#maybe I blocked it from my memory because what the actual hell did I watch

[sbd-laytall]

Because I'm re-watching the first two seasons of the Dub and then switching to the Sub in the latter two, I get some absolute goldmines for jokes, but I do have to say the whole "Chazz it up" mantra genuinely had me wondering what I was watching because I did not remember this part at all.

[gloomwitchwrites]

secret baby trope with tf141? 😌😌

Anon! OH. MY. GOOOOOD. I love this. I love this. I love this. Secret baby? Yes, please. I adore this trope. I bow down to you for requesting this. I don't know who you are but I wish that I did. I can absolutely get behind a secret baby trope. I actually read a book recently that was a bit like that and I enjoyed it so so much.

I had an absolute blast putting this one together. Seriously. You totally indulged me here. Thank you!!

For the masterlist and how to submit your own request, click HERE

Task Force 141 x Female Reader

Content & Warnings (per the warnings MDNI): swearing, suggestive themes, stalking, possessive behavior, second chances, pregnancy / unplanned pregnancy, parenthood, reunions, light angst

Word Count: 2.3k

ao3 // taglist // main masterlist // imagines & what if masterlist

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick

Kyle relaxes further into the couch. The air around him is slightly smoky.

He brings his vape to his lips and takes a hit. The action is calming, and that’s exactly what he wants. Kyle is rotting, and it feels fucking good.

Between missions, Kyle is always somewhere, but right not there is no reason for him to do anything. He can relax. He can watch reality television, eat himself to sickness, and wank off until his wrist hurts.

It’s bloody fucking brilliant.

Kyle isn’t attached. He has no kids. The only responsibility required of him is the one he has to himself. Which is why he’s splayed out on the couch in nothing but grey sweatpants and his vape. The television is on, and the volume is low. It’s mostly for background noise. Kyle isn’t really paying attention to it.

With a vape in one hand and his phone in the other, Kyle scrolls through his contacts. There are all the usual people there, but there are also a slew of general acquaintances and a long list of people he’s had it off with but never took anything further.

He pauses at one name, and old memories resurface.

They just happen upon him. Kyle doesn’t drag them up from the depths. They linger there, and Kyle remembers all the fun he had with you.

You were just a small fling. A few lengthy but deliciously good fucks that tops most of the sex he’s ever had in his life. There have been times since he last saw you—over a year now—that Kyle has thought about what could have been.

You were sweet. A potential partner. But Kyle didn’t follow through. He would regret it, but things can’t be taken back. There is no turning back the clock to change what has already occurred.

Kyle’s thumb hovers above the screen.

He shouldn’t. He really fucking shouldn’t.

But he does. Because why not?

Switching over apps, Kyle starts scrolling social media. He doesn’t usually give a shit about what’s happening in people’s lives, but he is curious about you. What are you up to? What are you doing? If you’re not attached, maybe he could call you up, rekindle what was once there.

You don’t have him blocked on anything—thank fuck—and Kyle delves into your socials, exploring your life. At first, the small infant in your arms is nothing to him, but then the tiny human keeps reappearing, and Kyle pauses.

Kyle scrolls a bit more. And stops.

Just three—no—four months ago, there are a slew of friends and family congratulating you on the birth of your son.

Your…son.

Kyle thinks back. Does the math in his head.

“Fuck,” he mutters, sitting up, gaze glued on the screen.

He scrolls back, studying every photo where your son is featured. Kyle’s heart slams in his chest. The features Kyle sees are features he sees every time he looks in the mirror.

“Fucking hell,” groans Kyle, the phone nearly slipping from his hands as he slumps back against the couch.

Why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t you contact him?

The very thought of you not reaching out doesn’t sit well with him. It sits heavy in his stomach.

“Fuck,” says Kyle, switching over to his contacts.

He finds Simon’s number and taps the call button.

It rings on the other end, and Kyle doesn’t think that he’ll answer. But he does.

“Kyle,” comes Simon’s gruff voice.

Kyle sighs. “I need you to track someone down for me.”

John Price

John doesn’t like cutting off contact with people.

He likes to keep in touch, even if it’s just an acquaintance. But things happen, like a fucked phone with no way to retrieve contacts, and the only people he’s able to retrieve are those he sees on a regular basis.

Your number is gone. And John has no way to get it back.

Legally that is. He could try and find you in the system. What information he has is minimal, but then again, the two of you only had a one-night stand. He’s prone to it since he’s never in one place. Always moving around.

John would like to settle down one day, but his work is his life, and it just doesn’t seem possible to have a family and be consistent with them when he’s constantly called away.

He chews it over while sitting in his office. It’s late, and there isn’t anyone else here but him. Late nights like this are calming to him—a time to process away from the events of the day. John has your first name, where you might live, and a general idea of what your number is. But he isn’t certain, and it’s hardly enough to go on.

Sighing, deciding he’d rather find you than not, John turns on his computer. It takes a while to get the classified systems he has access to. No one tracks what he does on here, and no one will think twice if they do happen to look. John runs lots of names and faces through this system.

John waits. Ponders. Enters in different spellings and every possible clue to try and seek you out. With every new search, John begins to lose hope. He might be completely fucked. Completely at a loss.

If this doesn’t work, he might not ever see you again. And for some goddamn reason, that bothers him.

He tries one last time, expecting nothing, only for his heart to drop into his stomach,

“There you are,” he murmurs, leaning forward, gaze sweeping over your passport photo.

Grabbing a piece of paper, John jots down your phone number and current address. He also notes your top place of employment. You might not be there anymore, but that isn’t an issue. He has enough.

John shuts off his computer and grabs his coat. He’ll try to reach out first by phone and go from there.

“You have the wrong number, bud.”

The man’s southern drawl irks John. “You sure?”

“Yeah I’m fucking sure. Quit calling.”

John frowns as the line goes dead. The number on file isn’t recent.

“Fuck,” mutters John, running his hand through his hair.

This is getting him nowhere. The only other option is showing up at your home or place of employment, but he can’t do that unless he’s on scheduled leave. That’s months away.

And each month is fucking agony.

When John finally makes it to your front door, nervousness sets in. This is completely fucking weird. Who the fuck shows up at someone’s door months after a one-night stand? Him apparently.

But fuck it. He’s here.

Either he does this and things go great, or things go to shit and he doesn’t need to worry about it anymore.

John takes a deep breath, and then pounds on the door. He takes a step back, hands in his pockets as he waits. There is a stretch of silence, and then he hears it—the turn of a deadbolt.

The door swings open, and there you are, just as beautiful from when he first saw you. At first, your brow scrunches in confusion, and then your eyes widen.

“John,” you breathe.

He smiles, and then his gaze drops as your hand moves away from the doorknob to land on your stomach. Your belly is round. Protruding. You’re—oh shit.

“Is that—”

“Yours?”

Fuck.

John glances up into your eyes and swallows.

You shift on your feet, one hand resting against the doorframe.

“It is,” you confirm.

Simon "Ghost" Riley

Simon shouldn’t. Really—it’s fucked up. Wrong.

But he does it anyway because there is no fucking way he’s letting you go even if he has to watch from afar.

He’s done a lot of things he isn’t proud of, and losing you is near the top of the list. Not that he blames you for breaking it off. You had every right. Simon is always gone. Always away. And he rarely thought of you when he came home.

Communication can be a difficult thing for him. He knows this, and yet he couldn’t make an effort to do better with you. It wounds him. It does. Like a sharp blade to the gut.

But that is secondary now. Simon has dismissed it.

Sure, you’re not truly his now, but you’ll come back to him. He’ll make sure of it.

In the dark, Simon watches. Before him is a slew of screens and all of them show different angles of your home. Simon also has your phone tapped, and in another window, he can lurk through your messages and emails.

It’s where he first learned you were pregnant.

You know, and haven’t told him. Haven’t reached out in the slightest. Simon has to see all the results and tests come back via your email. He has to log into your medical portal to access specific things which is goddamn frustrating but he needs to know.

You are fucking pregnant. With his child.

It’s growing in your belly.

Even through the camera feed, Simon can see the swell of your stomach. He wants to be there, to stand beside you, and rest his hand against it. He wants to feel his son kick. Because you are carrying his son in your belly. Simon saw the results.

It’s fucking painful watching you like this.

He’s stayed away for a bit. Not engaging.

But you’ve broken it off before, and came back eventually.

Simon just needs an in again. All he has to do is figure it out, and then he can put away these fucking screens and surveillance. He can be by your side and be there when you give birth.

Leaning back in his chair, Simon observes every screen, his palm rubbing against his thigh as he considered his options.

He has to play this right.

He has to.

John "Soap" MacTavish

“Do you think you’ll ever find your woman again?”

Johnny grins behind his pint glass. “If she’s here,” he replies.

The beer is perfectly cold and goes down easily. It’s refreshing since it’s so bloody hot outside.

Johnny didn’t think he’d ever come back to the little seaside town. He came between missions—a way to relax and get away for a bit. With only a few hundred residents, it seemed like the perfect place. What he didn’t expect was to meet a woman that upended his fatigue and made him glow a little brighter.

He learned your name while exploring a local pub. You were a pretty thing. Caught Johnny’s eye immediately. With several beers fueling him, Johnny struck up a conversation, and you were receptive to his charm—melting like butter over fresh toast.

That evening, the two of you jumped from pub to pub, having a bloody good time. It was fucking magical. Afterward, the two of you ventured back to Johnny’s hotel room. But the two of you didn’t have sex. It wasn’t until the next morning that Johnny actually fucked you.

Johnny had presented himself, you slid right into his arms. The hotel bed was well-used. There wasn’t a moment after that Johnny didn’t have his dick inside you. He kept you full and screaming his name for an entire fucking week.

But when that week was up, the two of you parted ways. You gave Johnny your number, and for a couple months, you were consistent in your texts and phone calls. Then it all changed, and you began to contact him less frequently.

Eventually, you didn’t talk to Johnny at all.

He was hurt at first. He tried to reach out. But Johnny didn’t hear a thing—and he left you to it. Maybe someone else arrived into your life. Johnny can respect that even if he doesn’t exactly like it.

It sucked then. And it still pains him a bit now. Johnny liked you when you left—and if he’s being entirely honest with himself—he still fucking likes you.

Maybe you’ll be here. Maybe you won’t.

Kyle is with him this time. A guy’s trip. Price isn’t one for vacations, and Simon has his own shit going on.

“We could try that pub again,” suggests Kyle. “See if she’s there.”

Johnny shrugs. “Maybe.”

“Did she live here?” asks Kyle.

Johnny nods. “Aye. Sure did.”

Kyle bobs his head. “We’ll find her.”

The two of them sit outside a small pub. The air is laced with salt from the ocean, and the sun is out, shining bright. It’s hot, but it’s a beautiful fucking day.

Johnny hums in agreement, bringing his pint glass back to his lips. For a moment, Johnny glances away from Kyle, looking out across the road where people walk along the pavement. He frowns.

Is that?

No. Can’t be.

His focus becomes a tunnel, and all he can see is the woman across the road. It’s you. There is no doubt. He knows that body, that hair and smile. You haven’t changed all that much. Not really.

There is another woman with you—a friend that Johnny met briefly before you and him went off on your own.

But that isn’t what has Johnny’s attention.

You’ve turned, and Johnny can see a swell to your stomach. Your hand cradles it affectionately.

“What is it?” asks Kyle, but his voice is distant.

“That’s her,” murmurs Johnny, his pint glass lowering back to the table.

You don’t see him. You’re chatting with your friend, features animated. The curve in your stomach is fairly large, and a deep twisting in his stomach arises, moving toward his throat.

“Oh fuck,” says Johnny as Kyle shifts to look in the direction Johnny is staring.

“Is that?”

“It fucking is.”

“She’s fucking pregnant.”

Johnny swallows. “Aye.”

He doesn’t want to admit it, but it’s likely the fucking truth. The baby is probably his. No wonder you stopped talking to him. Maybe you thought it best to cut off contact when you found out.

But that doesn’t sit right with him either. If you had told him, Johnny could have been there for you sooner—not finding out like this.

You throw your head back and laugh, playfully hitting your friend’s arm as she says something funny. When you wipe at your face, clearing tears, your gaze shifts, and all the humor leaves your face.

You’re staring right at Johnny.

And he’s staring back.

taglist:

@km-ffluv @glitterypirateduck @tiredmetalenthusiast @miaraei @cherryofdeath

@enarien @saoirse06 @ferns-fics @unhinged-reader-36 @miss-mistinguett

@ravenpoe67 @tulipsun-flower @sageyxbabey @mudisgranapat @ninman82

@lulurubberduckie @leed-bbg @yawning-grave81 @azkza @nishim

@haven-1307 @voids-universe @itsberrydreemurstuff @spicyspicyliving @keiva1000

@littlemisscriesherselftosleep @greeniegreengreen @umno-yeah @blackhawkfanatic @talooolaaloolla

@sadlonelybagel @kadeeesworld @iloveslasher @sammysinger04 @dakotakazansky

@suhmie @jaggersinclair @jackrabbitem @lxblm @beebeechaos

@no-oneelsebutnsu @kidd3ath @certainlygay @thewulf @lovely-ateez

@whisperwispxx @gingergirl06 @eternallyvenus @smileykiddie08 @arrozyfrijoles23

[huggybug]

last night - mason mctavish

word count: 1.4k words

note: inspired by last night by morgan wallen.

“Baby, come back. I don't know everything we said last night but I know I want you back here with me, don't leave like this” You sigh as you listen to the voicemail Mason left this morning when he woke up.

You got up from Jamie's couch, stretching before making your way to the kitchen to make some coffee. You stand, watching Trevor's stupidly expensive espresso machine brew your coffee as memories from last night come back in pieces.

“You're fucking insane if you really believe that” Mason yells. He had just gotten home from the bar, the team had gone out to celebrate their win and yet again, Mason was hanging around some girl.

“No Mason, you don't get to make me feel bad for this one. It's happened multiple times now. You go out and find some girl and then I have to hear about it through snapchats or because your teammates are calling me to come get you because you're too drunk to leave on your own!”

“Well if I'm such a bad fucking boyfriend why are you still here, huh?” He asks, getting close to you, trying to make you back down.

“That's a great question Mase, I really don't know"”You spin around, leaving the kitchen and heading for your keys. “Yeah go run away from your shitty boyfriend” He calls after you, following you to the hallway.

“You're ridiculous Mason, I gave up so much for you and this is how you treat me?” He scoffs and you're immediately bracing yourself for whatever is about to come out of his mouth.

“And you think I don't make sacrifices for you?” He yells back, keeping the air thick around you.

“What have you sacrificed Mason? Please, tell me”

“My entire rookie experience for starters”

“Are you seriously going to complain right now that you're missing out on hooking up with girls after you begged me to move here? Are you kidding me Mason?” You were so close to turning around and leaving, getting the hell out of here as fast as you could.

“Well...”

“You're unbelievable Mason, un-fucking-believable” You grab your phone and keys in a huff, throwing the apartment door open.

“Y/n-” He sounds different now, softer maybe but you turn around, seeing red.

“I do everything for you! You asked me to move here, I did. You want me to come to your games, I do. Does it not occur to you that I have other things going on too? I guess not because I'm just your girlfriend, just here for looks, right?” You've heard the way some hockey players talk about their girlfriends; how they talk about them like they're objects or something they own, rather than someone they love. You'd never heard those types of things from Mason but at this point, you wouldn't put it past him.

“Stop doing that” Mason grumbled and you crossed your arms, staring at him.

“Doing what?” You were exhausted, you just wanted to retreat from this argument, to apologize and go back into the apartment and let him take you to bed but your dignity refused.

“Putting fucking words in my mouth!”

“You're just like the rest of them. You think you can get away with anything because all these girls are after you but guess what Mase? No self respecting woman is going to put up with this shit and if they do, they're not after you, they're after your status” Everyone thinks dating a professional athlete is amazing until they're actually doing it, then they can see it for what it really is, a reality you've recently discovered.

“You're always so worried about other girls, holy shit” Mason groaned.

“Well stop giving me a reason to” That's all you need to walk out. You leave, walking down the stairs and straight out the building, not stopping until you're a couple blocks away where you finally break down and call Jamie.

“You okay?” Jamie's voice cuts through the silence of the kitchen, making you jump. “You've been staring down at your coffee for a couple minutes”

“Sorry... I just-”

“You're good” Jamie smiled and you're suddenly overwhelmed by his kindness. This wasn't the first time you've had to call him to come pick you up after a fight with Mason. You knew it probably wasn't the best option since it's putting him in a tough spot but he's really your only good friend here and he's assured you many time's he doesn't mind. Actually his exact words usually were 'I can handle some awkwardness with MacT if it means you're safe'. Long story short, Jamie's an amazing friend.

“I should probably get going anyways” You say quietly, taking a sip of your coffee and cringing at the bitterness.

“Back to Mason's?” He asks and you feel a little embarrassed when you nod. “You don't have to, you know? You can stay here for a bit, we really don't mind.” While Jamie was cool, you're not so sure about Trevor. You know better than to think he'd kick you out but he definitely felt a little weird about you staying here during one of your and Mason's fights.

“Thanks but I should. He called a couple hours ago so I should head back and try and talk to him”

“Okay, I’ll give you a ride back”

…

You let yourself back into Mason’s apartment. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he’s still asleep with how quiet it is. You drop your keys in the dish on the hallway table before walking into the kitchen where he’s sitting with his head down on the counter.

“Mase?” His head snaps up and you feel a wave of emotion wash over you. He looks like a wreck.

“Hey” His voice is so soft, it’s like a completely different person compared to the one yelling at you last night. “I’m sorry, okay? Last night was just way out of hand”

“I can’t keep doing this Mason” You sighed.

“I was drunk. I said shit I didn’t mean and I’m sorry but I woke up and I knew I still wanted this, wanted us” He sounded so sincere, your heart was battling trying to stay mad at him. “I want to fix this… I need to”

“One more chance” You said reluctantly. Mason was relieved, he knew this wasn’t over yet.

…

You knew it was over when they were on the road in Toronto. Mason went out with some friends from back home and once again, you saw it all on snapchat. He was dancing with a girl hanging off of him and you decided that you’ve finally had enough. You spent the next 24 hours packing up everything you had, determined to be moved out before they even made it back to Anaheim.

You must’ve gotten the times mixed up because Mason walked in as you were collecting the last of your stuff in the bedroom.

“What are you doing?”

“I said you had one more chance Mason”

“I didn’t do shit!” He objected and you rolled your eyes.

“Whatever, I’m leaving” You didn’t have any fight left in you. Your stuff was all packed up into two suitcases and you were more than ready to go home.

“Yeah okay, see you when Jamie and Z kick you out” He scoffed.

“I called my mom, I’m going home” You informed him. You’re not sure why, it’s not like he deserves to know but it feels more vindicating to let him know you’re leaving California entirely.

“You’re just going to leave? What about working through it? Does this relationship not mean anything to you?” He yelled as you pulled your bags out of the bedroom and towards the door.

“It meant a hell of a lot more when you weren’t flirting with random girls every time you go out” You yell back, hating that it’s come to this. That the guy you loved has lead you to a place of hatred. “You ruined this Mason, not me. I gave you so many chances to try and fix it but you don’t care, I don’t think you ever did”

“You can’t say that!”

“Yeah well I did. Have a nice life McTavish” You push your bags out into the hall and slam the door behind you, making your way to the elevator and not daring to look back.

[still-a-morosexual-help]

Here's MY thoughts on the love island the game's seasons, for no reason other than I want to:

Also because the majority of the people following me are here for OM! & I want to drag more people down into the litg hell with me :)

Season 1: why is everyone so bitchy for no reason????? Talia & Jake are okay but other than that it's meh... don't really like the art style either

Season 2: Immaculate. Chef's kiss. They hit a high they never reached again. Somehow managed to balance the drama & the found family aspect and created a dynamic where you can actually believe everyone is friends and having fun even if sometimes they try to kill each other. Characters are flawed but generally decent people who are allowed to grow throughout the season. You get the option to make MC a bi gym-bro who can devour an entire cake in one sitting and bench press her partner. There's a reason this got two sequels.

Season 3: It's fine ig. Short and kind of boring. Nothing much happens. AJ is so cute though she almost makes up for it.

Season 4: Honestly a close 2nd favourite. We get a lot of character backstory and like s2 it touches on some serious issues. The season with some of the funniest moments/lines of dialogue - multiple moments where I just laughed out loud. I'm still only half way through it but the "villain" is just straight up mean for no reason and doesn't get any character development like the characters in S2 but makes up for it by having some of the funniest interactions with other characters and I was so sad to see her go. Also the season where I desperately wish MC was allowed to be in an open relationship till the very end and finish off the season in a polycule with every other islander who was in the love "triangle"s of the the season because this was the hardest season to pick a LI - Najuma is just all around amazing, Bruno is sweet & funny, Tom is so pathetic* MC & Thabi's friendship is also the best thing? It's great seeing a platonic relationship that is as loving (if not more so) than the romantic relationships. It's literally:

Season 5: Psychological horror. The producers said 'hey wouldn't it be funny if we torture this woman on national tv' and then committed to the bit. My memories are hazy because even though I only played it earlier this year it upset me so much I did my best to block most of it out but also I'm 100% sure there was actual galighting happening. Don't know why MC stuck around till the end because all she's gonna be able to use the money for is to pay for her therapy. Anyway I think MC should have been allowed to brutally murder everyone, she deserved it <3

Season 6: I liked the concept but I think they should have utilised it more. I'm still right at the very beginning (around ep 9) and I KNOW the general consensus from everyone who has reached the last eps seems to be that Amelia sucks MAJOR ass. But look, this is the first time a game has given me a MC with a canon family member who is also part of the game so in my opinion Amelia could commit war crimes and she's still be the most precious little uwu ever because I'm activating MC's insanely overprotective oblivious to all faults ""big"" sister mode

Edit:

*I just played more of S4 and holy shit someone needs to get this man away from his parents and also maybe get him some therapy jfc

Edit 2:

** youcef, mc & valentina helping tom figure out he likes flowers and pink and tie-dye clothes and makeup and being complimented and called pretty and getting hugs is getting to me okay his parents better watch the show and see their adult son finally discovering himself and what he likes instead of what they think he should like and finally being able to let loose and have fun without worrying about what others think of him and finally being happy and they better get some sense knocked into them OR he should go to therapy and realise that no matter how much he loves his parents their love and regard being so conditional to the point that he's hidden his entire personality and is now so extremely self-conscious of it whenever it does manage to peak out, that he nearly cries on national tv after a practical stranger compliments those hidden bits is not good. Also the man has some of the most insane repressed queer vibes???? What do you mean he sees a canon nonbinary person wearing a floppy hat and is reminded of the floppy hat he loved as a child that his father threw away and replaced with a baseball cap and then when he "lost" the baseball cap his father bought him the exact same one again

Edit 3:

*** i was 100% sure i was going to get mc to stick with najuma (dorky mischevious goth who is so so bad at flirting hello!!!?) but i got caught by "sad & shy with serious self-worth issues hidden badly behind an overconfident exterior (who blushes & gets flustered easily because he so rarely receives genuine praise/compliments) experiences postive regard for the first time and loses his shit" for the third fucking time

Edit 4:

Okay but why does Dylan get (rightfully) called out by everyone in S4 for all the bullshit he does to MC from blatantly lying to her to not listening when she says "No" But in S5 when Suresh (admittedly, more subtly) pulls off the same shit no one says anything, even MC's "friends" don't believe her.

In S2 when Luke/Henrik gets a little too forceful after MC says no, he gets called out by MC's partner and immediately apologises

In S4 when Dylan does the whole "stop pretending you don't want me" routine after MC rejects him multiple times, the rest of the islanders band together and basically chase him off the island

In S5 when Suresh pulls literally the same thing from the very first episode itself but none of the other islanders believe MC, and Suresh keeps getting to do this until almost the very end while also managing to constantly play hot & cold with MC and chase away all of MCs other romantic interests

[your-divine-ribs]

Pure Part 5: Dream

Words: 3k

Pure Masterlist Main Masterlist

I'm falling... or floating... or something in between. Caught up in soft satin sheets that wrap themselves silkily around my limbs.

"You are the most beautiful and precious thing I have ever seen."

I turn my head to the source of the voice and I smile. He's beautiful. His eyes are so blue, not blue like the sky but blue like the ocean, the clearest aquamarine sun-dappled sea. It's soft and warm here under the sheets, naked limbs tangling and entwining. Soft lips whispering sweet praises, kissing, dragging over my skin, making me shiver. Strong, firm hands trace my waist, my stomach, my hips, my thighs. Pulling me closer, needy, bruising touches. Bodies sliding softly against each other. The kiss of skin on skin, featherlight, soothing caresses. I'm drowning in a sea of sensations and it's so blissful that I feel myself letting go... surrendering to Him...

My eyes flick open as I blink against the harshness of the early morning light and I sit bolt upright immediately. I clutch the duvet closely and protectively to my chest as my eyes dart wildly around. I'm in my bedroom at home, familiarity flooding all of my senses but that doesn't make me feel at ease. My mind is reeling, half of it caught up in the vividness of my sensual dream, the other half still dwelling in St Mary's church, vulnerable and frightened, pressed up against the altar by a demonic entity masquerading as a man.

I don't understand. The last thing I remember is Van's warm body pushed up flush against mine, his breath hot on my neck, his whispered words hypnotic and mesmerising in my ear. It was real... so fucking real, the memories sharp and vibrant. I can recall it all in high clarity vivid technicolour like I'm watching a HD movie in my head but how can it be? How can I remember it so vividly yet I don't remember getting home and getting into my own bed? I close my eyes and I can actually hear the deep timbre of his voice licking into my ears, I can feel the heat of his breath fanning over my skin and the cool softness of his touch on my cheek. Tiny hairs at the nape of my neck stiffen and goosebumps break out all over my body in response to the memory and I shiver.

If it did happen... how the fuck did I get back home? Did I manage to run away and I was so frightened and overwhelmed that my brain just blocked it all out? Or did Van make sure I got home safe? Maybe he walked me back...

What the hell Eve? He said he was a fucking demon... he's not going to be politely walking you back home and kissing you on the doorstep like a bloody first date is he? He's more likely to be ravishing you on the altar and then casting your soul into the fires of hell for all eternity!

I'd probably laugh at the absurdity of my thoughts if I wasn't so bewildered and confused.

Despite how real it all felt I'm starting to suspect that I may have dreamt some, if not all of it up. I mean it's just too crazy, too far-fetched, too fantastical to be real... isn't it? Even though I believe in God and heaven and hell and good and evil I don't believe that there are real life living and breathing demons walking the earth right now looking for souls... and silly bedroom entity-evoking rituals involving blood and candles and chants definitely don't work! It's probably all a product of my over-active imagination. When I was a little girl I used to dream up all sorts of weird and wonderful scenarios in my head as an escape from the mundane boredom of real life. Mythical creatures and faraway fantasy lands, hidden treasure and beautiful princes and princesses and brave heroic warriors. I could easily get lost in my own head and the intricacies of the convoluted stories I would concoct, I always had my head in the clouds. Just because I was an adult now it didn't mean that I'd forgotten how to dream.

I shift in bed, pulling my knees up and hugging them to my chest, letting my mind wander back to the beginning of the evening and slowly walking through the whole series of events, looking for some sort of anomaly where real life halted and my dream may have taken over. Freya and I getting ready and doing that silly finger-pricking thing with the candle... that was real enough. I glance over to my dressing table to see the candle exactly where we'd left it, Freya's lighter propped up on the little dish that it sits on. I pull down the duvet around my waist to reveal that I'm still wearing my baby pink sundress. So we definitely went out... not that I doubt that we did, it's the events that happened in and after the bar that I can't fully trust occurred. I'm starting to fret that maybe I got so drunk that I blacked out in the bar and Freya had to bundle me into a taxi and then tuck me into bed. And if my parents saw me in that state...

I groan out loud, drawing the bed-sheets aside to slide out of bed in search of my handbag and my phone to call Freya. That's when I notice the smoothness of my legs. There's no cuts or grazes and no dried blood, not even a tiny bruise to show the injuries I sustained when I fell outside the bar. I raise up my palms and they're the same as before, unblemished flesh with no broken skin. I extend my left leg completely out of bed and cautiously rotate my foot and there's no pain at all, not even a twinge even though I can distinctly remember the sharp pains that shot up my leg last night after I'd twisted my ankle on the loose paving stone. I'd barely been able to walk. I'm more confused than ever now. It's starting to look more and more like I never actually left the bar on my own. If that's the case then maybe I never even met Van, maybe I dreamed him up too. I should be feeling relieved but I can't help the little niggle of disappointment that lingers unwelcomely.

Oh shit...

From out of nowhere a frightening memory impinges on my thoughts and this one is too real to be disregarded as fantasy. I recall the disgusting creep who was trying to force me to drink the bitter-smelling drink that he'd bought me. How insistent and intimidating he'd been. What if I'd gone ahead and drank it after all and not remembered? I distinctly remember the feel of the cool glass touching my lips. What if that's what made me black-out? All the crazy shit that happened last night seemed to start from that point so it's definitely feasible. Cold dread coils in the pit of my belly as I try to dredge my thoughts but all I can remember is Van coming to my rescue.

A dark shadow flickering past my bedroom window catches my attention and I whip my head around to catch sight of a flurry of black feathers. Distracted, I jump up out of bed and make my way quickly over to the window. My curtains are only partially drawn so I can clearly see the window ledge beyond. I love birds and I've set up a little makeshift bird-table to try and tempt them to the ledge. It's certainly working today. Sitting there basking in the rays of the early morning sun is a rather majestical looking raven. He's gorgeous, his glossy plumage iridescent in the sunlight as he stretches out his wings and cocks his head, fixing me with a beady-eyed stare like he's not at all perturbed at being in such close quarters with a human. I'm just about to open up my window when there's a sharp rap on my bedroom door and without warning it pushes open and my mum bustles into the room holding the cordless handset of our landline.

"Morning Eve, Freya's on the phone for you," she announces and I'm just about to admonish her for walking in without waiting for a reply when I see her gaze falling behind me to the window and she's darting forward to tap harshly on my window pane, shooing the poor raven away.

"Mum... what are you doing? I like the birds visiting!" I snatch the phone out of her hand, annoyed.

Her face darkens in distaste. "Don't you know it's bad luck to cross paths with a raven? They're harbingers of death! You shouldn't be encouraging them."

"That's just a silly superstition!" I grumble, and she just shakes her head, turning to leave. My attention's now taken with speaking to my friend anyway, eager to try and piece together exactly what happened last night.

"Eve! Oh my god are you okay? What happened to you last night? Did you just take off and leave? I couldn't find you anywhere!"

Freya's voice comes shrill and frantic-sounding down the phone as soon as I utter a 'hello' and my sense of unease increases as it becomes plainly obvious that I didn't come home with her last night.

"I'm okay... really... I'm fine," I say as she witters on in the background, and I only get her to stop by repeating myself loud and clear. "I said I'm fine Freya!"

"But where the hell did you go? One minute you were chatting to some guy and the next you were gone! Completely disappeared! I tried calling you and it kept going to answerphone. That's when I noticed you'd left your bag and your jacket behind... I've got them by the way," she adds quickly, hardly pausing for a breath.

"I had to leave, some creepy guy was hitting on me and then another guy came over and he was just acting crazy weird..."

"But why didn't you come over to me?" She cuts me off, her voice high-pitched and upset. "What did you do? Just walk out? For God's sake Eve, you shouldn't be walking around the city at night on your own, especially not round there! It just proves how dangerous it is with what happened last night!"

I'm feeling stressed enough at the fact that my movements last night are still a mystery but her last line grabs my attention. "Why? What happened last night?" Freya goes quiet, a little gasp emanating down the line like she's struggling to suppress a sob. "What's up? Are you okay? You're not crying are you?"

There's a muffled sniffle before she speaks. "It was horrible. I know I shouldn't have been snooping but when I overhead mum and dad talking this morning I couldn't resist sneaking into dad's study... and I wasn't expecting it to be that bad."

"What are you taking about? What was horrible?" My insides are jangling with unease now. Freya's not easy to shock or upset. She goes through life with such a carefree and cavalier attitude that I know whatever's happened has got to be bad. Her dad's a detective inspector in the police force and she's been reprimanded many a time for rifling through files in his private study.

"Well, go on then... tell me," I urge when she's not forthcoming, instantly regretting it when she drops the bombshell that makes me feel like someone has just tipped a bucket of ice over me.

"It happened at the bar last night, the bar where we were. There was a murder. Fuck... I saw the crime scene photo, it was just lying there on dad's desk. The guy was mutilated, his eyes were gone, they'd been gouged out. His tongue'd been cut out too... and the state of his neck... oh my god it was horrific... the worst thing I've ever seen..."

Her words trail off into groans of disgust but I've stopped listening anyway. I'm in freefall, back pressed against my bedroom wall as I slowly slide down to the floor, one hand clapped firmly over my mouth to stem the muffled cries that are desperate to break free. I know instinctively without even asking for further information that I'm somehow indirectly involved with this grisly murder but I ask anyway, my intrigue overriding my better judgement.

"So... who was he?" I ask fearfully, pressing the phone harder against my ear. "The guy? The one who got killed?"

"I recognised him straight away!" She blurts. "He was there last night, standing by the bar right next to us. He was really tall... bloody massive... and nasty looking too. I can just remember him as he couldn't take his eyes off you, he was looking at you like he was some kind of pervert... and he was!"

She practically cries out the last line and before I can react to what she's saying she's continuing, every revelation making the dread that's churning inside my gut sink deeper and deeper.

"There was a file on him right there, he was already known to the police. Some girl was attacked at the bar just last week and he'd been called in for questioning. It was horrible, they found her out the back, half naked and barely conscious. She'd been drugged or something and she was so far gone she couldn't remember anything. He really messed her up."

"Shit... that's terrible," I mutter, shuddering as I try to comprehend that I could easily have been the subject of a police report this morning.

"Yeah, and it wasn't the first accusation either. There were more going back months but they just couldn't get anything to stick. The victims were always too out of it to identify him but he was always there at the scene. It must've been him, the sick bastard, I just know it. He was a fucking predator."

There's silence for a moment as Freya quietly fumes and I reach up to grasp my crucifix pendant. I'm chanting a silent prayer to God for sparing me even though an intrusive voice in my head is telling me that there's someone else I should be thanking. I can't allow myself to think like that though... to be grateful for his intervention. The fact remains that a man is still dead, brutally murdered in a despicable way and there's a very likely suspect. It doesn't matter what that awful man did, no one deserves such a hideous and painful death.

"I just can't stop thinking about how he could have attacked you," Freya sobs. "As soon as I found out what happened this morning I was so worried, I just automatically thought the worst. Thank god you're okay." She pauses, cautious-sounding. "You are okay aren't you? You've still not told me how you got home..."

I have no fucking idea...

I consider telling Freya. The words are there on the tip of my tongue but I just can't seem to get them out. And what would I say anyway?

Oh, well I was nearly the dead guy's next victim, but I got rescued... and my knight in shining armour actually turned out to be a demon! He followed me to the church and told me he'd come to take my soul!

Yeah, that would sound very plausible. I don't even believe it myself so why would anyone else?

"I just walked home, that's all. You looked so loved up I didn't want to disturb you and that place was freaking me out so much I just left. There's nothing more to tell. I know I shouldn't have done it but it doesn't matter now does it, ‘cause I'm fine."

Maybe if I keep saying 'I'm fine' enough times I might actually will it to be so.

Freya tuts loudly down the line. "Disturb me? That's ridiculous! Eve, you gotta promise me you'll never do anything like that again. We gotta look out for each other, okay? Sisters remember?"

Despite everything a small smile finds it's way to my lips. "Yeah, sisters," I murmur.

"Good." She sounds satisfied. "But I'm still coming to see you. You're working today aren't you?"

"Uh-huh, I'll be there. I'm working all day, gotta be there to open the store up at 9 as Jake's away today. I'll be on my own so the company'll be good."

I've been contemplating calling in sick but I hate letting my boss down and I figure the distraction will do me good anyway. My mind's still in turmoil and I know I'll only drive myself mad if I'm sitting around at home trying to make sense of the past twelve crazy hours. I'm just about to say goodbye and hang up but Freya starts speaking again, her tone pleading.

"Just don't tell your mum and dad anything... please. My dad would go ballistic if he knew we were at The Inferno. I thought I was fucked when they nearly caught me sneaking back in at 6am..."

So she did go home with Benji then.

"And it's not only that," she continues. "We'd be witnesses! They'll be wanting to speak to everyone who was at the bar last night. I can't face all that."

"But if it's a criminal investigation..." I start but she cuts me off sharply.

"The guy's dead Eve! It's over, he can't hurt any more girls. What's the use in us getting caught up in all that shit and getting into trouble? I don't actually care who did it anyway, I think whoever it was did the world a favour ridding it of that piece of shit!"

"Freya!" I cry. I know she's only saying what most people who hear about the case will think, but I can't be so blasé about the end to a human life, no matter how bad the sin. And it's not just the fact that he was murdered, it's the way that he was killed. Whoever did it wanted to make sure he suffered in agony until his last breath.

What sort of person would do something like that?

The fact that I already know chills me through and I know this is far from over.

[itsdappleagain]

GUESS WHAT TIME IT IS??

THATS RIGHT IT'S TIME FOR THE STICKY RICE CAPER!!!

Alright, I'ma be honest here- there are a few episodes in CS which I just NEVER rewatch, and this one is kind of one of them. I don't know why. The start of Season 1 just never really invites me to click on it...BUT I DON'T KNOW WHY!

Every time I DO watch them I really like them!! So weird little mental block. ANYWAYS you know the drill by know let's get crack-a-lacking (or crackle lacking...his memories lmaooo)

WOO HOO our first caper episode!!! I love the caper formats- such a staple of the series (at the same time I wish we'd have gotten some deviation sometimes for...character based episodes or something but oh well).

OKAY HEY HI HAVE I GUSHED ABOUT THE INTRO ENOUGH YET BECAUSE I WILL NEVER EVER SKIP IT. ITS SO GOOD. THE BLACK AND WHITE WITH ONLY THE RED THE COOL BADASS MOMENTS THE AMAZING ANIMATION THE SCENE DESIGN HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

see the intro sets up a sort of mystery and finesse about carmen's character i wish we actually got more!! like she seems so mysterious but they infodump everything about her onto us in the first two episodes immediately. i promise ill stop complaining about the infodumping thing now though

okay also but the moment in the episode when it match cuts to carmen walking from the tower to the crosswalk its sooo fucking gooood

Carmen Sandiego Fun Fact: That guy who's Agent Zari's partner in Season 1 and shows up sometimes is actually not one guy but three identical ones who keep switching out

OH also the shift into color as she looks up godddd its so good i will talk about the intro more than the fucking episode

also the!! she does the thing from s2 e1 in the intro!!! in rio!!

the tone of voice she uses when she says "looky-loos" i didnt know that word could be kind of hot

i like how offended she sounds "I DID" djfdhasfdg shes like player of course i fucking did what do you think i am an amateur

calling vile sleazy is so funny as a kid (13 yo) watching for the first time i thought sleazy was kind of a bad word (its not) and it caught me so off guard

zack's first line....its so zack

ALSO i love the intro cards so much i didnt mention it last week (two weeks ago?) but theyre so fun

carmen: hey we've got a tail

zack: im going to shake my ass all night oh yeah

i love how little carmen is doing about the acme agents shes just like zack can we not :/ we KNOW she can do shit on boats, seeing as she clotheslined devineaux in s3 or whatever she did. threw a tree at him. what the fuck did she do to devineaux i dont remember

zack: HOW TO DRIVE A BOAT SAFELY (continues talking whilst not looking where he's going)

the background couple that gets doused with water twice as the boats go by and then are never acknowledged again are so funny why didnt they have more funny background moments like that jadshfgahdsgah

imagine if acme had actual projectile weapons like idk tranq darts carmen would be so arrested immediately

ivy did it first (talking about the suez canal)

love how ivy didnt need to have that beard on at all. really didnt honestly. she should have dressed in drag more actually i think

can you imagine the thoughts going through zari and jawline's heads when the frenchman turned into a 20 year old bostonian

THE BEARD WAS ONLY FOR THE CLOSE SHAVE JOKE.

how the hell did they scale the side of that boat

i like ivy's dumb orange cat energy in jumping 30 feet off of a barge without looking

i do agree with whoever else said they wished she'd gotten a better intro though. i don't think they quite knew what they wanted to do with ivy, and by the time they were like "hey maybe her thing with red drone is because she like builds stuff or whatever" they kind of. only got to relay that by having baby ivy go "hey we should give that lady a gun" in the boston tea party caper

the combination of three languages <3 never change ivy

"while i picked up carmen at the train station" okay so the river they're driving on is the river seine, right? its right by the eiffel tower as we see. fun fact: the nearest train station? 4 minutes away or less! cool detail

ivy definitely had time to get him food just saying . also still confused about why carmen took a train to paris but ive already hounded that detail last week so whatever

carmen completely blank faced saying "yum baguettes" to tease zack is so funny you didnt have to do that

i relish the intrigue and enthusiasm in carmen's voice when she goes "SO off to indonesia" we don't even see her face but she sounds so excited to go there agh

infodumping sections beloved. ive actually learned so much from them. we were talking about coffee and how it can be called java and i was like "OIHOOHOGFOGIHOOGOOGOG JAVA IS AN ISLAND IN INDONESIA HOME TO "THE BIG DURIAN" OR THE CAPITAL WHICH IS JAKARTA"

player: i have cool facts!! this is so cool!

carmen: i stopped paying attention five minutes ago actually sorry about that my thing now

so interesting btw that all records of acme agents are taken off of anything?? why dont they have identities anymore??

how?? did the cleaners manage to get crackle out if he "only woke up moments ago" which implies that someone like. watched him do that. moments ago. the cleaners just sliced a hole in the wall again like they do in s4 jkhfkhsadf

i like how devineaux thinks carmen would go after the gigantic blue diamond but also steal some more aussie shmuck's wallet AND his train ticket for good measure

the mints were suck a weird little thing to have devineaux have and i love that he had them?? idk if it was for the sole purpose of julia following them to the ACME Closet TM but theyre a cool little character thing that i kinda forgot about (bc the writers did too after the very start of the next season lol)

is crackle implying that he has crawled through sewer tunnels? is he referencing the shawshank redemption? is he referencing black sheep crawling through the drain pipes?

bellum is so funny "I AM LASER FOCUSED" (swimpes through fifteen unrelated tabs that are actively open) adhd icon

hey by the way why did she have missile launch sights and bomb tests and gun blueprints open. because. why didnt that ever go anywhere. i know she's orchestrated some of the most strange but also deadly capers in the show but. i. okay

"the student formerly known as black sheep"

PLS BELLUM IS SO SHORT

part of me wonders if shadow-san intentionally breaks up the height slant to make him feel out of place. if they wanted everything to look cohesive he would be sitting...maybe after malestrom. but he isnt, hes on the end and his height, in the lineup, is jarring compared to the slope of everyone else's.

mael also has some pretty good nicknames for her

love that one of their finest operatives is a year-in-the-field catgirl

the little silent laugh carmen does when zack starts reminiscing about how they met awww

r&d they make it sound so sinister. it means research and development

hello trailer scene. i love how carmen runs off screen for the trailer shot and then slows down to walk with them immediately because she actually has to be in the scene

the animation when she said "plan a" was so snappy

#feminism red drone is a she

(a bunch of lights flashing and making pew pew noises)

zack: STATE OF THE ART???!?!?!!

just kidding zack love ya

that tracking shot of red drone going through the lasers?? mwah

red drone out here with a strontium nitrate fire damn

what was their plan if someone was at the lab

that light moving behind them as they walk forward into the labbbbb

SEE theres the transition sentence for next ep!

what braincell of zack's saw a pile of white rice in a petri dish, first thought "that must be someone else's food" and then thought " i should eat this stranger's petri dish food"

also i am in love with how he just was about the bite down on the whole dish at once

the teeny tiny twitch of carmens teeny tiny nose as she sniffs the petri dish dahdjhdsdsg

cleo's capers: im going to steal four dresses >:)

bellum's capers: i will cause a famine for the entire population of the fourth largest country in the world and force them to either starve or submit to me via creating a monopoly of overpriced rice which is shit quality but their only choice, and will do so by releasing an untested superspore which hypothetically could mutate and wipe out all life on these islands if all goes wrong. teehee cat videos

zack and ivy's dialogue sounds like. you know when a teacher presents a problem and then in a really dumb vice they suggest an obviously bad solution? that

"we're thieves" ivy tomorrow you're going to tell a goat that your boss's name is carmen san jose and then almost die five times in the next week

ivy's so supportive. no braincells on planning but such a cheerleader /hj

here we see the majestic long-necked ivysaur stretching her neck for a leaf

pls zack looks so hungry and sad

"so vile can make a quick buck hehaha she has a surprise coming 😌"

she looks so hot when she jumps on the roof of the jeep and then jumps off a cliff. well right before anyway lmaoo

loook

ok just thought the glider mechanic was cool. anyway

VILE HENCHMAN WATCH THE FUCKING ROAD

"HYASSSSSS" tigress never change

i love that they kept the consistency in the boston bean caper that tigress wasnt there- just the gays

tigress free plastic surgery!! good surgery? no. but free

i love when cs does high motion shots and the background just becomes one streaky color

zack driving down the cliff so true actually

ivy saw carmen climb on the hood and jump off a cliff and did the same thing. ivy dont do that

i also love the consistency of ivy being able to pick locks. she's been able to since the boston molasses disaster caper

carmen almost falls off of very quickly moving vehicles quite a lot

yes i would thats why im asking pls this show

carmen isnt really so much protecting the face as dodging very quickly and hoping

the animation of the car swerving as the durian hits it 👌

i like how immediately ivy goes flying and ZACK COULDNT SEE THE WHOLE TIME??? HOW DID HE NAVIGATE THAT TURN

that weird "eYAHOO" ivy makes is playing my my head 24/7

vile ops constantly have carmen in situations where they could do anything and they just let her do whatever. tigress. you had her hands bound and she was under your control why did you kick her in the back

also i love how carmen is getting batted around all day but tigress kicks her once and she can't get up

ivy and jumping 30 feet into vehicles

ivy's voice when she shrieks about the durian is so cute

ok its 4:30am im sorry im gay

why are there so many roads that go to the same place

"sky rockets" what other kind are there

carmen u literally have a glider you could have NOT shot the tire and caused zack and ivy to almost crash and die

love how zack hits her with the car

me too honestly zack and ivy

HELP?

i like how the car is at normal speed but carmen is in slow motion at the same time

PLS THE TIRE TRACKS ON THE GROUND WHERE ZACK SWERVED

this episode doesnt even get to what specifically vile is doing for the caper until 16 minutes in and its still good i love it

zack and ivy changing the tire just like their racing days </33

what time of year is it that player was contemplating both new years eve and 4th of july

chase is like a bad parent like julia says something and then chase calls it her fault ihgahsgajds

the glare julia shoots chase jshdgsh

i love when she's sarcastic

the way she stares right at the camera when she says "details are lurking just out of view somewhere in the shadows"

OHHH THE MUSIC FOR THIS EP IS REALLY GOOD

why do they keep putting ivy high up. poor ivy

"tigress, you know the rules. but i will say them again for the audience's benefit"

fedora the explora!!!

that kick had to hurt so bad

just imagining carmen on her new phone on like. facebook tapping "unfriend"

the way carmen just takes tigress out wheeze

cat lesbian <3

this fight is honestly so good

POOR IVY

THIS FIGHT IS. SO. GOOD. I LOVE HOW THEATRICAL IT IS

the confused looks as they keep playing music kills mee

the curtsey and the way carmen just keeps lying there for a little while for the dramatics is hilarious

tiny layering issue

and here (and once more too lazy to ss it tho)

love how she lit that match with her finger

also love hot the fuse just gets eaten. no burnt rope only FIRE

i wonder where?? like under lock and key...where?? po box?? lol

poor zack hasnt eaten in a day

oNe jUmPy RoO

the please from mael...ugh

mr. crackle

the poor sad puppy noises gray makes in the chair jdgsahdgds

that mindwiper really honestly sounds like shes gonna just kill him. yeah crackle it wont hurt. we're gonna send u to live on a farm

CHIEF ON THE OTHER END GOING "again" THATS SO FUNNY

PLAN B

Okay sweet!! Solid episode. See ya next Saturday wink wink its not 5am on sunday i promise i didnt stay up for 5 hours doing this

[send-me-a-puffalope]

Watched TWF 4. And. Holy hell

Can't wait for part2 ,,, sjjsjdjsj (but man the whole Wonderland part makes me think of where the spirits go. In Mike's dreams they appear in the forest because that's where his mind is set on. All he knows is that the forest is the reason why his brother is gone. And so the kids are there. But the "Wonderland" part of TWF, is so much like Bunny Farm/the part where Banny is at when it plays “The Rabbit Is Starving”. It's like a pen. It's like an area where animals live. And Susan is one of the first ones? Edd and Molly both avoid "Bon", so I dunno. Ough that just kinda hurts actually. Molly n Edd doesn't trust "Bon", while Susan does. Reminds me of the fact that Cassidy(movie) knows what William did, and Garrett also seemingly knows too. But Vanessa, still trusts her Father even if she knows it's him. Two kids know what he is, while one adult still trusts him. Ough

But yeah. Thinking of Vanessa and what her dreams in the hospital could be. Because that would be such a good opening to the second movie, just saying. Being inside Vanessa's mind(we see her dreams as if we are her in that moment, and the dreams are all foggy. First she's in a house, second she's in a tent: in a forest where we can barely see where the Schmidts are, third a owl is close to her tent & a bear shows up: not real animals since they have a wispy look to them, they look like they came from a cartoon, as if they'll disappear if you try to talk to them. They also somewhat look like clowns <- I really like the bear from Bunny Farm, the ShowBear. They mention "Memories" every so often)

just for a little bit, until she wakes up and we go to the new person for the movie. And then see the other animatronics and all)

I'm abit crazy- jdjsjdndh

holy shit you sent this on February 10th and it took me until now to finish watching TWF 4 💀 HELP NO BUT I GOTCHU !!! other than the narrative parallels, Susan being given the Banny mask reminded me so much of Vanessa and the Vanny mask (Vanny, Banny, the dots basically connected themselves JFJSJDJ). truly my Type™️ is the only female rabbits in a horror mascot franchise.

I can see Vanessa’s dreams as she’s in the coma at the end of the FNAF movie taking place on a sort of field like TWF’s Wonderland as a place seemingly connecting life and death. taking a page out of TWF’s page and exploring Vanessa’s memory of her past Sophie Walten style. I’ve always thought Sophie Walten was so compelling in that she has no memory of her own past due to trauma and I love playing with the unreliable narrator trope. I would love if FNAF explored that maybe Vanessa’s memory of her past isn’t trustworthy. She remembers things better/worse than they were or blocked out chunks of time that she couldn’t cope with. THERES SO MUCH YOU CAN DO WITH A CHARACTER LIKE VANESSA, GRAUGHHHHHHGGHH.

She already has a Vanny counterpart thats unexplored, the way they could use Vanny as representative of so many things drives me crazy because HER POTENTIAL 👁️👁️

[brokenmusicboxwolfe]

Last night a tree fell in a storm, taking out two smaller trees that were thick with vines. The whole tangled mess came down, completely blocking the way to get out back, which meant to feed Ryoga I had to scramble through a jungle of an overgrown area and go way, way around.

I spent hours and hours, cutting with clippers and a handsaw. This was made tricker with one of the trees not falling but hanging in the tangle. A wee bit dangerous and involving careful cutting. On the plus side I just ( by like five minutes) did manage to make a tunnel through it all in time to get the wood shavings in the animal houses before it was fully dark.

So I go in, eager to flop and maybe watch a movie (I really should work on Mom’s gift and that letter I have to add to one of the Christmas cards)

There had been a message about a problem with my debit card. Okay, not the card but my funds. So I needed to frantically needed to do something, mainly a scramble for $50 and a transfer…

Oh, my internet was out. Of course.

A half hour of work my internet was back, albeit half speed and no images loading. I just needed to go to the website and…

The ipad won’t work.

Ok, to the computer!

Which is now so out of memory it didn’t want to work. I’d need to delete MORE of my photos in a frenzy, completely unable to see what they are since it hadn’t the memory to show me.

OK, crisis averted, well, except for the $50 I now need to find for the place I moved it from….But that can be tomorrow. I can just eat my cold leftovers (microwave doesn’t work and I am too tired and sore to wait around for the oven) and watch a movie…

Recently I foolishly let my tv know about the internet, in an attempt to use it to stream Disney + when I got it to watch Doctor Who. This did NOT work (yeah, it’s pre D+, but you’d think it would be updatable) , nor did trying to get my ipad to “talk” to the tv. But now every time I turn it on I have to manually disable the internet stuff, because the system couldn’t be rebooted without a PIN that I assume came with the tv but has been lost). If I don’t writing appears across the screen demanding I either finish setting it up for a “service” that monitors your viewing to “help” you find stuff (HELL NO!) or disable it (but only until the next time). This should just take….

Oh, great. Turns out you can’t disable it without internet access, and my wonky internet isn’t good enough for it to consider me connected. I can’t even watch a DVD without researching how to get my tv to act like a good old fashioned tv attached to a player.

**sigh**

At least I had a pleasant 2hr break from aggravations in the middle of the day while I talked to/read** to Mom over the phone.

**Still on Going Postal. Mom, the Terry Pratchett fangirl (80+ years old is still a girl!), was also a post master (as was my grandmother, and grandfather, and Pop was a clerk for a while!) so we are having a little extra fun with this one. Seriously, I mean, it’s like every time we watched Miracle on 34th Street. Certain depictions of postal work, either reminding her of her old devotion to her work (we actually made Christmas morning deliveries a couple times, just in case they were gifts) or the reasons she was very glad to finally retire (you do not want to hear about all that, besides, the structure of the system might be different.) I dunno what book I will read to her next, but I know there will be one.

[casspurrjoybell-20]

Sky Twizzlers - Chapter 18b

*Warning Adult Content*

Mama - Part 2 - Aaron -

"I saw something that... Kit pointed out to Wren," I lied.

"Really?" Minori questioned, their eyes narrowed. 

"And what exactly was this something?"

"The rock structure looked really familiar. We were on the path to encounter it. It was a canyon," I said, trying to sound convincing.

How the hell did I explain that Erin's string was leading into a canyon and I was willing to put the mission on pause just so he could meet his mate? Goddess, that was such a horrible reason but what other chance would I have to help Erin out in my own way? He was so close.

"Don't canyons have caves? Maybe we can hide out there until morning to look," Erin suggested.

"They do, but those caves are often occupied by the creatures that roam this plain. We don't want to be near them," Minori said. 

"But if we are already close by, perhaps we can take a look. Nightfall would also lessen the chances of being spotted by any possible guards."

‘Whew. Erin, you owe me one.’

Minori shifted back and we all climbed on again. We headed back in the direction we came from. I briefly heard Alpha Laurence grumbling about how cold it was and how tired he was. 

‘You didn't have to come, old man.’ 

Erin kept fidgeting around beside me and I rolled my eyes. 

"What's wrong with you?" I asked quietly.

"I'm getting nervous. We've never dealt with threats from another freaking realm before. What if one of us gets really hurt? What if one of us dies? You can't die. Evander and Aubrey would be heartbroken."

"And you can't die either. The entire pack would be heartbroken," I countered.

"Aww, I knew you cared," he teased, so I shoved his shoulder lightly.

"I did care, but now I'm rethinking it," I threatened halfheartedly.

He chuckled at my weak attempt at anger when we both went quiet at the sound of a piercing screech. Minori slowed down as we passed right over the canyon. Erin's string had moved to take into account his new position. It led to the left, but Minori flew to the right. Okay, I'd just have to find a way to steer Erin in that general direction and hope the mate bond took over from there. It was fated for a reason.

‘Goddess, I can't believe I'm actually doing this for Erin.’ 

We flew for a bit before Minori found a cave. We descended into the dark canyon and they peered into a decent-sized cave. Since there seemed to be nothing in there, they found a ledge to land on and shifted quickly. 

"This will be our hideout for the night. We can search the canyon in the morning," they announced.

We entered the cave and we all worked to make a fire. I almost wanted to ask why Minori couldn't breathe fire, that's what dragons did, right? but they spoke up before I could ask. 

"No, I cannot breathe fire. That is not what my clan does."

Clan? Minori walked over to the entrance to the cave and felt up the rocks for a moment before pressing their hand to something. After a moment, I watched in awe as moss began to spread across the entrance, blocking us from the rest of the canyon. 

"This moss is common in the canyon. It is also known to be a repellent to some creatures that roam the Cursed Plain. We should be safe until morning but I suggest we have a guard rotation."

We figured out a guard rotation that had Minori watching first. After we got a small fire going, we all huddled by it. Erin and I sat against one of the cave walls and stared at the fire. 

"I had a dream about my mom," I whispered, keeping my eyes on the flames.

I felt his eyes on me but I ignored it. 

"When?" he asked.

"After we left Yuki’s. She caught me off-guard," I explained, knowing he'd understand. 

"It was a memory. We were playing hide and seek with her."

Erin hummed. 

"She always found us so quickly."

"That's because you could never stop laughing," I countered.

"I'm guessing this isn't a good thing, dreaming about her?"

"No," I answered, looking at him. 

"I haven't dreamt about her in years. I cried in front of my mates about it but I don't know how to tell them."

"The same way you're going to have to tell them about your other secret," he said with a shrug.

‘Secrets, actually. Sorry, Erin.’ 

With a groan, I pulled my knees to my chest and rested my chin on top. 

"Goddess, I don't want to tell them about any of this. I haven't talked about her in so long," I whispered.

"You're going to have to at some point, Aaron. It's been what? Almost seven years? You can't keep burying your feelings down like I know you do. You and that man are so alike it's sad."

"I'm nothing like him."

Erin went silent. He and I both knew I was wrong. I was like him in all the worst ways. Not enough for him but still just like him. I hated it. 

‘If only he'd step down already so I wouldn't have to worry about it.’ 

I felt a weight on my shoulder and realized Erin had rested his head on it. 

"You are but you're also Aaron. You're much better than he could ever hope to be."

"Thank you."

I don't know when I fell asleep but luckily, I didn't dream about my mother, nor was I summoned to any dreamscapes. Instead, I slept peacefully with my best friend since, in a few hours, I'd be guiding him to his mate.

‘Goddess, you're so stupid, Aaron.’

[worldofl0re]

She recognized me the instant I walked up to the counter. It almost drew a chuckle out of me when she froze in place and blocked the traffic of all her baristas trying to move around. I pretended not to notice her, and ordered a Chai latte.

"That your boss behind you?" I asked the batista taking my order, refusing to actually look behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, and looked back at me.

"Uhh, yeah! That's the owner," He said, a little confused as he tapped the face of the register.

"She nice?" I asked, pulling out my debit card.

"Yeah! She pays well, doesn't yell. Hell of a lot better than Starbucks," He chuckled, "Why? You gonna ask her on a date?"

I let out a huff, and just said, "Sure." I'll let him think that, it's better than the truth, anyhow.

I paid, and sat down in the longue, in a plush, leathery chair, and looked out the window, watching the rain pelt the windows endlessly. Shame I couldn't just stay inside, but I'd rather the rain than her.

Thinking that must have been a summon, because the moment I did think that, the woman herself appeared, looking timid and unsure what to say to me.

That's weird, she's never timid, or unsure what to say. It's always, 'Hoplites Sera! Champion of the Gods, Hero of Athens, I will cut you down!" all wrapped around the evil kind of cackling you'd expect from an immortal mad-woman. Not this, not running a coffee shop.

"Sera?" She finally said, "Is that you?"

"Uhh, yeah?" I asked gruffly, keeping my arms crossed. She sat down in the chair across from mine, and fiddled with her fingers.

"It's been... a long time."

"You say that like we're friends, or something."

She opened her mouth to say something, likely in protest, but then stopped, and looked at the floor. It was like she was a different person.

"Right. Alexandria, that was the last time we ever met," She murmured.

"You burned the library down, Astera. They still call it a tragedy," I snapped. Her face looked pained for a moment by that memory.

"I know, I know, I- er- look-"

"What? Astera, the Scourge of Greece, is now just a little 'ol coffee shop owner. That's supposed to justify the things you've done?"

"I know!" Astera said suddenly and loudly. The pace of the coffee shop paused, and for a moment all of its eyes turned to us. She turned a shade redder, and cleared her throat, waiting until the attention drifted away.

"I know," She said again. "Look- it's been thousands of years, and I've... I've changed, alright?"

"You changed?" I asked, suspicious.

"Well, surely you have too. You're not the same hero you always were," She pointed out. My face hardened, but I didn't say anything.

"Time really put things in perspective for me," She continued, "Back then I thought the world would never forget my name, but- well, I'm not even a footnote in a history book, maybe just some old myth at best."

"And, well, I just realized that no evil could ever stand the test of time quite like all the good in the wood. Any stain of history is eventually cleaned off, like the agony of every tragedy should. There was no point, so-"

"Realizing you were a piece of shit doesn't atone for your crimes," I said, placing my hands on my knees and leaning forwards. Her face turned a little strained.

"I can't go back and make things right, but I can do good now, and I am," She said.

My face softened, to my own surprised. I bobbed backwards, giving her a look of surprise, and-

"Sera! Chai latte for Sera!" A batista shouted from the back of the shop.

"Oh, let me get that for you," Astera said, standing up and walking away from me. I watched her go, and then turned back to the window.

I hate her. She did so much wrong that even after all this time there was all this contempt. She did things that, as far as I was concerned, she never was punished for.

But sitting here, across from her, chatting with her, hmm...

She suddenly reappeared, placing a cup with my name written on it on the coffee table before me. I picked it up, and took a sip; it was good, warm, a little sweet too.

She sat down again across from me, and looked at the floor, thinking.

"Where was I... Oh! Well, it took a while, and some help, but I thought if I could do good, that some day it would outweigh my evil."

Someone once asked me what was better, to be born good, or to overcome your natural evil through great effort? I brushed it off then, considering it to be a shallow question, but...

Maybe there was a nugget of wisdom in that question all along. I relaxed back in my seat, and sipped my drink.

"So, coffee shop, huh?" I asked, adding a grin. She chuckled, and nodded.

"Yeah. Some guy a few centuries ago introduced me to it and after that, it was like an addiction."

We chuckled. We chuckled, that seemed so weird to me, but at the same time as natural as the rain hitting the window.

"Maybe we should catch up on old time, maybe start over," I suggested. She froze, sitting like a statue as her expression turned blank and struck with shock.

"Uhm, yeah! Yeah I'd like that," She said.

I nodded, and took yet another sip of my warm, sweet drink. I felt, free, content, the contempt washing off my shoulders and sinking into the floor and away.

I guess a few millenia late is better than never, after all.

You’re immortal, and have passed the ‘hero’ phase centuries ago. You enter a small coffee shop one day to find that it’s owned by your millennia-old arch-nemesis. You really, really just want a chai latte though.

[robynsscarf]

Ghosts: an essay :)

When I say the word “ghost” most people will immediately think about the ones in horror movies. The ones that like to scare people by moving objects in their house and randomly appearing behind them when they look in the mirror. But ghosts aren’t just cheap jumpscares to startle you when you don’t expect it, although using them as a scary monster in films can work really well if done in an original way. People are scared of the unknown, of what they can’t understand or see, and ghosts are exactly that. You don’t know what they look like, how they move, whether or not they can actually walk through walls and, most importantly, you don’t know what they want. Maybe they’re just curious or want to mess around a little bit, or maybe they’re one of your relatives or friends, who simply want to make sure you’re doing alright after you lost them. Then again, it is possible they want to scare the living hell out of you, and then kill you, or possess your body.

The most well-known type of ghost is what I like calling the “sheet ghost”. As the name indicates, this is the ghost that looks like a human with a bed sheet draped over ‘em, usually with two holes cut out where the eyes are supposed to be, so basically, it’s your typical Halloween ghost.

An evil spirit resembling this description is the one in the incredibly underrated “Under the Shadow”, a Persian horror film released in 2016. For most of the runtime, a mother and her daughter are haunted by something they can only manage to catch glimpses of, and if that wasn’t enough, their country is also being bombed. The spirit is particularly interested in the little girl, constantly hiding her toys and blocking her way to keep her from leaving. The reason why is unclear, but I’m guessing it wanted to either possess or eat her. Either way, its true form is finally revealed at the end of the third act, and it is not what you would usually expect: it looks like a bed sheet, but a massive one, and not one hiding a person underneath it. It can expand and move in a weirdly fluid way, and it turns into something resembling black tar. The little girl sinks in it as if it were sand, but she manages to get away, thanks to her mother. I like to think this creature is a collection of all the people previously lost due to the bombings, trying to claim the lives the bombs couldn’t, that won’t stop until it is defeated, or until it consumes every single person living in the country.

Previously, I used the word “haunting”. It is one of my favourite words, because of how many meanings it can take, and the weight that comes with saying it. It isn’t always something to be scared of, in fact most of the time, it just saddens me. Ghosts are, in my opinion, the saddest thing you could use in a film, whether it be a horror or something else. I view them in a more sympathetic way than most, because I see them as people, not scary monsters. Ghosts are people that have died, and aren’t ready to move on, or aren’t capable of passing to the other side for whatever reason. Oftentimes they have unfinished business to attend to, or weren’t, in any way shape or form, ready to die.

Writer and director Mike Flanagan aka the “horror king”, is the best at writing ghost stories. His most famous work, “the Haunting of Hill House” is one of the most incredible series I have ever watched. It is about five siblings, who’s mother is dead, and father absent from their lives. And then the unthinkable happens: little Nellie kills herself. The others are left wondering why she did that, and all blame themselves for not helping when she asked. They’re all haunted by the memories they have of her, as well as their own ghosts. For Luke, Nellie’s twin, it’s the tall man with the walking stick and hat; for Theo, the middle sister it’s the smiling man; for Shirley, the older sister, it’s the man she had an affair with; and for Steve, the eldest son, it’s mostly Nellie. Nellie, haunted by the bent-neck lady. Nellie, who haunted everyone.

The thing is, they’ve all been haunted since they were kids, since they moved into Hill House. Everything was fine before then. But the house ruined it all. It made their mother lose herself, little by little, until she almost killed her husband while sleepwalking. It scarred the children, a scar that will never fully heal. All because of some damn ghosts. They became adults, and lived somewhat happy lives, until their sister’s untimely death. After that, their ghosts came back to haunt them. Until they all came back to the house. Throughout the show, we are left wondering who these ghosts are, and why they choose to follow the kids. Most of them end up being people that used to live in Hill House, but one of them was an entirely different thing. The bent-neck lady, the one that haunted Nellie was… Nellie. She didn’t kill herself. Her own mother did. She died and she wanted her family back, so she strung a rope around her daughter’s nape, and watched her fall, breaking her neck. Nellie had been haunting herself the whole time. It’s like she knew it was going to happen, like she was trying to warn herself not to go back to the house. But she did, and nothing can change that.

In the end her father joins her and her mother, in order to let the others live. Acceptance. That is what Nellie represents. The final stage of the grief process. Because what are ghosts, if not our grief manifesting. Like Steve said: “ghosts are guilt, ghosts are secrets, ghosts are regret and failings. But most times, most times a ghost is a wish”. Ghosts can be anything, even memories. That is what makes the whole concept of ghosts such a sad one. Ghosts are the manifestation of one’s own grief and despair and fears. It can be someone you once loved, or a total stranger. Ghosts are anything and everything and nothing, all at once.

Another Flanagan masterpiece is “The Haunting of Bly Manor”. In this one, the main character, Dani, is haunted by her fiance’s ghost. He died seconds after she told him she wanted to call off their engagement. So she moves to England, to work as an Au Pair at Bly Manor, taking care of the two little kids. But her fiance isn’t the only ghost, because anyone that dies on the manor’s ground is cursed to stay there. No one who dies at Bly Manor ever truly leaves. The lady in the lake won’t let them go. The ghosts in this story are different from the ones in Hill House, because they can possess people. Two of them possess the kids, one because he wants the family's fortune, and one because she loves him. She changes her mind at the end, but somebody needs to take the lady in the lake’s place; and that will be Dani. Dani, whom Jamie, the florist, loved more than anything. Dani who restored her faith in people. Dani, who came to see her love every night, to rest her hand on hers, so they would always be together. Even if you can’t see them, they’re always there. Your ghosts, and only yours. They will never leave. That is why it is called a “haunting”. Everybody is haunted by something or someone. Whether they realise it or not is up to them.

But the ghost that really moved me was Hanna. Hanna was the caretaker of the Manor, and she died. She got pushed to the bottom of the well. But she didn’t know. She didn’t know she had died. She was so in denial, even the others could see and talk to her. When she realised what happened she wailed. She didn’t want to die. But that was something she had to accept in the end. It’s not like she could come back. At least she got to talk to the cook, Owen, one last time. Owen who knew she was dead, and helped her through it.

Being a ghost would be torture, because you can’t do anything. All you can do is watch. Watch your kids grow up without you. Watch your partner find someone else. Watch your family move on. You’ll miss out on so many experiences, so many of your dreams will never see the light. You’re helpless, useless, and completely, utterly alone. You’ll die of loneliness over and over and over again. And no one will know. No one will know your suffering and your pain. You will never be able to rest, unless you move on from your own demise. But how could you possibly do that? A24’s “A Ghost Story” is a perfect example of that.

Ghosts can be an apparition. They can guide you from another world and give you hope. In the very popular anime “Attack on Titan”, what happens is exactly that. I won’t get into its complicated and convoluted story, because the ghosts only appear right at the end. They appear in front of their living friends, after they had won the war, to show them that they knew. They knew that their death wasn’t in vain, and they wanted the people they cared about to know that they knew. That it was worth it. Levi, who lost literally all of his friends, finally found closure by seeing them one last time. By paying his final respects and giving his regards. All without having to say a single word. It is easily my favourite scene in the show. Sometimes, words are just not needed. I feel like ghosts are the perfect vehicle for that.

A similar thing happens in “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure”, but this time, the ghosts actually speak. They encourage their friends and family to keep going without them. They give them hope and that is exactly what a ghost is. Hope. Because you know that there’s a ghost looking out for you. There always is. Whether it’s someone you know, or a complete stranger, you can always count on the fact that you’re not alone. If you want to make that creepy instead of sentimental, go ahead. I’m sure your ghost is going to have fun with it.

Ghosts can be a friend. In the 1985 film “Night on a Galactic Railroad”, Campanella guides his friend Giovanni, on the best and worst train ride of his lifetime. While riding the train, the two see amazing and whimsical things. They explore interesting towns and have fun together. But Giovanni doesn’t know that this is the last time he’ll see his best friend. He died. Everyone in town is looking for his body. He’s on the train to the afterlife, or whatever lies after death. Campanella knows this. And he knows that he’s the one that has to get off at the last stop, leaving his best friend behind. So he makes sure they have fun on their last adventure together, before he inevitably has to say goodbye.

Finally, ghosts can be a helper, like the three kids in “Coraline” who aided her escape. That way she wouldn’t meet the same demise they did. They helped her, even though she was a complete stranger. But that didn't matter to them. They were selfless ‘til the very end.

[lilylovesundertale]

shattered hopes Chapter 5

Crystal: we don't need to give up

Sunny:

Crystal: we will never give up we are filled with hope

Sunny:

Crystal: I miss you sunny I love you

Sunny:

Frost: blah blah blah

Crystal: YOU AGAIN!

frost:*go to attack but gets blocked* what the heck

Sunny is glowing her psychic ability color well knocking frost back*

Sunny: it's such a wonderful night 🎶

Crystal looked shocked and everyone ran outside because of the light*

Sunny: it's a shame the light it's slowly dying but we won't give up trying to save it because are the psychonauts 🎶

Sunny stop glowing and she seemed back to normal*

Sunny: and we will never give up attempting to save the people that we love 🎶

Frost:*stand back up*

Sunny: as long as someone is here to save the stars we will never give up especially to people like you! 🎶

Song end*

Crystal tackle hug sunny*

Crystal: YOUR BACK!

sunny:*quickly kisses Crystal* I missed you I really missed you

Zap: you're back!

Delto: thank goodness

Sunny: Jesus what on Earth happened to your eye

Delto: the doctors have to stitch it shut

Nora: nice two see you back

Sunny:*look at the machine that disabling the psychic abilities* what the heck is that thing

Crystal: I don't know but it's disabling all the psychic abilities

Frost: curse you!*begins to attack*

Sunny:*pulls out a sword and begins attacking back*

Aquo: *yawning* what is happening out here

Lily:*walk out*

Nora:*quickly picks up lily* sorry babe but you still corrupted

Echo: YOU GOT THIS KIDDO

leaf: you got this leader

Crystal: you got this love

Aziz:*eating popcorn*

Drago:*holding his boyfriend close to him*

Aquo:*covering his eyes* too much is happening

Star: you can win

Milla: be careful don't stab yourself in the eye-*look at Delto* oh sorry darling

Delto: it's okay I'm feeling this is going to become a joke in the future

Sunny:*knock the weapon out of her hand before pointing the sword at her*

Frost: You haven't seen the last of Me*teleport away*

Crystal: she's correct were only in chapter 5

Zap: .... what wait I'm confused

Crystal: oh boy you don't know what I'm talking about don't you to be fair it's probably for the best

Darko: you know too

Crystal: yep

Darko: oh boy I have a feeling she's going to be defeated

Crystal: of course she is we are the main characters

Drago: WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO EVEN TALKING ABOUT

Crystal and Darko: you couldn't understand it if you tried

Drago: THIS IS HURTING MY MIND

Echo: can you two stop breaking the fourth wall please

Crystal: right back to the story

Zap: I'm confused

Drago: you're not the only one

Crystal: okay luckily I made a list

People who got their memory back*

Sunny-✓

Morris-❌

Sam-❌

Adam-❌

Crystal: let's do morris

Star: where did you even get the list from

Crystal: it's better not to think about it

Zap: okay what does Morris like

Sunny: I never new him

Echo: Lizzie!

Star: but she is with everyone else right now attempting to turn off the machine Hollis told us to stay here

Darko; wow to be honest I don't think Hollis it's a main characters sad

Echo: FOR GOD'S SAKE THIS ISN'T THE TIME FOR A FOURTH WALL BREAK!

zap: how do you know about this echo?

Echo:

Zap: you know the answer right?

Echo:

Zap: YOU KNOW THE ANSWER RIGHT!?

Technical difficulties*

Crystal: maybe we can see void again

Darko: who's void

Crystal: someone after the chapter

Darko: oh

Echo: if You two break the fourth wall one more time-

Darko: okay okay chill

Crystal: oh man it's the end of the chapter

Echo: THATS IT-

To be continued:

Void: we meet again

💚-what happened to you?

Void: I don't actually know I just woke up like this

💚-you guys can sleep?

Void: what else do you think we do at night

Crystal: you watch Lilly and Noah-

Void: GAH WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE GO BACK TO THE CHAPTER I apologize but I have to cut our meeting short see you soon

[ultraintrovertedgryffindor]

Second Circle Of Hell - Osferth (The Last Kingdom)

I got this idea while I was in church...because my pastor is kinda good looking...cough. i'm such a sinner, i must corrupt the babey

Warnings: SMUT (MINORS DNI), dubcon, femdom (mostly), corruption kink, innocence kink, virginity loss, religious conflict, religious guilt (not me projecting🙈), think that's it?

2.9K Words🤙🏻

Ever since pious and devout Christian monk Osferth joined the party of Uhtred, you've had your eye on him in deep intrigue.

The young man seemed so innocent, too innocent. You often wondered what dirty secrets he could be hiding.

Now, you may have just been a lecherous heathen that everyone who wasn’t a Dane said you were. You were practically a whore in your own right, so maybe anyone who acted relatively kind was innocent to you.

You never shied away from being yourself, especially in front of your group of men. Perhaps it was the way you were raised. You had no trouble changing in front of people, knowing that you could protect yourself if any of them would be stupid enough to make a move. Uhtred had already made that mistake once, but he never did it again after you put your dagger to his balls. You also never feared to bathe near the group, plus it was safer than going off on your own and you didn’t care if they saw you. You loved making your boys uncomfortable as well.

A memory that always stuck with you is when you were bathing in a river one day and Osferth accidentally saw you. He spoke apology after apology until his face turned beet red, but all you did was laugh. You had asked him for your clothes but he handed them to you with his eyes closed. That was the only moment when you were disappointed a man didn’t try to take advantage of you for once.

There was a day in Winchester where you, Finan, and Osferth were sitting outside a tavern. You could see how nervous and shy the boy was around women, and then Finan said it. He joked that Osferth was a virgin. He did that thing where he denied it so much that it must’ve been true, and that’s what you had your idea. You knew you’d want to be the one to deflower him, lest Finan actually bought him a whore one day like he said he would. No, you wanted to claim him for yourself. You just had to find the right moment.

Thankfully, there came a time when Uhtred had asked you and Osferth to spy on a Danish camp. It would be dangerous obviously, but you couldn’t help but celebrate in your mind when you realized the two of you would finally be alone together. It looked like Osferth was just happy he was being trusted with such an important task, although you would be there too.

You both set up camp a good distance away from the Danes’ campsite, some ways deep into the woods, making sure there would be no way they could spot you or hear you. You watched them all day, returning to your own campsite as the sun started to set. The trees blocking the light of the moon that you had to build a campfire to see as well as keep warm. But, you soon started thinking of other ways you could keep warm.

Osferth was nervous, you could tell. He didn’t look you in the eyes unless he had to. He probably would have preferred to go on this mission with Finan or Sihtric, but he had to deal with you alone now.

You tried your best to make conversation, but it never lasted more than a few sentences. It was frustrating. So, you did what you usually do best: make people uncomfortable.

“Have you ever been with a woman?” You asked suddenly, amused at the way Osferth immediately went wide-eyed and a wild blush coming to his cheeks. “I heard what Finan said at that tavern the other day, you seemed flustered as you are now.” He stuttered, no full words leaving his mouth due to your boldness. It gave you your answer. “So, I suppose Finan was right. You are a virgin.” You smirked teasingly.

Osferth finally quit his stuttering and sighed in defeat. “So what if I was?”

“You are a handsome lad, surely there have been offers from women before?”

“I mean…yes. Some.”

“And you never thought to take up those offers?”

He looked down in embarrassment. “It’s not like I didn’t want to, it’s just. I dunno, I feel like I wouldn’t want my first time to be with a stranger. Someone I don’t care about or know.”

“So would you hump someone you cared about?”

“When we were married, I suppose.”

You scoffed. “Why wait till marriage?”

“Because it’s a sin to be with someone before marriage, that’s what the Scripture says.”

“And what if you never get married?” You asked with an exasperated chuckle.

“Then I guess I’ll always be a virgin…” He shrugged, “Do you think me less of a man, my Lady?”

You shook your head with a smile. “No. I’m actually kinda glad you are.” He furrowed his brows in confusion, not understanding what you meant. “Because I wish to be the one to deflower you.” As if he couldn’t get any redder, he managed to do so, especially when you moved closer to him so you sat right beside him. He blinked a few times in shock, holding the cross attached to his necklace tightly.

“My Lady, I-I just told you, I can’t.”

You snickered. “Of course you can. I’ve seen the way you look at me, Osferth. I saw how your cock swelled when you saw me naked in the river that day. Did you even relieve yourself afterwards?” He stayed silent, and you hummed in disapproval. “What? Is it a sin to make yourself come too?” He nodded curtly and you rolled your eyes, placing your hand on his knee, slowly trailing up his thigh until he pushed you away and stood up from his spot on the ground.

“Stop. I made a vow, to myself and to God.”

You frowned. “Do you not like me?” And you tried to hide your smile as he immediately assured you that was not the case. You stood up and reached for him cautiously, seeing his internal struggle. “You’ve killed, betrayed your country, your home. Do you think breaking a simple vow will be any worse than all that, hm?”

“I never wanted to kill anyone.” He whispered, allowing you to run your hands up his chest and wrap around his shoulders.

“Then maybe you shouldn't have joined up with a group of heathens.” He was such a sheltered man, you wanted him to experience all he could. You wanted him to be with someone he knew and cared about, you weren’t going to let him be with some whore or stranger. He was looking down at you with confliction, eyes traveling from your own to your lips. You knew what he wanted, you just had to give him a little push.

Osferth let out a surprised hum when you pressed your lips against his without another word, catching him off guard so that he couldn’t reject your advances right away. But even as you kept kissing him, he never made a move to push you away nor did he intensify the kiss in any way. You tangled your fingers in his short hair, pulling hard enough that he gasped, allowing you to deepen the kiss. You smirked as he let out a breathy moan, you could already feel his hard on pressing against you. Your tongues touched briefly, but it seemed that shook him back into focus as he jolted away, his back turned to you. “You shouldn’t have done that, my Lady…” You heard him whisper shakily, you could see his hands trembling at his sides.

You said nothing as you walked to stand in front of him again, his innocent pleading eyes looking up at you, silently begging for you not to continue. But you did not listen, the throbbing at the apex of your thighs would not let you. “Please, Osferth…I can make you feel good.” You kissed his cheek cautiously, kissing all over his face until there was one spot left. He leaned in to kiss you himself this time, wrapping his arms around your waist and pressing you against him tightly. You could feel a wetness on his face and you pulled back to see that he was crying.

“God, I want you so bad, I do.” He sniffled. “It hurts.” He winced.

“Then let me make the pain go away.” You cooed, removing your clothes until you were bare to the elements of Wessex. You shuddered as the wind hardened your nipples and cooled the slick that was already gathering at your cunt. Osferth moaned at the sight of you, not looking away this time like he did at the river. “Touch me.” You commanded softly, gently bringing one of his hands to cup your supple breasts. He squeezed them experimentally, looking to see if it brought you any discomfort, but it did quite the opposite. “I need you, Osferth.” You kissed him again passionately, your limbs going shaky as you felt desire overcome you.

He wordlessly allowed you to strip him naked, saying a silent prayer in his mind as his stiff cock was finally freed of its confines. You brought him to the ground, where you had laid furs for the night, seeing him look up at you on his back made you drool.

“Please,” Osferth begged, his cock already throbbing and you hadn’t even done anything but whisper your enchanting words in his ears. “don’t make me break my vow…”

“Shh, it’s okay. Just relax for me.” You whispered, throwing your leg over his waist, straddling him. Your pussy was already slick with anticipation of his sweet corruption. You could only imagine how pretty his lewd moans would sound.

Osferth hissed as you took his cock in your hand, rubbing the tip in between in your folds before lining him up with your entrance. You both moaned loudly as you sunk down on him, he stretched you out more than you anticipated. “Gods, you’re bigger than you look.” You whispered breathily.

“Am I hurting you?” He panicked instantly, but you simply smiled and shook your head. Such a sweet gentleman. You were so warm and wet, your walls clenching around him due to the intrusion, but he would be lying if he said it didn’t feel so damn good; like heaven on earth. “Oh, my Lord God, have mercy on my soul…” He begged as he clutched his cross in his hand tightly as you grinded down on him. He looked up at you in awe as if you were an angel, he could practically see your halo as he suddenly came.

You giggled as he filled you up, watching as his eyes rolled to the back of his skull, his mouth opened wide as he let out a long, pained moan. “That was quick. Was it that good?” You smirked, loving the way his face flushed with embarrassment.

“I’m sorry, my Lady.” He stuttered, but you silenced him with a kiss.

“Don’t be.”

Osferth’s eyes filled with tears, the light from the campfire making his piercing blue eyes shine as he stared at the cross in his hand. “What have I done, Lord?” He whimpered pitifully, and you almost felt sorry for him if it wasn’t for the fact that he was still rock hard inside your cunt.

“Ready to go again so soon?” You chuckled darkly, moving your hips back and forth, causing him to let out a whine.

“No, don’t, not again-”

“You’ve already broken your vow, sweet monk. What more harm could you do now?” He looked up at you with a remorseful expression, the weight of what he had done heavy on his chest. You slowly lifted yourself off, slamming back down on him to elicit a cry from his soft lips. “So sensitive. But I suppose since I got what I wanted, I can stop-”

“No!” Osferth interrupted, surprising himself and you. He looked entirely conflicted as he placed his shaking hands on your hips, keeping you in place and not allowing you to remove himself from you. “No…you’re right. I’ve broken my vow. I can’t change that now. I suppose...I can enjoy this?”

“Yes, sweet baby monk. Let yourself enjoy this. Indulge in the feeling of me.” You moaned, continuing to rock your hips, a gasp escaping your lips as your clit brushed up against his pelvis as the head of his cock started to rub up against that sensitive spot inside you that always made you see stars. “Gods, you’re perfect. I wish we had done this sooner.” Osferth moaned at your words, his cock twitching inside you and making butterflies swirl in his stomach. You raked your nails down his bare chest, hearing soft whimpers escaping his mouth as you rode him. “How does it feel?” You asked, struggling to keep in your high pitched moans.

“Good, my Lady.” He stuttered. “So good.” You moaned as Osferth started to buck up into you, losing himself in his own pleasure and making you feel amazing in return. “Does it always feel so heavenly?” He groaned, tightening his grip on your hips, the dull pain making a shock of euphoria reverberate through your entire body for a split second.

“No, not for women at least.”

“Is…is there anything I can do to make it feel good for you too?” He asked innocently, but his eyes expressed something else, a slight darkness to them, his pupils so blown out you could barely see his bright blue irises anymore.

You grinned as you took one of his hands off your hip, bringing it to your cunt. “Rub circles with your thumb right here.” You guided him to your clit, even what little pressure he put had your head reeling.

“Like this, my Lady?” 

“A bit more pressure.” You cried out as he listened to your instructions diligently. “Yes, yes, gods, just like that.” Osferth smiled proudly, helping you ride him as he rubbed your clit attentively. You threw your head back as you were nearing your own peak, the man beneath you learning faster than anyone else you’ve ever been with. “Such a good boy.” You whined, your hands grasping and scratching at your tits.

You squeaked as Osferth suddenly flipped you over onto your back, knocking the breath from your lungs as he pounded into you with abandon. Like a switch finally flipped inside him, he was taking pleasure for himself, finding confidence just like he found the courage to fight and kill alongside everyone on Uhtred’s team. You hoped you had created a monster. The way he was fucking into you, if you didn’t know he had only been a virgin half an hour ago, you would have believed he had experience beyond your years. He still had the decency to continue caring for your sensitive nub, forcing your body into overdrive as you kept climbing and climbing to reach that peak. Now you were the one whining and whimpering, how the tables turned.

With his cock continuously hitting that special spot inside of you and your stimulated clit, accompanied by the sound of Osferth’s skin slapping against yours wetly along with his soft moans in your ear, you felt that intense ecstasy you had been craving wash over you like a tidal wave. You prayed to the gods that the Dane’s camp, however many miles away, would not be able to hear your loud strained moan as you came. “Gods, Osferth!” You cried out, your hands holding onto his shoulder with a vice grip that would surely leave bruises just like he must’ve done to your hips.

“Christ-!” Osferth groaned, gripping one of your breasts as he fucked a second load into you, his vision going blurry as his second orgasm was much more powerful than the first. It was too much and not enough, all he could do was ride it out until the feeling went away. 

When it seemed he came back to your realm, you were looking up at him with a proud grin. He couldn’t help but grin back, the afterglow making him dazed and giddy. “You made me come, sweet Osferth. Not many people have achieved such a feat.” 

“I don’t believe you, my Lady.” He smiled, pulling out of you with a hiss and laying down beside you. It was true, but even if it wasn’t, you still wanted to stroke his ego just to see the blush on his face. “Now I understand why some take a vow of celibacy.”

You giggled, turning to lay on your stomach, resting on your elbows. “Why?”

“Because I think I could worship you now, and the Scripture says that you shall not have any gods before Him.” He smirked boyishly, trailing his pointer finger across your jawline, stopping his path to rest the finger on your bottom lip.

You gently kissed the tip of his finger, his eyes watching you intently. “As much as it might be fun to be worshiped, I have no intention to steal you away from your god.”

“You already have, my Lady.” 

Needless to say, your mission for Uhtred went well. You managed to signal the rest of the group when the Danes were off guard, slaughtering everyone you all could before they retreated. And your recent lover Osferth had just the way to celebrate the newest victory.

i am such a heathen, something me and Uhtred have in common i guess

[quiverpaw]

going to answer all of these for fun

👴 : fav elder? i really really like elder sandstorm! i'm sorry, i just didn't care for her bully personality sandpaw or sadly stereotypical momish sandstorm

❓️ : fav total background character (im not talking minor characters like say. whitewing or moonlight, i mean cats with like...3 lines tops)

oh, absolutely toadstep. undoubtably, he's my profile picture (as of typing). he's birchfall's friend and he so desperately wants to make friends with the other clans but is too much of a code stickler

📖 : fav comic page from any of the mangas and why

this one cuz like. what a fucking liar

👶 : how old were you when you first touched a warriors book? howd it happen

i very explictly remember finding wings of fire first because i've always loved dragons, and my mom randomly picked it up on a shelf! im pretty sure i was watching youtube vids of wof (think frozen gem :)) and i got warrior cats recommended to me. so i'd say, about 7 i read my first warriors book.

💢 : what scene made you the most irrationally angry upon first reading

two scenes come to mind, one serious and another not so much so:

-sandstorm's rampant ableist moment in starclan from squirrelflight's hope. like, what the fuck!!

-flipclaw having a crush on flywhisker. i thought it was almost cute until i fucking remembered they're nephew and aunt!!!

💧 : how many times have you cried over this wretched book series? any favorite memories

i've never once cried to a book series, but i pretty explictly remember being sad when i thought shadowsight died

💋 : is there any ships out there you absolutely hate for genuinely no good reason at all. like its not problematic in the slightest, if anything it's one of the better ones, you jusr cannot bring yourself to enjoy it

a lot actually: blueyellow, talljake, ravenbarley, and i don't care for leopardsasha but i don't hate it

🐾 : have you ever named a cat after a warriors character OR given a cat a warriors styled name? if so, tell us the story

i've had two cats only, both sphynxes which i never gave warrior names, but my grandpa owns a snowshoe-ish moggy. If i remember correctly, i named him Minkwhisker!

1️⃣ : was warriors your first animal based fantasy series? if not, what series was?

wings of fire, and before that 'technically' upside down magic. im glad wc wasn't my first fandom, wof's fanbase is much more tame and children-catered i think...

👑 : when roleplaying (if you ever have roleplayed warrior cats), did you used to power play? be honest.

yeah. yeah i did. i remember a oc of mine having mindreading and animus powers, like the ones from wof. her name was jaystorm and don't you worry she's normaler now

🗺 : first map you ever watched?

hell i don't know!! but it was probably either a sadness runs through him, ready as i'll ever be, or ashscourge supernatural

🖼 : first amv/pmv you ever watched?

i don't know!!!!!! i used to watch animashes of ivypool and hawkfrost

🖌 : when did you make your first warriors oc? (if you say you've never had OCs, i dont believe you)

i was erk, 8 maybe 9. i had a story with season-based clans and a prophecy cat from each clan, leafheart, scorchheart, hailstorm, and paradiseheart. i eventually renamed them all to aldersprout scorchblaze hailstorm and bloomheart, but like...

📝 : if commanded to, without warning, approximately how many paragraphs could you write about your favorite warrior cat before you ran out of things to say

three. tigerheart's not really that special. however, dovewing i could talk about for ages...

💔 : have you ever lost friends over warriors related topics?

yeah, probably. i think it's more so to do with me being a big tigerdove fan and that earning a block moreso then a argument?

🌈 : what's the most 2010s wcforum era esque fandom opinion you still hold onto and will fight people over (things like scourges collar color, dovewings eye color, etc)

dovewings eyes are gold, scourge's collar is red, brambleclaw should have run away in the last hope

🆕️ : are you still up to date / reading the new books? if not, when did you stop?

entirely up to date aside from a few super editions i don't care about

📱 : were you ever on warriors amino? (if you were, i'm terribly sorry)

mhm its where i started in the warriors fandom. i was 9 and severely underaged, if i could turn back time i'd save myself!!!

🏠 : about how much do your family know about warrior cats, if anything?

a LOT. i show my dad maps sometimes and he bought me a warrior cats sweater.

🎶 : give me a song you're surprised you haven't seen turned into a warriors pmv yet - and what character(s) you imagine it to

trees- mccafferty to breezepelt

🎥 : fav warriors related youtuber?

used to be tennelleflowers but now i'd say brightguardianakira or gumiwyrms

❎️ : what's the weirdest crossover au involving warrior cats that you've made? (if you haven't made any, then what's the weirdest one you've seen?)

warrior cats x guardians of ga'hoole

🗳 : if you could make any cat leader of any clan right now, who would you pick?

i want whitewing to lead thunderclan, cloverfoot to lead shadowclan, nightcloud to lead windclan, icewing to lead riverclan, and literally anyone but hawkwing or leafstar to lead skyclan

🌟 : would you hypothetically go to starclan or the dark forest?

i'd probably end up as a border guardian

🤔 : what's the biggest series plothole that's bugged you?

cinderheart having different reincarnation rules then jayfeather, lionblaze and dovewing despite existing at the same time

😱 : how many people have you blocked over innocuous, not at all important warriors related takes?

i block tigerdove haters sometimes 😭😭 its not personal

☯️ : what dynamic between two cats has got you up at night pacing for hours? (romantic, platonic, familial, etc)

leafpool and her children familial, heathertail and lionblaze romantic, squirrelflight and brambleclaw in some weird toxic romantic way

🌫 : what's a cat you genuinely forgot existed until recently?

who's harestar

fuck it. warriors ask game except the questions are all weird and niche as hell

👴 : fav elder?

❓️ : fav total background character (im not talking minor characters like say. whitewing or moonlight, i mean cats with like...3 lines tops)

📖 : fav comic page from any of the mangas and why

👶 : how old were you when you first touched a warriors book? howd it happen

💢 : what scene made you the most irrationally angry upon first reading

💧 : how many times have you cried over this wretched book series? any favorite memories

💋 : is there any ships out there you absolutely hate for genuinely no good reason at all. like its not problematic in the slightest, if anything it's one of the better ones, you jusr cannot bring yourself to enjoy it

🐾 : have you ever named a cat after a warriors character OR given a cat a warriors styled name? if so, tell us the story

1️⃣ : was warriors your first animal based fantasy series? if not, what series was?

👑 : when roleplaying (if you ever have roleplayed warrior cats), did you used to power play? be honest.

🗺 : first map you ever watched?

🖼 : first amv/pmv you ever watched?

🖌 : when did you make your first warriors oc? (if you say you've never had OCs, i dont believe you)

📝 : if commanded to, without warning, approximately how many paragraphs could you write about your favorite warrior cat before you ran out of things to say

💔 : have you ever lost friends over warriors related topics?

🌈 : what's the most 2010s wcforum era esque fandom opinion you still hold onto and will fight people over (things like scourges collar color, dovewings eye color, etc)

🆕️ : are you still up to date / reading the new books? if not, when did you stop?

📱 : were you ever on warriors amino? (if you were, i'm terribly sorry)

🏠 : about how much do your family know about warrior cats, if anything?

🎶 : give me a song you're surprised you haven't seen turned into a warriors pmv yet - and what character(s) you imagine it to

🎥 : fav warriors related youtuber?

❎️ : what's the weirdest crossover au involving warrior cats that you've made? (if you haven't made any, then what's the weirdest one you've seen?)

🗳 : if you could make any cat leader of any clan right now, who would you pick?

🌟 : would you hypothetically go to starclan or the dark forest?

🤔 : what's the biggest series plothole that's bugged you?

😱 : how many people have you blocked over innocuous, not at all important warriors related takes?

☯️ : what dynamic between two cats has got you up at night pacing for hours? (romantic, platonic, familial, etc)

🌫 : what's a cat you genuinely forgot existed until recently?

[soulmate-game]

Hawkmoth was a bitch, and Marinette meant that with every fiber of her soul. Fu was also a bitch, and Marinette actually had good memories of the guy. Not many, but she had some. The fact that the guy got two ten-year-olds to become super heroes and fight a supervillain for him kinda soured those memories, though. But with Chat Noir not allowed to leave his house? Yeah, even as young as they were it only took about a year to find out who HawkMoth was and another year to take him down.

Except, that left Marinette alone. The final battle took her mom away, and Chat had to move out of Paris after his dad was arrested. Luckily Jagged allowed her and her papa to move into his house in Gotham, and everything was…

Well, it was okay. For about a month.

Then her dad was gone too, and she had no way to talk to Jagged, and the police were scaring her—

Yeah, that was the basic order of events that led to where she was now. Pushing fourteen years old, ex-superhero, protector of a magical box of gods, stealing the tires off of a very nice motorcycle.

Marinette was tempted to just take the whole thing, she loved bikes and knew she could drive it. But the thing had more security than she knew what to do with, and the fact that it belonged to Red Hood… she didn’t want to deal with trackers today, thanks. So the tires it was.

Should she maybe care more about the fact that she was stealing from a vigilante with a violent streak? Maybe. Did she? Hell no. For all she knew, maybe Red Hood was a bitch too. (Yes, she was still learning English slang. She was fluent by educational standards, but learning how to curse in a foreign language was fun and she still had a little bit to go. Her few street friends were very happy to help).

A shadow dropped down in front of her, and Marinette’s hero instincts kicked in. The tire iron she was using cut through the air, slamming right into the side of Red Hood’s knee.

—*—*—*—*—*

“Hood,” Batman’s voice grumbled over the comms, instantly grabbing the attention of everyone else who was on the comms. It wasn’t as gruff as he usually sounded, in fact it almost sounded like… he was trying not to laugh?

“Did you get gassed by Joker?” Dick asked before Jason got a chance to respond. “Need backup?”

“No,” Batman responded, sounding a little more composed. “Not a rogue. But Hood, I need you to join me at my location as soon as possible.”

Finally getting the chance to talk, Jason responded a little warily; “Sure, B. Wait,” he blinked at the location that was sent to him. “Isn’t that where my bike is parked?”

Batman didn’t respond at first, only the sound of labored breathing— again, as if he was trying not to laugh. “Just get here, Hood.”

Sighing, but not too mad since the night had been fairly quiet so far, Jason decided to humor the old man and head over. When he could see the cape-clad back of Batman, he easily leapt over the last roof and sauntered over.

“Okay, B,” he had his thumbs tucked in his pockets as he drawled. “What’s the issue?”

Batman was grinning. As in, actually showing amusement. And he just pointed down, straight at Hood’s bike.

Jason rolled his eyes under his helmet, turning to look. At first he didn’t see anything amiss, until he saw movement and looked harder. Oh. Oh, holy shit.

“Is that a kid?”

“Yep,” Batman’s grin grew.

“Is she… stealing my tires?” Hood was so, so glad he wore a helmet that hid his expression. Because… wow.

“Yep,” Batman finally lost his composure, chuckling. “This seems like Karma, don’t you think?”

“And you just watched her so you could rub it in,” Jason groaned, throwing his head back in exasperation. Of course he would. Nobody knew it (except the other heroes who knew him) but Batman was a petty little jerk when he wanted to be. He bought the whole Daily Planet just to spite Clark, for crying out loud.

“Don’t adopt her,” Batman said as he stood up, patting Red Hood’s shoulder. “It looks like she’s almost done.”

“Shit,” Jason hissed, looking down to see that she was, actually, very close to being done. She had already had one tire completely free by the time he had arrived, and now she was only seconds away from getting the other one completely free.

He took a quick assessment— she was tiny, and really thin. Definitely a street kid, he thought, though he didn’t recognize her. He knew most of the street kids that stole to get by, nowadays, which meant she must have been fairly new. But even though she seemed to know what she was doing, her small frame made her take longer unscrewing the tires than it normally would have taken. Sure that she wasn’t a threat by any stretch of the imagination, he jumped down. His plan had been to startle her a little by showing up out of nowhere, but he didn’t want to scare her too badly. Just make her jump a little.

But he had underestimated her, it seemed. Without wasting a second, she jumped up and swung her tire iron at his knee. He cursed, she was a lot faster than her had been expecting. He was able to move so that the weapon only clipped the side of his knee, his knee pad thankfully taking the worst of it. She still hit hard enough to make him stumble and hiss in pain though, which was an accomplishment.

That’s when she abandoned her weapon and her tires, darting to try and escape only for Batman to drop down and block her escape. Though really, it was the grin Batman had that scared the girl most of all, apparently, making her slowly back away from him.

“Please stop smiling,” she begged with a faint French accent to her words. “It is not natural.”

That made Red Hood laugh, already recovered and right behind her. He plopped a gloved hand on her head.

“I know, it’s creepy right?” He joked. “What’cha doin’ stealing my tires, kid? I kinda need them to drive anywhere,” he was careful to keep his voice light and devoid of any anger. He wasn’t really upset, all told. It would be hypocritical of him if he was.

She looked between the two vigilantes for a moment, clear intelligence behind those bright blue eyes as she seemed to consider something. Suddenly she pulled away from Red Hood and stepped away from his reach, straightening up and trying to look tall.

“My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she said as firmly as she could. “My father was Tom Dupain, he was killed in a mugging three months ago. We were living in a house that our family friend leant to us after my mother’s death six months ago, and we moved here from Paris. I haven’t been able to contact him, and the police… I don’t trust them,” she admitted, clearly seeing this as the chance she had been waiting for. “I have been living on the streets since my father died. I am sorry for trying to steal your tires, Monsieur Red Hood. But it was a risk I had to take.”

“Did you expect us to catch you?” He asked, crossing his arms as he re-evaluated the girl. She was a lot stronger than he had assumed earlier, both physically and mentally. She seesawed her hand to indicate ‘kinda’.

“Even if you didn’t, I could make good money off your tires,” she justified with a shrug. “To me, I would win either way.”

“Who is your family friend? Can he help you now, take you in?” Batman asked, moving forward and kneeling down to be closer to Marinette’s height. Neither he nor Jason had missed the part where she was an orphan, but they had expected that considering what they had caught her doing. And they both knew that she wasn’t likely to take any apologies they tried to offer very well. It was best not to show pity, or she might get angry.

Marinette frowned. “... Our family friend is Jagged Stone. He lets me call him Uncle Jagged,” she told them, clearly expecting the disbelieving grunts they gave. “I mean it! You can call him, he might even be looking for me! I—“

“We know,” Hood assured her, now kneeling down as well. Man, she was short. “Calm down, we know you’re telling the truth. Jagged has made several public announcements about his missing honorary niece, we just didn’t recognize your name right away. And Jagged doesn’t have access to very many pictures of you, those he does have the Mayor isn’t allowing him to show because that spineless jackass—“

“Language, Hood.”

“—Cares more about keeping bad press off the air than finding a kid, even if it’s a world famous rockstar who’s asking. That’s probably why you haven’t heard anything, the mayor’s keeping it off the radio and not many reporters are brave enough to take the story and get on his bad side.”

“Oh…” Marinette took a deep breath, fighting the tears that were threatening to rise up. “He has been looking…” she sniffled, curling in on herself a little. “Can you take me to him?”

“I think we can do that,” Batman agreed, standing up. “I’ll contact him. Red Hood, can you handle everything here until I give you a place to meet up with Jagged Stone?”

Jason nodded. “No problem, B. Come on, little rabid pixie. Step one of gettin’ you back to your uncle is to help me fix my bike back up.”

Marinette sighed, shoulders dropping. “All my hard work, undone…” she playfully complained. But in the end she didn’t argue or fight against it, she just sat down and helped him reattach his tires.

All the while, Jason’s family kept teasing him over the comms. Clearly they were also thoroughly amused by the cosmic display of karma.

“...Monsieur Hood,” Marinette asked once they were done repairing the motorcycle and he had given her his too-big extra helmet. He tilted his head a bit to show he was listening. She squirmed. “Can… can we stop by my hideout? I have something really important I have to get.”

Jason smiles gently under his mask. She might not have been a street kid for very long, but she really did bring back some memories for him. He got on his bike and held a hand out to her.

“Sure thing kid. Wanna grab something to eat after? Can’t have a reunion on an empty stomach.”

She gave him a lopsided smile— not quite overjoyed, but definitely hopeful and thankful. Maybe this was the end of her streak of bad luck, she could only hope.

“Only if you don’t mind, Monsieur Hood,” she agreed before taking his hand and letting him help her onto the bike.

“No skin off my back, pixie,” he assured her. Then they were off. He followed her directions until they got to an abandoned building about three miles away, not in a good part of town at all but at least not in crime alley. Marinette easily led him through the building, skirting around other piles of ratty blankets and up broken stairs until they got to the badly-maintained top floor. She led him over to an almost invisible door in the concrete wall that pulled out to reveal what was probably a broom closet once upon a time. It was crowded with what looked like junk and empty boxes, along with a few blankets and two or three changes of clothes that were clearly her’s. A few belongings scattered around— a book, a small pink purse, and… Marinette came out of the pile of mess holding what had clearly been a very carefully hidden box. She also grabbed the purse and slung it over her shoulder, but didn’t seem worried about anything else.

Jason frowned at the box. It wasn’t that big, but it was clearly made of old wood. There were intricate carvings that were painted pink, in a symbol that was itching at the back of his mind. He recognized that symbol, but from where?

“Ready to go, kid?” He asked as he thought about it, getting a nod from Marinette. Twenty minutes later they were at a Batburger, sitting in a shaded booth that couldn’t be seen from the street.

She never let the box out of her sight. She kept it on the seat next to her, and Jason noticed that she tried to keep one hand on it at all times. But when she spoke, now her French accent stood out to him even more than before. But why—?

And then it clicked. Paris. Hawkmoth. Ladybug, Chat Noir, magic artifacts called Miraculous. Wonder Woman had raised a fuss when the heroes disappeared, declaring that something was wrong but she couldn’t put her finger on what. Then the magic users they trusted were called in, and returned from Paris with the grim news that the former Guardian of those artifacts had activated a failsafe and passed the guardianship on to someone else while erasing his own memories at the same time. But nobody knew who he could have passed it on to, so Batman had been given the green light to do all the research he and his team could into the Miraculous box to try and help track it down.

And here it was. The carvings were in pink now, which might have been the “cosmetic change” that Constantine had mentioned might happen when the box changed guardians. He had found the box full of super powerful magical artifacts… in the hands of a newly orphaned street kid who couldn’t have been older than fourteen at best.

What the hell?

“...” Red hood reached into his pocket and pulled out an old receipt and a sharpie. He scrawled on the back of the receipt and handed to Marinette. The girl was halfway into a bite of her burger when he did, and blinked at him owlishly before swallowing and cautiously reaching out to grab it. She frowned at the numbers scrawled there.

“What’s this?” She asked.

“My contact info,” he explained. “I won’t ask questions about why you have that box,” he watched her instantly stiffen but continued as casually as he could; “but it doesn’t matter. You can call me if you ever need help with anything, kid. Help with that box, help if you get in trouble in Gotham again, or even if you’re having a bad day. You can call me for whatever, got it? I don’t care if you think it’s stupid, if you can’t talk to anyone else in your life you can always call or text me and I’ll do whatever I can. Got it?”

“...” Marinette sniffled for a second and looked down at the table in silence for a second. “... what if I want your motorcycle?” she joked, but the watery tone of her voice gave her away.

Jason laughed, patting her head. “I need my bike, but we can talk about getting you your own once you are old enough to get a license. You almost done? Bats says that Jagged is ready to meet you, I can take you to him right now.”

“Yeah, lets go!” she was newly energized and shoved the last bite of burger into her mouth greedily. “And Red Hood?” She asked as they headed out to where he had parked.

“Yeah, kid?”

“Thanks.”

—*—*—*—*—*

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[9tzuyu]

ticket for one

prompt: accidentally taking someone’s seat at the movie theater

note: i am not at all afraid of horror, i loveeeee horror movies. but i had to work with my imagination. gonna try and push myself more to write :). hope you guys enjoy. thank u moli for proofreading.

🏷 : @wandaromanova @c-is-writing @nermalina

. . .

it wasn’t often that natasha was able to go out and enjoy a life of her own. she was needed almost 24/7 at her job. natasha wasn’t one to complain, but even the most skilled and profound agents couldn’t avoid exhaustion.

she needed a break. and per natasha’s request, she asked for a few weeks off several months prior.

a touch of normalcy greeted natasha as soon as she arrived at her destination. it was a small, forgotten town just a few states over, but it was one that functioned perfectly fine on its own. she felt lighter being away from new york, like she could finally breathe on her own.

the maryland wind kept natasha’s lips dry and chapped while loose red hair brushed against her face. her hands were shoved deep in the pockets of her jacket in an attempt to stay warm. she felt small.

“for such a well-trained spy, you sure know how to forget the basic necessities,” she mumbled to herself.

natasha didn’t have anything in particular planned for the day. she would probably stop by the store and pick up a few essentials, maybe go to the park and sit for a while. it was only a three-block walk, not far at all compared to the hikes she’s had to do for missions.

on her way there a brightly lit cinema caught the russian’s eye. she stopped in her tracks. natasha couldn’t remember the last time she went to the theaters. a vague memory of her and yelena dragging melina into the theater flashed across natasha’s mind.

her eyes followed the dimly lit board to see the 80s version of house on sorority row was playing. she bit her lip, finally giving in when she was greeted with the smell of freshly made popcorn. natasha was just in time too, the trailers for other movies would still be playing.

and even though natasha had a comfortable amount of confidence, she couldn’t lie to herself, it did feel pretty awkward asking for one singular ticket.

human nature, she supposed.

she was quick to select a seat on the digital screen, picking the farthest one away from the screen on the outside corner of the aisle.

however, when natasha made her way into the theater, she frowned. someone else was already sitting in her selected seat. it was a dumb thing to be annoyed by, she knew that, but she needed to sit there. natasha wasn’t one to shy away from confrontation either.

so the redhead made her way in front of your line of view.

“uhm can i help you?”

natasha hated that you looked so adorable as you stared at her.

“you’re in my seat.”

“o-oh, i’m sorry.” you blushed shyly, squirming your way out of her seat and down a few spots. there was a gap of 4 chairs between the two of you. she watched as you embarrassingly made yourself comfortable in your newly selected location.

you’d never been more thankful for a nearly empty theater in your life. lucky for you, the movie began to play.

but fifteen minutes later you found yourself staring at the redhead. she looked half tense, her fingers tapped on the armrest. then you noticed her choice of clothing – a grey sweatshirt with perfectly fitted sweatpants, but not the kind you’d wear around your house. your eyes traveled to her face, and oh my god you’d never seen a woman more beautiful than her.

“i know you didn’t pay to stare at me the entire time now did you?” her tone of voice was lighthearted, so you knew she wasn’t being rude.

and once again, you’d embarrassed yourself in front of the woman.

“i didn’t pay at all actually,” you stammered. “sorry for…. staring.” she nodded her head and averted her eyes back to the screen. you followed suit, this time promising yourself not to make any more awkward mistakes.

you completely missed the grin natasha had on her face. she found it kind of funny that you’d snuck in, but she couldn’t really blame you. movie tickets weren’t always worth the cost.

throughout the movie natasha could see you shift uncomfortably out of the corner of her eye, sometimes cringing at bloody scenes. she giggled before moving to sit next to you.

“sneak into the wrong movie?” her voice startled you causing your hand to fall over your chest. your eyes snapped down to her lips, only to be met with a smirk. “hi.” you whispered softly. natasha almost instantly caught on to the fact that you didn’t recognize her.

she didn’t want to sound arrogant or anything, but she’s an avenger. who didn’t know about the group of six? nonetheless, the russian relaxed a little more knowing you wouldn’t bombard her with questions.

“do you need to hold my hand?” her teasing nature and the fact that she was drop-dead gorgeous completely wrecked your brain. the mystery woman raised her eyebrow in question, clearly still waiting on your answer.

“i don’t even know your name.”

“natasha.”

you nodded, “well, natasha, i’m y/n. and yes- yes, i’d like to hold your hand.” she flipped the armrest up so you could be more comfortable before clasping her hand in yours. you felt warm in contrast to her cold fingertips and you took note of the softness of her skin.

neither one of you knew exactly what you were doing, but you both surprised yourselves by enjoying the other’s company.

a third of the way through the movie natasha looked down to see you unknowingly leaning into her side. it was cute.

“first you’re in my seat, now you’re cuddling into my arm. are we on a date, y/n?”

when you realized how close you were to the complete stranger of a woman, you pushed yourself away. apologies began to spill out but natasha was quick to cut you off by cupping her hand over your mouth.

“do you plan on sneaking into any other movies today?” you shook your head, confused as to why natasha was asking you this question. “do you have any plans after this?” once again you shook your head.

you were just about to ask her why she was questioning you when she cut you off.

“then let me take you out on a date.”

“what?”

natasha hid her nervousness – because honestly, what the hell was she even thinking? asking a stranger to go out on a date with her?

she licked her lips, “would you like to go out- on a date with me?”

you broke out into a smile, squeezing her hand for reassurance. “yes, i would love that.”

who knew such a simple mistake could result in a pretty woman taking you out on a date?