#ooo spies

[cerealboxlore]

Y'all know how, in some versions of Spider-man's origin story, his late parents were spies? What if that were the case for Billy Batson’s parents as well? Just a little idea for an AU, just a thought, hear me out on this--

While they were publicly known as archeologists, their secret lives could have been full of espionage and secrets. Hidden money, family secrets, probably one of the reasons why C.C. Batson distanced himself away from his older brother, Ebeneezer, and other family and friends. If they didn't, someone would have taken Billy in and noticed Mary was missing when they died. Also, how much was Billy and Mary's inheritance?? I feel like it was a lot for Ebeneezer to steal without mercy and to spend recklessly in his personal investments and finances. He gave out loans to people (unfairly), how much money was this?? What were Billy's parents hiding?? If this was in cash form, was this stash just hidden in their home, and when Ebeneezer found it, casually kicked Billy out?

What kind of mission would they have been sent on? In one version, I think, they were employed under Dr. Sivana. Infiltrating Khandak for Dr. Sivana? Or a more private organization? C.C. did know some of the older Fawcett heroes. Did they take Mary with them for a cover and to not be suspicious, acting like a normal tourist couple?

I'm rambling, but I like thinking about Billy and Mary's parents and who they were before passing.

[lilacthebooklover]

screw it i'm grabbing a kitten and a mug of hot chocolate and putting on spies are forever again

[reynasdream]

OOO BRO I just saw your lil post about writing for reverse 1999 and lemme tell you how FAST I dashed over here like I could be in the Olympics LMFAO

ANYWAYY BOOKIE I was LOWKEY WONDERING if you would be comfortable enough to doing Tennant and Dikke (separate!) x Ace detective! (Fem or Gn) Reader?

LIKE.. IDK imagine reader like Goro Akechi from persona 5😭 BUT OF COURSE that’s only if you’re comfortable and confident w it!🫧

HAVE A AMAZINGGG DAY THO!!

HELLO MISS!

⤷ pairings: dikke x reader, tennant x reader

⤷ content: all pairings are separate, reader is gender-neutral with no specified pronouns, mentions of homocide, very slight suggestiveness in dikke's part, not proofread

DIKKE

⤷ she had heard of you before from the townsfolk. to be completely honest, she had never really thought much about you other than that you were a smart and incredible, yet expensive detective.

⤷ you had helped solved several cases in the past despite your young age. you had started ever since you were a child, however, your work was more..."unofficial".

⤷ you were more recognized by her when you had gathered evidence to solve a major unsolved homicide case. she became more interested in you, and when she had the time, she sought out for you.

⤷ she didn't want to hire you, however. she simply wished to know you and your work better.

⤷ she asked to meet you at a small cafe, one where you two wouldn't easily be noticed by the townspeople.

⤷ after speaking with each other for a while, you two decided to have these meet-ups at least once every two weeks. the meetings became more often, but of course, you couldn't meet all the time because of both of your duties.

⤷ still, she enjoyed your company and knowing more about your career and cases in the past.

⤷ it didn't take long for her to realize she was in love with you.

⤷ one random day she decided to just confess to you. she invited you to the same cafe, but she tried to make it more special by giving you a gift and a bouquet of your favorite flowers.

⤷ she tried hinting that she liked you, and you did catch on, but you didn't say anything, thinking you were wrong.

⤷ that's when she just confessed to you. her face was tomato red when she confessed, and she attempted to hide her face with her hands.

⤷ if you accepted her confession, she'll take you outside and kiss you behind the building...maybe it'll lead to something more?

⤷ if you rejected her confession, she'll be okay with it, but she'll still want to be friends with you. she just won't be able to hang out with you so much, because now she's moving on and hanging out with you will only make her feelings toward you intense.

TENNANT

⤷ she knows you are not an easy one to fool with her..."charms".

⤷ she essentially spies on you, observing your personality and actions to determine who you are.

⤷ assuming you're wealthy, she'll most likely try to cheat you out of your wealth.

⤷ when her charms prove as useless, she may resort to her arcanum skills to manipulate you.

⤷ if they don't work on you somehow, then she'll be less ticked off and more intrigued by you, similar to dikke except with more malicious intentions.

⤷ she will befriend you, and work her way up to a higher status as your friend in order to manipulate you.

⤷ that's when she realizes that she has fallen in love with you, and she'll try to win you, this time with less...deceiving intentions.

⤷ she will try to win your heart, and although it definitely doesn't seem like it, she's rather desperate.

⤷ i mean, you're gorgeous, smart, and rich. it's not a surprise that she wants to be with you.

⤷ one day, she decides it's time for her to confess her feelings. her real feelings.

⤷ she invites you to a fancy restaurant, even offering to pay for everything. she gives you a couple luxurious gifts and treats you even more well than usual.

⤷ when she does confess, she is very much different from dikke. she speaks with full confidence, not bothering to hide her flushed face as she tells you her feelings.

⤷ if you do accept her confession, she would be delighted. she'll often take you out on fancy dates to restaurants, museums, operas, or other places considered as "sophisticated".

⤷ if you don't accept her confession, she'll understand, but that doesn't mean she won't be upset. she'll try to move on but she definitely won't forget you and your cute little face.

[aanoia]

Crazy

Kaz Brekker x reader

Summary; the enemy of your enemy is your friend... unless they are also your enemy

Warnings; blood?, knives, uhhhh violence lmfao, enemies to lovers

Words; 2,000+

This didn't end the way I wanted it to but that's okay

The inspo was from the song Trouble by Valerie Broussard

I'm prolly gonna make a pt. 2 bc im cool

Btw,, when introducing the Night Scarlets, each member will have their code name like this, name (code name)

We wear red so they don’t see us bleed

Kaz Brekker hated many, many people. However, there was one group, in particular their leader, that he hated most. The Night Scarlets. Or the Cardinal, their leader. She has been after Kaz since he joined the business. She and her girls have stolen countless of missions right from under his nose, always having his Crows do the work then swooping in and taking over. She infuriated her.

Hundred dollar bills under our sleeve

We intend not to sleep ‘til we’re dead

The thing Kaz never understood was how. How did she know everything he had planned? He had thought it was spies at first, possibly he had a rat in his nest. But no. Even when he went on solo missions. The Cardinal would always know. 

Drink our problems right out of our heads

Singing oh, oh-oh-oh, oh

Trouble

(Trouble)

Singing oh, oh-oh-oh, oh

Here comes trouble

(Trouble)

“Now, not a word to a single soul about this mission. Hear me?” Kaz asked lowly to his Crows. “If the Night Scarlets find out about this and ambush us I will take each of your hands and shove them down your throats. Am I understood?” The Crows nodded nervously.

“Kaz.” Inej started. “You do know we’ve never said anything before, right? I don’t know how but they always find out, whether we talk or not. She always knows.”

Kaz sighed, “I know.” He answered shortly, turning to look out the window.

Dangerously havin’ the time of our lives

These boys are just poisonous thorns in our sides

“So what do we do about them? I mean, I love the ladies, don’t get me wrong. But these ones gotta go.” Jesper said, toying with his new gun he had just stolen.

“I don’t know if there’s anything we can do, Jesper. They’re practically non existent when they aren’t in action.” Nina responded.

“I mean, there has to be a way to catch them. No one can be completely invisible forever.” Wylan said, his brain running through thousands of possibilities. “Maybe we can set a trap for them?”

Matthias snorted, “They’ll turn that into a trap against us. Bad idea.”

“Well, we need to do something. I need money!” Jesper argued.

“You don’t need it, you’re just going to gamble it all!” Wylan said, raising his voice slightly.

Starting fires wherever we go

Watching ‘em gamble everything they own

The group stopped arguing as the sound of glass breaking filled the room. KAz swung his cane one more time and a strangled bird cry came out. He stuck his hand out the broken window and grabbed the bird. Throwing it onto the table in anger.

“A cardinal.” Inej whispered.

Kaz slammed his hand down on the table, “She knows! She knows! How does she always know!” He yelled, picking up a glass and throwing it all the wall, causing Nina to flinch and Jesper instinctively step closer to Wylan. Kaz looked up with death in his eyes. “Change of plans. We’re killing the Cardinal. No matter the cost.

Singing oh, oh-oh-oh, oh

Trouble

(Trouble)

“Ready girls?” Y/n whispered into the small, barely workable communication device that her Fabrikator, Aisha (Raven), had been working on for months. 

“Yeah.” Luna (Eagle) whispered back.

“Ready, C.” Patty (Hawk) responded.

“Steph?” Y/n asked as she pulled her dark red hood over her head.

A few grunts were heard before Stephanie's ( voice filled their ears, “Yep, ready boss.”

Y/n smiled as she began to climb down the walls of the building to the top window, careful to stay out of the Wraiths' sight. “Great. Let’s commit some crimes. Shall we?”

Stephanie giggles, the clicking of her guns being prominent. “Oh, we shall. Ooo, my fellow sharpshooter, my favorite.” 

The line went quiet as Y/n carefully crawled through the opened window, landing silently in the office. She walked briskly to the desk, quietly rummaging through the drawers. She let out a gasp as her arm was pulled back and a familiar cane wrapped around her neck, causing her back to be flush against someone's chest.

Trouble coming in the dead of night

Trouble making everything alright

“Looking for something?” Kaz said quietly into her ear, proud as to finally catch the Cardinal. 

Y/n sighed with a smirk, “Yes. I am.” She said before kicking out his leg, being sure to not hit his bad one. He grunted and took a step back, keeping the cane around her throat. She took the chance to duck out of the way and push him back against the wall, raising her dagger in between the two.

“Y’know, I was very offended to find out you killed my bird.” Y/n said, her hood shielding her eyes.

“Should’ve told it to stay away. The Crow is stronger than the Cardinal after all.”

Y/n laughed, “Oh, Kaz. You should know by now strength is not the most valuable trait of this lifestyle. It’s intelligence-” Kaz’s eyes widened.

“In which I’d have the upperhand on both of you.” A new voice said as two arms knocked the dagger from Y/n’s hands, bringing them behind her back and ripping the hood from her head. Kaz stared at her as people grabbed him as well. He had never truly seen the Cardinal without her hood, and he hated to admit how her face made his heart stutter,

It’s in your blood

It’s in your bones

You cannot sleep for

You cannot sleep for

The two hostages were dragged down the stairs to see their fellow partners bound in ropes. They pushed the two down on their knees next to each other, causing Kaz to let out a grunt as his leg bent weird. Y/n sighed, disappointed in her lack to see the real trap behind Kaz’s. 

“Well, well, well. Look what I have found.” Pekka said with a disgusting smile, looking at each of the criminals tied up. “A bunch of little thieves who think they are so smart.” Pekka continued on his speech as Y/n struggled with her binds. If only she could reach her ear.

“Kaz.” She whispered quietly, careful to not let the boasting man hear.

“What?” He hissed angrily.

She sighed again, “I need you to kiss my ear.”

Kaz almost looked like he was going to hurl, causing the girl to roll her eyes. 

“What the fuck? No way.” He whispered back.

Whoa, oh

Whoa, oh

Tro-tro-trouble, trouble

“Do you want to get out of this?”

“How will kissing your ear help?”

“Just do it, for Saint’s sake!”

“Hey! Quiet, little bird.” Pekka said, walking over and caressing the girl's face with her own blade. She looked at him in disgust and spit in his face, causing everyone's eyes to widen. Pekka calmly wiped the spit from his face before angrily sliding the dagger against her cheek, slicing her skin.

Y/n smiled at him, “Red is my favorite color, you know?”

Pekka glared at her in anger, “Useless slut.” He said before walking back to his men, pulling them into a circle and talking quietly.

“Now!” She whispered to Kaz who reluctantly brought his lips to her ear, ignoring the water pooling around his knees. His lips met a piece of cold metal and he pulled back, actually looking into her ear to see a weird device.

“What is that?” He questioned, eyebrows raised.

Y/n ignored him, “Raven, are you there?” She whispered to nothing, before a relieved smile came across her face. “Emergency. Help. Now.”

Woah, oh

Woah, oh

Here comes trouble, trouble

After a few moments the door of the house burst open, letting in birds of all different kinds, all flocking around and clawing at anything they could get their claws on, Pekka and his men included and targeted.

“Hey, Cardinal.” A voice whispered from behind the girl as she cut her restraints.

“Raven, good timing.” Y/n responded with a smile, taking the dagger Aisha handed her. “Free the other Scarlets. Leave the Crows for now.”

“No, you let us go. I helped you.” Kaz protested as a few of Pekkas men ran out of the house.

“No can do, Brekker.” Y/n said before pulling her hood back up and going to fight off the men that weren’t scared by the birds.

After a few moments a disgruntled, furious yell broke out, “I will get you and kill you all!” Pekka screamed as he ran from the house, scratches littering his skin.

Y/n whistled to the birds, causing them all to stop and fly out the door, their duty finally fulfilled. Her Scarlets stood beside her as she studied the Crows, still tied up and on the floor, a few adorning bird scratches.

“Free them.” She demanded her girls, who broke out in protest. She raised her hand and they silenced. “They will not kill us. They need us, as we need them.” She addressed their concerns and they reluctantly cut the ropes binding their hands. Immediately Inej stood and got into a fighting stance. Her fellow Crows followed after, other than Kaz, who simply lifted his hand to tell them to be calm.

“We need you, do we?” He asked, taking a step towards the Cardinal.

“Yes, as do we, you. Pekka Rollins is, obviously, after us both. We are small groups. Six in yours, five in mine. Rollins has dozens of Dime Lions. It is simply impossible for one of us alone to take him down. You know that, hence why you didn’t let your Crows attack. Isn’t that correct?”

“Unfortunately it is. We shall work together.” Every bird in the room protested. “Until Pekka is down.”

Y/n smiled and held out her hand, “And then you can go back to getting bested by the Night Scarlets. 

“I’m not planning on it.” He said, not raising his hand, and Y/n, ever so observant, had noticed his touch aversion ages ago.

“Air shake.” 

“No.”

“Come on.”

“No.”

“It’s not a deal unless we shake on it.”

“No.”

“I’ll kill you.”

“No.”

“You don’t have weapons.”

“No.”

“I’m smarter than you.”

“No.”

“I’m cooler than you.” Everyone laughed, even Kaz had let a small, smug smirk fall upon his lips.

“You aren’t.” He said, pretending to shake the girl's hand without touching it.

There are dogs on the loose, there are snakes in the desert (in the desert)

I’m that knife in your boot, girl, I got ya (Girl, I got ya)

I’m your number two man in a fight (In a fight)

“And then, we win. Easy peasy.” Y/n said, finishing explaining the plan to the now group of nine.

“Easy peasy my ass.” Jesper mumbled.

“Language, Jes. A kruge.” Y/n smiled triumphantly as Jesper rolled his eyes and handed the girl a kruge. In the three months the two groups had been working together they had become quite close.

“Oh, yeah. I’m so ready for this. We’re so gonna win.” Patty said with a large smile, her arm linked with Nina’s who nodded along.

Y/n laughed slightly, “We will. Now go. Get rest. You’ll need it. We have a big day tomorrow.”

We are revolutionaries tonight

Singing oh, oh-oh-oh, oh

Trouble

(Trouble)

The office emptied, leaving the Crow and Cardinal. Kaz stared at the map, thinking hard.

“Kaz, what’s on your mind?” Y/n asked, placing her hand next to his to provide comfort without actually touching him.

“We can’t do it. We aren’t strong enough.” He muttered and Y/n laughed. Kaz looked at her in annoyance.

“Kaz. We are just about the strongest lot Kerch has seen. We’ve got this. We’re the coolest bunch in Ketterdam.”

Kaz shook his head with a smile he only let out around her. A genuine, happy smile. “Yes, we’re so cool. Do cool people always talk about how cool they are, though?”

Y/n nodded, “Obviously. Have you met me?” She asked with a teasing smile.

“Unfortunately, I have.” 

Trouble coming in the dead of night

Trouble making everythin’ alright

Y/n put her hand over her heart with a gasp. “I’m hurt. You, Kaz R. Brekker, have wounded me right in the heart.” He smiled at the use of his real last names initial, something she had always done once she learned his last name was truly Rietveld. 

It’s in your blood

It’s in your bones

You cannot sleep for

You cannot sleep for

“Oh no, Kaz, I'm Feeling light headed.” Y/n said, stumbling back towards the bed. She fell once the back of her calves hit the bed frame. “I see the light!” She said, reaching her arm up towards the sky. “Oh, it’s getting brighter! Kaz! It’s getting brighter!” She portrayed blood spurting from her chest, before spasming and falling limp, her tongue hanging from her mouth.

She failed to hide her smile as Kaz’s oh so beautiful laugh filled the air. It was like music to her ears. Compared to most people, Y/n got through Kaz’s walls rather quickly, which surprised everyone, including Kaz himself. She had provided him a safe space, free from the water and cold skin and lifeless eyes.

Y/n continued to play dead even after the laughter stopped, not failing to hear the footsteps nearing the bed, causing her heart to speed up. In just a moment, a soft hand gripped hers and pulled her body up as Kaz pulled her into a hug.

“Thank you.” He whispered, before quickly pulling away before the water rose above his head.

Heat creeped up Y/n’s neck, “For?”

“Making me look cooler by your loserness.” He simply said before walking out, pretending nothing happened.

Y/n smiled to herself, falling back onto the bed, a dreamy sigh falling from her lips. She kicked the air while giggling in excitement. Oh, how whipped the Cardinal was for the Crow.

Crazy.

Woah, oh

Woah, oh

Here comes trouble, trouble

[akeshutranslations]

Favorite shuake AU? Fem!shuake, Accomplice!AU, Childhood Friends!AU, Shujin Goro!AU, etc? 👀

ooo! i've never thought that hard abt it cuz i eat anything that breathes, but i really love shujin goro bc akiren will call akechi "senpai" lolz.

also love crime aus, whether they're in mafia, detective duos, cop vs thief, or spies! i need a fic with la noire/la confidential type plot and dialogue (rec 👀👀?)!!!

and lastly i really love merman aus & pirate aus. ac black flag type au would go HARD.

thank you for the ask!!! i wish you luck in polsci!!!!

[breadmate500]

The letter (part 7- LAST PART)

October 1st

Hi diary! It’s been about a month since we left gravity falls. UGH. I MISS IT SO MUCH. Pacifica was just starting to become our friend and then we had to leave! Hopefully grunkle Stan and ford have fun on their over sea adventures! I know Soos is excited to run the shop and maybe Melody will come to visit him! I Can’t wait to see everyone next summer.

Okay wait- I am totally getting side tracked. I need to come up with a plan to initiate operation dipcifica. (That’s their ship name- clever right? Well not really it’s just a combination of their names, WHATEVER!) I called Pacifica after I read the letter that she sent Dipper. She was stubborn…as usual. So I didn’t get anything out of her. Luckily though I have spies on the inside AKA- the girls: Candy, Grenda, and Wendy.

They all agree that Pacifica has a crush on Dipper. And Dipper probably does too- honestly it’s hard to tell with him. Either he makes it super obvious or he’s absolutely oblivious. Pacifica did mention they hugged… it’s just a hug tho… HAHA JUST KIDDING! I’m delusional! A hug is like basically a kiss for Dipper! (They grow up so fast)

Anyway Diary, here is my master plan called Operation Dipcifica.

1. Give Pacifica Dipper’s number

- already done! (Look how far we’ve come!) they haven’t really texted a lot at least from what Pacifica says. She told me he’s a really dry texter but she is too. Maybe they both need texting lessons…

2. Communication

- I will give Dipper texting lessons! There is no one better to do it than me! I mean, I can fit ten emojis into a very well structured text… impressive I know! Wendy will help Pacifica learn how to text with boys. Wendy’s basically an expert. Also- an extra bonus to this step is me teaching Dipper how to talk to girls in general. Grunkle Stan tried to but it didn’t really go that well. Don’t worry! I got you bro bro!

3. Vacay!!

- mom and dad have talked about visiting Gravity Falls sooner than next summer. Maybe it’s because of their fighting or because they know how much we miss it. We might even spend Christmas down there! I think grunkle Stan and ford are stopping home for the holidays. If they do, mom and dad will let us go to celebrate. Dipper and Pacifica will talk and get closer and it won’t be so awkward! Maybe…

4.talking time!

- I like to rush things… relationships mostly. I found out that doesn’t really work out well for me. I think Dipper needs to take his time warming up to Pacifica and getting to know her as a person! SOOOO ‘talking time’ will be from after Christmas break until next summer…

And finally the last step of operation Dipcifica…

5. Next summer!

- I have a feeling these two are gonna need A LOT of talking time. Especially with this whole enemies to friends to possible lovers trope going on. But next summer they’ll finally be able to see each other in person! They can hug and go on adventures and dates… OOO I GOTTA START PLANNING OUT FUTURE DATES NOW!!! Who knows maybe they’ll even have their first kiss! That’s wishful thinking though. Next summer is the last step of operation Dipcifica when they finally realize their feelings for each other. Then, after that… whelp I guess it’s up to them. Maybe with some help from me. I guess we’ll just have to wait until next summer.

[findafight]

They’re Russian spies like “The Americans”, except their cover’s been blown and now they’re on the run. Steve technically isn’t allowed to leave the county (“just tell people you didn’t get into college”, his handler suggests) and is shit scared of crossing the gov.

The only time Robin’s heard him use “do you know who my father is?” was when they were captured by Russians (they have no idea who Steve’s parents are, although his Mom would absolutely have shot them for hurting her baby).

Ooo yes I looooove Steve's parents being Russian spy!! here's a post with @stregoniconiconii about them?

Very interesting for Steve to KNOW they are though omg. Does he know Russian? Maybe not in order to fit in and sell the illusion. And Steve being scared on not just the American but the Russian government too?? Oh mannnn.

His parents being somehow involved with the Starcourt sub basement, and then finding out their boy (who they had for the cover, but do care for in a way) was not only captured by the general there but tortured? Coming home to see his face beat up and him telling them the mall burnt down and they know there was the secret base (not what it was for maybe) and they also know what wounds from a beating look like......someone is getting shot. Mama Harrington does not take kindly to failure, exposure, or her little boy getting his face smashed in (again).

But then Hawkins is too hot for them to stay, so they go on extended business trips that keep them away for weeks and weeks, Steve holding down the fort until things settle down again.

[chuuuya-kun]

CHANDELURE LINE NPTS !?

for anon !

Names !?

chandler . chandy . wic . wicktor . flamette . waxine . torchic . lucy . alina . liana . lux . litsy . leight ( on ) . brite . briteney . spiritenne . ghoulita . ghoulesse . boo . plasmanna . lampette . lampina . lampinito . lampion . chandlietta . chandliana . candelita . candelion . candelina . clara .

Pronouns !?

wii/wick . tor/torch . li/lite . lit/lits . brit/brite . hite/him . thy/thym . lumi/luminescent . lumi/lumis . lumi/lumine . lu/luz . la/luz . ghou/ghouls . boo/boos . spi/rit . lux/luxx . bright/brighter . oo/ooos . ill/uminate . glow/glows . fla/me . wax/waxy . ceil/ceiling . fancy/fancier . limp/lamp . on/off . light/dark . bright/dim .

Titles !?

The Glowing One . The Ghost Of Light . Prn Who Glows . The Twin Flame . Prn Who Is Luminescent . The Illuminated One . The Spirit In The Candle . Prn Who Eats Candle Wax . The Waxy One . The Chandelier's Ghost . The Brightest Flame . The Torch . Prn Who Hangs From The Ceiling . The Hanging One . The Light Fixture . Prn Who Lights Up The Room . The Lit One . Prn Who Lights . The One With A Wick . The Ghost Who Glows . The Lamp Who Could . Prn Who Lights Up The Darkness . The Light In The Dark .

hope this is alright ! i don't know much about pokemon . . it was fun to make though ^-^ !!

divider cred

[dearweirdme]

I saw that you liked a post saying that Jungkook was ambushed with the filming of AYS. Do you really believe that he didn’t know he was going to be filming before Jimin arrived?

Hi anon!

Ooo I feel spied on 😂

But yes, I do feel there’s a strong possibility that Jk was made aware pretty late.

[thetruearchmagos]

WIP Questionnaire

Thank you kindly for the Tag, @theprissythumbelina !

1. What is the first part of your WIP that you created?

Well, the Setting, probably, which as an answer works for just about any of the WIPs I could name. In theory you could argue Gustav and the Magician, individually and as a 'set' of sorts, technically predate my coming up with the 12 Worlds, but the form they took then has only passing resemblance to their current incarnation.

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

Ooo, well, I've been thinking I'd probably see about getting something original made, or making something myself as a side thing. I mean, I kinda envision a lot of my WIPs as serial animations in my head anyhow, so I've put more thought into this question than reality is ever likely to require.

3. What are your favorite characters that you made? Why?

Well... You know how big this list could be. I love all of them, and at any moment which forces / allows me to dig deeper into any single one of them makes me love them even more. Still, my final choice is an obvious one: Gustav Johann Schmidt, who's been in it since the very start, and who's voice has by now almost become my own whenever he comments on some facet of his world in the same way I would.

4. What other pieces of media do you think your fan base would share?

Hmm, well, I've always thought this would go down two tracks. First of all being the classic 'Techno Thriller' crowd, the sorts who like tanks going boom and spies under deep cover: I'd go with things like The Hunt For Red October and Red Storm Rising, both being stalwarts of the genre which have absolutely been personally inspiring. The second track goes down the wider book / writing community, or at least those looking for 'genre fiction' and all that, who might discover the 12 Worlds more on its fantastical or worldbuilding grounds than for its techno thriller nature: I don't really 'understand' what I'd mean by this cohort myself as much, but I guess it could include series like ASOIAF, possibly.

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your WIP?

Well... If we're speaking in the past tense, as far as things that have already happened go I'd put forwards "making sure the worldbuilding exists and isn't utterly contradictory", since there's too little writing down so far to count for a big struggle. Dates are hard, and measuring things on the order of decades to a century leaves me with a lot of uncomfortable dead space on one hand, and a bunch of events clustered together on the other. Untangling this has to happen before the writing does, to me, and it's gonna be hellish.

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

Uhh... Technically, Snake In The Sandbox (Gustav's third and least brought up WIP) features two animals! One's a snake which literally scares G's shirt off when he finds it in his tent, and the other's some sort of desert lizard the 18th Corps adopts as its mascot.

7. How do your characters get around? (Ex. Trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

Oh, probably their respective combat vehicles more than anything, though long distance stuff gets done by plane / aeroship, and getting between Worlds means ships for everyone. Non military types might get their own car, or plane.

8. What part of your WIP are you working on right now?

Technically brought this up already, but the answer's worldbuilding. It's always worldbuilding. Though within that category, I'm technically supposed to be writing up a piece on the UC' policy towards Goilac / Nouvoulouis pre SSAW, but... I have been having a lazy weekend.

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe) of your WIP do you think will draw people in?

Big flashy boom booms and cunning military tactics, strategy, and leadership on the one hand for sure, but I'd like to think the depth, history, and life that exists within the 12 Worlds might have some appeal to readers.

10. What are your hopes for your WIP?

Published novel, or really a few considering how many there are already for the 12 Worlds. Then... Well, I think I've got a few ideas in me for the Setting yet.

Anyone fancy a boardgame?

And that's that! Tagging @athenswrites @hessdalen-globe @caxycreations @sanguine-arena @vyuntspakhkite-l-darling @thatndginger and anyone who'd like to take part!

[springsaladgaming]

🤍 WHITE HEART — what are three of your oc’s neutral/questionable traits?,💔 BROKEN HEART — what are three of your oc’s negative traits?, 🧡 ORANGE HEART — does your oc tend to prioritize family or friends? <- all of the ros, please!

ooo, a triple threat!

Alex - 🤍- Frequent lying (usually white lies). Fake it 'til they make it attitude. Not good at regulating their alcohol intake. 💔- Low self-esteem. Occasional flippancy about serious situations. Generally not caring about the well-being of other people unless it's someone in their direct relationship circle. 🧡- Alex has people that they hang out with on a casual basis, but not many friends that they are especially close to besides the MC. In this regard, MC is more like family to them than a friend, and they prioritize family more.

Ansel - 🤍- Avid coffee drinker. His motives are often unclear. Good at masking sadness. 💔- He sometimes has the tendency to poke fun at other people's insecurities. He can be vindictive. He can also hold quite a grudge. 🧡- Friends. Some of Ansel's family weren't great to him, and the rest are dead.

Teagan - 🤍- Tends to be extremely honest. Bottles up his problems. Pretty impulsive. 💔- Has a short temper. Can be pretty rude. Is a social smoker? (Maybe most people wouldn't really consider this a negative trait? I dunno.) 🧡- Friends. He left his family behind and doesn't plan on ever seeing them again.

Cherry - 🤍- She ignores problems if she thinks she can't do anything about them. She is afraid of being alone. She often appears as pretty mellow or blasé. 💔- She too can be pretty rude. She spies on people's emotions a lot (on purpose). She's generally pessimistic. 🧡- For the most part she prioritizes friends, but her dad is a special case and will always come first.

Lucia - 🤍- She probably works out a little too much sometimes. She is scared of rejection more than anything else on the planet. She's pretty confrontational. 💔- Outbursts of anger from her tend to resemble a toddler throwing a tantrum. She's really pushy. Sometimes she doesn't know how to stop. 🧡- Firmly in the middle. She loves her family, especially her immediate family, but they don't live in Hansboro, so right now her friends typically come first.

Rene - 🤍- Struggles with routine. Is a nervous nail-chewer. Can be a bit emotional. 💔- I don't know if it's because he hasn't been in too many of the written parts of the story yet (not at all in the rewrite) or because it's just how I designed him, but most of Rene's "flaws" seem to be more neutral that negative. I can't think of what to put here for him. 🧡- Family. The whole reason he's in Hansboro is for his sister.

??? - 🤍- Very good at masking. Can be a little emotionally detached. Usually very money-minded. 💔- Tends to see people who aren't with her as obstacles standing in her way. Picks the wrong choice in the Trolley Problem all the time, so to speak. Willfully blind to the misfortunes of others. 🧡- Family. Or, at least, one family member in particular.

thanks for the ask! 🧡

[bellatrixobsessed1]

I Am Blackened Bones (Part 20)

Observing the fire spirit is different now and different in the most terrible way. The things that Katara used to find endearing are unsettling. The way that the spirit tilts her head, that innocent look in her eyes when she is experiencing things that Azula has already experienced for the first time. 

And she has chosen a dreadful time to become unsettled by this. Everything in the little town of  Akaruihi is new to the spirit and she is both fascinated and frightened by all of it. It has a low population by comparison to almost every other Fire Nation village that Katara has visited but this is the most amount of people that the spirit has ever seen. 

She lingers behind Katara, trailing so closely that the two of them are practically one person. She is so small that, if Katara stands a certain way, she can’t be seen at all. And Katara guesses that that is exactly what the spirit wants. 

There is a lot of chatter and many stares to accompany the gossip.

It was short sighted of them to not consider that people would recognize their princess. And she has been gone for so very long.

“Okay, let's make this stop quick.” Zuko pesters. “I’ve already left Mai in charge for a lot longer than she expected.”

Azula peeks out from behind Katara and begins picking her way through a mound of fruits, holding each different one up and admiring it as though she has just found a precious gem. First a plum and then a cantaloupe. She finds an orange after that and finally a banana before the stall’s owner scolds her not to touch the fruits of she isn’t going to buy them. 

And she hisses at the woman, actually hisses. 

Katara’s face flushes on her behalf. “Azula…” she half-whispers. “You can’t do that. You’re not an animal…or a spirit anymore. You’re a human and you need to act like one.” Truly, she needs to act like a princess, dignified and put together. But that is asking way too much of the spirit so soon after removing her from the jungle. 

“Human.” Azula repeats the word. She is awfully chipper and excitable now that she has noticed the assortment of shops. “Human…” she says again. Her eyes light up when she spies the jewelry stall.

Katara takes her by the shoulder before she can begin a dash towards it. 

“Shiny.” She points. “Like my rock collection back at home.”

It takes a moment for Katara to realize that she is speaking of her old den back in the jungle. Her tummy tickles at the realization that they hadn’t even thought to ask her if she wanted to stop back at her den to pick up a few of her belongings. 

Katara sighs. “Alright, I’ll buy you some shiny things, but only because we forgot to let you fetch your old things.”

Azula nods. Her brows furrow. “My rocks and feathers…”

Katara cringes but Azula’s face lights up once more when she finds a polished spearhead. 

“I want this.”

“Alright, here.” She hands Azula a few coins. 

“Just hand them to the woman and say thank you.” She says softly so not to draw any unwanted questions. Questions like, ‘why are you teaching the princess to make a purchase?’ But the spirit does need to learn how to function as a human so they might as well start here in a smaller town where rumors spread slower and chances at embarrassment are lower.  

With an enthusiastic nod the spirit wanders up to the stall with coins in one hand and a spearhead and a handful of rocks and gems in the other.

.oOo.

Azula curls herself up. She doesn’t feel so well. Her face is too warm, there is a burning in her belly and in her throat. One that she hasn’t felt in quite some time. One that she hasn’t felt for long enough that she almost doesn’t recognize the sensation. 

But it can’t be. 

Her skin doesn’t burn anymore. 

Azula lifts her hands and peers at them just to make sure. 

She looks at them long and hard, narrows her eyes, furrows her brows.

But there is nothing, not even a plume of smoke to be seen.

“What are you doing?” Katara asks.

“Am I on fire?”

Katara shakes her head. Zuko does too. They are all shaking their heads.

“Then why do I feel like I’m burning?”

Katara grits her teeth and meets Zuko’s glance. Zuko who too wears a grimace of sorts. They both turn their heads and she follows their gaze. Follows it straight ahead to where, in the distance, a city skyline is growing closer. 

It is still just a thin, grey-black line on the horizon but she can see it well enough, the Fire Nation.

The place that they tell her is her home. 

A place with streets that she has walked many times but cannot recall ever having done so. 

“Home?” This word is nice on her tongue. Better than the word ‘burning’ which is so harsh and blunt.

“Home.” Zuko confirms. 

She winces and curls herself up at the very back of the saddle. She feels as though she has been laying directly beneath the blazing sun for hours although her skin isn’t even a shade pinker than usual. 

Katara holds a hand to her head. “You are very warm.”

“Us firebenders do tend to have really high body temperatures.” Zuko reminds the both of them.

“You feel her head then!”

Zuko lifts his hands. “No need to shout.”

“Sorry.” Katara mutters. “I think that I’m just cranky and ready to get a nice bath and some real food.”

“And stressed?” Toph puts in.

“Yeah, maybe that too.” She admits as Zuko crawls closer. And then the back of his hand is touching her forehead. He frowns.

“Is there something wrong with me?” Azula asks. 

“Aside from the stuff that you already know about?” Toph laughs. 

Azula tilts her head. “What stuff do I know about?”

Toph laughs harder. “Apparently nothing much.”

“That you are both a spirit and not a spirit and you’re fighting for dominance with the other half of your soul.” Sokka remarks. “That before you were a spirit you’d been missing for years doing who knows what.”

Azula swallows. 

“Don’t worry, Azula, we’ll help you figure this out.”

Perhaps they will, if she doesn’t burn from the inside out first. 

.oOo.

She will still feel the burning. Even if she retreats back to within. The fire does, afterall, come from the inside so it very well could be twice as intense in there as it is out here. Really there was no point in letting her assume control of the body again. And so Azula comes to conclude that her nonsensical, whimsical spirit counterpart has this nasty habit of slipping away into the relative safety of their shared mind when things get stressful.

Oh and things are terribly stressful right now. 

Azula isn’t one for crying and she very much refrains from screaming when she can.

But this? This warrants a good and loud one. 

The kind that tears from her throat before she can bother thinking of muffling it. 

Azula most enjoys speaking with a level and pleasant voice. But what she does today is scream and talk at the same time, “it hurts!” She clenches her teeth and squeezes her firsts, a few beads of sweat are forming at her hairline. “Zuzu, it hurts!” Burns is the better descriptor but right now it is hard to hear her thoughts. 

Hard to hear them over the agony and over the wailing and yowling of her spirit self. This time she doesn’t scold her to be quiet, this time she agrees that a degree of shrieking and whining is perfectly warranted.

Spirit Azula and Azula writhe in unison.

It is the most like each other that they have been since they’d split off. 

She almost can’t distinguish between the two of them.

They are both thoughtless and simple minded in the face of such intense pain.

It is like fireworks popping off in her belly. Exploding into searing bursts that painfully speckle her torso from within. And the closer they come to landing in Caldera City, the more rapidly they fire, the larger the bursts.

They explode in her head too. Worse than a migraine. Migraines throb and ache but they don’t feel like a bubbling crater of thermal water has opened up in her skull. She half expects flames to burst from her ears, to flare out of her nostrils, and erupt forward the next time she opens her mouth to cry out. 

Appa continues to descend and with him so to does her physical state…her meta-physical state? Agni, she can’t even tell which part of her is smoldering. Just that each and every inch of her, inside and out is scorching. She swears that a few more inches of descent will cause her to combust. 

So horrid is her pain that she no longer knows what to do with herself. She can move her arms to clutch her stomach but then her head will call her attention but before she can reach that a flare in her leg or her foot will urge her to clutch them instead. It hurts to move but she can’t sit still—rigidity ales her too—and so she twitches and flinches. Violently enough to startle the Avatar. 

And she knows that she can’t go home. 

The blaze might not show on her skin but she is still burning. 

“Aang! We need to turn back!”

“What!?”

Azula curls herself up and covers her ears. But their shouting isn’t the problem at all. 

“Firebending! It still hurts her. We have to get her away from here! We have to go back!”

And now Azula feels nauseous. Nausea that has little to do with the pain itself and everything to do with what it is taking from her. Again.

“I thought that we took care of this problem.”

“You helped get her human form back but she’s still spirit cursed.” Katara continues. “She still can’t firebend and she can’t be around firebending.”

She might throw up.

“Well where should we go? It’s a little hard to avoid firebending in the Fire Nation.” Zuko points out. “And we can’t just live in the jungle, we don’t have enough supplies. Building a shelter would take forever.”

“We can go to the Water Tribes.” Sokka suggests. It is, perhaps, one of the smartest things that he has said to her. Maybe the only smart thing. But it still causes her distress. 

“I don’t like the cold.” She whispers more to herself. But she can’t handle heat anymore either, apparently. She doesn’t mean to sob but she can’t quite keep herself from doing it, especially not with her spirit half coaxing her to do so. How can she call herself the crown princess of the Fire Nation if she can’t even bear to be in close proximity to it. 

She cries out this time for both the pain and the loss of the life she’d once known. 

She hasn’t lived that life in a very long time.

She hadn’t exactly imagined that she would ever go back to it. 

But the prospect had still been there. 

It had still been an option if she ever fancied going home and facing her past. And herself.

The choice is no longer hers and so, even as they begin to put distance between she and Caldera City, she weeps as violently as she would have if they had landed Appa right in the city’s heart. 

She feels a hand on her shuddering shoulder. “It’s alright, Azula. You’re going to be alright.” Under any other circumstance she would be a lot more cagey. Under this specific happenstance, she welcomes the waterbender’s hand rubbing her arm. 

It soothes the spirit too; with no memories to mourn, the stupid creature grows quieter with distance.  Azula can’t bring herself to stop crying. Even as the worst of the burning subsides. She lets Katara lift her into her arms as she usually does for the spirit. Katara squeezes her tightly with one arm. Her free hand is pressed to Azula’s ear, holding her head firmly against her chest. And finally…finally her cries begin to taper off into hitched little breaths.

[strawbubbysugar]

Ok, so I have another set of questions about the world, particularly about the Cultural differences between Porphyal and Atomata.

1. What is the traditional look/outfits of each kingdom? Do they have specific colors? Accessories? Textile decorations?

2. What is the architecture like? What does it look like? What materials are used?

3. Is there any traditional music for each kingdom? (Lol I just pictured techno being played in Atomata for all occasions, I apologize for my immaturity)

4. What is the main language that is spoken in each kingdom? Do they have other dialects?

5. I imagine they have spies during the war that get intel for the kingdoms, but do they have any citizens that are genuinely invested in the other culture? Like, citizens that would love to go visit and write books about what they learned? Obviously they can’t because war, but maybe they have libraries with information?

6. What traditional festivities do they have that the other culture may find confusing or maybe be blown away by it if relations were better?

7. What urban legends do they have? Or traditional cautionary tales? Stories children or young bots are told during bedtime/charge time?

8. What are the schools like or rather how does each culture handle education?

9. What would you say is one of the coolest thing about each culture you really like?

10. Is there a tradition Sun, Moon, Pry/ncess dislike/love about their culture?

I hope these aren’t too many questions… 😅

Never too many questions! 1. In general, I lean towards whatever looks coolest/most interesting, but its really just fantasy medieval clothing. However I will say that Atomatan clothing leans far more colourful with big shapes and styles, while Porphyal leans more into subtle textures and practicality

2. For porphyal, classic medieval architecture! For Atomata, classic medieval architecture with a TWIST that it all looks like sets for a childrens tv show! I have a pinterest board here with some examples! Atomata: https://www.pinterest.ca/strawbubbysugar/atomata/ Porphyal: https://www.pinterest.ca/strawbubbysugar/porphyal/

3. Porphyal enjoys a classic lute, while Atomatan instruments mimic human ones, but sound like chiptunes/8bit music! Like this!

4. its just "common", like dnd, so as not to single it out as being english for people who read in other languages :) There are def dialects, for animatronics their dialects mimic humans but they also have varying levels of echo/static to their voices. Older models tend to have far more echo

5. Of course! Both sides have citizens that are just normal people, and want to see the war end!

6. Animatronics know all about the human world's holidays/festivities, but they all are shifted ever so slightly. Humans know little to nothing about animatronic festivities, thanks to the level of information control in porphyal

7. Humans have an urban legend of "The Mangle", an animatronic that steals people from their beds and twists their bodies into something unrecognizable. Animatronics have an urban legend about a purple man, but it differs so widely from person to person, there isnt a consensus on how the story goes

8. Simple schooling for humans, small villages usually have one person that teaches children in the same class regardless of age, simple stuff like reading & writing, maybe a small bit of math, and some history. Animatronics have basic knowledge downloaded into them at birth, and if they want more knowledge they need to seek it out themselves

9. Ooo good question! I love that human beings are practically built to create, and any human can make art if given the tools and time to do so. I love that animatronics use kindness and compassion as a staple of daily life, with being anything else an outlier

10. Sun loves animatronic kindness and willingness to share, but he hates how hard it is for them to step outside their comfort zone. Moon loves the ease of access to knowledge, but hates that kindness is expected when it is not earned. Pry/ncess has a hard time feeling any particular way about anything in porphyal. Theyre a little bottled up about those feelings.

[foreststarflaime]

top 6 books/films/shows? (whichever you prefer)

Ooo good one! This ended up being half and half because you got me thinking for both categories lol, in no particular order other than Tolkien being first

1. For convenience I will condense all Tolkien literature into one spot otherwise it would take up all of these lol, but for the record the Hobbit and the Silmarillion are tied for my fav books! I am a massive nerd for middle earth lore

2. Percy Jackson and the Olympians! Or really all the Riordanverse stuff, I adore Magnus Chase and the Kane Chronicles too. I am a classics major after all

3. Imaginarium Geographica—a very obscure fantasy series I’m not actually sure is even in print anymore, the twist of which (revealed at the end of the first book) I will put under a cut in case anyone doesn’t want to see that spoiler

4. Pirates of the Caribbean. Those damn pirates and their banter and crazy sword fights have imprinted themselves on my psyche. I have gender envied Will Turner since long before I knew what that was. Davy Jones and your organ and cool ship you will always be special to me

5. Mission Impossible! I love my found family spies and their crazy stunts sm

6. Ocean’s 11! And 12 and 13 of course. I love heist stories and this is The heist movie, the pinnacle of them all, the platonic ideal of the genre

Honorable mention for RWBY which brought me my 3 best friends on the planet <3

For Imaginarium Geographica twist—the main characters are Tolkien, CS Lewis, and Charles Williams and the plot is basically them finding their fantasy worlds mirrored in a sort of hodgepodge story alternate world they can get to on dragonships. It is amazing

[jasperthejester]

3, 12, 15 + 26 !!!!!!

3: what lyrics would you get tatted?

ooo the first two that come to mind are “of the voices in my head, loudest one is mine” (or just loudest one is mine) from be more chill!!! bmc has a special place in my heart, and that line has always stuck with me. either that or “but this life is mine to live” from old scars / future hearts by all time low. atl had such a big impact on my life, and again those lyrics/song always stuck with me. like yeah this is my life and i get to live it how i want to live!!

12: a band that youve never seen but are dying to see

SCENE QUEEN!!!! I NEED TO SEE HER LIVE SO BADDDD

15: song your obsessed with at the moment

oo okay a couple: my own summer (shove it) - deftones, bring it on + are you tired? - scene queen, the way you miss me - all time low, one of your girls - troye sivan, REAL SUPER DARK - waterparks

26: a song associated with a tv show/movie

so nlg most of my song associations ate specific characters/ships, but tv shows/movies as a whole, id say little dark age for stranger things, hello world for spies are forever, and twin size mattress for the goldfinch. also move by i fight dragons for sonic as a whole :}}

[zelphin124]

The Error in Aim - Chapter four

Well well well... here we go again. I'm surprised by the amount of attention this got after the reblog! Feel free to comment suggestions for the story, as I still... have no idea where this is going. XD

Here's the masterpost for all the information you need and previous chapters! Links to the people who inspired this are on there as well!

Onto the story!

~oOo~

Silence engulfed the breakfast table. Aim devoured his eggs quickly, hoping that someone would at least make a sound.

Dream played with his eggs using a fork. He hadn't eaten a single crumb of his food. His eyes were lost and somewhere else. This was his first time he had eaten outside of his room, if he ate at all.

Nightmare also toyed with his food, eating a few bites. He glanced at Dream frequently but didn't say anything. They hadn't talked since the curse came out of both of them.

Killer was... well, Killer. He devoured his food and smiled happily. He sat next to Aim and nudged him to eat the food, insisting that they would taste good if he put enough hot sauce on the eggs.

Aim's foot twitched with anticipation. He finally broke the silence. "So, uh... how was the market the other day?" He asked.

"Fine," Dream didn't look up from his plate. "We got what we needed."

"It was totally rad," Killer added. "It was like we were spies as we avoided the usual Undyes and Toriels of this AU."

"We always do that," Nightmare sighed.

"Come on, it was different this time I swear!" Killer smirked, pointing his fork at the negative.

Aim nodded, and the silence returned once more. The only noise made was Killer shifting to clean his dishes. "When do you think Error is going to teach Aim?" Killer asked, shoving his plate into the soapy water.

Aim froze as Dream stood. "I don't know, but when he does come, I'm watching every move, so he doesn't hurt my son." Dream's bright aura dimmed as he handed his dishes to Killer, eyeing Aim. "I just want to make sure you're safe."

Aim would've replied instantly if it weren't for Nightmare's gaze burning into him. He avoided eye contact with his uncle as he formulated a response to his father. "I'll be fine, dad-"

"That's not what I said," Dream's eyes were filled with concern. "I don't trust Error, and I am not going to let him lay a hand on you."

"The boy's gotta learn how to fight somehow," Killer took Dream's plate and started scrubbing it. "Not like you were going to teach him."

"Killer!" Dream snarled. "I have my reasons why I didn't!"

"Why don't you trust Error?" Aim stood up, his orange eyes looking around until they locked with Dream's. "What has he done? He seems harmless."

"He's far from harmless..." Dream muttered, narrowing his gaze. "He's like Ink when it comes to power... he's merciless. He destroys people like you because he thinks you don't deserve to exist."

"M-Maybe he's changed," Aim suggested. "He doesn't want to destroy me... he's h-" he paused, changing his sentence. "He's wanting to help me."

"It doesn't seem like him at all," Killer rolled his eyes as Nightmare refused to give him his plate. "At least... that's out of character when we knew him."

"But given the fact that he hates Ink more than me, maybe he'll spare us if we help each other," Aim said. He tried to shake Nightmare's gaze off of him, removing his fear once more. Everyone's emotions seemed so heightened. Dream's worry and love were radiating from him. Killer's apathy and frustration flashed in his eyes. Nightmare's suspicion was rising by the second as if he knew Aim was hiding something. Using his power once more, he removed the uneasy feelings from everyone in the room.

Dream didn't seem to notice, he sighed in relief and glanced at Aim. "Maybe you're right," he smiled softly. "I just don't want to lose you."

Aim knew his dad already lost him when the positive isolated himself for seven years, but he wasn't willing to admit it. "You won't."

"Let's worry about what happens with Error after we take care of Ink. One problem at a time," Killer added.

Aim was about to reply before he felt a hand on his shirt, tugging him outside. He gasped and looked to see Nightmare dragging him swiftly out of the room as Dream and Killer continued to converse. He kept silent as Nightmare lifted him to his feet and stared him dead in the eyes, his negative aura swirling around him.

He spoke quietly as if he didn't want anyone else to hear. "I told you not to use your powers on us!" The negative hissed. "It's dangerous to mess with Killer's and Dream's emotions like that!"

Aim immediately felt a sense of regret, recalling how they reacted the last time he manipulated their emotions. "Sorry, uncle mare."

"I've dealt with too many secrets in this family for years. Seems like you're keeping one," Nightmare hid his tinge of hurt and frustration, trying to keep his face stern. "Spit it out. I'm tired of people keeping secrets. I'm not going to allow you to do that either."

"What secret?" Aim tried to play it off, scratching his head nervously.

"Don't play with me, boy," Nightmare's eye started to glow blue, causing Aim to be paralyzed with fear. He didn't want the monster to come out and assumed his uncle didn't either.

But Aim remained silent.

"Not gonna say, huh?" Nightmare rolled his eyes. "Let me see your soul then."

Aim didn't hesitate and pulled out his soul for his uncle to see. However, when they both saw the black spot on his soul, he immediately pulled it back in. I forgot that was there! Aim scrunched his face, ready to receive a beating.

Nightmare only stared at him and sighed. "I should have known." He fixed his posture and glanced down at Aim.

Aim didn't think it was worth hiding what happened anymore. "Error has already been training me... at night. We've only done one session, but he didn't want you guys to know..."

"Of course, he didn't," The negative seethed, clenching his fists. "There's an alternative motive behind his actions."

Aim finally glanced up at him. "What would that be?"

Nightmare paused, staring Aim dead in the eyes and taking a moment before he spoke. "I don't know."

Aim had already decided in his heart that he would continue meeting Error in the night to not worry his father. He wanted to get revenge on the paint freak, and he couldn't do that without him. He wasn't afraid of the destroyer, and somehow - as reckless as it was - he wasn't afraid of dying in the process.

I have to avenge my father, he thought. I'm ready for the consequences, but I need to kill him.

"When does he plan to take you to the Anti-Void next?" His uncle broke his thoughts.

Aim wasn't surprised his uncle had guessed where Error had taken him. "I don't know," he replied truthfully. "He just... would wake me up next time."

"Let me know when he does, please." Aim watched him wince as he said the last word. "I would like to speak with him."

"I don't know if I can-"

"Just place a huge amount of sadness in your heart," Nightmare advised. "It'll wake me up."

"Nightmare?" Dream's voice sounded from the house. He stepped outside and winced at the sun.

Nightmare and Aim watched Dream as his face lit up when his feet came in contact with the grass again. Although he had been outside recently, the grass had finally regrown around their house, and the joy it brought Dream radiated from his smile.

Nightmare winced at the new positivity but smiled anyway. "Go back to your father, remember what I said," he whispered to Aim before standing up again, brushing off his coat.

Aim's soul lifted when the smile on Dream's face remained. It was good to see his father happy again. He barely noticed Killer coming out and conversing with Nightmare as he ran up to his dad.

Dream smiled down at Aim. "Hey Aim..." he sighed. "Look... the past few years I haven't been myself, at all... and I wanted to say that I'm sorry and I'm going to try and be a better father for you."

Aim didn't know how to reply immediately. On one hand, he loved his father and would always give him a second chance, but on the other hand, he had missed Aim's entire childhood, and those years of grief could never be replaced. "Okay," was all he could muster, filling his heart with happiness.

Dream seemed pleased with his forced response, unable to tell the difference. "Tomorrow, why don't we go to the town to get something to eat? I can take you to one of my favorite places, does that sound good?"

Aim nodded. "Okay dad, I'd like that."

Dream opened his arms, and Aim hugged him lightly. His father's warm embrace was long overdue, but Aim held in his tears. He had to be happy for his dad to heal. He had to be joyful for Dream to regain his joy again.

Even if it meant ignoring his own pain.