#jack is going through the wringer in this one

[more-sonorous]

sneak peek at my next big piece!! (javey)

i've decided on my next big undertaking, once i'll paint you shades of blue and red is done!

this idea, once again, came from the lovely @jackmkelly . we've been yapping about it nonstop and we're creating a pretty lovely storyline that's full of themes of love, loss, grief, acceptance-- there are cute kids, cute daveys, and lots and lots of family.

of course, because it's me, there's gonna be romance-- but there's also going to be a lot of discussion of healing and dealing with grief. i hope you guys are excited because I AM!!!!

.....

The carriage seemed to rock beneath them as the dirt road stretched onward beneath the wheels, jostling softly to the rhythm of the trotting horses up ahead. David swayed back and forth, bumping every time the wheels rumbled over a rock or divot in the path. He’d never ridden in a carriage like this before– the seats were cushioned and covered with silky smooth fabric, and the walls were painted with lovely flowering details of gold and pale pink. Curtains hung over the windows and lamps flickered above the heads of the two lone passengers– David Jacobs and one Medda Larkin, facing each other.

How he’d ended up riding in the carriage of one of the most successful women in New York City was honestly beyond his own understanding, but there she was, as real as the cool glass of the elaborately paneled windows to his left and right. Miss Medda was a beautiful woman with dark skin and elegantly styled black hair, curled into careful loops and pinned against her head in the fashionable style of the day. She was wearing a lovely S-shaped gown made of rich, coral-colored fabric that might’ve been worth more than David’s family’s entire apartment. Even her shoes seemed expensive. David could see the tips of her elaborately crafted flats from beneath her petticoats, and he wondered how someone could ever come upon such wealth.

“David, darling, I can’t thank you enough for taking this job.” She began, offering him the warmest of smiles and extending a careful hand to him. 

He took it with slight hesitance, nervous heart running like a racehorse within his chest. David’s mind was still lingering on anxious minutiae– was he underdressed? What if he didn’t impress her? What if his father’s shabby old coat and faded waistcoat and trousers were unpleasant to the eye? Was his tie crooked, or his shoes too obviously spit-shined? Perhaps his curls were a mess or he’d accidentally let the star of David hidden beneath his clothing show through. He was an anxious wreck as she squeezed his hand softly and leaned in.

“Now, I know this is going to be somewhat of a challenge, but I know your sister and I adore your family, and I know you’re a resilient bunch.” He could see some sort of trepidation trying to creep through her anxious expression, but Medda Larkin was an excellent actress, and any trace of nervousness was gone before he could catalogue it. “You’re overqualified, after all. A degree in education, years of piano lessons, excellent track record in school– I don’t think the children could ask for a better tutor, truly.”

“Thank you, Miss Medda.” He answered truthfully, though he was sure his anxiety was obvious.

David was currently riding out to the beautiful New York countryside to serve as a live-in tutor to the three Kelly children. It wasn’t the sort of job he’d dreamed of– when he attended Columbia university, he hoped to work his way up the ladder and eventually earn enough degrees to become a professor of literature. Then he’d pull his family from poverty and drop them into a comfortable middle class life– but he soon realized that his dreams were a bit too unrealistic. He’d need a bit more money because there weren’t enough scholarships in the world to pull him through a second degree. 

Sometime during his desperate job search, his elder sister Sarah must’ve mentioned his plight to her boss– she worked as a costume designer for Miss Medda, always sewing clothes and sketching elaborate dresses for the shows playing at the theatre– and when Medda found out that David was young, unmarried and university educated? She reached out immediately.

David was going to move in with the Kelly’s and act as not only a tutor but a nanny as well. The job paid well and he received free room and board, meals included, so he shouldered the rather embarrassing burden of childcare and took the job as a male nanny. Working here for two years would earn him enough money to finish school with his scholarships. Then he’d be set for life. 

Didn’t make it any less strange or nerve-wracking. If he did a bad job, that would make Sarah look bad, too. 

“Now,” Medda pursed her lips and carefully took David’s other hand. “I’ve got to be honest with you, honey. My son’s wife died two years ago. It… it hasn’t been easy for this little family, and they’ve been through about… well– it’s been twenty or so nannies since she passed.”

He felt his own eyes widening as his heart dropped to his stomach. So much for the two year plan. “Twenty? Are– are the children rather challenging?”

“The children? Oh, no.” She chuckled warmly, shaking her head. “Those babies are angels, David, I assure you. Three of the sweetest little souls you’ll ever meet. It’s– to put it delicately, it’s Jack. My son. He’s… selective? But before you panic, I’ve got a good feeling about you! You’re young! You’ve got lots of energy, lots of intelligence, siblings of your own– and you’re the first nanny that hasn’t been hired through an agency. My own personal choice.” 

David felt it wasn’t appropriate to mention that such a statement wasn’t refreshing at all. In fact, it only made the load upon his shoulders feel even heavier. Now he was going to make Medda herself look bad if he made a mistake. “I… I’ll try not to let you down.”

“I have a feeling you won’t.” She smiled, with an incredibly optimistic tone, and carefully squeezed David’s hands in her own before dropping them. “Here’s the trick– you win those kids over, you win their daddy over, too. I’ll give you some insider information. Francis is the youngest, and she’s two. Precious little thing, but she’s a real clinger. Luna’s five. She’s incredibly bright, adores singing and dancing, dressing up– it’ll be easy for you to connect with her, too. Micheal’s the oldest, and he’s eleven and a half. He’s a such a lovely kid, but he’s real prickly when you get to know him. You’ve got a little brother that age, though, don’t you? Leshem?”

“He’s just turned thirteen.” David confirmed, growing more nervous by the second. 

“You’ll be good with Micheal, then. He loves riding horseback, despises arithmetic… but he’s very interested in history, so you might use that to your advantage.” She shot David a playful wink and drew back the curtains on her side of the carriage, thoughtfully looking out the window. 

At some point, the grayscale cityscape had blossomed into a forest, bathed in the landscape of early spring. Blades of green grass pushed their way through the underbrush and green, budding leaves were beginning to appear. Even with branches mostly bare from winter, the road they were traveling was lovely. David could only imagine how it looked in full bloom, or drenched in the warm colors of autumn. Maybe even coated in a thick blanket of snow. It would be nice to live out of the city for once, too. Once in a life he could scarcely remember, David had lived in a little Polish village with his family. They’d left when he was only four, though, so all he could remember was their tiny Baxter Street department, deep in the slums of New York City. Such a getaway was usually a luxury only the rich could afford, and though he’d be working, he knew he’d still enjoy himself.

He peered out the window as well, trying to conceal his own nerves. David was a horrible blabbermouth when he got like this, and he couldn’t stop himself from trying to spark up an awkward conversation. “So… is the house a family property?”

“Not my family.” Medda laughed a warm, full type of laugh that seemed to fill the air around them with mirth. “No, certainly not mine. It’s been passed down through Jack’s wife’s family for generations. Used to be a vacation home, but Katherine’s father… graciously gave it to them as a sort of wedding present.”

A house as a wedding present. Wealthy people fascinated David. “That’s very kind of him.”

She huffed the sort of huff that a person did when they found something funny in a sarcastic manner, usually because of some hidden context. David cringed and decided not to push the matter any further, pulling away from the window and shrinking back into his seat. Medda carefully examined her flawless nails as David’s rigid posture jostled about in the bumpy carriage. 

Oh, he was very nervous with the added context. A father who was picky with his nannies and three different children to impress– plus the levels of learning were incredibly different. He’d need to teach the two year old basic speech and developmental skills, the four year old basic things like the alphabet and numbers, and the eleven year old would be well into his schooling and need at least four core subjects. It would be a balancing act between naptimes and meals and other activities to bring the children joy– maybe he’d teach them piano or take them on walks. The sort of things he would’ve liked as a child, or maybe the sort of things Les would’ve liked.

David tapped his fingers over his knee as he resisted the urge to bite his nails, staring fixedly out the window. Every once in a while, a massive country manor rolled past. He couldn’t believe that he was going from his family’s tiny apartment to one of these almost-palaces. It was like something out of a dream.

When the carriage took a sudden right turn, Medda cleared her throat. “David, I think you’re really what the family needs. My son, too. He’s got to be pulled out of his head. No one should live like he’s been living since Katherine passed.”

“I… I’ll do my best, Miss Larkin.” His knee bounced almost uncontrollably, and his stomach was caught in nervous knots. 

“I know you will. If anyone can do this, it’s one of you Jacobs siblings. Born to the breed.” She winked again, playful and charismatic, and even earned a small smile from the anxious man. He wished he could work for Miss Medda again under more pleasant circumstances– like the few times he’d assisted her stage managers for productions at her theatre during his University days.

Now he was facing the most daunting task of his life, and he could scarcely breathe from being so nervous. 

They rolled into a massive gravel drive, the carriage rattling around them as the loveliest gardens David had ever seen appeared. Fountains and hedges laid out in pretty symmetry stared back at him, begging him to stick around and see them in bloom. He could just imagine the front lawn bursting with flowers, green and lovely and smelling sweetly of springtime. Strolls down this lane would be positively unmatched, and his fingers itched for a good book. 

The house itself was even grander than the gardens, almost imposing in its ancient beauty. David guessed, based on the perfect symmetry and minimal detailing, that this manor had been built sometime in the beginning of the last century. He knew tall, reaching Neoclassical pillars when he saw them, and this lovely house with its creeping ivy was an enlightenment thinker’s dream. It stood starkly against the pale blue sky, wisps of pulled-cotton clouds curling outwards behind it. David had never seen such grandeur up close. 

Soon (possibly too soon) their carriage rumbled to a halt and Medda sent him an encouraging smile. David did his absolute best to conceal his nerves and returned the gesture, climbing out of the safety of the carriage once an attendant opened the door.

Before him, the entire household staff stood in lines leading to the door. Men on one side, women on the other. Now David really and truly wanted to throw up, but he focused on the warmth of Miss Medda’s hand as he helped her out of the carriage. He really was far too shabby for this, and shoved his hands into his pockets as he followed her towards the front door. Tall and made of wood, they seemed to walk in slow motion towards it, and David had never been so nervous in his entire life. Before Medda could even reach the door, it was thrown open to reveal a little burst of tiny human energy– a small girl with a round face and flushed cheeks running through to fling her arms around Medda.

“Gammy!” She cried, squeezing her eyes shut happily as Medda lifted her into an embrace.

“Oh, if it isn’t my Luna-bug!” Medda cooed with all the adoration of an enamored grandparent, “You’re so much taller than the last time I saw you!”

Luna laughed loud, like Les used to laugh when he was that tiny, and David got a good look at her face as she cupped Medda’s cheeks in those tiny little hands. She was positively, heart-wrenchingly adorable, with the biggest brown eyes he’d ever seen, and short brown hair cut just beneath her chin. Well-kept bangs swept across her forehead and a green ribbon tied half of her hair out of her face, skin tan and cheeks chubby with well-fed youth. She was a tiny thing but she was positively doll-like. “I miss you!”

“I missed you too, baby girl.” Medda pressed a kiss to Luna’s cheek and earned another precious giggle, just as someone else rushed out the front door.

A boy, definitely the eleven-year-old Micheal, followed by two others. Micheal winced and carefully extracted Luna from the older woman’s arms. With all the practiced ease of an adult parent, this eleven-year-old boy settled his little sister on his hip. David was instantly reminded of himself and Les. “I’m sorry, Gram. She wouldn’t sit still.” 

“‘S no problem at all. She’s just excited to meet Mr. David, here.” Medda carefully beckoned him forward, a gentle hand resting on his back. 

He awkwardly stumbled forward and got a good look at the tiny family in front of him, four sets of eyes staring him down, and– 

Oh, he thought, breath stuttering in his chest, they’re just perfect. 

The whole family. From little Luna and her big, brown eyes to the man that was obviously her father, and happened to be the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous man David Jacobs had ever laid eyes upon. God, was he gorgeous. Black hair, dark as silk, seemed to fall in two perfect, wavy curtains over his forehead. His hair swept back and formed little curls at the back of his head, framing his face perfectly. Sharp, furious brown eyes stared David down, set just beneath perfectly shaped brows and thick, black lashes. His jaw was wide and sharp and his bone structure was breathtakingly gorgeous, from his wide nose to his cheekbones to the slope of his brow. A dusting of stubble covered his chin, like a shadow over the bottom of his face. He looked angry, yes, but he looked like a furiously beautiful God plucked straight from Grecian mythology, with his honey-brown eyes and perfectly full lips. His skin was deeply tanned, the color of coffee with just a splash or two of cream. Pretty.

Of course, a man this beautiful was bound to have precious children. Little Luna was held by Micheal, who very well could’ve just been an eleven-year-old version of his father. He had the same black hair, styled a bit differently with the part above his right eye instead of the middle, and the same deeply tanned skin. David saw the same nose and lips and eyebrows, down to the shape of his eyes and ears. Though his eyes were a darker coffee-colored brown, little Micheal was his father’s young twin.

And then Francis, only-two but smiling at David like she knew him already. She had the same round face as her sister with impossibly chubby cheeks and incredibly curly orange hair pulled up in pigtails, one of the most strikingly ginger children David had ever seen. Her eyelashes were long and blonde and her cheeks and tiny nose were pink, and she clung to the fabric of her father’s shirt with grabby hands. She had big, brown eyes too, just like the rest of her family. He knew he was going to have trouble denying these kids anything.

They were a lovely family. All dressed well, all well fed. It would’ve been a perfect picture had Micheal and Jack not been sending him twin glares. 

“It’s lovely to meet you all–” He began, but was cut off immediately by Luna leaping out of her brother’s arms and racing towards him. She latched around his leg and smiled up at him, her cheeks dimpling. Ohmygod she has dimples? He was really in for it now, he was never going to be able to do any discipline. “Well, hello there, Luna–”

“You’re gonna be our new nanny!” She stated matter-of-factly, and then held her hands up in the universal child’s wordless question of ‘pick me up’? David couldn’t help but oblige and carefully lifted her, settling her against his hip. It was remarkable how easy the motions were returning to him, giving him flashbacks of his own twelve-year-old self holding Les at this age. 

“Yes, I am. I hope that’s alright with you?” He asked, very seriously, and raised his eyebrows. 

She giggled and raised her hands to cover her mouth, eyes getting big. “Your eyes are my favorite color!”

He glanced at the green ribbon in her hair and smiled. “I take it that’s a yes?” 

Luna was very suddenly removed by his arms from her father, who was a good three or four inches shorter than David. He looked just about as furious as David had ever seen anyone look as he settled Luna on his other hip. “No climbing the tutor, Lune, you barely know this man.” He ignored her pout and started speaking as he beckoned his son over. “I’m Jack Kelly.”

“David Jacobs.”

He held out his hand for a shake and then realized Jack was holding two children. Awkwardly, he tucked it back into his pockets and tried to ignore the huff of a laugh Jack directed his way. “I know. These are my kids. You’ve met Luna. This is Francis, and this is my son, Micheal. I can assure you that they ain’t gonna need a tutor, but since my Ma insisted–”

“Jack, play nice.” Medda raised her eyebrows at him and crossed her arms. “Surely I don’t need to list off David’s credentials again…”

He muttered something that sounded an awful lot like ‘credentials don’t mean shit’ before abruptly turning his back and heading inside. David tried not to be surprised by the thickness of his Upper Manhattan accent, because it certainly didn’t match the clothes he was wearing. He had on nice trousers and suspenders and a pale-blue button up, waistcoat hanging unbuttoned beneath the girls he carried. His collar was unbuttoned and his clothes were obviously expensive, but he wore them far too casually for David to understand.

Mr. Kelly started speaking as if he just expected David to listen and follow, and maybe he did expect that, so David quickly jogged to catch up. Medda rolled her eyes and trailed along more slowly, but David listened raptly to every word this man said. “This is my house. I’m pretty sure you’ll have everything you need to teach my kids, but if you don’t, don’t ask me about it. Find Charles and ask him. You can teach your lessons in the library. Your bedroom is in the West Hall– that's where the kids sleep, too— and there’s a washroom at the end of the hall for you to use. Breakfast is at nine, dinner at one and supper at six. That’s pretty much it.”

Jack paused in the middle of the entryway, a room so grand that David’s head was practically spinning. A gorgeous rug on the floor, a paneled ceiling painted with a gorgeous mural, a chandelier and a beautiful staircase made of polished wood– the shorter man gave him a long, disdainful once-over and raised his eyebrows judgmentally, eyes narrowed as he looked back up. He covered Luna’s ears. “You know this ain’t some job you can half-ass in favor of going out and fucking around with your college friends, correct?”

David glanced at the eleven-year-old, who didn’t even flinch at his father’s improper language. Luna was scrabbling to get his hands off, thankfully unaware. Didn’t Jack know that his two-year-old could easily pick up such foul language? She was probably already talking. Thankfully Francis just continued to stare at David like she was trying to figure him out. He bit his tongue and resisted the urge to correct that he didn’t actually have any friends from University and nodded instead. “Yessir.”

“And it ain’t just teaching. You have to be able to care for the kids as well.”

“Yes, Miss Larkin told me as much.” He added on, drawing into the depths of his patience. He’d only just entered the house and this unfairly beautiful man had already decided on his incompetence, without even giving him a chance.

Jack huffed darkly, shifting the girls in his arms. Francis dropped her head onto his shoulder and Luna reached for David, but Jack angled himself away. “Yeah. I’ll believe it when I see it. How old are you?”

“Twenty-one.”

“Jesus. You’re just a kid.” Jack laughed, shaking his head in disapproval. He drew in a deep breath and pressed his lips together, giving David another long look before those honey-brown eyes narrowed and he tilted his chin almost defiantly. “Well, you start tomorrow. I ain’t holding my breath, though. Ma– you stayin’ for dinner?”

“Sure. I’ll also give Mr. David here a proper tour of the house.” Medda leveled Jack with an almost challenging glare as she linked their arms. “And, you know, actually introduce him to your majordomo and head housemaid.”

He fixed her with a sarcastic grin that was unfairly pretty. David realized where Luna got her dimples, too. Jack’s teeth were imperfect, only further pushing David to wonder how he’d come across ownership of this obvious wealth. “Better you than me.”

With that, he started up the stairs. Micheal, who’d remained entirely silent the whole time, gave David a long once-over (reminding David very much of his father) and then continued up the stairs as well. Mr. Kelly’s strength wasn’t exactly lost on David– he was carrying two toddlers up a staircase and he didn’t even seem to be struggling. Strong and attractive as he was, he was awfully prickly.

He’d just lost his wife. Two years? The wound was still fresh. David decided then and there to give this man some grace. He’d prove him wrong and he’d do it gently and carefully, too. 

“Bye, Mr. David!” Luna called, frantically waving at him from over her father’s shoulder. Francis turned around and mimicked her sister with a bright little smile. “Bye-bye!” 

He waved half-heartedly. At least the girls seemed to like him a little bit. 

A glance back at Medda showed him that she was looking at him in an ‘I-told-you-so’ type of manner, and that did nothing to quell his growing nerves.. It seemed that after a bit of math, Jack had a habit of firing a nanny almost every month. Maybe one or two had lasted a bit longer and brought the average up, but the fact remained– David needed to act fast if he wanted to stick around, and he did. The pay was excellent, the children were cute, and something about the mysterious and gorgeous Mr. Kelly had David intrigued. 

With sudden determination, he turned to Miss Medda and drew his hands from his pockets. “I’d like to meet the staff.”

She grinned. “Attaboy.”

[see-arcane]

I have been possessed by a stronger than average craving for tinkering with Jonathan Harker's genders (Jonders). Jonathan Harker is undeniably and forever my favorite gothic heroine. But, being that there is so much to chew on regarding his potential fluidity when it comes to gender roles within the story--the classic damsel, the willingly submissive half of the couple, the vengeful berserker, etc--it's got me thinking.

Let's take the metaphor out. What would happen to the Dracula narrative if Jonathan Harker was...

First thing's first--she almost definitely gets shouldered out of the Important Solicitor's position due to reasons of Being Girl. But she still has to get to Transylvania to be menaced by Count Bat Bastard. How?

Hawkins! Johanna is working at the firm as a secretary and personal assistant to a still very paternally mushy old Peter Hawkins. When Dracula's request comes around, he can't give up such a lucrative client over his gout and there's no one he trusts to pass it to. He has to go. And it'd only be right to treat his surrogate daughter to a paid scenic vacation have his aide along on the business trip. Especially when she hunted down Carfax Abbey herself! What a lovely outing they'll have.

...or not.

True to form, Count Dracula is very much not to be trusted around pretty young things of any kind. Considering his canon habits, things aren't about to go any easier for Miss Harker. But at least she has Hawkins watching out for her in-person! It all makes for some very tense talk when discussing anything other than the estate purchase; which Hawkins seems as keen to rush as Dracula is to dawdle over. But at least they'll be out of here soon. What's a couple of awkward nights, right?

One in particular has Johanna nervous as she goes to bed. Hawkins had taken Dracula aside with a hard smile, insisting there was a 'delicate matter' he wished to speak with the Count about. The last time a 'delicate matter' was brought up was when he nearly lobbed a typewriter at one of his ex-solicitor's heads for some distinctly unseemly behavior in her direction. She hopes there isn't a storm brewing under their host's roof. She hopes harder that tomorrow they'll be heading back to the Borgo Pass.

Instead:

Oh.

Oh no.

Between this and one requisite nightmare-week in which the joys of womanhood come and go--let's leave it unspoken whether her set of bloodstained cloths stay in her possession or not--Johanna gets put through the wringer. Per usual. But eventually..!

Yeah. No shock there. Deep calming breaths, Jack. Don't let the wonderful diary concuss you.

Part of being one of two (gasp) G I R L S in the Scooby Gang, Van Helsing and company vote Johanna and Mina out of the dirt hunt. Except. Well. Johanna is still necessary to have on the ground here. She's the only one with the location intel--and a surprise willed gift of inheritance and the firm from poor Hawkins, who the Transylvanian locals all vouch for as being 'slain by wolves,' leaving Johanna free of blame--so she's still running around for the crew.

Even so, odds are high that she initially gets sidelined with Mina. Which isn't overly awful. It is good to be side-by-side in this timeline! No needless sequestering from each other! Johanna is already planning to see Mina back to their new house before they have to sleep another night in an asylum.

And then comes the 3rd of October.

Van Helsing: "Madam Harker, is it not somewhat attention-catching to wear trousers in public? We are meant to be unremarkable while we wait on th--"

Johanna, has already smoked through two cigars, kukri in her lap, playing a game of chicken with God: "Do you think I scaled a mountain in three layers of skirts, Professor? No? Then I will not do the same if the rancid bastard tries to escape out the window."

Van Helsing, aside: "Friend John, can you speak sense to her?"

Jack, melting off the side of the bench: "I think I hauve consumption"

Anyway. She very much does get to the Dracula head chopping. And there will be much rejoicing. BUT all that grimdarkness aside, there are other, more hijinks-flavored opportunities to think of with this particular set up. If only because I genuinely believe that Lucy and Art, having two spare best friends on hand and a general vibe that radiates 'ooooh what if triple wedding???', would come up with the following master plan. Some truly Shakespearean folly kind of shit:

Thankfully, Johanna and Mina nix the idea pretty quick. Case in point:

And, last but not least, my final word on the range of Jonders that exist within my very best gothic heroine friend:

ha ha I do that

[samgirl98]

Forgotten Demon Twin 15/?

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It was a shock, to say the least, to discover that your son was the ruler of an entirely different dimension, that your college friend was an evil bastard bent on world domination and obsessed with stealing her away from her family, and that the only one standing in the way of said evil was, once again, your son.

Maddie was going to be sick.

“I just can’t believe it. Vladdy, the Wisconsin ghost? He wants me dead?”

“Yeah, he blames you for the ectoacne. He thinks he would've married mom if you hadn’t done the calculations wrong.”

“That’s absurd! I never loved him.”

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, “Yeah, well, I’ve tried as best as I can to keep him away from you guys, but it’s hard. He keeps bugging our place, and I’m pretty sure he stalks me with the city’s video cameras. He thinks if he wears me down enough, I’ll renounce dad and join him as his son with mom at his side.”

Maddie was livid. How dare he? Danny was hers and Jack’s son. Not Bruce Wayne’s and certainly not Vlad’s.

“We’ll deal with this, honey buns. Now, we have to figure out how to get rid of those anti-ecto laws; they’re a danger to you and your sister.”

Maddie felt guilty. She and Jack had helped create those laws, believing all ghosts were evil. After all, the government had used their papers to prove that any ectoentity was an unfeeling thing bent on destruction. She wanted to dissect them; Jack wanted to tear them apart. Now that her children were in danger, she wanted them gone, but how much more damage would they have done if not for their children? They were hypocrites.

Maddie felt a hand on her shoulder. Jazz was smiling at her.

“Don’t worry mom, we’ll figure it out.”

“Oh, my sweet babies,” she hugged her daughter—a daughter whose life she had put in danger. Due to Jack’s and her obsession, they killed one child and changed the autonomy of another. They were horrible parents.

“We’ll make this right, baby, we’ll make this right.”

____

The car ride was silent as Bruce drove back to the hotel. He could smell Earl’s tea in the car, reminding him he’d have to tell his children that Alfred’s ghost was haunting them. He wondered how Damian would take it. His son had already gone through the emotional wringer. Finding out Alfred was around would either make or break him.

Bruce sighed.

One thing at a time. First, he’d have to find a way to repeal those laws. They were threatening his children (after all, more than one of them had come back from the grave) and Alfred. Bruce was being selfish, but he was glad his father figure had decided to stay instead of looking for eternal rest.

Bruce would rather have a ghost of Alfred than no Alfred at all.

They made it back to the hotel in one piece. There had been no new ghost attacks, and the world hadn’t threatened to implode in itself.

Tim didn’t waste any time. As soon as Bruce entered through the door, he was talking.

“Bruce, we need to find out how to present this to the Justice League. Justice League Dark sent over their thoughts and reports so we can make a presentation. Clark and Lois can write about this to be known publicly outside of Amity Park. Oh, we also have to find a way to have these laws at least temporarily stopped before we can get them fully repealed. If not, the ghosts will be in even more danger from the GIW’s attacks.”

Bruce nodded and sat by Tim. Jason was looking out the window, and Duke and Cass were sifting through reports. Damian and Dick picked up some random papers and started reading. Damian’s face became more pinched the more he read.

“Before we continue, I need to tell you something.”

All of his children looked at him.

“Alfred, can you show yourself?”

His kids gave him a look of disbelief.

“B, I think you need to—” Jason stopped when Alfred appeared in the middle of the room.

The whole room went still. Nobody breathed.

Then Damian made a choking noise.

“Pennyworth, you, but—but I saw you die,” Damian’s voice broke around the last word.

“Oh, Master Damian, it wasn’t your fault. Besides, I’m here.”

Damian ran toward Alfred and hugged the old butler.

“Oh, Master Damian, I’ve caused you so much pain,” he looked up, “I’ve hurt all my children. pain.”

“It’s not your fault, Alfie,” Jason said with tears streaming down his face. Actually, everyone seemed to be in different stages of crying. Even Bruce wasn’t immune as he felt his cheeks wet.

“Unfortunately, I still lack the strength to remain visible for extended periods, although this town appears to be helping with my strength. I spent most of my energy taking Master Bruce to the Fenton’s place today.”

Everyone turned to Bruce.

 “Seriously, you couldn’t have driven yourself, old man,” Jason asked.

“I didn’t know he was going to do that! It was a surprise.”

Alfred smiled softly as he started disappearing.

“Don’t worry, I’m always here, even if you can’t see me.”

Everyone stayed silent for a few moments; then, they became a whirlwind.

“We need to repeal those laws yesterday,” Tim muttered as he started typing away, “Alfie is in danger, too, if we don’t get rid of them.”

Damian stared at the empty place Alfred had been. Bruce got up and put a hand on his son’s shoulder.

“It’ll turn out fine, son, I promise. No one will harm our family, let alone the government.”

Damian looked at Bruce with determination in his eyes.

“No, they won’t.”

____

Jazz and Danny sat in the emergency ops center, staring at Amity Park. It looked deceptively calm.

“You think mom and dad are going to stay up all night going through old papers and fixing them,” Danny asked.

Jazz hummed and then sighed.

“I don’t know.”

“I wish they hadn’t found out this way. I could’ve told in a way so they wouldn’t have to feel guilty.”

“They would’ve felt guilty either way, Danny. Don’t beat yourself up.”

“Still,” he said.

They went silent.

“You should go to bed, Danny. After all, tomorrow is a big day.”

Danny scowled. He didn’t want proof that he was related to Damian and Bruce Wayne. After all, everything had gone to shit the moment they had shown up.

“You think they’ll tell mom and dad they’re Gotham’s heroes,” Danny said instead of cussing.

“You would know better than me,” Jazz said while getting up, “I’m going to bed.”

She kissed Danny’s forehead, and for once, Danny let her.

“‘Night, little brother.”

“Good night, Jazz.”

____

Batman entered the meeting with his cape billowing silently behind him. Red Robin was carrying a laptop and some papers. Robin trailed behind them with his usual scowl.

“What’s this about, Batman,” Superman asked. He noticed that Justice League Dark was also in the meeting; usually, they tended only to show up if magic was involved. Clark hated magic.

Batman sat at the head of the table while Robin handed out folders and Red Robin set up the computer.

Curious, Clark opened the folder and sped read through it. Clark felt sick. There were pictures.

“How did we miss this,” Flash asked, looking a little green.

“What is ‘this’?” Wonder Woman asked as she opened the folder.

“This is government-sanctioned genocide by the US government toward one of the strongest denizens of any dimension,” Constantine said.

This was going to be a long meeting.

[yuri-is-online]

I am. Very tired.

And on so much cold medicine. So if this is too silly, please ignoere.

The Aceyuu breadrumbs comes in the same vein as the VilKiss ramble I gave a while back. But!

Back in Book 3, when Yuu became homeless after putting their home up as collateral against Azul, Ace has probably never actually wished for other people to fail in school, or for the blow out of Riddle's "Tyrant Era" to have horrible consequences, but for a moment he really wishes that some of the people who were at the end of their ropes with Riddle had actually transfered out of the dorm or even the school, just so Heartslaybul would have a bed for Yuu to stay in during this time. How could Crowly ask you to handle Azul for him and not help you out on this?!

It's early enough in your...whatever it is you two have going on that he's more relieved for you than jealous when Jack offeres a place at Savannahclaw for Yuu, thank Seven that you have someone else who can have you're back while he's forced to bus tables at the Lounge. He's so busy being put through the wringer, he doesn't really have time to check up on Yuu, only really getting updates with Grim about what a hardass Leona seems to be. Of course what little bits he get's from Grim worries him. Yeah, Yuu's tenacious and strong, and has already gone up against two overblots and whatever that monster in the mines was, in spite of not having a lick of magic to their name, their also charming and funny and clever, part of him's sure Yuu has the guys at Savannahclaw wrapped around their fingers and why is Deuce and some of the other guys looking at him like that? It's not like he was muttering this out loud, was it?

Anywhoosies, the photo heist in the ocean works, the contracts binding Ace (and everyone else, he guesses) are ash and Azul's gonna be sent to the councillor for his Overblot all while still offering amazing deals on his one-on-one consultations! Everything's coming up Ace Trappola, it seems. That is, until things have slowed down enough for him that he's catching the tail end of some rumours, that is.

What do you mean Leona MADE Yuu sleep in his room? Jack said Savannahclaw had spare beds! And whats all this about how Yuu kept the dorm up all night with the noises coming out of Leona's room on your last night?! Come to think of it, how DID you get Leona to go along with this plan?

Ace begins to spiral and at this point in time, after just short of 3 months of knowing Yuu does honest to Seven real Jealousy begin to rear its head on him, before this he thought Yuu was attractive, and fun to be around, and someone whose had his back in a few tough spots. But this is the first time that the idea of some guy catching Yuu's eye in any serious way makes his the blood roar in his ears and his hands shake. Forget fighting Riddle for Housewarden position, he's fighting Leona for...because um...well...He'll have a valid reason once he's done fighting that mangy lion, that's for sure! It's while he's stewing in his own anger, trying to actually make sense of this churning in his gut does things get cleared up as Yuu complains about what's worse to sleep on; Thier bed at Ramshackle or Leona's couch right next to the open windows (I know the dorms are climate controlled, but I still imagine it's uncomfortable to sleep so exposed like that), Ace prompts them more about their stay and Yuu goes on and on about their ordeal, it's only when they see the relieved smile on Ace's face do they get mad. Was he enjoying their suffering while they were trying to save him?!

He laughs and apologises, offering to buy Yuu a drink at the lounge, both as thanks to his "hero" and as an apology for feeling so happy about how their stay at Savannahclaw actually went, joking about how he just found how they got Leona to agree to the plan hilarious, is all. It's not like he was jealous, or anything, right?

Or something, I really should sleep but I keep coughing myself awake U_U Just thought this was a fun silly idea

Apartment complex? Ace finds it quite simple, unless Yuu is in the apartment with someone who is not him 💀

Unaware of himself Ace who is still sort of in denial about his feelings who is glad Yuu gets to have some privacy in Savanaclaw. Surely even Azul and the eels know better than to mess with Leona, he's a prince! Still he's so muttering to himself about how things are probably going for Yuu, don't look at him like that Deuce he's just worried and he should be too! Yuu could be homeless soon!

Yuu explains that they annoyed Leona into cooperating with their plan to the twins in Book 3, so he knows that much but the bit about staying in Leona's room is... new information. Deuce looks at him sideways, because he assumed as much when he heard Yuu explain things and Jack doesn't see what the big deal is really. It makes him painfully aware of how "out of place" this jealousy of his actually is.

You are you, a friend, despite his best efforts and one he has no real right to be so jealous over when one of the reasons you were in such a tough spot was because of him. The thought you might like Leona hurts, but he doesn't quite put a finger on it until you're complaining about sleeping on Leona's couch. It's easy to mistake his relief for amusement, jealousy over you would be the last thing on your mind given how much of a brat he was through the whole fiasco. But there's something about the way he calls you his hero, the way he tugs on the sleeve of your blazer towards the lounge since you didn't get much of anything the last few times you were there.

Something about the look on his face that really doesn't look like anything other than content when he watches you. He only realizes how in deep he is later that night when he realizes he couldn't even bring himself to joke about being jealous. He'd have tripped over his own words into the truth.

[gallifreyanhotfive]

Random Doctor Who Facts You Might Not Know, Part 25

Josie Day was a companion of the Eighth Doctor. She was a living painting, commissioned to capture the likeness of Lady Josephine, but she was so rich in animae particles that she became alive.

The Valeyard took on the identity of Jack the Ripper. While committing the famous murders, the Valeyard used the Dark Matrix to corrupt the other Doctors.

Ace was almost the sixth Ripper victim.

The Man with the Rosette (or, the Master) gave Scarlette rings to use for her and the Doctor’s wedding. He also sat in on the wedding on the side reserved for the Doctor’s family.

The Fifth Doctor is so scared of spiders that he will freeze in place and make Peri get rid of it.

The Saxon Master thought that the sun on the Mondasian Colony Ship would look the same as the sun in the Teletubbies.

The First and Second Doctors were both colorblind, but the Doctor did not realize this until they became the Third Doctor.

The Eighth Doctor spent a lot of time during the Coronavirus lockdown baking. He eventually managed to make a banana bread that wasn't disgusting. It was quite good actually.

After getting bored of baking, he started making a lot of face masks. He superimposed people's faces on them, so they could tell who each mask belonged to. Very few people accepted them when he offered them.

Once he got bored of that and ran out of other hobbies, he ran away to go live alone in his grounded TARDIS for many months.

The Master once set up a talent show called Make a Star. It was an anagram for aka Master.

The Ninth Doctor was petrified by the Incorporation on Occasus. He tried to regenerate to escape but couldn't. The Incorporation wanted his artron energy to bring back their kind and tortured him for 89 years to do so. Even after he regained the ability to move, he continued to go through the wringer in this story.

In that same story, he got so close to dying that another consciousness - himself as a failsafe on the brink of death - spoke to him.

The laws of probability bend around Time Lords, often tipping odds in their favor.

The politically correct term for a Silurian is an Earth Reptile.

The Sword of Never is a weapon used to execute Time Lord criminals. It renders all regeneration useless.

After one of the destructions of Gallifrey, the Eighth Doctor was dying. He was vomiting black bile, falling unconscious, generally looking like death warmed over, etc. This was only cured when Sabbath ripped his second heart - his connection to his Homeworld - from his body, but the Doctor immediately started screaming when he did this.

The Doctor is known as Karshtakavaar by the Draconians. It means the Oncoming Storm.

Harry has been known to bring the Fourth Doctor jelly babies from the shop because he knows he likes them.

Ace was once betrothed to a Traveller named Jan. The Seventh Doctor sacrificed him to defeat the Hoothi, and Ace's affection for the Doctor turned to so much hatred that she left the TARDIS.

Osgood has several tattoos of the Doctor’s faces.

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28

[queeenpersephone]

do you ever think about the way that the doctor protects rose in journey’s end when jack is shot by the dalek? after he thinks he’s lost donna and the tardis? the way his expression is dead, almost lifeless, cold, after he thinks he’s sent his best friend and the one creature in the universe that’s been with him since the beginning to their painful deaths? the way he clutches rose’s waist, hovers over her, protects her, like if he lets go then maybe she’ll disappear, like she’s done before, like he knows she will inevitably do again? because i do. i think about all of those boundaries being shattered. because there is no ‘i have to live on’ in this moment. there’s no growing old. this doctor, who has thought far more about the future than his predecessor, to the point where his angst on the subject has nearly (and will eventually) kill him, is suddenly more in the moment than even nine ever was. he’s lost almost everything again. almost. because he has rose. he is holding onto rose, who has been put through the emotional wringer and still holds his hand with such compassion, cries over her friend’s death, fits with him so easily it’s like no time has passed at all. rose, who is sunlight and love and hope, and if he has nothing else, he has his body that he can fling in front of her to protect her from danger. in this moment, before they walk down to meet davros and he refocuses on protecting the earth and his other friends, rose is his only thread to sanity, to reality, his only desire to live. and his world narrows completely down to her. 

[britishassistant]

The collectivel group of Yuus (an Exasperation of Yuus?) have been put through the wringer lately, might I suggest pranks at the expense of villainous embarrassment?

(Corvid Prompts is a writing prompt blog that has a lot of Hero/Villain/Vigilante story ideas. Many of which encourage writers to break out of a typical plot for such genres. I got this idea from them.)

Since they all work under the same League, what petty pranks would the villainous groups pull on each other for the hell of it?

Who would send a goat (or other farm animal) to another hide out to as a reminder to an unfortunate (but funny) goat related incident that happened in the past?

Another incident where during another League thing out of town/country where a pair (from different groups) had to pretend to be married to get out of a mess? What jokes are made for the lack of "wedding" and subsequent "divorce"?

Who fills the entire lair of a villain with plastic balls as disproportionate retribution for taking the last muffin?

You don't need to write anything, but just imagine the insanity? Can you imagine Yuu in any form just exasperated?

Thank you for the ask, dear anon!

Well, Poison Queen’s already pulled the “prank” of attempted love potioning, though that did backfire rather spectacularly on him. Epel would like to say he’s good at pulling them, but Vil’s usually easily able to avoid them. He’s had much more luck with the other rookie minions though!

Rook pulls a prank every time he says he’ll fight White Neige.

Royal Flush would never be caught dead indulging in something as puerile as a prank!… But if he makes the appropriate suggestions to his minions and just so happens to leave plans for them around? Well. He can hardly control everything they do, now can he?

Ace and Deuce are the best at following those and tag teaming to ensure they work, while Trey and Cater specialize in innovating to cover any potential pitfalls. Ace also pulls pranks on Deuce and the rest of Heartslabyul regularly, but woe betide him when his seniors decide that he’s had enough fun, and team up with Deuce for some payback.

Leona loves stealing whatever he can get his hands on from his rival supervillains. If they have it, he wants it, for no other reason than ruining their day when they realize it’s missing. Unsurprisingly, “whatever he can get his hands on” usually ends up being “Yuu the Reporter”.

Ruggie has a very similar mindset, in that he’ll only pull a prank if there’s something physical he gets out of it in return. Usually food.

Jack will not mastermind pranks, because he is a Good Boi. Doesn’t mean he won’t join in on one someone else has thought up.

Azul considers himself too professional to “pull a prank” as the kids say, but he will gladly point Jade and Floyd at his inconveniences dear colleagues and watch the sparks fly.

Floyd has an abiding fondness for large quantities of anything small, plastic, and loud. Jade prefers noxious, brightly colored substances that are a pain to wash out of clothing or architecture.

Kalim is the master of accidental pranks! He genuinely doesn’t mean to get people soaking wet or make their food too spicy or tea too sweet! But if everyone is laughing, he’ll laugh with them!

Jamil doesn’t do pranks. Jamil does retaliation.

One of the small joys of Idia’s life is getting one over on these Luddite normies. If he just wants a quick pick me up, a virus that constantly plays an annoying song on loop or hides files is always a fun way to spend the day. If he’s feeling vindictive, mass ordering insects or livestock to be sent to their lairs is an old favorite.

Ortho will also gleefully participate in his Nii-san’s pranks!! They’re so fun!! However, if Idia hasn’t gotten enough nutrients or fresh air recently, Ortho’s not above pulling a prank or two of his own…

Malleus once tried to prank a NRC conference by balancing a bucket of water on the doorframe. He had no way of knowing that Yuu was going to be sneaking in to eavesdrop and would end up getting drenched.

Lilia isn’t allowed to prank anyone anymore. Not when his pranks verge on the level of psychological warfare.

It’s very, very rare, but Silver occasionally pulls pranks by falling asleep somewhere inconspicuous and summoning inconvenient wildlife to his location. No one ever suspects he can do it on purpose.

Sebek has tried to pull pranks before. He gets too impatient and always accidentally spoils it before the payoff.

Jade and Trey have had to fake getting engaged at least once in order to avoid getting found out as minions during a Fae Incorporated(TM) sponsored gala.

Trey has also had to pretend he was married to Rook in order to maintain cover at another, completely separate event.

Jade and Rook like to tease poor Trey about his “infidelity”. Floyd once tried to beat up Trey for his brother’s honor.

Trey still isn’t quite sure whether he was serious or not.

[amazingmsme]

Officially watched Black Friday! Have any Wilbur Cross tk hcs? I love a good ticklish!villain 💚💸🍏 (or president Curt Mega?? Love that man)

The first human to venture out into the black & white & live to tell the tale, the lords in black have put this man through the fuckin’ wringer!

At first he was horrified by them like any sane person would be, but the lib’s curiosity got the better of them & they started striking up a deal with this human to help them gain access & power to his world

After that, their interactions became much more civil but he still remains reserved & skeptical about their true intentions & if they’ll keep up their end of the bargain

Wiggly is the main ambassador between them & so he’s the lord who has interacted with Wilber/Wiley the most

I think that Wilber is the one that introduced the lib to the concept of tickling, but completely by accident. Wiggly was probably stroking & caressing him with his tentacles being creepy & go rightfully offended when he was laughed at to his face! Wilber gave an excuse like “calm down boy, I’m just a little ticklish. Keep your tentacles to yourself & we won’t have a problem” & then they’re like wtf is that? & he’s just like “eh it’s kid shit. You tickle someone, they laugh, it’s all shits an’ giggles, can we get back to business?” Only they DON’T

He is the lords in black’s personal tickle toy & honestly? He fucking deserves it!

Wiggly, Pokey & Tinky like to play with him the most

The lords have ganged up on him too many times to count

He has a stereotypical evil cackle that’s his genuine laugh & it’s the cutest/funniest thing! Like it’s so fitting, who’d have thought?

He’s ticklish pretty much everywhere, & since he’s spent so much time in the black & white, his particles & molecules are a little jacked up & I think maybe Wiggly can do something with that to make him a bit more… sensitive

His worst spots are his neck/ears, ribs, hips, feet, tummy & thighs but he’s ticklish everywhere (Wiggly DEFINITELY did something, the fucker)

I have some Curt Mega headcanons floating around here somewhere, most likely in my spies are forever tag & I’ll make some headcanons for president howard here soon! Just thought I’d get these out in the meantime!

[cruel-heathcliff]

honestly none of the sinners even process theyre going to go through the wringer for the first bit with jack - because jack is so unbelievably resistant to change he wouldnt even do a whole lot during his own canto . like imagine you have a really smooth canto one then you roll into canto two and henry distorts so damn fast and kills a bunch of peccatulum and other distortions and everyone has to chase him down . like its 0 to 100 . its a little funny .

[ao3feed-clexafic]

The 100: Matryoshka (WIP: New chapter every Sunday!)

Read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/64091374 by KatieThePurpleOni A covert civil war in Russia between the renegade FSB and loyalist SVR. A small army of white nationalist Special Forces veterans terrorizing Virginia. A hundred missing nuclear missiles in Kazakhstan. And a US Presidency sticking its head in the sand going ‘I can’t hear you’. What did all these things have in common? According to the US Government, absolutely nothing. According to Clarke Griffin, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the pieces fit together into a disturbing picture. Plans within plans, schemes within schemes, all layered together like a Russian nesting doll that nobody else wants to believe even exists, and Clarke was the only one that could stop it. When an unsanctioned mission to retrieve evidence results in the death of Clarke's sister Costia, fiancée to DIA Commander Lexa Woods, an intricate dance of trust and betrayal unfolds as Nia Koroleva of the FSB seems to have plans of her own involving the young Director, who for all intents and purposes seems to have betrayed America. Who is friend and who is foe? Is anyone what they seem? And how will Lexa resolve her growing attraction to the girl that got her lover killed? Words: 13047, Chapters: 3/?, Language: English Fandoms: The 100 (TV), The 100 Series - Kass Morgan, Call of Duty (Video Games), Bourne (Movies), The Blacklist (US TV), Original Work, Jack Ryan Series - Tom Clancy Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, Multi, Other Characters: Clarke Griffin, Lexa (The 100), Nia | Ice Queen, Roan (The 100), Ontari (The 100), Gustus (The 100), Becca (The 100), Octavia Blake, Lincoln (The 100), Ryder (The 100), Monty Green, Jasper Jordan, Finn Collins, Glass Sorenson, Costia (The 100), Andrei Volkov (OC), Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin Relationships: Lexa/Costia (minor), Clarke/Bellamy (Minor), Clarke/Roan (Minor), Clarke/Lexa (Endgame), Clexa - Relationship, Raven/Anya, Lincoln/Octavia, Jasper/Maya, Abby Griffin/Jake Griffin Additional Tags: Clexa, This story heavily involves the CIA, But it's a high-octane action-adventure, Not a slow bun spy thriller, action adventure, Conspiracy Thriller, Tom Clancy style, heaps of angst, Moral Ambiguity, Friends to Enemies to Lovers, Badass Lexa, Badass Clarke, Dark Clarke Griffin, Some bits of Clarke-Lexa role reversal, Clarke is kinda psycho, DIA Lexa, Girls with Guns, Modern AH: No Covid, Modern AH: No Russian Invasion of Ukraine, Modern AH: No Trump Presidency, Minor Fallout crossover, CW: Graphic Torture, cw: suicidal ideation, No clexa deaths, Some lesbians were harmed in the making of this novel, None of them get killed though, Angst with a Happy Ending, CIA, FSB, DIA - Freeform, Lexa Lives, She gets put through the wringer though, But I promise she'll be alright, wlw Read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/64091374

[scorpsik]

Last batch of fics.

Linked in this thread

FAST CAR : Em takes matters into her own hands.

BABY BLUES : When Emily holds baby Henry, it brings up old emotions.

YEAR ONE ; It is her birthday. The first one after her death.

CONFESSION : Teenage Emily confesses her pregnancy to her mother.

DEAD END : Tribute ep fic dealing with Emily's loss of Louise.

SOMETHING MISSING : 3 Chapters; Em, JJ, Penelope. Emily rethinks her life as she remembers the children she helped.

PICTURES OF YOU : Em has always had a strained relationship with her mum.

SLIP AWAY : While 'recovering' from Doyle's attack, Emily finds that she is losing herself. And she welcomes it.

OBSESSED : Post Doyle. Derek tries to reconnect with Em

CAGED : Heavy angst. Ian holds Emily prisoner.

HALF THE WORLD AWAY : Filler for ep 200

FAILURE : ML alt. Sometimes everything just goes to shit.

WHO LET THE DOGS OUT : What if Em found Hankel's dogs?

PROTECTOR : The only things that keeps Emily sane is Declan.

VISITING HOURS : Dave visits Em in hospital - post ML

ECHOES : A case is too close to home for Emily - and even if she won't let herself see it, JJ does.

BRICK WALLS : Demonology epilogue.

5 TIMES EMILY THOUGHT SHE WOULD DIE ALONE + 1 TIME SHE DIDN'T : Lotsa angst

NOT ALIKE : The last person Emily wants to see after Colorado is her mom.

FATHER'S DAY : Dave isn't himself and Emily tries to find out why. CW; child loss.

WE SANG HIM A SONG : While helping Clyde on a case, Emily runs into a familiar face.

DON'T YOU KNOW IT'S GONNA BE ALRIGHT : When Emily finds out she's pregnant at 15, security chief Hotch tries to help

TRICKS OF THE TRADE : Aftermath of Em's abduction at Scratch's hands. PTSD. Rossi + Alvez.

THE GAME : Emily travels to interview a killer on death row.

I KNOW YOU TOO WELL : Aaron knows more about Emily than she thinks. Post ML.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE : Em begins her tenure as SC

IMAGE : Em's high school photo rears it's ugly head. cw; mention of drugs.

TRIAL BY ORDEAL : CM17 Em and Dave - focus on Em's trauma

POWER : After recovering from being shot, Penelope asks Em for help

MARCH 7TH : When the date rolls around the first time, Em can't cope. (depression, angst, grief) Hotch.

SENSE : When Em finds out Penelope bedded Tyler, she loses it. Em; Derek; Penelope.

37 MINUTES TOO LATE : AU from ep 7 Seconds. TW ref child abuse/child death. Em cannot process her anger when things go wrong.

KNOTS : Dave offers Em comfort after Colorado.

SPECTRE : After Bailey's death, Emily has nightmares

I'M MORTAL : JJ confronts Emily after her heroics in saving Will

HURTS : Derek feels guilty about the events in ML

FANGURL : Humour short: Derek and Em acting like kids.

ANISEED : An old Interpol case comes back to bite Emily. 5 chapters. cw: sexual violence ch3 and canon violence. Whole BAU team. Season 4/5

BREAK AWAY : Feeling unloved at home, 9 yr old Emily runs away

STILL I CLING : An alternative version of S7 'I had a bad day' scene.

GROUNDED : Two moments where Spencer is Emily's world

EYE FOR AN EYE : Doyle arc AU. Ian's revenge involves hurting her friends. . Whole BAU team involved. tw: kidnap

WRINGER : S7E03 Emily is back and trying her best to fit in again - but Derek has a little something to ruin her day.

MELODY : Dave discovers another of Emily's secrets. Cute fic.

SETTLED DUST : s13e07; Em tries to get through to Desi - but some things can't be changed.

PUTTING BACK THE PIECES : Em and Spencer talk following Maeve's death. cw; grief.

MATERIAL GIRL : Doyle arc. Em is alone and bleeding in the basement.

BABIES AND BRUISES : JJ and Em talk after the events in Minimal Loss

POUNDING : Em has the headache from Hell and needs some TLC

A LONG TIME TO HEAL : When Jack calls Emily out of the blue, she never could have dreamed how badly he and Aaron would need her help.

NEVER ENOUGH : 12yo Em tries to get er mother's love.

Forget-Me-Not : Teen Em's parents have forgotten her birthday. Hotch hasn't. Angst and fluffiness.

Layers Of A Lie ; 3 chapters. Em's death, rebuilding and recreation. Angsty, injuries. JJ, Doyle.

[autistic-crypt1d]

Season 2 SG-1 Live Blogging:

Off to a thrilling start with the team trying to stop a galactic assault on Earth by the Goa'uld!

S1

Updates:

- PFFFFT THE WAY JACK FEELS UP TEAL'C'S FACE

- Sam biting Jack's hand will never stop being hilarious

- Goa'uld busters... I hate that that's kinda funny

- Bra'tac!!! Fuck yeah!!

- ah yes leave the archeologist who barely knows how to use a gun alone to watch your back

- Daniel 😭 I hate watching him get hurt

- seriously? They didn't bother to keep the hole in the uniform? Does the sarcophagus heal clothes now too? Cuz it certainly didn't when Jack was taken by Baal as far as I remember

- let's go Daniel!!!

- the reunion of the team AHHHHH

- In The Line of Duty

- oh shit this episode

- Daniel's reaction to being used as a human shield is so funny "oh geez", the way he says it so softly too XD

- why do I recognize the nurse dude

- Daniel sitting on the bed with her :(

- Prisoners

- oh boy

- I wish we got to know more about The Taldor after this

- "if you once again try to harm me or my companions, my patience with you will expire" love that guy

- good on Daniel for questioning why Linea is there

- "the things I do for these people" for real dude, Hammond goes through the wringer for his 4 kids

- "and this just came to you?" "No this came to me while I was suffocating" PFFFFT

- Daniel's little fuckin point for the team to get food first is so funny, he's so goofy y'all

- I wonder why nothing ever came of her studying the root sample, even without the activators, surely she would've learned something useful

- the marks on Jack's neck :(

- Gamekeeper

- oh hell I hate this episode 😭

- why is there duct tape on the guns and John's knife?

- oh god Daniel's one AHHHHH

- I want to strangle the keeper so badly

- "Daniel! With me!" Ah yes, the archeologist as your backup instead of the 2 highly skilled soldiers XD

- Need

- ugh, skip

- Thor's Chariot

- ooooo this one!!!

- the way they don't just forget about the whole Jolinar thing and incorporate it into the show multiple times is so cool

- THOR!!!!! MY GUY!!!

- BRO SAM LITERALLY JUST REACHED FOR DANIEL'S HAND

- god the Asgard are so cool

- Message in a Bottle

- oh boy this one is INTENSE

- "you think it might be a booby trap?" "Booby?" PFFFFT

- those two have no personal space with eachother

- ah Daniel, sticking his foot in his mouth once again

- I know I've said it like a million times but I love Teal'c and Jack so much. One of them needs something and the other one is already doing it istg

- "undomesticated equines could not drag me away"

- seeing Jack on the verge of sobbing is heartbreaking omfg

- yeah Daniel you get that axe!!

- the Simmons side plot in this episode is so random

- Family

- I really hate when this guy comes back from the dead

- I've always wondered, why do some Jaffa have the metal marking like Teal'c while others have the black tattoo?

- this episode makes me so sad for Teal'c :(

- "but we are with father?" "Yes" "then to me, we are home" AHHHHHH

- Secrets

- oh boy this episode

- "General, Captain, General, waiter" Jack is so sassy I love him

- god Jacob really fuckin irks me sometimes ya know? That whole pushy dad who doesn't really get boundaries thing? Hate it

- Daniel making sure the decision is entirely Sha're's AHHHHH

- what the hell kind of father tells his daughter he's dying and his final wish is for her to completely change her life for him and when she says no, he storms off in a huff like a damn child

- the way Daniel is so excited when he says it's a boy, and then the second time realizing what that means AHHHH

- Jack's expression OUCHYYYY

- Bane

- ah hell this episode stresses me TF out y'all

- "we gotta get outta here" "No, really?" "No. Really."

- poor Teal'c :(

- despite the chaos that ensues in this episode, I feel like they really should've figured out some good protective armor or sent a robot back to investigate the society more. They were obviously advanced, there was probably so much stuff they could've learned from them

- "General, request permission to beat the crap out of this man"

- "I'm not gonna hit you Mayborne, I'm gonna shoot you"

- it really sucks that Teal'c first real experience on the surface is during this shit

- this kid rules but also like, don't talk to strangers dude

- god I love the goofy ass relationship between Teal'c and Daniel

- THE WET SHIRT SOUNDS XD

- The Tok'ra, Part 1

- see, Jacob being unfairly fuckin dickish to Sam once again

- I always find it so weird that she calls DID, Schizophrenia. Was that just the label they lumped it under at the time or something?

- why is it always Daniel walking in on some alien dude flirting with Sam XD

- The Tok'ra, Part 2

- SAM'S LITTLE SMILE AFTER TELLING JACOB ABOUT THE STARGATES BEING ON HUMAN COMPATIBLE PLANET

- Spirits

- another alien race I wish we got to know more about!!

- poor Jack :(

- pffft Jack's reaction

- "are you, you?" "Yeah, you?" "What? "Nevermind."

- Tonané is so awesome

- Touchstone

- "in my culture, it is well within my rights to dismember you" GOLD

- Jack in a backwards hat, AHH

- I'm sorry but Daniel being in a tactical situation wearing that damn floppy archeologist hat is so funny XD

- why is this making me a little emotional

- The Fifth Race

- oh boy

- I love the boxing scene so much XD

- this is honestly one of my favorite episodes

- pffft Teal'c casually restraining Jack

- "I can't leave him like this, and I won't" AHHHHHHHHH

- y'all I STILL get chills during this whole section

- "Chevron 8, is locked." AHHHHH!!!!

- little grey guys!!!

- god I love this scene

- now see, why do we never seen the Asgard use that hand thing again? Wtf is that?

- I LOVE THIS SCENE AHHHH!!!

- "you have already taken the first steps to becoming, the fifth race" AHHHHH

- A Matter of Time

- this is absolutely also one of my favorite episodes

- Major Davis!!! He is absolutely one of my favorite recurring side characters

- I love Janet for slapping tf outta that dude's gun XD

- where did the General get his blues from? He didn't go up the elevator with them on, at least not the jacket and hat

- "Captain, relativity gives me a headache" pffft

- the angst between Jack and Cromwell is so good

- the vortex is so cool ahhhhhhh

- I'm sad Daniel isn't in this episode :(

- yikes, that iris collapsing cgi was bot the best XD

- :(

- all I can imagine is how hard he must have slammed into the wall with the combination of the blast force and the gravity returning to normal, dropping him

- Daniel!!

- Holiday

- I don't really feel like watching this one tbh

- Serpent's Song

- god damn Teal'c is fast!!

- I always forget how much Simmons was in the show this early on instead of Walter. I wonder what prompted the switch

- Sokar is such a cool villain concept, the original Satan. Sucks he ended up being so lame after this

- serious, willing to kill Daniel is something else y'all

- it must be something else to be in the position Teal'c is right now. After spending your life serving what you thought for a long time was a god, turning on that god, and dedicating the rest of your life to defeating him and the others, now he is watching over that same man lying in a bed dying. He's entirely at the mercy if his captors, powerless, I can't imagine how that must feel for him to witness.

- SEE THAT PROJECTION THING IS SO COOL AND SPOOKY

- I can't imagine how good it must feel for Teal'c to get all this out

- the hot iris looks so damn cool

- One False Step

- oh this one!

- pfffft Sam slapping Daniel's shoulder

- PFFFT IT RUNNING AWAY

- I both love and dislike this episode

- Daniel interacting with these dudes is one of the funniest things in this show

- "I am not fond of this"

- Daniel just plopping down on the ground with them is so cute

- PFFFT THEM DRAWING ON HIM

- HIM PRETENDING TO BE A PLANE

- god this is such a good Daniel episode

- PFFFFT the way the dude just flops

- "this, this is nothing to worry about" *alien collapses* "of course I could be wrong"

- the way they're just tapping the collapsed ones 😭

- Sam tapping its arm to try and comfort it AHHHHH SO PRECIOUS

- I'm sad I had a bunch of stuff written after this and it didn't save for some reason :(

- Show and Tell

- this episode is so sad :(

- idk why Mother just stood in the room with the other 2 Reetou, or why the kid didn't tell anyone

- 1969

- idk, it's a good episode but I never really like rewatching it so I'm skipping for now

- Out of Hand

- oh dang it's this one

- they really did 2 time jump episodes back to back? I know this one is fake, but that feels like some bad timing. Surely they were all thinking, again? We just did this

- this is another flashback episode for the first like half so I'm gonna fast forward

- more than half!

- omg Daniel's first haircuttttt

- Teal'c's loyalty to SG-1 😭

- the flashbacks after he escapes are done much cooler

- ugh, Hathor

Season 3

[pokemonispain]

Hi again! This is the same anon as the Jamil ask <33

I love your take on that so much!! Honestly i love the thought of all of the boys going through rough overblot symptoms like - take Leona next.

I imagine that adrenaline ran him through the Spelldrive Tournament and didn't fizzle out even later because Cheka came by and he finally crashes late at night in the infirmary. That's literally such a perfect set up too like - Ruggie, Leona and Jack are all in the infirmary for their wounds so the doctor/nurse let's them be on their own with their number in case they need anything.

At first Leona can't tell apart the soreness from getting beat around from the feverish aching. He refuses to eat and Ruggie, still hesitant from being attacked by King's Roar doesn't force him.

I also love the idea of Leona eventually feeling so sick that he simply sits at the edge of his bed and throws up, the sound of which wakes Ruggie up and for a moment Ruggie decides to forget that Leona hurt him and decides to help him out anyways.

I feel like Jack would also be really caring despite not really being very happy with Leona or Ruggie, because somehow he gives me very responsible little brother vibes.

Anon, anon👁️👁️ did you know that I am an enormous Leona yume/simp, (same for Azul) but oh my lord I love this just YES😵‍💫 I may need to write another fic for him😭

Leona definitely put himself through the wringer in regards to his overblot and then proceeding to do like incredibly intensive magic based sports afterwards as well.

Him winded up in the infirmary afterwards was the least surprising thing ever😭

I can definitely picture him aching everywhere when the adrenaline runs its course and then he practically jumps crashes hard. Just kinda curls up in what comfortable position he can manage and tries to sleep through it but the pain and fever that’s setting in is kinda keeping him just awake enough.

Ruggie and Jack chatting about the match, and just usual stuff maybe while occasionally looking at their phone or something.

I can definitely imagine when like dinner arrives Leona’s eyes kinda open a bit and he glances over at Ruggie who’s like grabbing his own food, Ruggie like just sensing Leona’s eyes on him and him hesitantly looking over after a second or two before asking him if he wants some of the food.

Leona would probably just shake his head a bit close his eyes and tries going back to sleep. Eventually like managing to doze off for a bit wakes up feeling worse😭

I figure like Jack would probably be knocked out until he actually hears like Leona start puking and then he wakes up completely startled, his fur on his ears and tail bristling and everything 😭

Ruggie probably was nearly asleep as well when he hears like Leona shifting in bed, something interesting is that since Leona like using King’s Roar on him I feel like maybe Ruggie would have a tiny bit of trouble sleeping with his back to Leona, ie basically exposed, where as before that it was fine.

He may not even realize he’s doing it exactly but just that he feels more comfortable/safer that way😭

Him opening his eyes and seeing Leona moving to sit up, thinking that Leona’s probably just getting up for water or finally eating dinner til he just sees him lurch forward and retch😂

Ruggie’s eyes would be so wide before like he kinda rushes over to hold Leona’s hair and help him. Realizing he’s running a fever while Jack comes over too to help probably calls one of the medical mages over.

I can see both Jack and Ruggie being more than a little worried especially considering like Leona’s had an overblot so recently. Ahhh I love them a lot❤️❤️

[zunigawithoneg]

Smoking

What’s the big deal about it anyway? Everyone acts like it’s so glamorous or cool, like you’re James Dean or some dumb movie star, but it’s not. It’s just a bunch of dorks standing around, puffing on these little sticks of death, trying to look important.

And the smell my gosh, the smell. It’s like someone set fire to a pile of old socks and then tried to cover it up with cheap perfume. It gets in your clothes, your hair, everywhere. And don’t even get me started on the ashtrays. They’re always full of these disgusting, crumpled-up butts that look like they’ve been through the wringer. It’s like a museum of human misery, right there on the coffee table.

But then you’ve got these other dorks who think they’re so clever because they’ve switched to vaping. “Oh, it’s not as bad for you,” they say, blowing out these big clouds of strawberry-flavored smoke like they’re some kind of human fog machine. Give me a break. It’s still the same dumb habit, just wrapped up in a shiny, futuristic package. And don’t even get me started on the way they act like it’s some kind of lifestyle. “Vape culture,” they call it. What a load of baloney. It’s not a culture; it’s just a bunch of people sucking on overpriced USB sticks. Pause.

And then there’s weed. Everyone acts like it’s so cool and rebellious, like they’re sticking it to the man or something. But really, they’re just sitting around on some raggedy couch, eating chips and laughing at nothing. And the smell.. lord save me. The smell of weed. It’s like someone set fire to a skunk and then tried to cover it up with incense. It’s disgusting. And then people talk about it so positively. “It’s natural,” they say. “It’s medicine.” Yeah, well, so is arsenic, but you don’t see me huffing that, do you? People will do anything but drink water or eat a veggie.

But here’s the thing that really kills me. I’ve got these two friends, right? Let’s call them Jack and Jill, because why not. Both of them used to be these straight-A students, real go-getters, the kind of kids teachers love and parents brag about at dinner parties. But then, I don’t know, something happened. Jack started smoking, then vaping, then weed, and now he’s a complete asshole. I mean, he used to be this great guy, always cracking jokes and helping people out, but now he’s just this lazy jerk who’s always late to everything and acts like the world owes him something. He’s failing all his classes, blowing off his friends, and just generally being a pain in the neck. It’s depressing, really. I mean, what the hell happened to him? And then there’s Jill. She went down the same road for a while, smoking, vaping, all that crap. But then she woke up one day and realized she was turning into a zombie. So now she’s trying to turn things around. She’s quitting all that stuff, going to therapy, and actually trying to get her life back on track. And you know what? It’s hard. Really hard. But she’s doing it, and I respect the hell out of her for that. It’s like she’s fighting this invisible war with herself, and she’s actually winning. It’s pretty damn impressive, if you ask me. But it’s also kind of sad, you know? Because it makes you realize how easy it is to screw up your life, and how hard it is to fix it once you do. Jack’s out there being a jerk and blaming everyone else for his problems, while Jill’s actually trying to do something about hers. And I don’t know, it just makes you wonder why some people can pull themselves together and others can’t. It’s all so confusing and depressing.

The worst part is, it’s all the same thing. Smoking, vaping, weed, it’s all just a bunch of people trying to escape from reality for a while. And I get it, I really do. The world’s full of tragedies, and sometimes you just want to check out for a bit. But you know what? It doesn’t work. You’re still you when you come down, and the world’s still full of crappy people. All you’ve done is waste your money and make yourself smell like a walking garbage fire.

Smoking, vaping, weed, it’s all the same habit, and anyone who says otherwise is part of the weakest links. If you ask me, we’d all be better off without it. But hey, what do I know? I’m just a kid (with a brain).

[kerryweaverlesbian]

I'm fic rec person 🤫 Free to be you and me insensible writhing that's EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Your WIP OKAY YAY don't stop. And the deancaspala fic rec. You know, I have to admit that I've already read it because I found it in your bookmarks. And I think about it, just like I think about your stone tops one 🫨

AND VAMPIRES.

As in the two vampire ones

Hehe yayy! The context of the horny snippet is actually a really depressing and plot heavy fic lmao, rereading to find that part I was like damn someone should keep writing this I wanna know how it shakes out...there's a LOT of sam and dean conflict AND sam and cas conflict about dean AND! sam and jack conflict. Sam really goes through the wringer and he doesn't even get a boyfriend out of it. SAD. Lmao!!

I too love the vampire ones. They're so crazy. My interpretation of Dean is that he is NOT only putting up a performance of what he likes at all times. He does like being The Guy and making his partner all flustered and he likes to tease and flirt and play grumpy old man. He just ALSO likes being vulnerable and getting flustered and treated with kindness and holding hands during sex. And some interpretations go too far in either direction for my tastes, which is fine (*through gritted teeth*) people can see him differently. But in my eyes - he's butch! With all the grab-bag of gender expression and feelings that can entail!

People looking at my bookmarks... 🙈🙉 I will pretend I didn't hear this so I can continue to bookmark unselfconciously ahfhshfhs. I forgot people could see those other than me and the author....

[thepriceofagift]

Here we are!

Kinich, but he’s in D&D! These are some sketches I did to help figure out what I wanted his vibe to be, as well as his character sheet. The rest of the information will come in one long, long ramble; it’s really just an excuse to re-interpret my boy in a way I could play!

(He’s still got lots of trauma! I’m terribly predictable, heh..)

So, Kinich! His story is the same as canon up until the contract with Ajaw. Because the creature he meets in those ruins isn’t Ajaw.

Ajaw, as funny as he is, isn’t really a tone-appropriate warlock patron. So, what do? I looked at the Turnfire, and it hit me; combine the two. Malipo-Ajaw. Malaw. Malao.

Now, this takes the form of a great Fiend patron! Fire theming, definitely evil, absolutely an eldritch horror. It’s the Turnfire, but sentient, and is a genuine monster this time. I call it Malao, which is a reinterpreted portmanteau of its roots; however, this is D&D. What Malao actually is will be up to the DM— Kinich just calls it “Malao” (possibly from an old version of the Turnfire story, in which it was alive).

But he’s never actually seen it.

“Malao” speaks from the shadowy crevices of Kinich’s mind, manifesting as a roaring blaze right behind him. He knows that it’s the Turnfire— he can’t look. He won’t look back, even as the heat scorches his skin.

(I imagine their first meeting went something like that).

Anyway, right after the pact, Malao dragged Kinich from his reality and tossed him into whatever D&D setting I play him in to accomplish some goal of Malao’s. He never got to experience the rest of his canon character development and definitely didn’t go through the Pricegift wringer. Never received his Vision or Ancient Name, etc etc, he’s just got himself and the Fiend.

Kinich & Malao have a very different relationship than Kinich & Ajaw— Kinich is no longer the more powerful one or the one with the upper hand. He’s aware of this, and he treats Malao with a mixture of reverence and suspicion.

I imagine the locals struggled with his name, so he just goes by Keen— like the adjective. He’s also feigning amnesia so he doesn’t have to explain the eldritch horror that is his current situation, but beyond that, he’s just trying to survive and adapt.

Thankfully, he’s really good at that, so he’ll be fine! Of course he’s also got a terrible burn scar to tie the whole “fire” thing into his character design, as well as having it in other places… it’ll only be obvious if I draw him digitally, haha.

I imagine he’s Lawful Neutral, and his character build is geared towards a jack-of-all-trades role. The dude could do it all; he can stealth, he can fight, he could be a serviceable face for the party. The great thing about him, though, is that because he’s so logical, he’ll do what’s best in any given situation.

There’s a whole flow chart for how I’d play him, haha—

I even measured his inventory, carry weight and carry capacity, exactly the equipment he’d choose and how he’d store it!

I could nerd out so hard about all the little details… he’s dual-wielding a short sword and dagger, for instance, which is just so badass. His spell list is dominated by fire spells for the flavor, he’s meticulously organized… I’d love to be able to play him someday.

Time to go, like, paint him digitally for the wow factor :)

Update!

February 27th, 2025

Good news and bad news!

Bad news first. I’ve been having some exhausting personal troubles, so this latest update will take more time than usual— I need some rest.

The good news is that my definition of “rest” is taking Kinich— as I write him in Pricegift— and putting him into Dungeons and Dragons 5e 2024!

I’ll reblog with all the details as soon as I’m finished, but so far he’s a Roguelock with the Scout subclass and the Fiend patron (Pact of the Blade), and his origins are as a Human Guard!

Now, this isn’t a translation— it’s a transliteration.

I write my fanfic like I’m writing speculative fiction (a slightly different genre), and this has carried over to the whole “Kinich in D&D” thing.

He’s not in Natlan anymore- what happened to him? His warlock patron isn’t canon Ajaw anymore, so what is it? How is he handling getting isekai’d? These are the questions I ask myself.

So, uh, TLDR is that I’m… making a new Kinich-centric semi-AU! Why? Because it makes the AuDHD in my brain purr like the funky little gremlin cat it is (read: makes me happy)!

[ID: A cute photograph of TWAST in the form of a small Kinich plushie. He’s holding a green mechanical pencil while surrounded by various D&D accessories.]