#its finding a way to prevent the same crimes from happening again

[wherenightmaresroost]

For those searching for other works with similar themes and aesthetics to help them pull away from the cult of personality and parasocial relationship Gaiman cultivated, there's a Reddit thread full of author recommendations.

Also highly recommend searching the If You Like Blank subreddit for recs based the specific book you enjoyed.

There is also a redditor who is willing to take away books in exchange for proof of donation to RAINN and payment for shipping.

(If there are other similar initiatives on Tumblr, please add them to the post)

[in1-nutshell]

Hi, it's me again and I have another request.:

This is a continuation of the story of Captain Ace.

It seems to me that everything could have started with a simple task to protect the UN Assembly from a group of nationalists.

And everything was fine, the attack was prevented.

Until Captain Ace saw one of the attackers wearing a bandage with a familiar symbol (a skull with tentacles).

In short, please write a story about how, after many years of hibernation, Hydra returned to the world stage to create chaos.

And how Captain Ace is trying to explain to her teammates that this organization is not just a group of supervillains, but a real Nazi cult striving for world domination and who committed an untold number of horrific war crimes during the war.

Introducing DC Hydra!

Hope you enjoy!

Captain Ace finds out about Hydra

SFW, Angst, Mention of Hydra, Platonic, Super Soldier reader

YOUNG JUSTICE

There were a few things that Ace wished had stayed in the past.

Not too many things.

But there was one word that she wished that she would never hear again.

Hydra.

The evil Nazi organization that was fixated on world domination.

The same organization she and the Justice Society had once fought.

The same organization she lost her dear friends to.

The same organization that was responsible for the sacrifice and mourn the life she lost…

Ace remembered asking Batman and some other Leaguers about the organization during the first days out of the ice.

Ace: “Are you sure?” Superman: “We haven’t heard anything about them since your time Ace. Its safe to say they are gone.” Ace turns to Batman for reassurance. Batman: “It looks that way.” Ace sighs in relief and offers the men a soft smile. Ace: “Thank you for letting me know Batman. Mr. Superman sir, are we still going to try those corndogs later?” Superman affectionately pats Ace’s head. Superman: “You better believe it Ace.”

The organization lingered in the back of her mind still, but it was less of a burning presence now a days.

She had her team to thank for that.

Finally, a temporary state of peace.

A peace that would soon shatter after a UN mission.

Ace didn’t remember all the details of what happened during the mission briefing.

All she knew was that the team was supposed to be guarding some important political figures.

Glorified babysitters was what Wally once called it.

It wasn’t long before trouble reared its ugly head.

Ace was walking around the building when she noticed a familiar looking bomb under some stairways.

She hadn’t seen one of these models since her first years with the Society.

Thankfully the rest of the team got the ambassadors to safety while Ace carefully defused the bomb.

Jay would be proud of her for how fast she defused it.

Ace through psychlink: “Bombs been diffused. I’ll be out in a minute.” Connor: “You need help getting it out?” M’gann: “I can fly you out if you want.” Ace hoisting the dead bomb on her shoulder. Ace: “Nah, I’m fine. See you eager beavers outside in a few minutes.” Out of the corner of her eye, she spots a black cloth. Ace picks it up. A burning red Hydra logo was stamped on it. Ace: “Oh sweet mercy no…”

The Justice League came as soon as they heard word about the bomb and was helping the team with ground control.

The team notices that Ace is a bit tense when she comes out of the building.

Even more so, when she was seen talking to Batman about something and leaving with him and the League.

Not even saying anything to the team!

It was something so obscure that Conner didn’t understand.

It was something about calamari…

At the Watch Tower… Flash: “Hey so why’s Ace here?” Ace: “The better question is…” She pulls out the cloth with the Hydra logo on it and tosses it onto the nearest table. The Leaguers look at it, most with faces of confusion. Ace: “Do any of you know what this logo is?” Green Arrow: “Something from that one store the teens go?” Green Lantern: “No that looks a bit like some street art.” SLAM! Ace slams her hand on the table and angrily stares at Batman on the other end. Ace: “This is the logo of a dangerous Nazi organization from the past. My past! These are the same people who are responsible for horrendous acts on humanity! The people who have murdered for less! People who put those nukes were in that plane. The same one I flew before going under!” She pauses, takes a shaky breath and continues. Ace: “I was told that the organization died off. So, tell me, why in the name of Uncle Sam’s short’s is still alive!?” There is a heavy silence in the room. Ace suddenly feels ashamed for the rude outburst. Most of these people don’t even know Hydra anyways. Ace: “I… I’m… I apologize for—” She stops when a hand is placed on her shoulder. It was Flash’s hand. Batman broke the silence. Batman: “The organization has been on the Leagues radar since your sacrifice. The former Justice Society members kept it updated until they couldn’t give anymore. The organization has been dormant until now.” Ace: “Why didn’t you tell me they were still around? Why?” There is silence. Ace: “This is the Leagues business then? Then count me in.” Batman: “No.” Ace: “Why not? Are you going to give up the last source of information about Hydra? As Robin said one time ‘Fat Chance’.” Flash: “I don’t think he—” Superman: “Don’t try.” Ace walks straight up to Batman and crosses her arms in defiance. Ace: “I Will be on the team whenever Hydra is even mentioned.” This wasn’t request. It was a demand. Bruce’s lenses squinted a bit. More painful silence and some sweating leaguers. Bruce: “… You will be acknowledged and called in when needed.” Ace: “No alternative secrets on Hydra?” Bruce: “No alternative secrets.”

So many leaguers had to breathe a sigh of relief that Batman wasn’t going to throw hands with a super soldier.

…It would be interesting to see but still that’s a child!

Well, the child was technically older than most leaguers but that’s not the point!

It was agreed within the Justice League that the news of Hydra would be kept a secret.

Especially from the Young Justice.

It didn’t sit too well with Ace… but she also didn’t want to drag her new family into anything related to Hydra.

She already lost too much to that organization…

Captain Ace enters the base’s main room. A blur of yellow and red sweep her off her feet as she is transported to the couch with the rest of her team watching her. Ace: “Wallace! You can’t just pick people up like that!” Wally: “And you can’t just disappear with the Justice League like that.” Ace was about to retaliate but opts to just remain silent. M’gann gently takes her hand. M’gann: “We were worried about you when you left without saying anything.” Ace sighs a bit. Ace: “I apologize for that one Cookie. I’ll do my best not to do that again.” Connor huffs. Artemis playfully ruffles Ace’s head. Artemis: “You better.” Robin sits down next to her. Robin: “So what did you talk about?” Connor: “And what did you talk with Batman about calamari?” Ace looked a bit nervous with the sudden questions. Kaldur noticed it. Kaldur: “Perhaps we ask questions another day. It has been a… rather eventful day for everyone.” Ace sends Kaldur a grateful look as the guilt racks up in her. Maybe she would get to tell them one day. Just maybe once Hydra has been fully taken down.

[kharla-k]

Babel Hurts, and It Hurts Me a Lot

Babel opens with no obscurity in that it is a disaster, a tragedy; Theresa died, in the past, and not only that, but Kal'tsit and W confirm that it is 'the Doctor's' fault. Babel was slaughtered not by its opponents, but from within, by its most important ally. One of the three keystones that carried everything on their shoulders. Betrayal, a core theme of Babel, is the most heinous of crimes. Utterly despicable, beyond reproach, and my personal life experiences have made that clear to me when I was lied to by my mother. Who stole my belongings, lied to my face, all while asking for a hug. Saying that everything would be alright. That hurts. And it doesn't ever stop hurting. It changes how you interact with people, how you trust people, how you treat people. There is no better way to irreversibly change someone than to transform years of love into despair instantly. To transform trust into a wrath that never truly dims. Their psyche and perspective on life change, warp in abhorrent, grotesque ways they were never meant to, to try and prevent that pain from happening ever again. There isn't any recourse, and I cannot imagine that you can ever learn to trust that person again. In a moment of need for love, compassion and support; they stab you from behind. And they twist the knife. It's clear to me, reading this event, that Kal'tsit and Theresa both undergo this shift, the foundations of their ideals cracked, blemished. In chapter 8 m8-8, Kal'tsit violently rejects abandoning her wrath, even if she's succeeded in putting it aside. Even if she understands that its subject no longer exists, it remains. It's a part of her now, forever.

When I originally read this, I was shocked that Kal'tsit, someone practical and pragmatic to a fault, could be so angry, so emotional; I was shocked. But now, I understand as she admits her failure to think rationally, about her near failure to act rationally. I understand why she takes so long to show a semblance or inkling of trust to the Doctor, why she doesn't believe for a second that they've been subjected to amnesia. You can never truly trust someone again after a betrayal, there will always be lingering doubts in your mind, that you being let down by them can happen again. The worst part, as Kal'tsit notes, is when you realize that you cannot direct your wrath anymore, only hold onto it, as it burns your clenched fist. Kal'tsit carries on, a changed person, able to ignore, but never forget, never forgive what happened. But that's nothing compared to what happened to Theresa, who says the following in 12-1:

Theresa, who built so much with her bare hands, efforts filled with goodwill and passion, blood, sweat and tears poured into her vision; to be torn out from under her, by 'the Doctor.' It changes her, dims her view, the light, of one of the most determined, hopeful people in the setting. Trying her hardest to find the most peaceful solution won't be successful if the people she has to depend on shred it for their own reasons, and so she issues a command so brutal that it shocks Manfred, someone who she raised, someone who knows her; Return the favor. Exact vengeance. My perspective has been twisted like theirs has, and one of the more obvious scars of this event is my consideration of betrayal to be the most brutal, depraved, awful act you can perform, only for... the Doctor to do the same. The player character, the player character you named. I'm disgusted at the notion of being associated with them, and their actions. I knew that Babel was going to be brutal, I knew that it was going to leave me suffering, but I could never have prepared for a close proxy to myself committing such a grievous performance. I knew that the fragile survival and barely eked out victories by Babel would never last, but I couldn't conceive that they would be ended by the Doctor. I'm always happy, delighted even, to participate within the story of Arknights, but this hurts. It. Hurts. And I just want it to be over. I'm sick to my stomach, my throat aches and my chest hurts at the horror of it all, the torture that is reading further. That someone would ever choose to make such a cataclysmic decision, because I understand on a personal level how much damage was done to Kal'tsit and Theresa, who could have been on the precipice of victory... had the Doctor simply chosen to side with their friends, with their new found family. To look for a better solution, to not have the unfathomable god damn arrogance to decide that it was a lost cause. And it is by this point that I now truly understand one of Arknights' main morals as a story, mentioned by every other antagonist the game has: Fate. The Doctor, this being that chose to forsake its allies; refused to reject fate. Refused to even consider for a moment that the future wasn't set, and consigned themselves to accelerating the pace towards fate. The story of Arknights, that is Arknights, is a good one, one that I appreciate reading, and will see through to the end. But this chapter hits too close to home.

[flowery-laser-blasts]

It's the year 2023 and so much has changed...

Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable-Possible, now in their mid-thirties, work alongside Global Justice with their own specialized team (including Wade, Felix, and Jim & Tim). As for Dr. Drakken and Shego... After helping prevent the invasion of the Warlordians, Dr. Drakken and Shego were pardoned from almost all of their prior crimes against the safety of the world and eventually became, in their own words, 'neutral'. At times, they even aid Team Possible with intel, after all; who knows more about how villains do than ex-villains?

Dr. Drakken started working on his own world-improving inventions because he realized that 'positive' recognition from the world feels better than being despised by everyone, and this way he can rub it even more into James Possible's face... Shego became an elite mercenary/hitwoman after tutoring the best of the best agents of Global Justice for 5 years -it was part of her 'community service'- She now works separately from everyone, but always comes back home before Drakken finishes making dinner.

One day, Dr. Drakken thought of a hypothesis: if television programs are just a glimpse into an alternative reality and aliens exist with their ultra-advanced technology, then who says that alternative timelines aren't real? "Maybe we could learn from that to improve ours!"

He worked tirelessly on trying to find out if alternative universes or timelines exist, maybe ones where he and Shego were always good and Possible and Stoppable were the baddies, imagine!

But then he found something...

Dr. Drakken found out that there was a timeline that lined up exactly with the one they were in, except something was drastically different. It was stuck in some kind of purgatory; stuck in place but also as if looping over and over again. Separate from everything surrounding it but at the same time trying to free itself from its slumbering state.

Drakken looked into it, fascinated that this timeline could co-exist with theirs but at the same time not. What changed? Then it hit him.

"Tempus Simia... that Monkey plan-- It actually happened!?" Dr. Drakken sometimes ruminated on the weird feelings he had on the day the trio, and Shego, decided to abruptly give up on that time-traveling plan. None of them ever said or mentioned anything about it to one another, especially Monkey Fist... he became different. Drakken wished he could ask him about what happened that day, but alas the man became a supernaturally petrified lawn ornament.

"Did Monkey Fist know something about that statue that we didn't? Did the plan work? Is that what that timeline is?" Drakken became ansty, he needed to know what happened. Not that he was going to return to being evil, no-no, this was purely scientific, and well- curiosity took the upper hand. Perhaps he was a fair ruler in this 'time capsule'.

After months and months of calculations and testing, he managed to do it; Drakken succeeded in making a portal device that could connect and stabilize the broken timeline to ours. Shego wasn't entirely sure about this plan but decided to stick around to ensure the man wouldn't end up killing himself and everyone on the planet in some freak accident.

After flipping the switches and turning on the safety protocols, the machine started producing a whirling sound. No sooner did a small portal form, giving them a glimpse of the dystopian world of the Supreme One. "Wow, that-- is that me?" Shego pointed at a fallen statue. "Sheesh, who would've thought the sidekick could ever take over the world, right Drew?" Shego teasingly jabbed his arm, making Drakken roll his eyes in response. "Shego, dumpling, darling love of my life, I've apologized thousands of times already, can you finally let it go?!" He received a snicker in response, "I guess not, nevertheless, let me concentra--!" A loud bang snapped the two out of their banter, "Dr. D? What was that?!" Shego instinctively lit her hands as the room turned dark for a moment, the whirling sounds of the portal device intensified, and no sooner bright red warning signs started flashing while a deafening alarm went off around them. Shego looked at Drakken, who was frantically trying to close the portal. "Something's trying to push its way into here! I-- I haven't been able to properly secure that part yet-- Shego!" Drakken's face paled as he looked back in the direction of the portal.

"The Supreme One, actually." An icy chill went through Shego's spine as she heard her own voice coming from directly behind her. "I already thought, what took you so long Doc? It's not fun being stuck in time; ain' I right, Dr. D?" Both Shego and Drakken watched in disbelieve at the arrival of the Supreme One's sidekick, who within seconds hurled himself at the machinery, destroying most of it and breaking off the connection to the fractured timeline.

Drakken tried to jump in and save what was left by making his flowers restrain the brute, but the man ripped the foliage away from him as if it were nothing. The sidekick threw Drakken aside and blocked Shego from trying to get to him, holding her in a lock.

The supreme one stepped closer and looked at her restrained self.

"Now that botany-boy is taken care of... tell us, Shego: Where is Kimmie?"

---

I hope you guys like my little sequel idea for 'A Sitch in Time'. I absolutely love this TV movie!! I'm not much of a writer but it was so much fun imagining this story while drawing!! As for the future designs of everyone: - Kim's outfit is based on Stephen Silver's older Kim design. - Ron now has a utility belt that actually works and gloves that can help him control his Mystical Monkey Powers. - Shego's outfit stayed relatively the same with some adjustments, why change what works right? - Dr. Drakken (now Professor Lipsky) traded his blue lab coat for a white one... dress codes apply at his shared workplace, but he still wears a blue dress shirt underneath it. Aside from that his eyes aren't as good as they used to be and his contact lenses were out of the question since they tampered with the eye-scanning-security-device (he ended up being left outside of the lab for 3 hours because of it), so now he just wears glasses.

I also wanted to include Rufus in the story; Now a senior rodent, Rufus spends his retirement days around the lab assisting Drakken with various experiments and small talk while Kim and Ron are on missions. Hope you enjoyed both the drawing and the mini fanfic!!

[arealphrooblem]

A Good Roommate Is Hard To Find Part 2

I was blown away by the response to something I banged out without much thought.! I've received several asks about continuing this so here is part two! Thank you everyone!

Synopsis: Civilian has harbored a secret crush on his roommate for a long time, only to find out that said roommate is the newest villain on the scene during a robbery at his job.

Part one here

CW: named characters (juggling two unnamed male characters pronoun wise was just a huge headache)

“Salt?”

Ben stared at his roommate from across their tiny kitchen table. Two bowls of soup lay before each of them, accompanied by folded napkins and spoons and glasses of water. The formality instantly raised his hackles. Whatever happened to eating on the couch while they watched stupid youtube prank videos?

Fear and anger twisted and blended into each other until he didn’t know what was responsible for the maelstrom in his chest that the hot shower did nothing to calm down.

“How long?” he said instead.

It was the question that plagued him the most. Did this start before they met? Had Ben lived with a stranger in a mask this whole time? Or did it start later? Did something horrible happen to make Adam desperate enough to try villainy and could Ben have prevented it?

“How long has salt been around?” Adam asked blithely. “I don’t know. Probably at least a thousand years or more. Did the Romans use salt? You’re the history nerd, not me.”

“Don’t mock me,” Ben snapped. “You know exactly what I mean.”

“Do you really want to know?”

What fucking kind of question was that? But Adam tilted his head to the side, the look in his eyes deadly serious.

“Because if I tell you,” he continued, “that could implicate you. Once you know, you can’t un-know. And Heroes have ways of making you talk. There’s no way they’d believe you didn’t help me all this time.”

So consumed with the fear of Adam himself, Ben never thought to be concerned with anyone else. Now a new fear dug its roots into him.

“There’s no way they’d believe it now,” he said, heart thudding again.

“They would if you were genuinely clueless.”

Or if I turned you in Ben thought. That was the other thought that had plagued him the last few days.

Now that he knew, what was he supposed to do about it?

“But I don’t intend on you talking to anyone about this,” Adam added.

Again, Ben’s hackles raised at the certainty in Adam’s voice. He swallowed, mouth suddenly dry.

“How would you stop me?”

He didn’t mean it as a taunt. He knew Adam was dangerous, but not how. Did Adam have powers or weapons? What plans did he have for Ben?

“You don’t want the answer to that question either,” Adam replied softly. “But know that I would, if I had to. I’m capable of anything when I know it’s my best option.”

The lump was back in Ben’s throat, making it hard to swallow. He could stomach the lying, even understand it a little. How do you tell your roommate that you’re the one behind all the recent robberies and arson?

 And Ben could handle the crimes, for the most part. This city ate people alive and anyone not obscenely wealthy had one bad accident standing between themselves and homelessness.  So far Adam’s crew had only targeted places  with large payouts. They took hostages when necessary but had no casualties so far.

But the threats? The knife at his throat? The lack of hesitation before launching to dark promises of violence hurt Ben the most. Even without his stupid crush, they had become friends the last three years. Their lives had become enmeshed with each other’s in a domestic intimacy that went beyond two people who simply shared a space.

 Adam knew his allergies and what restaurants to avoid because of it. He knew Ben’s parents and siblings. He knew Ben’s failed dreams and useless history degree. They shared shampoo and lonely holiday dinners and a Netflix account.

Ben thought he knew Adam the same way. But now all that had unraveled, and though he never harbored the hope that Adam could return his affections, seeing how easily Adam could threaten his life as if Ben never meant anything to him . . .

The knife would hurt less.

“What . . .” Ben swallowed again, his voice coming out choked. “What do you want me to do? I can move out. Leave the city.”

Adam’s eyebrows shot up. “Leave? You can’t leave!”

 Hope rose ever so slightly without Ben’s permission. But when had it ever listened in the first place?

“I can’t afford this apartment without you.”

And there it went, dashed on the rocks.

“Haven’t you been . . .earning extra income,” Ben asked hesitantly.

“Not enough to cover your portion of everything for more than a month or two. Besides . . .I only get a small percentage of the cut. I need you.”

Boy, would Ben have loved to hear that in literally any other circumstance.

“But I’m a liability now,” he protested.

“Are you?”

Adam got a certain look in his eye anytime they played strategy games. It didn’t matter what kind — Among Us, Monopoly, chess, Street Fighter. His mind always worked five steps ahead, thinking of contingency plans for contingency plans, and Ben knew when that glint showed up in Adam’s eye, he was about to lose. That he had lost long before he even realized it.

“Here’s the way I see it.” Adam leaned forward, elbows resting on the table. “You hate living with your parents and you don’t want to leave the city. I can’t leave because I’m . . .in the middle of things. If either of us were to move out, we’d both have to find another roommate and the odds of us finding people that work as well with us as we do with each other is impossible. We would both be miserable.”

“You think I would be more miserable with a person who didn’t threaten me with a knife?” Ben asked.

And the answer to that question was yes, but Adam didn’t have to know that.

“What if they never turn the light on when they piss at night and get it all over the toilet?” Adam countered. “What if they eat the last of all your snacks or move their obnoxious girlfriend in or never empty the dishwasher before sticking their dirty dishes in?”

Objectively speaking, Ben would rather have a knife to his throat one time than deal with any of those on a constant basis.

“We know how to live with each other. We’ve developed a routine that has worked for years. This doesn’t have to change anything. It’s not like I haven’t been doing this for months while you had no clue anyway.”

“You will never trust me not to snitch,” said Ben.

“If I’m in jail, then how are you going to still live here with any kind of sanity? Better yet — if I’m thrown in prison because you ran your mouth, how are you going to be safe from retaliation from my boss or crew members? How are you going to avoid your own prison sentence for being an accessory? Is it worth your life to put me away?”

That last question hit him hard. He knew it was cowardly and stupid beyond measure, but he couldn’t bear the thought of blowing up the little life he’d carved for himself here. It didn’t amount to much, especially to his parents, but he loved it all the same.

“No,” he told Adam softly. “It’s not worth it.”

He loved his life and he loved Adam and he loved his life because of Adam and it all fed into each other like one writhing ouroboros.

Adam leaned back again, looking devastatingly smug. “I didn’t think so.”

“So . . .what now?” Ben bit at his lower lip, the nervous tell that always gave him away in poker.  “What do you want me to do?”

“Eat your soup for starters.” Adam nodded at the bowl in front of Ben. “And then give me your phone.”

“My phone? What do you want with my phone?”

Adam leveled a flat look over the table. A look he shot at Ben frequently over the years when Ben made a particularly bad pun. He used to love making Adam give him that look. Now it felt tainted with an undercurrent of a threat.

“Eat your soup, Ben.”

Ben ate his soup. It came out great, almost as if they had just ordered it from the restaurant that inspired it. Adam didn’t cook often, but when it did it outshone Ben’s rudimentary skills. And when they both finished, Ben cleared the table, almost on autopilot, because the person who didn’t cook did the dishes. It was one of the first routines they established.

Usually Ben hated washing dishes which was why he volunteered to make dinner so often. Tonight however it offered a soothing distraction, much more effective than the shower Adam insisted he take. Right up until he felt Adam’s hands on his thighs, sliding up to the edge of his front pocket.

“What are you doing?” he yelped, dropping the spoon with a clatter.

“Looking for your phone.” Adam’s voice pressed right against the shell of Ben’s ear.

His fingers wriggled their way into the pocket, tight in old jeans Ben should have thrown out when he graduated. His breath stuttered in his chest at the intrusion, which lasted only a few seconds, and at the triumphant snort against his ear when Adam slipped the phone out.

He swallowed thickly, throat tight for a very different reason than before. Adam stepped back, the heat of him gone just as suddenly as it appeared. A glance over his shoulder showed Adam leaning against the stove, brow furrowed as he typed in Ben’s password. Because of course Ben had given it to him, thoughtlessly, for vague future emergencies.

“What are you doing to it?” he asked, nerves fluttering in the pit of  his stomach. What if he didn’t get it back?

“Precautionary measures,” Adam replied distractedly. “I’ll give it back in the morning.”

“The morning?”

He spun around, soap dripping from his hands. Adam leveled another flat look at him.

“Do you want this to work or should I get another knife?” he said.

The blood drained from Ben’s face. His eyes darted over to the knife block, sitting just inches away from Adam’s hip. There was no way he could reach it in time — not that it would matter if he could. Clumsy and inexperienced, he’d only hurt himself and save Adam the trouble.

“I just . . .want to know what’s happening,” he said, eyes prickling for the second time that night, goddamn it. “You don’t have to keep threatening me.”

The cognitive dissonance of having Adam so carelessly threaten him, pulling a knife on him — Adam, his best friend that he lived with for years — felt like it could split his head apart. Life was starting to not feel real anymore, like he was in a video game instead. Or a nightmare.

Adam’s expression flickered, looking almost stricken, before Ben turned away. He rinsed what was left of the suds from his hands and then turned the water off.

“I’m going to bed,” he said, even though it was barely dark. “Keep the phone.”

Then he walked straight down the back hall to his bedroom. Adam called his name, almost too softly to hear, but Ben ignored him and shut the door.

He locked it too, for good measure. Not that it mattered. Sleep did not accompany him much that night.

Part Three

[stromuprisahat]

Siege and Storm- Chapter 17

After some deliberation I've decided to put almost everything from the first part of this chapter under a single post, because all of it is thematically intertwined. It paints a picture of the state in which Ravka finds itself, its treatment of Grisha, all the reasons Aleksander attempted the Coup, and how he's about to get repaid.

Wow, I wonder why would anyone mind being perceived as no more than (annoyingly) living, breathing furniture...

... at best.

Why is Ravka so behind in military development?

There wasn't an involved Tsarevich to sweet-talk the Royal Couple into letting the Fabricators work on ~that~, because let's be honest- it certainly wasn't Alina, who persuaded them.

And the best mind they have doesn't want to create tools of destruction (and apparently the big, bad Darkling didn't MAKE him, if David's so shocked by use of Alina's powers to spread the Fold).

*mumbles*

As if he'd never done that before... as if the Darkling were a stranger to battle...

Shadow and Bone- Chapter 10 & Rule of Wolves- Chapter 33

Yeah, he sounds exactly like the kind of general, who stays in the rear...

Look, I know Sikurzoi are supposed to be uninhabitable or whatever, but let's be honest- which mountains (in mild climate) are completely uninhabited? Why wouldn't Aleksander- a lives-long student of survival- use otherwise hostile place to hide?

I know ~I~ would.

Do you mean "Are there any living Grisha left, stationed there?".

Geeez...

Zoya truly doesn't acknowledge the First Army massacres, does she? And the word ~would~ have reached them at this point, even if we ignore the dead from Grand Palace. Fedyor's group's in Little Palace!

Remember, children: It doesn't count as war, if they only regularly attack your villages, draw back, and their government claims it knows nothing!

He’s never faced the might of the First and Second Armies working in tandem... I wonder why... Could it be because your precious First Army hates his people so much they went to slaughter them the moment the Darkling's out of the picture?

I know this is Naïve Nikolai, but the way he puts it... as if otkazat'sya working alongside Grisha weren't exactly, what's Aleksander trying to achieve for centuries. As if he didn't manage it on smaller scale with his oprichniki. As if he should be surprised by mere possibility of it!

The weapons will be only a cherry on the top, the reason he keeps using nichevo'ya even though it costs him dearly. It's the kind of weapons he fears, because he knows, what it can do to his people (aside from rendering them strategically useless). He's seen massacres, he caused massacres, he cannot prevent them. And let's not forget he might be in the front line, but it will be those remaining 80 % of Grisha right behind him. And Nikolai's fancy new machine guns won't miss them more than his Army's weapons did.

This is horrifying.

They intend to slaughter the man for the crime of standing up to their regime and finding a way to substitute his people with canon fodder of magical variety, completely disregarding whys, or bothering to check if they're not living in a glasshouse first.

Why is no one asking about the pogroms? Why is no one questioning Grisha safety FROM FIRST ARMY?! Why do they act as if another massacre of Grisha should solve all their painfully obvious issues?!

Why am I supposed to wish THEM success?!

In a way...

How is your victory gonna ensure Grisha a place in Ravkan society, Alina?!

You murder the Darkling together, good... then what? Ya'll get a nice house in the country and your neighbours won't burn it to the ground? Stone you to death next time something bad happens? Never again- Grisha being dragged out of their beds in middle of the night?!

THAT'S what Aleksander feared- once Grisha are no more necessary for the wars, there's no place for them in THIS Ravkan society! Unlike otkazat'sya, those weapons don't make them vulnerable only physically!

This makes my head hurt.

Are they truly this blind?!

There's not a single voice raised against cooperation with the very same people that have been murdering theirs mere weeks ago, but the Darkling is some sort of ultimate evil on word of one (1) girl and the remains of her semi-official ménage-a-trois?!

[loudblonde]

Simon "Ghost" Riley x Male!Reader Mafia AU (chapter 20)

Summary:

A blissful... well as domesticated as two mobsters can get, life, gets interrupted by people wanting information on a certain woman yet to make an appearance, their idyllic mob life gets interrupted and (Y/N) gets taken.

How will they solve this?

Warnings: This is about getting kidnapped and tortured, expect that and degrading things said about oneself. As always, this is based on COD so expect canon typical violence and actions.

AN: I lost access to the goggle account the story was on but I regained it today and finished this chapter, I want to thank you all so much for the patience as my life has been pretty hectic. I'm almost done with my education and currently looking for internships in my field, its horrible

Word Count: 2,7K

It had been months of staying with his father. His day-to-day was busy but content. Wake up in Simon’s arms, eat a semi-healthy breakfast, and commit heinous crimes in his father's name, which include torture, killing, moving drugs and even occasionally, finding the people who do human trafficking and completely and utterly destroying their life’s work with the help of someone his grandfather knew who absolutely hate human trafficking. (Y/N) didn’t ask too many questions about why, it wasn’t his place in the world. 

But all in all, he felt pretty good about what was happening. Everything was perfect. Nothing was supposed to go wrong. 

The front door was broken in as men in full swat gear rushed in, everyone was scrambling to defend the home when the men grabbed (Y/N) roughly. He was shoved against a wall with enough force that all air was pushed out of his lungs. His arms were twisted behind his back, (Y/N) yelled out in pain as he heard cracks. 

(Y/N) knew his arm was most likely broken, a spiral fracture. He had caused fractures like that often. 

He felt zip ties surround his arm and a black bag being shoved over his head before being roughly pulled along. 

Yup, his arms were definitely broken. The aching feeling of pain coursed through him as whoever held him up forced him along. He gritted his teeth and followed along to avoid the pain. 

When had he become this pathetic? When had he become unable to handle simple pain? A broken arm was nothing compared to what his mother had put him through? He still felt the phantom aches of training every time it rained and yet now as he was moved through the manor all the pain came back, disorientating him. 

(Y/N) felt the cold air of wintertime. A van door opened suddenly and slid away before (Y/N) was thrown onto the ice-cold metal floor. The door closed behind him and the car took off into the night. 

(Y/N) groaned at the first bump in the road, it sent vibrations up through the fracture and through his body. His aching body. Panic settled in. Everything about this became horrible. He couldn't hyperventilate, that would cause him to pass out!

Think! 

Think! 

Think!

(Y/N) blocked out the panic as well as he could. He shut his eyes tightly and bit into his tongue until he felt blood flow.  The pain combined with the iron soaking his mouth shocked his body into stillness. (Y/N) blinked his eyes open again and was met with the same darkness that surrounded him. The hood, how could he forget the hood?

He started counting the seconds, minutes and hours it took before the car got to rest. 

He was too far away for this to just be NCA. The car door opened and he was pulled out again, the air was stale and smelled horrible. Probably an old factory. He groaned as he was taken down multiple stairs and around multiple places, clearly, they were taking him in circles to disorient him further and prevent him from memorising escape should he escape, easy place to find a way around then. (Y/N) saw the lights change, both growing lighter and darker, he was sure the lights were more or less the same. Finally, they stopped, a door was unlocked and opened. (Y/N) was shoved into a cold metal chair. The metal dug against his skin. 

Rough hands forced his arms apart before tying them down as well as his legs. His hood was finally removed and a new face met him. (Y/N) cringed at the light. “Well, aren’t you an ugly mug.” (Y/N) said. 

The man chuckled. “You are full of quips, huh? Usually, people don’t stay like that.” 

(Y/N) hummed and rolled his neck, he needed to escape. “Well, I am not ‘people’, am I?” 

“No you aren’t but this can be rather easy for you, it doesn’t have to be all that bad for you.” He said. 

“I don’t even know why you kidnapped me or why you had, was it NCA?-” He gauged the man's reaction but found none, “-to cover for the fact you needed me kidnapped.” (Y/N) said. 

“Well, MI6 doesn’t operate on our own land, though we did get a helpful little tip that someone connected to the Pitfall Viper was in the country. It took us a while to track you but thankfully you did take a plane home.” The man chuckled, and his rank breath reached (Y/N) who gagged. 

“You should get your mouth checked out, something is wrong in there.” (Y/N) said. “Also the Pit who?” 

“The Pitfall Viper, one of the most lethal agents of The Firm, a family operation you should be very familiar with.” The agent showed a grainy photo of a woman that (Y/N) knew all too well, his own mother. 

“Aha and you think I am close to whoever this woman is.” (Y/N) said, bluffing expertly. He wasn’t going to snitch on his mother. He knew better than that.

He showed another grained photo of the two of them at a gala. “That could be anyone.” (Y/N) shrugged. “I genuinely have no idea who that woman is or what the firm is.” 

“The Firm is the biggest threat to anyone, they supply terrorists with weapons, poison and connections to those selling black market military grade explosions as well as the cartel and multiple organised crime organisations.” The man said. “While there is no known record of anyone in the firm, you have been spotted with multiple-” more pictures were shown, all people who had helped raise (Y/N) or who  (Y/N) knew well- “people whom you had been seen with.” 

“Still, that photo isn’t me, you have the wrong guy.” (Y/N) said. 

“See, I would buy that, if you weren’t so casual in the face of being kidnapped and black sited. Officially, this place is condemned and unfit for human use, so wherever we are in your new home, you will eat here, sleep here and go crazy here.” The man chuckled. “And I will stop at nothing to get results and answers.” 

(Y/N) leaned back. “Well, good luck with that.” Sometimes (Y/N) hated his mouth in situations like this. He needed to get out of here despite knowing he most likely couldn’t. His mind ran from him as he tried to come to the realisation that he most likely would die. 

His survival mode went back into his mind. No weakness. No nothing. He was not a person, just a robot. No one. Just another soldier in a long line of soldiers. A monster whose very name wasn’t uttered in fear it would attract him. 

The man chuckled as he left. The door was locked and the light was turned up brightly. It was too bright. Too harsh and too fluorescent. 

(Y/N) closed his eyes and tried to control his breath as he receded into himself but he got no chance as high-pitched music started playing. (Y/N) didn’t know the artist or the song but it was on repeat and it just wouldn’t stop. 

It felt like hours went by, every time that (Y/N) kept being close to falling asleep, a man came into the room and shocked him with a taser until (Y/N) was left convulsing in the chair. 

(Y/N) knew it had gone on for days, the guard rotation was consistent enough to give him a sense of time. Though the song hadn’t changed at all. (Y/N) had been moved from the chair and forced to stand for hours on end, he was forced against the wall where a flimsy piece of paper was the only thing between his nose and the mould-infested wall. 

Whenever he wasn’t forced to stand, he was hooded and handcuffed, he only managed a bit of sleep between every time a guard came in and woke him up with kicks to his chest, arm and legs. (Y/N) knew his arm would always be painful after this, there was no chance he wouldn’t end up with a useless arm. Though, no matter what they threw at him, no matter how he wasn’t sleeping or eating and the only water he got was just enough to keep him alive, (Y/N) didn’t say a thing. He wasn’t betraying his mother or her work. 

He found himself in the metal chair again, getting questioned all over again by the same agent. 

(Y/N) looked at him through distant eyes. “Is it this time again, douchebag?” 

“So funny,” The man said. “Könich has been found.” 

“Hmmm, so?” (Y/N) asked, he leaned back, just glad to be sitting somewhere that wasn't a damp blood-covered floor. 

“We know you and him were together and you aren’t even worried, that’s harsh.” The man said.

“I thought you knew who my mother was,” (Y/N) said and shrugged.  

The agent chuckled. “Which is why it doesn’t make sense that you keep protecting her.” He said. 

(Y/N) looked towards the camera that was recording and considered his options. Maybe the truth was fine. “Because no matter who you are or what you do, you will never be worse than if my mother finds out I snitched.” 

“So, you are scared of her?” He asked. 

(Y/N) was by all accounts terrified of his mother, but to let a man who had kidnapped him, tortured him and otherwise tried to annoy (Y/N).... he wouldn’t get an answer. “Fuck no.” Maybe that came out a bit too quick. 

The man hummed. “So you don’t care about Könich and you claim you aren’t scared of your mother, which I doubt, but what about a certain Ghost, big fella, kind of dumb brute appearance.” 

“Yeah, what about him?” (Y/N) asked. “His mouth feels good wrapped around my cock, that doesn’t mean I care.” (Y/N) hated how he spoke about Simon, but he couldn’t let him get hurt because of his own weaknesses. 

“You are so full of shit.” The agent chuckled. 

“Because you didn’t give me a toilet.” (Y/N) smirked, he hated his smart-ass mouth. 

The agent stood up and clapped (Y/N) on the cheek. “Well, this has been fun, sit tight for me.” The agent left again. 

(Y/N) rolled his eyes and tested the bonds again, no way of getting out. The lights turned up even brighter and the song started playing again. (Y/N) groaned. 

—

Simon glared at Price who sat behind his table. “Why the fuck aren’t we rushing to save (Y/N)?! He is your own flesh and blood! It has been weeks!” 

Price, who by all accounts wasn’t familiar with this version of Simon, sighed. “We are looking, or rather, I have someone looking. Someone better than us at shit like that.” 

Simon sat down, completely aware of how wrong it was for a dog like him to sit without his- no, John Price no longer owned Simon or Ghost. He had handed the leash over to (Y/N) who had simply unclipped the leash and let him go wild. Simon was not owned anymore. He was his own person and he could stand up for the man who gave him his freedom. A man he loved. Because fucking hell, he loves (Y/N) more than breathing. If he could stop breathing just to focus on (Y/N) more he would. “And who pray tell, is that?” 

Price was about to say something when the doors to his office opened and a woman more elegant than anyone Simon had ever seen entered. Her hair was long yet slicked back into a carefully controlled ponytail that revealed nothing of her original hair texture. She was dressed in clothes that were a quality Simon had started recognising with ease. 

Her jacket was very simple, a black ankle length heavy black trench coat that at an initial glance looked normal but on a more prodding look revealed to be branded with a logo (Y/N) never stopped talking about. A black market support company that produced combat gear for anyone willing to pay enough. Allegedly a branch of the firm. She wore black leather boots that went all the way up her calf. 

She looked stunning. Absolutely stunning. If it had not been for how her eyes scanned the room, mapping all exits and all things used as weapons, Simon would simply have assumed she was a model who came here to ask for protection. 

Familiar and not forgotten predatory eyes landed on Simon, they took him in and noted him as a threat before looking to Price. Her lips thinned and her eyes narrowed. “You have lost my son.” She said, her accent foreign.

“Your son was too recognisable.” Price said. He met her eyes without faltering. 

She walked in, closed the door and sat down beside Simon. “My son grew lazy by being here, you failed him and me by not keeping his training up.” 

“Your son is a grown man who is capable of training himself.” Price said, not taking her shit. “Do you know where he is? You have no other reason to be here.” 

She hummed. “And why would I not have any other reason to be here?” She asked. “After all, I have yet to meet the man my son apparently loves.” 

“Aren’t you more worried about the torture your son may be going through?” Simon surprised everyone and himself by speaking up. 

She turned and looked at him. Her eyes bore through his soul. Simon decided he did not like either of (Y/N)’s parents, in fact. He hated them. He hated them with all his heart. 

“Nothing they can do to (Y/N) won’t be worse than what he has already gone through. The Firm’s training regimen includes things that make the CIA-enhanced interrogation techniques look like childsplay.” She said with little care that she just described how she abused her own son. 

“No, you fucked up a perfectly good man, that’s what you did.” He said. Simon didn't know where he got his confidence from or how he could possibly in any way recover from this, he just hoped that his loose tongue wouldn’t be what got him killed before rescuing (Y/N). 

She smiled, as though amused by a child’s tongue. “Oh my. I can see why my son loves you.” She said.

He didn’t blue screen, no matter who asked, he did not, in any way, blue screen at that. “Love?” Of course (Y/N) had said he loved Simon, but Simon wasn’t naive. He wasn’t a child. He knew (Y/N) was not all that capable of love. But to hear the woman who raised (Y/N) claim that her own son loved Simon…. It made him all the more desperate to get (Y/N) back. 

“Yes, I still keep tabs on my son.” She said with a shrug. “I know how he treats you.” She then turned back to Price. “Did he have his phone on him?” She asked. 

Price shook his head. “No, he didn’t.” Price said. 

She clicked her tongue before pulling her phone out. She dialled a number Simon couldn’t see and hummed before it picked up, he could only hear her side of the conversation. 

“Yes, it’s me… activate my son's tracker… yes you know how children are, they get taken so often…. Yes, I will be over for a spot of lunch when I return. Thank you.” She hung up and looked towards them. “What?” 

Price stared at her, without saying anything, so Simon took over. “You had your own son chipped like a dog?” 

She shrugged. “Is it not useful now?” She asked. “Besides, it is not that good, there is a chance it no longer works, old tech.” She said and waved her hand. 

Simon seethed and shook his head before taking a deep deep breath. “Oh, I hate this so much.” He said. 

She shrugged, not caring. She looked at her phone, smiling a bit as she got a text only for her face to fall. “Tracker isn’t working…” She looked up at them with the faintest hint of motherly worry. 

“I-.... I’m sorry.” She said.

[nhaneh]

I have this idea for a (side-scrolling? pixel?) metroidvania that has been poking about my head off and on for... I don't know, maybe a decade at this point?

it has you piloting a mech of some kind as you and a handful of other mechs are dropped either into a crater or onto an island or similar - a geographically isolated area basically. Something™ has been found in the area - you're not really told what it is up front, only that it's Mysterious™ and Strange™ and has people fighting over it.

At first resistance is minimal - you're in a mech, small arms fire doesn't even scratch your armor plating, and only anti-tank weaponry and converted utility mechs make for any kind of threat to speak of. As you make your way however, you find enemy forces with combat mechs on the same mission as you are but for a different side, and then signs of strange creatures - some powerful enough to take down a mech.

Following a mine, you discover a deep cavern system beneath the ground, including signs that maybe both forces already know what's down there, and used to collaborate in trying to find and research it up until recently. Turns out whatever they discovered is deep, eldritch, and very alien, apparently capable of taking over mechs turning them into some kind of biomechanical monster things - the earlier ones being almost like undead mechs with growths, but much more radical transformations happen later.

Eventually, one of these things enters your mech, but for some reason? (some kind of device? or "cure"? or assistance from a survivor?) it is prevented from taking over entirely, and instead allows you to integrate certain biomechanical functions into your mech in addition to whatever mechanical upgrades you've already unlocked, putting you on a much more even footing with the various foes you encounter.

At the bottom of everything is an alien ship? eldritch structure? containing a creature that's the source of all the monsters, except, not willingly it turns out - the two military forces have been experimenting on it, trying to gain control of it, with their only partial success having led to the catastrophe.

You fight it and depending on the rate of completion? there might be possible options for what kind of ending you get etc

It's unlikely I ever do anything with the idea, especially given fatigue and all, but look I just want mech-piloting metroidvanias and I like the idea of exploration and discovery and all that.

I have a side idea about mechanics regarding a civilian population present at least in the early layers that try to attack you but can't really cause you any meaningful damage and will scatter and run if you stomp your heavy mech foot or fire off a salvo into the air or the like and making a mechanical or narrative thing out of whether you decide to commit war crimes or not, with doing so being very much being a Bad Thing, but I don't know whether that just detracts from the whole thing or not

I also kind of like the idea of being able to leave the mech for shorter periods, maybe to go into smaller locations or the like, but again dunno if it takes away from the idea or not, and how much focus should be on tiny human running around with gun versus big stompy mech of power

also potential thread of exploring transhumanism with embracing versus rejecting alien upgrades in some fashion but again not sure to what extents that really adds to the experience unless it's a matter of completion% where it might affect your ending based on whether the final boss creature thing considers you an enemy, an ally, or even one of its kind

[invisibleanonymousmonsters]

Could you please write Jason and Y/N (Father of Mine Universe) with prompts 48, 31, and maybe 30? could go either way.

Even if you choose not to write this, thanks for creating Father of Mine, it's one of my favorite fics!

Father of Mine

48. Using your body to shield them from attack.

31. Hurriedly checking for their pulse.

30. Performing CPR when they stop breathing.

Jason and Y/N were walking along the water after getting dinner.

Most of the harbors in Gotham were run by one crime lord or another. Which meant that there were very few areas on the water for civilians to enjoy – or feel safe. 

But Jason knew of a strip that was under the radar.

There were a few other couples with the same idea. And random groups of kids and teenagers hanging out and messing around.

Jason was relaxed.

That was his first mistake.

Jason had immediately clocked a random middle-aged man who was covered in sweat and was visibly trembling.

Being far too familiar with the sight, Jason assumed the guy was another unfortunate addict. 

But then he noticed the man was carrying a backpack.

Jason had all of 5 seconds to realize what was about to happen.

He shielded Y/N with his body while screaming as loud as he could, “Get down!”

Jason knew he couldn’t save everyone, and Y/N would always be his number one priority.

The next second, the bomb exploded.

The impact knocked Jason unconscious.

For how long, he had no idea.

He was disoriented from the explosion, his ears ringing from tinnitus and his vision struggling to focus from the vertigo. Yet, somehow he could still hear the beating of his heart in his eardrums. 

People were screaming in pain around him and others were crying as they looked down at their loved ones. Half the harbor was on fire from the explosion. Cement and debris was everywhere. Jason’s hair was grey from it.

He blinked and then panicked.

“Y/N!” Jason screamed when he realized she wasn’t anywhere near him.

He jumped to his feet and whipped around in every direction looking for her.

“Y/N!” He screamed even louder, his throat burning from the effort.

Then he realized when the explosion when off they had been standing next to the railing that blocked off the water. The railing that had now been blasted away and into the harbor.

Jason sprinted to the edge and looked down at the black water below.

Without hesitation, he dove into the depths.

It was almost impossible to see anything.

But just seconds later, he found Y/N unconscious and completely submerged.

Jason had never swam faster in his life.

But when they breached, Y/N didn’t gasp for air.

She was completely unconscious.

Jason’s eyes darted around, trying to find their escape.

By some miracle, there was a rusty ladder that led back up to the pier from the water.

Jason put Y/N’s body over his shoulder as he climbed the ladder, silently praying that the metal didn’t break under their combined weight.

When they reached the top, he gently laid her down and his fingers shot to the pulse point at her neck.

Nothing.

“No, no, no,” Jason mumbled. “Y/N. Come on, baby. You’re not doing this to me.”

He found his Red Hood comm in the pocket of his jacket, and put it to his hear.

“Contact Bruce,” he commanded the AI as he started performing CPR on Y/N.

“What is it?” Bruce answered with slight panic. 

Jason had never called him like this before. And therefore Bruce knew immediately something terrible happened.

“Get the fucking jet here right now,” Jason growled.

“What’s happened?” Bruce asked, but it was obvious he was moving around already to leave.

“There was an explosion. She doesn’t have a pulse and she’s not breathing,” it was all Jason was capable of giving him. “Just get the fucking jet here now!”

He didn’t have time to explain more and hung up. And he didn’t have to say Y/N’s name for Bruce know who he was talking about. There was only one woman in Jason’s life that would have him sounding so panicked and desperate.

Jason continued his CPR, fully focused now that he knew Bruce was on the way.

Still nothing.

He did another round of compressions.

Jason’s eyes started watery as his mind began to believe that Y/N wasn’t going to make it.

He wouldn’t survive.

Y/N had changed his life. She made him better, made him good, made him want to worker harder – do literally anything to become the man she deserved and to continue to be deserving of her love.

“Please,” Jason whimpered. “Please don’t leave me.”

But then Y/N’s eyes shot open and she immediately turned over and started coughing up water.

“Holy fuck,” Jason gasped in relief at the sight.

Y/N continued coughing until her throat was scratched and dry.

Jason rubbed her back, trying to comfort her without preventing her body from getting all the water out of her lungs.

After she finished, she was shaking from being freezing cold and from the shock.

Despite him also being wet, Jason put his coat over her shoulders.

“Don’t ever fucking do that to me again,” Jason begged Y/N as he pulled her into his arms. 

He kissed the crown of her head and hoped his body heat would be enough to warm her up.

“What happened?” Her voice had never been raspier and it was now quivering.

“A bomb went off. I thought I shielded you from it, but the impact must’ve thrown you into the harbor.”

“I’m OK,” she tried to tell him. But her shaking voice was unconvincing. 

Jason wasn’t letting go of her anytime soon.

It was only 5 minutes later that the batplane touched down on what remained of the pier.

Jason looked up to see Dick, Tim, and Damian jump out and immediately start helping the injured.

But Bruce, dressed in his Batman uniform, was walking straight to Jason and Y/N.

“She needs to go to a hospital,” Jason called out when Bruce was a few yards away. “Her heart stopped beating and her lungs took in too much water.”

Jason knew Bruce wouldn’t argue with taking Y/N there immediately.

Bruce was clearly relieved at seeing his daughter alive and conscious. But that didn’t mean she was in the clear. Nearly drowning still had its risks. If her heart stopped beating, she was in danger of brain damage or pneumonia.

“I’ll take her. You help the others,” Bruce ordered as he stepped forward to take Y/N from Jason’s arms.

“Like fucking hell I am,” Jason growled as he stood up with Y/N in his arms.

Bruce was about to fight him on it, but then he met Y/N’s eyes. Her skin was pale and almost had a blue tint to it. She looked so small and vulnerable in Jason’s arms. Not like the strong and grown woman that had first strutted into Wayne Manor.

“I’m not leaving her,” Jason added for good measure.

Bruce finally sighed and nodded. “Take the jet. You know where to go. I’ll meet you there.”

Before Jason could carry her away, Y/N whispered, “What about the others?” 

Her eyes tried to look around her boyfriend’s broad shoulders to see the other victims.

“B is going to help them,” Jason gently told her. He even angled his body to block her line of sight. She didn’t need to see any of it. 

“We already have ambulance and firemen on the way,” Bruce added, hoping it would convince her further not to worry herself. 

There was nothing she could do for them anyway. 

Then Bruce locked eyes with Jason. “Go. Get out of here. Take care of her.”

“Always,” Jason muttered quickly before hurrying Y/N to the jet.

————————

Y/N woke up to two low voices clearly having a serious discussion, but trying to keep their voices down.

When she opened her eyes, Y/N realized she was in a hospital room. But it wasn’t just any room. It seemed like a five-star hotel with how fancy it was. It didn’t have that sterile smell or those harsh fluorescent lights that caused headaches.

“It was a turf war,” Bruce told Jason quietly. “Carmine has jurisdiction over the harbor the two of you were at tonight. But Farrelli wanted it for himself. He forced his latest victim to bring the bomb.”

Jason crossed his arms. “So, the guy was dead either way, Farrelli just thought he’d put him to some use before he murdered him.”

Bruce nodded. “And kill five more people with him.”

“Five people died?” Y/N burst out without realizing it.

Both men’s heads whipped in her direction.

“You’re awake,” Jason sighed and immediately rushed to her side.

“What hospital am I at?” She mumbled, looking around again.

“Gotham General,” he told her as he sat on the edge of the bed to face her.

Jason gently grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. But he had no intention of letting it go, keeping a tight hold and rubbing his thumb back and forth across her skin.

Bruce was slower to join them as he walked with his hands in his pant pockets.

“This isn’t Gotham General,” she commented with a suspicious gaze. 

Jason scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Well, as soon as Bruce arrived, they realized that you’re Gotham royalty by blood, and brought you to a special suite.”

Then Y/N’s eyes slowly moved to her father. “Five people died from the explosion?”

She needed to know. But she also knew that both men would try to protect her from possible survivor’s guilt.

So Bruce just nodded.

“How are you feeling?” Jason asked, trying to distract her by changing the subject.

“Tired. And my throat is sore,” she admitted with a light shrug.

Then she looked up at Jason and really took him in.

There were dark shadows under his eyes – the eyes that were still a bit bloodshot. 

Had he been crying? She hadn’t registered that. 

His hair was a mess, probably from drying haphazardly after jumping into the water to save her.

“Are you OK?” She asked.

It would be right on brand for Jason to risk his life saving her, but ignore any and all injures that he’d received from the same life-threatening travesty.

“I’m fine. Always am,” Jason reassured her too quickly.

Bruce chimed in,“We were all just worried about you, Y/N.”

Both men knew her next question was going to be about the well-being of Damian, Dick, and Tim.

“Can we go home?” She asked softly.

Y/N had always hated hospitals. And once her mother got cancer, Y/N absolutely despised them. Now all she had attached to them was bad memories that constantly threatened to trigger her. 

“They just need to get a scan back, make sure everything’s good,” Jason tried to comfort her. “Once that’s good, I’ll take you home.”

He knew her distaste for hospitals and was prepared for her to want to escape at the earliest opportunity.

“Scan?” Y/N questioned.

“You didn’t have a pulse,” Bruce explained. “You have a concussion. We need to make sure there was no brain damage or any lasting side effects.”

“Right,” she mumbled, trying not to sound worried.

“You’re gonna be fine,” Jason reassured her as he cupped her cheek.

“Perhaps you should stay at the manor for a few days,” Bruce offered. “You can relax and not be bothered.”

“She can not be bothered in our apartment,” Jason interrupted, giving him side eye.

“Jason…” Y/N warned gently.

She knew the signs of Jason getting worked up. The fire in his eyes was always something Y/N could read – more than anyone else.

Bruce wasn’t offended by Jason’s little snipe. He was used to his temper. But his gaze did turn rather serious. 

“Could I talk to you outside for a moment?”

Jason was about to refuse, not wanting to leave Y/N’s side. But he knew that would just most likely lead to an argument. And Y/N didn’t need to hear or see that. She was already exhausted and recovering. The last thing she needed was to witness was her father and boyfriend going at it – especially over her.

So Jason just nodded and stormed out of the room.

The quicker they got this over with, the better.

As soon as the door closed, Jason was sizing Bruce up.

“What exactly is your next move?” Bruce questioned.

“I’m going after Farrelli,” Jason rumbled, as if it was obvious.

No one put Y/N in danger and got away with it. Jason had already come up with a plan on how to seek his revenge. 

It was going to be gruesome and dirty, but nothing less than what the bastards deserved.

Bruce clearly had expected this answer. “So do you plan on doing that while you take care of Y/N?” And he tilted his head as he challenged Jason.

“Are you really trying to stop me?”

Bruce took a step forward. “No, Jason. I’m trying to protect you from yourself. You get blinded by vengeance. And I let you get away with it. But now your actions don’t just effect you…they effect her, too.”

Jason blinked.

“Y/N needs you right now. Even though she will act like she doesn’t.” Bruce inhaled. “If you’re going to put revenge over her wellbeing, she should stay at the manor.”

This was a somewhat of a warning – an opportunity for Jason to do the right thing before he could make his mistake.

Jason’s head hung low now. “I can’t let him get away with it. She almost died, Bruce.”

“And he won’t. But we’ll take care of it,” Bruce promised.

Jason thought it about a moment, before he finally nodded slowly. “I think the manor would be good. But I won’t leave her.”

“I never said you had to,” Bruce corrected.

Jason nodded again and made his way to the door of Y/N’s room again.

“Jason?” Bruce called.

He turned around with an eyebrow quirked.

“Thank you for saving her life.”

Jason tried not to roll his eyes, but took a few steps back to Bruce. 

“You have your opinions about me and her, I’m sure. But I want to make this is clear: I’m always going to protect her. Always. What happened tonight is never going to happen again. I’d die protecting her.”

Jason didn’t wait for Bruce’s response before turning back around. 

But just as he opened Y/N’s door her heard, “I know, Jason. I’ve always known.”

—————

Jason was able to convince Y/N to stay at the manor.

And she surprisingly agreed – as long as he came with her.

Alfred spoiled her rotten with all of her favorite meals. He was constantly bring her tea or coffee. 

Damian ordered all of his pets to keep her company and cuddle with her. To the point where Jason was annoyed because there was literally no space for him.

Tim downloaded a hundred movies for her to watch. 

Dick sent flowers and chocolates. 

Even Clark stopped by when he heard what happened. 

Unbeknownst to Y/N, all the boys and Bruce were working on taking down Farrelli. 

If Jason was the man from just a few years ago, Farrelli’s corpse would already be rotting somewhere in Gotham. But he had changed. Now they had to do things the right way.

Jason stuck to Y/N’s side like glue. He hovered, watched her like a hawk, wouldn’t let her do anything on her own.

After of a few days of this, Y/N finally had enough.

“You gonna talk to me anytime soon?” She asked him in bed on their third night.

Jason broke their eye contact.

“Jason. Please?” She whispered.

Silence filled the room.

“I can’t do it.”

Her brow furrowed. “Can’t do what?”

For a split moment, she thought he was about to try and break up with her. 

“I can’t watch you get hurt again. I just…I can’t.”

She cupped his cheeks. “But I’m right here. And I’m fine, Jason.”

“When I…” He hesitated. “When I died. I knew it was coming. I saw the bomb counting down and I knew there was no escape. I accepted my fate. I knew I was going to die. And I was scared.” 

Jason shook his head and took in a deep breath, “But Y/N…that was nothing compared to what I felt when I was convinced I’d lost you. I’m never been so fucking terrified in my life.”

Y/N smothered him with her embrace. “I’m so sorry for scaring you. But I’m OK. Please just focus on that. Please.”

“I can’t lose you, Y/N.” Jason whispered into her hair. “This place was hell before I met you. And I have no fuckin’ interest in fighting it without you.”

Y/N wished she could promise Jason that she would never leave him. But she was the child of a mother who passed far too soon. She knew life and death could be so cruel, ripping the loved ones away with or without warning.

No, she didn’t die this time. But who was to say something like this wouldn’t happen again? And maybe next time, she wouldn’t be so lucky. They lived in Gotham after all.

“Fate may have other ideas…But I never plan on leaving your side, Jason. I love you too much to do anything else.”

Jason actually laughed. “I can fight fate.”

He’d done it once before.

----------------

I have a few more of these prompts for bonus material. But let me know what you think 🤗

[era-the-witchy-birdkid]

Always Been a Phantom

Hey @phantoms-lair here is the first bit of that AU. Tropical Land was canon until this point here is just how Kudo become a Phantom

Shades

Shades are the barely there ghosts of people who died but were unable to first form in the ghost zone, unable to be touched or heard they float around following people they care for or just interest them

Kudo Shinichi had a lot of these ghosts following him as his work in solving cases, stopping crime, and bringing justice to the dead. Means he has many thankful shades following him around in his day to day... but today every shade by his side is crying as their helpless to stop the fact he was poisoned.

25 shades were following Kudo Shinichi when the BO hit him with a baseball bat and force-fed him an experimental poison. 25 shades search the nearby area for other shades willing to give comfort to a dying hero of the dead. 25 shades find three more shades each willing to give comfort, weirdly the 100th shade was almost about to say no when he suddenly changed his mind

100 shades end up trying to comfort Kudo as he laid there poisoned by the experimental drug APTX 4869, leaving behind a bit of their essence with every attempt it wasn’t a lot about the same amount as person breathes in dust in a single breath, but with 100 shades each doing multiple attempts at comfort it added up fast. Fifty shades could only comfort him twice before they were spent, Forty shades could comfort him three times before they were spent, and the last ten each one a shade that Kudo personally helped bring peace too could do almost five each.

As each shade spent their energy giving comfort they left not willing to see Kudo actually die... but if they stayed they would have seen something odd.

You see Kudo was never going to die form the poison he was naturally to ghost-like too do so instead of dying he was going to turn into a six-year-old but with all that built up ghost essence also known as ectoplasm to those who study it and ghosts. You see APTX 4869 is a very strange drug especially if you're unaware of the supernatural element that exists in this world, and APTX has this weird quirk of being able to bind itself to ectoplasm and multiply it. 

If their was just one less shade giving comfort that night this couldn’t happen, but given that their was something rare happened. A threshold was reached and APTX instead of shrinking Kudo changed his species instead...

________________________________________________________

this is an au of the Phantom Detective au by the amazing @phantoms-lair I was debating to wrote more and do the Shinichi wakes up as a ghost bit but I decided to do so in a different post think of this post as the prolog to this AU

here is some thing that happen later

Shinichi ends up reviling himself to Ran on accident when he over does his powers, just like Agasa.

Shinichi ends up trapped in his house or the Lab as a human for a quite a while as he is only able to safely leave as a ghost... and he hates it so so much

Shinichi abuses overshadowing so much to solve cases... don’t be mad at him its not his fault its the only way he can help without causing panic attacks, Kogorou ends up his unknowing meat puppet for quite a while.

This is a conversation that happen later between Ran and Shinichi

Ran: You need to stop using my father’s body to solve cases, I’m pretty sure I saw his eyes glowing last night at dinner!

Shinichi: I can’t help it though its the only way I can help, I can’t solve cases as a human because the people who did this me will find me, and I can differently not do it as a ghost because that will prevent me from ever having a normal human life again. Its not like I can shapeshift to a different age or some-

FLASH

Ran: Cuuuuute!

Shinichi: ... *high pitched childlike voice* well that’s interesting Ran can you help  me come up with a backstory and *excited bouncing* I can’t wait to be able to go outside again while having a heartbeat!

well it ends up going something like that and this is how Conan is born Shinichi ends up seeing Conan much differently then his canon counterpart. Mainly because

he has full control of it and it wasn’t forced on him. 

He spent the better part of two months unable to leave his house or Agasa’s lab without being a ghost

he’s really fucking bored, going back to 1st grade is small price to pay for the chance to actually be around people again

Shinichi does try to avoid turning into a ghost as Conan though but that's because Conan’s ghost form is naked and while he’s sure you can’t arrest a ghost for indecent exposure its still embarrassing. Strangely for Shinichi becoming Conan and turning back again is as natural and easy as switching between his ghost form and his human one, any other shapeshift takes a lot of concentration and focus

[dpcass88]

Brooo, yes!!!! I didn't think of that but that did give me an idea of what the last fight could turn out like! I'm really sorry if it's long and for the spelling errors I hope you don't mind but here's the drabble!

. . .

Sparks of gold filtered through the vines that were wrapped around the young boy's torso.

Blood gushed in waves and the sheer amount of delicacy they needed to not injure the remaining organs was hard enough with them moving around.

Jorge could feel the desperation of his son (a son, his son, the kid that he's been taking care of for over a year now) and the fear that was rolling like buckets off of him.

He'd be denying it if he said he wasn't scared too.

A stone wall broke behind them letting debris fly past them, some even hitting their target.

Dio was chasing them like a bloodhound and wasn't relenting any time soon.

"Come on kid, don't close your eyes just yet..!"

Hamon flowed deeper into the gaping wound.

This was too much even for them but what else could they do? Let the kid die? (He already lost Magician, his friend and partner in crime, there was no way he would let Hierophant and the kid lead that same fate.) They were already past the internal organs, they only needed to heal just a bit more before they could call it safe.

Hopping from building to building they could feel how annoyed the vampire was getting as they could care any less.

Joseph's lungs were burning and his back was aching from all the hits it was taking. All he could do was run, run, and think of a plan, run, and try to find Jotaro and Polnareff and warn them.

But he was too slow.

A huge sign crashed into them knocking them off the roof. Joseph immediately used himself as a shield while Jorge used his vines to ease the fall.

On the streets of Egypt, the people were running around scattering away from them, some even laughing at their appearance while others showed distaste.

They didn't have any time to gawk and look around if they did then Dio would come after them quicker than before, they were already at a disadvantage since they couldn't even notice when he uses The World, a cruel stand for cruel man.

Gasping for air Joseph limped away trying his best to get some distance, Kakyoin still in his arms could barely make a feint breathing sound.

As his eyesight stopped shaking in the distance he made out the figure of someone he recognized. Yes, he would recognize them anywhere with that hat.

"Jotaro! Take Kakyoin with you and run! Dio-!!! Time-!!! He can stop—!!!"

Jotaro was riding through the streets on a motorcycle he had stolen to find where the fight was going on, he had backed up into the streets where he had heard the commotion happen, two figures falling from the roof, the news travels fast here huh.

Star was out but barely visible, he was acting as his eyes and before he knew it he was in the street face to face with his grandpa on the ground carrying Kakyoin both seemingly injured with blood gushing from everywhere he looked.

If it weren't for Star who shook him back from his shock he would have missed the message. But he didn't care for that now, he needed to get to them, he needed to get them to safety–

A knife embedded itself in the old man's throat cutting off his airway, making him let Kakyoin fall with an unceremonious thump.

Hermit writhed its vines whipping around endlessly, its figure flickering from existence as blood gushed from the wound in Joseph's throat.

"Jo- jotaro...!!! Don't go... near him!!! Kept a dis... tance..."

Dio watched as Jonathan's grandson slumped to the ground unmoving. Without that annoying Hamon Kakyoin would be left to bleed to death and that annoying Joestar would soon follow too.

This was going great for him! Now he only needed to take care of Jotaro.

He stopped mid-step looking down at his arm, flickering purple vines with roses wrapped around them prevented him from moving it. Tch, Passion was working up again, how annoying.

"Old man...!!!"

Jotaro was angry- no, seething with rage and despair watching the scene in front of him. He trembled with anger as he disregarded his grandfather’s words and walked forward.

Dio smirked "Oh? You approaching me?" He sounded amused at what he was seeing.

"I can't beat the crap out of you if I don't get closer!"

Immediately Star was right by his side and much like him his eyes were burning with rage.

Jonathan much like Hermit could feel what his great-great-great-grandson could feel and much like him he felt rage.

Why? Why did this have to happen? This fate was too cruel for them. He cursed his range, if he could get any closer he would scoop both of them up and get somewhere safe yet they were too far away.

A barrage of punches swept the streets leaving buildings and cars damaged, both The World and him fighting head-on.

"Is this really all you've got?"

For a second Jonathan swore he saw the most sickening disgusting smile on The World's face.

Unforgivable... this was just Unforgivable...!!! It was one thing killing him and using his body, but to kill his descendants and friends right in front of him? In such a fashion? It was too much, Jonathan doesn't think he might be able to forgive him this time.

His grandson... his son.... and Kakyoin with Hierophant... no, this time his kindness has been dwelled down. He won't forgive him.

Somehow they were fighting in the air when knives embedded themselves into Jotaro’s body.

Useless... so Useless!!!! He can't even protect his great-great-great-grandson!!!

They were free-falling when he felt it.

Vines. Purple vines covered in roses wrapped themselves around them softening the fall. They were warm and gentle; they didn't have any thorns like Hermit but it was undeniable how similar they looked.

"What?!"

Dio was seething, this was the last straw...!!! He would rip out this useless stand if it was the last thing he did!

"The World!!!" Time froze and he didn't hesitate to rip the vines out leading to intense bleeding. He knew that he couldn't completely get rid of them but if he damaged them enough then he could suppress Jonathan's stand.

Time resumed and the fight went on leading to Polnareff appearing out of nowhere and Jotaro punching him in the head.

No, no no no no!!!! This wasn't supposed to happen not like this—!!!

Another punch sent him flying crashing into the streets- wait... this street... wasn't it? Yes, it was!

"Jotaro! Doesn't this street look familiar?" Using the smoke and dust he crawled toward the body of Joseph and plunged his fingers into his chest.

He felt stronger, stronger than ever before, yes! This is what he needed all along!

Jotaro's was going haywire, if he was angry before now he was exploding with rage.

"You bastard!!!"

How dare he, how dare he do that?! Dio!!!! He would never forgive him!

Jonathan was already mid-throw but abruptly stopped.

Under Dio's skin, something moved as if it was trying to get out. Squirming and ripping the same rose vines sprouted, ripping away skin and flesh before wrapping themselves around the vampire who looked stunned.

I won't let you go any further, Dio!

Dio was a fool. If the thought that only The World would get a power-up then he thought wrong.

Mary was heartbroken, she knew she was weak and for that, she would never forgive herself for not doing more in impeding the death of her great-grandson and grandson.

But Mary was smart, there was a reason she was a scholar in her time, and there was a reason why she managed to get high up in the world of archeology.

In the time she was a stand she would eavesdrop on Dio's conversations putting two and two together.

She managed to figure out that she wasn't the only one as a stand, that The world was a soul too (she didn't talk much to him though, she didn't like him and would rather stay away from him as much as possible) so it wasn't farfetched that she managed to figure out other things as well.

But what broke her more was seeing her baby. He might not look as he use to (with the blue and purple skin, galaxy hair that could reach further than the stars, and the little potty mouth kid at his side who had a heart of gold) but a mother was never wrong, she knew those eyes and she knew that kindness anywhere and oh how that broke her heart.

However, she was proud of them, all of them. Seeing how far they went to protect each other and how much they endured she rooted for them in her confines where she planned away.

And now as much as she hated it she would use this strength and do what she couldn't before.

She would give her family a chance to end this once and for all, even if it meant her dying in the process.

Dio was trapped by Jonathan's stand unable to move, his regeneration practically useless with how much damage he was getting and the vines around The World making it impossible for him to use his stand.

And that voice... that echoing voice that was practically nonexistent that rang in his ears, it couldn't be, could it?! Surely not! It couldn't be Jonathan fucking with him all over again?!

"N-no!!!"

Punches met his body hurdling towards a bridge and before he could do much more Star Platinum didn't stop there, he kept fighting until a crack deep enough in The World broke him in half.

Dio died screaming for an answer he would never get.

And Jotaro and Jonathan would be left with more questions than answers but for now, it was over.

It was over and they were the last ones standing.

Hello there! I wanted to share a jjba AU if it's possible, I've been cooking this up for a while and was inspired by many ideas revolving around Jonathan being Star Platinum or specifically— stands, or in better words the Joestars stands where all inhabited by ghost of their family? It's not complete but here's what I got for now:

Stands are the fighting spirit (energy) or the will of a person, and normally it's only just that, but the Joestars are different. When Dio obtained his Stand (while he had a strong will and fighting spirit) it still wasn't really enough or, it wasn't supposed to be, their wasn't really a vessel or a another body to make a stand.

So to accommodate, souls where used, in essence now their a bit... different than in canon. It's confusing I know but please bear with me here.

When Dio obtained his Stand "The World" since he was using Jonathan's body he obtained his aswell, "Passion". I'm still not certain who to make The World but Passion well... their non other than Mary Joestar, who's now a purple vine like stand with flowers.

As for the rest of the Joestars, the first who obtained their stand as far as I remember was Joseph a year before Jotaro.

Joseph was a hard pick since their where many I wanted to be "Hermit purple" but in the end I decided that it would be Jorge Joestar II, basically Joseph's father. And much like Passion, Hermit is a purple thorny vine, but the difference is that they can take a semi-humanoid form (this will have more of an impact later).

Between all the Joestar's, Jotaro was the easiest to decide, I adore the idea of Star being Jonathan! Actually Jonathan being Star inspired me in making Hermit into Jorge.

I love the idea of Holly gaining and keeping her stand. Her stand is very much like her dad's, but instead of purple it's green with berry's and small red flowers, her stand "Guns and Roses" would be non other than Erina Pendolton Joestar!

So here instead of here being killed by her stand maybe it would be something more sinister? Maybe a curse Dio placed on her just because he wanted to taunt them? Maybe Enya would be responsible for it idk :)

I'm a sucker for Au's where Joseph doesn't cheat on Suzie so I made this one just that :D

Here Josuke is a far away relative of the Joestar that came into their lives at an early age, since he isn't technically related to the main bloodline or more accurately Jonathan's bloodline but is still close to the family "Crazy Diamond" isn't really a family member but is at the same time. And who else better to become CD than our beloved oil tycoon Speedwagon?

As for Giorno, Jolyne and Dio's other children I'm completly stumped on them sorry :(

So for a bit more context since this getting a bit too long, I'll get to some scenarios :D

The souls are very much aware of who they are, but not what they are. The last thing they remember is them dying, so when they first wake up in their new bodies we'll... not everything is dandelions and cherries.

For Erina and Speedwagon their death wasn't gruesome at all, infact they both fulfilled their lives. Erina lived a nice life and died surrounded by family so waking up in a house that she has never seen before with vague and blurry vision of people around spooks her a bit, I imagine that she wouldn’t really get to know much at first since right after she manifest she's down for the count.

The same would be for Speedwagon since he's inhabiting CD and at the moment Josuke is still a four year old so he also doesn't understand much until later.

Now for Mary, Jorge and Jonathan, we'll... their not taking it so well.

Mary's last memory literally was of her and her family free falling off a cliff in a carriage with her trying to shield her baby from impending doom. And now she's in this dark room with a blond man, who she has never ever met, with George and Jonathan no where in sight. You can imagine the stress she's in.

Jorge's was gruesome to say the least. Dying by being eaten alive? Horrible. The moment he wakes up you bet that he's thrashing around trying to get out and fight. In his mind he's still the office fighting for his life, he need to get back to his family. To mother and uncle Speedwagon, to his Elizabeth and his new born son that was just born practically just a few days ago! He needed to fight back, he needed to! And once he regains a sence of control he discovers that he's no longer in the generals room, it's no longer night time. He's in an office, foreign to him, and right infront of him was an elderly man with a few scrapes and bruises, and on closer inspection he looked like his father (he remembered the only picture his mother had of his father) if he ever grew to be that old, just where the hell was he?

Jonathan's death was as gruesome as Jorge's if not worse. He just got married, was at his honeymoon and then Dio just had to appear and ruin everything. Now the ship was burning, he has no knowledge if Erina managed to escape with the baby or if she's still trapped in the sea of flames. To say the least this man was on flight or fight mode. When he "wakes up" he's greated by the sight of a fight, but in his mind their zombies and oh god is he tired and horrified. His fist connects with the face of one of them, he cries out before sending a barrage of punches to the zombies before him. When he comes back too, he only sees beaten up teenagers with strange clothes, he's on the side walk in the sun (the sun oh god he's missed the sun) and a terrified kid behind him. Just what has he done?

On a lighter note stands can communicate with each other so when Avdol arrives and sees the mess in Mr. Joestars office it's Magician Red who explains and comforts Jorge. In the span of a year it's good to say that him and MR became good friends.

I have more ideas but that's it for now, as I said before it's work in progress but I would love to hear your thoughts on this Au! I don't have a name for it tho... but either way I'm an open minded person and don't mind the constructive criticism or incorporating more ideas into this AU.

Y E S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S

ANGST ANGST ANGST ANGST THE BOIS SO MUCH

but also the pure crack that comes with the fact the entire Joestar Family all is haunted by the literal ghosts of their past is hilarious because they'll be hovering around, some interacting like old friends and some even closer, and the humans in question have barely any idea of what's going on

and just. OUGH the mental image of George II lashing out when he's first manifesting. How he could still feel the pain and terror and agony oh god he was dying he was dying he wasn't going to be able to see his wife or son ever again-

but then as things become clear, he notices a strange old man talking to him in soothing tones, his clothes torn and shredded and a few beads of blood on his skin like he tried fighting a thorn bush and lost

also, I know you said that it was only really the Josestars who were haunted but....... I had a really angsty idea for Dio

what if The World is Dario

neither he nor Dio know what the fuck is going on, nor does Dio ever figure out his Stand's identity. As much freedom as sentient Stands have, Dio clamps down hard on his control and leaves almost no room for Dario to do anything

[my2phetaliaheadcanons]

So on the one ask about the yandere marriage. What would happen if the same characters darling escaped and actually tried fighting back? Probably won’t work out but they tried.

You are correct, darling tried. But it didn’t work, and lead to some harsh consequences.

Germany – The sweet and outgoing nature of his kitten made her seem docile. Luther didn’t count on her claws coming out when she was cornered.

Luther’s love for his kitten will cause him to gloss over her rough behavior at first. Every protest would be seen as a concern that could be swept under the rug. Yelling and screaming would be a lover’s quarrel. It wasn’t until her hand hit his face that Luther would realize that harsher methods would be needed.

Luther’s methods would start off simple, leaving Kitten in a sealed room for a day or two. Each time-out session’s length would be based on what the actions of rebellion would be. After trying this for a couple of months, and reaching isolation periods of two weeks, or having a weapon drawn on him, Luther would up the intensity.

Instead of just isolation, it would start to include chains, starvation, and darkness. These restrictions could eventually break Kitten down to the point of submission. If she hadn’t won Luther’s trust through fake affections and obedience first.

She would either escape through an open window or convince Luther to get extremely intoxicated to the point of passing out. At that point, she could walk right out the front door.

Once Luther realizes what happens, Kitten had better pray that she stays ahead. Luther’s methods are reminiscent of a hunting dog. Persistent and willing to use the pack. If Luther couldn’t find her within three days, then he’s calling the other axis members. More than likely, the help of the other members will corner Kitten quickly.

After she is found, Luther doesn’t wait. He swoops in the second she is away from witnesses and knocks her out. All Kitten manages to squeak out is a “Luther!” and then it's dark.

When she awakens, all she can feel is pain. Luther broke her dominant leg, and though it was well wrapped, she noticed a couple of other new things. The chains that once wrapped only around her ankles became a harness. It's not cutting off circulation, but it was tight. The room she’s in is small, stone, and cold. The only light in the room came from the crack in the door.

This would be the punishment for escape. Luther had been worried and at least this way he knows where she is. Maybe on their five-year anniversary, she could come out.

Sweden – Hustru was a ray of sunshine. Beautiful, bright, and also hot. Not just in terms of attractiveness, her warm cherry attitude would easily change to a blistering fury. This was amusing to Bernard, despite being from an area known for chills, this heat was welcoming.

Going the route of a true yandere, Bernard would hide you away, his logic would be that all newlyweds need some time. Though since it was done with approval from both of their bosses, it would not be in one of his unknown places, rather a newer and known spot, one designed just for her. It would be a simple house, out in the foggy Swedish forest. The outside would be reminiscent of a by-gone area, but the inside would be a mix of modern and medieval.

Bernard thought she enjoyed it until she started to fight against his ‘simple’ rules. Things like yelling and screaming would be funny to him. It was showing Bernard a side that he hadn’t yet witnessed, and he enjoyed that. Each action of rebellion would be recorded by him with joy. Until that is, hustru decided to get physical.

Bernard, like Luther, is fine with backtalk. Physical fighting though is a sign of distrust and the breakdown of his bond with his hustru. At this, hustru would be restrained and with his silver tongue, he would talk her out of attacking. His voice would sound joyful, but his eyes would communicate anything but that.

That would be her only warning. If hustru would attempt another attack, Bernard wouldn’t hesitate to break a limb. This should quell her fire for a time, and at that moment Bernard would coo at her. A sweet voice asking how she could be so clumsy, and how she should allow Bernard to take care of it.

Eventually, it would reach the boiling point she would make a break for it. Bernard would have been waiting for this moment. After all, he already takes people to his home, Bernard knows that it's only a matter of time before they run.

He would follow behind slowly, fully understanding what she would be looking for in an escape route. Each turn hustru would make, she could hear Bernard taunting her and making false promises. Whether or not hustru would realize it, Bernard would be herding her like a ewe to the slaughterhouse.

Bernard would end the chase by cornering hustru. It would either be by a cliff or a lake. Her look of panic would thrill Bernard, and he would descend upon her like a wolf. Their struggle would last until Bernard could give either a hard blow to the back of her head, chokehold, or hold her head in the water.

Holding her now unconscious body close, Bernard would take her away. She would not return to the nice home in the Swedish forest but instead would find herself in an unfamiliar place. It was Sweden’s oldest and best-hidden spot.

This one is underground and like a hobbit hole. Though the inside is much bigger and maze-like. Hustru will never find the door, but Bernard will always be there to give her affection.

Russia – Viktor knew marriage was an adjustment for both the husband and the wife. They were living together for the first time, and that meant getting used to each other’s constant presence. Well, at least for родная, since Viktor knew everything about her. Though, he was reaching the end of his patience with her insults.

Viktor would be willing to turn a blind eye to any rebellion for about a week or two. As I said, marriage is an adjustment, and he would be willing to give родная some time. After that period, and if she is still fighting their love, then Viktor sees reason to correct the bad behavior.

As a yandere Viktor is fine with the occasional comment. Should родная do it more often than that, or attempt to lay it on thick Viktor is gonna act. His punishments are always smart and calculating with the purpose of ensuring submission. It starts simple; restricting her time outside the home and the disappearance of specific privileges. Things like entertainment and basic comforts are the first to go. As time goes on, and if she chooses to escalate her acts, then it's only gonna get worse.

Physical attacks lead to periods of isolation, additional housework, and prevention of sleep. These three together would make it easier for Viktor to shape her behaviors and throughout ask her specific questions to see how she is coming along. If родная is smart enough, she will submit quickly to avoid seeing how far he is willing to take this.

If родная should escape, she then there must be an insurance that Viktor is not home. Once out of the home, then she has no choice but to take the alleyways. Viktor’s men are well-rounded and without a doubt one of them is well versed in hacking. Once found, whether it be via a security camera, or through the use of documents, Viktor will bring her home.

It won’t be a pretty moment. One, it would be in public and there would be screaming and begging. Two, no one would help, mainly because Viktor would appear not only her husband but provide papers to make it seem like she had some illness that required guardianship.

In the end, she’s in a basement tied to a chair. From there Viktor would work once again with his previous taming methods, this time though he would make sure it sticks.

England – Oliver was quite pleased on their wedding day. It was beautiful and perfect, but the events since that wonderful day have been troubling to him. His sweet little Dearie appeared to not be adjusting well to married life, but he’s got the tools to help.

Oliver has always had a need for control, and after the American Revolution, it had gotten worse. When Dearie fights, it’s almost like a flashback for him. He doesn’t handle it well, Oliver is willing to give a warning, after all, it is his wife. Though after not only having his warning ignored but receiving back-to-back threats and the claims that he is a monster, Oliver decides that his wife needs lessons on how to be a lady and housewife.

These lessons range from proper posture and basic manners to tea ceremonies and fancy dances. The length and frequency of the lessons depend on the severity of her crimes. Which to Oliver, each is extremely severe and must be taught out of his sweet little dearie.

For each lesson, Oliver has an enchanted device. For posture, a corset with celestial bronze and white silk. Each attempt of slouching or relaxing causes it to tighten like a python with a rabbit in its coils. Dance lessons involve iron shoes, not only do they burn when the dancing stops, but they can only be removed by Oliver. These are just two of many that he has.

Her escape would not be easy. Oliver’s flying bunnies, Chocolate and Strawberry would always be nearby. Waiting and ready to report. Her best chance of escape would be a moment of pure chaos. Whether she caused it or she had been blessed with it, this would be her only chance of escape.

Once he realizes that she had run away, Oliver would open his dreaded spellbook. The magic would flit and fly around him as he reads various spells. Creatures of all kinds would be summoned and with the leadership of his bunnies, they would spread across the land like the shadows that appear with the setting sun.

Eventually, she would be found. Caught and dragged away by the various shadows Dearie thought she had escaped.

Once Oliver had her back in his arms, an enchantment would be placed. Nothing too harmful, just something that would bind their souls together. Forever.

[rina-cyarika-writing]

Take Number One

Chapter Two of Out of Time

Series Masterlist ❖ Main Masterlist ❖ Join My Taglist 

Rating: 18+

Word Count: 2k+

Summary: Reader’s first crack at keeping Whiskey from dying.

Warnings: Language, violence, major character death, ANGST (Duh)

A/N: I'm so sorry for not updating in a really long time! Life has been very hectic lately, with work and several deaths in the family, so I really really appreciate your patience. Because of everything going on, it's been a bit of a struggle finding time and motivation to write, but I AM slowly working on my content.

⟸ Previous Chapter ❖ Next Chapter ⟹

“WHISKEY! NO!”

You woke up, breathing heavily, and snatched your phone from the nightstand.

Dammit.

Dammit.

DAMMIT!

The device’s screen flashed at you.

3:24 am.

June 13th, 2017.

Friday the 13th.

Fuck fuck fuck.

It was the same day.

Again.

Are you fucking kidding me?!

You were going to lose your shit.

You had a feeling you would be back to relive this day again, but a part of you had hoped that you wouldn’t. That it was only a dream.

Nope.

You took a deep breath and stilled your mind, trying to calm yourself and your racing thoughts. You still had time before Ginger woke Whiskey up, so you thought of ways to stop his death from happening. You decided to try with Ginger.

Maybe if I tell her what’s happening or what will happen, she won’t wake him up.

Yeah, I’ll do that.

But first, coffee.

Knowing that you had almost all day before the inevitable, but maybe preventable, events would happen, you decided to at least start your day off right. You swung your legs out of bed, forgoing your slippers, and walked into your closet. Pulling out some pants and a shirt, you stripped out of your pajamas and quickly changed. Running your fingers through your hair, you tried to unknot it as best as you could but failed.

Ugh.

Damn hair.

You gave in and picked up a brush, tugging at the ends to untangle it. After battling with your hair, you threw it into a bun, having no patience to deal with it any longer.

I have more important things to worry about.

Sliding your phone into your back pocket, you slipped out of your apartment and trekked down to the shared dining area. You had a fully functioning apartment, but you liked going down to the shared dining room instead of cooking for yourself, especially this morning.

Being an agent has its perks.

I never starve.

As you entered the large common room, you were greeted by the sight of Ginger at the coffee pot, filling her mug, steam coming off the top.

Bingo.

You strode over to her, picking up a cup of your own, and filled it with the bitter morning nectar of the gods.

“Morning, Ging,” you greeted with a sleepy smile.

“Good morning, Brandy,” she replied, returning your smile. “You’re up early.” You typically had a penchant for sleeping in, especially when you didn’t have a mission, so it was a surprise that you would be up well before dawn.

“I couldn’t sleep,” you stated with a shrug. “Speaking of which, do you ever sleep?” She chuckled at your question.

“I do, but you’re usually busy doing something.” Nodding at her explanation, you picked up a spoonful of sugar and the small container of milk, pouring a generous amount of each substance into your coffee until it turned into a light brown mixture. As much as you enjoyed coffee and its benefits, the bitterness irked you, so you often opted to dilute it with sugar and milk as often as possible. Many would think it was a heinous crime, but you gave no shits. You would work with the sugar-boosted caffeine any day.

The day I start drinking my coffee black is when pigs fly.

You let out a contented sigh as you brought the porcelain cup to your lips, the sweet aroma filling your nose.

“I will never get tired of this,” you said happily, sipping the hot liquid as Ginger chuckled at you and took a drink of her own.

“You never were a morning person.”

“No way,” you retorted. “Who in their right mind wakes up before the ass-crack of dawn?!”

“I could name a few,” she answered. “Whiskey, for one.” At the mention of Whiskey, you remembered why you had come down in the first place.

“Hey, Ging, about Whiskey. I wanted to talk to you,” you began. She looked at you questioningly.

“What about him?”

“Um – I know you’re supposed to wake him up later today, but could you maybe hold off on that?” The agent looked at you in confusion.

“Why?” You weren’t sure how to answer her.

I either have to tell her and risk sounding crazy or come up with some bullshit excuse.

“Agent Brandy?”

“I just need you to.”

“I need a good reason why,” she replied. “I can’t just keep Whiskey under when he’s fully healed, and we may need his help.”

“I know, but you have to trust me on this, okay?” Ginger shook her head.

“I’m sorry, but unless you have some a good reason why, then I have to wake him up in a few hours.” You began to panic.

Here goes nothing.

“Ginger, if you wake him up, he’s going to die.” She looked at you with wide eyes.

“What are you talking about?”

“He – if you wake him, he’s going to die,” you squeaked out. “Don’t ask me how I know because I have no idea how to explain it, but I just know, okay?”

“Um – Brandy, I think you should go back to sleep; Whiskey will be fine,” she began, worried about your state of mind. “The nanites are working as they should, so there isn’t going to be a risk of him dying when he wakes up.”

“I know that,” came your rebuttal. “It’s not the nanites. Just – just trust me on this, please?” The woman looked at you skeptically.

“I – I’m sorry, but unless Champ says I can’t, or you tell me why then I have to do as protocol states.” Your shoulders slumped in defeat. You did not want to resort to telling her about what was happening with you but did not have any other choice.

God, she’s going to think I’ve fucking lost it.

“Ginger, this is going to sound outrageous,” you began to explain, placing your cup down on the table, “but this day has already happened. For me.” She raised an eyebrow at your statement.

“Uh – “

“Look, I know it’s bizarre, and you probably don’t believe me, but today is yesterday for me.” More confusion spread across her face. “I mean, yesterday is today for me.”

“Uh – “

“Fuck! I just mean that I’ve already relived today. Today is Friday; yesterday it was Friday; tomorrow will be Friday.”

I am seriously starting to sound fucking crazy.

Ginger held her hand up.

“If this is one of your jokes, it’s not a very good one, Agent Brandy,” she said. “I think you might just need more sleep because you’re starting to worry me a bit.” She turned and made her way back to her lab, worriedly glancing over her shoulder at you one last time.

Fuck!

You awkwardly stood there, trying to figure out Plan B.

That was a fucking failure.

Now what?

You picked up your coffee and took a seat in a lounge chair, letting the ceramic warm up your cold hands. You huffed out a breath and contemplated your next move.

You sat there for a while, zoning out and trying to think of what to do next when you got an idea.

Instead of going through Ginger, I could just go straight to Whiskey and tell him what’s going to happen.

Grabbing your phone out of your pocket, you looked at the time.

3:59 am.

Now to figure out what time Ginger is waking him up.

You made your way to her lab, poking your head in, and saw her typing away next to Merlin, and it looked like they were trying to breach Poppy’s firewall. Both of their heads turned to face you when the door swung open, and you gave them a little wave.

“Heya, Ging, Merlin,” you greeted. She nodded at you, and the man smiled.

“Hello, Agent Brandy. What brings you in today?” Merlin kindly asked.

“I was just wondering when Ginger plans on waking Whiskey up,” came your nervous reply, unsure of how she would react given your earlier conversation.

I know from yesterday, no, fuck.

Today.

Yesterday 2.0?

Ugh, I guess it would be 3.0 at this point.

Whatever, Friday the 13th 3.0.

I know that by the time I got to the lab around 3:20 or 3:30, they were already gone, and Whiskey was already…

You snapped yourself out of your thoughts and looked at the two very confused agents staring back at you.

“I’m due to wake him in a few hours. Around maybe eight or so,” Ginger answered, looking at her watch.

YES!

I have time!

“I’d like to be there when you wake him, if possible?”

“I don’t see why not,” she said with a shrug.

Score!

“Thank you!” you replied with a grin. Ginger nodded her head, still weirded out by your behavior, and went back to what she and Merlin were going. As you were leaving, you caught the tail-end of their conversation about an agent position being open and how Ginger always asked, but Whiskey would vote against her.

Huh.

You aimlessly made your way to the library and sat in one of the couches, trying to figure out what you were going to do. You had a while before Whiskey would wake up, and you weren’t sure when Eggsy and Co. would be leaving, but you needed to figure something out. And quick.

You sat in the library for about forty minutes or so before deciding to get up and go to the lab to see if you could help Ginger and Merlin with anything. Just as you pulled the doors open, you heard Eggsy, Harry, and Merlin’s voices and stopped, listening to what they were saying.

“I shot Agent Whiskey. Deliberately,” came Harry’s voice. You covered your mouth to muffle your gasp.

Harry shot Whiskey?

What the fuck?!

Why?!

“What, why?” Merlin replied.

“He was working against us,” you heard Harry reply. “And until we find out why, I say we trust no one.”

What the fuck.

What the fuck.

What the fuck.

“Merlin, Harry’s sick,” Eggsy’s voice ran through the hall. “This whole thing is my fault. I thought he was ready.”

Damn right, he wasn’t fucking ready.

But how the fuck did Harry know about Whiskey before they even went to Cambodia?

“I’m sorry, I’ve got to take this,” Eggsy said as his phone rang. You tuned Eggsy’s voice out and instead tried to focus on Harry’s.

“Listen to me. This is not about my mental health,” Harry spoke. “If there’s a chance, there’s a double agent in our midst, or worse, if Statesmen itself has a dark agenda, we have to safeguard this mission.”

WHAT THE FUCK?!

You were fuming. Harry’s insinuation that Statesmen would support Poppy-fuckface filled you with rage.

How dare he question our loyalties.

You knew that Whiskey was no double agent. Sure, he had a vendetta against drug users; however, you couldn’t understand why Harry might think Whiskey could be a double agent. You were still in the dark about what happened to make Harry think those thoughts and why he would even shoot him, but you wanted to get to the bottom of things, but more importantly, you needed to stop Whiskey from dying. Again. You listened some more, hearing Eggsy’s voice get louder.

Uh oh.

“Merlin! Have you got eyes on that location yet?” Eggsy yelled.

“Soon,” the man answered. “The reconnaissance drone is about an hour away. Which gives us time to sort out – “

“Bullocks, we haven’t time for anything,” Eggsy announced. “I’m leaving now. With or without you.” You heard the elevator doors close, and you poked your head around the corner.

Empty.

Fuck fuck fuck.

You glanced down at your watch.

4:46 am.

You still had hours before Whiskey woke up, and you calculated the time it would take the trio to get to Cambodia.

They’ll most likely be taking the Statemen’s plane, and that bitch goes like nine hundred miles an hour.

Cambodia is almost nine thousand miles away, so that’s like ten-ish hours of flight time.

That will put them at around 2:45 pm when they get there.

Fuck.

You were panicking. If Whiskey woke up around 8 am, and he decided to take the Silver Pony, you knew he would get there shortly after them, which meant he would probably get there just in time to die. You shook your head, not wanting to think about that. No, you had to stop it from happening.

Do I wake him up early?

Do I tell him?

What do I do?!

Your mind was racing, your heart pounding in your chest at the inner turmoil. You took a moment to compose yourself when another idea popped into your head.

The machine!

If I can make it so the nanites keep Whiskey under, Ginger won’t be able to wake him up on time, and I won’t have to tell him what happens if he goes after them.

You hurriedly ran down the hall, checking if Ginger was still in her lab as you passed it, and let out a sigh when you saw she was still busy, although she was now alone.

Merlin must have gone with Eggsy and Harry.

You picked up the pace to the lab where Whiskey was and entered the pin to grant you entry. The doors opened with a hiss, and you quickly shut and locked it behind you.

Just in case anyone comes by.

As you walked to Whiskey’s bedside, you couldn’t help but admire the man’s features. His mustache was always neatly trimmed, and he looked so peaceful as he slept, not a care in the world.

He’s so beautiful.

You wanted to run your fingers through his hair but stopped yourself.

Dammit!

I’m being such a creep.

You did not want to waste any more time, so you promptly pulled up the screen to the machine, fingers rapidly flying over the keyboard as you reprogrammed the nanites from disengaging and allowing anyone to access the wake function. You continued to type, adding another more complex code on the off chance that Ginger bypassed the first one. For good measure, you entered in a third one before looking over your handiwork.

That should do it.

You exhaled and glanced at the time.

5:09 am.

Now we wait.

Knowing you had time before Ginger went to wake the slumbering agent, you decided to hide in the library again, making sure to set an alarm shortly before Whiskey was to wake. Throwing yourself into a plush armchair, you scrolled through your phone, knee bouncing with anxiety as the minutes slowly ticked by. As you mindlessly swiped through social media on your phone, your eyelids began to grow heavy, and before you knew it, you had dozed off.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

Bolting upright, you rubbed the sleep from your eyes, taking note of the time.

7:55 am.

Right on time.

You rose from the chair and exited the library, feet guiding you to stand outside the lab doors. You spied Ginger’s dark head of hair as she typed away on the machine beside Whiskey, and you held your breath, hoping that your code would work. You let out a sigh of relief as you watched the woman let out a frustrated groan and rub her temple, the program working its magic to deter her from disconnecting the nanites and initiating the wake sequence.

However, your relief was cut short and quickly turned into fear when the machine monitoring Whiskey’s heart rate started to loudly beep, and his vitals began to plummet. Ginger frantically tried to type in sequence after sequence to make the machine stabilize him, but it was clear that things were going array. When Whiskey began to seize suddenly, and the machinery started to smoke, you knew that you had fucked something up when inputting your code to reprogram the tiny robots. The nanites were no longer working to heal the sleeping agent but were instead undoing their work.

“WHISKEY, NO!”

You rushed into the room as Ginger ran to the corner to get a defibrillator, but you were both too late. You helplessly watched as Whiskey’s body uncontrollably convulsed, back arching off the table, before flames erupted from the machine, engulfing him in hues of red, orange, and yellow. His movements abruptly ceased as the sprinklers finally activated, dousing the room with water, but it was no use. Time stilled as the steady beep of his nonexistent heartbeat rang through the room, the straight line on the screen taunting you.

You fell to your knees, tears streaming down your face as you let out a sob at the sight of his charred figure.

You had failed.

⟸ Previous Chapter ❖ Next Chapter ⟹

[burgerpocalypse]

I've been trying to run through some free games I got from the Epic game store, specifically Grand Theft Auto V, Creature in the Well, and most recently Night in the Woods. I quit GTAV about 60% of the way because it sucked, and I can't beat the last area of Creature, so that leaves me to talk a little about NitW and the emotional turmoil it gave me.

Upfront, I'm not interested in games with heavy emphasis on story, least of all visual novels or whatever you want to call this game. However, I've heard mostly positive things about Night in the Woods here and there for the better part of the previous decade. That and the fact I got it for $0 convinced me to finally try it out.

Night in the Woods is an adventure focused on exploration and character drama. Mae Borowski, the protagonist, is a college dropout that just moved back to her Rust Belt hometown for mysterious reasons, and becomes entangled in suspicious happenings. The player will traverse the aged suburban sprawl and rural outskirts of Possum Springs, conversing with family, friends, strangers, and everyone else, uncovering secrets and opening wounds along the way.

Seeing as how Night in the Woods is primarily a story, I'll mostly be discussing that, so look out for spoilers, yo.

After spending two years away, Mae attempts to reconnect with her previously closest friends Bea (an idealist goth whomst had considerable familial and financial responsibility thrust upon her at a young age), Gregg (an anarchist punk with bipolar tendencies), and Angus (an incredibly nice man). Mae pushes the story forward by hanging out with Bea and Gregg, and sometimes Angus. This will often involve going to social outings, running errands, committing crimes, and so on.

Other than her friends, Mae will also have opportunities to interact with her parents, various citizens, and vagrants. whom provide flavor and history to the world while also bringing some of Mae's muddled past to light. The player will traverse environments through walking and jumping around, with the occasional platforming feat required to progress or access certain areas. Occasionally, you'll be presented with small minigames, like a Guitar Hero-clone or red light/green light shoplifting, and a game-within-a-game dungeon crawler that pissed me off to no end. While most activities in the town are benign, certain important events will move the day along and lock you out of further exploration.

Early on, Mae's group stumbles upon a discarded arm and some cryptic dialogue from a few characters. After each day, Mae experiences strange dream sequences that involve platforming segments and surreal representations of her friends and the town. Several hours of gameplay later, Mae witnesses a kidnapping on Halloween by what appears to be a ghost.

In the midst of all this, Mae hangs out with her friends and discovers what they've been up to in her absence. Bea runs the family business for her father, who broke down after her mom died, putting them in dire financial straits and preventing Bea from leaving Possum Springs; she bears resentment towards Mae, since she dropped out of college and came home for no apparent reason while also not maturing at all. Gregg is aimless, sporadic, and uninhibited, while his boyfriend Angus is neat, tidy, and overly helpful. Their relationship appears strong, and they are planning to move to a new city together, though Bea is convinced it won't last.

Mae does her best to strengthen bonds while suffering from a variety of stressors, like her family's money troubles, her self-destructive tendencies and dissociative episodes, and ominous celestial beings invading her mind. This sometimes leads to inadvertent and painful social situations, especially with Bea.

Mae attempts to investigate the supposedly supernatural happenings with the help of Bea, Gregg, and Angus, while her mental health steadily declines. Eventually, the group travels deep into the woods (at night) and stumble into a cult, after which Mae suffers a great fall and enters a coma. After waking up, Mae then attempts to confront the cult head-on, though her friends arrive to help. They enter a cave, find the cult again, discover the eldritch horror they serve and explore her personal connection to it, accidentally cause a cave-in and trap the cultists, escape the cave, and try to make sense of what happened after the fact.

Now, don't get me wrong. I rather enjoyed Night in the Wood's story. I really liked all the characters. I loved the dialogue. Even the platforming and various minigames were fine, if simplistic and occasionally annoying. The structure of this paragraph seems as though it's leading towards a big 'but'. I just wanted to say that I really liked the game, even though I don't generally enjoy video game stories, and especially not video games primarily about a story. Though I'm not from a run-down midwestern town, and obviously don't have the same sort of personal relationships she does, Mae's emotional strife and insecurities really resonated with me. Her personal thoughts and reactions often made me just stop and think about the many mistakes I've made with the people I care about and all the relationships I've ruined.

However, if the plot wanted to spend so much time on Mae and her friends, it should have been about Mae and her friends. Conversely, if it wanted to be about a spooky cult in a small town, it should have spent much more time on a spooky cult in a small town. The plot is torn between two diametrically opposed focuses, those being Mae's struggles to maintain relationships and her dealing with suspicious supernatural occurrences in Possum Springs. So much time passes before anything really happens with the cult and cosmic horror that I feel some people might even forget there is a cult and cosmic horror, and Mae isn't just experiencing a psychotic break for no reason.

In the end, the cult goes unresolved, and it's unclear what the relationship is with the residents of Possum Springs, or what its powers even are. I don't need the game to explain every aspect in detail, but no one appears to be affected by the existence of the cult and its god other than Mae. My brain was going into overdrive looking for clues, making patterns, identifying red herrings, anything that might help me understand the mystery, when in reality there was no mystery to understand.

There is also a severe lack of actual choice or decision making in terms of dialogue, and a distinct absence of any real challenge in gameplay. I definitely felt that this story could have been more efficiently told if it were in a book, usually after spending a few minutes walking around trying to find something important and

It doesn't help that I sometimes accidentally skipped certain segments, since it's not always explicitly clear if an action will push the day forward and lock me in. I even completely missed a third of the investigations since I chose to check out the historical society building with Gregg second when the game expected me to do it last. This sort of problem led to me giving up completely on other story-focus games like Kentucky Route Zero since I constantly skipped and missed chunks of stuff or did things out of the intended order and ruined the flow of events.

Now this has obviously gotten a little too long, so I'll just wrap it up by saying that Night in the Woods is great and I recommend it. It made me feel feelings, deep feelings, like I was moments away from crying on more than one occasion.

Thanks for reading. I have a lot on my mind because of this game, so I hope it was worth your time.

[forestlingincorporated]

Teen Titans #29

So, one of my favorite types of fics to read is Different First Meeting fics between Jason and Tim. I looooove reading Enemies To Caretaker, of which I fed handsomely on fairly recently. Big Brother Jason fics give me warm fuzzies, and Tim Drake needs a hug, and I feel like if these two actually got to know each other and worked past their preconceptions, they’d get along surprisingly well. And Still A Jason!Robin Fanboy Tim Drake is just a fun concept. 

Also, it just FEELS right for the middle siblings to band together after Damian comes along, lets get those abandonment issues in the party. 

So, for mysterious and very secret TimKon Week 2021 reasons, I was rereading some Teen Titans, and I stumbled over the Original Tim+Jason First Meeting, and I just sort of wanted to talk about some interesting things I found in there rereading it after several years. 

First thing right off the bat, when reading fics, normally it’s either the Core Four at the tower that Jason puts to sleep, or it’s Tim alone for the night. In the comic, none of Tim’s close friends are even at the tower, Jason waits for Bart and Cassie to leave, and Conner actually hasn’t come around for an in-universe month, because this is after the Superboy’s Birthright arc where Lex mind controls Conner. 

The people Jason knocks out were his own teammates when he was a Titan. He specifically says he never got to work with Beast Boy or Cyborg directly, so he doesn’t feel bad electrocuting them, but he feels bad putting Raven under much more gently because she used to worry for him. 

Tim has just gotten off the phone with Bruce when Jason shows up. It seems like Bruce might’ve been picking Tim up, but something’s come up with Martian Manhunter going missing, so Tim tells him he’ll catch a ride with Cyborg. 

This is actually really interesting to me, because it’s a small moment of Bruce letting Tim down. It’s a conversation he’s probably had with his biological father many times when Jack’s canceled on him. 

Gonna acknowledge this abomination real quick. This is So Stupid, and I’m glad as a fandom we just all agreed Jason didn’t do this. It makes me ask so many questions. Where did he get that oversized Robin costume? Why’d he tear off his perfectly good clothes? Why did he do this? Why the yellow tights? WHY? 

A lot of things are actually happening here that are actually Really Interesting if you just look past the stupid fucking outfit. Because this comic actually flew really close to greatness, they just ended up dropping the ball by not continuing to do more with it. 

First off, Jason doesn’t beat around the bush. He’s immediately like “yeah, yeah, yeah, Red Hood, whatever, I’m Jason Todd, bitch! Fight me.” 

Secondly, Jason’s done his homework. He knows A LOT about Tim. He knows his name, he knows he has a dad, he knows he went to prep school, and he knows the story of how Tim became Robin. How he GOT that last bit of information, I’d honestly like to know. But even HAVING the information isn’t enough; he’s still letting his preconceived ideas get in the way. The surface level information about Tim’s life only served to fuel his jealousy and anger (thanks, Lazerus Pitt!). He’s so focused on Tim’s privilege that he’s looked past evidence of hardship; if he’s done this much research on Tim, he’s no doubt seen records of multiple boarding schools, lengthy travel records, news reports, a death certificate.... He can’t even bring himself to BELIEVE parts of Tim’s story that aren’t lining up with his world view, like HOW he became Robin. 

Jason has convinced himself that what he’s discovered about Tim and the period of time when Jason was dead - the fact that Bruce was spiraling after his death, that his family mourned him, that Tim had to step up to the plate at a weird suicide prevention buddy system - is all a lie. Despite the fact that he’s beating Tim’s ass, he speaks to him with the assumption that Tim’s a child who’s been manipulated and lied to. 

Meanwhile, it must be SO PAINFUL for Tim to hear Jason say these things: I bet he said the same thing to you he said to me, didn’t he? That you have the talent to make a difference in Gotham. That he needed someone he could trust in his war on crime. That you were one of a kind. The light in his darkness.

Bruce never said any of that to Tim. Bruce rejected Tim, he didn’t want Tim, and begrudgingly accepted Tim. 

Going back to Jason waiting for Tim’s other young teen friends to leave the tower before going in, only drugging his own former teammates, is much of his anger seems directed at THEM, not just Bruce. To Jason, it looks like they didn’t mourn him either, he has no statue. I find it interesting that he smashes Donna Troy’s statue, who died after him, and I believe she came back before he did. 

Unless he was keeping track of the news from the League of Assassins, to Jason, Donna never died. 

And most importantly? Tim shuts Jason down. Tim “Bitch, Please” Drake out here like: you’re a fucking idiot, he loved you to death, he barely let me audition for the role. 

Tim shows some deep resentment towards Jason in this scene. I mean... earned, Jason literally came into his house and starting hitting him, but Tim’s relationship towards the Idea Of Jason has gone through a few changes. At first Jason was ROBIN! THE BOY WONDER! And if maybe Tim thought Bruce wasn’t AS happy with Jason as he was with Dick, there was still SOME hero worship early on. But it only takes Bruce and Alfred and Dick using Jason’s death as a cautionary tale a few times to get Tim to see Jason AS a cautionary tale - the kind of Robin NOT to be. But the more Tim craved Bruce’s paternal attention and approval, and the more Bruce withheld it or made Tim work for it, knowing that Bruce did that, in part, because of his love and grief for his dead son (Tim having an actual living breathing father plays a part, too), and those feelings towards Jason have started to fester.

Jason can’t let it go, though, he thinks the concept of Robin was a mistake and had always been a mistake, and if he can hurt Tim, so can Scarecrow, Penguin, The Joker. 

This is a good time to bring up that one thing I think Jason probably doesn’t know is Tim is injured. It is a little over a month since since Conner shattered Tim’s right arm. Tim is still healing from a comminuted fracture in his forearm. And looking at this picture that is - ah, yes, that is the injured arm Jason is swinging Tim by. Tim is probably healed by now, the cast IS off and he’s a child, but bones don’t fully return to full strength for 3-6 months. 

Jason is conflicted. This is clearly, in part, a fucked up way of “protecting” what he sees as a manipulated child, to convince him to leave Bruce. But there’s also clearly some deep, deep jealousy thrown into the mix to complicate matters and cloud his judgement. Ultimately, Jason isn’t there to kill Tim. Tim would be dead if he was. He’s there to “beat some sense into him,” and he ultimately fails, and fails badly. 

Tim is found by the older Titans, awake by now, though it seems Jason knocked him out to, uh, fuck with the memorial chamber, and Tim... does not beat around the bush. No secret identities here just “yeah, Jason Todd beat the shit out of me.” 

And their reactions are HILARIOUS. 

One more little sidebar, in the comic, Jason gets in with a D.N.A. check that never removed him from its permissions. Usually in fic this is a unique pass code. I’m not sure which version I like better, honestly. There’s something about Jason physically inputting a code that accepts him even though he’s supposedly dead that I really like, and just feels better than a dna scan. A dna scan sounds SAFER, sure, but there’s something about the Titans leaving in an honest SECURITY RISK out of sentiment that I like. 

Lastly, I really like how it ends. Jason honestly thinks Tim IS a good Robin, and it seems like Jason’s done some research on the core four, mentioning Tim’s “real friends” again while the “camera” is on Conner and Cassie, suggesting that Jason KNOWS about them and possibly that targeting the tower while they were gone maybe wasn’t an accident or out of convenience, but fully intentional. And again, Jason’s real problem is highlighted: he feels alone, forgotten, unmemorable, no family, no friends. 

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk. 

[rebeccccccaaa]

𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓈 𝓂𝑒, 𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓈 𝓂𝑒 𝓃𝑜𝓉

________________________________

𝐵𝓊𝒸𝓀𝓎 𝐵𝒶𝓇𝓃𝑒𝓈 𝓍 𝑅𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇

𝓇𝑒𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓈𝓉𝑒𝒹: imagine-all-the-fandoms said:

Hey you 💕 I’m so in love with your imagines, you’re a great writer! I hope it’s okay to send smth in as well ☺️ a Bucky one for where you’re crushing each other and head to a mission together in the snowy mountains where you get trapped by a storm in a cute cabin. First he’s all shy around you but in the end it’s all cute as he makes a little fire and shares his clothes to keep you warm which also leads to cuddling and finally sharing a kiss and even some loving smut when you finally admit your feelings ?

𝒲𝒶𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈: Smut, 18+, Fluff, friends to lovers, shy Bucky, fluff, did I mention fluff? Plant stuff? you’re kinda like that bitch from sky high lol

𝒜𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇’𝓈 𝒩𝑜𝓉𝑒: this is too cute and I had so much writing this, i feel it radiates like huge cottage core energy but in the snow XD anyways hope you like it bug and thanks for the request!!

____________________________________________

You were walking from the greenhouse/garden room holding a small plant when you bumped into a much larger figure, accidentally dropping said plant.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” the voice said.

“It’s ok. I’m sorr-” you stopped.

The person was Bucky and under his big black boot was your little baby plant that you were taking to your room to nurse. You stared at him with a shocked and upset look on your face and Bucky stepped back to see the poor plant squished on the floor. 

Wanda was a bystander and rushed over to help clean up. She used her powers and mended the plant pot back together but the poor bud was still wilted. 

“Are you guys ok?” Wanda asked, handing you the pot with the wilted plant. 

“You squished my plant,” you said monotonously.

“I’m sorry,” Bucky said, panicked.

You playfully shook your head in disappointment trying your hardest to burst into giggles. It was ok because it’s what you do. You did… plant stuff. You weren’t exactly sure what your abilities were but you did know that you worked with plants very well.

You looked down at the bud and softly blew. Sage green magic circled the plant and life went back into the little sprout. Bucky’s panicked expression softened as he watched you use your magic. The way you smiled when the plant came back to life. That proud smile you had on made him smile too.

“There. All better,” you looked back Bucky. 

“All better,” he repeated with a smile.

“Hey, Y/n. Bucky,” Steve called you from down the hall.

“What’s up?”

“Fury needs you two in the conference room, says he’s got a mission for you two,” Steve walked away after he informed you both.

“Lead the way darling,” Bucky gestured his hand forward.

“Ah, you’re here. Why do you have a plant in your hand?”

“Bucky squished my flower under his boot,” you said.

“It was an accident,” Bucky mumbled.

“Moving on. I have a mission for you both in the alps. Some thugs are trading alien plant life so I need you,” he pointed to you, “to collect some samples for Tony and Bruce and Bucky will be there to protect you. If any plants die or get frozen you know what to do.”

You were plenty capable to handle yourself but you’ve never had to do so in the snow. You generally stuck to warmer and sunnier places when it came to missions. Bucky was pretty used to the snow so he knows to survive better in case you get stuck; but that won’t happen obviously.

“Wheels up in 30.”

You got to hide out and you were sort of struggling considering you had maybe seven layers of clothes on. You felt like a big puffy marshmallow waddling your way to the crime scene. The mission was somewhat successful, Bucky had really done all the work fighting and you just ran around tying up bad guys with vines and holding little seedlings in your pockets.

All was going until it didn’t. The wind picked up quickly and snow started thrashing around you and the others. You were fighting on the side of a hill, well Bucky was. You were still running around trying not to get shot. There was rumbling and the ground shook under you. You looked at Bucky who had taken down someone and his face held fear and concern. 

“Run!” he yelled.

“Where!” you started running anyhow.

“Follow me, doll!” 

You tried your best to run through heavy snow and with many many layers of clothes on you but it was becoming a struggle. Especially running against the wind made it a challenge on its own. Bucky was far ahead of you but thankfully turned back to grab your hand effectively dragging you alongside him running from the tumbling snow chasing after you. 

“Think you get us above ground? Maybe a tree? Rock platforms?” Bucky shouted, still running with his arm up to prevent snow and ice from getting in his eyes.

“The snow’s too thick and the wind is too strong,” you shouted back.

“I’m sorry,” you shouted shakily.

Before Bucky could respond the snowfall did a hiccup before finally settling within feet of you and Bucky. You two were exhausted and if you had to run any further, you’d probably be consumed by snow because you barely had any energy left in you to keep running.  

The wind was still harsh and the snow fell rapidly making it almost impossible to see even 5 feet in front of you. 

“We should find shelter,” Bucky said close to your face. Your nose was nearly numb from the cold and the warmth from Bucky’s proximity made it almost feel like it was burning. 

“I’m just following you,” you said with tired eyes.

After what felt like hours of walking you were practically dragging your feet and legs across the thick snow. The blankets of snow  glistened beautiful and sparkled under the sun. despite the sun now being out the weather was still almost unbearably cold. Your body still shook from the chill.

“You know, I’ve never liked winter. It was always so plain and boring with all the snow. And it’s so fucking cold; I’d rather be laying in the sun in a meadow. But this,” you circled your arms and twirled, “This is beautiful.”

“You what’s even more beautiful?” Bucky held your hand.

“What?” you said shyly.

“That cabin up ahead,” he smirked, and you smacked his chest.

“Well then, come on. I’m still freezing my butt off, and surely the seedlings in my pocket are frozen too,” you started treading the snow, grunting every step.

You got inside after a few tugs because the lock was practically frozen shut. The cabin was seemingly abandoned, else the hosts would certainly be surprised. Nonetheless, Bucky searched the house for anything to give you warmth. You stood in the living room area of the cabin awaiting instructions from Bucky since he seemed to know what he was doing. 

“Hey, doll. It looks like this place’s got two fireplaces. One here and in the master bedroom. Take your pick.”

“How long will be here?” you asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve hardly got any signal to send an alert.”

“That means we’ll probably spend the night. We should use the bedroom.”

“You can use the bedroom. I set a fire in the fireplace there, and then I’ll set one up out here for me when you’re taken care of,” he said.

“I thought we were sharing the room,” you mumbled, feeling embarrassed. See you had this little, itty, bitty, tiny crush on the fellow. But how could you not? He was perfect! You certainly weren’t going to waste the opportunity to share a bed with the guy if you ‘had to’. 

“Let’s get you taken care of,” he smiled softly.

You walked to the back room where the master bedroom was and it was beautiful. The bed was disassembled, the mattress was leaning to the side on the wall and the bed frame was taken apart. Bucky moved the bedframe to the side and flopped the mattress down to the floor. 

“Let me check for any blankets in this place,” Bucky ran off. 

You looked around and walked into the connected bathroom. To your absolute surprise there were small plants, unfortunately dead, and pots filled with dried out and chalky dirt. You could work with that. 

You picked them up and took them to the bed. You sat on the mattress and placed the pots in front of you on the floor at your feet. You pulled out the frozen seedlings and plants and placed each one in their own pot. 

That same sage green magic circled your hands and traveled to the pots where the dirt grew damp and the seedlings grew into buds. You smiled to yourself before looking up, eyes meeting Bucky’s who watched you with a grin on his face.

“It’s amazing what you do,” he said holding a bunch of blankets.

“It’s nothing.”

“No-” he was interrupted from the branches of the trees right outside the room baniging against the window hard. 

“Oh no. storm’s picking up again,” Bucky mumbled.

“Are we gonna be ok?” you asked.

“”We’ll be fine. Now are you hurt?”

“Just cold,” you whispered.

“Ok if you feel uncomfortable let me know and I’ll leave you ok?” you nodded.

“I need you to take your layers off until you reach your thermal.”

You zipped down your snow jacket that was incredibly wet from all the snow from outside. Next was a layer of your snow pants after you took your snow boots off, which were also wet; both the pants and boots.

Bucky helped you with the rest of your layers under you simply wore a thermal and your undergarments underneath. Your body was shaking still and the fire still wasn’t on yet. 

“Here are all the blankets I could find. Warm yourself up while I turn on the fireplace,” Bucky walked outside to gather some stumps of wood that were conveniently stacked next to the front door. He came back with a rock and banged it against his metal hand to create sparks which thankfully successfully lit the fire. 

“Are you feeling ok?” he asked shyly.

“Sort of, but the fire’s going so I think I’ll feel better very soon,” you responded.

Bucky was about to leave you and make his own fire in the living room when you stopped him.

“Buck, you don’t have to leave,” you said.

“Thought I’d give you some privacy,” he responded.

“I don’t need privacy, besides the fire’s already made. Just stay here,” you scooted on the bed for him to sit.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Come sit,” you smiled and patted the spot next to you.

He sat with you very closely and you feel his body heat radiating off his body like a heater. He asked if it was ok if he got rid of wet clothes too and you let him. When he took his last layer off he accidentally lifted his thermal shirt with it exposing his lower stomach. The muscle of his abdominals surprised you and you couldn’t help but oogle.

Bucky’s cheeks grew red and not from the cold. You two sat in silence. Your body was still trembling slightly and bucky wanted to help you. He just didn’t know if you;d be comfortable with the particular survival tactic. 

“I don’t want to upset you or make you uncomfortable but body heat and skin to skin contact is the most effective way to warm the body.

“Bucky, are you making a move on me?” you giggled.

“Uh no- sorry I, uh I-”

“I’m just teasing,” you smiled.

“I want to help you,” he whispered.

“Ok.”

Bucky moved away slightly and reached for the bottom of your shirt hesitantly looking to you for permission of which you granted. Your arms came up and the thermal slowly peeled off of your cold body. You were simply left in a bra and your arms covered yourself in coldness and also slight insecurity. 

Bucky also took his thermal off and tossed it to the side. Your eyes trained on his torso littered with little scars and bruises that made you want to reach out and hold him. He leaned back on the mattress and lifted his hips to remove his thermal pants and then looked back to you to make sure you were still ok.

You stood up and quickly discarded your pants as well as seeing Bucky turn his away from seeing you undress; which made your heart warm at his manners. When you were done you sat back down much closer to Bucky this time.

His arms wrapped around you and both your legs hitched over his thighs as you curled into him. His body was so hot, figuratively and literally. Your body instantly warmed up against his hardened muscles. You stayed this way while the fire burned and Bucky told you stories about him and Steve back in the 40s before everything happened. 

There was a moment of silence that settled between you and you looked into Bucky’s eyes. His hand came up and softly brushed the air from your face. You leaned into hand and smiled faintly to him and he smiled back. 

Bukcy leaned his forehead down to press against your and you could feel the tip of his equally cold nose on yours. You looked at each other waiting for the other to say something, anything.

“Are you going to kiss me?” you whispered.

“Do you want me to kiss you?” he whispered back.

“Please.”

Bucky lips attached to yours ever so gently. Your body practically melted against him, chills raising on your skin but not from the cold. His hands caressed the skin of your stomach and ribs and you moved straddled his thighs.

You felt growing wet from the way he held you tenderly against him. You started grinding yourself against his crotch feeling his dick getting hard pressing up against your core. Small moans and breathy sighs emitted from you and Bucky and his hands roamed to your ass. 

Bucky’s lips went to neck and you threw your head back for him and threaded your fingers through his hair. Bucky nipped and bit down on the skin before soothing it over with his tongue and dragged it down to your collarbone. 

You reached around and unclipped your bra and Bucky tossed over to the pile of clothes you had discarded beforehand. Bucky looked down at your chest for a second but averted his eyes to prevent you from being uncomfortable. 

His hands however kneaded the flesh of your breasts; insanely warm against your skin. 

“You’re so pretty, darling,” Bucky whispered in your ear making you shudder.

He flipped you over; the blanket fell to the side making your nipples harden from the chilly air. He stood up to remove his boxers and ran his hands up your legs sensually playing with the hem of your panties you still had on. 

He looked at you with gentle eyes before you nodded eagerly for him to take them off. After he did he crawled up body before settling between your hips. His cock was settled against your pussy and it practically throbbed, aching for more. 

He pumped his cock with his hand a few times leaning down to capture your lips with his. When he slid inside, you moaned loudly taking a hold of his shoulders with your hands. Bucky was huge! Nothing like any of your past lovers, not that you really many. 

“Hold on, hold on. I just need a second,” you told Bucky. 

He leaned down and pressed kisses all over your face; your hands cupping his face and jaw giggling. You looked into eyes once again and nodded letting him know that it was alright to move again. 

Bucky was in absolute heaven right now.

Your walls felt so soft and velvety as he easily thrusted in and out of you. A thin layer of sweat formed on his forehead. His hand reached down your arm and he intertwined his fingers with yours resting by your head. 

Bucky had been dreaming of this moment longer than he’d like to admit. He never considered himself to be a shy person; and definitely not jealous either. But when he met you, he always stuttered and stumbled over his feet and words barely getting a working sentence out of his mouth. 

Whenever Steve or Sam spoke to you, and generally flirted a lot of the time, he envied them for being so relaxed around you. He’d wanted to ask you on a proper date and take you home to worship you like you deserve; wake up next to you and make love all over again. But he couldn’t say hi without turning bright red.

But here you were, a dream come true, squirming, whining and moaning beautifully under him. 

“You are so gorgeous, baby. God, I can’t believe you're here,” Bucky kissed you. 

“Oh, Bucky you feel so good,” you moaned.

“Fuck, baby you’re taking me so well,” he praised.

You both moaned feeling your orgasm approaching rapidly. Your legs wrapped around Bucky’s torso driving him deeper in making you practically scream in pleasure. Bucky’s hips snapped in and out of you wildly desperate for that release he knows is going to be the best he’s ever had. 

When the coil in the pit of your stomach burst your back arched into Bucky and his face buried into your neck as he practically growled in pleasure. 

“Fuck that was amazing,” he kissed your neck and chuckled.

“Why are you always so shy around me? We probably could’ve done this way sooner,” you patted his back. 

“I, uh-”

“There you go stuttering again,” you giggled.

“I’m sorry. Y/n, I really like you and I have since I’ve met you. I don’t know why I feel so brain dead whenever I’m around you. I used to have no problem asking a pretty dame on a date, but when I met you, I couldn’t even say hi let alone ‘Hey wanna go on a date because I think you’re the most beautiful angel I’ve ever met in my goddamn life?’ It felt impossible,” Bucky sat up and sat you on his legs still wrapped in the blanket. 

“Bucky, I- oh,” you gasped.

“What?” you pointed to the wooden floor of the cabin. There were small buds and patches of grass coming through the cracks of the floorboards. There were also vines and branches covering the walls coming from the floor as well.

“Oh! Did I do that?” you looked back at him and he nodded.

“Oopsies,” you giggled.

“What if we had sex in the garden?” Bucky asked.

“Oh my gosh, Bucky!” you laughed.

“What?” a smile grew on his face watching you laugh in pure delight.

“You’re so silly,” you shook your head before yawning.

“Come on, doll. Let’s go sleep and we’ll see what’s gonna happen after the storm passes,” Bucky kissed you goodnight and you fell asleep comfortably in his arms.

___________________________________________

@mathletemadison 

ᴛᴀɢʟɪsᴛ:

ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴɴᴀ ʙᴇ ᴀᴅᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴍʏ ᴘᴇʀᴍᴀɴᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴀɢʟɪsᴛ ᴍᴇssᴀɢᴇ ᴍᴇ! ;)