#never gets his shot at revenge or confront the father

[beck-nightengale]

Alternate ending to the Rhalâta questline:

[deadsetobsessions]

A click. The closing and opening of a camera shutter. The whirr of film as it slides across the inner workings of his camera.

Timothy Drake heaved himself off of the concrete roof as soon as the vigilantes left his eyesight. He swaps the film roll, placing the used one inside of the tin with a barely restrained grin. He’d gotten good shots tonight- a confrontation with Harvey Dent, batarangs swooping to cut the new Robin free- and Tim was excited to race back to his dark room in order to develop those candids.

He climbs down the side of the building, the spelunking gear he’d splurged his parents’ money on working wonderfully on Gotham’s stone and concrete buildings.

“Mom, I want to be just like you guys!” He’d said, and his mom agreed to spare no expense for his new hobby. Well, their secretary did, with his parent’s disinterested permission. After all, spelunking is sometimes needed for artifact digs… probably.

Besides, the moment he had brought up Bruce Wayne’s propensity for “spelunking,” his father had immediately sent him more cave scaling stuff in order to “network with the other successful businessmen, Timmy!”

Tim slides away from the alley with full awareness. Even in Bristol, one had to be careful to avoid the multitudes of goons out and about. The Narrows are definitely worse than Bristol and Tim wasn’t about to let his hard work be taken away just like that. As he trudged home- taking a taxi once he was in a slightly more “trustworthy area”- Tim became slightly lost in his thoughts about the identities of Gotham’s vigilantes. Technically there’s only two.

Tim knows there’s three.

Batman.

Robin.

Nightwing.

Bruce Wayne.

Jason Todd.

Dick Grayson.

His sharp mind, now assuaged from the mystery of their identities, worked hard to match the fights he witnessed to the injuries the prolific Wayne family hid the next day.

Timothy Drake thinks he’ll never get bored following his vigilantes.

——

He’s bored. He’s so irrevocably, irredeemably bored.

Tim had been so excited to go, too! Perhaps for different reasons than everyone else because he was here to observe his heroes out of their masks, not for the Annual Wayne Gala that’s the end-all of high society life. As in, if you weren’t invited, that’s the end of your social life. Bruce Wayne held high society in his palms and Tim is only fifty percent sure he knew and/or cared. Regardless, he was prepared to be a pod-son to his parents’ fake good-parents act, and accordingly suffered thirty minutes of cheek-pinching and fake laughs just for the opportunity to see the three Bats in one place.

They’re not here. They won’t be here for another twenty minutes.

Anyways, he’s bored and irritated. Definitely annoyed enough for some bad ideas.

And Tim might not be aware of this fact about himself until much later when he’s more self-aware, but a bored and irritated Tim Drake is bad news for everyone.

He takes after Janet Drake, after all, and Janet Drake is only after Bruce Wayne in influence and cunning.

And his heroes, his beloved heroes, are the targets of his ire tonight. Tim smiles wider, pod-person smile widening to a baring of ravenous teeth incredibly off putting on a nine year old, and immediately changes course towards the delicate jello squares sitting at the buffet table.

The Waynes will be learning the importance of punctuality at their own galas by the time Tim’s done. He swears it. He even has a get out of jail free card!

Just. A small bit of petty revenge.

Tim nabs a bowl full of the jellos, snacking on one as he makes his way to the Wayne family’s most favorite balcony. Everyone knows it’s the one the family members go to when the Gala gets overwhelming. It’s an unspoken rule that no one else may enter it. Tim slips around the blind spots in the cameras.

High society might call someone a bitch in forty different ways, all hidden behind silk smiles and false eyes, but they’d respect the oddest things.

Tim… doesn’t care. He’s been breaking rules since he was seven.

He sets to his task, setting the jello cubes in the places he’d calculated that Jason or Bruce or Dick might step on. Mild revenge, yes, but Tim doesn’t want to bother Alfred too much. The butler had looked a bit tired earlier. Task done, Tim squeezes back into the party and smiles like his life depended on it.

“Brucie!” His dad boomed, and Tim felt his smile widen once more.

“Jack!” Batman’s Brucie personality bounced into the ballroom as the party kicked back up with the host’s presence. “How’ve you been, old chap?”

“The digs have been very fruitful!”

“I see you’ve brought someone with you today! Well, other than your strikingly beautiful wife, of course!”

“This is my son, Timothy!”

“Hello, Timothy. It’s very nice to meet you.”

Oh. My. God. He’s shaking hands with Batman!

“Hi. I’m Timothy Drake.”

“Oh my gosh, Tim!” His mom laughs, fake nails and laugh digging into his shoulders. Oops. Too informal.

“It’s alright.”

“BRUCE!”

Oh my god, it’s ROBIN. Tim’s smile twitches, barely containing his squeals.

“Jaylad? What’s wrong?”

“Someone left jello cubes all over the balcony!”

“What?” Bruce (Brucie, Tim decides is the name of the mask) turns to his parents and excuses himself.

“Mom? I’m going to go network with Bruce Wayne’s son.”

No, he’s not. He’s gonna go watch them lose their minds.

“That’s my boy!” His dad claps him on the shoulder and shoos him off. His mom narrowing her eyes at him but ultimately dismissing him.

Perfect. By the time he gets there, he hears Nightwing- Dick Grayson, oh my god!- asking “O” to figure out who left all those cubes on the floor.

“Drake?” Ah, shit.

“Weren’t we just talking to him earlier, B?”

“Yes, but I haven’t got the slightest idea why he’d leave jello cubes all over the place.”

“Assassination attempt?” Jason asks.

“Whatever it is, it ruined my running shoes!”

“Dick, please, just wash it off or give it to Alfred.”

“Ugh, we can just go ask him.”

“And make a scene?” Jason sounds eager.

“No. Alfred ordered us specifically not to.”

Silence. Tim grins and slips away, making his way through and voiding the cameras as usual.

—-

“Timmy!”

Tim smiles politely at Brucie Wayne while inwardly cheering. His dad looks at him with stars in his eyes and leaves him to work his magic.

“Yes, Mr. Wayne?” Pod-person smile!

“This is my son, Jason. And this is Dick.”

“Hi. I’m Jason!” He holds out a hand for Tim to shake. Dick smiles at him and Tim thinks he might expire on the Wayne’s ballroom floor.

“Hello,” Tim suppresses his urge to scream excitedly. “I’m Timothy Drake. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Woah, you sound so stiff.”

“Jason!” Brucie Wayne chides. “Anyways, Timmy, you looked like you had something to tell me earlier. Something wrong, kiddo?”

No, no he didn’t. But… they don’t know that he knows their secret. And they don’t know he knows that they don’t know.

Tim acts confused, but then clears up with his expression like he just thought of something.

“Oh! I was wondering why you were late, Mr. Wayne. Did Batman stop you on the way back?”

“Huh?”

“Oh, I know you don’t really like Batman, Mr. Wayne,” Tim cackles inwardly. “But he saves you a lot. Were you stopping crime?”

“I… I’m not Batman.”

“Well, I know that,” Tim huffs. “It’s just weird no one’s seen you and Batman in the same room.” Tim cheerfully ignores the alarm making its way onto the trio’s faces and his dad’s frantic, further away, cut it out motion. “But obviously that’s because Batman’s busy putting on his gear, right?”

“And how do you figure that…?” Dick asks, tense.

“Uh, he always knows when you’re in trouble? He always comes in minutes of you guys getting held hostage. Is his base on the manor grounds? Oh, is it a secret that you’re funding him? Don’t worry! I know how to keep a secret! Can you tell the new Robin that I think he’s the best?” Tim grins cutely up at Batman. Ah, he means Brucie Wayne.

“Sure can, kiddo! Don’t tell anyone else, okay?” Jason swoops in, grinning back Tim.

Eeee!

As he nods, Tim can’t help mentioning the cubes. “Oh, sorry about the cubes! I thought I’d be able to track them with their shoe print if Batman and Robin came to save you guys but I guess that wasn’t going to happen. I’m really sorry!” He uses the “cute duckling” face and Dick visibly melts.

“No problem, Timmy! You should come over to play Clue with us sometime! I think you’d be good at it.”

“Oh! Really?” His words becomes a bit more genuine. “I’ve never played it. My mom and dad aren’t around much so. Um. Would it be okay if we do?”

“This weekend.” Brucie Wayne’s voice suddenly became more firm. “I’ll talk to your parents about it.

—-

As Tim waves the Wayne’s goodbye, he hears from Dick, “You only like him because he said you’re the best.”

And Jason’s reply, “Because he’s got good taste,” made the rest of his night. Not week, because tomorrow, he gets to poke around Wayne manor again!

[byemambo]

4Minutes EP. 6 - My Takeaways

Y'all...The way I was working OVERTIME trying to figure out how I wanted to explain my thoughts for this episode (this post is extremely long: take that as you will). So please welcome OG TymeGreat vs. NDE (near death experience) TymeGreat and their timelines (everything else under the cut!):

Great Version

Tyme Version

Key Events: Assessing the Timelines

I listed out key events that I felt matched up within each existing timeline (and I'm sure I missed more key events/details that aren't listed in my findings), no matter the person nor alternative reality they're in. For Great's timeline, the key events include:

Waking up to take his exam

Hitting Manee with his car

Receiving the call from Title

Korn being attacked

Great learns Tyme's identity as the attacker

Great confronting Tyme at the hospital the next day

Great confronting his parents for their crimes

Great renounces his ties to his family

While these events occurred regardless of the different decisions Great could make, what was striking to me was Great's distinct characteristics that existed in both timelines while also having characteristics individual to their respective timelines. For OG Great, he's extremely defiant and cynical, especially if he's able to get a rise out of his father for reasons prior to knowing about the business, I'm not exactly sure (except for him being the mistress's son before the first wife committed suicide).

Episode 6 vs. Episode 1

Given that we didn't get any scenes of him bonding with Korn throughout the episode unlike NDE Great, I can only imagine there's a bias towards Korn as the favorite son between the two where one listens and submits while the other vocal and disobeys. Along with being defiant and having the guts to gauge the wold with cockiness, he is also a coward that's easily persuaded and manipulated. This shows up most during scenes like the hit and run or when Title demanded Great to help get rid of Dome's body and in turn, become an accomplice to the crime.

Episode 6 vs. Episode 1

OG Great also operates on this mindset of being silver spooned his entire life more explicitly than NDE Great, and becomes hot headed when placed under immense pressure once he's unable to play mind games with his targets such as Tyme. Even though their hook up and Tyme leaking his sex tape caused a scandal with his dad's company, the amount of trauma Great has dealt with growing up (this kid never played a crane machine game so I can only imagine how lonely his upbringing was) resorts to him chasing after those dopamine hits and becoming shameless as a result.

One of the few times OG Great chose his own morals and acted upon them in the storyline was when he found out about his parents and their involvement with the scheme, but this decision only occurred when people he cared about died or got hurt, like Nan and Tyme. Because he had developed a short spanned codependency on Tyme (whether for more sex or because he found his serious demeanor amusing), once he had been left with nothing due to reasons beyond his control, he leaves his family behind after the confirmation of their crimes.

Unlike NDE Great, OG Great is self centered and only acts when pushed beyond his limits, but only if the consequences of that limit involves someone he genuinely cares about (this is the stark difference between Dome's demise versus Tyme's meltdown after Nan's death). Sure, people can argue that Great knows Tyme at a similar level of depth like he knew Dome (apart from being sexually involved with one another), but his interests peaks in Tyme once he finds out that he's seeking revenge against his father and finds that mere effort entertaining for him. In the OG timeline, Great's flaws directly causes his detriment in the end, getting shot by Dome's older brother Tonkla in vengeance.

Episode 6 vs. Episode 5

In Tyme's timeline, there aren't as many moving parts that we saw on screen as much as Great's (since their particular story is limited narrative through Great's perspective) but these events remain consistent in his story:

Tyme works a hospital shift

Den tells him about his NDE research

Tyme works the night shift with Great in his proximity

Tyme attacks Korn in search of Nan

Great confronts Tyme at the hospital the next day

What I found most interesting in OG Tyme's timeline was how linear and straightforward the events occurred in sequence, which would have been the case if Great never asked him about his occurring NDE symptoms like he did in the NDE timeline while being under Tyme's care. Tyme's prior knowledge to Den's research served as a seed planted in the back of his mind, which if Great hadn't asked him (if he chose to help Title get rid of Dome's body), Tyme would have went along with his plan and shelved Den's research with no intention in intervention. The difference in approach between OG Tyme and NDE Tyme was rooted in their initial encounters, both being Great bumping into Tyme and how it was handled.

If Great continued heading his way, Tyme's initial impression of Great would have been slightly annoyed (which we saw a preview of how he yelled at Great during the first cardiac arrest Great had when he bumped into Tyme and didn't help him). But if Great stopped to apologize and even help Tyme with the papers, there is a hint of consideration in that gesture, even if Great himself is a flawed person capable of doing bad things. For some, basic human decency isn't a mind blowing trait for people to fawn over, but this can be contrasted when Tyme asks P'Anne for his information and finally gets confirmation of Great's identity.

Episode 6 vs. Episode 1

Episode 6 vs. Episode 3

From the perspective of Tyme who's dedicated his personal life in bringing down the family responsible for the death of his parents, I'm sure having a painted image of what inhumane and vulgar things the family is capable of, Great's first impression as the younger son of the enemy is somehow normal? As if this man isn't capable of hurting a fly, let alone killing people like his father does (why did I think of fucking Lord Ozai and Prince Zuko when proofreading this loooooord someone send me to bed asap). Rather than treating Great as just a means to an end with no prior attachment and full intent in harming the family's reputation as OG Tyme would have, NDE Tyme's prior interactions with Great by him helping Tyme with his papers (the readiness to correct his faults while providing a solution to aid in the damage caused, big or small), Great bringing his hurt friend to the hospital without acknowledging his own injuries (a sign of selflessness and reliability) and asking Tyme about his symptoms related to his cardiac arrests and moments of NDE, there are layers being shed off of Tyme's preconceived notions about the family.

Episode 2

Episode 6

Not only are there layers, Tyme's curiosity peaks because why is the son of the family who killed his parents seemingly harmless and clumsy? Shouldn't someone of his background be more cautious and conceal himself more, especially when speaking to a stranger such as Tyme? Does he know what his parents do and the damage they have caused for countless families and victims? In comparison to OG Great who's callous and bold, NDE Great is soft and easily startled, therefore, needs a more calculative and somewhat honest approach to secure a connection to get closer to bringing the family down.

Episode 6 vs. Episode 3

Characterization: A vs. B

When writing my reflections, I found it interesting how TymeGreat's relationship develops within their respective timelines, especially how each encounter they had with one another fueled different emotions and residual feelings. In the OG timeline, their relationship is innately lustful with distance between them, their main objectives involve concealed vengeance, amusement in the series of events occurring between them and not being able to access the full story of the two worlds both individuals were a part of before their paths crossed.

Whereas in the NDE timeline, their relationship began with a curiosity that defied expectations and welcomed communication, such as asking intimate questions and offering valuable solutions to majority of their problems: Great asking Tyme about his cardiac symptoms, Tyme consulting Den about his research after Great's conversation, Great confiding in Tyme about his upbringing, Tyme revealing the cause of his parents' death, Great confronting his own family for their crimes and seeking accountability. All of these traits wouldn't have been present if that initial hit and run played out differently: they would have crossed paths regardless but their attitudes and motives would shape the state of their relationship.

Episode 6 vs. Episode 3

Episode 6 vs. Episode 5

However, there are innate traits that remained consistent in both characters. Great with his impulsivity and tackling his problems head strong, Tyme with his nonchalance and caring attitude towards the people he loves (such as his grandmother). What really caused the divergence of their whims were purely based in the circumstances they find themselves in during their initial encounters. When they met at the bar, Great's impulsivity charged the motion of their relationship, ending with his cowardice separating the two once Nan died at the hands of Samarn. Tyme's detached attitude that drove his girlfriend away from him and poses concern from Den as a fellow doctor in how he denies his patients of their own identity and autonomy, causes him to take advantage of Great's relations to the family, ending in his own death after denying the bribe by Great's father.

Episode 6

Episode 6

Episode 1

Despite it all, the most significant element that both Tyme and Great share is the leverage both have over one another through their emotional attachments, which may seem small in comparison to more flashy events within the storyline but for these two characters: it makes a world of a difference. When NDE Tyme reveals his identity during the ambush against Korn, which led Great to help Tyme find Nan and as a result, saving her life. This is critical as OG Great is inherently a coward with a dopamine deficiency and enjoys causing trouble for his father's reputation at his own demise.

Episode 4

When Tyme is willing to risk his life exposing Great's family to the press, Great reminds him of his grandmother, driving Tyme to accept the bribe from Great's dad and find safety at Aunt Ging's house together. Unlike OG Tyme, whose reserved and passive attitude enables his life to be filled with the absurd and mundane, that money is the driving force of life and the root of all evil that took his parents away from him, so what else is there to live for as long as he avenges his family?

Episode 5

Now for my questions for the last two episodes: if Great dies in the OG timeline and is actively dying in the NDE timeline, since Tyme's destined fate to die in the OG timeline has been altered once he's notified of Great's condition in the emergency room by Den, he has a chance of avoiding death that OG Tyme suffers from. It may be a stretch but look at the two hit men who targeted Tyme and Great.

Episode 1 vs. Episode 5

The hit man in episode 1 look significantly younger than the hit man in episode 5, but same facial hair? The shadow in the first image throws me off but it's freaky to speculate as it sent shivers down my spine whenever I got a better screenshot of them. If I put my two brain cells together: in the OG timeline, Tonkla targets and shoots Great but Tyme is also shot in episode 1, which makes me believe that their timelines are converging somehow as both of them enter their 4 minutes of limbo and their memories and experiences are warped.

In the NDE timeline, because Dome is saved and returns home to Tonkla, the only person reasonable in targeting Great would be Manee after she finds out which family is responsible for her son's involvement in illegal business (which her giving up her life savings and being given the 4th card during her ritual that calls for separation of loved ones). This separation in question is the separation of Tyme from Great as Great's fighting for his vitals to stabilize just as Tyme rushes to the OR?

Because NDE Tyme goes with his grandmother to Aunt Ging's instead of sending her on her own as OG Tyme does, both of them are technically off the radar from being targeted, or at least bought enough time to make a safe escape if Great's father goes back on his word outlined in the proposed bribe. Seeing as Tyme's wearing the same shirt in both timelines at this point, we're now waiting to see how this will play out, and I'm literally so excited to lose sleep all over again.

Episode 1 vs. Episode 6

If you made it to the end, pat yourself on the back! And if you've been actively reading my previous posts regarding my takeaways, I really appreciate the love they've been getting! I'm more than happy to hyperfixate on this series and help out with really digging deep in the details that could help those who are having difficulty following along with the series. Idk, y'all got to yell at Bible on Twitter then because he thinks he's so funny tweeting this:

If y'all would like to read more, check out my tags and thank you again for sticking around, see y'all next Friday or whatever day my brain finishes finalizing its thoughts to share with y'all :)

[chloesolace]

Hiii

Can u write something with Daemon Targaryen x reader ! Otto’s daughter (allicent sister). Daemon kiss the reader because he wants annoy her father but he likes her too. Otto find out and slap de reader. Daemon interrupt a concil meeting to give back the slap to her father.

Control - Daemon Targaryen x Hightower!Reader

summary: After Prince Daemon kisses you in the courtyard of the castle, your father, Otto Hightower, confronts you about it. An argument leads to him becoming physically violent, and you storming out of the room crying. Daemon finds you, however, and when he finds out who left that red mark on your cheek, he immediately seeks revenge.

pairing: Daemon Targaryen x Hightower!reader

word count: 2.4k

warnings: physical violence, parental mental abuse 

a/n: I have been kind of power writing these one shots for the past 2 weeks or so, and I just wanted to let you guys know that I’ll be slowing down a bit <3 Happy reading!

Taglist:

@mirandastuckinthe80s @omgsuperstarg @agentstarkid @faatxma @a-lil-bit-nuts @wasntpriscilla @glitterandgoldfinds @judig92 @le3h4 @evyiione @severewobblerlightdragon @miahxelizabeth @ren-ni @paprikabadger @isaxbella749 @idkjj04 @nikaprincessofkattegat @jamiejazzed @kaitieskidmore1 @moonmaiden1996 @syrma-sensei

If you wish to be added to or removed from the character taglist, please comment underneath this post​.

Masterlist - Discord Server - Request Info - Taylor Swift Series

A gentle breeze caressed your skin as you sat underneath a tree in the castle courtyard, an open book laying on your angled legs and a barely touched apple in your right hand. You were humming a soft tune as you rested your head against the tree in your back, taking a break from reading, which you had been doing for almost the entire morning. 

Your eyes were a bit sore so you placed the book aside and the apple in your lap and rubbed your eyes, a deep exhale escaping you. Judging by the way the sun stood, it was way past noon now and your younger sister Alicent should have returned from whatever business she did not want you to know about.

You and her had never been particularly close, so it did not bother you much, though.

By now, you had to narrow your eyes to avoid being blinded by the sun, so you picked up the book and apple and rose to your feet, wanting to seek shelter in the shade the tree cast onto the other side of the grass. But a figure before you made you stop in your tracks, and bow your head respectfully. 

“My prince,” you said, waiting patiently for him to respond as you used your free hand to shield your eyes from the sunlight. “A pleasure seeing you here, though I must say it is unexpected.”

He raised his eyebrows, a strand of white hair falling in his face as he observed you with a faint smile on his lips. Prince Daemon seemed uncharacteristically calm, at least judging by what you’ve heard around the castle. Whenever he spoke to you, however, he was collected and at least mostly civil. 

You remembered when you sparked quite the controversy during a ball, when you and Daemon danced together to spite both your father and his brother. It had become somewhat of a thing you two helped each other with, since you tried to avoid marriage proposals at any cost, and Daemon wanted his brother to annul his own marriage. 

“Is it so unusual that I would spend time in my own home’s garden, Lady (y/n)?” He asked, though his tone was teasing if anything. You bit into the apple, calmly chewing and swallowing before you answered. He had interrupted your afternoon, so he would have to wait for an answer. 

“Given how rarely you do it, I would say so,” you replied before taking another bite, and his eyes rested on your lips for half a second. 

“Oh, you are keeping track?” 

“Far from it,” you replied without letting his amusement get to you. “Though the gossiping mouths at court are easy to overhear.” You crossed one arm in front of your chest and used it to rest your other elbow on it, as you continued taking bites from the apple in your hand.  

“Is that what you tell yourself to rest easy at night?” He asked, following you when you turned away from him to step into the shade of the tree on the other side, your book trapped between your arm and your waist. 

“I sleep just fine, my prince, but I am grateful for your very genuine concern.” You bit your bottom lip to stop yourself from chuckling, just as he appeared from behind the tree where you had left him, dangerously close to you and with mischief glistening in his green eyes. 

You inhaled sharply at the sudden closeness, but kept your head held high to meet his gaze. Although this banter between you was not rare, he had never gotten this close before. It reminded you of the many times your father had told you to stay away from him, claiming he’d be the downfall of the Targaryen dynasty one way or the other. But you had never been particularly content about the calm days at court. Your father knew that if you had a single drop of Valyrian blood in you, he wouldn’t have been able to pull you off a dragon. 

Daemon placed a hand on the tree trunk just above your head while his eyes flickered to something behind you for a moment, before meeting yours again. “Oh, you are very welcome, Lady (y/n). But should you ever wish to change your sleeping habits, do let me know.” 

You did not miss the suggestive tone in his voice, and you were very sure that if your father could see you right now, he’d be very disappointed. 

“And what do you suggest, Your Grace?” You said with a challenging look on your face, but instead of replying, he shifted his gaze to the same spot again, letting it linger there for a while, before placing two fingers underneath your chin to tilt your head up slightly. 

“A lot of this,” he whispered, and his lips connected with yours. 

The book fell to the ground as your body tensed for a moment, not having anticipated that he’d do something like this. Your banter had never been more than words, thrown at each other. Sometimes, they did perhaps cross a certain line, though never had action followed them. 

He held your wrist with one hand and placed the other on your cheek, slowly guiding you to turn a little so that you felt the sun again. It became less and less of a hesitant kiss the more you gave in to it, and when you parted your lips to deepen it even more, you felt everything around you disappear. His smell of grass and leather was stronger now that you were even closer, and when his hand found its way into your hair, you let out a sigh. 

But just as you wanted to pull him closer, Daemon broke the kiss and brushed his nose against your cheek, as he said in a voice that gave no indication of your previous activity, “Good day, Lady (y/n).” 

He used your confused state to grab the half-eaten apple from your hand, taking a bite out of it as he gave you a cheeky grin and left the courtyard. You placed a hand on your chest, trying to catch your breath while heat rushed to your cheeks. It took you no more than a few seconds to collect yourself, however, and, after making sure that no one had seen you two, you left as well, trying your hardest not to get caught up in what had just happened.

Later that day, you heard a knock on your door while you were brushing your hair, but you already guessed that it was your father. Your suspicions were only confirmed when Otto Hightower stepped into your room, a very serious expression on his aging face. 

Sighing, you placed the hair brush aside and looked at him with raised brows. “What is it, father? I am supposed to meet Alicent in an hour’s time.”

“You are not going anywhere, (y/n),” he replied, closing the door behind him silently. 

Frowning, you replied, “What is this about?”

“Do not act so innocent, child,” he hissed, clearly fighting back tears as you stood from your chair and approached him, crossing your arms in front of your chest. You didn’t say a word, waiting for him to elaborate, but you already knew what this was about even before the words left his lips. 

“One of my people saw you and the prince in the courtyard.” A pause. “How many times have I told you to stay away from him?” His voice got louder by the second, his skin a light shade of red now. You had clearly angered him, which only angered you in return. 

“And how many times have I told you I do not wish for you to interfere in my personal affairs? I am no child anymore, father. And I am sick of being a pawn in your twisted games.” 

Otto clenched his teeth, crossing the room to stand before you as he raised a finger and pointed it at you warningly. “I am sending you back to Oldtown,” he said in a low voice, his anger barely contained. 

“To do what, exactly?” You taunted, not bothering to control your own fury. “Sit there and look pretty, until it is time for you to marry me off like a broodmare to some Lord twice my age? Like you did Alicent?” 

When his hand met your cheek, your mouth fell open, and your head turned. A burning, pulsing pain appeared, and you had to take a moment to fully process what had happened. Your father and you had always argued much, but it had never ended in physical violence, before now. 

“You ungrateful child,” he spat. “You look every bit like your mother and yet your mind is foul, and tainted. I have made Alicent queen of this realm, and you know why I did not choose you to fulfill this duty?” 

Tears stung your eyes as you turned to look at him with an expression that was somewhere between furious and pained, using your cold hand to try and ease the pain in your cheek. But Otto did not wait for you to reply. 

“Because I know you are incapable. Because Alicent is everything you will never be.” 

You swallowed hard, trying to suffocate your sobs before your father could hear them, as you brushed past him and stormed out of your room in your nightgown. You had chosen a beautiful dress for later, when you were supposed to meet your sister, but now it suddenly did not matter anymore. 

It was already later in the day, so the amount of servants present were scarce, which you were thankful for, since you could not hold back your tears any longer. Your father’s words had stung like never before, and the pain he had inflicted upon you only served as a physical manifestation of the way your heart ached. 

When you found an empty bench somewhere in a secluded part of the castle, you let yourself fall onto the stone and buried your face in your hands. All you had ever wanted as a child was his approval, but only Alicent seemed to be worthy of that in his eyes. You had told yourself multiple times that you were over it, though the little girl inside you knew that it was a lie. 

You didn’t know how long you had sat there, when his hand gently touched your shoulder, but the tears were dry as you jumped up, only to meet Prince Daemon’s eyes. He looked you up and down, clearly not needing to ask to know that you had cried. Shame made blood rush to your cheeks, and you averted your gaze. 

“What happened?” He asked with narrowed eyes, gaze locked on where your father had striked. The mark must have still been visible. 

“My father,” you replied after a long pause, which you used to debate whether it would even be smart to tell him. 

“He hit you?” Daemon took a step forward, and you finally gathered the courage to look into his eyes again. You didn’t even have to say a word, for your look was answer enough. Daemon’s eyes darkened, his jaw tensing. 

“Where is he?” He asked, his voice barely a whisper, but you could make out the anger in it. 

You looked out of the window to your left, and saw that the sun was now setting. “He should be at a council meeting now…but-” Before you could finish, you heard Prince Daemon’s steps and quickly turned your head to find him stomping down the corridor, not waiting for you to catch up. 

Nevertheless, you quickly collected yourself and ran after him. You didn’t know what he would do, and a part of you wanted to call him back and stop him from whatever his plan was, but the other, wounded part of you knew that this would be rightful payback. 

You fell into step with him, but remained quiet as you both made your way towards the council chambers. They were on the other side of the castle, so it took you a while to get there, and you noticed Daemon throwing side-glances at you occasionally, as if to make sure you were okay. Though you doubted he cared. 

When you finally reached the double door behind which the council meeting took place, Daemon did not even bother to knock as he threw the door open and marched into the room as if it was his, anger written all over his face. You followed him, but remained in the door frame, watching as the prince approached the long table in the center, around which sat multiple men. Some, you knew. Others were strangers to you. 

“What is the meaning of this, Daemon?” barked King Viserys as he rose to his feet, Princess Rhaenyra stopping next to him with a jug of what was presumably wine in her hands. 

But Daemon ignored his brother. His eyes were glued to your father, who was sitting in his chair and staring up at the prince furiously. Otto had already opened his mouth to say something, but only the first syllable made it out of his mouth when Daemon reached out with his hand and slapped your father across his cheek. 

His skin quickly turned red and when you approached you saw how Daemon’s rings had left blue spots on your father’s face. That must have hurt many times more than what you had endured, but you did not feel a single bit of remorse. 

“Do not,” Daemon said in a low, threatening voice as he trapped Otto in his chair,  “ever lay a hand on her again.” 

Otto looked to the other council members, and you could already see on his face that he would try to twist this situation to his own benefit, so you stepped in. 

“Listen to him, father,” you said, and all eyes were on you now. “I will not be treated this way.”

“(y/n)!” Otto shouted as if he was scolding a little child. It made your blood boil. 

“If you have a problem, Lord Hightower.” Daemon straightened his back again, looking down at him with disgust in his eyes. “You should take it up with me. And we shall see whose burning skin will taint the air.” 

Before your father could reply, Daemon turned on his heel while he ignored his brother calling out to him, demanding he turn around and explain himself, but Daemon only looked at you. His eyes were reassuring, and when he reached you, the prince threw one last glance at the council table before pressing a passionate kiss to your lips. The satisfied smirk on his face and the almost caring way he placed his hand on your still reddened cheek were the only things the council members saw, before you both left the room, his hand interlocked with yours.

[hughungrybear]

So....Episode 6 is interesting, to say the least. It shows WHAT SHOULD HAVE happened if Great's 4-minute timeloops never happened (See my summary in this post).

Though the focus of this ep was very much Tyme and Great, it is fun to see that even with the timeloops, certain things seems to would have end up the same even if Great didn't messed with the timeline.

1.Great committed a hit-and-run against the woman in Ep 1. No hints whether she survived the incident. The woman died on the spot. Great's family helped covered everything up.

2. Title murders Dome with Great as a witness/accomplice. They throw Dome's dead body to the sea.

3. Great and Tyme still meet at the hospital, but under very different circumstances, then later have a hookup at the bar and sex on top of a snooker table 😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️. Tyme uploads their sex video on the internet😱😱😱

(Sidenote: So, this is where all those sex flashback scenes came from whenever Great sees Tyme outside the 4-minute timeloop)

4. Tyme sends his Grandma to another relative for her protection. Tyme was still bribed by Great's father to back off. Also, what a fvcking reveal on Tyme's family -> this aligns with the new timeline but for a different reason

(In the new timeline, Tyme was threaten by Great's father so he would break up with Great).

5. So, it seems the original timeline starts their relationship with sex first, cute date at sidestreet stall vendor eatery later 😅

6. Nan is secretly working with Tyme to bring the Sriwat Cargo Business down. She sleeps with the creepy ass manager but gets caught and shot while trying to gain more evidence. -> What follows, again, aligns with the new timeline: Tyme follows and threatens Korn, but gets identified by Great.

7. Great still finds out where the syndicate is keeping Nan and sends Tyme the location. Nan gets killed and Tyme gets caught. He was only saved when Great intervenes.

8. Instead of Nan, Tyme releases the info about Great's family business to the media.

9. Great confronts his parents, learns the truth and practically disowns them. Mum and Great had a separate argument outside the company -> again, aligning with the new timeline.

10. Great still gets shot, but this time, by Tonkla as an act of revenge for killing Dome? (in the same place where he was shot in the new timeline). We still don't know how Tonkla knew or if is, indeed a revenge killing.

So, the timeloops are either a product of somebody making an offering to whatever deity is out there to save Great from being shot (but failed) or the timeloops were a product of Great's dying wish to make things right for everyone, excluding himself (However, there are unintended consequences).

[anhttydbookfan]

FIFTH ROLESWAP AU PITCH:

Rest Stops (or Rest Stoppers)

Several humans and dragons from both the HTTYD movieverse and bookverse end up transported to the opposite realities thanks to several mysterious dragons that seem to rip holes in space. Shenanigans ensue as the mixed-up casts attempt to get back home and stop several villains from using the mysterious dragons for their own gain. Things get even more hectic when characters thought to be long-dead appear, though they have certain…. differences that nobody seems to remember.

Rest Stoppers AU love it. Who are all these strangers and why are they looking at Snotlout like they're seeing a ghost? Stoick doesn't notice he's in another world for hours until someone confronts him about his recent... lack of being alive. Some of the Berkians think Stoick's a revenant at first, come to take revenge against the dragon that killed him. Most of the former Alvinsmen and Dragonmarkers are convinced that Snotlout's a revenant come to avenge his death. Especially the former Alvinsmen who shot the arrows that killed him. Everyone gives Fishlegs Ingerman funny looks when he introduces himself. Their king straight up tells him "no you're not" when he introduces himself as Fishlegs from Berk. A giant three-headed Dragon was about two seconds from eating him, it was terrifying but also what kind of Dragon is that he's never seen anything like it before it's beautiful. Camicazi finds herself in a strange new world and immediately starts committing crimes with her Amazing Talking Dragon. The King of the Wilderwest has to enlist the help of the Hysterics to help out a mute Dragon with a really ingenious prosthetic tailfin whose only drawback is that someone needs to be on his back in order for it to work. Berk's Chief has to help a fuzzy black dragon with a limp through a panic attack. Everyone Fishlegs No-Name introduces himself to asks if he's lost weight recently, even the tribe's chief, and it's really starting to get annoying. Astrid is apparently the only displaced person in either universe who actually tries to stay on the task of trying to get back home.

Chief Hiccup of Berk introduces himself to a newcomer, and they immediately laugh in his face. The next newcomer he introduces himself to asks him "are you sure?" and his own resurrected father doesn't recognize him.

King Hiccup of the Wilderwest isn't faring any better. He introduces himself to the newcomers and they're all in various states of "you're Hiccup." (said in the most sarcastic, skeptical tone possible) "What are you, eight? Where're your parents?" (said in the most dismissive tone possible) and "What's the Wilderwest?" (said in the most has-somehow-missed-the-last-three-ish-years tone possible)

i love this thank you

[a-hazbin-reader]

Okay, let's continue.

So Alastor makes a few digs in about her family. He found out that her father had died a few years ago. She has three older sisters and one brother. He knew what he was going to do. 

So one day, he invited all of her family members to stay for a month in New Orleans. He's not going to finish them all in one kill; it's going to look suspicious, especially on her behalf. So he's going to take them down, one by one. 

First, he tricks her first sister into a tavern and buys her a drink that has poison. One down.

(Btw, I know he most likely killed them by hand in his way, but he needs to make sure the family is cursed by coming here somehow.) (So it's not going to look suspicious.)

Second, her brother. This one he killed by hand, but in the end, he made it seem like he died in an accident. He put his dead body on a car, then put a brick on the pedal, and off you go! Boom! It's crashed into another car. 

For the last two sisters, they tried to flirt with him (he was disgusted by them). So he used this advantage to trick them into this one abounded warehouse in the middle of nowhere and killed them in the most brutal way possible. His heart only belongs to his wife. 

Now for the mother. He already has her tied up in the basement. When he was about to finish him off, Katty came down to the basement to look for him. How shocked is she when she finds out about the scenery in front of her? Alastor tries to explain the situation while the mother begs her to let her go. She then slowly stood in front of her mother.

The mother: "Kat, please... Please let me go. Together, we report this psychopath's husband of yours and live a happy life. I know you never had a mother to grow up with. So let me give you one."

Kaltain: "You think I never know...why the reason my real mother died...? You think I never know why my father got into a car crash...? You think I will never find out that you are the reason behind this? I know you poisoned my mother, and I know you planned my father's accident. I would never want you, mother, love; you are not one to begin with. You make my life a living hell. Now I will make sure you end up in hell."

She then took a knife from one of the Alastor collections and stabbed her. Not once, not twice, but until she is satisfied and breaks down. She then slowly sank to the floor while crying. A pair of arms wrap around her and comfort her. 

Alastor then cleans up all the evidence and gets rid of the body. He then returned home and comforted her all night. The next day, she confronts her husband to see if he is the serial killer they are looking for. At first, he was scared that she would leave him, but his wife offered to help him with his killing. He declined at first, worried something was going to happen to her, but then let her. 

Surprise is written on his face when he finds out his wife is pretty good. So they became partners in crime (yeah!). One lures the victim; one finishes the victim.

Until he got shot. Oh, how sad Katty was sad when she heard the news! It took her a few weeks, maybe a month, to recover. So to continue his legacy, she keeps killing for him. This continues for 2 years until she gets murdered or shot. 

When she woke up, she was in a forest or swamp. Her appearance is also different. A hand is offered to her; she looks up and finds her husband in deer form. He quickly jumped into his arms. They finally reunited. The couple couldn't be more happy than they were. 

So they live happily ever after death.

The end <3

Thank you for reading ✨

OH SHIT BBY GIRL GOT HER REVENGE AND HER MAN

[pakhnokh]

I kept thinking on how HoG au could happen.

1. LZ must arrived to burial mounds and convinced WY to surrender in the time between when the siege start and the time when all preparation are made to storm it.

Because 1. All the cultivators are still afraid of the Yiling Laozu. They saw first hand on how he fought at the sun shot campaign. So having him surrender by the Hanguang Jun is a better option.

2. They have no way of knowing if or when WWX die, he would come back as a bigger problem. A calamity for example.

3. Gusu is a place where the resentment energy is the lowest, thus, also the place WWX would be the weakest.

4. People like JGS would still be very interested in WWX invention and power. So keeping him alive yet trap and under watch is a tempting offer. For if they find a way to safely command him. Or if their research into his works blew up in their face. Plus a scapegoat.

5. Everyone (except some who will not speak) think LZ hate WWX and his method. So they would think no one would be a better warden then LZ for WWX as a prisoner.

In HoG universe, Lan Wangji confessed his feelings to Wei Wuxian in the cave where he tried to heal him, confronted the 33 elders, brought Wei Wuxian back to the Burial Mounds and returned to receive his punishment which made him stay in his Jingshi due to all of the wounds. I believe he didn't know that the siege is planned (because in the novel he gets the news that Wei Wuxian died and it's shocking to him. I believe if he knew he would head there right away with all injuries) But in HoG Lan Wangji gets to know about the planned siege and storms there immediately. When he arrives he sees Wei Wuxian already kneeling in surrender, because he realized that if he goes on to fight he will probably lose and the Wens he protects will suffer a horrible fate. He is ready to surrender and be taken by whichever sect wants to have him, but at that moment Lan Wangji arrives, gets near him and begs him again to come to Gusu with him, gaining the courage to confess to him once again. Wei Wuxian thinks that this is some kind of a cruel joke, because Lan Wangji never liked him, and he thinks that this is Lan Wangji's way to lure him to Gusu to be cleansed, indoctrinated and punished, just like he always thought would happen when Lan Wangji asked him to come to Gusu with him. (It was always Lan Wangji coming to Wei Wuxian with the "your methods harm the body and the mind/soul" crap (from WWX's POV) and then asking of him to come to Gusu, so Wei Wuxian was always sure that Lan Wangji wants to punish him or fix him at most, knowing it futile since he can't the normal "right" cultivation without having a core. He declined the offer again and again.) But this time when he already realizes that the sects are willing to spare the Wens if he surrenders and comes with them, Wei Wuxian listens to Lan Wangji and decides that to go with him would be his best bet. He'd rather stay with Lan Wangji, whom he believes to be just and fair, rather than be with the other sects who are driven by hate and revenge (like Jiang Cheng), opportunism (like Jin Guangshan) or a strict sense of justice (like Nie Mingjue). Lan Wangji, like his father, takes Wei Wuxian and declares that he will bring him to Gusu and marry him so that he will always be under his watch. What he means by that is that Wei Wuxian will always be under his protection, but what Wei Wuxian and the sects think of that is that Lan Wangji is willing to sacrifice himself (meaning not to be married to any woman in his life, which is a big deal especially for a man of a high status like himself) and seal his fate to Wei Wuxian's just so that he can watch him, control him, and keep him from causing harm to the people and being a threat to the cultivation sects by encouraging simple people to cultivate in his method instead of relying on the sects for protection. They agree to Lan Wangji's declaration, as much as Lan Qiren tried to oppose it, but Lan Xichen, knowing his brother's true intentions, stopped his uncle from objecting. They demand that Lan Wangji will make sure that Wei Wuxian is locked in one place. They confiscated all of his weapons, and made Lan Wangji swear to them that he will have no access to anything that he can use to create dark magic. At the same time of course they took all of his writings, saying that they are dangerous and that they will get rid of them but in truth keeping them to learn from Wei Wuxian's methods themselves. Wei Wuxian asked Lan Wangji to ensure with the sects that the Wens stay safe, but the most he could do was to have their promise to keep them safe in a camp, but under the watch of cultivators from all sects. They are being kept alive but nothing more than that. Anyways Wei Wuxian goes back to Gusu with Lan Wangji and the Lans, they make a simple wedding rite just for the practical side of it, and Wei Wuxian is put in the house where Lan Wangji's mother was held for almost the same reasons. I'm sure that I will understand my own story better as it goes, so I might not have all answers now hahaha

[possibly-god]

Camp Counselor Angel

My pitch for bringing Sleepaway Camp (1983) into Camp Counselor Jason - full credit to @junkmix/@junkmixart for the universe

(Because CCJ is comfort media for me, and considering how much Sleepaway Camp is derivative of Friday the 13th, it felt natural to bring them together)

Background: Rather than being written off, Officer Frank presses to have creepy camp cook Artie's "accident" properly investigated. The revelations of said investigation lead to the shutdown of Camp Arawak, and the removal of "Angela" Baker from Martha Thomas' custody, being returned to their father's partner Lenny. Five years and much soul-searching later, 18-year-old Angel Baker (he/she/they/any) and his cousin Ricky seek to confront some trauma and apply as counselors at Camp Crystal Lake.

Angel: Angel acts as an activities leader (she's a crack shot on the archery range and leads a damn good sing-along, though he still tends to avoid water activities due to trauma and dysphoria), soft-spoken, witty, and disciplined while providing a listening ear and outspoken voice for ostracized campers. The kids don't always understand their identity situation at first (Angel's not always sure he understands it herself), but generally come around as kids do to new ideas ("Are you a boy or a girl?" "I'm whatever I want to be."). While exploring said identity, he discovered the many gender-bending musical artists of the times (Bowie, Prince, Queen, etc.) and developed a love of music. They still carry a bit of a torch for Paul, staying in touch after their short stay together at Arawak, but lacks confidence that those feelings could ever be reciprocated. Pamela is a steadfast supporter and good influence for Angel, vocally condemning his prior abuse and encouraging their self-expression and -advocacy. Angel has a bit of a competitive streak (feeling in some way she needs to "prove herself"), and has a friendly rivalry with Jason as he seeks to challenge his "Counselor of the Week" streak. No matter how fierce the competition gets, though, Jason is always there to help pull Angel back out when she starts going back in her shell.

Ricky: Ricky manages one of the boys' cabins, leading them in baseball games and prank raids while making sure the fun never goes too far at someone's expense. He's distanced himself from his mother since learning of her abuse of Angel, moving in with them and Lenny the year prior, and is a little confused but has the spirit supporting his cousin's identity (he's definitely the type to pull a "his pronouns are they/them!"). He still has a fair but to unlearn about masculinity, but just being around Jason (sweet beefcake that he is) is causing some notable improvement. He's also still foul-mouthed ("Watch your goddamn language, you little shits!"), and still unlucky in love, flirting with Carrie and Laurie to no avail. He's also maintained his friendship with Paul, and tacitly encourages his and Angel's budding whatever-it-is.

Stuff that could happen:

Angel making "the face" into a flashlight while telling ghost stories

Artie and Mel seeking revenge for their injuries and the closure of Arawak (possibly a guest appearance from Meg realizing what a bullet she dodged in this timeline)

Aunt Martha applying to Camp Crystal Lake as a nurse, trying to worm her way back into "her babies'" lives

Judy redemption arc

(Am I being massively optimistic about queer acceptance in the 80s? Absolutely, but isn't optimism kind of the point of this whole affair?)

[underforeversgrace]

healing the wounds we hid - 2

title: healing the wounds we hid

words: 3,203

Finally, the sequel to broken trust and the wounds hidden behind! (Refresh here on AO3 or here on Tumblr)

Story Summary: Now that his father knows, Danny's life is changing for the better. Jack encourages him to let his friends and the rest of the family into his small word. Unbeknownst to Danny, Jack is secretly worried about how Maddie will react to the news upon her return to Amity - and how to confront Vlad once Jack learns his true identity. Amidst it all, an enemy lurks and plots their revenge.

Chapter 2 of 11: Trusting in You

AO3

Tumblr Chapter One

(Tumblr Chapter Three will be here)

Beta by: @probably-dead and @scarletsaphire!

~~~~~~

When the last bell finally rang several hours later, Tucker nearly forgot his backpack in his rush to leave the classroom. He didn’t bother with his locker, heading straight outside to wait for Sam at one of the trees near the edge of Casper High’s grounds. He couldn’t remember the last time his heart had pounded this fast in anticipation. 

Sam met him less than a minute later, breathing heavily as she’d had to sprint across the entire campus to get here. “Ready?” She asked, though the word was still breathless.

Tucker chuckled. “Thought you aced that President’s Test?” He teased.

She just glared at him for a moment then grabbed him by one of the backpack straps over his shoulder and began pulling him.

“Why do you insist on pulling me everywhere?” He whined. “Have you ever considered saying please?”

“Never,” she shot back and sped up her steps, heading for the park Danny had mentioned. Despite her quick pace, Tucker kept up fairly easily, having grown taller since freshman year and now slightly towering over her.

He grinned and let her pull him, though he tried to ignore the fluttering in his stomach that grew more intense as they approached the park. He thought of all the things he had to look forward to, with Danny back in their lives - the all nighters playing video games together, the movie nights they’d started doing freshman year in Sam’s in home theater.

Simply having him back as someone to talk to, as someone to crack jokes with until all three of them were wheezing puddles on the ground and clutching at their chests as they laughed so hard they couldn’t breathe. He wanted his friend back and he would do anything he could to reassure Danny that Tucker could never hate him.

The two of them slowed as they passed into the park, Sam releasing her grip on Tucker’s backpack strap as they both scanned over it.

It really wasn’t much to look at, honestly. A few half rusted benches rested on cracked sidewalks, a water feature in the center that had long since lost its water and never been refilled. Trees dotted the landscape, flowers and weeds lining the sidewalk. Spring had set in and had finally reached a temperature that was almost perfect, just a touch too cold, and the trees had begun to regrow their leaves.

Sam and Tucker beelined for one of the benches that was in better condition than the others, plopping their backpacks onto the metal. Neither of them sat down, each too full of anxious energy, pacing instead.

For the next several minutes, they continued like that, glancing impatiently at their watches.

“I’m here!” A familiar voice called out, and Tucker grinned as Danny hurried towards them. He’d already mentally queued up a joke about being out of breath - Danny had never excelled in gym, after all - but was surprised to find Danny was not breathing deeply as he came to a stop in front of them. If Danny had started working out in the past year, Tucker was going to eat his own beret.

“You’re late.” Sam said sternly, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at Danny.

Danny fidgeted, dropping his gaze to his feet as he pulled at his hands, another nervous tic Tucker recognized.

Tucker sent a look to Sam, trying to telepathically tell her to chill out. “It’s all good!” Tucker said, throwing a friendly punch to Danny’s right shoulder. Danny let out a yelp as soon as Tucker’s fist connected, grabbing at his upper arm and jumping backwards. “Whoa, dude, you good?”

“I’m fine.” Danny said immediately.

“You sure? Is your shoulder okay?” Tucker asked, reaching for the end of his friend’s sleeve to look.

“Got rammed into a locker by Dash.” Danny answered, smoothly avoiding Tucker’s hand, though Danny grimaced as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

“Okay…” Tucker said, letting his outstretched hand fall back to his side.

Sam sighed, letting some of the tension out of her shoulders. “We’re here, Danny. Are you ready to talk to us?”

Again, Danny fidgeted, but he didn’t hesitate before answering. “Yes. I mean… I think so.” He cleared his throat. “There’s a clearing a little bit further in and it’s kind of… private, remember it? Is it okay if we go there?”

“Sure,” Sam answered as Tucker nodded, both collecting their backpacks from where they’d dropped them.

Danny gave them a relieved smile then gestured for them to follow him - though Tucker did notice Danny waved with his non-dominant left arm, seemingly unwilling to use his right. Had Dash hit him that hard?

The three made their way into the tree line at the edge of the park. All of them knew the clearing Danny was talking about. They’d come here many times in the past several years, hiding from parents or bullies. Sometimes, Danny had invited them to watch the stars with him. The memories of stargazing with Danny and Sam to either side of Tucker pulled a soft smile to his lips.

They continued their short traipse through the woods until they broke through the trees into the small clearing. An odd sense of nostalgia grew within Tucker even as Danny tossed his backpack to the side, beginning to pace. They’d been coming to this place for so long and it had always felt so spacious. Now, after over a year of not being here, it felt smaller. They were growing, but the clearing hadn’t.

Sam and Tucker both sat down, leaning their backs against some of the trees. Danny remained standing, walking back and forth in front of them, sending them a panicked look.

“Danny.” Sam said softly, leaning forward and resting her arms on top of her knees. “Please talk to us.”

“We’re right here, dude.” Tucker agreed, mimicking Sam’s position, giving Danny his undivided attention.

“It’s… it’s a lot.” Danny finally confessed.

“And her ultra recyclo vegetarianism isn’t?” Tucker joked.

Sam playfully shoved Tucker with her shoulder. “And his obsession with meat isn’t?”

Danny finally stopped pacing, giving a defeated sigh as he ran his hand through his messy hair. “I honestly don’t know where to begin.”

“Well, freshman year is when you changed. Start there,” Sam encouraged.

“I…” Danny gulped. “I need you two to promise me something, first.”

“If it’s my first born child you want, you’ve got it.” Tucker joked, grinning, while Sam shoved him again.

Tucker’s efforts paid off, it seemed, as a cautious smile finally spread onto the other boy’s face, though it did slide away rather quickly. “It’s… I need to know you will keep this secret safe. No matter what you think of it or of me, you can’t tell anyone. Not your family, not any other students, no one.”

“Danny, of course we will keep your secret.” Sam said, frowning. 

“I need your word. From both of you. On everything you know or love or want, you will tell no one.”

“Dude, is everything okay? Are you in trouble?” Tucker asked, eyeing Danny warily. He didn’t think he’d ever seen Danny like this.

“It’s… hard to explain.” He answered avoidantly.

“Is it something illegal?” Sam asked, concerned.

“Uh…” Danny said, and Tucker felt dread coil in his stomach. “I… again. Hard to explain. The answer isn’t no?”

Tucker stood, taking two large steps until he was right in front of Danny. He reached out, grasping both of Danny’s wrists gently in either hand. Had Danny’s skin always been this chilly? “Danny, tell us what’s going on. We can’t help you if we don’t know what’s going on.”

Danny’s jaw dropped slightly. “Help me?”

“Help you get out of it, help keep you safe, hell, I’ll help smuggle you out of the city and make a fake ID. Of course I’m going to help you!” Tucker answered fiercely.

“Tuck’s right, Danny.” Sam said, joining at Tucker’s side. “Talk to us. We’re your friends.” And we always will be, Tucker added internally.

Tears began to swirl in Danny’s eyes and the small grin from earlier reappeared. “Your word. Both of you, swear it. This isn’t something to take lightly. This is big and I would get hurt if it got out. Swear to me.”

“Danny, look at me.” Tucker said, still gripping Danny’s wrists. Danny obeyed and Tucker stared into his best friend’s worried blue eyes. “I swear to you on meat, on technology, on everything I am. I will not tell anyone your secret. I am sorry we let you go so easily before. I’m not giving up on you. Not again.” 

Shock sparked in Danny’s eyes as Sam also swore herself to secrecy. Tucker was likewise surprised at his own words. He hadn’t meant to say all that.

Yet he had meant all of it, and would take none of it back.

Danny took a deep breath and pulled himself from Tucker’s grasp. “Okay.” He said, nodding to no one in particular. “Okay.”

He looked to the two of them, giving them one last chance to opt out, one last chance to turn around and forget about him and their friendship. Tucker stayed rooted in place, unyielding as Danny fought over a mental hurdle.

Danny took a step back, putting some space between himself and the other two. “Do you remember the accident I had a little less than two years ago? Right before freshman year started?”

“Yeah, something to do with the portal your parents had built that didn’t work? You said it turned on while you were down there.” Sam recalled as Tucker nodded. He remembered the incident. He’d been so relieved when Danny had walked away from that without so much as a scratch.

“I may have lied about some of it.” Danny admitted, fisting his hands at his side, clutching the hem of his shirt. “It wasn’t… it didn’t just turn on while I was down there. I turned it on.”

“Oh, no.” Sam said, eyes widening.

“Is that why you thought we’d be mad?” Tucker asked. “That we’d blame you for the ghosts?”

“Yes… and no. I…” Danny took a deep breath. “I was inside of the portal when it turned on.”

“Fuck,” Tucker breathed. “You’re lucky it didn’t kill you!”

Danny laughed humorlessly. “Again. Yes and no.”

Tucker and Sam exchanged bewildered looks, neither knowing how to respond to that.

He took their silence as permission to continue. “I… I died, guys. I died in the portal.”

Tucker’s stomach dropped clear through the dirt beneath his feet, grief a jagged agony with every heartbeat as he remembered thinking, not even two minutes ago, how cold Danny’s skin had been. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible.

"No," Tucker whispered, staring at Danny.

"That's impossible. You're not a ghost! You can't be!" Sam cried out as tears fell down her face.

"Well, yes and no." Danny said, making a so-so motion with his hand. 

"Daniel James Fenton, if you say 'yes and no' one more time, I'm breaking your nose, ghost or not!" Sam threatened.

“Okay, okay!” He said quickly, holding his hands up in surrender as a serious look settled on his face. “I… it’s hard to explain, okay? When the portal turned on, there was… it was a massive amount of electricity and ecto energy around me, immediately. I didn’t have time to run or think or do anything before… before a hole in the fabric of reality opened around me, through me, in me.” Pain flickered across his face and Tucker’s heart felt like it was being grabbed and twisted. “But… it brought me back as soon as it killed me. Well. Brought some of me back.”

“Some of you back?” Sam repeated numbly.

“Some of me back.” Danny confirmed. “I’m half ghost.”

Those words were a physical presence in the air, a weight smothering Tucker as he struggled to draw in breaths through the confused grief in his heart. He stared at Danny, horrified. How had he managed to not notice something so awful? Who doesn’t notice their best friend fucking dying?

“I’m still me!” Danny said hastily at Tucker’s look, taking a step back away from him. “Please believe me!”

Realizing that Danny had assumed Tucker’s horror was directed at him and not at Tucker himself, Tucker finally found his voice again.. “I know! I know. I just… I don’t know how I missed it…”

“Is that why you left us?” Sam asked. “You were afraid of hurting us?”

Danny opened his mouth to answer but stopped, instead making the so-so motion with his hand again. Part of Tucker wanted to laugh - even as a ghost, Danny was afraid Sam would make good on her earlier threat to break his nose.

Then the rest of Tucker’s brain processed (again) that Danny was a ghost and any humor died before it was born.

“Kinda? There’s more to it but… it’s a really, really long story. And I haven’t finished telling you everything yet.”

“There’s more?” Sam asked weakly, slowly lowering herself to sit on the ground again.

“Uh, yeah? It’s actually… the biggest thing?”

“You have something. Bigger. Than. Dying?” Tucker said disjointedly.

“Half dying.” Danny immediately corrected. “And yes. I’m half ghost and I have a ghost half. Like, that looks different? And you guys are going to recognize my ghost half…”

For a wild, wild moment, Tucker imagined Danny transforming into the Box Ghost and waggling his fingers as he shouted ‘beware!’ in the most non threatening manner ever. A ghost half? Who could he be? Tucker was wracking his brain to think of other low level ghosts he could think of when he realized Danny had stalled. He was waiting for permission to continue.

“Can we see?” Tucker asked.

Fear and apprehension danced in Danny’s blue eyes until determination pushed them away and he adjusted his stance, feet shifting further apart and shoulders tensing, hands still fisted at his side. “I’m goin’ ghost!”

Tucker wasn’t sure if his heart stopped, stuttered, or accelerated as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. It sure as hell did something, but Tucker had no idea what it was as white rings encircled Danny’s waist. The ring split into two, slowly sweeping up and down Danny’s body, changing him everywhere the rings passed. Danny’s baggy white shirt was replaced with skin-tight black material that glowed, his loose pants following suit. His pale arms disappeared under the same black glow, his hands into white material of the same type.

Tucker recognized the outfit long before the transformation finished. He wasn’t surprised when the rings passed along Danny’s face, turning his skin tan, his eyes green, his hair white.

He recognized Phantom immediately. He knew this was Phantom. Yet he struggled to reconcile that identity with Danny Fenton. The same timid boy who struggled to ask to borrow crayons as a child, who never raised his hand to answer questions, even if he knew the answer.

With Danny Fenton, the child who had ran to the new kid’s aid before even meeting him, who’d taken the punch a younger Dash Baxter had aimed at Tucker’s face on his first day of second grade. The child who’d made quick friends with Tucker, who took hit after hit to protect his friend on the playground.

Suddenly it wasn’t so hard to see Danny Fenton in the heroic Phantom, being repeatedly beaten into the ground, into windows, into walls, smearing glowing green blood everywhere he touched, even as Danny Fenton missed his classes and skipped plans made with friends.

Sam was silent beside Tucker, probably also reeling from the revelation. Phantom - Danny - floated slightly, only an inch or two above the ground, hugging himself as he watched them fearfully. Tucker could practically see the wheels turning in Danny’s head, convincing him they hated him for this. His self esteem had never been great.

“Danny?” Tucker asked softly, taking a tentative step forward.

Burning green eyes locked onto Tucker. They were so alien. He wanted to flinch away, but he refused to break eye contact. He could see Danny in those eyes, in that expression, the way his eyebrows arched, the way self-consciousness warped his mouth into a frown. “Tuck?” Danny questioned, his voice echoing heavily, hope layered into the reverberations.

Tucker didn’t think as he closed the short distance between him and Danny, wrapping his arms around Danny and pulling the ghost close against him. He felt like ice was burning his entire body, searing harshly wherever he pressed against Danny, but Tucker didn’t care. Danny had suffered for so long, Tucker could handle some frostbite.

“Tucker!” Danny exclaimed as Tucker pulled him close, wiggling slightly, but he didn’t phase through Tucker’s grasp. Tucker just clutched Danny close to him, setting his chin on top of Danny’s head. Sometimes it was really nice to be the tallest of the friend group, he decided as he buried one hand in Danny’s white hair. He winced at the icy pain even as Danny settled his head against Tucker’s shoulder, wrapping his own arms around Tucker.

“I’m sorry,” Tucker said, pressing his cheek to the top of Danny’s head. He wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for. For all the pain Phantom suffered protecting them, for letting Danny go, for all the times Tucker had been too slow to get out of the way and Phantom had protected him, for not seeing how much Danny needed them, for not fighting hard enough for him. He apologized for all of it. “I’m so sorry.”

He felt Danny adjust, moving to press his face against Tucker’s neck, felt as Danny started to shake. Felt as tears of ice dropped onto his skin, heard as sobs and muffled apologies filled the air as Danny clutched the back of Tucker’s shirt.

He didn’t hear Sam get up but he felt as her warm arms wrapped around them. She hissed slightly at the cold coming from Danny, but she seemed just as determined as Tucker, refusing to let the pain keep her from Danny.

Danny just cried harder, melting into the hug, into the two of them.

Sam and Tucker caught each other’s eyes over Danny’s head. He saw his own emotions mirrored in her face - regret, shame, determination, protection - and gave her a hopeful smile. There was no denying their lives would be irrevocably changed from this point on. Phantom had enemies; there was no doubt about that. Would one of them use Sam or Tucker? Hurt one of them to hurt Danny?

Stark realization doused Tucker as Danny’s sobs began to slow. As he triggered his transformation and left a human Danny Fenton between the two of them, no longer so cold it hurt, Tucker realized he didn’t care about the risks or the negative consequences.

He didn’t care because he loved Danny and he would be damned before he let Danny slip through his fingers again. He finally accepted that as he pressed closer to Danny, running one of his hands soothingly through black hair as Danny cried.

He loved Danny and he’d fight as hard for Danny as Phantom fought for Amity.

[ghostfacelegacy]

@ofakillerwithin

[Anger issues. I scoffed at the thought. Was I perfect? No. Did I get myself into sticky situations, from time to time, sure. Did some of the people on the receiving end of these situations end up needing medical attention? Yeah, but in my defense, they brought it on themselves. A defense that my parents didn't seem to understand... Well, adopted parents, to clarify, since it turned out my whole life was a compilation of lies, secrets, and scandal. It wasn't until nearing the end of high school that I realized the people I had been deceived into believing were my parents, were actually my biological aunt and uncle. If learning all of that wasn't enough to give a guy "anger issues," then I didn't know what was. Of course my aunt and uncle didn't see it that way. A fact that they unknowingly made known to me one night when I overheard one of their conversations. Okay, okay, so I roughed a guy up at school, but given all the shit he had been putting me through, he got what he deserved. To my aunt and uncle though, they overlooked the fact that the asshole had been bullying me and giving me shit for weeks, so when he came at me one night at a game, and I fought back, suddenly I'm the bad guy for breaking his arm, nose, and a few of his ribs too. Exhaling loudly at the memory. It was that same night that I learned my "parents" were actually my aunt and uncle, after overhearing my aunt ask my uncle if he thought I was turning into my father... My father? What the hell were they talking about? Of course I busted into the living room immediately to confront them that night, which was met with more lies and cover up attempts from them. Why the hell wouldn't they tell me the truth about who I really am? I had a right to know where I really came from! Their refusal to tell me the truth, and to add insult to injury, to feed me more bullshit, just made me even angrier with them for keeping all of this from me, for so long. Over time, and following a slightly physical altercation with the man I had learned was actually my uncle, my aunt confessed that my "cousin" Sidney, who visited the mountains here a few times a year, was actually my birth mother. Apparently she had me young, my father was no longer in the picture... Supposedly after learning she was pregnant with me, he bolted and left her on her own, so in order to give me the best shot at life, she turned me over to my aunt and uncle to adopt me. I confronted Sidney, and just like my adopted parents, Sidney also lied to me about my father; claiming he was just a one night stand, and she never heard from him again. Considering all of the bullshit my family had fed me over the years, I knew better than to believe this story either, which prompted me to do some research of my own on my birth father. This being the point where I made my first trip to Woodsboro to get some answers. I met Richie soon after arriving in Woodsboro, which was refreshing since he was the one who told me the truth about my life. Turns out my father wasn't some dead beat who slept with my biological mother, then bolted when he found out she was pregnant, like my adopted parents fed me. He also wasn't a one night stand like my biological mother told me. No, he was actually her long-time boyfriend, who allegedly turned out to be a mass murderer in the town of Woodsboro. Of course he never had the chance to defend the accusations made against him, since Sidney killed him first; costing me any chance to ever know my father. I was angry, to say the least, which prompted me to leave my adopted parents' home, and live on my own for awhile. Not long after high school ended, I learned my friend Richie had been murdered by some bitch named, Sam. Figures, the one person in my life I could trust was taken from me too. I had nobody now. Nobody! This fury and thirst for revenge bringing me to New York, where Sam and her group had moved to for college. I didn't know what I'd do or say once I finally came face to face with that bitch, but I did know, I'd make her pay for murdering my only real friend, Richie]

[fantomcomics]

What’s Out This Week? 3/1

Marching into March with a bevvy of b-e-a-utiful new books!

All Night & Every Day #1 One-Shot -  Ray Fawkes & Andrea Frittella

It's time to party! While celebrating is the last thing grief-stricken introvert Michaela wants to do, her friends drag her out for the night and end up trapping her in a hellish curse: a party that never ends, with no way to escape...not even by dying!

Now she must navigate the labyrinth of the legendary Banquet Hideous all on her own and learn its terrible secrets before she is consumed forever!

And We Love You #1 -  Fell Hound & Angela Wu

In the throes of a violent dystopian war, a young soldier perishes on the battlefield and begins to bleed out all her memories. Mixing heart wrenching emotions with stunningly gripping visuals, this is the tale of one woman's life, death, and the love which transcends both. A brand new epic from the world of the Ringo-nominated Commander Rao!

Buffy The Last Vampire Slayer Special -  Casey Gilly, Joe Jaro & Ario Anandito

It's been 4 years, and Buffy, Angel, and Thess have been living in relative peace as a dysfunctionally cozy family. But nothing can last forever... Tara might not be dead, but they're losing hope for her staying among the living, and strange new vampires have been sighted.

To get to the bottom of these unfolding horrors, our gang will have to head underground... and face the horrifying true cause of the decline in vampire activity!

Deadfellows #1 -  Kody Hamilton & Ramiro Borallo

Pete Miller has just gotten out of his two-year relationship, reeling from the chaos of it all without friends or family around. As he moves into his new awful, one-bedroom apartment Pete attempts to take his own life, but is stopped by a benevolent ghost. Moved by the kindness of this supernatural stranger, Pete sets out to bond with this ghost at all costs-but he quickly learns he doesn't understand the paranormal or their intentions.

Demon Slayer: One-Winged Butterfly GN -  Aya Yajima & Koyoharu Gotouge

Shinobu and Kanae ask Himejima to teach them how to slay demons. After he refuses, they must complete the impossible task of moving a giant rock to convince him to introduce them to trainers. In other tales, Zenitsu tricks Inosuke into helping him dig a hot spring under Uzui's training, Mitsuri grapples with her reason for becoming a Demon Slayer, Genya discusses his family with Sumi, the Hashiras try to make Tomioka smile, and Kimetsu Academy forms a rock band-much to Shinobu's chagrin!

Hunt. Kill. Repeat. #1 -  Mark London, Francesco Archidiacono, & Marc Deering 

It's Kill Bill meets Clash of the Titans in Hunt. Kill. Repeat. The all-new, action packed series by Mark London (Battlecats, Knights of the Golden Sun). When the Greek gods invade Earth, society is quickly forced to comply with their new rulers.   However, one god, Artemis, rejects her brethren's ideology and has found solace in the love of a mortal. When she is called to Olympus to answer for her betrayal, the gods strip away her godly powers and leave her for dead. Now, ten years later, Artemis is on a quest for revenge to confront her father, Zeus, for taking away everything she ever loved.

Phantom Road #1 -  Jeff Lemire & Gabriel Hernandez Walta

Dom is a long-haul truck driver attempting to stay ahead of his tragic past. When he stops one night to assist Birdie, who has been in a massive car crash, they pull an artifact from the wreckage that throws their lives into fifth gear. Suddenly, a typical midnight run has become a frantic journey through a surreal world where Dom and Birdie find themselves the quarry of strange and impossible monsters.

Nayra & The Djinn GN -  Iasmin Oma Ata

Nayra Mansour feels anything but at home in her New England boarding school. There's the constant pressure from her strict family, cruel bullying from her classmates, and exhausting friendship demands from Rami, the only other Muslim girl at school. Nayra has had enough. Just when she's considering transferring schools to escape it all, Marjan appears. As a djinn, a mythical creature in Arab folklore, Marjan uses their powers and wisdom to help Nayra navigate her overwhelming life. But Marjan's past in the djinn realm is fraught with secrets, guilt, and trouble that have a way of following them all the way to the human realm. And so they must face what they've done before Nayra is pulled into the mess they've made.

Muros Within Magic Walls: The Case Of The Cemetery Girl GN -  Paolo Chikiamco & Borg Sinaban

Manila-the walled city recently freed from a dictator's iron-fisted rule-is a magical metropolis where monsters flit and feed along neon-lit streets. In this noir-tinged dystopian graphic novel, the capital exists in an alternate reality where myth and fantasy collide. A one-armed Taga-Sagot-a gatherer of information, an answerer of questions, a fount of knowledge-is charged with finding the missing "daughter" of a small-town mayor lost amidst the temptations of the open city, now a den of pleasure districts and corruption. In a city now governed by the mysterious Societies, tensions between the human and nonhuman inhabitants are about to hit a breaking point.

Why Are You Like This: An ArtByMoga Comic Collection - Meg Adams

Finally, comics that answer life's most pressing questions: Is my partner actually upset or just hangry? Whose turn is it to remember the reusable shopping bags? Is it appropriate to put up Halloween décor two months in advance? (Spoiler alert: Yes. Yes, it is.) From the joys of marrying your best friend to the bizarre musings of a twelve-pound pup to the humor and heartbreak of anxiety, Meg's all-too-relatable comics leave no stone unturned.

We’re All Just Fine HC -  Ana Penyas

This heartfelt graphic biography is a tribute to the artist's grandmothers and a generation of women who quietly soldiered through over forty years of Fascist rule in Spain.

Artist Ana Penyas's grandmothers Maruja and Herminia live alone in their respective Spanish towns, largely neglected by their children and relatives, who never visit. But when Ana comes to see them, she realizes that these women, whose day-to-day existences now seem mundane, experienced firsthand an incredibly tumultuous and fascinating period of Spanish history.

In We're All Just Fine, Penyas weaves the memories of her grandmothers to craft a narrative quilt that pieces together what it was like for women to assimilate to Spain's dramatic political and cultural shifts in the late 1970s and '80s. The sudden transition from the authoritarian, repressive Franco regime to lively and liberating democracy was at once incredibly freeing but also destabilizing for women used to their traditional roles as dutiful housewives.

Through this intimate lens into her grandmothers' daily struggle - of their silence, the small acts of rebellion, and great gestures of resilience - Penyas gives voice to an entire generation of "invisible'' women whose stories have rarely been told. Combining collage and rough-hewn pencil drawings, and mixing past and present, Penyas offers a decidedly feminist tribute to the forgotten lives and legacies of her grandmothers.

We Live HC Vol 1 -  Roy Miranda & Inaki Miranda 

The year is 2084 and the world has changed. Wracked by calamities and crawling with monsters, the last remaining humans face a dangerous existence. And now, the Earth has been sent a message from the deepest reaches of space - a dark countdown to the extinction of all humanity. But there is hope! Five thousand children will be rescued by these mysterious message-senders. This is the journey of Hototo, one of the lucky five thousand - but only if his teenage sister, Tala, can safely deliver him to the nearest Beacon before time runs out.

Storyboarding For Visions Of Wim Wenders HC -  Stephane Lemardele

In 2014, storyboard artist Stéphane Lemardelé began work with legendary filmmaker Wim Wenders (Paris, Texas; Wings of Desire) on his newest project, the emotional Every Thing Will Be Fine. The opening scenes Stéphane worked on would become some of the most renowned of the film, but it was the relationship he built with Wenders that would truly change him. Through this graphic novel memoir, Stéphane captures not only the production of this film but moments of artistic reflection from Wim himself as he ponders the trajectory of his career and evolution as an artist, and the use of film as a tool to examine our own humanity. This book is a rare peek behind the curtain for all fans of cinema, featuring actual storyboards from the production.

Red Zone #1 (of 4) - Cullen Bunn, Mike Deodato, Lee Loughridge & Razzah

Randall Crane, an unassuming American professor of Russian and Slavic Studies at NYU, is called in by the US government for a secret international mission back to Russia, where his long-buried secrets come to light. When his support team of commandos is ambushed and killed, it's up to Randall to fight his way out of Russia using his "particular set of skills."

Wildheart: The Daring Adventures Of John Muir GN - Julie Bertagna & William Goldsmith

The exciting life story of John Muir-who sailed to America as a boy and ended up changing the world; told for the first time in a graphic novel. John Muir led an adventurous life, starting with his wild and playful boyhood in Scotland to his legendary exploits in America, where he became an inventor, a global explorer, and the first modern environmentalist; and even became friends with a president! His heart was always in the outdoors and he aimed to experience all he could. Most importantly, though, John Muir told the world about the wonders of nature. His words made a difference and inspired people in many countries to start protecting planet Earth-and they still do.

Whatcha scooping up to start the month, Fantom Fam?

[bonniehooper]

SUPERNATURAL REWATCH, 1x20: “Dead Man's Blood”

-Oh, is this the episode that introduces the Colt?

-Is this old guy a hunter?

-Damn, they got from the bar to his place quick.

-Wait, is she a shifter? I thought she was a vampire.

-Yeah, they’re vampires, so why did her eyes flicker like a shifter’s do?

-Sam: “Maybe someday.” Shut it! I know you’re not going to see her again until season eight and it'll be horrible!!

-So, Elkin was a hunter.

-Is that the first mention of using salt to protect against demons or am I forgetting something?

-Was this place open or did they break in?

-Really John? You just show up randomly and scare the crap out of your boys.

-Wow, John never mentioned the possibility of vampires to the boys? Really?

-John, stop being so cryptic and tell them what the Colt is!

-Why do their eyes do the same thing as shifters? It’s weird to me.

-Sam: “I don’t see why we couldn't have gone over with him.” Dean: “Oh tell me it’s not already starting.” Sam: “What’s starting?” You know exactly what Dean is talking about Sam, don’t play dumb.

-I mean, it’s understandable that Sam is asking questions since they have never dealt with vampires before, but I get why Dean doesn’t want him to because Sam does seem more confrontational than curious.

-John: “Dean, why don’t you touch up your car before you get rust? I wouldn’t have given you the damn thing if I thought you were gonna ruin it.”

-I still can’t believe they brought this lady back in the series finale. It’s still so random to me.

-I appreciate that Luthor didn’t celebrate Kate killing Elkin and was concerned about the threat that could bring to them.

-Fucking Sam, you need to stop.

-Dean just wants his family to love each other!!

-Okay, we could have just put Kate’s wrist against her mouth. We didn’t need Kate to give her the blood with her mouth.

-John: “So, you boys really want to know about this colt?” No, John, they don’t care at all. It’s not like that’s what started the fighting between you and Sam.

-Oh shit, does she wake them all up since they turned her?

-John: “So somewhere along the line, I stopped being your father. I became your drill sergeant.” This is something John needed to acknowledge and I’m glad he did, but I just wish Dean was there to hear this two because he doesn’t just owe Sam an apology for the way he treated him when he decided to go off to school, but also for the way he treated Dean and actually continues to treat Dean.

-I love Dean finally standing up to John. Also, love that Dean points out that if John was really concerned about their safety, he wouldn't have sent them on hunts.

-So what did happen to the girl they turned? Did they let her go and she just wondered the Earth until she met the boys again in the finale?

-Wait, so Luthor saying “we have as much right to live as you do”, is that supposed to be the first hint that there are some creatures that just want to live and have no choice in what they are.

-Luthor’s death from being shot by the Colt is really cool.

-Does Kate ever come back to get her revenge? Is that just an open-ended story that they don’t resolve? Also, if Kate lived then how come she wasn’t the one to come after the boys in the finale? It makes so much more sense for her to want revenge, then this random woman who got kidnapped and turned...I’m so confused.

[crowsandmurder]

Dan Scott Tags & Verses

Dan  ✖ (Aesthetics)

Dan  ✖ (Thoughts)

Dan ✖ (Character Development)

Dan  ✖ (Crack)

Dan ✖ (Headcanons)

Dan  ✖ (Photos)

Dan  ✖ (Starter Call)

BIOGRAPHY

Daniel Robert Scott, the younger son of Royal and May Scott, spent most of his life in Tree Hill, North Carolina, other than a brief amount of time in college. He had a younger brother named Keith, but well, he killed him. Dan was a student at Tree Hill High and excelled in basketball. His father pushed him too hard to become even greater, and he cost Tree Hill the state championship, by sitting down and refusing to play. When he was a teenager, he looked up to his coach, Whitey Durham, but as he got older, their relationship turned into one of animosity.

For most of high school, Dan dated Karen Roe and he loved her, even wanting to marry her. He was popular and cocky, but there was a side of him that came out, only with her. Karen became pregnant when they were seniors in high school, and he went away to college anyway. But, he said he would be there for her.

Once he was in college, he met Deb Lee, and she too was pregnant, just a few months later. He almost left her before she told him, wanting to go back to Karen but eventually, he wound up abandoning Karen, never showing up at the hospital, when his oldest son, Lucas was born.

While in college, Dan hurt his knee and with his mother's help, he lied to his father about how bad his injury was and left basketball behind. Just three months after Lucas was born, Deb gave birth to his second son, Nathan.

With Deb's family's wealth and her father being willing to invest in him, he started Dan Scott Motors. Having a car dealership was originally his brother's idea but Dan had the money to do so. Dan and Keith didn't get along, and Keith helped Karen raise Lucas.

Once the boys were teenagers, things started to be less perfect in his life. He pushed Nathan, who inherited his basketball genes to be great, much like his father did. But, Lucas inherited those genes too. When Lucas joined the basketball team, he helped turn Nathan against Lucas.

He continued to mostly shun Lucas, other than signing for him to have surgery. He and Deb spent a lot of time apart, but eventually, she got sick of him and wanted a divorce. Nathan was sick of them both and emancipated himself from them.

After finding Deb in bed with his brother, Dan wound up having a heart attack, all while his seventeen year old son had gotten married. He was nice for a time, but refused to sign the divorce papers for quite some time. Out of revenge for Keith sleeping with Deb, Dan hired a woman to seduce Keith and break his heart.

Once Lucas found out, Dan manipulated him into moving in with him, and he'd keep Lucas' heart condition a secret. Of course, it all went badly and Keith wound up hurt. When Dan was in a fire in the dealership, he was sure Keith was the one who poisoned him and set it on fire. He continued to manipulate everyone around him, even becoming mayor. When the school happened, Dan shot Keith and killed him.

Haunted by what he thought was his brother's ghost and finding out Keith didn't try to kill him made him feel the guilt of his actions. When Karen told him she was pegnant with Keith's baby, he promised to be there and tried to get closer to her.

Still estranged from his family, he never thought that Lucas would be the one to find out he killed Keith. Though he initially denied it, Karen going into the hospital after Lucas confronted Dan weighed on him, as the secret started to come out. He wound up confessing to the police and spent the next four years in prison.

Upon his release, he wanted to make things right with his family, but Nathan and Lucas did not buy it. His grandson Jamie was what helped him start to change. But, he also needed a heart transplant or he would die. Things never go smoothly and he wound up getting kidnapped by a former nanny and a dog ate his other heart.

Disappearing for a while, he returned later with a new talk show and a new wife, who graduated with Nathan & Lucas. No matter what he tried, neither son wanted to forgive him, even when he was telling other people they deserve forgiveness. He walked away from it, all the money he had, and Rachel when they were going to do a talk show where he killed Keith. Seeing Jamie before he went, he boarded a bus to start a new life.

His new life consisted of living in the middle of nowhere, running a diner. It was a shell of his former life and no one really bothered him. When Nathan eventually brought him a picture of his new baby girl and Jamie's first homerun baseball, he made the choice to take that in and he burned down his diner and returned to Tree Hill.

While Nathan was away in Europe, he approached Haley about staying with them. When Nathan returned, he told him he had to be gone by the time he got back from Europe. When Nathan went missing, Dan did everything he could to try to find him, with Haley's help. Figuring out where he was, he had Chris Keller and Julian for backup. Rescuing Nathan, things didn't go according to plan and he got shot in the back.

Nothing could ever kill Dan Scott. This time, his wounds were too severe, but he got to make peace with Nathan and spend time with his grandchildren, feeling the forgiveness that he knew he didn't deserve. He found his redemption but never got over what he did to Keith.

As he stopped breathing, he saw Keith who told him that he could be his plus one in heaven

(This is a summary of his show canon but adjustments can be made, on a case by case basis.

His actual canon bio: HERE

VERSES:

V: Basketball Star [High School & College]

From a young age, Dan was good at basketball and his father pushed him hard. He was great in high school and got a scholarship. There was more than his cockiness but very few people got to see that.

V: Young Adult [Birth of the boys - start of the show]

Back in Tree Hill and married to Deb, he prides himself in raising his second son, Nathan. He never acknowledges Lucas, the son he fathered with his high school love. He keeps tabs on him but that's it. He's focused on raising Nathan to be the best, but he would never be as great as Dan.

V: Assiest Ass on the Planet [Seasons 1-4]

With both boys on the team, Dan's pressure on Nathan intensifies. His wife winds up leaving him. He manipulates pretty much everyone he comes in contact with and he makes a mistake that will haunt him for the rest of his life, one that causes his family to hate him.

V: Reformed? [Seasons 5-6]

After several years in prison, Dan wants to make amends with his family. But, Nathan and Lucas don't want him near their families. He starts to grow closer to Jamie after he rescues him from his psycho nanny. He wants his family back, but he knows that it probably won't happen. He also needs a heart transplant, but that probably won't happen either.

V: Scott Free Redemption [Season 7]

Dan disappeared from Tree Hill for a while. Now he has a new wife, Rachel Gatina and a best-selling self help book, along with a TV show. But, it's all a fraud. He tries to makes amends with Nathan, by proving that a woman was lying but it didn't do anything. His redemption truly begins when he quits his show, gives up his fortune and leaves his wife and Tree Hill. 

V: Flipping Burgers [Diner Era]

Dan literally gave up everything and now he runs a diner, outside of town. No one bothers him and he is on a path to redemption, even if he never sees him again.

V: Danny Boy [Season 9]

After burning down his diner, Dan went to Haley and told her he lost everything. Nathan was not pleased his father was staying at his house and told him when he left for Europe, he better not be there when he returns. He helped Haley at the Cafe and tried to keep a low-profile. But eventually, he gets kicked out and moves into one of the trailers on Julian's soundstage. When Nathan goes missing, Dan is determined to find him and not let him down. He didn't care if he died doing it.

V: Lifetime Piling Up [Canon Divergence and AU]

This is where all canon divergence and AU's fall.

Faceclaim(s): Paul Johansson

[theplaid-wearingmoose]

Betrayed~Hiccup x Reader smut for oyasumimosura~

Hiccup x reader? The reader was once a good friend of Hiccup and then she was forgotten by everyone including Hiccup at the first movie. So, she left the island. Maybe this happens at the Hidden World movie, where the reader is now working for Grimmel as the second command, the reader will be so deadly.

Taglist: @bellelittleoff

Your name: submit What is this?

He had forgotten about you. You were Hiccup’s only friend and as soon as he gets attention from the others and saves the day, he forgets you. As soon as that dragon came into the picture, Hiccup no longer had time for you. As soon as Astrid decided she liked him now, he dropped you. He’s always had a thing for her. Well you’d show him. You’d show them all...

Grimmel the Grisly was definitely not the fathering type. But you’d made yourself valuable to him. You’d heard his name from other dragon trappers you’d teamed up with after leaving Berk. You decided to pursue him and give him some information he would be interested in. Your quest for revenge against Hiccup and the rest of Berk intrigued him. He took you in, taught you to hunt and fight his way. In return, you told him about Berk and their newfound love for the dragons they spent centuries killing. You also informed him on the one Night Fury he managed to miss. This interested him the most. Somehow he had missed one and it was now under the protection of the Berkians.

Some years passed since you left Berk and joined Grimmel. You had made a name for yourself as a dangerous hunter. You hadn’t managed to cross any of your former friends but some lower dragon hunters had. Apparently Hiccup had formed a team. They called themselves the Dragon Riders and they had taken down quite a few of Berk’s enemies. But now they were weakened. Grimmel’s men brought news of the death of Chief Stoick. Part of you was saddened by the news. Stoick had been kind to you, considering you were one of the only ones who treated his son with any sort of kindness. Pushing the news to the back of your mind, you found Grimmel and the two of you began plotting the perfect time to strike. You’d discovered that the Dragon Riders had freed your newest batch of captive dragons. All but one. They’d left the Light Fury behind. She must’ve camouflaged and they missed her completely. This was good. You could use her to lure Hiccup’s dragon. As you neared Berk, you made Grimmel aware of your plan and he agreed. You released the Light Fury and waited. Days went by and you watched from a distance as Toothless and the Light Fury interacted. Everything was going as planned.

~~~~~

You sat waiting for Grimmel’s signal. He had hidden himself in Hiccup’s house, waiting for Hiccup. You entered stealthily as you heard Hiccup call out for Toothless. You were taken aback at first by the sight of him. He was taller now, handsome, confident. He no longer slouched or acted shy. You watched as he confronted Grimmel, something he had killed others for in the past. But Grimmel wasn’t here for Hiccup’s head, at least not yet. “What if word of your misguided ideas were to spread?” Grimmel taunted him. “It would be the undoing of civilization as...we....know it.” Grimmel paused and walked over to the unconscious dragon and gave a light kick to the makeshift tail fin Hiccup had made. You were surprised to see Fishlegs pop up, dazed from the sleeping shot Grimmel had used, thinking he was shooting Toothless. “NOW!” Hiccup yelled. The other Dragon Riders appeared in the rafters. “This is Berk, and we have defended our way of life from far worse than you.” Hiccup growled. Grimmel chuckled. “ Oooh a fighting spirit, I love it. Only....I’m afraid you’re mistaken. You’ve never seen anything like us.”

You walked over to Grimmel’s side, your hood completely shielding your face from Hiccup.  “I expected you to be happier to see us.” “Us?” Hiccup questions. “So slow to catch on.” Grimmel grinned, pulling your hood down to reveal your face.. “...Y/N?” “The one and only.” Grimmel replied wickedly. You glared at Hiccup, the fire from his sword reflecting in your eyes. “Well isn’t this quite the reunion. Y/N, I will let you handle this one as you see fit. Hiccup, have my dragon ready when I return, or I will destroy everything you love.”

Grimmel whistled, calling the Deathgrippers to him. They took out roof of Hiccup’s house, forcing the other Riders to escape. “Wait! Hiccup!” You heard a female voice call. “Astrid, get the team out of here! I’ll be fine!” You scoffed. “So, Astrid actually shows concern for you now? Is it because she still sees you as the hero that saved the day?” You sneered. “What happened to you, Y/N? Why are you working with Grimmel? Where did you go?” Hiccup asked. You pulled your sword and you and Hiccup began to circle each other. “Why do you care all of a sudden, Hiccup? You forgot all about me once Astrid and your precious dragon came into the picture. She never cared about you! She treated you horribly, they all did! I was the only one who ever was nice to you and you abandoned me as soon as blondie shows a little bit of interest! When’s the wedding, Hiccup? I can’t wait to burn it to the ground, along with the rest of this shit village.”

“This village is your home, Y/N-” “Was my home, Hiccup. But when you decided to betray our friendship and everyone abandoned the viking way, I couldnt be here anymore. We’ve killed dragons for centuries and now...everyone is friends with these monsters!” “Dragons aren’t monsters, Y/N! Just come back, let me show you. We can fix this. I’m sorry...I should’ve never traded your friendship like that. I’m sorry I didn’t notice you were hurt. I cared about you, Y/N...I still do.”

You were taken aback at his words. You hadn’t expected him to not want to fight you. But then you remembered your hurt. You remembered seeing Astrid kiss him when he woke from his coma after the Red Death. The dazed, dreamy look in his eyes. He only had eyes like that for Astrid, and you wouldn’t go back to that. You couldn’t.

 “NO!” You shook your head, charging at Hiccup with a roar. He quickly blocked your sword, sparks flying off the metal. You bared your teeth and growled as he defended against you. “Y/N....stop! We can fix this! Together!” Hiccup pleaded as he blocked your hits. Rage and frustration filled you. “No! You betrayed me, Hiccup! I cannot forgive you!” You yelled. You ducked to avoid Hiccup’s sword and with a sweeping kick, knocked Hiccup onto his back. You quickly rolled on top of him, your sword positioned at his throat. “Y/N..I’m sorry. I’m sorry for betraying you. Let me...let me help you.” His voice strained. Tears came to your eyes as all your emotions coursed through your mind. “You can’t. I will not come back here and watch you throw yourself at Astrid like you did when we were kids. I...I loved you Hiccup. And now you’re with her when she never cared about you until you became a hero.” You pressed your sword against Hiccup’s neck, nicking him with the blade.

“Y/N, Astrid and I are just friends...I never got with her. It was just a crush when we were younger. We realized it would never work between us...not when I still cared for you..”

You paused at Hiccup��s admission. You weren’t even sure if it was the truth. Hiccup took your hesitation as an opportunity to knock you on your back. You struggled against him but he quickly pinned your arms beside your head. “Liar!” You screamed. “Stop it, Y/N! Listen to me! I’m telling you the truth!” You struggled beneath him. Hiccup huffed and suddenly bent down to kiss you.

Shocked, you stopped struggling and let him kiss you. He slowly let go of your wrists when he felt you relax. His hand came up and threaded into your hair. Still hesitant to trust him, you brought your hands to his arms. you gently squeezed his biceps, impressed with how the muscle had grown since you last saw him. You let Hiccup deepen the kiss. He moaned against your lips, gripping your hair tighter. He moved down to your neck, biting and sucking on the skin. You gasped and your hands flew to his hair, pulling on it. Hiccup grunted against your neck and shoved his hand into your pants. You felt him smirk as he felt the wetness there. “You get turned on from the fight? Or from how I touch you?” He teased. You scowled as Hiccup moved back to your neck, his lips attaching to your skin as his fingers moved in and out of you. You bit down on your lip to stifle the moans that bubbled up into your throat. “Just let it out, Y/N...I know you want to.” Hiccup teased again, shoving his fingers deeper. You cried out, half in frustration and half in pleasure. You felt Hiccup grind against you. His cock was already hard and your mouth watered at the thought of it inside you. You gripped the waist band of his pants and shoved them down. Hiccup sat up and pushed his pants the rest of the way before pulling on yours.

Shoving his hands away, you shoved your own pants off and gave Hiccup a hungry look. “Just take me already, Hiccup.” You demanded. Hiccup wasted no time in pinning you again before thrusting into you hard. The two of you moaned loudly. Hiccup’s eyes fluttered closed as he fucked you. You wrapped your legs around him, keeping him where he was. Using your hips, you pushed up and rolled Hiccup onto his back. Without missing a beat, you began to roll your hips against him, grinding down on his hard cock. Hiccup moaned and reached up grabbing your throat with one hand and one of your breasts in the other. You grinned wickedly down at him and wrapped your hands around his throat as well. You both squeezed, forcing more pleasure through each other. You rode Hiccup faster. His hands gripped your hips, his nails digging into your flesh. Hiccup cursed and stared into your eyes hungrily. The fire beside you danced in his eyes and made you feel more hot as you watched his face.

Your orgasm approached quickly, sending waves of pleasure through your whole body. Hiccup pushed you off him and hovered over you. You watched him as he jacked himself off. You both groaned as he came on you, coating your tits in his warm cum. He fell to his knees next to you, panting heavily. You smiled and leaned forward to kiss him. His lips were warm and soft. You savored it as you reached for your sword slowly. You pulled away and put your hand on the side of his face. “I’m sorry, Hiccup.” You whispered. “For wha-unhh!” You slammed your sword hilt into the back of Hiccup’s head, knocking him unconscious.

You stood, cleaning yourself off and pulling your clothes back on. You covered Hiccup in a blanket for whenever his friends came back to find him. You headed towards the door but paused and turned back to face his sleeping form.

“I am sorry, Hiccup...but I can’t trust you. I can’t trust anyone....”

[electric--blanket]

a place where the heart rests

so, because @thekaiserroll drew fanart of my fanfiction i decided to return the favour by writing a long Wintersberg one-shot based off of her short comic! i hope you enjoy touch-starved Heisenberg.

warnings for death (not for main characters) and some angst.

read on ao3

--

Mama… I want mama. It hurts.

Where’s mama?

Karl Heisenberg always suffered from nightmares. Even before he was taken in by Mother Miranda — as a child, Heisenberg often experienced night terrors that had him screaming in his bed. There were distant memories in the back of his mind, where he’d wake from a terrible dream that had him screaming for his mother — and she’d always come to his side. In that terribly large, cold estate that Heisenberg once called home, it always felt so lonely. But, his mother always eased his fears; with her silk nightgown and the distinct smell of expensive soap. Her soft fingers would comb through Heisenberg’s locks of ashen brown hair, hushing him in a soft tone of voice — a voice he could no longer remember.

During the experiments, it was the only thing Heisenberg begged for when he felt the cadou infesting his body. It felt like a worm wriggling around in the wet soil during a storm, curling and writhing through his organs. He screamed for his mother, wishing she would save him from the pain and take him home again. A seventeen-year-old boy screaming for his mother to come and save him looked utterly pathetic from Mother Miranda’s perspective, and the feeling of fear only intensified when she stroked Heisenberg’s hair whilst he screamed. A soft whisper that uttered, “I’m your mother now, child.” It made Heisenberg nearly vomit.

That was the last time someone had ever touched him so tenderly. He’d not felt a loving touch since then and ducked away from Miranda’s so-called ‘motherly’ touches.

At first, Heisenberg coped with the intense trauma of his bodily changes by taking it in stride and calling his newfound power of magnetism a ‘gift’. He knew deep down it was the opposite: it stopped him from ageing, rendered him infertile and stripped away his dignity by becoming a slave to Miranda. It took a long time for Heisenberg to fully process what had happened to him. His father had left him in the clutches of a madwoman, and his life only got worse from there.

In a fit of rage — perhaps at the age of twenty-nine — he revisited his parent's estate to confront the man he could no longer call ‘father’. He had aged since Heisenberg last saw him, but those steel eyes he’d inherited were still as hard as ever. His mother lingered in a doorway just down the hall, but she didn’t dare come to greet her son as he snapped with a short, interrupted breath. Heisenberg had grabbed his father by the neck and pinned him to the nearest wall, knocking down a beautiful oil painting his mother adored. His fingers didn’t seem to stop, squeezing on the skin and bone until he felt a sickening crack vibrate beneath his fingers.

Heisenberg hadn’t meant it, not really. It was as if a demon had taken control of his body and sought revenge that barely mattered anymore. He didn’t realise what he’d done until he heard the sound of his mother screaming; distraught and fearful of her own son that she’d once coddled so long ago.

That was the last time Heisenberg saw his mother and father. The estate was quickly abandoned not long after, and from what he knew, his mother took her belongings and moved to Austria with some distant relatives. That large house teased Heisenberg every fucking day, with how it towered near the factory grounds and reminded him of what he’d done. Arson wasn’t exactly on his bucket list, but Heisenberg couldn’t resist taking a match to the place and watching it burn. Whatever childhood remained in that house was left in a pile of ashes, and he never looked upon it ever again. All of the silly dreams and hopes he’d had for his life were gone.

That was until Ethan Winters showed up. Nearly a hundred years later, Heisenberg felt something he’d sought after for so long — hope.

**

“Karl? Karl—!”

Mama. I want mama. Everything hurts.

Heisenberg forced his eyes open. It felt like his life was replaying in front of him whilst he was passed out; like watching an old film reel repeating itself and becoming more distorted each time. Up until that very night, Heisenberg’s life had been a series of traumatic events and unforgivable actions.

That night, he’d turned it all around just by laying his eyes on Ethan Winters. A man so incredible, resilient and insane… He’d do anything to get his little girl back. It was the man Heisenberg had oh-so wanted his father to be, and he admired that about Ethan. He’d never been so good at expressing his emotions honestly, or even laying out his ideas in a proper fashion to others… Oh, but Ethan was special. He’d shown Heisenberg patience that he’d not been offered before and decided to join him at his side to kill Miranda. Together.

“Karl… Fuck— Don’t die on me, asshole.”

Ethan… Ethan…

Above the metal remnants of what his mutated body had used as a shell, he could hear Ethan pushing the scrap aside to try and find Heisenberg buried beneath it. He could also hear the distinct cries of a distressed baby, something that brought him back to Earth. Heisenberg reached up through the metal until his bare, calloused fingers brushed up against Ethan’s soft knuckles. There was a moment of silence when their skin touched, but Ethan didn’t waste any time in grabbing Heisenberg’s hand and pulling him out.

The moment the pressure around his body ceased, Heisenberg felt the telltale feeling of sickening warmth seeping from many wounds across his body. The cadou inside him didn’t react too well to it, trying to cope with the trauma done by squirming and pulsating inside of him. Heisenberg drank in the expression of Ethan’s relieved face for just a moment, only until it warped into one of worry and horror. Heisenberg was weak, and his knees buckled beneath the weight of his torso before he fell back onto the ground.

The baby cupped carefully in one of Ethan’s arms began to cry again as Ethan jostled her accidentally in an attempt to help Heisenberg. A baby crying wasn’t really helping Heisenberg’s already distressed state, but it made him realise just how fucked he was. There was no way they would get away in time together, and Heisenberg was too injured to walk. The cadou might have helped to some degree, but it didn’t ease the burning pain in his body, and the loss of blood that was making him dizzy.

Ethan’s horrified expression was pinned on an appendage from the Megamycete, which rose up from the cave systems like a flower bud in spring, ready to bloom. The small, red flashing light alerted him to the fact that Chris Redfield had succeeded in planting the bomb. They had to leave.

“Go.”

A silence hung in the air for just a moment, and Heisenberg didn’t realise what he’d just said. For the first time in his miserable existence, he was being selfless and urging Ethan to leave him behind. It was the last thing Heisenberg wanted.

Don’t leave me here. I’m fucking scared. I don’t want to die yet.

“Fuck you,” Ethan’s voice trembled with venom, “I’m not leaving you here now. Not after everything we’ve been through.”

Heisenberg let out a bitter chuckle, tasting the blood seeping from his gums as he grinned, “I don’t think we have any time to be arguing about this, buttercup.”

“No. I— Mia’s dead, Karl. I need you.”

That’s right. Heisenberg briefly recalled Miranda’s kidnapping of the not-so-innocent woman and the experimentation that followed. Unfortunately, her body gave in due to her state after giving birth and she died on Miranda’s operating table. Ethan’s wife was dead, and Rose was now left without a mother’s loving touch.

“I said go. Rose needs her papa intact, not blown to pieces.” Heisenberg insisted, slumping back against the pile of scrap metal.

“Damn it—” Ethan looked hesitant to leave Heisenberg. It was a truly sweet sentiment: to see someone care about him after all this time. After all of the terrible things he’d done, and the love he’d been deprived of… Someone cared about him. Maybe that was enough. Maybe it wasn’t so bad to die like this.

“Fuck.” Ethan stammered again, licking his dry lips and swallowing, “Karl… I… Thank you.”

“... Yeah. I know, Ethan.”

That was all he needed. A trembling, watery smile shot his way before Ethan held Rose close with both arms and turned to run.

He’s going to be a great father.

Heisenberg looked up at the plant-like form the Megamycete had taken, looming down upon the ceremony courtyard with writhing mold creeping closer to Heisenberg. It was then that he decided that giving in like this wasn’t who he was: he was a fighter to his last breath.

In a last attempt to preserve his life, Heisenberg parted the pile of scrap metal and shuffled beneath it all. He rolled his wrist, the cocoon of metal surrounding him and tightening. The metal creaked, drowning out the sounds of the mold writhing around the metal to try and get inside. Heisenberg closed his eyes tightly, gritting his teeth. I won’t die. Not yet.

The explosion that followed shortly after was deafening, causing the entire ground to shake beneath him and the metal to shudder against his body. It felt painful, rippling off his injured skin like that… But, fortunately for Heisenberg, the explosion wasn’t nuclear — the blast was enough to do the job and wipe out the mold and the Megamycete.

A silence followed the explosion, brick and ash collapsing against Heisenberg’s metal cocoon. Each noise made him flinch, and his fingers twitched instinctively as some final line of defence. He didn’t know how long it was before he felt brave enough to let his guard down and release his telekinetic grip on the metal. The scraps suddenly slumped, collapsing around him as Heisenberg pushed the metal off of his body and emerged like a phoenix rising from the ashes of its former self.

The smoke and dust still remained, causing Heisenberg to cough heavily as he took a sharp inhale of the air. He squinted through the dust and remains of what was left of his home town and realised how much he’d lost. It hit him all at once; his childhood, his parents and his fucked up little family. Even though he hated Miranda and his makeshift siblings deeply, they were all he truly had left to call ‘family’. It was over in the blink of an eye, and Heisenberg suddenly felt like a child all over again. Like a child waking from a nightmare, scared and alone.

Heisenberg’s fingers twitched into tight fists, clamping his mouth shut as tears threatened to spill down his face. Even after all this, he tried to will himself not to cry, to never let down the walls he had so carefully built. But, at that moment there was nothing left to keep the foundations upright. Heisenberg’s fists loosened, and he brought his hands up to cover his face instinctively. A knot seemingly untied itself in his chest and throat, and a guttural sob left him. Maybe — just maybe — it was okay.

**

Navigating the woods was even worse during a snowstorm at night. It was bad enough that Heisenberg’s body was weak from his healing injuries, but it felt haggard from his intense emotional breakdown. In a strange sense, he felt relief from it but at the same time, it felt awfully inconvenient. Heisenberg was sure he looked like a terrible mess; his clothes were torn and his hair was damp with clumps of ash hanging from his silver locks. Not to mention the blood staining his clothes, and his valuable dog tags that hung low on his chest.

In his many idle chats with Ethan before they fought Miranda, he could recall the other man mentioning he didn’t live too far from the village. It was a fair distance away, but not too far that it would be impossible to reach if your car broke down on the road between them. Still, it wasn’t a pleasant or short walk.

By the time Heisenberg even managed to reach a place that looked like a livable home, he was close to collapsing in the snow… But, he held out. The lights were turned off inside, but a motion sensor light on the property turned on once Heisenberg got close enough. The bulb blinded him briefly, and he held a hand up to shield his eyes as he walked up the porch to the door. Heisenberg sluggishly lifted his hand, knocking on the door as hard as he could and leaning against the frame. It took a few moments before he could see a light turn on inside from the windows, and the sound of someone walking down a wooden staircase slowly.

The person on the other side of the door stopped before they reached for the doorknob, and they spoke out.

“Who is it?”

Ethan Winters. That voice Heisenberg had missed so dearly; in all of its glory and full of caution. It almost made him laugh.

“Let me in, Ethan. I’m freezing.”

“Karl?”

“As smart as ever, Ethan. Can you hurry up?”

Ethan was quick to unlock the door and remove the security chain, twisting the doorknob and pulling it open. There, Ethan was standing in a pristine white shirt and some boxers that hung low on his hips… Along with a pair of comical slippers that seemed to resemble a cartoon dog. Heisenberg’s lips twitched into a tired grin.

“Oh my, too much skin, Ethan. Back in my day—”

“Shut up and get in here!”

Ethan grabbed Heisenberg’s arm, tugging him inside to shield him from the snowstorm outside. He slammed the door shut and quickly locked it back up, and the two men finally stood face-to-face. There was a silence that hung in the air, with so many unanswered questions on the tip of Ethan’s tongue, but none came. Without any further hesitation, Ethan threw his arms around Heisenberg’s neck and tugged him close for an embrace.

It was the first time Ethan had touched him in such a way. So full of affection and genuinity, it made Heisenberg’s fingers tremble with uncertainty. He didn’t know what to do with his hands: so overcome with the touches that smothered him. His brows creased into an expression of relief, and Heisenberg’s steel eyes fluttered shut as he succumbed to the hug. He wrapped his arms around Ethan’s waist, squeezing him carefully and burying his face into Ethan’s shoulder. The smell of talcum powder and formula milk permeated his shirt, giving Heisenberg the comfort he craved. He never wanted Ethan to stop touching him, and he was content to stay like this for as long as he could — to make up for all the time he’d lost aching after affection.

“I thought…” Ethan mumbled slowly, “I thought you were dead.”

“Mm.” Heisenberg hummed lowly in response, curling his fingers into Ethan’s shirt. “So did I. Turns out I’m hard to kill.”

Ethan snorted softly.

**

As it turned out, Heisenberg wasn’t too bad with kids.

It was a tough adjustment for the two men at first; Ethan had to keep Heisenberg a well-guarded secret as he was moved to a new location with Rose (courtesy of the BSAA). Heisenberg followed their steps at a safe distance, but he was never too far from them. Understandably, Ethan was moved into a smaller home: a humble bungalow in a quiet German village. Once the BSAA had left Ethan in peace with Rose, it didn’t take long before Heisenberg settled into the bungalow with them.

Ethan had insisted that if Heisenberg was going to stay there with him and Rose, then he’d need to learn to help take care of the baby. At first, he was extremely hesitant to do something akin to a parental figure… But, Rose was a surprisingly sweet baby. She didn’t fuss too much and rarely threw a tantrum over the little things. Rose was the right amount of responsibility for Heisenberg, and that made him a patient parent.

He’d been taught how to properly hold her (after many lectures), how to prepare her formula and change her. Rose was understandably unhappy with Heisenberg’s presence at first, perhaps longing for her mother that was no longer around… But, after a few months, she took to Heisenberg very well.

Because of Karl’s lack of mortality and infertility, he never thought he’d take the figure of a father like this… But, it wasn’t exactly an unwelcome opportunity. He’d even upgraded from sleeping on the couch to Ethan’s bed.

The first night Ethan invited him to bed, Heisenberg could tell from the flustered look on Ethan’s face that it took a lot of courage to ask him to bed. A sexual joke lingered on the tip of Heisenberg’s tongue, but he bit it back in favour of keeping the proposal on the table. Instead, Heisenberg had nodded with a cheeky grin and followed Ethan to bed.

There had been some nights where the loss of Mia hit Ethan harder than he’d liked it to — even after Mia’s work with The Connections was revealed, he had still loved her to a degree. Those nights were the hardest. All Heisenberg could do was hold Ethan in his arms and comfort him with nothing more than his presence.

This invitation into Ethan’s bed was far more intimate than a comforting hug. At first, they stayed a polite distance apart on either side of the bed, with Ethan turned on his side whilst Heisenberg stared up at the dark ceiling. In the darkness, his eyes created shapes that danced across the ceiling and warped before him. Much like the mold that infested him, it was as if it continued to taunt him with its presence. After a moment, Heisenberg finally turned onto his side and glanced at the lump that was Ethan with his back to him. That urge to touch returned to the forefront of Heisenberg’s mind. It was that deep ache in his chest, like a lump of flour stuck in a smooth dough that needed to be coaxed inward.

He reached out but stopped himself before he could touch, trying to plan the best way to move forward with what he wanted. Heisenberg pursed his lips, shuffling his body closer to Ethan’s back until he finally slid his arm over Ethan’s waist. He could feel Ethan’s body freeze and tense up a little, which made Heisenberg’s heart feel like stopping altogether. Had he gone too far?

But after a moment, Ethan relaxed, pressing his chest back into Karl slowly. It was all the permission he needed to slot himself fully against Ethan and quietly seek out his hand. Once Heisenberg found it, he carefully laced their fingers together as he held Ethan like that, tugging him close with his elbow.

No words were spoken in the darkness, but a silent understanding of what they both wanted. Heisenberg finally felt complete like this, closing his eyes and exhaling tiredly. His body suddenly felt tired, releasing all the tension it had been holding trying to psyche himself up to do it.

A feeling of affection swelled in Heisenberg’s chest as he held Ethan, finally giving in to the darkness and drifting away with their bond now stronger than ever.

**

“Are you fucking insane, Ethan?!”

Chris Redfield. A thorn in Heisenberg’s side, but not as bad as Miranda. His voice filling their home put Heisenberg on edge, but it didn’t really matter too much to him. It was around ten in the morning, and the couple had just had breakfast. The television was on, playing some cartoons in the background as Rose was sitting on the soft carpet of the living area with her toys, and Heisenberg sat close to her.

When Chris made an unexpected visit, and he spotted Heisenberg in the living room, the yelling began. Ethan had kept Chris just outside of the room so that Rose didn’t see her father getting angry, and Heisenberg made sure to keep her attention on her toys. Heisenberg was wearing a pair of tartan boxers, along with a button-up pyjama shirt with a white tank top beneath it. It wasn’t exactly the pinnacle of bedtime fashion, but it made him comfortable enough at night.

When the yelling only got worse and Rose seemed irritated by the noise, Heisenberg carefully brought Rose into his lap and crossed his legs.

“Hmm,” He hummed in feigned thoughtfulness, “Does ol’ Karl need to perform for little Rose again?” Heisenberg sighed dramatically, “Oh, the things I do for you.”

He turned his body subtly to the kitchen area, holding his hand out and focusing on one of the drawers. It slid open, a few tablespoons floating out from a cutlery tray. Heisenberg pulled his hand back, the spoons floating across to the living area and bringing them to a stop in front of him and Rose. With a simple, slow roll of his wrist, the spoons began to twirl and move in a circular motion above Rose.

Her eyes widened with fascination, the corners of her mouth opening into a gleeful smile. Absently, she reached up with her soft, pink hands and tried to reach for the spoons half-heartedly as they continued their motions. A soft laugh bubbled from her, causing Karl to smile softly.

“He’s a dangerous bioweapon, Ethan. He could hurt Rose!”

Heisenberg managed to hone in on those words; a sharp pain digging into his chest when he realised the implications Chris was trying to make. That Heisenberg was a monster. A bioweapon without feeling. A creature that would kill a child.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ethan pointing wordlessly at the soft scene of Heisenberg with Rose in his lap, entertaining her with spoons. That was all he needed to say, really — without even saying it. Even Chris was at a loss for words, and he quietly relented. Ethan was surely in for an afternoon of lectures.

It made Heisenberg smile a little more, turning his head subtly towards Ethan and catching his gaze. It was his quiet way of saying thank you. It went beyond thanking Ethan for trusting him with Rose but thanking Ethan for listening to Heisenberg, taking him into his home and loving him. Even though they’d never spoken those three little words out loud, maybe they didn’t need to. Their actions, affections and closeness spoke those words loud enough.

Truly, after all this time, Heisenberg didn’t think he was capable of ever being loved or trusted. Now that he’d left that horrible life behind, he was now a father, a friend and possibly a lover. The trauma would always remain, yes, like the cadou and the mutations. That didn’t mean he couldn’t be happy like this, in this simple little life he’d started to build with Ethan.

Maybe it would be okay.