#i have two twists that I won’t reveal quite yet

[aliencatwafers]

Been hit with a cool idea!

I know I make AUs left and right when the only AUs I’ve developed were the Sewers AU and Second Shroob Invasion stuff. My brain usually rapid fires with ideas but can’t settle on one thing to work through and develop it enough. But this idea settled in my head for much of the day and I want to write it down before it vanishes.

So the Sewer AU (where Fawful looks after the babies in between time holes in PIT) is the main premise. It’s limited in that the babies can’t spend too much time lest they wind up getting caught or the Shroobs invade. The AU ends when the Shroobs are defeated and the time holes are shut. Fawful makes his plans in BIS and everything goes as normal.

But what if the Shroobs won?

Adult Mario and Luigi are out of commission. Princess Peach is nowhere to be found. Baby Bowser is stuck as a Mushroom; Kylie Koopa and Toadbert met the same fate. Stuffwell is barely functional.

The baby bros are left to their own defenses. They barely manage to sneak back in the Present devastated. They’re trying to decide what to tell E.Gadd and the Toadworths. Baby Luigi has Stuffwell cradled in his arms while Baby Mario is on the lookout.

But it’s the least of their problems.

The moment Elder Princess Shroob won, she and her sister invaded the Present. Princess Peach’s castle was quickly overwhelmed in the Present. The Shroobs rounded up everyone and lined them up. A Commander Shroob would quickly access each Earthling and either point left or right.

Left to be Shroobified and ready to serve the Shroobs, no resistance or hesitation, no free will or memory.

Right to be sent into a large Shroob Prison Ship.

Immediately, the baby Bros get sent to the left alongside the unconscious Adult bros.

A few seconds later, the Shroobs yank Fawful out from the sewers. He resists each step and nearly bites one Shroob’s claw off. Despite his weak stature, he is a hassle. It takes several Shroobs to restrain him and several more to aim laser guns at him. He nearly gets killed a few times trying to escape.

The baby bros use the hassle as an opportunity to slip out. Fawful spots them and makes a run for it too.

Of course, it fails miserably.

Just as the Commander Shroob is about to take his laser gun and off the three, Princess Shroob walks in. She smirks at the three of them, recognizing the Baby bros. For a few moments, she analyzes Fawful and takes note.

A few moments of silence.

Without a word, she raises her claw to the right, and the three are shuffled into the prison ship.

As soon as everyone is packed into the ship, it takes off at light speed, and lands on the old Shroob Planet?

It lands on the old withering planet; it is shunned by starlight.

And all the prisoners are dropped off there at random locations! Fawful gets shoved off the ship first near a rocky volcano. The Baby Bros are shoved off by a beach near the volcano.

The babies land on Stuffwell safely, thus surviving the fall.

Many others aren’t so lucky.

Of course, Stuffwell is barely functional, and the bros don’t know how to fix him. They wander aimlessly using everything they packed in the case and pockets to survive. There’s enough Bros items to fend off ravenous predators with, enough mushrooms to heal wounds, and some food left. It’ll run out one day.

They make their way to the volcano and are shocked that Fawful is…alive?!

By all accounts, he landed in a hard place from a long distance, and he had nothing to cushion him. How the heck is he alive?

And Fawful is more out of it rather than in severe pain or injured. It hurts to move, but he can move a bit. The bros give him a Mushroom which heals whatever damage he sustained and makes him less loopy. Reluctantly, Fawful fixes Stuffwell while the babies update him on what’s going on. Fawful tells them that Stuffwell was an old project he and Professor E.Gadd worked on before Fawful was taken in by Cackletta.

Stuffwell, now alert, is shocked and questions what happened. He takes X-Ray scans of everyone. The bros are fine, but his alarms go off at reading Fawful’s records.

Fawful: What is it being? I am not liking the suspense like eggs not hatching.

Stuffwell: ummmm…well…by my accounting and measurement cycles, you should be dead.

Fawful: *in pure shock* Huh, Fawful must’ve given Stuffwell humor of darkness. I know you have favoring of E.Gadd due to your morals of stupidity, but Fawful is being proud of you. If that is being the worst insult you are having, it needs more heat in the oven.

Stuffwell: NoNo! Im in Gratitude Cycle that you are functional. What I mean to explicate is that your X-rays show deep and lethal fractures all over each of your bones. Your spine and skull has the worst splitification. By all accounts, it should render you unable to move or perform Life functions without support. Evidence points to you being dead, but you’re respiring and engaging in locomotion.

Fawful: *thinking back* Yeah, Fawful logically should’ve had tasting of the dust of death. I had seeing of suffocating darkness, but I had waking like I had recovery from a fever of badness. And I am getting better? It has no sense making.

Stuffwell: In that case, we’ll make sense of it.

*Baby Mario and Luigi cry*

Stuffwell: But for now, we must have survivalification on this hostile planet.

Fawful: You can be scanning the planet for anything or use.

And so it begins. Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Fawful, and Stuffwell explore the planet and try to survive.

TL;DR: Made a new AU where everyone is on barren Planet Shroob while the Shroobs rock out on Earth.

[ladynoirfanao3]

Here is my entry below for @verabraun-art's WTIYS challenge (congrats on 5k followers!) to write the best letter to Ladybug, with the twist of keeping the author hidden until the signature at the end.

Can you figure it out? Also, see my daughter's bonus entry at the end, it's quite funny!

Dear Ladybug, I know it must be strange receiving this letter. You must be what, twenty-one or twenty-two right now? I tried to pick a good time to bring this to you, but you know how wonky time travel can be.  And I realize I probably shouldn’t be doing this at all, but Bunnyx hasn’t swooped in yet to stop me. She actually let me use the burrow to get you this, so I have to believe that it’s worth bending the rules. Because I can’t handle never being able to talk to you about your identity as Ladybug ever again.  When I learned that you first received your miraculous when you were fourteen, it blew my mind. All that responsibility, and you were just a kid?? And on top of that, you couldn’t even share your identity with your partner? Geeze, I told my partner who I was the first time we met. Granted, I’m not dealing with anything close to what you went through fighting Monarch. It’s hard for me to fathom you having to deal with all of that, and mostly on your own. And then I learned everything, all of the amazing things you’ve done, and we can’t even talk about it in my time. Because not only did you take on the responsibility of wearing a miraculous, but you also took on the mantle of Guardian.  Guardian. At fourteen?! Not just anyone could do that. And you succeeded! So that’s why I wanted to write you this letter; I’m sure you have heard variations on what I want to tell you plenty enough in my present time from those who eventually found out your identity, but you’ll never be able to hear it from me, because I learned the truth too late. Of course I’ve always looked up to you, but I never knew about this huge part of your life, and it kills me that I can’t sit down with you and talk about everything that you did. I hate that relinquishing your Guardianship caused you to lose your memories. And we aren’t even allowed to mention the miraculous to you, because the magic won’t let you understand. Which is why a part of me will always despise Master Fu for choosing you in the first place. But I suppose I get it. Who better to save the world than Marinette Dupain-Cheng?  I shouldn’t be telling you all this, I know. But hey, I’m not revealing your whole future! I know it must be hard to hear that you’ll lose your memories, but I’m guessing you already knew it would come eventually. I do want you to know that you are not alone when you go through it. It isn’t the result of a villain, or anything that you’ve done, but merely some unfortunate circumstances I won’t go into. Mostly, I want you to take what I tell you and hold it close in the coming years in between, and know just how much I will look up to you. Even though you won’t be able to tell me your secret until the end, I hope it brings you comfort that I will know, and that I think the absolute world of you for it. You have always told me how proud you are of me, so let me do it now: I’m so proud of you. You are amazing, and I only hope I can follow in your footsteps in a way that would continue to make you proud. Yes, I’m the new holder of the earrings. Don’t worry, I didn’t take over the Guardianship. I did try — but of course, Dad wouldn’t let me.  Anyway, I wanted to tell you I love you, and that you have done — and will do — an incredible job. Your (future!) daughter, Emma

[reve-de-sang]

for @vamptember, Sept. 13: Dead Dove: Do Not Eat (posting a day early bc i'll be away)

(x) A Pygmalion AU. Vampires Armand and Magnus weigh human Lestat’s potential outside a kill room. Armand has doubts. Magnus loves chaos.

--

“You’ve found another one.”

“It’s uncanny how you always know.”

“It’s your pallor,” Armand said. “They dial it back down. Tonight you look very nearly pink-cheeked. He must be a healthy one.”

Magnus’s lips flinched with a suppressed smile. “Well. I don’t mind saying,” he rasped, rearranging himself in the leather club chair, tapping his cigar in the ashtray. “I have outdone myself this time.”

“Really.”

“Honestly I can’t imagine finding better.”

“Oh, not this again.”

“No! I’m quite serious. Every box checked of course. Fit. Blond. Blue-eyed. That sort of…regal handsomeness…”

Armand sighed meaningfully and swirled his snifter of blood, warm in the palm of his hand.

“But also a combination of beauty, fight, and health that I had given up on finding. Most of all the fight. They’ll generally do anything by day two, but I’ve had this one almost a week and he hasn’t given up.”

“Pride,” Armand sighed.

Magnus frowned. “Drive.”

“Mentally unstable.”

“Well. By now.” Magnus chuckled, and Armand joined him conspiratorially.

“No,” Magnus protested. “It’s just drive, honestly. He’s so stubborn. So angry. Not in the swoon—hard to imagine anyone fighting that in the end—but every other moment. Determined to live, or go out fighting.”

Armand hummed. “I’m almost envious. Sounds fun.”

“You know you prefer yours broken.”

“Fair.” Armand lifted the crystal decanter of blood from its sleek electric warmer. “Top you off?”

Magnus offered his snifter and Armand filled it higher with fresh blood. Magnus sipped and smiled, his narrow tongue licking at his upper lip. “I’ve noticed your particular brand of kill imbues a kind of melancholy to your libations. Would it be fair to say the despondent are your favorite flavor?”

“‘You are what you eat.’ The despair pleases me somehow. And you, always seeking out those cookie cutter men, hoping they’ll fight back. Is it the sadism of crushing these hardy specimens that attracts you to this pattern? Or some twisted hope one will succeed in the fight against you, though I can’t imagine how?”

An unsettling smile stretched across Magnus’s face, revealing his toothless gums save his two fangs. “I want a champion. And Armand? This one is easily the best, no contest. I mean to turn him.”

Armand went as still as if time has stopped. “Magnus.”

“I’ve never had a companion in all these centuries. Not even the companionship of a maker, as you know.” Armand nodded. “I’ve been looking for the perfect one, and I’ve found him.”

Armand stared at him; the long silence between them would have been preternatural to any human observer.

“Magnus,” Armand began. “…You say you have finally found one you can’t break. And this is the one you will make into a companion. Against his will. Yet what you describe sounds more like…a pet. That you must lock up when unsupervised, lest he kill you. Are you looking for him to kill you?”

Magnus’s laughter rattled in his thin chest. “Although I do love the idea of danger again after all these years, no. This is about perfection: I could not have sculpted him better myself were I an artist, and were I a god to give him life.

“And who knows what he will become? The dark gift itself may win him over. It has its own alchemy. I love a challenge, and I have nothing but time.”

“Do you? The centennial is approaching. Akasha and Enkil would expect him in attendance. Do you really think they won’t send your boytoy up like a torch within seconds of meeting him? And you with him, for the insult of his making?”

“Please. Once he’s in the blood I can bring him to heel. I will present him at court and he will be a jewel that all will envy.”

Armand drummed his nail tips against the crystal of his glass, then set it aside on the table adjacent his armrest. He leaned forward slightly. “We barely care for each other, but I have grown used to you, friend. This is your reality check: I know you have a very exacting standard, and this one in particular has,” Armand waved a hand, “qualities.”

“You have no idea.”

Armand rolled his eyes. “Despite that? This is a passing fancy. Take another week, enjoy it. Then put it down and add it to your trophy pile. Otherwise after all these years you’ll be like the befuddled dog that finally caught the car; I don’t think your search is one that was meant to have an end. This will not satisfy, and you may well die for it, by his hand or the queen’s.”

Magnus set his own drink down sharply. “God but life has become boring, Armand! Do you not feel it! I think I would welcome the risk of death. To feel alive for a change.” Magnus slipped his hand into his inner coat pocket for his phone, and thumbed through his photos. “Let me show you what I mean.” An odd, soft smile bent his wizened mouth as he paused on one picture. He offered the phone to Armand. “To go out with style—that’s the dream.”

Armand slipped the phone from Magnus’s hand. Considered the photo.

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

Armand seemed infinitesimally pinker in the face than before, but it might have been a trick of the fire in the establishment’s hearth. Armand shrugged one shoulder slightly. “…Oh.”

“Yes, that was my feeling on the matter.” Magnus sucked on his cigar.

“May I?” Armand asked, thumb hovering over the screen to flip through Magnus’s gallery.

“Please do.”

He was silent for a moment as he browsed—there really were quite an array of photographs—swiping slowly, pausing occasionally. “…You really are quite perverse, Magnus.”

“I know.”

Armand pinched his fingers to zoom in, out. “Such a risk, banking on him coming to heel.”

“Well not entirely to heel, I hope.”

Armand ran a thumb over his lower lip, grazed one fang. He swiped leisurely through a few more pictures with his other hand. “…Would you like to bet on it? His passing at court?”

Magnus began to smile once more—the evening was possibly a record for smiles within the past century. “A wager. Life gets more exciting by the moment.”

“You have only three weeks until the centennial gathering. He has his charms, yes, but he will be completely green, will likely be an unruly child, and probably offensive and derisive about our culture. What is his provenance, by the way?”

If anything, Magnus’s smile increased. Unsettling. “Poor. Rural. Family was rich a generation ago, so they have pretensions to grandeur, but lost everything back in the crash like everyone else. So by our standards, and certainly Akasha’s: quite uncultured. He’s currently an actor.”

“Jesus, and you know how emphatically I say this, Christ.”

“Isn’t it delightful?”

Armand’s look was withering. He slid through a few more photos. “The terms of the bet will be—oh my.” Armand stilled on a picture. Casually crossed his legs.

Magnus glanced at the phone. “Oh you’ll like that series.”

Armand slanted his eyes to Magnus. “Are there videos?”

“Private folder. Possibly another time.”

“Hm.”

“Actually had to give him a transfusion after that. He cries so beautifully; I’d gotten a little excited. Took forever to hose the room down.”

“You’re so elaborate,” Armand sighed, actually raising his eyebrows at the next few pictures. “I don’t know where you find the energy.”

“Give that back,” Magnus smirked, holding out his hand for the phone, and Armand relinquished it.

“The terms of the bet,” Armand restated. “Now: obviously you are going to die on November 1, and will thereafter be unavailable to make good on the wager.” Magnus laughed. “So we’ll need to bet on something just before that. Ah.” Armand smiled. “The ball, of course. October 31. Akasha and Enkil won’t be in attendance, so you won’t die immediately, but you will still be a laughingstock.”

“And by what metric would we judge that?”

“True, you’ve never been popular,” Armand mused. Magnus was unoffended—he took pride in his black sheep status.

“So…Marius and Pandora. If they take a shine to him, you’ve won the bet,” Armand’s mouth twisted, sour.

“Oh, Armand.”

“Shut up. He is an insufferable gatekeeper when it comes to Akasha. This is perfect. We’ll leave it to Marius: if Marius chastises you—or worse—then you’ve lost. If he simply shuns you or is ambivalent, then you’ve lost. Your fledgling is to be a “jewel,” remember? To win it must be nothing less than endorsement.”

“Stakes?”

“Hmmm. If you lose, I think I’d like to spend the rest of that evening and that following day in the private company of your fledgling. He does have…qualities.”

“But it would’ve been our final hours together,” Magnus said with dry sarcasm. “How sad.”

“Better make the preceding days count.”

Magnus chuckled. “Fine.”

“And if you win?”

“Well, obviously I would live,” Magnus said. “And I would have the best companion of our kind. And the triumph of showing up all the pompous vampires who have unanimously looked down on me since my creation. Present company excepted, of course.” Armand gave a nod. “So I don’t know that I could want for anything more. Winning would simply be its own satisfaction.”

“How boring for me.”

“Perhaps I will call in a favor at some later date?”

Armand drummed his fingers on the tight leather of his club chair. “Nothing extravagant. But yes. If you win.”

—-

Just as the sun was rising, Armand received a text from Magnus; no words, only a photo. Magnus’s fledgling lay dazed on a bloodsoaked bed far more richly appointed than the white-tiled kill room featured in many of Magnus’s photos.

The pure blue of his fledgling’s eyes had iridesced in the vampiric change to take on an additional slight pale violet quality. He seemed to have been washed and groomed before his turning, though he had previously been beautiful even disheveled and abused. Armand knew better than to think Magnus had applied a filter; of course his fledgling’s complexion had now become luminous.

“Congratulations,” Armand texted, and lay down to sleep.

[ryuichirou]

Replies

We gave you a break from my art but not from my replies lol

Anonymous asked:

Will you draw more Scott Pilgrim content?

Not in the nearest future. Like I wrote in the post itself: we haven’t watched the show yet; and probably won’t for quite some time (I’m positive it’s not something we’d be able to recover from to jump back into twst). But Wallace’s anime design is adorable, so I really wanted to draw him with Todd. We’ll definitely watch it though, and then I might spam more art with them... or keep it to myself.

Anonymous asked:

Out of curiosity, do you have like a genderbend tag or something to see all your works with the twisted boys as girls together 👀

I do! It’s not strictly about twst, but it’s the only thing I post nowadays, so it probably doesn’t matter: #genderswap

I do have quite a lot of drawings of twst boys as girlies, but we haven’t posted much of them… I hope we will one day. 💪😔

Anonymous asked:

Do you think that Fem!Jamil would have less complaints than Regular!Jamil about those times where Kalim tries to dress her up? My guess is that she would simply see it as Fem!Kalim wanting to "play dolls" and wouldn't really think much past that. Annoying, yes, but nothing more than a childish whim. Also, if this requests involve crossdressing, I imagine that her male counterpart would make more of a fuss about it than her.

(we talked about fem!KaliJami in our reply yesterday)

At first yeah, probably. She’s definitely more comfortable with it than the regular Jamil, because it’s easier for her to rationalize it in a non-romantic/non-sexual way. It really is as if Kalim just treats her like a pretty doll, and it’s nothing unusual: they used to play like this a lot when they were little. But when she’ll realise that whenever she’s dressed in pretty silks (and sometimes quite revealing ones), Kalim looks at her in an amazed but also clearly enamoured way. The moment Jamil realised that Kalim probably desires her, she’ll start treating these little dress up games differently.

Anonymous asked:

Ortho got a new card for new years. So picture him with Vil in his new years. Same goes with Rook in his new year. You know what? Have the three of them together in new years?

Ortho’s been getting so many new cards recently! He deserves all of them. The best boy lol Really liked the new year’s one!

Vil’s New Years outfit was so good that my heart actually stops whenever I remember him, and I’m super excited that he could be paired up with either Rook or Ortho now. Or both~

Anonymous asked:

Hey Ryu and katsu, did you guys read the translation for the previous jp event 'Playful Land'? I haven't seen you guys talk about it or mention it, so i'm curious to hear your thoughts and opinions on this event.

personally, i enjoyed most of the event  This is basically falling into the Black Butler territory lol (But i heard rumours that Yana wasn't involved in this event and a few previous ones apparently?).

Also, what do you guys think of the two new characters? Fellow and Gidel. I swear Gidel looks almost identical to cheka :'DD

Anon!! Sorry that it took so long to reply. We haven’t seen this event yet, so we edited out some of the parts of your ask to keep it spoiler-free; I don’t know when we’re going to finally watch it, but we’ll keep your ask in the askbox so we could share our thoughts when it happens. It might take quite a long time though, so I’m sorry.

I’ll reply to the rest of the things you’ve mentioned.

I’m not sure about the rumors, but I think Yana mentioned in her twi that she and her team was involved in the writing + design work for the event? But she has to do a lot of things these days, so I can’t say for sure.

The Black Butler vibes are very strong though, the whole circus/carnival theme is like a classic Yana setting, especially when it gets dark and traumatic lol Very excited to learn more once we watch it.

Fellow and Gidel look great!! Really love their design, their sprites are also great, Fellow especially has great expressions, and I really really love sleazy characters in general. Gidel has a lot of Cheka vibes lol but Cheka is more of a >:3 kid, and Gidel is more of a =w=, also I trust Gidel much much less. But in a good way, because once again, sleazy characters = good.

Anonymous asked:

So I've seen this hand held octopus citrus wringer, let's just say it looks like something else, so I'd like you to imagine Azul shoving a tiny octopus up Idia's ass

You mean… this one? Wow, it really looks like something else…

Poor Idia and his poor butt. Come on, Azul, it’s not an orange!!

Anonymous asked:

Neige could be Cady, but in universe fans would probably say he's a good fit for Regina George bc of his beauty

Either way Janis cusses both of them out so Vil gets paid to insult Neige on-screen

Let’s be honest, his fans would be so scandalized by Cady-Neige turning into “the second Regina” during the course of the movie lol I don’t know why I keep picturing his fanbase as a 90% wholesome people but. Still, he would absolutely be celebrated for that role and for going outside of his unproblematic box.

But yeah, if Vil got to play Janis in this scenario he would probably enjoy his opportunity to vent lol

[i-just-like-goats]

Gojo x Female Reader

Summary: Part 3 to the "where gojo's soulmate is an assassin sent to kill him"

Warnings: mentions of death

WC: 1.4k

Main Masterlist Part 1 Part 2

“Ms Y/N!”

“Itadori, what’s going on?”

“It’s Gojo,”

Everything around you seemed to still. Your finger felt colder than ever.

“Where is he?”

Itadori grabbed your arm and led you to the track field.

“He just kind of keeled over in pain and he’s not responding,”

“Did you tell Ieiri?”

You shook your head at Itadori’s silence.

“My cursed energy is very minimal, Ieiri would’ve been better you know,”

You sighed.

“Go back and inform Ieiri, I’ll go see what I can do,”

Gojo’s kneeling body had you pausing momentarily. You sprinted the last few metres to him.

Pale. He was so pale.

“Hey soulmate, what brings you here?” “Back to using that annoying nickname? You look wonderful like this, on the brink of death,”

He coughed and gripped his chest even harder. Your eyes widened as his arms could no longer support him and he ended up laying on the ground face down.

“Gojo!”

You slung his arm over your shoulders and with the help of Maki, half dragged his tall frame to Ieiri's office.

"Y/N. Itadori told me what happened. Get him on the bed,"

You all but dumped Gojo onto the bed.

"I know you don't like him but please be more gentle,"

You stepped back, allowing Ieiri to assess the damage but stepped out of the room when she cut open his shirt to reveal an almost black stain blooming from his chest and spreading to the rest of his upper body.

Surely Gojo would make it. Wounds often looked worse than they actually were right? At least that was often the case with you. Worried, you glanced at the red string. Muted! The red colour looked so muted in your finger! You flinched.

“Sorry for startling you,”

Ieiri retracted her hand from your shoulder.

“You can sit down you know, you seem to have been standing there for two hours looking lost,”

“I didn’t look lost, I was deep in thought,”

“More like deep in worry. He’s fine now, he just needs to rest, but I’m sure that’s news you weren’t hoping to hear,”

With that, she turned around to walk away.

“Ieiri,”

She stopped.

“Can I,” you swallowed, “Can I see him?”

She turned to face you with a surprised face that turned to a look of interest.

“Please,”

“Go ahead. Just promise me you won’t smother him in his sleep,”

You laughed lightly at her comment.

“No promises, his face is quite annoying to look at, don’t you think?”

“Fair enough, but I don’t want my energy to have gone to waste,”

Once again, she walked away from you as you sighed deeply and opened the door slowly. Gojo lay there sleeping peacefully.

“You idiot,” you whispered, “Don’t scare me like that,”

You sank down into the chair by the bed and simply observed him. He looked so peaceful without his face twisted into his stupidly dazzling smile or that incredibly infuriating smirk. His features were relaxed, and dare you say it, he looked almost angelic simply lying there. It was unfair how flawless he looked at all times of the day, even now, when he was asleep.

“Gojo Satoru, what are you doing to me? I tried so hard to shield my heart, but yet you managed to slip in through the smallest crack in my armour. I’ve grown to care about the kids, I cherish the relationship I have with them and you. I’ve tried so hard to resist your charms, but there’s something about you that draws me to you. I hate you. But I don’t want you to leave,”

After some time spent simply watching over him, you fell asleep in the chair, and unbeknownst to you, the corners of Gojo’s lips moved upwards slightly to form a small smile. How cute you were when you weren’t guarding yourself.

You awoke to someone playing with your hair as you realised your upper body was laying on Gojo’s bed while your lower body stayed seated in the chair. Your back would be killing you once you got out of this position.

"By the way, you can stop gripping the string so hard. I'm not going anywhere,"

Hastily, you let go of the string and winced at the marks your nails left in your palm. Gojo chuckled from his supine position.

“Shame, your absence would benefit everyone immensely,”

“Even as I’m on the brink of death, you still insult me, would it kill you to be nice?”

“So dramatic, Ieiri said you’d be fine. And can you please stop playing with my hair?" 

"No,"

You huffed and moved your head so you were no longer facing him. You would never admit it, but him playing with your hair felt nice. The string was a vibrant red again, and it was warm too. Much warmer than it had ever been.

"Does your pinkie sometimes feel cold?"

"It felt ice cold when I first met you, but I only noticed recently that it was much warmer. I suppose it gradually rose in temperature. Why do you ask?"

"During the weeks you were gone and even after you returned, my pinkie would not warm up,"

Neither of you said a word. You turned back to look at Gojo, who looked deep in thought.

"Were you feeling negative towards me recently?"

"I wouldn't say negative. More like I lost the motivation to keep trying to develop our relationship past just co workers,"

"I suppose that's why my pinkie felt cold then. I'm glad it's warm again,"

"Why?"

"Because I need the ego boost,"

"Y/N,"

"Gojo,"

"Please. Just please for once in your life be vulnerable here with me. I'm your soulmate, I'll understand,"

"Well it seems like you're the one wanting the ego boost. I know you were awake when I was rambling,"

"How?"

"You weren't very slick there with the whole 'I'm not going anywhere' line. It was very cheesy and very clearly a reply to what I said yesterday, so I will not be repeating those words again just for you to get an ego boost," 

"Worth a shot,"

Gojo tugged your arm and wrapped his arms around you.

"This is uncomfortable,"

"Deal with it soulmate. I can feel your heart rate increasing. You know you like it," 

"Whatever,"

The shouts of your students caused you to jump out of your skin and to simply fall onto Gojo's chest since his grip tightened around you.

"That was unnecessary," You complained

"We'll leave you two alone," Fushiguro said as he pushed everyone out of the room and shut the door behind him.

"I like your company," You whispered.

"Who doesn't?"

"I'm trying to be vulnerable here!"

"Sorry sorry. Continue,"

"Well now I don't want to,"

You yelped as Gojo flicked your forehead.

"I'll start then. You're a prickly one. You're hard to understand; you're cold; you're blunt; you're distant; you-"

"I don't think this is what being vulnerable is,"

"Let me continue,"

"Let me move into a more comfortable position first," You retorted.

Gojo sighed as you shifted so you sat upright on the bed. Your piercing gaze stared him down.

"You're intimidating, that's for sure. As well as uncooperative,"

Your pout made Gojo chuckle.

"But, despite all of that, I still find myself drawn to you. Why? Because you're captivating. You know what you're doing; you're skilled; you're passionate about teaching the kids; you care deeply for them even though you've tried staying distant and I find myself looking forward to hearing your witty remarks. They entertain me because you're so unpredictable and I look forward to seeing you everyday. Your habits are endearing as well, like your little notes on the students because you only want them to succeed or how you tend to space out a lot when you grow tired,"

Under Gojo's earnest stare, you reddened. Who knew he paid that much attention to you?

"Thank you,"

"You're burning up," He teased as he cupped your cheek softly.

Gojo braced himself for you to slap his hand away from your cheek, but you held true to your unpredictability and instead held his hand there.

"With you, you make me feel like what I'm doing is worthwhile. You're a ray of light in my dark world. I've lost many people and I never thought I'd find people to love again until I met you and you forced me to become a teacher. Your smirks and smiles, as infuriating as they are, make me smile. And I love hearing your laugh,"

"See? Wasn't so hard now was it?"

"You're right. It was excruciatingly difficult,"

"So dramatic. Come here,"

With his signature smile, Gojo opened up his arms for you to nestle into his chest.

"Thank you for being vulnerable with me," He whispered into your hair once you got comfortable.

"Thank you for being patient with me,"

"Anytime, soulmate,"

Tagging: @96jnie

[emma-m-black]

Soul Mate Magic - Chapter Three

Rupert Giles x OC (FanFiction) - MATURE 18+

A new magical transfer comes to Sunnydale High, and ends up discovering a magical connection with our favorite Watcher.

OC is 19+ (Not a Minor), Age Gap, Slow Burn-ish (with a little preview thrown in there during the Bandy Candy Episode).

This will be a multi chapter story I don't know how spicy it will get yet, but I'll rate it Mature just to be safe.

Author Master List

Read: Chapter One, Chapter Two

Chapter Three:

Though it seemed unusual for Sunnydale’s homecoming to take place so late in the school year, Rose wasn’t one to complain. She was more than happy to have an excuse to dress up and enjoy herself. The invitation from Willow to join her group had been a welcome escape from listening to Harmony’s endless talk about her dress. Now, Rose found herself climbing into the back of Oz’s van along with Xander and a girl named Faith she hadn’t met before. Willow sat in the front passenger seat beside Oz, the couple engaged in soft conversation, their hands brushing occasionally.

“Thanks so much for inviting me,” Rose said as she settled into her seat, the cool leather beneath her bare legs sending a shiver through her. “If I had to listen to Harmony talk about her dress one more time, I might’ve shoved it down her throat just to shut her up.”

Faith, perched on the edge of the seat with an air of casual confidence, shot Rose a grin and a playful punch to the arm. “I like this chick,” she said, her voice husky, the kind that commanded attention.

“Sorry about not doing the limo thing,” Willow turned slightly in her seat, apologetic but cheerful. “Buffy and Cordelia needed some alone time to work out their issues.”

Rose smiled and waved it off. “Totally fine. You all look amazing, by the way.”

The van was dimly lit, the soft glow of the dashboard casting a faint light on everyone’s faces. Rose glanced over at Willow and Faith. Willow’s simple, sweet dress and Faith’s sultry, edgier outfit were striking against the backdrop of the van’s interior. But it was the guys in their tuxes that really threw Rose off. She hadn’t expected Oz or Xander to clean up quite so nicely.

Xander, catching her eye, looked her over with an exaggerated, wide-eyed stare. “You’re one to talk. Have you seen yourself?”

Rose’s cheeks burned, and she dropped her gaze to her dress, a long-sleeved black number with intricate lace woven tightly around her form. The soft, delicate fabric clung to her body, revealing just enough skin to send a thrill of confidence through her. Underneath, a simple black balconette bra and high-waisted underwear gave her an air of sophistication while still feeling provocative. She tugged at the hem instinctively, trying not to fidget under the weight of Xander’s compliment.

Faith, smirking, leaned back and crossed her legs. “Sex on legs, that’s what you are. So, who’s the lucky guy you’re trying to impress, huh?”

Rose froze, heart skipping a beat. “No one,” she blurted out, far too quickly.

Willow’s eyes lit up with playful curiosity as she twisted around in her seat again. “I bet it’s Robin! He’s always trying to get you to sit with him in chem class.”

Rose shot her a pointed look, but her lips twitched with a smile. “Will, you know I only have eyes for you in chemistry.”

Willow giggled. “I know.”

Faith, however, wasn’t letting up. “There’s gotta be someone. Whoever he is, he won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”

Rose spent the rest of the ride fighting the rapid beating of her heart. She hadn’t intended for her outfit to make such a statement, but Faith’s words lingered, making her wonder if everyone else would see right through her as well.

When they finally arrived at the homecoming party, the warm evening air enveloped them as they stepped out of the van. The high school gym had been transformed, decorated with fairy lights twinkling above and tables draped in silky fabrics lining the edges of the room. Music pulsed through the air, vibrating the walls and floor beneath them, as students gathered in clusters, laughing and chatting.

Rose walked into the crowd with her friends, but soon, Xander and Oz offered to grab drinks, and Willow went with them, leaving her alone with Faith. The crowd shifted around them like a sea, and Rose felt the energy of the room as she scanned her surroundings. Bright colors, laughter, and the clink of glasses echoed all around. Yet, a faint tingle buzzed at the back of her neck, a sensation that made her hyper-aware of everything.

“So, hot stuff,” Faith leaned closer, her voice lowering, “which one is he?”

“I don’t—” Rose’s words died in her throat as her eyes fell on Giles across the room.

Dressed in a dark suit that seemed a perfect contrast to the casual chaos around him, Giles stood near the punch table, his gaze fixed solely on her. The intensity of his eyes sent a shockwave through her body, making her heart skip a beat. Her skin prickled with awareness, as though the very air around them was charged with something electric and primal. Everything else in the room faded into the background—the lights, the noise, even the people. It was just the two of them, caught in a current that was impossible to explain.

That magical connection she had felt since they first met surged, growing stronger. Her breath hitched, her body instinctively drawing toward him, despite the crowded room between them. Her mind buzzed with thoughts she couldn’t fully form, her pulse loud in her ears.

Faith’s voice cut through the haze. “Ah, I see. You’ve got a taste for the old Watcher.”

Rose snapped her gaze away from Giles, her eyes wide. “Taste? No, I haven’t… I haven’t tasted anyone. Wait, Watcher?”

Faith raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching into a sly smile. “Wait, you don’t know? Huh. Thought they’d have told you by now.” With a shrug, Faith’s eyes flicked past Rose before she turned and walked away.

Before Rose could fully process what Faith had just said, she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat behind her. “Ms. Murphy.”

She turned slowly to face Giles, his presence so close now that the rest of the room dissolved into white noise. He towered over her, and yet, despite his imposing figure, there was a quiet softness in the way his eyes roamed her face. The air between them felt charged, as though something was unsaid, something they were both skirting around but neither had the courage to acknowledge.

“Mr. Giles,” Rose replied, her voice soft, almost breathless. “I’m surprised you got dragged into this. Doesn’t seem like your kind of thing.”

Giles chuckled, a rich sound that vibrated through her. “It’s one of my many mandatory chaperone duties.”

The awkwardness hung between them, heavy and palpable. Rose’s gaze flickered to his hands as he removed his glasses—a nervous habit, one she had noticed long ago. His hands were strong but delicate, fingers steady as they polished the lenses. For a brief moment, she wondered how those hands would feel against her skin, but she quickly banished the thought, her cheeks flushing at the inappropriate image.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she managed, her voice faltering slightly. “Here for the students, I mean.”

“Yes, the students,” Giles echoed, though his eyes lingered on her longer than they should have. He stuttered as he slipped his glasses back on, trying to regain his usual calm. “You look… very nice tonight.”

“Thank you,” Rose said, her pulse quickening. “You look quite dashing yourself.”

The compliment seemed to catch him off guard. He straightened his tie and cleared his throat again, his gaze flicking down to her dress for just a second longer than necessary. “I was wondering if we could talk about that previous conversation, if your… date can spare you?”

Rose’s breath caught in her throat, the suggestion hanging between them. “I don’t have a date tonight.”

Giles blinked, clearly surprised. “Oh. I… just assumed. Given how… well, never mind. Would you like to accompany me to the library?”

Rose nodded, offering him a small smile, and the two walked out of the gym together, the distance between them growing shorter with each step.

As they left the gym, the shift from the pulsing beat of the music to the quiet hum of the school’s hallways was stark. The fluorescent lights above flickered faintly, casting a soft glow over the empty corridors. The sound of their footsteps echoed in the silence, each step punctuating the growing tension between them.

Rose walked beside Giles, her fingers brushing lightly against the fabric of her dress as if to anchor herself. The cool air outside the gym was a sharp contrast to the warmth of the crowded room they’d just left. She felt every inch of space between them, though it seemed to shrink with every passing second. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she had to focus on her breathing to keep it steady.

Giles was composed, his posture rigid but graceful as ever. His hands, however, betrayed him—he kept fidgeting with the cufflinks on his sleeves, as though trying to find something to do with them. The air around them buzzed with unspoken words, but neither of them seemed ready to break the silence just yet.

They reached the library, and Giles held the door open for her. “After you, Ms. Murphy.”

“Thank you,” Rose said softly, her voice barely above a whisper as she stepped inside.

The library was dim, the only light coming from the faint glow of the lamps on the tables. The familiar scent of old books and polished wood filled the air, comforting and grounding. Rose glanced around the room, taking in the quiet serenity of the space. It was a place of solace for her, one she had come to associate with Giles. His presence seemed to fill every corner, making it feel like a sanctuary.

Giles walked past her, heading to the main table where he set down the glasses he’d been holding. He leaned against the edge of the table, his fingers drumming lightly on the surface. Rose could see the tension in his posture, the way his shoulders were drawn tight, as though he was carrying the weight of something he didn’t quite know how to express.

She approached slowly, her heels clicking softly against the wooden floor, the sound like a steady heartbeat in the quiet room. “You said you wanted to talk about something?”

Giles looked up at her, his eyes catching hers for a moment before he quickly averted them, staring down at the books on the table instead. “Yes, would you like some tea?” he began, his voice low and measured.

“You asked me here for tea?”

“Would you believe me if I said yes?”

“No, but I would appreciate a cup of tea, before we have what I am guessing is going to be a very awkward conversation.”

Without a word, Giles disappeared into the office, and a few minutes later emerged with two steaming cups. He handed one to her with a careful smile, his fingers briefly grazing hers as she took it. The touch was fleeting but sparked something between them—a tension that lingered even after he pulled away.

Rose sat on the edge of the table now with cup in hand as she watched Giles closely, the silence between them growing heavier. Rose lifted the cup to her lips, inhaling the warmth of the tea, though it did little to calm her jittery nerves. She felt as though they were circling something neither of them wanted to address, yet it hovered just beneath the surface.

Giles cleared his throat, his voice softer now. “Rose... about the last time we spoke.” His voice trailed into silence as he looked to struggle for words..

“I see you were doing a bit of light reading, Watcher.” Rose spoke clearly as she nodded to the demonic tombs on the desk.

“Hmm, what was that?” Giles questioned.

“Faith, she called you Watcher.” Rose turned herself around to sit on the table and faced him.

“How odd,” he replied with a simple shrug, taking a tentative sip of his tea.

“Yes, it is, because I’ve only ever heard someone referred to as a Watcher when there was a Slayer involved.” Rose’s eyes narrowed as she watched Giles try to maintain his composure. She caught the slight tension in his jaw, the way he shifted his weight ever so slightly, taking a step back.

“I’ve never heard of these terms before,” Giles said, feigning casualness, though his voice wavered just enough. “Did you read them in a book somewhere?”

Rose rolled her eyes, lifting her cup to her lips for another sip. “You’re lying again.”

“Am not,” Giles responded automatically, though there was a stiffness in his tone now. “I have no clue what a Watcher is. Or a Slayer.”

“Slayer!” came a gruff voice from the entrance.

Both Rose and Giles turned swiftly to see two figures—an imposing man, dressed like an outlaw cowboy, and a sharp-eyed woman standing close by his side. The man’s presence filled the room with danger, and Rose immediately tensed.

“Can I help you?” Giles asked, setting his cup down on the table with a deliberate calm, though Rose could sense the shift in his posture—alert, protective.

“Yeah,” the cowboy sneered, “we’re looking for the Slayer. A little birdie told us she might be here.”

Giles stepped forward, deliberately placing himself between Rose and the strangers. “There’s no Slayer here,” Giles replied firmly, his voice low and measured. Rose set her cup down slowly, slipping from the table and keeping herself hidden behind Giles.

The cowboy grinned, revealing a hint of fang. “That’s a shame. But I reckon we’ll have to make do with you two. I am getting quite hungry.”

In an instant, the threat crystallized. Rose felt her pulse spike, her magic responding instinctively. As the man took a step forward, Giles subtly shifted, pushing Rose back with a firm but protective motion.

“Stay behind me,” he muttered under his breath as Rose moved to step out from behind Giles, her voice low and daring, “Because if you don’t, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

Giles’s eyes flickered with concern as he tried to grab her arm, but she twisted free, her senses sharpening with a mix of adrenaline and magic. She could feel the dark, raw energy pulsing just beneath her skin, aching to be unleashed. She wasn’t afraid. Not this time.

The vampire sneered, his eyes locking onto hers. “You think you can take me?”

Rose’s smile was cold. “Oh, it’s not a thought, it’s a fact.”

She didn’t give him time to respond. With a sharp flick of her wrist, a gust of wind erupted from her hand, sending the vampire flying backward with a violent crash. The force rattled the shelves, and books tumbled to the floor. But the vampire wasn’t down for long. He rose slowly, a savage grin splitting his face as his partner, a lithe woman with bloodstained lips, lunged toward Rose with deadly speed.

In a flash, Rose ducked, feeling the vampire’s hand rake the air just above her head. She retaliated instantly, driving her elbow into the vampire’s ribs with a satisfying crack. The female vampire hissed, but Rose didn’t give her the chance to recover. She summoned another wave of magic, throwing the creature against the nearest bookshelf.

The male vampire was on her next, his cold hand clamping around her throat, lifting her off the ground with brutal strength. Rose gasped for air, her vision dimming at the edges as she struggled against his iron grip. Her fingers twitched, crackling with magic, but it was sluggish, slow. She had overexerted herself, and now the consequences were catching up with her.

“Not so tough now, are you?” the vampire hissed, his face inches from hers, his fangs gleaming.

Rose’s heart pounded, her lungs screaming for air, but through the haze of panic, she could see Giles moving—fighting to get to her, his eyes filled with fear. The sight gave her a burst of energy. With a guttural scream, she thrust her hand forward, releasing a surge of raw magic directly into the vampire’s chest. He roared in agony, dropping her as he staggered back, smoke rising from where her magic burned through his skin.

Rose hit the ground hard, coughing and gasping for air as the vampire stumbled, clutching his smoldering chest. But there was no time to rest. The female vampire was back on her feet, eyes blazing with fury as she charged at Giles, who had just managed to grab a stake.

“No, you don’t!” Rose yelled, her voice raw, forcing herself to her feet. Her legs wobbled, but she steadied herself, hands raised, ready to send the last of her energy into a final spell.

Before she could cast it, the female vampire had already thrown Giles against the wall, her sharp nails slashing at his arm. He grunted in pain, barely dodging her next attack. Blood dripped from his sleeve, staining the floor.

“Rupert!” Rose’s voice was frantic now, her energy ebbing, but she couldn’t let him face this alone. She willed the last of her strength into the air, summoning the remnants of her power. Her eyes locked on a jagged shard of wood from the shattered chair, her breath shallow as she whispered, “Surge et quaere signum tuum…”

The shard launched across the room like a bullet, piercing the male vampire’s heart. He let out a strangled gasp before crumbling to ash, his body dissolving in the dim light. But his female counterpart let out a shriek of rage, redoubling her attack on Giles.

Time slowed. Rose saw the fangs inching closer to Giles’s throat, the predator’s eyes wild with bloodlust. With no other choice, Rose hurled herself forward, tackling the vampire just as she prepared to sink her teeth into Giles. They tumbled to the ground in a blur of limbs, Rose’s fingers clawing at the vampire’s throat as they rolled across the floor, a feral growl escaping her lips.

“Rose, get clear!” Giles shouted, but Rose barely heard him. Her only thought was survival, the primal instinct to fight, to kill. Her magic was spent, but she wasn’t powerless. Using pure strength, she kneed the vampire in the gut, earning a brief reprieve as the creature recoiled.

In that instant, Giles was there, plunging the stake into the vampire’s chest with brutal force. The vampire screeched, her body convulsing before collapsing into a heap of dust at their feet. Silence followed, broken only by their ragged breathing.

Rose collapsed against the wall, her limbs trembling with exhaustion and her head pounding. Giles was beside her in an instant, his hands running over her arms, her face, checking for injuries. “You’re hurt…”

Rose tried to wave him off, her head spinning. “I’m fine…” But the pain flaring in her side suggested otherwise. Her ribs ached from the impact, and her vision swam from the blow to her head earlier.

Giles crouched beside her, his hands shaking slightly as they hovered near her head. “Rose… you’re bleeding. We need to—”

“I can heal,” she whispered, her voice faint. “Just… need some help.”

Without hesitation, Giles took her hand, his touch both gentle and electric. The connection sent a spark through her, a rush of warmth that cut through the pain. His fingers tightened around hers, and together, she began the familiar chant.

“Sana hanc cutem,” Rose murmured, her eyes fluttering shut as the magic flowed between them.

Giles’s voice was steady beside her, his words soft but strong. “Haec ossa sana, haec vulnera sana.”

The warmth between their joined hands intensified, spreading through Rose’s body like liquid fire. The pain in her ribs dulled, the dizziness receded, and her skin tingled with renewed strength. She felt Giles’s power flooding into her, overwhelming and intoxicating.

When she opened her eyes, Giles’s face was inches from hers, his breath mingling with hers, their hands still clasped. The intensity in his eyes made her heart pound—an unspoken desire crackled in the air between them, more tangible than the magic that had just healed her.

For a moment, neither of them moved. The world around them seemed to still as the tension simmered in the air, charged with something far more dangerous than magic.

“Heavens,” whispered Giles.

Rose’s eyes fluttered away from his, falling to their still-joined hands. The faint traces of joint magic still radiated between them—a subtle ripple in the air, and an almost imperceptible glow illuminating their skin. She had borrowed power before, participated in countless coven spells, but nothing had ever felt like this. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear it felt like the euphoric aftermath of an intimate encounter.

“What in God’s name...” Giles muttered, his gaze also drawn to their entwined hands. Neither of them made a move to pull away. Their fingers lingered, electricity crackling between them, an unspoken bond holding them together as their eyes locked once more.

“GILES!”

The spell shattered. In an instant, their hands parted, and Rose shuddered at the loss of contact. The magic inside her recoiled, yearning to reconnect, but she forced her hands to remain still against the cold floor. The void left by his touch was almost painful.

“Are you okay?” Buffy Summers’ voice cut through the haze. “What happened here?”

“There was a couple,” Giles began, his voice unusually calm, though a hint of tension betrayed him. “I think they were on drugs or something.”

Rose noticed the conflicted look in his eyes and slowly, carefully, began to rise to her feet. “They attacked us,” she added, her voice trembling—not entirely from fear, but from the adrenaline still pulsing through her veins. Buffy seemed to mistake the quiver in her voice for fear, her eyes widening in concern.

“They knocked me out,” Rose continued, “but Mr. Giles must have been able to fend them off.”

“I was able to deal with them,” Giles said softly, his gaze flickering between Rose and Buffy, as if uncertain how much truth to reveal. “Scared them off.”

“Giles, you’re bleeding,” Buffy pointed out, her eyes dropping to his hand.

“Oh, I’m fine,” he said quickly, almost absently. “What, umm, happened to you two?”

Buffy glanced down at herself, noticing for the first time her torn dress and the grime smudging her skin. “Oh, car trouble,” she mumbled, clearly unsettled.

“Well, it seems like we’ve all had a night,” Rose said, taking a tentative step forward, testing her balance. The lingering magic made her feel both heavy and weightless, but she managed to steady herself. “I’m going to go wash the blood out of my hair. Mr. Giles, I’ll come talk to you about that book on Monday if that’s alright?”

“Yes. Yes, of course,” he replied, his voice a little too quick, his eyes lingering on her for just a moment longer than necessary.

As Rose turned to leave, she could still feel the pull of their connection—an invisible thread that tied them together, stronger now than before. But for now, she had to let it go.

Chapter Four

[stewardofningishzida]

Stephen Strange Meta-Fic Sequel - Chapter 12: Dormammu

Here we gooooo!~ Interdimensional weirdness abound! Also, our cast of characters has expanded. ;-)

TRIGGER WARNING: Portrayal of a panic attack, general adventure scary situations, burn injury on hands

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 12: Dormammu

*Stephen Strange drifts through a familiar dimension, though he certainly wishes that he was anywhere else.  As he floats through with his Cloak in tow, the sorcerer eventually comes to a twisting, convoluted path emerging from the void.  He touches down to investigate.  Stephen looks around and sees the usual floating interdimensional debris, along with the occasional Mindless One probing the Ruler of the Dark Dimension’s force field for weaknesses.  Various multicolored objects lazily drift about, as though in a light breeze, despite there being no wind currents to speak of in this accursed place.  He ventures upside-down through a swirling archway, paying no heed to the directionless gravity.  All the while, a life form resembling a cross between a giant flatworm and a rabbit swims through the endless expanse nearby.  Stephen senses that he’s being watched and is on alert.  Though the mage cannot quite place who or what this being is yet.*

*Turns out Stephen is being watched, but not by anyone dangerous. Rather, it is a woman dressed from head to toe in purple. Her silver hair floats around her as she gazes up at the man, clearly intrigued by him.

Mystery Woman: He’s returned…! As I hoped he would someday.

*She hesitates; she wants to go over and introduce herself to him but still isn’t sure. She is Dormammu’s niece, after all. He may suspect she’s here to harm him. Sure, her dreams say otherwise, but she’s not so sure. Dreams are pleasant, but reality?...Well, she knows reality isn’t always that kind. So she decides to lay low for now.*

*The sorcerer continues on his path, feeling the aura of his scheming enemy grow ever closer.  However, he pauses for a moment and looks around, already suspicious.*

Stephen (flatly):  I know you’re back there.  Reveal yourself.  *He’s on the defensive, bracing for a potential attacker.*

*The Mystery Woman is surprised at being called out so quickly.*

Mystery Woman: (Sighs) Goddammit. *She comes out from behind the veil and shows herself to the good doctor.* Hello, Doctor Strange.

Stephen (cautious):  What business do you have on this pathway, Miss?

*He subtly looks her up and down, noting mentally that she looks exactly like the woman from his nighttime visions.*

Mystery Woman: I only intend to help you. Nothing more.

Stephen (cautious):  How can I be sure of that?  *He won’t give any extra details away, wanting to see if he can discern her true intentions.*

*The Mystery Woman starts racking her brain for what she could possibly offer as proof to him. She could take him to Dormammu’s keep, but that may only make him even more suspicious of her. Then it hits her like a dagger to the heart.*

Mystery Woman: *She waves her hand and forms a magic dagger she takes in her hand.* This is The Blade of Mysterium; it is an anti-magic dagger. One strike may either cleave your magic in two, or kill you outright. *She holds it out to Stephen.* I presume this will suffice?

*He takes a step back momentarily to keep out of reach while silently assessing the weapon.  Judging by the energy it gives off, he understands that she’s telling the truth.*

Stephen:  You are willing to part with this?  *He watches her carefully before accepting the dagger.  Stephen sheathes it to be safe, observing her out of the corner of his eye.*  Very well.  I will hold you to your word.  *He decides to see where this goes.  For now.*

Mystery Woman: *She smiles.* Oh thank you!- *Clears her throat.* I mean…thank you.

*Doctor Strange looks at her curiously for a second before awkwardly clearing his own throat.*

Stephen:  Yes…Hmm…I am currently en route to Dormammu’s keep.  Would you guide me, please?  I haven’t much time to waste.

Mystery Woman: *She’s beaming happily.* It would be my pleasure, Doctor. *She floats ahead of him.* Come, you say you’re in a hurry, so…

*He follows her, still on-guard, but deciding to trust her at the moment.*

*In the center of the Dark Dimension, a mysterious being studies the magical connection of universes as it has been acting quite odd in the past year. There is a section of the floating map that he has specifically crossed off, it wasn’t worth the trouble to try and go for it since he did agree to a deal just to get that sorcerer to stop that infernal loop. However, something seems to be growing somewhat near that forbidden universe. A new one perhaps?*

Dormammu: Interesting…

*He summons the map closer and inspects this newer universe. It is absolutely oozing magical energy and almost seems like it’s overflowing with potential. It’s also so new that no one would realize it was even there to begin with and it would be absolutely delicious to absorb into the collective. Something catches his attention though…something…almost familiar. It’s nearly drowned out by the new magic that is forming but it gives him pause. No matter, it’s likely from another world he has already absorbed. Now, he could go feast…*

*The Mystery Woman is in front of Stephen, making her way to Dormammu’s keep. The whole time, she can feel his eyes on her at all times, watching her. Though whether or not he’s intrigued or suspicious, she can’t say for sure. So, she looks back at him, curiously. His eyes are stoic but she can see a hint of intrigue in his blue orbs. So if he is, why not engage in some small talk? Or at least try to.*

Mystery Woman: *She rips her gaze away from him.* I’m surprised you haven’t asked me how I know your name.

Stephen:  At this point, it seems almost par for the course.  Though I AM curious.  How did you find out about me?  *He’s a bit awkward about being directly confronted with this fact, but seems to play it off well.  The sorcerer’s questions are put forth with a curious, albeit cautious tone.  It appears that he is just as curious about her as she is about him.*

Mystery Woman: *She smiles.* I remember when you first came here.

Stephen (mixed emotions, a bit curious and also suspicious):  …You saw me?  Then, why didn’t you intervene back then?  Why help me now?

Mystery Woman: Yes. *She turns to him, arms behind her back and still flying. Her smile is now a bit playful,but mostly nostalgic.* Your magic affected the entire dimension. So, I went to see what all the fuss was about and…well, I showed up just in time to see Dormammu squish you. *She holds back a chuckle at Stephen’s sudden wide-eyed stare.* I was but a mere noblewoman then, not nearly as adept at magic, so I doubt I could’ve helped you. But I…couldn’t tear my eyes away…I was taken with you bravery and nobility. *She turns away to hide the blush on her cheeks. *As for why I’m helping you now…I knew you would return. I kept having dreams of you. Some of them were unpleasant, like seeing you disintegrate. Others showed me that…you would return to this place and do battle with Dormammu, again. I wanted to help however I could.

*Stephen takes a moment to process this information.*  

Stephen (pensive):  Fascinating…What is your name?  *He doesn’t want to give too much extra information just in case, but Prettywitch’s visions, his dreams, and our implied prior knowledge seems to be coalescing in his mind as he speaks with this woman.*

Mystery Woman: *She turns to him and smiles.* Clea…

Stephen (polite):  It’s a pleasure to finally meet you properly, Clea.  *He returns her smile with a well-mannered smile of his own.*

Clea: *Her smiles widens. She even hums a little as her cheeks turn red.* It’s nice to finally meet you, as well… *She senses something.* Come! *She takes his hand and they hide behind a chunk of debris.*

*He follows her direction and listens carefully, attempting to discern what’s going on.  Though he does sense Dormammu’s aura closer now.  They must be nearing his keep.  Clea is true to her word so far, at least.*

Clea: Wait here. *She carefully pokes her head out from the rock and, frightened by what she sees, hides herself again, quickly.* Shit! There’s Mindless Ones about. He must know you’re here.

*Stephen subtly scans the area, noting how many potential enemies are about.  Some, although enveloped in Dormammu’s energy, feel oddly familiar…*

*A group of what used to be people stagger by in familiar robes. Their eyes are completely gone and are just endless voids cracking off where their skin should be. It seems that this has become the fate of the rogue sorcerers who once almost bested Stephen all that time ago. Leading the pack is Stephen’s first enemy: Kaecillus.*

*His stomach drops, recognizing Kaecillus and his Zealots, despite the changes they’re undergone.  The sorcerer does his best to remain stoic in his observations.  Though the horror of what happened to them has made a considerable impact on him.  They made their own choices, but a small part of him still feels guilt for having effectively sentenced them to a fate worse than death.  The sum of the consequences of their combined actions back from when he was a mere Adept presenting itself before him now.*

Stephen (quietly to Clea):  Stay down.  We’ll try to get past them quickly and quietly.  No need to alert Dormammu even further and be even more obvious right now.

Clea: *She nods.* Right…

*She takes his hand again and waits until the Mindless Ones have passed the debris they’re hiding behind. Then they make their way towards the Dread One’s keep.

*The sorcerer is on high alert now, his ears perked and head on a swivel to pay attention to their surroundings.*

*Dormammu has been focused solely on this new universe and has been beginning to gather as many of his mindless ones as possible to pave the way to this new universe. He would gain so many more soon once the siege started. It was a nudge of familiar energy that finally dragged his attention from his project. Not only was it his niece who dared defy him but she had brought that bargainer. 

Dormammu: No matter. I will leave sooner than expected while he is too busy to stop me. 

*He summons a surprise to wait for the sorcerer and hastens his plans so he can leave as soon as possible…*

*Looming just ahead of the pair is Dormammu’s Keep.  Mindless Ones swarm through the gate into the imposing fortress, already mobilizing.*

Clea: Oh Dormammau’s flames! There’s hundreds of them! *She thinks of what to do and decides there’s only one way to fix this…but that would mean revealing her true nature to him…She can’t…No, she must. She can’t bear to watch her Uncle take another planet into himself, not anymore. If it meant the man who inspired her to stand up for her beliefs like she always wanted to would no longer trust her? So be it. She turns to Stephen, sadly.* Let me handle this.

*She lets go of his hand and flies at top speed towards the swarm of Mindless Ones. They see her and immediately begin to make their descent towards her. But Clea doesn’t care; she ignites herself, becoming a woman on fire. Purple fire to be specific. With one, furious battle cry she speeds towards the army and thrusts her arms forward, setting off a powerful explosion akin to a nuclear blast. In an instant, the Mindless Ones are gone.*

*Clea floats there for a moment. She breathes a deep sigh and returns to her normal, human looking form. She turns to Stephen, nervously.*

Clea: Sorry. It was the only way.

*Stephen watches the whole thing unfold and is stunned.  He stares at her, wide-eyed for a second before composing himself.  Although he generally disapproves of killing, it may have been a mercy for these beings, judging by what happened to his former enemies after Dormammu assimilated them into his army all of those years ago.*

Stephen (attempting to remain stoic, but also trying to figure out exactly who Clea really is):  Your attacks…They’re familiar.  Too familiar.  Who are you exactly?  *He wants the full truth.*

Clea: *She bites her lip in worry. Still, she chose to take a risk, didn’t she? She sighs.* I am…Dormammu’s niece; his rightful Heir to his throne…Or at least I was until I defied him, but yes. He is my Uncle…begrudgingly.

Stephen (listening intently):  What made you decide to defy him?  

Clea: *She smiles.* You did.

*He can’t help it as his face flushes red.*

Stephen (awkward):  Erm…Thank you for taking my actions to heart.  *Composing himself quickly, knowing that time is of the essence.*  Anyway, you lead the way since you’re even more familiar with our common enemy.  I will mount the attack as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

Clea: *Inside, she’s surprised he’s flattered and still trusting of her. She’d love to flirt more, since she’s finding his awkwardness to be adorable, but time is of the essence.* Of course, Doctor.

*She flies forward while he follows.*

*They enter the Keep, the path having been cleared by the Faltine woman’s flames. However, a hooded figure in yellow stands at the bottom of the stairs, a familiar mark glowing from the shadows of their hood.*

*Stephen freezes, the sight of this figure a veritable punch to the gut.*

Stephen (quietly, to himself):  No…

Figure in Yellow (sing-singing): Stephen…

Clea: *She raises an eyebrow.* Stephen? *She turns to him.* Do you know this person? 

Stephen:  I did, once.  What feels like an eternity ago…By the Eye of Agamotto, reveal to me the True Sight before us!  *He invokes the Eye amulet around his neck to see through any potential illusions in front of them.  Even without the Time Stone, the Eye itself is a powerful relic that can reveal the truth to its user.*

*Unfortunately, the Eye does nothing.*

*He had been hoping that what he saw was merely an illusion, but his heart sinks further when he realizes that The Ancient One’s soul has, in fact, been taken in by his nemesis.*

*The Ancient One pulls back her hood to reveal that she has been just as affected as the mindless ones. Her eyes are pitch black and the skin on her face is cracked, revealing a void. It seems the mark that is glowing upon her brow is the only way she still has her mind even if her allegiance has shifted in death.*

*Stephen reluctantly readies himself.*

Stephen (quietly, to his former master):  I’m sorry…*He steels himself and initiates the duel.*  BY THE CRIMSON BANDS OF CYTTORAK!  *He casts the binding spell in hopes of incapacitating her.*

*She smirks before easily dodging them*

Ancient One: You have at least gained more of a mastery over the mystic arts versus your hastened graduation. How is Mordo doing these days? *She jumps forward to try and catch him off guard*

*Clea intercepts and throws a fireball at the woman.*

Clea: *Her eyes glow purple and her voice deepens.* You will leave this man alone, harlot. He is under my protection.

*The Ancient One summons her fan shaped mandalas and easily bats away the fireball*

Ancient One (scowling): I have waited far too long for the reign of Stephen Strange and it seems I have wasted too much of my life on someone who could not live up to his true potential.

*Stephen casts the Rings of Raggadorr in an attempt to box her in, refusing to reply.  He doesn’t want to give The Ancient One more fuel.*

*She notices that he hasn’t refuted her and smirks instead.*

Ancient One (mocking): Tell me, did you ever get the hang of this?

*With a sweep of her arm, the room cascades into a kaleidoscope of images of itself as they are sucked into the Mirror Dimension, only it seems a lot more powerful than it is on Earth*

*Having learned his lesson from the last mistake he made involving the Mirror Dimension, Stephen decides to use this cast to his advantage and disorient her with sheer chaos.*

Stephen:  By the Images of Ikonn!  *He gestures and over a dozen duplicates of himself spread wide, surrounding his master, their reflections appearing in every facet of their new location.  They make a coordinated effort to swarm her from every conceivable direction.  To top it off, these multiple Stranges proceed to simultaneously cast the Chains of Krakkan, conjuring meters upon meters of chains, quickly wrapping themselves around her body like a nest of snakes.*

*She lets out a frustrated scream and attempts to fight out of it but it appears she is stuck.*

Ancient One (growling): You should not even be here. The Dread Dormammu has kept to his word. *She is slowly losing her composure as the mark on her forehead begins to glow even more, going from a dark red and slowly turning black and emitting smoke*

Stephen:  I have fulfilled my end of the bargain as well.  Now, his threat to other worlds shall end here.  *He prepares to conjure Dyzakk’s Cage to contain her, his face not triumphant, but hollow.  The mage had never wanted things to end this way between them.*

*She struggles even harder, glaring at Stephen but then smirks. Instantly, the void where her eyes used to be begins to glow a reddish orange as well as her mouth. Three beams of light instantly explode out of her, clearly intent to consume Stephen but at the last second, a golden shield appears in front of him. An orb of golden light seems to be keeping the protection in place. A familiar voice comes from it.*

Golden Orb: Stephen, both you and your girlfriend need to use a purification spell immediately on me.

*Stephen recognizes the voice instantly, albeit a part of him is slightly irked by the teasing.  He barely even knows this woman yet!  That aside, he beckons to Clea.*

Stephen:  Clea, come here and repeat after me.

*Clea is admittedly surprised, but she knows he needs her. So she nods and goes to stand next to him, holding out her hands.*

*He recalls an appropriate spell, guiding Clea through the incantation and gestures.*

Stephen:  Audite Mihi, Ancient Phasmatis, quod succurro is Turbatus Animus.

*He gestures deliberately and precisely, concentrating on the form of the Ancient One bound before them.*

*The blind Ancient One shrieks and hisses in agony as smoke starts to billow out of her as she almost begins to shrink into herself, the chains falling off of her as she shifts into an orb as well. Meanwhile, the golden orb that had shielded Stephen begins to form into her full form, albeit looking like she’s in her astral state. She is unmarked and smirks at what her other self has become.*

*Stephen watches, relief washing over him.*

Stephen (respectfully):  Ancient One.  *He greets her.*

Ancient One (proudly): Stephen. *She turns to him with a wide smile on her face* You’ve grown.

Stephen (taken aback by her words):  Thank you.  *He’s quietly moved.*  I guess this is a more proper goodbye?  

Ancient One: Perhaps. We will speak again, but for now I believe you have more important matters to attend to, Sorcerer Supreme. *She smirks and steps to the side so they can pass*

Stephen:  Thank you for protecting me one last time, Master.  *He bows for once and passes by her respectfully, Clea following him.  As he leaves the room, he glances back curiously.*

*There’s no trace of The Ancient One except for a small shimmer of light where she was once standing, but it could be a trick of the light…*

Stephen:  Clea, continue to lead the way.

Clea: *She nods.* Right.

*They storm their way through the many levels of the Keep, fending off varying shapes and sizes of Mindless Ones.  Stephen binds a large group of them together and flings them into the endless abyss of the dimension.  They float aimlessly away.  Stephen and Clea eventually reach a foreboding-looking door.  Despite his best efforts, Stephen can’t get it open no matter what spells he uses.*

Clea: I’m afraid that won’t work, Doctor. You’ll need to be of faltinian blood to open the door.

Stephen:  Very well.  Do the honors.  *He gestures to the door.*

*They burst through only to find a vast study with the layout of a War Room.  There is a large map of the multiverse lying open on a table in the middle of the chamber, along with bookshelves lining the walls filled with books from the many worlds that the warlord has consumed.  Stephen looks at the map and a flash of dread streaks through him.  His suspicions were confirmed.  Dormammu has targeted OUR unguarded Earth and, judging by the empty study and fading aura, is already on his way there.*

Stephen:  Shit!

Clea: What is it? 

*From outside, a large cheer arises from the remaining mindless ones as their leader has declared their newest target for conquest. Judging from the large amount of energy and the dwindling sounds, it seems Dormammu is finishing transporting his remaining army right now while Stephen has been busy fighting in the keep. Despite Stephen and Clea’s best efforts, it seems the war for Universe-333 is about to unfold.*

Stephen (to Clea):  He has already begun his invasion…

Clea: *She’s silent, completely shocked at the thought of her uncle unleashing his power upon another unsuspecting world. But…* We can stop him.

Strange:  We must find a way.  What do you have in mind?

Clea: I haven’t gotten that far, but I wonder…Are you familiar with the flames of the faltine?

Stephen:  I am, yes.

Clea: I’m not sure if it would work, but if you use that power against Dormammu, learn to engulf yourself in its power, you may stand a better chance against him.

*He thinks for a moment.*

Stephen:  Hmmm…Interesting.  Yes, that may work.  Anything else before we pursue him?

Clea: *She smiles.* Your mentor called you Stephen…Is that your name?

Stephen:  Erm..Yes.  *He figures that they’ve gone this far.  He can begin to let down his guard at least a little bit.  The sorcerer prepares to open a portal to our universe.*  Ready, Clea?

Clea: Of course. Any chance to take to best my “loving” Uncle.

*They hurriedly advance through the portal.*

*The sky is a stormy dark purple as they step through the portal back into our universe. Things are eerily still and way too quiet, as if even the wind and nature itself is holding its breath.*

*Stephen can already sense Dormammu’s presence.*

Stephen:  We need to move.  Now.  *He uses his Cloak of Levitation to fly alongside Clea towards the spot where Dormammu has mounted his invasion force.*

Clea: This is bad! He’s amassed an even greater army than the last universe he invaded. 

*Stephen’s heart sinks even further, as if it had anywhere lower to go.  However, he knows that he has to fight to save our universe or die trying.  He steels himself once more.*

Stephen (bravely):  Then I shall put in my most momentous effort to match his power.  

Clea: Alright. Just be careful; the flames can incinerate you if you aren’t careful.

*He nods.  Meanwhile, they hear a familiar booming voice.  It’s so incredibly potent that it can be felt.  Not only that, but everyone on Earth can hear the voice, not just around them, but within their very skulls.*

Dormammu: Puny humans. I am the Dread Dormammu and this world and universe is now mine. For those who would rather surrender to my forces immediately and spare themselves a horrid death, you have twenty-four earth hours to join me. For those who do not, you will be consumed for the betterment of the Dark Dimension. You have been warned…

Stephen (to Clea):  I must report back my findings and make any additional preparations.  If there is anything else you can think of, I’m ready to listen.

Clea: Not at the moment, no. But I’ll let you know if I think of anything, Stephen.

*Stephen hates having to report back, but this event is beyond the pale.  He needs more backup whether he admits it or not.  So, he portals with Clea back to the Marvel universe.*

*We see a portal open and two figures step out.  Stephen is pale and looks like he’s about to drop some very bad news.*

Stephen (serious):  Girls, our suspicions are confirmed.  Dormammu has mounted an invasion force on your planet and we have a bit less than 24 hours to prepare for battle.  I’m calling for back-up from the Order and readying any potentially useful relics.  *He seems about ready to fall over.  We can tell that he has already been fighting a lot.*

Me (small voice):  No…Our families.  Our friends.  *My voice steadily getting louder as I speak faster*  I know you don’t want us there, but we HAVE to do something.  We HAVE to help!  Please, Stephen!  We can’t let him kill you and everyone else we love!  

*The idea of losing more people has triggered me.  That and knowing that Stephen doesn’t have the Time Stone to help him anymore.  Not to mention that the other Avengers are spread thinly enough between protecting their own world and ours.  I know damn well that Dormammu is on a whole new level, just as bad if not even worse than Thanos.  Thinking about all of this has caused me to spiral.  I’m trying not to completely break down.  My hands are shaking badly as I suck in several labored breaths in a futile attempt to curtail the incoming panic attack.*

Trix (trying to be level headed): Listen, we have 24 hours to evacuate people and to get a plan together. Right now we need to help Stephen before he collapses. 

Prettywitch: Good idea. *She walks over to Stephen and places her arms around his shoulders.* Hey, Stephen. Why don’t you sit down for a bit and relax. We can make some tea.

*Hearing my shouting has gotten Wong’s attention.  He leaves the library at a quick jog to find the girls and Stephen with a new woman clad in purple.  Her energy signature doesn’t seem to match either universe, but it does feel very similar to Dormammu’s.*  

Wong:  So, it is true?  I will gather our forces.  Strange, you rest.  You look dead on your feet.

Stephen:  I don’t have time for any of that.  

Wong:  Yes, you do.  You cannot fight anything if you’re barely running on fumes.  *He’s stern.*

Trix: Honestly Stephen, this is what having us, Wong, and the rest of the Order is for. This is absolutely scary but we have to keep calm. *Her resolve is stronger*

Me (attempting to ground myself, but still shaking very badly):  Y-Yeah…Please.  Rest so you can be at y-your b-best strength...  *I have sweat stains starting to form and try to sit down, but instead, faint.  My astral form emerges involuntarily and I just stare at my empty body in horror.  I try to get back in, but can’t, waving my arms through myself ineffectually.*

Ancient One (out of nowhere): Calm yourself, Apprentice. You’re winding yourself up too much to think.

*My astral form lets out a squeak of surprise.*

Me (astral form):  How long were you here?  I-I didn’t s-see you in Kamar-Taj the entire time I’ve been training here.  *Her appearance has at least shocked me out of my panic attack.*

Ancient One (amused): I had prior engagements unfortunately, not of my own choosing mind you. Stephen was able to assist in pulling myself back together as it were. Now I am here to help you do the same as your freak out has started up his fear of lack of control. *She glances over at Stephen*

*I look ashamed of myself, but also still incredibly worried.  If I wasn’t in an astral form at the moment, I probably would have thrown up.*

Ancient One: I see you follow in your master’s footsteps in that you must learn to let go. Alas, I lack the ability to send you to Everest but there are more important things afoot. *She floats over to Stephen and gestures at him* In order to help him, you must focus on the present and address things one at a time and breathe.

Me (quietly):  I know that everyone’s got dead people…I try to remember that…I have 11 of them.  Buried 11 of them.  This applies to everyone, but I don’t know how many more I personally can take…

Ancient One: And yet, the universe decided to bestow upon you the gift to shift the veil of death. You are luckier than most because you are incapable of truly losing anyone now if you choose to see it that way.

Me:  I suppose that’s a way of looking at it, yeah…I nearly died several times myself.  Stephen was hypothesizing that my repeated near-death experiences have something to do with it.

Ancient One (smirks): He would. He’s rather logical that way. I can sense you are very similar so let me ask you this: if you’re going to help him, what will you do next? Of course saving innocents is always prioritized but what will you do? How can you…pull yourself together *she smiles to herself* to help the people you care about so deeply?

Me:  I suppose the best move would be to track down some of the relics that he’s looking for and maybe a few tomes.  Work while he rests so things are ready ahead of time.

Ancient One: Good. He’s diligent enough to know where your people are, all of them, so trust that they will be safe. You need to focus on solving the bigger picture so the smaller details are solved in the tidal wave of change. Now you just have to commit. *In a very familiar move, she pushes Steward back into her body*

*I shudder back into consciousness, the tears from earlier still staining my face.  Though I’m suddenly calmer and more back to my old self.*

Me (not giving anything away, but with resolve):  Stephen, you can go ahead and rest.  I’ll gather some appropriate tomes and relics.  They’ll be ready as soon as you’re awake again.

*Stephen looks confused and concerned.*

Stephen:  Steward, what just happened?  

Trix (shocked): Are you- okay? Did you just pass out?!

Prettywitch: Yeah, you looked like you zoned out there for a minute.

*Wong gives me a weird look, wondering silently about the sudden mood change after that brief collapse.*

Me:  Y-Yeah…I kinda do that now when I get overly stressed.  I just involuntarily astral-projected.  Sorry for scaring you.  *I shift uneasily.*

Trix: Okay… *She’s confused but things have been weirder lately* It looks like you’re getting better at it then…

Prettywitch: I’ll say!

*I grin sheepishly at them.*

*Wong makes a suspicious noise.  He’s not sure exactly what’s going on, but seems to think I’m hiding something.*

Stephen:  …If you’re sure that you’re okay, then fine.  *He’s wary, but seeing as everyone is urging him to rest, he reluctantly acquiesces, heading to his quarters.  To be honest, he’s just as anxious, if not even more so than we are, but he can’t bring himself to admit that.  The situation is bad enough without multiple people teetering on the brink.  He knows that failure isn’t an option here and he needs to get control of the situation before it gets even worse.*

Trix (realizing just who is also here):  Hey Stephen, who’s this? *she grins*

*He pauses just as he was about to exit the doorway of the courtyard.*

Stephen:  Eh?  *He makes an awkward realization*  Ah, yes!  *He briskly walks back over for a moment.*  Clea, these are my apprentices; Steward, Prettywitch, and Trix.  The man you see wearing the elaborate robes is Wong, Kamar-Taj’s librarian.  This complex you see around you is Kamar-Taj itself, the main headquarters of the Order.  Welcome to Earth-616.  

Clea: *She waves, sweetly.* It’s nice to meet all of you.

Trix: Hi Clea! Horrible circumstances to meet in, but absolutely glad to meet you!

Me (polite):  Hello, Clea.  Nice to finally meet you.

Prettywitch: Clea! *She wraps her in a big, tight hug.* Oh! It’s so nice to finally meet you!

Clea: *She chuckles, awkwardly.* Likewise… *She pats Prettywitch’s head affectionately, anyway. So as to indicate she’s not offended.*

Wong:  We will get better acquainted with Clea while you rest, Strange.  Now go.  *He’s firm.*

*Stephen shoots him an annoyed, but resigned look as he retreats to his quarters.*

Me (composed):  Okay.  Guys, let’s organize.  Trix, stand by and I’ll forward info about some relics that may be helpful to Stephen in this fight.  I’ll look for the appropriate tomes.  Prettywitch, relay between Trix and me so we can keep everyone updated on who has what.  Wong, if you have any advice, please help us in any way possible.

Trix (serious): Got it!

*Whatever happened when I fainted, I seem to have really squared up and stepped back in as leader.*

*We agree to our roles and split up to work efficiently, gathering info and relics.  I’m still worried sick, but I know it won’t help.  Instead, I drive myself to work even harder to purge that fear from my mind temporarily.*

Wong (checking on Trix):  How is your control over your abilities now?  Are you holding up decently?

Trix: I’m doing a lot better, especially with reading. It’s hearing a lot of different languages at once that can trip me up but I feel like I have to build up a tolerance for it.

Wong:  Good.  Now, what relics are you currently searching for?  I can point you in the right direction.

Trix: Honestly, I am not as familiar with specific relics like the others are because they know more of the specific magic to this world and I knew more of what was in the movies and I couldn’t study in here because y’know. *she points at her head* I think what I’m looking for is something that can either give Stephen a power boost without significant drawbacks or something to keep his stamina up. *She turns to Wong* I don’t want Stephen to die again to Dormammu. It was bad enough to see it and just think he was a character. I’m honestly terrified that Dormammu is real knowing just what he’s capable of.

Wong:  Judging by your friend’s reaction, I can see that you all know of him.  Here.  *He turns to a dusty old cabinet and opens it.  There is a pair of glaives inside.*  The Pincers of Power.  These are effective against a being from the Dark Dimension.  They are a known weapon used in duels there.  Bring them to the courtyard.  

*Her eyes light up*

Trix: I have a question. *She picks up the glaives* Is there some way to boost a relic’s power, even temporarily? I know we’re able to transfer our energy to Stephen though that spell was actually from our world. Could that work for relics as well?

Wong:  Energy, yes.  Relics…I am not sure.  We have not recovered any relics from your world to determine whether or not they are compatible.  As for energy transfers from you three to our relics, it seems to work better between living beings.  Now is not the best time to take such risks.  If it fails now, then there will not be a way to undo it, nor time to save your universe.

Trix: Fair enough. *She turns to go to the courtyard but looks back over her shoulder* Can I come back and look for useful spells too?

Wong:  You may.  

*I’m rooting through more books and reference materials, looking for anything that might be remotely useful.*

Ancient One (curious): What exactly are you searching for?

Me:  I remember the Book of Cagliostro and the rituals contained therein…Does it have a counterpart?  Anything that counteracts its rituals?  A tome that has spells that can neutralize magic based from the Dark Dimension?

Ancient One (frowns): If there was, it would be in the possession of Dormammu in his Keep. That type of knowledge is guarded well, hence why the Book of Cagliostro was so safeguarded. As for spells to counter the magic from the Dark Dimension, I would begin with anything pertaining to introducing new things to someone who hasn’t experienced things before such as when Stephen introduced the concept of time. My memory is muddled from my time in the dark dimension so I am not of much help at the moment as I still collect myself.

*I listen intently and hear a few key details, remembering what Stephen and Clea reported to us earlier.  A devious grin, filled with chipped and cracked teeth spreads across my face.  It’s clear that a scheme is beginning to hatch.*

Ancient One (smirks): Ah, I see now why Wong and Stephen are dealing with a handful along with your friends. I’m curious as to how you solve the riddle of defeating an undetectable enemy though it does seem more likely now more than ever.

Me (purring slightly):  Admittedly, during our last rescue plan for my friend Trix, I helped in the heist and blew up the protective runes in a witch’s cabin…with said witch still inside.  It was…an experience.

Ancient One (curious): A witch? They don’t reveal themselves often. 

Me:  Stephen was admittedly a bit concerned when he learned about my lockpicking and experience with explosives.  That and the taser trap setup…That aside, I should check notes with Clea to confirm a few things to get this potential plan underway.

*The Ancient One hums in agreement and floats off further into the library*

*I let her be and scurry off to find Clea.*

Me:  Clea!  Erm, mind if I ask a few questions?  I need a bit of info for a plan.

Clea: Oh, certainly.

Me:  Thank you.  Okay, Dormammu is NOT currently in his Keep, right?

Clea: No; he is currently in your world and has given it a day's time before he launches his assault.

Me:  You and Stephen also dealt with most of his guards there?  Are there many left protecting the Keep?

Clea: Probably not; whatever Mindless Ones Dormammu had left he probably took them with him to your earth.

Me:  Okay, good to know…Hmmm…Do you know where he keeps any books?

Clea: *She cups her face, thoughtfully.* Now that you mention it, Dormammu does have a study deep in his keep. There’s tons of archival knowledge and magics in there. 

*My grin widens.*

Me:  Perfect, perfect…Do you know how to get in?

Clea: I don’t know, he never let me in. Hell, all of my best spies couldn’t even get in.

Me (my grin fades):  Crud.  Okay, we’ll have to think of something.  A way to bypass the locks, perhaps.  Do you remember anything more about it?

Clea: I glimpsed it once when I was a child; I remember it being a circular room with a desk in the middle surrounded by shelves of books and scrolls dating back to the old days.

Prettywitch: So it’s basically a book nerd’s reading room?

Clea: *Stares at her, confused.* I don't know what you mean by “nerd” but yes, it is a reading.

Prettywitch: Hmmm, I wonder…Clea, would you be interested in performing a heist.

Clea: What? To raid my uncle’s study…? Well, we do need a way to beat him. *She shrugs.* I say it’s worth a shot.

Prettywitch: Yes!

Trix (walking back into the library): Wait- did you just say we’re doing a heist?! *She gets excited before her mood drops again* There’s no way we’re going to be allowed to sneak out to Dormammu’s literal house to steal from him. We’re going to give Stephen an aneurism.

Prettywitch: Well, we don’t necessarily have to tell him.

Clea: *She grins.* Normally, I’d protest but Stephen does seem to be under a lot of stress. It’s probably better for him to stay here for now.

Prettywitch: Exactly! He can be a mother hen later!

Clea: Mother hen…?

Prettywitch: I’ll explain later.

Trix: Basically he worries about us. Constantly. Which is nice, of course, but it can be overwhelming.

Clea: *She giggles.* That’s cute! *She blushes a little.*

*While we’re talking, Wong suddenly appears behind us.*

Wong: Why did my ‘they are planning something incredibly stupid’ sense start acting up? One would have thought you three would have learned by now. *He frowns at us.*

Me:  Well…It didn’t necessarily fail last time.  Though we had help.  *I look sheepishly at him, reminding him of the rescue mission we did for Trix.*

PrettyWitch: It was my idea!

Trix: I just got here but I want to heist! I’ve never heisted before!

*Wong looks at us disapprovingly.*

Wong:  After all of what you have experienced, you ladies still have such a cavalier attitude about this?

Trix: Y’know, that’s pretty interesting you say that because you go out and do a lot of your own fighting despite everything that’s happened.

*Prettywitch and I realize what she’s implying and look back at Wong, amused.*

Wong (abruptly cutting Trix off, knowing that Clea is literally right there):  What I do in my spare time is nobody else’s business.  *He gives Trix a look and subtly slips her $100 with an expression indicating for her to shut up.*

Trix: *she grins and pockets the $100* We’ll talk later.

Wong:  *He sighs.*  Besides what you remember from those comics and movies, which have spotty accuracy at best, by the way, do any of you know anything about the perils within the Dark Dimension?

Trix (disappointed): No…

Wong (gruff):  Then you three will need at least one responsible sorcerer to keep you in one piece.  Normally, I do not advocate for such reckless practices, but these are extenuating circumstances.  I will accompany you.

Me:  Hmm…Well, I suppose if we’re going to rob the Dread Dormammu, we should call someone else in with some experience in heists.  *I give the other two women a knowing look and pull out my phone.*

*I call Scott.*

Me (on the phone):  Hey, Scott.  We have a really intense heist in the works.  Do you want in?

Scott (on the phone):  Wait, you mean now!?

Me (on the phone):  Yeah.  This evil interdimensional warlord named Dormammu’s trying to consume our home universe and already sent an invasion force there.  He’s super-powerful and tried to wipe out Stephen several times.  Succeeded too, but the Time Stone brought him back while it still existed.  Complicated story.  Anyway, since he isn’t home, we’re planning to raid his place for anything that could be used to counter him because we’re low on the right tools to defend our home.  Can you help us out or are you busy?  It’s okay if you are, but if you at least had any advice, we’d love to hear it.

Scott (on the phone): Well, that’s great, but…(Looks over at Hope setting up the Twister gameboard) I kinda already made plans with someone…

Me (on the phone):  Okay.  Well, thanks anyway.  We’ll try to figure something out.  Sorry for disturbing you!

Scott (on the phone): No! Wait! Let me talk to Hope, alright?

Me (on the phone):  You sure?  We don’t wanna intrude.

Scott (on the phone): Yeah. I’m sure she’ll understand-

Hope: Scott? (He looks at her.) Everything okay?

Scott: (He thinks it over for a moment.) I’m gonna put you on hold. (He presses the hold button and puts on his best “charm the pants off of face” on.) So, long story short-

Hope: Your friends need you, don’t they?

Scott: (Is silent for a moment.) Well…yeah, basically. 

Hope: (She smiles and gets up.) Alright, let’s go.

Scott: Wait, really!? But what about-

Hope: I know you, it’ll eat away at you for the rest of the night now let’s go. 

Scott: Huh? Okay. (He presses the hold button, again.) We’ll be there in an hour. (he hangs up and grins at Hope as they make their way to the lab.) So, I guess Date Night’s now Heist Night, huh?

Hope: (She rolls her eyes, mildly annoyed.) Oh, don’t start.

(Scott laughs.)

*When Scott hangs up, I look at Trix and Prettywitch.*

Me:  He’s in.  Judging by the “We’ll be there in an hour”, I think we might meet Hope.

Trix: This heist is going to be awesome.

Prettywitch: Nice.

Clea: Are you sure this is a good idea? The Dark Dimension is perilous enough for magic users, let alone two ordinary humans,

Wong:  Hence, why I will accompany the group.  I will keep you all out of trouble.  All of you, stay close to me and/or Clea when we go.

Me:  Yes, Sir.

Trix: Don’t worry, you can’t get rid of us! *She smiles but plans on sticking close to Wong*

Prettywitch: Yeah, you’re pretty much stuck with us at this point, dude.

Me:  Clea, can you sketch out a rough map of the Keep so we know where we’re going?

Clea: Certainly. (She levitates a pen from the desk to her hand and, with one stroke bursts forth a lovely drawing of her Uncle’s Keep. Clea taps the drawing so it becomes see-through.) Alright, so the keep is located here, in the upper left wing. Dormammu always has Mindless Ones roaming about, guarding it, so we’ll need to find another way in. (She smiles.) Fortunately, I know another way in. (She points down to the room just underneath the Keep.) Dormammus’ palace has many hidden rooms and corridors within it in case of invasion, we can use them and the catacombs below the Keep to conceal ourselves.

*I listen intently, taking notes on my small notepad that I keep in my purse.  I use it for stuff I want to keep private since it doesn’t get saved to the cloud that way and I can destroy the evidence more easily.*

Me:  Will the Mindless Ones automatically alert Dormammu if they somehow detect us?  *I want to cover everything just in case.*

Clea: Yes. Though how long it will take for Dormammu to travel from one dimension to another I can’t say.

Me:  Destroying them would silence them before they can alert him or no?

Clea: Yes, but it would be impossible to silence all of them before Dormammu comes back.  

Me:  How good is their eyesight?  *I’m hoping that maybe shrinking will help so they can’t see us.*

Clea: From what I know they can see, but their vision seems to be impaired somewhat. So long as we don’t get too close to any of them, we should be good.

Me (satisfied):  Good.  *I take note of this.*

Wong:  I will run some final checks on equipment.  Stay put.  *He goes to get the Sing Rings and some other supplies.*

Trix: Could a backup plan for when Stephen goes after Dormammu is to draw him back into the Dark Dimension as a trap using the Mindless Ones ‘catching’ one of us sneaking in?

Me:  Possibly.  If Plan A fails.

Clea: It would still be risky. It would work, though.

Trix: We could look into spells that could create an illusion of us so we wouldn’t put ourselves in the line of fire but it’d be good to have a backup plan.

Me:  Smart.  *I grin.*

Trix (whispering): I just don’t want Wong or Stephen to kill us for drawing attention to ourselves. Also, Dormammu is terrifying.

*I shrug in agreement.*

*I subtly peer around for a second just to see if The Ancient One is around listening or watching.*

*The Ancient One reveals herself to the entire group and is looking as calm and collected as always*

Ancient One: You have some pretty clever ideas to give as many opportunities for success to Stephen as possible.

*I’m surprised that she decided to greet the group and take a step back to give her some respectable space.*

Me:  Guys, meet The Ancient One.  She’s been with me for a few hours now.  From what I know, Stephen helped her back in the Dark Dimension earlier.  *I give her a respectful bow now that she’s showing herself.  I figure it’s the polite thing to do.*

Trix (surprised): Oh! Hello! It’s an honor! *she quickly slips into a bow*

Prettywitch: Uh…Yeah; nice to meet you.

Me (respectful):  Do you have any other advice for us?

Ancient One: Stay close to one another. It is incredibly easy to be drawn in by the Dark Dimension. Especially where Dormammu holds the most power. Other than that, rob him blind. *She smiles a serene smile*

Me (grinning):  I like your style, Ancient One.

Ancient One (bobbing her head in acknowledgement): Not many of the masters did, unfortunately. Good luck to all of you. *She disappears once more*

*Wong comes back, his eyes narrow when he sees the looks on our faces.*

Wong (suspicious):  …What are you doing?

Trix (rather dumbfounded): Rewriting my worldview. Again. But apparently we received a blessing of good faith.

Prettywitch: (starts snickering.)

Me:  It’s unlikely that you’d believe this one.

Wong:  Try me.  

Trix: Ghost of The Ancient One showed up and advised us to “rob Dormammu blind”. Then disappeared again. Oh yeah and to not wander off.

*Wong gives us all a hard stare before sighing and shaking his head.*

Wong (resigned):  Well, she will reveal herself to me if she sees fit.  

*In the meantime, we see Scott and Hope walking into the courtyard.*

Scott: Hey guys! Hope we’re not too late.

Prettywitch: Actually, we were just discussing how we were gonna get in.

Me:  Yeah.  Clea here drew up a map of the Keep and gave us some really good information.  *I give an introductory gesture for Scott and Hope to meet her.*

Clea: Nice to meet you. I’m Clea.

Scott: Clea, huh? Well, I’m Scott and this is my partner, Hope.

Hope: Nice to meet you.

Me:  *Polite*  Thank you both for coming out on such short notice, by the way.  Sorry for interrupting things.  *Getting to business*  Here’s the info we have so far.  *I show them the notes.*

Scott: So, we’re dealing with a heist inside of a fortress? That’s gonna be an interesting challenge.

Hope: Is this on earth, or in another universe?

Clea: Other dimension, actually.

Me:  Since the guards have poor eyesight and there might be some gaps to squeeze through, we thought it would be a good idea to ask you guys for your expertise on this heist.  We need to break into the library here.  *I point on the map.*  It’s well-protected and holds a bunch of books and tools we could use to counter Dormammu.  *We show them both the map Clea drew.*

Scott: That should work fine. Do you know if these guys have any weaknesses?

Hope: Something that’ll help us in case we’re in a bind.

Me:  Besides the bad eyesight thing?  Hmmm…

Clea: Well, they are slow. (She grins.) We’d still need to plan accordingly though.

Prettywitch: Why?  Is it because they can overpower you if it’s a group of them?

Clea: Yes.

Wong:  We will need to use stealth, then.

Me:  Anything else to know or should we get going?

Clea: Just one thing; keep your guard up at all times in the Dark Dimension and follow my lead. If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to hide, you hide. Is that clear?

Me:  Yes, Clea.  Got it.

Trix: Absolutely!

Prettywitch: Of course.

Clea: (She smiles.) Good.

Me:  Ready, Scott and Hope?

Scott: Yup!

Hope: Yup!

*Wong opens a portal into the Dark Dimension and we head in.  Seeing as this is the first time in the Dark Dimension for most of the group, with the exceptions of Wong and Clea, it’s rather disorienting.  Gravity is wonky.  Things are either floating or seem to have their own gravity fields.  Even the colors and light here have different properties.  It seems both fast and sluggish simultaneously seeing as there is an absence of time here.  Not only that, but some objects appear to be organic that shouldn’t be or inorganic yet alive.  It takes a moment for the group to get their bearings.*

Me (green around the gills):  Ergh…Trippy…

Trix: Okay, this is simultaneously awesome and terrifying at the same time. 

Prettywitch: No kidding…

Scott: God! It feels like we’re back in the Quantum Realm.

Hope: I don’t know; Quantum Realm at least had some science to it. This? I don’t think we can make heads or tails of this place.

Wong: Stay close.  Even with the absence of most of his Mindless Ones, Dormammu has eyes and enforcers everywhere.

Clea: Exactly. Now follow my lead! We don’t have much time.

*The group follows Clea closely towards the Keep.  I use a mixture of manually pushing/pulling myself along with objects and some rudimentary telekinesis since we’ve been learning those abilities in our sorcery training.*

*Scott finds himself having some issues floating through the gravity of the Dark Dimension and so resorts to breast-stroking his way towards the Keep.*

*Hope uses her wings to fly through the empty space. She chuckles at Scott’s swimming, finding it amusing.*

*Prettywitch is initially floating but upon seeing that Scott has taken up swimming, she decides she’d rather do that and begins kicking her legs like she’s in water.*

*Trix decides to use a different approach and floats with occasional magical pushes forward and acts as if it’s like space gravity. It seems to be doing well and occasionally uses objects floating by to push off of*

Trix: God, I’m so jealous of Stephen and the Cloak right now.

Prettywitch: I’m not! 

Me:  Definitely would have been nice to have Levi.  It would help with movement here.

*An odd, spiky-looking being passes by.  Whatever it is, it appears to have multiple primitive eyes on its many stalks surrounding its body.*

Clea: Quick! Everyone, hide behind that rock formation!

*The various group members do so.  Though it’s quite awkward to move still.*

*It pauses and there is a…sniffing noise?  Though we can’t see the thing’s nose at all, if it even has one.  There is an ominous humming noise for a second before it makes a small, satisfied-sounding chirp and continues on its way.*

Trix (puzzled but whispering): Why did that thing look familiar for some reason?

Wong:  You don’t want to know, trust me.

Me (realizing in horror):  Oh God…I recognize those eyes.  They’re in the fridge back in Kamar-Taj’s kitchen…

Trix: Welp. I’m crossing those off the menu. Forever. I want to know nothing about our diet now. I don’t even check calories on normal food, I’m not looking for more info for magic food either.

Prettywitch: Yeah, me neither! What the fuck!?

Clea: *She’s confused.* You mean you’ve actually eaten these creatures before?

Me (disgusted):  Apparently.

Trix: Wong, what the fuck?!

Wong (matter-of-factly):  It is necessary for us sorcerers to take in magical energy and have internal stores…If there was another way, I would much prefer a tuna melt.

Scott: Yeah, but should’ve told them where these things came from! 

Clea: The Ant-man is right, Wong! They’re still in training for Vishanti’s sake!

Wong:  The initial transition was jarring enough.  I was planning to tell them eventually.

Ancient One (appearing only to Steward): Oh. Oops, I may have made a miscalculation and didn’t realize how it may have affected how Kamar-Taj was run.

*I give her a horrified look.*

Me (flatly):  WHAT.

Trix (startled): What?!

Ancient One: I may have started eating delicacies from other dimensions over the centuries and the kitchen tried to find things for my palate. I didn’t realize the rest of the sorcerers ate it as well as regular meals though if I was doing it and ending up powerful…

*I just listen numbly and stare at her, shaking my head.*

*Since I’m currently the only one who can see and hear The Ancient One at the moment, I appear to simply be staring at thin air with a “WTF” expression on my face.*

Wong:  What is it?

Me:  …The Ancient One literally started doing it to try delicacies from other dimensions.  Becoming powerful from it was apparently a side-effect and the other sorcerers just copied her.  *I look about ready to explode, but am containing myself.*

*Trix holds her head in her hands, lamenting the fact that they had to eat all that because of a misunderstanding*

Wong:  Then, does it actually treat magic-induced fatigue or have our remedies been incorrect the entire time?  *He’s surprised and more than a little irritated.*

Ancient One (sheepishly): Placebo effect perhaps? It was never really truly studied or at least by myself because I did not know that was the reason everyone else ate it. Either way, now is not the time to converse, you must get to the Keep!

*I forward her message to the group, seething quietly.*

Me (quiet and serenely to her, but with an icy tone):  We’ll have to discuss this more later.

*We get back to business and reach the Keep.  The group follows Clea.  It’s suspiciously quiet and empty.*

Wong (on-guard):  I don’t like this.  It cannot be this easy to infiltrate Dormammu’s Keep.

Clea: No, it’s not. Something’s definitely wrong… *She magics a dagger into her hand, just in case.*

Trix (hopeful): Maybe it’s because he took most of his forces to our world and you and Stephen took out a lot more before?

*Someone in the group steps on a tile and it sinks down slightly, suddenly triggering two walls of enchanted flames on either side of the hallway we’re in.  They begin to close in on us.*

Clea: Wong, throw up a shield!

*Wong casts the Shield of the Seraphim to protect the group.*

*Clea assumes her full faltine form and pushes the walls back.*

*There is a rumbling noise as the flames cease their advance before the floor opens up underneath everyone.*

*Hope activates her wings.*

*Wong releases his shield spell and quickly casts a levitation spell.  Though he can only hold it for so long.  Any sorcerer can levitate, but the constant concentration and fight with gravity wears one down quickly.*

*Clea straightens her posture to levitate.*

*I attempt to use telekinesis again since we haven’t learned advanced levitation spells quite yet.  A vein throbs in my temple from the strain.*

*Scott throws two shrinking discs towards Prettywitch and Trix, shrinking them. Then he shrinks himself and whistles for AnToinette, who comes soaring towards her friend. He mounts her and picks up the girls.*

Scott: Everybody okay?

Prettywitch: I think so…Thanks, Scott. That was awesome.

Trix (dazed): I think so! I was not expecting that…thanks!

*I can’t speak.  Concentrating too hard.*

Wong:  I am going to release my levitation spell and conjure some platforms.  Aim for those and we can get back up.  

*Beads of sweat are beginning to form on his forehead as he continues to cast.  Wong falls a few feet before he can cast the platform spell, but they provide enough of a ledge to help the group members back up.  When I stop concentrating, I fall onto a platform and almost slip, but manage to stabilize enough to get up.  Though thanks to the strain from telekinesis, I feel like my head is about to split in half.  Wong is composed, but is clearly working hard to help everyone up.  The walls of flame, although no longer moving, are still active.*

Trix: Okay, guess it’s trial by literal fire then. 

Scott: Hold on a second! I just need to make us big again…*He adjusts the belt and the three of them, and AnToinette are regular sized, again.* Okay, NOW you can go!

Trix (slightly dazed): Yeah, that feels weird. But let’s try this out!

*She conjures two decently sized crystal mandala shields on either side, blocking the fire for the moment*

Trix (strained): We gotta go!

Clea: Right! *She flies down and points towards the right.* This way! *She notices Trix running for her life and flies down to scoop her up in her arms.* 

*Wong maintains the platform spell as the group jumps back onto the hallway path to the right.*

Me (gulping down air from the sprint):  Everyone good?

*The crystal shields finally shatter apart into melted pieces*

Trix (panting): That didn’t go the way I thought it would but hey the shields held! *is doubled over but gives a thumbs up*

*Wong gives a short nod.  He’s covered in sweat, but remains calm.*

Prettywitch: You gonna be alright Wong?

Wong:  Yes.  We need to keep going.

Scott: Yeah, this place is starting to give me the creeps.

Hope: Lead the way, Clea.

Clea: Right. *She walks over to the wall.* There should be a door to the secret passageway here, but I can’t remember where it is.

Me:  Lemme try something.  Guys, hold me up.  *I’m going to astral-project to try and peer through the wall.*

Prettywitch: Okay. *She gets behind Steward.*

*I take a few deep breaths to get into a meditative state and then push my astral form out of my body.  Now that I’ve had it happen a few times involuntarily, read about it, and watched the more experienced sorcerers do it, I’ve picked up on the technique.  My empty body collapses and I peer through the wall that Clea is looking at.*

*Beyond the wall are about fifteen Mindless Ones, including the contingent originally from Earth-616, still being led by Kaecillius. They are merely standing there, blankly staring ahead at the wall Steward is peeking through.*

*I withdraw my head quickly and get back into my body with a shuddering gasp.*

Me:  I think we’re heading in the right direction.  There are around 15 Mindless Ones on the other side of that wall.  Some of them, I’m pretty sure are Kaecillius and his group of Zealots.

Wong:  Did you see any other passageways into the chamber?

Me:  It had two doors, but both are being watched.  Maybe we could shrink and sneak by since they can’t see well?  Provided we find the way in.

Scott: Yeah, that’s probably our best shot. *He starts pulling out the discs.* Alright everybody, just stand still for a moment. *He starts chucking the discs at everyone, shrinking his teammates, then himself.*

Clea: *She’s looking at herself and her surroundings.* This feels so strange.

Scott: Eh, you get used to it after awhile.

Trix: Does feeling woozy get better after a while as well or is that what fruit is for? *She’s feeling the effects but tries to shake it off*

Me (leaning against Trix to prop her up):  Lead the way, Clea.  The door is somewhere around here, right?

Clea: I’m pretty sure. *She floats up from where she was standing, still weirded out by, and fascinated by being so small. She begins looking for the lever and finds it quickly.* Oh, there it is. *She uses her strength as well as magic to open the door. * Follow me. *She flies into the passageway.*

*We follow, the herd of Mindless Ones and Zealots looming ominously before us.*

*Wong watches them carefully before gesturing for the group to quietly move forward, staying under objects or in shadows to be harder to see.*

*Like an army of toy soldiers, the group suddenly stands at attention. Scanning for threats, something has clearly caught their notice.*

*We quietly scamper under a cabinet to see if they calm down, watching carefully from our hiding spot.*

*After a very long couple of moments, the Mindless Ones seem to settle, relaxing into a more dormant state. With the previous traps being set off and no survivors coming through, it seems they believe the intruders have been taken care of. Slowly, they begin to shuffle out to join the rest of the ranks headed to Earth 333*

*As soon as they leave, we scamper through the rest of the hallway, checking for anything else that might be lurking around.*

Me (whispering to Clea):  Almost there?

Clea (whispering back): Yes. We should be approaching the doors soon.

*We follow her, picking up the pace.  Mercifully, we’re too small to set off other traps.  We do pass by several others and with our size, we can actually see the triggers.  We finally reach the doors, which are sealed with wards and a cursed-looking lock.*

Me:  Any ideas?

Prettywitch: I think I do. *She conjures the Cardcaptor Sakura staff, again. Then she conjures the Create Card.* (Whispering) Allow me to write something that will help me bypass the magic wards upon this door. Create! *The card activates and becomes a tiny book for Prettywitch to use, complete with a pen.* Day 1, I found myself walking inside Dormammu’s Keep inside the Dark Dimension till I found his study. I really wanted to go in,but I don’t know the spells for these wards! I wish I could just make them burn or rot away or something.

*The wards glow brightly.  Prettywitch’s book and pen burst into flames, wholly destroyed.  She can feel the conjured items burn away in her hands and her own energy reduce significantly from pouring her concentration into the conjuration.  The wards do dim considerably, weakened enough for Clea to finish them off.  However, then there’s the matter of the lock itself.  There is a whole different spell on it.*

Wong:  Hmm…*He looks at the lock.*  By the Omnipotent Oshtur, may the curse on this lock be broken!  *He casts at it and the lock zaps him right back, burning his fingers.*

Clea: Let me try. *She throws a burst of faltine magic at it; nothing. She pouts.* (whispering) Why must this be so convoluted!?

Me:  Hmmm…This is probably a very dumb idea, but lemme see…

*I pull out my lockpicks and try to jimmy the lock.  The tools get melted immediately and I drop them because they’ve started to glow red-hot.*

Me (quietly):  Wait…IDEA!  By the Icy Tendrils of Ikthalon…*I conjure some disembodied tendrils of ice and apply them to the lock.  They hiss and steam, but go inside.  I manage to undo the mechanism, weakening the curse.*

Wong (gritting his teeth subtly from pain):  I will try again.  *He casts his spell again, neutralizing what’s left of the curse on the lock.  Though he grunts as he pulls back, the rest of his hands burnt.*

Prettywitch: Here, let me try healing that. *She takes one of Wong’s hands in hers and massages it for a bit, trying to focus on wanting to heal Wong’s hands. She manages to get a small glow, but it’s still weak. It does seem to have worked for the moment.

*The older sorcerer clenches his teeth quietly, but the skin goes from second-degree burns to first-degree.  His hands are angry and red, but Wong can at least move his fingers again.*

Wong (to Prettywitch):  Thank you.

Prettywitch: *She beams.* You’re welcome.

Clea: *Smiles.* Not bad at all. You still have a long way to go, obviously, but you managed to remove enough damage that Wong can have use of his hands, again.

Prettywitch: Really!? That’s great! *Everyone shushes her, as she said it a bit louder than was necessary. She blushes, embarrassed.* (whispering) Sorry, that’s great!

*We are restored to normal size and look around Dormammu’s study.*

Me:  Okay.  As The Ancient One said, let’s rob him blind.  *I take off my backpack and open it wide for us to start cramming tomes and relics in.*

Trix: *She takes as much as she can grab with the bags she brought along. She’s extra careful before grabbing things to make sure they aren’t a trap or immediately harmful first*

*Wong can’t really grab anything, but he can still gesture to levitate several books off of the shelves for the group to take.  We ransack the study and check to see if there’s anything left that might be worth stealing.*

Clea: *She looks over at her Uncle’s table and makes a devilish grin. She flies up and checks if he’s reading any scrolls at the moment. Luckily, he was. So she rolls it up (more like kicks it into rolling up) and grabs it.* Okay, that’s the last thing I could find, now let’s go before someone sees us.

*I hoist the bag up.  Though it’s far too heavy for me to properly get it up and onto my back.  The seams are straining.*

*Clea creates a second bag for Steward to put stuff in.*

Me:  Thanks, Clea.

*I put half of the materials in the other bag and pick it up, letting one of the other group members carry the second bag.*

Me:  Can we portal out or should we actually leave the Keep?

Clea: We should be able to.

*Wong opens a portal back to Kamar-Taj and we sprint through.  The normal gravity, light, and other physics being both comforting and disorienting.*

Me:  How much time do we have left?

Trix: I honestly don’t know, going in there fucked up my watch profoundly. *She stares mournfully as the watch seems to be moving backwards*

*As we re-enter the courtyard, Stephen is walking over.  He looks at us with a mixture of suspicion and confusion.*

Stephen:  What were all of you doing?  

*He notices Wong holding his hands close to his body, silently nursing the remaining burns.*

Trix (freezes): Bonding?

Scott: Yeah. The girls called us up, said they needed a break and so we took them out shopping.

Hope: And to get their nails done. You know how it is.

Stephen (not believing them at all):  …and how did Wong burn his hands?

Wong (annoyed):  We gathered some useful tomes and relics for the battle.  That is all.  

Trix (trying to deflect): Hey, so did you know we don’t have to actually eat the creepy magic food? Apparently the Ancient One kinda messed that one up for everyone else by accident and didn’t realize it! *Trying to change the subject*

*Stephen glares for a moment and notices the bags.*

Stephen (putting two and two together now that he’s actually rested):  You went on a heist in the Dark Dimension, didn’t you?  

Me (knowing we’re caught):  Well, damn…Look, we found some material that could be useful.

Stephen:  I can’t trust any of you at all, can I?

Ancient One (appearing to everyone): You say that as if you wouldn’t have done the same thing if you had the chance.

Stephen (startled):  *Jumping back*  You advised them, then?

Ancient One:  Slightly. Wong took point however your apprentices truly did prove themselves. I was merely asked how they could help you and I suggested knowledge would be the key. *She smirks* I believe your apprentices seem to be amused by the fact that I approved of robbing him blind.

*He looks at her and then our group, softening slightly.*

Stephen (gruff, but reluctantly proud):  Don’t think that I approve of you sneaking around behind my back, but I’m grateful that you found the right books.  I’ll look them over and see what I can use.

*He accepts the bags full of tomes and relics from us.*

Stephen:  Oh, and Wong, go to the sickbay.  I know those burns are painful.  

*Wong acquiesces, leaving us with Clea, Scott, and Hope.*

Me (to the trio):  Thanks for helping us.

Trix: Yeah, we can’t let our self-sacrificing friend and mentor kill himself for our world so thanks for helping us help him!

Prettywitch: Yeah, we couldn’t have done it without you guys.

Clea: Oh, don’t worry about it.

Scott: Yeah, you guys are stuck with us, like it or not.

Hope: Besides, it was definitely a different Date Night.

Stephen:  Now you all get some rest.  It looks like you went to Hell and back.  *He glances at our disheveled and tired appearances.*  I’ll review the material and update everyone on what can be used in this fight.  *He turns to leave, but turns for a second.*  Thank you.  *He gives us a nod before dragging our plunder to the library.*

***To be continued.***

[asherlockstudy]

It has always been one story

The last days I have been making some analyses based on Rhett and Link’s latest video “We Dug a Medium-sized Hole”. My realisation of what I have been explaining there led me to a new surge of excitement when watching their content. I have talked before about how much I like Hazel but to be precise I never watched the TikTok videos, I had only listened to the two versions of the song, which is certainly the best song they have written and performed so far in their career in my opinion. So a few days ago, my YouTube feed actually suggested the Hazel videos to me and, as I have been in this new RandL surge, I thought “why not”. I thought it will be fun and creepy, and it was, but once again I wasn’t ready for the hammer of realisation that fell right on my forehead. You see, being freshly out of my We Dug a Hole analyses, I noticed a load of similarities between the two. But even more importantly, I noticed numerous similarities between Hazel and the Lost Causes of Bleak Creek. In fact, what I mean by “numerous similarities” is that they are all essentially the same story, and the only thing that changes are the settings, the side characters and other secondary elements. So if this is the case, Rhett and Link have been telling one story again and again for quite some time and, in their words, have been somewhat disappointed at the reaction they did (not) receive from the viewers (Hazel), their difficulty to promote their story in other media (Bleak Creek) and now their decision to not have expectations so that they won’t get disappointed again (Digging a hole). But let’s say a few words for each of these major projects.

We Dug a Medium-sized Hole

Let’s start from the last one, which is also the smallest and most superficial project. It is a humorous video with a prepared song and a predetermined concept which is supposedly unscripted. I analysed it in excruciating detail a few days ago so I will just give you links to my posts “They Dug A Hole” and “The ‘We Dug A Hole’ Discussion”, which I would recommend because they will help make this post much clearer as well. Anyway, to summarise, here’s what goes down: Rhett and Link agree to dig a medium sized hole without examining this agreement and intent thoroughly and carefully enough to see if they are on the same page fully. They slowly get the hang of this, Link becomes very invested and loses control entirely. Rhett panics and tries to help Link get back to his senses and establish control between them again. Yet, if you remember this part from the “They Dug A Hole” post,

well, it had intrigued me then but it actually proved to be unexpectedly significant for real! Despite Rhett being the one who tries to establish control in the hole-digging process, soon he is the one to fall back into it the hardest. True enough, the second time it’s Rhett we see running the excavator. There are no other characters in the video, except for the mole who supports them but is accidentally killed. Rhett and Link have revealed this is the first of a series of similar videos (and songs, perhaps).

The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek

If you haven’t read their novel yet, well this is simply the best thing they have made so far and I definitely recommend it. I have always found it curious how little tumblr fans speak of TLCOBC, especially since it is RAGING with innuendo and symbolism that is not even subtle. I will give the story in very broad terms, however there are going to be some strong spoilers here because I don’t have another way to prove my point. Be warned. Of course here we have a different setting and the main characters are preteens. The setting is a dark twist of Rhett and Link’s actual childhood. Their small town with its extremely puritan, conservative community. The book has many characters but once again there is only one more character that can be considered as “main”, Alicia Boykins, their female best friend with whom they are secretly both in love. Well scratch that off, there is also Janine who is important, she is clearly Stevie’s character. But anyway. Rhett and Link have implied in a Mythicon that Alicia is a symbolic character who represents “their ideal selves”, “who they wanted to be”. So in short Rex, Leif and Alicia is a trio of best friends who live in this small Christian town hiding a dark secret. Leif falls in love with Alicia first and more profoundly, Rex a little later. Alicia is kidnapped and sent unfairly to a notorious reformatory school. Rex and Leif agree to save her but the whole plan goes wrong and Leif falls in a trap, in a very dark, deep and hopeless place, where Alicia also is, where you lose memory and the sense of self. (Won’t spoil more.) Rex returns to his town in utter panic and frustration and creates a master plan to rescue Leif. After a lot of allegories and adventures, Rex dives in the dark deep place and saves Leif (in a very romantic way btw). Alicia is rescued too. They confront the evil guys who control the reformatory school. They resume their peaceful life in their town. The book ends in a cliffhanger where Alicia sees something while bicycling that is a major sign that the cult / curse / that thing that was going on there is not defeated. So here we have as common themes: Link losing control because of how invested he was (in Alicia), Rhett panicking and trying to save him and correct the situation, and another main character who is a mysterious symbolism. It’s a little hard to be certain of what Alicia exactly symbolises, just like it is the case with the mole. What we don’t see in TLCOBC is Rex being the one to fall in deep the second time, but I bet this is the intended plot for the second book.

Hazel Macon

I watched this video a few days ago for the first time. Hazel is a fantastic project Rhett and Link came up with but the platform they chose to execute it on originally (TikTok) literally executed its chances for success. I will explain this in more detail. Rhett and Link promoted Hazel to the unaware GMM viewers by saying they were pulling an all-nighter to compose a song with their fans through TikTok. So they overestimated how many would go to TikTok for that. However, for those fans who signed up for this, they had already prepared a short movie separated in short bits, being uploaded gradually, telling a very creepy story. Here’s the plot: Rhett and Link start their all-nighter in the Creative House by uploading videos on TikTok. In order to get some ideas for their new song, they randomly choose the album Yearning by Hazel Macon. Link is confused because he does not remember this album, although Rhett argues confidently it’s Link’s and he acquired it in GMM (true). They play it and it is a haunting song of a girl wandering lost in a forest (as also evident on the album cover), waiting for someone to play her song, so she can be set free. They both hear whispering in the song and they figure it is backmasking (messages recorded backwards) so Rhett plays the record backwards to decode the message, to Link’s discomfort. Rhett says the message is there for a reason and he mockingly parallels it to satanic subliminal messages. He hears “I just want out. Just open the door. It’s been so, so long. I feel so lost. “ (Needless to say, this is in the official song obviously too.) Meanwhile, dead birds (crows) fall on their doors and windows every time they try to get out of the house. As they listen to the secret messages of the song, the girl vanishes from the album cover and they hear her singing from the back of the house. Scared to death, they see her emerge from the middle room (👀) . They try to hide in the kitchen where Link attempts to say something final and heavy with meaning to Rhett in case they die, but Hazel appears behind him and touches him causing him to fall into shock. She vanishes. Rhett stops playing the record but Link is now in a dead-inside state, the video suggesting Hazel is now inside him. Rhett roams the house but there is no way out as birds fall on every door. In a moment that Link escapes Rhett’s notice, Hazel reappears, turns Link into Harlan Macon, a reserved southern dude coming straight from the 1900s, and leads him to the middle room. Rhett follows in panic but there is nothing there when he opens the door. The Yearning album cover has changed and now it’s both Hazel and Link on the cover and on the record singing. Rhett in despair realises that he will have to play the record again, open the portal, find Link and save him (again, like in TLCOBC, see the trope?). As Rhett walks towards the door listening to Link’s voice from somewhere deep, he says “I don’t know if he can come out. I don’t think I want to go in there but I think I am gonna have to go in there”. This time when he opens the door to the middle room, it is an opening to a forest during a very dense night. It has a claustrophobic feel. Long story short, Hazel attacks him and turns him to Hardy Macon. However, when Hardy meets Harlan (Link), Harlan is “way too deep”, in Rhett’s words, he doesn’t recognise Rhett and he has assumed a different personality. Hardy!Rhett orders Harlan!Link to follow him, he bumps Hazel with a fallen branch, finds the door of the middle room and saves them both. Rhett immediately stops the record and Link returns to his normal self but has no memory of any of this. The album now has only Hazel on it again. Rhett tries frantically to get rid of the “Yearning” album but the “Yearning” album proves to be indestructible. It does not break, it does not melt and when he tosses it in the yard, it comes back.

Then there is a hilarious joke which Link now films; that Rhett is locked in the toilet for way too long, and Link thinks Rhett has shitted himself (however I bet the implied joke is that he was trying to wank it out, as a last resort solution to deal with Yearning). Link then explains to the fans how he still doesn’t remember the Yearning album and hypothesises that Rhett must have brought it earlier to him and ruined their entire evening. Link concludes that if he plays the record backwards again, he will decipher the message and be done with it. Rhett screams from the toilet but it’s too late. Hazel reappears and turns him to Hardy again. When Hazel and Hardy appear to Link again, the camera drops from his hands. The album which had turned to have Hazel and Rhett on the cover and record once Link started playing it again, now morphs into having Rhett and Link together, implying that they now both are lost in those woods with no way out. An unknown hand turns the record to play the normal version, by the Macon Brothers.

Notes and conclusions:

* It is important to note that all of these projects have an either neutral or bad ending. The most neutral one is the digging a hole one, where they have succeeded in making a medium hole but there is also the unintended massive hole behind them, which they choose to ignore. TLCOBC has a fake happy or ominous ending, as the threatening sign appears just when everything seems to be working out well. Hazel is dark and ends in melancholic despair - Rhett and Link remain trapped in that ominous forest hiding in the middle room of their house. These are not happy stories even though all feature Rhett and Link’s light humour (the fork in Hazel came to mind, this joke gets me every time).

* Alicia and Hazel clearly stand for the same or a very similar symbolism. They likely are the personification of yearning, of confronting the truth openly, of being free, as Rhett said Alicia was an allegory for who they truly wanted to be. In two of the projects, they are trapped female entities, whose steps Link follows.

* All of the projects were meant to be part of a series. The book ended in a cliffhanger. Rhett and Link had revealed in their EB for Hazel that they had more scenarios prepared to execute in the same way. Alas, this podcast was filmed before Hazel aired and apparently they were very disheartened by Hazel’s failure. Imagine all that I described, it didn’t take more than 76,000 views in TikTok and most video bits only made like 11,000 views, which must have been a stab in the heart. Ironically, they later uploaded the whole thing on YouTube, and it now has half a million. I mean it’s still not as much as expected for this type of production, but it’s better than the 70,000. In any case the moment was lost then. Now they return with the hole digging which they announced it is the first in a series of similar videos coming. They emphasised how they were determined to ignore the views this time, and even though they did not mention Hazel, I believe the concept is connected directly to the concept of the Hazel video series, postponed for two years after their disappointment. The videos tell the same story, accompanied by a song, but in totally opposite styles.

* Settings, secondary elements and characters vary - the main plot remains the same always in at least 2/3 of the projects at any moment. For whatever reason each time, Rhett and Link decide to do something that unexpectedly makes them vulnerable to a truth they either had not realised or hid well within themselves. Link is seduced or trapped by this truth and falls deeper and deeper, there is always this trope of him falling in deep, either because he wants to or because he has no choice. Link reaches a desperate, helpless state and Rhett realises that he will have to help him out of the situation. Rhett is always very scared and very panicked but in every version he is determined to bring back Link or bring him back to his senses or save him. Rhett struggles and he gets into this dark zone or loses himself in this seductive trap momentarily in order to get Link back. However, he succeeds. They are both back to normal, figuring things out properly. The success is short-lived as Rhett eventually realises he is in fact trapped in way too deep as well, that he is trying to fight something he cannot defeat. The moment he realises this, Link relapses again soon too. This of course is given in a very cheerful, carefree way in the digging video while the plot in the book doesn’t reach the moment of Rhett’s defeat yet.

* The traps in all projects share some common characteristics: the bright sun doesn’t make it clear at first but a hole in the desert is still a hole in the desert. The bigger and deeper it is, the harder it gets to escape it and beneath it there is just darkness and dirt. The forest in Hazel is accessed through a portal to the Creative House’s middle room, it is dark, dense, quiet and claustrophobic. The trap in the Lost Causes is the most mystical, underwater and deep and with other dangers looming as well. Another common element in the last two is the memory loss and losing the sense of self or consciousness.

* Does religion have anything to do with all this? Yes, lots. Is religion the only thing that has to do with all this? No…

* On a lighter note, the Hazel song slaps! It is so good that it is haunting even when played backwards!

* On a heavier note, I was already convinced Rhett and Link are hiding a message in all these projects. I am still not sure however, whether they want this message to be decoded by people or they just make it in order to vent, to get the sensation they escape for a bit the walls of the room, the house, the trap. Hazel is perhaps the boldest of the projects (although the innuendos in TLCOBC are the most glaring) as a main plot because Rhett himself in the video brings awareness into the fact that their song has a hidden, forbidden message that subtextually yearns to be heard.

PS. Just to lighten the mood

[firestarter91]

The Boy That Never Was - finale

‘Throwing Robin off the trail, Harry convinces her he now knows she was right, seeing Dillon was all in his head.’ IMDB synopsis.

Colin remains easy on the eye as always and I’ll never get tired of hearing his wonderful Irish brogue, he's good as usual but this is yet another drama I sadly won’t rewatch. Upon reflection this could have been condensed down to two episodes, it also didn’t help that the wife got on my nerves by the end.

The drug business with Ollie was a waste of time as it didn’t go anywhere and Robin’s motivations for continuing to try and keep Harry away from Eva seemed pointless and counter productive. It’s like trying to keep an alcoholic away from a nearby open bottle of booze by telling them hey don’t drink it’s bad for you! I also didn’t like the way she ordered her brother around like he was her personal servant, dude didn’t seem to have a life of his own.

Despite the various twists and turns to get there, the big reveal disappointed, there were high emotions but I found it strangely uninvolving and lacklustre, the writers all too neatly tied up a situation which was frankly unbelievable, and the ambiguous ending won’t please everyone.

It’s watchable enough but nothing more than that but hey at least Colin's character didn’t die which makes a change, so I’ll give it extra kudos lol.

Series is now showing on Alibi.

Spoilers ahead.

Robin’s heads off to her big job presentation, Harry has business elsewhere. God Ireland looks so bleak in this series! He’s at a car rental place trying to find out about Eva Doyle but the guy at the desk isn’t having any of it and when Harry tries to bribe him, he gets angry and tells him to leave.

Robin’s heads off to her big job presentation, Harry has business elsewhere. God Ireland looks so bleak in this series! He’s at a car rental place trying to find out about Eva Doyle but the guy at the desk isn’t having any of it and when Harry tries to bribe him, he gets angry and tells him to leave.

We get Ollie, who seems to HAVE NO LIFE, all he seems to do is sit around alone in his house waiting for either Harry or Robin to call and then go running around after them. Robin is on the phone, she’s nervous about what Harry’s up to and wants Ollie to go and find out, she’s tracked him on her phone. So off he goes and finds Harry trying to break into the rental shop and they have a set to, Ollie understandably thinks he’s nuts, Harry tells him about the footage he saw, Ollie quite rightly said ask your wife and then calls it quits.

Harry breaks in, alarms go off, Ollie being Ollie stupidly comes back and then even more stupidly tries to help him search, they find the address and run off out of the clutches of the rental guy who returns. Harry is going to find out about the address, a fed up Ollie phones Robin and asks her what are you both playing at and why did she delete the footage, it’s not Dillon she says. She then tells him he’s got to stop him, he can’t speak to Eva, quite rightly Ollie says he loves her but he’s done with all this shit, I’m with Ollie, Harry has caught her unwittingly in a lie and the chickens are coming home to roost, it’s up to her to sort this one out.

Robin calls Harry but he cuts her off. Harry goes to this pub and asks about Eva staying there, the lady likewise is not having any of it, she won’t say. However, another lady behind the bar is more forthcoming and tells Harry that Eva’s living in Casablanca. He goes home does a search and sees pictures of Eva on a children’s ride of some kind (they’re seahorses) now he gets what Cozimo was on about. Robin calls him again begging him not to go to Morocco, sorry love but he’s going, he knows she’s lying, he’s understandably angry.

Harry arrives in Morocco and promptly gets hauled off by Fadoul to the station, he explains why he’s here looking for Dillon, they have a reconciliation of sorts and Fadoul says in his shoes he would keep searching and lets him go. Next he’s off to see Cozimo, Harry tells him he gets it now and Cozimo says he has a doctor’s appointment in Casablanca he would know the house if they went there. So they sneak out and drive there.

Meanwhile Robin is packing and her lawyer friend who is with Fadoul tells her Harry is on his way to Eva’s house and gives her the details. Cozimo leads Harry through the back streets but he can’t remember the place, Harry says don’t worry I will take you to the doctor, he then phones Robin, he realises she’s here too and says tell me where Eva is and starts tracking her on the phone (again, didn’t she think about this?) Robin says this has gone on long enough and he should go home (this is dumb, she needs to come clean, he’s NOT going to stop, this is what he thinks is his missing son he’s looking for!), she’s becoming increasingly irritating.

Robin arrives at Eva’s house and goes in and finds her ex lover Garrick, he seems wary, they live back in Morocco now. She tells him about Harry seeing Felix and how he looks so much like Dillon he’s obsessed, he says yeah Eva’s mom died hence the visit. Harry then walks in and asks Robin why would Felix look like Dillon? He’s starting to fear the worst he tells her, yeah well buddy you should lol. Robin breaks down crying, the boss asks them both to leave, you can tell he doesn’t want them in his house when the wife gets back. Robin says she was going to tell him (yeah right lady!), but he was so happy but at least now he knows Dillon is dead.

Right on cue of course Eva and ‘Felix’ turn up and Robin stares and says to Eva you took my son, the boy hugs Eva (once again I have to ask how Robin knows after so many years) but anyway Eva says no it’s HER son and then we get a flashback of Eva and Garrick’s son falling off a balcony somewhere. It’s now that Harry gets effectively sidelined as he’s basically got no skin in the game and he’s (literally) left in the background as Robin, Eva and Garrick have their confrontation, all Colin can do is look rather pained and confused.

We find out about Dillon, turns out Garrick knowing he had another son went to spy on him and by happy chance was there when the quake happened and took him away to safety. Robin goes to the boy to try and get him to come to her, Eva is tearful and angry Robin’s a cheating liar (true) and doesn’t deserve him she says, Harry chips in but he’s not your son and well he’s not yours she yells (ouch!). Garrrick realises the game is up, the boy then seems to recognize Robin and calls her mom and goes into her arms and I’m like WTF because he seems completely oblivious to the fact Eva who was his mom only a few seconds ago is howling in grief on the floor being comforted by her husband. Dillon reaches out for Harry’s hand smiling serenely and Harry takes a deep breath, he’s gone from thinking his son was dead, to finding out the boy was alive to discovering said boy wasn’t even his son no wonder he’s a bit blindsided but the kid seems utterly oblivious to all the emotional fall out around him he’s so serene which is bizarre and frankly unbelievable.

We end with them back in Dublin, Robin is heavily pregnant so it’s  months later, Harry, Ollie and Dillon come back to the house, he’s got a drawing he did and Robin says you’re talented just like your daddy. Harry sits down on the other side of the sofa from Robin as they exchange glances, Harry looks at her slightly pained but accepting? The ending is ambivalent you don’t know if things have really been laid to rest or not but then what can he do? She’s having his child for real this time and he loves Dillon. Surely this kid is going to need a ton of therapy in later life lol. No idea what happened after their showdown, where’s his real dad? Did he just let them go?

But we end it here, I guess this is what it is, he has his ‘son’ back, a boy that never was his son, now reclaimed.

Despite the various twists and turns to get here, the finale fell rather flat, may be it’s because by that point I’d got so irritated by Robin that I didn’t care that much how she felt about seeing her son again. Once back in Dublin it ended with question marks over whether they would make it through or not, I figure yes given Harry’s nature and the fact he doesn't want to lose another child.

It was also a big WTF when we found out that she was shagging her boss given he was nowhere near as hot as her husband and I wasn’t even sure why she had strayed. However, that aside it’s how she behaved afterwards which bugged me: ordering Ollie around, trying to get him to help her clear up the mess her actions had caused, refusing to be honest with Harry once he had found out she'd deleted the file.

Harry was stupid and annoying at times but at least he had an excuse given his mental state and what he thought he had seen so I sympathised more. Another gripe was that I can’t buy into their money worries given how they lived and the fact they were backwards and forward to Morocco at a drop of a hat which is something most people couldn’t do.

Dillon seemed far too unbothered by events once found and what about Garrick? Did he just allow them to march out the house? No custody battle, no arguments over visitation rights?  Dillon is probably going to need a ton of therapy when he grows up. It was just bizarre and didn’t really ring true.

So yeah this story started well but disappointed in the end, Robin was annoying, Harry got effectively sidelined by events, Ollie and Garrick were saps and the whole way it was resolved didn’t ring true. It’s watchable enough but would I recommend it to a non Colin Morgan fan? Not really. I have no idea what the book’s like and how closely it follows the series, I’d be interested in finding out.

[greypetrel]

🌾 for aisling?

Ooooh this is an interestin one, thank you! :D

You know what. This is becoming a letter. Yes. And I twisted the prompt a little...

Tis the ask game

🌾 Describe your OC through the eyes of someone absolutely head-over-heels in love with them who loves them so so much

7 Kingsway, 9:47

My dear Cullen,

I hope you can forgive the familiarity with which I’m addressing you, and if I can't wait to have left to leave you the first letter. This happy month seeing you with my daughter has made me think of you as yet another son. Forgive an old woman for the confidence, if you mind it.

I wanted to thank you personally, one more time. Not only for your hospitality and the food and the stori you shared with all of us -another thing that settled you as “family”. But also for all you’re doing for my child.

Her letters in the last years had me a little worried, and I believe there’s something she didn’t tell me about what happened in the Exalted Council and what she discovered chasing the Dreadwolf. I won’t ask, she will tell me when she will be ready. She’s always been stubborn like that, all too understanding and obliging, even when it meant her suffering, until there was something she really didn’t want to do, or set her mind in doing. No way of swaying her, in that case, even when she was little!

But seeing her here with you and seeing what you two built calmed me down. She’s scarred, and whatever happened picked at old wounds… But I’ve seen her loved. She’s always been loved, even when she couldn’t realize how much.

For the first time, tho, I've seen her sure that she’s receiving the same amount of love she’s giving, and for that I thank you: it’s something precious and fleeting, hold on to it with all that you got. It makes me happy, and I will leave with a lighter heart. It’s not enough to heal her completely, as it isn’t enough to heal you either, on its own. But you both have love enough to keep you warm during rainy days, and a person at your side, willing and eager to pick up the pieces to bring back a smile. It’s all I could ask for her.

And well, little Niamh is even more than I could dream of, of course! She's beautiful, I am so grateful to have met her. I am sure she’ll grow up strong and happy. She has so many people who loves her here, and she has others who loves her dearly from Wycome, when we’ll head back, she’ll always have a home with us as well.

I know you were worrying about me, at first, and I hope this will be enough to convince you that you made quite the impression. Yes, in spite of the differences and of your past, and more so for it. It takes courage and intelligence to change, I am overly proud of the both of you. As I am sure your parents would be. I should know, as an old mother myself as I hope you’ll consider me.

I will stop it here, lest you start considering me an old cranky lady too sentimental for this harsh world.

Even if, indeed, I am an old, cranky and sentimental lady. Who really doesn’t believe that sentimentality is a flaw, in this harsh world.

This was all a circonvoluted and sugary way to say: thank you for taking such good care of my youngest, reckless, overly worrying and fawning until she gets stubborn daughter. A parent really couldn’t ask for more.

… That’s the time I should add an ominous “You’ll see in some years, now!”, but that would reveal that my first-born has not taken his terrible timing for humour from his late father -Falon’din bless him- and I don’t think I am old enough to give up that speckle of pride. Another thing Aisling has taken from me, I suspect.

I am closing this for real, now.

Feel free to take this letter as it is, without replying. I understand you’re not the fondest person of letters around. And as for me, my daughter and your lovely eldest sister promised to keep me informed. Still, if you would like to write, for anything, I would be glad. I would be glad to help with your clinic, my know-it-all son thinks that since I left him the title of Keeper I am decrepit and can’t do anything at all, and my overly fussy youngest daughter thinks that I should lie in a bed and do nothing at all to avoid joint pain. But it gets very boring and I’m not decrepit, and if I could do something more to help…

Write to me and be as detailed as possible about what ailments you have to deal with with your patients, and I will do my best to suggest something. Aisling never was the most talented herbalist -mind me, she's good, but her real talent and passion is for weather magic- but she will be able to interpret and adapt my instructions. I taught her well.

With all my love, and another warm, warm welcome to the family,

Deshanna.

[servingourinterests]

Jerk Matron January: Reveal Day (Part Three)

We’re delighted to reveal the third and final batch of Jerk Matron January creations! There are a total of twenty two works now posted in the Jerk Matron January collection on AO3. The fun isn’t quite over yet, though - creators will be revealed this Friday, February 3! 

In the meantime, please be sure to comment on all of the works that you enjoy! We’re getting close to season four, but we still have a couple of months to go and these fabulous fanworks will go a long way towards helping bridge that gap.

bare hands: Roman's looking for something stupid to do. Don't worry, he finds it. (A date gets too hands on with Gerri and Roman gets protective/aggressive.)

I need to be redeemed to the one I’ve sinned against: It's the winter of 2019, 6 months post-Italy, and the ice between Roman and Gerri finally begins to melt just as the Covid-19 pandemic is on the horizon. Roman misses Gerri, and needs Gerri, and maybe Gerri is starting to realize just how much she misses Roman, too. When they unexpectedly end up forming their own bubble during lockdown after Logan has a health scare, will they be able to control themselves? Spoiler: Dear Reader, they are absolutely not able to control themselves. Not one little bit. (Lucky for us.)

My Angel Put The Devil In Me: Desperate for anything that might help cure the anxiety and loneliness he feels on his thirty-ninth birthday, Roman Roy accidentally creates a very complicated situation for himself.

not broken, just bent: In the dizzying, surreal twist of time between knowing something is wrong and the pain of it bursting through, he thinks that maybe she won’t notice. 

It’s a dumb fucking thought.

Sliver: When Gerri Kellman wants something, she won't stop until she gets it. What she wants now is Roman, and she's on a mission to figure out what works for them, both in and out of the bedroom. 

Something absolutely revolting and sweet: They hadn't meant to have a sex room, it just sort of worked out that way.

suck the rot right out of my bloodstream: Gerri runs into Roman at a ski resort and it's definitely, completely, totally not on purpose.

the name we’ve long held back: “Don’t hostage-shame me, Gerri,” Roman says, tilting his head. His voice cracks right down the middle. “I mean, you worked at Waystar before the walls were glassed in so you’re probably an old pro at this ‘trapped by evil men who may or may not try to fuck us’ situation, but this is my first time.”

Gerri clenches her jaw. “If they come for us,” she says wearily, “I’m telling them to shoot you first.”

[eeclare]

Haikyuu fic Masterlist

I’ve been reading Haikyuu fanfics for YEARS, and I think it’s finally time to share my ultimate wisdom. This post is still super ongoing because I’m not nearly done reading fanfics, but this is what I have to recommend so far :) part two is here

Part three is here

Part four is here

Part five is here

Part six is here

Part seven is here

I’ll include the summary, rating, word count, and my own comments on the fic (as well as the pairing)! Obviously there are going to be “cult-classics” on here because even though I’ve been in the fandom for a long time, I recognize that there are always going to be new fans (as long as there is at least one more season left lol) and they deserve the “generically” good ones! I’ll label the ones I love the most with <3

Extra little disclaimer: this whole list so far is JUST IwaOi. I was planning on doing the whole master list all in one but then I considered how long I’ve been reading/bookmarking fanfics for and realized that if I put all of it in one this would take me about 6 weeks to fully complete. I’ll link the rest of the list as I complete it/them :) Anyway, enjoy!!

Iwaizumi Hajime x Oikawa Tooru

Long Overdue <3

Word count: 4,528

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Iwaizumi hits his rut.

I have to admit (in the least creepy way possible) I have a soft spot for A/B/O dynamics. Most of them are written weirdly well and they always get the relationship dynamics just right.

Sempiternal

Word count: 3,170

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: The journey of friendship and love over the years wherein Tooru rejects Hajime 5 times followed by the 1 time he doesn't.

This one’s short and sweet and I think it captures Iwa and Oikawa’s relationship quite well. It starts when they’re just little babies and tracks their development from childhood friends to lovers.

The Secret Omega

Word count: 17,387

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Now, staring down at the cheery label which promises no regrets, Iwaizumi ironically but sincerely regrets every decision which lead him here. In particular, his annoying as fuck best friend. Who absolutely, definitely, no matter what, cannot find out that Iwaizumi is an omega.

Yet another A/B/O fic (prepare yourself). God this one is good. Love alpha Oikawa and omega iwa dynamics, and I think this fic captures it perfectly. I’m always in it for angst and this one features a lot of inner turmoil from Iwa’s perspective.

In The Telling

Word count: 6,131

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Muggleborn Iwaizumi could not be less impressed with pureblood Oikawa Tooru.

I’m also a sucker for HP AUs (though there won’t be as many as I’d like in here). Again, this captures Iwa and Oiks in all their glory but with a Harry Potter twist. Please read it, you’ll regret nothing (little to no angst btw, other than the general “they’re getting to know each other and Iwa hates Oikawa at first” stuff).

Thirty Years and Change (The Games of the XXXIII Olympiad)

Word count: 19,309

Rating: General Audiences

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: It’s July 10th, 2024, and Oikawa Tooru is an Olympian. His smiling face airs on an NHK promo every 45 seconds. He’s captain of the national men’s volleyball team, reigning star of the professional leagues, and he hasn't spoken to Iwaizumi Hajime in two years. He has, however, sent Iwaizumi tickets for the 2024 Los Angeles Summer Games.

This is set in the future (but pls keep in mind this was written WAY before the recent reveal of what the characters end up doing career-wise) where Oikawa is a world rebound Olympian. Iwa and Oikawa are N/C at the beginning of this so please also keep in mind that this one will be an angsty slow burn, but with a happy ending.

Your Words & My words & Our Words

Word count: 3,613

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; Chapters 1/1

Summary: Iwaizumi Hajime has the most embarrassing soulmark known to man.

This one is SO funny. No angst, just feel-good fun.

I Was Born In Love With You

Word Count: 1,682

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Oikawa and Iwaizumi are finally reunited at the Olympics.

Short and sweet and full of cheese.

What you Came for <3

Word count: 108,825

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; Chapters 26/26

Summary: Iwaizumi finds himself torn between his career and Oikawa Tooru, straddling the line of professionalism and duty. Iwaizumi has the responsibility to do the right thing, but it it's becoming more and more unclear what the right thing actually is. He has to choose a side, and his decision could save or end more lives.

Cop Iwaizumi and bad guy mafia boss Oikawa. Honestly guys, almost anything ever written by Deathbelle is a cult classic in the Haikyuu fandom. At least to me, anyway. This one is angsty and smutty and well written and overall just incredible. I URGE you to read this one. I also only put a small portion of the original summary in here so if you want to read the full one click on the link and check it out ;)

Saw you at the Fish Market

Word Count: 14,218

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Oikawa befriends hot part-time worker Iwaizumi and tries to impress him both off and on the court, in hopes of more.

This one I will admit to only have read once, but it was really cute and really funny with some reallllly light angst sprinkled in there. I honestly read this back in 2020 so my memory’s a bit fuzzy on it but I think it still deserves recognition!

Places

Word count: 14,920

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed: chapters 9/9

Summary: They had been planning this reunion for sixteen weeks, four days and six hours. Or so. Not that Oikawa had been counting, or anything.

Part 1 of a really great series. This one is a bit longer but it’s really cute and I love it. Long distance Iwa and Oikawa make for slight angst and heavy mutual pining.

Kireiji: や

Word count: 11,427

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: “You know, going undercover only works if we haven’t met.” Oikawa inwardly groaned. Where was his scotch when he needed it? “I’m here for someone else,” Oikawa said, turning around to meet Iwaizumi’s eye. “Don’t flatter yourself thinking I would dress up like this for someone like you.”

This one is the reverse of What you Came for with cop Oikawa and yakuza Iwaizumi. It’s in the POV of all the characters in the fic and is definitely interesting to read. This one IS a popular one so chances are you will like it!

And Suddenly, We Were Strangers

Word count: 17,926

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: "sorry, it's just... you’ve been amazingly kind to me these past few days. ...but i'm still not sure who you are.”oikawa tooru's handed a beige invitation, gold lettering decorating the edges and words that make his heart drop as his gaze lift. he's sitting in a hospital bed and with his mind hazy, he's only sure of three things: his name, his visitor is attractive, and this can't be happening. "i'm iwaizumi." the visitor looks away. " ...your fiancé."

This on is really sad and kind of heartbreaking. Amnesia AU where Oikawa doesn’t remember Iwaizumi. Another rather popular fic in the community, it has angst on angst on angst but with a happy ending. Pretty much a hurt/comfort fic.

Intersections

Word count: 2,741

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Iwaizumi walks out of the Shibuya train station and finds himself staring at a massive digital ad flashing REIGN’s pretty-boy grin. He’s all dressed up in Kouda Mikako’s signature bold style — dark, ripped drop pants under a hooded, pale-yellow tunic and turquoise jacket. Iwaizumi is a hundred-percent sure if he tried wearing that outfit, Hanamaki and Matsukawa would laugh him out of Tokyo. On REIGN, though, it just — it works.

They’re idols/music artists.That’s it. That’s my commentary.

A Drunken Confession and a Warm Embrace

Word Count: 3,431

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: There’s one night where Oikawa stays at home for once, and Iwaizumi is being driven home. Matsukawa brings up the topic of Oikawa, just as a joke, expecting Iwaizumi to complain a little...and Iwaizumi starts going on and on about Oikawa, what he loves about him, and how excited he is to get home to him.

Drunk Iwa confessing his love for Oikawa. This one is so funny I swear!

Are you Listening?

Word count: 4,224

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: 30 times oikawa said i love you and 1 time he didn't have to

This one is SO cute. Literally zero angst just cute and short and sweet and deserves a read.

Trial by Fire <3

Word Count: 76,811

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 14/14

Summary: (lawyer!AU - in which Iwaizumi loves his objections, Oikawa is beautiful, and they have more chemistry than two opposing attorneys probably should.)

Remember when I said that there were going to be cult classics in here? Yeah. This is one of them. So incredibly written but tbh the ending made me so MAD. Not because of sad stuff or anything actually bad happening, I just don’t like how a lot of authors always make Iwa out to be the bad guy when Oikawa is the one fucking up or being over dramatic. Other Than that though, go read this fic if you haven’t already. Right now. Do it.

Four Numbers

Word count: 1,388

Rating: General audiences

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: When Oikawa leaves his phone over at Iwaizumi's, Iwaizumi is shocked at what he finds inside.

Iwa snooping in Oik’s phone. No angst here and no slow burn. Good for if you want something a little shorter and sweeter to get you through the day.

It’s Tradition

Word count: 3,916

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Every year, without fail, on Oikawa's birthday, Oikawa has somehow gotten a kiss out of Iwaizumi.

Another fan favourite! Definitely worth the read! Another fic that shows the progression of their relationship from childhood friends to lovers!

The Great Photo Race

Word count: 3,306

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Oikawa realizes that he doesn't have a single terrible photo of Iwaizumi on his phone, and challenges the volleyball team to get the worst photo possible in a week.

It’s giving Barney and Robin from that one episode of HIMYM. Super fun and funny fic!

Papillon <3

Word count: 6,867

Rating: Mature

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: "Father says I have to go meet new royals today.” “Who?” The boy said it so easily. With a little bit of a bite. But Tooru wasn’t sure if that was because he was angry, or because he was an alpha. “The…Iwaizumi family…”

Another A/B/O and popular enough (the A/B/O while present in this, can be pretty easily ignored though if you’re not into it. Still such a great read). I read this for the first time in the eight grade. Another childhood friends to lovers progression fic but this time make it royal. So so so so so good. Hands down one of my fav IwaOi fics of all time!

Call Me But Love <3

Word count: 4,507

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Oikawa's Soulmark says Hajime, but Iwaizumi's doesn't say Tooru.

Angst on top of angst but with a tooth rottingly happy ending. Do yourself a favour and read this because you will never ever regret it. The tags kind of spoil why their marks done match up but at the end of the day, it’s still an incredible fic.

Deck the Halls with Mistletoe (Leg all Your Burdens go)

Word count: 2,013

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: “My boy,” she says, cupping her hand to his cheek, pride in her voice. “I’m so glad you’re home, Tooru.” “Me, too,” he lies easily, summoning a smile that she doesn’t care to look beyond, and lets her pull him into another hug. Pleasantries are exchanged and she tries to get him to stay downstairs for dinner, but he waves her off easily enough with the excuse of jet lag. With promises of getting some sleep he lugs his bag up the stairs and lets himself into the bedroom. Iwaizumi Hajime is sitting on his bed.

ANOTHER fic where Iwa and oiks become estranged. Angst with a happy ending tho so what can I say.

Do You See Yourself as a Daddy? <3

Word count: 4,266

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: “Actually,” Oikawa straightened, brushing his fingers down Iwaizumi’s biceps, “One more question, Iwaizumi-san. Off the record, of course.” “And that would be?” Oikawa leaned in, so that their lips were nothing but a breath apart again, his lashes practically touching Iwaizumi’s, “How exactly do you fuck your men?”

I don’t know if the_madame is considered a traditional Haikyuu cult classic author, but holy fuck should they be. I’m serious. This persons fics saved my life. Their works are so good I literally will suck their penis as repayment. You will almost never find better iwaoi fics than from this person. I wish they were still as active in the fandom as they used to be but honestly, they could never write a fic again and I’d still be satisfied lmao

High Rise

Word count: 14,077

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 7/7

Summary: Oikawa followed his ambitions and found himself as a pro-player on the 28th floor of an apartment block, alone, soothing that solitude with occasional visits from old friends and their adorable dog. Then someone new descended into his life, right on the other side of the glass he spent so long staring out of.

Sooooo freaking cute. Cannot say that enough. This fic deserves way more recognition than I feel like it gets. Please love it as much as I do.

Stumble into the Sun <3

Word count: 3,680

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: “So,” Hajime says, as he peels off his uniform shirt, letting it fall on top of his gym bag. “Have you guys ever heard of like, someone being turned on by people saying nice things to them?” Matsukawa slams his locker shut. “Oh my god,” he says.

THIS ONE IS SO FUNNY but also hot at the same time. I love it.

Everything With You

Word count: 14,591

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: For years, being Oikawa’s best friend has worked out fine. Hajime is hopelessly in love with him, but it’s enough. Then Oikawa—who, by all accounts, has never been anything but determinedly, assuredly straight—gets a boyfriend. Or a boy friend-with-benefits. Hajime doesn’t know, and he doesn’t give a shit about the definition.

This is such a great fanfic. So well written, so much angst, so many emotions and the perfect amount of comfort at the end.

Yellow White Red (Camellia/Gardenia)

Word count: 9,012

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: An impressively annoying young man starts frequenting Hajime's flower shop. It goes downhill from there.

This one is funny and sweet with basically zero angst. Highly recommend this read (especially since it has SO many bookmarks compared to ur average fic lol)

Dinner and a Movie <3

I’m being 100% honest here when I say that you don’t need a summary to know that you HAVE to read this fic. Remember when I said that the last fic has so many more bookmarks than the average fic? Yeah. Compare that to this one and it blows it WAY out of the water. Seriously. Just do yourself a favour and read it.

Just Hear Me Out <3

Word Count: 7,679

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: To stimulate Japan's low birthrates and take most of the guesswork out of dating, a beeper system was biologically developed in people's wrists, an audible confirmation to show romantic compatibility. Iwaizumi's beeper has been going off for Oikawa since they've been kids. Oikawa's has only ever been silent.

Whoever the chef is of this fic, I’m gonna kiss ‘em. Completely immaculate. AMAZING soulmate AU. It’s angsty but has such an amazing ending seriously do yourself another favour and read this fic too.

Darlin’ your head’s not on straight

Word count: 13,658

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Oikawa teases Iwaizumi about a childhood promise he made to marry him when they were older, except suddenly it's not really a joke at all.

Funny and cute and funny and cute and cute and cute and cute.

Have Mercy on Me

Word count: 10,592

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Hajime gets the Hanahaki disease.

Very angsty but it does have a happy ending and the friendship dynamics between everyone is really nice to read. Love fics like that.

Kiss me Cause you can

Word count: 3,362

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: “I just dared you,” Yahaba said offhandedly, like he was commenting on the weather, “to kiss Oikawa-san, Iwaizumi-san.”

It’s really just precious and again, the dynamics between all the characters (while minimal) is really nice to read.

Take Shelter

Word count: 4,888

Rating: N/A (but really teen +)

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Hajime's always loved Tooru. He's just always been prepared to let him go.

Some domestic fluff + angst to get the heart strings going. I’ve seen this one recommended in other lists before but honestly, I feel like this one doesn’t get recognized as much as it should.

By the Time You’re Eighteen <3

Word count: 4,219

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: “Tell you what,” Oikawa continues. “If you still haven’t been kissed by the time you’re, say, eighteen, /I’ll/ kiss you.”

This one is sugary and sweet and I just love it

Terrorist Cat

Word count: 1,526

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Oikawa generally isn't very good with animals. Iwaizumi tells him it's because they can sense his true nature. But there is one animal that takes to him. And it's a nightmare

It doesn’t actually *say* that they’re together in the tags but like. They are lol

Sing For Me

Word count: 9,863

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: The last place Oikawa thought he would end up in would be a dingy bar covered in sweaty clothes and forced to stand around sweaty people; but here he is, standing under soft purple and red lights, body close to overheating and nothing to combat the exhaustion but a room temperature bottle of water.

If you’re looking to read for the plot, you’ve come to the wrong place

Press ‘1’ to get a call from your drunk best friend

Word count: 5,400

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Press '2' to hear him talk about you for thirty minutes, press '3' for him to compliment your ass, and press '4' for more options.

Another drunk fic for these two! Really funny but also wholesome I love their friendship in this one!

Of Pick Up Lines and Idiots in Love

Word count: 1,867

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: All these notes and pick-ups lines were seriously starting to piss Iwaizumi off.

For the lols

Not about to go looking

Word count: 2,523

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Hajime wants to tell him right then, to say: “I love you and if I ever do meet my match it’ll probably be the worst fucking thing that ever happens to me.” He gets as far as opening his mouth when Oikawa interrupts again.

Really cute and wholesome. I love “unrequited” soulmate AUs :)

Dyspnea/Arrhythmia

Word count: 10,812

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: In which Iwaizumi Hajime is a junior doctor suffering through his medical rotation, and Dr. Oikawa Tooru is his insufferable mentor. Medical AU.

It’s funny and slow burn and I just think it’s neat.

In April

Word count: 28,782

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 2/2

Summary: Tooru dates people and it takes Hajime a while to figure out why he hates it. Like six years.

Where Iwa is an emotionally constipated moron. They both are.

4 Times Iwaizumi said I Love You and 1 Time Oikawa Beat Him to the Punchline

Word count: 10,686

Rating: General Audiences

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: It's absolute, complete fluff nothing else

Not so short, but sweet. I’ve always liked this fic, their relationship is just so fluffy and sweet in this

Call Security!

Word count: 18,658

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 5/5

Summary: In which Oikawa has a crush, Iwaizumi has no interest, and a chain of shoplifting incidents brings them together.

DeathBelle DeathBelle DeathBelle (mall workers AU)

Blind Allegiance <3

Word count: 3,419

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: When Oikawa had set out to make a name for himself in the gritty underworld of the yakuza, he had demanded respect with a smile on his face, a gun in his hand, and Iwaizumi by his side. Anyone on the outside looking in would have wondered why Iwaizumi had sacrificed so much – his family, his morals, his future – for Oikawa’s twisted ambitions. They wouldn’t have understood why Iwaizumi had made his decisions, and he wouldn’t have expected them to. Sometimes even he wondered how he’d ended up there, caught up in the violent affairs of the yakuza. He wondered, but when he looked at Oikawa, everything became clear.

OH MY GOD DeathBelle is literally Jesus

We’re Falling

Word count: 4,316

Rating: General Audiences

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: In their third year of high school, Oikawa starts looking at her best friend a little differently. If only Iwaizumi was looking back.

I don’t usually read gender bends but this person did it quite well (I’m my opinion)

Rose-Tinted

Word count: 3,995

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: After a night out, Iwaizumi and Oikawa get a little closer

THIS IS ANOTHER GENDER BEND FIC!! It’s just that this one is smutty.

Rookie Mistakes

Word count: 5,277

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Oikawa is a menace, Iwaizumi is running out of patience, and the two of them struggle to find a way to work together.

Another cop AU but they’re BOTH cops and then they have sex

The Worst

Word count: 1,465

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: "Oh, fuck, you're not Mattsun," he chuckled, running his fingers through his head of sweaty hair. "Shit, sorry man, didn't mean to–" "Don't worry about it." Iwaizumi blinked to get the blurriness out of his eyes and found one attractive piece of man meat sitting next to him, cupping his chin in his hand. He stuttered, clutching onto his empty shot glass like it'd keep him from falling off the stool. "Tooru. You?" "Hot," he replied, his lips moving faster than his brain. "Uh, Hajime. You're hot. I'm Hajime."

Do I realllly remember reading this one? Not completely. Do I vaguely remember it being good? Yes absolutely! Read it and jog my memory lmao

Butterflies

Word count: 808

Rating: Mature

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Oikawa cries during sex sometimes

Short, cute, sweet.

la lune <3

Word count: 1,698

Rating: Mature

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Years after graduating high school, Iwaizumi Hajime suddenly finds himself on an unfamiliar couch with a terribly familiar ache in his lower back.

So angsty and yet so nice to read. Another vaguely estranged IwaOi fic that I like quite a bit.

The Art of Silence <3

Word count: 2,767

Rating: General Audiences

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: In which Hanamaki and Oikawa make a bet where Oikawa won't talk for 24 hours and Iwaizumi learns that maybe he knows Oikawa a bit better than he thought he did.

Ugh so sappy and cute. Everyone is just happy. No angst to be seen here, folks. It’s also quite funny lol

The Time Oikawa was Late

Word count: 2,157

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Oikawa gets into an accident on his way to visit Iwaizumi, and puts Iwa-chan under unnecessary stress.

Royalty AU! It’s quite short but I like protective Iwa so :P

Blessing

Word count: 4,182

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Tooru gives birth and his friends Freak Out

IM SO SORRY this is an Mpreg fic. I’m not proud of myself either, guys. And also, this is less IwaOi centric, than it is just about the couple’s dynamics with Maki and Matsun. I don’t usually enjoy Mpreg centric fics but this one was good.

Balance

Word count: 1,013

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Oikawa just wants Iwaizumi to pick him up with those strong arms and fuck him against a wall. So Iwaizumi does.

Just straight up porn no plot. Or I guess, porn is the plot.

I’m the satellite you’re the sky

Word count: 3,227

Rating: General Audiences

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: That made it finally dawn on Iwaizumi how much Oikawa wanted this. How much Oikawa wanted him. The thought hit Iwaizumi hard and he pulled away with a quiet gasp, moving his arms to grab Oikawa before he could speak. He held onto the other tightly, his chest heaving slightly and his voice coming out hoarse. “Stupid Oikawa. I’m not going anywhere.”

Sickeningly sweet. Seriously.

#Betrayal

Word count: 2,476

Rating: General Audiences

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Hajime Iwaizumi commits the ultimate snapchat sin and somehow gets himself a boyfriend in the process.

Ugh so cute and funny

New phone who dis

Word count: 57,747

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 25/25

Summary: Oikawa texts the wrong number when complaining about Ushijima, and then keeps texting Iwaizumi.

This fic is so fucking funny. Is it a cult classic? Technically no, but it really should be.

Kotov Syndrome <3

Word count: 50,023

Rating: Mature

Status: Completed; chapters 9/9

Summary: Corruption is brewing in Seijou's police force. Oikawa Tooru, the captain of Special Investigations, is put onto a case where he cannot afford to fail.

Cop/detective AU but Oh. My. God. This is such and exceptional fanfic. It doesn’t even feel like a fanfic it just feels like you’re watching criminal minds (almost). The plot doesn’t dig too deep into the romantic relationships of the characters but good god is this fanfic amazing!

If you wanna be

Word count: 15,108

Rating: Teen +

Status: completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Oikawa tries to play matchmaker for Iwaizumi and fails. Spectacularly.

Makes me kick my legs out and giggle like a small child

How to Catch an Ace by Oikawa Tooru <4

Word count: 8,201

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: In which Oikawa writes a guide for Kageyama, Matsukawa and Hanamaki read it, and then proceed to tell him how rubbish it is.

Guys this is literally so damn funny. Oiks tryna give Kageyama romantic advice is one of the best things ever.

Read it and weep

Word count: 14,075

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Iwaizumi Hajime writes an abrasive critique of golden boy Oikawa Tooru's terrible self-help book. What happens afterwards is a testament to how horrible Iwaizumi's luck really is.

LOL enemies to lovers but in a funny way

Move your Body

Word count: 28,107

Rating: N/A (technically explicit)

Status: Completed; chapters 2/2

Summary: In which Iwaizumi comes out and Oikawa has a great idea and subsequently questions his own sexuality with surprising results...

This one is funny and smutty and has a bit of plot if you squint

Hot Mess

Word count: 2,245

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Iwaizumi discovers the beauty of rimming.

Hot mess is right

Rationed breaths

Word count: 3,740

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Iwaizumi knows the arch of Oikawa's back when he stretches, knows the smooth muscles of his thighs, knows how his shirt sticks to him after a long summer practice: he knows it all. He thinks about it a lot. More than he should, probably.

Well written porn. That’s all.

Reflection

Word count: 3,792

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Iwaizumi is insecure about his height. And Oikawa has to fix this.

Hot

Momma Needs His Dick

Word count: 1,998

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Having two kids doesn't leave much time for Mom and Dad. And Tooru really just can't take it anymore.

THIS IS A PART OF A SERIES!!! Technically I think you COULD read this as a stand alone, though. It’s A/B/O and takes place in a universe written by the_madame and it’s so so so damn good. I AM going to save that main fic to the series for last on this list though because I love it so much.

Hands-on assessment

Word count: 4,978

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Iwaizumi is Oikawa’s professor-with-benefits. And maybe something a little more.

I hate student teacher relationship fics, but I read this one and it was actually pretty good.

The Truth is Out There

Word count: 3,066

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: "I work at NASA," Hajime said, setting down his coffee. Oikawa immediately jumped up and slammed his palms against the table. "I'll suck your dick if you tell me about the aliens."

There is no smut in this, despite the summary. This fic is funny and light hearted and I see it on fic rec lists all the time. There is a good reason for that though. Definitely worth the read. Short and sweet :)

Say My Name <3

Word count: 2,685

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Iwaizumi is about to flip a pencil at the top of his head, but he notices a slight blooming of color on the portion of Oikawa's cheek—the portion he can see—and it dawns on him that Oikawa might actually be embarrassed to use his first name. Normally Iwaizumi would normally leave it be; Oikawa isn't ready, that's okay. But some part of Iwaizumi decides that he has a way to sate Oikawa's boredom, and earn himself a nice treat all in the same instance. Something devilish swirls in his abdomen, and he pushes back from his chair, motioning towards the brunet beside him. “Oikawa, I'm gonna take a break.”

Hot.

In defence of our overgrown garden <3

Word count: 2,595

Rating: General Audiences

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: In which Ushijima tries very hard to be a good neighbour to the new tenants next door.

This fic made my cackle in public. And I’m not even exaggerating. It’s so goddamn funny I can’t begin to describe to you. I have never laughed so hard at a fanfiction in my life. Ushijima is just so oblivious and he just wants to be a good neighbour and Oikawa just HATES him for it. Again, not a fic that’s focused on the romantic relationships of the characters but it’s beyond worth the read.

I Choose You

Word count: 9,315

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: There's a tiny clock on his wrist, bright red numbers. It's supposed to tick, supposed to move, supposed to tell him when he'll meet his soulmate. The time will run to zero when they've met, moving numbers will become stationary—the ticking that signified uncertainty transforming to the silent stability of forever. Iwaizumi Hajime's clock hasn't ticked for as long as he can remember.

So so so good. This one is a bit of a classic to us og Haikyuu fans. I don’t see this one get mentioned very often but it needs to be read more for sure.

In This Safe Space (Stay for a Minute) <3

Word count: 23,744

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: In which Oikawa is a fairly well-known cosplayer, Iwaizumi is the irritatingly talented doujinka who regularly spots errors in his costumes, and their booths keep ending up located beside one another at conventions, much to Oikawa's dismay.

I love this one. The friendship dynamics, the couple dynamics. It’s also really funny and really cute! I see this on almost EVERY fic rec list and this is one fic that I genuinely think deserves its spot.

Tokyo Boy <3

Word count: 16,655

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 2/2

Summary: A story about longing, and how not even 5,487 miles, a sixteen-hour time difference, or a 'casual' label can stop a stubborn heart (or two?) from falling in love.

A long distance love story that has had my heart since I read it in 2017 :)

Mind Reader <3

Word count: 40,800

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 4/4

Summary: After Iwaizumi is knocked out by a volleyball to the face, he discovers he can now see what people are thinking.

Iwa is such a fucking idiot in this I love it so much. This is another classic (or at least I think so) and it’s a well deserved one. It’s funny and cute and smutty and perfect.

You’re looking like you fell in love tonight

Word count: 34,930

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: in which iwaizumi pretends to be oikawa's boyfriend.

ANOTHER classic… I like this one but it’s not a love. It’s really popular and it’s good, just not one that I think about often when I’m trying to rec fics

When You Wish Upon a Star

I’m not even putting anything else here other than it’s a body swap AU and you HAVE TO READ IT. It’s a cult classic. It’s funny. It’s witty. It’s sweet. Read it now.

The Courtship Ritual of the Hercules Beetle

Word count: 66,307

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 3/3

Summary: Tooru is pretty sure he could manage the mating habits of a mosquito. It’s the mating habits of people he can’t seem to get right.

Would this really be a master list if I didn’t put this fic on it?

We Shine Like Diamonds <3

Word count: 26,733

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Oikawa is nine when he first hears the word. The boys on the playground whisper it like it's dirty, like the way they daringly mutter the word fuck and then look over their shoulders to check their parents hadn't heard.

This fic is probably the ultimate coming of age fanfiction (in this fandom at least). It really tugs at your heart strings and makes you want to give Oikawa a big hug and it will make you very happy in the end.

The Most Inconvenient Way to Find One’s Soulmate

Word count: 10,577

Rating: Teen +

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: After falling out of another relationship, famous actor Oikawa Tooru, decides to just skip the dating and find his soulmate. Posting a picture of your soul mark on Twitter may work for some people, but if you're an actor what really happens is an influx of people pretending to be your soulmate, as Oikawa quickly finds out. It's a good thing Suga is a fan, or else Iwaizumi may never have known that his soulmark matched the one of the actor he didn't really like.

This one’s kinda funny and I did enjoy it a lot. It’s not my favourite but it is memorable! Def a classic as well

Conquering the Great King <3

Word count: 105,691

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 17/17

Summary: Iwaizumi blinked his gaze over to Oikawa, "Last time was supposed to be a one time thing," he said, voice low, lacking some conviction. Oikawa's lips twitched into a smirk and he brought them hovering just over Iwaizumi's, "One time thing, Two time thing, what's it matter as long as it's not a Relationship thing?"

I bet you were wondering when you were going to see this fic on my list. I was contemplating not putting it on because at this point everyone has already read it (I mean, it is THE Haikyuu fanfiction) but on the off chance you come across this and haven’t read it, you haven’t lived, dude.

Anger Management <3

It’s literally just porn, guys (really good porn)

Lockdown

Word count: 72, 716

Rating: Explicit

Status, Completed; chapters 13/13

Summary: Within the first few months of his stay, Oikawa gets caught up in a war between cellblocks, becomes a prime target, and must decide just how far he's willing to go to protect Iwaizumi Hajime.

Oikawa is literally Iwaizumis bitch. Yet another DethBelle fic. Are we even surprised anymore?

Worthless Pride <3

Not bothering with the formalities here. It is explicit and long but for the love of GOD read this fic. Cult classic for a reason, I tell you. Brb gonna go reread it rn actually

Moral Ambiguity <3

Word count: 16,713

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Oikawa Tooru, a decorated forensic psychologist, has never met a criminal he couldn’t break. He knows how they think and he’s an expert of persuasion. Japan’s most famous serial killer, Iwaizumi Hajime, may be the exception.

FUCK does this fic make you think. I feel like this one doesn’t get mentioned enough so here you go. Not for everyone for sure, but if you’re looking for intense and thrilling, you’ve found it.

The Loyalty of a traitor <3

Again skipping the formalities. Again, it is explicit but holy crap is it ever good. It has 17 chapters (and is fully completed). Do you know how many cult classics DeathBelle has written? Because holy fuck I swear they are like half this list.

New Flame

Word count: 69,805

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 13/13

Summary: Working as a server at a high-end restaurant in Kabukicho means that life isn't always as uninteresting as Oikawa hopes it might be. But the job pays well, his manager is understanding of his university schedule, and Oikawa takes pride in being able to meet some of Japan's most prominent businessmen even if he doesn't really care for what they do. That is, until Iwaizumi Hajime takes an interest in him.

Essentially just 13 chapters of porn with very minimal plot. I have read it a couple times tho and every time you read it the more plot you find if you squint real hard.

When I Fall to My Feet <3

Word count: 23,284

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 3/3

Summary: Oikawa is tired of being rejected and wants to move on from his incredibly disappointing first time. Luckily, his best friend knows a thing or two about sex, and is willing to lend a hand (and a tongue, and maybe other things).

This is soooooo good. This is one of very few trans fics that I’ve read that involve smut that doesn’t come off incredibly gross and fetishy. I think it’s pretty close to perfect.

Long Over Due <3

Word count: 4,528

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 1/1

Summary: Iwaizumi hits his rut.

Okay okay, yes it’s A/B/O. But arguably, some of the best fics are A/B/O and I will die on that hill. This one is smutty and features aggressive Iwaizumi and that just makes me happy for some reason.

Cigarettes and Soda <3

Word count: 28,661

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 10/10

Summary: Obnoxiously wealthy and completely incapable of holding his liquor, Oikawa Tooru stumbles upon the type of guy he hates the most. Because who in their right mind would smoke and cover themselves in tattoos?Apparently, his name was Iwaizumi Hajime. And he had reasonable cause for blackmail.

I think this is the first Iwaoi fic I’ve ever read! This is once again by my all time favourite author the_madame and god is it good. I this is the fic that influenced me to read all the others! It’s like bad boy Iwa and preppy Oiks and it’s really sweet and kinda funny in some places. There is obviously angst since it’s a blackmailing AU so enjoy that part too!

Seijoh Inc <3

Word count: 40,591

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 17/17

Summary: In which Ushijima should keep his mouth shut, Hanamaki possesses extreme patience, and Iwaizumi decides that perhaps Oikawa isn't quite as irritating as he initially thought.

Ahhhh another classic, inevitably by DeathBelle. Seriously so good. If you liked their other works that I’ve recommended so far you for sure enjoy this (if you haven’t read it already).

Something Like Us <3

Word count: 28,916

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 10/10

Summary: Friends since childhood, Oikawa and Iwaizumi now live together, both playing for the National Team. It's no secret that athletes who are bonded perform better. So if the two of them happen to bond... It'd be for the good of the team, right?

Damn is this good. Mutual pining. Friends to mates to lovers is a great trope!

A Place to Call Home <3

Word count: 191,554

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed; chapters 44/44

Summary: Oikawa Tooru doesn't need an alpha. He's doing fine all on his own. And the past four years of being a single mother have proven that this is exactly what he wanted from life. Of course, life has a way of not always going as planned.

This is it guys. The last of my IwaOi centric fic recs. A Place to Call Home is probably my favourite fic for this pairing. The angst is good, the characters and development are amazingly written. There’s some BokuAka on the side for good measure. And yes, it is A/B/O in a sense that is hard to ignore but if you’re going to read anything on this list it has to be this one. It is genuinely amazing. Oikawa is a single parent in this and Iwa is some random alpha dude that wants to be a part of their lives. Seriously just so fucking good I cannot stress that enough. Plus, as a bonus, the author wrote Oikawa’s son aged up with his own love interest in a fic as part of the series. Something to Call our Own is such a good companion piece and I just love it so much. It’s 11/11 chapters of pure tooth rotting fluff. I have never seen this fic recommended before but it seriously needs the recognition. Please please please read this!

Okay, this is it. I know that I labeled this as a master list (and let’s be honest, it is) for all of Haikyuu but this is just the first part. IwaOi is my weakness and therefore I HAD to give you this many recs. I’ll link the rest of the parts of the master list as I complete them :)

[twoheartsoneclara]

i think the problem that i have with sab’s plotlines for the crows in season 2 is that it’s not just that they took events from crooked kingdom but it’s that they literally took the climax of crooked kingdom and removed it from its context and expected it to work. 

and they put it in the first half of a season and then gave the crows an admittedly interesting but not very special adventure to go on the second half.  the plotline of them fetching the sword is entirely superfluous in nature (the only concrete character moments resultant is of their visions via hallucination).  kaz’s entire character arc from the soc duology is reduced to a precursor to a plotline that doesn’t even really affect the main storyline.  more than that, kaz’s revenge on pekka is contextless of the attempt both of them have at the ice court to pull off the heist.  “brick by brick” means little to nothing when kaz is able to accomplish everything so easily, without all the other obstacles that the heist + van eck + literally everything else that goes wrong for them and yet he’s still able to pull off the firepox scam + threatening Pekka’s son.

jesper’s ability to manipulate metal is similarly just like.  not a problem for him.  the reveal that he has those abilities and his progression of skill is admittedly very cool and fun to watch but his curving the bullet was just as much a part of the twist as everything else was at the auction in crooked kingdom. 

similarly, inej going off on the ship to hunt slavers is such a big part of the ending to crooked kingdom.  kaz and inej’s relationship is an integral part of that moment in the books, and they are secure enough in who they are to each other, whereas here they are left in the precarity of “i will have you without armor” which y’know.  happens a full book prior to the events at the end of crooked kingdom. 

even wesper - who are completely adorable, don’t get me wrong - are together almost immediately.  even excusing the fact that wylan is there at all instead of being introduced for the ice court heist, they already know each other’s main secret (namely jesper being able to manipulate metal, and wylan not knowing how to read).  the only thing that haven’t yet revealed is wylan’s origin as a van eck. 

what is at least somewhat good about this is what they’re going to explore as a result of having already wrapped up those storylines, and could potentially result in something interesting.  they’re clearly trying to explore who kaz is without vengeance (and have made the interesting move to make pekka an enemy of matthias’, which is actually quite fascinating and something i’m legitimately excited to see more of), and inej’s journey will make it all the more interesting if she still decides to leave that life and come back to help kaz and the other crows with the heist, and...idk what they can do with jesper’s newfound embrace of his ability.  there doesn’t seem to be any struggle left there to be had.

but the fact remains that these storylines were rushed, and stripped of their context.  i know that the status of netflix shows getting renewed or not is always going to be hit and miss, and that they needed to give the characters journeys to go on.  but couldn’t they have picked different journeys that aren’t the culmination of two full 500+ page books.  now even if they do get the chance to adapt those whether in the same show (ugh) or as a spinoff, the storylines won’t be effective.  the six of crows duology worked because it was just as much a character book as it was a plot book.  things were revealed the audience when it was necessary, and as the external stakes heightened, so did the personal stakes for the characters, and as we learned more about the characters, they became figures that we wanted to root for even more, as we learned about their drive and their stubborness and intelligence and fears and nastiness.  it worked because the triumph of the plot was also a triumph of the characters over all that they had feared and achieved their ultimate goals.  now we have the end result of that but none of the journey that brought us there.

of course if they’d just gone straight to a six of crows series this wouldn’t have happened in the first place but i guess we just stay losing

[r-a-nima]

Saturday post time!

I’ve got an odd one for you all.

I have a bizarre fascination with the game, YIIK: A PostModern RPG. I’ve never played the original version that was initially released. I have yet to purchase it despite reviews starting to lean a little more toward positive as the updates to the game’s story and gameplay come out.

But I HAVE seen two different 2+ hours videos about the games by Tehsnakerer and Running shine that are unambiguously some of my favorite things ever.

So a while back (quite a while as I didn’t even put a date on it as you will see) I decided to pull on a thread of info and design a fan character for a game I never played and have only seen two videos about, this thread being that the main character Alex had a sister who is probably his older sibling, the game doesn’t do a good job establishing who’s older.

Here she is:

She is Alison Eagleston, the older sister of Alex, the game’s protagonist. As you can see, I humorously called Alex “Alex YIIK” as a reference to a YouTube channel dedicated to memes about YIIK that I am subbed to.

I didn’t add much to stats aside from how old she is. But for her background specfically, I imagined her as being incredibly disappointed in Alex due to how she believes he’s done nothing with his life and is wasting his time doing his stupid quest. She would be the most vocal about his selfishness and one track mind.

This point onward is spoilers for the game, but she would’ve joined the party if only if Rory is still around by a certain point in the game and her abilities would revolve around her being a sort of “speaks with her fists first” gal. I imagine her using brass knuckles or a bat and her mini game for attacks being timed punches/smacks with a bat.

Eventually a big plot twist about her and Alex would’ve been revealed and it ironically would lead to them reconciling as siblings, though she wouldn’t help him with his final battle cause she would stay behind for their mom.

That’s honestly a lot for a character who doesn’t really exist in the game. At least, as far as I know. I could be wrong, as I once again haven’t played the game and have only seen bits and pieces of people playing it post the updates. I do unironically hope to try the game myself at one point, though I know I won’t have the same experience as many others did in the days when it first released.

Still, I did like this piece I did. And I’m happy it turned out as well as it did, especially cause this one was before I decided to dip back into the basics for sketching as practice.

That’s all! Okay see ya next week!

[cybershadow]

🎥

Paper? Check.

Window open at exactly forty-two-point-five degrees to her left? Check.

Computer? Check.

It’s cool for the desert. Dust and sand particles dance in the air as stillness and sudden movement collide in a violent crash. One moment she resembles a statue, seemingly staring into space, perhaps lost; then she jumps up and corrects a line, muttering to herself in a blend of languages. Then, back to still. The only sign of life this early into dawn is the rustling from Cyber, whipping her jacket off. It was in her way, but the particles can have a bed until this code breaks.

Cyber’s crouching. On her toes as she writes the program on the siding of the abandoned safehouse, head flicking between it and screen. Comparing, contrasting, improving for the task at hand. Semicolon, make sure spelling is right; possible bug here, use it to make a trap; fake C++ and don’t let anyone know your language. If anyone asks her, she says Python. She has said her language aloud before, but whether anyone cares enough to pay attention to that small detail isn’t in her control. A variable, one that she prepares for every time. And so far, the odds have been in her favour. 

For a few moments her focus lies entirely on the wall. Her eyes moving upward and forcing her to lie on her back to see high enough, going down line by line until her tunnel vision ends. Her thoughts are on fire, racing around rather than trying to put the flames out. They’re helpful, the fire pushes her forward, making her think where others won’t. She scratches the side of her head with her pencil, and she can almost hear the wood popping from the heat in her brain, can almost feel the aged graphite melting alongside the rusted metal holding the missing eraser in place and can almost smell the smoke. Is it from the pencil or her own mind racing, moving too fast for human comfort. Will it crash like a computer or keep going? 

Cyber doesn’t know that answer yet, but she hopes she doesn’t crash quite yet. She rubs her eyes when her vision spins. Ringing in her ear makes her pause. Not now, out of all the times, not now. Do it when I sleep, please; you can misfire then.

She doesn’t collapse. Somehow. Maybe it’s the silence wrapping her in focus and a calm that surpasses any meltdown that her mind could have. She doesn’t know and she doesn’t care to know at this moment. There are bigger priorities to worry about. This code, this new program, Jinx, is a priority. 

It worked once in a test run; but it has to be better. Untraceable. A better DECAE or DUST. She can’t settle for mediocre work in this field, it’s succeed or die. A game of mimicry, mimicking a gun with a keyboard and calculus. 

One bad aim, one misfire and it’s game over. She knows that, and yet she straddles between recklessness and safety. A fine line between giving everything away and giving the city nothing, her favourite game. A game of cat and mouse, zone roulette. When she first started Cyber got caught plenty of times, she learned. Learned from failings and never revealed her successes. Only the bits that are important reveal themselves, secrets after secret after secret. Her safety net, tied with secrets and a twisted past secured by computer coding. Cut into the net, cut into Cyber, and get more code and more secrets. Protection through her own created cybersecurity without the network. Networks are too dangerous. 

 Cyber does a wolf turn to face her computer again, transferring the code into the screen, line by line. Planting digital bombs and traps when a possibility for a bug forms. Debugging but adding rubber ones. Jinx will be a handful like the others, but if it saves one more life–

If this program does anything better, then it’s worth it. 

Right? 

If this one works better than the others, will people see how she wishes to help?

[sinfulcries]

hi sir! i really enjoy your works so could i request atsumu's senpai catching him jacking off while moaning reader's name in the locker room and reader takes his virginity on the spot?

maneater — atsumu x male reader

author's notes. UHM I AM SO SORRY THIS IS REALLY LONG I GOT REALLY INTO IT HAHAHA. this was also beta read by my lodicakes @bunbyy <3 thank you so much NJKNDKJA

tw. senpai kink, public sex, exhibitionism, mating press, caught masturbation, university au, virginity loss, peer pressure, belly bulge, size difference, unprotected sex, barebacking, facefucking, facial, sleazy senpai reader

Miya Atsumu, by all means, was never interested in dating or the concept of love and crushes and infatuation. All of those seemed vaguely unfamiliar to the boy who only had volleyball on his victory-hungry mind. When it came to a certain male on his team however, he would instantly lose his composure. His knees would feel like jelly whenever their fingers would brush against each others accidentally and his face would heat up like wildfire when the flirty, tall senior would attempt to flirt with him.

A crush, Miya supposed. These feelings would go away sooner or later but Osamu and his teammates who clearly caught onto Atsumu’s strange behavior, begged to differ.

More often than intended, you two would have the thickest and most uncomfortable sexual tension. And one of those instances was right now.

After one of your practice matches, you had peeled your shirt off to reveal your seemingly perfect body. Atsumu revelled in the way your skin glistened under the sheer layer of sweat coating your big arms and your toned abdomen, or the way the fabric of your shorts hung low and exposed more than what meets the eye, leaving Atsumu to imagine the rest of what laid beneath. The blonde made sure to take his sweet time memorizing every crevice of your toned stomach, failing to notice the teasing smirk plastered on your face.

Interrupting the male’s not so discreet sightseeing, you chuckled. “Enjoying the view, Tsumu?” You teased, making the said male blush embarrassedly. “N-No! Shut yer trap, Senpai!” He sneered only to receive a grin from you in reply. “You know, You’re really cute when you’re flustered, dollface.”

God, the things you did to him were dangerous and the cute pet name went straight to his cock, making it noticeably twitch against his thigh. The shorter man merely ignored your statement with a blush on his face, giving you an embarrassed wave before walking towards the locker room, “I'm gonna take a shower.”

By showering, Atsumu meant releasing his sexual frustration by jacking off to the thought of you fucking him. The wing spiker shut his eyes in pleasure as he flicked his wrist around his length shamelessly, lips parted ever so slightly as he moaned your name.

The thought of you manhandling him, having him pressed up against your chest as you fucked him raw made Atsumu shut his eyes tightly. His pace only increased as he fisted his cock much faster, imagining that it was your bigger hand instead. This was definitely more than a crush-- Miya just came to the thought of his teammate for fuck’s sake! Thank God you weren’t there to witness the sinful and humiliating act that he had just committed.

By the time he came, shooting thick ribbons of white cum onto the tile walls, he rinsed the rest of his body clean before reaching out of the stall to grab his towel. Before he could even grasp the cloth, another person snatched it before he could, making him groan frustratedly.

“‘Samu, I swear if this is you, I’ll cut yer ba—”

When Atsumu opened the shower curtain however, the culprit was not his twin brother but instead, you stood in front of him with an amused look on your face. Your teasing expression only making the shorter man gulp nervously.

Avoiding your coy gaze, you taunted, “You’re a bad boy, Atsumu.” while moving to pin the blonde against the tile walls. Atsumu let out a soft squeak, feeling your calloused fingertips rubbing teasingly against the rim of his ass.

“Touching yourself to the thought of me.” You growled, leaning in to lap at the expanse of his neck, your teeth slowly dragging against his skin leaving bite marks on the clean flesh.

The blonde let out a breathy moan, as he tried to explain himself, however his mind was clouded with nothing but lust and disbelief. “I’ll give you the real thing instead. How does that sound?” You whispered, making the blonde shake his head. “I-I don’t want to..”

As much as he desperately wanted to feel your cock messing up his insides, he was embarrassingly enough, a virgin. And to have his virginity taken in some dirty locker room had him thinking more rationally, holding himself back from succumbing into his desires.

“Why not? Are you a virgin?” You teased, making Atsumu pipe up with humiliation. “Am not!” He protested.

Not believing the blonde, your hand inched towards his ass, prodding at his entrance with one finger. The male immediately jolted forward into your chest, squeaking as you pushed the digit in. “F-feels weird…” Atsumu murmured.

Ah, a virgin. How adorable.

The best people to fuck, in your not so humble opinion, were virgins. They were quite similar to new toys— they’d have your cock inside of their cunts, getting a good feel of how big you are before they’re reduced to a sobbing mess, feeling your cock molding them into your shape.

“C’mon now, ‘Tsumu, don’t be such a buzzkill for yer senpai.” You mused, giving his ass a harsh slap. “I’ll take good care of you. I’ll be gentle.” Your words weren’t the most convincing especially paired with the predatory gaze in your eyes. Nonetheless, Atsumu complied hesitantly, deciding to trust you instead, “Ugh fine. Ya better be gentle or I’m backing out.”

‘You’d be too addicted to even think about backing out’ You thought to yourself, grinning as you pulled the blonde out of the shower, urging him to lay down on one of the benches before pulling your shorts off along with your boxers.

By no means were you remotely close to small. Atsumu shamelessly drooling at the sight of your thick cock leaking beads of precum in your hand. Miya could only gulp as you pressed the smooth head of your cock against his bottom lip, letting the fat head part his lips open. “W-Wait you won’t go too deep right?” Atsumu mumbled worriedly.

“Just trust me.” You responded, guiding the rest of your cock inside of his mouth slowly. And without a single warning, you grabbed the boy by the back of his head, pulling him in closer as he choked helplessly on your cock. “You can take it right Tsum? Senpai knows you can.” The condescending grin that wormed its way onto your lips made Atsumu moan against your cock, your hips now moving to fuck the wing spiker’s warm throat.

You could vaguely hear the sound of him choking and gurgling around your thick length, the younger man’s jaw now going slack with how long you’ve been mercilessly thrusting into his mouth. “Shh, Samu might walk in at any minute. How would he react to seeing his cute lil twin getting facefucked by his sleazy senior?” You whispered tauntingly, Miya only “mmf!”-ing in reply.

With your thrusts slowly becoming sloppy as you felt your high approaching, you took your cock of the blonde’s mouth before spilling your load on his pretty face, relishing in the way your cum dripped over the boy’s cute features. “S-Senpai…” The boy panted, shakily taking your cock in his small hand “Want more…”

Your prediction was proven to be correct. Miya Atsumu was already addicted to your cock and you haven’t even taken his virginity yet! What a charming lil whore, so easy for you to break and corrupt!

Smiling at the blonde, your fingers were now pushed against the puffy rim of his ass, the dampness from his recent shower making it much easier to prep his hole for your cock. Atsumu let out a soft gasp as you started to curl and twist your fingers inside of him, his body writhing cutely against the bench he was laying on. “Mm so tight, I can’t wait to fill this cute cunt up.”

Miya blushed at your words, the venom in your voice making him flush red with how needy he was for you. Jolting upwards, he could feel your fingers brushing against his prostate, a flurry of high pitched moans ripping past his throat as you continued to fingerfuck the poor boy. “Ssssso good~!” Squealing girlishly, Atsumu’s cock trembled before he came on his stomach.

“Fuck, you look so hot” You rasped out, admiring the way his chest heaved up and down, his oversensitive cock now twitching against his stomach. As much as you wanted to spend your time admiring the view, your patience was wearing thin, and you could barely keep yourself from climbing on top of his quivering figure, aligning the head of your cock against his puckered rim before pushing every inch inside of him. The pain was absolutely unbearable-- the thought of pushing you off of him was the only thing occupying his mind as he blinked back the fat tears forming in his eyes.

As expected, his ass felt so good wrapped around your cock. Nothing beats the feel of a freshly entered, young virgin, especially since he looked so pretty folded down on the bench with your cock filling his ass.

“It hurts! Too big--!” Atsumu whimpered, finally letting the tears he had been holding back stream down his pretty little face. You only grasped both of his legs in response, folding him with ease so that his ass was raised to take in more of your cock. With you, balls deep inside of him-- It was safe to say that Atsumu was slowly breaking. It was obvious with how his tongue was stuck out, eyes crossed lewdly as the tears, cum and drool on his face mixed messily together. The satisfaction of burying every inch of your cock inside of his ass only brought a wicked smile on to your face and it didn’t take long for you to start fucking him and breeding him against the dirty bench, each euphoric thrust sending atsumu overdrive as he breathlessly panted for more. His whimpers sent you into a frenzy, your hips pistolling deeper to abuse his prostate-- and the blonde could only scream for dear life as you pounded into his guts mercilessly.

Rich, deep moans spilled from your lips only aiding Atsumu into orgasming much faster. And Your brash, rapid thrusts made ‘Tsumu moan out in pure bliss, keeping himself balanced as he held onto your sturdy arms. “Such a fucking cockslut for a virgin.” You groaned, Driving your cock deeper inside of him so that you could marvel at the little bump bulging out of his toned stomach.

“Look at that, you can even see my cock in yer little tummy.” Teasing him never got old, especially with the cute whine that came out of his mouth. “If only the team was able to see just how much of a virgin whore you really are.”

That alone was enough to make Atsumu cum once more, and with one more drive of your hips against his colon, you watched as his body spasmed against your cock, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he cried out your name.

Although you did have a bad habit of tossing virgins away once you were done using them up, you were certain that you’d keep Miya Atsumu for a while. After all, he was quite fun to play with.