#i do NOT need them deciding the forbidden zone is a safe space

[proserpine-in-phases]

The boys are trying to reach the Forbidden Zone, which would be this ⬇️⬇️

Creepy gap below the bathtub. They found a way around the barrier I'd built from a tote lid and the cabinet shelf SOMEHOW (because cats are made for crime) so now I installed a child safe lock and also am going to obtain some bricks to fill in that gap

[lokiwritess]

Restless - Sergeant Hunter

I learned the spelling of sergeant halfway through this and that is all I have to say. Ps. We all know Hunter is secretly a softie who loves his brothers

The light rap of knuckles on durasteel was the first thing to pull you out of your trance in hours, maybe even a day. Nothing had managed to break your concentration: Not hunger, not thirst, not even the raging headache in your temples. 

Exhaustion had you almost slipping away a few times, but you clung on to your last bits of energy like a drowning man would cling to a bottle of water. 

Your hair was probably a mess, eyes half-closed, with the dark circles to prove the time you'd spent staring at the datapad in your lap. What had started from interest had turned into desperation quickly, leaving nothing but frustration in its wake.

If you didn't decrypt those files you would have failed another one of your friends.

"How's it going? Made any progress?", Hunter questioned.

The long-haired sergeant leaned against the doorway, arms crossed in front of his chest. His eyes scanned the room in a fluid motion, settling on your figure.

"I got nothing.", you muttered in defeat. "Kix must've known that whoever was after him would try to find these files as well. I mean- how the hell am I supposed to open files protected against way smarter people?”

"He sent them to you. I doubt that he just chose a random person, that means that you know how to decrypt them. Just don’t know it yet."

"I just can't figure it out. I'm failing miserably. I need more time. What if I can't figure it out until it's too late?"

Hunter huffed, his soft footsteps echoing on the floor as he moved closer. He stopped right next to you, crouching down to be on the same level as you. But instead of trying to look at him, your gaze was fixed on the datapad once again, and on the transmission, you’d received while eating with the group.

This time, what broke your concentration was that Hunter just snatched the pad from your hands and turned it off.

“What are you doing?”, you questioned in shock, trying to reach for it.

But the Sergeant held it out of reach from you, laying it down on top of a monitor.

“You’ve been doing this for hours. Right now, you don’t need more time, you need food and rest.”

The ship was quiet, the only thing that you could hear the steady humming of the engines that kept the ship in its position. Too quiet, for the usually chaotic ship. There was no bickering, no arguments, no bets being made.

“Everyone already went to sleep, didn’t they?”

“They did, about eight hours ago. We let you be then but this isn’t healthy anymore.”

You couldn't help but protest as he grabbed your waist and made you stand on your feet. Wobbly feet, as you noticed. Did you sit on the floor in the command center for almost a day? How had you not noticed the way your muscles ached?

"Alright, let's go before you fall asleep on your feet."

"I really have to keep working on this. I’ll promise I’ll eat, but-”

"Tech will look into it while you do your part in being a functional member of the team. And that for you means eating and sleeping right now.", he cut you off.

"Did you just call any of us functional?"

He made a low sound that you had learned to identify as his way to express amusement. But he didn't stop moving, his hand on the small of your back gently maneuvering your tired body in the right direction.

"Stop protesting. Food first or sleep?"

You rolled your eyes at his stubbornness, while a yawn decided for you. "Sleep."

He hummed in agreement, reacting by laying his other hand on the crook of your arm and saving you from stumbling straight into a storage crate.

Touch was still something rare coming from Hunter, as you had come to realize in your time with the Bad Batch. Even though the limits of the team’s mutations and abilities were often unknown to you, it felt good to know that Hunter had gotten used to your presence so much that he didn't get overwhelmed as easily anymore. 

His oversensitivity had reacted a lot to you in the beginning, rooted in your often subconscious use of the force, but now - with you in a resting state, with no one else around - he was fine. And your exhausted body relished in the warmth of the clone in his blacks.

You barely noticed Crosshair walking past you, the force signature of the sniper faintly floating by in a moment's notice. You had successfully relied on Hunter to not make you run into walls, half asleep already. Your mind had retreated into itself. It was just you, the quiet, and Hunter's presence. Exactly how you liked it.

Your senses only re-activated as you took a less familiar path.

"Why are we going to your room?" 

Hunter's room was at the end of the corridor, as far away from the electricity and signals in the cockpit and command center as possible. Your’s was down the hall to the right. As one of the last people to join the crew of the Havoc Marauder you shared the last room - which also happened to be the smallest - with Echo. 

The first couple of weeks you'd slept on the floor, just waiting for his nightmares to end what little sleep you’d had. And then the Bad Batch had started accepting you more and one-day Tech got so tired of hearing your shoulder crack every morning that they installed a make-shift second cot.

It took you a second to realize.

"Wait- Is Echo okay?" The words were slurred by your drowsiness. Before you, the door to Hunter's room swished open and he nudged you to move in. But a sense of panic had already settled in your bones.

Echo had been your friend long before he supposedly died. Long before things spiraled out of control, before you’d left the order and your friends. Before you lost so many people it would take you a while to count.

"He had a bad night. Wrecker is keeping him company to get him back to sleep."

"I should-" But as you turned around you simply walked straight into Hunter's chest.

"Absolutely not. You need to rest. And Echo is just as worried about your friend as you are. The last thing that's going to help him right now is your presence.", he bluntly stated.

Yep, that was Hunter. A bit rough around the edges, but always the best interest of the team in mind.

"You can get together and talk once you're both in a better state." With that, he turned you around by your shoulders and guided you the rest of the way to his bed. 

You'd never been in his room. Always just stood inside the doorway in case you needed something or one of the others asked for him. It felt weirdly intimate. 

A common theme within the members of the Bad Batch. It’d always just been the four of them, so they had the luxury of having solitary rooms, no matter how small they were. They served their function as a time-out zone, a safe space for different reasons, that you had learned in your time with them. 

Their rooms were tailored to their specific needs. In Tech’s case that meant he stored all of his devices there, safe from his brother’s who were absolutely not allowed to touch any of them. 

For Wrecker, it was the size. With a special cot and the biggest room available, he could drop the caution that he might break something his brother’s treasured.

 You’d yet to look at Crosshair’s room, that’s how secretive he was about it.

Hunter was a stark contrast to Tech in regards to his room. He’d downsized everything in there to things he really needed, nothing that served no purpose. Where Tech had a clutter of all kinds of things, Hunter kept his knives organized and he never brought things in there that could trigger his enhanced senses.

Bringing you in there seemed like a clear violation of that rule.

You were fascinated by their rooms because they were so personal.

In your time with the Jedi, you’d always been forbidden from even feeling attached to a specific room. And when you joined the 501st things had been vastly different as well.

Echo’s and your room was a stark contrast to the rest of the team members because of that specific reason. You were used to the loud barracks, not the isolation of the Havoc Marauder.

On good days your shared room felt like the old days in the 501st barracks on some risky mission to a weird place. Like you were taking a break from the business of war, filled with Fives’ jokes and Jesse’s laughter. Like home.

On the bad days, it felt like explosions at the Citadel. Or like the echo of blasters firing on Umbara. It felt like hopelessness and sadness caused by the loss of many friends. Like a deep abyss of loneliness that would drown anyone that dare enter in the waves of past trauma.

You barely registered hitting the mattress. You adjusted on autopilot, gravitating closer to the wall behind your back as your head found the pillow.

"You're spacing out on me again.", Hunter remarked.

"Bad habit." 

He sat on the side of the bed, pulling the covers over you. Once you were warm and cozy, he turned to stand up but he hesitated. Hunter could feel your guilt. That was one of the feelings you carried around with you day to day, since the day he’d met you. 

It ate away at you even when you were in a good mood, and that bothered him. Especially since that transmission came in and amplified your guilt thousandfold.

"You do know that it’s not your fault that your friend was taken, right?”

You pressed your lips together tightly, avoiding eye contact, instead choosing to focus your attention on your hand. He was wrong. 

“I left them.” The words felt like lead on your tongue, hurting you as you tried to get them out.

“You didn’t.”, Hunter disagreed. “You left the Jedi, but not them. You wouldn’t have been there at the smallest sign that Echo was alive if you had.”

You looked up at the clone with mixed feelings. Maybe there was some truth to that. Even after you finally broke and left the order, you’d been there when Tup and Fives died. And you’d been there when Rex had the suspicion that Echo was still alive, dropping everything in a moments notice.

Hell, the only reason you’d had for going with the Bad Batch had been that Rex asked you to look out for Echo and help him adjust.

“Maybe you’re right.”, you shrugged numbly. “I guess I just… feel like I keep failing to keep the people I care about alive. I can't save Kix. And I couldn't save Fives nor could I help any of the others… but if I figure out what Kix was onto, I might be able to help Echo and Rex and Jesse and maybe even you."

To your surprise, Hunter grabbed your hand and squeezed it lightly.

"I know that you want to protect them. But you can't do it at the cost of working yourself to death. You're part of the Bad Batch now. You don't have to do this alone, alright?"

You nodded slowly.

“Good. Now get some rest.”

And with that, the handsome Sergeant stood up from his bed and left you to be consumed by your exhaustion, in a room that felt so distinctively like him that you finally managed to relax.

[writedisaster]

other random notes about Lip and food (cw: disordered eating, brief n.s.f.w.)

more info on the history of their disorder [here]

if they’re going out to eat, they prefer to scope the menu out ahead of time.  partly bc they’re dyslexic and hate struggling to read in front of other people, partly bc they need to know ahead of time that there’s something on the menu that will feel safe for them to eat.  they appreciate it when menus have little symbols next to dishes indicating what’s vegetarian, but depending on how badly their brain is acting up, they may need more information.

bc of that, if they have plans to go out to eat with others, they will get stressed if the group decides to change venues last minute.  Lip is very flexible about most things!  but not about this.  if they’re unfamiliar with the restaurant and don’t have time to go over the menu, they may just drop out entirely.  if they trust the people they’re going with, they may take someone else’s word that the place has food they can eat, but they don’t trust most people that much.

Lip letting anyone else pick out food / a restaurant for them is a sign that either a) they really trust that person, or b) they’re in a really bad way.

it’s also no good for them if the time changes.  they have a pretty rigid timetable for when they are and aren’t allowed to eat; if they miss a timeslot, they miss that meal.  but if you’re late to brunch with Lip, they won’t go ahead and eat without you, cuz that’s also forbidden.  when planning with chronically late friends, they do their best to schedule so that the actual arrival time will fall into an acceptable window for them, but if their calculations are off or the lateness is unexpected, well... no brunch.

given all the above, they don’t go out to eat with other people all that often!  there’s, like, one group of friends they have brunch with, and even that’s touch and go.  those friends are pretty used to Lip bailing.

but if they DO ever go out to eat with you, you should probably know that their injunction against stealing food does NOT apply to your fries or your pickle.  sorry <3

they feel... weird... if they’re eating and the people with them aren’t eating.  but given how much they hang out with vampires, it’s sometimes a thing that happens.  they can mostly cope with it, but if they’re already having a bad day, it’d be a further stressor.

they like to keep some small nonperishable safe foods with them.  there’s usually a pathetically crushed-flat granola bar lurking somewhere in their fake designer bag.  while they very rarely eat from this stash (hence how sad and old those granola bars get), knowing it’s there is comforting to them.

sometimes there’s also fresh kale in their bag.  dude i don’t know what’s up with this one.

they like giving oral (under certain circumstances) and they like nibbling on assorted bits of their partners’ bodies, but they will not suck anyone’s fingers.

as bad as Lip is at saying “no,” food is the one area where that doesn’t apply.  they pretty much always have at least a dozen good excuses and graceful refusals ready if needed.

Lip’s eating schedule is divided into five smaller meals rather than attempting the standard “three squares.”  eating too much at once risks triggering bad thoughts / bad feelings, and their body and brain are not well calibrated to accurately gauge “too much.”  what would be a perfectly standard meal for someone else of their size and activity level is well within the danger zone for Lip.  instead, splitting the daily calorie load into smaller, spaced-out increments is a safer way for them to get what they need.  doesn’t always work perfectly, but it is better.

they get extremely uncomfortable if anyone says anything along the lines of “aren’t you hungry?” / “you must be starving!” / etc. to them.  even if they were planning on eating, having external attention drawn to their hunger makes it harder.  on a bad day, it might put them off eating entirely.

even with all the above, Lip is pretty good at passing for Normal About Food!  even if your muse is close to them, it would take significant observation and real consideration to put together any of the above patterns.  there’s also the fact that Lip’s symptoms only really started getting bad bad again when they started trying to cultivate a more careful relationship with getting bitten.  prior to about six months ago in their mainverse, they were doing a lot worse regarding bleeding, but a lot better regarding food— for all intents and purposes, they were basically a mostly normal vegetarian.

[blake-belladonna-defence-force]

Can I please request of Yang and Blake of an au dance contest of the two doing the forbidden dance and win the contest

Here’s your forbidden dance au for the bees. I had no idea what I was doing or if it came as well as it should. It’s definitely out of my comfort zone and I hope it came out okay.

So here everyone. Have some bees with sexual tension, dirty dancing, assertive Blake and Adam being put in his place.

I am so sorry if it’s bad. I am a simple asexual trying my best. I had to watch a couple dance videos on YouTube to get an idea of what to write.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Blake adjusted her dress and smirked as she caught Yang’s eyes. The woman wasn’t subtle at all. Blake laughed to her self quietly as Yang turned away with an embarrassed huff.

Originally, when they had been assigned as dance partners for this competition, she had been very hesitant. She had never danced with a woman before, after all. But she had quickly learned that she liked it. She liked it a lot. Especially with Yang. She was strong and powerful and Blake could feel it in every movement and touch. Each time that Yang threw her around her body and dipped her, Blake could sense the power beneath her skin. And yet… there was a gentleness to her. She never left marks like her ex-partner did. She always took care to make sure that Blake felt comfortable and safe with the steps. She was a sweetheart. And Blake loved every single thing about her. Hopefully, after they finish this competition, she could make Yang aware of these feelings. Although, she suspected that Yang already knew.

Blake briefly did once over on her outfit. A black crop top with a tasteful cut out design across the chest and mini skirt to match. She felt, for lack of a better phrase, hot. But she felt like she paled in comparison to Yang who wore long white trousers and a white button down shirt that had the top three buttons undone.

“My eyes are up here, gorgeous.” Yang murmured as she came up to stand on Blake’s right, leaning down to speak into her ear. Blake felt a shiver run down her spine. Turning to her partner, she noticed Yang’s lips twist into a self-satisfied smirk. She noticed.

“Just focus on the dance and not my ass this time.” Blake smirked back. This was their dynamic. They had left the Gal Pal station a while ago. All that was left was for a move to be made.

“You ready for this?” Yang asked, expression shifting to concern. “I know that Adam’s going to be here. Will you be okay?”

“I’ll be fine.” Blake sighed before her own expression changed. Hers, however became sharp and determined. “I’ll be even better when we win this thing and kick his ass” Blake growled.

“Damn.” Yang breathed. “You’re kind of hot when you’re feisty.” She laughed.

“Oh baby.” Blake grinned wickedly at her partner. “You have no idea.”

“Can we have a round of applause for our reining champion Adam Taurus and his new partner Cinder Fall!”

Blake narrowed her eyes and curled her lip. Adam has worked her to the bone when they were together. He had no respect for what she felt okay with and expected far too much of her. This was her time to prove to everyone that she didn’t need him.

“Now y’all are in for some drama folks. Because next we have Adam’s ex-partner Blake Belladonna and her new partner Yang Xiao Long!”

Blake smirked when the applause came. They remembered her. They knew what she was capable of. And they knew that she was going to give them a show.

“Blake, how does it feel to be back?” The announcer asked excitedly as she walked up wrapped around Yang’s arm.

“It feels amazing. Especially since I now have a partner who has… well. Let’s call it... stamina, shall we?” She chuckled. She knew exactly what she was doing with that comment. And as expected, the audience lost their minds. When she glanced at Adam, his smug expression fell into a snarl. Blake merely smirked.

“Oh, ouch! The Panther strikes!” The announcer snickered, thoroughly enjoying the drama. “And what about you, Yang? You’re pretty new to the competing scene. How’s it feel to be dancing with Blake “Panther” Belladonna?”

“Pretty great man. I’m pumped!” Yang grinned.

“Think you can win?”

“Sure thing, buddy. After all…” Blake watched a dangerous smile curl Yang’s lips. “Girls do it better. In more ways than one.”

The crowd ate it up. The two women shared a look, identical smirks covering their faces before they moved into position.

As the music started, Blake lifted her arms and curled them above her head as her hips dipped and rotated. She turned around, hips rolling as she swayed. As the music built up, Yang prowled towards her, eyes locked on hers and intense, body held strong and powerful. Blake kept swaying and shifting her hips as Yang walked around her, hand trailing around her body slowly as she came up behind Blake and grabbed her hands, slowly lowering them out to the sides as they started moving in perfect synch. As Blake slowly lowered herself to the floor and back up, Yang crossed her arms and pulled her close, leading her into a series of steps forward.

When the music reached the crescendo, Yang spun Blake around and dipped her back, pressing their hips together and rolling her upper body in a circle before pulling her up. The two exchanged steps in between each other’s thighs, hands roaming over ribs and down backs.

When the finale came up, Blake ripped away from Yang and pushed Yang’s shoulders back. She lowered her self to the floor, hips swaying all the while, keeping her hands on Yang’s body at all times. As she came up, Blake trailed her hands up Yang’s abs and pressed against her open collar. As planned, she abruptly ripped her partner’s shirt open and pushed it behind her shoulders, revealing a completely black sports bra. Yang even had the audacity to throw in a cheeky wink to Adam and Blake was sure she heard an outraged scream of “What does she even see in her!”

Yang kept shifting her hips as Blake stalked around her. After all, she had earned the nickname “Panther” for a reason. She had a certain style of walking that created a certain air of danger for the audience. It was always a hit.

When she arrived at Yang’s back, she wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her into a dip, her own skirt riding up slightly. As the music came to its last beat, they pressed close together and moved their mouths near each other until there was nearly no space in between and paused.

The crowd erupted into applause and the two girls stood up. Blake let out a delighted giggle and threw herself into Yang’s arms who wasted no time in picking her up and spinning her around.

Eventually though, their celebration had to be cut short. As they waited for the votes to be counted, Blake playfully glared at Yang.

“You could close your shirt. I was careful not to break the buttons.” She scolded with a smirk.

“Nah. This way, Adam can see how much he’s been upgraded.” Yang said with a wink. But before Blake could speak, the announcer’s voice cut through.

“And the winners are… Blake Belladonna And Yang Xiao Long! Get up here!”

Blake had to try very hard not to cry. Adam has always told her that it all him. But this was physical proof that that was a lie. After they collected their awards and gave a small thank you to everyone, Adam came up to them with what was supposed to be a charming smile.

“Congratulations, Blake. You’ve improved. I’m very proud of you.” Adam said. Blake felt her stomach churn in disgust. “Perhaps we could catch up?” His eyes were looking at her like she was a prime steak. She hated it. So she decided to make a point.

“Abso-fucking-lately not.” And to send the point home, she grabbed Yang and pulled her down into a deep kiss. She heard Adam let out strangled noise before he was pushed out of the way by a swarm of photographers. Good. She thought as Yang sighed into her mouth. Let this be their front page news.

She would definitely keep the cut out.

[fallen-imagine-angel]

Arranged Marriages & Forbidden Love - Prologue

Notes: Here it is, my beloved prologue of AM&FL! I’m so excited for you guys to read it. I really hope you like it because I had a ton of fun writing it. Let me know what you think!

Series Summary: You are a Stark. You are to be married to Harley, who will take over the company if you ever die a tragic and untimely death. So what happens when you find the love of your life along the way?

Arranged Marriages & Forbidden Love - Prologue

Peter Parker x Stark!Reader

Word Count: 2,450

Warnings: Brief description of a mugging, there’s not much Peter in this.

| Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 |

You look up at your dad, Tony Stark, with wide eyes. He’s talking to a woman around his age, maybe a little younger, you can’t tell. Whatever they’re talking about, though, seems important.

A little boy peeks out from behind his mother’s legs, the woman your father is talking to. He walks up to you.

“Hi...I’m Harley.” He grins.

“I’m (Y/n)!” You giggle. 

“Do you want to be my friend?” He asks, suddenly nervous. You nod.

“Yeah! Do you want to come and see my toys?” You grab his arm and run with him to your room. You show him your room with all of your tech gadgets your father has given you to play with throughout the years. Truth is, you’re a genius already, thanks to your dad.

“(Y/n)?” Tony walks into the room.

“Daddy!” You launch yourself into his arms. He picks you up and twirls you around in the air.

“Hey, munchkin. Can you and I have a chat real quick?” He asks, setting you on his hip. You nod innocently.

“Only if it’s a rousing discussion about truth, honor, and patriotism.” You giggle. He laughs.

“I see you’ve been hanging out with your uncle Loki a bit too much. Did he show you his impression of uncle Steve?” He taps your nose jokingly. You giggle and nod.

“Yup! And his impression of you, too!” You laugh. He smiles and sets you down once you’re alone.

“That’s all fun, (Y/n/n), but...there is something serious I need to talk to you about.” His face falls from the smile it once held.

“Oh...okay.” You frown, waiting for the worst.

“Well, uh, I know you’re only eight, but...that boy you just met is going to be your husband one day.” He explains slowly. You make a face.

“Husband? That’s ridiculous! I’m never getting married!” You giggle, sticking your tongue out. He chuckles lightly.

“Well, that’s funny, darling. You’ll want to eventually, I think. It’ll be Harley when you do. I’ll explain it more as you get older but for now, that’s all you need to know.” He pats your head. You scrunch your nose up and giggle, running out of the room. Tony sighs and watches you go, knowing you’ll be more defiant in the matter as you grow up.

You run back to your room and see Harley sitting on the floor, one of the tech pieces in his hands.

“Harley!” You grin and grab your own piece of technology. He looks up at you curiously.

“My mommy said that you’re gonna be my wife.” Harley tilts his head to the side, blinking his wide eyes as he stares at you.

“That’s what my dad said, too. That means we’ll be best friends forever!” You yell, dissolving into a giggling fit with him.

“Yeah, I guess so! It won’t be bad!” He nods joyously.

“Are you gonna stay here? With me and my dad in the tower?” You gasp, a smile lighting up your young face.

“Mhm. Mommy said she’ll come to visit me a lot but I’ll live here.” He nods. You tackle him in a hug.

“Yay! Best friends forever!” You hug his neck. He laughs and hugs you back.

You think back on that day a lot.

That was a long time ago, you’re surprised you even remember it. You hear the TV in the background, a clip of your father at a press conference showing up on the news.

“Mr. Stark, is your daughter a superhero?” 

“What? No! Are you crazy? I would never involve her in such a dangerous business.”

“You heard it here first, folks. Obsidian cannot be (Y/n) Stark--”

“(Y/n/n), you there?” Your dad snaps in front of your face. 

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry. I got...lost in thought.” You shake yourself out of it, getting back in the zone.

“I told you that since you’re fifteen now, I’m going to start letting you go on patrol with the other fifteen-year-old I recruited recently. I feel like you two are strong enough to fight crime together. And if not, call me. Understand?” He asks, giving you a pointed look. You nod.

“Yes, sir.” You mockingly salute him.

“Good. I’ll see you later tonight after your patrol. And remember, nothing more than muggings and the occasional small robbery, got it? If you see anything bigger than that happening, call me.” He instructs. You nod again.

“Got it, dad. Who is this boy anyway?” You keep from yawning. You’re just ready to go on your first patrol without your dad.

“Spider-Man is his name. I’ll let you guys decide whether or not you want to know each other’s true identities.” He waves his hand flippantly. You grin.

“Great! I’ll see you later, dad!” You kiss his cheek pull your mask on, jumping out the window.

“Hey, are you Obsidian?” A boy climbs on the side of the tower, close to the window you just jumped out of. You have small jets of fire coming out of the hands and feet of your black spandex-like suit, similar to the suit style of the boy in front of you.

“Yeah, you Spider-Man?” You ask. He nods.

“Yup, that’s me. It’s good to finally meet you. Mr. Stark was going on and on about the teen superhero I’d be working with.” The eyes on his mask go wide.

“Yeah, he kept talking about you, too. Question is, do we want to know each other’s identity?” You ask.

“No, let’s keep it a secret. It’s more ominous that way.” He jokes.

“I agree, but for a different reason. I think it keeps our superhero personas different from our normal lives. More separated, you know?” You offer. He thinks about it for a second then nods.

“Yeah, you’re right. The vote is unanimous, we stay anonymous!” You can tell he’s smiling under his mask.

“Are you just trying to show off with big words?” You laugh. 

“Me? Showing off? Never.” He puts a hand to his chest, pretending to be offended.

“Right. Never.” You nod and wink, falling into a fit of laughter. You can tell that you’re going to work well with this guy.

“I know you two are still out there on the side. Get to patrolling!” Your dad calls from inside, through the window you just jumped out of.

“Sorry, Mr. Stark!” Spider-Man apologizes and the two of you are off into the night. 

~+~

After an entire night of patrolling and fighting small crimes, you and Spider-Man are both heading back to the tower for the night. 

You hear a cry for help on the way.

“Help me!” A teenage girl’s voice is heard in a back alley. You and Spider-Man jump into action, flying (or swinging in his case) into the alley. 

You land and see a girl around your age getting mugged. You and Spider-Man quickly go to stop the attackers. There’s two of them, you each get one.

You charge at the one you choose and kick him to the ground. Spider-Man takes the other.

The man you chose gets back up and grabs your arm, yanking you closer to him. He grabs your mask and rips it off your head. In a dash, you’ve grabbed it back and put it on again. The man didn’t see who you were.

But, according to the girl’s expression, she saw exactly who you were.

You end the fight soon after, your anger getting to you. You shove the guy to the ground and shoot a tranquilizer dart at him from your wrist. 

He’s out cold.

“Done.” Spider-Man rubs his hands together as if he were getting rid of dust.

“Perfect, we’re through then.” You hand the girl back her purse.

“Are we going to ignore the fact that I just saw that you’re (Y/n) St--” 

“Spider-Man, can you give us a second?” You interrupt her, knowing that she’s already ruined your identity to Spider-Man.

“Holy crap, Obsidian, you’re Tony’s daughter?” Spider-Man gasps. You groan.

“Don’t say a word about it to anyone, Spidey. Got it?” You growl.

“I won’t, I swear. Do you want to know who I am?” He asks, almost like he’s returning a favor.

“No. This girl already knows my identity, why add yours?” You deadpan.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” His eyes on the mask narrow.

“I’m Michelle Jones, by the way. My friends call me MJ.” She introduces herself.

“Nice to meet you, MJ. Are you headed home?” You ask. She nods.

“Uh, yeah, I was but...I’m not feeling very safe anymore.” She jokes, but you can tell she’s slightly serious about what she’s saying.

“We can walk you home if you want.” Spider-Man offers. She shakes her head, insisting she’ll be fine.

“You can stay with me at the Avengers Compound tonight. It’s less than a two-minute flight from here, I can take you. I’ll take you to your apartment tomorrow morning.” You suggest.

“Are you...serious?” MJ raises her eyebrows, thinking that no one like you would associate with a girl like her.

“Completely. Plus, you seem cool. And you already know my identity so there’s nothing to hide.” You shrug. She nods.

“Yeah, that’d be cool.” She plays it cool. Inside, she’s a bit more excited than she lets on.

“Great. See you tomorrow night for patrol, Spider-Man.” You say your goodbyes and before you know it, you’re flying MJ back to the Avengers compound.

“Kid, you’re back! How was your first night on patrol-- who’s this?” Your dad greets you as you fly into the compound.

“Her name’s MJ, she’s a new friend of mine. Got mugged so I’m letting her stay the night here.” You explain quickly.

“There’s a small problem in that. You see, you’re masked.” He points out. You take the mask off, letting your hair frame your face wildly after being shoved in that small space.

“She already knows. Mugger took it off mid-battle. It’s okay, though, he didn’t see my identity.” You throw the mask to the side. Tony looks a little disapproving but doesn’t say anything about it.

“So every time you’re in interviews and they ask if (Y/n) is Obsidian, you say no. You’re lying? You’ve been lying this whole time?” MJ pipes up, curiosity shining in her eyes. 

Yeah, you two are going to get along just fine.

“Yup.” Your dad remarks, putting emphasis on popping the ‘p’.

“Cool.” She nods, playing it cool again. You have a feeling she does this often.

“Well, we’re going to go to my room. Have you seen Harley?” You ask.

“Yeah, he’s in his room. He’s still awake. Said he couldn’t sleep until you got home safe.” Tony points to the hallway your room is down as he absentmindedly starts typing away on his computer, probably upgrading his suit again.

“Sounds good, thanks, dad!” You yell as you and MJ run down the hall, stopping as a door swings open right next to yours.

“(Y/n), thank goodness you’re okay. How did patrol go?” Harley steps out, clearly relieved.

“Went fine, nothing too out of the ordinary. This is my new friend, MJ, though. MJ, meet Harley. Harley, meet MJ.” You introduce the two. They hit it off.

“Nice to meet you.” MJ shakes Harley’s hand.

“You, too. Are we all gonna hang out tomorrow?” He asks.

“I’d like to if it’s okay with MJ’s parents.” You nod. She smiles slightly.

“I’m sure it will be.” She doesn’t let herself get too excited.

“Perfect. C’mon, let’s go!” You drag her into your room, away from Harley. He tells you he’s going to bed as MJ shuts the door on him. You snicker.

“(Y/n)...Harley is cute.” MJ whispers to you. You laugh.

“I mean, I guess he is. I dunno, he’s my best friend and I don’t really see him that way.” You shrug. She seems surprised that you’re not more into him.

“Alright...well, does he have a girlfriend?” She muses as her interest level drops. It doesn’t actually drop, but how much she’s showing it does. She likes to keep an external chill, you realize. She doesn’t like showing any emotion but boredom or slightly happy.

“Um, sorta? I wouldn’t really call her, like, his girlfriend or anything. But technically, I guess he does.” You frown, trying to think what you would call the situation.

“Oh, that’s...cool. Is it anyone you think I’d know?” She hums, bringing a book out of her backpack. You bite your lip and fiddle with a piece of technology that was strewn about your room.

“Yeah, it’s me.” You whisper, but she hears you. 

“You’re kidding, right?” MJ loses all focus on her book, her eyes trained purely on you.

“No. We’re in an arranged marriage, which is why I wouldn’t call him my boyfriend or anything.” You grow nervous under her stare.

“That’s messed up. You’re fifteen and this isn’t the olden days. You shouldn’t be in an arranged marriage.” She makes a face. She’s very opinionated, but you’re not complaining. You’re not exactly happy about the situation either, but you’ve grown tired of arguing over it.

“I know but my dad says that I’m going to go under his wing and take over the business when I’m twenty-three. So once I’m out of college and taking over the business, I need a non-crime fighting non-superhero husband and…that’s Harley. It’s, like, just in case I die or anything while I’m fighting bad guys as Obsidian. Or if I’m just not around while fighting bad guys and the business needs to be controlled in my absence. He’ll be here to take over the business and he’s still super smart so it works out. Plus we’re close. Not in that way, but close enough to where it’s not super weird or anything.” You explain, yawning slightly from having to tell the same boring story over and over to everyone you meet.

You don’t meet a lot of new people, though.

“That’s super weird. Do you fight the matter?” MJ scrunches up her nose, slightly revolted at the thought of marrying someone she didn’t want to.

You sigh.

“I’ve tried but it never works. It’s my life and I have to live it, why not accept it instead of growing to resent it? That’ll only make things worse. Besides, I don’t really believe in love or anything, so it’ll never work for me. I’ll be stuck with friendship no matter who I marry. There’s no point in fighting the inevitable.” You set the piece of technology down and look up at MJ. She’s looking back at you with a serious expression.

“Sometimes all you need is the right person for you to find something to fight for again. That includes fighting for love.”

[horde-princess]

For the kiss prompt 41) forbidden kiss or 52) Accidentally witnessed kiss could be a good catradora prompt I feel like

why would you do this. why would you make me WRITE THIS

I decided to mesh the two together a little bit hope u like it 😇💘💘 

Adora grasped Catra’s hand.

“We’ll get out of here together one day… Somewhere she can’t hurt you anymore. I promise.”

The sunset painted the Fright Zone’s industrial landscape with a misty, greenish-orange light, the colors reflected in Catra’s far-off stare. The wind was cold at this altitude but Adora felt warm–Catra’s fire flowed from her hand into her bones.

When Catra looked at her again, it was with naked longing, and a different kind of fear than before.

Catra swallowed hard and reached up with her other hand to brush a stray piece of hair behind Adora’s ear. Her fingers lingered on her skin, shaking.She cupped her face and Adora instinctively leaned into the touch. It was rare for Catra to be vulnerable with her like this. Adora lived for stolen moments like these, when they were alone together–nothing to fear, or fight, or hate, or suffer. It almost made her wonder if there was something more to life than what she knew. Looking into Catra’s eyes made her want to believe it.

“Can I kiss you?” Catra whispered.

The question was so simple. So small. But it echoed in Adora’s heart and amplified until it was so heavy she felt like her chest was caving in. Catra had a way of making complicated things sound easy–and in another world, in another life, maybe it would have been.

Adora hesitated as the ghost of a childhood memory flickered in her mind. She had felt terribly sick one night. Catra gave up her dinner ration for her, and Adora was so grateful she had thoughtlessly pecked her on the cheek. But Shadow Weaver requested Catra’s presence later that evening, and afterwards, she listened to Catra cry herself to sleep, helpless to comfort her because it was her fault, it was her fault, it was her fault.

In the present, tears welled in Adora’s eyes as she looked at Catra–Catra, her fallen angel, dark and magnificent and gazing back at her like Adora was her god, or her devil. She almost hated Catra for bringing them to this crossroads, because now, they were out of time. Whatever Adora chose there would be no going back, for either of them.

“Catra,” she said, voice breaking. “Don’t you remember? When we were little?”

It was obvious the second she did. Her face paled and her eyes flashed with anger–

No, not anger.

Defiance.

Catra pulled her other hand from Adora’s hold and lifted it to cradle her face. Then she stepped closer, brushing the tip of her nose against Adora’s like a feather. Adora could feel her breath on her lips and the heat of her body and the intimacy of it was intoxicating, inexorable, some kind of coalescence. She didn’t know what was happening. Maybe she was going crazy.

“You think I’m afraid of getting tortured for this?” she breathed, dragging her thumb across Adora’s lip. “Every second you’re not kissing me feels like an eternity in hell.”

Adora turned her face away before she did something she knew she’d regret.

“Catra…”

It was dangerous to say things like that. Treasonous. Romantic affection between soldiers was strictly forbidden–a sure fire way to get beaten, exiled, or worse. Catra knew that better than anyone. Yet somehow her reaction was unsurprising.

“You can’t say things like that. I need you safe. I won’t be the reason you get hurt.”

“I think I’m damned either way,” Catra smiled.

Adora shook her head in frustration. Her heart was ripping itself apart with the weight of her love and her selfishness. She placed a hand on Catra’s chest with the intent of pushing her away, but it ended up just resting there over her heart.

“You can’t really think this is worth getting punished again. Isn’t this enough? Just to be close? Just to know that I…” Adora fumbled for words. “That I feel the same way?”

Catra’s expression softened. She slid a hand around Adora’s waist and leaned her forehead against hers.

“You are worth it. You’re worth everything.”

God, what an idiot. Adora felt her willpower slipping.

“No, I’m not.”

Catra pressed in closer and Adora stepped back, growing irritated.

“Catra, I’m serious.”

“You are?”

Adora’s back hit the railing and her heart started to race.

“Yes.”

“Because you can say stop anytime,” she retorted with fake innocence.

Adora flushed, feeling exposed. She could tell her to stop–she could walk away now with whatever scraps of courage she still had. But Catra was so damn relentless, so confident, always sure of what she wanted. Adora wasn’t sure of anything. 

The responding silence was deafening. Catra thread a hand through her hair and leaned into her and suddenly their lips were so close and Adora had a burning hatred for the space that still separated them. Everything about her was consuming, magnetic, pulling Adora in despite herself. She could feel Catra’s heart pounding recklessly against her own.

“You drive me crazy…”

Adora opened her mouth to protest but she couldn’t remember how.

Maybe… If Catra wasn’t afraid, then she could help Adora be brave, too. As long as they faced it together. She didn’t know what would happen. They were probably doomed from the start. But she did know that Shadow Weaver would have to kill Adora before she ever let her hurt Catra for this–or anything else–ever again.

“Goddammit,” she breathed, surging forward to meet Catra’s lips.

[ciestessde]

Phantasma Magica Ch. 1

STORY SUMMARY Clockwork and the Observants send Danny to Hogwarts on a special mission. But, cryptic as ever, that Old Stopwatch never actually told him what would happen on it!!! “All you need to do right now, Daniel, is stay focused on your mission. And remember, the-” “‘The Lions with the time-turner, lightning-bolt scar, and hair like fire are friends; watch out for the rat; and the black dog is not a threat.’ Yeah, you’ve only repeated that a few dozen times today.”

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Podfic Version

Ghost Zone - Clocktower - Sometime in the 2000s

After the accident that transformed him into a dangerous creature known as a “phantasm,” Danny had been staying with Clockwork, the Keeper of Time. The ancient being had saved Danny many times, and in many ways, by then. He’d even taken Danny under his wing as his apprentice. And as his apprentice, Danny was often sent on missions – either by the immortal Keeper himself, or by his bosses the Observants. It was one of these missions that Danny was currently trying to find out more about.

“Why are these things so much trouble, again?” Clockwork was floating around the room, his purple robe and spectral tail flowing behind him, working on making his apprentice a few extra batches of imitation ecto-energy, or “substitutes.” Just in case Danny ran out while on this mission. (Not that Clockwork was trying to hint at anything… Because honestly, if he did, it would just make things worse for the poor boy.)

“They are only trouble if they fall into the wrong hands. I had planned to discreetly destroy them myself, but…” By the way he trailed off, Danny knew he would never get the end of that sentence. “Alriiiight… So are you at least going to tell me why you’re sending me to a MAGIC SCHOOL first?” Silence. “Aaarrrgh!” He bumped his head against the nearest wall. “*sigh* Fine. Whatever. Why do I even bother asking questions, anymore…” Clockwork handed him a large backpack with the substitutes in them (all 3-years-worth… And, yes. It WAS heavy), and, after Clockwork formed his legs once more and retrieved his staff, they walked in silence to one of the innumerable clock-shaped viewing screens.

Clockwork twisted a few mechanisms on his staff and waved it in front of the screen, and, with a sound like tv static, a view of a dark, mysterious forest appeared on it. “Y’know, just because no time will pass HERE, doesn’t mean it will F E E L like it to ME.” “All you need to do right now, Daniel, is stay focused on your mission. And remember, the-” “‘The Lions with the time-turner, lightning-bolt scar, and hair like fire are friends; watch out for the rat; and the black dog is not a threat.’ Yeah, you’ve only repeated that a few dozen times today.” Clockwork stepped out of the way of the portal, and Danny flew through.

Despite knowing the most likely outcome (and having a backup plan for all over-fifty likely dangers), he couldn’t stop himself: ���… Be safe, Daniel.”

Hogwarts - Forbidden Forest - 1993

As expected, Danny had arrived above a forest and about a mile away from the school in the late morning. He took his time flying, and, after a few minutes, he was about halfway there. At this point, he decided he should probably go ahead and take one of the substitutes, seeing as it had been a while since he last ate. But as he was about to uncap the bottle, he noticed a strange black shape moving toward him from the school’s direction. It was moving rather quickly…

He could feel his hackles rising from the aura the creature was giving off and the way it made the space around it darken. It was too close, and coming in WAY too fast. He managed to get the bottle back in the bag, but he didn’t notice the OTHER of the creatures come up from below him in time. It knocked the bag out of his hands before it-

Pain. Electricity. Screaming.

The creature shrieked when the blast of ethereal fire hit it. But, although he’d fended off the one, its buddy was only a few feet away now.

Danny picked up speed – still trying to get to the school – before realizing how much weaker he felt. ‘Those things must feed off ectoplasmic and ethereal energy. But how? What are th-? OH!’ Now he remembered: Dementors. They were Spirit Eaters, just like phantasms like him. Except they usually only fed off of emotions. ‘So why do I feel weak? … Wait, I feel wea- The substitutes!’

Danny turned around to try and find the bag and the (hopefully not broken) bottles of imitation ecto-energy, but the dementors were done only trying to snack on him. They were still starving, but anger and ages-old hatred between their kinds had overruled hunger. If Danny slowed… they would destroy him.

So Danny flew. And he fought. And he became weaker and weaker, and – eventually – hungrier and hungrier. And by the time the wizards showed up, he was starting to fall apart…

Hogwarts - Defense Against the Dark Arts (DADA) Class

Professor Remus Lupin was writing on the board in silence, finishing his final preparations for the day’s lesson, while the third-year Slytherins and Gryffindors – including the Golden Trio themselves: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger – settled into their seats. But while the rest of the class were preoccupied by today’s lesson, the latest gossip, or a forgotten textbook, Hermione…

“Professor? Could you tell us a little about phantasms? They were only briefly mentioned in the book.” She continued to flip through her textbook until finding the page in question. A brief paragraph greeted her with the challenging lack of information that had left the brunette in an absolute storm of frustration, no matter how many times she went over it.

Remus Lupin, dressed in his usual ragged robes, turned his gaze to her with a mixed expression. His normally sad, wistful smile fell, and a sigh left his lips. But his tired eyes brightened at the topic, as a hand brought itself up to rub his furrowing brow in thought. “You bring up an interesting topic Miss Granger. The little information that is written – is true to the fact that there is little known about them.”

The class was silent, waiting to sate their curiosity. Despite the numerous times most of the students would simply roll their eyes at ‘Know-It-All’ Granger’s antics, this was something even many of the pureblood Slytherins in the room hadn’t heard of. All ears honed in to hear the professor’s next words, hung with anticipation.

“From what little we do know, I can tell you that phantasms are very rare creatures of the spectral class. Not unlike ghosts or poltergeists with their varied appearances and personalities; and yet they hold a frighteningly close similarity to dementors in the dangers they pose. They are, indeed, Dark Creatures.”

Harry shuddered as the rest of the class broke into nervous murmurs. Snickers came from some of the Slytherins, followed by teasing gestures imitating dementors aimed at Harry. The raven haired teen just gave a huff in response, turning his attention back to the professor, while Ron continued to glare at Malfoy and the other Slytherins. Hermione then broke the moment of tension and returned the eyes of the class to their professor. “How is it possible for a ghost-like creature to also be a dementor-like creature?”

Lupin pondered her words for a moment, his mind attempting to piece together the few existing bits of information regarding the matter. “In that lies the mystery. From what little is known, we can only piece together a few facts, considering that they are, in fact, corporeal beings – unless they wish otherwise – and are extremely aggressive in demeanor.”

It was Ron’s turn to earn a few points for curiosity, “But if they’re so aggressive… how come almost no one’s ever seen ‘em?” “Good thinking on your part Mr. Weasley, though that in itself brings up more questions than answers. As your book states, many old stories of ghost attacks or hauntings are results of phantasms holding claim to their territory. More often tormenting muggles and going out of their way to avoid the wizarding world.”

This brought another snicker from the Slytherin group. Malfoy leaned back in his chair and shared a cruel smirk with some of his housemates. “Seems there’s actually a respectable creature out there after all.” More bits of smug laughter came from the group at the implication their ‘leader’ had made. The weary teacher cleared his throat to grab the attention of the students before a fight broke out.

“They’re not to be taken lightly, Mr. Malfoy. Most reports of attacks – from the few who have survived – have been upon unwary witches and wizards that stumbled into their haunts. Despite their preference to muggle neighborhoods, they will not differentiate when it comes to what they claim as their territory. Though I have not met one personally, from what I’ve heard, they can make even a dementor look docile in comparison.”

The class fell silent once more with the weight of the professor’s words. The meaning in his tone was clear: This was not a matter to be taken lightly. The silence was only broken by a nervous squeak from Longbottom. “P—pp-professor…. Are they….. r-really that dangerous?” Neville chirped, his body attempting to sink below his desk. “Indeed. They are one of the few dark creatures that dementors will respond to in earnest – and violently for that matter. Usually the two species will avoid one another, but should they cross, a fight will undoubtedly occur. “It is also said that their presence can often be mistaken for that of a dementor’s, as the room will become as cold as ice. But rather than the happiness being drained out of you, a sense of feeling hunted will settle in your gut… ”

And right then, what would have otherwise been an inconsequential lesson – doomed to be forgotten except for the occasional nightmare or horror-story – became a well-timed joke for the old, meddling Keeper of Time.

Lupin found his words cut short as his gaze turned towards the window in surprise. Every pulse in the room raced, adrenaline pumping through them to prepare them to fight or run – but a feeling of despair soon layered on top, competing with this sudden desire for life. Harry, Ron, Hermione and the others, turned in the direction of their professor’s gaze; expressions of fear, horror, and curiosity forming upon their faces, as all eyes fell upon the window glass. Crystals of ice crept up the window panes like an all-consuming fungus, encrusting the view to the outside world in a layer of frost – just as a black figure flew by, followed by another two, much larger, forms. Gasps rose from the crowd of students as they darted over to the window to see the spectacle that had just raced by. Professor Lupin pushed his way to the front of the group, peering out the frigid glass towards the scene playing out less than thirty meters from them.

Two dementors encircled, and were lashing out randomly at an unusual entity. A teenage boy, not much older than Harry or the others, floated there in the middle of the two wraith-like creatures. He was dressed quite oddly: a long-sleeved black shirt and black pants; white boots, belt, and gloves; and a sleeveless, white hoodie. His snow-white hair hung down into his face – but it didn’t hide the blazing green glare and bared fangs the boy directed at the two dementors. Just as they lashed out again at the floating boy, a yelp rang out from most of the class. A flash of neon-green light had tumbled one of the beasts backwards! However, it quickly recovered from the intimidating attack, and all three specters shot off across the grounds – the two dementors remaining in hot pursuit of the ghost-like boy.

Hermione was the first of the class to recover from the shock enough to speak; her gaze turning from the window, to Professor Lupin, and back again. “Professor, was that… ?” Remus remained in stunned silence, staring out the window in his own spell of disbelief. However, quickly shaking himself from his thoughts, he turned to face the students. “So it would seem. Class is dismissed – and I want you ALL to head to your houses immediately! I must speak to Professor Dumbledore.”

Hurried footsteps clattered down the stone corridors as students and teachers alike scattered about. The Golden Trio darted through the crowd and over to the nearest window that viewed the grounds. Soon followed by the Weasley twins, who’d spotted them slipping by. “Wotcher, Harry! This has to be one of the weirdest sights Hogwarts has seen, ‘eh?” George grinned, patting the raven haired teen upon the shoulder, as he and his twin peered out through the glass.

A black-and-white speck went whizzing by the gamekeepers hut, with the two other figures in hot pursuit. The extremely large man that resided in the hut could be seen exiting and flailing up at them in agitation. “Hagrid!” Harry jolted, looking ready to leap through the window and save the man from the angry specters.

“Easy now, Harry. I think we best let the professors handle this one.” Fred had the same grin as his twin, his hand coming up to pat Harry’s other shoulder. “Yeah, even the professors are gonna have trouble with this,” George chimed in. Harry heaved a sigh in response. Hermione shook her head, “I just hope Professor Dumbledore knows enough about them to do something.” Ron was about to smack himself in the face at her comment, but stopped when the scene swept by the window. The blur of motion caused him, and several others, to yelp in surprise.

Outside the Entryway

“Merlin’s beard!” Professor McGonagall swore, a hand held to her chest to steady herself from shock. The three specters just whisked by centimeters from the tall, severe-looking teacher’s head as she stepped out onto the grounds. Her eyes followed the scene fly out across the lake and back again. Her gaze then shifted over towards Dumbledore, who had just arrived in the entryway of the castle. “It’s trouble enough just having dementors around the school grounds, but in Heaven’s name! This is too much, Headmaster!” The old wizard chuckled, his piercing blue eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles. “There, there Minerva. This will be settled soon enough. But first, it would be best to separate them before this matter escalates. Severus?” Dumbledore turned to look back up the stairs, a serious look on his face as blue eyes met jet black.

“Yes, Headmaster?” The thin, sallow-skinned man remained stoic, his tone flat with a hint of irritation. Although it was likely due to general frustration (with the DADA professor), rather than with the situation at hand. “If you would?” Professor Snape nodded, his wand at the ready for the creatures’ next pass. The group of professors (as well as the unavoidable huddle of students behind them, just inside the entryway) watched the creatures’ exchange nervously.

As they flew, the black-and-white blur would sporadically fire green projectiles at the following dementors, causing one or both of them to briefly fall behind. They sped over the lake, the Forbidden Forest, and made several laps around the castle once again, before coming within reach of Snape and Dumbledore’s wands. “Expecto Patronum!” yelled the Potions Professor, successfully blocking the dementors’ pursuit. At almost the exact same instant the Headmaster cried “Irretio idolon!”

The boy-like apparition immediately fell, as though snagged on a line. When he hit the ground, there seemed to be a physical struggle – as though the phantasm were trapped in an invisible net held together only by the tip of Dumbledore’s wand. Once he regained his bearings, the phantasm tried to fly away again. The old wizard wasn’t expecting the smaller creature to be so strong; before he knew it, Dumbledore was pulled a couple meters forward. He quickly started shaking and sweating from the strain of trying to keep the phantasm in place. “Pomona!” The dumpy, dirt-covered Herbology professor quickened her pace from the Greenhouses, carrying a sack of what resembled roses in one hand and glowing green dust in the other. She carefully combined and formed these into a circle around the phantasm, being sure to stay well out of striking range. When she finished, Dumbledore immediately released his hold on the spirit.

Professor Sprout fell back in fright when the phantasmal boy sprang at her, fangs bared and growling so low she could feel the ground vibrating beneath her. She breathed a sigh of relief when the barrier held. Everyone took a few moments for the shock to wear off, before Hagrid approached Dumbledore. “Wha’ should I do with…” Dumbledore shook his head, “I’m afraid, Hagrid, that this will take the care of professionals to be dealt with safely.” “Ay, ay, Headmaster, sir.”

“And who, may I ask, has the most unfortunate job of supervising the creature until such professionals arrive?” asked McGonagall. “I believe that falls to whomever is most familiar with and knowledgeable on such matters.” His eyes, duller than usual (though not by much), turned questioningly to the other professors on the stairs. Remus stepped forward. “I suppose that would be me… Though I’ll need at least one other to help me, as I can’t be watching it at all times.” “I’ll take the night shift, professor, don’tcha worry none,” said Hagrid, “I’ve ne’er met a creature I couldn’t take a liking teh.” “Yeah,” whispered Malfoy, near the back of the huddle of students still just inside the doors. “But I’ve never met a creature or wizard who could take a liking to that oaf. Except blood-traitors and mudbloods.”

The Heads of Houses quickly began ushering students back to their dormitories after that, and the search began for how such a dangerous and powerful creature had managed to come so close to Hogwarts without being detected by the castle’s barriers. And that evening, in a corner of the Gryffindor common room, a certain group of students discussed how they could use this situation to learn more about the elusive creatures called “phantasms”… as well as whether, and how, this might give them a new way to fend off the ever-lurking threat of the dementors.

This fanfic is a crossover between the Harry Potter book series and the Danny Phantom AU “Time’s Apprentice” by Atrieisan on deviantart (check out her comic – her artwork is beautiful!)

This is only Arc 1 of 3, but all of this arc has been written. So you can expect regular updates every Wednesday until Arc 1 is finished! You can find this fanfic here, as well as on:

Fanfiction.net/~ciestess ArchiveOfOurOwn.org/users/Ciestess/profile Deviantart.com/Ciestess

Also, if you like my writing, you should check out my other series “One-Shot Wednesdays” where I write a requested short story every week! I’m also in the process of writing an original book series called “Crossroad of Infinity,” so if you want to know more about that, you can check out more of my Tumblr (#CrossroadOfInfinity , send me asks, etc.)

Finally, I want to thank everyone who helped beta this story, including Jay. Bloodworth  ( @jaywrites101​ ).

I hope you enjoy! And if you did, please REBLOG!

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[boomtown-adventures]

Boomtown: Area 404

This is a journal of my adventure at Area 404, the new immersive music venue experience by Boomtown Fair. Please forgive any inaccuracies in my account as my memory is still a little hazy these days. Usually I take loads of photos and notes but Boomtown had asked us to keep our phones away so I don’t have as much to pull from as I usually would (although later on I was told I could take a few for the purposes of writing this after all - but I decided to do so sparingly). 

I hope you enjoy the following account of my adventure in Area 404 which was made possible by a brilliant set of actors, organisers and set designers. Big thanks to Martin, Kaptin, Dank Parish and everyone at Boomtown HQ who pretty much invited us into their home for the night.

Area 404 - The First Investigation

Area 404, formerly the Sector 6 Nuclear Facility, was still at the top of my investigation list and one of my chief concerns. We didn’t know enough about it and this troubled me. A nuclear meltdown is reported and then we hear next to no follow up news for a year? And not only was no news escaping from the site but it appeared no one seemed to have left the area since and only a handful of our investigative agents had managed to bring any information back from the area at all and the information they did bring was sparse to say the least. What had happened to all the workers? Why had no one been evacuated? And what of the rebels that had once lurked in the sewers below planning their revolution? 

The information we had managed to ascertain led us to believe that this was of the main sites for AMI’s data processing and assimilation. On top of that rumours of something being manufactured there were rife. People had been suggesting that AMI (the Artificial Machine Intelligence that now ran Boomtown) had actually caused the meltdown herself and she was now in control of the site. Whatever had happened at the Sector 6 Reactor had however seemed to have caused a knock on effect with both the fish stocks and soil quality in the surrounding neighbourhoods.

All we really knew for sure was that an exclusion zone had been set up in a large radius around the site and people had begun to refer to it as Area 404. 

It had been a couple of months since we had heard anything from 404 at all and over a year since the meltdown itself. Surprisingly the first to break the silence were the corporate giant OneCor, who had slid into the void left behind by Bang-Hai Technology when the entire Bang-Hai company had collapsed following a string of major scandals.

PRESS RELEASE | GLOBAL MEDIA OUTLETS OneCor operatives are working around the clock to provide medicine and food supplements in response to the growing crisis in Area 404 of the former Sector 6 nuclear power station.

The Emergency Aid Upgrade (EAU) will provide those in the quarantine zone with a medical kit including an experimental vaccine as well as energy and morale boosting food and beverage rations.

OneCor CEO Gordon Romance said: The unfortunate events unfolding in Area 404 demand a direct and immediate response and we are ready at the frontline to assist. Our lab is primed to test the vaccination results for a prompt diagnosis and we are confident that our technology will offer a fast and robust solution for those affected. 

– ENDS –

Notes to editors:

EAU comes in a rugged but stylish, ready-to-roll, shock proof box. EAU medical kit includes experimental vaccine DC10X. EAU food and beverage rations include OneCor best-sellers, Alpine Milk and BoonPops.

This was followed by a large response from people commenting on the post begging to get hold of the DC10X vaccine as well as promises from the Hawkmaul Foundation Fellowship to provide boots on the ground and further research and investigation into the matter.

I myself made my own enquiry to OneCor’s very own Sally (Head of People) via Twitter. 

“What do we need to vaccinate against? I'm heading into the danger zone on Friday. Will DC10X be ready in time?” I asked. 

Further useful information was not forthcoming however and OneCor only seemed to repeat what had already been said in the press release stating “Hi, Jonny. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Our Emergency Aid Upgrades come ready-to-roll in a stylish but rugged shock proof box”

I had become suspicious of both OneCor and Gordon Romance over the past few months and was no longer sure I trusted the shallow seeming facade they showed the world. What was DC10X? Did the name itself hold any clues? Could it be related to roman numerals? Well 10 was indeed  X and DC was 600...but no that didn’t seem to get me much further.  Also EAU was french for water...could there be something in the water at 404 or even in the aid box itself? Was this just paranoia? I did feel like my levels of paranoia had risen each year since The Revolution… maybe there was something in the water...

I could no longer hold back, it was time to get to the bottom of this, so I began preparations to head an expedition through the wastelands of the  exclusion zone and into the depths of the Sector 6 nuclear complex itself. This mission was to be divided into 4 separate expeditions over the space of two weeks with myself and a small team spearheading the investigation as first on the ground. This first expedition was to arrive on the site on Friday the 1st of November 2019. Myself and my crew all got our survival gear together, comprising of breathing apparatus, protective goggles and clothing, along with tactical outfits, torches, scanners and testing equipment.

The day before our expedition we finally received some communication from the Bang-Hai Industries Employees still trapped inside the exclusion zone. Presumably one of the technicians had finally been able to repair some of the communications lines using the support OneCor had been sending into the zone.

Dear Citizens,

Following the explosion of Sector 6’s power plant, all Bang Hai Industry workers have been exposed to unprecedented levels of radiation and the blast has given birth to what is known as The Cloud. Exposure to this amorphous dust will warp your body and your mind. In lock down, AREA 404 has been in survival mode for a year. Rations and resources are desperately limited, we need new supplies from OneCor and your presence is urgently required.

In 33 hours the gates will open and we’ll welcome pilgrims from the wasteland who have bravely avoided exposure, to explore the dark corners of AREA 404 and discover its residents living with mutations, which must be regularly treated.

The Cloud is coming.

We travelled through a nuclear wasteland that reminded me a lot of a rather rainy Bristol, but in this case we presumed the rain itself was probably toxic. The journey itself was surprisingly without incident although it had taken us about 12 hours to finally reach the industrial complex. My core team consisted of myself, Becky, Ryan and Gemma. Gemma had even arrived via aircraft, flying in from the other side of Ireland. When we reached the old Sector 6 complex we found it to be heavily fortified with a large contingency of Bang-Hai Security forces still remaining to protect the gates. As we were marched along the exterior fences we heard what sounded like loud screams and growls coming from the inside.

“I’m starting to have second thoughts about this.” I said to one of the guards as he ushered us forwards to the checkpoint at the main gates. It took a few minutes of faffing about between us, but we eventually managed to locate all the relevant documents and ID cards that we needed to grant us entry into the main complex. A few steps and another line of security stopped us to give a full pat down, making sure we weren’t carrying anything dangerous or illegal.

We regrouped once through the gates and I made sure my breathing mask was fully secure. 

A group of Bang-Hai Industry Workers still dressed in their orange overalls stood further down the road that entered the industrial complex  One of them held a megaphone made out of scavenged parts. 

“Welcome Pilgrims. You are now entering the safe zone. Use of unauthorised technology is forbidden. All citizens are subject to spot checks for your own safety. Please maintain caution at all times. You have made it through the wasteland and survived. Welcome to paradise!”

Stood either side of him were two other orange-overalled workers that looked a little worse for wear, with various disfigurements that I presumed were either from the meltdown itself or the effects of The Cloud. One of them wore a breathing mask and held a torch in one hand. Our group was stopped again as this seemed to be a third and final check point for access.

“Are you infected? ARE YOU INFECTED?” they asked us, making us each roll up our sleeves so they could check our arms and shining the torch in our eyes to observe to check them as well.

“We’re clean. See! We’ve come to help from outside the exclusion zone.” I said pulling my sleeves up further. “What’s going on? What are you checking for?” I asked him as he finished checking my eyes.

“He’s the one to ask.” said the man muffled by his mask, indicating the one holding the megaphone. The person in question was currently shouting further instructions into his megaphone for the next lot of pilgrims who were entering behind us. I waited patiently to question him… looking round though I realised I was becoming separated from the rest of my team who had continued further into the complex. I turned and jogged up the road to catch up with them, thinking it was probably best to stick together for now.

The industrial complex that surrounded the old Sector 6 Nuclear Facility was a warren of roads, buildings, gantries and stairs. It was a mess but surprisingly intact. Bang-Hai Industries workers walked the streets  in their orange jumpsuits, mixing with pilgrims from the wasteland and groups of scavengers trading in junk and artifacts. Some of the area’s denizens had fared better than others. Indeed some of the less fortunate employees had become not only severely physically twisted but had become feral, losing their selves and their minds, becoming nothing more than wild zombies. The other workers still seemed to keep them out in the open but kept them on heavy chain leashes as if they were guard dogs hunting for something. Their handlers all carried some kind of makeshift cattleprod in case they did get out of hand. We tried to give these feral ghouls as wide berth where possible. 

The orange-suited workers seemed to be bringing all kinds of scrap and scavenged supplies in from the wasteland. As the scavengers reached the centre of the complex, their comrades lowered baskets down from their balconies up high, before hauling the materials up to safety for sorting and distribution amongst the survivors. One balcony seemed to be functioning as some kind of watch point and one of the workers had another megaphone shouting warnings and instructions to people on the ground.

“KEEP YOUR MASK ON AT ALL TIMES!” they shouted to Ryan who had temporarily removed his mask in order to talk easier. This was probably very good advice given the state of the survivors here, who knew what we could be breathing in and what may be contained in The Cloud.

We made sure to explore the area as best we could, down the dark alleyways and up the industrial staircases to the gantries and walkways above. The Engine Room seemed to be fully functional and was pumping out what sounded like a mix of urban classics mixed with soca vibes. As to what the engine may be for or what else it was generating, that remained a mystery. 

We managed to find a safe point up the road from the main gates from where I signalled our other operatives and scouting groups to rendezvous there if possible. I wasn’t sure if my signal was getting out across the wastelands until The Assguard (Personal Mercinary Service) managed to return my call, advising me they were closing in on the safe zone.

While awaiting their arrival I managed to run into a good handful of our agents who were already exploring the site. Those I did to run in to, I exchanged information and contact details with. Those lucky enough to find me early on, I rewarded with barrels of repurposed toxic waste from my own personal haul.

On top of my stash of toxic barrels I had also brought a bag full of bottle caps with me for trading with the survivors and wasteland. Some of these I gave to other agents and some of them I gave to the Tekno Wombles, the most famous of all the wasteland scavengers. We had first seen these hardened veterans of the wasteland on the drone footage from Area 404 that we had managed to recover earlier in the year. The Wombles, although very cautious and wary of me at first, were most appreciative of the gift and showed their thanks using hand gestures as the breathing masks severely hindered their communication. Some additional caps, I also gave to The Assguard when they arrived, who it was a real pleasure to finally meet in person.

The next place I stumbled upon was labelled the Mutant Dance. Beyond heavy metal industrial doors was a dark hot warehouse full of all sorts of odd mutated humans from the wasteland. Some wore masks and strange costumes and some looked so different I wondered if they were even from this planet. The temperature increased exponentially as you made your way further down the room past the strange gurning faces. My protective greatcoat was rather useful when out in the streets, but in this environment I was starting to overheat so I found myself mostly staying at the back near the doorway observing.

Some time later while myself and the rest of my party were hanging out near the main thoroughfare there appeared some kind of disturbance coming towards us. A group of survivors were returning from the outskirts clutching a large OneCor supply crate. The woman up on the balcony with the megaphone announced their triumphant return and a large group of survivors excitedly emerged from the doors and alleys of the safe zone. One worker, who seemed to have some kind of authority here, snatched the crate eagerly and placed it on the ground opening it. People tried to grab things but the stronger ones held them back and instead tried to distribute the rations and vaccines in some kind of orderly fashion but it was on the edge of turning into a chaotic free for all. Those who were starving clutched at the silver bags of food supplies and others grabbed the bottles of liquid and clung to them as if they were life itself. Also in the box seemed to be medicines, needles and containers of vaccines. 

“We have 17! 17 new doses!” declared the authoritarian worker.

Some of the needles were passed around to various people in the crowd who immediately injected them into their arms. The rest of the supplies were placed into metal baskets that were then hauled up to the balconies for safety to be distributed later when needed.

Later on we saw these vaccines put to real use as one of the survivors seemed to go weak, collapse and began having a violent seizure. The fit however soon seem to subside as soon as they were given an injection of the DC10X that had arrived in the supply crates. The effect was very impressive and very fast...almost as if an addict had just been given a high dose of their ‘fix’. Was this vaccine really making people better? Or had people just become addicted to it now?

One of the survivors saw me observing and came over to make sure I hadn’t become infected. They kept their own mask on securely  and again checked both my arms and my eyes but this time indicated for me to raise my mask and open my mouth so they could check that as well. Was this the third sign of possible infection? They seemed satisfied for now at least and let me go.

I followed where some of the people had gone and saw that they had retreated to some kind of medical room at the entrance to the Acid Chamber. The room seemed to be securely locked, possibly under some kind of quarantine procedure but we were able to observe through a thick perspex window. One of the workers were strapped onto some kind of medical bed as two other workers conducted experiments with petri dishes, test tubes and various pieces of scavenged scientific equipment. This time however when they gave the person the injection it seemed to make them worse sending them into a feral rage. The other workers tried to hold their crazed comrade down on the table, tightening the straps and administering some kind of sedative to try and calm them. Once their colleague was back under control they just resumed their experiments. On a closer look at the two makeshift ‘nurses’, both seemed to have blood round their own mouths and were partaking in drinking blood samples straight from pipettes and the petri dishes themselves. They were also injecting themselves with various needles and acting themselves more erratic as time went on. I found that I was actually glad that we were locked outside the room after all. Things were getting worse for these people, it seemed like they were slowly turning into some kind of crazed blood drinking zombies. I also took particular note of two more things I spied through the dirt encrusted windows, firstly a large antiquated device at one end of the room that seemed to be labelled A.M.I, and secondly that there was a very large amount of clocks all over the room and all of them seemed to be frozen at 1:50. 

We hung around this medical room for quite a while observing the behaviour of the people inside. Another survivor pulled himself up the concrete steps from outside to where we were stood and stumbled a little as he did, trying to balance himself on a single metal crutch. The man looked seriously ill as he himself peered through the window, placing his hand on his own breathing mask as he did.

“Are you feeling okay?” I asked him.

The man leaned over and spoke to me through the muffling sound of his mask. He told me something about whistling whispers fading to chaotic black...or something along those lines. I nodded to him as he hobbled back off into the night. Immediately I tried to get my notebook out to write it all down but found that by the time I started writing that I had already forgotten most of what he had told me. Maybe this place was starting to get to my mind too now…

Back out on the street one of the leashed feral zombies tried to come after me as it’s handler tried to hold it back.

“Keep it back! Keep them away from me!” I exclaimed, putting my arm up in defence, making sure goggles and mask were secure, before pulling out my scanning device which I waved over it, just out of reach. I couldn’t manage to get a clear reading but there were definitely very high levels of infection in it, it wasn’t just some kind of nuclear mutation, this was something biological. 

But what was the source? It seemed more and more that the surviving workers were using these zombies as either some kind of guard dogs or for detecting something. I had hoped that it was maybe just them looking after their former friends but a later discovery made that very unlikely. A short time after that I had found The Decontamination Room. The room’s entrances were covered with heavy plastic flaps and as we entered we saw all the walls had been covered in plastic that seemed to be heavily splattered in blood. Body parts hung from the roof on hooks as if this was an industrial butcher’s...but all the parts seemed to be human. Is this what they’re idea of decontamination was? Were they just murdering anyone that they decided were too infected?? This was a fate we definitely needed to avoid for ourselves. In a daze from this discovery I wandered through the hanging bodies and then came to another window, much like the one on the medical room. This time though I wasn’t sure if what I was seeing was real or some kind of hallucination. Sat behind a huge table was Rothchild, the former head of Bang-Hai Industries, but from his head had sprouted two black horns as if he were the devil himself. Across the table from him was a girl in a striped hooded top who looked like she could have been just a regular attendee to the yearly Boomtown Fair… but the girl seemed to look exactly like AMI, the AI that now ran the city. Given the recent evidence we had uncovered, myself and my group were fairly certain that AMI had been based on someone Rothchild had known and been obsessed with. Could this be that person? How were they connected to him? On the table between them was a great chess-like board that represented Boomtown itself. The two seemed to be locked in an eternal game as they moved the pieces around the board.

The game went on and on until AMI got angrier and angrier knocking all the pieces over and throwing them around the room. Is this what happened in reality? Was the nuclear meltdown AMI having her own meltdown in response to Bang-Hai’s pure evil?

Everything seemed to have some kind of representation on the board and in the room, from a Tiny Arcadia that had long ago been removed from the board, to the resources of the land itself. Rothchild himself took great glee in wasting the water that he seemed to be withholding from both the people and AMI, letting it drip slowly onto the floor. 

Eventually AMI begged him for just a drop of water, which Rothchild gave to her. In fact they were now acting less like opponents and more like a dark lord and his pet. Rothchild began feeding board pieces to AMI, everything from the cattle to the people, and AMI ate them up obediently and with a great hunger. Her behavior began to be more and more erratic and bizarre, as if mirroring the inhabitants of the Safe Zone. I found Rothchild was now looking over at me and I gave him a confused shrug as I tried to make sense of AMI’s behavior. The horned CEO and puppetmaster threw me back one of his trademark grins and well known evil laughs.

After a while AMI decided she no longer wanted to play the game and began to cower on the floor. Rothchild took this opportunity to attack her and started throwing her around the room, grinning as he did so. I banged against the window giving him a big thumbs down to which he looked he looked at me with indignation at first which then turned back into maniacal laughter as AMI fled from him.

Was I really hallucinating this all? Was this a window into another reality? Was this some kind of holographic simulation? I wasn’t sure but this metaphorical power struggle had me gripped.

I wandered the complex some more eventually finding myself in the towering Reactor Core room with it’s many levels. I couldn’t get any clear readings but the reactor now seemed to be fully functional again. The core seemed to be generating a lot of power but for what? The rumours seemed to indicate this was all AMI’s doing but for what reason?

The safe zone was getting busier and busier and a lot of the people had begun to exhibit a strange behavior. From across the now bustling room I saw what appeared to be a devilish Rothchild, still haunting me, making his way through the crowds with the hooded AMI before disappearing behind some curtains. I tried to follow for a moment but realised the phantoms were lost to me already. I made my way to the upper levels along with my expedition members to try and get my head together and refresh myself at a bar which was serving OneCor approved beverages in exchange for plastic. From this vantage point we could see the many pilgrims that had flocked to the safe zone tonight for their protection. Various travelling bands performed on stage to entertain the pilgrims. Maybe this really was some kind of paradise compared to the wastelands outside?

The busier it got, the harder it was to keep track of both the rest of the expedition and the other agents that were attending. I found my curiosity had lead me back to the medical room window. When I arrived I saw that one of the Tekno Wombles had been taken sick and was now strapped to the medical bed with 3 of the orange suited Bang-Hai workers now trying to treat him.

As I stared through the window a second Tekno Womble turned up and joined me taking off his mask and looking heartbroken and forlorn at his associate.

“The cloud has taken him.” he said with great emotion “How? How? We took every precaution! He is my brother. My brother!”

The 3 orange overalled amateur nurses began preparing the DC10X vaccine to give to the sickly Womble.

“No! You can’t do this!” said the one by my side as he banged on the window “It will kill him! It’s not safe!”

He moved to open the metal door but it seemed to be once more locked from the inside. He tried to force it but was getting nowhere and helplessly returned to the window with a defeated look to him.

As they injected the man on the table, the sick one began to have the same violent seizures as the previous occupant of the table, and began to heavily foam at the mouth.

“NOO! Nooo… BROTHER! They’re killing him” the second womble said banging on the window. The one on the table shook some more before suddenly the movement stopped and he went limp.

“The cloud has left him. My brother is dead…” said the man beside me crying as I tried to comfort him.

“I am so sorry for your loss.” I said shaking my head and watching the orange suits running round the table in a panic trying to do something.

“How long had he been sick for? What happened?” I asked but the man was too distraught and inconsolable. 

One of the technicians inside the room was now getting out some kind of home made scrap defibrillator which they hooked up to him. As they activated the device the man jolted back to life trying to burst from his restraints. They tried to hold him down as he thrashed and writhed. He had that same look in his eyes that I had seen in both the previous patient and the chained up zombies. The Womble no longer seemed the same person and there was certainly no joy from the brother on my side of the glass following this miraculous resurrection. I felt it was best to leave them to it at this point as I was aware I was entering the point of invading the privacy of the brother’s mourning.

This left me wondering though, what was in the cloud? Was is some kind of pollution? Was it biological warfare? If so who was responsible? Was it Bang-Hai and Rothchild? Was it AMI releasing clouds of Nano-Technology? Was the cloud really just made up of all the data that AMI had been uploading and storing? If so why was it affecting people in this way? Or was The Cloud nothing to do with people being sick? I kept thinking that the person most obsessed with clouds the past few years was Mr. Bliss, one of the richest men in Boomtown and one of the group called The Cygnets (allegedly). Could he be involved? He had already tried killing people using radioactive fibers taken from Area 404 (allegedly) so he must have sent someone here. We knew he was already trying to wipe more people out to get rid of the ‘excess poor people’ (allegedly). I really did have more questions than answers now since coming to the safe zone. I was certain though that the DC10X was making people worse now though and that OneCor was partially responsible for this. Gordon Romance (their CEO) had a lot to answer for. Maybe the next weeks called for some hard hitting journalism and questions. Was this a bridge I should publically burn though? It could come back to bite me in the ass at a later point if I did.

I walked the corridors, alleys, warehouses and gantries for a while, thinking and taking it all in. A few times I saw a flash of blue as an AMI Android marched past expressionless going about whatever mysterious business it was doing. People had spotted a good few of these models had been about this evening. In fact sightings of them were becoming more and more common. They’re goals were as obfuscated as the central AI itself though.

There were two bits of the Area 404 industrial complex that seemed to be rather odd and out of place. Both of these appeared to be some kind of religious shrines. One seemed to be depicting AMI as a golden-throned cornucopic goddess playing her game of chess within the confines of Boomtown with the Sector 6 Reactor at the centre. A second shrine seemed to depict a doll head which looked much like the cherub emblem on the top of both AMI’s throne and proudly displayed on the protective suits of the Tekno Wombles. This dolls head was accompanied by clocks which were again stuck on the time of 1:50 and seemed to be surrounded by flowers, greenery and some kind of fibre optics.

As my own Pip-Boy Wristwatch hit 1:50 I made sure to check all the areas I had explored so far just in case this was the time something significant was happening at this now well publicised time. When I searched through the complex though I found that all the orange suited Bang-Hai employees had vanished, presumably retreating to wherever it was they were safely laying their heads down for the night. It had been worth a shot but the clocks were obviously more of a mysterious clue than an instruction. I remembered that a similar thing had been observed in Oldtown during the fair. People had been given cards showing showing this time from AMI at De Graff’s Reformatory. Our agents at the time had tried to find something happening at that time but nothing of note seemed to occur at this hour.

Agent Janna had mentioned that all the clocks had stopped on that occasion and Xander Hawkmaul had said that it was always “ten to too”. 

Ten to Two, Ten Tu-Tu, 10 22, 1022… there must be some significance. As I puzzled this out by the Engine Room I man in a white boiler suit ran up to me.

“Are you Jonny?” he asked excitedly, clutching 3 dark brown looking drinks in his hands.

“Yes. Do I know you from The Group?” I asked him.

“Don’t take the vaccine. That’s some bad shit man! I can’t tell you any more. I’ve been working for OneCor for about 6 months now. I could lose my job over this!” he slurred before running off into the crowd leaving me rather surprised and baffled by the very quick exchange.

The rest of the night was mostly uneventful and as it reached 3:30 in the morning we decided it was best to order our extraction vehicle and return to base. It had been an interesting time to be sure and I was sure this wouldn’t be the end of our dealings with Area 404. We would get to the bottom of things one day, that I was sure.

To close this journal entry I will leave you with some final words from OneCor’s CEO, Gordon Romance.

Wishing brave citizens 

@area404complex

 all the best for a speedy recovery and fast exit - thanks to our fantastic EAU (Emergency Aid Upgrade) packs and wonder vaccine DC10X 🥂 #area404 #FirstResponders #inspirationalquotes #radiationsickness #OneCor #BeautifulFuture.

[banana-lovesyou]

Another day in the sun

King of the Squirrels (Mark Ego) and Deceit (Sanders Side) ship/fluff fic Yeet I actually wrote a full short fic right after posting that I might, good job me! Pages: 3 Words: 1851 Characters: 9856 Characters excluding spaces: 8016 (written in google docs) Some Backstory for this AU that probably isn’t even important to the story tbh: Deceit’s position in the Sanders house is mostly canonical but instead of him lying by choice it’s a curse that he can occasionally get around but it takes quite a bit of focus so it’s usually easier to just lie in such a way that (most) people realize he’s lying. King is .. immortal? Possibly, or just has an unusually long lifespan, and was born into the title of being King of the Squirrels but for reasons I have yet to decide he lived as an orphan in his younger years. Also he can draw out squirrel traits similar to Squirrel girl, like a tail, teeth, claws, and so on. Ah, and Kings actual name is Arthur- because I’m a nerd Both are part of a project put together by the Dark of that world to bring all the alter egos together for safety of those egos and of humans in the case of not so safe egos, they live in an old abandoned hospital that’s being refurbished to have some areas more like an apartments area, except fancier. Okay that’s probably more bg info than needed for a short little fluff fic but if I ever post anymore about this AU/couple I can just repaste that like a cheater XD Anyway, onto the story!

King and Deci lay in the secret courtyard, basking in the sun next to each other while talking quietly about everything and nothing- though most of the talking was done by King, annd the courtyard wasn’t all that secret as it was open to everyone else that lived there, but no one else seemed interested in exploring the place long enough to find it. Deceit much preferred it this way, if more people started coming here he’d probably feel less comfortable doing so himself and thus lose his comfort zone. He didn’t mind King however, and in fact he may even consider him a friend, though he doubted he could even say such to King himself. King accepted him and understood his tendency to lie, well as best as one could without actually living it, unlike most anyone else he’d met that is and his appreciation of that fact ran deeper than he could ever say.  He told himself the warmth he felt in his chest when he was around was due to that and nothing else. It took Deci some time to realize that King had stopped talking about the shapes of the clouds, but when he did his eyes were immediately drawn to him with curiosity and perhaps a bit of concern, sometimes when King went silent he would get a sad look about him that Deci absolutely hated. However, when he lifted up onto his elbows he ended up smiling softly in surprise of the sight before him, almost delighted in sense to see he’d simply fallen into a peaceful slumber, rather than a harsh memory. Deci purses his lips thoughtfully at the sight before him, then a slow grin spreads across his face along with a baffling and playful urge he gave into on impulse- which was to reach over and poke his cheek gently. No reaction. At least not from King, Deci himself ends up turning onto his stomach and pressing his hands to his face and his face to the ground in embarrassment of himself. After a short time he felt compelled to look to him again, and so he did, just sort of staring for a long moment and then flushing faintly and averting his eyes with an ashamed look because that was probably creepy- especially since it was him. He sighs and rolls onto his back once more… but no matter how much he tries he seemingly can’t resist the urge to look over to him, and so he does so with a faint pout that falls away the long he looked at him. As usual King’s crown wasn’t even on his head but instead had tipped back into the dirt, it always seemed to be falling off much to Deci’s silent amusement, his red cape was spread out like a small blanket beneath him. Sometimes King would wear a kingly outfit, but today he kept it simple with a muted red long sleeve pushed up to his elbows and jeans, which gave a strange contrast to the crown and cape but Deci of course thought it was cute- He immediately looks away and bites his lip at the embarrassing thought. Do friends think friends are cute? He wouldn’t know, he doesn’t have any. Another, heavier sigh deflates him a bit and he slowly returns his attention to King, if only to not dwell on the vaguely sombering thoughts. Rather than being drawn to his appearance or clothing, this time his eyes were drawn to the empty space next to him, with the way King had his arms tucked under his head someone could lay right next to him rather easily- He jerks his head to the side to look away again and actually brings his hands up to bap his own head gently as if that would chase away his thoughts. It did not. For a time he simply lays there and stews in his own embarrassing and confusing thoughts, not even certain if they were normal thoughts to have of a friend. The feeling of an acorn pelting him from the branches above gets a jolt and then a grumpy glare at the squirrel who’d thrown it, he nearly asks out loud what that was even for but he didn’t want to disturb King so he just does something that was perhaps a bit childish but both made him feel better and let out a soft breath of amusement in place of a laugh, which was: he stuck out his tongue at the squirrel. Shaking his head at himself more than the squirrel his eyes inevitably go back to King, as if to share the lighthearted moment with him, but of course he was still asleep. Yet another sigh deflated his body briefly, his fingers started tapping and then drumming on his arm, why was it so silent when King wasn’t awake to chatter his ear off? He debates trying to sleep as well, but his brain was just too busy with thoughts.. Most of them were of King and what it might feel like to lay next to him.. Or even to.. His face flushes at the thought of cuddling him. Do friends cuddle? As if it mattered, he’d probably never find it in himself to ask… but then again he wouldn’t really need to ask if he tried to right now… ugh that sounded creepy.. He hated being creepy.. But he hated the lonely feeling weighing on his chest even more. Another sigh and he relents and scoots just a bit closer, close enough to clearly hear his soft rhythmic breathing which gave him at least a little comfort. Would King get angry with him if he did try to cuddle him? He knew quite a few people who hated the feeling of his scales.. But then again King was so sweet, and even when it came to his scaling he seemed more curious and interested than repulsed. Deci could still recall when King first asked him if he could feel his scales, he’d been hesitant but eventually allowed it.. And silently revelled in the feeling while also hoping he wouldn’t know the blush it brought. Outside of Schneep helping him to maintain his scales with lotions and oils no one ever really touched them, and it wasn’t in his nature to admit out loud that the feeling severely comforted him, it could be equated to the comforting feeling one gets when their hair is played with. Which he only knows because he also finds that comforting, and well.. He’s shamefully paraded as Patton once or twice for minor physical affections like hugs and head pats, but that option was thrown out the window when he was outed to having such an ability in the last video. Now he was too afraid to even try, certain that the others would laugh at and scorn him for seeking comfort of any sort. How many sighs did that make? His attention returns to King for comfort, still asleep. He purses his lips and scoots a touch closer, close enough that they weren’t touching but he could feel the warmth practically radiating off of him. In that moment Deci compared him to a walking sun, warm and inviting and relaxing, from the very moment he’d met him he had been exactly that. Which only made it harder for Deci to ignore his current feelings, and yet harder to act on them for fear of losing that sun. Another sigh to the counter as his eyes go to the sky again, looking at the clouds that King so admired earlier. Was cuddling so forbidden for him? Why couldn’t he simply move the last little way over to him? He chewed his lip harshly as he ever so slowly moved over close enough that their sides touched, then he squeezed his eyes shut and sighed again before opening them and slowly turning on his side with intents to let his head rest on King’s shoulder and his arm to go over him. However, the moment King moved that plan went out the window and he jerked the other way to lay on his side with his back to him, eye wide for a long heart pounding moment, ears perked to their absolute acuteness. The wind rustled through the leaves, the squirrels chattered and ran about as normal, the sun warmed the Earth, and his breathing was settling into a soft rhythmic sound again, everything was the same. Deci lets out a long slow breath before slowly turning to peek over his shoulder to see that King was indeed still asleep, his teeth found his bottom lip once more to worry at as he slowly, so painstakingly slowly, lowered himself back down to laying right next to him. Perhaps he should leave it at this? Perhaps this was enough? Another sigh. It wasn’t, he wanted more contact, but feared rejection so horribly much that he felt rooted in place, and so he let his eyes fall shut and forced himself to focus on the sun for now. He could try again more later. When Arthur woke up it was only because a squirrel was tapping on his cheek, so he turned his head to listen to the report it wanted to give, then huskily mumbled out a reply to send it on it’s way. After the squirrel was gone he yawned with nearly his entire being, feeling much too comfortable in the sun he turns the other way and decides to apologize to Deci both for falling asleep and because he fully intended to sleep more. However he froze and blinked a few times when he saw hair much closer to his face than he was expecting, why only hair? Well a simple look down would reveal because Deci had only made it far enough to lay his head somewhat on Arthur’s arm- more so the edge of it. Despite that he was fully facing Arty and curled up into a partial fetal position that had Arty giving him a soft smile, while also wondering why he didn’t just lay on his chest, but since he was clearly asleep he didn’t have the chance to ask. Arty took all of two seconds to decide that he’d prefer his friend be more comfortable than he currently looked, so he lowered the arm next to him to wrap around behind him a bit, then he carefully inched it under him and sort of shuffled him up onto his chest. Deci easily gave into the movement and shuffled a bit closer in the process, giving a little yawn that was a bit high pitched and utterly adorable in Arthur's eyes, before wrapping an arm around Arthur's chest and then even sliding a leg over one of his. Arty chuckles at the surprising clinginess and gives him a small half hug squeeze with the arm he kept around him, then just shimmies in place for a moment to settle back in place and lets his eyes fall shut. He was asleep again within moment, even more comfortable than before. Taglist: @imagine-eragons @raeofthelight @browniebri @ekhoecho @fangirltothefullest @ anyone else who cares to read lol

[crimsonrevolt]

Congratulations Lexi you’ve been accepted to Crimson Revolt as Natalie Dupont!

↳ please refer to our character checklist

Natalie’s one of those characters that I’m particularly fond of, not because of an attachment from prior books, but because of the potential in her skeleton, and therefore it was wonderful to get an app that captured her complexities and explored them in depth! You did a marvelous job deciphering the tug-and-pull of light versus dark in her, and I got a great understanding of who she was as a character and what was drawing her towards each of them. I can’t wait to see you explore everything that you mentioned in your app, and to give you a family and a place where you can write her with abandon! Welcome!

application beneath the cut

OUT OF CHARACTER

INTRODUCTION

Hello I’m Lexi and I’m 27 from the EST timezone. I use the she/her pronouns. I’ve been writing for over ten years now and I still absolutely love it. I started out on a harry potter roleplay and went from there so I’d love to get back to my roots. I love Marvel anything, Doctor Who, Dusk Till Dawn (move and series) and I’m a avid music lover. I look at rp’s like family so I’m excited to possibly get to be apart of this one.

ACTIVITY

I’d say an eight. I work from home so I am on periodically through out the day and evenings. It’s hard to pin point the slow days but if I know I’ll be busy and unable to post longer than just that day I will be sure to send you all a message.

TRIGGERS

*removed for privacy

HOW DID YOU FIND US?

harry potter rp tag, and I found it months ago so I bookmarked it and have been poking around since. I’ve just got my schedule cleared up so I can join.

WHAT HARRY POTTER CHARACTER DO YOU IDENTIFY WITH MOST?

Luna Lovegood hands down. She was so unafraid to be herself and she was the quirky one no one ever understood. I’ve always felt different and it helped to have a character that was simply her. She helped me accept different as being ok and she was confident in her own odd way which I loved. She’s just a very awesome character that I really felt connected with while reading the books and it was awesome to see her come to life on the screen.

ANYTHING ELSE?

I think that covers it :)

IN CHARACTER

DESIRED CHARACTER

Natalie Dupont (Natalie means ‘Christmas’ which finds funny and her father used to tease her and call her mother Christmas, and Dupont is an old french name meaning 'of the bridge’. If it’s ok I’d like to give Natalie the middle name 'Antoinette’ and that name mean priceless. I was always going to say it was great grandmother’s name and given to Natalie in her honor.

FACE CLAIM

Hailee Steinfeld REASON FOR CHOSEN CHARACTER Natalie on the surface could appear your straightforward kind of gal. She’s that young woman with many layers and once you start peeling them away you’d be surprised at what you find. She’s been in a family filled with love and light, and yet her urges tug her nearer to the darkness. She finds it exciting being that close to danger, and she likes that feeling like when you go over a big hill and your stomach feels light. Then you hit the drop and it’s all worth it. Natalie was raised on the principal of family being your rock, and she firmly believes it. She recalls the tight knit little world she was raised within, but her hands reach for the bigger and wider world.

School only strengthened her need for more. Some would call her greedy, but she’s simply ambitious. Natalie wants to see it all and do it all, and she’s willing to pay the price to do it. She wants the thrill and the fun all wrapped in a tiny little gift for her. I’d love to explore her impulsive nature and how she finds her way into the darker side of the world. How she meshes with the other death-eater’s, and how she handles her home life or personal life as a result. I want to see her pushed to see how she reacts, and see her true and find her place in the world. PREFERRED SHIPS // CHARACTER SEXUALITY // GENDER & PRONOUNS

Natalie has had maybe two or three boyfriends during her time at Hogwarts. They were never anything overly serious and mere crushes. The type of crushes that meant sweet kisses in the hall and hand holding at the table in the Great Hall. She tended to date within her circle, but she did venture in her sixth year and dated a Slytherin boy who had a taste for violence. She watched him bully other kids like an eager child taking in a lesson. She never participated but she absorbed the knowledge like a sponge. They eventually broke up when he chose to pick on a friend of hers and Natalie put her foot down. She hexed him so he broke out in horrible warts and then proudly proclaimed she had done it.

She believed when she was younger like most girls that there is a prince charming out there and she’ll raise beautiful babies with her best friend, but the notion has begun to fade as she gets older. She doesn’t want to be tied down at the moment and instead wants the adventures of life. Perhaps later as Natalie does want children to teach and nurture. She wants to find someone that’s her best friend first and lover second. The sort of person who matches her need for adventures and will dabble in the darkness without telling her she’s wrong.

Natalie’s parents were a good example of a strong marriage for her. They had their spats but she for the most part got the idea of a loving relationship from them. She recalls they had date nights and could be found snuggling on the couch in front of their fireplace. She hopes one day but for now she couldn’t see it. She is strictly heterosexual though in school she debated on the idea of dating another girl out of curiousity’s sake. It never happened and she found her heart wasn’t in it anyway. She didn’t want to fake anything for the sake of experimentation. Pronouns wise that would be she/her.

CREATE ONE (OR MORE!) OF THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR CHARACTER:

Mockblog

IN CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE

The following section should be looked at like a survey for your character. Answer them in character and feel free to use gifs. Or, if you’d rather, answer them in third person or OOC without gifs. Answers do not have to be extremely lengthy.

♔ If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it? Feel free to name it: Gosh all the good ones are taken aren’t they? I’d like something where it helps make my decisions for me. Is that a thing? I’d like for it to be a thing. Go red if I’m in the danger zone and should not approach, or green if all is well. I’m a horrid decision maker. I have zero impulse control.

♔ You have to venture deep into the Forbidden Forest one night. Pick one other character and one object (muggle or magical), besides your wand, that you’d want with you: That’s a hard one! Caradoc though. He’s interesting and I haven’t made many attempts to get to know him just yet and all that jazz. Kind of wondering what’s going on in that head of his. I’d take some chocolates. I got wand so I need some snacks.

♔ What kinds of decisions are the most difficult for you to make?: How about all decisions? I’m not good at making decisions because I make the decision and then second guess myself. I’m like oh was that actually the right decision or was I just deciding for the sake of it? It’s a mes and a half all the time.

♔ What is one thing you would never want said about you?-Gosh ok I hope people never say I was a terrible friend or that I never amounted to anything. I take my friendships seriously you know? I love my friends and I’m that kind of person that wants to be your three in the morning phone call because you need someone. I also take working seriously enough. I think ambition is a big part of life and you need it to keep moving forward. I’d hate for peopel to say I never did anything with myself.

WRITING SAMPLE

Tick tick tick….The old fashion clock on the wall continued to click and click as Natalie stared at it with narrowed eyes. Brows furrowed she judged the time as the hands taunted her from her comfortable position leaned over the back of the couch. Tick tick…Finally the chime went off to signal a new hour and she was scrambling to get off the furniture and grab her jacket from the front hall. A chuckle from her Uncle was heard as he shook at his head at the girl’s enthusiasm.

“In a hurry?” he inquired, his graying hair tucked neat around a small set of ears and a gentle smile swept up the dimples of his cheeks. “Got practice,” Natalie returned, her tone still sweet as she politely halted for her elder. “I’ve almost got that hex down!”

She was practically bouncing in her shoes, the nice little dress her mom had made draped on her frame. The vibrant red made her think blood and made her grin with a twinkle of amusement. She had grabbed her cloak from the hook and made sure her wand was safely tucked away. Always out of sight her dad had told her once upon a time. It was safer that way. Her grandfather approached and ruffled her chocolate locks which got a crinkle of her nose from the younger girl.

“You’ll have it in no time,” he reassured.

He was gentle and at ease around the younger ones of the home. Her father would have put his foot down and reprimanded her for not having the simple hex down pat by this point. Natalie was a focused and ambitious learner though. She put in the hours of work into the newer spells and charms. Her grades in school had allowed her a little more space when it came to sorting out the formalities of adulthood. She was in her own space in her own apartment, but the comforts of the large estate would always beckon her back. She had visited and sat, but off she would go once again.

“Tell mum I said hi,” she rushed, ducking out the large front door in the next second and letting it shut with a thud behind her.

Natalie was putting in the hours and moving forward with her future. At least in some aspects. Her mother was dead certain her daughter would never marry anyone at this rate. She had wanted her arranged to someone of pure blood at sixteen, but the plan had never run as smoothly as her mother hoped. Natalie had turned down the idea so many times she had lost count.

She wanted independence and the chance to find who she was beyond someone else. She didn’t want to be stuck on someone’s arm like a prized piece, but instead a strong woman who could stand her ground. Another reason to put in the work, she had reminded herself simply.

She was in good spirits as she headed into town to meet up with her friend. The other girl was trying to do better as well. Both of them bore the mark of the dark lord and were eager to rise in ranks. They looked to past members of great name and great power to inspire. They were of course excited to be a name of their one one day, but baby steps. Even Natalie knew when to take things slowly lest she make a mistake.

Today was another day. Another beginning and another chance. She was ready to begin as she always was, but things were changing and Natalie Dupont could feel it in her bones.

[arielsojourner]

I love Luke goes back in time and saves everyone and leading a Jedi reform. I love Darth Vader going back and redoing his life. But what if they went back in time TOGETHER? I know it is implausible. Time travel always is but I just cannot get this plot bunny to leave me alone till I write out an outline at least.

So this is what I have so far: Luke and Vader in the Original Trilogy decide they are going to team up to kill the Emperor/free Vader and because of SOMETHING they end up being back in time together. After a few minutes of “WTF? Where are we?” Luke adapts faster than his father and decides, they will just have to do this now and save everything before it goes to hell. Yes he has “lost” his friends but he has his father and he can make a better life for everyone if Vader works with him. Imperial education *cough propaganda cough* being what it is on Tatooine (to the extent Luke even went through his Imperial home school courses), it is up to Vader to tell them where to go and what to do. They are on the Outer Rim during the Clone War sieges and they end up joining up with the 501st while Pong Krell is leading them.

I see: - Vader ending Krell with extreme prejudice and Luke allowing it.

- Luke focusing on the difference between Clone vs. Storm troopers and being disgusted with Krell and bonding with the 501st by just being the deadly ball of sunshine, sweet cinnamon roll he is. The clones pretty much adopt him and he adopts them.

-Vader wants to just vent his fury on everyone and kill Krell and then kill Palpatine. He could care less about the Order (he won't purge them, he won't be tricked into that again, but there is little love there, there is just enough for those precious few), he just wants Padme and Ahsoka  and Luke safe. (He doesn't know about Leia, neither does Luke; they went back in time before Luke went to Dagobah but after Jabba is dead and Han is rescued).

-Vader is so happy to have competent troops. Imperial troops are really hit and miss and so few clones remained after a few years in the ranks. He does miss the Executor and his Admiral though.

-Luke wants to get to know what the Order was like in its heyday but after seeing Krell and with Vader disclosing some of the campaigns of the Clone Wars and how the Order operates, Luke has decided that the Order is not for him, thank you very much. No attachment? Marriage and kids forbidden? To say nothing of only taking toddlers and the fact that the Republic is not the shining beacon that Leia always claims it was (Luke already had his doubts, he grew up in Hutt occupied space after all). He figures the Order is hardly likely to embrace him as a Jedi so he will be a Jedi on his own. He will help his father and defeat Palpatine.

-They will end this puppet war, free the clones, kill Palpatine, and ensure Anakin and Padme live happily ever after. Vader is satisfied in knowing that Padme is happy and alive (he cannot bear to even think of facing her, just knowing his Angel is alive and with Anakin Skywalker is fine by him). He has Luke who will not leave him now or ever. They will make a life together somehow.

-The clones while thankful are also a bit conflicted. Krell is dead, yay! There is a Force user, a red lightsaber, a Sith?! But he is hanging around someone who clearly is a Jedi (such a nice Jedi!) and they are working together. Is this our new Jedi general? But then, Krell was a Jedi and got them killed. Wait, did the Jedi just call the Sith father?!

-The Separatists are routed. Vader and Luke work seamlessly together. They are not the same as Obi-Wan and Anakin, how could they be? Luke's training is minimal (lightsaber forms, what are those? and by Order standards Luke in thought, deed, and existence is heretical to say the least) but his instincts and strength are astounding and as for Vader, just think "Vader Down" but times 100 because Vader is fighting with his son and Padme is still alive and there is still hope. Vader is no longer a slave to any man. He can make things right.

-Luke and Vader get to work on the clone control chips. Vader slices the program and Luke uses field surgery (learned in the hidden rooms on Tatooine doing emergency surgery on escaped slaves) along with Kix and others to deal with the physical reality of the chips.

-Perhaps  throw some EU Force use in there and have Luke just experimenting with the Force and figuring out how to use it to help the clones with their accelerated aging or like in the “Darksaber” novel, Luke asking Vader to work with him to literally pick up entire Separatist ships and throw them out of they star system. Vader is a bit stunned by Luke's innovation, but decides he is not going to tell Luke what the Force can or cannot do or be used for and just encourage his son to use it however he wants. With Luke having seen Vader in action and Yoda on Dagobah, he doesn't have any concept of what should be beyond him and working with the "Chosen One" makes them nearly unstoppable.

-Vader has Luke with him, having Luke Fall is irrelevant so long as he has his family with him. Plus Luke is what Vader always imagined a Jedi should be back when he was just a boy on Tatooine. Sometimes Vader thinks of the dreams he had of Jedi freeing everyone and wonders if it was Luke he was really foreseeing.

-Luke decides that with him being a Jedi and Vader nominally a Sith they will just have to command both sides of the war to stop fighting. Fake it till you make it, kind of thing. War is what Palpatine wants so they are just going to decide to stop. Sith love to play games where they win regardless of the outcome. The only way to fight a Sith is not to play the game. The clones can find new vocations (hunting slavers perhaps?) and the droids can be reprogrammed. Vader and Luke have 20 years of technological war time improvements they have lived through and they plan to bring that to bear on both sides of the puppet war.

-The Order starts getting bizarre reports from the front lines. Peace is breaking out, being enforced by Vader and Luke. Jedi teams show up to what they think are war zones and find peace. (details escape me, but just go with it!) Vader knows what will happen next and Luke is so unpredictable Palpatine is caught off guard. All his plans are falling apart.

-I want some Force sensitive clones. Perhaps if the chips are out and the aging fixed, one or two in each division or so has the potential to be Force sensitive. Luke is all for training them. Vader balks for a moment and then just decides to go with it. I see Fives as a Force user and Luke trains them enough to help free their brothers.

-Vader and Luke only use those names. They give no last names and no titles They frequently refer to themselves as father and son to the bewilderment of all.

-They run into some Jedi on a few of their missions. The Jedi are a bit confused by Luke and grow more and more suspicious but when Vader shows up behind him, a black sun of icy cold fire more than a few lightsabers are lit but Luke just stands between them and tells them that "Oh, him? Yes, he is a Sith, no you cannot kill him. Why? Because he will kill you and we don't need that, we are all on the same side here." Vader makes a sound that without his mask would definitely by a snort of derision "No, really father, we are nominally on the same side." "If we are on the same side son, tell the Jedi to put their blades down. I won't have them accidentally hurting you or I will tear them apart and paint the walls with their blood."  And Plo  or Aayala or Kit or whoever they are meeting is just  like "WTF? Are we, are we going to fight? Father, did you say father? Your father is a Sith lord and you are a Jedi? Jedi don't have fathers, well Jedi have fathers but they don't have fathers if you know what I mean." And Luke is all "Jedi have fathers. I have a father. Being a Sith or a Jedi doesn’t mean people don’t have fathers. Now we have more important things to talk about. The war is over because we say it is over so put down your weapons and let us just go about our business."

-And since Jedi don't attack unarmed people (not that Vader is ever unarmed; even without his lightsaber drawn he could kill them all), they just put down their weapons and Luke quietly, inexorably bulldozes them into following his lead, Vader looming over his shoulder, daring anyone to disagree with his smol but mighty son. "My son says we are now at peace and the clone troopers are free. Argue and I will choke you."

-They are not at peace yet, but Luke takes a page out Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's book of proverbs that used to have him rolling his eyes as a kid and one of them was if you keep insisting something is true, it becomes true. Granted his aunt and uncle were talking about having fun while doing his chores, but Luke is nothing if not adaptable. War is over because Luke says it is and Vader agrees with him, so there.

-Ventress joins their little band. Luke figures Yoda was wrong about the "dark side dominating your destiny" with regards to his father so he can just be wrong about every other dark side user.  Luke insists Vader can teach Ventress or they can all three of them learn awesome Force things together, just Luke will avoid the dark side, no dark side for him, thank you. 

-Luke and Vader take down Savage before Satine can be killed. I think Luke and Satine would get along well and Vader of course would inform Luke about Obi-Wan’s connection with her and I see Luke wanting to match-make, Order rules of attachment be damned. He wants Obi-Wan to be happy. Vader gets a vicious thrill out of how this will torture his old master. Luke plans to rehabilitate Maul too (think Maul from Star Wars Rebels) into his growing band of Force misfits - Vader, clone force sensitives, Ventress, maybe even Dooku, it is all good.

-Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ashoka keep missing Luke and Vader but Palpatine sends Padme into the mix, desperate to figure out what is going on with his carefully constructed Sith master plan. Vader gets one inkling that Padme is on her way and goes into stealth mode (he does have stealth mode, no shut up, he does. Just because he is 7 feet tall and has distinctive breathing doesn’t mean he cannot do stealth). He is still hovering near Luke, he is not leaving Luke alone but he cannot bear to see her see her, to have her see him: her plans to never ever EVER tell her who he is, just watch her from afar. Sigh.

-Luke is all earnestness and light when meeting her. He doesn't know ahead of time that she’s "mom" -Vader still cannot bear to give details other than to say she was his whole world --but he is intuitive and very powerful in the Force so he puts two and two together and is at his dotting farm boy best with her and Padme seeing peace is really happening, throws her full support behind this strange Jedi. Vader stalks them both and not so secretly foils whatever nonsense Palpatine had cooked up for their meet and greet event with large explosions. "Master Jedi, that explosion, don't we need to investigate?" "No, Senator, everything is fine. My companion is keeping up with all the security while we talk. Now what can Naboo do to ensure the sentient rights of the clones are honored now that the war is over? Do you think you could arrange a meeting with me and the Chancellor?" 

It is all just piecemeal and I don't think it could ever be coherent enough to be a full story (too many plot holes and character crack) but it is such a wonderfully tasty idea with all the substance of cotton candy I just had to share.

[lukerhill]

My top five HUGE DIY room makeovers ever!

Hello there! I hope you had a wonderful and safe holiday weekend! I'm ready to get back into some DIY projects after a few weeks of slower summer days. I've got one in the works, but I was reminded of one of my favorite room makeovers ever yesterday that I shared on Instagram. We lived at our old home for 14 years, which gave me a lot of time to make over spaces (sometimes a couple times). ;) I thought it would be fun to gather my top five room makeovers to share with you! I made over pretty much every room in that house, but I'm only sharing the BIG redos that I did mostly or all myself. (I've done a ton in our new house already, but we've only been here 2.5 years so these makeovers are more involved and dramatic.) You know how much I love a big before and after!

Loft craft room/office 

First up, our loft started out as a play room for our son. I remember my readers loving those long picture shelves I hung (on a very tall ladder!):

You'll notice a definite trend of dark to light in these makeovers. I was a huge fan of reds and golds 12-15 years ago. 

This is that same view after this space got a makeover from top to bottom: 

I planked and painted the walls, built the wall of craft storage with kitchen cabinets, built the big chalkboard and that desk as well. 

The other side of the room got the same light and bright treatment -- this is it before: 

And this is that space after all of the new trim and art: 

See more about that book nook here!

This ended up being my office, but that huge double desk made it so my husband could work here often, as well as our son. We used this spot a LOT!

There were so many fun details in this makeover. You can see the full craft room/office reveal here and all of the sources here! 

Mud room makeover 

Ohhh this is a good one!! I HATED our mud room/laundry combo. I mean, loathed. I took this "real life" photo to share how it was always such a mess: 

As much as I tried, getting our shoes, outdoor gear and laundry necessities organized well just wasn't happening in this spot. 

When we started finishing our basement I decided to move the laundry room down there. BEST IDEA EVER. I installed beadboard around the whole space and built the upper and lower storage: 

I went out of my comfort zone with some brighter colors in here for a couple years, but this soothing blue/gray and white combo was where I ended up. 

Having this open space when walking into the house was a game changer for us: 

You can see this full mud room makeover here and see where the laundry went here. 

Complete kitchen redo 

My biggest room redo ever was our kitchen. It got a bunch of updates over the years, but about five years ago I decided it was time to completely redo the space. I worked SO dang hard on it!

Here's an early look at the bay window area that used to have a door to the deck: 

And this is how it looked after we moved the door and then had a window seat put in: 

Moving the table made all the difference in here. It opened up things tremendously and let me extend the island a ton. 

Here's the dark kitchen before: 

And after all of the changes I made...taking down a wall of cabinets, building up the remaining to the ceiling, extending the island to house the microwave, painting them all with a sprayer and tons more: 

I'm not sure I've ever worked so hard on a room in my life! It took almost a year from start to finish, but I did most of it myself and paid for it all in cash (as we do with all of our projects).

Modern farmhouse bathroom makeover

OK, this next one may be a tie for the hardest I've ever worked...it's hard to say. This bathroom was a fraction of the size and didn't have as many huge projects...but tiling. Whew! It's hard stuff. I always hated that separation in our son's bathroom and my plan from early on was always to take the wall down:

I know some families with multiple kids really like the separate spaces, but we didn't need that. 

And I think you'll agree that opening it up was worth it!:

Tiling those floors was HARD work. And tiling the wall behind the vanity wasn't too bad, but grouting it was horrible. Not going to sugar coat that one. ;) 

But it was SO worth it! I built and stained the vanity and did all of the trim and painting as well: 

You can see the whole before and after of this modern farmhouse bathroom here. Find links to the projects and items used in this post. 

One of my biggest pet peeves in homes (especially my own) is wasted space. We used our dining room maybe twice a year: 

A few years after moving in, I started to develop an idea to change up this space into something that was still pretty, but something we'd actually use. 

One day I started the dining room turned library transformation and never looked back!: 

Moving our laundry room to the basement, moving the back door in the kitchen and getting rid of our dining space were the three best things I did in that house! 

The bottom storage was SO useful -- I used it for all of our serving and entertaining supplies. But most importantly, we actually used this room SO much more!:

You can see all of the steps to this huge wall of built ins in this post. I did this same exact build again in my office in our new house! (But it was much faster and easier this time.) I preach this all the time, but my favorite makeovers all involved making changes that made the spaces work best for OUR family. I know the family that lives there now appreciates them too! Unless you know you'll be moving soon, I encourage you to make your home the way it serves you and your family best. Don't be afraid to make big changes! :) Have you repeated any of these big changes/makeovers in your home? See more of our home here. To shop items in our home, click here! Never miss a post by signing up to get posts via email. 

This content is property of Thrifty Decor Chick LLC. If you are reading this on any other site other than https://ift.tt/1kRxOJ2 or one of her social media platforms, please contact her immediately (thriftydecorchick at gmail dot com). Any other use of this content is strictly forbidden.

[purrcraze]

Are Maine Coon Cats Destructive?

If you’re considering becoming a cat owner, you may have been looking at the beautiful, large and fluffy Maine Coon breed of cat. They are natural marvels, but just how much damage can the impressive Maine Coon do to your house? Is it a destructive cat, and are you at risk of losing your favorite furniture?

Are Maine Coons destructive? Maine Coons are not known for being destructive, but a fully grown Maine Coon can do a lot of damage. Like most other breeds, if poorly managed, bored and unhappy, a Maine Coon cat can turn your new couch into shreds in the space of one afternoon. Luckily, there are very easy ways to prevent this kind of behavior, through exercise, proper care, and positive reinforcement.

There are many ways in which you can avoid your valuable possessions becoming cat toys, including preparing your house for your new cat, preventing bad behavior, deterring it when it happens, and rewarding good behavior.

Read on to take a look at our top tips to keep your Maine Coon from getting destructive!

Why would a Maine Coon cat become destructive?

Maine Coon cats usually are quite laid back creatures. There’s no reason to worry about them destroying your house, at least not more than any other breed of cat. Of course, there are always exceptions, and you may end up with the kitten equivalent of Terminator.

However, Main Coon cats are impressively large, tending to weigh in around 7 kg or 15 lbs. This means that if they do decide to party, it will most certainly be a mess.

They have the ability to reach more or less everywhere and destroy more or less everything if they so desire.

Not paying attention to your cat can very quickly turn your house into a war zone. So what exactly should you be paying attention to?

Spending too much time alone – While a normal work schedule shouldn’t phase this hardy breed, that doesn’t mean you can take off every weekend and leave her home alone with a supply of tuna cans and a can opener. Be reasonable, this breed is very affectionate and needs to be close to you.

Not getting any exercise at all – Especially in the case of apartment cats that get no roaming rights at all, there’s a risk that they will become sedentary. If they have nothing to climb, nowhere to jump, nothing to chase, and you never play with them, sooner or later something’s going to give.

Not getting appropriate outlets for their scratching and chewing needs – all cats have these behaviors embedded in their DNA. To a certain extent, scratching things for your cat is inevitable. They should, however, have access to their own favorite cat-friendly toys on which to unleash these impulses and be educated to use them.

Which things will a bored Maine Coon try to destroy?

It’s a known fact that each cat has different preferences when it comes to the texture, smell, position, and sound of the things that they rip to shreds. Since fore-warned is fore-armed, here is an outline of the kinds of things in your house that you can expect will be at risk.

Plants – A lot of house cats end up chewing on indoor plants to substitute the outdoor plants they would normally interact with as part of their day. They are curious and want to experiment, but often these experiments can become dangerous when the plant in question is poisonous. Your veterinarian or local poison control center will be able to tell you exactly which plants are dangerous in your area.

Your couch – It’s a prime target not only because it smells like you, and cats will try to mark their own scent on it, but also because it’s probably made of a nice fabric like cotton, leather or raffia. Your favorite chairs and armchairs are included in this category. The good news is that seeing which fabric your cat likes to scratch will give you a great hint as to what kinds of scratching post she’s most likely to be happy with.

Small objects on any surface they can reach – The best proof that cats understand the notion of fun is their constant need to knock small things off of high places. It stimulates their prey drive, their sense of mischief, and it usually gets them your attention. Unfortunately, they can’t tell which objects are valuable to you and which are horrible gifts from your aunt – everything goes.

Anything you value dearly – Based solely on Murphy’s Law, you might as well expect that if there’s something extremely valuable that you are really concerned about, it’s probably at risk. Don’t leave your priceless vintage Hi-Fi system in easy reach if it’s just going to become a reason for you to be anxious while you’re at work.

Pierre´s Maine Coon, Maze

How can I prevent destructive behavior?

The good news is that destructive behavior in Maine Coon cats is entirely preventable. This breed does not have any innate tendencies to wreck things, so a healthy and happy Maine coon should give you no trouble at all.

The first way to prevent having any problem is to prepare for the worst. In case anything does happen, it would be great if it didn’t happen to your favorite slippers, right?

Take a good hard look around yourself, and find a safe place for anything you just couldn’t bear to lose. Pay extra attention to plants that might be harmful to your cat, small objects that might get ingested, or large wobbly pieces of furniture that could fall if climbed on.

Before you even bring your Maine Coon cat home, there are a few things you should have in your arsenal that will help direct her attention away from your furniture from day one. You can buy most of these in any pet store, and they include:

A good quality, durable scratching post, and perch – placed in a strategic area to make your cat want to explore and use it.

A selection of different textured and flavored cat chew toys – including food puzzle toys to keep your cat’s brain active.

A selection of chase and play toys that you can use together with your cat for some good quality bonding and social interaction.

A stick of catnip to chew on left in an easily accessible spot.

Some catnip oil to spread on your cat’s toys and post to get their interest.

Bitter apple spray that you can use to deter her from chewing certain items before the habit forms.

A sewing kit. Because accidents will happen anyway.

Of course, these objects by themselves are not enough. The most important tool in preventing the bad behavior of your Maine Coon is your time.

You need to make sure that your cat gets plenty of chances to socialize and hang out with you. You should set aside regular play time and find some favorite chase games that will keep your kitten fit.

What do I do if my Maine Coon destroys my furniture?

So you weren’t prepared, or you got the Terminator of kittens on your hands. Everything seemed fine, then you came home, and the house was in tatters. What can be done?

The best thing to do, and the only thing that works, is to take a deep breath and start over. Give up your ruined items for lost, toss them out, and replace them – preferably with something more durable, and in a different texture.

Don’t, under any circumstances, get upset at your cat. Punishing her won’t help, as she won’t have any clue as to why she’s being punished.

Most of the time, when a cat destroys something of yours, she has no idea that she’s doing something bad. Many owners try to convince themselves that animals can get a “Guilty Look” but this is just fantasy.

The animal is reacting to the owner’s emotions, the tone of voice and body language.

Once you’ve replaced the items in question, look at your cat’s living space again with a critical eye. Is there enough to chew? Is there space to climb? Does she like the texture of her scratching post?

Creative owners might even find it a good idea to use their shredded curtains to cover the scratching post, much to the delight of their cat who clearly already loves that texture.

If all else fails, there are few situations in which a dab of catnip oil on the appropriate toys will fail to attract your cat. Combined with a bit of bitter apple on the edges or corners of forbidden areas, and you should be fine!

Related Questions

What are the biggest health problems of the Maine Coon cat breed? While they can be wonderful pets and are very friendly and extremely tolerant of children and other animals, the Maine Coon can experience a great number of health problems, mainly due to its massive size. Some of these include hip dysplasia and spinal muscular atrophy. The Maine Coon is for sure a cat your vet should keep an eye on.

Which cat breeds are the least destructive? It’s generally accepted that the lazier and more easy-going a cat is, the less likely it is to become destructive. While each kitten is different, some of the famously easygoing breeds include the Ragdoll, the Birman, and most Exotic breeds.

[thekimmiandjackieshow]

Paging Mr. Morrow... Mr. Tom Morrow.

I had picked up two shifts in Disney Springs and had decided to go ahead and pick up a shift at Magic Kingdom. To me, this was the scariest place to pick up a shift because of the infamous “Utilidors”. 

In case you’ve never clicked on a clickbait article about Disney secrets, the Utilidors is the underground system Magic Kingdom uses for Cast Members. When Walt Disney created Disneyland, he didn’t think about the pathways Cast Members would have to use to get from one side of the park to the next. The story goes that he was particularly bothered by a cowboy walking through the futuristic land of Tomorrowland. This shattered the illusion of being truly transported to that world, so a tunnel system was created beneath Magic Kingdom so park operations could be hidden from the guests’ eyes. Magic Kingdom actually sits on the second floor while the tunnels are on the first floor. While images of the Utilidors are strictly forbidden, the tunnels are no secret. In fact, the entrance to the tunnels is actually visible using Google Maps Satellite. 

See that pink-ish square? That’s the bus drop off loop. One white bus is actually stopped, letting Cast Members off. You can see the shadow from the building indicating that Magic Kingdom is indeed on the second story.

Anyway, the tunnels system sounded confusing and terrifying to me. I kept imagining myself getting lost underneath Magic Kingdom and not being able to find my way back to where I needed to be. Several more experienced Cast Members told me that it was basically one large circle, and super easy to navigate. Fun fact, most Cast Members get to see the tunnels during their Traditions training. Even if you don’t end up working in Magic Kingdom, you get to see the tunnels when you walk through Magic Kingdom the first time as a Cast Member. I, however, didn’t get to do this because I was rained out of the walk-through portion of Traditions. The park was 101, which meant that lightning in the area prevented Cast Members from safely walking outside and our tour of Magic Kingdom was cancelled. This made me extra nervous as I had no idea what to expect. Now, while the park itself relies on a “hub and spoke” system, the castle being the main hub and the rest of the lands accessible from that main hub, the tunnel system is one big circle with a path straight down the middle. At the time, this made little sense to me. I had walked into Magic Kingdom a hundred times by that point, and still couldn’t imagine an entire system of tunnels beneath me. But, I decided it was time to explore. I think I would’ve regretted it for a long time had I not just gone and experienced it at least once.

I picked up a shift in Tomorrowland. I had heard that was a pretty easy land to be new to, in part because it was fairly easy to find. I wasn’t convinced. My shift was just one zone of Tomorrowland: Merchant of Venus, Mickey’s Star Traders, and some random cart. The day of my shift, I drove to Magic Kingdom. The cast parking lot to Magic Kingdom was easy to find because it was the same place that Disney University was. I had driven there for a few trainings and to visit Company D, so that part wasn’t nerve-wrecking at all. It’s actually a pretty easy drive if you go the back way instead of through Magic Kingdom’s parking lot. I found a parking spot and walked towards the small double doors to Magic Kingdom Costuming.

Not surprisingly, this costuming building was one of the largest on property, if not the largest. Racks of costumes I had seen a thousand times as a guest filled the warehouse. I found my way towards the Tomorrowland merchandise costumes, found everything I needed, and headed out. It was a fairly plain costume in comparison to some of the other ones Magic Kingdom had. I checked out the unflattering black pants and matching belt, along with my grey t-shirt with outdated pink and purple accents that was probably what we predicted the future would be like back in the 70′s when Magic Kingdom first opened.

You can’t check out a costume while wearing it so I changed back into my regular clothes and headed over to the West Clock bus. West Clock is what they call the bus stop between the Cast Member parking and the entrance to the tunnels. When I got on the bus, I saw another person in the Tomorrowland merchandise costume. Naturally I decided to follow them to see where to go. When we got off, I wasted no time and followed them towards the Tomorrowland lockers and break room, trying to keep my distance so I didn’t make it too obvious. But if you worked in Tomorrowland in spring of 2016 and felt strangely followed by a lost-looking Cast Member out of costume, that was probably me. Sorry about that.

I had time to kill so after finding out where I needed to be, I walked back towards the locker room to get ready for the shift. It was another partial closing shift, there long enough to do a closing duty or two but didn’t have to stay until absolutely everything was finished. As I walked back through the tunnels towards Tomorrowland, I tried to take everything in. The tunnels have a certain specific smell. Sometimes it’s distinctly garbage (thanks Cosmic Ray’s for stinkin’ up all of underground Tomorrowland) and other times it’s who knows what. Every so often, a map was posted on the walls for the inevitably turned around Cast Member. The map listed out all the different staircases that led to various stores or restaurants in the park. It also included a “You Are Here” type picture that gave you an idea of what you were standing underneath. The walls of the tunnel were painted too, to give you an idea of what land you were in. Tomrorowland had purple paint. I followed the hallway down to where I needed to be and found everything I needed pretty easily. Even if I hadn’t followed that Cast Member, I think I would’ve found things pretty quickly with a glance at one of the maps. 

After clocking in, I was given the tour of my possible rotation. They showed me Star Traders, Merchant of Venus, and the one cart. Both Star Traders and Merchant of Venus were ride dumps, meaning that an attraction emptied out into the store. For these two stores it was Stitch’s Great Escape. It definitely encouraged foot traffic throughout the store but it wasn’t necessarily busier than my location. My shift was a short 6 hours, but still granted me a 30 minute break. This was one of the most interesting parts of working in various parks. 

See, Walt Disney World is so large that it actually stretches over two different counties: Orange County and Osceola County. The two counties have different labor expectations, so picking up a shift in Magic Kingdom is different from picking up a shift in Animal Kingdom. In Animal Kingdom, if you work a 6 hour shift, you get a 15 minute paid break. In Magic Kingdom, you get a 30 minute paid break for doing the SAME EXACT JOB for the same number of hours. (This is usually what I bring up when people argue that Magic Kingdom Cast Members should get a premium for working in “the busiest park”. That’s an entirely separate argument that I guarantee you don’t want to get me started on.) 

Anyway, I went to get my assignment and my little slip of paper told me it was time to go feed Stitch. I have to say, this was one of my favorite parts about picking up shifts in other places. Animal Kingdom’s main entrance didn’t have any fun Disney-themed or magical work assignments. There was no magic hidden backstage that only Cast Members could experience. There was nothing to bring that small smile to your face to remind you that you worked at the most magical place on earth. You just pulled an assignment and stepped out in the Florida humidity. I took my 30 minute feeding Stitch assignment in the smelly Tomorrowland breakroom, texting everybody I knew about how fun it was to work some place completely different.

My next assignment was again in Star Traders. I didn’t mind. Star Traders was fantastic. Every so often, the People Mover would pass by and I would wave at them with a Mickey glove. The store’s pin board (most merchandise locations have a board that belongs to the location in addition to all the Cast Members wearing their lanyards) was a Stitch plush wearing a lanyard. A few rotations later (mostly just to different registers) “Wishes” started up. I couldn’t see the fireworks but I could hear them go off. The music interrupted the classic space-y music that plays throughout Tomorrowland and I could easily see why Cast Members would fall in love with it. Maybe if I worked in Magic Kingdom my entire program I’d be as attached to Wishes as other people were. Instead, I was an outsider judging the show for exactly what it was, with not much emotional attachment. The store emptied out during the show and we all pretty much stood in front of the registers, waving at the one or two guests who were on People Mover at the time, listening to Wishes.

Magic Kingdom closed for park guests and it was time to start closing up the shop. I realized I had gone the entire shift without going outside once. Because I was never rotated outside of Star Traders, and the break room was underneath Magic Kingdom, I hadn’t been outside at all. Some Cast Members begged for the cart rotation and had mentioned to me that it was because sometimes they go an entire 12 hour shift without ever going outside. I started to appreciate my location a little bit more. I liked that we spent so much time outside. I could do with a little bit more air conditioning, but overall being outside most of the day was enjoyable. A Cast Member decided to have me help pull registers since I wasn’t familiar with any of the other closing duties and they didn’t have the hands to walk me through what to do. I’m sure I could’ve figured it out, but I wasn’t complaining. I enjoyed closing registers. It was also a chance to see the other half of Tomorrowland. Because I wasn’t “photo trained” (adjusting ride photos and printing them out) I wasn’t allowed to pick up a shift in the zone that included Buzz Lightyear’s store. That meant that the store after Space Mountain was off limits too. We closed the registers in those stores down though, so I at least got to see a little bit of what it was like working there. 

When all the registers were closed, we walked around and collected all the strollers people left behind. It seemed as though no matter where I went, these plastic strollers would follow me everywhere. He asked if I knew how to stack them and I explained that my home location was Strollers. In fact it turns out, he was stacking them incorrectly and what we deem as “unsafe”. I realized the special stroller training my location insisted upon meant virtually nothing to other locations. We were told that we were absolutely not allowed to stack strollers without this training. Come to find out, every land in Magic Kingdom stacks strollers at the end of the night and brings them to the hub to be collected so that stroller Cast Members don’t have to search the parks for left behind rentals. Our stacks were left at the hub and I caught a glimpse of the absolutely empty Main Street. I turned around to see Tomorrowland’s neon land marker lit up over a deserted path. The entire park was empty and closed, and there I was standing in front of it all. Once again, I fell in love with being a Cast Member. This is what it was supposed to feel like. Even on the dreariest of days, the small amount of magic that can only be experienced by a Cast Member was supposed to make it worth it. And yet, our location wasn’t anything special. We didn’t even get to see the Tree of Life after park closing like most DAK Cast Members.

Our job was done but we still had about 15 minutes left of our shift. The Cast Member said we could go ahead and head back to CDS (where Cast Members clock in/out and get new assignments) and wait to clock out. 15 minutes seemed like a long time to be standing around, but by the time we got back to the computer, we only had 10 minutes left. I was told to go ahead and clock out and was reminded of walk time. Because Cast Members have to take a bus to get back to West Clock before walking to their cars, they’re granted “walk time”. It’s essentially 10 paid minutes after your shift is over to help compensate for that travel time. I’m going to be honest, Magic Kingdom isn’t the only park that has a backstage bus system. EPCOT requires it if you’re working in World Showcase and DAK has one in case you don’t want to walk all the way around the entire park. In my mind, Magic Kingdom was the place to be. Better breaks, paid walk time, and more magical moments, even if it meant less time outside.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Tomorrowland and definitely considered picking up more shifts there. My program was coming to a close rapidly though, and I had so many other places to explore. I would definitely be coming back to Magic Kingdom though.