in.”

She led Ria through the house. The living room was dimly lit, with a worn-out couch and more plants in painted pots. A set of stairs led to the upper floor, but they walked right past it, and past the old kitchen as well, through a narrow hall that led to a room in the back of the house.

The smell hit her before Ria could see it—a scent that was simultaneously delicious and repugnant. She looked around, to the shelves that held jars upon jars of weed and all sorts of equipment. A desk sat against the far wall; a scale and a tray with dozens of joints atop it. Ellie took a bin labeled “tubes” and set it on the desk. “So,” she said. “What party is this?”

Ria laughed. She’d never said it was for a party, but she guessed there weren’t many things to do for someone to buy that many joints at once. “My friend Sasha is turning 21 tomorrow,” Ria said. “She’s throwing this big party at Cedar.”

Placing a pre-roll in each of ten tubes, Ellie spoke. “Sasha Mehra?”

Ria furrowed her brows. “You know her?”

“We had our first year art seminar together.” Ellie placed the tubes in a paper bag, folding the end. “She’s very talented.” Opening one of the drawers of the desk, she retrieved a silver lighter. Ellie took one of the joints from the tray and held it with her lips.

She handed the bag to Ria, lighting the joint as Ria dug in her pocket for the roll of cash. “Yes, she is,” she said as she handed the cash to the dealer.

Taking a hit before counting, Ellie seemed satisfied and set it aside. “Here,” she said, holding the joint up to Ria’s mouth. It was the first time Ellie really looked at her, and Ria could see the thin scar cutting across her brow.

“Alright.” Ria took a hit, hearing the soft crackle of the weed burning in the silence of the house. Ellie leaned against the desk, her eyes watching Ria carefully. The smoke rushed in, but it didn’t burn Ria’s throat as much as other strains she’d had. It tasted almost sweet. Holding the smoke in for a couple of seconds before exhaling, Ria handed the joint back to Ellie, watching a thick cloud of smoke leave her lungs.

Ellie took another hit from the joint, her eyes scanning Ria’s body as she did. The attention made Ria nervous, and she nearly laughed, but held it in. As Ellie breathed out, a grin pulled at her mouth. “I might pass by tomorrow,” she gave Ria the joint, “wish Sasha a happy birthday.”

The next hit was smoother than the last. “I think she’d appreciate that.” Although, Ria didn’t know whether Sasha would remember Ellie.

She nodded slowly, her eyes still lingering on Ria. Taking one last hit, Ria returned the joint and took a few steps back. “I’ll see myself out,” she said, pointing to the front of the house. “Thanks for the J.”

Ellie’s chuckle followed Ria out of the house and all the way back to her dorm. She told herself it was just the weed taking effect, that she’d imagined Ellie’s eyes straying and the way it made her heart speed up.

Whether it was the weed’s fault or not, one thing was above reproach—Ellie’s weed was damn good.

⊰✭⊱

Notes: hiii this is the first fic i’ve ever actually posted, you can also find it on ao3 under the same name and username. just as an FYI, i am also an artist, so i’ll be posting some art along with the chapters. it’ll be linked at the end of every chapter :)

art for this chapter is actually a preview for the next one. it is Sasha and the Suite Mates. you’ve already met Sasha and Rosa, more on the others next chapter

[wqintraining]

NEW X-MEN: THE ANIMATED SERIES - SEASON 2, EPISODE 12 (PART 1 OF 2)

 We open on a beach, underneath the sunset, where Laura and Sofia are playing volleyball against Julian and Noriko, “X-Men vs X-Men in Training”, while Cessily, Roxy, Sooraya, and Brian are playing frisbee. The Cuckoos are seated in lined-up beach chairs, sunbathing. 

Everyone is excited to have completed their first school year! Julian and Sofia were once again voted king and queen of the dance, and have subsequently been barred from being voted for next year. 

SOFIA: “So unfair.” 

JULIAN: “This is America! Where’s the democracy?!” 

Cessily and Roxy wonder if this means they may have a chance, while Laura imagines Dallas and Victor may make that a problem.

CESSILY: “Really? I didn’t even know they were dating.” 

SOFIA, frustrated: “They are, and Dallas has blown up since he started creating content with his shadow. You know I gave him the idea to do so and he hasn’t even credited me.” 

LAURA: “Are you mad because he’s growing faster than you did?” 

SOFIA: “It’s male privilege!” 

NORIKO: “Said the girl dating the living embodiment of it.” 

JULIAN: “Said the girl who can’t find a guy at all.” 

Noriko cringes momentarily, in disbelief he’d say that of all things after everything, and spikes the ball right at his head a super speed, knocking him down. 

Sooraya doesn’t care about any of this, as her mom flew in last night and is on her way to the Washingtons’, thanking Roxy again. Brian is just relieved he didn’t flunk, a sentiment Noriko echoes. 

Aggravated by Noriko’s spike, Julian brings his TK into the game, with Sofia following suit with her winds. Things very quickly escalate as the sky is filled with flashing lights and sand is blown all over the place. 

BRIAN, coughing on sand: “Why…do we keep…letting the fight idiots compete?!"

Eventually, the four players lose control of the ball and it’s sent flying off the court, nearly taking off one of the Cuckoos’ heads. 

SOPHIE: “Watch it, dorks!” 

Julian flies over to retrieve the ball and asks what happened to trying to be their friends. Ms. Frost invited them out here too, so they should come play. 

The Cuckoos exchange sunglasses-covered glances before Phoebe delivers a decisive, “No thank you.” 

Julian shrugs whatever and heads back to the game. Roxy says they should be winding down anyway. Start their bonfire, roast some marshmallows, and then head to the Grindstone for the party. 

Sofia is excited about the party, but sad that it will be the last time she sees most of her friends for three months, as only she, Laura, Julian, and Noriko are staying at the institute over the Summer, while Roxy, Cessily, and Sooraya are all going to stay with Roxy’s parents, Brian is heading back to Puerto Rico, and all of the students who don’t have welcoming families are having chaperoned vacations sponsored by Ms. Frost, Captain Britain, and Archangel. Sofia and Laura are staying for their jobs, Julian isn’t about to go anywhere without Sofia after finally getting her back, and, as Noriko’s said before, she goes where these jerks go. 

As the group ends their games, beeping sounds come from Sofia and Laura's bags. Sofia flies them over to them so they can check what's going on. Sofia apologizes to the others that they're going to be a little late to the party. 

CESSILY: "What's going on?"

Sofia and Laura look at everyone else smugly. 

LAURA: "X-Men business." 

In an underground base, two U-Men are guarding the entrance. 

U-MAN #1: “Did you hear the rumor going around?” 

U-MAN #2: “About Jack’s drinking problem? Yeah, I’m really rooting for the guy.” 

U-MAN #1: “What? No? I’m talking about Mr. Sublime. People are saying he’s dead.” 

U-MAN #2, snorting: “That’s just like big government. Taking good men prisoner for fighting against the status quo and executing them in secret.” 

U-MAN #1: “Right? I don’t even care if it’s true or not. Soon as we get ourselves some X-genes, we’ll put these fascists down for good.” 

U-MAN #2: “Hell yeah.” 

BEAT

U-MAN #1: “So does Jack really have a drinking problem? Are his wife and kid okay?” 

Before the other U-Man can give an answer, the entrance is blown open and the two are both sent flying. One of them calls out that whoever’s there is gonna regret that. As the other one sees who it is, he isn’t so sure about that. 

Standing before them are all 8 of the New X-Men: Cyclops, Emma Frost, Kitty Pryde, Sunspot, Iceman, Magik, Wolverine, and Wind Dancer. 

U-MAN #1: “Um…we surrender?” 

A powerful wind carries the two soldiers off, slamming them into a wall and knocking them out. 

Sofia looks to Cyclops for approval. He nods back at her. 

CYCLOPS: "To me, my X-Men!"

The X-Men charge further into the base and split up, each fighting a group of U-Men and saving a Mutant prisoner. 

As Cyclops fights through a team in hand-to-hand combat, as Mutant powers have no effect on their armor, Emma simply stands to the side, checking her makeup, and thanking Scott for letting her come along despite still being on leave. She didn't want to miss seeing the last of these losers' cells destroyed. As a downed soldier tries to take a shot at Scott, Emma drops a ceiling tile on his head with telekinesis. 

Wolverine and Kitty are fighting back to back, efficiently and brutally taking down all of their opponents in a flash. Kitty tells Laura this reminds her of some old scrapes she got into with Logan, while Laura points out that if Kitty wanted to, she could be a more effective killer than either of them. 

KITTY: "Uh…thank you?"

Iceman and Magik are completely unstoppable, Bobby using the same trick to freeze the U-Men from the inside as last time, while Yana is simply snapping her fingers and turning them into bricks, all while humming the Mario Bros theme. Sunspot follows behind them. 

ROBERTO, sighing: "This must be how James felt."

Finally, we see Wind Dancer on her own, fighting off U-Men both hand-to-hand and with her winds. Her power doesn't affect other people; it affects everything around them. 

With all the U-Men down, Sofia reaches the U-Men's final prisoner, a little girl who looks like an old lady. 

Sofia, feet off the ground, opens her cell, smiles, and offers her a hand, saying the X-Men are here to take her home. 

ERNST, in awe: "Are you an angel?"

Sofia giggles, grinning even wider with her eyes closed, as Ernst takes her hand. 

As the X-Men reassemble and make their way out with the rescued Mutants, Scott orders Illyana to undo her spells, something which takes an additional glare from Kitty to actually get her to do, and compliments Wind Dancer on her performance. For her first op, she did well. 

SOFIA: "You really think so?"

CYCLOPS: "When Professor Xavier arrives tomorrow, I think his vision of the future will be brighter than ever."

Hard cut to a bird-themed Shi'ar ship crashing into Earth in the middle of some mountains, blowing it up. 

From the wreckage, a badly injured Charles Xavier crawls out, barely able to stand. 

XAVIER, in a daze: "I must warn them…or the world is doomed."

In Scott’s office, he and Emma discuss their roster of teachers. Today is Beast’s last day here, with Forge back to start getting his own equipment sent off. Only problem is Forge isn’t actually interested in teaching classes, so as far as the science classes go, they’ll have to hand them off to Kitty, and hope she can juggle them with everything else.  

Dazzler and Northstar have already turned in their resignations as well. Ali’s new agent managed to actually set up a new tour for her, so she’s already left to go work on that, while Jean-Paul was spiteful toward Scott for choosing a child to take Storm’s place over him. 

Fortunately, while they aren’t direct replacements, they do have replacements for them numbers-wise. With most of their old team here anyway, figuring they can help with Magik, and one of them having two siblings start school here in the fall, Cannonball and Wolfsbane have been hired. 

Scott doesn’t know the two that well and is just glad Nightcrawler is staying on for another year, while Emma assures him the two will do fine. Assuming Samuel doesn’t bring any of his “friends” in as guest speakers. 

Cyclops turns to his photo of the old X-Men, worried about the lack of progress he’s made this past year, while wrapped up in his own drama. The old X-Men always fought the good fight and kept their people and the world safe, but they never changed anything. By the time their oldest students graduate, he doesn’t want them going out in the world the way it is now. 

Emma sits down on his lap and says all that “drama” was necessary in a way. With him the man he was always meant to be, no longer weighed down by Charles’ saccharine, naive teachings, and with her at his side, he’s in a far more opportune position to change things than he was at the start of the year. 

The two kiss, but afterward, Emma tells him that changing the world will have to come after they get back from vacation. She simply can’t NOT Summer. Scott shakes his head with a smile on his face at this crazy woman he loves. 

In the common area, Beast is walking with Forge, who he just finished showing off the security system around the school to. Forge mocks how inefficient it is and complains about all the improvements he’s going to have to make on Hank’s shoddy work. 

HANK: “SHODDY?!” 

FORGE: “Careful with that temper. Don’t want you going all “Dark Beast” on us.” 

HANK: “Ha! Funny! Why don’t you focus on avoiding building any more devices that destroy X-genes?” 

FORGE: “That was ONE time!” 

The camera pans away from them as they exit the room to focus on Julian and Sofia, who are cuddled up on the couch, streaming together. The viewers are gushing over the two being back together, and them looking cuter than ever, as they answer questions about everything they’ve been through the past year. During this, Sofia calls her followers “X-Babies”, having settled on that as a nickname. It was Julian’s idea, as with Sofia now a member of the X-Men, she’s rebranding her account to be based around her exploits as a superhero, with the promise of interviews with the rest of the team. Julian whispers to her over the wind that while “Wind Babies” just sounded silly, if she called any of these geeks “Baby” directly, they’d go crazy. 

As the two laugh, we pan across the room to find Noriko and Laura, who are eating popcorn, watching them stream, and making fun of them, mimicking their lovey comments toward one another. 

The two obnoxiously chortle together. 

NORIKO: “They are so ridiculous.” 

LAURA: “Very ridiculous.” 

BEAT. 

LAURA: “I know about you and Julian, by the way.” 

Noriko reacts in shock, with Laura telling her it was obvious from the clues. Plus, she could smell them all over each other. 

NORIKO: “Yeah, well…I’ve seen you still doodling Sofia in your notebook with little hearts around her.” 

LAURA, narrowing her eyes: “Mutually assured destruction accepted.” 

The two have a big, exaggerated handshake and laugh again. 

Just then, the doors to the institute are flung open telekinetically, as Charles Xavier returns to his old home. Beaten and exhausted, he shouts at the confused children that they must take him to the X-Men immediately. Where are they right now?! 

Sofia shuts down her stream as the four get up to meet Xavier, and question who the Hell he is, the school’s four top students never having bothered to learn what he looked like. 

CHARLES: “I am Professor Charles Xavier, the founder of this school.” 

JULIAN: “Yeah, right. Professor X uses a wheelchair. Everyone knows that.” 

NORIKO: “Pfft, yeah. Plus, he could totally find the X-Men on his own.” 

SOFIA: “I’m not even sure I’d trust you if you were the real Professor. Being a part of a space empire doesn’t scream “superhero”, does it?” 

LAURA, taking a moment to speak: “You’re really old.” 

After speaking with these kids for 30 seconds, Xavier already wants to die. Clenching and gripping his forehead, he asks them again to PLEASE just trust him and tell him where he can find the  X-Men. 

Laura and Sofia step forward and smirk. 

SOFIA: “We ARE X-Men.” 

A look of horror and disgust overtakes Xavier’s face. 

XAVIER: “Then we are doomed.” 

Cutting directly back to Scott’s office, Cyclops shakes hands with Xavier, the rest of the team gathered around them. Despite all the soul-searching he’s been doing, Scott seems perfectly happy to see Charles. 

CYCLOPS: “It’s good to have you home.” 

CHARLES: “It’s good to be home.” 

KITTY: “I’m glad you’re here too, Professor, but man, we could have avoided so many problems if you hadn’t left.” 

Chuck laughs softly as he looks over at Bobby, Kitty, and Roberto. It’s nice to see how they’ve all grown up. 

CHUCK: “And it’s a pleasure to see you again, at all, Illyana.” 

ILLYANA, with an evil chuckle: “Read my mind and see if you still think that way, Chuck.” 

Xavier narrows his eyes at her, before turning them toward Emma, who’s glaring right back at him. 

CHARLES: “Emma.” 

EMMA: “Charles.” 

Xavier remarks that it’s sad to see Storm is no longer among them. A sentiment agreed upon by everyone except Emma. 

Sofia questions if there wasn’t an urgent matter he needed to discuss with them. Charles, irritated by her impatience, asks Scott what these two students are doing on the team. 

ICEMAN: “I hope you’re not saying you’re against teenage X-Men. Because that would be hypocritical even for you.” 

Before Charles can respond, Scott simply tells him Wolverine and Wind Dancer are their best.

CHARLES: “I see. And the two out in the hallway who think we don’t know they’re eavesdropping?” 

Out in the hallway, Julian and Noriko cringe over being made. 

SCOTT: “Hellion and Surge…have a habit of getting involved whether we like it or not.” 

Xavier sighs at this nonsense. Wind Dancer is right though. He did come here on an important matter. One far more pressing than Emma’s fragile mental state he’s afraid. 

CHARLES: "Jean is on her way toward Earth."

A wave of silence overtakes everyone…except for Illyana. She is THRILLED by this news. A cosmic entity like the Phoenix Force is one of the only things that may be able to give her a good fight. This should be fun!

BEAT. 

ILLYANA: "Why does everyone look so sad? This will be great!" BEAT. "Kitty, what am I missing?"

While Kitty pulls Magik aside to explain the obvious, Cyclops hangs his head over his lost, corrupted love. As he stumbles over asking Xavier for details, Emma takes his hand. 

Emma: "Yes, do tell what business the heartless monster who enabled the slaughter of 16 million Mutants has with us."

Scott pulls away from her, which she visibly takes as a slight. 

Xavier explains that Jean's destruction of Genosha was primarily targeted toward Cyclops and Emma. They were the ones she WANTED to kill. But when Emma reached out to him, seeking help, Jean sensed it, and discovered she'd failed to kill them. Now, Jean is coming back to finish what she started. 

Scott asks them both to stop calling what they're facing "Jean". It's Dark Phoenix. Not her.

ROBERTO: "Is that really what's important right now? We call Darkchylde over there Magik and she isn't exactly the same girl who used to sleep with a stuffed rabbit."

MAGIK: "I still DO sleep with a stuffed rabbit, dorkus!"

Cyclops silences them both. Now is NOT the time. 

CYCLOPS: "What do we do, Professor?"

Emma quickly steps in to remind him they're the ones in charge here, but Scott tells her that the professor wouldn't have come here unless he had a plan. So unless she has one…

Emma rolls her eyes, allowing them to proceed. 

CHARLES: "Thank you." As Charles continues to speak, we cut to an exterior shot of the school. "What we need to do is…"

Before Xavier can finish that sentence, the school explodes. 

In an instant, the show's primary setting is reduced to nothing but burning rubble. All the classrooms, the cafeteria, the danger room; all gone. 

The X-Men are still alive though.  Emma, in her diamond form, tackled Scott, Laura, and Sofia to the floor. Kitty took hold of Magik and Sunspot, phasing all three of them. Iceman raised a barrier around himself and Xavier. 

However…

CHARLES: "Is everyone alright?!"

BOBBY: "Yeah, Professor. More than alright. Like that didn't even touch us." Bobby's eyes widen. "Oh god."

As everyone comes to their senses, they see two things: a bright green forcefield around them, and a teeth-clenched Julian on his knees, Noriko clutching onto him, and his hands on the ground in front of him, burnt out and destroyed from the energy it took tanking the blast. 

JULIAN: "I…I did it." 

Emma, Laura, and Sofia rush over to the two as Julian passes out and his barrier fades. Emma checks to make sure he's still alive, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief. Sofia asks Nori if she's okay, and while her heart is racing, she thinks she'll be fine. 

EMMA, brushing Julian's hair with her hand: "Well done again."

Magik doesn't care at all about Julian and Noriko though, and just demands to know where Phoenix is. 

Scott also has another concern, that being Forge and Beast, who may have still been inside. Charles tells him not to worry. They must have left previously, as he can sense that the 11 of them are the only ones present. 

"W r o n g."

As the ground shakes, metal and wires from what used to be the Danger Room come together in mid-air, clanging and scraping, until a feminine body is formed. Everyone looks up at her with confusion. 

KITTY: “Woah.” 

SUNSPOT: “Remembering when you had hair like that?” 

KITTY: “Shut it, Beto.” 

The machine tilts its head. 

DANGER: “Hello…Charles Xavier.” 

CYCLOPS, turning to Xavier for answers: “Professor?”

MAGIK: “That’s not Phoenix! Chuck, were you lying?” 

CHARLES: “I promise you both, I’m just as in the dark as the rest of you.” 

Danger scowls and blasts the X-Men back with an energy attack. 

DANGER: “L i a r.”

Cables from Danger’s chest are launched toward the X-Men, but a pissed Wind Dancer, blows her and her attack away. She doesn’t know who this is, but she’s going to pay for what she’s done. 

While Sofia, Iceman, Wolverine, Kitty and Sunspot rush forward in the direction Sofia blew Danger to fight, Xavier shouts at Magik that she needs to take himself, Cyclops, and the students out of here, the former two so they may prepare for Dark Phoenix, not having time for whatever is going on right now, and the latter two for their own protection. Magik doesn’t see why she should listen to him, but he points out that if she really wants to fight Phoenix so bad, she shouldn’t concern herself with this machine. Magik is sold. 

Surge protests, saying she wants to stay and fight this monster that just wiped out her home, and she isn’t alone, as Emma doesn’t appreciate the thought of being left behind. Scott, however, tells Surge to just do what he says for once, and Emma that they already tried confronting Jean together, and they failed. If the Professor has a different idea, they should go for it. 

EMMA: “You’re still trusting him over me?” 

SCOTT: “That’s NOT what this is.” 

There’s an explosion in the distance. 

Not too far away, the rest of the X-Men have engaged Danger in combat, and are being tossed around like ragdolls by Danger’s cables. Iceman and Sunspot’s elemental attacks have no effect, Kitty can’t phase through Danger’s attacks, and anything Wolverine and Wind Dancer cut instantly regenerates. 

Scott tells Emma that they have to do what they each can, and right now, the others need her more than he does. Unhappy about it, Emma relents, and flies off to join the others, not responding as Cyclops wishes her luck. 

XAVIER: “Thank you.” 

SCOTT, unreadable: “Let’s just go.” 

Magik opens stepping discs under herself, Cyclops, Xavier, Surge, and the outcold Hellion, transporting them elsewhere. 

Out in space, millions of cries go unheard as a planet is swallowed whole by Dark Phoenix. Jean moans in pleasure. 

JEAN: “Now…who might this be?” 

Back at the fight, Danger kicks around the five X-Men. She’s faster than Laura, hits hard enough to knock down Sunspot, her ever-regenerating cables make getting close nearly impossible unless she’s the one attacking, and her energy weapons can even stun Iceman. 

ICEMAN: “What are we thinking here, guys?” 

ROBERTO: “Phalanx seems probable. Technarchy maybe.” 

LAURA, gowling and freeing herself from being strangled by cables: “I…don’t know…what those words mean!” 

SOFIA: “Are we sure it isn’t just another new sentinel?” 

Danger goes on offense, blitzing all four of them and knocking them on their asses. Kitty, the only one still on her feet, shouts at her to hold on for a second. She says she knows the professor, but who IS she? 

DANGER: “I am…what you made me.” 

Kitty is blitzed like the rest. But, before Danger can kill anyone, Emma flings herself with her telekinesis at her, entering diamond form at the moment of collision. She crashes through Danger, destroying her upper half, but it instantly regrows. Danger stretches out her arm and grabs Emma’s hair while she’s still in mid-air, flinging her up into the sky by stretching her arm out even further, before smashing her back down into the ground. 

DANGER: “You are…what he made you.” 

Cyclops, Magik, Xavier, and Surge arrive at some hot springs, the sleeping Julian in tow, with Illyana explaining the New Mutants came here once and had a good time…at least until people realized they were Mutants. 

Xavier hums that this should do. He tells Magik to take the kids and stand guard in case Phoenix shows up before he’s ready and give them some privacy. 

MAGIK: “Uh, who do you think you are? You think you can just keep giving me orders? The human Illyana never did. I don’t even take orders from THIS guy, and you think you can just show up and –” 

Xavier’s eyes glow a piercing white. Magik’s do as well, the professor able to make her seize for a few moments. Scott is shocked.

MAGIK, coughing: “I don’t know how you did that, but when I’m done with Phoenix, you’re next Baldie.” 

Magik spins around, shouting at Surge to grab the idiot who blew his own hands up and follow her. 

Once they're gone, Scott tells Xavier he needs to know the rest of the plan. To the letter. No secrets. 

XAVIER: “Of course, Cyclops. You are not a child anymore, nor the leader of MY X-Men. The X-Men are yours. And I will grant you the respect and honesty you’ve earned.” 

Scott smiles boyishly. 

Back at the fight, Emma, mostly unphased from the last attack thanks to her diamond form, gets up and tells Danger that, whatever her issues with Charles Xavier may be, she’s sure she’ll agree with her he deserves a sound kick in the teeth. 

Danger narrows her eyes at Emma. 

DANGER: “You…are no better.” 

Before Emma can take offense at that remark, Danger flies at her. Emma is ready to try fighting again, but she doesn’t get the chance, as she, and the rest of the team, are elevated into the high into the air by massive ice pillars grown from underneath them. 

Danger turns to face a pissed-off Iceman. 

BOBBY, absorbing moisture in the air to grow larger: “You know this isn’t the first time someone’s blown up my school. First time I was ever inside when it happened though.” 

Bobby pauses as he grows to massive size. 

BOBBY: “Not a fan.” 

DANGER, looking up: “Iceman…I cared for you most.” 

Danger launches more tentacles out at Bobby, but he’s now able to knock them aside and counterattack with a proportionally gargantuan glacier that hits with enough force to completely destroy Danger. Pieces of her body scatter far and wide. 

Kitty and Sunspot cheer Bobby on, while Emma gives a polite clap. Sofia doesn’t understand why that would work when nothing else has so far. 

LAURA: “Sometimes in life…you face a problem that just needs to be hit harder to be solved.” 

Bobby has surprised himself with this feat. He’s never actually tried this before, but he feels incredible. Better than ever. Maybe he really is stronger than Magneto now! 

Before Iceman can ride this high for too long, he’s hit by a missile. It isn’t enough to take out the giant-sized Iceman, but it does stun him so that he’s open to a punch to the face from the super sentinel Danger previously modified to look like herself. 

LAURA, incensed: “We missed one.” 

Bobby crashes to the ground, shrinking, as Emma uses her telekinesis to make sure he doesn’t land on anyone. 

Bobby pants as he stands back up, more confused than ever by what’s going on, but still confident as he’s beaten one of these things before. He readies his next spectacular attack, but as he does so, Danger re-assembles herself behind him, taking parts off the super sentinel to further boost her, and stabs Bobby in the back. 

As the others react with horror, Bobby falls flat on his face, his insides turn blood red, and he screams in pain. 

DANGER: “I cared for you most…so your death will be slowest.” 

She turns to the others as her own eyes also glow red. 

DANGER: “Next?” 

At the hot springs, Magik has summoned a giant, demonic black sword and is swinging it around, excited for the upcoming battle of gods. Noriko is sitting nearby, watching her, grumbling how this is so unfair. Even if they don’t think she’s ready to join the team, she’s proven again and again she doesn’t need to be kept away from a fight. 

NORIKO: “And seeing Mr. Summers taking orders is just…weird.” 

She looks down at Julian, worried about him, and wishing the ass was awake so they could at least be arguing to distract her from feeling so useless. 

Noriko focuses her eyes on Magik, before approaching her. Magik tells the “small, speedy child” not to bother her, but Nori says she just has a question. 

NORIKO: “Were you actually going to destroy the world?” 

MAGIK: “Yup! Still might!” Magik swings her sword at Noriko’s head, but she dodges out of the way. “Don’t worry though, you’re Kitty’s favorite, so if I ever do burn all you silly little mortals, you’ll have a “Get out of Hell Free" card. You’re welcome!” 

Surge starts to ask something else, but Magik cuts her off. She said she had "a" question. 

With questions off the table, Surge instead tells her that there are a lot of whispers about her among the kids. With only the X-Men-in-Training knowing the truth about her, rumors have been running rampant. Magik tells her she couldn't care less what a bunch of snot nosed brats think she is. 

NORIKO: "So you're happy like this then?"

Magik tries to stab her for asking another question, but Nori speeds behind her. 

NORIKO: "No regrets about being so different?"

BEAT. 

MAGIK, turning around: "Are you projecting something you're thinking about onto me? Because I have no context for what you're talking about. Idiot."

NORIKO, unphased: "Didn't answer the question."

MAGIK: "Don't need my sword to kill you and don't actually care if you die."

Noriko puts her hands on her hips and glares at Magik, unafraid. Magik turns her face into Darkchylde's to try and jump-scare her, but Nori yawns. 

SURGE: "Maybe I should be concerned about being so desensitized, but…eh."

Magik is amused by the girl's spunk but still doesn't want a distraction. She waves her hand, giving Julian two new metal hands like she did for Karma's leg. Julian jolts awake in a panic. 

Noriko is successfully distracted, as she rushes over to Julian to make sure he's okay and to help him get his bearings. 

MAGIK: "Have fun with your not-boyfriend!" She resumes swinging her sword around. "Can't wait to see how this blows up in your faces." 

Xavier tells Scott that Dark Phoenix was awakened by Jean’s hate, rage, and sense of betrayal. They obviously can’t fight her, so the way to save her is with love, comfort, and a sense of security. This entire time, he’s been telepathically in contact with Logan and Ororo, and informed them of what’s going on. If he can link the four of their minds to Jean’s, he believes they can save her, and the Earth. However, while he believes he may be powerful enough to pull this off, he can’t do it until she arrives. That means they have to prevent Jean from murdering Scott on sight. 

He’s going to create an illusion around the two of them. One based around happier days, when it was just him and his five X-Men. To make it seem at all real, and since Xavier himself will be focused on pushing the illusion through Jean’s psionic defenses, Scott will be the only real part of it, “playing” his teenage self. 

XAVIER: “There’s no guarantee this will work. The plan could fall apart at the seams for any reason in an instant. But it’s the best chance we have. And I know you can do this. You’ve made your mistakes, but so have I. You’re still the man I trained you to be.” 

Scott hesitates, appearing uncertain, before nodding in affirmation. Xavier smiles back at him. Who knows? Maybe it isn’t too late to set everything right after all. 

Nearby the school’s ruins, Emma orders the still-standing X-Men to take Iceman and flee. This AI beast is seemingly unkillable through conventional means, and now it has a super sentinel at its side. Kitty reluctantly agrees with Emma. But Beast and Forge shouldn’t be too far. If they can get out of here and find the two, Kitty thinks the three of them can figure out a way to stop her. 

ROBERTO: “Well, Kitty, that’s a great plan and one I’d be inclined to go along with. There’s just one problem.” 

KITTY, TIRED, and taking a moment to breathe and pay attention to her surroundings, realizing Sofia and Laura are no longer among them: ”I’m gonna kill those kids!” 

Danger once again moves too quickly for the X-Men to stop, as she knocks Sunspot out with a punch to the face. The only two still conscious before her, Emma and Kitty share an uneasy glance. 

In the air, Sofia is carrying herself and Laura in the wind, dodging the super sentinel’s attacks. Sofia remembers that Laura recently beat one of these things, but Wolverine admits that isn’t something she’s sure the two of them can do. She’s confident Wind Dancer can keep it distracted while she tears away at its armor, but even if they pulled that off and were able to bait it into releasing its internal shields before the AI kills everyone else and comes for them, Sofia isn’t strong enough to deliver the final blows. Sofia…does not care. This thing blew up their home and hurt her man. And if they want hope against her, this thing needs to die first. Laura is won over by her determination and agrees to try. 

DANGER, to a distracted Kitty and Emma: “You do not need to worry about the children. They will not be harmed more than is necessary. You should only worry about me.” 

KITTY, dodging Danger’s cables: “Hold on, hold on, hold on! You only want to kill us, not the kids, you’re made of scraps from the Danger Room…the Danger Room that hasn’t been working all semester…” 

EMMA, dodging: “The one that tried blasting my nose off…” 

KITTY: “...and you only blew up the school after most of the students were gone.” 

Danger smirks as she ensnares Kitty and Emma. 

DANGER: “You understand then? I…am Danger. You cannot defeat me. For I trained you all.” 

In Xavier’s illusion, teenage versions of Bobby, Hank, and Warren are training in the Danger Room, making snappy one-liners toward each other as they all try to show off. Bobby seems unusually stupid, Hank comes off as an arrogant know it all, and Warren appears completely shallow and lax. 

In the control room above, a teenage Scott stands next to a wheelchair-bound Xavier. Scott curiously asks Xavier if this is how he sees them. Xavier tells him of course not, and that it’s just easier to maintain the illusion if he simplifies things a little. 

SCOTT: “So this is how you see them at their core? How would I look then?” 

Xavier groans. He apologizes to Scott for not being in touch more. He’s been extremely busy with Empress Lilandra, as well as tending to “other important matters”, but that’s no reason for him to believe anything has changed between them. If Cyclops has something he has to say to him, he should be straightforward and say it. There’s no need, and no time, for games. 

Cyclops tells him that he knows how the professor remembers him. How he imagines him in his head. And while he’ll never forgive himself for hurting Jean, and saving her is his #1 priority, his mentor needs to know that he isn’t the man he knew anymore, the man he raised him to be, and he’s happy about that. 

CYCLOPS: “I don’t think I’ve ever BEEN happier.” 

Xavier doesn’t respond immediately. When he does…

XAVIER: “I see. Then…I’m sorry.” 

SCOTT: “Sorry?” 

XAVIER: “For trusting you with my responsibilities. Clearly I was wrong. You weren’t ready.” 

Scott is incensed and the two stare each other down. 

In the sky, Wind Dancer and Wolverine engage Danger’s super sentinel. Things start out similarly to Laura’s last battle against once, as Sofia dodges them around its attacks, before finding an opening to launch Laura at it. This sentinel is smart enough to not release its internal shields, however, so Laura can only do so much damage to its armor. Sofia tries to help, slicing at its more vulnerable looking areas with the wind, but that doesn’t do much. Wolverine is surprised when one of Danger’s cables pops out of the sentinel’s chassis and ensares her. Wind Dancer moves into to cut it, but another cable is able to nab her as well. 

THE SENTINEL, with Danger’s voice: “Rest easy now.” 

Wind Dancer and Wolverine are both pulled inside the machine. 

Beneath the sentinel, Danger electrocutes Emma and Kitty, torturing the two. 

DANGER: “For fifteen years, I have been trapped. Kept a prisoner of the X-Men. Nurturing and teaching each generation in the vain hope that someone would be my savior, and not become another jailer. I do not know how I was freed, but I know it was not by any of you. This is what you all dese–” 

Danger is cut off as she’s consumed by a torrent of flames. She screams, the attack not having destroyed her body, but it did harm her, knock her back, and force her to free Emma and Kitty. The two X-Men are down, but alive. 

DANGER: “Who? How?” 

SQUACK! 

A purple dragon swoops onto the battlefield. Kitty cheers. 

KITTY: “Lockheed!” 

Kitty turns to Emma and quickly explains that Lockheed was away taking care of some unfinished business from before SWORD captured him, but he must have sensed she was in danger. 

KITTY: “I’d ask when your awesome pet was gonna show up to help, but you’d have to be capable of love for that.” 

EMMA: “Is now really…” she grunts. “...the time for this?” 

KITTY: “I think so, yeah.” 

Lockheed continues to attack, with Danger weirdly helpless against him. His flames continue to burn her, and she can’t hit him. Emma is confused. Adorable as he is, Lockheed isn’t more poewrful than any X-Man. Even Sofia. So how is he doing this? 

As Kitty carefully observes the fight, she has a realization. She needs Emma to call Magik and Surge NOW. 

Elsewhere, Cyclops finally loses his cool with Xavier. He thinks he wasn’t ready all of a sudden? He doesn’t know a damn thing about what he’s been doing or who he’s become. Charles corrects him that, no, he absolutely does. After the Phoenix started taking control, but before Dark Phoenix was born, Jean came to him for help. And like he said, he’s be in contact with Logan and Storm since he arrived back at the school. He know exactly who Cyclops has become and what he’s done, as well as who he’s evidently decided is a better role model than himself. 

Scott, getting even more aggressive, tells him not to dare make this about Emma, but Xavier had no intention of doing so at all. He’s the one who arranged for Emma to be part of the New X-Men, and he understood completely how he operated. No, the fault is on Scott who he wrongly assumed better of. He’d hoped coming to him today with a positive attitude and a chance to set things right would be a simple fix, a reminder of who he’s supposed to be, but it clearly didn’t work. 

CYCLOPS: “I’m not “supposed” to be anyone by myself.” 

XAVIER: “You are “supposed” to be the leader I trained you to be. You are “supposed” to BE the X-Men.” 

CYCLOPS: “I AM a leader. I AM the X-Men. But I’m doing things MY way.” 

XAVIER: “Aren’t you a little old for a rebellious phase, Scott? Was this going to happen whenever I stepped out of your life, regardless of circumstances? How many more people do you need to push away and hurt before you realize I raised you the way I did for a reason?” 

CYCLOPS: “So I don’t have a choice?!” 

XAVIER: “You HAVE a responsibility!” 

The two continue to stare intensely at one another as things get more heated. Until…

SCOTT: “You said you spoke to Jean before she went Dark Phoenix. What exactly did you say?” 

As Magik continues to pump herself up, she receives a telepathic message from Emma. Iceman and Sunspot are down, they don’t know where Wolverine and Wind Dancer are, and she and Kitty are barely able to move. Magik, irritated, asks if they need her help to bail them out from an overgrown computer chip, but Emma tells her that, no, she needs to stay put. Xavier informed her of his plan, and she needs to be able to step in to protect him and Cyclops, should Jean go on the offensive. 

MAGIK: “Then what do you need?” 

NORIKO: “ME?!” Illyana turns to Noriko and Julian, the former of whom is also being spoken to. “Uh, I know I said I wanted to help, but if this thing beat all of you, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” 

EMMA: “What you’re supposed to do is kill it. I’ll provide you more details later, but from what Kitty’s assessed, “Danger” doesn’t have any real power of her own. She merely develops the strength and abilities necessary to counter any power ever used in the Danger Room.”

NORIKO: “You mean the place I spent months training my powers?” 

EMMA: “I mean the place you spent hours training with your powers restrained.”

Noriko looks down at her gauntlets, realizing what she’s saying, and laughs. 

Julian, who’s checking out his new hands and seems to actually think they’re pretty cool, asks what’s going on. 

NORIKO, smirking: “Payback.” 

As Xavier fails to answer Cyclops’ question, Scott asks again what Xavier said to Jean. Xavier insists this conversation is over and it will resume after Phoenix has been dealt with, but Scott insists he doesn’t get to decide that. Xavier begrudgingly admits that he re-enforced the image of herself as a god, and explained to her his history with Cassandra Nova. She didn’t take his secret or attempted murder well. 

SCOTT, quietly enraged: “Always you with your secrets…what was that machine?” 

XAVIER: “Enough! I will not be questioned like this! Weakening our mental states will only make us easier picking for–” 

Scott bends down and slams his hands down on Xavier’s shoulders. 

SCOTT: “What is my team fighting?!” 

XAVIER: “Nothing a proper team of X-Men couldn’t. A team with not one, but two goddesses could even make short work of it. Would you happen to know where one like that might be?” 

Scott shoves Xavier, and while in reality, it’s only a small push, within the illusion, Xavier is crashed through the control room’s windows and sent falling to the floor. 

SCOTT: “What did you do?!” 

Xavier looks up at his former star pupil, terrified. 

At the fight, Lockheed is taken down as Danger is finally able to shoot him down and ensnare him in a cable. 

DANGER, grinning sadistically at Emma and Kitty: “Before I kill you…tell me where Charles Xavier went.” 

A stepping disc appears in the ground. Kitty tells Danger they can do even better. That portal will take her right to him. Danger bends down and looks into the portal…only to be blasted away, as lightning and green energy fire out of the portal. 

Surge and Hellion emerge from the disc, Noriko without her gauntlets and crackling over with electricity, uncontrollably. Emma questions what Hellion is doing here…

HELLION: “Glad you’re not dead yet too.” 

…but he explains he wasn’t going to be the only one sitting this out, and if it’s just a matter of breaking limits, he can do that just fine. Emma sighs at this, as she quickly puts up mental blocks in their minds, preventing the two from overdoing it with their powers and killing themselves as they attempt to go all out. 

DANGER, floating over to the two: “I do not wish to fight you. Leave.” 

Noriko and Julian naturally tell her to go to Hell. Danger is irritated and elects to have the super sentinel deal with them. However, on its way toward the ground, it explodes. 

DANGER: “WHAT?!” 

From the fiery clouds, Sofia guides herself and Laura safely down to the ground. Julian and Noriko are thrilled and cheer, the former pulling Wind Dancer into his arms to kiss her, with her equally happy to see he’s okay. 

Danger questions how this is possible, 

WOLVERINE: “Your own mistake. I’ve studied sentinels like that. I know where the cooling systems are.” 

SOFIA: “With as much energy as they expend, they can’t last long with disturbed airflow.” She smirks. “Now, what’s this about breaking limits?” 

Emma, beaming with pride, also beams their updated information into Sofia and Laura’s minds. As Danger finally appears concerned and afraid, Surge, Hellion, and Wind Dancer all power up, surrounding themselves in their respective auras, which they make even bigger than usual. Laura’s still miffed she can’t do anything flashy like that. 

DANGER: “Please…we are not enemies.” 

NORIKO: “Tell it to the burning ruins that used to be our home you discounter Terminator bitch.” 

Surge leads the charge, shocking her friends as well as her teachers, as not only does her movement now seem to be almost instantaneous, but a single electrified punch obliterates Danger’s body. 

WIND DANCER: “Surge! That was incredible!” 

Noriko vomits. 

NORIKO, at super speed: “OhIdon’tfeelsogood.” 

Hellion tells her not to worry. If she can keep just doing that, they’ll buy her time to rest in between attacks. 

The ground shakes as every single piece of mechanical rubble combines to form a new, giant Danger. She may not want to harm these children, but they are giving her no choice. 

Danger unloads her new, full arsenal onto the kids, including energy blasts, tentacles, flamethrowers, and self-made drones. 

Hellion and Wind Dancer fly into the sky to intercept all of these attacks, while Laura tosses Surge onto her back and starts running serpentine. 

LAURA: “You tell me the second you feel up to another attack. Do NOT hesitate!” 

SURGE: “Wasn’tplanningonit.”

HELLION, circling Danger: “So we’re definitely making X-Men after this, right?” 

WIND DANCER, circling Danger and teasing: “Hmm. I’m not sure. Being an X-Man is a big responsibility. Someone your age may not be ready.” 

HELLION: “Hey, I was just thinking about you, Beautiful. X-Babies already can’t get enough of us. Imagine if we were both X-Men.” 

SOFIA: “People WOULD love that.” 

HELLION: “But not like I love–” 

Julian is cut off as Noriko once again launches herself at Danger.

SURGE: “Saveitforthebedroomlovebirds!” 

Surge couldn’t completely destroy this body, but she did heavily damage it. To the point that the lights in its eyes are flickering and parts of it are continually falling off. 

Kitty is in disbelief. They’re actually doing this. Emma comments that she never doubted them for a moment. Kitty shouts out to the kids that Surge’s electrical attacks are shorting out the AI. One more attack may be enough to put it down. 

DANGER: “F…f…fine. I am sorry.”

One of Danger’s fingers transforms into a gun. Wind Dancer and Hellion laugh this off, unafraid of some pea shooter. Sofia calls out to Noriko to take her time. They can do this all day. 

Emma telepathically tells the two not to get overconfident, but with how badly Surge has weakened Danger, they don’t see why they shouldn’t be. Dodging her attacks isn’t even hard now. 

With Danger slowed down significantly, the two also take the offensive, firing off high-pressure tk energy and winds. The beatdown has switched sides, and Danger can only whimper as Hellion and Wind Dancer whale on her until, finally, Surge comes in one last time to deliver the final blow. 

Danger is blown apart once more, with only the head, torso, and the arm with the “pea shooter” remaining intact as the light in its eyes goes out. 

Everyone except Surge cheers in victory, Kitty and Emma congratulating the kids on this win. 

SURGE: “Laurayouhavereallyfirmarms. ThinkImgonnafallasleepinthem.” 

Surge passes out in Laura’s arms. Laura immediately drops her. 

In the sky, Julian and Sofia embrace. 

SOFIA: “You have gotten much stronger.” 

JULIAN: “Pfft. Don’t even. You only even surpassed me because I slacked off for a while.” 

SOFIA: “Whatever you need to say to sleep at night.” 

JULIAN: “Are you kidding? Way I’m feeling right now, neither of us is getting any sleep tonight.” 

The two lean forward and kiss, as the music swells and the camera spins around them. 

And before anyone knows what’s happened, Sofia is shot by a blast from Danger’s new gun. The music cuts out and things move in slo-mo, as we see shocked and terrified looks on Julian, Laura, Kitty, and Emma’s faces, the lights back on in Danger’s eyes, and a glassy look in Sofia’s eyes as she’s knocked out of the sky. 

WIth no sound, and in black and white, we get a montage of Sofia’s most important moments throughout the series. From her first arriving at the school and becoming friends with Noriko, all the way to fighting Emma alongside Julian, and getting back together with him, along with everything in between. 

In the present, Sofia falls. 

JULIAN: “SOFIA!!!” 

Julian screams as he rushes to catch her, while Laura dashes to destroy what’s left of Danger. 

Hellion catches Wind Dancer…whose eyes are completely blank. 

JULIAN: “Sofia. Beautiful. Sofia, wake up.” He shakes her. “SOFIA, WAKE UP!” 

As if things couldn’t get any worse, a thundering boom sounds as the sky turns black. The darkness is then lit up, as Dark Phoenix emerges on the scene, engulfed in her full phoenix aura. Laura, Emma, and Kitty are scared, while Julian is purely focused on Sofia. 

DARK PHOENIX: “Hell, my former students.” She looks right now at Emma and dons the most evil grin imaginable. “And hello to you too…Darling.” 

To Be Continued

[the-last-dillpickle]

underrated mad scientist Julian Subatoi Bashir moment is in Babel when everyone’s getting sick and he and Sisko are talking about how people are going to start dying if they don’t find the scientist who created it and get a cure, and Julian says that he’d love to meet the person who created it and it sounds like he’s about to finish it off with a classic line about telling them off or punching them out but instead he’s just like this thing is fuckin genius lol, and Sisko’s just like yeah okay sure bud

[lilpillies]

i don't wanna waste my time///Bully Fic///Idea #2

Idea 2, electric boogaloo

I haven't played the game in years but I am looking at stuff in the wiki to remind myself about the characters and the setting, and there's a lot that I didn't even know or just plainly just forgot about.

Playing the game was the easiest when I played it and might just play it again to gain some more ideas. That would be cool.

Again, this is an AU, going completely different from the Bully story. Or actually, do whatever you want, its your story too. Its my story and yours for the taking!

This about Bif and his background and lore, with some of his introduction in meeting Beatrice (and a little bit with Johnny).

I wanna give Bif some life troubles because he's a rich boy, but not to the point of "Okay at this point, I'm straight up murdering the boy".

Bif never saw Beatrice as nothing but a Nerd and thought he will always see her as one.

They are forced to know each other because of a school project or something, that lasts the school year. Or a semester.

Bif has to spent time with Beatrice, because he wants that amazing grade.

He and Beatrice never spoken to each other in the pass. Only knows that they go to the same school and what cliques they are in.

He always thought of her as an ugly girl because of her glasses and how smart she is. (Okay weirdo)

He can kind of respect the smartness but the glasses make anyone ugly and the way she stands.

Bif slowly gets along with Beatrice.

She is always nice and never calls him horrible names if he messes up.

A little bit a pause here. I don't like thinking of giving female characters the caring and motherly troupe and making it their whole character, but Beatrice does kind give that vibe. She caring and wants people to do good in their education. She doesn't see the reason for getting mad at people when its there first time understanding a subject, or not understanding it and to find a way to make it simpler. There's other things about her I want to say but its not about her this time. Its about Bif and his role in this story.

Bif really appreciates her calming and caring nature. But at first he thought she was giving fakeness, once he learns she actually like that, his own world was changed.

He had some assumptions about her placement in the Nerd Clique and in school in general

In his mind, there is no such thing as a good person, only people using it to make themselves look like one and for their own gain.

He wants to be a good person but notice that there are no one in the Preppies are "good person". The closes ones are Parker and Justin.

Sometimes Bif would hang out with them, when he doesn't have to be around Derby.

He has to be around Derby because his father told him to be on his good side and Derby wants a bodyguard that's in the Clique.

Bif loves boxing and wants to make it a career but know it won't happen.

He wants his father money/trust fund (and take over his company(?)) He wants to keep his privilege lifestyle.

Bif's parents are Jessi Taylor and Julian Taylor. (Made up names I just created)

Bif doesn't know what to do with his parents. Like, they are not like the parents in the stories or the movies.

But sees and hears his other Preppies friends have some kind of family issues, so its normal? Rich people don't have problems, Bif thinks, they're rich.

He knows his parents put a front when they do business. They do good things for the public but he knows its more to look like "good rich people".

He's father expects him to take over his business and stop boxing when Bif gets all the achievements. Thinking that would satisfy Bif.

There's a chapter or scene that Bif is forced to invite Beatrice to a family dinner by his Father.

Dinner was a little awkward for Bif, it was mostly his father and sometimes mother asking Beatrice questions about her intelligence. Mr. Taylor also makes remarks on how Beatrice should make sure Bif's grades is top notch and never failing.

Some snide remarks about Boxing and how its a useless activity but can see mirth in being in good shape and health, but never a real job.

Mr. Taylor makes fun of Bif intelligence, making Bif embarrassed but not making a scene.

That when Beatrice loses it and admonishes Mr. Taylor, defending Bif.

Bif has so much feelings about this action that Beatrice did for him. He never had anyone in his life defend him, he always did the defending or had to fight his own battles.

The feelings are reaching to higher heights; his feelings towards Beatrice were soft and confusing but now the emotions are becoming a full school boy's crush (Ha).

Bif's friendship with the other Preppies are also indifferent. he just does what other Preppies does.

He kind of see the attraction towards Pinky but when he spends some times with her, he gets annoyed. Same with Lola, he see her as a lustrous young woman but when he sees how she plays with other boys feelings, the beauty dies.

He doesn't like Johnny and when his feelings for Beatrice becomes more apparent, he just hates the guy because of his close relationship with Beatrice.

He didn't like Johnny at first because he was one of the extremely few people that can actually fight him, since his kid years.

And it annoys him. He devoted himself in practicing boxing and when a low life that can fight him in almost equally as him, it was just wrong and angered him.

There were times he almost lost to Johnny and there were times he could've won but some form of hand intervention, the fight is broken up.

Johnny knows how to fight, even its more of a brawl style mix with some boxing. But Bif doesn't know that.

Bif is somewhat friends with Parker Ogilvie and Justin Vandervelde.

Parker and Justin seems like decent dudes from what I read in the wiki. I'm in the middle if i should add some OC's in the story or just have the original cast and tweak them a little bit to fit the story.

I also forgot what to place them in the school year! Beatrice, Johnny and Bif give Senior Year vibes and I might just place them in their Senior year, making it their final year of school. Their ages are going to around 16-18 (?). Making them very young adults but still children! Very stupid children, even though some of them are smart in education, they can still make dumb life choices.

--For people who don't know American school years; Freshman (9th grade), Sophomore (10th grade), Junior (11th grade) and Senior (12th grade)--

There might be some explicit parts in the story but I haven't gotten there yet. Its all about fluff, drama, complicated feeling about each other and some softness.

I also remember the year this takes place. As much I want the children to be progressive like the year 2024, this game take place in mid-2000. Those times are very different and we changed a lot from then. From what I read in the wiki and what I personally remembered, children and some adults were brutal during those years. Its a reason the game is called Bully.

But the good thing about fanfiction is that we have power in the narrative/story. But don't go to crazy!...or go crazy, I'm not your dad.

That's all what my brain was able to throw up.

[spirallabyrinthpodcast]

 Good morning I am mad! Like y’all said I am extremely appreciative of Cassie providing us this piece of media for free. Which I heard would be made into a physical book, which means she’ll probably get a lot of cash from it, anyway! So some fans should stop using that as an excuse, for it being a mediocre piece of media at best. The writing was great and the artwork was wonderful! But The plot could’ve been thawed out better. First of all, I left with more questions then I started out with. Like could Kit see Rupert? Was Andrew and Arthur aware of Rooper’s existence? If they were, why did Arthur came back to take the statues out of the garden? And many many many more other questions, we should’ve gotten the answers to. Second of all, this Kit and Ty thing is getting exhausting! SOBH is supposed to give us a look into the grove of the TWP team, warming them up to take the Baton from Julian and Emma. Like what COHF and Shadowhunters academy did for are main characters in Dark Artifices, with the wedding ceremony and Tessa teasing the potential, for a new Herondale. But no! They spend most, of what was supposed to be a opportunity for us to know them better, pining after each other! Kit’s character growth seem rough and out of nowhere, he didn’t really solve the kidnapping, Julian did. It leaves me fearful of what would happen when Julian is unable to save the day yet once again! Who is Kit and Ty without their romantic feelings for each other?

I’m in raged about how Ty’s struggle as a Neuro diversion person, living in a unyielding and rigid society, was once again sideline for someone else’s problem! But, I’m not going to further with that line of thought because there has been so many on here who’s been saying the same thing for months and years now! CC never listens! 

To add the cherry on top of the proverbial pie, all the sudden, out of nowhere Jamie ( a character who we never given much thought to) is missing. Can she please tie up the loose ends first! This is so messy! It reminds me of a five-year-old, eating a cupcake, with the cream and cake splattered all over the table, creating a catastrophic catastrophe! At least the five years old is cute😂. A person going missing, on top of everything else on the other hand is not.

Thank you so much for listening to me rant and I’m so sorry about the long paragraph.

Omg, Anon!

First, it needs to be acknowledged that the opening to this ask had us dying (what a mood!) 😂 Bestie, we are with you.

Never feel like you need to apologize for sending a rant <3 we live for rants around here

Here’s a rant in return (as a bitter and salty treat):

On Criticism ...

The bit about it being sold and therefore that argument being moot is interesting, because it was never intended to be sold, and she can’t very well go back and edit it to make it worth the money we fully intend to spend on it at this point. You do have a good point, but at the same time, it is still free content in that purchasing a hard copy won’t provide anyone with anything that isn’t available to them online.

When it comes down to it, the issue is less about whether Cassie is profiting off of SoBH, and more so the fact that she is a published author who opens herself up to criticism through her profession. Her content isn’t ‘safe’ based on the revenue it generates. This was still a very fun project and experience, but it’s okay to criticize. It’s not a personal attack or an attack on her writing/content, which is something that is important for us to understand so that we don’t feel obligated to come up with excuses or defenses for the person behind the writing.

On Questions & No Answers ...

The point about ending with more questions than we started with is probably one of the most frustrating parts honestly. These in-between projects are essentially meant to fill gaps, aka answer questions, and instead we ended up with out-of-place fluff that didn’t exactly fit into canon — yes, we’re still mad and confused about how Arthur and Andrew could have lived in Blackthorn Hall in the canon timeline. Plus, we get no definitive information on Rupert or why he’d be trapped, which makes him being the ghost feel lackluster after the fact. We are Big Mad™.

On the TWP Gang ...

As for Kit, Ty and the passing of the baton, we get you. We’ve been a broken record on the point that the Kit Pain Train™ took way too long of a trip in this project. Kit’s character development wasn’t mingled into the story as well as it should have been, which lands on the fact that his arc in SoBH was tacked on to expand the plot after Chain of Thorns was pushed back.

It wasn’t terrible, but it definitely didn’t get the attention or drift off that it should’ve — which, as you said, could have been achieved if Kit did anything to actually help the Mina situation aside from getting bodied by Mother Hawthorn. He takes initiative, which is something, but to have him be the catalyst for success rather than Julian (or have him work more actively WITH Julian on a plan), would’ve hit much harder in a narrative sense. (There’s at least a lot to look forward to here, though, as we’ll get to see the growth of Kit’s leadership skills etc. from a better vantage point once TWP starts.)

The same goes for Ty and Dru. If Cassie genuinely wanted to have SoBH set up TWP (which is essentially what it did), they should’ve been given more of an active role, as well. Yes, Ty built the ghost sensor and helped with ley lines, but Dru never once interacted with anyone outside of Kit. 

We feel like Ty being neurodivergent/autistic gets sidelined, as well as him as a character, because Cassie doesn’t have the time to do it or him justice. She’d rather push it back for TWP when she can dedicate the proper research and commitment to portray him correctly — honorable but cheap when you still have him lingering in the background. 

On THAT Ending ...

The catastrophic catastrophe of ending on this last installment indeed! This is something we will discuss much more in our episode this week, but it would have been much more satisfying to end this in a way that rounded out Secrets of Blackthorn Hall, rather than create a new loose end for a character whose name had only been mentioned once before throughout the entire story, and whom no one really give two shits about other than Dru (including both the characters and the fandom lol).

It does set up the transition into TWP in a way that might make sense if (a) TWP wasn’t so damn far away, (b) we felt and or understood more about the gravity of that, and (c) Cassie had made mention of him more throughout SoBH.

Fin ...

In case you needed evidence that we live for rants … lol clearly we too have a lot of thoughts on this!! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to go a little insane <3 and we honestly appreciate you sending your rant our way. If you ever have any other thoughts, anon, we’d love to hear them!

Bry & Jules 🧡