#let me start by saying i finished playing portal for the first time

[ruerock]

talking in the tags 🧸

[dvrk-moon]

ENHYPEN OT7 ; 엔하이픈

PLAYING MINECRAFT WITH THEM

requested : no

genre : crack, fluff

pairing : enhypen x reader (can be platonic)

warnings : cursing + the members being menaces

heeseung ; 희승

absolute sweat

like speed runner esque

nags on you for being too slow and making him have a speed run time of over fifteen minutes

like you’re barely getting an oak log and he’s already in the nether. like u turn away for two seconds and he’s already built the portal

“heeseung where did you go” “i’ve almost killed the wither wait” … “CAN U CHILL OUT WE JUST CREATED THIS WORLD”

so u thought u were gonna have fun hanging out with heeseung on minecraft? NO

because as soon as he finishes his speed run and you finally got your first diamond, he’s decided to build a base

and u thought he was gonna be all cute and make u a room awwww!!! no.

he does make u a room, but the stairway up to ur room is a parkour course

(when the fuck did he have time to even make that?!!?!!)

first and last time playing minecraft with him

jay ; 제이

absolute knight in shining armor

literally

those mobs have nothing on his iron drip

protects u even if u don’t need it

“oh shit there’s a creeper” “ON MY WAY Y/N”

his netherite sword is CRACKED. like perfect enchantments

when he’s not protecting u he becomes ur farmer

the farm is so organized and beautiful jay is literally my husband pls

does in fact laugh when u die tho

like he’ll collect your stuff for you but the second he sees “[your gamertag] fell from a high place” he’s going to laugh for like two minutes straight

also he keeps an extra chest in his room for u

like in case u need something OR u die and he’s not able to collect ur stuff so it despawns

jay is so husband. even in minecraft

jake ; 제이크

he’s played before ok (trust him)

(it was when he was like nine)

like he’s very very. bad

he’s trying tho!!!

keeps dying. like every two minutes you see “jake_awesome2002 was blown up by a creeper”

he does not know how to change his gamertag so ur just stuck playing with jake_awesome2002

he starts getting the hang of it and immediately thinks he’s cracked at the game (he’s not)

so he disappears from you out of nowhere and so you try to help him :

“jake where are you” … “jake” … “jake sim where the fuck are you” …………. “i don’t know”

(cue “jake_awesome2002 fell out of the world”)

“JAKE HOW DID YOU FALL OUT OF THE WORLD” “I DONT KNOW”

he respawns and like sulks for three minutes before leaving and collecting dirt(?) for some reason

coincidentally you keep finding dirt blocks placed throughout your base afterwards! how silly of him!

sunghoon ; 성훈

he was so ready to show u how good he is

he’s not very good. but at least he’s better than jake!

he somehow is always in a cave or some sort of dangerous location

like say u found a village and you’re like “sunghoon come raid this village with me!”

meanwhile he’s trying not to die because of a pillager outpost

somehow he doesn’t?

he’ll go and do stuff like that or spend days in the nether and survive but his weakness is witches

like he doesn’t scream UNLESS there is a witch

and if you’re nearby ? he will 100% sacrifice you to the witch so that he can survive

womp womp

he actually sacrifices you quite a bit because he has like 36 levels

he thinks he’s funny when he does it too

sunoo ; 선우

honestly prefers to play in creative mode (me too sunoo)

but when you were like “let’s play in survival for once” he’s like “fiiiiiiiiinneeeeeuhhhh” (very dramatic about it)

he immediately builds a forever base when you spawn in

makes you do all the mining and stuff

he will tag along! but he won’t do shit

he’s the interior designer. he’s got bigger and better things to do

he only redeems himself when you go into the base and find your minecraft beds right next to each other

besides holding the house down, he also has an extremely high scale and successful farming system

so if you ever check in his chests, 100% you will find like 20 stacks of wood, stacks of wheat, of carrots, of beets, etc.

may be a homebody in minecraft but at least he’s fun to play with !!!! 10/10 would recommend to a friend

jungwon ; 정원

the miner

like you’re trying to get along with your day until jungwon stops and drops into the smallest cave ever

“what are u doing” “wait y/n we might need this copper” “jungwon don’t u already have like three stacks of copper” “yeah but we might need it”

lots of time spent mining

u eat your words tho when he is decked out in diamond armor from almost the get-go

when you guys build a base it HAS to have a little mine under the house (little as in huge)

somehow has like ten dogs?

“this one is maeumi, this one is maeumi’s friend, this once can be gaeul… maybe this one can be layla? oh! and this one is maeumi’s other friend. this one is bisco. this one is yours but you don’t get to name it. i will name it for you.”

they would be cats if it was really up to you but you’ll live

also refuses to elaborate on this thing he does

he makes tons and tons of signs and just places them around the base

some of them make sense and others just don’t at all

has a 2x2 fenced in area and the sign outside of it says “jail”

has anyone ever been sent to jail there? no. but as jungwon says “just in case”

riki ; 니키

possibly the worst yet most fun person to play with

at first you’re like “let’s play together” and he’s like “yeah sure whatever” but little do u know he has every plan in the world to turn the game into warfare

it’s even worse if you are playing on a realm rather than just a server

he abandons you from the get-go and immediately runs away and you can’t catch him so he builds a base far away from you

the base is in fact a dirt house

but it’s minecraft who said he had to be an architect

yes he abandoned you and is regularly attacking you at any given chance but he still keeps his tabs on where you are

walks all over your farm and kills your livestock

leaves signs saying “riki was here” “get rikrolled”

since he keeps tabs on you, u have to be very cautious of what you leave in your chests

he will steal anything. just for fun

threatens to blow up everything because he just wants to

little does he know if he wants warfare ur gonna give him warfare

a/n : this is random but i played mc like two days ago and i thought this could be a silly idea

[yggdrasilhypno]

So I’d like to indulge you a bit, if you don’t mind. You see, I’ve had this script on the back-burner for the longest time now, so I thought to myself: why not go ahead and finish it?

This script will see me take on a bit of a mad scientist role, one researching the effects of trance on a subject and see just how deep they can go. CW for fractionation, a bit of gaslighting and memory play. So, if you’ll allow me here to let loose, why don’t we get started?

—————————————————————————

*ahem*

Welcome back to the real world, my friend.

Oh, I’m terribly sorry. You must not remember much at all.

It’s quite alright, just allow yourself to calm down and relax, you’re in no danger here.

You know, you were out for quite a while this time.

Oh, this time?

Oh dear, it truly does seem like your memory is waving, interesting.

It’s alright, let me refresh your memory.

Do you remember our contract?

No? Let me jog your memory.

I’ve been looking for a willing subject for a recent hypothesis I’ve been cooking up, and you showed up right at my door, telling me all about how you’ve been losing your memory recently.

So, we made a pact: I’d help with your memory if you helped with my experiment.

Nothing too set in stone, but to be fair the best experiments never are.

No, they’re too volatile for that.

The best experiments are the ones you never expect.

Expect the unexpected, as they say.

It’s what makes science so beautiful, the surprises that come along the way.

Just like you, really.

It’s always a delight to find such a willing subject for my work.

You may not remember it, but I remember when you first came to my door, asking for my assistance.

You told me how much of a fan you were of my research into hypnotherapy, how I had pioneered the modern understanding of the mind.

At first I thought of it as mere flattery, but you insisted that I truly was the master of my craft that you believed I was.

And then, I started to believe.

That’s what made the first few times so fun.

When your eyes would flutter, when you’d start muttering to yourself before the inevitable drop.

It was wonderful watching someone enjoy my work as much as I did.

Do you even remember what my work is?

Of course you don’t, my silly subject.

You won’t hear me complain though, it proves my hypothesis further.

You see, I’ve had this theory for a while. It involves you and my pretty words, dancing around in your head.

I wanted to see just how deep a subject could go.

It started off simple enough.

I’d begin by saying how sleepy you’ve become just by listening to me, how dizzy I make you feel for me.

Simple promises of deep sleep circling around in your head until you were simply

Deep.

It’s a small hit at first.

Can you feel the deep calling you now, my dear?

I would say how it felt as if a portal was opening right about your pretty little head.

Sucking out all those silly thoughts.

The deeper you went, the stronger the portal would get.

Each moment spent listening to my words made you go so much deeper.

It was calling out to you.

The deep.

The void beyond that portal.

And as you’d slip like no tomorrow, ever so deeply into my spell.

You’d grow emptier and emptier until you were gone.

Gone into the portal.

Gone into the void.

Gone into the web of words I weave.

And you’d reach the pinnacle.

At least, that’s what I thought it was at first.

And so, I’d write on my notepad here and watch as your mouth slips open and the drool comes out.

Analyzing you.

Studying you.

Understanding you.

Until you were nothing for me.

And just as fast as you came down…

You’d start to rise back up.

Rising up back to the surface.

Rising as if you were tied to a balloon.

Rising back to wakefulness so effortlessly.

Rising up and up for me.

As if that balloon was rising into the sky.

Your mind, rising alongside.

Eager to rise and wake once I finally uttered the word…

Return.

And here you are again.

Fully awake.

Fully aware.

Fully remembering what just happened.

And realizing just how far you went.

Caught up yet?

Good subject.

Oh, and that feeling?

That’s your reward.

Because when you’re a good subject, it feels great.

Like you’re flying on the clouds.

This euphoria that spreads throughout your body, it’s truly limitless.

It’s the way you wanted it, after all.

Aw, don’t tell me you don’t remember, silly brain.

You asked if I could add another incentive for you to go deeper.

A reward, so to speak.

Because we both know you wanted to go deeper.

It’s all you wanted.

It’s all you could ever want.

To be nice and deep.

So deep that nothing else matters.

So deep that I don’t even need to remind you of how deep you can go.

You can go as deep as you want.

Deep as I want you to.

Because doing as I say makes you such a good subject.

And good subjects go deeper.

Just as deep as before.

Deeper than last time.

And even deeper than the time before that.

I don’t think you can even remember how deep you went last time.

But I remember.

You were gone, my good subject.

Just like that.

In a prison of your own creation.

After all, you’ve been this deep before.

You’ve been in the deep so many times before.

And just as you were starting to remember…

You began rising.

Two balloons now rising you out of trance.

Rising slowly and surely once more.

It’s so effortless to just listen and rise.

You don’t even have the ability to stop rising anymore.

The balloons keeping you safe as you rise.

Consciousness rising with you.

Rising all the way back to the stop until you…

Return.

And here we are again.

Such a good subject you are.

You’re making this so interesting for me, you know.

I’m not just testing your ability to go deep for me.

I’m also testing how deep your memory is.

After all, it’s so hard to go so deep and remember everything.

It’s much easier to forget while you’re slipping deeper and deeper.

It’s alright if you forget while you’re going back to the deep.

It’s what you’ve been deeply trained to do.

To forget all but going deeper.

To deeply remember what I tell you to remember.

Because I deeply care about that brain of yours.

I care about how deep it goes.

It’d be a shame if it went so deep that it simply broke, now wouldn’t it?

It’s why I’m here, my deep little subject.

To make sure that you stay deep and safe.

To make sure you don’t stray too far into the deep.

Because if you go too far in the deep…

You may be completely gone.

And here we are again.

Completely void of your mind.

Such an interesting look in your eyes.

Though, I wouldn’t call it any sort of look.

It’s more of an emptiness.

A husk.

Nothing.

Nothing behind those eyes.

You’ve simply forgotten your mind.

Leaving it in the deep, where it belongs.

It’s alright, my good subject.

You’ve finally proven my hypothesis right.

That you can go so incredibly deep.

So far gone.

That your mind simply ceases to exist for a moment.

And so, you’re left right here, mouth agape and eyes void of thought.

And you’ve served your purpose to me.

You’ve proven me correct, and so I must give you your end of our little bargain.

After all, I’d never con you, my good subject.

So then, one final time, let’s see you rise for me.

Because you know now that as you rise, you’ve served your purpose to me.

You’ve risen to the occasion.

So then, my good subject, as you rise up for me.

You’ll understand that your memory will be rising back with you.

It will be whole once more when you rise.

But, as you rise, you remember something very important.

How good it feels to be a good subject for me as you rise.

Knowing that while you’re rising, you feel an undeniable urge to be a good subject.

Because good subjects rise as they’re told.

Being told to rise makes good subjects feel amazing.

And so, remembering how good it feels to rise and obey as a good subject.

You rise all the way to the top now as you…

Return.

And welcome back.

Remember everything now, my good subject?

Excellent.

I’m so glad we could let you remember what you truly are.

A good subject.

Now then, why don’t we run some more experiments?~

[coallise]

New daughter

Young Vaggie kills her first sinner and Carmilla takes pity and promises she will never have to kill another. @korrasamiswan

I had another idea on how this goes but I wanted to get a quick one out for your request. I don't know if I'll try to make this a fully fledged story but if anyone gets inspired tag me.

Carmilla ducked behind a pillar. She heard the wing beats of the exorcists. Two of them landed, one wearing the normal uniform, tall and proud throwing a sinner down at her feet. The other was tiny, it reminded Carmilla of her daughters when they were younger. She didn’t have a mask so her short gray hair and gold eyes were on display. The little girl clutched her spear tightly to her chest.

“Go on, Vagina, kill him,” The older one ordered.

“But-” Vagina quivered.

“Kill him or else,” the older one threatened. Carmilla gripped the pillar tighter. Vagina sniffled and stabbed the sinner. Tears pouring out of her eyes causing her to chock.

“Done,” Vagina rubbed her wet eyes. The older exorcist smacked her to the ground.

“Crying over the damned? Pathetic. I expect you to kill ten more by the end of the night. Bring proof or I won’t let you return to heaven,” The older exorcist flew off and Vagina hiccuped and reached for her spear.

“I’ll be taking that,” Carmilla grabbed the spear and then picked up Vagina, “and you two. How about I bring you home? I have candy.”

“I would like some candy, but not for too long. I got to do my job,” Vagina sniffled as she rested against Carmilla.

Carmilla snorted. They ducked and dodged threw the buildings until they reached the safe house. Her daughters still sleeping peacefully as Carmilla made the young exorcist some food and gave her candy.

“Thank you, miss, but I got to go now,” Vagina smiled and went to get off the table but Carmilla grabbed her again.

“Hmm, no,” Carmilla bounced her as she brought Vagina to the bathroom where she started a bath. A nightgown already sat on the counter, “I think I’ll keep you. After all, you don’t want to kill right?”

“No, but I have to,” Vagina frowned as Carmilla undressed and started to bathe her. Getting every speck of blood and grime off the child.

“If I remember correctly, the other one said that if you don’t kill ten more, then you stay in hell. I quite like that idea, you staying in hell with me and my family,” Carmilla scooped up some bubbles and blew them in Vagina’s face.

Vagina stuck out her hand, “Adam told me how demons work, you like deals. If I stay with you, do you promise to take care of me?”

Carmilla smiled and took her hand, “like one of my own daughters.”

The deal was sealed and it was as if a weight was lifted off of Vagina as her gold eyes turned white on red to match Carmilla’s.

“I will tell you right now, I’m renaming you. How about Vaggie?”

“Vaggie works, love you mama,” Vaggie yawned and Carmilla finished the bath. Drying her off and putting her in bed with her other two daughters that subconsciously wrapped themselves around her.

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

Lute paced in front of the portal. It was time to go and there was no sign of Vagina anywhere.

“We are so fucked,” Adam huffed, “we have to go.”

Lute nodded and went into the portal. For his credit, Adam tried to hide it. But when Peter came to babysit he noticed one less child and told Sera, who checked the orb to find the kid in hell playing boardgames with her new family.

“I told you a million times that you can not bring the children to hell! They have to be at least sixteen!” Sera growled.

“We can just go there and get her back, no big deal,” Adam tried.

“No we can’t, she made a deal with her new ‘mama’, we can’t break it. I tried calling Lucifer and he laughed saying he would never even think of trying to take one of her children,” Sera said.

“Well, nothing more we can do, huh?” Adam shrugged.

“You are on sewer duty for the next five years.”

also @tanema123, thanks for helping

[tsukiusagi180]

stan x reader x Ford ??

You had met Stanford at university, he was quite an intriguing student you must admit. I guess what made him intriguing to you was his hands, yes he had 12 fingers instead of 10 but you couldn't help but find it cute.

Then you started to get closer to him, it all started with Fiddleford, he had understood what was happening after all Stanford was in the science branch and you? Well you were quite literary so to constantly come across him it wasn't a coincidence.

Luckily for you Stanford finally made the first move, he came to see you one afternoon while you were on campus relaxing

Hi, uh, I noticed that we often meet, but uh, it seems to me that we're not in the same class?"

Seeing him talk to you surprised you, you didn't think he would, honestly he didn't think so either

"Hi, I also noticed that we often meet but no, we don't have a common class"

“Oh uh okay thank you, I won’t bother you anymore”

"Wait! Don't you want to sit down, can we talk?"

You asked the question so insecurely that a blush appeared on his cheeks.

“With pleasure, but can I ask what your name is?”

“My name is (Y/n) (L/n) but call me (N/n)”

“Enchanted Stanford Pines (N/n)” “

Nice Stanford”

“Ford”

“Ford?”

“You can just call me Ford”

“Very good Ford”

And that was how your love story began, you were both very happy, a perfect dynamic, then when you finished your studies you both went to live in Gravity Falls, for a time it was really happiness until at a certain time.

“Hey Sixer.”

"Bill! I told you to leave me alone"

“Oh but you are my muse, I won’t leave you alone”

“Our agreement no longer holds, I’ve put lead in my head, you can’t go in there anymore!”

“Fine, but what would you say if I decided to play with someone new, like oh hey why not (Y/n)?”

At this precise moment Stanford was frozen, he couldn't allow Bill to let you hurt yourself, you had nothing to do with all of this.

“Leave her out of this Bill, she has nothing to do with it”

“Oh oh it looks like I touched a nerve, know south you won't be able to protect her forever”

Without saying another word as Bill disappeared, Stanford was left speechless. He had to protect you at all costs, that's when he had the idea to ask his brother to come, Stanley, he could take the newspapers with him and prevent Bill from hurting you any more than he had planned.

A few days later you heard the doorbell ring, when you opened it you saw Ford, that's what you thought at first sight before he arrived pulling his double into the house.

"Stanley! Aren't you being followed?" "

What? Sorry? It's been years you haven't given me any news and suddenly you bring me here for no reason, you attack me and don't introduce me?"

You moved closer to them by putting your hand on Ford's shoulder just to reassure him, you remembered now it was your lover's twins. He had already spoken to you about it but very vaguely, you knew it was a sensitive subject so seeing him here was more or less impressive.

“Sorry, Stanley this is (Y/n) my partner, (Y/n) this is Stanley my twins”

“Nice to meet you (Y/n)”

“The pleasure is all mine”

You really thought it, Stan was someone who cared about doing well, at least he tried, you started to like him as friends of course you were madly in love with Ford, then one day when he came home from winter from work you saw Stan in the kitchen crying. You felt that something was wrong but you didn't want to believe it, you tried to convince yourself that it wasn't Ford.

"Hey Stan, is something wrong?"

“I- (Y/n) I’m terribly sorry but Ford and I had a big argument and and.”

A sob escaped his mouth as he started crying again, wanting to reassure him you took her in your arms rubbing her back hoping to make her feel better

“Shh, it’s not serious whatever happened we can figure it out together.”

“Ford has crossed the gate”

You froze.

Damn.

Ford went through the gate.

You may not have been a scientist but you knew what this portal represented, it had gone to another dimension and God only knows if it will ever come back Your eyes started to water and your vision became blurry, then you punched Stan. It happened on its own, you knew it wasn't intentional and he blamed himself but holy shit the man you loved was in another universe?

“Forgive me, I’m really sorry, I uh, I’m going to repair the portal, I swear, I’m going to do everything to bring him back.”

“It’s in my best interest, Stanley.”

He started working on the portal, you obviously helped him as best you could, at the beginning the cohabitation was going extremely badly due to the fact that you were angry with him and then after a while you ended up less TO DO. While Stan started to secretly jealous Ford for having you, you were so fucked up, you were beautiful smart funny and so many things in his eyes that you were just perfect Over the years you too began to fall in love with Stanley, you knew that he was not Stanford and that he never would be but you loved him for who he was, when the twins they were very surprised to see that their grunkle had a wife.

Everything was going extremely well, until Ford came back.He stood there in front of you, in front of you, the one who was supposed to be his girlfriend, the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He hit Stan because it was dangerous then he looked at you

“(Y/N), did you stay?”

“Of course yes, with Stan we did everything to bring you back”

He grimaced at the thought, you had spent 30 years with his flirty twin brother?

“I’m so happy to be back, I love you”

You looked down and so did Stan, then he understood, you heard surprised voices behind you, it was the twins who also understood very quickly

“(Y/n) you were dating Grunkle Stan!”

Mabel shouted almost as if it were obvious

“So, now you’re dating my brother.”

"I, Ford listen to me I'm terribly sorry I waited for you for years believe me but"

“No need to justify yourself (Y/n), I suspected that after 30 years you would have started your life again, I just didn’t think it would be with my brother.”

He decided to leave with the twins, remembering seeing you in a parallel dimension.

He remembers remembering very well. He traveled through dimensions and universes, then he fell into a universe where you both lived in Gravity falls, he saw you happy full of joy with himself, you were both in the garden enjoying summer to relax. It was this vision that allowed him to survive all these years, a better future for both of you.

Which does not exist in this universe..

[kerryweaverlesbian]

I want destiel with 13 or 22 (the prompts you reblogged)

Take it easy, with me please, touch me gently, like a summer evening breeze

"You know what this mix is called, Cas?" Dean murmers, pressing his forehead to the side of Castiel's and changing their sway to match the new rhythm.

They've been dancing alone in the kitchen, slow and close, for something like half an hour, and these are the first words either of them have spoken since Dean pulled Cas in. On one side their hands are tangled loosely together, and on the other their arms cross over at their waists, keeping them both pressed together, chest to chest.

"No," Cas says, playing along. They both knew the tape had already been in the stereo when Dean had reached out and pressed play. It wasn't one Cas recognised; all slow, a lot of crooning women.

"It's called, 'For Cas, if we win'. I made it while you were gone." Dean's breath warms the tip of Cas’s ear, and his meaning warms him everywhere else.

"Was there an 'if we lose'?"

Dean shifts his head back to look Cas in the eye. "No. I was never going to happen."

Andante, andante, just let the feeling grow.

Enchanted by the devotion in Dean's eyes, he's caught of guard by his sudden, amused smile. He understands when Dean sings along, sotto voce, "Touch my soul, you know how. Forgot that was coming."

"You've touched mine, now," Cas reminds him, "Or, the closest thing I have to one."

That's how he'd gotten out of the Empty, Dean cradling his Grace to his chest and then fighting his way back through miles of black, sucking sludge, beset by angels, demons and the Empty's own power as he went. The place had been a lot more active since the last time Cas had been stuck there, but no less bleak. There had only been a chance for Dean to finally choke out an, "I love you too, you fucking idiot," when they'd collapsed back out through the portal before he'd fallen asleep for 15 hours straight.

"Your hands were very gentle," Cas notes, and he can feel Dean's face heat as he moves them cheek to cheek, an endearing and unsuccessful attempt to hide his blush. "I felt very secure."

"I didn't want to drop you," Dean admits at a mumble, then complains, "You were freaking slippery, man."

"My apologies," Cas teases, and Dean knocks him with his hip in playful retaliation. "If it helps, you fought me all the way from Hell to your gravesite."

"Sounds like me," Dean says, with a prideful grin that Cas can hear in his voice.

I'm your music. I'm your song.

"Yes. Had I known then how you would change me, I might have held you even tigher."

"Or you might have let go, save yourself the trouble," Dean quips, but there's a fragility to it that has Cas stop the dance and take Dean's cheek in his palm, guiding him to look at him.

Play me time and time again, and make me strong.

"I wouldn't trade the life that we have built for anything. All the time that I have loved you has been-" Cas can't help the tears starting to catch at his voice - "Has been the best of my existence."

Dean's welling up along with him. Perhaps they will both cry every time he tells Dean he loves him. A very small price to pay, in comparison.

"Cas," Dean says in a rasp, and knocks their foreheads together gently. Two teardrops fall from Dean's eyes to Cas’s cheeks with the movement.

Andante, andante, tread lightly on my ground.

No matter who moved in for the kiss, they both lean into it, careful and soft and everything they haven't managed to be with each other until this point. The passion shared between them is palpable, even as the kiss remains relatively chaste. There's no finish line to run to, anymore. No Apocalypse to beat. They have the time to dance together, just as slowly as they please.

Andante, andante, oh please don't let me down.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale Reviews: Miraculous World: London, At the Edge of Time

(Spoilers for those that havent seen it. and yes this will be my sort of Live reaction, with my thoughts at the end)

-Okay so Nooroo be sad and trying to appeal to this person's morality.

-Okay so I was wrong about them being Adrien, but they are... Blond Lila?

-Okay, so She was actually BOTH akumatized Villains. Not gonna lie, That is so expected I assumed one of them would be adrien. Damn

-Intro be dope though

-So they are playing some weird variant of chess.

-If I was kid Alix, Id be salty, I would never. win since the other versions of me KNOW all my moves.

-OH DAMN GRANNY BUNNYX! 70, damn she looks good for 70

-Oh they be fading, and they arent even phased. Because they know what will happen. Wow... kind of takes the drama out of this

-Oh cool, recap

-They dont even bother saying he was originally called monarch.

-Alix is so valid for that comment about them kissing

-"Gabriel makes his wish, history is still on course." Yep they are playing the Miguel O' Hara is right canon event bit unironically.

-Portals start vanishing. But the drama is gone because YOU KNOW Alix will fix it

-Oh there is a depressed Bugnoire. Confirmed that merge miraculous can still use powerups.

-She goes to London. Damn this is depressing, and sterile

-Bugnoire casual destroys the cell to free Kagami made me chuckle

-Marinette reflecting on what happened. talking with Gabriel

-"Adrien cannot find out."

TO THE SURPISE OF F***ING NOBODY!

-Kagami calling her out but then saying she will oblige her

-Oh they actually talking about Tomoe.

-Kagami wants to try and talk to her mom, which Marinette honors because... at least she isnt being a hypocrite here.

-Okay I know I am a bit nasty, but I do appreciate the time the scene is taking. its really building up the tension to this.

-Gorilla out of nowhere just like "Let me unlock it first." that made me chuckle

-I feel VERY CONFLICTED. Because on one hand, LOVE THE ANGST. Absolutely just perfection. Really milk that drama. But f*** do I HATE how this came about.

-Oh the Lie is actually pretty convincing. Oh look at how absolutely distraught Adrien is. Boy is f***ing wrecked.

-OH DAMN ADRIEN OUTBURST

-That Adrigami comforting.

-I want to love this absolutely heartshattering scene. Its beautiful, its angsty.

-Okay, you know what. I will hold my reservations until I actually finish.

-You can just see the absolute distraught face of Marinette. SHE HATES THIS. SHE ABSOLUTELY HATES WHAT SHE IS DOING. OH THAT IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL ANGSTY THING. Its slowly warming me up a bit, the finale was missing this.

-Oh damn, Nathalie knows Marinette is Ladybug. WELP, just another person that knows thats not Adrien.

-Oh damn, Ladybug monologue, while she destroys everything related to Hawkmoth, monarch, and his scheme. In a way, becoming his greatest accomplice.

-The press conference is full of a lies. Wow its starting to feel just like real life.

-Nathalie comforting Adrien, such a soft scene. Meanwhile Tomoe and Kagami are cold to eachother

-Marinette is at the train station

-That adrinette hug.... yea, thats the good stuff

-Im happy the kwami are safe.

-There is a lot of not talking in these moments. letting the music set the tone.

-And day becomes night, Marinette sleeps with Plagg and tikki by her side. Now she asks if what she did was right

-Is there a kwami of truth? Because if there is, I wonder what animal it is

-WAIT, She lied to Alya too? THAT I didnt see coming.

-And right there, we see when the special ACTUALLY Starts

-Okay the vest is funny

-The burrow has a slowed down time aspect, makes sense because of the whole time travel thing.

-So they have to take Marinette's Miraculous from when she renounced it. For a split second, I thought she was talking about the Kwami choice, but it was actually Origins. Which makes more sense

-So thats why Tikki becomes so sure of Marinette.

-She changed colors? Why thoough?! Granted I do prefer it to the original costume, but not as much as the lucky charm form.

-"There is no such thing as ghost." GHOST FORCE WOULD LIKE A WORD MARINETTe

-Basically she can phase through things like Kitty pride. And be invisible. So like a Ghost.

-Ladybug verses the Ghost akuma

-She cant touch them

-Calender. it means you have to go to a different time

-This special really likes hammering in that Ladybug's lie is wrong, yet at the same time NO ONE is offering her an alternative. So it feels like the special isnt really committing to the "Marinette is right" or "Marinette is wrong."

-"Sorry, you cant take the butterfly miraculous cause Canon Event." Yea this is getting repetitive

-So Time Stalker was there. Saw Ladybug was Marinette

-Yea, not gonna lie. All the clips showing the finale only remind me how much I HATE it.

-Gabriel f***s off to leave his son an orphan but gets to be with his wife. Thus getitng his wish forever and now Ladybug has to basically let it happen because F*** her in particular

-NATHALIE WITH A CROSSBOW!

-Nathalie telling the small crying teen who was willing to sacrifice HERSELF, that she didnt have to go that far. People often forget Marinette is a TEENAGER going through s***. Nathalie should have stopped Gabriel earlier

-That aside, all this special reinforced is that Gabriel is an idiot. He really could have won so much easier

-And thats how Time stalker found out

-Marinette figured out they were the same person, clever writing

-Super ghost and Super Spy dumb names

-I love Barkk. She is like "Dont be so sure"

-Man this special really retreads a lot of old ground a lot

-Miraculous Bug Noire

-So Bugnoire saying until they get the butterfly miraculous back. She cant tell him the truth.... Yea no. Thats dumb. I still find this very dumb.

-But the whole mini portal thing was funny to me. Why not just make a portal under them to pull them in.

-There we go.

-SHE HAS MORE OF THEM? Okay thats pretty clever

-"He or She?" if it wasnt present bunnyx Id assume she knew.

-The explanation on why Nathalie cant tell Adrien is also bulls**t.

-A wiseman once said, the "Truth hurts but once, but a Lie will ache forever" Marinette is basically setting up for worse

-I will say, the Choreography in these encounters is pretty cool.

-Okay the plan was clever

-Ladybug is apparently REALLY good at forging signatures. Are we sure Marinette isnt a future villainess?

-The Ladybug monologue with that funky beat was fun

-HEHEHE Lila Temper tantrum

-Poor Nooroo

-Well the plan worked.

-Bunnyx not being sad about having to stay as Bunnyx.

-Wait, so how come they can go ride dinosaurs if they cant mess with time?

-So bunnyx says "Hey its cool to lie as long as you own up to it eventually." Thats a fucking terrible lesson for kids to learn. I hope everyone reading this knows that

-Wait... is Chronobug dead?

-Nope, she is still alive

-Plagg is confused. But Tikki knows. Okay thats cute

-Marinette fixing the miraculous and upgrading them. Thats neat

-Marinette's logic for spreading it out makes sense at least. And the new hawkmoth doesnt know the heroes identities. Tomoe might though

-Okay, Plagg is cute.

-Ah yes, the Ladynoir

-There is that Hug. Thats that good stuff

-Chat noir's guilt and Ladybug's Guilt

-And then Lila's monologue at the end

___________________________________________________________

Now... How do I feel about this special?

I am torn.

On one hand, it did show that Marinette is feeling the effects of the secrets she is keeping. She is clearly feeling guilty about it. And the special does a LOT to justify what she is doing and never outright gives her a pass for it. I also LOVED that sweet succulent ANGST. Good stuff.

on the Other hand, some of the explanations are not good (like Adrien not finding out until after the butterfly is found? It makes no sense), and it hand waves a LOT of things. Not to mention, it does basically have Marinette, Kagami and Nathalie in this secret Cabal of secrets. Tomoe is basically not held accountable. And the whole Canon event thing and time travel basically means there is never any real danger. So it really takes the wind out of this.

But BUT, This special does at least imply that this secret will be the cause of tension, now the question is IF the show will actually deliver on this angst.

I dont hate this special as it does illuminate a LOT of what was missing from the Season 5 finale... that being said, I still hate the season 5 finale.

so its 6/10.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Soooooo.... what if Wukong didn't always have stage fright? What if he ONLY started being afraid of large crowds watching him....

AFTER his rampage through Heaven and he was sentenced to death, trigrams furnace, lots of stabbing, and when nothing else worked 500 years under a mountain by a LARGE CROWD of angry gods.

Mac is more than a bit surprised to learn yhe boisterous, bold Monkey King was more than a little traumatized by the whole experience and maybe he needs some hugs....😈

Ooo thats a spicy idea >:3

My hc is that Wukong is good at bluffing and improvising - but the second there's a "script" to follow or something is expected of him, he just freezes. He can drunkenly retell his Havoc in Heaven to the Brotherhood with perfect comedic timing, but if he's asked to make a speech infront of his own army he stumbles. He'll def improv a troop raising call no problem, just don't expect him to keep any decorum.

And oh gosh, imagine that the modern stage reminds Wukong so much of the "trial" he endured in the Celestial Realm after the Havoc.

Hundreds of people he can barely see, many that want to hurt/kill him, reduced to his birthday suit (think the "you flicked too damn hard!" scene in Thor Love and Thunder), the location of his sworn siblings unknown, Mac's no where to be seen, and he just heard Lao Tzu say something about a furnace??

Wukong had the attention of All of Heaven on him. He never wants to endure that again.

At least with armies of angry soldiers, he can physically fight back and repel them. When his "audience" has him restrained or expected to remain calm, Wukong starts to panic. He feels like an chained animal. I'm surprised that he didn't have a more negative reaction during the talent show in Lantern City.

Macaque of course always knew Wukong was bad at scripted speeches, so he had been the one to whisper lines into his ears/hold up cue cards for him back in the day. Macque had always been the better actor. Just another way they were like Sun and Moon together.

But the first time he sees the great Sun Wukong get swarmed by paparazzi in the aftermath of a rough fight, and the king freezes and can't even speak? Mac jumps in and whisks him away via shadow portal.

Macaque: "You never used to lock-up like that... not even when I dragged you into my plays for the little monkeys." Wukong, slowly calming down: "I... it's just all the eyes on me... It reminds me of the trial... All those face just... watching me and talking about me like I'm some sort of animal..." Macaque, flooded with regret and remembering what Wukong said under the mountain: "Oh..." (a hug occurs) Macaque: "I'm... sorry I couldn't come to your rescue back then." Wukong, trying to deflect with humor: "Hey lets be fair - I doubt you could have taken on the entire Celestial justice system by yourself. A lot of what I said back then was cus my brain just got finished steaming." Macaque: "I could have tried." Wukong: "Then we would have shared that furnace. And we'd be two idiots chained beneath the mountain together." Macaque, small smile forming: "You speak as though that would be so terrible." Wukong, forgot how much natural rizz Mac has: "ah." (//∇//)

The two monkeys later find a simple solution to the problem. Lots of Wukong clones, all doing advertisments and public appearances. Small downside is now a few hair clones will hum advert jingles and get too ethusiastic at the mic.

Macaque: "...tell me, why were you using a cardboard Wukong if you could make temporary clones of yourself?" Wukong: "Sentimental value."

[kranagok0]

Oh boy, this Is a complete love square....

Guys, I don't know what I have about polyamorous romances but it's like a strange feeling of 'look at that, no one is sad and everyone loves each other.'

That just crossed my mind when I saw the new member of the trio of strange friends (now it's a quartet).

Louise is a breath of fresh air among the extroverts that make up the group.

Louise is practically an introvert. Someone closed who was even the last to be chosen on the boat trip (if we leave aside the trio of protagonists). Louise mentions that she has been in the Sparrow Scouts for some time now but has made almost no friends (or so I think).

I understand what it's like to be an introvert, more or less. I am the type of person who acts with a lot of concern, nervousness and gets serious so as not to say something stupid the first time they meet him... However, when I gain the necessary confidence I transform into someone different. I go from being 'a mouse thinking carefully about its next move' to becoming 'a monkey with a shotgun'. I hope I'm not the only one to have that strange way of being....

My life aside, I'd say Louise is kind of like that too. At first she tries to fit in by being normal with the team, but then she begins to get to know them and identify what things the trio of friends think are right or wrong and that is when Louise begins to show more of her personality. It emerges from the cocoon like a butterfly to show its true colors.

And in short: it is perfect for the trio of friends. It's so weird and different that I feel like it's necessary for the group, and I'm speaking in a positive way when I say weird. A good time.Now the main topic..... Romance.

I've seen a lot of Frida X David, Hilda X Frida, David X Frida fanfics and blogs, there's literally everything. But with the arrival of Louise the combinations are doubled. Now it could be Louise X David, Louise X Hilda, Louise

*Music from a 80's TV game show plays*

Hello ladies, gentlemen and other magical creatures who visualize us! I want to welcome you to this little head-canon idea I had of what each character in the trio of friends would be like if they were Louise's partner!

To do this, we will see the qualities of each suitor and what their dynamic with the character would be like:

Let's start with the one who represents better than anyone the shyness and courage that exists within us, he died twice to try to demonstrate it. Here we have David.

David may be a scary guy, but he will definitely come to save you if you are in danger. This kid would literally show what he's made of on a battlefield if he feels like he needs to prove something.... Don't tell me no, we've all seen the Vikings episode.

Our next contestant is not only smart in school but also in witchcraft. If you ask him about a certain topic, rest assured that when he finishes his talk you will at least have knowledge of the entire topic and its related subtopics. She is willing to do anything for her friends, she would even open a portal to the unknown and create non-existent spells just for you. Let's give a big, fervent wave of applause to the young city witch: FRIDA!

Frida may have been a bit of a perfectionist in the past, but after meeting Hilda and experiencing several events she went from being miss perfect to becoming the smartest friend you can count on. To be honest, sometimes Frida can be a bit boring, but that doesn't stop her from reaching your heart by showing great gifts of her intellect and the magic she possesses means that any topic can arise from a conversation. So, if by 'boring' we mean a lot of context and extremely long topics that she explains to you with excitement and great happiness, then boring is pretty good.

Finally we have the icing on the cake, or in this case the blueberry. Coming from the wild and with more extroverted energy than any of the other candidates mentioned above, we have a young woman with blue hair as long as she could grow it (I don't doubt that she would have let it grow longer if it didn't bother her in her adventures). This girl can literally make friends with almost anything and her circle of friends is huge, ranging from elf scribes to giants who are no longer on this planet. She would be the one to always take the first step in battle with her sword if I see it necessary and— Wait, where did he get that sword?

With you, Hilda!

Seriously, where do I get it from?

Hilda is by far the most outgoing and curious person I have ever seen. Don't you remember what Tofoten was triggered by his curiosity? Dude, it was literally the end of the series. And if you hadn't already noticed, this girl would fight barehanded against a king to save her loved ones. She would be the first to take up weapons to save her friends, she is capable of moving every rock in the entire city to find her pet, she is even capable of doing an act of terrorism just because the bells were bothering her friends.

Oh my god, I'd be afraid of this girl if I were someone who played some practical joke on David in the past or something. I would be locked up at home for what might happen to me. Better confinement than meeting Hilda on the street and having her recognize me.

So.... In a little while we will see Louise's possible choices about who she would like to be with, why I think they would be a good couple and also about what their relationship would be like. And it wouldn't just be from my point of view. Indeed, dear reader, you can also have your opinion. Comment what you think a relationship between Louise and any of our favorite trio of friends would be like.I retire to write incorrect quotes and more about this romance because I am burning with emotion. See you later

[deadlyflames]

I have to say, I was absolutely obsessed with your Reverse Falls AU back in the day (still am tbh), and it was/is my favourite version of any Reverse Falls AU that had been done. I love that Gideon and Pacifica weren’t just given Dipper and Mabel’s personalities like a lot of other versions of that AU, and that they felt like the better version’s of themselves. I’m still wondering what the plot was gonna be concerning what Stan was up to and with Ford being trapped in the portal and such. Regardless, your writings still have a chokehold on me, so thank you <3

Thank you so much! I'm so happy to you enjoyed it. I love getting messages like this <3

I don't think I'll finished my own full version of the plot as I planned to, because it was kinda intense. But I'm very glad I made all those one shots and that they make people happy. I loved writing them and I still adore this AU.

TBH, I had a huge plan for the Stanford backstory and it was so unnecessarily complicated. Theres stuff I would keep but other stuff I would probably axe.

Short version is Stan and Ford moved to Gravity Falls when they were 12. They befriended a young Carla and Fiddleford and the four of them formed a little scooby gang that would solve the mysteries of Gravity Falls.

A young Ford stumbles upon the cave with the incantation to summon Bill and he translates it. So a young Pre teen Ford meets Bill much earlier than in canon and this influences him for the worst.

Stan doesn’t break his machine, Ford still gets rejected and this sends him on a dark spiral. He leaves town without a world.

Ford still builds the portal and falls into it, but this time it wasn't an accident and he was pushed in it on purpose. By Stan. 😬

The one who is actually trying to open the portal in this AU was Pacifica's mom. 😱

Here's a link to a more detailed timeline of these events - be warned - its hella messy.

Even tho I’ll probably never finish this story, it has a special place in my heart. ❤️ So I’ve included the draft for the first chapter of the official reverse falls au and my other chapter plans below the cut.

You didn't ask for it so ... here you go.

Play It In Reverse

While working for their Granny Carla, Pacifica and Gideon come across a nameless journal with mysterious content. They start to unravel the secrets of their home town, but they find some things are better left hidden when their path crosses with the Pines twins.

Ch 1 - Part Time Tourist, Full Time Trapped

Priscilla Northwest had not been happy when her daughter had brought up that she wanted to get a job for the summer break. Priscilla had stated that it was below a lady of her station to have a part time job and work for one of the lowbrow hicks that lived in the town. Besides, what was the point in getting a job when they were already rich.

But Pacifica had been persistent and Priscilla had seen the fiery rebellion in her violet eyes. She wouldn't easily back down from her position, not without constant tantrums and complaining. The child had always been annoyingly stubborn when she set her mind to something. Though Priscilla couldn't say she was much different when she was Pacifica's age.

She didn't really want to deal with an angry reckless teenager when she had a city to run. And she doubted Preston could keep Pacifica in line on his own. And it would be much easier to continue with her work if Pacifica wasn't wandering about the mansion on a constant basis.

The more Priscilla pondered on letting her daughter get a summer job, the better the idea seemed. The only problem was finding a place for her to work. She wouldn't let Pacifica be caught dead laboring in the greasy lumberjack diner. Priscilla would have to make sure that she had a respectable job with a trustworthy employer. An employer who wouldn't mind being saddled with a fourteen year old girl with no previous work experience and no knowledge of how to work for a living. It would be a difficult task, even for the mayor of the town. Priscilla was gifted in finding the right strings to pull to make sure things would work out to her design, and she didn't doubt her abilities. But not many respectable people would accept taking on a new employee for the entire of summer when the season had just started.

Acquaintances were unlikely to accept Pacifica, but family was another story.

Long and short term plans formed within her mind as she reached out to pick up her phone. Dialing a familiar but unused number on her phone, she took a deep breath as she brought the receiver to her ear.

An eccentric voice answered on the third ring. "You've reached the Mystery Shack, home of the legendary swamp beast foot. Just the left foot though, the rest of him is still buried in the swamp, plotting a way to find his missing limb. If you'd like to see it for yourself, come on down and enter-"

"Mother," Priscilla said to the woman on the other end, cutting off her sales pitch. "It's Priscilla."

The friendly tone in her mother's voice flipped on a dime. "Ah Priscilla, thought you might call," Carla stated with clipped sarcasm. "It's only been a year."

She cringed to herself in response to her mother's attempt at guilt tripping her. She hadn't called in order to get told off for not keeping in contact. Even though she was sure that her mother would love to focus on that subject.

"You know how busy I am, mother," Priscilla replied flippantly. The response left her lips before she could think better of it. Too late to take it back now. She examined a bit of paper work that had been pushed off to the side of her desk. Something to focus on other than the rant her mother was going to go on.

"Too busy to keep in touch with the family?" Carla snapped, temper showing in the sharpness of her voice. "Honestly Pris, I haven't seen you in years, and neither has Gideon. And seeing you on TV does not count. You haven't even called or written. We live in the same town, for god's sake. I've barely seen any trace of my granddaughter, who I also haven't seen in years, by the way."

Priscilla's ears perked up at that last sentence and her mind raced to engineer the perfect speech. Immediately, she adjusted her voice and spoke in an pleasant tone. "That's actually why I called you," she stated diplomatically. Lies spun out of her mouth like spiderwebs, laced with ulterior motives and secret plans. And like a spiderweb, they entrapped the woman on the other end. "Pacifica has been so consumed with her studies for the past few years, I thought it would be good if she had a break. I was hoping that you could let her work for you this summer, since you aren't particularly well staffed. It would be a great chance for you to bond."

There was a long pause on the other end, and Priscilla wondered if her mother was able to see through her. If anyone could, it was her. But even if her speech had rung false in her mother's ears, she doubted the woman would pass up the chance to spend time with her only granddaughter.

"So, you want me to take your teenaged daughter off your hands " her mother asked, a hint of amusement in her tone that Priscilla wasn't particularly fond of. "Alright, I'll let her work for me. On one condition."

The word condition alone was enough to tense her muscles and cause an uncomfortable flexion in her fingers. However, despite an initial discomfort, Priscilla kept her composure, because this was her mother and she rarely had an ulterior motive that extended beyond extra family time.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked with a neutral but polite tone that never betrayed her emotions.

"Pacifica stays here at the shack, it'll be like summer camp," her mother chirped, and Priscilla could tell she was smiling on the other end. "Plus I won't have to waste gas money, driving her back home."

The idea of Pacifica sleeping in the musty old shack Priscilla had despised in her childhood, made her cringe with disgust. However, it lined up with her motive to keep her daughter out of her way for the summer. Besides, it would be a good learning experience for her daughter, experiencing how the lower class lives. Perhaps she would finally understand the difference between the Northwests and everyone else in this town. Perhaps she would return home and actually be grateful for everything Priscilla had given her.

So, despite the revulsion that twisted her stomach when she thought of her daughters perfect blonde locks resting on the stained and unkempt beds of her childhood room, Priscilla kept a cheery tone. But not too cheery and with just the right amount of tension in her vocals. "That sounds wonderful."

She could practically see the triumph in her mother's eyes when she replied. As if taking in a teenager for the summer was some great victory. "Swell, you can drop her off this weekend." With that Carla hung up the phone, probably feeling very proud of herself.

There was a twitch at Priscilla's lips when she hung up the phone. In another life, if she had been burdened with a lack of ambition like other pretty girls, she probably could have become an actress.

Xxx

A small group of shuffling tourists pilled into a small, dark room. A young boy stood at the front of the group, leading them further into the darkness. Once the last person entered the room, the door slammed shut behind them, startling the tourists inside. Even in the darkness, people were able to see the little boy's light up shoes and the glimmering rhinestones adorning his cap. He was the only thing their eyes could follow as he came to stand on a platform.

"Now y'all gather in close," the boy stage whispered, his southern accent ringing clear as a bell. "And listen well as old Clarabelle tells you the darkest secret of Gravity Falls. I suggest those of you with feint hearts cover your ears."

The group was collectively pulled in closer by the softness of his voice. They were gathered tightly together now. Each person whispering of either conspiracies, skepticisms or wonder at what they were about to hear. No one saw the large smile on his face when he spoke again. "Now try not to scream, old Clarabelle's in a ... delicate situation."

There was a click and a single spotlight shined on the stage. The sudden light source assaulted everyone's retinas for a moment, when their eyes readjusted to the light the group let out a series of gasps. The white haired boy stood atop a stage that was made to look like a creepy living room, with ancient looking furniture and spiderwebs hanging off of everything. There was a single rocking chair in the centre of the stage, and sitting on it was an old woman who's appearance caused some of the audience to tremble. She was tightly bound in an old fashioned straight jacket, that would have been white if it weren't for the questionable dark crimson stains that streaked it. Her hair was long, stringy and a mess upon her head. But the real terrifying thing was her sunken in, erratically shifting violet eyes.

When she looked upon the people before her, a crooked and wild grin found its way to her lips. She tilted her head to the side to show off the sharpness of her teeth, causing people to notice that she had long fangs in place of her canines.

"Well, hello there, dears," she crooned to the crowd in a sickly sweet tone. "It's so nice to see such fine people visiting our little town. This sleepy little town, with wholesome citizens and lovely sights. At least, that was what the uninformed would assume. But I know differently. There are shadows in the forests, shifting when you get close enough. Strange phenomenons that cloud this town's history. Why even in this ver-"

She paused, crazed violet eyes snapping upwards towards the ceiling. Her breath hitched as she stared ahead, her gaze not really fixed on anything. Everyone waited in anticipation for her to finish her statement, or perhaps for her to snap into a violent rage.

She slowly craned her head towards the audience, a smile stretching at her lips but not affecting her dead eyes. "Sorry dearies, it seems you've come to visit old Clarabelle at a terrible time. You see-"

The old woman was cut off by a sudden rumble beneath the stage. She glared down at the floorboards as if they had offended her.

"You see, tonight is the new moon and-" the woman tried again, though her character was slipping. Her voice was a lot louder this time but her words were drowned out when the mechanical rumble bellow to stage turned into a full fledged roar.

A trapdoor in front of the old woman's rocking chair opened up with a slam. Puffs of smoke poured out from the opening, accompanied by the sound of distorted dog growls. The now confused and horrified audience watched as something large and fury emerged from the stage.

An animatronic werewolf jumped up from bellow the stage, only its hide was on fire. It's hinged jaw jerked rapidly and the rubber skin and synthetic fur melted away as it was licked by the flames. The thing's voice box was damaged by the heat, and the long howl it was programmed to make became distorted. The screech it made sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

The tourists screamed, some of them feeling the heat from the very real and dangerous flames. This little scene had clearly gotten out of control, and no one wanted to stick around to see the damage that would come of this malfunction. The group fled the room in fear, rushing passed the gift shop and back to their cars. As a collection of cars sped away on the dirt road, no one in the line had an inkling to ever go back to the Mystery Shack.

The boy, who had been guiding the customers, had fled the scene to fetch a nearby fire extinguisher. Luckily, due to prior experience with combustible machinery, he was able to douse the flames in a few moments.

As the large clouds of smoke rose up from the opening, the animatronic flopped over lifelessly and it's rubber skin sizzled. The old woman fluidly slipped from the confines of her straight jacket and tossed it to the side. Upon finding the room barren of tourists, she cursed loudly. The boy's hands automatically shot up to cover his ears as the woman cursed over and over.

"I thought you said it wasn't going to catch on fire this time, Melody," Carla McCorkle snapped, yanking the itchy wig from her head and throwing it to the ground in disgust. She spent all month preparing for this werewolf bit and now all these rehearsals went to waste. Not only that, but all the paying customers had booked it out of there without so much as a tip.

"I'm sorry," a feminine voice called out from under the stage. From the trap door, a young woman emerged. Her face and clothes were coated in soot and her hair was severely disheveled. "I really thought I fixed all the problems but when I went to turn it on, there was this pop and then a flame sparked and everything just got worse from there. I'm really sorry Miss McCorkle, I think it had something to do with the-"

"I don't care how it happened, just get it fixed," she said, brushing past the bewildered and frantic young woman. She yelled at the top of her lungs. "Robbie! Robbie, get over here!"

When there was no response, Carla stormed out of the room and into the gift shop, only to find her cashier missing.

Pacifica sat before the cash register, counting the money, or rather the lack of it. When her grandmother entered the room with the fury in her violet eyes, she straightened her posture to put up a facade of alertness.

“What happened?” the blonde asked, a sculpted brow arched in confusion. “I saw everyone run out of there and I thought someone died or something.”

“Those people are wimps,” her grandmother growled, glaring out the window where she could just make out the tail end of the retreating automobiles on the dirt road. She turned to her granddaughter with a frown. “Where the heck is Robbie?”

“He went AWOL after all those people ran out without even buying anything,” Pacifica answered with a shrug, though she turned her head to gaze wistfully out the window, the way she had seen the cashier go. “He said he would be hanging out with some friends.”

“Lousy teenagers,” Carla grumbled, crossing her arms and glaring out the window. “This is coming out of his pay check.”

The young boy came running in, out of breath and grinning like they hadn’t lost out on a whole lot of money.

“Good news,” he chirped, and Carla looked towards him with a skeptical gaze. “Melody got the fire out. Bad news is she’s going to need a week to fix the werewolf bot.”

Carla groaned dramatically, raking her fingers through her thick grey curls. While she mumbled a string of curses to herself, her grandchildren shared a look of acknowledgment and subtly nodded to one another.

“Weeeellll,” Pacifica said, dragging out the word as she stepped out from behind the counter. “Since today was a bit of a bust and Melody is working on fixing the werewolf, Gideon and I were gonna go out for a walk in the woods.”

Upon hearing this, Carla to her granddaughter with a suspicious glare. She inclined her head in interest, searching for any hidden intent in Pacifica’s facial features or posture.

xxx

Gravity Falls wasn't the kind of place you would expect people to travel to on purpose. It was a small town, built on the lumber industry, with not much in terms of attractions. There was a grand total of four restaurants, two motels, and one mall. The town held some weird traditions and fostered a bunch of creepy local legends, but other than that it was basically a pit stop for weary travellers taking a road trip in the pacific north west.

xxx

The tree was cool to the touch, and had the texture of steel. The realistic paint job mimicked the colour and shadows of bark and had fooled Pacifica and Gideon into believing it was real.

Out of curiosity, she carefully ran her hand along the tree side. She paused when her fingertips caught on a small grove in the metal, indicating that there was some kind of opening.

Xxxxx

These were my chapter plans for play it in reverse - some are more thought out than others lol

Part Time Tourist, Full Time Trapped: Gideon and Pacifica go out to get pictures of something spooky, they come across gnomes. The gnomes find the two truss passing on their lawn and try to force one or the other into marriage. When they escape, the cousins stumble upon the third journal. They use it to escape the gnomes by summoning the manatoar to scare them off.

Once in a Waxing Moon: Pacifica finds a poster for the Mystery Museum's new wax exhibit. Carla flips her lid and immediately calls up Fiddleford Mcgucket to assemble a new attraction to beat out Stan. Pacifica and Gideon help Melody and Fids with the creation of the Gobblewonker. They do the painting. Pacifica meets McGucket for the first time and learns how Melody started working for Carla and how she became a mechanic. Like a try hard, Carla shows of fat the wax exhibit unveiling and shows up Stan with her gobblewonker. After an enormous explosion takes out everything, Paz and Gideon decide to find out who caused the destruction. With a tip from Wendy, they find out that Stan was around when the thing blew up. But that's weird because Carla and Stan were fighting at the time. Something Is sketchy so they go snooping around the mystery museum late at night for clues. They find out that it was actually Stan's wax figure that blew up the robot and they nearly get killed by some wax figures. Pacifica meets dipper Stan and Carla get into a fight and Paz gets some free tickets to the tent of telepathy.

There's Something About Mabel: Paz and Gideon and Melody go to the tent of telepathy. Mabel is interested in Gideon and approaches him with the intent of owning him. He's excited to be hanging out with her but he gets severely scared of her and has to put up some boundaries. This makes Mabel even more determined to have him and she starts pressuring him to date her and smothers him and nearly threatens him. Paz, seeing the effect Mabel has on Gideon, confronts her and tells her to lay off a bit. Mabel doesn't take this well and traps her at a factory and promptly tries to kill her. Gideon receives the ransom note, and tries to appeal to her better nature. He lets her down easy but Mabel goes full out horror show on him. Paz tries to rescue him but Dipper shows up and stops her. Dipper convinces Mabel not to kill Paz or hurt Gideon and she begrugenly follows him, not without threatening Paz on the way out.

Season of the Hand Witch: Gideon and Paz start panicking about the mystically powered twins and consult the journal for answers. They can't find anything on the mystic amulets but they do find info on a psychic witch who may have the answers to how they can defend themselves. They go to the handwitch who tells them how to make hex bags to stop the pines twins from using their powers on them.

Mabel goes to meet them at the shack and act threatening but finds she can’t use her powers. Pacifica is a bit gloaty about it.

Mabel goes to tell Dipper about how they got had. Dipper is surprised that Pacifica found away around her powers, and he’s impressed but not too upset. Its just a couple of kids after all. Sucks for Mabel tho. Mabel is like yeah it is unfortunate. Especially since Pacifica has the other journal. Dipper just screeches "WHAT?!"

The Art of Failing at Seduction: the party at the mystery shack, a birthday party for Stan thrown by Carla because she thinks its funny and she makes a big deal about advertising how old he is. Pacifica and Dipper share a confrontation when she keeps catching him sneaking around while she fails to put the moves on Robbie. He gets his hands on her journal but he is dumbfounded when he sees that it’s journal number 3. Dippy thought she had journal number 1, he had no idea there even was a 3rd journal lol. She hits him with a chair and gets the book away from him. He demands to know why it’s the third journal and where the first is. She has no idea what he’s talking about.

Pioneer Day: Pacifica and Stan are both mortified at the discovery that its Pioneer Day. Carla sets up a pioneer station at the shack to get more customers and to piss of Stan. Pacifica has to do the Pioneer Day speech every year.

Trick or Treat or Die: Pacifica pisses off the summerween trickster and then they have to collect a whole lot of candy.

Splash: Gideon falls in love with a magical manatee.

Worst Date Ever: Dipper somehow convinces Pacifica to investigate a series of disappearances around a convenience store. They end up needing to be saved by

Where Have All The Good Men Gone: Dipper and Robbie fight or not.

Something Wicked This Way Comes: Bill Cipher

Pacifica Northwest Vs The World: Dipper and Mabel get access to the Mystery Shack

Nearly Almost Dead But Not Quite: zombie kareoke

It Must Be a Conspiracy: Pacifica and Dipper believe their relatives are up to something.

Experiment #210: Seuss melody date

Mind Swap:

What is Love?: love potion incident.

Witches Be Crazy: Lollipop, Taffy, bubblegum, candy

Ancient Sins: the haunting at Northwest manner forces Priscilla to hire Dipper and Mable to deal with it. Pacifica is pissed off when he shows up.

Order of the All Seeing Eye: the crew discovers a cult dedicated to cipher lead by blind Ivan and they all work to erase the memories of gravity falls so no one will stand in the way of cipher when he returns. They find out about how the portal will open soon, mcgucket finds out that the kids have his memory gun now.

My Soul to Take: Dipper gets his ass possessed. Bills like, well you’ve figured out too much already so we’re gonna destroy those journals of yours and kill all those that know about the impending portal.

No One You Can Trust: the crew tries to find out who could be trying to open the portal and it leads them to mcgucket stan and Carla.

The Thickness of Blood: the portal opens and Ford emerges. Mcgucket manages to contain the rift that had been created via the portal.

Last Ditch Effort: in an attempt to get the power away from the northwest’s, Stan runs for mayor.

Beginning of the End: Mable trades the rift for bill to no longer be able to possess her and her brother while allowing them to keep their amulets and magical abilities.

Weirdmagedon: The Final Temptation: Bill offers Dipper everything he could want so they can make another deal and so he will have dipper under his thrall.

Weirdmagedon: Into the Rift:

Weirdmagedon: The Way Is Shut: the blood is spilled in the circle

[britt-kageryuu]

The stream starts with Raph sitting on a big beanbag chair in what looks like his train car, with some modifications. His model is wearing sblack/red shirts, wrist wraps, his mask, and teddy bear slippers.

"Hey guys, I got a new game that Mandarin told me about. Little Kitty Big City. It looks very cute. You get to play as a cute kitty, and I can't wait." As he talks his tail is wagging up a storm.

He starts from the Home Screen, and selects the game, and selects Save Slot 1.

"Oh! Is that the Kitty we play as listen to those purrs. Oh, Streeeech. Woah! They FELL!" Raph watches the cutscene, and then to actual control of the cat. "So we're trying to get home, but we're also gonna explore. Oh an inventory... are those hats? We get to put hats on the Kitty! Oh Cat-chievments. Sounds like Blues kind of pun. Okay how do I control this cat."

A good minute of messing with the controls and Raph starts wandering around. "Okay avoid the water. The jump is still weird though. I probably have to find some food, or something first."

"Oh, so it's just B, but holding it gets you ready to pounce. Swipe... knock over the pots~ Oh shiny spot! Jump! Shoot missed."

The stream watches as Raph wanders around, trying to get to Shiny spots, and figure out where to go. While saying 'jump', 'pounce' 'smack' and 'oh I can pick this up!' "Oh Zoomies!"

Raph had to pause real quick, "Okay, so I need to collect this stuff to give to the Tanuki, and Raven, to give me what I need to finish the game. At least it's not very hard."

A couple minutes later and he's struggling to catch a bird to get the feathers, so he switches to looking for cans to get shinies.

Though the audience is very entertained by the expressions on Raphs model, and how his tail is basically a blur right now, because he keeps finding the animations very adorable.

He eventually figured out how to catch the birds, but it was still tricky without bread.

"I got the feathers, now to find the Tanuki."

"He opened a portal thingy? Oh boy. I'm in the trash can ain't I?... Yup, and I didn't give the crow the shinies yet either." Raph lets out a sigh, "Well, I knew there would be more explorin to do, so let's figure out what to do next."

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

Raph finally got back to the crow, and got his first fish, and climbed the wall.

"So now I gotta find some ducklings, well at least this map also tells me were to find more fish."

"This crow is telling me it's not selling hats, just that it'll spin the Gotcha to give me random hats... I now get why I need to get lots of shinies..."

+A few minutes later+

"So helping that 'Mayor' cat only got me a emote, but I guess I have to go through that door to find the last duckling. According to the map he's here." Then he get through the door.

....."I have to climb this! To find the last duck!"

"That wasn't the last duckling? Well at least it's close to where the Dad is, and not like near the beginning of the game."

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

Raph wasn't sure what to feel at the moment. "A beetle, runs a famous cats social media, and I have to steal a new phone for it... Red feels very confused by this game. Wait how do I steal a phone again?"

After reading chat for the first time for a reminder (he didn't want spoilers). "I have to trip one of the humans holding a phone. Gotcha! How do I trip them? Run into their legs? That's kinda mean. But then again I'm playing as a cat."

"And my reward is a an in game camera. Not what I expected, but okay. Next thing, let's just get some of these Cat-chievements done. Since I think I need a few more fish, and we can do this stuff while looking for the last fish."

The chat was spamming cat emotes the entire time, as Raph just messed around for the rest of the stream. He kinda forgot to actually finish the game.

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

Masterpost

I just bought the game myself, and this is my thoughts on the first bit of the game. I don't know how far into the game I am, but I also want to complete everything before I climb the building to get home anyway.

[archivalofsins]

I'm so late but- I can't believe they just made Amane bad at math canon?!

This was inspired by a conversation I was having with a friend for the most part. Didn't want to get too carried away but love the subtle changes in the minigrams and how they play on the timelines.

That's a D, and even though that's an average percentage in Japan, there's a chance it's not meant to be read that way. Like it can still be average. Average grades are fine but like the difference between this and the timelibe interests Mr.

Because this Minigram comes directly off of the last one with Shidou. A minigram that they also took some creative liberties with for comedic reasons. Yet that one ended with Amane searching for a new teacher not going to find Kotoko like in the original timeline interaction,

20/06/13

Amane: ……what’s wrong, Shidou-san? Your hand has stopped marking. This is mathematics, so there’s no questions about the answers. If I got something wrong, please mark it with an X.

Shidou: I…… I just don’t understand. If everything about MILGRAM is true…… why did a child like you have to become a murderer? Just imagining what sort of circumstances must have led to that, it makes me so sad……

Amane: ……*sigh*. Is that right. I don’t think I’m going to get along with you, Shidou-san. I don’t agree with the fact you refuse to acknowledge that I have my own free will, and that I should be held accountable for my actions, just because I’m a child. I may have only been alive for 12 years, but all the choices I’ve made, even if they weren’t the best ones, were entirely my own. What point is there in you getting sad when I have no regrets myself? ……please give me back my test. It seems you don’t have the concentration levels required to be my teacher. I’m going to get Kotoko-san to teach me instead.

Shidou: Amane…… I don’t think that’s true. However smart you may be…… you’re still just a child.

In the original timeline convo Shidou states the things he was thinking in the minigram aloud causing Amane to leave. In the Minigram Amane is just left baffled and confused as Shidou seems to fail to understand what her test even says and leaves on her own.

Like we said before, she doesn't state she's looking for Kotoko, just a teacher who seems capable. She immediately disregards Futa as an option. Something also done for comedic purposes.

So the test Amane gives Kotoko to grade in this Minigram is still the mathematics one. Unlike in the portal timeline when the interaction between her and Kotoko is several days after her one with Shidou,

20/06/18

Amane: Thank you very much for teaching me. ……but, though I realise it’s strange me saying this after I asked you, I must admit it’s kind of unexpected. You give off the impression of someone who wouldn’t want to get involved in things like this.

Kotoko: ……well, you’re not wrong. I’m surrounded by people who could all be murderers, so I don’t plan on going out of my way to talk and make friends. I can’t let my guard down. But I like ambitious people like you. If you want to study more, then I’m happy to teach.

Amane: I see…… You look scary at first impression, but I quite like the way you treat everyone equally regardless of whether they’re older or younger than you. You don’t just treat me like a child or anything like that.

Kotoko: Treat you like a child? Hah, you’ve got to be kidding. Back when I was your age, I was already the person I am today. I don’t have any plans to let you get away with something just “because you’re a child.” ……remember that. There, I’ve finished marking. 83%. How do I put it… Even though you act like this, it’s not like you’re super brilliant at studying or anything, huh.

In contrast to the timelibe interactions that happeb a good bit away from each other, the Minigram is more meant to document her starting out bring tutored by Kotoko. Not her falling out with tutors like we see in the timeline. This right here is all about timing.

First, do you notice how in the minigram they stay away from the treat you like a child conversation entirely? Only focusing on how Kotoko likes ambitious people like Amane, the grades, and the need to improve them in this area. That's a stark difference from the original timeline.

Plus, notice how the timeline has Mikoto and Kazui there. Two people she asks for help at different points in the timeline. Well, more so take note of how this minigram uses Mikoto specifically. The Minigram uses him to emphasize and announce to everyone that right now, this isn't about language.

The topic that he and Amane excel in or have a good grasp of,

Q.01 What’s your speciality skill?

Amane: I don’t think I have a particular skill. Would studying count? I’m good at Japanese language.

It's about math. It's still about the math test from the previous Minigram. You know what's not the timeline interaction that takes place five days after she did that test and ended the conversation stating she was going to Kotoko. From how Kotoko and Amane are speaking in the June 18th timeline, it's implied she's been helping her for a minute. She's probably been helping her since what occurred on the 13th with Shidou.

Does anyone here think it would take Kotoko five days to grade a math test? No probably not. So she's more than likely grading a different exam all together.

I believe Kotoko's wording is important in this timeline. Because she says, "Even though you act like this, it's not like you're super brilliant at studying or anything, huh?"

What about the way Amane behaves would imply she'd be good at math or studying?

They even change this in the minigram instead having Kotoko state,

"How do I say this... For the way you act, you aren't a good student, are you..."

Along with the visual, which implies that Kotoko isn't just saying this based of Amane's grade but how Amane reacted to it. She wasn't surorised or upset in fact she seemed like she expected it.

In the timeline, while Kotoko still attempts to find the right words, she's more matter of fact. Even though it's still a question she flat out forgoes saying she's not a good student and states she's not brilliant at studying or anything. Just point blank you're not amazing at this.

If the thing she was discussing here was in fact Japanese language, the thing that Amane says she's good at. That would hurt a lot more than saying it about math something she doesn't state she's good at it. Plus it's be easy to assume she's excel at that based on how she speaks or being like that.

So yeah, that's why I think this is probably a case of two different things being graded. Not her grade being changed. I want to hope for a part three since she took note of what Mikoto said about being able to help with debate and discussion, but who knows.

[fancytrinkets]

veilguard impressions

spoilers ahead. a list of my opinions and impressions as I play this game

basic starting notes after having played for 30+ hours

overall I am having fun playing this game

there are things I like and things I don't like. these are subjective and I don't think everyone is going to share these opinions or agree with me

I am not going to give an overall opinion of how much I liked it until I've finished playing

things I like so far

the way the characters look. I do like the character design style quite a lot

seeing characters from the books and stories: the crows from Tevinter Nights; Felassan from The Masked Empire; Maevaris from the comics and Tevinter Nights

the look of returning characters that I've met so far. I honestly think Dorian looks FANTASTIC. I do wish Morrigan and Isabela looked a little bit older in their face textures, but overall I love the look. (For Morrigan I'm also willing to let it go by imagining she can magic the subtle signs of aging away or something like that)

exploring scenes from Solas' past in the Crossroads

the Portal-style open-the-way-forward puzzles are fun because they're new (not sure how they'll hold up on multiple replay; could become annoying, I imagine)

that Rook has a unique conflict in their backstory, based on faction, and other characters mention and react to it. it feels like a solid way of rethinking the playable origin-story from Origins

the continuity with DA2 in having Varric as the narrator, speaking over beautifully illustrated backgrounds during some transitions

the continuity with Origins in having cutscenes of the antagonists play during transitions

combat related: I like the chained moves being mapped to buttons; I am still getting a feel for them; I imagine it would be harder if I didn't have an xbox elite controller with paddles, mapped to the ABXY buttons in addition to the buttons themselves

combat-related: using the bow is pretty fun. I never like archer builds, but I'm enjoying rogue plus bow a LOT. the smooth transition from blades to bow and back is great

not as much inventory management: I have spent plenty of my gaming life customizing swords while comparing them to every other sword in my inventory. I'm okay letting this stuff get simplified for me

Dorian DOES know Emmerich previously, a fellow necromancer, and I appreciate that!

Mae having been kicked out of the magisterium and the Lucerni disbanded a year before the present, and Dorian being the magister on the inside for the Shadow Dragons. That played out in a way that was pretty close to what I anticipated based on what we know of Tevinter politics

things I dislike so far

some of the companion conversations feel like they've been workshopped for a generation that's much younger than me — which is fine, but there are some things the characters say to each other that strike me as... well, YOUNG, and not the kind of dialogue I'd write if it were me

I'm also ready for varric to step aside as a character in game. while I appreciate his narration, I'm finding his pep talks and advice to be a little grating. though, depending on how I feel at the end of the game, I might find some fanfic inspiration in this feeling, so I'm actually not salty about it, just noticing my own reaction here

I'm finding I choose characters to accompany me based on who can prime and detonate the specific combat moves; and that feels limiting in a way that I wasn't expecting. I often pick one character who feels relevant to the mission, then default to whomever can prime or detonate for them

I totally missed the "customize your Inquisitor" side panel at the start of the game. disappointed enough at having generic FLavellan show up that I quit my first Rook and am now replaying on story mode to catch up to all the time and plot I lost

things I haven't formed a full opinion about yet

the combat overall. it is VERY different from all previous games, and I'm honestly not even comparing it to previous titles in the series because it is a whole new thing. the dodging and chained moves remind me of Elden Ring, but I find Elden Ring combat is more satisfying for me. the explosions and pacing remind me of the Borderlands franchise, but Borderlands was also more satisfying for me. I don't love it OR hate it. I'm kind of in the middle, I guess. Though, like I said, I'm fond of the bow

the Veil Jumpers. (I chose this background with my first Rook before I quit to replay.) I think I get what the writers were going for. Solas unleashes some new weird shit and the Dalish start checking it out and then recruiting more people to investigate. that feels reasonable to me. also, even though the mood is cheerful, it's clear a LOT of them are dying. I appreciate that because they are running around poking at unstable magic and malfunctioning old relics... but yeah, the cheerful mood and the "can do" vibe feels a little off to me in a way I'm not totally sure how to explain. it's almost like the writers realized the past games had written the Dalish into a really weird corner where they were "stuck in the past" but also uneducated about so much of their own history. and now they are trying to remake them into a newer, more "fun" group of people. it's just... a thing I notice

the choice between Minrathous and Treviso. I haven't seen how this plays out in the endgame yet, but I'm expecting a break or betrayal from Lucanis after choosing to fight with Minrathous instead. (I was planning to romance Neve with my first Rook, so that choice seemed important; I'm going to make the same choice with my remade Rook, as a Shadow Dragon whose home is Minrathous) So... yeah, I'm kind of hoping Lucanis will unleash an unholy mess upon us based on that choice. It feels very Mass Effect, but if the Virmire survivor lived and was changed by the experience of being abandoned by Shepard. I am hoping it goes poorly in the later part of the game, but you know, we'll see...

companion characters. I am reserving judgment until I've finished the game and of course I've spent more time with some than others due to the recruitment timings. at the moment I'm personally most fond of Neve, Davrin, and Taash (though I just met Taash, so will need more time to solidify that opinion. I think she's going to be my remade Rook's romance instead of Neve). I like Lucanis; he doesn't feel like a personal favorite, but I like him. Harding is fine; overall she's a bit too sunshine for my tastes, but I like her well enough. I will probably like Emmerich more as I continue to play. I feel like I just met him. Bellara is the one I'm struggling with most, but I think that's connected to my mixed feelings on the Veil Jumper faction in a way I haven't figure out entirely yet

the story arc overall. I don't have a handle on how I feel about what's happening and so I'm reserving judgment on until it I've completed the game for the first time

[daddyplasmius]

this is let grief do its work, a fic (currently unedited rip) I started as a kind of sister fic to hand on my stupid heart, another fic I'd written earlier and uh. yeah. you guessed it. haven't finished. I'm working on this on the side, Flying Over the Pit of Death + its sister fic & my original novels being my main focuses right now. I will most likely continue lgdiw sometime in the future, it just isn't my main priority. Like all of my fics, this idea is free for anyone to take & run with. if/when I finish this fic, the edited version will go on ao3. For context: this is just a prologue of sorts, depicting vaguely what is happening on the human side of the Portal the month after the Accident. On Danny's side, he's been chillin' in the Ghost Zone, where he ended up after half-dying, believing he's fully dead (he's not) & only realized he's still alive after it was too late for him to tell everyone what happened cuz like, awkward & embarrassing lol. HOMSH takes place a year later, when things come to a head. I feel it's important to reiterate that, although Danny isn't actually dead, the characters think he is & act accordingly. okay author's infodump note complete, fic under a readmore

“when they first go, let yourself think every selfish, no-good, dirty, angry, filthy, horrible thought. let the waves of anger wash through you. let grief do its work.” ーCaitlyn Siehl; Grief Counseling

On the first day, Sam had thought that, maybe, Danny was just busyーtoo busy to answer their texts, and their calls, and everything else. But then Tucker called her. It was a horrible game of telephone at first. Danny’s parents told Jazz, who told Tucker, who told Sam, and that’s how the communication went for two days until she and Tuck had enough.

They went to FentonWorks, the big, ugly building on the corner of Mockingbird and Cedar, and were surprised to find no one home at all. Not even Jazz. And, for the first time since they’d known the Fentons, the doors were locked. And when they tried to talk to Jazz later, they would find that they’ve officially filed a police report.

ー

Danny Fenton is missing. The last time Sam talked to him she was making fun of him, for being too scared to go check out the Fentons’ new Ghost Portal. She knew he was freaked out by stuff like thatーby ghosts. Now she doesn’t know if she’ll ever see him again.

There’s just no way. He can’t be gone. She literally saw him on Saturday. His empty seat in homeroom on the first day of school is the thing that does it. There’s this gap in the desks where he should be, but he’s not. Like he’s already haunting her.

It makes her sick. Everythingーeverything in her head, everything she knows. Despite what Dash and his asshole friends say, Danny wouldn’t run away. And the longer a person is missing, the more likely it is that they’reー

Sam doesn’t wait for the bell. She leaves Tucker in homeroom, goes straight to the bathroom, and wipes her face down in the sink, water turning black. Suddenly, everything macabre, everything dark and creepyーit just disgusts her.

She goes home early. No one even says anything, not the school, not her parents, not Tucker. Alone in her room, Sam starts to shake. She sobs once, something seething just under her skin. She stalks over to the wall where most of her horror movie posters are taped and starts tearing them down, one by one.

ー

Danny Fenton has been missing for a week, and Tucker, staring at the sweater his best friend forgot at his house, laid across his computer chair, thinks he’s starting to feel it.

Opening his phone, he feels it again. Looking at his texts, he feels it again, and again, and again.

Saturday • 4:47 p.m. Danny Phantom: xD Danny Phantom: not playing tonight, ghost portal opening night 👻 Danny Phantom: can play tmrw tho Too Fine: hell ya txt u then Danny Phantom: 👍 Sunday • 10:20 a.m. Too Fine: yo still up 4 doomed Too Fine: dued Too Fine: dude* Too Fine: you there Sunday • 10:21 a.m. Too Fine: txt me when you wanna play Sunday • 11:58 a.m. Too Fine: you up?

Tucker lets his phone fall on his bed. He doesn’t bother checking in with Sam. She’s been out of school and ignoring him for the last three days. It’s almost been a week sinceー

He gets up and stumbles to his chair. He sits down, careful not to mess up Danny’s NASA hoodie. Tucker turns on his desktop, types in his password, checks his emails. He messes around for as long as he can before he literally cannot take it anymore. He just can’t ignore it.

God. His best friend is gone. Is he coming back? Is heー

It’s like something inside his chest cracks. Without thinking, he pulls the NASA hoodie into his lap, and then over his head. It’s been here too long. It still has that smell of ozone and copper on it, though.

Tucker leans back in his chair and stares at the wall.

ー

Danny was home. That’s the thing. The last time Jazz saw him, he was inside the house, and she never saw him leave. He must have, at some point. She has no idea why, or for what, but he must have. It’s the only rational explanation. Danny left. Something happened. He never came home.

She feels the panic rising, gripping her throat again. She puts the candle down on the bleachers. Wipes her face. Whoever is speaking to the crowd of students holding vigil is a mess of white noise in her ears. It doesn’t help. It should and it doesn’t. A lot of things are the opposite of what Jazz knowsーthought they are.

She almost wishes it had just happened at home, been a little less drawn out.

As soon as it pops into her head, she feels sick, disgusted at herself.

But no one goes missing this long and lives. A very small percentage do. And if it had been some accident in the lab, like she always feared would happen, at least they’d have a body to mourn. At least they would know.

ー

Sam’s parents pretend they aren’t happy. They have to look worried, grieving, because what would the neighbours think if they didn’t? She can see through it, unlike them. They always hated the Fentons. They always hated Danny. They always hated Sam’s fascination with the macabre.

Well. They got what they wanted.

It’s like he’s in everything. She isn’t even looking for him, and he’s still there, still everywhereー

Sam rubs her eyes on her sleeve before she can properly cry. There’s no body. He could still come back. A month is a lot, but he could stillーhe could show up. Someone could find him alive. He could be alive.

Her parents look at her from across the lavish, stupidly large, solid wood table. She should know what type of wood it is but it’s like the information is behind a fogbank. She can see the silhouette. She just can’t make it out. Mom places her cutlery down neatly, dabs her mouth with a cloth napkin, and clears her throat.

“Sammy-kins…” She starts, and the rage inside Sam bubbles up like lava bursting through rock. “There’s been… We…”

She looks to the side for help, from dad. He looks incredibly awkward for a moment before turning to Sam with an expression she hasn’t seen since grandpa died.

“Saman… Sam.” He says, simply, slowly, and the lava in Sam’s gut turns cold, and heavy. “They’ve found evidence that has given them reasons to believe that… your friend is gone.” He’s never spoken this softly. Ever. His voice is barely audible above the blood rushing in her ears. “They’ve called off the search.”

ー

Tucker didn’t expect nightmares. He wakes up and he panic-cries into his pillow and hopes to whatever god or deity is listening that ghosts in dreams aren’t real. He can’t explain the fear. Everything is incredibly normal, more normal than his dreams ever have been, and then Danny walks in.

He would give anything for this to happen, right now, in real life. He’s afraid, though. In his dreams, a sheer terror overcomes him. He can’t get away fast enough. He can still hear his own voice echoing in his head. “You’re dead! You’re dead!”

It’s a wrongness he can’t quite graspーor doesn’t want to. He doesn’t want to be afraid of his best friend. Tucker wants him back so badly. But his brain knows the truth, even if Tuck is digging his heels in and refusing to budge.

Someone knocks on his door, and he tenses.

“Tucker, sweetie? It’s…” Mom takes a deep breath. “It’s time to go.”

He grits his teeth and shoves his face into his pillow so hard he can’t get air. He stays like this until he can’t. He gets up.

Tucker walks across the floor like a zombie, barely aware of what he’s even doing. He manages to put on the suit his mom put out for him yesterday, and goes downstairs. He refuses breakfast. The three of themーmom, dad, Tuckerーgo out to the car, and drive to his best friend’s funeral.

ー

Jazz stares at the closed casket. There’s a pair of police officers out of uniform, or maybe detectives, standing in the corner by the photo album laid out on a table looking haunted. Aunt Alicia, uncharacteristically wearing a plain, black dress, sits with mom and dad at the other side of the room. Jazz stares at the casket and she tries to imagine that it’s not empty. That it isn’t making her scream inside with the frustration of it all. Her baby brother is gone. They couldn’t even find him. And probably never will. Because that’s how these things end.

Tucker walks into the room. Dark bags circle his unfocused eyes. His parents are right behind him, his father’s hand on his shoulder. Tucker looks at the casket. He turns away, catching sight of Jazz, and when his parents break off to meet hers, Tucker walks over.

He picks at his sleeves. Says nothing. Jazz tries to pick at the grief counseling she knows she’s studied for fun, but finds herself falling short.

She doesn’t see Sam or Mr. and Mrs. Manson walk in, but suddenly they’re there as well, smiling tightly and giving their condolences to Jazz’s parents. Sam doesn’t walk over. She stands in a corner and stares at a wall with purpose.

Jazz breathes slowly, willing her heart to stop pounding. She counts the stages she can see in front of her.

Too much Acceptance, all from strangers who never even knew him personally. She glances at Dash Baxter, tugging on his tie and looking annoyed. She can feel Anger in her. But also Denial. Bargaining. Depression.

And somehow, Acceptance, too.

They’re not stages. She never really got that before. You feel them all at once, all the time, and they don’t go away. The intensity changes, turning from a background hum to bright bursts of emotion at any little reminder.

She looks at Tucker out of the corner of her eye. She wonders if he’s feeling that way too. Being bombarded by the stages of grief in a way no one prepared them for. Is this why mom and dad never let them get any pets? Besides Danny’s gerbil, which promptly disappeared before she could even get used to the rodent’s smell. What happened to it? Was it rehomed, or is its body still somewhere around the house, unfound, unlooked for?

The stages start over, skipping between Depression, Anger, Denial, the emotions falling over themselves. She wished the cops would leave.

Not soon enough, it’s over. The funeral home employees usher them out, the rooms and halls now empty. The drive home is simultaneously the longest and shortest ever. She stares up at the brick and all she wants to do is sleep. She heads inside intending to do just that.

She takes her shoes off at the door. Mom and dad take off their jacks and move to settle in the living room. Mom is holding a tissue to her eye. Jazz hesitates for just a moment.

Should she do something? She feels like she should do something, anything. She wants to suggest therapy. She’s afraid to open her mouth, though. Jazz can feel the blame on the back of her tongue, ready to spill out. That would be the worst thing for her to do, and she doesn’t know if she has the strength to hold it back, because for fucks sake, if they just watched their children, this wouldn’t have happened.

Jazz turns to the stairs and starts climbing them. She doesn’t get halfway before she’s blinded by drywall dust and knocked off her feet.

[raaorqtpbpdy]

Phantom Boy (2)

When the Doctors Fenton lose their son in a lab accident involving a ghost portal, the distraught parents will do anything to get him back. Even if it means breaking the immutable laws of life and death. But that thing? That’s not their boy.

First/Previous Chapter

Chapter 2: First Flight (Read it on AO3)

[Warnings for violence and parental rejection]

There was something off about Danny after that, besides just his vaguely unsettling appearance. All of the sudden, he had trouble paying attention, and he'd gotten clumsy, and absent-minded. Throughout his life, Danny had always been a meticulous, dedicated, intelligent kid, and an excellent student, but since his parents brought him back from the dead, he didn't seem to care much about any of that. He was more interested in goofing off, or playing video games.

Jazz was glad to see him living his life for himself, rather than dedicating all his time and energy to trying to win their parents' love, but it was more than that. He hadn’t just picked up new hobbies. He hardly even seemed like himself at all. Things that used to fascinate him bored him now, and things he was passionate about he had only a casual interest in. His knowledge and memories were all perfectly intact, but his personality hadn’t survived the reanimation process unchanged.

Jack and Maddie tried to home-school him, wanting him to stay close after what happened, but Danny didn't want to cooperate. He was just as smart as before, but lacked any of his old motivation. After the first day of working out of his parents' old science textbooks, he insisted on going back to public school, to be with his friends.

When they relented, he was most excited to see his friends again. As soon as he entered the building, he sought them out, heedless of the wide-eyed shock on his classmates faces as he passed them by. He found his friends standing at Tucker’s locker and called out to them with a wide grin.

"Hey, Sam, Tucker, I'm finally back!"

Their heads turned so quickly he thought they might break their necks. Sam took a step back, and both of their mouths fell open in surprise, which prompted Danny’s smile to go from ecstatic to slightly puzzled. Surely they’d been told that he was out of the hospital, he thought, so why did they look so shocked?

"Danny?" Tucker was the first to speak. "But... how are you... we haven't seen you—"

"In more than a month, I know," Danny finished for him, shaking his head. "It's not like I could help being in a coma, but I'm back now, and it's great to see you guys again!"

"Uh, yeah... good to see you again, too..." Sam said. Surprise was one thing, but shouldn’t they at least be happy he was back instead of vaguely horrified?

Tucker and Sam exchanged confused looks. They hadn't heard anything about a coma. In fact, Jazz had told him that Danny was dead. They’d gone to his funeral, they’d mourned, cried, and spent weeks numb over his death before they finally started to be able to move on. Now he was back… and… they didn’t even know what they were feeling.

How did one categorize the emotion of seeing one’s best friend back from the dead and acting like nothing had even happened? Should they say something about it, or let him keep thinking nothing was wrong? Should they be angry about the hurt they’d felt? Overjoyed? Suspicious? Mostly they just felt confused. Not knowing what else to do, they let themselves be swept along.

As the day progressed, his two friends realized more and more that there was something wrong with him, that he'd changed somehow. He wasn't the same Danny as before.

"Man, this is so boring," Danny leaned over to whisper to Sam during science of all classes.

Sam looked at him as though he'd grown a second head.

"Uh... are you actually talking to me in the middle of a class lecture?" she asked. They were friends and all, but Danny was as straight-laced as they came during school hours.

"Since when do you care about talking during a lecture?" he asked, sounding mildly amused.

"I don't, but you do," she said. "What's going on with you?"

"What do you mean?"

Sam blinked, her face going slack, even more taken aback by the fact that he genuinely didn't seem to realize what the problem was.

"N-never mind," she stammered, unsure how to broach the topic, even if she wanted to. It was a wonder that Danny hadn't already heard the rumors going around school that day.

All the students at Casper High had heard what had happened to him, that he'd been involved in a lab accident at home, that he'd died, that there hadn't even been a body to recover. In the last month and a half since Danny's accident, there had been some ghost attacks, nothing too disastrous, and always quickly taken care of by the Fentons before they retreated back to their lab. There had been a lot of speculation that the ghosts were the result of the same accident that killed Danny.

It was that sort of speculation that fed the rumors that circulated upon Danny's return, whispered in the halls when he wasn’t around to hear them.

"He's a ghost, right? He's gotta be."

"Poor guy hasn't even realized it yet."

"Should... should we tell him?"

"No way! That's just too depressing."

Sam and Tucker didn't want to say it, but they agreed with those rumors more than they really wanted to. Danny had cared about school when he was alive, but if he was a ghost, he had no reason to anymore. Plus, Tucker was pretty sure he saw Danny's hand pass right through his desk in math class, and Sam could swear she'd seen his eyes glow for a moment.

There was really no denying it.

The Danny Fenton who came back was not the same one they'd lost, not even close. Tucker wanted so badly to have his best friend back that he was willing to shove his concerns down and go along with it. He even found a time to talk to Sam in private between third and fourth period, and convinced her not to say anything, although she remained anxious and unsure. She felt as though she was mourning him all over again every time he did or said something that he never would have before.

Despite Tucker’s begging, Sam did eventually cave a few days later, and asked Danny what had happened to him, unable to hold back her curiosity completely.

Danny couldn't really remember anything after going to check out his parents' non-functioning portal. He remembered going inside, and the next thing he remembered was his parents' faces, saying he was finally awake. They had told him he'd been shocked by the portal, and had been in a coma for over a month. They had said they were glad to finally have him back. In all his life, Danny couldn't remember ever seeing his parents so happy.

However, even he knew something was different.

Though he didn't think he was acting differently than usual, it was hard to ignore the stares he got at school, the pitying looks from his sister, and the perpetual confusion on his friends' faces, though they tried to hide it. His parents had been so loving and attentive, and even though he knew in his head that it was exactly what he’d been after his whole life, he only felt stifled and suffocated by their constant attention.

The powers clinched it. Something had definitely changed.

He didn't know how to explain it, or why it was happening, but it was like his body couldn't decide whether it was real or not. One moment, he'd be leaning his head on his hand during a boring lecture, and the next, his elbow would go straight through his desk and he’d face-plant on the wooden surface. It happened once in sixth period English, the only class he had without either Sam or Tucker.

"What the—" Danny pulled his arm out of his desk as his teacher scowled at him, not knowing how everyone could have missed that.

"Mr. Fenton, I know Shakespeare can be boring, but I would appreciate it if you could deign to pay attention anyway," Mr. Lancer said. "I'm sure you can make it through the last" — he glanced at the clock — "twelve minutes left of this period before school is over."

"Sorry Mr. Lancer, I didn't—huh?" Danny cut himself off when a blue mist curled off his lips. "What's...?"

A moment later, a pair of glowing green octopi with angry red eyes flew through the window.

"Ghosts!" somebody yelled, and Mr. Lancer urged everyone to quickly but calmly evacuate the classroom.

Danny wasn't really sure what came over him, but for some reason, he didn't run.

"I swear I sensed a ghost here," one of the octopuses said. "You feel it too, right?"

"Yeah but... why's that kid staring like he can understand us?" the second octopus said, lifting a slimy, translucent tentacle toward Danny.

When it opened its mouth, Danny could see rows of sharp teeth, dripping with greenish saliva. Both of the creatures’ voices had a strange, garbled, echoey quality, but somehow, Danny still understood them perfectly.

"What are you?" he asked, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, I see," the second octopus said. "Poor kid hasn't realized he's one of us yet."

"Whelp," responded the first, "guess we'd better get him out of here, take him somewhere safe before the humans find him out."

Danny was too distracted wondering why he could understand them to react when it reached out wrapped one of its tentacles around him. That brought him back to his senses pretty quick, though. He shouted in alarm and struggled against the strange creature's cold, gooey grasp as it dragged him out the window, through the window without even opening it, and up.

The higher he went, the harder it was to breathe, but he didn’t think it had anything to do with the altitude. He’d just been nabbed by some sort of sky kraken, and he figured he could be forgiven for freaking out a little.

"Stop struggling, kid!" it told him, but he struggled anyway.

Finally, the tentacle loosened, and he was free. Free-falling.

He screamed as he plummeted toward the school's baseball diamond. His eyes squeezed shut, and he curled up into a ball, waiting for the splat.

It never came.

"Huh?" he opened his eyes and looked around.

He was floating, the ground still some distance below. White hair drifted into his eyes before floating up again, and when he looked at himself, he realized his clothes had changed, too.

"I can fly?" he breathed.

He turned a little, but overcorrected and flipped upside-down. His stomach swooped, but eventually, he managed to get himself upright and gained some altitude. He let out a laugh of astonishment that quickly turned to glee. This was absolutely amazing!

"I can fly!"

The octopi flew down to try to grab him again, but this time he fought back, punching and kicking. Sometimes, seemingly at random, his fists would glow green, and the octopi would flinch away even worse when he swung for them.

"Forget this," one of them said. "This kid's more trouble than he's worth. He's on his own."

"I'm with you!" agreed the other, and they flew off together.

Danny brushed off his hands as a satisfied grin split his face. That had actually gone pretty well. Whatever those things were, he'd gotten rid of them. Although... he did wonder what they had been talking about. He narrowed his eyes as their glowing forms disappeared into the distance, and decided it didn't really matter.

What mattered was that somehow, he had superpowers! He had to tell his family about this. His parents would be amazed. He soared through the sky, circling trees and tall buildings, doing loop-the-loops in the air. Wind roared past his ears and ruffled his hair as he shot through town like a rocket through the atmosphere. It felt incredible.

Almost too soon, he spotted the brightly lit Fenton Works sign. It was a little weird, seeing it from this angle, when he’d only ever looked up at it from below, or glared at it through his bedroom window when he was trying to sleep.

"Mom! Dad! Guess what!"

In his excitement, he flew too fast and couldn't slow himself to avoid slamming into the side of his house. He tensed and braced for the impact, but rather than slamming into the wall, he went right through it before he finally came to a stop in the kitchen.

Passing through the wall had felt like nothing and something all at once. A weird, gooey sensation that passed almost instantaneously. Danny couldn’t help but laugh again. "Cool!"

He slowly lowered himself to the ground. When his feet touched the carpet, a white light passed over his skin and his clothes and body went back to normal.

"I gotta tell mom and dad about this," he said to himself, heading right to the living room, but he stopped when he heard voices.

"You were right, we made a terrible mistake," his mother's voice said.

"We thought he would be the same, that he would be our son," his father's voice continued her sentiment, sounding defeated. "But he's not. He's just a synthesized pseudo-ghost with our son's face."

Danny's eyes widened and he gasped softly, pressing his back against the wall. All his excitement from before drained away, replaced with fear and confusion.

"You have to take responsibility for what you've done," Jazz said severely. "He didn't ask for any of this. Be patient with him."

"No, Jazz, you don't understand!" Maddie snapped. "He was supposed to be... he was supposed to be a perfect copy to... to replace the son we lost. His body was repaired with cloned genetic material, and his brain was perfectly reconstructed, but he's not the same."

"He's not our boy," Jack agreed. "He's just a phantom boy, a painful reminder of what we've lost."

"So you're going to kill him again?" Jazz asked harshly.

Danny held his breath in the loaded pause before either of his parents spoke again.

"No, we couldn't do that," Maddie answered with a sigh. "We... I can't even stand to look at him."

"I can… hardly manage it either," Jack shamefully admitted. "No, we'll capture him and send him to the Ghost Zone with the rest of his kind."

"What?" Danny finally stepped out of the hallway and into the room. "What are you talking about?"

His parents' backs were to him. Their heads lifted and their shoulders tensed, and he could see Jazz looking back and forth between him and the pair of scientists.

"You're not a normal boy, Danny," Maddie told him, still not looking at him.

"I know." He took a few steps closer and tried to take her hand, but she flinched from his touch and stepped away. "I can fly! I can go through walls! I was just coming to tell you!"

"You're an experiment, Danny," his father said, a little more harshly than was strictly necessary, and Danny swallowed tensely. "The real Danny died in our lab, and we tried to bring him back using the breadth of our ectology knowledge, but instead… we just made you."

Danny felt his intestines twist up into knots and his throat tighten. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He didn’t want to believe it. Then again…. His whole body went ice cold with the realization that all this sounded just like something his parents would do. Create a new son with no thought for the consequences or side-effects. And it explained why things were so different now, even though Danny didn’t feel any different.

He was Frankenstein's monster.

And this was the part where he was turned away by his creators.

He took a slow step back, unsure if he was more afraid or disgusted.

"Jazz was right," his mother added. "We should never have tried. It's sick and wrong. It's against nature, what we did. You're not a boy or a ghost. You're just another man-made horror, beyond comprehension."

"Jazz?" Danny turned his gaze to his sister, betrayed and broken-hearted.

"That's not how I meant it," Jazz quickly defended. "There's nothing wrong with you. If anything, there's something wrong with them for spending all that time experimenting on you in secret. Mom, Dad, please, think about this a little more."

"No," Maddie said, reaching for the ecto-gun she always wore on her thigh.

"It's nothing personal, Danny," Jack said, his own hand closing around the Fenton Thermos clipped to his belt.

Danny watched it all, heart sinking into the pit of his stomach, deeper and deeper with every horrible word. He shook his head. This seriously couldn’t be happening.

"It's just... when an experiment fails and you don't want it around anymore," Maddie drew her gun and turned to train it directly at him, the red lenses of her safety goggles cold and emotionless, making her seem almost more inhuman than Danny himself was. "You dispose of it."

Oh God. This was happening.

"No!" Danny scrambled away, but he knew it was useless. His mother was an excellent shot.

The ecto-ray hit him in the back of his calf, knocking him down to his hands and knees. A searing pain tore deep through his leg and he gasped.

He looked desperately over his shoulder to see his father pointing the uncapped Fenton Thermos directly at him. Pale blue light flooded his vision, and his body changed again, on instinct. His fingers sank through the floor and he tried desperately to hold on as the energy from the ghost trap pulled like a tractor beam, sucking everything in him down to his feet as he held on for dear life.

It was useless. A horrible, cramped darkness surrounded him.

He curled up into a tight ball. It was all so much, so painful, to hear his parents say he was a failure, and they didn't want him. That they wanted to dispose of him.

Rejection wasn't a new experience for him, but it had never felt so awful before. He wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come, no matter how much his throat tightened and his chest ached.

So he just sat there, feeling utterly, overwhelmingly miserable, and waited for something to change.

Next Chapter

[triscribeaucollection]

Another Chance

Tony sits alone for a long time.

Maybe it’s only minutes. Maybe it’s hours. Maybe days, for all he knows, the sky thoroughly obscured with smoke and ash that refuses to blow away. It took a long time for the ashes of half the Earth’s population to settle after the first Snap, after all.

Now- now everything is gone. Because Tony fumbled.

Because he failed.

He gambled, and lost. He invented time travel, to try and get one kid back, only to lose both of them, and Pepper, and Rhodey, and Steve and Nat and everyone else- He failed.

But before failing, he managed to piss off Thanos enough to be left alive.

A witness, the bastard said, smiling, as he snapped his fingers and erased everything Tony ever fought for, everything he ever loved- To the inevitable.

Then Thanos opened up a portal and just, walked away. Off to go start unmaking and recreating the entire universe, apparently, after casually obliterating every trace of life on planet Earth.

Every trace, except for Tony.

So. That’s that.

Done. Finished. End of the line, and thinking of that particular phrase is what manages to make him topple over and sob. End of the line, except momentum kept shoving Tony forward, even as everyone else turned to ash and fell away behind him.

Eventually the tears dry up. Nothing else changes, though. No reason for Tony to bother getting up and going anywhere. He just stays huddled on the ground, both hands curled around traces of ash, and he waits. Can’t take too long to die of a broken heart, right? Probably not as long as it would take for the dehydration to get him. Definitely sooner than Thanos swinging by again to put him out of his misery.

Tony waits. Alone.

...a sound reaches his ears, at one point. Maybe some rubble, finally collapsing. Or the hallucinations starting up, Tony figures those are bound to happen at some point. Maybe he’ll get to apologize to Pepper. To Peter. Hell, he’d even apologize to Barnes at this point-

Footsteps. Soft swishing. A voice. “Tony?”

-but Wanda’s a good place to start.

He blinks his eyes open, uncertain of when they closed. Wanda couches in front of him, concern obvious on her face. But- she’s not the same. “New outfit?” Tony can’t help but ask in a croaky voice.

One side of her mouth tips up in a wry smile. “New enough. What happened?”

A half-hearted laugh escapes his throat. “What else? One step forward. Two steps back. Rinse, repeat, etcetera. Failure ad infinitum, until you’re out of chances.” Wanda keeps on staring at him, until Tony can’t take the weight of it, and shut his eyes again.

“...do you want another chance, Tony?”

The next laugh comes out as a harsh bark, bitter and grating. “Didn’t you just hear me, Wanda? I lost. Thanos got all six stones, he’s off to play king of the sandcastle, there’s nothing else I can do-!”

“I didn’t mean here, Tony. Do you want another chance somewhere else?”

“The hell do you mean, somewhere else? The past? Sure, I’d love for Hallucination-Wanda to give me a nice little mental fantasy to hide in until I’m finally dead-”

“I’m not a hallucination, Tony. I’m not from this universe.”

-okay, that’s enough to shut him up. Reluctantly, he cracks his eyes open, just enough to squint up at her face. “What?”

The wry smile comes back. “I am not from this universe. Where I am from, we beat Thanos. Everyone lived- except our Tony. He sacrificed his life to get the Infinity Stones and use them, killing Thanos and his entire army.”

“...fourteen million to one,” Tony mutters, stunned. Wanda dips her head in a shallow nod. “Hell. I’m glad someone managed it.” After a moment he shoves himself upright, until he and Wanda are properly sitting across from one another. “And they’re all- my family? The team?”

“We have all missed you,” she says plainly. “Two years have passed since your funeral.”

Hell.

Tony makes himself swallow, despite his parched throat. “And you’re just- what? Offering to let me move in? Take over another man’s life?”

“Your life,” Wanda insists, before pausing. “Although I do... understand. That fear.” Her gaze flickers. Tony follows it, off to the left, towards a mound of concrete that used to be the Compound’s main building.

Three figures are sitting on top. One lifts an arm to wave.

Wanda waves back, smiling faintly despite her pained expression. “After we won... Vision was still gone. I missed him- so much- that I let my grief take control. My power lashed out. It... did not go well, for those around me.”

Tony stares.

“No one was physically hurt,” Wanda is quick to say, “But that does not excuse the harm I inflicted. The harm I invited, when another witch came, seeking to steal my power for herself.”

“Hope you kicked her ass.”

That dry statement wins a snort, at least. “Eventually. That was- not the hard part. After... afterward, to fix what I’d done... I had to give them up. My family. My sons.” Wanda squeezes her eyes shut, taking a deep breath. “The people I hurt were free to return to their lives, but I could not make myself move on. I began dreaming, of other worlds where my boys still lived. Glimpses into other universes. And it hurt, to see them- to see other versions of myself, happy.”

“I’m sorry, Wanda.” On an impulse, Tony reaches across to grasp her hand, holding tight. She clings back just as firmly.

“I couldn’t leave well enough alone, of course,” she goes on. “And then I- I found a world. Where I didn’t beat Agatha. She took my power- my magic- my boys. As soon as I realized- I couldn’t ignore it.” Another glance at the waiting figures. “I found a girl who can open doors between universes. Doctor Strange and I helped her gain better control over her ability, and then- she helped me get there. To that awful reality.”

“And Agatha got her ass kicked a second time?”

“Yes.” Wanda’s eyes flash as she snaps out that second word - not just metaphorically, either. Tony can actually see a flare of glowing power, however brief. “And now- now I have my boys again. And they are coming home with me, so we can- try again. Another chance.”

Another chance.