#real question is do i just include it in the monster fic collection or make it stand alone?

[beelzebby666]

what if i............ lr body horror fic

[midnightwinterhawk]

I put together a little collection of Sterek and Steter fics for funsies. “Just a few fics”, I thought, “nothing too crazy.” Thirty fics later I had to cut myself off and finalize the list. You can thank @the-cookie-of-doom​ for the inspiration. 

These primarily fall under the Hurt Stiles Stilinski category because I apparently like to see my comfort characters suffer. Most of these have hopeful/happy endings but mind the tags. For reals.

Placed under a cut since I have no self control and this turned into a long post.

Sterek

adore to see your eyes fly by @1001cranes

(11,309 l E)

stiles is a pyromaniac, derek is a sociopath. a match made in some kind of heaven. teen wolf kink meme fill.

take my heart from me by @areiton

(23,188 l NR)

He didn't really mean to adopt Derek's pack of puppies. He didn't mean to make himself important to them.

To Derek.

He just wanted to keep them all safe.

That's all Stiles ever wanted.

"Why Can't You?" by @asterekmess

(3,602 l T)

Now. This was happening now, and he couldn’t be less prepared.

-

After a long night, things between Stiles and his father come to a head.

And You Say You're Alone by bi_leigh_bi

(30,314 l E)

Between the kanima, the Argents, and Peter's untimely return from the dead, everything has fallen apart. Stiles and Derek try to put their lives back together once the crisis has passed. Stiles deals with the aftermath of being tortured, and the distance growing between he and Scott. Derek attempts to become a stronger alpha and keep his pack safe, and that includes Stiles.

A Victory March by @churkey

(2,688 l T)

When Stiles is eight he learns that nothing will be the same. His dad comes home one day after work and sits Stiles down for a talk. He explains that werewolves and all the monsters are real.

They're real and not hiding under anyone's bed.

Bury the Moon by darthjamtart

(16,592 l M)

First things get bad. Then they get worse. Stiles doesn’t know what he’s sacrificed until it’s too late.

Dying is the easy part.

Love's Violent Delights by @dexterous-sinistrous

(10,685 l E)

Derek caught the way the man’s eyes looked over Stiles before lingering on his ass. He waited for the clerk to place the key on the counter before he reacted.

Stiles startled at the loud noise, turning away from the pamphlets in the display box to see Derek pinning the clerk’s head against the counter. He drew in an even breath, looking between the struggling man and Derek.

Derek briefly looked at Stiles, hesitating before he saw the gleam of excitement in Stiles’ eyes and the hint of lust in his scent. “Ever look at him, or any other Omega, like that again, and I’ll slice your eyes out with my claws.” He shoved the man back, not caring of the commotion that was made as he snatched up the key from the counter.

Empty by @discontentedwinter

(48,034 l M)

Jordan Parrish is the new sheriff of Beacon Hills, a town haunted by its past.

Your Vision Borrows Mine by hazyascent

(188,781 l E)

Stiles has encountered a fair share of monsters before, way out of his league - the kinds that children are afraid are hiding in their closets and under the bed.

He’d even become one himself when he was void. The nogitsune was in his house, his body, and his mind.

But the worst monster he’s ever faced took even more from him and got away with it.

It’s why Stiles has never really been as terrified of werewolves and kanimas and darachs as he should have been. They’re really not that scary, relatively speaking, and he has a whole team on his side. They always found a way to win - until they lost someone they really loved.

Stiles doesn’t know how to be normal, not after everything he’s done and everyone he’s hurt. The nogitsune is gone, but another monster is on its heels.

His uncle is back. And Stiles has never felt more alone.

It Was a Wednesday by @isthatbloodonhisshirt

(80,129 l M)

“What happened? Where are you? What’s that sound?”

Derek jumped, having momentarily forgotten Scott was on the phone with him because Stiles had started moving. He’d stalked over to the other side of the cave, still eying Derek warily and growling, then settled protectively over a mass of clothes, leaves and animal innards. It was probably where he was sleeping.

Lovely. No wonder he smelled like death.

“Stiles,” Derek said, answering Scott’s question. Or, one of them, at least.

“Stiles? What do you—Stiles is making that noise?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“How fast do you think you can make it to the south lot of the Preserve?”

Tiny Houses by @ohmyjetsabel-blog

(77,183 l E)

"So this is what Stiles does. He lies in Scott’s bed and waits for Melissa to say she’s found someone to get it out of him, to cure him of the wrongness and the bad, and he dreams.

God, he dreams.

He dreams of fire and swollen bellies and that scene in Alien, of giving birth to jackals through his urethra, the whole horrific nine yards. His head is a terrible place to be, he can’t imagine his stomach is much better, why anyone would want to put a thing inside of it."

I'm There in the Water by @spaceprincessem

(15,878 l T)

“But it’s—” Derek paused, his words unsure, “it’s not like us,” he swallows hard, chin dipping to his chest in frustration, “it’s like a…”

“An abomination,” Stiles finished, nodding his head as he finally lets his gaze really look at Derek since Scott had pulled them from the water.

He suddenly wished he hadn’t because the way Derek looks at him makes Stiles feel like he is ten years old again. Like Derek is seeing him for the first time since they accidentally fell into each other’s orbit all those years ago. Like Stiles isn’t a burden or invisible.

Like he is enough.

Or five times Stiles felt like he was drowning and the one time he finally caught his breath

Gunplay is Not Really Our Kink by theroguesgambit

(2,577 l M)

“The rules to the game are simple. One bullet, six chances. You pick it up and take turns pulling the trigger on the other man, or we gun you both down right now. You play along, only one of you has to die. Fun game, huh?”

--

Derek and Stiles are captured by a group of hunters and forced to play a twisted game that only one of them might walk away from.

The Price by theroguesgambit

(18,452 l M)

Stiles must surrender the most important thing in his life to protect the town… and no one can figure out what it was.

Nieważny by Zethsaire

(2,037 l E)

The pack is gone, everything they've ever cared for destroyed. Now Stiles and Derek hunt the hunters, taking revenge in the only way they know how; blood.

Steter

Make Me Bleed by @asarcasticwitch

(2,304 l E)

Peter’s expression contorts, impressed or surprised, Stiles can't decipher, but the grin on his face proves he’s not exactly disappointed with the unexpected turn of events.

“Which bite exactly were you hoping for, hm?” The older man curls one hand around the back of Stiles’s neck, trailing his thumb along his pale, fragile throat.

Stiles tilts his head back in unyielding submission, giving the wolf no room to debate his sincerity. “I’m sure you can figure it out, Alpha.

Two Roads Converge in a Graveyard Town by @cywscross

(15,645 l T)

The Deadpool brings one more assassin to Beacon Hills. A man's gotta eat after all.

when you're going through hell (keep going for me) by cywscross

(57,022 l T)

Peter is abandoned in the aftermath of the fire, and Eichen House takes ruthless advantage. Six years later, when he's finally able to move again, he finds himself in a cell with a boy in a straitjacket.

(Kate’s biggest mistake was letting Peter live. Eichen House’s biggest mistake was letting Peter meet Stiles.)

Don't Fail Me Now by @discontentedwinter​

(36,315 l E)

Stiles goes to Derek looking for help.

He finds Peter instead.

Peter takes what he's wanted for a very long time.

Sanctuary by DiscontentedWinter

(56,525 l M)

The Hale Wolf Sanctuary isn’t just for wolves.

It turns out it’s for Stilinskis as well.

Bite Down by EclipseWing (@shadow-of-the-eclipse)

(27,586 l M)

In which Stiles is forced to survive the zombie apocalypse with a sociopathic murdering werewolf for company.

Into Eden by @graciebirdie

(12,232 l M)

Stiles deciding to bring home the stray alpha he'd hit with his jeep probably made him certifiable, if it hadn't turned out Peter was as crazy as he was.

Before you let go (and the light takes you in) by Issay

(4,032 l E)

Stiles makes one last errand - goes to leave flowers on all the other graves. Fuck, so many graves. The grief is as endless and as inescapable as the sky.

He goes home and there is a thing wearing his father's face, waiting for him in the kitchen.

Call My Name by KouriArashi ( @gingersnapwolves )

(81,370 l M)

After moving to Beacon Hills, Stiles starts having recurring dreams of a man in some kind of prison, who needs his help. Things get so bad that he ends up in Eichen House, where he finds out that the man is real.

Hide my tears in the rain. by MrsRidcully

(6,865 l M)

After  years spent successfully dodging werewolves, evil spirits and wendigos,  it was a drunk driver who stole his Dad, a drunk driver with a  suspended license and a record sheet as long as Stiles’s arm. Stiles  would have laughed at the irony if he hadn’t been so busy screaming.

In My Veins Like Disease by romanoffbarton

(1,140 l T)

He tries to leave once.

Foreshock by @twothumbsandnostakeincanon

(22,816 l E)

The day Stiles’ mom died, he almost leveled his house.

Not on purpose. Not even by mistake, really. More by instinct.

Since then he's dug his fingers into everything his has left, holding on with desperation.

Desperation never stopped an earthquake.

Your Touch is My Choice by twothumbsandnostakeincanon

(2,171 l T)

The first time John does it, Stiles is two years old and about to run into the road.

“Mieczysław!” Heart pounding, John grabbed him by the back of his neck and got a hand around his tummy, snatching him back. “No, you have to stay away from the road,” he said firmly.

Shameful Company by Whispering_Sumire (@whispering-sumire755)

(38,779 l E)

"Did I turn into a unicorn?" Peter asks dryly, and Stiles glares at him for a moment before the laughter bubbles up, unbidden, nearly unwilling, and he looks so surprised at the sound, his shock dimming it for a moment before it bursts through with even more trembling ferocity. A long, thin, willowy hand curls into a soft fist over his mouth, and he's shaking, frail, more tears falling, but the copper of his eyes are glowing, crinkling around the edges and scrunched with mirth.

"No," Stiles chokes, chuckling wetly. "No, fuck you, a unicorn? What, like, Rainbowcreep? Zombiesparkle?"

[About a year before the fated Hale fire, Peter starts having nightmares that involve a woman with red hair. The nightmares lead to a spell that brings a man back through time, and, eventually, though the time-traveler is traumatized in the most horrific ways, and Peter's never been good with or for people, in general, they develop a bond that neither of them expects.]

Would You Forgive Me If I Called You Hope, Peter Hale? (Hope, By Any Other Name) by Whispering_Sumire

(10,099 l T)

Stiles has scars. He owns that, he accepts it, he's cataloged and memorized every single one, he's hyper fucking aware of them all.

//

"What do you want, Peter?" Having the more untrustworthy of the Pack getting protective weirds him the fuck out, leaves an odd fluttering in his chest, like moths, waiting perilously and suicidally to be burned.

He doesn't like it.

"You're injured," the man says, "and whatever it is, it's put you in enough pain that I nearly fainted when I-"

"- Used your werewolf mojo on me without my permission?" Stiles smirks, and Peter gives him a black look, crossing a leg over his knee and smoothing out some invisible wrinkle on his pants.

"Tell me the truth Stiles, how bad is it?"

[Or: The one where Stiles has scars, is more than a little fucked up, and Peter notices. He helps.]

[automaticneon]

Clouds

Chapter 1: Automatic Love (NSFT)

Baron Helmut Zemo x Reader

Summary: “When desires go unfulfilled, they turn into needs”

Clouds is the most technologically advanced dollhouse in Madripoor. It’s a void for people to escape into, or at least the lucky few that can afford to visit. 

And Zemo is very lucky.

The reader meets a strange new client, a man of mystery and poetic language and when she uncovers a secret most valuable to Helmut Zemo, their relationship goes from professional to something much more profound.

A/N: It’s essentially a Cyberpunk AU, but you don’t need to know a thing about the game! I’ve just borrowed the names of locations and the concept of Clouds. The reader is essentially a high clas s*x worker, if that isn’t your cup of tea, this probably isn’t the fic for you!

If this was high-end, there was no way to tell.

At least that’s what Zemo thinks as his car pulls up outside the mega-building. It’s an unsightly structure but not uncommon for this area of Madripoor, about fifty-storey’s tall and covered in vibrant LED screens.

For a minute he considers instructing his driver to take him back to his apartment in high-town so he can pretend this never happened. He had been averse to this idea already, but a friend from his military days had been convinced he should try coming here. “It’s cutting-edge” is what he had been told, but what exactly cutting-edge meant was a mystery to Zemo.

“Would you like me to wait for you, Sir?” the driver asks, snapping Zemo out of his thoughts.

The baron swipes his hand over his face, taking one last look at the building outside the window before responding.

“No, I’ll call when I’m done.”

He reckons his driver knows what he’s doing here. Mega-building H8 was known for only one thing, its position on the layline between high and low town meant it was frequented by all wealthy inhabitants of Madripoor. Mobsters and politicians alike congregated at this monster of architecture, hopeful of its contents and desperate to go unrecognised.

And now they can add a Baron to that list of unfortunates, Zemo thinks with resignation.

He leaves the car before the embarrassment can fester in his chest.

 The building is worse up close than at a distance.

Climbing the flight of concrete stairs Zemo is transported from the sidewalk and into the belly of the beast. The entrance to the megabuilding is a low-ceilinged sprawl of street-vendors and food stalls. It’s loud and busy, but Zemo has no problem blending into the crowd. He weaves through the stream of people, illuminated by neon signs that grow increasingly vulgar in their images the deeper into the building he moves.

Eventually, towards the back of the building, he finds the metal gates of an industrial-style elevator. He slides the grate open and steps inside to find the space is lit by multiple illuminated advertisement screens rotating through various commercials, each more obscene than the last. For a moment Zemo takes the moral high ground, musing with distaste about the sort of men these adverts are geared towards. He takes the moral high ground until he remembers what he has come here to do. Defeatedly he admits to himself he has no right to feel lofty.

The illuminated keypad flashes at him, and he reaches out to input his destination.

 Floor 12 – CLOUDS

 The elevator is slow as it climbs past the levels of cheap apartments and eventually comes to stop at level 12. As Zemo goes to open the grate again, he wonders if he’ll be greeted by some of that high-class sophistication he was promised.

He is not.

This floor is much like the entrance hall, only this time it’s a balcony that wraps around the interior of the mega-building and faces down into an open-air atrium. Zemo notices that the elevator he steps out of does not go any higher than this level, the floors above must be the luxury apartments and must have their own entrance.  He begins to follow the neon signs again.

“I don’t get why you’re so hung up about this?” A man near him says to his friend. Zemo bristles at the strong American accent, but carefully allows himself to eavesdrop.

“I don’t know, man,” The friend responds “It just feels wrong, you know? Like I’ll be cheating on my girl with one of these dolls”

“But that’s just it! These girls are dolls, man. They’re not real. It’s like sleeping with a blow-up-doll. No difference”

“You know that’s not true; the difference is they’re real. They’re made of flesh.”

“That’s what makes them great though. They’re dolls made of flesh.”

Zemo moves on before he can hear anymore.

He follows the signs until he reaches a wide hallway into the building, and there at the end is the rather simple looking entrance to Clouds dollhouse. The low ceiling of the hallway allows for little decoration, but he supposes a place with such an infamous reputation needs little in terms of advertisement. Soft pink neon signs flash the name of the establishment, and beside the double glass doors a glitchy hologram of a woman dances away. As he approaches, a pre-recorded voice rings out from a speaker at the base of the hologram.

“Looks like you could use a little automatic love.”

He refuses to acknowledge the projection.

Inside clouds is arguably worse than outside. The hallway is lined with tattered posters and it smells of something cheap and artificial. When Zemo enters the small, empty reception the lady behind the desk looks up with a smile.

“Welcome to clouds, where we always know what you’re looking for.”

  -

 None of you can hear a thing from the changing room.

“Do you think he’ll fire her?”

“I’m not sure. Depends how angry the client was,”

“Shut up I’m trying to hear,”

The room falls silent as Divine presses her ear to the door.

Moments ago the dressing room had been full of the usual chatter as you and the other dolls prepared for the evening shift. There was nothing to indicate the night would be anything but normal, that was until a few minutes ago when Woodman, the caretaker of dolls, had knocked furiously at the door and demanded that Azure come to his office down the hall for an immediate meeting.

“Is it just Woodman?” you ask. Azure could be abrasive at times, but she was certainly one of you favourite colleagues and you desperately wanted her to avoid being fired by management.

“I think so. I can’t hear anyone else.” Divine says, leaning back from the door.

“She’ll be fine, I’m sure,” one of the other dolls assures the room “She’s been here the longest. If they haven’t fired her yet, I doubt they ever will.”

“True. We can’t let this ruin a good Friday night. Five minutes until we need to be out in the booths, girls” Divine announces, and promptly returns to her table to finish her makeup.

Moments before the timer goes off the dressing room door flies open, and Azure stalks back to her table in silence. She’s not upset, but you can see the frustration hidden behind a poor attempt at offhand indifference. You want to ask if she’s alright, but the aggressive way she’s searching through her desk drawer makes you think it’s better to leave her be. The other girls do the same, cautiously looking over at her but making no attempt at conversation.

When the timer rings out you take one final sip of water and head to the door, grabbing the key-card for booth three as you leave.

 - 

“Welcome to clouds, where we always know what you’re looking for.”

The pink light of the glowing reception desk illuminates her face from below. That, combined with her uncomfortably bright smile makes the receptionist look like some sort of robot from a sci-fi film. Zemo lets out an amused huff at the very ambitious welcome promise.

“With all due respect, how could you know exactly what it is I want.”

“Clouds always knows. Your deepest desire – we find it. You’ll have your needs fulfilled – and maybe much more. ‘Less’ is not a word we use around here.” The receptionist replies.

“And how is that supposed to work then,” Zemo questions with a tilt of his head.

“Our algorithm searches your social media. With your permission it will create a personal profile based on any information if can gather, including personal preferences for you partners appearance. The algorithm will then select a doll for you, and create an experience based off that information.,” She slides a form across the desk “of course we ensure this is entirely confidential, this form confirms our promise.”

“I’ll admit I’m impressed. However I do not have a social media presence I’m afraid.” Zemo responds.

He couldn’t lie, the process seemed interesting. It was obviously a successfully programmed algorithm if the establishment had such a strong reputation. He found himself for the first time tonight not entirely doubting his choice to come here. He was interested to see what they would do for his situation.

“In that case I’ll have to ask you a few general questions to select a doll for you. If you are unsatisfied with their performance, you’ll be entitled to a refund at the end of the session.”

The receptionist begins to read a series of questions from her computer screen, gender preferences, what sort of experience he’s looking for. She concludes with organising payment, and the price is eyewatering even with the slight discount she applies since they cannot use the algorithm. When all is paid and signed for, the receptionist asks for a safe word. Admittedly it throws Zemo for a minute.

“It’s company policy” she says.

“Pontiac” he says bluntly, after a moment of thought.

“Fantastic.” The receptionist enters his response to the computer “Welcome to clouds. Serenity will be waiting for you in booth three.”

Zemo passes through another set of double doors and finds himself in a labyrinth of pink lights. The walls are lined with black, opaque glass and every so often a blue neon number protrudes from the wall indicates the booth behind it.

It doesn’t take long for him to find booth three, but he pauses before pressing the button to open the door. He takes a breath, collects his thoughts and lets his head and shoulders drop. He doesn’t want to look at his reflection in the tinted glass. Five years ago the thought of coming to a place like this would never have touched his mind, even in his questionable youth he had always been opposed these places. The risk that they were run unethically was far too great for his conscience. But he was not the man he was five years ago. Since Sokovia he wondered if he had a conscience at all anymore.

He presses the button, and the glass panel slides open.

It takes a moment for his eyes to adjust to the room. It’s dimly lit, faint blue and purple lights shine against the walls that are lined with the same dark, opaque glass as outside. There’s a chic, white sofa against the left wall, and against the right is a simple bed.

Sat atop it, kneeling with her thighs spread and covered by a short black night dress is the prettiest girl he’s seen in years.

 - 

He’s handsome, is the first thing you think when the glass door slides open.

It’s rare that you ever receive a client you’re inclined to call attractive, even the most conventionally attractive men that come here bring with them such a foul soul that it taints their appearance. Not this man, though.

He’s smartly dressed in dark trousers and a well-fitting grey jumper. His hair is styled nicely, it’s either brown or very dark blond (you can’t tell in the coloured lighting). He carries himself well, but after a year of working here you’ve grown accustomed to seeing through the façade’s of your clients. He’s apprehensive. Unsure if he belongs here. Hesitant.

“You must be Helmut. It’s nice to meet you,”

You try to make your voice sound soft and gentle, cocking your head to one side to beckon him in. You get the sense he wants something authentic, or at least that’s what his profile had said when it was sent through from reception moments ago. No porn-star moans or obscene pick-up lines tonight.

He collects himself, and the harsh line his lips have been pressed into relaxes as he enters the room. The glass panel slides shut, trapping the two of you in the bubble of the booth. It’s tranquil. You think he must need that.

“And you must be ‘Serenity’” He responds, crossing the room to sit on the sofa. His eyes don’t leave you as your ‘name’ rolls of his tongue with amusement. You can hear the next question in your head before he even opens his mouth again.

“So what’s your real name?”

They always ask you that. They ask every doll that. The clients are desperate to form a connection with you. To brag to their friends that they have a special relationship with a doll at clouds. You’ve never told anyone your real name before, it’s against company policy. Clouds attracts the rich of Madripoor, and rich in Madripoor usually means dangerous. It’s for your own protection more than anything else, you really don’t need work following you home.

You picked a name the day you were hired and that’s the name every client has known you by. This man will be no different. You begin your usual response:

“A name is a name, Helmut. A title. An advertisement of who you are. I want my name to tell you exactly who I am, so that you can know everything about me. I want to bring you peace.”

He adjusts his hips and rests his arms across the back of the sofa. He regards you quietly, and you’re positive he can tell that your response was a deflection. His eyes squint slightly, and a flash of humour appears in his dark pupils.

“Well I hardly think that’s fair. You get to call me by my name, but I don’t get to know yours?” He lets out a huff of laughter “Actually, I don’t think I’ll let you use my name. We should be equals, should we not?”

You admit you’re enjoying this. The smooth accent and playful tone of his voice keeps you interested. You swing your feet around so that you’re sat facing him on the bed, reclining back on your palms to match his casual stance.

“What should I call you then?”

“You said a name is just a title. So then my title can become my name. You can call be Baron, Serenity” He says your name like it’s some sort of inside joke, taunting you to give up and tell him who you really are. You won’t be so easily swayed.

“So what’s a Baron doing in Madripoor then?” You say with genuine curiosity. If it weren’t for the NDA’s you’re forced to sign you would be buzzing to tell the other girls who you’re spending the night with. You can’t imagine that aristocracy visits this place frequently. “And do you drink?”

“I do, thank you” he says, and you hop down from the bed and walk to the low table in front of the sofa that carries a few glasses and a bottle of expensive-looking alcohol. You know he’s looking at the satin hem of the night dress as it tickles to top of your thighs, and when you bend down to pour him a glass, you make sure he gets a tasteful peak at your cleavage.

“I’m here to work, actually.”

Did aristocrats work? You thought they were just for show.

“I’m… translating some documents. It’s taking me a very long time,” He continues, watching intently as you finish preparing his drink.

“A Baron and a translator? Sounds like you’ve got a lot on your plate” You loop around the table, perching beside him on the sofa and handing him his drink.

“It’s more of a personal project I suppose, but a very important one” he says, accepting the drink with his free hand. The one that rests behind you on the back of the sofa comes up to rest between your shoulder blades. It’s a very gentle touch, just the tips of his fingers making contact with yours skin and moving in a tiny little circle. He’s testing the waters with you, seeing how receptive you are. It’s almost gentlemanly.

“It must mean a great deal to you. We could talk about it, if you like? We can talk about anything you want to,” You reach up to play with the hair at the nape of his neck, enjoying how he melts into the action.

“Anything but your name?” He shoots you teasing look from the corner of his eye, and you give a little strand of his hair a small playful tug in response.

“Anything but that, Baron”

“Tell me something else about you. Like why you came to Madripoor, I can tell you weren’t born here.”

Jesus you can’t tell if this man is a pest or just being polite. It’s unusual for him to be asking these questions of you, most men would usually have you on your knees by now. You hum and give him one last stroke down the back of his neck, before climbing off the sofa and walking back towards the bed.

“Very perceptive. I’m not from Madripoor, no,” you crawl onto the bed, taking your time so that the baron can take a good look at where the night dress rides up over the curve of your ass “but we’ve only just met, and only my friends get to know my life story.”

You settle yourself comfortably at the top of the bed, lying down and propped up on your elbows so you can maintain the measured look he’s giving you.

“Perhaps I should come over there and get to know you better” he says calmly, with the barest hint of a suggestive undertone.

Thank god he’s dropped the topic of your true identity. You can handle sex; you don’t need an interrogation tonight. Slipping into character you drop your voice to a low whisper and cock your eyebrow.

“Perhaps you should”

The corner of his mouth twitches into a smile as he accepts your little challenge. In one fluid motion he downs the rest of his drink, places the empty glass back on the table, and rises to walk towards the bed. No, he stalks towards the bed with a natural swagger that admittedly makes your chest squeeze tight.

Within a second he’s onto you, slotting himself between your parted thighs and pressing his lips to yours. Your baron kisses well, is the only thing you’re capable of thinking as he uses his body to push you down into the cushions. One of his hands slides up your body, skimming across your neck before coming to rest below your jaw. He doesn’t squeeze, just gently holds you in place so that he can kiss you how he pleases.

After a moment he tilts your head up slightly, pausing the kiss so he can look down at you. You reckon you look a picture of arousal, pupils blown and cheeks flushes as you catch your breath. Your baron seems to agree; he’s looking at you like the cat that caught the canary, and you shiver when his grip gets just a fraction tighter on your jaw.

“So pretty,” he praises quietly as he dips down to skim his lips over your pulse.

The tender pressure makes you whine and arch up beneath him and he acknowledges you with a hum and a hand on your breast. As he continues his assault on your neck, the free hand on your chest squeezes the flesh softly, finding your nipple beneath the silky fabric and circling it with his thumb.

When it pebbles to his satisfaction he pulls away and you keen at the loss of contact. He tuts, pulling down the straps of your nightgown and peeling it down below your chest, shuffling down slightly so that his face is level with your now exposed torso.

He breathes out against your nipple before latching onto it, with one hand he squeezes your neglected breast and the other slides from its place on your jaw to the base of your neck. Again he doesn’t squeeze, just exerts a level of control that lets you know where he wants you. If you wanted to you could break free, but why would you want that? The way his thumb begins to circle your pulse point has you practically melting into the bed, the thought of telling him to stop can barely manifest in your mind.

You reach down to dig your fingers into the baron’s back, instead only making contact with his expensive-feeling jumper. You huff in disappointment and pull him from where he’s entertaining himself with your tits, meeting his hazy eyes that are riddled with confusion.

“I thought we were trying to get familiar with one another?” you ask, and his eyebrows pinch in confusion “How are we supposed to do that when you’ve got so much between us?”

The baron’s face melts in amusement, and he reluctantly pulls himself away from you to pull the jumper off and start undressing fully. You take a moment to catch your breath, watching him peel away his clothes to reveal his impressive body. He’s slender but impeccably well-toned, his torso is covered by a light dusting of hair that leads your eyes down to the impressive bulge in his underwear.

Tonight should be very entertaining.

Your sit up, reaching out to run your hand down his chest but before you can begin to pull at the waistband of his underwear, his hand shoots out to grab your wrist.

“I don’t know where you think you were going, but I was quite enjoying myself” he says roguishly. He gathers both of your wrists into one hand and pins you pack against the bed, with both hands restrained you have no choice but to let him bury hid face into your neck again.

This time he uses his free hand to skim along the inside of your thigh, getting high enough that you think he’ll reach the apex between your legs but instead he trails his fingers back down towards your knee again.

You whine in frustration as he continues his cycle of teasing up and down your leg, he ignores you until you tug against his grip on your wrists. He makes a low noise and quickly tightens his hold on you. The sudden movement sends a chill down your spine, and for the first time in a long while, you feel genuinely inclined to beg a man.

“Please-” you breathe out shakily “I want-”

Your voice cuts off suddenly as his hand moves boldly to cup your pussy. You can hear how embarrassingly wet you are as his fingers move through your folds, and he hums happily when he finds your clit with his thumb. Slowly he circles it, applying just the right amount of pressure to have you wriggling in his grip.

“This? Is this what you want?” he asks, and his voice has dropped at least another octave.

You shake your head furiously. Right now this is just not enough, you can feel his dick rubbing against your leg and you’re beyond desperate to have him fuck you open with it.

“No?” he says with feigned innocence “What is it that you want then?”

“More” is all you can get out “I want you in me. I’m wet enough, see?”

Your baron seems unconvinced. He circles a finger around your entrance before pushing in, rocking it gently inside you as he tries to decide if he thinks you’re really ready. He continues for a moment more before adding a second finger, now with two fingers stuffed in you and his thumb still working on your clit you’re almost ready to cum. It’s making you desperate, and it doesn’t help at all when he buries his face in your tits again.

Finally he lets your wrists go and immediately your hands grab at whatever part of him they can, eventually you settle with gripping his shoulder and hair as you try desperately to urge him to fuck you. He gets you right to the edge, literal moments away from finishing on his fingers when he pulls them away from you with an obscenely wet noise.

You let out a frustrated, desperate whine as he separates from you. He looks down at you with satisfaction as he takes in your flustered state.

“Stay still, you’ll get what you want” he says, and he reaches for his pants to retrieve a condom. It takes him a minute to pull himself free of his underwear and put the condom on. In your desperate state it feels like an eternity.

He positions himself between your legs, lifting the hem of the nightdress so he can get a good view of your pussy whilst he lines himself up. He pauses before he presses forward, looking up at you for any last-minute hesitation.

You nod your consent instantly, not trusting yourself to get any words out.

When he pushes in you think you might cum from that alone. He’s a perfect size, long enough that you feel as though you could feel him in your belly. When he finally bottoms out you can’t help but squeeze him tight, and he slumps over you, his face tucked into the side of your neck and swears in a language you don’t recognise. He nudges his hips forward as if to get deeper than he already is. The both of you gasp out at the sensation and he repeats it a few times, just the tiniest movements of his hips that causes him to rub against something deep inside you.

He pushes himself up on his forearms so that he can get a good look at you. In turn, you get to see the state of him as well – his eyes are impossibly dark and glazed over with something wildly lustful, his once pristine hair hangs dishevelled over his reddened forehead. Your baron’s lip curls wickedly as he sets a punishing pace, pushing you deeper into the sheets. It feels like he’s trying to fuck you through the bed.

His previous teasing had done a real number on you, and within minutes you’re moments away from cumming. You don’t think you could get much out of your mouth other than pathetic little whimpers right now, instead you reach up and pull the baron down for a deep kiss, one that he melts into fully.

When you do cum it’s fucking incredible. You’d never use a word that strong to describe a client before, but your baron brings with him many firsts for you. You cry out into his mouth as he picks up the pace to ride you through your high, your fingers dig into his shoulder so tightly you wonder if you’ve drawn blood. If you have, he doesn’t seem to mind. If anything it spurs him on as he fucks you to the point of oversensitivity.

He finishes just as you think you can’t handle anymore. His hips stutter momentarily, and tremors run down his spine in waves. The entire time he’s rambling in a foreign tongue against your skin until his pants of exhaustion overtake his ability to speak.

Your baron collapses on top of you but you hardly have the brainpower to care that he’s crushing you. Instead you reach up to run your fingers through his hair, listening to him as he catches his breath against your chest.

You yourself are struggling to even out your breathing, it feels as though you’ve run a marathon and the man on top of you seems thoroughly amused by that.

“Come now,” he says as he smooths a hand up your side “I wasn’t that good.”

You can hardly help the genuine laugh that escapes you.

“Humility doesn’t look good on you baron.”

The man in question huffs out a laugh before peeling himself away from your sweat-slicked body.

“I suppose I should make myself scarce. I imagine you have other, much more interesting clients to see tonight” he says, moving to sit on the side of the bed.

“You can stay and talk if you want, it’s entirely up to you. You paid for this, after all.” You say, secretly hoping he’ll stay for just a minute longer. You don’t intend to entertain anyone else tonight, but part of you is quite intrigued by your newest client.

“Well in that case I have one final question I’d like to ask” he says as he slowly begins to dress himself again.

“Ask away.”

Once his trousers are securely over his hips he pauses to look at you. There’s a soft expression on his face, as if he already knows he’s not going to get the answer he wants.

“What’s your real name?”

You really shouldn’t be surprised that he’s asked again. Truthfully, it’s not the question itself that’s thrown you, it’s how tempted you are to answer it. His voice is so compelling at the moment that your name nearly springs from your tongue without you noticing.

“Oh baron,” you say quietly “you know I can’t tell you that.”

His lips press together in acceptance, and for a second his eyes leave yours. As he begins to get ready again, he gives his response.

“It was worth a shot.”

[nemuitoka]

What are your favorte jshk fanfics? also where do you like reading them the most?

Hi Anon!!! today is the day I can finally answer this question😈 ahaha you know how much I enjoy making fic recs so 👀 Let’s go!!!

To answer your second question first, I like reading them on AO3 the most! Mostly because I get almost unlimited number of characters to rant in the comment section........... 😆but also the tagging system is very helpful.

Okay, now to the fun part of this ask😏

You said JSHK, but I mostly read Hananene ones so all of my favs include that pairing... as  I already did a fic rec here of my favs, this list will continue that one, so please check that one first hehe ((I apologize in advance..., I would love for people to recommend me some mitsukou ones tbh... I’m really lost when it comes to other pairings orz)) 

If I’m completely honest with you anon-san, my favorite JSHK fic right now is the one Roxanne ( @istoleyourboat )  wrote based of my art and her snippet:

Star-Crossed and Falling- Where Stars Go to Die by lilaflo

Hanako is Princess Nene’s personal knight 👀. A tale of forbidden love. They slowly fall in love as they exchange a series of gifts, one that includes a pair of matching earrings that remind them of their love when they’re apart. Also, jelly Hanako of Nene’s suitors😏... Oh, but nothing lasts forever and those sweet moments will come to an end when they have to face their cruel reality, in this world, they don’t get to choose neither their battles or the ones they love.

Now more of Roxanne, because I seriously enjoy her work so much (I’m sure everyone knows by now lmao sdkj) 

Night of the Phantom King by lilaflo 

This one is a spooky one. Nene’s regret for never realizing who she truly loves takes her to mourn her deceased friend Amane and cry on his grave in a Halloween night, then suddenly the Phantom King comes to take her away👀 & he looks suspiciously familiar... Beautiful world building btw, also the ending is just, excellent. 

12 Year Romance by lilaflo

Amane meets Nene at the Tanabata festival, she’s older than him, but he falls for her instantly, fast forward, Amane is now in middle school, he’s a troublemaker, & gets constantly into fights, but he swears the new school nurse looks familiar... he then realizes it’s her and thinks it must be fate!!!... This one hits close to home bc I’ve been in this situation irl, so I can confirm all of Nene’s struggles are real (and ofc how a love with an age gap should be handled the correct way, this fic really teaches you many life lessons hahaha) 

took a sip then another sip, then you turned and said to me by chivalrousamour 

This autor has a bunch of good JSHK fics!! I recommend you check their AO3 out, bec you may find something you like for sure! But, this is my absolute fav from them. Nene is a mangaka, celebrating the finishing of her long serialized manga, while Amane is a delivery boy who happens to find her in a very questionable state in her house👀 (it’s all family friendly ofc, anon, I’m not a slimy pervert like some ghost boy)

Maid for Each Other by corologs ( @corologs )

Courtney has this amazing College AU collection series that I encourage you to check out!!! But Maid for each other is my fav!!! So it’s the Yugi twins birthday, and it’s Tsukasa’s turn to choose where they go to celebrate it... you can already tell where this is going... (let the chaos begin) & as the title said, it involves maids!!! (it has Kaicho wa maid sama vibes if you liked that anime~~)

If I Could Tell Her by corologs

What if the picture perfect arc plan was successful??? Well, this fic explores this idea, and it’s very interesting to read. I like how Amane and Hanako are two separate people here.

the horizon tries but it’s just not as kind on the eyes by sincerelyand ( @sunlightinourheadlights ) 

(Oh my sweet Karen, she writes such good fics, so go check her AO3 out as well!!) Amane and Yashiro are friends that share an apartment (& they were roommates-- OMG they were roommates), even if Amane has its complains, because Nene can be a handful sometimes (and in denial of her true feelings as always, are we even surprised at this point?) he loves her dearly anyways😭.

for real, this time by sourlemoncandy  ( @sour-lemon-candy )

Did somebody say fake dating AU?????? Because hell yeah I did asajj I loved reading this so much!! Nene and Amane are childhood friends, and Nene overhears some girls talking about Amane and how one of them plans to ask him out... but she senses these girls are up to no good so she... well, you gotta read it to find out more~~ it’s no fun If I tell ya everything hehe... so go go go!!

lemon cream by sourlemoncandy

Amane and Nene, just two good friends having a road trip and sharing donuts... what could go wrong??  😏 seriously, I loved this fic so much!! Instant fav! Also makes me wanna try some good sweet donuts...

Trip Down Memory Lane by insipidenvy ( @insipidenvy )

This fic is so sweet. I have such a huge attachment to it, because I read it when I really needed some fluff in my life hahaha. It’s sort of a collection of memories between Amane and Yashiro’s relationship over the years. So heartwarming... if you need the fluffs you’ll enjoy this very much!!

The Radish Princess and the Toilet Prince by insipidenvy

This is my favorite fic from insipidenvy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You know how I am a slut for Royalty AUs so that’s why!!!!! Also Toilet Prince!! hahahaha such a good nickname lmao. I love how they bond over their insecurities, it’s very relatable tbh. 

Between Wind and Water by WingSongHalo  ( @wingsonghalo )

My beautiful Wing always delivering the good Hananene content, as she should!! This fic is so fun to read!! I laughed so hard at Nene and Hanako being awkward with each other!!! So you know how Hanako is super clingy with Nene, he’s always touching & hugging her, but this time something weird happens and he’s so distant~~ Nene doesn’t want to admit it at first, but she misses his clingy ghost boy~~ you’ll have a good time reading this for sure!  

The Monster's Bride by Hammsters ( @uglierdaikon )

Have you heard about the myth of Cupid and Psyche? Well this fic rewrites it in a very Hananene way <3 hehe I loved it so much (as I’m a huge fan of mythology~) To sum it up, Nene is fated to marry a monster that lives in the mountains so she’s devastated... to her surprise, her husband is far from what she expected... she only had one rule to obey and well... we all know how reckless Nene is so... you go find out what happens next now!! hehehe

Morning Reflections by FalalalaLa  ( @miss-sternennacht )

So you’ve heard of Hanako watching Nene sleep, but what about Nene watching Amane sleep???!! this fic offers you this and so much more fluff <3 Also Nene remembering how they met and how their relationship evolved during the years, aww <3 

Cursed Coin by DaikonSenpai  ( @daikonsenpai )

There’s a school dance, Yashiro’s supposed to be dancing with Kou (since she can’t go with Hanako, which causes him to be jelly~~ and bitter), but she loses a coin Aoi gave her for good luck so she goes out and searches for it on the last place she saw it, the school fountain. Suddenly Hanako spots her, what’s she doing outside??? is she drunk or something?? what happens next you may find out when you read it~~~

Between Love and Hope by Baronesscmd (SweeterThanYourDarkestSin) ( @baronesscmd )

Oh to be Nene and get to sleep between the Yugi twins... God really has favorites uh... ISTG, this collection of fics is so cute. I love how Nene loves the twins so much in this AU, they have their little cute family. She ofc is in love with Amane, but their relationship with Tsukasa is so tender... it’s mostly this trio having fluffy moments together to heal your soul... if you need some, you’ll get it here for sure hahaha. 

Ghost of You (And All the Futures We've Forgotten) by Indigo_Floof  milkteamoon  ( @indigosienna , @spades-queen )

So anon you may have been wondering, well this bitch likes fluff only???? how about some angst for a change, uh? DAMN, OKAY THEN, here you have some angst to rip your soul out and wish you never sent me this ask in the 1st place, bec of the emotional damage this fic will leave you sdajjsa, also if you liked “Erased”, you’ll love this fic too! 

Hanako of the Opera by zxrstan

Finally, but not less important, me being annoying about Hanako of the Opera & POTO AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!! This fic is based of the AU Aidairo created mostly, it’s really fun to read if you didn’t get much of what was happening during the Hanako of the Opera event, it has a nice ending also! very satisfying I must say. 

AAAAND THIS IS THE END OF MY ALL TIME FAV LIST OMG;;;; Kudos for me for searching through all my damn AO3 and Google Chrome history (from both my PC and phone, since I am a FOOL and forgot my AO3 password so I read a lot of these in the past as a guest before recovering my password LMAO, please be patient with me omg, and also if you see me bookmarking them now, you know why 😭) 

Kudos to all of my writer homies as well, I love and appreciate all of you so much!! you have no idea! 💖

I hope you find this list useful, anon!! Thank you for sending me this ask and have a wonderful day! 

Ps. Please everyone feel free to add more fics to this list if you want! this is all my personal picks, but I’m aware there are a lot more fics that I haven’t read and deserve as much recognition as the ones I listed!

[doctenwho]

Ten’s First (real) Halloween

Hello! Thank so much for the prompt! Sorry this is a day late, I meant to do it yesterday, but got distracted carving a pumpkin spiderman and sitting on the step with my mom to greet trick or treaters! I hope you all had a great Halloween though!

I should probably start off saying that I’ve never seen Pulp Fiction, and I also don’t Halloween party at all. Hopefully this turned out good anyways. I jumped ahead a bit with the prompts to do this one before I felt too awkward to complete it. Can’t really post a Halloween fic mid November, but I’m back to sticking to the order things come in!

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3,557

Summary: A Halloween fic, read the prompt above!

(Gif doesn’t belong to me, credit to the creator!)

“I’ve decided,” you told the Doctor as you made your way into the console room and plopped yourself down on the chair. You looked up the Doctor’s profile from behind, grinning to yourself.  

The Doctor froze where he was fiddling around with the console, turning to look at you with a questioning glance. He raised an eyebrow in question, eyeing you up and down before he finally replied with a confused, “decided what, exactly?”

“What we’re going to be for Halloween!” you chirped excitedly. You reclined back in the chair, grinning brightly at the Doctor as he blinked at you. “I’ve been thinking for weeks now, and I’ve finally picked out perfect costumes for us!”

“Uh?” the Doctor finally turned towards you, leaning back against the console and crossing his feet in front of him. The man cocked his head to the side, expressing a confusion you didn’t often see from him, “costumes?”

“Of course,” you gave a serious nod, crossing your arms across your chest to express the seriousness of the conversation, “costumes take a lot of thought, Doctor.”

“I believe you,” the Doctor responded, frowning thoughtfully at you, “I’m just... well, not quite sure what you’re on about, if I’m honest. Why are you so excited about this?”

“What?” you blinked in surprise, “you don’t know about Halloween? I thought you were an expert on everything earth?”

“No,” the Doctor straightened, “I know of the day, of course I do--” he gestured to himself, “Time-Lord, remember? I’ve visited the very first of each earth holiday through the years, All-Hallows Eve included—well, Samhain at least. Saw that and never bothered returning around the month of October.”

He eyed you for a second before continuing, “what I just can’t seem to understand is why you’d be excited for bonfires and the human race feeling the need to wear monster masks to ward off ghosts—which by the way, would not help at all.”

You stared at the man for a second, then another before you finally blinked at him, “so, you’re telling me you haven’t seen Halloween on earth since like the eighteenth century?”

“More like the eighth century,” the Doctor corrected, scrunching his face up in distaste, “wasn’t a fan then, not a fan now. I’m more of a Christmas guy, I suppose.”

“The holiday has completely changed,” you told him, standing from your seat and moving towards him in excitement, “it’s not like... well, that anymore. Very few fires, and the dressing up is more for fun than to hide from, uhm, ghosts? It’s parties, and trick-or-treating door to door for sweets, and getting scared!”

“Really?” the Doctor scrunched his nose up, eyeing you where you stood before him with a bright smile.  

“Yeah,” you smiled, leaning into his space, “it’s for fun now, we’ve swayed a bit from hiding away from ghosts. Just modern traditions now.”

“I see,” the Doctor hummed, turning back towards the TARDIS console. “Sounds interesting.”

“It is,” you agreed with a smile, moving to stand beside him and observe his hands moving fluently along the knobs and dials on the console, “so, what do you think about heading to earth for Halloween this year?”

The Doctor turned his head towards you, gave you a crooked smile, “nah.”

And then you were landing.

----

“Come on,” you pleaded, “I’ve got the perfect costumes picked out for us, and it’ll look dumb if I go by myself when the costume is supposed to be a couples costume!”

The Doctor gave you a sideways glance, “and what are these costumes?”  

You’d let the conversation drop earlier (or rather, had gotten dragged into another space mess you and the Doctor needed to clean up), but you weren’t about to drop the subject. Now you had a personal mission to reintroduce the Doctor to modern Halloween and all its glory.  

“Okay,” you grinned, “so, I was planning on being Mia Wallace—I can pull it off, don’t you think? Actually, it doesn’t matter, it’s Halloween. Anyways, I think you’d make a great Vincent Vega. Plus, it would look weird if I showed up as Mia but I didn’t have a Vincent, right? I don’t think people would even know who we were if we didn’t show up together.”

“And... who’re these people?”

“They’re characters from Pulp Fiction,” you explained. “It’s a popular film down on earth—I can’t believe you’ve never heard of it.”

“Right,” the Doctor gave a nod, but you were sure he didn’t really understand what you were talking about. It was nice he pretended too thought. “I never agreed to this... costume thing. Doesn’t sound much different from hiding from ghosts to me. You’ll still be changing your appearance to hide.”

“It’s completely different, and we’re not hiding, it’s for fun,” you scoffed, slightly offended, but not really since this was the Doctor, “we’re going to a party, my cousin’s Halloween party. And besides, the characters don’t even have masks, they’re regular people. Clothes, makeup, wigs.”

“Well then, this holiday really has strayed from its roots then, hasn’t it?”

“Maybe,” you shrugged, “I don’t think it’s changed much.”

The Doctor gave you a tilt of his head,smile small, “right, well, you didn’t get to experience Samhain, now did you? You’ve got nothing to compare current Halloween too.” You pouted at the man, but he didn’t seem too bothered as he continued fiddling with the TARDIS.

“It really is fun,” you attempted, “it’s probably super different from the first Halloween you didn’t like, but, like, in a good way. Halloween is the best! And all my friends will be there, and the costumes are always great—there's a costume contest.”

“I can always drop you off,” the Doctor suggested with a glance back at you. “You know I’d never keep you here against your will, just say the word and I’ll return you to earth.”

“No,” you groaned, “that ruins the fun. I can’t show up alone again,” you sighed slumping in the chair, “if you’re not going there’s barely a point in me going. I want to have fun with you, and celebrate the holiday with you. Besides, I’ve already got the costumes made up. You had everything in your collection of clothes for a Vincent costume, and I already had most of Mia’s clothes. It’s perfect, Doctor!”

“Gatherings aren’t for me,” the Doctor replied, “friends and family of my companions? Nothing ever goes right when the friends and families of companions know of me and where I take you, believe me on that one.”

“But it’s Halloween,” you pouted, “no one will be asking about any of that, not one says anything serious. And we don’t have to stay for long, we can just pop in and leave. I just... want to show you that it’s changed, Doctor. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and I want to share that with you.”

“(Y/N),” the Doctor turned to you, frowning. He was giving you that look he always did when he was about to disappoint you and hated doing it. He stared at you for a moment before he sighed heavily, “Maybe.”

“Maybe?” you blinked in surprise, “really?”

“Not a yes,” the man continued with a serious voice, “but I’ll think about it, alright?”

----

If you knew anything about older people, it was that a maybe wasn’t much more than a no. It was a no that left the receiver hopeful of a positive outcome. A failsafe, for the person to say maybe, so they could say no later, and not outright say it. Because a maybe left room for a yes, or, a more likely no.

So, as much as the maybe was progress, it was still basically a no. And you wouldn’t settle for an open-ended no. If the Doctor really didn’t want to go, you’d leave it after today. But you couldn’t settle for a devastating no closer to Halloween when you’d had your hopes up for so long.

“Pleaseee?” you begged. It was just about the time you’d usually head off to bed and leave the Doctor to his own devices for the night. You sat curled up on the chair in the console room, warm in pajamas as you watched the Doctor do whatever it was he usually did in the evening.  

This was the last time you’d ask for the Doctor to accompany you to the Halloween party. You weren’t going to force—not that you were sure you even could if you tried. He was superior to you, not that he pointed it out often. You’d rather a no than a maybe that got your hopes up.

You just really wanted to go this party with someone else, and who better than the Doctor? You’d always gone alone, or with friends, and your cousin always teased you about it. But what would he say when you showed up with someone? Someone as cool (and strange) as the Doctor?

And in matching costumes as well, it would be adorable, and finally break your cousin from his teasing.  

“You’re not gonna give up on this, are you?”

The Doctor hadn’t bothered looking away from his fiddling at the console, but you could hear some humor in his voice, “then again, I expect nothing less from humans who travel with me. I’d be persistent as well.”

“So you’ll come?” you perked up where you were slumped into the seat. “And don’t give me another maybe, I want a real answer, Doctor.”

“Yes, fine. Alright.” The man tipped his head in your direction, giving a small smile, “we can visit Halloween and go to your cousin’s party.”

----

“(Y/N)!” Your cousin greeted brightly, dressed as a vampire with fake blood smeared across his mouth. “You’re here,” he continued, pulling you into a hug, “haven’t heard from you in a bit, wasn’t sure you’d make it.”

“Wasn’t sure I would make it,” you explained honestly, “had trouble convincing my friend to join me.”

“Friend?” you cousin raised an eyebrow, looking around you easily, “and, where is this friend?”

“He’s... parking,” you shrugged.  

“He’s?” your cousin teased while waggling his eyebrows at you. You rolled your eyes, crossing your arms across your chest as you scoffed.  

“Yes, he’s,” you groaned, stressing the word in annoyance, “cut it out. Don’t act so surprised that I’ve brought a friend. And really don’t around him, got it?”

“I wasn’t,” he raised his hands in mock surrender, smile wide and teasing in a cousin-y way. Then, he was gesturing down to your costume, “now, what’re you supposed to be anyways?”

You almost groaned at your cousin not knowing your Mia Wallace costume, but you knew it was because your Vincent Vega wasn’t here with you. You opened your mouth to respond in a snarky reply, but before you could, the door was opening and your Vincent Vega was walking in with a hesitant expression.  

“Over here!” You called him over with a wave. You watched as the man’s expression settled on you, before he was stepping towards you and stopping at your side, eyeing your cousin.  

“This is... your friend?” your cousin tilted his head, eyeing the Doctor with a sideways glance.  

“’ello!” the Doctor grinned from your side, hesitance waning for the sake of proper introduction, which he really did love. The man gave your cousin a friendly wave, “I’m the Doctor.”

“The Doctor?” your cousin blinked at the Doctor before turning his confusion to you. You gave your relative a grin, setting your hand on the Doctor’s shoulder before nodding. “Alright, well,” your cousin clapped his hands together in an inviting gesture, “(Y/N), Doctor, enjoy the party then! Everyone’s here, and they’re all dying to see you!”

By everyone, your cousin really did mean everyone. The two of you had grown up in the same neighborhood, had gone to the same school and of course, had the same group of friends. Everyone you knew, your cousin knew as well. So, everyone really would be here.

You turned your head to watch as more people entered your cousin’s house, he threw a wave at them before grinning, “mingle,” he suggested, “I’ve gotta go play host some more. Have fun!”

You watched your cousin disappear to talk to the newcomers, a group of his sports friends you hadn’t seen in years. Some threw a wave back at you, and you returned it easily.

When you turned back to the Doctor he was looking around at everyone already mingling, eyed following around to the activities and dancing going on, “these people,” he mumbled, “they’re dressed as creatures. A mummy, a siren—is that a clown? Your cousin was a vampire...”

“Yeah,” you nodded, “and we’re dressed up as Mia and Vincent—and my friend over there is a pirate, and that guy is Mario. It’s all make believe, just for fun.”

“Right,” the Doctor gave a nod.

“Now,” you called excitedly, “let’s go see the jack-o-lanterns and carved pumpkins, ooh, and we can bob for apples. Haven’t done that in years.”

“I’m sorry, what?” the Doctor tilted his head at you, but he looked curious. And a curious Doctor was a fun Doctor.  

“I’ll show you,” you promised, “it’s fun. Trust me.” You grabbed the man’s hand, not waiting for a response as you dragged him through the party to where the music was the loudest and the activities were set up.

The Doctor loved the activities, as far as you could tell, at least. He dove right into bobbing for apples, competing good naturedly with some of the other guys surrounding the tub of water. You’d decided against dunking your head in the water, in fear that your Mia makeup would run and smear if wet.

You’d barely put any on the Doctor, but he still somehow managed to look like Vincent. You still couldn’t believe that the clothing the Doctor was wearing right now had been on the TARDIS already. You’d barely had to add anything to the look.  

Every activity you stumbled upon; the Doctor seemed to enjoy. He even carved a pumpkin (an image of a Dalek, which he’d done when you mentioned people liked to carve scary things in the spirit of the holiday). People didn’t know what it was, but they all loved his creativity and carving.

“So, who’s the handsome lad you brought with you tonight?” You looked to your side, where your longest friend was standing beside you. “And better question, where do I find one of my own?”

“His name’s the Doctor,” you informed, before grinning, “and he’s one of a kind. Sorry.”

“Figures,” your friend sighed, not even questioning the man’s name like you’d thought they would’ve, “the two of you are cute together, he seems to really like you.”

You opened your mouth to deny the fact when your friend continued on, “I mean, he’d have to like you a lot to do a couples costume. I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone.”

“I’m not,” you swallowed, “we’re just friends. And we’re just matching. Where’s the harm in that?”

“Sure,” your friend shrugged, “and I’m the Queen of England. You dressed him up in a costume matching yours and you try to tell me he’s just a friend?”

“Just friends,” you insisted, but you knew you were blushing, “and leave him alone, would you? He’s... not like us. He’s never had a Halloween like this.”

“Sure,” your friend shrugged, “I just wanted to check in before you take off like you always do and I don’t see you for months. And now, you come back with this boyfriend no one’s ever seen, hopefully you don’t make a habit of that.”

“Not my boy-”  

“Yeah, yeah,” your friend laughed, “maybe not yet. Best friend’s intuition, it’ll happen, (Y/N).” Your friend gave you a teasing grin before leaving you to watch the Doctor carve the finishing touches on his Dalek pumpkin.  

Your friend teasing you was just the beginning of it. The amount of times old friends of yours came up to you and asked if you and the Doctor were dating, or if the Doctor was your boyfriend, or, even commenting that they didn’t know you were seeing someone was absurd. And everyone commenting on how amazing the two of you looked as Mia and Vincent (or just the matching, couple-y costumes in general if they didn’t know the characters) was overwhelming.

And the Doctor would just grin brightly and wrap his arm around your shoulders or peck your cheek while you tried to tell people he was not, in fact, your boyfriend. At least he was having a good time. 

The teasing smile he gave you whenever someone would walk away after assuming the two of you were together would almost be annoying if it weren’t for the brightness of the smile.

“Maybe I was wrong,” the Doctor said when the two of you finally stepped out of the party.  

The Doctor had made his way through every activity, debunked anything that was supposed to be scary for you (even if he didn’t need too), and greeted everyone in attendance with cheerfulness. You were almost certain he’d enjoyed himself, at least a little.  

“Wrong?” you prompted, taking his hand and leading him down your cousin’s driveway and away from the party.

“A bit,” the man shrugged, “that was pretty nice. Maybe I don’t hate Halloween after all. All the dangerous creatures around us, but nothing trying to harm us, eh? What a change of pace.”

“That’s the fun of it,” you agreed with a smile, “just for tonight, you can be anything you want. No one will tell you you look weird, everyone just goes with the flow.”

“You humans are strange creatures, you know? Now, I still don’t know about the costumes though,” the man pulled on his shirt, “not sure I pull it off, y’know?”

“You look fine.”

The two of you walked slowly towards the TARDIS. The Doctor had parked the space and time machine a bit away from the party, like you’d suggested so no one would find it and the night of tricks. You could barely imagine the Doctor’s rage had the TARDIS been egged or, covered in toilet paper as a stupid Halloween prank.  

A couple costumed children ran past you, laughing and giggling as they moved up the walkway of the house you were currently walking in front of. The Doctor paused to watch, and you stopped as well.

“Trick or treat!” the youngsters cheered when the door was pulled open. You strained to hear the conversation as the woman to answer the door cooed at their costumes and dropped some sweets into their trick or treat bags.  

“What’re they doing?” the Doctor turned to look at you.

“Trick or treating,” you explained, “it’s something the kids do every year. Houses hand out sweets and the children go door to door collecting them in costume. It’s fun,” you told him, “there’s nothing better when you’re little.”

“Did you?” The Doctor asked softly, still observing the bright smiles on the children’s faces as the moved onto the next house.

“’course,” you grinned, “did the whole neighborhood every year. Loads of sweets to eat.”

The man’s expression brightened into a wide smile, “let’s do it!” he exclaimed, “c’mon, (Y/N), trick or treat with me, I know you want too! Live a little!”

“Doctor...” you paused, looking at the man’s wide eyes, bright with a childish glow. He was nothing but a child on the inside. And you should know that, if you hadn’t already, by the way that man had been mesmerized by all the activities at the party.  

You really didn’t have the heart to tell the man that adults didn’t trick or treat, and that it was actually kind of frowned upon. Trick or treating was really for the young kids, and usually stopped around teen years. But you couldn’t find it in yourself to say, especially not when he was bouncing on his feels in excitement. “Sure, Doctor. Let’s go to a couple houses.”

Surprisingly, no one made any fuss about the Gallifreyan trick or treating at their houses. It was almost like everyone could sense the man had no ill intent, and really just wanted to experience trick or treating. It was like those who answered the doors could tell he’d never been before, and was overjoyed at the thought just like any other kid to come to their home.  

The two of you returned to the TARDIS a bit later than you’d thought, pockets full of sweets and candies handed out by the lovely homeowners you’d visited.  

“I’ve changed my mind,” the man called as he emptied his pockets onto the TARDIS console. You were sure that they’d be shot around the room in the next few minutes, but didn’t really mind, “that,” he gestured to the door, “was brilliant. Halloween is brilliant. You... you humans, you’re all brillant!”

“Thanks, I think,” you snorted. “So, you had fun then?”

“Oh yeah,” the man grinned, “loads’ve it! I’ve really been missing out, haven’t I? Trick or treating, and Halloween, who’d’ve thought it could be that fun?”

You resisted rolling your eyes, since you’d tried to tell him that earlier. It wasn’t worth it, not when the Doctor was in just a good mood.

“You know, (Y/N),” the Doctor called, not looking away from what he was doing.

“Hm?”  

“Next year, we’ll dress up as Thijarians. We’ll definitely win the costume contest dressed as Thijarians.”

<><><><>

Hope you enjoyed! And sorry it’s a day late! I would say prompt me again if it’s not what you’re looking for, but I’ll feel wird posting a Halloween fic a ways after Halloween. Hope you all had a good holiday (and stayed safe!). 

Thank you to the person who prompted this, I hope you enjoyed it!

[aftgficrec]

Any pirate aus?? Or band aus?? Thank you guys for all that you do!💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛

Hello! I’ve got some pirate and band AUs that are new to our blog and some previous recs (including space pirates, because why not?) for swashbuckling adventure and song. You may also enjoy the fics in our mermaids tag. - A

More Pirate AUs - fantasy

‘The Gracekeepers’ (now complete) here

‘Between the Sinner and the Sea’ here

‘Fear No Fall’ series here 

‘perhaps we’re just humans’ here

‘breathe air into my lungs (a chinese whisper fic)’ here

More Pirate AUs - sci fi (space)

‘Above the Clouds’ here

‘The Real Folk Blues’ (bounty hunters) here

‘Out in the Black’ here

More Band AUs

band aus here

band aus for a fandom novice here

instrument/music band here

Neil’s the singer in a band here

‘You like me (obviously)’ here

‘no other name (falling off my lips)’ and ‘Can I?’ here

‘youngblood’ here

‘Oh, Catastrophe’ here

‘Andreil Smut Anthology’ ch 1 here, ch 3 here

‘and you're shining like the brightest stars (like a transmission on the midnight radio)’ here

Pirates AUs

Disinclined to Acquiesce by redskiesandsailboats [Rated G, 22111 Words, Complete, 2021]

“What can I give you that will make you help me find Neil?”

Kevin frowns, stands up. “You know he’s on the Black Pearl, right?”

Andrew did not know that. “I don’t care,” he says.

“You know,” Kevin says at Nicky’s questioning noise. “The Black Pearl. Black sails, appears only at night. Haunted and crewed by the damned.”

Andrew tries to convey exactly how many shits he gives about the bedtime stories of the Black Pearl through the look he gives Kevin: exactly zero.

(Or, the Pirates of the Caribbean AU that absolutely no one asked for, in which Kevin is morally grey but terribly colorful in every other aspect, Neil gets kidnapped far too many times, and Andrew just wants to live out his life in peace, making swords and kissing Neil.)

tw: violence, tw: blood, tw: gun violence

Let this be a lesson to all of us by talk_less_smilemore [Not Rated (we say T), 13439 Words, Complete, Aftg Big Bang 2020]

"If you cross me," Andrew warns, "If you destroy my city or give my Den up to the Butcher, if you even think ab—"

"You'll kill me, I know." Neil rolls his eyes. "I've heard that one before."

A pirate/assassin AU set in Havana, circa 1700s. Andrew just wants to do his job. Neil won't stop getting in the way. He's hiding more than it originally appears.

tw: gun violence, tw: murder, tw: blood, tw: child trafficking

NB: Art embedded in the fic by @fornavn

Parallel by BelaBellissima [Rated T, Collection, Complete, 2018]

Chapter 6: Pirate - Andreil [2103 Words]

loosely based off of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides bc I love Phillip and Syrena

tw: violence, tw: fire, tw: blood

Zen's Tumblr Prompts by zen_fox [Rated G/T/E, Collection, Updated 2018]

Chapter 6: KANDREW — pirate au [M, 539 Words]

The Foxhole is ship of a different class to the sleek Evermore: smaller, older, and patched up places Kevin didn't know could be patched before he ended up part of her crew. He can no longer remember his life on land, but even the sea sounds different here— closer, somehow, and wilder.

Band AUs

The Musical Stylings of Neil Josten by infernalstars [Rated G (we say T), 9375 Words, Complete, 2020]

Neil Josten is a singing prodigy.

Until his mother dragged him away from that life and his father‘s criminal behavior. When his mother died, he narrowly escaped his father's clutches.

In turn, he winds up at a high school in South Carolina for his senior year and manages to get detention on the first day. It’s here he meets the Monsters looking for a lead singer.

This is his chance to be real. And to be free.

tw: implied/referenced self harm, tw: implied/referenced abuse, tw: homophobia, tw: violence, tw: vomit, tw: nightmares

Risk It All by ChloeGreen1998 [Not Rated (we say T), 2998 Words, Complete, 2019]

Band AU where after college, Aaron joins a band and is also dating Kevin Day, who yes, you bet carried on with Exy….Basically, this is the proposal band AU nobody asked for but my brain won't shut up about it xo

i hate u (i love u) by insomniass (Not Rated (we say T), 2531 Words, Incomplete, Updated Oct 2019]

Nathaniel is an up and coming artist in the industry trying to find ways to escape from his mother's harmful tendencies. Andrew is trying to find his way after breaking off from his old band and estranging himself from his only family. They don't end up finding what they're looking for, but they do find each other, so maybe that's the same thing.

tw: homophobia, tw: implied/referenced abuse

Pirate Art and Humour

merman neil and pirate andrew art by @reinventlinda

andreil from ‘Fear No Fall’ art by @still-waiting-for-godot

‘but you have heard of us’ fandom fun post by @palmettios

‘you actually were telling the truth’ fandom fun post by @palmettios

‘I love those moments’ fandom fun post by @thepalmettofoxes

[meigh-day]

Obligation (Tendou x Reader)

I seriously didn’t think I would be back writing a brand new story already (I can feel the looks of betrayal from the 6 other fics I was writing previously.). It’s been like a day since I finished Breathing Lilies, but here I am with a great need to get this story out of my brain. So please enjoy yet another Tendou centric fic. 

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

Title: Obligation

Pairing: Mafia AU Tendou x F!Reader

Characters: Includes characters from both Shiratorizawa and Seijoh/Some OC background characters

Includes: Swearing, Mentions of Guns/Knives and Violence

Status: Complete

Word Count: 1.8k

Next

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

"Is this really necessary?" You mumble out in irritation.

"Watch your tone." Kimura warned, emphasized by the look he directed at you. He’d been taking care of you since you were twelve, playing both guardian and bodyguard when the need arose. Your parents had been special to the family and when they had both been taken out during a job, you were left to Kimura to look after. Over the years, you had tried to weasel your way into some kind of work within the family, anything would have done. You'd have been happy even just guarding a door but that meant you'd need a gun and Kimura had made it clear you weren't permitted to even hold a gun, let alone learn to use one. You'd even tried to get in on the boring office work but for whatever reason any and all attempts were thwarted and thus you were left to your own devices within the confines of the house.

With a sigh you force yourself to sit upright in the chair. You had been slouching like a moody teenager and he deserved more respect than that.

"I apologize, Sensei. Please continue."

The older man let out a sigh before continuing. It's not like he was a big fan of this idea either but they needed to ensure the relationship with the Shiratorizawa group remained intact and this seemed to be the preferred method the rest of the family had agreed upon.

"It's going to take place in about a month but they want you to go stay with them before-hand so you can get to know him and get familiar with how they do things."

You chew thoughtfully at the inside of your lip as you ponder this new development. It wasn't uncommon to arrange a marriage between families to secure a new alliance or to further strengthen an old one. Now, it was your turn. For years you had complained about not being able to do something for the family that had continued to take care of you in the absence of your parents but, now that your time had come, you couldn't help but feel a little hesitant. Marrying someone you had never met wasn't your idea of romance but that didn't matter. You nod a little bit as you steel yourself, mentally preparing as you come to terms with the decision that had been made on your behalf.

"Do, do you know who it is?" Kimura nods at your question, crossing his arms as he takes a few paces across the room.

"Tendou Satori." That name, it sounded so familiar but you couldn't quite seem to bring up his image in your mind.

"You actually met him once a few years ago."

"Oh?"

"Mhm. He helped tie-up some loose ends in connection to the gang who..." He faltered for a moment, even though it had been so many years, he could still see the sadness in your eyes over the loss of your parents. It had taken several years to track down and wipe out every single rat that had had a hand in your parent's death. The family had lost a number of valuable people that day, and they made sure everyone involved paid for it dearly. You glanced up and over at him, already knowing the words before he said it, and with that brought a vision of crimson hair.

"Oh." You nodded and your sensei understood you knew the person he was referencing.

"I'm sorry. I know he's not the nicest looking person. Red hair and eyes like a demon and a personality to match."

To that you said nothing. That was not the person you remembered. In your memories you saw a smile with kind eyes to match and the loveliest red hair. Honestly, even after all these years, he was still the most beautiful person you had ever seen. Tendou had only stayed at this house for a short time but each day the two of you managed to find one another. Maybe you unconscientiously sought him out, maybe he did the same, or maybe it was just fate or a coincidence. Talking with him had been a treat and you sorely missed him when he'd finally had to return home.

"When am I expected?"

"Tomorrow."

With a nod, you offer the older man a bow before leaving. He watched you leave and let out a little sigh before retrieving his phone.

"It's me. Yea. She's gone to pack. Hm? No she understands." He listened to the voice on the other end of the phone, pacing across the room to stare out the window. You had taken this so casually that it made him a little nervous. Not that you were the type to argue but he was so sure as soon as he’d told you who it was you were being forced to marry you would at least try talk to him into getting you out of it. Instead, you were on your way to your room to pack. He was less that excited to know you were going to be married to the monster of the Shiratorizawa group. Tendou was good at what he did, it was absurd how good he was actually. Kimura had seen the aftermath of the red-head's work and it had left even a veteran like him feeling uneasy. Now he had to send you off into that creatures clutches tomorrow and there was a good chance he might never see your precious face again. There was nothing to be done for it though, in the end you had a purpose to fulfill and he would make sure you got there. After that it was up to you to decide how you would handle the rest.

.

..

...

..

.

Presently, you found yourself standing in a rather large vestibule, your luggage sitting off to the side. As your eyes roam the room, you find yourself nervously toying with the hem of your shirt. An assortment of emotions plagued you as you stood waiting. You were scared, you'd had zero interactions with the people in this house and had no idea what to expect. You felt sad, you'd had less than 24 hours to say goodbye to everyone who had been a part of your life until this point. However, mixed into the sadness and the fear of the unknown, was excitement. You were genuinely looking forward to seeing Tendou once again. There was sure to be a bit of awkwardness, you were, for lack of a better term, being forced to marry each other. You wondered if he would even remember you. It had been a few years since then and it was such a short time, you couldn't imagine you had made any kind of real impression on him.

That's where you were wrong. Satori, like you, didn't remember your name right away but when reminded of that job a few years ago, your pretty face came rushing back to him. That had been the happiest series of weeks he could recall in a long time. Everyday the two of you would inevitable run into each other and spend the following minutes..sometimes hours...chatting and joking. The sound of your laugh had become his favorite song for those few weeks and he'd have given anything to hear it once more. So, when the time came for him to leave, his only qualm was that he'd had to leave you behind. At first when he'd been told they were marrying him off to a perfect stranger, he'd been ready to spill blood. His tune changed completely when they'd told him it was you. He was so thoroughly happy, for a little while anyway. Sure you hadn't know each other for long but at least you had met and every memory of you was bliss. He felt like the luckiest guy in the world but he could only imagine how you were feeling right now. The prospect of being forced to marry him, it must have been so terrifying.

Tendou was all to familiar with what people said about him, he'd used those rumors to his advantage. They helped him built up a fairly fearsome persona, though it wasn't all bullshit. He really, truly, was a terrifying being to behold when it came to completing his work. He wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty, dripping with someone else's blood. But that wasn't all there was to him, he was still just a person, just a human being. He loved to laugh and share jokes, though they went fairly unappreciated around here. He happily devoured Shonen Jump each week, the shelves in his room practically sagged with the weight of the collected issues. He was the demon, the monster, of the Shiratorizawa Group, but he was still just a human and part of him desperately wanted to feel something akin to love. Even so, he knew there was no way someone as wonderful as you, someone so charming, so beautiful inside and out, could really truly fall for a beast like him. He knew you would do your duty and you would do it well but that's all it was, a duty, a job, a burden.

So with a sigh, he made his way through the house to collect you. He wore black from top to bottom, the only pop of color on his entire person was his dazzling red hair. You had to grit your teeth to refrain from gasping when he entered the room. He cut an impressive figure, leaning casually against the door frame, his calculating red eyes on you. You remembered he was handsome, but had he always been THAT good looking. It wasn't fair. Suddenly you felt very plain and underdressed in comparison to him. The knee-length jacket he wore on top of his outfit fluttered behind him as he crossed the threshold into the vestibule.

"It's been awhile, Y/N." He offered up a grin as he drew closer to you. Had you always been this pretty? The expression on his face did little to betray the thoughts racing around his mind as he took in your appearance. His memory of you couldn't compare to the vision before him now. You were looking up at him with wide eyes but he couldn't tell if it was in fear or awe. Though, assuming it was the former he let the grin on his lips fade until his mouth was pressed into a line.

"It's nice to see you again, Tendou." You smiled up at him, truly happy to see him again and feeling somehow lucky. Honestly, arranged marriages often ended up in extremely unfortunate pairings. Somehow you had hit the jackpot.

He hummed in response, the negative thoughts prickling in his mind wouldn't allow him a moment to just consider perhaps you meant it. Instead he noted how well you were already performing under this obligation. He hefted your two suitcases up and started back towards the door he came in.

"Wait! Let me help you with those." He glanced over his shoulder, a smirk on his lips.

"Don't worry your pretty little head. It's the least I can do as your future husband."

[princess-of-the-worlds]

tldr: I’m back, babey, with a handful of Torchwood fic recs timed perfectly for Halloween! Now, I tried to collect newer as well as older fics, but honestly, the way it worked out, they all ended up mostly being newer. Still, the fics here are a mixed bag in terms of spooky versus creepiness, and you should definitely find several you like!

I cannot sleep warm by Beleriandings (@ultraviolet-eucatastrophe)

“And I love you too. Now... time to wake up.”

(janto | complete | teen | 11.2K)

Nik: Hi! Do you want to cry? Well, then, read this fic! Set in...well, a scenario I can’t entirely describe without spoilers but can say that it involves dreaming, this fic transcends reality - and also imagination - at times. The author - yes, I am proud to call her my friend - is very good at writing surreal stories, and there are just so many angsty layers to this fic. There’s this symmetric beauty to the first chapter that the second chapter just brings into focus. I immensely enjoyed this fic, but don’t go in expecting a happy ending!

The Picture of Javic Thane by thirteeninafez (@thirteeninafez)

The painting was an old Victorian portrait, showing a man sitting in an almost throne-like chair, posture perfect and facial expression stoic. Deep colours swirled from brilliant brush strokes, perfectly capturing the image it was displaying. It took Ianto a second to realise that the figure in the maroon, nearly purple suit (and matching bow-tie) was in fact the same man that was currently holding the painting in the Hub.

“That’s what came through the Rift?” Ianto asked incredulously, trying to ignore the smile that was tugging at the corner of his mouth.

(janto | complete | teen | 22.3K)

Nik: Full disclosure, I beta’d this fic, and holy shit, it’s good and perfectly fits the Halloween mood! This fic is essentially a The Picture of Dorian Grey AU, and the author’s descriptions as the painting changes...chef’s kiss! All team’s perspectives on Jack and how he changes is delightful and enough to make you shudder. If dark!Jack is something you’ve been missing in life, read this fic, but also know that it comes with requisite amounts of angst. (But I guess that that’s to be expected!)

Werewolf of Cardiff by Jackdaw816 (@shejustcalledmeafish)

Ianto's a wolf in the bedroom. Literally

(janto | complete | teen | 0.5K)

Nik: Again, full disclosure, I chattered about Werewolf Ianto to the author enough until she wrote this. So you can basically thank me for this fic! Short and sweet, this fic is essentially the quickest and best fluff you can ask to cheer you up or give you the warm fuzzies! Despite being a werewolf, Ianto’s full characterization still comes through, and the author does a delightful job with pouring on the extra love and warmth into the Jack-Ianto relationship.

Jack-O'-Lantern by AVAAntares (@avaantares)

An epistolary story in which Gwen carves, Ianto objects, Owen shirks, and Jack pays.

(Written for Torchwood Halloween Fest 2020. Prompt: Halloween traditions or celebrations)

(janto | complete | general | 0.7K)

Nik: Another quick fic! This one is entirely amusing with a great team dynamic! Brief emails follow the trajectory of the weeks before Halloween in the Hub, including a pumpkin that falls victim to Gwen and Jack as well as other moments of humor. You’ll certainly find yourself giggling along!

Imposters Among Us by gwendolyncooper (@gwendolyncooper)

The Torchwood team (+Rhys) are out for a night of fun when they end up on a spaceship with no power, no info, and no crew. Known only as THE SKELD, the team tries to fix the ship and figure out what happened to its previous occupants.

But something out there is killing them.

Something that may be someone they know.

(gwenrhys, janto | complete | mature | 9.1K)

Nik: This fic, as gut-punchy and well-written as the writing is, may not for the light-hearted, as you can likely see with the tags, but trust me, it’s worth it and ends up paying itself off! It’s essentially real-life Among Us, but playing it in reality is a lot more terrifying than playing it on your phone, and the team proves that! The plot is intriguing as it builds on the lore of the game, and the emotional beats certainly punch very hard, but the fic lands a bit more lightly on its feet at the end. Certainly a must-read if you love Among Us!

Toil, Trouble, and Trick-or-Treating by moonlightrhosyn (@moonlightrhosyn)

“I know what this is. She planned this. She thinks I don’t spend enough time with the kids. That’s why she’s doing this.” “Doing what, Ianto?” Gwen asked him. “What do your sister’s dinner plans have to do with you?” Ianto heaved a sigh. “She just asked me to take David and Mica trick-or-treating so she ‘can go to dinner’ - she just wants me to spend more time with them, and she’s come up with this.” “I can go too,” Jack offered as he joined them. He grinned. “I love kids!” In which Jack and Ianto take Halloween night off to look after Rhiannon's kids, while Gwen and Suzie coordinate Halloween Watch (and Gwen tries to get Suzie a date, after two years of strategizing).

(janto, gwenrhys, kathysuzie | complete | teen | 2.7K)

Nik: Here’s a canon divergence AU where everyone lives, including Suzie, which means we get some fun team times with Halloween! Ianto is tasked with taking David and Mica trick-or-treating, all accompanied by Jack. It’s sweet, light, and a perfect treat, with great little moments like Gwen trying to set Suzie up on a date with Kathy Swanson and David and Mica trying to conspire against Jack and Ianto for candy. There’s no monsters here! I beta’d this fic - you’re probably starting to see a trend here - and 200% recommend this for a fun read if you’re disappointed about not getting to go trick-or-treating this year!

Treat or Trick by NancyBrown

Five unusual trick or treaters show up at the tourist office.

(janto | complete | teen | 1K)

Nik: The author is an icon of this fandom, but this is one of their lesser-read fics, which is a damn shame. Ianto’s Halloween at the tourist office goes a bit awry when he meets the team, not only de-aged but also tossed back in time. It’s quick, witty, and humorous, everything a fic needs! A must-read!

Going Batty by blackkat

Ianto is a vampire. Cue Owen's obligitory Twilight jokes.

(janto | complete | general | 1.4K)

Nik: This fic is completely crack. Completely. If you’re looking for Dracula-esque vampire!Ianto, this is the perfect fic for you. Taking place from the perspective of Gwen, it explores the mystery of Torchwood’s most reclusive member. But again, it is also. 100% crack. But it’s very, very batty. (See what I did there?)

Erlkönig by engagemythrusters (@iianto-jones)

Something lurked in the darkness. It waited and watched, and it was coming for Ianto.

(janto | complete | teen | 5.6K)

Nik: Now, if you really want spooky, this is the right fic for you! The writing is excellent and dripping with tension and suspense, and the way Ianto spirals...now, this is some well-written horror that will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you’re looking for answers in this fic, don’t expect any, but that only makes it better. A must-read that was - ironically - written in May. I have many, many questions about how this fic resolves; please tell us, author! (Or don’t, to keep the spooky alive!)

Echoing by Beleriandings (@ultraviolet-eucatastrophe)

Ianto wakes up at his desk in the archives, with no memory of how he got there or what happened before, and no way to contact Jack or Gwen. Turns out, all of that's the least of his problems.

(janto, lisaianto | complete | teen | 7.4K)

Nik: Yes, I know; this author has been on the list twice, but she’s on fire this month, with many, many excellent spooky fics. (Not that her fics aren’t always spooky!) This fic once again hits you like a gut-punch. Written in a very disorienting - in the good way - sense, we as readers follow Ianto wandering the Hub, looking for anyone else. He encounters company who aren’t so solid. By the time you’re nearing the end of this fic, you’ll likely have generated thousands of theories if you’re anything like me, but none of them will hurt as much as the actual truth. Expect some much angst from this. Again, another must-read!

[alexseanchai]

Fanfic 2020 in Review

I got tagged by @kasienda @noirshitsuji and @marvelousmsmol and I am tagging whoever wants to play!

1) List of fics completed this year in the order they were finished:

*filters own works to complete and updated in 2020*

1 - 20 of 57 Works by AlexSeanchai

nope. *adds filter to include only works of at least 1000 words*

unless otherwise indicated, these are all Miraculous Ladybug:

“don’t bake it lying down”, post-reveal Marichat vs Felix Graham de Vanily

“veracity”, canon divergence from “Ladybug” featuring Mister Bug and Verity Queen (so also Marichat, I guess)

“(no request is too extreme, if) your heart is in your dream”, in which Hawkmoth wins, for the thirty seconds or so before Emilie saves Ladybug and Chat Noir’s lives

“tell me you love me and make me believe it”, in which trans girl Chatonne Noire ropes Ladybug into helping plan her civilian self’s escape slash social transition

“kingmaker, oathbreaker”, in which Hawkmoth wins and Emilie watches her son remove himself from the family

“stay and let me watch you break it down” (Twelve Dancing Princesses), a modern setting

“set a course for winds of fortune”, in which trans girl Chatonne Noire has already escaped and Gabriel and Nathalie are trying to bring Gabriel’s son home

“we ground love in a hopeless place”, in which post-reveal Marinette’s attempt to remain resolutely not in love with her partner dissolves like sugar in coffee when they start a pun war

“ring the bells that still can ring”, in which Alya is deeply confused about why Adrien and Marinette are planning a wedding when last night both were single

“burning wishes at both ends (the cold wind and long loud wail remix)”, in which Gabriel made a monkey’s paw wish and Emilie makes another

“words cannot espresso”, in which Marinette’s OC roommate is justifiably worried for Marinette’s safety, and meanwhile Adrien takes care of Marinette

“the compromise of truth” (the chronologically second-earliest part posted to date of nine lives, snake’s eyes), in which Adrien tells his friends how he won some freedom and respect from his father

“At The Present Time”, the Ladrien/Ladynoir marriage proposal follow-up to @art-deco-shrimp‘s  “Your Presents Required”

“j'ai rêvé (so I don't have to dream alone)”, in which the events of canon must just have been a series of dream sequences, Marinette and Adrien both think, until they both arrive at Chloe’s Halloween masquerade dressed as themselves from the dreams

2) Number of words written:

ahahaha no. I am not counting all my scattered fic drafts and trying to figure out what I did and didn’t write in 2020. I refuse.

AO3 says I posted 162K in 2020. it is counting all of keeps you guessing (like any real love), which (a) I started posting in 2019 (b) is co-written by @galahadwilder​; it is counting all of my meta snippets collection, much of which was written in 2019; it is counting the Vimeo passwords for my vids. but I probably cleared 150K by a safe margin.

3) Your most popular fic:

“veracity” has a four-digit kudos count, wow, when’d that happen? this is also the 2020 work with the most hits and the most bookmarks, but “tell me you love me” has four-thirds as many comments as its nearest competitor.

4) Your personal fav:

“cannot break us, not with a thousand swords”, no question about it. this is the one in which Ladybug proposes marriage to Chat Noir via Princess Bride meme on Tumblr. (if you intend to download the work or otherwise to consume it with creator style off, you want the accessible version instead of the primary version.)

5) Your fav scene:

aaaaaaaaa

—okay so this is cheating and I know it, since Uncertain Humors (the one where Marinette/Adrien is both Orpheus/Eurydice and Theseus/Ariadne) is nowhere near finished, never mind posted (maybe I'll get “Sanguine” done to post on my birthday?)

but it is still my favorite of the year. as you might guess from that description of the story, this scene has content notes for character death:

Hell is a maze. Marinette walks.

This acrid passage has little to see but damp stone, seeming blood-stained in the dim carmine light. At about the height of her heart, the faintly glowing thread cuts through the not-clammy air; it ought to be pulsing at the same rate as the heart it's bound to. She might be able to see her own reflection if she looked down at the open sewage pipe, or at one of the puddles that now and again she splashes through, dampening the canvas of her shoes. She might see reflected what's behind her.

She remembers Mme. Mendeleiev lecturing on human physiology. In healthy humans old enough to have learned how, urination is a voluntary action: one may not know which muscles one tenses and relaxes in order to do so, and probably isn't paying attention to those details when one is doing, but one has conscious control over whether one does. Usually. Stress and anxiety mean some people are unable to relax the relevant sphincter muscle and others are unable to stop themselves. It's voluntary for cats, too: it's one way they mark their territories. Cat-boys have other ways.

There is a moment in every human life when all one's muscles relax at once. Some Parisians have had several such moments.

The thread is braided with itself around her left fourth finger, rows of tiny red half-hitch knots, and falls loosely over the back of her hand to loop twice around her wrist. She holds it wrapped between the fingers of her right hand to keep it at a constant tension, as though knitting with this insubstantial thread, so fragile for something two (two dozen, two million) lives hang from—too thin to sew with, no thicker than one strand of his hair. As she walks, she winds it around and around and around her wrist.

Between her ring finger and her right hand, it loops twice.

Marinette's shoe lands in a puddle she didn't see. The rainwater splashes soundlessly onto her bare ankle and on the stone.

(With cat-like tread, upon our prey we steal— It's a very loud song.)

She walks on.

6) A fic or scene that challenged you:

where the firelight fades, no contest. this is the second story I’ve ever been able to stick with more than a couple hundred words past the 20K mark, but it’s easily the twentieth novel-length I’ve begun. (though also, you know that kedreeva post? well, 90K later, I’m less than 15K from completing this 10K fic! I think.) and I have been learning so much about long-form fiction.

there has also been a lot of weeping and tearing my hair. case in point: I just trashed the chapter 15 draft because I figured out the reason it wasn’t going anywhere! I can probably keep the first few hundred words of that draft without any editing, and another few hundred with some revision...

7) A line of writing you’re proud of:

from “j'ai rêvé (so I don't have to dream alone)”:

Everything about their partnership is fragments of sentences in the dream diary Adrien writes in ultraviolet pen. Disjointed flickers of thought even when examined under the black light he hides in the snack cabinet under packets of Super Yoyo sandwich cookies and bags of cheesy Monster Munch potato chips and boxes of petit écolier butter cookies (chocolat noir)—none of which explains the gym-socks smell. All fleeting incoherent flashes, invisible between the mundane lines of La Modification shelved at his bedside between Leroux and Dumas. None of it is solid. Adrien has more proof his room's haunted.

okay let me break this down for you!

* Adrien started a dream diary to make sense of the memories

* in invisible ink, in a book that (according to Wikipedia) is thematically appropriate and won’t (if Gabriel sees it) look like anything other than Adrien developing an interest in French literature

* shelved between Phantom of the Opera and The Three Musketeers

* look I didn’t come up with the name “black light”

* or “chocolat noir” for what English speakers call “dark chocolate”, or “petit écolier” (that is, “little schoolboy”) for that sort of butter cookie

* also not my fault that “chocolat noir” sounds remarkably like “Chat Noir”, which, attentive readers may have noticed, is not a name that appears in the story after the header and before Miraculous Cure

* I found the website of a store in Boston, Massachusetts that caters to French expats, and the yo-yo cookies and the monster chips were right there in the photos, y’all

* the snack stash and the black light live in the cabinet where, in canon, the Camembert lives; yes, that cheese smells in the real world like gym socks

* this story’s akuma was not able to affect anything but squishy human memory: nobody affected remembers anything about Ladybug or Chat Noir or Hawkmoth, not in any solid way, not even when they read news articles about the subject, and this includes Marinette and Adrien not being able to see or hear or remember their own kwamis—but you know what Adrien’s Insta post about his poltergeist and Adrien’s Insta post with the floating sock don’t show and don’t explicitly refer to?

* I love this paragraph so much (my housemates may have been lovingly mocking me over it)

8) A comment that touched you:

there are people (y’all know who you are) who said y’all are studying my style. I ded of blush.

9) Something that inspired your writing:

by volume of fic drafts that can be blamed on any particular person, the winner is probably @norakwami​

10) Your proudest accomplishment (that one scene; finally finishing that one fic; posting your first fic; etc):

so that longest-story-ever-written record I set in 2007 with the 89.5K story that, till where the firelight fades, was the only story I’d gotten much past 20K?

I broke that fucking record!

and then I deleted the draft of firelight chapter 15 😭

11) Do you have any writing goals for the next year?

I’m starting work on a fantasy novel, a Sleeping Beauty retelling in which I explore (among other things) the economic consequences of the king’s ordering all the spinning wheels burned, and I want to make significant progress on that. and I want to not make my hands any worse; I kind of need those!

(breaking news alert: bodies fucking suck. so does giving yourself repetitive stress injuries in doing one and a half to two people’s worth of work for an organization that was never ever going to pay you more than one person’s worth of pay.)

[gale-gentlepenguin]

ML fic: The Hunt

(Warning, Contains Blood, and Graphic Violence)

(Happy Birthday @masked-bixch )

(I hope you enjoy the present at the end)

A man in a trench coat carrying a duffel bag walked into the sewers of Paris.

He was of a decent build and average height, not buff, not scrawny. His hair was short and jet black. He had a pencil mustache and kept most of his face hidden by the use of his hat. If needed he could likely slip into a crowd without notice.

He had heard of the bizzare events that have been occurring in Paris, a place were sad people get possessed by evil bugs and fight superheroes. It would sound insane if there wasn’t video proof.

What really was insane was the recent bounty that popped up. One that many would consider a practical joke. In fact, many thought it was done as a way to flush out greedy hitmen.

10 million Euros for Ladybug and Chat noir.

It was such a rediculous idea. Hiring an assassin to kill superheroes.

He didn’t understand why he was even bothering to check out the legitimacy of this insane bounty. Was it boredom? Perhaps hope for a challenge. He had been in this field for 20 years now, and he really wanted a way to prove himself. Not many people know it, but hitmen are arrogant egomaniacs. Reputation is as valuable as gold. If he could pull it off, then his rep would be without question.

He followed the directions to the rendezvous point, and he was shocked to see that this was legit.

In front of him stood a man in a purple suit and a silver mask, a metal briefcase in his hand. Even he knew that this was the villain of Paris, the super terrorist, Hawkmoth.

“So, it was real.” The man in the trench coat stated, an amused smile graced his face.

“I take it you are interested in the assignment.” The masked man questioned, keeping a serious face.

“I was curious about this strange bounty that popped up. Many people in my circle think it’s a set up to a sting operation.”

“Yet you came anyway?”

“I figured a cop wouldn’t be so brazen with their trap.”

Hawkmoth didn’t react to the man’s comments.

“Can I get the name of the man I’m hiring?”

“You can call me Hunter. You of all people should know the importance of a civillain identity being kept secret.” Hunter mused

Hawkmoth nodded.

“Very well. Hunter, your assignment is to get me the Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat noir, whether they are dead or alive is no concern of mine.”

Hunter looked at the villain before chuckling.

“So, your use of gloomy people has been so ineffective you needed to actually hire someone.”

Hawkmoth was not amused.

“So, if I take the job. Do I get some special equipment to deal with these freaks? Or will I be able to put a bullet in their skulls without a problem.

“The miraculous enhances their natural durability to superhuman levels. So long as their wearing the miraculous, normal weapons won’t be able to do much against them. A typical bullet would be a bug bite at worst.”

Hunter scoffed.

“Figured.”

Hawkmoth smiles.

“But, I can give you the edge you need.”

He reveals his Cane and opens the dome on top of it to reveal a black butterfly.

“A butterfly? I hope you are joking.”

“Trust me. This will be more then enough”

“Alright, show the cash. I need to make sure I aint getting stiffed.”

Hawkmoth tosses the suit case to the assassin.

He opens the case and his eyes go wide, a dark grin appears on his face.

“Let me just check to make sure its real.”

Hunter quickly pulls a bundle of bills and examines them, it was real. It was legit.

“And they say crime doesn't pay.” 

“Consider that a down payment. Should you succeed, you will be receiving payments over the course of 5 years.”

Hunter closes the case.

“I want those payments in American bills. Cant exactly stick around here spending this cash.”

“Your demands will be met. Now, shall we begin?”

_______________________________________________________________________

“Another quiet Patrol. Seems that Hawkmoth might have Migrated for the winter.” The cat themed costume quipped.

“I don’t trust this. Don't you find it off Chat noir? Its been over a month since the last akuma attack.” The red clad heroine commented.

“Relax Ladybug, maybe Hawkmoth felt humiliated after the 30th akumatization of Mr.Pigeon and decided to take up stamp collecting.”

Ladybug moved to the edge of the roof they were on to get a better view of the area. The night was quite peaceful, even for the city at night. Something felt very wrong.

Chat noir’s ear twitched as he picked up on something.

“Duck!”

Chat noir tackled Ladybug out of the way just barely avoiding a small incoming projectile.

“What was that?”

Ladybug looked in the direction of where the object came from.

“Roll!”

Ladybug rolled with Chat noir avoiding the next few attacks.

“What in Plagg’s name is going on!?” Chat noir questioned. Confused by the sudden attack.

The two got up.

“We need to move.” 

The two started to move across rooftops.

“Looks like Hawkmoth decided to get his lazy butt up again.”

“Chat noir Focus, this akuma is sniping at us.”

“Yea, its probably wants to capture us like with Desperada. We should avoid getting hit.”

The akuma looked away from his scope.

His clothes took the colors of the environment around him. His eyes blood red and his pupils like those of an eagle. He had a black mask cover his face, which also acted similar to his clothing. He was as stealthy as a chameleon. and as deadly as a Cobra.

“Damn, they are quicker then I expected. I guess that explains the high cost.”

He got up from his spot and stretched.

“I guess this is where the real fun begins.”

He goes into his bag to change his sniper rifle for two sleek  Desert Eagle Pistols.

“Gotta admit Hawky. You really suited me up. I can just think of a weapon and bam, I can pull it right out of my bag. I am pretty damn sure these are illegal here.”

A purple butterfly outline appeared over his eyes.

“Remember Hero Hunter, these aren't just copies. Thanks to the powers I gifted you, those weapons are lethal, even to them. That includes if they are turned on you as well.”

“Yea Yea, I am well aware of the powers. I get their magic trinkets, and take them back to you. And I can kill them if I want to.”

“Just be sure you succeed.”

“Noted.”

Hero hunter Dashed along the roof tops after the two. He was planning on doing two quick shots then clean up. But perhaps he can enjoy an up close kill.

_______________________________________________________________________

“We need to find a place to regroup and think of a way to handle this akuma.”

“Agreed, I hate when the akuma hides like this. It is super annoying.” Chat noir spat.

“Good thing I am not hiding.”

The two heroes stopped to see the akuma appear in front of them.

He was wearing camouflage that seemed to shift to the correct colors of his environment at will. He looked like a mix of a soldier and a game hunter. But what caught the two heroes attention were the two pistols in his hands.

“Are those guns? Like actual guns!?” Chat noir questioned in disbelief.

The akuma smirked.

“Desert Eagle. .44 Magnum. Always buy American.” He said as he pointed his gun at the cat.

“Now, hand over the miraculous, or I turn you both in to Swiss cheese.”

“Hate to tell you this, but those won't do anything to us. Got some impressive Invulnerability. At best those will be an annoy...”

Chat noir heard the click of the barrel but was caught off guard by the bullet the went through his thigh

“AGH!!!!” Chat noir Screamed as blood spilled out of the hole. He grabbed his Thigh as he fell down on one knee, reeling from the pain.

“So much for your durability.” He mocked. “Now last chance, or next shot goes through your skull.”

Ladybug felt a chill go down her spine. This was nothing like the other akuma attacks. This was a true life or death battle. Hawkmoth was playing for keeps!

He lined up his next shot for his head but his arm was snagged by a yo-yo. The sudden movement made him release his gun.

“You get away from him you monster!” Ladybug screamed in rage.

The akuma growled and turned his other hand to her, trying to shoot her.

Ladybug quickly jumped in the air, narrowly avoiding the bullets. He cursed as he realized he needed to reload.

Ladybug took this chance to scoop up Chat noir and get him out of there.

“Sneaky bug.” He muttered angrily. He was done playing nice. He didn't care if they were kids. They were making a mockery of him, and he has a reputation to maintain.

He goes into his bag and pulls out something much bigger.

“This will be perfect for Exterminating that bug.”

______________________________________________________________________

“Ghhh.” Chat noir bit his lip to hold in his pain as Ladybug put pressure on the wound.

“Okay, so we have an akuma with weapons that ignore our durability.”Ladybug stated as she was trying to figure out a plan.

“Figured that one out. Thankfully, I can heal quick. I think the bleeding is stopping.” 

Chat noir managed to stand up. He grunted in pain as he kept himself standing.

“Oh no you don't. You are staying hidden until I solve this.”

“Like hell I am! You expect me to lay back and let the woman I love get shot at?! You're crazy if you think....”

Chat noir noticed Ladybug was in tears.

“Ladybug...”

“I don't want you to die Chatton! You are injured and that wound will slow you down. There is no way you can dodge bullets in your condition!”

“Ladybug... You still have miraculous healing. Once we beat the akuma, all the damage will be undone. That can't happen if you get killed. You need me out there.” Chat noir reasoned.

Ladybug could see his logic. She hated that he was right, she hated that there was a chance they could die. She hugged him. The two managing to calm their nerves after the embrace.

“Okay, but you need to be careful. I don't want you getting hurt anymore.”

“I promise, I will be alright when this is over.”

“Come out Come out Wherever you are!!”

A voice called out from a distance.

“Seems the hunter is getting impatient.” Chat noir rolled his eyes.

“Well maybe I have something to turn the tide and make the hunter the hunted.”

“Lucky Charm.”

_____________________________________________________________________

The Akuma sits on the roof top, his camouflage active to ensure he was hiding.

He was pretending that he was getting cocky in order to draw the two heroes out. They will be expecting an outright fight. But he had something special planned.

The two peer from their hiding place, looking around to see where he was.

‘Just a little further.’

“Where did he go? I could of sworn I heard him.” 

“Keep calm kitty, he might have a trick up his sleeve.”

‘Just pop right out.’

Chat Noir jumped out of the spot.

“Now!”

He presses the button in his hand.

A sting pulls chat noir back just barely avoiding the exploding mine.

“Damn it!” The akuma cursed.

“Nice try, we figured you would try something like that. And now we know where you are. So quit the chameleon act.

The akuma revealed himself and had his arms up.

“Alright. You caught me. I have been outsmarted.”

Ladybug could see that the man was clearly lying through his teeth, he was reaching for something.

“Its a trap.”

The man revealed a massive Gun and aimed it at them.

“Bye bye.”

The akuma let loose a storm of bullets from his automatic machine gun.

Chat noir began spinning his Staff as fast as he could to block the bullets. Ladybug used the opportunity to slick away.

“I never get to use these. They are so much fun!” The akuma roars with laughter. His bullets not as accurate as before with the powerful gun shooting off rapid fire.

Chat noir managed to block a majority of the bullets but he was getting knocked and hit by a few missed ones, He was starting to getting much bloodier and his baton was slowing down. He was biting his lip to avoid screaming in pain. These bullets hurt like hell.

“You’re finished you mangy mongrel.”

He felt something his his hands.

“What the heck.

“He looked up to see Ladybug.

He pointed his gun upward and began firing. A few bullets managed to connect as she was in the air.

“GHH!” She groaned in pain as she rolled from the landing.

“Nice try Bug. But now your going to be exterminated.”

He pointed the gun at her.

“Ladybug!” Chat noir cried out as he tried to move.

Click

“Out of ammo. No matter, I still have ammunition in my pistols and with how weak you two are, it will be easy pickings.” He boasted as he tried to drop his empty gun. But he couldn't.

“Wait... I can't let go of my gun!”

Ladybug smirked as she revealed the super glue she had on her person, she tossed it aside used her Yo-Yo to circle around his legs and tripped him. His pistols and duffel bag flew off of him as he was helpless to get them.

“You got to be kidding me!” He screamed in frustration.

“Chat noir, the bag!”

The cat slowly stumbled to the bag. Ladybug took notice of the dozens of holes in his body, the cat had managed to protect his vital organs, but his body was bloody and he would die from blood loss if the healing didn't happen soon.

“Hurry Chat!”

“Cata...clysm...” Chat noir called out in a weak voice as he fell forward. Touching the bag with his hand, turning it black and causing it to crumble. The black butterfly popped out.

“No!” The akuma shouted.

Ladybug untangled her yo-yo and went to snag the akuma.

“Time to de-evilize.”

She snagged the akuma with her Yo-Yo and purified it. This resulted in the akuma reverting back into his normal form.

“Chat, the akuma is down! Chat?”

She looks to see a large puddle of red liquid pooling around him.

Ladybug looked away, she couldn't freeze up right now. She needed to cast healing.

“Miraculous ladybug!”

She tossed the glue container into the air and she watched as her powers activate.

The damage to the environment vanished, and the pool of blood around chat noir vanished. Ladybug’s leg healed instantly.

“Chat!” She ran to the cat hero, who was still laying face down in the ground.

“Its alright Chat noir. I fixed everything. You are all fixed up.”

The de-akumatized hitman noticed the hero was distracted. He quietly made his way toward his bag. He had some things in there that would not give him plausible deniability over this whole mess.

“Chatton?” Ladybug touched his cheek and noticed he felt cold. She frantically began checking for a pulse.

“No... no no no... We... we won. This shouldn't.”

The assassin slicked away as the hero desperately tried to revive her partner.

“I wonder if hawkmoth will pay for half the job done?”

______________________________________________________________________

Is Chat Noir Alive? Is he dead?

As my birthday gift @masked-bixch is the one that gets the final say!

I will write the ending after I get the response from her.

It is her birthday gift, she should get to decide how it all ends.

[likeshipsonthesea]

hi could you do "but you don’t know the hell you put me through; to have someone kiss the skin that crawls from you" for the geraskier prompts? also i really love your writing! thanks :D

from this list, thank you so much for the prompt! anyone else who would like to send one in, feel free! trying to get into writing the witcher fic but turns out it took me 4 years to get comfortable writing cp! characters and i Am Lost. still, i think this turned out p good and i hope y’all like it :)

from Hozier’s “To Be Alone” geraskier for “but you don’t know the hell you put me through; to have someone kiss the skin that crawls from you” i used inspo from the whole song, not just the one lyric, but yeah. it fits i think

warning for some mild blood, gore, & violence (typical to the show)

           The worst part, in Geralt’s opinion, of walking back into town covered in the remnants of a ghoul’s last meal isn’t the stench of half-digested rotting flesh, the itch of blood drying against his skin and beginning to flake off, or the too-bright light of the sun unmarred by a canopy of trees. The worst part is most definitely the roaring chatter of voices, whispers sharp and breathy, gasps pinpricks against the back of his neck.

           A ghoul shouldn’t have made him this “touchy,” as Jaskier liked to call it, but, Geralt allows himself, it was not just a ghoul.

           “Not that the scent of death isn’t a lovely complement to your usual brood, but must you always bathe in the innards of your monsters once you slay them?”

           Geralt rumbles, stepping towards Jaskier’s voice. He can’t see him through his blinking, through the crowd, but he can hear his heartbeat louder than the townspeople now that he’s announced himself and Geralt can focus on him.

           Jaskier pushes through the crowd in a moment or two, frowning deeply at Geralt. The sight of Jaskier sends a shudder through Geralt. Fucking ghouls, Geralt growls.

           “No need for dramatics,” Jaskier says, taking Roach’s reins from Geralt. “Your coin is waiting in the inn and there’s bathwater being boiled as we speak.”

           Geralt stares at Jaskier, his own head tilted down to block out the sun. Jaskier’s turned his attention to Roach, petting down her nose, murmuring something like, “Darling girl,” under his breath. Geralt clenches his hands tightly, shakes them. Jaskier looks up and frowns again.

           “I’ll see to it that Roach is cared for,” Jaskier says. He smirks in his charming way, something that should be irksome but somehow – isn’t. “Go collect your spoils, Geralt.”

           Geralt.

           The sorcerer’s magic must have been waiting for a very long time, biding its time, building. It had accounted for nearly every detail, every crinkle of smile, every lilt in his voice, every casual touch, except for that, except for how Jaskier said his name. Jaskier could be annoyed with him, enraged with him, pleading or teasing or charming, but every time he spoke Geralt’s name – not Butcher, or White Wolf, or Witcher – every time, his heartbeat aligned with the syllables and his lips twitched, not necessarily up or down, just – acknowledgement.

           Geralt nods, jerky, and turns towards the inn. Magic powerful enough to trick a Witcher, and yet Jaskier was still unmatchable.

           The inn’s owner seems grateful for Geralt’s services, if not his scent, and hands over the coin with little fanfare. The room he directs Geralt to holds a bath with steam rising from its surface. Geralt removes his armor, then his clothes, and sinks into the water with a deep sigh.

           If he closes his eyes, he can imagine he’s still within the magic’s grasp. Geralt assumes the spell was meant to trap one within their own paradise, or something to that end, so of course Geralt’s had included a bath.

           “Is it a Witcher thing or a you thing?” the fake Jaskier had asked, voice close, just behind Geralt’s head. Geralt had rumbled a questioning noise and the mirage had continued. “Your fondness for baths. Is that the Path, or just you?”

           Geralt had growled. Jaskier had laughed.

           “Just you, then.”

           Geralt hadn’t responded, but Jaskier hadn’t seemed to need confirmation. The water had remained hot, scalding, through the long moments of silence, as Geralt had laid with his eyes closed, listening to Jaskier’s heartbeat. Then, without warning, Jaskier’s hands had fallen into Geralt’s hair.

           “What a mess you make of this glorious mane,” Jaskier had sighed, deft fingers careful as they untangled knots. Geralt had hummed, leaned back into the touch. When all the knots were gone, Jaskier ran his fingers through Geralt’s hair, pressing into his scalp, tender. With a soft tug, he’d brought Geralt’s head back against the lip of the tub, eyes closed, neck exposed.

           “Do my eyes deceive me,” Jaskier had whispered, teasing, “or is a relaxed Witcher sitting before me?”

           Geralt growled, but he hadn’t moved.

           Jaskier’s voice suddenly became nearer, above. “It’s nice, isn’t it?” he’d murmured, just before his lips came down on Geralt’s forehead. Geralt had inhaled, sharp, but hadn’t moved. Lips drifted down, pressing over one eyelid, then the other.

           Geralt remembers that it hurt. The softness. Against the delicate skin of his eyelids, Jaskier had pressed with the barest of pressures, lips curved into a smile. Dangerous, Geralt had thought. To be held as a soft thing, even fleetingly, would cut him deeper than any monster he could encounter.

           Geralt’s slow heart had begun to tap. One of Jaskier’s hands released from Geralt’s hair, sliding down his chest to rest over the thump. “It’s alright, Geralt,” Jaskier had said, sweet, against Geralt’s ear, and Geralt’s heart had begun to slow.

           Jaskier’s lips hadn’t twitched.

           “Well, you didn’t waste much time,” Jaskier says, laughing, as he enters their shared room. Geralt opens his eyes. He watches Jaskier move about, settling, undoing the buttons of his doublet in the steamed heat. His hands move quickly, practiced, and the smooth roll of his shoulders as he shrugs out of the garment steals Geralt’s breath.

           Jaskier, oblivious, takes his seat on the bed, facing Geralt. His eyes, expectant, settle on Geralt, and he must stifle the shudder growing under his skin.

           “You promised details,” Jaskier says, pointing accusatorily. “I was a very good bard and stayed back as requested. So be the noble man I know you are and hold up your end of the deal.”

           Geralt huffs. Noble.

           Jaskier throws his hands up. “You were gone for a whole day more than expected, there must be something interesting that occurred.”

           Geralt returns his gaze for some moments, Jaskier unwavering. Geralt looks away. “There was a mage.”

           Jaskier sits up straighter. “Someone we know?”

           Geralt shakes his head. “Long dead.”

           Jaskier deflates mildly. “Oh.”

           “Ghoul meant to make a meal of the corpse. I tracked it to the mage’s home.”

           “A single ghoul?” The skepticism is tart in Jaskier’s tone.

           “The ghoul was simple.” Geralt looks back at Jaskier, his pursed frown. “The magic… less so.”

           Jaskier’s brow wrinkled. “Magic? How was there any magic left with the man dead for so long?”

           Geralt sighs. “Spells can outlive their casters, given the right conditions.”

           “So you were hit by a spell?” The alarm arises quickly, tainting the air with a metal taste. “We must get the healer or—or the town’s mage, what if it’s still in effect, what if—”

           “Jaskier.” Jaskier ceases his rambling, if not his panic. “The spell took effect, but it has passed.”

           “What was it? Did it – hurt?”

           “It created a dream. Of what I want most.”

           Jaskier’s eyebrows dance, his expression lightening. “I thought Witchers wanted for nothing,” he says, teasing.

           Geralt returns his gaze to the wall. Of all the things he wants for and refuses to name – good ale, good food, treats for Roach, silence, a regular bath, money – he knows not why the magic chose Jaskier. He tries not to be self-aware, if he can help it, but the answer looms on the edge of his mind and he refuses to look at it long enough to let it materialize.

           To end the dream, once he’d realized what it was, he had tried to wake himself up, with pain and shock. He ran about the fake room looking for items to prick himself with, the fake Jaskier following, worried. “Sit down, Geralt,” it kept saying. “Relax, please.”

           “You’re not real,” Geralt had growled, stabbing himself with a shard of broken mirror. He hadn’t dreamed himself a sword, otherwise he would’ve tried that.

           “Of course I’m real, Geralt, really, stop with this ridiculousness,” the mirage had said, and Geralt had been so – angry. With the mage, the magic, with himself, and he’d turned and slit the throat of the pleading dream, and he’d woken on the floor of a room, a dead ghoul and a dead mage flanking him either side.

           Danger looms on the edge of his awareness. The dream, for all its lies, had felt as real as anything, the blood warm on his hands, the wide shock in Jaskier’s eyes as he’d gasped, sound ringing in Geralt’s ears.

           He waits, now, for Jaskier to ask, prepares himself for stoicism. He will not tell Jaskier. He will not describe this for a ballad to be sung for drunken humans looking for bravery and heartbreak, vicarious. He will be silent, as he should have been before.

           “A mage certainly makes things interesting,” Jaskier says, humming. He drums his fingertips against his lips. “I could use something upbeat. It’s been so cold as of late, people need something to dance to.” He stands from the bed to retrieve his lute and begins to strum some notes, humming to himself.

           Geralt watches, silent. He slows his breathing until the only thoughts remaining in his mind are of the heat that remains in the bath and Jaskier’s soft singing. He sinks deeper into the water, closing his eyes. He allows himself one more thought before drifting far enough for silence to enclose his mind. This, he thinks, this is good.

[callmeunstable]

Angels & Demons - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Characters: Reader, Godling, Savilla

Summary: Alva tries her best to adapt to her current lifestyle. Savilla helps her by teaching her the ways around this world. But some dangerous forces are on their way. And a familiar face shows up.

Warnings: Monsters, Cursing, Blood

Words: 2.000+

A/N: Hey! This is the third part of my fic. I accidentally deleted this part as well as the second part so I had to reupload. I hate myself and I cried .

Disclaimer: GIF’s and PNG’s are taken from Tumblr and are not mine! Credits to the creators!

Tags: @marvelbrat @charliestuff

Song: I thought this fitted the scenery

Alva adapted slowly. It was important that if she wanted to pass as a villager she had to develop. Where she came from, who her parents were and why she came.

And they came up with an easy background story. Alva was the daughter of two Medics, Drarnoz and Isada of Verden. Verden is one of the minor kingdoms in the North, located at the very mouth of the river Yaruga, with Kerack and Brokilon on its northern borders and Cintra in the south, just on the other side of the river. After her parents died in a brutal raid of their village Alva sought a sanctuary by a family friend Savilla living in Riverdell. She took the orphan in.

James brought Alva the Ducates he had collected over the years which made up a small fortune. He promised to bring her every coin he’ll find in the future.

That’s how Alva started her life in a small village. Savilla had an extra bed for her and she didn’t mind sharing her food and clothes.

“You are pretty bad at healing you know that? You’ve been here for almost a month.” Savilla always made fun of the way the girl was bandaging or trying to figure out which plant was good for the specific treatment.

“I just don’t understand how you can separate all of these. They look all the same.” Alva sighed and took a seat. Trying to figure out which herbs were able to calm a burn.

“This isn’t your desire and I get it. It’s not your fault. And I maybe have something set up for you.” The mage smirked while she picked big orange blossoms from her garden. “Merigold, Alva. One of the herbs that can potentially save lives.”

“Don’t change the subject. What did you do?” The girl gave her a doubtful look while watching her picking even more blossoms.

“The tavern in the village. They need a servant. The old one got scared off because the olds kept trying to seduce her and she felt uncomfortable. But I figured you’d be perfect for the job.” She walked inside with a full basket in her hands.

“Are you insulting me or what are you trying to say?” Alva hurried after her, stumbling while getting up.

“You need to get better at walking when you want to serve the folks.” The maid laughed and started to cut the flowers into small pieces.

“But to get back to your question, no. But you are tough and have a huge temperament. Exactly what a good servant needs. The old douches won't have it easy with you.”

Alva let out a loud sigh.

“And I should warn you. They acquire you to look … a certain way.”

“I’m not going to dress like slut and shake my booty.”

“Yes…alright. Anyway, that was not what I was trying to say. They want you to wear your hair down and a dress that will make you look pretty but still can get stained.”

“That’s fine by me but why exactly do they want me to keep my hair down?”

“Maybe they liked it. You know the time we got some bread? That’s when the tavern owner offered me this position.”

The girl hummed in agreement.

“They’ll pay you well. You need that money if you want to find a way back. Mages aren’t cheap. They usually work for kings and queens.” Sevilla stopped with the chopping and went still for a couple of seconds. Her gaze went up and she looked Alva straight into the eyes. She hated that look. It never meant something good.

“You want me to find a different mage?” The girl was confused. How was she supposed to find one? She has no contacts whatsoever and it’s not like she could call the information desk to give her a number.

“I’m not sure who I want you to find for now. It's dangerous out there. I need to find out who I can trust with you. I don’t want you to get captured.” The mage was serious. She liked the girl and felt the urge to protect her. She was sure it was her duty in this life. To help this girl around her world and keeping her safe until she found a way to get back.

“Why would they? I mean I’m not that special and I pretty got at acting old like you.”

“I know. But if they see anything strange in you, just some glance. They don’t need a good reason anymore to imprison the people. It’s getting rough out here. Cintra will lose the next battle. Nobody in this kingdom wants to hear it but you can feel the tension in the air. The Niflgaards are coming and we need to be prepared when they do.”

“Are they like Germany in the Second World War?”

“You do know that I have no information about that.”

“Let me explain. World War II was a global war involving fighting in most of the world and most countries. Like shit went down. Most of the world's countries, including all the great powers in our world, fought as part of two military alliances. They fucking hated each other. World War II was the largest and deadliest conflict in all of our history. It involved more countries, cost more money, involved more people, and killed more people than any other war in our history. About 80 million people died. It included massacres, the Holocaust, strategic bombing, starvation, disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons against civilians in history. Like they could fly bombs from one country to the other through the air and just let them explode wherever they wanted to. It was horrible but I wasn’t alive when that happened.”

The mage had listened carefully only to realize that their worlds aren't that different. “You have to understand that the Nilfgaardian Empire is the most powerful in the history of the known world. It is located in the southern part of the Continent and boasts both a thriving economy and a strong, well-trained army with talented commanders.

It has expanded mostly through the conquest of foreign countries, which were then turned into provinces of the Empire. The Empire's inhabitants believe that "real" Nilfgaardians are only those born in the heart of the Empire and not those born in the conquered provinces. All of them are ruthless. Killing anyone and anything that’ll come in their way. We need to be careful and prepared.”

“So you think they’ll just walk in here like they own this place.” The girl felt she was pulled into something like Lord of the Rings style. Everyone wants to kill the other race. What was happening in this world?

“They won’t pretend that they own these lands, they will fight until they own the whole continent. Saying they want to protect the citizens but slaughter the like an animal for fun. I want you to be prepared that not everyone in our world will respect you, especially because you’re a woman. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Sevilla meant every word she said.

“That’s why I want you to be protected. Here.” She opened the wooden closet and pulled out a silky cloth. “Take it, I have my own. And I won’t need it, I still have the chaos inside of me that’ll help me if needed. I hope you never need it.”

Alva received the loth and lifted the cloth. Underneath there was bedded a silver dagger. It was heavy, but still manageable with one hand.

“Come on, I’m not going to stab anybody. This is not Assasin’s Creed.” She held up the dagger and inspected the weapon. It was beautiful, looking exactly like something a video game character would keep under their robe.

“I’m not joking around Alva! I want you to work so we have enough Ducates in the case of an emergency. If you’re not willing to protect your one life no one else will. I can protect you as far as my power goes but everything is limited. At this point, you don’t have a choice. If you want to get back to your world you need to adapt completely! Do you understand?” Sevilla handed her a scabbard possibly fitting for the dagger.

“No need to be rude.” Alva took and let the weapon slide smoothly into it.

“Attach it to your belt. It's best if you keep it on you at all times. Even while you sleep.”

The girl nodded and pulled her dress up to gain access to the pants she was always wearing underneath. She tied it around her waist and let loose of her dress.

“I understand but I hope I’ll never have to use it.”

“Me neither.”

-

The next weeks went on smoothly. Alva tried her best to lie to herself. If she realized that she left her entire family and friends behind, everything she loved. She didn’t know if she could handle the pain and panic that would appear again. She remembered her first week here. It was exhausting. She didn’t want to stand up and live in a world she didn’t belong. The only thing keeping her from ending it all was the promise Sevilla gave her.

She will bring her back. No matter what is going to happen. She’ll find a way out. And if she could get back, she can’t give up. That wasn’t an option. But she couldn’t think about it anymore. The pain that would crawl up into her chest even if she only thought about it for a second. It was unbearable.

Alva tried to act like new her role this life. At least for now. Her dad was Drarnoz of Verden and her mother was Isada of Verden. She was an orphan. Currently serving at the tavern where she was allowed to live with a family friend. Sevilla. That’s all she needed to remember.

Usually, no one asked about her past. That wasn’t a thing in this village. As soon as Alva said the word ‘orphan’ no more questions were asked.

She liked her job at the tavern. It was an easy way to meet new people and experience the world fully. Adapting day by day. But still being herself. Everyone loved the way she talked. Foolish but skeptical. No man was able to win her or flirt with her. She shut them down real quick.

Today was such a day

It was an afternoon and everyone was ending their work for the day coming to the tavern to get a well-deserving drink and sometimes a meal, but Alva knew by experience you shouldn’t eat the food of this tavern. Dossar, the owner, didn’t know how to cook but he surely wasn’t giving up on an opportunity of getting more money.

The folks around the area knew never to ask for a meal but it was always a pleasure to see the look on a travelers' face.

Alva was serving everyone with a kind smile but some men interpret this as a sign to flirt with her. Woldor, a farmer, decided to try his luck today. He was trying to gain her attention by whistling at her and holding up his cup of beer. Only for her to come and check if he needed a refill. But at his point, she was ignoring his calls and gestures.

But the man didn’t stop. So Alva thought it was her time to shine.

“I’m not an animal! You can’t win my attention by whistling at me and calling me with sloppy pick-up lines! Cut it before I start acting like one.”

“I’ve never been threatened so adorably before.” Woldor and the men sitting beside him star to burst out into laughter and continued drinking.

“Yes well, I’m about to adorably kick your fucking arse.” The laughter silenced and the men stared at the girl.

“This isn’t going to end well is it?” Her coworker Cozlo walked up to her and tried to calm her down, by laying his arm around her shoulder. Alva liked him. He was a good friend and was amazing at keeping her out of trouble when she had a tantrum. This was one of them.

“Fuck no.” The girl wanted to jump at the man and rip his eyes out. He was the one that couldn’t take no for an answer. He was harassing her since the day she started to work as a servant.

Getting ready to throw some punches Cozlo grabbed her by her waist and picked her up.

“Let me down! Let me show this bitch what my adorable hand can do around his throat! I want to see if he still thinks their pretty when I choke him!”

“I think I’m in love with you my dear!” Woldor called out for her while sipping on his beer.

“That’s fucking unfortunate!” Alva was yelling across the tavern while trying to fight her way out of Cozlo's grip.

“You are significantly more destructive than I was anticipating.” That was Cozlo's response after Alva successfully freed herself and was ready to throw fists.

“Enough!” The dark voice of Dossar echoed between the walls. “Woldor get your arse out of here before I tell your wife that you're harassing my servant again!” The tall and bear-like built man stepped in front of the counter and was ready to throw him out with his own hands.

“Can’t take a goddamn joke, can ya?” The farmer grumbled some swearings under his breath and tossed his payment on the table before leaving the bar with his men.

“Next time leave a fucking tip, bastard.”, Alva shouted out through one of the windows and held up her middle finger. “Fuck that dude.”

“You did well Alva, let me admit that.” Dossar gave her a thumbs up and headed back to the kitchen area.

The conflict calmed down and the girl started to clean the table the men had left as a mess. Scrubbing the sticky beer of the top.

“May I compliment you on your skill of handling this rude of a man, my beautiful Lady.”

Alva turned around and in front of her stood unmistakably a bard. The usual costume they were wearing gave it away in an instant. But the lute that was strapped on his back made it even clearer. The man wasn’t older than probably 30 years old. His clothing had seen better days and his brown hair was all messed up.

“Thanks, I guess.” The girl wasn’t in the mood for a conversation so she continued scrubbing the table.

“My name is Jaskier if I may introduce myself. I’m the new bard in town.”

“What brings a bard like you in a village like this?”

“I expected a job, which was me kindly offered by the master of this tavern. A nice man. Allowed me to show off my talent every evening.”

“Good for you Jaskier.” She wasn’t trying to be mean but the bard was definitely flirting and she just wasn’t in the mood for another thirsty mean.

“That makes us workmates if I’m not mistaken? I look forward to seeing more of you…?” It was obvious that he waited for her name and the girl let out her sigh while turning toward him.

“Jaskier, I don’t mean to be rude but I had men trying to marry me at least 4 times today. And a dozen of them were just trying to bring me to bed. So please, if you stop that flirty behavior I will see you as my workmate and friend. But that’s all I can offer.

“Of course, Alva. I didn’t mean to upset you in any way. I’m glad I found a friend already. My last company wasn’t that welcoming.” A half-hearted smile was on his face and he scratched the back of his head.

“Why? Were you trying to flirt with them too?” Alva smirked and put her hand friendly on the shoulder of Jaskier.

“Oh no. Trust me. That would have been very … disturbing, may I say so. I see around Alva.”

“Yes, Jaskier. I’ll see you around.”

[literaryeagle]

Time for a new book review! This is Spider-Man: The Venom Factor Omnibus, which came out last month from Titan Books. It's a nice long paperback (642 pages), collecting a trilogy of Spider-Man novels written by Diane Duane that were originally published in the 1990s. Here are my quick descriptions of the three books in this collection...

The Venom Factor (1994): Someone murders an innocent person, and Venom is blamed for this horrible crime! Who is the real killer, and what's up with Hobgoblin stealing nuclear material? Spider-Man and Venom reluctantly work together to save the day!

The Lizard Sanction (1995): A shady organization is still smuggling nuclear material, and now the Lizard is making mysterious appearances! What's going on? Spider-Man and Venom reluctantly work together to save the day!

The Octopus Agenda (1996): Doctor Octopus has nukes, and he intends to take over the world! So naturally... say it with me, folks... Spider-Man and Venom reluctantly work together to save the day!

This omnibus does not contain any illustrations except for the cover art shown at the beginning of this review, so the original covers of the three novels are not included. But other than that, it's a great way to read this trilogy if you missed out on the original publications. In terms of continuity, the stories use information from the comics to a certain extent, but not everything is the same. For example, remember in the comics when Spider-Man faked his death, and then Eddie and the symbiote happily lived together on an island paradise for a while? According to the first novel, Eddie and the symbiote eventually left the island on their own, instead of Spider-Man seeking their help to fight Carnage. So I would consider this trilogy to be an alternate universe tale of some sort (especially where the Venom symbiote is concerned... more on that later), however Venom is still a defender of homeless people in San Francisco, like in "Lethal Protector".

For the rest of this review, I’ll use the same “The Good, the Bad, and the Symbrock” format that I did in some of my previous posts. In other words, I’m going to summarize what I liked, what I didn’t like, and also some points of interest for Symbrock fans. Keep reading for the complete review!

The Good:

-When a homeless person was murdered and Venom was blamed, Peter Parker said that didn't sound like Venom at all. Someone else working at the Daily Bugle, Ben Urich, also expressed his doubts that Venom was the killer. Wow, people actually being sensible!

-If you like it when Spider-Man makes a lot of quips, well there was plenty of that in this trilogy. There were some other funny jokes as well.

-The symbiote's tongue waving was described with the amusing term wuggawuggawugga.

-Eddie had a brief conversation about Greek mythology with a classicist named Alma. Literary references, yay! In fact, Eddie's dialogue in this trilogy was pretty good overall. A nice balance of clever and silly.

-Mary Jane had a dream about Cookie Monster meeting Venom!

The Bad:

-If you're primarily looking for Venom content, keep in mind that these were Spider-Man novels, so Venom was not the main character of this trilogy. But if you love Spider-Man too, this won't be a problem for you.

-Remember how it was revealed in the comics story "Planet of the Symbiotes" that the Venom symbiote had been imprisoned by its peers, because it had wanted to bond with a host rather than forcefully dominate one? Unfortunately, the first book in the Venom Factor trilogy was published before "Planet of the Symbiotes", so that information was not used here. That's not the author's fault, of course, however if you're a fan of how the symbiote was portrayed in "Planet of the Symbiotes" (a lonely being who longed for an equal partnership), you might be disappointed with what this trilogy did instead.

-So what did this trilogy do instead? Well, the symbiote was still a living creature, however it had apparently been made especially for Spider-Man. But after Spider-Man rejected the symbiote's desire to make their bond permanent, the enraged symbiote began to thirst for Spider-Man's blood, and until it can feast on him, it has to settle for eating others! So Eddie redirected the symbiote towards eating people who "deserved" it... in other words, criminals. Sounds a bit like the 2018 movie version of the symbiote (Maybe someone who worked on the movie had read this trilogy?), except the symbiote in these books could not communicate with words. Oh, and this trilogy began before Len Kaminski's comics story "The Hunger" was published, so the possibility of using chocolate as a substitute for eating people did not come up. Again, that's not the author's fault. I'm just explaining why chocolate was not mentioned as a solution.

-In The Octopus Agenda, someone used the R slur at one point.

The Symbrock:

-In The Venom Factor: Oh dear, where to begin? In this book, the symbiote was described as a living creature that had sentience, but no personality. It was compared to the Tin Man wishing for a heart. According to Eddie's thoughts on the matter, "sentience without personality was not enough to be company", but "their relationship was better than being alone". Ouch. So their relationship seems to be a bit tragic; a love that can never be. (However, if it makes you feel any better, I think it's possible to imagine that Eddie was mistaken about the symbiote lacking a personality, but the symbiote couldn't figure out exactly how to communicate that yet... or was too afraid to communicate that. So there's hope that maybe these two pining dorks eventually got that all sorted out. Hey, sounds like a great idea for a fan fic!)

-In The Lizard Sanction: Eddie appreciated the "constant sense of wordless companionship" that the symbiote provided.

-In The Lizard Sanction: When preparing to fight some criminals, Eddie took care to note the weapons his targets were carrying even though the symbiote could not be killed by bullets, because "he didn't care to put it in harm's way any more than he had to; that was no way to treat a friend." Awww, how sweet!

-In The Octopus Agenda: It was briefly mentioned that the symbiote massaged Eddie's tired muscles. ;)

Overall, Spider-Man: The Venom Factor Omnibus is a nice book you're a huge fan of Spider-Man and want to read more adventures about him, and there are some entertaining jokes. If you're more of a Venom fan, keep in mind that Venom is not the main focus here, although it sure is great to read 1990s Eddie again... fun dialogue! Unfortunately, this trilogy's take on the symbiote and Symbrock is not as good, but not the worst I've seen either. Besides, this trilogy began before "Planet of the Symbiotes" and "The Hunger" had been published, so it's not fair to judge the author too harshly for that. (Oh, and for a better take on symbiotes and Symbrock, I highly recommend the Lethal Protector novel by James R. Tuck, which I discussed in an earlier review.)

Well, that’s it for this review. If you have any questions about this book, feel free to ask. Take care, and stay safe!

[suncityblues]

Former Ghosts

Dean/Cas fic  ~2k words, pretty fluffy/light  AO3 -> https://archiveofourown.org/works/27648394

On TV, hospital rooms are usually these clean, white places with a sunny window and a nice chair in the corner. A family member or loved one would be there, desperately pleading for forgiveness, or redemption, or something like that. The nurses are all hot 20 somethings and doctors take time to talk to the patient and their family in soothing, apologetic tones. By the end of the episode there is either a miraculous recovery or a heartbreaking death.

Dean knows this well, television practically raised him. So no matter how many times he ends up in one it’s still a bit of a disappointment to wake up sweaty and alone in a dark room with puke green walls on one side and a curtain separating another patient on the other. This time, his back hurts like hell and he wants to know where Sam is and what happened to those kids.

As usual, he ignores the disappointed part of him that wanted to have not woken up at all. He’s grown accustomed to that thought over the years, and it’s easy to shoo away, but not as easy as it used to be.

He tries to get up and make a run for it before an orderly notices he’s awake and starts questioning him about the health insurance he doesn’t have, but the moment Dean moves forward he’s overcome with a stab of pain that makes his vision go black in the middle. He lets out a sharp “paaah” sound that hurts his throat, and falls back into place. He feels nauseous and winded.

A heavyset woman in her 30’s comes into the room. “Hello,” she says kindly, “I saw your heart rate was up, do you know where you are?”

Dean shakes his head no.

“St. Sebastian Hospital” she answers, then: “Give me one moment, please.” Dean’s mouth is so dry he doesn’t think he could argue even if he wanted to. The woman pulls his medical chart off the back of his bed and checks it over.

“Mr, ah, Bolan, it seems like you were in a serious car accident and have been out for the last few days. You have a punctured kidney, and quite a few other injuries, you’re really lucky to be alive and recovering as well as you are,” the woman says. There’s a softly scolding tone in her voice. Dean wonders if she thinks he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt or something.

Dean nods at her, feigning repentance. He guesses his full name on her chart must be Marc Bolan, the rock star tragically deceased in a car crash. Good one, Sammy, though a bit on the nose.

Dean’s mouth is still dry so he gestures weakly at his throat. The nurse lightens up.

“I’ll have someone bring you some ice chips, and the attending physician will be in soon to get you up to speed on your recovery.” She points out a little red button attached to his bed, “If you need anything, press this, okay?”

Dean nods.

—

Dean spends the next few days in the hospital. He wants to leave as soon as Sam gets there in the morning but Sam insists he stay the full amount of time that the doctor recommended. He says something to Dean about the possibility of sepsis but Dean doesn’t really listen. He knows how to keep his wounds clean, he’s not some dumb kid.

Eventually Dean gets discharged back to the bunker with a handful of unpaid-for antibiotics and by the time he’s healthy enough to get to the bathroom by himself without blacking out, they get a call. After much hemming and hawing from Dean, Sam goes off to a hunt in Texas by himself. It scares the shit out of Dean to see his brother go alone but he puts on a brave face and pats Sam on the back, like it’s no big deal.

“Call if you need anything. Anything at all,” Dean tells him. Sam rolls his eyes but agrees.

Dean waits. And waits. And waits. And nothing bad happens. Sam comes home victorious. Dean knew he would.

And then Sam goes off by again. And comes back. And keeps doing it. And after a while Dean gets used to it, though he can’t help himself from feeling like the world is moving on without him.

—

Dean’s back still hurts. He feels like a burden to Sam, and to himself. He drinks beer with the dog and watches TV and eats chips, then goes to bed and gets up the next day and does the same thing. Sometimes he’ll help Sam out with research over the phone, and hates that these moments are the highlight of his day, sometimes week.

He tries not to think about Castiel, but almost immediately gives up and starts researching ways to get him back. When Sam is home, sometimes he asks what Dean is up to but Dean can’t bring himself to lie or to tell the whole truth.

“Looking for trouble,” Dean replies jokingly, and lets Sam assume this means Dean’s searching for a new case rather than researching ancient enochian summoning rituals. Because he knows what Sam would say. Cas sacrificed himself so they could win, and he’d want them to move forward. Cas would want them to be happy, and live good lives. Especially Dean.

But, Dean’s not entirely sure he wants to be happy, it would be a pretty foreign feeling after all this time. In fact, Dean’s not sure he wants anything, anymore. Except for Sam to be happy and Cas to be home, with him. He doesn’t think he’ll ever finish processing what Castiel had said to him the last time they had seen each other but Dean reserves the right to try.

Around the time Dean’s back wound is fully healed and he’s ready to start hunting again, Sam runs back into Eileen hunting an angry spirit outside Lafayette. They start spending more time together on the road. Dean is happy for them, though a little sad when Sam starts to move on.

But, the plus side is that this gives Dean extra time to do something very stupid and ill advised without his brother walking in on him.

—

He’s about halfway through the summoning ritual when the candles blow out on their own and Dean feels himself thrown backwards by an otherworldly gust of wind. It hurts badly but the live ram Dean was about to sacrifice seems relieved.

A man in a trench coat appears in the room with a very cross look on his face. The relief Dean feels when he sees Castiel is so powerful he almost needs to sit down.

“Did it work?” Dean asks. “Not even close,” Castiel replies, “You were about to summon a huge sea monster.”

Dean can’t stop himself from smiling anyway. The ram makes a grunting sound.

—

Castiel comes clean that he’d been saved by Jack, and instead of saying anything was waiting for Dean to die of old age and get to heaven, which Dean finds pretty insulting. “Time passes differently in heaven” Cas had said which sounded to Dean like a cop out.

He ignores the fact that, as usual, Sam is right. Dean is actually pretty great at ignoring Sam when he wants to.

“I wanted you to have a real life, Dean,” Cas had said irritatedly, “I wanted you to know happiness and freedom. Freedom from everything.”

Dean doesn’t like Castiel’s tone when he says the word, “everything” because he knows Cas is including himself in that. It pisses him off, in fact.

“So what?” Dean nearly shouts before collecting himself to grit out, “You get to say your peace and then leave? Just like that?” Dean doesn’t add “It’s not fair” but petulantly thinks it. He’s so mad he has to take a step back and breathe through his nose. It had never occurred to him Cas was back and simply didn’t want to see him, especially after what had happened. It stings.

Cas says nothing for a long moment, just levels a sad look at Dean that says the differences are insurmountable between them. That they’re wholly different creatures meant to be on different planes of existence and never meet on earth, and certainly never care for each other. They are, at best, to have a post-life cordial business relationship. Dean huffs. He steps closer to Cas, and Cas lets him.

“You know how I feel, Dean, but...” Cas finally starts but is cut off.

“Okay, well. Do you want to hear what I have to say?” Dean asks. Cas says nothing. Dean can feel himself choking up, which he hates.

“I want to say that I love you too, you know. Love you-love you. And I don’t wanna be here if you’re not around, and I don’t wanna get old without you. I got hurt, bad, after you were gone and I thought to myself: good, finally, this is how it’s supposed to be. Because if you were gone, I wanted to be gone too. I’ve been counting down my days since I was a kid, man.”

He doesn’t cry but his face is hot and scrunched up and he knows he looks like a mess. He doesn’t often let himself willingly experience these feelings, but they’re there. They’ve always been there. They’ve gotten so much worse without Castiel beside him.

Resigned, Castiel replies with absolutely no irony but a bit of pettiness, “Should I have not saved you from those vampire clowns, then? I’m sorry, Dean, I couldn’t help myself. I had hoped you’d be able to outlive John, at least.”

Of course, Dean thinks. Of course you don’t heal that easy from a punctured organ, but what’s a subtle bit of healing magic between friends? The hot air leaves him all at once and he feels empty.

“Cas” he says. He doesn't actually know where he’s going with this. He leans his face close to Castiel, so their foreheads and noses are touching. He is deeply relieved when Cas kisses him.

—

A few days later Sam is surprised to come home to a ram grazing outside the bunker, but not at all to find Castiel and Dean cuddled up on the couch watching movies.

“Welcome home,” he says.

[ngame989]

“Loon” - TGG SVTFOE Fanfic Collection Ch. 10

Writing: @ngame989​​​​

Art: @toxicpsychox​​​​

Editing: @ubercelloczar​​​​​, @toxicpsychox​​​​, @seddm​​​​

Alternate fic links - FFnet, AO3

Summary: While Marco, Tom, and Janna have a birthday bash in the Underworld, Star gets dragged into a standoff with an old foe on the surface. It's up to the Butterflies once more to defend the legacy Mewni will leave in the history books... or is it?

Comic Page

Masterpost

Out with a new chapter in record time, and more to come before Christmas! We plan to update either Sun-Fri-Tues on a 2 week cycle, or once per week if we’re particularly busy, so just keep an eye out. Something EXTRA special is lined up for next chapter courtesy of @ubercelloczar​​, still figuring out how best to include it but it’s going to be amazing. Hope you enjoy!

“...and the foul beast looked me right in the eye as I tore it limb from limb! It put up a spectacular fight, but it was no match in the end.”

Moon placed a hand on her husband’s arm and raised a stern eyebrow. “River, dear, we don’t need to hear the story of every meal you eat. I think it’s making Globgor uncomfortable.” Globgor raised a giant hand, waving it in a so-so motion, and Eclipsa rubbed his neck reassuringly.

“Really? But it was vegetarian! Ate it too quickly to know if it was chicken or turkey,” he quickly mumbled before resuming his usual boisterous shouting, “but it was fowl alright!” Moon could only sigh in response; some things would never change with him, but she supposed that was part of his charm. From their position on Globgor’s shoulder at his current size, she could see half the town at a glance. Though many Mewmans still went by the old names for the various smaller kingdoms, there was a general agreement to still call the whole merged area Echo Creek. She’d been against it until Marco pointed out that just calling the small area carved out by the seven kingdoms “Mewni” was as silly as the prospect of only labeling his modest town “Earth,” and she couldn’t argue that. Abandoning even the very name of the home she’d ruled for decades, and known for even longer, wasn’t her first solution, but perhaps it was fitting. As their destination came into focus, she was reminded that giving up the ways of old could be for the best.

The ruins of Butterfly Castle, untouched for the last year and a half, loomed before them. Globgor gave a signal and began to shrink, keeping his upper body large enough to support them until they were a safe distance from the ground. “Remind me to stretch before carrying three people again,” he said, huffing and puffing as he windmilled his arm.

Eclipsa giggled behind her hand and got on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Thank you, Globby.”

“Yes, thank you,” Moon warmly added. “We got here just in time for-”

A stout, older man in a blue uniform sprinted over to the group with a form in hand. He stopped to catch his breath for long enough that the four of them all had time to look around at each other in confusion. “Saw ya comin’ from a mile away but ya went to the other side of this here castle from what I was expectin’,” he wheezed. “Is one of you Butterfly?”

“Yes,” all four answered, much to the dismay of the man.

Moon got a closer look at the badge on his chest which read, “Police”. Ah, so he’s with the city. “Is this about the renovation clearance?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the officer drawled.

“That would be me, then. Are you the one performing the inspection of the premises?”

He shook his head. “No, ma’am, I was called by the inspector because there seems to be a bit of a mixup. A real noggin-scratcher, let me tell you. I can show you, if you’ll all just follow me.” River leaned over to Globgor and whispered something in his ear that made both snicker. Moon rolled her eyes and elbowed both before leading the others behind the policeman; though she normally found their shenanigans charming, today of all days was not the right time for nonsense..

Ever since magic had been destroyed, Moon had spent far too many hours idly dwelling on the next step of her life without feeling like she was taking meaningful action. Almost a year ago, on the eve of the newly christened Christumpmasday - a dreadful portmanteau, Moon thought, but at least the Stump itself had been no more - Star and Marco had first made her consider the legacy she wanted for the Butterfly Kingdom. Queen Moon the Undaunted might have focused on projecting its strength and valor to the world, but she was just Moon Butterfly now, and she was well aware of how many flaws it had always had - some of them her own doing. The people of Earthni deserved to get to know the history of magic and the seven kingdoms as it truly was, and the castle she’d always called home seemed like the perfect place to do that. But if she was going to do things the right way this time, she needed to go through the proper channels, and that’s what brought them here today.

“So officer,” Globgor asked as they continued around the base of the castle, “what exactly is the issue here?”

“Well, I just got here a minute before I saw ya coming in so I only got to take a quick look, Mr…”

“We’re all Butterflies.”

“Ah, yes.” He slowed down briefly and spoke to River and Globgor directly, eyeing them curiously. “Pardon my prying, but I wouldn’t have thought you two were, how do I put this… related?”

“Oh, heavens, no,” Eclipsa chuckled. “Moon and I are, um… well, it’s still quite complicated, but we’re the related ones. Our husbands took our names.” It took a moment to click why anything would’ve seemed odd, but Moon did recall hearing about Earth’s marriage customs (though they still felt foreign to her).

The officer scratched his head with both eyebrows raised. “Gosh, Mewni was like that? That’s awfully neat. Can’t go a day around this here town anymore without learning something new. Anywho, some lady showed up hootin’ and hollerin’ to the heavens about how whatever plans ya had for this place were a sham, I think, and she stormed past the inspector to keep anyone from entering. Made a real big fuss over it. We’ll see what we can do but I’m afraid I can’t let ya onto the premises if it puts you in any danger.”

“The inspector said this afternoon was the only opening she had for months,” Moon muttered, aghast.

“Awfully sorry, just doing my job, ma’am.” When their destination came into view, Moon spotted a woman with a hard hat and orange vest among the gawking crowd- the inspector, she recalled from her previous meetings. Though the expressions among those gathered varied from amused to unsettled, all pointed in the clear direction of the entryway to the castle.

“Who would even want to cause such a kerfuffle around this?” River asked, echoing Moon’s own thoughts. They’d kept it quiet, hadn’t they? Though her expertise in Earth government was limited, she was fairly certain this sort of thing wasn’t public. No one outside of the city officials they’d made contact with should have known… she’d simply submitted a letter with some information and set up an appointment with the receptionist, who surprisingly enough had turned out to be Manfred. Wait, when she’d last seen Manfred… Everything clicked in her mind just a moment before they came face to face with the answer to her unspoken question.

“Well, well, well... we meet again, monster smoocher.”

***

The telltale whoosh of the flame column signalled to Star that she had arrived at her destination. Hopping out of the carriage, she rounded the corner and bounded towards the front door of the Diaz house. She hadn’t thought Tom would be so into event planning, but Marco was going to love it. Even though they’d gotten into a nice rhythm managing work and school and free time with friends, a relaxing day off was just what the doctor ordered.

She was so distracted she didn’t even realize her foot was colliding with the door, kicking it open and revealing the Diaz living room. Marco was lounging on the couch in his hoodie and a pair of shorts; his only reaction to her sudden entrance was to nonchalantly move the TV remote and soda can out of the way, barely in time to catch her when she pounced on top of him.

“You’re getting better at that,” Star commented, propping herself up on her elbows to look Marco in the eye and bop his nose with hers.

“Have to be if I don’t want to have to scrub juice out of the couch all the time,” he retorted, rolling his eyes and pecking her on the lips. His fingers idly twirled her hair as she settled down into their usual couch cuddling position, her head resting on his chest. Happy, sad, angry, lonely… there was no situation that couldn’t be improved by a Marco hug. She sank into the warmth of his embrace and let the stress wash off of her for a few moments, sighing softly. “So, everything go OK with Janna?”

“Wha?” Pegasus feathers, Butterfly, did he find out?

“You said you were helping Janna with something?”

Right, that’s what she’d told him. “Yes, Janna! Totally, totally, totally… just helping Janna Banana with... girl stuff. And Janna stuff. You wouldn’t get it.”

“Not sure I’d want to.”

Having sufficiently recharged her snuggle battery, she hopped off the couch and bounced in place with excitement, helping him up as well. “Enough of that. You ready for one of the best days of the year?”

“Underworld Beach Day!” They both shouted.

Marco pounded a fist into his other hand with a determined grin on his face. “We’ve gotta find the Skellies for that volleyball rematch after last year. I know we can take them this time.”

“Yeah, Skellies…” She nodded along with a sly smile, knowing the true plans for today would be that much better.  

“Let me get my sunblock.”

“It’s underground, Marco!”

“The lava glow can still mess with my pores!” he whined before disappearing into the kitchen.

Looking out the front door, she discreetly motioned over the skeleton horse that was barely visible through the bushes. Nothing was going to ruin this surprise! Poking her head back into the house and checking to make sure she hadn’t been found out, she called out in Marco’s direction. “Oh hey, the carriage is already here! It’s so convenient, we probably just shouldn’t question it at all! C’mon Marco!” She turned back around and took one step out the door, immediately bumping into someone with enough force to send her onto her butt. Star shook her head and took the offered hand to stand up, finally seeing who it was. “Hi Mom! How are yo-”

“Star, could I borrow you for a short while?”

“What? Mom, nooooo, it’s Marco’s birthday.... tomorrow, which is why we’re just having a totally normal day at the beach today!” Star shouted, aiming her voice back into the house for Marco’s benefit since her mom already knew about the secret surprise party plans.

“I’m terribly sorry, sweetie… this is rather important. It shouldn’t take too long, I hope.” Underneath the apologetic smile was a serious tone that made Star hesitate before protesting further. A normal Mom worry was more like “Star, don’t try to stack warnicorns” or “River, you’ll get sick if you eat that entire mewffalo” and she’d heard it enough times before to know it instantly, but this was something else entirely. It reminded her of how Tom had spoken earlier, which only concerned her more. Maybe Janna had been onto something earlier, which meant maybe this was something important… Yeah, guess I’m doing this. Still though, there wasn’t much they couldn’t accomplish quickly if they put their minds to it, so maybe it could be a quick and easy thing, and they could still have a blast at Marco’s party. When she’d finally gotten the experience of a birthday all to herself after years of dealing with the Stump, she’d immediately resolved to never again let a friend miss their own birthday fun. Never mind that it wasn’t his actual birthday yet, dangit, no errand was going to derail the super special surprise party for her Marco!

As if on cue, Marco emerged from the kitchen with a pack full of supplies. “Alright, Star, I’m- oh, hey, Moon.”

“Marco, you should get going to the beach… Tom’s waiting for you. I mean… probably. Why else would the carriage be here? Mom just needs me to help with an errand for a teeeeensy bit. Peasy squeezy, breezy wheezy!” Her eye twitched. Great job, Star, totally sold it!

“Oooooookay, then.” Marco raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “Let me know if you need any help, you know I don’t mind.”

“Pssssht, naaaaaaaw. Ain’t nothin’ two Butterflies can’t handle.”

“Alright, see you there,” he said, pecking her on the cheek on his way out the door. He smiled and waved goodbye before the carriage whooshed into the ground.

Globgor lifted Star up to his shoulder to sit next to her mother. The cool fall air rippled through Star’s hair as they ascended above the buildings around them; Globgor only got this big for travel when they needed to be somewhere fast. “Alright, spill. What’s going on?”

Moon sighed and folded her hands together, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. “Well, you see, Star... I know you and I have had our differences when it comes to our former kingdom. I’ve spent a lot of time the past year reflecting on its ways, its history, and especially its legacy. Time and time again, we- I repeated the mistakes of our ancestors, and the people of Earthni deserve to know the full story.” She unfurled a thick document from her satchel and handed it to Star, who immediately began skimming the pages. Wait, what was she doing with-

“The old Butterfly Castle?”

“We’re beginning restoration efforts soon to turn it into a place where people can remember and learn. This was actually supposed to be a birthday gift of sorts for you.”

Star crossed her arms and arched her brow inquisitively. “Uh-huh... how exactly is this for me?”

“I want you to advise the project.” Star’s eyes widened in shock. After everything they’d been through, she was being dragged into a big Mewni project again? Any angry retorts were stifled when her mom rested a hand on Star’s own, keeping the other for balance on their precarious perch in the sky. “Star, dear, I know this isn’t the sort of thing you want to do anymore, and it doesn’t need your undivided commitment. I’m not asking as Queen, or even as your mother. Time and time again you’ve displayed wisdom pertaining to these matters well beyond your years, and I shouldn’t- I can’t turn it into a place where anyone can see our history, our people, and all our flaws and strengths for what they truly were without the help of someone who could already do that for herself long before I could.”

Both fell silent for a few moments, deep in thought. The motherly pride and respect warmed Star’s heart immensely, and though it felt weird to think about, she was proud of her mother as well. But… was this the sort of legacy Star Butterfly wanted to leave behind? Hadn’t all of her last efforts on Mewni been to cast aside the undeserved authority her family had? It was certainly a noble aim, but something about it still bothered her. “I’ll… I’ll have to think about it.”

The warmth in the smile Star received proved beyond any doubt that there was no lingering trace of Queen Moon in her solicitation. “I understand.”

“Sooooo what’s the deal with all this, then?” Star flailed her hands wildly in their general direction of travel.

“Our initial construction plans were scheduled to be approved today, but then there was… an unfortunate incident. Mina has returned.”

Star felt her eyes try to bulge the whole way out of her head, as if forced out by her brain exploding at this reveal. “The Mina? Mewman soldier Mina? Evil push-all-monsters-off-a-cliff Mina? Cuckoo-bananas bathe-in-mud Mina? What the heck are we taking any time talking for, then? The whole town could be in danger!”

“No, Star, it’s not- well, yes, it is, but she has no powers. She’s just a regular person who is slightly, as you said, ‘cuckoo-bananas’, though I don’t recall any mud involved. Before we arrived, she had broken into the castle ruins and is now holding it hostage. Manfred might be involved, as well. You’re the only one who might be able to talk some sense into her, or at least figure out how to get her to leave. The city has given us until midnight to get the permit.”

Midnight? But that’s when the Soulrise was… Star had a sinking feeling that this day wasn’t going to be a short one, but this mattered too much to her mother to say no. “I can try,” she said, squeezing her mom’s hand.

Globgor began to shrink as they approached their destination, where she could see Eclipsa’s billowing purple dress and her dad sporting an uncharacteristically formal outfit - heck, they must have really planned for this if he was wearing a shirt and pants at all. She shivered a bit as her feet touched the ground; of all the superhuman genes the Johansens seemed to possess, immunity to the cold just had to be the one she didn’t inherit.

“Thank goodness you’re here, Star,” Eclipsa said gratefully. “It’s far too chilly out today. Mina won’t hear a word from me, I’m afraid… perhaps she’ll listen to you.” She pointed up towards a jagged shard of a ruined wall where Star saw the telltale purple braids.

“Mina!” Star shouted.

“Oh look, it’s my traitorous ex-mud-sister. Back for another round with little old me? I can still take ya any day of the week, you know!” Mina rocked back and forth, still clinging to a stone outcropping. There was no way that was comfortable in the slightest. Did she even feel pain?

“I just want to talk! I’m coming up there!”

Star took one step forward before Mina shrieked. “Bup bup bup! This here castle is for real Mewman patriots only! I got nothin’ to say to you. You can talk to my associate.”

A snobbish man stepped out from the ground-level entryway quickly enough to suggest he’d been waiting there. With his sharp black suit and slicked back hair, it took all the Butterflies only a moment to realize who it was, and they all groaned at the realization. “At your service, m’ladies,” he said sarcastically. Star hadn’t particularly missed Manfred’s snooty meddling in her day to day life, and it wasn’t any more welcomed now. “I will deliver a message to Ms. Loveberry if you so wish, as long as it’s not from the brutish monster.”

Only two minutes into this debacle and Star felt her patience run out entirely. She might have been sardonically impressed if she wasn’t already over this entire affair. “No, I’m going up there.”

River poked her shoulder and leaned in, his eyes narrowing and darting back and forth. “Actually, I wouldn’t mind asking - has she seen the stash of jelly tarts I left in a cupboard years ago?” Star rolled her eyes and walked forward despite Manfred’s protests, with Moon and Eclipsa not far behind. “Alright, nevermind sweetie! Go get ‘em!”

When Manfred tried to get in their way, Globgor stepped between them with his arms crossed, causing the feeble man to cower in overstated fear. “Oh, goodness me, help! The evil monster, he’s intimidating me to oppress my free spee-” Out of the corner of her eye, Star noted no one in the crowd had stepped up to join Manfred or oppose their group, and it lifted her spirit the tiniest bit. Moon took the lead, navigating around all the rubble and climbing up to a safer portion of the wall more level with Mina’s position. So this is what’s left of it. Despite everything, Star hadn’t checked out the castle at all in the years since it stopped being her home. It had been right there, ready for her to make peace with at any time since the dimensions fused, but she just… hadn’t. Maybe it was guilt, maybe it was disdain, maybe it was just being so much happier with what she had now that there was no reason to look back. Narrowly dodging the shards of a broken bust, they continued forward towards the stairs. Seeing it all again, though, made Star think her mother had a point. Their kingdom’s history was full of vital lessons and cautionary tales, but how could the people of Earthni learn them from piles of rubble?

Though Manfred had switched to prim and proper Earth fashion, Mina clung to the remnants of the architecture in the same outfit as always, twirling the braids she’d often used as propellers. From the rips and tears, Star suspected it was literally the same outfit and shuddered. When Mina noticed their presence, she wheeled to face them.

“What do you even want, Mina?” Moon asked. “What’s your game here?”

“Game? This ain’t no game, Moony. I’ve been alive and kicking for even longer than she has,” Mina jeered as she pointed at Eclipsa, “and I’ve spent my whole time fighting for Mewni and the Mewmans - real Mewmans - and I’m not about to let you make a mockery of everything that made our kingdom great.”

“There is no Mewni anymore!” Star huffed as she threw her hands in the air. “There hasn’t been for over a year! And it happened right after you lost!”

“Pfft, you had to give up everything just to keep me from obliterating every last one of you, and it got rid of all your little unicorn stampedes and rainbow blasts, too. Do you think I’m scared of you now? I’d be more worried about that little half-monster brat than whatever half-baked excuse for queens you all are, and she’s not even here!” A giggle erupted down below. Eclipsa scurried over and peeked, gasping as she reached over the edge of the wall and pulled up… Meteora? How had she-

“She must have been nesting in my beard!” River’s voice boomed from the ground below.

The baby cooed at her mother but got a glimpse at the fuming Mina and frowned. “Bad!” She shouted. “Badbadbadbadbad!” Eclipsa struggled to keep her secure in her arms but ultimately won out, lulling the child back to calm.

Mina took the opportunity to hop across a few footholds closer to the tower, still acting dominant and in control. “So you have the little snot now, big whoop! I’ve got an army again, too!” She backed off and ducked behind a pillar in the courtyard. Moments later, they were greeted by… a carefully decorated sock on her hand?

“Mina’s right, monsters are bad!” it said in Mina’s obvious attempt at a deep man’s voice. A second sock joined it, adorned with grass for hair. “Yes,” it chimed in with a high-pitched effeminate cadence, “I can’t stand living in this world with all these lazy monsters hogging stuff from the hard-working people that deserve it!” Confusingly, a third popped in. “And I’m terribly frightened of what they might do to my children!”

“Say what you will, but she is quite talented at puppetry. I didn’t know toes could wiggle quite like that,” Eclipsa snickered from over Star’s shoulder. If she wasn’t just so incredibly done with all of this already, Star might have laughed along - it was becoming increasingly clear how little of a threat Mina posed.

A second later, Mina popped back out and stood before them, visibly missing the sock on her left foot. “See, everyone is saying it!”

Moon buried her face in her hands out of frustration and dragged them down with enough force that her features momentarily sagged. “I don’t have time for these charades, Mina. Your childish tomfoolery ends now. The people of Earthni deserve to see this place and its history that actually existed, not whatever made up fantasy land you’ve concocted in your mind.”

“Hmmph, you do-gooders aren’t gonna budge, eh? Well, you know what, maybe I will let you rebuild this castle. That’d be swell, it was a beautiful place, alright. But Mewni was meant for Mewmans, so if you want to take that and turn it into some big dumb monument to monsters, you’ll have to go through me, and I don’t give up easy, and I ain’t leavin. Wonder how many folks are gonna want to come ‘round when Mina jumps out at em and bops them in the schnozz?”

Eclipsa stepped forward, still rocking Meteora gently back and forth to keep her at bay through all the commotion. “Stand down. The world’s changed, Mina. It doesn’t need any more of this lunacy. Wouldn’t you rather simply live out your life and find happiness?”

“Ha! As if! Seems a lot of people have fallen for your fabricated Mewni malarkey, but not me! I won’t put up with your fake Mews! If you want to stop me, you’ll have to catch meeee!” She rocketed off into the castle. The Butterflies glanced into the corridors in disbelief at just how pointless this all was, but Mina had vanished.

Star folded her arms and curled up into herself a bit as she started to walk away, but felt her mother’s hand pat and squeeze her shoulder sympathetically. “Sorry, dear…”

“Go get Dad and Globgor,” she responded exasperatedly, ignoring her mother’s apology. She knew that there were honest good intentions here, and she did want to at least get Mina out of their hair, but she couldn’t help but be a bit grumpy at the situation she’d been dragged into. “Let’s find her.”

The family, along with a few of the officers who’d shown up, went their separate ways looking for the former kingdom’s final foe. Sunset had come and gone while they searched to no avail and Star found herself slowing down and thinking about her friends and the fun they were probably having. Trying to stave off the mopiness, she idly scrolled through the Marco album on her phone while she searched, her eyes spending equal amounts of time roving the dusty remains of the castle and fondly gazing at the smiles and joy on her friends’ faces. And maybe a bit of ogling Marco’s cute butt in those swim trunks; it never failed to do funny things to her. The most recent picture Janna had sent her as part of their weird tradition was instead centered on Tom trying (and failing) to sneak a pained look at Janna, and had an attached message corroborating the vibe from earlier. So it’s not just me that thinks he was acting really dodgy about something.

A moment later, her Space Unicorn tone - one that was reserved for Marco - went off. Before she’d even finished reading the first text, it played a second time.

“Hey, how’s your thingy with Moon going? We’re missing you here! Let me know when you’re done, we saved half the cake for you. ♥”

“Also, let me know if you need me for anything, I’m here for you.”

Ugh, Marco, why do you have to be so dang sweet and caring? Another set of eyes could maybe help, and she wouldn’t mind having him around to ease the boredom at all, but Star wasn’t going to yank him out of his birthday party even if he’d go willingly. And admittedly she was curious what the deal was with Tom. Janna Banana was near and dear to her, but Star still would’ve been insane to rely exclusively on her if Tom needed a heart-to-heart.

After scanning the empty closet she’d wandered towards, she hastily punched in a message to Marco. “Mina’s back. Long story, not what you think, we’re fine here 👍. Kinda crazy tho. 😵 Will tell you later. 😈 acting a bit strange, stay and try to see why? 🤔 Also have fun, it’s your party!!!!🎊🥳🎉🎈 Hopefully will be done soon, would never miss 👻rise with you 💕💞💏 Love you 😘🥰😻”

With that out of the way, and a small smile returned to her face, she slid her phone into her purse and buckled down on the task at hand. Phone pictures of Marco and a fun birthday party were nice, but she had to get to work if she wanted any chance of the real thing. She nimbly hopped over the crumbled busts and assorted rusty parts of weapons and armor that covered most of the floors and stairways she encountered. Whatever her mom wanted to do here would require a ton of work, and Star could see why she was so eager to get started. Her explorations finally led her to a hallway that stopped her in her tracks. The tapestries of many of the former Queens of Mewni hung before her. Celena, Jushtin, her actual grandma, Comet… all had been torn nearly to shreds and reassembled. Her mom had mentioned what Mina had done here when they sat down not long after the Cleaving to share everything that had happened and make up - a conversation that lasted through more pots of tea than Star could count on her hands - but it was still jarring to see up close. Star slowly made her way to the end of the hallway and into the secret room, where- wasn’t Solaria’s portrait supposed to be here?

“Hyah!” Star was blinded and wrestled to the ground, all movement impeded by a thick canvas on top of her entire body. She was pushed sideways and had the fabric rolled around her like a tube constricting her arms. Pushing forward on her knees, she managed to wiggle the top of her head. Dangit, dangit, dangit. Suspicions confirmed: Mina had pounced on her with Solaria’s tapestry and a bit of help from Manfred. “Gotcha now! I’m slipperier than a slime snake!” Mina gloated, plopping down on top of Star and knocking the breath out of her. “Maybe they’ll take a hostage situation a bit more seriously, hehe!”

“Oh, my goodness, is the little ex-princess in trouble? ‘Tis an awful shame,” Manfred joined her, his voice dripping with gleeful sarcasm. “M’lady, we should abscond soon. The others should be arriving shortly.”

Mina patronizingly patted the top of Star’s head. “Aw nuts, I wanted to have a little bit more fun with my new caterpillar buddy! How’s it feel, Star? As long as I’ve still got eight fingers, eleven toes, and three beating lungs, this world ain’t gonna be taken over by ‘equality’ horsedoodie, you hear me? Monsters are scum, and the world would be a better place if they all took a nice long vacation to Off-a-Cliffsville.”

Star wanted to kick and punch and scream her lungs out. How many times can you ruin everything I care about? While flailing about, she tried to keep herself from grinning too obviously when she noticed a new arrival. She redoubled her efforts to cause a scene and keep the focus on herself so that Mina wouldn’t notice her real hope of escape crawling across the ceiling. Just need to distract… “You’re right, Mina, I can’t beat you. There aren’t any warriors like you.”

“Lookie here, Manny, she’s having a change of heart? What did I tell you? Glad to see someone’s finally letting the logical facts into her thick little noggin.”

“Yep, that’s exactly what I’m doing. But I do have a fun fact for you, though.”

“Oh?”

“There is a warrior a lot more adorable than you, with way sharper teeth.” Star looked above Mina and nodded, and by the time Mina followed her gaze it was too late. Meteora dive-bombed and lashed out, knocking Mina to the ground and forcing her to deal with a pawing, clawing toddler. Manfred cowered in the corner uselessly while Meteora continued to thrash about. The noise must have echoed throughout the castle, as she heard the search squad’s footsteps approaching the scene. Without the two bodies sitting on top of her, Star freed herself from her binding in a minute, by which point everyone else had arrived just in time to corner Mina. Globgor called out to Meteora and got her to back off, leaving behind a very battered and bruised Mina and an indignant Manfred.

Mina glared daggers at the crowd gathering around her, who all seemed a bit too concerned at her instability to make any sudden moves. “Oh, so that’s how it’s gonna be with you mooks. Little old me just has a slight difference of opinion and this is how I’m treated? Don’t we live in a society? Instead I’m getting stomped on like a masochistic bushel of grapes!” Her beady green eyes darted frantically around the crowd, causing most to shrivel from the ferocity of her deranged gaze. Tense seconds went by before she finally softened up, gently smiling. “Y’know what, you win. If you want the castle so bad, it’s yours. Just gonna need a friendly barter in return…” The Butterflies all exchanged nervous glances. “You can have your little phony dream house here, but I get to enact my brand of Mewman justice on that ugly rock you monster-smoochers call a temple!”

Moon stepped forward to grab Mina’s arm but was narrowly dodged. “Mina, that’s enough. Everything you’ve said is preposterous, we won’t stand for it.”

“Bit too late on that one, Moony,” Mina taunted, wagging her finger back and forth. The subtle light from the moon and stars streaming through the jagged hole in the ceiling in the room suddenly faded, leaving them all with only the dim glow of the torches lining the walls. Overbearing squawking and flapping sounds, magnified by their echoes throughout the hallways around them, assaulted Star’s ears. She only barely caught the “Gotta fly!” Mina shouted as she was lifted up and out of the room. As the light streamed back in, Star finally saw the culprit: a massive murder of trained crows hauling her through the sky with alarming speed, presumably towards the Monster Temple.

“We have to stop her!” Star shouted, turning to run towards the castle entrance. She stopped when she realized the police officers present weren’t following. “Um, excuse me? A little help? That maniac is about to go destroy my family’s house!”

One of the officers, an older man she recognized from her time on Earth, wrung his hat in his hands. “Hmm, well, gosh, that sure is a pickle… Bit extreme, I’d say, but it’s always nice to see passion from young folks like yourselves. Both of you might have a point, so maybe you should just try sitting down and having a nice calm talk about it. Call us later if there’s still an issue, though!”

A scream erupted in Star’s throat, raw and animalistic. Stupid, stupid, useless! Leaving the officers behind, she and her equally flabbergasted family bolted back towards the exit to track Mina down. The dark bird cloud was still in sight when they exited the castle, nearly bowling over some onlookers and reporters who’d shifted their attention to the birds that had just swarmed out of the scene.

“She’s flying over a bunch of houses, I don’t think I can chase her directly,” Globgor said after growing to survey the distance Mina was covering.

“The Eagle Queen taught me how to speak bird, I’m sure I remember some of it.” River shouted, squatting down. “Now, Globgor, toss me!” Globgor picked River up and threw him in a straight line, enlarging his hand to add to the momentum of the throw. Star cringed as her dad soared through the sky. “Squa-squakah!” he hollered, his voice cracking. The birds parted, leaving a hole in their formation through which he promptly flew right through. “They don’t like me!” he hollered, his voice fading as he fell out of view. Daaaaaad.

“Well,” Moon said, taking a beat to sigh disappointedly, “I’m open to other suggestions.”

Star’s phone buzzed in her pocket; it was another of Janna’s kinda weird but somehow sweet candid Marco camera check-ins. Now’s not the time to tempt me with Marco abs!, she mentally groaned after opening the image. Wait, how is he surfing on LAVA? I know it’s the Underworld, but- Wait a second... Underworld, demon powers, carriage - they could get to the Temple right away!

Her eyes drifted towards the attached message: “ugh tom being super weird, stormed off. did he tell u anything? actually worried about him, haven’t seen him this bad since drama with u. rly dont know how 2 help, can i hang w/ u? dont drool over pic too hard lol” It stopped Star in her tracks for a moment: yes, the immediate situation was a crisis, but Janna being genuinely concerned? Now that was a cosmic anomaly. Star sent a response quickly checking in with the state of things (with an innocent inquiry about Marco abs - cut her some slack, she’s only Mewman) and passed along a message for Marco to stay and check in with Tom. Star was so angry at Mina and at the cops and at never being free of dealing with this freaking warnicorn manure that she wanted to karate chop an entire forest, and Tom and Marco didn’t need that messing up their days even more. But if Janna already needed an excuse to leave, well, Star wouldn’t complain.

“We can still beat them there, let’s not dally,” Eclipsa said, hopping on her husband’s shoulder. “Everyone, get on.” Once Star sent the relevant details and instructions, she followed her mother and off they went. As the minutes passed, Star remained silent while the others strategized, an atmosphere of helpless déjà vu permeating her spirit. Just like the first time facing down Mina, she knew she was just curling up and hiding, but she felt as if there was a seductively depressing whisper in her ear telling her that nothing had changed and that there was no hope of escaping the loony bigots trying to strongarm society. Even changing the world hadn’t been enough, and though she’d still seen growth on the whole, what did it say that the Minas of the world kept popping back up like a horrible game of whack-a-goblin?

Soon after, they finally arrived at Monstertown and dismounted. Eclipsa had at least been right about one thing: the ominous cloud flying in was still at least a minute or two away, though oddly there was no one else to be seen. Janna was supposedly here, according to a text received while Star had been lost in thought on the ride over, but that was the last anyone had heard from her. With seemingly nothing left to do, and not much of a plan, Globgor grew into a one man wall protecting the temple while everyone else readied to defend however they could.

Mina descended, keeping most of her birds circling above her. The defensive line of Butterflies swatted away any that got too cocky, but they were slowly being forced back. Star got knocked over into some mud and was helped up by Eclipsa, and scowled at the damage to her outfit she’d picked out for the beach. “Did the big ugly monsters run away all scared-like? Bah, I wanted to crush ‘em myself, but oh well, I can still have my fun. They’ll be all ‘Oh no, my big dumb mud hut’s gone! Where will I keep all the Mewman babies I want to eat?’” She cackled wildly, and it got on Star’s nerves even more than before. In the background, something peculiar glinted in the moonlight. Star squinted in an attempt to make it out, but she quickly realized what was actually happening when the surrounding area shimmered and revealed an upright chameleonoid monster. It had caught Star looking and used its tail to point at what Star now saw was one of Janna’s potion bottles before blending in once more. What effect it might have, she never knew, but help was help. Just have to distract. Again.

“Hey Mina!” Star yelled, diverting Mina’s attention from the wall of a home she was preparing to bash down. “I thought you were gonna tear down the Temple! Why be cruel to some random monsters’ houses? Aren’t you trying to protest your rights or something?”

Eclipsa turned in confusion. “Star, what-” Star shushed her and tried to indicate with a sharp glare that there was a plan in motion here.

The disgraced warrior tapped her chin for a moment before shrugging. “I kinda like both,” she stated matter-of-factly and wound up for another blow.

“Oh dear, Star,” Eclipsa whispered dramatically, clearly loud enough for anyone nearby to hear. “What are you doing? Don’t you realize all the monsters are probably huddled up in the temple right now?”

“Is that so? Huh, maybe you are useful for something after all. Get ready to kiss ‘em goodbye, then, since I know how much you love doing that.” Mina whistled sharply, gathering a cloud of concentrated feathery darkness around her. “Say goodnight to your mamas. Atta- ech,” she sputtered, wrapping her arms around her sides in a coughing fit. “Golly, monster musk must be getting to me. Now, attack, my pretties!” All the birds lazily circled around her for a moment before plummeting to the ground in a giant heap. “What the corn-” She stumbled and gagged a few more times, falling victim to the gas cloud that Star could now see billowing from the potion bottle, incapacitating all the birds that had inhaled it.

To her right, Star noticed a dirt-covered hatch in the ground pull back as a few unidentified creatures crawled out of it. Mina noticed too late and was tackled to the ground by someone from that group that seemed familiar... Penelope! Star’s face lit up in awe as she recognized the former Spiderbite princess, who held Mina down while she futilely thrashed. A monster with a glowing tail had joined them, which allowed Star to see Slime slink over and quickly slather some goop onto Mina’s arms and legs that bound her to the ground.

“You guys!” Star ran over and yanked the couple into a tight hug for a more-than-welcome reunion. “That was amazing!” The monster that Star just now dubbed Glowtail wrapped its tail around Mina’s mouth to cover up her attempted protests.

“Hey, Star. And Big G, and the other Butterflies,” Slime said, indicating the rest of her family. “Yeah, well, Penny’s totes great.” Slime wrapped an arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders - well, it was more of him just wriggling his gelatinous form into her side. “She can wrestle spiders the size of a dog.”

“Hey, you’re the one that figured out how to make your slime do all that stuff, like glue people’s hands and feet down,” Penny lovingly said, kissing his cheek. Star hadn’t seen them in many months despite visiting Monstertown, often because Slime had been spending a lot of time living as a healer/celebrity in the Forest of Unlikely Spiderbites.

“Just gotta swallow some gum, wait a few minutes, and bam.” He clapped his hands together and stretched them apart to demonstrate how sticky they were. “There’s all kinds of stuff I can do to change it up.”

“Pineapple’s a lot of fun,” Penny mischievously added. Wasn’t there some sort of urban legend about that fruit on Earth? Wasn’t it supposed to… oh. Star’s face heated up when she drew the connection, enough that she was thankful when Mina screeched with an intensity sufficient to cut through their conversation, even with a fluffy tail still stuffed in her mouth.

Glowtail shuddered, running away, presumably to go wash the Mina spittle out of its tail. “Monsters can’t even fight me by themselves! Let me go, you nincompoops!”

“Mina-” Moon sternly grumbled.

“Look, L,” Slime casually interrupted, and though Moon was surprised she relinquished focus to him. “Working together is, like, pretty cool. We made these big community plans if anyone like you ever showed up again. That creepy human girl warned us, my super rad Mewman girlfriend took you down, and a bunch of other monsters made the plans for evac,” he stated as their chameleon friend nodded emphatically. A handful of other monsters lurked around them, presumably having been stationed elsewhere in the village and just now received the signal for it to be safe to check out the action.

“Mewni sucked when everyone was just snobby and mean anyway,” Penny added, giving her boyfriend a lopsided smile. “Everyone in my old kingdom was always covered in spiderbites but we’d just say ‘well at least we’re not those dirty monsters’, but that’s just dumb. Why live like that? Everyone here has been so welcoming, why can’t you?” Mina finally fell silent, hanging her head in what Star might have thought was shame if that didn’t seem so farfetched. “Ugh, it’s too late for this. I’ll go get the others so we can figure out what to do with her. Stay here and make sure she doesn’t go anywhere?” she said as she turned to Slime

He gave a thumbs up and sat down on the ground “You got it, babe.”

“Bye, Star! We should hang out more!”

“Yeah, bye, Penny!” Star waved before turning back towards Slime and a forlorn Mina. “So what now?”

Slime glanced around at the other gathered townsfolk who were calmly keeping watch, though a bit tired and disgruntled. “We’re fine here, if you’ve got somewhere to be. We’ve got stuff under control. Look, I can tell you’re worried, and I’m super grateful for everything you did for us, but things are pretty good now. Feels like we can finally just be, y’know? And we’re ready for any other losers that have a problem with it.”

“Yeah,” she simply responded, getting a bit lost in thought. “Well, see ya.”

“Thank you, to everyone,” Moon succinctly added before the Butterflies all began to walk back towards the entrance to the Monster Temple.

Star felt her eyes glistening at the heartfelt togetherness on display that night, but the feeling was far more than that. She realized her mom must have misinterpreted that though, as she was pulled into a fierce bear hug. “Star, dear, don’t cry… I’m sorry you had to miss the festivities you had planned-”

“No, Mom, it’s not that, it’s just…” Star paused as she struggled to put her emotions into words. “Don’t you get it? This; all of this? This is Mewni!” Her family all looked a bit puzzled. “The castle is still a really cool idea, but the people who have been living and working to build a home together - they’re the ones that have always known Mewni best.”

“What do we make of the hootenanny at the castle, then?” Her dad asked, fending off Meteora’s attempts to poke at his eyes and nose as he held her.

“If you want some of it to be a museum with queens and wars and stuff, that’s fine, and Mom’s the most thorough organizer I know… but I think you should be asking what everyone else from Mewni might want to see.”

Eclipsa affectionately ruffled Star’s hair - something that’s never failed to make Star squirm in happy embarrassment. “Quite the wisdom coming from someone insisting they aren’t wise,” she jested. Star jumped at a terrifyingly loud snore from behind them, where River, Globgor, and Meteora had apparently all curled up on the ground together and promptly fallen asleep - Star couldn’t help but yawn herself at the sight.

She could really just crawl into bed right now until Soulrise… hehe, sunrise, not Soulrise, silly…. oh crud. “How late is it? Don’t we still need to get the castle inspected?” she said, adrenaline giving way to a weighty exhaustion that threatened to knock her out where she stood.

“Perhaps I’ll hold off for some time longer until I’ve had some more input,” her mom mused, putting both hands on Star’s shoulders. “I’m so, so proud of you. I want you to know that, Star.”

“Aww, thanks, Mom. I… I don’t mind helping, but being in charge of this sort of thing… that’s not right for me.”

Moon pulled Star into a gentle hug, and was soon joined by Eclipsa. “I understand, dear. Now go have fun with Marco and get some rest. I believe I spotted Janna in an alley that way pouring something into a puddle.” Star rolled her eyes and wandered off in search of her friend.

Blink. Blink.

Wha… wazzat, where am I? Star blinked a few more times and wiggled her fingers and toes. Ew, sand. Wait, sand? She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and found herself on the beach, resting her cheek on drool-stained red fabric. “Marco?”

“Hey, Star.”

“OhnodidImissit?” she slurred, slumping further into his side. The fog gradually lifted on the details of the past hour - she’d made it to the Underworld and groggily regaled Marco with the story of her day, she could recall that much. She remembered him saying he’d missed her, though he hadn’t been upset, but the rest of the details had been lost as she drifted in and out of sleep.

He shook his head and squeezed her shoulder affectionately as he pointed up above them. Star had to squint when she tried to look up, and after her eyes had adjusted she gasped. Spirits shrieked and soared in and around each other as the Soulrise put on its magnificent display above them. Different souls mingling in harmony was always a special sight to behold… maybe she couldn’t know Earthni’s exact destiny, but those that could fully embrace and understand each other unconditionally had a bright future ahead of them. The thought made her smile dopily at Marco, wholly secure and content as she buried her head into his delightfully pillowy shoulder. “Happbirdaymurrco,” she whispered, finally surrendering herself to slumber.

[krizaland]

I don’t know if your doing requests right now but I really like your stories and I was wondering if you could do an Autistic!Reader x Zim story. I headconon that defective Irkens are similar to neurodivergent humans and I think it would be interesting to see Zim compare how the reader is treated and how he is treated and to start questioning the Empire.

OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS REQUEST SO MUCH HOLY SHIT!!

I’ve always headcanoned Zim as autistic so I fucking love your headcanon! 

I’m Autistic myself so I have a super sweet chapter story in mind for this one!

I’ll admit, I got a little too self indulgent on this one but that’s because I wrote it from the bottom of my heart.

Be warned: This fic is loosely based on my middle school days so this fic deals with Ableism and includes the R slur!  

With all that out of the way, enjoy the fic!

From the day you were old enough to think, you never felt like you belonged. Everyone always seemed either one step ahead of you or one step behind you.

Everyday your parents would smother you with their high expectations and they would always look down upon you when you couldn’t meet them.

One minute you were praised for your intelligence the next minute you were mocked for not liking the feeling of jeans constricting your waist.

You always saw the world differently than everyone else. Most people assumed you couldn’t do anything right when in reality you simply had your own way of doing tasks.

People always assumed you were an idiotic child. Nobody ever bothered to get to know the real you.

Eventually you begun to believe that there really was something wrong with you. You begun to give up on trying and just wished you could end it all.

The only thing keeping you alive was your ever-growing collection of various toys and stuffed animals.

In truth, your toys felt like your only friends. They never judged nor mocked you. They listened to what you had to say and were always there to offer you a hug when you needed one.

Things only got worse as you got older.

You were forced into social skills classes where they tried to force you to be ‘normal. They forced you to wear unflattering and uncomfortable clothes. They told you to stop talking about your ‘childish’ interests. They even tried to take your toys from you.

But none of those classes worked.

The kids in skool still laughed and mocked you. In fact it seemed the bullying only got worse the harder you tried to fit in.

You tried to eat the revolting cafeteria food but nearly had a meltdown from how awful it tasted.

You tried to ask questions in class but your questions were always called stupid.

You tried to talk about what your peers were into but they wanted nothing to do with you.

However, there was one kid who seemed to understand you.

And his name was Zim.

Zim seemed just as lost and confused as you were.

He often asked ‘stupid’ questions in class and would run off screaming at the mere sight of beans.

He would even sometimes come to skool covered in meat or wearing some kind of ridiculous outfit.

Zim came off as pretty apprehensive at first. Much like you, it seemed as if he didn’t want anyone to bother him.

At first, you assumed he was bullied for his green skin. After all, that Dib kid kept calling him an alien and whatnot.

You always left Zim alone but you did stick up for him whenever Dib was being a jerk.

You would often sit by yourself and try to enjoy some peace and quite before a bully would saunter your way.

However, one fateful day, something wonderful happened.

You sat down at you usual lunch spot and pulled out the lunch you brought from home.

You were about to take a bite when

“Hey! Where did you get that sandwich from?!”

The sound of Zim’s voice made you almost drop your sandwich.

“Oh! Um, I brought it from home?” You stuttered as you caught your sandwich.

“Eh?! You can bring in food from…home?” Zim asked as he inspected your sandwich.

“Of course you can! If you don’t like the cafeteria food then you can always bring something from home! I think…” You explained as you took a bite of your sandwich.

“Huh, so there are no repercussions for bringing outside food and beverages?” Zim’s eyes lit up a bit.

“Nope. None that I know of.”

“Fascinating…” Zim let out a small chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” You grimaced as you put down your sandwich.

“Oh it’s nothing. Nothing at all.. Hey, wait a minute…You’re that Y/N-beast who always defends me from Dib aren’t you?”

“Well I-”

“Aren’t you?!”

“Well I-”

“Aren’t you?!”

“Well I-”

“AREN’T YOU?!”

“YES! I AM Y/N!” You snapped.

“Geez! You don’t have to shout.” Zim huffed.

“Sorry, I get annoyed easily.” You sighed as you resumed easily.

“Yeah, I know what you mean. Humans can be so irritating.” Zim agreed as he sat down next to you.

“I know right? Like I don’t understand why people are always so mad at me! It’s not my fault that I’m not perfect!” You ranted as you kept eating.

“Right?! Humans have such a complicated social structure! It’s almost impossible to keep with with all of these…’trends’.” Zim agreed as he watched you eat.

You and Zim spent the rest of lunch exchanging stories and even cracking jokes about how weird humans were.

From that day forth, you and Zim formed a friendship of sorts.  

You and Zim would always sit together at lunch and recess.

You never seemed to run out of things to talk about!  The only thing that ruined your fun was Dib barging in and screaming about Zim being an alien.

Of course, you would always defend Zim. Hell, at one point you nearly tackled Dib to the ground to stop him from throwing a burrito at Zim’s head.

It wasn’t long before Dib became convinced that you were an alien too.

“Lack of social skills, often staring off in the distance, and now they’re talking with Zim?! Y/N is totally an alien, Gaz! I bet they’re another Irken monster in disguise!” Dib ranted as he watched you and Zim chat.

“Be quiet, Dib.” Gaz grunted as she continued to tap away at her GameSlave.

“I’ve got to do something! I can’t let these two aliens get away with..whatever it is they’re trying to do!” Dib growled as he slammed his fist onto the table.

The next day, you discovered that Zim was absent! You felt you heart sink a bit but continued on with your day nonetheless.

When lunch rolled around, you sat in your usual spot and picked at your food.

“Where’s your little friend today, Y/N?”

The sound of Dib’s smug voice didn’t faze you in the slightest.

“What do you want, Dib?” You grumbled as you kept picking at your food.

“I want you and Zim to stop trying to destroy the Earth! That’s what!” Dib snapped a finger in your face.

“What are you talking about? I don’t want to destroy the Earth.” You grunted as you backed away from Dib’s finger.

“You don’t fool me! I know what you are! You’re an Irken Invader! Just like Zim! You might have a better disguise but I see right through you! You’re nothing more than a space monster! And I’m gonna put a stop to your evil schemes!” Dib rambled as he slammed his hands onto the table.

You let out a yelp at the sudden smack and cradled your lunch.

“Oh don’t try to act all innocent, space scum!” Dib snarled.

“I’m not acting! And I’m not an alien either!” You countered as you started to pack up your lunch.

“Do you think I’m stupid?! It’s sooo obvious you’re an alien! You have no social skills, you’re always making these weird little…humming noises when you talk, you even have an adverse reaction to cafeteria food!” Dib explained as he adjusted his glasses.

“None of that stuff makes me an alien, Dib!” You huffed as you got ready to move to a different spot.

You were about to leave when Dib grabbed your wrist.

“You’re not going anywhere! Except on the front page of crop circles magazine!”

You let out a scream at the sudden contact. Your breathing grew heavy as you could feel every germ from Dib’s grimy hand slither onto your wrist.

“LET GO OF ME! LET GO OF ME!!” You screeched as you tried to break out of Dib’s iron grip.

“Not on your life, space monster!” Dib cackled as he tried to pull you down.

“Look, Dib’s trying to fight the retarded kid!” A random student cried out.

It wasn’t long before the cafeteria erupted into thunderous laughs and jeers. Some kids even pulled out their phones to record the carnage.

You let out a blood curdling shriek and managed to shove Dib off of you.

Before he could react, you ran off into the hallway with tears pouring down your cheeks.

You zipped into the restroom and locked yourself in a large stall.

“Why couldn’t Zim be here?! He wouldn’t let this happen!” You wailed as you slid down to the floor.

Little did you know, that Zim had watched the entire fiasco from the comfort of his lab and he was practically boiling with rage.

Zim was trying to work on his latest experiment but he wanted to check up on you and see how you were doing.

He didn’t expect to see you being abused and mocked in the lunchroom!

And that word “Retarded”… it made Zim’s squeedilyspooch churn.

“Computer, what does…retarded..mean.” Zim almost vomited as the word fell from his mouth.

“Retarded. Short for mental retardation, often used as a slur against those with intellectual disabilities.”

Zim felt his eye twitch at the definition.

“I knew it..” Zim’s words dripped with venom as his breathing grew heavy.

That awful, horrible word! Zim could already feel a negative memory resurface.

While he was never called retarded, he was called a defective.

His mind traveled back to his training days at The Academy.

“Hey look! Stink is trying to fight the Defective!” Skutch called out.

Sure enough, Zim and Stink were already in an all out brawl.

Zim tried to fight back, only to have Stink quickly overpower him.

By that point, a crowd had formed and they were already howling with laughter.

“Wow! He’s so defective he couldn’t even fight Stink!” Skutch mocked.

Skutch’s comment earned him another round of mocking laughter.

Zim was left a battered mess on the floor, barely unable to open his eyes.

“MASTER!”

The sound of his computer snapped Zim back to the present.

“Master! There was an error in the experiment chamber!”

“Scrap that experiment! I have a new plan in store….” Zim’s voice was a low growl as he typed away at his keyboard.

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