#secrets of the world

[bvadmin]

I finally decided to publish this. / Я всё же решился опубликовать это.

But I'm still a little scared and anxious because of the purple winged one, because it appeared by accident. And all because I liked one AU (well, and purely because I adore Brunyat too much, that's why he came out) / Но мне до сих пор слегка страшно и тревожно из-за фиолетового крылатика, ведь он случайно появился. И вовсе из-за того что мне понравилась одна АУ (ну и чисто из-за того, что слишком обожаю Брунят, поэтому, вышел он)

I'm serious. I'm scared, anxious, and embarrassed that I came up with it and put it up like this, but in any case, I can remove it and forget about it. / Я серьёзно. Мне страшно, тревожно и стыдно, что я вот так его придумал и выставляю, но в любом случае я могу его убрать и забыть.

All in all... / В целом...

I'm ashamed. / мне стыдно. 😖

Purple winged (Invented by my imagination) from AU Cloud Tower. AU belongs to @alextydaisuda123 .

...

[nasmuhhh]

HEYA GUYS!!

I just remembered that I had this kind of art with Clocki (his name is Clocki, RIGHT?-) and Secrets of the World Peppino.

interesting dynamic, don't you think?

I drew this art a long time ago, but what prevents me from showing it to you all?

I hope you like it, bbieal and pizza tower fandom! :D

[the-lost-dimension]

[Eng]

Welcome to...

✨ The Lost Dimension! ✨

Even though I've been here for a long time, I can't say for sure what kind of place this is. Although many people end up here by accident or fall from the sky - AKHEM... I'm speaking from experience!

So who can you meet here? As I said earlier: "many people end up in this place" so there are many different people here, sometimes even creepy or... Crazy...

... 😀

*Slapped himself* No, I'm sane, calm...

Ahem ahem. Basically, you can look around here and see if you know anyone... Maybe you'll accidentally bump into yourself, haha!...

Seriously... This is not a rare picture to be honest. Sometimes you can even find some kind of ship...

...

*Slammed his hand on the "bar" counter* OKAY THAT WAS TOO MUCH, I KNOW!

...

... Uh...

... Sorry, I've just been a little... How should I put it...."emotional" lately. Or something like that. 👉👈

*Looks from one side to the other, then looks at you*

...

I think it's time for you to see this whole place and ask questions, tasks or perform an action. In general, good luck and have a fun time! ;)

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖↕️↕️↕️↕️↕️➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

[Rus]

Добро пожаловать в...

✨ The Lost Dimension! ✨

Я хоть и нахожусь тут давно, но точно не ��огу сказать что это за место. Хотя в это место много кто попадает по случайности или сваливаются с небес- КХЕМ... говорю по факту!

Итак кого же вы тут можете встретить? Как я сказал ранее: "в это место много кто попадает" поэтому тут персон разных много, порой даже жутких или... Сумасшедших...

... 😀

*Дал себе пощечину* так нет, я в адеквате, спокойно...

Кхем кхем. В общем то говоря вы можете осмотреться здесь и поискать кого-нибудь, кто знаете... Может вы случайно наткнетесь на самого себя, ха-ха!...

Ну серьезно... Это не редкая картина если честно. Порой можно найти даже какой-то шип...

...

*Стукнул рукой по "барной" стойке* ЛАДНО ЭТО БЫЛО ЛИШНЕЕ Я ЗНАЮ!

...

... Эээ ...

... Простите, я просто немного... Как бы выразиться...."эмоционален" в последнее время. Или что-то в этом роде. 👉👈

*Переводит взгляд то в одну сторону, то в другую, затем смотрит на вас*

...

Думаю вам уже пора посмотреть всё это место и задать вопросы, задания или выполнить действие. В общем удачи и веселого времяпровождения! ;)

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ℹ️ℹ️ℹ️ℹ️ℹ️➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

Who can you ask a question, task, do an action to: / Кому вы можете задать вопрос, задание, сделать действие:

Pruno / Пруно - [Piss Towel(AU). Local bartender; can sometimes behave inappropriately; escaped from his dimension together with the rat Brick when the madness began; the very first one who appeared here, can be considered the founder. /Piss Towel(AU). Местный бармен; иногда может вести себя неадекватно; сбежал из своего измерения вместе с крысой Кирпичем когда началось безумие; самый первый кто здесь оказался, можно считать основателем.]

Xen / Ксен - [???(Exe AU). He's quite the bad guy; he has his own companions; the crystals on him glow; it's unknown how exactly he got here, but at first he was more aggressive than he is now; the third in a row. / ???(Exe AU). Довольно плохой парень; есть свои компаньоны; кристаллы на нём светятся; неизвестно как именно он сюда попал, но в первое время он был более агрессивным, чем сейчас; третий по счёту.]

CT!Bruno / CT!Бруно - [Cloud Tower (not officially). Winged; the left wing is damaged, but Pruno tried to repair it, as we can see, unsuccessfully; most likely fell from the "sky", but it is not a fact; He was discovered by Xen when he was unconscious, it is not known how many hours he lay there in that position; the fourth. / Cloud Tower(не официально). Крылатый; левое крыло повреждено, но его попытался восстановить Пруно, как видим, неудачно; скорее всего свалился с "неба", но не факт; его обнаружил Ксен, когда тот был без сознания, не известно сколько он часов там в таком положении лежал; четвёртый.]

Firuno /Фируно - [Crossbreeding. A frequent visitor; eyelashes and shadows are sacred; he just came from the forest... It's strange; as far as one can tell, he's a fusion; spruce is an interesting tree; The sixth in a row. / Crossbreeding. Частый гость; ресницы и тени – это святое; он просто пришёл из леса... Это странно; насколько можно понять, он слияние; ель – интересное дерево; шестой по счету.]

SOTW!Bruno / SOTW!Бруно - [Secret Of The World. Rarely, but you can see him; often writes something down; he just comes to this place to relax, nothing less; second in a row. / Secret Of The World. Редко, но можно увидеть; часто что-то записывает; он просто приходит в это место чтобы отдохнуть, не меньше; второй по счёту]

Pilot!Bruno / Pilot!Бруно - [???(AU). The life and soul of the party; has his own plane; accidentally found this place while flying past on a plane; Pilot!Peppino also ended up there; stunts in the air; the fifth in a row. / ???(AU). Душа компани; есть свой самолёт; случайно нашёл это место пролетая мимо на самолёте; Pilot!Пеппино также там оказался; трюки в воздухе; пятый по счёту.]

Psycho!Bruno / Psycho!Bruno - [Psycho Tower. Psycho, logical; obviously escaped from his dimension, but unfortunately for him there was a mental hospital in TLD, so he is there and is unlikely to escape; is it even possible to approach him?; the seventh in a row. / Psycho Tower. Псих, логично; явно сбежал из своего измерения, но к его сожалению в TLD была психушка, поэтому он находиться там и вряд-ли сбежит; к нему подходить вообще можно?; седьмой по счёту.]

Horror!Bruno(???) / Horror!Бруно(???) - [???. Can only be encountered at night; creepy guy; almost no one has encountered him, so little is known about him; the eye on the bow tie moves!; are you sure you want to meet him at all? / ???. Можно встретить только ночью; жуткий тип; его почти никто не встречал, поэтому о нем мало что известно; глаз на галстуке-бабочке двигается!; вы уверены что хотите его вообще встретить?

[The list above will be replenished with other characters later\with time / Список выше пополниться другими персонажами позже\со временем]

[bouncinghedgehog]

[paintedcrows]

Whenever Bill sees KingOfNJ's fics through Stan's eyes he just thinks they have the same taste in fanfiction (disgusting. unthinkable) continued

[aquamon]

[dragondawdles]

peace and love on planet earth

[probablybadrpgideas]

Tips on making your horror game genuinely scary.

Put in a ghoul.

Remember to utilize fundamental human fears, like the fear there might be a ghoul around. Put in a second ghoul.

Undermine the player's sense of safety by introducing something dangerous to areas previously considered safe, such as a third ghoul (in a ghoul-proof room or the like).

Draw on modern social anxieties, such as political radicalization or global warming. You can easily personify these things as, say, a fourth ghoul.

Create a sense of unease by...fuck it, that sounds hard, fifth ghoul.

Sixth ghoul, just in case the first five aren't scary enough.

Create disturbing imagery like a seventh, eighth and ninth ghoul.

Something something sense of powerlessness something something the uncanny something something. Tenth ghoul.

Remember to study the horror greats - King, Poe, Lovecraft. What did they all have in common? All wrote about ghouls probably. Imitate them and put in an eleventh ghoul.

Well, if you have eleven ghouls already, you might as well spring for a full dozen ghouls. That's just good business sense.

Thirteen is the spookiest number! Obviously a thirteenth ghoul would be the scariest thing! Your players will be talking about this for months!

Ok, fine, I guess you could put in a werewolf or shoggoth or something. Just don't blame me when the players are saying "hmm, that was pretty scary, but you know what would have been really terrifying? A fourteenth ghoul!"

Make the game room fit the tone of your game by having sinister music, low lighting and a fifteenth ghoul under the table who will eat anyone who complains about the number of ghouls in the campaign. That'll spook 'em!

Happy spooking and always remember the three rules of horror: ghouls. Ghouls! GHOULS!!!!

[bvadmin]

I was wondering if your Brunos have any particular fears/phobias? Or maybe your other characters???

HAVE YOU REALLY ASKED SUCH A QUESTION- Ahem, sorry. / ДА НЕУЖЕЛИ ЗАДАЛИ ПОДОБНЫЙ ВОПРОС- кхем, простите.

Yes, they have phobias, I will even describe them (I will try to describe them). And I am a fan of such things! / Да, у них есть фобии, я даже распишу (постараюсь расписать). Да и я фанат подобного!

So... I think I'll start with the Bruno, even with those that were invented by accident (I'll only write those that I've seen) / Итак... Думаю начну с Бруно, даже с ��еми которые придуманы были случайно (буду писать только тех кого видели)

Ahem... / Кхем...

Bruno / Бруно - He surprisingly doesn't have a phobia, although he could have. / У него на удивление нет фобии, хотя могла быть.

Mr. Bruno / Мр. Бруно - Astynomiaphobia or polycophobia. Fear of the police, being arrested, etc. I think in his case there are reasons to be afraid, although he pretends that this is not the case. / Астиномиафобия или поликофобия. Страх полиции, быть арестованным и т.д.. Думаю в его случае причины бояться есть, хотя и д��лает вид, что это не так.

Evan / Эван - Hydrophobia or aquaphobia. Fear of water after all. With such a fear, he will clearly not get into the water or will be wary of everything connected with it (other liquids do not count, for some reason). / Гидрофобия или аквафобия. Страх воды как никак. С таким страхом он явно не залезет в воду или вовсе будет остерегаться всего связанного с ней (другие жидкости не считаются, почему-то).

The Frog / Фрог - Claustrophobia. Fear of confined spaces. He is literally afraid to be in VERY confined places, even if asked, he will refuse and will resist. He still has it in a severe form, I will explain: with it, being in a closed or tight space is accompanied by panic attacks with pronounced vegetative symptoms (tremors, shaking/weakness and dizziness/feeling like the walls are closing in). / Клаустрофобия. Страх замкнутого пространства. Он буквально боится находится в ОЧЕНЬ замкнутых местах, даже если попросят он откажется и вовсе будет сопротивляться. У него она ещё в тяжёлой форме, поясню : при ней нахождение в закрытом или тесном пространстве сопровождается паническими атаками с выраженными вегетативными симптомами (тремор, дрожь/слабость и головокружение/ощущение, будто вокруг «смыкаются» стены).

DT(Divine Tower)!Bruno / Бруно - Acousticophobia. Fear of loud sounds. It is not known why he has this fear at all, but he does. Maybe he just doesn't like the sound of certain loud sounds. / Акустикофобия. Страх громких звуков. Неизвестно по какой причине у него вообще есть этот страх, но он есть. Может быть ему просто не приятны на слух определённые громкие звуки.

Pruno(?) / Пруно(?) - Dementophobia. Fear of going crazy or losing control of oneself. Considering where he escaped from with Brick, one can only understand one thing: he is trying not to give in to this temptation. Although sometimes it comes out in the form of swearing or strange antics. At the same time, everything still looks cheerful. / Дементофобия. Страх сумасшествия или потери контроля над собой. Смотря на то откуда он сбежал вмест�� с Кирпичом, то можно понять лишь одно, он старается не податься этому искушению. Хотя в иной раз это выходит наружу в виде мата или странных выходок. При этом всем все ровно выглядит жизнерадостно.

CT(Cloud Tower)!Bruno(Not officially) / Бруно(не официально) - Ornithophobia. Fear of birds. You ask, "What do you mean? He's winged himself! How can he be afraid of birds?" Well... He's NOT afraid of ALL birds, only large ones or birds of prey, such as eagles, hawks, falcons, etc. Where did this fear come from and how? Well... Just look at one of the spoilers here and you'll understand, I guess. / Орнитофобия. Страх птиц. Вы спросите "в смысле? Он же сам крылатый! Как он может бояться птиц?" Ну... Он НЕ ВСЕХ птиц боится, а только крупных или хищных, например: орёл, ястреб, сокол и т.д.. Откуда этот страх вообще появился и каким образом? Ну... Просто посмотрите на один из спойлеров здесь и поймёте, наверно.

Firuno(?) / Фируно(?) - Macrophobia. Fear of expectation. I don't even know how to justify it... He's just afraid. / Макрофобия. Страх ожидания. Я даже и незнаю как это обосновать... Просто боится.

SOTW(Secret Of The World)!Bruno / Бруно - Nictophobia. Fear of the dark. He is simply afraid that something will happen to him in the dark, so he can often carry a flashlight or other light source. / Никтофобия. Страх темноты. Он просто боится что с ним что-то случиться в темноте, поэтому чаще всего может при себе иметь фонарик или другой источник света.

Xen (aka "Crystal") / Ксен (он же "Кристаллик") - Are you sure this creature has any phobias at all? / Вы уверены что у этого существа вообще есть фобии..?

Pilot\Winter (In the process of thinking, but you saw he) /Пилот\Зимний (В процессе размышлений, но вы его видели) - Brontophobia. Fear of thunder. Most likely if it starts during a flight and something goes wrong (the local Peppino has the same fear) / Бронтофобия. Страх грома. Скорее всего если начнётся во время полёта и что-то пойдет не так (этот же страх у местного Пеппино)

So... that's all for now, you don't know anything about the rest yet. Now let's move on to just characters. /Так... пока что всё, про остальных вам пока ничего не известно. Теперь переходим к просто персонажам.

Evil (AU)!Pepperman - Hypnophobia. Fear of falling asleep. Apparently he hasn't slept for a long time and he clearly doesn't want to. Maybe he's afraid of dying because of someone while he's sleeping. / Гипнофобия. Страх заснуть. Видимо он не спит уже долгое время да и он явно не особо этого хочет. Может быть боится умереть из-за кое-кого пока будет спать.

DT(Divine Tower)!Pepperman - Spectrophobia. Fear of mirrors. It is impossible to say exactly where it came from, and what could he have seen in mirrors that made him terrified of them. / Спектрофобия. Страх зеркал. Точно нельзя сказать откуда это пошло, да и что такого он мог увидеть в зеркалах, от чего боится их как огня.

Well, now... / Ну а теперь...

I\Admin\Fir / Я\Админ\Ель - Hemophobia. Fear of blood. And no, I'm not afraid of everything, only in the real world and when they TAKEN it, but in general...uh...I don't think I'm afraid, but maybe somewhere in my soul.''' / Гемофобия. Страх крови. И нет, я не всей боюсь, лишь в реальном мире и когда именно БЕРУТ её, а так в целом...эээ...вроде не боюсь, но может быть где-то в душе.'''

I have nothing to add to this yet, that's the minimum. / Мне пока что нечего добавить к этому, это минимум.

(there won't be all the hashtags, because there will be TOO many / хэштеги будут не все, так как выйдет СЛИШКОМ много)

[dimension20stuff]

Called it.

[cherrixpie]

HOW NOT TO DATE A SLYTHERIN

part one of five

↬ being harry potter's sister wouldn't make dating theodore nott any easier - which was why you tried to hide it

↬ sfw; only fluff this chapter; wc: 3.4k; cw: none; secret relationship trope, potter!reader, griffindor!reader

The chill of the night air bit at your exposed cheeks as you climbed the final steps to the astronomy tower, your breath visible in faint puffs. Winter had arrived particularly early this year, chilling your bones even now, on the last weekend of october. The school lay quiet below, the golden glow of the countless windows no longer having given in to the darkness of a cold autnumm night.

You pulled your robe tighter around you, wincing at the faint creak of the wooden door as it swung open by the push of your hand. You knew you shouldn't be out after curfew- your brother was usually the one breaking rules and making trouble- but the pull of him was irrestible. He, who’s voice cut through the haunting silence like a knife.

“I was starting to think you wouldn't show.”

You froze mid-step, your heart leaping to your throat at the familiar voice. Even though you had been expecting it. Theodore Nott was was leaning casually against the stone railing, his pale face bathed in the cold light of the moon that sharpened every dip and curve in the prettiest way. A light smirk was curling at the corner of his lips, his usual cigarette dangling from his pink lips. His green slytherin tie was loosened, his robes slightly crumpled, as if he’d wandered here on a whim rather than planned this meeting. But you knew better. Theo rarely did anything without careful thought.

“I had to make sure the coast was clear,” you replied, trying to copy his nonchalance. His dark eyes followed you closely as you crossed the space between you, coming to a halt a few feet away from the railing to keep some distance between you and the abyss. It was funny how you could ride a stick of wood regularly, tens of meters in the air, but looking down a great height with steady floor under you feet had nausea creep up your chest.

You tried not to shift under his prying eyes. Being eyed up by Theodore Nott was a rather particular feeling. Every time you met his eyes, you felt like he was staring right through you, blowing through every cover, every mask, every wall you had ever shielded your true self with and assessing it with disarming precision. As you returned his stare, his smile widened a little and he puffed on his cigarette. “You’ve gotten better at sneaking around, though. Tell me, do the Potter genes include an innate sense of rule-breaking?”

“And here I was, thinking I was your ‘good girl’,” you replied, quoting his teasing nickname. A rare laugh escaped his throat, more of a huff, really, that he hid in his hand holding the cigarette. You eyed it reproachfully.

“You’re going to die at a very young age, Theo.”

Slightly puzzled, he looked down at you, blowing smoke into the air and holding out an arm to beckon you closer. Answering the silent invitation, you let him nudge you towards him gently, the cigarette-free hand pulling you closer by the waist. “Is that a threat, cara? Because I could think of no better way to die than by your gentle hands.”

The charming bastard got a hold of said hands that were shivering slightly from the cold as you had forgotten to put gloves on, and pressed a gentle kiss onto your palm, carefully watching your reaction. You could only pray he took the flush on your cheeks as a symptom of the cold rather than your flustered reaction to his Italian.

“That's not what I meant,” you frowned, indicating the cigarette between his slender fingers. “What I meant was that you’re going to smoke yourself into an early grave.”

God, the way his eyelashes caught the few too-early snowflakes melting hopelessly on the ground. You gave a high-pitched tone of surprise when suddenly, he surged forward, pulling you even closer and trailing kisses up your jaw to your ear. “Tell me you’d hate that,” he whispered and you gave him an incredulous look he couldn't see.

“Of course I’d hate that!”

Before you could say anything else, Theo discarded the cigarette over the railing. Though you had no time to follow the tiny glowing ember on its way down, because just a fraction of a second later, his lips crashed into yours and you let out a startled squeak. Feeling him smile against your lips, you kissed him back in a weak attempt to take the initiative. He allowed you to play, but the movement of his hands, the caging of his arms and the way he beckoned your mouth open so easily proved his underlying dominance. Theo just wasn't beatable at kissing.

This was what you had been looking forward to all day, sitting through transfiguration, charms and defense against the dark arts, all subjects you had without him, stealing longing glances over dinner and quickly looking back as to avoid drawing the attention of your friends or brother to the silent exchange.

As the kiss got more heated, Theo’s fingers curled into your sides, spinning you around so you were with your back to the railing. Miraculously, you couldn't bring yourself to care. All there was in this microcosm of the two of you was him, you and the feeling of his lips on yours. One hand of his cupped your jaw, angling it slightly back to gain best access to your throat. As his lips trailed down the expanse of it, nipping, kissing and sucking, you found yourself snapping out of your theo-kiss-induced haze and pulled away aprubtly.

Panting, you covered Theo’s lips with one hand and he raised his eyebrow at you. He did that well, his eyes alone could make your stomach flutter. But you didn't give in. “Theo, what if someone sees marks on my-” You're were a little embarrassed about the subject matter, breaking off mid-sentence, and glared at his shit-eating grin, invisible behind your hand. “Well, I mean-” You were blushing. Oh god, you were blushing like crazy.

“Did you not enjoy that, cara?” Theo whispered seductively, carefully prying your hand from his mouth and kissing it gently. His eyes glinting with mirth, he looked at you challengingly.

“Of course I did!” you said, exasperated and embarrassed at the same time. You hated it when Theo took advantage of your unfamiliarity with intimacy and relationships. “But nobody can see!”

You expected him to tease you some more, so you were surprised when he merely breathed a long sigh and pulled you into his chest. Immediately, you buried your nose in his robes that smelled of him so deliciously. Smoke, old wood, a hint of mint, bookshelves. You felt him breathe your scent in as well, nose buried in your hair, and laughed lightly, but he didn't join in. His voice was a whisper, hard to make out.

“How long do you think we can keep this up before someone finds out?”

You didn't want to answer the question.

Something picking at the back of your hand snapped you out of your drowsy state. Still tired from last night, you had dozed off a little in history of magic, but as soon as you caught the culprit of the picking at your hands, a hardly suppressed smile pulled at your lips. It was a little paper bird, and the fancy handwriting clearly indicated it as a note from Theo.

You waited until Professor Binns turned his back to the class to write on the blackboard, before carefully slipping the note into your lap, shielding it from Hermoine who sat next to you, taking notes. When you carefully folded the note open, you were greeted by Theo’s elegant handwriting.

If you keep chewing on your quill like that, I might lose my ability to concentrate.

Your cheeks flushed pink as you glanced sideways at him, where he sat a few rows behind your brother who had his head buried in his folded arms, fast asleep. Theo was leaning back in his chair, his quill poised lazily over his parchment as though he had been diligently taking notes, instead of composing witty distractions. His lips curved into a light smirk when your eyes met, and he tilted his head slightly, as if to say, Well?

You hastily scribbled back, your handwriting looking sloppy and slanted next to his. Maybe I'm trying to distract you. Someone’s got to keep you on your toes, Nott. With a flick of your wand, the note floated subtly back to his desk, and you could barely contain a smile as his brows lifted in amused surprise before he began to write again.

Turning to the blackboard to copy the notes, you felt Hermoine's eyes on you and looked up from your parchment. She was eyeing you suspiciously. “What are you smiling about?” she whispered, sparing a nervous glance at the professor. “Nothing,” you answered, hastily grabbing the next messenger pigeon out of the air before it could enter your friend's vision. You could practically feel Theo chuckling at your unlucky predicament.

But Hermoine turned back to Binns once more to listen to his sermon and you stuffed the bird into your back subtly to read it after class and away from prying eyes.

“You’d be a half-decent Chaser if you didn't spend half the match showboating,” Theo drawled, his tone so casual it was clearly meant to provoke.

He leaned against the headboard of his bed, arms crossed as he regarded you with an expression that was equal parts exasperation and amusement. You, meanwhile, were sprawled across the emerald-green bedspread of his four-poster, arms tucked behind your head like you owned the place. At his words, you shot up immediately, propping yourself up on one elbow. “That's rich coming from the guy who winks at the crowd every time he scores- what’s that, part of your technique?”

The slytherin dormitory was quiet, except for crackling of the enchanted fire in the corner and the endless string of your playful teasing. Theo and you had the room for yourselves today as his mates were in Hogsmeade and Theo had stayed behind with the excuse of homework. As if he hadn't already finished all his work like the flawless O-grader he was.

“And anyway, I don’t see you scoring against Gryffindor’s defense without half your team clearing the way for you.” you teased, attempting to get a rise out of your ever calm and collected boyfriend.

But Theo’s smile only deepened, and he leaned forward just slightly, his voice dropping to a teasing lilt. “Jealous of my stats, are we, Potter? It’s not my fault you lot rely on your Seeker for every win.”

“You-” you started, your eyes narrowing, but his soft chuckle cut you off. You tossed one of his pillows at him instead, grinning when he caught it effortlessly. “Just keep laughing, Nott. You’ll regret it next match when I leave you in the dust.”

Suddenly, you felt his hand close around your ankle and shrieked as you were pulled towards him with alarming force. Before you could comprehend the shift in his behavior, he jolted forward as well, hovering over your body, sprawled out defenselessly underneath him. A light smile played around his lips as he took in your shocked expression with satisfaction and he brought a gentle hand up to your chin to tilt it upward, giving him access to your neck.

Theo dipped his head down to trail ghostly kisses down to your shoulder, muttering against your skin: “Are you sure about that, tesoro? Because I think you’ll have to work on your reaction time a bit before you can beat me.”

“Sneaky bastard,” you said, but couldn't suppress a high-pitched moan when Theo suddenly buried his teeth in your shoulder. Embarrassed by the sound that had slipped from your lips, you threw your hand over your mouth and blushed when he chuckled darkly into your neck.

“What, are you embarrassed?” he teased, looking up at you through his long dark lashes. Your pointed glare and flushed cheeks were answer enough.

When Theo broke out into a hearty laugh, you attempted to scowl at him, but it was hard when you were half in wonder by the sound of his laughter you got to hear so rarely. All the years you hadn't known Theo except for that one slytherin boy, you thought he couldn't laugh. When he did it for the first time with you, talking in the library over a muggle book you both had read and neither of you could talk to anyone else about, that was the first time you felt a flutter of butterflies rummaging in your stomach in his presence.

Awestruck by the sound of his laughter, you realized you had spaced out for a moment. Theo’s cackle had faded into a soft smile you could only reciprocate. His handsome features were painted with a gentle brush by the light of the fire. “You should laugh more often,” you said, not for the first time. “It’s beautiful.”

Theo hummed amused and leaned on his elbows to hover only a few inches above you. At this angle, his dark curls fell into his eyes, obstructing the view somewhat, so you reached up to run a hand through them. Savoring your touch, he closed his eyes and when he opened them, they held an implicit hunger that made you gulp. “I like your laugh too, tesoro. Love it, in fact,” he murmured, lips barely an inch from yours and you were itching to close the space in between. “And what I also love is y-”

Something banged at the door and both of you shot up, startled. As you stared at it unmovingly, the chatter of boy���s voices now unmistakably being heard through the closed door, Theo, the ever-quick thinker, jumped off the bed and beckoned you to follow. You shot up, heart thrumming with horror, scrambling onto your belly and rolling under Theo’s bed as far back as possible. With one quick glance to check if you were okay, that you answered with a silent thumbs-up, Theo got to his feet and walked over to the door, opening it.

“Theo, you bloke! Why did you lock the fucking door?” you heard a voice that sounded very much like Mattheo Riddle's shout. Several heavy steps resounded against the wooden floor and from under the bed, you could make out four pairs of shoes, undoubtedly belonging to Riddle, Malfoy, Berkshire and Zabini.

“I was studying,” Theo said, annoyance shimmering through his voice. “I prefer to do that undisturbed.”

You silently thanked the heavens that you and Theo had actually been studying before and therefore supplanted convincing evidence consisting of books and parchment. But suddenly, another realization dawned on you and your stomach curled with dread. Your parchment was up there too, with your handwriting and your name on it!

Theo’s eyes had also fallen on your parchment and he casually strolled over to his bed to collect it, concealing it with his and setting it aside. He felt annoyance rise within him and tried to keep it at bay. Of course his mates would barge in unexpectedly early in the exact moment he was about to confess his love to you. Clearing his face of any resemblance of emotion, he turned back around, leaning against his bedpost and trying his best not to worry about you, squeezed under his bed.

“You’re early,” he remarked, raising one brow. A memory almost made his lips twitch, of you trying to imitate the way he was able to raise one brow.

The boys threw glances at each other, some wary, but Blaise laughed. Only now did Theo notice his bleeding lip, and the others didn't look better of. Damn. He was really distracted when he hadn't even noticed it until now, when he always counted on his flawless perceptional ability.

“Who did you brawl with?” he sighed, though amused, looking directly at Mattheo who raised his hands in defense.

Draco nodded his way, dapping at a cut above his eyebrow with his shirt. “Mattheo picked a fight with Potter and some of his mates and we had to flee the scene before the old McGonagall caught us. Potter and Weasley got detention though.” He laughed in malicious joy and Theo's lips twitched slightly at the thought of you rolling your eyes under the bed.

“Potter’s sister wasn't with them though,” Enzo pondered, swapping out his slightly bloody hoodie for a clean one. When his head ascended from his collar, hair slightly disheveled, he was met with four pairs of raised brows. Well, three pairs plus one.

“What do you care about Potter’s sister?” Mattheo grinned wolfishly and Enzo rolled his eyes, chucking his bloody hoodie at him that got Mattheo right in the laughing face. Over that, he thankfully missed the subtle clench of Theo’s jaw at hearing him say ‘Potter’s sister’ in such an invidous tone.

Enzo, evidently, didn't like it either, which didn't help Theo’s irritation that he hid behind a mask of indifference. “She’s actually quite nice,” Enzo retorted, rolling his eyes at Mattheo’s and Blaise’s teasing whistles.

“Where’d you talk to her?” Theo asked, making his words sound so utterly indifferent nobody picked up on his sudden focus on the subject.

Under the bed, your heart did a little leap when you realized why he was asking. Though Theo was no outright jealous person, you sometimes caught him stealing glances at your male friends, voice tightening subtly when he talked about them. Anytime you teased him for it, he denied it, of course, saying jealousy was irrational and for fools because he knew you would never even glance at them. Hearing his inquire, you made a mental note to taunt him with it when this was all over.

“The library,” Enzo said, sitting down on his bed and taking one of his novels off the shelve. “I’m lousy in Arithmetic, as you know, and she isn't.”

“I’m surprised she even talked to you,” Blaise said as he magically fixed his lip in the mirror, making sure it looked flawless and untainted. “From what I gather, she’s the biggest goody-two-shoes in school, and a Griffindor ontop of that, why would she associate with a Slytherin?”

Enzo only shrugged, and Mattheo let out a loud groan as he longed himself at his bed that creaked under his impact. “Merlin, why are we still talking about Potters? There is so much more interesting stuff to talk about. Like what Theo has been doing today. Or who.”

He threw a teasing smile Theo’s way who raised his brow nonchalantly. “I told you, I was studying.”

“Yeah, sure,” Mattheo yawned, but kept his gaze fixed in his friends indecipherable expression. “You’re already five steps ahead in class, every assignment this year you got back with an O, what would you need to study for? Not to mention, you’ve been sneaking out more lately, and I bet it’s not ‘cause you’re dating Filch.”

Theo returned his stare unblinkingly, keenly aware of the fact that you were listening to every word. “So what if I am?” A slight smile graced his lips as he leaned his head against the bedpost. “Can't I fuck who I want?”

“Sure,” grinned Mattheo, unrelenting. “But you haven't done a lot of sleeping around for the last few months, from what I can gather. Seems to me like your man-whore-heart finally rests in the hands of only one unlucky girl.”

“Your audacity calling me fickle when you’ve slept your way through every willing girl in our grade is obnoxious,” Theo sneered, making the other boys laugh and directing the conversation towards the ravenclaw girl who’s heart Mattheo had broken just yesterday. With the other boys distracted, Theo dared kneeling down, pretending to tie his shoelaces while at the same time peering into the dark under his bed.

His eyes met yours in an instant as you raised your brows teasingly, and as he rose to his feet, Theo could hardly suppress a little smile that dared creep upon his face.

[somnoir]

Gotham's newest Crime Lord - part 3

Part 2 | Masterpost

"You know your way around the city." Dan commented, eyes narrowed once he realizes that Kitty and Johnny adapted a little too well to Gotham. Going to places even he didn't know existed, exploring and giving them intel he never realized was relevant. They knew history of Gotham in a way a local would. 

Johnny shrugged, turning back to Kitty who welcomed Ember with a bright smile. The two were squealing, talking about how they were going to help mess with Firefly after burning down a well-loved studio down town. 

For Dan, he wasn't going to intrude too much on his former rogues but... "You're from Gotham. Both of you." 

Johnny twitched, watching as Shadow moved to play with Elle in the air. 

"Yeah, we’re not too sure if our folks are still kickin’, but Kitty and me took off after they flipped over our thing. This place still gives me the heebie-jeebies, but hey, you guys are here. Gotham’s cool these days with all the furries and rogues runnin’ around." Johnny laughed, his cocky nature still burning bright, even when he looked almost melancholic at the memory of this place. 

No ghost was truly comfortable in their hometown, whether they died there or not. This was where they were born, where their lives began. 

"I see..." Dan mumbled, glancing to the space where Danny was usually in. His younger brother was off doing kingly duties again, slumped by work and the Observants pestering him about shit. 

There's a quiet knock on his door and Jeremy was poking his head into the room again. The ghosts didn't even care, continuing to be visible and floating around. Discomfort and a bit of fear was clear on the man's face but he turned to Dante with as much courage as he could muster. 

"Boss, we've got a lead on the missing kids." 

Ah, yes. The recent disappearances of children. He doesn't know where they go, what happens to them. All he knows is that children were picked of the streets and never to be seen again. 

"Someone's been takin' kids?" Kitty grimaced, not minding how Jeremy shuddered. "Dan, dear, darling! Send me and Johnny. We know this city better than Batman and his little birdies."

Again, Dan sighed. "Gimme a minute, Kitty. Not enough information." He grunts, turning to Jeremy to hand him the report. 

"Anything else?"

"Well... About the Bats..."

"They snoopin' around again?" 

"Trynna sniff out Phantom." Jeremy shrugs. "Red Hood's been pretty active. Heard he's been wonderin' about Phantom not visitin' the kids last week." 

"Thanks Jeremy. Tell Marigold I said hi." 

"Will do, boss!" 

Once Jeremy left, the other ghosts were swarming Dan like bees. Their eyes glittering with anticipation, excitement, and vengeance. It felt strange for them to pay attention, to follow him. Danny's always felt like the better leader, struggling and suffering in the role yet rising above it all. That was why he was the king now. 

"Alright, let's get to work. Most of these kids have one thing in common. Their skills. Flexible, acrobatic, and have some sort of combat training. Usually in self defence." Dan plugged in the USB into his laptop, projecting the screen on to the tv. "The latest disappearance is Layla Smithson. Fourteen. Gymnast and was sent to take taekwondo classes by her parents. Before that was Evan Chavez. Another gymnast but was also known to get into multiple fights."

"So whoever is takin' the kiddies, they go after the ones with pretty good skills." Ember hummed, turning to Kitty and then nudging her. "You've got anything to say about that?" 

"Well... Maybe." Johnny shrugs too. 

"Ooh! What about that nursery rhyme every Gothamites gets to listen. Y'know. About the court."

Dan frowned. "What court?" 

"The court of owls!" Kitty grinned, "Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadowy perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed, speak not a whispered word of them or they'll send the Talon for your head." 

"Who the fuck uses that kind of shit for a nursery rhyme?" Dan scowled, but considered the possibility. "Any idea if they're real."

"Very." Johnny warned, "When Kitty and I died, we came back here a couple of times. Explored the place and tried to dig up secrets that would have killed us if we were livin'. One of 'em was the court. A secret society of a bunch off rich bastards."

"Johnny," Dan warned, knowing that something was still being kept from him. 

"There's another thing..." Johnny hesitated but Kitty took his hand and continued. 

Kitty grimaced, "The Court of Owls has a bunch of soldiers. They got this chemical they use on people, turnin’ ‘em into their own assassins. From what me and Johnny dug up a while back, these assassins were trained when they were kids. They call 'em Talons."

Dan wanted to yell, scream. Burn down the cursed with it's cursed bricks. Fuck. Fuck. Was the world always so shitty? 

"You're telling me... There's an entire secret society that uses chemicals to turn children into assassins?" 

Children.... Fucking children. They were weaponizing kids!

Ancients, he might just commit mass genocide again. 

"Alright. Alright. We leave the living people out of this. The court? Their talons? I want all of you prepared. I'm gonna contact Danny to drag Skulker and Wulf's asses here immediately."

Elle grinned, "GRAB AMORPHO TOO! We're gonna need his help if we want to dismantle the court."

The office is vacated quickly, with Elle dragging Ember and Kitty for girl time and Johnny runs off with shadow. Dan is left alone, frustrated at the new information before he does his best to summon his brother, the very annoyed ghost king that appears before him in full royal regalia. 

"A bit busy, Dan. Still tryin' to fight the laughing magician to help with getting rid of the Anti-Ecto Acts. Constantine is running around trying to destroy the GIW now." 

Dan snorted. He knew about John Constantine. The crazy motherfucker who's soul fragments were scattered around and Danny had to deal with the paperwork and mission to collect them all. 

"I know, yeah, sorry. I get that's important. But we've got a situation here."

"What would that be?"

"Secret society of rich fruitloops that are worse than Vlad. They're kidnapping children and making them into brainless assassins."

Immediately, the room grows colder than the far frozen. Danny's eyes are as green as they could ever be, but his pupils were an icy blue that would have made Frostbite shudder. 

"What do you need?"

"Skulker, Wulf, and Amorpho." 

"I'll send them on your way. They'll be here within 3 hours." Danny sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "I'll finish up things on my end to help."

"Sure thing, twerp."

"Fuck you." Fondly. 

"Fuck you too." Affectionately.

"OH! Your revenant was looking for you." 

"THE SEXY RED HOOD WAS LOOKING FOR ME?!" 

It was an entire week of silence. Of Wraith not doing anything at all. Even the rogues felt apprehensive to act on anything after Wraith's new subordinates started popping up to pester them. The reports were the same. Distorted footage, meta-human abilities, and a ridiculous amount of chaos. 

Apparently, Two face has waged war on one of them, named Ember. Riddler was also ready to throw hands with Specter. And then Harley and Ivy were hunting down a couple names Kitty and Johnny 13. Why they were named that, none of them knew. But considering Wraith and Phantom's titles, the entire group was Ghost themed. The majority of Gotham have taken to calling them the Ghosts. 

But then...

"Bruce... Get a look at this." Barbara's voice shook, horrified as she stared at the screen. Majority of the family was already in the cave, preparing to patrol once more. But their eyes were drawn to the screen. They all froze, struggling to fathom what the fuck was it they were looking. 

"Holy shit." 

Everyone was frozen, staring at the clear, untampered screen. 

Bruce sucked in a deep breath, reading the bloody message written on the wall of... He couldn't recognize it properly. "Farewell to the Court of Owls that once watched from their shadowy perch. Their talons covered in the blood of children they once purge. Farewell to their judge, the parliament says goodbye. To Talons, to owls, the ghosts says hi." 

And right beside the message was the hanging body of what Bruce recognized was the Judge of the Court of Owls. 

The Court of was in ruins. 

"Holy shit. HOLY SHIT!" Tim screeched, almost stumbling as he stared at the morbid message. "The Wraith and his ghosts took out the fucking court."

There was a loud rev of an engine, momentarily dragging their attention to Jason who was hurriedly getting of his bike and taking of his helmet. "Fuck, you've already seen it."

"You saw it in real life?! Where the fuck is that? The location is distorted but the entire thing is being broadcasted to the entirety of Gotham." 

"There are two of 'em. That one's on the clocktower."

Barbara snapped her head towards him, "MY clocktower?!" 

"Sorry 'bour that Barbie. But it got the job done for them, all of Gotham know about the court now."

Bruce grimaced, "And the other location?" 

"Arkham... The Talon is the one being hanged up there. The message is shorter: Bye-Bye owls. Shouldn't have messed with the dead." Jason clicked his tongue, "That's either about the fact that the court has been messing with the dead or it's cause Wraith's group is called the Ghosts." 

Jason shook his head, knowing for the fact that he'd have to track down Phantom soon. His eyes turned towards Dick, who stared at the screen as if a burden was just freed from him. Jason thinks it has. 

They had found out about the Court a little while ago, then found out about Dick's situation with them. How the circus he grew up in was one of the facilities that groomed Talons. How Dick was supposed to be recruited as one when his parents died. 

"Dick?" Jason murmured, gently taking Dick's hand. The other man jolted, his domino mask hiding whatever emotions there was in his eyes. 

"Little Wing..." 

"C'mon. Let's go grab some of Alfred's cookies. The rest of the family can deal with this." Jason quickly hurried his older brother out the cave, urging him to change our of his suit. 

Dick, once again, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders, struggled to understand that his nightmare that was the Court was finally dead. Most likely slaughtered by the hands of a new crime lord, a rogue that seemed desperate to keep children safe. He held the tea tightly, closing his eyes as Jason sat opposite to him. 

The court was dead. 

Talon was dead. 

"I'm gonna go look for Phantom in a bit." Jason hummed, trying to appear comforting to Dick. 

And the image of the Judge of the court's body hanging from the clocktower flashes in his head again. 

"Jason." Dick whispered, "Get me a meeting with Wraith."

"What?" Jason blinked, "Dickie, no. Wraith might seem like a pretty nice guy with how he's protecting the kids, but he's still..." He paused, "He's still like me." 

"I need to meet him, Jaybird. I need to confirm that the Court is gone for good. He's the only one who can do that for me." 

"Why would Phantom even let you meet him?"

Dick frowned, sucking in a deep breath before taking Jason's hands. 

"Tell him that Nightwing was supposed to be a Talon."

Part 4 | Masterpost

[qifrei]

THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY (2010)

dir. Hiromasa Yonebayashi