#it's magic yo i don't have to explain nothing

[winwintea]

Secure that Once Upon a Time! - Zhong Chenle

PAIRING ↬ rich socialite! zhong chenle x fem! reader

GENRES ↬ idk if this counts as a foot fetish, cinderella core!, chenle takes her to a ball, rich x poor trope, people bully y/n for being poor, but also very fluffy and romantic

WARNINGS ↬ slight suggestive, no smut written out but implied !??

SUMMARY ↬ inspired by one of your favorite fairytales, chenle makes you feel just like cinderella for the night. but can you live up to society's expectations as the girlfriend of one of shanghai's most elite? an enchanting night with your prince may answer all your questions.

WORD COUNT ↬ 4.3k

AUTHOR’S NOTE ↬ yo so funny story! for reasons explained here i decided to take down a smau of mine called secure that card! however i felt bad about how the smau abruptly ended, and i didn't really give chen/n a happy ending?? SO HERE'S A VERY FLUFFY(?) fic i wrote as like an apology and compensation. you don't have to have read stc to understand this fic, it can be just read on it's own! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT <33 i appreciate you all.

For a moment, Chenle’s brows lowered, his frown casting a shadow across his whole face. He stopped with his fork halfway to his mouth, staring down at the mille-feuille piled high on it. He looked like he was thinking really hard about something, but what was it?

"Hey, Chenle.-"

Chenle suddenly broke into laughter

"What the-- why are you suddenly laughing like that?"

"Oh, nothing. I remembered one of our earlier conversations about the story of Cinderella and I was just thinking Cinderella sounds a lot like you."

"How so?"

Chenle snickered, "I can totally imagine you carelessly losing a glass slipper, panicking, and running away right before the prince's eyes, one shoe off, one shoe on."

"I wouldn't do that! I mean... I probably wouldn't." Okay, you could kind of see yourself panicking and doing something rash, but did he really have to point it out?

Chenle and you were currently engaged in a small feast of afternoon tea in Shanghai. There was an upcoming party he needed to attend as the successor to Zhong Enterprises and you decided to accompany him.

His beautiful smile had a suggestive edge to it, and you pouted, dropping your gaze. You reached for your teacup to distract yourself, but before you could pick it up, his long, elegant fingers wrapped around yours. "Well, if I was the prince, I wouldn't be stupid enough to let Cinderella get away from me like that.”

"Chenle." His smile was smug and sure as he squeezed your fingers, and you couldn't stop staring at him. He was just so sure of himself in everything. Although knowing him, you bet he’d probably succeed, too.

You started giggling, and Chenle’s smile instantly dissolved into a dissatisfied pout. "Hey. What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing. I was just imagining what you'd be like if you really were the prince.”

"Me?"

"If a prince as amazing as you were to appear at the ball.. I bet even Cinderella wouldn't care if the magic wore off at midnight, so long as she could stay with you." To be honest, if you were Cinderella you know you’d feel that way. Even if the magic wore off and you went back to your cinder-covered self, so long as you could stay with your prince–

The fingers holding tightly to yours let go, all of a sudden. You looked up in surprise, and found yourself staring at cheeks as red as fresh strawberries. As soon as your eyes met, he looked away quickly, refusing to meet your gaze again. Is he blushing? Geez, so adorable.

"Did you like being referred to as a prince?"

"Like-- would I- as if l'd-- not a chance! Although if you mean that I have all the fine qualities of a prince, then I can understand where you're coming from. But the only other person suited to being a prince besides me would be Renjun, you know." You couldn’t disagree with that. Renjun definitely had a princely aura that surrounded him.

You couldn't help but grin as you watched the conflicting expressions flitting across Chenle’s face. Being with him makes it so easy for you to forget all about being nervous.

You’re going to be just fine at the party, because Chenle will be there with you. Time seemed to fly by as the two of you relaxed and enjoyed your afternoon tea together. We were both smiling and happy as we stepped out of the cafe again.

"Ahh, those delicious cakes always give me back my energy! But I guess..." You turned to Chenle with a smile, about to suggest we head home, but you stopped mid-sentence as you saw how strained his

expression was.

"I just remembered something I need to do. You wait here."

"What? Right here?"

"Yes. Got it? Don't move so much as a single step until I come back." Chenle turned and began to stride away, casting one last dubious look over his shoulder as he walked off into the distance.

He worries too much. Where would you go, anyway? And what's so important that he suddenly has to rush off like that? You smiled to yourself, shaking your head as you turned to look in the windows of the nearby shops while you waited.

"Hey, did you hear? Chenle’s going to be attending the next formal party!"

You glanced in the direction of the voice, and saw several stylish young women sitting at one of the cafe's outdoor tables, chatting over tea. I couldn't help being curious, and You sidled a little closer, pretending to stare in another shop window as you listened.

"He sometimes attends parties in his position as ‘Zhong Chenle’, but--"

"It's rare for him to attend as the Zhong Enterprises heir, isn't it?"

"It is. Which means this is our chance to audition for the role of the future Mrs. Zhong!"

You're after Chenle? All of you?! From the little mandarin Chenle had taught you, you could kind of put together what they were saying. You pressed your lips together, your heart pounding uneasily in your chest.

"But I heard that Chenle’s got a girlfriend, and she came here from Stanford just for him."

"Who cares? The magic of love doesn't last forever, you know."

"That's right. She'll get bored soon enough and go back to America. She was never good enough for him to begin with."

Your whole body went cold as they all burst out laughing, and you barely heard their next words as the conversation moved on to clothes shopping. You’ll never get bored of Chenle, not in a million years, and you know he feels the same way. You can hold your head high and say that with pride. But... Right now you’re already so nervous just from the idea of wearing a pretty dress and attending a formal party. You and Chenle are from different worlds, and… you don't have the confidence yet to say that they're wrong, and that you ARE good enough for him.

The women's words filled your heart with an aching doubt that stayed with you over the next few days.

— 

At last the day of the party arrived.

You were wearing the most beautiful dress you’d ever owned, and yet you couldn't bring yourself to smile at your reflection in the mirror. You bet half the young noblewomen in Shanghai are vying for the spot of Mrs. Zhong. They all want to push you aside so they can stand at his side.

You know you love Chenle more than all of them combined, but--

"Y/N? I'm coming in.” There was a knock at the door, and you turned quickly as Chenle stepped into the room carrying a small box. "It looks like you're read...y." Chenle set the box down as he spoke, but as soon as he looked at you, he froze.

He just stood there, staring at you, and you couldn't make sense of his expression, but the longer the silence dragged out, the more nervous you felt. "Do I look weird, or."

"Did I say that?! No! No, I didn't! Really! Are you trying to cast doubt on all my careful efforts to choose the right dress for you? It really, really suits you! You're better dressed than anyone else in the whole world!" Chenle’s smile was proud and pleased as he looked you up and down, and the blush that crept up his cheeks made his words more real somehow.

Okay, phew. From the way he was staring– "Thanks, Chenle." not sure you really have it in you to smile right now. But if you stand here looking worried and nervous, you’re just going to make him worried, too. You managed to school your features into what you hoped was a believable smile.

"Really, Y/N. We're about to go to a party, so why are you looking so glum again?”

Well, that smile was a dismal failure, then."I'm not...?"

"Yes, you are.” Chenle strode over to where you stood, stopping right in front of you, and you blinked at him in surprise. He cupped your cheek with his hand, staring so intently into your eyes that you felt as if he were seeing straight into your soul. "Is something worrying you?" His voice was suddenly soft with concern, his expression gentle, and you felt a bittersweet ache in my chest

He really does care so much about me, and he wants to be sure you’re okay… But what can you say? ‘There's a bunch of noblewomen who want to marry you and they make me feel like an ungainly clod’? I mean, seriously? "I'm okay, Chenle. I'm just nervous, that's all." you reached up and placed your hand over his where it rested against your cheek, and this time you managed to smile properly.

His brow furrowed a little at your words, his eyes dropping to one side, and his long lashes fluttered against his cheeks. "Well, I suppose it's not really a surprise. You're not used to parties like this yet. But I bet this will chase all your nervousness away." Chenle turned slightly, pointing to the box he'd set down as he entered the room.

"What is it?"

Chenle smiled at your question, looking oddly triumphant. "I think you already look sufficiently charming, but… The look isn't quite perfect yet, is it? Now stop fussing and sit over there."

"Okay…” Chenle took you by the hand and led you over to the sofa, and you sat down, still wondering what was going on. A moment later he went down on one knee before you, the whole movement elegant and graceful. "Chenle? What are you doing?!"

"I'm casting the finest magic spell on you, Y/N." you were still staring at Chenle in surprise as he opened the box. Nestled inside the box were the most beautiful shoes you’d ever seen, decorated all over with tiny, elegant gemstones. "Once you put these on, you'll be perfect.”

Chenle lifted your right foot onto his knee, and slipped off the shoe you were wearing. You watched in quiet awe as he put one of the new shoes on your foot in its place. 

It's beautiful! You loved the way it sparkled! It almost looks like a glass slipper, just like Cinderella had! "They're gorgeous, Chenle! But what brought this on?"

"I came up with the idea when we were talking about the story of Cinderella.” Chenle carefully slipped your shoe off your left foot, and put on your new shoe, before moving to sit on the sofa next to you. "I thought the prince ought to give Cinderella the gift of shoes that were perfect for her. I couldn't get my hands on actual glass slippers, so I chose the shoes I thought would suit you best."

"Oh, Chenle…” This is why he suddenly went running off right after we left the cafe that day, isn't it? He was finding the perfect shoes for you! You felt warmed right through by his kindness, and for a moment you felt the pinprick of grateful tears in the corners of your eyes. 

"Now you've transformed into the perfect princess. So from here on, I'm not going to let you wear that gloomy expression when you stand at my side. Are you ready to be escorted by your prince?" 

"I definitely am! Thanks, Chenle!" You squeezed his hand gently, so happy that there was no need to fake your beaming smile, not anymore. He wasn’t kidding about casting a magic spell on you-- You almost feel like you dreamed all that worry and doubt from before! Suddenly you’re actually excited about going to this party! We're going to have a great time!

You walked proudly at your prince's side as he escorted you to the party in your Cinderella shoes.

— 

Everything seemed so perfect you found yourself wondering if you were dreaming the whole thing.

"You're not too bad at this dancing thing, you know." There was admiration in Chenle’s voice as we moved across the dancefloor in time to the elegant music. As soon as we'd finished greeting all the other guests, Chenle had led you straight out onto the dancefloor, and you were surprised by how much fun you were having.

"Only because you're leading me so well. I should've known you'd be a great dancer.”

"Well, naturally. I mean, just who do you think I am?" Chenle tightened his grip on you, pulling you closer until you were almost touching. "You weren't half bad when we went around greeting the other guests, either."

"Really?"

"Do you really think I'd lie to you?" 

You arched a brow at him, “Yes. Chenle. I do.” 

“Apart from the green card thing I mean…” He quickly added. 

He was greeting people as the heir to the Zhong family Enterprises, and you felt so nervous standing at his side, but– If he thinks you did a good job, then that's all that matters.

"You were elegant and dignified. I was proud to call you my partner. If you're going to stand at my side, then you certainly have to show at least that level of impudence."

"Impudence? Is that meant to be praise?"

"Of course it is."

It doesn't sound like praise, but– He look so happy about it that you’re just going to accept it as if it is. “Hehe! Thanks, Chenle.”

"You're welcome.”

You felt warm and giddy inside as we grinned at each other.

Hmm? You had the sudden sense that someone was watching you, and you glanced around surreptitiously. Wait, I know you… Several young women were standing off to the side of the dancefloor, staring very pointedly in your direction. There was no mistaking them-- they were the same young women you’d been eavesdropping on in the City a few days earlier. Even from a distance, you could clearly see the displeasure and annoyance on their faces.

"Y/N? Why are you looking away from me?"

"No reason! Sorry!" You quickly turned my gaze back to Chenle and gave him a bright smile, but you could still feel the women's glares. Ugh, it's like they were all throwing daggers at you with their eyes. You get that they all want to take your place, but-- ahh, you hoped none of them tried anything underhanded.

You were trying to focus on the dance again, but it was hard to lose yourself in the pleasure of it like you had before, not with those piercing stares.

At last the music ended, and the sound of chatting voices soon filled the room again. "Chenle, why don't I go get us something to drink? Do you want champagne?"

"Okay, but i'll come with-“

“Chenle!” The second you took a step away from Chenle, the young women came rushing in to surround him.

"Please, dance with me next!"

"No, with me!"

Whoa, whoa, whoa! The women pushed you somewhat forcefully out of the way as they crowded around him, and you stumbled, still not used to wearing such high heels. As you tried to regain your balance, you bumped into a waiter carrying a tray of glasses, and there was a sudden crash as they all hit the floor and shattered. You lost my balance for real this time and plonked down straight onto your butt, one shoe slipping off your foot and tumbling to the side. Could you have been any more dramatically clumsy?! Why can't you fall over quietly, just for once in your life?!

"Isn't that Chenle’s partner? How disgraceful, sitting on the floor like that."

Your cheeks were burning, you could feel them all staring, and all you wanted was for the ground to open up and swallow you whole. But as you stared down at the floor, frozen in confusion, an elegant hand suddenly appeared in front of you. 

"Give me your hand, Princess."

"Chenle..”

Your heart throbbed and ached at the tenderness in his eyes, and for a moment you forgot your shame. You gazed at that elegant, graceful hand, and reached out to place yours in it.

"Really, she's so disgraceful.”

"I can't believe she'd cause so much trouble for Chenle." 

Their voices intruded, bringing you back to reality, and you froze. You promised yourself you’d do everything right, so that you could be worthy of being Chenle’s partner. But here you were, causing him trouble--bringing shame to his good name, and– Your hand hovered just shy of Chenle’s, but you drew it back again

“Y/N”

Before you could pull my hand away completely, Chenle caught it firmly in his. "Chenle... I can stand up on my own. Let go.”

"No, I won't let go.” Chenle pulled you to your feet, and almost without thinking, you buried your face in his chest. You could feel his breath tickling your ear, and your heart began to pound again. "I can't believe you're making that face."

"What? Hey-I" Chenle scooped up your shoe from the floor, and a moment later he slid one arm around your back and the other under your knees. Before you could react, he lifted you into his arms, cradling you against his chest, and the buzz of whispers around you two rose to a roar. 

Chenle, were you seriously going to carry me in your arms across the dancefloor?! "Chenle! Everyone's staring.”

"Be quiet and stop wriggling, will you? We've done this dozens of times before. Why are you suddenly fussing about it now?"

He might be fine with this, but you’ve never been so embarrassed in your whole life.The young women who'd knocked you over were all staring at us as well, looking aghast and dismayed.

"You there, waiter. Are you all right?"

"Yes, sir! I'm perfectly fine! Please, don't worry about it. We'll get everything cleaned up right away."

"Then we'll leave you to it. My partner seems to be feeling unwell, so if you'll all excuse us." Ugh, is this ever going to end?! you just wanted to crawl into a hole and hide forever…

You  wrapped your arms around Chenle’s neck and buried your face in his chest so you wouldn't have to see all the people staring at you as you two walked past them. But Chenle seemed completely calm and unbothered as he sauntered out of the room, letting the mutterings of the crowd fade away behind us. A cool breeze ruffled your hair, and when you lifted your head, you found that he'd carried you out to the balcony, which was blissfully empty of other people. Chenle set you down in one of the chairs, and sat down next to you.

"Chenle, why are we out here?”

"I'm the one who should be asking you that."

"What do you mean?" you blinked at him as he leaned closer, his beautiful porcelain skin glowing in the moonlight. 

"Have you forgotten what I said before we came? I told you I wouldn't let you wear that gloomy expression at my side."

"Oh…. well..” you remembered him saying that, but-

"Are those women the reason you looked so unhappy? You weren’t sure if you should just open up and tell him why you’ve been feeling so down. If you did, it was just going to worry him more, and after all he’s done for you, that doesn't feel right. You gazed uncertainly up at him, trying to make up your mind about what to do. Something flickered in his eyes, and to your surprise, you saw a hint of doubt lurking there. "You were looking depressed even before we came here, weren't you? If there's something worrying you, stop hiding it and just tell me."

He knew all along, didn't he? He knew this was more than just you feeling nervous. And He’s already been worrying about you, all this time. "I can't help worrying that maybe I'm not really worthy of being your partner." If you’re not honest with him, if you keep hiding it-- that's only going to make him worry more. You need to tell him everything that's been bothering you. "I'm not used to parties like this. I'm not used to high society. To the way you socialites interact with each other. I've lived my whole life in another world, and I started to doubt if people would ever accept me as your partner. And right when I was worrying about that, I accidentally overheard some people talking about me. They said that the magic of love doesn't last forever, and that I was never good enough for you to begin with. And those words stayed with me. I couldn't stop thinking about them."

"I see.” To be honest, you don’t really believe that. you know the magic of your love isn't going to end. You know that he’s the only one for you, forever and always. But– 

"I love you so much, and I want to be worthy of standing at your side." 

Chenle’s eyes widened a little at your words, his expression startled. But a moment later you sighed softly, sounding almost exasperated somehow. "I can't believe you were really worrying about something so trivial."

"What do you mean, trivial?!"

"Worries like that are about as meaningful to me as a single grain of sugar." Chenle stood up from his chair, and before you could react, he knelt gracefully in front of you. He lifted your bare foot, and you shivered at the feel of his fingers against your skin. Without warning he pressed a gentle kiss against your ankle.

"Chenle--I" The warmth of his lips sent a shiver of delight running through you. If he kept doing things like that-

"I told you, didn't I? I'm never letting go of the impertinent woman who ran into my heart. And even if the magic spell I cast on you breaks, I'll always be here to cast another spell on you." He sounded so regal and dignified you could almost believe he really was a prince, and you watched in wonder as he gently slipped your shoe back on your foot.

He really means that, doesn’t he? And it doesn't bother him in the slightest that his spell was broken. His love for you was so pure and earnest, and it lit a gentle flame in your heart, a flickering glow that filled you with warmth. Ahh, I love that you're like this.

"Really. You're normally so brash and shameless, and yet you get hung up on the strangest little details." 

"Brash and shameless? Seriously?!"

"Well, it's the truth." There had to have been a way to say it that sounded less insulting! You pouted at Chenle, and he laughed suddenly, his expression brightening. "When we went to look at dresses, I told you to hurry up and get used to this. But it's fine if you take your time getting used to things-- to dresses, to parties, to everything.”

"Oh-- okay." For a moment you didn't know what to think or say, and you simply gazed at his sweet smile as he smoothed your hair back from your face and sat down beside you again. He’s more stubborn and frank than anyone you’ve ever met, and sometimes he’s a real tease and a bully, but-- he is so incredibly kind at heart. And that's why--

Everything you were feeling was flooding through you, and the only way you could express it was to reach out and wrap your arms around Chenlein a fierce hug. "Y/N?!"

"I love you, Chenle. I love you so much." You clung to him, letting his warmth seep into you and wishing you never had to let go. He’s the only one for you-- the only one who'll ever matter. You can't imagine being anywhere but right here at his side. You buried your face in his chest and whispered the words there, as if you could deliver them directly to his heart.

A moment later he spoke, his voice sugary-sweet, yet with a husky edge that set your heart racing. "It's very clear to me just how much you adore me.” He caressed your cheek gently, and you lifted your head, looking up at him. The stars in the sky seemed to dance in his eyes, captivating you with their ethereal glow.

You weren’t even sure which of you moved first, but suddenly we were kissing. His lips were warm, and he tasted so sweet that you wanted more. One kiss wasn't enough to tell him how you felt, and you kissed him a 2nd time, and a 3rd, desperate to share all my love and desire with him. 

"That's enough." Our lips parted suddenly as Chenle caught you by the shoulders and pushed you back. You were still trying to make sense of what was happening when he took you by the hand and stood up. "We're going home. Right now."

"What? Are you sure?" I mean… you could still hear music, so the party's not over yet.

"I've already greeted everyone in my position as the Zhong heir. The rest is the same old same old, and it will be over soon enough. And more importantly, right now I want you."

"Chenle--"

His voice had a sultry edge to it that promised you a lot more than just kisses, and a thrill of anticipation ran through you. "And I'm not planning on letting you go, not even when the clock strikes midnight. So I hope you're ready." He gave you a smile, and then turned and began to walk away, and you practically tripped over your own feet again in your eagerness to catch up with him.

You don't want him to let you go, not at midnight, not ever. This is no simple spell cast by some fairy godmother. He cast his spell on you the moment we first met, and you know it's going to last forever.

The air around us seemed to sizzle with passion and the promise of what was to come, and the trip home felt more like torture. But you knew that when we got there, he'd more than make up for it, as he cast his magic spell on you again and made you love him even more...

SUMMARY ↬ @marvelahsobx @lyvhie @odxrilove @jkslvsnella @aquaphoenixz @wonnieluv @acidwon @syatchy @sleepyvic @grassbutneo @chcnlcs @taeeflwrr @hibernatinghamster @jaeimjaemin @gukuwii @slayhaechan @yyangj3lly @onlyhyunjin @clean-soap @bath1lda @lostinneocity @defzcl @ckline35 @multifandomania @meltinghershey @foxy-kitsune @jising-jisang-jisung @minkyuncutie @zuzu-the-simp @dojaejunging @leehanascent @nosungluv @sunflowerbebe07 @h-aecat @layuhsblog @fae-renjun @w3bqrl @hyuckies18 @wonbin-truther @bugcattie @wony1e @lazysmushi @binniebunii @nctrawberries @galacticnct (tagged y’all cause i just wanted to say thank you for the support <33 IT REALLY MEANT SO MUCH TO ME 😭😭)

[mehiwilldoitlater]

Hear me out ..yandere Macaque hcs …seriously love the way you write him ; maybe this reader lost her destiny one or maybe Macaque found reader first before the other monkeys did 👀 love to see what you come up with please 💗 if your not doing requests no worries you can ignore this :)

(Me: People here love this dude...

Destined One: I've noticed that...)

1) When he first met you, he knew what you were and why you were sent there. Of course he knew, because he met so many before you. The only difference was that you were fresh out of the change, unaware of everything that was around and so utterly alone.

It was just so good to be true; the new Bián huá was completely at his mercy, and of course he was ready to take advantage of that.

You were just so adorable, alone, and so afraid, ready to be eaten by the First Yaoguai lucky enough to catch you. And he was, of course, your sworn protector, a monkey that wanted nothing but help you! You just needed to do something for him, helping him find some magical staff that would help you send you back!

He had May lie—just a little.

He just needed to find the relics, take back his full power, get rid of you, and then boom, he was ready to be free...but you changed everything.

The more time he had stayed by your side, the more he became attached. He started to care; he started to crave your attention and your kindness, and soon he carved for more.

He started to make a few changes to his plan, like finding a way to let you live forever, to let him love you like you deserved, to be yours like he wanted you to be his. 

If it wasn't for that damn destined one...

Not only had he been searching for you, following that connection you two were supposed to have, but he needed to tell you the truth!

He was able to get the both of you away from that other one, but now he wasn't your beloved friend; now he was on the list that had played all this time.

"YOU TRICKED ME! ALL THIS TIME IT WAS JUST A LIE?!"

"Darling, please...calm down. Let me explain." You smacked away his hand. Your eyes are full of rage and tears.

"DON'T YOU DARLING ME! You said you wanted to help me! You were just playing all along!"

You started to walk away, trying to get more distance from him and yourself...only to feel then his sharp claws clutching your head and crashing you on the ground.

"I am helping you... by doing what I must."

2) He'll take you to your new home...with the right adjustment.

Oh, you can run free as much as you like! Just be careful not to fall from the cliff that surrounded the small mountain that you were on! The air there is amazing, and no one can brother you there! The only bridge that could have helped you cross the precipice has been cut off!

You can't go anywhere, and he's aware of that.

He'll give you time and space; he's not that delusional to believe that you won't scream and try to do some crazy stunt when he's around. He'll bring food! He'll make sure you're okay until he'll be sure that you won't act crazy with him!

But you really needed to give him that cold shoulder after all that time?

You'll ignore him for days. No matter what he does, you just kept your mouth shut and your attention on a wall...

You really know how to push his buttons, uh?

"Came on... I know you can't stay silent forever."

"..."

"Listen, I know this is not your plan of life, but believe me! It's still something! You were complaining about how full and boring your life was before, right? Now you're-"

"Trap ... It was boring, but I was free... and i REALLY don't want to be here with you now."

He gritted his teeth, feeling so many emotions in his chest. Before storming out the door of the house, he takes one time to look at you.

"All right! Let's see how much you'll miss me in a week!"

In fact, for a week, food didn't come at all.

3) He loved your stubbornness and your strength, but now it was just so annoying. Why can't you just give up?!

Stop resisting! Isn't it painful to just suffer?! If you just loved him like he wanted your tò do, then it would be so easy! But nooo, you have to play hard to get it, right?!

And let's not mention the so many escape attempts that you had made! How many times did he have to catch you?! How many times did he have to prove to you how dangerous the world was?! How many times he had to brind you the next monkey head before you understood that no one is omg to save you?!

You kept on biting and scratching his hand while he was dragging you back to the house. It wasn't painful at all. It was just boring... It hurt his heart, on the other hand.

"I don't want to! Stop! LET me go!"

He had enough. 

He pushed you on the ground, his foot stomping over your arm. Just near the shoulder.

"What are you?"

"I guess that I was too soft on you." You started to feel pressure on your arm; the pain started to grow second by second. "I need to be harder from now on."

You started to scream, scratching his foot, and punched him, but he didn't bulge a little. He kept on pushing and pushing until

CRACK.

You felt the sound of your bones cracking between the flashes of your arm. Before you could scream in pain, he was already down, his hand on your mouth, and his razor teeth near your ear.

"Does it hurt? Don't worry, I'll make it go away."

The same teeth that were caressing your ear were now deep in your flesh.

A missed arm was a good reminder of what he could do.

4) Were you finally accepting him? 

Where have you finally given up?

He didn't want to hurt you, but you were so difficult.

He'll heal you; he'll take care of you like he had promised. Your arm can't come back; it's better this way, but he'll be there, as he had promised.

He'll kiss every scratch and every wound that he has inflicted. He'll make sure you're loved and cherished by him.

"I love you," he whispers, kissing your neck and savoring your scent. "I need more than you think. I'll never let you go..."

Never such sweet words were so full of poison.

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[moodymisty]

Bad Batch - Sleeping/Cuddling Headcanons

Author’s Note: I've had these in my drafts since I started this blog a year ago, so... enjoy? :3

Relationships: Tech x Gn!Reader, Crosshair x Gn!Reader, Hunter x Gn!Reader, Wrecker x Gn!Reader, and Echo x Gn!Reader

Warnings: One or two very mild hints of lewd content, so I'm being very safe 18+ only

✦ Wrecker ✦

Wrecker has always found the feeling of sleeping with something- or someone- in his arms soothing. Maybe it's the weight, or just the feeling of his arms cradling around something soft. Lula was always there for him, and he still has the stuffed tooka sitting comfortably, and close by, in the corner of his bunk.

When you came along, you ended up replacing the plush tooka in a way; Serving as a new, larger thing to hold.

Whether he's on his back and you're on his chest, or on his side and he's got your front or back against his chest, Wrecker will always have both arms effectively caging you in a hug; Holding you tight.

When it's cold, as The Marauder often gets when you're in hyperspace, it's magical. This man is a human heater in it's purest form, and him snuggling close is warmer than almost any blanket.

And also waking up after some sleep is almost always a highlight. You'll get a kiss and a 'good morning' (even if you're in hyperspace and gods know what time it is) before you have to break apart and get out of bed. Or his bunk. Or the co-pilot's seat because you fell asleep in his lap again.

But Wrecker is usually a heavy sleeper, so you've become a master at slowly wriggling your way out if you need to in the middle of the 'night', and then slipping right back in, feeling his arms re-tighten once you return into his reach.

Every now and again however Wrecker will be latched onto you too tight to allow you freedom, and you end up having to wake him up in order to escape.

Sometimes he'll let you go right away, but other times he'll put up a fight and smirk before putting some weight on you, trapping you with him until you pay the toll to escape.

The toll is always a kiss or sometimes two; Though lately he keeps raising the price...

✦ Hunter ✦

Hunter admittedly takes a decent while before he's willing to be affectionate to the degree of cuddling.

He has to get using to being with someone in such a vulnerable state, and train himself out of bad habits that tell him to keep these types of things to himself, and people at arms length.

But you're nothing if not persistent, (while also being patient and understanding of course) and after a few times of falling asleep on his shoulder or inviting him to spend the night at your home, he eventually gets his inner thoughts sorted out and allows himself to indulge.

Once he's more comfortable, Hunter is always the big spoon. Tugging the covers almost and sometimes completely overtop of the both of you, Hunter will wrap his arms around your waist and tug close enough that his face presses against the back of your head.

It almost feels like a little cocoon or nest in a way, and even if you don't normally sleep like this, you have to admit it's very comfortable. (Though maybe having Hunter as part of the equation helps just a bit.)

As he's getting more sleepy he'll always take a deep breath and sigh, your hair brushing against his skin. He once tried to explain it to you once; That your familiar scent being so close meant that you were safe and he could relax. That with you in his arms, he could loosen his shoulders and close his eyes, knowing you were right here and unharmed.

Hunter always hates the way he eventually has to drag himself from the little pocket of warmth beneath the blankets you both created, but he at least got a good night's rest.

When he can't have you close by however, he absolutely has something that serves your place usually while deployed on The Marauder.

For awhile it was one of your nightshirts, and another time it was a small blanket you'd use to drape over your legs when it was cold. They both smell like you, and with his senses it helps him get to sleep that little bit faster when you aren't right there.

✦ Tech ✦

Tech often falls asleep in places he shouldn’t, and most times you end up having to herd him back towards his bunk in order to get him to sleep properly.

If and when he does lay down he’s almost always on his back, leaving an arm away from his body so you can tuck against his side.

It was a bit awkward for him at first; He felt like he needed to figure the 'right' way to do sleep in the same bed together or hold you. He ended up taking your comfort as him doing it 'right' enough however, and quickly embraced his new sleeping habits.

If he doesn't instantly pass out he’ll usually tinker or read something, sometimes out loud; As once you'd asked him to, eager to listen and him eager to share. It also helps that Tech's voice is extremely consistent and soothing, and more often than not can lull you to sleep faster than anything else can.

Recently however, you’ve been trying to read to him as well. He had given you his datapad with something pulled up and quietly asked if you would; Saying he wanted to continue reading, but his head hurt too much to stare at the screen for any longer. But Tech can't leave things unfinished, even if for a few hours.

He seemed almost surprised when you had said yes, every now and again glancing over to see his eyes closed with goggles off while you read on to the next sentence.

Now almost every time you're both pressed side to side, with Tech always having an arm around you as you or him partake in some pre-sleep winding down.

Sometimes you might stutter or find the topic he's chosen a bit boring, but he seems to really enjoy it, listening to you repeat sentences of borderline incomprehensible technological theorycrafting while you wiggle deeper into the hold his arm has around your shoulders. Your cuddles and sleeping habits are a consistent, well oiled machine, which always end with a goodnight kiss.

(Meanwhile, Hunter is cursing his hearing. Please put down the datapad it's been over an hour and you're both still mumbling about software constraints and he is suffering.)

✦ Echo ✦

Echo has always had trouble sleeping, especially before you’d arrived in his life. Though even if he does, and it's obvious, it takes more than a little while for him to allow himself to show he is troubled by it.

So it ends up taking a little while before you get to the point of cuddling up, and even then, you can feel Echo is a little stiff and awkward. It wasn't bad when you sit in the same seat as him, just laying your legs over his so your weight doesn't weigh down his legs, but now that your limbs are all tangled up, it's a bit more obvious.

He admits that he worries his cybernetics make him uncomfortable for you to lay with, and that maybe it isn't the best idea. He doesn't want to hurt you, he says, illuding to you waking up with dents on your skin from where your leg laid against his.

But you wake up with dents in your skin from your clothes or your leg falling off the side of your bed or the bunks in The Marauder, you're not going to let something so silly prevent you from waking up with him beside you.

Speaking of Echo's cybernetics they often make him run a bit colder than the average person, but you have zero complaints. Especially if you're on a hot planet like Tatooine...

It also means you better have more than one blanket, as he'll probably end up stealing it while he sleeps. You're all snuggled against his chest with his chin on your head, until suddenly your back feels cold; The blanket having been pulled away.

There's also been a few times that he's teasingly put a cold piece of metal against your skin under the blankets and made you almost squeal, but bringing that up always makes him feign innocence.

But most of all, he loves waking up before you, and enjoy the feeling of going back to sleep with you again. Sometimes he'll sneak a little kiss but it oftentimes it ends up waking you up, but you don't mind.

✦ Crosshair ✦

Crosshair often sleeps partly leaning up, even if you lament about how that would destroy your back if you ever tried it.

Part of it is always wanting to be alert and ready to go if anything happens, and sometimes he simply passes out while working on something (his rifle, usually).

When you end up joining him in his own bunk instead of your own, for the first while he continues the habit, feeling as you lay close to him with your head by his waist.

He pretends to not be fond of the affection- as he always does- though he never actually puts his foot down. He continues to let you awkwardly sleep on him, until he finally relents to start laying on his back and you throw an arm over his stomach.

He'll throw his arm over his eyes and fall asleep, and even he can't deny that when he wakes up, he feels a little better than usual.

The sniper is absolutely a heat leech, and he- embarrassingly so to him, gets particularly cuddly when he's cold. He runs chilly, and he doesn't say it, but he really enjoys having someone keeping the little pocket of air underneath the one thin blanket he has warm because his body can't seem to do so itself...

He's far more open to this sort of affection when you're alone, like in your home per say, but if you're on The Marauder, he doesn't mind too much if you sneak into his bunk. He'll give you a little side eye, but it's more amused than anything.

It's not gotten to the point that if you for some reason don't instantly join him as you usually do, Crosshair will end up getting almost frustrated, and you'll be able to feel the heat on your back.

Sometimes you'll wake up randomly almost feeling like he's brushing your hair out of your face or touching your forehead, but he always denies doing such a thing with a scoff if you sleepily roll over and ask.

[sjsmith56]

Letting Go

Summary: Bucky is critically injured, trapped in a building destroyed by a bomb. He orders his team to leave him behind but they refuse and Peter calls for help. It comes from several sources.

Length: 5.4 K

Characters: Bucky Barnes, Peter Parker, Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne, Wanda Maximoff, with cameos by other Avengers, named OFC (seen in flashbacks).

Warnings: Bucky injured, feeling unworthy, accepting death, good and bad memories, medical emergency.

Author notes: Believe it or not I dreamed the first part of this and wrote down a summary as soon as I woke up so I wouldn’t forget it. This one shot imagines a post-FATWS Avengers that brings in several of the newer characters as well as some older ones. Thunderbolts* and Captain America: Brave New World have not happened.

⏳ ⌛️

If he had to do it all over again, Bucky would have made the same decision. Leading a mission with the newest Avengers under his supervision, meant that he felt responsible for their safety. It was his choice to enter the building first, assessing the risk before they came in with him. Just as it was his choice to tell them to leave him behind after the bomb went off, an event that sent tons of debris raining down on him. Now, as he laid injured in the dark, with his metal arm twisted and lodged behind him and both his legs broken he knew he wasn't getting out alive. Those who had worked with him before, specifically Peter and Yelena, begged him not to make them leave but he made it clear.

"There is nothing you can do for me," he said, with what he hoped was finality. "It's too risky for even a sorcerer and with Dr. Strange off somewhere in the multiverse I don't think he can activate the time stone and reverse this."

He stopped for a moment to cough, feeling the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, likely from bleeding internally.

"Bucky?" asked Peter over the comms. "What about Cara?"

Cara ... his girlfriend of 8 months that he planned to propose to. This would devastate her, but she knew the risks, being a SHIELD employee herself.

"Tell her I love her and that I'm sorry," he replied, then he refused to answer his comms after that.

Outside the team sat, despondent. Shaun, Joaquin, Kate, Yelena, and Peter looked at each other, feeling sick inside. Then Peter strode into the quinjet and asked Friday to patch him through to the Avengers compound.

"Sam? We need help." He filled him in on what happened and what Bucky ordered them to do, explaining none of them wanted to leave. "We don't leave a team member behind. I don't care if he made it an order. It's not right."

As Sam listened to Peter, he got Carol Danvers' attention. After listening to the gist of the conversation between him and Peter, she asked Friday to alert the remaining Avengers to suit up. She also asked Friday to contact Wong, thinking they were going to need some magic to rescue Bucky.

"Peter, stay there," he said. "We're on our way and you're right, no matter what, we don't leave a team member behind."

⏳ ⌛️

It's strange where your mind takes you when it's the only thing still working. Practically immobilized in the dark, close confines of what Bucky accepted was his tomb, he thought back over his life. The first twenty years went by fast, not surprising considering it was so long ago and he wasn't even sure he had regained all those memories back. He thought of his mother's hands. Not an unusual thing because they were always busy. Housewives in the 1920s and 1930s were always on the go and his mother was no different; washing clothes by hand, ironing everything, including the sheets, cooking, baking, darning, soothing a fevered brow when he was sick, tying his necktie the first time he wore one. He sighed at how much he missed her, wished he had been able to see her just once before .... If he had just been man enough to tell her he loved her before he left for England, the last time he saw her, or Dad, or Rebecca when she was still young. At least he saw his sister again before she died. That meant something.

Then he thought of Cara, a bright moment in his life when he met her, although he didn't think so at the time. He had returned from a mission and forgot about the comms pieces that were still in the front chest pocket of his tactical suit, given to the staff responsible for cleaning them, and repairing any damage done to them. Taking his time in the locker room by having a long, hot shower, then getting dressed at his own pace, he was surprised to see a strange woman waiting for him outside the door.

"Sergeant Barnes?" she asked, looking him in the eye, even though she was a good six inches shorter than him. "I'm Comm Tech Laskey. You were supposed to return your comms pieces on your return."

"I thought I did," he answered.

"No, Sergeant." She checked the small tablet in her hand. "You returned your weapons to the armoury, and your tactical suit to Uniform Maintenance for cleaning and repair but the person taking in communications equipment didn't check them off and there is no sign of them. Until they are returned, you're financially responsible."

"You're kidding, right?" She stared at him. "I guess I left them in my tactical suit. Why don't you go there?"

"Not my responsibility."

"Listen, Laskey, is it? I'm tired and hungry and really need a beer. Can't you just go check for me this one time and see if they're in my uniform? I promise I'll make it up to you and that it will never happen again."

"This one time?" She looked at her tablet again. "You used that excuse four times on my predecessor. She left me notes on not taking you at your word. I don't want to know how you made it up to her, but I'm not her and think that you asking me to do your job is taking advantage of your position. Now, I can either declare them missing and have you invoiced, or you can go right now to find them and bring them to me in Communications. Those are your options, Sergeant. I'll give you 10 minutes."

She turned around and walked away, not looking back even once. He watched her, wondering why the previous tech left. He had made it up to Marin, taking her for drinks at least once. Laskey had to be wrong that he didn't turn in his comms equipment four times. It wasn't that many times, was it? With a sigh, he headed towards Uniform Maintenance, explained his problem, and was given his suit to examine. The earpieces were still in his front chest pocket.

"Good thing you came now, Sarge," said the cleaner. "Was just going to process your suit. It would have wrecked those. Someone told me those are worth 5 grand a pair."

He looked at the two small earpieces in his hand, not believing they cost that much. Returning to the communications department, he entered, looking for Laskey but he didn't see her. Seeing a guy sitting in front of several computer monitors in a secure room he knocked on the window. The guy flipped a switch to speak with him.

"Yes, Sergeant, what can I do for you?"

"I'm here to return my comms pieces to Comm Tech Laskey," he said, holding up the two comms pieces.

"She's gone for the evening," said the guy, Martino. "She waited for you then said your 10 minutes was up. Sorry, you'll have to give them to her tomorrow. I'm not authorized to unlock the door so I can't receive them."

A rumble above him interrupted his train of thought and he strained to see what was happening in the darkness. Then a large piece of debris shifted, landing on his right arm. He could hear the snap as the pain of his arm being broken shot up from his forearm, making him scream in agony. Fuck, he was completely trapped now, every part of him broken or pinned in place.

"Bucky?" Peter's voice was in his comms piece. "Was that you?"

"I ordered you to go," he gritted out between clenched teeth. "Why are you still here?"

"We're not leaving you behind," said Yelena. "Help is coming."

"What did you do?"

"We called for help and it's coming," replied Peter. "Now, what's your status?"

"Damn it," muttered Bucky. "I gave you an order."

"Yeah, and I ignored it," answered the younger man. "You can discipline me later. Now, what's your status, Bucky?"

Angrily, he breathed several times then calmed himself. "Both legs broken, my metal arm is pinned behind my back, and I can't move it, and that scream was my right arm being broken by a piece of debris landing on it. I can taste blood coming up into my throat, so I likely have internal bleeding. The building is unstable, Peter. They won't be able to do anything."

"You let them figure that out," said the younger man. "Don't give up yet, Bucky. Please."

He closed his eyes, unnecessary in the dark but it was the only thing he could still do in the circumstances. He felt as helpless as he did when he came to after falling from the train. Everything was broken then, except for his left arm, which was gone. It was true he survived that, and the hypothermia that should have killed him, if he didn't already have the serum flowing through his veins. But something told him that this time the serum wouldn't be enough to keep him alive.

The sad thing was that he was okay with it. He really was. He was older than he had a right to be, had done terrible things that had sent other men to death row for less. His defence of involuntary mind control and torture was accepted for his pardon, but that was little comfort to the families of those he killed. Even though he made his amends a big part of him always felt that he got away with murder. That was the same part of him that was telling him to let go, to accept that this time, he had to pay the piper. Why couldn't Peter just obey orders?

You know why.

Great, now he was hearing a voice in his head, and it wasn't coming from the comms.

"Why?" he whispered, not wanting the others to hear him.

He had to watch Tony Stark die, then his Aunt May. Don't you think if he left you behind to die that it would hurt him as much as those deaths did?

"I don't mean that much to him. I barely talk to him."

You mean more to him than you know, Bucky, and he means more to you than you realize.

He had nothing to say to that because he couldn't see it. Peter was still a kid, living in Queens, trying to get the marks to be accepted into engineering at college, while still patrolling the streets at night and being an Avenger.

You don't see it, do you?

"See what?" asked Bucky, out loud.

"What did you say, Bucky? Are you okay?"

"Sorry, just thinking out loud," he replied to Peter. "Has your help arrived yet?"

"No, but they'll be here in a couple of minutes. They're just getting some things sorted out first."

Bucky closed his eyes again and tried to calm his mind.

You're a survivor, Bucky. Peter looks up to you, because you went through hell, and you survived it. You're a good leader who treats everyone with respect like the sergeant you are. You're fair, firm, and you make sure that everyone knows their job before you take them on a mission. If anyone gets hurt, you're the first one there, the first one to assure them that they'll be okay. He admires you for that. So do the others.

A scoff erupted from Bucky's lips, causing him to cough and he tasted blood again. Personally, he didn't want to believe what that inner voice was telling him. He barely said anything to the younger ones. They were always on their phones, or playing video games; silly pastimes in his mind. Still, Peter helped him set up his smartphone without making him feel stupid or out of touch. It still impressed him that the kid was stronger than him, even though he was a lot shorter and lighter than Bucky.

He often reminds you of Steve, doesn't he? Except without the anger. Orphan, living on his own on a shoestring budget, until you and Sam convinced him to live at the tower. He helps people who have been pushed around, and you admire his mind, because it reminds you of you, when you were younger and still had hopes of college.

Well, maybe there was some truth in all of that but as far as Bucky was concerned, it wasn't enough to warrant Peter disobeying a direct order and bringing in help. He probably called Sam, first. He wasn't looking forward to that conversation.

"Bucky? How you doing, man?"

Well, shit, speak of the devil.

"Sam. I assume Peter gave you a status report, so I won't repeat myself. I don't think I'm getting out of this one."

"You let us assess the situation before we make that decision. I've got Carol, Thor, Wong, Hope, and Scott here. Bruce, Dr. Cho, and a couple of paramedics are on standby to treat your injuries. We've set up a little trauma centre just to stabilize you before we transport you to the tower."

"The building is really unstable, Sam. Whatever you do can make it worse for me."

"Buck, we know." Sam's voice was more serious. "We've got a couple of structural engineers here to determine the best way to get that debris pile off of you. Hope and Scott are going to fly in and try to get into your space to make a scan of your situation. Then we'll make a plan of action. We're not leaving you behind, you hear?"

Despite his stoic acceptance of his fate, Bucky couldn't help the little sob that erupted from his throat. It took a lot to get his single word answer out.

"Okay."

He didn't know how long it was before he was aware he wasn't alone. A small light approached him in the darkness, revealing Hope carrying Scott. She had a light on one arm with a small scanner on the other, while Scott carried the same sort of scanner. She hovered over Bucky's face and flipped her face shield up, making her face visible to him.

"Hey, Buck," she said. "Scott is going to stand on your chest. If it hurts, you let us know. While he scans this pocket, I'm going to your sides and underneath to scan there. Just relax. Sorry, I know you can't really do that."

He nodded his head slightly, but didn't say anything. As she left, Scott activated the light on his arm.

"I'm not too heavy for you, am I?" he asked as he began to laser scan the space Bucky was trapped in.

"No, it's not too heavy," replied Bucky. "I'm sorry to bring you in here. I don't think much can be done for me."

"Well, it's easy to feel that way when you're the one who's trapped." Scott looked back at him. "Understandably so but it always amazes me that even in the most backward areas, when there's a landslide or an earthquake and people get trapped that they are still able to rescue people with just their bare hands. We have a full team out there and a couple of cranes setting up to lift debris off from above you. It's kind of like a 3D jigsaw puzzle or more likely a house of cards that we're taking apart, without destabilizing it. It's challenging but with the right moves and respect for the task, it can be done. I have faith in us, Bucky. You just have to trust us to do our jobs. Your only job is to hang on."

"I don't know how much longer I can do that." Scott turned so he could see Bucky's face. "I'm bleeding internally. If it's bad enough I don't know if the serum can heal it before I bleed out."

"Do your best."

There was no answer from the former assassin for a while as Scott continued scanning. He kept checking on Bucky's face, making sure he was still conscious. Turning towards Bucky's face after a few moments, Scott noticed that he had relaxed completely, and his eyes were closed. Putting the scanner down he moved closer and tapped Bucky's cheek.

"Hey, Buck, you still with me?"

A small groan followed by his eyes trying to open was his answer. He was slipping away.

"Sam! He's losing consciousness. What do I do?"

He could hear Bruce and Helen discussing what could be done to bring him back. They all involved Hope flying back, getting a stimulant in an injector, then bringing it back and jamming it into Bucky's neck but it might not be in time and the effect wouldn't be enough if they didn't enlarge the injector. Then Scott thought that perhaps a pain stimulus would work.

"Hope! Get up here, I need you," called Scott. She appeared from the side moments later. "Sting him. He's losing consciousness and I figured a pain stimulus would bring him back. I don't have anything on me, but you do with your stingers. It won't hurt him, but he should feel it."

"Do it," said Bruce, who had been listening in. "It's the only thing we've got to offer and it's better than nothing."

Aiming at Bucky's cheek, Hope fired on him. The response was minimal, so she did it again and this time Bucky opened his eyes.

"That hurt," he mumbled. "What did you do?"

"Sorry, Buck," she answered. "You were passing out and we need to keep you conscious. I stung you."

"Cut it out." Then he grinned lightly. "It's okay. You did what you had to."

She returned to scanning underneath while Scott continued his scan. He looked at Bucky frequently, not wanting to miss the signs of him passing out again. Then he cleared his throat.

"Buck?" He could feel the super soldier's eyes on him. "I've heard you wanted to get into engineering when you were young. You know I'm an electrical engineer by training. What field were you interested in?"

"Mechanical," answered Bucky. "I was always interested in how things work and worked a lot on engines. But the Depression pretty much wiped out any chance of going to college. I quit school to work on the docks. It didn't require a lot of thought, but it paid the bills."

"What about Steve? What was he into?"

"Art. He could draw anything. He spent a year in art school then ran out of money to continue." Bucky was silent for a moment. "So, you left engineering to become Ant Man?"

"Not exactly," replied Scott. "I worked for a corporation that was robbing its customers and kind of stole from them to give back to the people they were stealing from. One thing led to another, I got caught and I spent a few years in prison. Couldn't get a job when I got out, then I got involved with Hank Pym, became Ant Man and here I am."

"You did prison time." The disbelief was strong in Bucky's voice as he always thought Lang was a bit of a softy.

"Yeah, I managed. I kept my head down, didn't rat anyone out, tried to stay pleasant. It seemed to work. It's where I met Luis ... you've met Luis, haven't you?"

"The guy that can't shut up? Yeah, he's hilarious."

"Hey, he's been a good friend and has had my back whenever I've needed him. That's worth a lot in this world."

Bucky felt bad about being dismissive. By everything he had heard about Luis, he had been a good friend to Scott, helping him bring in some dangerous people.

"I guess he's kind of your Steve in that you watch out for each other." He watched as Scott continued scanning. "It's good to have someone like that in your life."

"Like Sam. I know on the surface that you two are always bugging each other, but he'd drop everything to help you and so would you." Bucky grunted. "Don't deny it. It's why you're partners."

"Co-workers."

Scott laughed. "Okay, have it your way." He finished his scan and came close so that Bucky could see him. "Right now, that co-worker is looking over the results of my scan and figuring out with the others where to start saving your life. Hope, are you done?"

"Yes, I've already transmitted the data." She was quiet for a moment. "You know, Scott, I think with a little nudge we can help Bucky free his left arm. I just need to size up slightly and raise him enough so that he can pull it free. Bucky, do you want to give it a try?"

They cleared it with Sam, who, along with the others, was looking at the scans. There was concern that they could destabilize the debris pile, but Bruce was also concerned that Bucky had already lost consciousness briefly. Scott pointed out that with both of them there, they could enlarge themselves quickly enough to push the debris aside and open up access to Bucky. It wouldn't be pretty, but it could get him out sooner.

"Remember, I did it at the compound after Thanos blew us up and we were buried underground," he said. "We won't let him get hurt any further."

"Alright," said Sam. "Do it, but be prepared for both of you to go giant sized."

Hope returned to an open spot below Bucky, while Scott remained on his chest, although he changed his footing somewhat so that if he went large, he wouldn't step on the super soldier. She counted down from three, then Bucky could feel his body lift slightly, and then a slight tug on his left arm. It moved a little, then he felt more pressure on his back as Hope pushed him further up. Suddenly, his arm was free and by his side. He flexed his hand, then the pressure beneath him eased as Hope shrank down.

"It's free," he said. "Thanks."

Then everything went black and silent.

"Guys, what's going on?" asked Bucky. "Where are you?"

"It's okay, Bucky," said a familiar female voice.

A red glow appeared near him, and he saw Wanda, sitting cross-legged in the dark with him.

"Wanda? What are you doing here? It's dangerous."

"You're not trapped, Bucky," she answered, in her soft melodious voice. "At least, the inner you isn't. Your body is and right now, Scott and Hope are trying to revive you while the others are ready to have them go giant size just to get you out of there. I just wanted a chance to talk to you face to face before they wake you up. I've been with you since you first were trapped."

"That was your voice in my head, wasn't it?" he asked. "You know how I feel about that."

"I know, and I'm sorry for invading your privacy but I hated that you seemed to have given up. The younger Avengers were so upset when you told them to leave you behind. I felt their distress. Shame on you for not thinking that you're worth it."

"You know what I was and what I did."

"I know because I did things that were just as bad or worse; things that I'm truly sorry for." She was right beside him now, red tendrils of light snaking off her body and dissipating into the dark. "You've done a lot of good since HYDRA and have more than paid back your dues. You're respected, people care about you, and someone loves you very much."

"Cara will move on," he replied. "She deserves better."

"Hmmm," she voiced. Then she brought up an image of Cara in the air. "She doesn't think so. In her eyes, you're someone who makes her feel like she's the most beautiful woman in the world. Let's continue with the memory of when you first met her. I was enjoying that until the building fell on your right arm."

The morning after he tried to return the comms pieces, Bucky got up early and waited outside the office, until the first staff member came in, Cara Laskey herself.

"I have the comms pieces," said Bucky. "I tried to return them last night, but you had already gone."

She unlocked the door without comment, then went to the counter and pulled out a form. Putting her hand out to Bucky, she examined the two earpieces, then wrote a note on the form before turning it towards him and handing him a pen.

"Sign here. You're accepting any penalties that might have accrued for the late return of classified equipment. I'll submit this to the supervisor, and you'll be hearing what the penalty is."

He looked at her, dumbfounded. "You're kidding, right? I just handed them to you. It wasn't my fault that it took me longer than 10 minutes to get to Uniform Maintenance, explain why I needed my suit and then go through the pockets before returning here to find you already gone. This is bullshit."

"Sergeant Barnes, may I remind you that there is a code of conduct in place governing interactions between frontline and support staff. I don't have to take this kind of verbal abuse from you."

He ran his hand over his face, breathing heavily, then he looked down at her, noticing for the first time, she had flecks of gold in her hazel irises.

"You're right, I apologize," he said. "I would just like to ask respectfully, that you verify that I was here to return the items last night, then was here first thing in the morning to return them. Considering that I made every effort to get here on time, I just object to a penalty being assessed arbitrarily. Surely, there must be some leeway, in the spirit of inter-departmental cooperation."

A small smile graced Laskey's face, then she looked down at the form, picked it up and put it through the paper shredder.

"Since you put it that way and asked so nicely, I'll make an exception this time," she said. "Just don't forget them again."

"That was smooth," said Wanda. "So how did you get from inter-departmental cooperation to wanting to ask her to marry you?"

"I wish I knew," said Bucky. "It just seemed that I saw her more around the compound. It was formal between us at first; she called me Sergeant Barnes and I called her Comm Tech Laskey. Then I stepped outside one night and she was changing her tire. It went flat during the day, and she was having a hard time getting it done in the dark as the light above where she parked had burnt out. I offered to help if she lit up the scene with her phone flashlight. We talked and found we liked some things in common. I told her to call me Bucky and she said to call her Cara." He smiled. "We began having coffee together, worked out together, and then I'd wait for her to finish work to see if she wanted to join us for drinks."

His voice trailed off as he thought about them meeting as a group for drinks. She wasn't the only support staff that came out, but she was the one he always tried to sit beside. Then one Friday night, the place they went to had dancing and one of the weapons techs asked her to dance. As he watched her dance with the guy, he couldn't stop feeling angry. Why was she dancing with him? He wasn't good enough for her. The guy bragged about his body count all the time in the locker room.

"Sam saw it, didn't he?" Wanda asked him gently. "He told you to stop wasting time and ask her to dance yourself. So, you did. What was the song again?"

"Holding Back the Years," replied Bucky. "Not a romantic song at all but that voice and the feeling behind it just got to me. I held back from opening myself up to others for so long, afraid of hurting them but with her, it was suddenly clear that I wanted her in my life. I kissed her, right on the dance floor and she kissed me back. That was eight months ago."

"So why were you so ready to leave her behind?"

He didn't answer for the longest time. "I was angry at myself for not telling her how much I love her. I've had the ring for a month working up the courage to ask her to marry me. She keeps me honest. Doesn't take my bullshit. She makes me laugh and when we're together, making love, it's like the first time every time. I learn something new about her every day. I guess, I figured if I gave her up then it wouldn't hurt so much if I didn't make it. It doesn't make sense, I know. I don't want to die, and I don't want to lose her."

"So, you do think you're good enough for her?"

"I'll spend every day of our lives together being worthy of her." He looked at the young woman who had her own HYDRA story. "Can you send me back?"

"Of course," she smiled. "I just wanted to make sure that you don't want to let go of life, that you really wanted to go back, and not just to Cara but all of them. They're all fond of you, Bucky, and even love you. It's because you're worth loving. It's why Steve risked so much to find you and make sure you were free."

"But he left."

"Yeah." Her face softened. "Sometimes, the people who love us have to make a hard decision. He chose to leave you for reasons only he really knows. You're choosing to stay because you love these people, and they love you. That's a good thing, Bucky. Love is always a good thing."

🩺

He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the tears flooding them. When he opened them, he was inside a tent, with Bruce and Helen hovering over him, while a paramedic was holding paddles in the air, and another had a mask over his mouth squeezing air into his lungs.

"Normal sinus rhythm," said someone. "He's conscious."

Bruce came closer. "Bucky?"

He nodded. "How long was I out?"

"Over a minute. Scott and Hope went giant and cleared the debris pile, while Wong levitated you out of there and directly into the tent. Your heart stopped and we had to shock you three times. You gave us quite the scare." He nodded to someone out of Bucky's view. "We're going to transport you directly to the compound via a portal. You need surgery to repair a bleeding artery. Plus, we have to set the breaks in your legs and right arm."

They transferred him to a gurney, strapping him on, and putting his IV bag on a stand. An oxygen mask was placed over his mouth, then the two paramedics began wheeling him towards the portal, while Bruce and Helen followed. The other Avengers were lined up before the portal. He heard murmurs of good luck from them, plus received numerous smiles. Putting his hand up when it got to Peter, he grasped the younger man's hand.

"Thanks," he said softly. "You're still in trouble but we'll talk later about it."

Peter smiled. "Sure, Bucky."

With another wave to Scott and Hope, Bucky nodded, and the gurney went through the portal, coming out to the medical centre surgical suite. They cut his gear off and he had the thought that the uniform tech wouldn't be happy with him. It made him smile. Then he thought of another thing.

"Make sure Cara gets my comms earpieces," he said out loud. "Don't want to get in trouble with the woman I love."

There were chuckles at that, and he relaxed. As soon as he woke up from this surgery, he was going to tell Cara he loved her and wanted to marry her. It was then he remembered something Wanda said. How did she know he wanted to ask Cara to marry him? No one knew, not even Sam.  It really didn't matter because Wanda was right. Love was a good thing. It was everything.

One Shots Masterlist

Please support the author by reblogging.

[mysteryshoptls]

SR Ace Trappola - Beach Wear Voice Lines

Due to event restrictions, Groovy related lines are locked until the event has been cleared. I will update once these are unlocked. Login line has been captured.

Summon Line: There's white sandy beaches, and clear blue ocean! ...Wait, where are we? I'm sure we were just on campus, why are we suddenly stranded here?

Groooovy!!: We're kinda in a pinch, but… Meh, let's just try to think of this as an early summer holiday!

Home: Do these sunglasses look good on me?

Home Idle 1: Looks like I just got thrown into this outfit, but hey... It kinda gives off that vacation vibe. Feels like somethin' the Headmage'd like to wear～

Home Idle 2: Yo, the nectar at the base of these flower is crazy good! Just take my word for it and try some!

Home Idle 3: Didja see? Jack totally burned the bottoms of his feet walking on the beach barefoot. He acted like nothing was wrong when he was hanging with us, though.

Home Idle - Login: Stitch is pretty handy with tools, huh. He's pretty deft, so I bet if I teach him a thing or two, he might even be able to pull off some magic tricks.

Home Idle - Groovy: That Gantu guy looks just like a shark at first glance, but looks like he definitely understands us. What if we actually sit down and explain things to him?

Home Tap 1: I found something we can use. Well, you see... It's a huge iron plate! Think we could use this to do some barbequing?

Home Tap 2: I've always wanted to vacay on a beach someday. Eh, why do I still want to? Well duh, I wouldn't have to for food like this on a real vacation!

Home Tap 3: If you're looking for Azul-senpai, he's over there cheerfully making a list of all the debris that's fallen to the ground. ...Don't tell me he's gonna try to smuggle all that back with us, is he?

Home Tap 4: You know that strange, blue jellyfish that Floyd-senpai excitedly picked up? ...Is that one okay to touch, you think? It won't try to sting, right?

Home Tap 5: It's so hooot～ ...I'm sweatin' so hard, even though this fit's pretty light. Hey, wanna go swimming in the ocean while we're here?

Home Tap - Groovy: Ooh, that shell's got a weird design. You bringing that home? Guess I should find some kind of souvenir to show I was on this deserted island～

Requested by Anonymous.

[masterofengene]

&TEAM reaction to you catching a cold.

Warnings: none mild cursing but nothing crazy.

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K

This poor man. He's so worried. He knows he has to balance his responsibility with being an idol, but he is ready to cancel his schedules at a moments notice.

Brings you hot tea and calls his mom to ask for home remedies.

If you're running a fever, it's over. He's staying with you. Cancel all his plans. He is gotta have a cool wet rag pressed to your forehead at all times.

He will help you out with anything and everything.

He tries to give you space not wanting to overwhelm you. But the moment he notices you sniffling he is at your side.

"I'm on my way."

Fuma

He is gonna be smiling through the pain.

He wants to help you out any way he can, and he knows that if you are sick the last thing you would want is for someone to be putting a damper on your attitude.

He's gonna try and kep your spirits lifted, while taking care of you. He's gonna sing to you while giving you medicine.

Putting on your favorite movies are a must.

He is gonna massage your sore muscles while telling you stories.

He will carry you everywhere, you don't even have to ask.

He does /not/ want you to over exert yourself.

He will bring you your favorite food.

He's gonna make you take so many naps.

"Nap time, movie time."

Nicholas

If you are sick, he is too. It was probably his fault to start with.

You guys are attached at the hip. So if one of you starts sneezing, it's GAME OVER.

It's like both of your colds feed off of eachother.

Both of you are whining and complaining like babies.

You guys are hot and cold at the same time, struggling to find that happy medium.

The rest of &Team can't help but laugh out loud at the two of you.

Both of you bickering because "I can't believe both of us are sick."

Buying a thing of tissues to keep on the bed at all times. Calling it the "emergency stash"

EJ

He is gonna buy you all of your comfort foods. He is more worried about your emotional well being, he knows you're gonna be fine in a day or two.

Ice cream. Bubble tea. Whatever you like he is gonna give it to you. All you have to do is mention it and he is gonna order it right away.

He let's you control the thermostat, so it soothes your fever even if he is sweating or freezing.

He is gonna be so worried about you. If he can't be with you he is gonna be texting you every 20 minutes to check in and make sure you are okay.

Please he worries so much. Especially about you.

He's gonna kiss your cheek ever so often. But he claims he is checking your temperature. (He just wants to love you)

Yuma

Since he is very into herbal tea and things like that, be prepared to have so much hot tea.

He's gonna make it every way that he knows how. Just for you, so feel special

When he walked into your apartment and only saw you on your bed under a mass of blankets, he felt it in his soul.

He didn't say anything at all and just went straight to your kitchen and started to work his magic.

You felt better the next day.

When he came back he pulled you into him (like a baby) and was very insistent on you finishing the cup of tea he had made for you.

Makes sure that you do get up every once in a while and walk around.

Plenty of hot water and tea.

Jo

He has no idea what he is doing pt. 1

Please, he loves you, but don't come near him. He does not wanna get sick.

He's gonna try and help you feel better, give you your medicine and things like that.

But cuddles and things like that. No. He will jump away from you.

He cannot stand being sick. He's there for emotional support.

He makes it up to you when you are no longer sick.

Takes you out to eat and gives you all the hugs you could possibly want.

Harua

He gives off momma boy vibes. I can't explain it.

He makes you home made chicken noodle soup. Everything is from scratch.

He even went to the doctor with you. (If you wanted him to)

He googles ways to help you relax and feel better.

He gives you a spoonful of honey as a natural remedy when you mention your throat is sore.

Movie marathon. He will stay in bed with you all day, he is gonna make sure that nothing worries you.

Taki

Has no idea what he is doing pt. 2

He is slightly better than jo though.

He is gonna hold your hand ans kiss your knuckles, but. He will hold his breath when you breath in his direction.

Will give you a whole variety of korean and Japanese cold medicine.

Give him 8 hours and he will have you on your feet. TRUST.

He makes sure you aren't allergic to anything then he's handing you a glass of hot water and boom.

Medicine.

He's very logical though.

Maki

Surprisingly, I think he knows what he's doing

He gives off the vibe that he was the kid who always caught a cold. So he knows alot of remedies and quick fixes.

If none of his own tricks worked he would call his mom or dad.

"OKAY so I just got off the phone with my dad and he said to hold a cold watch to your chin and it will help."

It's the most ridiculous things. But TRUST they work.

Even you in your sleepy state could tell they were ridiculous. You just didn't have the heart to tell him that.

You're rather suprised when you're on your feet the next day

[v3nusxsky]

Hey!! Are are you?!?! Hope your having a great day/night whenever you are seeing this, I'm obsessed with your work and was wondering if I can request a lady lesso x fem reader where r is having really bad period cramps at school so she takes the day off, so lesso goes to comfort her but the lesso manspreads so r gets all shy and horny but she's on her period but lesso says she doesn't care then lots of smut ;) BUT then lots of aftercare and fluff.

If you decide to write it thank you so much!! I saw this with a larissa one and id just like to see it with lesso, have a good day :)♡♡

Cramps from hell| mixed

*Authors note~ ooo okay so this is a new take on the idea I'm hoping I can do it some justice*

a/n part 2~ only one fic tonight as a family member was in a car accident early hours yesterday so that’s kinda taken over today should be okay to post normally tomorrow I’m sorry guys

Trigger warnings~ period pains, period sex, mommy kink magical strap on bell rubs marking

Prompt~ see ask^^^^^

✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿

You always hated your period, the pain it had brought you over the years. You'd often had to take days off to rest and get over the worst of the pain. Despite how painful it was for you, you never really had heavy periods. It was like you went through all the pain for nothing. Leonora knew of your situation and it became a pattern during the months you'd been together. It was all that made sense, your periods were kicking your ass and she heard recently that sex could help elevate the horrid cramping.

You were miserable in bed, blankets wrapped around you as you withered around in pain. "How we doing little dove? Still sore darling?" Lesso's voice washed over you causing you to instantly reach out for the woman. "Mmm hurts Leo" you whimpered  as your girlfriend came to sit with you. It must be lunch hour for her to be here. Her hands found your hair to soothingly scratching at your skull.  You turned to nestle closer to the red head when you noticed her sitting with her legs spread wide open.

"Mommy?" You whimpered before you could even catch it. Clearly your hormones were on a wild ride due to the period. You were struggling with the urge to just beg for her to rail you. To help make the pain go away for a while. "Dove?" She mumbled to you before catching a glance of your flushed face. "Oh baby, do you need mommy?" Her teasing was certainly enough to have you ducking your head before nodding in admission. "Mommy, I know it's yucky there but you spread your legs like that, I just want you to take me" you explained before rolling away from the woman feeling truly embarrassed for even asking.

Leonora got up and you thought she was leaving. Only then did you hear the tale tale signs of the door to her bedside table opening and closing. Leonora happy slipped on the double ended strap, before coming back to the bed. Her lips instantly attaching themselves to yours in a loving passionate kiss. You were truly addicting and if Leonora could help you then she would. After all she could watch many suffer pain, but never you.

"Up dove, gotta put a towel down gorgeous" she murmured, using her finger glow to summon a red towel.  "Now mommys gonna make it all better sweetheart, let's get that hoodie off" she muttered against your neck as she helped get rid of the clothing. It wasn't long before you were bare besides your underwear, covered in purple marks. "Are you sure mommy? You don't have to" you whispered feeling slightly insecure now. "It will help with the pain dove, toys can always be cleaned love" she moved her kisses down your stomach, with a quick glance to get some more confirmation it was okay before carfully riding you of your underwear. "Such a pretty pussy for mommy" she purred as she added lube to her shaft. "Ready darling?"

You could've cried when she entered your sensitive folds, "Mommy!"  A smirk on her lips as she purred at you, "so good darling, so good for mommy. I'll make those cramps go away for you." It didn't take long to bring you over the edge due to your added sensitivity, she came for you at the same time. You couldn't help but cling to Lesso as she stilled her hips. "Let's clean you up precious girl" she murmured before helping you get clean, magicking the strap clean for coming to hold you, her hands rubbing slow and firm circles into your abdomen. "How's my girl feeling?" With a happy sigh you snuggled closer to the woman, "better thank you my mommy."

Word count ~ 787

[lucius-morningstar]

Magic Happens? (Part 2)

Awkward conversations and Panic. ------- Lucius: Okay so what did you want to talk about? Charlie: I'm about to ask a question that's going to be very uncomfortable for us, so I need you to answer me honestly and quickly so it doesn't get anymore awkward then it needs to be. Lucius: Okay. Charlie: Who of you in this hotel had sex in the past couple weeks. Lucius: Charlie the fuck. Angel: I don't kiss n' tell dollface. Husk: The fuck you talking about, that's all you do. Angel: Well way to make it less fun. Cherri: Yeah I fucked, I can't recall when or with who. Mostly out of it Charlie: Okay thank you Cherri for being the only one to give me a straight answer. Angel: I mean you know me babe, I'm always fucking with someone. So yeah more then likely. Husk: Probably but I don't have the best record of it so apart from last night, no. Charlie: Lucius please don't make me ask again. Lucius: I am not answering that because I love you too much to admit I've had sex. Angel: I can answer that. He snuck off the Carmine place last night. Vaggie: How the fuck do you know? Angel: He texted me, let's see he said "If Charlie asks, tell her I am fucking Compound Pussy." Then it autocorrected to which he kept trying to write Clara's name but it came weird before he said "Fuck it, you know what I mean, just say I'm smashing ass n' that my phone will be off until tomorrow." Lucius: Ugh.. Bees fuckin honey, stuff makes me share too much Angel: Husk fucked me last night. Husk: Angel the fuck?! Angel: She wanted honesty, don't have a lot of details but I have the claw marks on my back to prove it. Charlie: I don't need visuals, just a confirmation. Husk: *Sighs* Can I ask why? Charlie: Uh.. Well so I was letting dad know the baby news, he asked how? Husk: Please don't give us a play by play. Charlie: No, just anyway I explained that I tried the creation spell and it overloaded and kinda blew all sorts of fuses in the hotel. He asked me if anyone was in the hotel aside from ya know me and Vaggie. Lucius: Weird question to ask. Charlie: I thought so too, so I asked him why and he said and I quote "Nephilim magic is new, stronger and unstable in new hands so the effects could be far bigger and far more.. Uh. Wild in the hands of someone whose still learning." Lucius: What'd he mean by that. Charlie: That I have to keep an eye on everyone for the next couple weeks. Lucius: Why. Charlie: Nothing serious- Lucius: Charlie please just spit it out! Charlie: There's a risk the creation spell might have worked on everyone in the hotel.. Whose been intimate in the past couple weeks. Lucius: What the fuck does that mean! Vaggie: It means that there's a risk that if you've had sex, unprotected especially, that there is a huge chance your fertility odds have doubled.. and tripled in some cases. Cherri: I thought we couldn't have kids in hell. Charlie: In normal standards yes but.. my magic may have reversed it on accident. Cherri: Please tell me this is some kinda sick joke. Angel: Yes please tell us it's a sick joke. Husk: Why are you panicking, you're a guy. Angel: No-No reason. Charlie: Gender is irrelevant, the chances are high regardless. Lucius: Fuck! Charlie: It might not work on you Lucius. You're a Nephilim too, it's possible the spell didn't even effect you. Lucius: Well I fucking hope so Charlie. I just got with Clara and Carmilla will kill me if in the first two weeks one of her daughters ends up knocked up. There's only one place and person she'll be looking for and that's me! Vaggie: Well it's too late to complain now. Charlie: Lucius it might not even mean anything. It could be completely false and nothing could happen. Lucius: R-Right.. Charlie: But.. Yo-You still gotta tell Clara. Just in case. Lucius: I-I can't. I can't fuck this up more when we're actually in a good place. Vaggie: You think she'll like you if she finds out on her own and finds out you knew and said nothing. Lucius: ..I fucking hate you so much.

[nikibogwater]

I watched The Last Unicorn (1982) with very, very little prior knowledge of the film. And I wasn't planning to, but I ended up taking notes because wow. This movie. It's something.

The very little prior knowledge I had was as follows: it's an old animated film about a unicorn and I've occasionally heard people talk about it fondly. That's it, that's literally all I had going into this thing. It was not nearly enough to prepare me.

Ohhhh I love the scenery! Man, nothing hits quite like a traditional hand-drawn backgrou--OH MY WORD WHAT IS THAT WHY IS IT MOVING LIKE THAT STOP IT

Ohhh, this is a Rankin-Bass production? Well, that explains the animation.

Yeah that is not a unicorn, that's a llama with a table-knife glued to its head.

Ooh, the opening credits play over a lightly animated medieval tapestry! That's so coo--aaaaand they picked the most 80's sounding song I can imagine to go over it, okay.

Yo this butterfly is stoned out of his little buggy mind, maybe he should get some rehab.

Love that it's not immediately clear what the "red bull" actually is yet. Is it a literal bull? Is it a raging fire? Is it the inescapable march of industrial progress?? Gotta stay tuned to find out. (edit: it was literally just a bull and I need to stop reading symbolism into every little thing).

Ok ngl, the "Man's Road" sequence was actually fire, despite (or perhaps because of) the 80's cheese.

Angela Lansbury!!! Man, she just ate this role. Who'd've thought Mrs. Pots could sound so threatening?

I would die for Shmendrick.

Oh that is a very lore-accurate harpy right there. (⊙_⊙;)

Love how the witch's carnival arc touches on the idea of truth vs. wishful delusion. There's a beautiful irony in a movie about a literal unicorn talking about the importance of staying grounded in what is real and truly beautiful.

No, seriously, I would die for Shmendrick. Protect this precious man at all costs.

Can we pretty please stop calling the witch Mommy

"That's my immortality!" eyo this witch is actually a great villain. Really wish she could've stuck around for the whole movie.

Awww, the unicorn is taking care of Shmendrick! That's so sweet! God knows he needs it.

Shmendrick: Run! We'll find each other later! *immediately gets captured*

Have I mentioned that I would die for Shmendrick.

I feel like the entire bit with the outlaws had a lot of connecting shots cut out for time because I really couldn't follow any of what was happening.

Hehehe...That tree looks like a butt. I wonder if they did that on purpo--WHAT THE HELL

*nervously glancing over my shoulder to make sure my family doesn't see me watching this*

Unicorn to the rescue!! Thank heavens.

"That was true magic." Then please don't ever do true magic again.

"How dare you come to me now, when I am this?!" H-hey, nobody told me this movie was gonna go that hard...

Mom-friend acquired! Just in time, too. Unicorn looked like she was getting real tired of being the only one with two brain cells to rub together.

Our heroes: *bracing themselves for what may be the darkest, most dangerous part of their journey* Freakin' Gerry Beckley from "America:" 🎵MOON RISIN'! DISGUISIN'!! 🎵 Gotta love that tonal dissonance.

Oooh hey the animation on the Red Bull is actually kind of good!

Molly: DO SOME MAGIC! Shmendrick: I CAN'T! Molly: YES U CAN I BELIEVE IN U Shmendrick: *does some magic* Molly: NOOOOO WHAT HAVE U DONE Molly I love you, but make up your darn mind.

Love that being turned into a human being is like, the worst thing that could ever happen to the unicorn. Yeah, being human is a pretty awful experience.

Boy there is just empty static behind Prince Lir's eyes. Homeboy doesn't have a thought in his head and probably never will.

Lir: babe look I got u a severed dragon head pls love me

Oh yeah. Marry this one, Unicorn. He's a keeper.

Molly: Shmendrick will help! Unicorn: I hope for no help from him. He is no magician now, but the king's clown.

GURL SAY THAT AGAIN! U KEEP DISRESPECTING MY BOI SHMENDRICK AND U WILL GET THESE HANDS!

The pirate cat is now my second-favorite character. I've known him for all of 10 seconds, but I love him.

He doesn't actually purr. He just says, "Purr, purr." I love him even more now.

"No cat anywhere ever gave anyone a straight answer." Most accurate line ever put to film.

Unicorn, please marry Prince Lir, you well never find a purer source of Himbo Energy than him. Look at him, he's even singing badly for you, you gotta take this one.

"I mean you can't really be that ridiculous magician's niece--" BETRAYAL. OUTRAGE. SCANDAL. I DISOWN YOU, LIR, YOU FOUL SERPENT WHO SPEAKS NOTHING BUT FILTH. I HOPE THE UNICORN BREAKS YOUR STUPID LITTLE HEART

Dang. This guy voicing the skeleton is putting his entire heart and soul into that laugh.

Prince "I love whom I love" Lir will not be stopped even by the threat of potential bestiality. I'd say Husband Goals, but first of all, ew, and second, he insulted Shmendrick so he is dead to me.

"I wish to God I didn't care about anything but my magic, but I do!" Oh Shmendrick, honey... 🥺

Yooo, that transformation back into her unicorn form was actually sick. For a Rankin-Bass made-for-tv movie, this thing pulls off some surprisingly good animation every once in a while.

Yeah, kick his magical red butt, little unicorn! Go save your boyfriend and your family!!!

What is it with Christopher Lee and playing creepy old guys who get thrown off of towers at the end

Wait, no, I only sort of meant it when I said the unicorn should break Lir's heart, I didn't think they'd actually do it!

Molly ditched her outlaw husband to travel the world with Shmendrick and honestly, I'd do the same if I was in her place.

Oh wow. She chose to save her own kind and return to her forest even though she loved Lir. This is actually very bittersweet and--GOTDANGIT GERRY BECKLEY, NOT NOW!!!

Closing thoughts: This movie was an absolute trip and I'm probably going to think it was a fever dream I once had after some time has passed. It's also the only movie I can think of that I would actually want a remake/remaster of. The story was great, though it jumped around from place to place so quickly that it was sometimes hard to follow what was happening. I like the characters a lot (mostly Shmendrick tbh but they're all good), and I wish there had been more time to let them interact with each other. You can see the potential for chemistry between the different personalities, but it's stifled by moments of awkward voice acting and the strange, jittery character animation. With more time to breathe and better animation, this story would really be something amazing. I'm actually very interested in reading the original novel it was based on now, I'll have to see if I can get my hands on a copy. All in all, The Last Unicorn (1982) is a mind-boggling experience with surprisingly deep themes combined with what I can only assume is what you see when you're on acid. If you have any interest, I would highly recommend seeing this thing for yourself.

Yes. Even the Boob Tree. Please. I don't want to be the only one who is cursed to have that scene in my brain.

[silvertws]

PETRO WAS CRYING AND I WAS CRYING OMFG.

SABRE WHY.

WHY MUST YOU DO THIS TO US.

Nah.

Nah.

Bro better pull a fucking 180 on that freaking little fairy-blue thing BECAUSE HELL NAH, HELL TO HELL TO THE NAH.

Leave the boys alone bish.

I'm too attached to them.

I cannot.

I CANNOT HANDLE ANOTHER APO-OWEN SITUATION OK?!!!

I think I would simply perish.

Gone.

Just like that.

Poof!

I hate how attached I am to the silly Minecraft guys.

BUT MY BRAIN... THE PARASITE... THE DEMON IN MY BRAIN WANTS TO LIKE THE SILLY MINECRAFT GUYS...

I need someone as unhinged as me to talk about the sillies, for my own sanity.

Which is, barely there honestly, but that's besides the point.

I believe in redemption arcs PETRO PLEASE, PLEASE YOU CAN STILL FIX THIS.

Please, I just want them to all be happy, I'm sobbing.

ncjekwlalls PLEASE.

Let the fellas be happy.

Like, I usually don't ship characters ok? After Origins I just don't.

But tbh platonically??? Hell yeah, let the fellas be wholesome, no kissing no nothing, just hugging, telling each other sweet things- I will literally be kicking my feet like a little kid.

Also, on a side note.

Ruined Reality rants and theories up ahead.

Heyyyyy guys how are we feeling about the Newest Ruined Reality episode??? Yeah all good? Just doing a check in on all of us.

I mean, yeah, as expected.

Also, alright, this is gonna become a slight theory moment.

Rainbow crystal + heart of the soulstice?

You know how the rainbow crystal is made with the energy of the chromatics?

Yeah well, if the rainbow crystal still works, which I'm led to believe , fusing that energy with the heart, could potentially... Either give life back to the chromatics... Or... Create new chromatics but using the older souls, kinda like reincarnation.

ALSO AH, MY THEORIES WERE KINDA CORRECT HELL YEAH.

Mf First Curse better not bother Light smh Balance, go punch him, you literally can, since you belong in the same omniverse-? So go and punch him thank you very much.

Anyway.

I seriously do not know if Light will be able to bring everyone back.

If he manages to bring Steves back, it's definitely not gonna be everyone.

Not only because a lot of bodies were destroyed, but also for a storytelling factor.

Which is why all of them staying dead is a bittersweet victory, sure, you did it Light, good job! Every Steve who's left is now safe from that! Except... Well, the last Steve kingdom kinda... Doesn't like you. So I don't know if you're going to be allowed there...

Oh, so living with the professor? Yeah sure, if you want to have another metal rod in your leg you can.

Living with Ellie and uh... Cassian....?(I am so bad with names omg) in their little magic thing?

Yeah sure.

Go on.

They already adopted you my good sir, come on, they saw you and were like "yes, this one, ours now, yoink"

Also NCIEKSKSLLSLK PROXIMA.

Proxima the GOAT.

The FUCKING GOAT.

Even in death, EVEN IN DEATH BRO WAS STILL THE GOAT.

Another possibility.

TFC: "yo Light, sup"

Light "gtfo"

TFC "No u"

And then Light gets sent to ANOTHER UNIVERSE Just to suffer AGAIN.

Because remember kids.... TFC cursed Light to suffer FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER AND- yeah you get the gist of it.

So what happens when there's nothing more to make him suffer with in one universe...?

That's right... You send him to another one so he has to start all over again... And again.. and again...

BUT BIT BUT

I find this very unlikely because the reset trope is kinda overused and annoying and I also believe it would take out from the whole experience.

Like on a long run, it makes sense that TFC would do that.

BUT THIS IS A MINECRAFT ROLEPLAY GUYS.

There's just some things you cannot do or play with enough depth.

So, going back on the main topic.

What happens now?

Well, Light, Seer, Galaxy and To- FUCK THAT MF KILLED SOREN AGAIN I CANNOT.

I CANNOT WITH THIS GUY.

Smh, letting Light go through the loss of Soren not once BUT TWICE.

smh.

Anyway.

Now.

I already tried to explain how I think the rainbow crystal might be tied to "fixing" this.

And I think that's honestly our best bet.

Like, before this episode, I honestly thought they were simply going to yoink it from Lewis and Light was gonna use it.

But apparently they didn't do that...

Also like I'm sorry.

WHY THE FUCK DID THE RAINBOW CRYSTAL, STAY FUSED WITH LEWIS EVEN IF HE WAS DEAD.

Nah cause like, I always found that, not particularly logical.

Without the energy from the host, the only thing left with energy IS the crystal.

It would have made sense, in that case, if the crystal, its energy, also caused Lewis body to "live" but without actually being Lewis. But pure energy.

How would the crystal stay fused with Lewis?

Does that mean bro still has some energy somehow?

Was it the soul energy that kept them forcibly united?

I'm probably looking too much into it ngl, it's probably another plot hole or simply something that will be explained later... Maybe.

If the rainbow crystal is not going to be used in any way with the heart, I'll be surprised.

It could be like, a rainbow heart or whatever.

It's seriously the only thing I have going on right now.

Because it's the only thing with enough chromatic energy left to actually do something.

Unless SOMEHOW Light goes back to the other Steve Kingdom and Genesis is fucking alive, just like that, randomly, because he can.

I have no idea if any other deities are actually canon in RR.

Is Origin Steve canon? Or any of the other things in Rainbow Quest? Because Seer, Colle, Genesis, are all things from there as we know.

So just how much from that universe also transpired into this one?

Are demon Steves a problem we're going to have to deal with after everything and Seer is finally put to rest?

Also, yes, Seer will die.

I mean, he literally asked to be killed guys, what do you want? I say let him die. Colle is gone, that's enough pain already, I'm not gonna watch Seer becoming Void again (which btw, I think it's already happening or has already happened during the fight and Void is simply playing with everyone as per usual).

Still hoping for a Light corruption/villain arc (more like corrupt) because bro deserves to let out some steam and I support Light in literally everything he will do at this point.

He needs a beach episode fr.

Actually, no.

WE need a beach episode.

... I'm drawing that shit, I'm putting that in my nonexistent list of things I need to draw for my own sanity.

Oh.

Wait.

I completely forgot about the redstone core guys.

I mean, I don't think that's gonna help..? Idk I feel like it's a different energy from the one in the crystal or the heart so... Idk...

But maybe it could still be used for other things???

Also, we could simply get a time skip, to like, months later or something.

It has happened before and I honestly wouldn't mind it.

There's like, the option of going to the last Steve kingdom and asking them for help, but they must have moved by now, sure we can locate them with the assistant I suppose, if it comes down to it.

Also, one thing.

(idk man, some of y'all might find this offensive or call me chronically online for this :/)

Me whenever gay is used mockingly in a Steve-verse story while literally everyone is the same fucking gender as the other and their reproduction is literally based on MAGIC.

Like I'm sorry but make it make sense.

It's probably one of the things that annoys me the most.

I'm not saying that now everyone is forced to accept ships between certain characters.

I'm saying that there are not many sexuality options in a world where there's usually one gender.

You're either, Aromantic or something on that spectrum, Asexual or in that spectrum, Gay because there's literally one gender there to be attracted to.

Unless we're talking about universes that use more.

Or we could bring in the possibility that since they're all Steves or Alexes, they're all canonically non-binary.

I don't give a single fuck about romance, I can live without it.

But it annoys me, when comments are made, that logically speaking, don't make sense.

One of the biggest plot holes in RR until Ellie was introduced, was Cliff talking about women.

Which was resolved when Ellie came through and was like "no yeah, we exist actually, well used to".

Which again creates another plot hole to how tf did Cliff even meet one of those if they went extinct.

Disclaimer

I wanna clarify that I love RR and the other Steve verse stories or I wouldn't be talking about them. And that my rants are not directed towards the creators in any way, I do not, nor cannot, dictate how they decide to write their stories.

It's their tale to tell, I'm just here to watch, and listen.

I have opinions just like everybody else and if anybody ever takes offense (for some reason) to what I say, suck it up , talk to me like a normal person.

There are opinions to which I'm not willing to change my mind on, but I will still listen to others, just like there's some of which I will probably change my mind on.

As long as you're respectful about it, so will I.

Anyhow, I'm shit at explaining my opinions, because I'm horrible at conversations and English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry if I made it look like I was being rude or judgemental.

[script-a-world]

Submitted via Google Form:

I am not sure how to set limits in a fantasy world where there are numerous layers and dimensions where the idea is that people live in worlds within worlds within worlds.

The base layer is simply just that. Wilderness and everything else and everything untamed, no laws. No one stays there except the guardians/gods. It's nothing but portals. [IRL analogy: Space and portals go to Earth/Mars etc...]

I should mention that there are 2 types of portals btw. One is wjere a portal only connects to one spot and portals that connect to mutiple spots on the next layer.

These portals take you to a second layer. A continental world. There are dozens of continents (no actual planet to restrict anything) and anything on this layer is global plus more portals.

[IRL analogy: Earth and portals go to Asia, Europe, etc.]

And those portals goes to the 3rd layer of individual continents. Anything on this layer os continental. More portals give you individual countries. [IRL analogy: Asia and portals go to Russia, China, etc]

The 4th layer is countries. Anything here is nationwide. And more portals to country subdivisions. [IRL analogy: USA and portals go to California, Florida, etc...]

So you can see, it goes down so many layers. All the way down. Your home is even a portal on the street layer. Tiny independant shops are portals on the street layer.

It goes on.. depending how big your home is... that might be a portals layer itself connnecting 10+ rooms.

So basically it's such a massive undertaking that requires it to constantly be run and held at all times. Where is there room for magical failure? Is this too overboard or am I overthinking it? It seems like I definitely don't have limits here.. just utilising layer after layer after layer with no restriction.

Also this is mostly physical.. how about how this actually works and shapes as a society? With all these physical locations.. literal space is no issue? How about resources? Population? Since so many layers give no(?) limits that could be a number with 100 zeros.

Tex: Functionally your limits are whatever is the end of your patience/comfort level/skill level, or perhaps slightly before that point to give yourself some wiggle room. Are you building this world for the sake of a story, or to have a nice bauble to interact with? If for a story, which parts of this are most relevant to the plot, leaving the rest as auxiliary details? If for a source of amusement, what about this interests you the most? As it stands, this is a difficult bit of worldbuilding to follow - do you mean to have these worlds act gyroscopically to each other, in a nested sort of function? Is this meant to model some TTRPGs that have a similar set-up? Something else? If this is for an audience rather than solely your own amusement, then pertinent details need to be picked and stuck with to avoid overwhelming readers with so much context to take in.

Wootzel: We aren’t having an easy time understanding how this works. Here are some avenues to think about, and I hope they can help you come to your own conclusions. If you find yourself needing help with a specific aspect after brainstorming on your own some more, you’re welcome to ask again.

What does this look/feel like to actually interact with? Is going through a portal painless and pretty normal (sensory wise) or is it weird and feels like your brains are on sideways? Are the portals easily visible? If one is traveling from layer to layer, do you go from Home Layer to Street Layer and then walk down the street, or is it more metaphysical and harder to explain by real-world understanding?

You only mentioned magic towards the end and with no elaboration. WHO set these up? Do they require energy to keep open? What’s your magic system like? There are a million directions you could go with this (from the gods did it and must consciously maintain them, to humans spontaneously generate portals when they yawn), and this is basically a non-question. If you want to ask questions about minutiae of your magic system to sense-check it, first flesh out the magic system to us (but please be cognizant of how big your question is if you re-ask about this; we want to help, but we can only nudge you in the direction of some inspiration when it comes to something as made-up as a magic system).

You want limits, and you mention that these portals need to be maintained. Figure out what it takes to maintain a portal, then extrapolate to figure out where the limits of this system are. OR, go backwards: decide where you’d like a limit, and then pare that down so that individual portals’ cost adds up to that limit.

It sounds like most of these portals are pretty static, by your description. Like the portals in a house--I’d assume those are just hanging out, otherwise it’d be impossible to live in such a house. Do more dynamic portals exist? Why are most portals just kinda hanging out instead of being opened when needed, if maintaining them costs something? Alternatively, what if going through a portal is the costly thing, not it existing?

I’d suggest looking for other media that might have vibes in common with what you’re suggesting, if you don’t already have some in your pocket (or in addition to ones you already know about). I can’t think of any that deal specifically with portals in any way similar to yours, but since it seems like existing in your world would be pretty weird compared to what we’re used to, it might help to check out some examples of what other authors have done with words where there are some strange ways of perceiving going on. The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are Awful Hospital and certain chapters of Gunnerkrigg Court (chapter 72, Perspective, especially--though it will only make so much sense if you’re not familiar with Gunnerkrigg). 

[starwarsmum]

Chapter 4!

Chapter 4: Tim

“Perhaps if you had earned my respect, Monsieur, I would give you it,” Ladybug said through gritted teeth. She was glaring up at Batman, eyes flashing and feet firmly planted. “You do not need to know my identity other than to satisfy your curiosity. I am no danger to you, I want nothing to do with you! Mon dieu , you are a- a control freak and the second you do not get your way, you throw a tantrum, like a child without his favourite toy!”

“You don't get to decide your own threat level,” Batman growled back at her. “You are a magic user that has no real authority to be held accountable to. You haven't even explained how your artifacts work, which you would have if you were genuinely working with us.”

“Where is Wonder Woman?” Ladybug demanded, swiveling around to glare at anyone else in the room. “I will not be treated like a child when I have more potential in my pinky toe than you have in your entire body! Merde , you are such a-” Ladybug let out a string of French curses that made Red Robin blush and Kon’s eyes to widen. “-and if you think that I am going to-”

“What is going on here?” Wonder Woman's voice cut through the air and Ladybug's mouth snapped shut. “Madame Ladybug, what is going on? Green Lantern sent for me and said that there was an issue-”

“The issue is that she refuses to be a team player, Wonder Woman,” Bruce interjected, glaring back at Ladybug. Red Robin winced but didn't say anything. He hated when Batman got stuck on one idea, it made it impossible to dissuade him. “She hides behind some sort of magic and does not share critical information with her superiors.”

“Superiors?!” Ladybug shrieked, her hands balling into fists. “Fils de putain, you are not my superior, nobody here is my superior because nobody here can force me to do anything! I came here as a favour to someone close to me but I will not be treated like this. Kindly take your questions and stick them-”

“Okay, I think it would be best if we took a breather. Batman, a word?” Wonder Woman gripped his arm and strode out of the room with him, already speaking in low tones. Red Robin looked back at Ladybug to see her counting her breaths and looking murderous.

“Um, are- are you okay?” He asked, feeling jittery. He hadn't slept well in a few days and had consumed enough coffee that he wasn't sure if his heart was still beating or if the thrumming was the sound of his brain shutting down. “Uh, I mean, obviously you're pretty pissed, and I don't blame you, but is there anything I can do to help?”

“Non, I am sorry for losing my temper. I am not fond of the Batman, I am aware that he does not treat other heroes with respect and that impacts how I treat him. I am also anticipating some trouble in my personal life shortly and it is making me…more sensitive than I would normally be. So the fact that he would ignore my privacy and- and root around for my personal information, j’en ai marre.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Red Robin said ruefully. “He doesn't get along with most people, and when he doesn't have all the information he tends to get…over zealous. I'm sorry that you got the short end of the stick this time though.”

“C’est rien, I do not blame you for your mentor’s issues. It is very kind of you to comfort me after I said some very unkind things about-”

“Yo, LB, heard you ripped the old man a new one,” Red Hood jumped into the conversation, throwing an arm around Red Robin’s shoulders. Ladybug grimaced at him which made him laugh. “Nice one, he needs to be reminded that he doesn't run the world, every now and again.”

“Yes, well, I think I could have handled it with a little more grace,” she replied, batting his hand away as he tried to tweak her nose. “Mon amour will be disappointed in me, he always wishes me to be stealthier in my anger.”

“Yeah, of course he would,” Red Hood snorted. Red Robin raised an eyebrow at this - had Hood met Ladybug’s partner? That would be news, he didn't think anyone knew much about Ladybug, even Wonder Woman. “Anyway, you still taking your lucky Penny stateside soon? I've got a couple of places I wanna show you all.”

“Oui, I have made the commitment to visit your side of the ocean,” she answered, eyes flickering to Red Robin again. She smiled at him politely, before beginning to walk away, Red Hood still hanging off of her. The sound of their footsteps faded as Red Robin settled himself back into his chair by the computer. He was back into the thick of his work when Batman showed back up, growling and muttering under his breath.

“Did you get any information out of her after I left?” Red Robin bristled at the commanding tone but fought his temper back. Batman growled again when Red Robin shook his head and stomped to his own office, continuing to mutter darkly. He came back a few minutes later with a stack of paper and his tablet. “There has to be something here that will help us find her identity, she's not experienced enough to keep it secret for much longer.”

“Well, I mean, do we really need to know?” Red Robin knew the words were a mistake as soon as they were out but, in his defense, he was exhausted and planned to pass out as soon as he went home. He was supposed to be meeting with MDC the following day and he wanted to be awake enough to actually make a good impression. He bristled at Batman's next growl. “Look, there's some sort of magic at play here, she's apparently kept her identity secret since she was 14 and she's 22 or 23 now.”

“If she's wielding magic, it's all the more important that we get her identity! She's a risk to the entire League, regardless of what Wonder Woman believes. And I know she has made friends with Red Hood and Nightwing - probably by hoodwinking them - and we have to protect our family from her powers!"

At that, Batman stormed off again, leaving the paperwork for Red Robin to sift through and organise. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose through his cowl. Just once, he would like to have the freedom to tell Batman not to lump all the work on him - to have the freedom to join Hood and Nightwing in boycotting the man who had chased away his youngest brother - but he couldn't, because they ran a company together. He rolled his shoulders and got to work, planning to be out of the Watchtower with enough time to get at least 4 hours of solid sleep before his consultation.

_ _ _

As Tim walked up to the building, he spotted Jason's motorbike tucked into a side alley. He frowned but moved forward, still too tired to care much. He had only managed 2.5 hours of sleep in the end and it was dragging him down. His eyes felt heavy and slightly sandy. He swung the door open and nodded at the receptionist for the building.

As Tim walked up to the building, he spotted Jason's motorbike tucked into a side alley. He frowned but moved forward, still too tired to care much. He had only managed 2.5 hours of sleep in the end and it was dragging him down. His eyes felt heavy and slightly sandy. He swung the door open and nodded at the receptionist for the building.

“Ah, bonjour Monsieur Drake,” came a tinkling French woman's voice. He felt the anticipation and excitement start to mount, adrenaline making him more alert. “Thank you for meeting me here, I am sorry that I could not come to your home, but I am planning to do several consultations today and it is simpler if I remain in one place. Please, step up here so I may take your measurements myself.”

Tim did as she requested, listening to her chatter in a mix of English and French about her process and plans for the day. She noted down his measurements and asked for his input on what he wanted from this session, and potentially any future ones if she was available to do any more in-person. 

“Well, I mean, I would like to commission a formal suit, and maybe some casual wear? I'm a huge Jagged Stone fan but I don't think I could pull off his style,” he grinned as MDC snorted and agreed that very few people could. “And, I mean, I have family members that would love to meet you too. A couple of older brothers, a sister and some family friends…”

“Ah, yes, that would be Jason, Dick, Cassandra, Stephanie, Barbara and Duke, non?” When he nodded, dumbfounded, she continued, “Well, I have already spoken with Jason and Dick about their own commissions, but Cass, Barbara and Duke are to join us in une heure, give or take.”

“I- what?” He blinked down at her, confused. She was poring over some sketches she had made, making occasional notes and adjustments. He was baffled, he wasn't aware that she had already arranged to meet with his family. As far as he knew, he was the only one with a steady contract with the woman. “How did you get in touch with them all? And you've already spoken with Dick and Jason?”

“Well, that is a story best told with them present, I believe,” she said, standing up and gesturing for him to step down. He obliged, allowing her to usher him to a different door to the one he had entered through. “Jason, Dick, are you ready for us yet?”

“Sure thing, Mari,” came Dick's voice, followed by a gurgle and childlike shriek.

“Mon dieu, you had better be trying to get Penélope to calm down for a nap,” she snapped, rolling her eyes. She turned back to Tim and grimaced. “She has been struggling with the time zone change, and mon mari, he has been, comment dire, jet lagged. So, ses oncles, they have been minding her whilst I do your consultation.”

She ushered him into the next room, giving Jason a look as he guiltily stood up from where he was crouching at the end of the chaise longue, assumedly playing peek-a-boo with a very sweet looking girl who was sitting in Dick’s lap. Marinette rolled her eyes and reached to take the girl up into her own arms. 

“Desolée, Monsieur Drake, I must see if my husband is awake, are you alright to wait here before we discuss anything further?” When he nodded, she swept out of the room through a door on the other side. Jason and Dick grinned at him, ushering him onto a chair and bombarding him with questions about his consultation.

“No, hold up, what're you two even doing here? I thought I was the only one in contact with MDC! And how on earth do you know her kid? And- wait, did she say uncles?!”

“Tt, yes Drake, she said uncles.” Tim leapt to his feet, eyes wild as Damian stepped into the room. He wondered whether he had fallen asleep during the consultation: that would be embarrassing. It was cruel of his brain to torment him with his greatest failure. He had never been unable to track someone before, and it had never mattered more.

“You can't possibly be real,” Tim muttered, eyes flying around the room. He slumped down into his seat again, sighing and running a hand down his face. He drank in the sight of Damian - or at least, what he assumed his brain thought Damian should look like at this point. His little brother, all grown up. Tim wondered if, wherever his brother was, he had a family of his own. If he had managed to outrun the curse that seemed to run through the family, like Dick had.

“He's gone loopy,” dream Jason snickered, dropping next to Dick. “How long did he stay on the Watchtower for last night? Do you think he got any sleep?”

And that was the last thing Tim heard before he actually fell asleep. The next thing he knew, he awoke in a dark room, laying down on a cot bed. He stretched, feeling better rested than he had in weeks. He wondered when he had passed out in the consultation - had she even managed to take his measurements? Had he even made it out of the manor, or was all of it a sleep deprived fever dream? 

He groaned as he sat up, hearing voices coming from an adjacent room. Time to face the music for falling asleep at the consultation he had been begging for - he hoped MDC was the forgiving sort. He knew she was busy, that he was incredibly lucky she had taken the time to come all the way from France to take his measurements.

The lights felt blinding as he stepped out of the temporary nap-room and he blinked owlishly for a moment before getting his bearings. He was suddenly more dumbfounded as he took in most of his family, chatting and eating snacks, whilst his boyfriend was chatting to MDC, excitedly gesturing at his arms and chest, clearly talking about potential designs. 

“Uh, hey, sorry about that,” Tim said as he approached the duo. They both smiled at him, the woman looking slightly concerned still, but Kon just rolled his eyes. “How long was I out for?”

“At least 3 hours,” Kon smirked, slinging an arm around his shoulders. “Your sister-in-law was just telling me that she can make me a new jacket!”

“Sister-in-law?” Tim looked at her, confused. She smiled at him, slightly bemused, before holding out a hand.

“Oui, Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she said, turning to call over to someone. “How tired were you this morning, Monsieur Drake?”

“Didn't I fall asleep during the consultation? I must apologise, Miss Dupain-Cheng, I was up far too late doing- research.”

“Oh, I am sure,” Marinette replied darkly. “Well, I hope your father stops working you so hard! And please, call me Marinette, all of my family do.”

“I see you're finally awake again, Drake.” Tim whirled around at the deep voice, throat closing slightly as he once again took in the sight of his youngest brother. He was tall, taller than Tim now, maybe even taller than Bruce. He had a child balanced on his hip and was moving to stand next to Marinette, who kissed his cheek. “I would have thought that you had found a decent sleep schedule since I left.”

“I- you- when-” Tim was stuttering, unable to form a sentence, his vision going blurry and his hands hot. The room had gone quiet, everyone watching him carefully. He took a deep breath, practically gulping as his hands shook. “How? Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you.”

“Tt, well if Todd could find me, maybe you really should consider a new sleep schedule,” Damian retorted, rolling his eyes. Tim whipped around to stare at Jason, who looked embarrassed. “Regardless, it is good to see you again. Marinette has felt unnecessarily guilty for not coming to do a consultation for you before now.”

“Jason found you?!” Tim was offended - how had the screw-up brother found someone before him? “How? Where? Wait, forget that, France obviously, but how?”

“Hey, I can do research too!” Came Jason's indignant squawk. Barbara and Steph, who were standing next to him laughed and he pouted at them, grumbling about how mean and unfair they were. “Besides, you forgot to search for his name, genius.”

“You're joking, right? What runaway uses their own name for anything? Please tell me you weren't using your own name to run away,” Tim pleaded, gripping his hair in both hands. 

“Tt, I was not ‘running away’, Drake. I no longer felt welcome in my father's home and so I left. I will admit that I was rash in my decision, though I cannot find it in myself to regret it,” he said, gazing softly at his wife and daughter. And hell if that didn't throw Tim for a loop - Damian was soft for someone. 

It was a few hours later when Marinette finally shooed everyone out of the building, explaining that she needed to get Penélope home. Damian was hovering next to her, refusing to relinquish hold on his daughter, even as he bid goodbye to his family members. It was an emotional farewell for those who had only reunited with him that day, Stephanie clinging tightly to him as she hugged him, Cass choosing to speak instead of sign, wanting to be sure he didn't misunderstand her after he had been out of practice for so long. Even Barbara looked tearful as she grasped his hand before wheeling herself away next to Dick. 

Tim stood and watched as Damian and his new family walked away. The two parents weren't touching but Penélope was held between them and he could almost see an aura of love between them. Kon stood patiently to the side, waiting for him to process his feelings, but Tim wasn't sure that would happen.

“He looks happy, doesn't he?” Kon said gently, making Tim snap his head towards him before nodding mutely. “Apparently that's what he's been like, ever since Jason found him just before Christmas. He isn't the same angry teen anymore, he really grew up. Hell, from what Jon told me while you were asleep, he's basically a different person. And Marinette…she makes him happy. Like, really, really happy.”

“I just can't believe I could have found him, if I wasn't the dumbest person in the world. How is it I didn't think to search for his name? Clearly Jason thought to do it, Babs probably assumed I'd already done it, Bruce would never have let-”

“Hey, none of that,” Kon said sternly. He took hold of Tim's face, intending to pick him on the lips. But the kiss lingered and Tim felt a flush work its way up his neck. He pulled Kon towards him and deepened the kiss, relishing in the way Kon responded, the little sigh across his mouth. When was the last time he and Kon had had a date? Tim couldn't remember, could barely think past the fog of constant work and research. They broke apart, both out of breath. “Wow, what did I do to deserve that?”

“I just- I love you, you know? I know I've been busy, and you've been patient with my crazy schedule but- I want to spend more time with you. Like go on dates, cuddle at home, whatever , as long as I can do it with you.”

“I love you too,” Kon smiled, running his fingers through Tim's hair. “But we should probably get moving, Gotham isn't exactly the safest place to stand around.”

Notes:

And that's it for this week! Tune in next week for Marinette to meet Alfred.

French translations:

Fils de putain = son of a bitch

J'en ai marre = I'm fed up

C'est rien = it's nothing

Une heure = one hour

Comment dire = how do you say

Ses oncles = her uncles

[jangmiu]

THE DREAMWALKER part 1 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ pjs x reader

GENRE! fantasy

WORDCOUNT! 0.896k words

PAIRINGS! dreamwalker!jay x reader

WARNINGS! none- i think. not proofread. lmk if there's any T^T

NOTE! i also used a prompt generator for this one lmao

Growing up, there was a knock on the door every year at midnight on your birthday. With everyone sound asleep, you would always go and check who's there, only to be met with nothing. On your 20th birthday, the knock happens as usual, but this time someone is standing in front of you. It is the handsome man from your nightmare last night—a person who wielded powerful magic and saved you from a dark being during your dream. You hope that your dream was not a premonition.

You open the door to find the handsome man from your nightmare standing right in front of your eyes. He looks just as you remember him — powerful and mysterious, with a calm and confident demeanor. You're not sure how to react to the man in your doorway, but you're certainly surprised and intrigued.

"I've come to warn you," the stranger says, his voice a melodic baritone. "I know that you saw me in your dreams last night, and I'm here to tell you that it was no ordinary dream, but a premonition of things to come."

"I can sense the potent magic from the nightmare you endured", the mysterious man continues. "It was a warning, meant to prepare you for the difficult journey that lies ahead. And I have come to help you face this challenge."

As he tells you this, you feel both intrigued and scared. You're intrigued by the power and mystery surrounding this new man, but you're also scared of what might be coming.

"Will you seek my help in facing this threat?" the man asks. "Or will you continue to walk this path alone?"

"what's your name"

"My name is Jay," the mysterious man said. "But you may refer to me as the Dreamwalker."

You were unsure of what to make of this information, but you couldn't help but feel a bit intrigued by Jay's name and title. The Dreamwalker... it sounded like something out of a fairytale.

"What do you mean, my dream was no ordinary dream?" you asked, trying to gather yourself. "What was it, then?"

"The spirit world and the physical world are separated by a thin veil of reality," Jay explained. "And from time to time, there are tears in that veil, allowing passage between the two worlds."

You nodded, trying to take in what he was saying.

"And how does this relate to my dream?" you asked.

"Dreams exist on the other side of that veil," the Dreamwalker continued. "When you sleep, your mind taps into the spiritual realms and brings back images of what is happening there. And last night, you saw a vision of a danger to come."

You listened intently as Jay explained the connection between your dream and the spirit world, feeling a deep sense of chills throughout your body. Could he be right? Had your dream really been a vision of things to come?

"What kind of danger was it?" you asked, your voice quivering slightly.

Jay was silent for a moment, his eyes scanning you with curiosity.

"A creature with dangerous magic," he said finally. "A being of great power and darkness, intent on causing harm."

You felt the hair on the back of your neck stand up. A magical creature with dangerous powers... it sounded like something straight out of a fantasy story. And yet you couldn't help but feel a sense of anxiety creeping in. Maybe Jay was right...

"It's... it's not coming for me, is it?" you asked, your voice trembling.

Jay looked at you with a somber exprssion.

"Unfortunately, it is," he said gently. "You have been chosen for a special purpose, and your life is in danger now."

You felt your breath escape your lips in a sharp gasp of fear, and you could feel the adrenaline coursing through your veins. Your life was in danger? You couldn't believe it. Why you? What was so special about you that a magical creature with dangerous powers wanted you out of the way?

"I... I d-don't understand," you stuttered out. "Why is this happening to me?"

Jay looked at you with sympathy in his eyes.

"I can't answer that," he replied. "But you must be brave, and you must be prepared."

Your mind swirled with questions and fears, yet you knew that you had to listen to the Dreamwalker's advice. If your life was really in danger, then you had to do whatever it took to protect yourself.

"How... how can I be prepared?" you asked, your voice still trembling. "I need to know more!"

Jay thought for a moment, then spoke softly.

"The one who wields magic has great power," he said. "And if you're going to fight this dangerous being, you'll need to harness the magic within yourself."

You felt your heart sink at his words, knowing how risky it would be to venture into the world of magic and try to face the powerful being that Jay had warned you about. Yet you also felt excited at the thought of exploring the world of magic and discovering your true potential.

"How do I do that?" you asked, trying to sound brave despite your inner fears. "How do I become a mage?"

Before Jay could respond, you heard a loud knock at the door. Was it someone else sent to warn you about the dangers to come?

[hyperactivewhore]

I despise both Renesmee Cullen's and Hope Mikaelson's existences. Both characters are plot holes and shouldn't exist.

Renesmee Carlie Cullen is the daughter of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. She's half-human and half-vampire, and in Twilight, it was explained that only male vampires can have children with female humans. But that doesn't make any sense because vampires in Twilight don't have any blood in their bodies. Then, Stephanie Meyer explained that the venom that is in their bodies works similarly to the bodily fluids that are in humans. But if that was the case, then Bella shouldn't have gotten pregnant. She should have become a vampire after having sex with Edward. Renesmee is called 'half mortal and half immortal' by Aro, but how can a person be half mortal and half immortal? She's either mortal or immortal. She can't be both. Does she age, or does she not? Can she live forever, or does she have the lifespan of a human?

Now, onto Hope.

Hope Andrea Mikaelson is the daughter of Klaus Mikaelson and Hayley Marshall-Kenner. She's a werewolf, vampire, witch tribrid. In the pilot episode of The Originals, it was explained that since Klaus was born a werewolf and became a vampire because of magic and not by drinking the blood of another vampire and dying with that vampire's blood in his system, he was able to conceive. Vampires in The Vampire Diaries are infertile and can not have children, and while Klaus is the world's first werewolf-vampire hybrid, he's still part vampire. He shouldn't have been able to have a child, which was confirmed in Legacies. The only reason Hope exists is because Malivore. So, if Malivore never existed, Hope would have never existed. She wasn't born because her father was created differently from traditional vampires, but because it is her destiny to defeat a mud monster.

Both characters are great (more so Hope because she was given her own show, and I grew to like her over Legacies' 4 season run. Renesmee was kinda there. Her CGI in the movies creeped me out, and she absolutely did nothing in the book), but their existence goes against the canons of their respective movies/books and show.

It's funny because both are created as plot devices to Bella and Klaus and they're meant to be the magical powerful baby of their universe, but their existence alone just makes it look ridiculous by breaking every single canon law.

As you said, Renaissance came out of nowhere. She was soo incredibly intelligent from the very first moment her parents made her, but apparently not smart enough to control her own strength seeing she broke several Bella's bones (like honestly, what the hell) and this demon spawn craved human blood for absolutely no logical reason other than Edward being a vampire. Ratatouille also could not be seen in the ultrasound or any other thing: she had a impenetrable amniotic sac because yes, exactly, her daddy is a vampire!

Honestly, I kinda feel bad for Ravioli. I've never finished reading Breaking Dawn (and I won't), it was such a corny book and I could only bring myself to the third part, where Bella spends time with baby Rasputin but I've heard interesting things to how the Cullen rise this sim. Apparently, Bella and Edward couldn't care less about their daughter, because as always they were more obssesed with each other and Rosalie did all the parenting, because the love birds couldn't be distracted with their CGI spawn. If I'm correct, Edward even called Bella more beautiful than Rim Job right in her face and instead of being mad, because their kid was right there, Isabella was just like "gosh edward, ily sm 😘😜😍"

Parents of the year.

Stephenie Meyer didn't care about Bella and Edward being parents: she just wanted the aesthetic that came with it, and she pulled the reasons of the human-vampire pregnancy out of her ass.

Actually, when I was in my twilight phase, I read a fanfic where Bella got pregnant, and the reason was a little more "coherent" than what Meyer gave: Having died so young, Edward's body "froze" his sperm and because he had remained a virgin for over a hundred years (lmao), he was able to get Bella, the first and only woman he slept with, pregnant. It's still shitty, and bad, but if they wanted them so badly to have a kid this was a better reason.

I just can't take Twilight books seriously. Apparently, there are no black vampires for a barely explained reason that is clearly racist (if I remember, the venom that vampires inject you during death just... removes your skin color), the mistreatment to the werewolves is just terrible, and there's Ratatunga too.

Now, moving to Hope Andrea Mikaelson, the white witch that is hated and loved in equal measures by the fandom. Oh my, this is gonna be interesting.

I have my moments with Hope, to be honest. Sometimes I completely adore her, and sometimes I just can't stand her. Her existence was completely pulled out of Pl*c's ass, who wanted to have her own version of Renameme so badly. Klaus shouldn't have even been able to procreate in the first place, because he was killed before Esther binded his werewolf side. Though vampires in tvd are more alive than dead, but that's a whole different thing. But clearly my point still remains.

I like Hope Mikaelson a lot more than Ragnarok Cullen, Summer Fontana/Danielle Russell and Mackenzie Foy are all really amazing and beautiful actresses who did great with the role they were given, but their characters completely broke canon. I like the tribrid more though because at least, she wasn't a fucking sim that aged five years in a week unlike Nestlé. The only way I could ever like Radioactive is by having her completely loathe her parents and family, especially because she was born in 2006 aka she's part of Gen Z.

Both characters shouldn't even exist in the first place, and Hope's existences is as much of a plothole as Riptide's. Renesmee gets more hate simply because of how she was in the womb and also because of how fast she grew, but they're both plotholes and shouldn't have been created no matter their popularity.

[moreespressoformydepresso]

So to expand upon this TreeMina post since I have my computer... @crazycriter

I am now officially using lore I've thought up for a potential book of mine. In case Hannah reads this, no it's not the one I told you about. That's a different thing entirely.

Lets start with my (probably disastrous) attempt at explaining the world and magic in short fashion. As stated, the magic society is a hidden one. It exists in plain sight, but only those who are a part of it can see it. This hidden society has two subcultures: Order and Chaos. They are, naturally, in a constant conflict with one another since they're polar opposites and all that. Order's hidden city has very grandiose buildings with a very structured general layout that doesn't vary much between buildings. Walk into one and you have a pretty solid idea of what all the others look like. They have personal touches but everything is very, well... orderly. Symmetry is key in everything for them. They call themselves reglarians and use order magic. As you may expect, they believe that order is the correct way to be and are very much lawful on the alignment chart. What kind of lawful depends on the person. In terms of clothing they certainly have similar outfits. You can tell someone's a reglarian if you know what you're looking for, even though the clothes themselves are very different. It's a similar, recognizable theme rather than a uniform. It's about patterns and styles, and they tend to stick with light color schemes and very much consider themselves the "light side" in general. Because order is good, and chaos is bad. Their buildings are higher up in every city they reside in, some are even in the sky and hidden by magic. Very divine-esque aesthetic, like they're trying to literally be above chaos. For some extra spice you can go with my version where the two sides actively call themselves Light and Dark, to feed into the conflict you may start to see growing here already.

Meanwhile, Chaos (they call themselves warlings) lives mostly in the actual, literal underground of the city. In a complete opposite to Order, their buildings are all very different and openly uniquee, often making no sense in layout on purpose. Honestly everything about them is the complete opposite of Order. Generally darker color schemes and a very nonsensical... everything, really. That's not to say that there's nothing homey about them though, because they know how to make places cozy. If dizzying, given how they will use their magic to actively confuse anyone who comes into the house. It's a go down the steps into the basement to enter the upstairs bedroom kind of situation. Their clothing is alike in how different it is. Some like very practical clothes, some wear the most extravagant nightmare to move in you've ever seen. The only consistency is that their main color is almost always dark, but even that has exceptions. Really, the only common theme that holds true for every single warling is mayhem. They are, well, chaos. Gotta give it to them, they are dedicated to their brand. Rules are made to be broken and their whole culture is built around causing as much mayhem as possible. Not in a way that hurts people, but they've been designated the bad guys by their magic so why not follow their nature? It's not like they can change how they're perceived. Warlings have their strong opinions on the good vs evil debate and they don't necessarily like being seen as "evil" for something they had no control over, but it's not something they actively oppose. They do cause mischief on the regular for kicks, so it's not like they're helping their image.

Ykw I'll save the actual history and conflicts between these groups for a later post and stay focused on the worldbuilding for now. The magic system! Order is pretty straightforward. Their magic is very structured, with rules on what they can and can't do and explanations for why those rules exist. It's something you can study and understand completely if you take the time. Most of their magic comes down to rules, actually. Changing the rules of nature to some extent. They call upon the world and make it do what they want, working within the limits of whatever they're working with. Water can turn to ice, but it cannot naturally turn into wine. So order cannot turn water into wine because that's not how nature works. Those are against the rules. Chaos, on the other hand, works pretty much the exact opposite way. There are limitations but there aren't. They can't do absolutely everything except sometimes they can. Does this make sense? No. That's the point. The magic system is that there is no magic system. In a sense it's more worldly, because it changes with the moon. Metaphorically, because no order is allowed here. That's actually a conflict between Treech and Lamina. Mostly it's a problem for Lamina, though. She's been raised with order drilled into her head from the day she was born. The world works on order, she was told, and that's what makes them better than chaos. They are the world, and chaos tries to destroy them. Good vs Evil. But Chaos magic is a direct refutation of that, because it's entirely natural and there isn't a single semblance of order involved. Yet it exists just fine. She was taught chaos only destroys, yet it's existed for years.

She and Treech fight several times because he "refuses to explain" his magic to her, but the thing is that he can't. It makes no sense. That's all there is to it. You can try all you want to figure out how it works but you'll only drive yourself insane because the whole point is that it doesn't make sense. There is nothing logical about it. It's disorganized and chaotic, because that's its nature. A direct opposite of Lamina's entire life and worldview. By the end, the resolution to the conflict is her finally realizing that maybe her people don't know everything. It ends with her finally accepting that sometimes, things just don't make sense, and sometimes you just gotta live with that. Yes, there are parallels to psychology there that I may explain later.

[natedogx15]

Miraculous Descendent Chapter 60: Wild Information

Previous

The butterfly is freed, and Animan turns back to normal. But with Ladybug nowhere to be seen, the two heroes must figure out how to contain the butterfly.

"Oh no, you don't." Cat Noir says as he uses both hands to hold the butterfly in place before it can fly off.

However, the butterfly starts to slip through his fingers as if it is made of water. Cat Noir quickly tries to re-capture it before it can escape his grasp. But, every time he readjusts his grip, the butterfly starts slipping through the cracks of his fingers. Canine sees this and decides to help him, and the whole situation turns into a game of seeing how long they can hold the butterfly in place before it starts to escape.

Eventually, Ladybug arrives with an urgent expression before noticing what her teammates are doing and raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"What are you guys doing?" Ladybug asks them before noticing the butterfly slipping from their grasp.

She quickly grabs her yo-yo and captures the butterfly before using Miraculous Ladybug to return all the animals to their cages. After she does, she sees her teammates sigh in relief.

"So, glad you finally arrived. I don't know how long we could have kept that thing in place." Cat Noir tells her.

"Why didn't you try using your weapons to hold it like I do with my yo-yo?" She asks them.

The two blink in confusion before Canine asks.

"Isn't that part of your fixing power?" Her tone is nervous as she asks this.

But Ladybug shakes her head. The information given to her about Miraculous Ladybug shows that she's the only one who can purify and fix the damages. However, it says nothing about her being the only one capable of capturing butterflies.

"I don't think so. I'm pretty sure all of our weapons can capture the butterfly." Ladybug tells them.

"We'll have to try that next time." Cat Noir says while looking at his baton.

"That's not important right now, though. We need to talk. Come on." Ladybug orders before picking the two up and flying off in a hurry.

As the heroes search for a secluded area to talk, Hawkmoth lets out a disappointed sigh in his lair.

"It's unfortunate that Lady Wifi couldn't beat Ladybug, and I've lost her. But I've still come out better than before. I've learned more about Canine's abilities and put the fear of being followed in their minds." Hawkmoth says with a smile before looking at the new magic particle from Animan.

"Not to mention, I've gained a useful Champion for espionage. Overall, I've gained more than I lost today." He says before de-transforming.

"You've changed quite a lot since when I first picked you. You have a more business-like outlook with my powers now. Before, you would look at these Champions as if they were your partners." Nooroo says as he observes Gabriel.

"Are you disappointed in the actions I'm taking now?" Gabriel asks his Kwami.

"No. You aren't the worst choice I've ever had. I just always enjoy seeing how humans change. When I first picked you, I half expected you to be the one who would try and pass me down to his children to continue a heroic legacy." Nooroo explains to him.

Hearing this causes Gabriel to gain a sad, bitter smile.

"Maybe at one time. But sadly, not anymore. I don't want Adrien to inherit your power and risk running into Miraculous wielders like I did. It's too dangerous." Gabriel tells him before getting in the secret elevator.

Nooroo doesn't follow after him. Instead, he remains in the lair while giving Gabriel a silent look of sadness and pity as the man rises to his office.

Back with Team Miraculous, Ladybug lands them on the rooftop of a tall building to prevent anyone from eavesdropping. She then looks at the two with a grim expression that causes the two to tense slightly.

"So. While you two were dealing with Animan, I was having an interesting conversation with Alya," Ladybug states as she crosses her arms while talking to them.

"Interesting?" Cat Noir asks in confusion.

"Apparently, she's not after our identities anymore. Instead, she's trying to figure out who Hawkmoth is from a hint he gave her when she was first turned into Lady Wifi." Ladybug explains to the two.

"A hint?" Cat Noir asks in surprise as his and Canine's eyes widen in shock.

"Yeah, he said something about heroes being in Paris before us. Do either of you know anything about this?" Ladybug asks the two since she hasn't been in Paris as long as she's assuming they've been here.

The two Paris residents take a moment to think about her question. Neither can think of any heroes that appeared in Paris besides the United Heroez sometimes showing up to stop one of their villains when they tried moving to Paris. Even Canine, who often listened to her father discuss cases or his day after work, can't remember any heroes staying in Paris.

"Sorry. I can't think of anything. Are you sure Hawkmoth isn't messing with her? He's already causing havoc in Paris to get the Miraculous. It wouldn't be weird if he decided to mess with people in other ways, too." Canine states skeptically.

"I don't know. But this is the first hint we've gotten about him. So, I think it's worth investigating. Besides, we're dealing with magic. So, anything could be possible. Right?" She asks Cat Noir.

"W-what?" Cat Noir asks from surprise at the sudden question aimed at him before shaking it off and nodding.

"I mean, yeah. The first rule of magic is that it can be unpredictable. That's what I've learned from reading and writing all sorts of things." Cat Noir explains, causing Canine's skepticism to be aimed at him.

"You mean from fiction?" She asks, causing Cat Noir to shake his head quickly.

"Not just from fiction. I've also researched the United Heroez and their fights." Cat Noir tells her, but that doesn't do much to quell Canine's skepticism.

"I trust Cat Noir, Canine. Besides, we're all new to this. We don't know what will help us and what won't." Ladybug points out to the skeptical heroine, finally causing Canine to concede, seeing her point.

"You're right. Sorry. I'm just not sure how to take this all. It's weird that someone would go out of his way to give a hint that might harm him in the end." Canine explains to them apologetically.

"It's fine. I get what you mean. Besides. It doesn't make sense since you two don't know about any heroes before us, and Alya can't find anything about them." Ladybug tells her with an understanding smile.

"I mean, I can think of a couple reasons why this might be happening." Cat Noir says while raising a finger, getting the girls' attention.

"For the no one remembering anything. Maybe he did some kind of weird magic in the past. He was able to send all the adults into space with Nino. So, it wouldn't be out of place for him to do something like that. As for why he told Alya, arrogance and maybe some honor." Cat Noir explains, getting strange looks from the other heroes.

"It happens often with villains. They say things that may put them at a disadvantage from either arrogance or because they feel bad about their actions. Maybe Hawkmoth did the same thing." Cat Noir says, displaying his genre-savvy nature for the other heroes to see.

"Maybe. But is it really that simple?" Ladybug asks as she and Canine think about his words.

"I don't know. Maybe. This is just a guess. He could still be doing what Canine said and messing with Alya." Cat Noir tells them.

"We can figure this out more later. Maybe we can research this like Alya and tell the others if we find anything. It can't hurt since there isn't much to work with anyway." Ladybug tells the two, causing them to nod.

With that, the three heroes break apart and head back to their respective homes. When Sabrina gets home, she immediately de-transforms and pulls out her phone to tell her dad about what Ladybug discovered.

"Sabrina? What's wrong? Did everything go okay with the other heroes?" Roger asks urgently, having become slightly more overprotective since she gained her Miraculous.

"Everything went fine, Dad. But Ladybug did learn something strange. Do you know anything about heroes in Paris before the Miraculous appeared?" Sabrina asks.

"Other heroes? We only had heroes in  Paris when the United Heroez had to fight some of their villains here. I don't think we've ever had vigilantes or heroes of our own before you and the others." Roger tells her with confusion in his tone.

"I was afraid you'd say that. Hawkmoth apparently told one of his victims about there being heroes in Paris before us." Sabrina tells her father.

"Really? I'll try to look further into it then. Maybe I can find something to help us figure out who Hawkmoth is from this. Good job getting us a new lead. I'm proud of what you're doing." Roger tells his daughter in a tone that conveys his pride in her, causing Sabrina to smile.

"Thanks. I'll try to keep you updated about what we find out. I'm sure the others won't mind since we don't know what to do." Sabrina promises her father.

"Thanks, darling. Hopefully, us working together will help find Hawkmoth faster." Roger tells her.

"Hopefully. Love you. Be safe. Bye." Sabrina says before hanging up.

At Adrien's house, he's currently surfing the web for anything relating to heroes in Paris. However, he only finds articles about Team Miraculous or the United Heroez. There's nothing about any other heroes except maybe a few rumors. He does this for hours with nothing to show for his hard work.

Finally, he turns to Plagg to see if the Kwami knows anything and wants to share with him.

"Hey, Plagg. Were the Miraculous ever in Paris before us?" He asks the Kwami curiously as Plagg relaxes on his wheel of cheese.

"Of course. We've been around for a long time. We've been everywhere on this planet throughout human history. You won't find a single place where there hasn't been at least one Miraculous or its user around." Plagg explains to Adrien as he watches another one of the DVDs in Adrien's room. This time, it's a series about armored warriors over the spandex-wearing heroes he watched last time.

"So. Have there ever been heroes before us?" Adrien asks him.

"Of course. But if you're talking about recent history. Then yeah. There have. I remember a few Kwami talking about it when we met up." Plagg explains to Adrien.

"Then why can't I find anything about them?" Adrien asks while pointing toward the computer.

"Like you said. There may be magic involved. Or they could have kept away from the public eye. If you're after specifics, I can't give those to you. You'll have to figure out everything by yourself." Plagg explains to the teen.

Hearing this causes Adrien to sigh in disappointment.

Marinette is going through a similar situation. When she got home, she grabbed her laptop and looked for any information to help them figure out who Hawkmoth might be. But all of her searches take her to Team Miraculous or the United Heroez.

"Well. At least you and the others are becoming quite popular with Paris." Tikki tells her soothingly as she sees Marinette getting stressed out.

"I know. It's nice to know they trust us. But that doesn't help us learn who Hawkmoth is. Could he really have been messing with Alya when he told her that?" Marinette rhetorically asks as she types something else into the search bar.

"Maybe. You'll have to work hard to figure that out. Nothing is ever easy in life. That's an important lesson for you to learn." Tikki explains to her before there's a knock at the door.

"Come in," Marinette calls.

A tired-looking Nate enters the room before collapsing into one of her chairs.

"You look terrible." She tells him, and Nate sighs.

"Alya asked us to help round up the animals with the zoo staff. I had to chase a lot of animals. I barely caught any of them because of how quick they were." He tells her.

Marinette winches when she hears this and gives him a look of pity.

"Sorry to hear that, but can I ask you something?" Marinette asks him.

"Sure." Nate nods.

"Have there ever been any heroes besides us in Paris? I mean besides the United Heroez." She quickly adds at the end.

Nate looks at her weirdly for a second before shaking his head.

"I don't think so. I'm pretty sure that would be a massive subject in Paris. Especially after you and Cat Noir debuted since people would probably compare you two to the old heroes." Nate tells her with an uncertain tone.

Hearing this causes Marinette to sigh in dissatisfaction.

"What's the matter?" Nate asks her curiously.

"Alya got turned into Lady Wifi again, and after I beat her, she told me about something Hawkmoth said to her. Something about there being heroes in Paris before." She tells him.

"I've never heard of that. Maybe you can use your powers to see if it's true. Some kind of all-seeing eye power to look for the truth. Or time travel." Nate suggests with a shrug.

"Miraculous users are forbidden to time travel. Even those who wield the Miraculous of Time are forbidden from entering the past. Time is a very delicate and complicated concept that mortals should not mess with." Tikki immediately stops Nate's suggestion with a much more intense tone compared to how she usually speaks with them.

The two teens stare at her sudden tone shift in surprise before nervously accepting her words. If Tikki feels this strongly about it, it's probably a bad idea. The Kwami sees this and sighs.

Later that night, the two teens decide to see if they can find anything. While they're doing this, Tikki suddenly appears between them.

"I'll be out for a moment. Please excuse me." Tikki says before flying through Marinette's window and leaving the two confused teens alone.

She flies through Paris until she's waiting at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

"Hey, Sugarcube. I see you're enjoying yourself." Plagg's voice suddenly comes from behind her, causing her to scowl in annoyance.

"Must you continue to mock me with that name? You still have the personality of a stinky sock." She tells him as she turns toward the other Kwami.

Plagg smirks back at her before saying.

"And you are still too sweet with your wielders. You went out of your way to give her three powers right from the start. That's why I'll keep calling you Sugarcube." He tells her with a playful smirk, causing the other Kwami to roll her eyes.

"I see the old cat is still as annoying as ever. I'm sorry you must keep dealing with him like that, Mother." Barkk's voice rings out as she arrives as well.

Tikki sighs as Plagg glares at the younger Kwami.

"Now, that's no way to talk to one of your parents. I was just as much a part of your creation as Sugarcube. Doesn't that get me any respect?" He asks the other Kwami.

"Nope," Barkk smirks as she flies next to Tikki.

"You always were more on the side of creation," Plagg mutters unhappily as he glares at the dog.

"And proud of it. Will Nooroo be showing up?" Barkk asks while looking around for the fourth Kwami she knows is in Paris.

"Of course he wouldn't. He doesn't know where we are." Plagg tells the dog Kwami.

"Too bad. It's been ages since I last talked to him. I would have loved to catch up again." Barkk sighs before remembering something.

"Speaking of which, how long has it been since you two worked together? The last time I was out, your wielders were fighting each other. Who won that anyway?" Barkk asks curiously.

Hearing this question causes Tikki to smirk at Plagg, who glares back at her.

"Don't say anything." He tells her, but Tikki doesn't listen.

"My wielder managed to defeat his and throw her in jail after everything she did with his power," Tikki informs Barkk, who grins.

"Score one for team creation." She says happily.

"We both know your wielder got extremely lucky against mine," Plagg tells her.

"Maybe. So, how is Adrien? I've noticed he's grown a lot since he first got you." Tikki tells him, and Plagg shrugs.

"The kid is okay. He lets me enjoy my cheese with equally cheesy shows." Plagg says, causing Barkk to glare at him.

"Of course, that's what you focus on. You've always been far too lazy in your duties." Barkk complains to him.

"And you're far too diligent. Come on, we're immortal. We can afford to have some fun. Even humans with their short life span can enjoy taking it easy." He tells the other Kwami.

"I am already in a pleasant situation. Sabrina is a perfect wielder and gives me a place to enjoy myself while she's trying to find Hawkmoth with her father. She's a diligent young lady who I can see doing great things if she makes it that far." Barkk informs him.

"See. So, you know we need to enjoy ourselves too." Plagg says with a grin before Barkk glares at him.

"That doesn't mean I chose her based on comfortability. I chose her because she had the greatest potential with my Miraculous out of your wielder's class. The close proximity will also give our wielders a better chance at growing." Barkk explains to him.

"Ugh. You're so boring. It's always about working with you. At least Sugarcube can talk about the enjoyments in life." Plagg says while pointing toward Tikki with his stubby arm.

"Of course," Barkk says proudly, not caring about Plagg's dissatisfaction.

"I'm glad we're working together again, Barkk." Tikki smiles as she pets the dog Kwami, causing her to lean into Tikki slightly from contentment.

"Of course, Mother," Barkk says as she enjoys the attention.

"I still laugh at how some of you have taken to calling us your parents after hearing about the terms from the humans," Plagg says as he watches this in amusement.

"It makes sense, seeing as we're the ones who created them and are the oldest," Tikki tells him.

"I know. That doesn't make it any less amusing." Plagg states while watching Tikki hold Barkk.

"So, how many of us do you think will arrive in Paris?" Tikki asks the two.

"I'm not sure. I wonder if Longg is still staying with that family." Plagg says as he looks in the distance.

"I'm sure plenty of us will show up without the humans opening the Miracle Box for them. After all, Miraculous attract each other." Barkk states.

"Yes. I hope our wielders are ready for if their jobs get harder." Tikki states while looking in the direction of the hotel with a slightly worried expression.

In the home of the Kubdels, Alix's father is staring at a gift for her birthday. It's something special. Inside the box is a silver panjas bracelet with a purplish-pink gem in the center of it.

"I wish I could give this to Jalil, but he's far too reckless, and I can't trust him not to damage this. I'd like to keep it in our family, and Alix is the more responsible one." Mr. Kubdel sighs before putting the lid on the box and wrapping it for tomorrow.

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