#so i got the best of both worlds linking her introduction so you know more abt her and ALSO getting to use these silly expressions i made

[cult-of-a-buttercup]

Hey. Have you ever wondered what each boss fight OST could mean for each bishop? No? Well too bad!!! This is all about that!!!!! (Links to the songs are on the names :] )

Leshy’s theme

Leshy’s boss fight is usually the first one you go through- though you can defeat whatever boss you want first, he would be the most common option since Darkwood is the first zone you unlock.

His theme is very simple when compared to the others? The whole song feels very magical, in a similar way like a fantasy world- it reminds me of medieval bards probably because of the string instruments. And the whole magic thing is blame of the chorus that shit goes hard

The lack of complexity of Leshy’s song could show that this is a bit of a first- he hasn’t fought much in his eldritch form before, so he does as best he knows with little thought. Him being the “first” boss also makes him a somewhat easier opponent, so it only adds on to this. Also the ending of the song really makes it seem like something surprising has happened- again because of the chorus. Very probably because. You know. First bishop who EVER got killed. Bit of a shocker. Things are going to change from now on you feel me.

Heket’s theme

Heket’s theme goes HARD. It’s probably my favorite one

The the first few seconds of the intro SCREAM destruction. This girl is there to demolish you and to make sure the One who Waits stays chained FOREVER. It’s very fast paced and it keeps going fast for a while before a chorus kicks in and holy SHIT I don’t know why but the melody it follows just. Makes me think of sorrow. Of how sad all of this prophecy really is and how this has affected Heket for CENTURIES now.

AAAND this is BACKED UP by dialog!!! If you go to Anura without killing Leshy she says this:

“The Bishops… my family. Have they not suffered enough? Have I not suffered enough?”

“We fought, pathetic vessel. We bled. We grieved. And yet the Red Crown wants more. No more.”

HELLO??? LIKE SHE’S SO SAD AND IT SHOOOWSSS IN HER FUCKING OST i love this game:;;:; the fact that she remarks that they GRIEVED the loss of her brother too- this poor girl has to every reason to never miss or think about her brother but how can she?? He was one of her older brothers, one of her mentors. Of course she misses him and probably still hurts because of his betrayal- both emotionally and literally because of her injuries. But you think she’s going to let her “feelings” get in the way???? NO. She’s going to kill you. That’ll make her feel better (eternal denial)

Kallamar’s theme

The build up of Kallamar’s theme genuinely just reminds me of royalty and. Mermaids. This squid is out here to show just how GOOD he is at killing lambs. KING of lamb slaughter you could say. LORD of murder. The chorus it has and the instruments really make it look like he’s a force to be reckoned with and that his fight will be filled with power!! With the grace only a king and a god could have!!! But even so it still has a few parts near the middle where it like slows down and shows maaybe a bit of insecurity. Knowing Kallamar wanted to avoid this fight at all costs it wouldn’t surprise me that his confidence in fight comes and goes in flashes, much like the parts with flutes and singing after the ��greatness” introduction. My poor man is having a crisis out here someone help him

Shamura’s theme

Something that really catches my attention is that unlike the rest of the boss themes, this song has no initial build up or intro. It’s pretty straightforward. And honestly??? (WARNING: SHAMURA PROPAGANDA) it just shows how important they are. They need no introduction, they’re the bishop of war and knowledge! The one and only, Shamura!!! You already know who it is, they don’t have to make it clear with an introduction. It’s either that or a reflection of how used they are to war and combat, so they don’t make it as much of a big deal as their siblings. OR since they already knew it was going to happen, it simply isn’t big news and they’ve been waiting for this to happen for too long to care.

It’s also really quick paced and goes very well with their boss fight, considering how aggressive it is compared to Leshy’s or Heket’s. Even so, like the others it has a part in the middle where it slows down a little and has a smaaaall little chorus in the back before building back up to a quicker pace. Could be that they’re analyzing what’s going on or that their injuries are acting up again so they need a breather- it also gives it this slightly sorrowful feeling to it AUGH.

The ending of the song is also different, like Leshy’s. Though the ending of Shamura’s theme really make it sound like something big happened- not because it has never been seen before but because its over. There’s no more bishops, the Old Faith is fucking gone. If you beat them last, that is JWRBIFDNB

Narinder’s theme + The One who Waits’ theme

Hooooly shit these two songs go hard. Also two of my favorites.

The introduction makes it SO clear that something has unleashed like you don’t have to be playing to know something BIG is happening. This one has only a voice and the bass- it makes it feel very majestic and divine in a way I can’t really explain, if you get it you get it. Honestly I have no comments. It’s mystical, it shows that you are fighting a GOD and that is IT.

The fact that it’s two separate songs also makes me think a lot about how Narinder was part of the Old Faith, but The One who Waits is NOT. Basically when comparing osts Narinder’s theme sounds a lot more like what we’ve seen with the other bishops while toww is a LOT more aggressive and just overall heavy handed?? It makes me think that like he’s DONE playing around.

Other things I noticed:

All mini-boss themes are similar to a small sample of their respective bishop

Other locations like Sozo’s cult or Midas’ cave also have similarities to the bishop’s themes or rather their areas

Baal’s theme is longer than Aym’s. Could mean many things, like Baal is older or that his fight takes a bit longer. Most people know Aym is the weakest link since he falls coughing after some attacks he makes, so it only makes sense

Narinder’s theme is more similar to Aym’s and The One who Waits’ is more similar to Baal’s

Shamura’s theme is the longest between all bishops with 2:35 minutes

WOW this took a minute but yeah. I hope everyone likes it!

I’d love to see what all of you think!! Maybe you think I’m absolutely wrong or want to add on- either way I will read everything with them big old eyes ❤️

[msjr0119]

This life

PART ONE

The majority of characters belong to Pixelberry from The Royal Romance/Heir. This is an A/U - with only parts being linked to canon.

Series warnings ⚠️: Adult language, sexual, adultery, loss of a baby.

Based on the Netflix series- Sex/life. A few parts of dialogue are from the tv series.

Please do not read unless you are over 18 🔞

Tags: Because I’ve been gone MIA in like forever I don’t know who’s here anymore 🙈… so only tagging people who have asked previously.

@ao719 @kingliam2019 @txemrn

Previously: Introduction

****

School psychologists aren't supposed to write books or diaries about sex. Doing so would be considered 'unethical' and 'a fireable offense'. Lucky for you, ethics was never my strong suit.

****

“It’s good to see you, Brooks.”

“It’s Cooper-“ Due to the shock, this was the only thing that Riley could mutter. Finally making eye contact, he gave her the refined look of innocence. “My surname is now, Cooper.”

They say that New York City is one of the worlds best places to take a run. Running was never my forte- I impersonated Phoebe in that one episode of Friends. The emotional pain that I felt in this moment, I’m not sure how many miles my body could suffer before shutting down…

“Riley! Wait!”

****

Olivia Nevrakis was never one to leave the house without looking presentable. Her attire generally consisted of stiletto’s which matched anything that contained sequins. She always used to say that she wore these type of shoes for self defence. In the frantic attempt to catch up with Riley, this one time she accepted that sneakers would have to do.

“Where’s, Riley?” Liam questioned as he scrutinised the unusual appearance from their friend.

“I’m glad I’ve found you- I don’t know. I assumed that she came back here, to you both?”

“What do you mean, Olivia?” There was no need for an explanation- the figure that ambled towards them confirmed the reason behind Riley’s disappearance.

“What the fuck is he doing here?”

“It’s a free country, Linz…. Liam, looking good bro!”

“Listen to what I’m about to say, Drake.. I am not your ‘bro’…” Exaggerating the word ‘bro’, Drake took a big gulp as Liam squared up towards him. “If anything happens to Riley- I will kill you this time!”

“You haven’t got it in you, Li-“ The tension between the two old friends, could have exploded due to the overload of built up anger that had been formed over the years. Olivia ‘sacrificed’ herself, separating them both- as they continued providing death stares. Neither wanted to throw the first fist or insult any further- in that moment there was the realisation that they both wanted the same thing. For Riley to be found- safe. Drake stepped back, and to everybody’s surprise expressed a slight bit of remorse.

“I fucked up, Li. I know that. I regret it each and every day. At least she has Preston to look after her, he’s a lucky guy.”

“Preston is an intelligent and caring….” This slight description stabbed Drake in the heart- if given an opportunity Lindsey would continue to dig the ‘knife’ as revenge for the pain that he had caused her sister. “Preston… he’s… The most an amazing three year old.”

“Excuse me?”

“Preston is my nephew- Riley’s son.” Awareness had finally hit, Drake- he had his wires crossed. Wishing that he hadn’t mentioned Preston, the confirmation of his identity now pulled on his heartstrings. Concealing his true feelings, he nodded to the trio- before leaving without another word.

“Lindsey, Liam- myself and Drake… it’s not what you are both assuming. I would never do that to, Ri. I can explain. It was just bad timing.” Olivia pleaded her innocence- she now knew that the jetlag would have to be put on hold whilst she explained the unexpected return of Drake Walker.

****

January 3rd

Let’s try this again. Drama. Life is always full of it in my case. The life of Riley Brooks. It probably would make more entertainment than the Kardashian’s.

Alcohol acts in crazy ways. It affects people differently. It can make you feel invisible- or at least it did for me tonight. I still can’t remember how I had the energy or knowledge on how to get home safely. Walking up the drive, I noticed my snobby and nosey neighbours- Hannah and Neville peering out the window. My brain was informing me to provide them with the middle finger gesture. Instead I gave a friendly neighbour wave along with the biggest fake smile that I could provide. The curtain soon shut as the pair probably scurried away like the rats that they are. What dickheads. If I know Hannah well, I can predict that she will visit tomorrow with a basket full of freshly baked muffins waiting for the tea to be spilled. The women here believe that they are the real life ‘Desperate Housewives’. Riverside may appear to be a seemingly perfect neighbourhood but like Wisteria Lane - here it more than likely also hides; many secrets, crimes, forbidden romances and domestic struggles.

Betrayal. It can occur in different ways. But you never expect it to happen with people whom you loved. The same two people who you trusted with all your heart once upon a time.

My husband is as gorgeous inside as out. I’ve never once caught him looking at another woman. To be honest, I’ve never caught him in a lie- or had proof to prove any potential deceit. So what’s the problem?

“Honey, where are you?”

“I’m upstairs, Nate.”

“Ri, things have been super crazy at work. You have no idea.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. We’re talking post-merger madness. Everyone is just angling for a position. They are all trying to show off for the new boss, you know.” Katrina- fantastic, little miss perfect Katrina. You can say her name, Nate. “She’s great, she wants to do all the things that I want to do- but on a much larger scale.”

“Wow.” Attempting to show a slight bit of interest, Riley didn’t realise how sarcastic that she may have sounded.

“Yeah, people are swarming- but she sees me. She loves me.” Nate noticed that Riley was in a daze, as she didn’t respond to him immediately. Laying next to her, he planted an attentive kiss on her forehead. “What’s up?”

“Nothing. I just miss you.”

“Excuse me. It’s her.” Acting dumb, Riley knew exactly who was on the other line. It’s a bit late for a work business call. “It’s her, my boss…. I won’t be long, Ri…’Katrina, hey! How are you?’” Laughing during his conversation, Riley couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed like that towards her.

The problem for Katrina, Nate Cooper is married to me. Before I met him, I had been contorted into a high percentage of the positions in the Kama sutra. Shouldn’t we all? There was rich guys, poor guys, tattooed guys, the one night stand guys. Any kind of man. Do I sound like a whore?

“We’ll sit down tomorrow just you and I, to discuss it Kat. See you then, bye.” Kat? Pet names now. The old boss was known as Mr Wilson- not by first name terms.

“Told ya, Ri. She loves me.”

“Who doesn’t?” Riley replied again in a sarcastic type of way.

I bet people often wonder why I married some man who was so straight-laced as to say. Honestly, it’s because of all the past encounters- especially, Walker. My nerves were so shot by the time that I had met Nate. As I’ve said previously I was vulnerable. My heart was riding on fumes- the stability that he offered was a soothing balm. At the time, I wanted us to live for a hundred years and die at the exact same moment to avoid any pain. I hoped that our souls would find each other on the other side- if that truly exists. We could fall in love all over again….I just also want to fuck Nate’s brains out, mainly as a distraction from the impromptu night that I have just had. Is that too much to ask?

****

January 4th

Last night or rather this morning was a complete disaster… When you have the urge to fuck your partner- you need to do it there and then, right? Why is it so hard to both be in the mood at the same time once you are married with kids? The way things are at the moment, I feel I’m like a reborn virgin.

“I’m sorry, I forgot to ask. Ioana mentioned that Liam and Lindsey came over. You should have gone out.”

That supportive look that he provided, was the complete opposite of what he would have really expressed. If he knew the truth, the calmness of his voice would be a different matter. Is he a controlling husband? Maybe. Protective- yes. What he doesn’t understand, is that I need to let my hair down once in a blue moon.

“I wasn’t up to it.”

To prevent my lie from being exposed I turned my phone into ‘Do not disturb’ mode.

“Besides, you’re back now….”

I reach down, making the first move. Faking orgasms- does anyone else do this?

“It’s so good.”

“Sorry, Ri- I can’t…. I’m too tired.”

Drake would never do that. He would see to all my needs. Why am I comparing them?

“Pass me the vibrator.”

It’s been nearly two years since Nate went down on me for example. I grew an entire human being in my body in half of that time.

“For fuck sake!”

I feel like screaming, due to the frustration of not only Nate ‘dying’ on me but now B.O.B does it too.

“Fuck it.”

After a slight yawn followed by a stretch, Nate snuggled into Riley-completely oblivious to his wife’s dissatisfaction. “Night baby.”

It wasn’t always like this. As much as children are a blessing- is this the reason that explains the loss of Nate’s libido or is it truly down to his work load? The passion we had has now declined, faded into something that is now virtually non existent. This must be the definition of growing up; getting married and living the family routine with a waning passion. Now I’m starving. Internally screaming at him from inside my mind trying to make us feel - something. Love is a drug, that’s what they say- right? Adrenaline. I can get that feeling again, every time I close my eyes - going back to any one of those nights in the past- I feel it. It’s not some allusive high that I’m chasing- it is - or was, real. That was the other Riley Brooks- the true, me. A wild-child. How can a girl fuck up with every relationship? I don’t know how I manage to do it? Maybe I should have worked on my brief relationship with Liam- my now brother in law. But, that’s a different story which included a poor teenage waitress in a dive bar and Lady Liberty.

****

January 5th

For this entry, I cannot allow for it to be discovered by Nate.

Deceit- the act or practice of deceiving; concealment or distortion of the truth for the purpose of misleading; duplicity; fraud; cheating. For me, today is just not informing my husband about the full truth. It’s in my past and something that I don’t like to ponder about. I’m still living through this nightmare behind closed doors. If he was ever to ask the reasoning behind this date- I have Lindsey as ‘my excuse’. We have previously had a discussion - to get our stories straight if Nate was ever to discover the true events about this day. The fifth of January always creeps up, then it’s gone in an instant- until it reappears each year.

****

Slowly walking up the path, there was the sense of tranquility. Silent neighbours. The slight wind enabled the tree branches to sway in sync.

“Hey, Linz”

“About fucking time, Riley! I’ve been worried sick about you! Are you okay? I’ve tried ringing you-“

“I’ve had no missed-“ Riley soon remembered that she hadn’t deactivated the ‘Do Not Disurb’ mode on her phone.

“I’m fine- I just… every year, we always meet here at the same time. Where are you? Why have you put flowers down without me?”

“That’s what I’m trying to explain, I’m stuck in traffic. I’ve rang you a few times mainly about the delay but also to discuss about you leaving the other night without telling us.”

���Linz, if you didn’t put these flowers here- who did?”

“Riley-“

“Linz, I’ll ring you back.” Sensing company, Riley focused on the shadow hovering over her.

“There’s a bunch of New York’s finest flowers from, Olivia. She wasn’t sure if you wanted to see her or not as you haven’t returned any of her calls. So I offered to bring them…. It’s been too long since I’ve been here, myself.”

The callused hand gently removed the crinkly yet rusty coloured leaves that floated effortlessly in-front of them.

“The teddy is a gift from me. I hope that you don’t mind?”

Reaching out to the bear, Riley pulled it close to her chest- holding it tightly, it felt to her as if the world had just crashed. Again. The defence mechanisms that she would usually excel in, were now paper thin. Before she could have reacted, his hands gently drew her closer towards him as he knelt down to her level.

“Please…. Don’t touch me. I’m fine.”

The heat from this touch rapidly creeps into my consciousness - needing to pull away, I couldn’t. It’s like a magnet, drawing us closer- unable to separate this unexpected bond. Pulling his head back, he ran his hand through my hair before gently wiping away the tears that were now everlasting.

“You clearly aren’t fine, which is understandable. If you want me to go, I will.”

As I sink further into his torso attempting to hide my emotions, I inhale his aftershave- which has now sent me into a coma. My heart and brain have different scenarios imaged in my mind. What am I doing?

“You have a right to be here as much anyone- Drake.”

- - -

Jackson

Our sleeping angel

01/05/2014

Sweet little flower

Of heavenly birth

You were too precious

To bloom on earth

Love you always, Mommy and Daddy xxx

[anotherwvba]

By Blood or By Choice pt. 3

Mika's eyes widened the second she saw him walk through the gym doors, dressed as Link from The Legend of Zelda. She couldn't contain her excitement and rushed over to him, throwing her arms around him in a big hug. "Mac!? You're here! I can't believe it!"

Little Mac chuckled, returning the hug with equal enthusiasm, hoisting Mika up in the air. "Hey, Mika! It's been too long!"

Across the gym, Bald Bull paused his conversation with Cutie Hondo to glance at the heartwarming reunion. "Looks like party is getting bigger," he said, now helping Cutie adjust the seating area to accommodate the two new guests.

Meanwhile, Niki Binary put on her headphones, focusing on testing the audio and video setup for the anime party. She glanced over at Mika and Mac, smiling at their reunion and staring in awe for a moment that the World Champ was at their party, before turning her attention back to her task.

As Mika and Mac separated, Mika's eyes twinkled mischievously. Then, without warning, she launched into a hard combo, her fists flying through the air. "So, Mr. World Circuit Champ, too important for us little people now? Huh? Why haven't you returned my calls and texts? Huh?" Mika, seemingly furious, hurling punches at the Champ.

Mac, ever the agile boxer, ducked and dodged each punch flawlessly before he parried one of Mika's punches and returned fire, "No have no idea how crazy it’s been since I won the title, Mika! Between appearances, meeting with sponsors, and training with Doc, it's been a non-stop whirlwind." Like Mac, Mika flawlessly avoided every punch.

Both of them stopped throwing punches and stood off in their stances, locking eyes. The gym fell into a tense, awkward silence, everyone watching the two in a moment that felt like an eternity but lasted only a minute. Then, as if on cue, both burst into laughter and hugged again.

"I’ve missed you so much," Mac smiled warmly as they separated, "but you're still dropping your right when you jab."

Mika grinned. "Always the coach. I’ve missed you, too. So, what brings you here?"

Mac's eyes twinkled. "I've got big news." He turned to the young blonde woman who had come in with him and waved her to his side. "This is Allison Treape… my fiancé."

Allison stepped forward with a smile, her eyes warm and inviting. "It’s a pleasure, Mika. I've heard so much about you. It's great to finally meet you."

Mika's eyes widened, her excitement reaching new heights. "Best friend-in-law? I’m gonna have a best friend-in-law?! Kahanga-hanga!" She moved to hug Allison but paused. "Can I hug you, Allison? Is it okay if I hug you?"

Allison laughed. "It’s Allie and of course!"

The two women embraced, and as they pulled away, Mika was practically bouncing on her toes. "I want to know everything about you! How’d you and Mac meet?"

“We met in college,” Allie chuckled before glancing back at Mac and sharing a genuine smile. "We're both still students, actually, but we've been taking online classes since Mac won the title and I’ve been traveling with him. I'm studying advanced robotics."

“Robotics?” Mika's eyes widened even more, if that was possible. "That's so cool! I can't wait to get to know you better!"

Allie smiled warmly. "We'll have plenty of time for that, I promise."

Mika eyes darted to Mac at Allie’s words, “Plenty of time? 

Mac explained, "We'll be here in Atlanta for the next month leading up to my next title defense."

Mika squealed in excitement. "A month? A whole month!? This is going to be epic! Best. Day. Ever!"

Grinning, Mac looked to his fiancé, “I told you she’d be excited.”

Mika clapped her hands together. "Okay, time for introductions!" She took Mac and Allison by the hands and started leading them toward Niki and Cutie, who were still engrossed in their tasks. "Come on, you’ll love Niki and Cutie. Oh and Skye! She’s not here yet, but she’ll flip when she meets you!"

[encantadiafan12]

Severus Snape x Muggleborn! Hashira! Kanae Kocho’s twin-sister! Reader

The Magical Link 🌺🐍✨

✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿

✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿

Introduction: After he was killed in the hands of the Dark Lord's snake, Nagini. He did not expect that his spirit unknowingly merged with the soul of the woman he was in love with, a former of student of his, and the close friend to the Boy-who-lived, Y/n Kocho. However, these two had a strong connection to one another through a magical link.

I only own Y/n Kocho who was 18 years old.

The idea of having Severus’ spirit in her body is a reference to both Yu-Gi-Oh! Gx and Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-v. This is also a soulmate au.

Warnings: Blood, Mentions of poison, Child Abuse, Death, and Demons.

She doesn't know how it happened, but to be quite fair, Y/n Kocho didn't expect that the spirit of her former Potions Professor merged with her soul. “What was the last thing you remember, sir?” she asks him in a rather calm, polite, yet sad tone. She's not the only one, he doesn't had any idea either on how it happened.

Severus sighs. “The Dark Lord’s snake. It…” he says, trailing off. He’s not sure he wants to tell her, she shouldn’t feel sorry for him. If anything, he should feel sorry for her - his spirit has merged with her soul without her consent.

What he didn't know the current Flower Hashira heard his thoughts as her eyes widened in shock as she carefully looks at him.

He raises an eyebrow. Did she manage to hear him?

‘I rather not say this out loud but I heard you.’ she spoke to him through her thoughts. As that surprised the spirit of the former Potions Master.

“You can… hear my thoughts?” he questions, raising an eyebrow. He sighs to himself. Great, that means he can’t keep anything to himself…

To be fair, Y/n find this a bit strange for some reason. She was still weirded out when the spirit of her former Potions Professor merged with her soul. How in the world is she going to explain this to her friends and her sister?

Severus’ eyes widened. What in Merlin? Did he just heard her thoughts?! So it works on both sides? Speaking of which, if she's going to tell Potter or sister; Shinobu about it. They'll really think it's quite strange.

“So… How exactly do you plan on telling your sister about this?” he questions after a while.

Y/n sighs. “To be honest, I'll try my best to explain but as for Kanao. I'm not going to tell her she's still young but I will tell her when the time is right.” She says. She rather not want her little sister to freak out. Severus is confused. Why didn't she mentioned Kanae; her older twin sister?

The current Flower Hashira then sighs at the thought of her. ‘I never had the chance to tell my friends about it but..... She's dead. Kanae’s dead. She was mortally wounded.’ she spoke to him through her thoughts.

She was ridden with guilt when she and Shinobu got to her. They were too late. She was in the brink of death.

Severus’ eyes widened in shock. Kanae’s dead? He remembers seeing her, Shinobu, and Kanao to see Y/n during Christmas every year (well except 5th and 6th year). Kanae was Y/n’s older twin-sister but was quite the opposite from her. Y/n was quiet and calm while Kanae was easy-going and kind but both of them have a serious side of their personalities. Both of the Kocho twins really reminded him of Lily Potter but the difference they were more understanding and considerate of other people's feelings. Y/n heard his thoughts but she just doesn't say anything about it.

“I am… sorry for your loss” he tells her.

Y/n sighs as she then gives him a sad smile. Things hadn't been the same right after Kanae died months ago. Shinobu’s demeanor change as she put up a supposedly friendly face. Kanao on the other hand felt guilt that she wasn't able to cry. Due to her inability to feel emotions because of the abuse she endured in the hands of her biological family years ago. In which, she and her sisters save her from the grasp of her current master at that time who treats Kanao like a slave.

Severus’ eyes widened in shock. Kanao wasn't related to her by blood but was actually adopted?

“I don’t mean to intrude, but… Kanao was never your biological sister? And what is this about a master that treated her like a slave?” Severus asks, raising an eyebrow.

His voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She sighs again. ‘Actually I figured it out when me and my sisters took her. Kanao was skinny, she barely eat for days or months, and of course she cannot feel any emotions. My hunch her past family abused her to the point she's unable to feel anything. Which would explain when we first saw her. When she's not being told she has to flip a coin to make her decisions. Kanae gave that coin to her and of course Shinobu was frustrated of her at first.’ she explains to him through her thoughts as she doesn’t like saying it out loud to anyone.

Severus is surprised. She seems to have been treated like he was treated when he was a child.

Y/n just gives a sad smile. She just then made her way back to the castle. It had been destroyed throughout the battle. It was not the way she used to remember it. They lost a lot people. Fred, Lupin, Tonks and few others (Snape included). She hadn't been around much due to her duties as a Demon Slayer but it was a bit more stressful now that she's a Hashira. But she couldn't stand around and do nothing but help her friends.

Severus (even though in spirit form) could see that the castle is no longer the way as he remembered it as well. The current Flower Hashira then made her way to the Great Hall. There she found Harry along with those who have survived the battle. She then made her way towards him. Once she approaches him, she gently places a hand on his shoulder. “Harry...” she called out.

“Y/n…” he replies, giving her a sad smile.

She just sighs as she then looks down. “The battle is won but with such cost. There are those who lost their lives.” she mutters quietly but the Boy Who Lived heard her.

Harry sighs as well. “Yeah, I still can’t believe it. Lupin, Fred… We lost so many good people. And Snape… He died saving us all” he says, looking sad and guilty.

What he didn't know Severus was there (in spirit form) who is standing next to the current Flower Hashira. Y/n just nod her head sadly. At some point, she just wish if she came around much earlier if the mission she had for the Demon Slayer Corps didn't take her to long. But she just sighs as she had no other choice there people in her home dimension who had been killed by man eating demons at night and even during the winter. She couldn't risk anyone going through the same fate as she and her sisters did when they were children. The time they lost their parents which had been devoured by these monstrous creatures had terrorized humanity as long as she remembered. She then sighs at the weirdest thing her twin thought when she was still around. The fact she wants humans and demons to get along with each other, however, it is nothing but a mere fantasy.

As long demons eats humans that would be very impossible.

The former Potions Master look at her in shock. Man-eating demons?! And Y/n Kocho is from another dimension? “… Demons? And you are from another dimension?” Severus questions, dumbfounded.

Y/n mentally sighs, she almost forgot the fact that he could her thoughts. ‘Yes, I am from a different dimension which is very different from yours.’ she admits through her thoughts. The former Potions Master knew she was a foreigner because her name wasn't a very local one. Same with her sisters and especially Aoi (who she and her sisters knew).

As for the part of the Man-eating Demons, that is a bit too complicated for the Flower Hashira to explain. She has to discuss with her friends including of course Shinobu and Aoi about it. Not to mention, the confusing part where Snape's spirit merged with her soul without her knowing. Of course, was currently stuck with her.

“Good luck explaining to your friends how my spirit got merged with your soul” Severus mutters. It’s going to be interesting seeing how they will react.

Y/n mentally sighs at that. She then diverted her attention to Harry again. “By the way, Harry, there's something I want to talk you about. Well just with you, Ron, Hermione, including Shinobu and Aoi. Alone of course” she states. That made the Boy Who Lived confused. What does she want to talk about? And why is she including her sister, and of the close friend she and her sisters knew?

“Sure… Let’s go and find them” Harry suggests.

They both look around looking for their friends. But when they found them. Ron and Hermione look up to see their friends Harry and Y/n. “Y/n, Harry. What are you two doing here?” Hermione asks. That made Y/n clears her throat “There’s something I want to discuss with you guys along with Shinobu and Aoi.” she states.

“Not more deaths…” Ron whispers, hoping it won’t be about that. He can’t handle losing any more people.

The current Flower Hashira then sighs “I’m not going to talk about that, Ron” she says. “But something you guys wouldn't believe, just in private.” she then adds. That made Ron and Hermione look at her. What does she want to discuss about? “But before that.” Y/n says as she then took out a miniature parchment and quill before undoing the shrinking spell. She then starts to write a letter to her younger sister, Shinobu.

“Dear Shinobu,

There is something I wanted to discuss with you and my friends. Something very important

Your sister,

Y/n Kocho

P.S please take Aoi with you because we can trust her as well.”

She finishes writing the letter before she folded the parchment. She later calls out for her Kasugai Crow. She and her friends (including Snape) heard a familiar caw’s. She later tied the letter on the crow’s leg before informing it to deliver it to the Butterfly Mansion. To her sister, Shinobu. The crow then leaves the castle as it's way to find the person who the letter should be delivered to (in her home dimension).

Moments later....

Shinobu Kocho and Aoi Kanzaki arrived. It's been 3 years they had visited the castle. However the Trio (including Severus) noticed that Shinobu was wearing the same uniform Y/n worn when Dumbledore was passing his will to them, and of course in the Battle of Hogwarts. What surprised them that she was wearing Kanae’s haori and surprisingly she has a smile on her face but on Severus’ case the smile seems fake. They hadn't seen Y/n’s sisters the because she doesn't want them to get hurt because of her. Aoi on the other hand has a serious look on her face. “Nee-chan (Sister)” Shinobu greeted as she made her way to hug Y/n while her hugs her back. The two sisters then pulled away. “I’m glad you're here, Shinobu,” she says before turning to look at Aoi. “Same to you, Aoi.” she finishes. Younger Kocho sister then turns to look at the Trio. “Long time no see it's been a while.” she says as she greets the Trio.

Shinobu’s voice was rather cheery. The Trio remembered she has a temper and tends to get frustrated. Of course, she gets a bit protective of Kanae and Y/n whenever a guy looks at them in a rather inappropriate way. Or when anyone tried to hurt Y/n and threatens to kill them of course. They hadn't forgotten the time in their fourth year the twins put bits of shrimp in Y/n’s pumpkin juice not knowing she has a strong allergic reaction to shrimp. And of course they got a major lecture from Kanae, Shinobu, McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, and surprisingly from Snape, too. Kanao Tsuyuri was there at the time too but Hermione and Aoi had to cover her eyes and ears to make sure she doesn't hear the whole thing because she was still a child. Of course, Kanae explained the whole thing.

Pretty much, the part she's not allowed to eat anything related or anything that contains shrimp. It's not that Y/n doesn't like eating shrimp. She's just allergic to it.

Of course Severus hadn't forgotten about that incident either he gave the twins 3 months of detention for what they did to Y/n and she had to stay in bed for a week. Like Shinobu, he pretty much wants to kill those imbeciles. Since then the twins were rather scared of what would happen if they plan on pranking Y/n. Everytime they saw her walk by their faces paled as they remembered that they nearly killed her back in her fourth year.

Everyone is now gathered, away from others. “What did you want to tell us, Y/n?” Harry asks once they are sure that the six (well, seven) of them are alone.

“Well, something surprising. Something I didn't expect happened to me.” Y/n starts as the others look at her rather confused. “What is it, Nee-chan (Sister)?” Shinobu asks. Aoi alongside the others nod in agreement waiting for to answer. Severus (in his spirit form) was waiting for her to finally say it.

The Flower Hashira then takes a deep breath. “Somehow the spirit of our former Professor. Professor Snape. Well his spirit sort of merged with my soul without me knowing.” she reveals. The others look at her disbelief. Not believing her at all. Y/n mentally sighs. ‘Oh boy’ she thought through her thoughts as that made Severus sighs as well. He then gives her a look as if he's asking her permission. At first the Flower Hashira was confused on what he meant but she immediately realize that she has to let him take control for a moment. Pretty much, to make them realize she's not kidding.

The others look shock yet confused as they watched Y/n’s left eye turn obsidian black. Just as black as Snape's.

“She is.... NOT... lying... My spirit really merged with Miss Kocho’s soul.” Severus spoke through Y/n revealing it was really true. However, there is a hint of his voice when the Flower Hashira spoke. That made the trio along with Shinobu and Aoi stunned as they watched the Flower Hashira’s left eye turn back to it's normal color. “A-arienai (I-impossible)” Shinobu stuttered out. She was genuinely shock on how the spirit of the snarky, grumpy, yet sarcastic Potions Master (more like former Potions Master) merged with the soul of her own sister. Aoi couldn't believe it either but how in the world did that happen?!

“Bloody hell” Ron whispers, shocked by what he just witnessed. Harry and Hermione are shocked too. How in Merlin’s name did this happen?

Severus rolls his eyes. It’s the Wizarding World… Technically, nothing is impossible. They didn’t see this coming, huh?

Y/n sighs at the thought. Well, pretty much that was the most weirdest yet odd thing that ever happened to both of them. The Flower Hashira and the former Potions Master were then snapped out of their thoughts when Shinobu spoke. “How in the world did that happen?” she asks, still shocked about what she witnessed. She along with Aoi and the Trio look at Y/n who just sigh. “It happened when I was deflecting the killing curse using my Nichirin Blade Sword and of course making sure they wouldn't harm any innocent people. When I heard Snape's voice in my head. His spirit somehow got merged with my soul. When we both found out we were surprised when that happened. Although, I'm the only one who could see him since he's currently stuck to me. But I should let you guys know he's also here listening to our conversation the entire time.” she explains. That made the 5 of them widened their eyes, Snape was listening the entire time?! Severus on the other hand rolled his eyes once again. Of course, he was listening the whole time. He had been standing next to Y/n.

“So how are you going to tell Kanae about it and why are you wearing her haori, Shinobu?” Hermione asks gently as she, Ron, and Harry looked at her and Shinobu. The two Kocho sisters froze. “Umm...” Shinobu stammered a bit unsure what to say. She has feeling Y/n hasn't told them that Kanae died months ago. Well, that is because of their duties as Demon Slayers. The Flower Hashira on the other hand looks unsure whether or not to tell her friends the truth that Kanae was dead. Aoi looks at both of her close friends worriedly. Severus noticed she doesn't feel like talking about it. “Do you mind if I tell them for you, Ms. Kocho?” he asks as that made the latter look at him. She thought for a moment, ‘No, I don't mind at all, Professor Snape.’ she states through her thoughts as she allowed him to take control again.

The five then watched as both Y/n’s eyes turned obsidian black. Snape is going to speak to them. “She wanted to tell the three of you months ago.” Severus spoke through the Flower Hashira. “However...” he then pauses before turning to look at Shinobu as that made the other girl look at him, confused. Before diverting his attention back to the Trio. “But Kanae Kocho is dead...” he said in a calm yet soft voice. That surprised the Trio. Kanae’s dead?! “Kanae’s..... dead?” Hermione asked not believing what she's hearing. As Severus who was in Y/n’s body just nod. They then turned to look at Shinobu. “She was mortally wounded....” she confirmed as she looks down on the floor. “When Y/n and I got to her she was in the brink of death.” she added as a few tears fell from her eyes. Severus then closes Y/n’s eyes as he let's out a sigh before opening them once more as he looks down on the floor. “She was killed a month before I killed Dumbledore that night at the Astronomy Tower.” he says, as he winces at the thought of it. “She wanted to tell you but she never had time.” Severus explains. He then let's Y/n have control again.

Y/n’s eyes switched back to their normal color. Harry then looks at her. “How did Professor Snape found out about that?” he asks carefully as he, Ron, and Hermione look at her. The Flower Hashira then scratches the back of her head nervously. “Well, he sort of found out when he heard my thoughts. You see, we both could hear each others thoughts, but I can communicate by just talking to him in my thoughts if I don't feel comfortable speaking to him out in public.” she explains as both her and Severus sigh.

“So you both can hear each other's thoughts?” Shinobu asks carefully still feeling a bit weirded out by this revelation as she and the others look at her. The Flower Hashira nods her head. “That’s correct, sister. We both can hear each other's thoughts that I almost forgotten that he can hear them.” She says as she sighs at the last part. For some reason, she couldn't hide anything from him. Severus sighs once again, it's a bit odd that this happened to both of them. The last thing he wanted was his spirit to merge with one of his former students and of course who's one of the closest friends of the Boy-Who-Lived.

“That’s… Bizarre” Harry mutters. He can’t imagine being stuck with Snape and not being able to hide anything from him.

“By the way, how are you going to tell Kanao about this?” Ron asked as he thought of the younger Kocho sister. At the thought of telling the little girl about it. Y/n just shook her head. “Kanao is still child, Ron. It's a bit too complicated for me to explain it to her.” she says.

The others can really agree with that. Kanao is still a child. But the Trio and Severus hadn't seen the little girl for the past three years. The former Potions Master remembered how he accidentally scared her when one of her older sisters, Y/n, bump into him. The Flower Hashira had to sing a lullaby to her. Pretty much, the one her mother used to sing to her and her sisters (years prior before Kanao was adopted).

He and Y/n were later snap out of their thoughts when Harry spoke. “By the way, how is she, girls?” he ask the three butterfly girls. Y/n made the right decision not to let her sisters (including Aoi) come to Hogwarts. With the Dark Lord rise back to power, Umbridge in Hogwarts (during her 5th year), and of course the starting of the Second Wizarding War. The last thing she wanted was to put her sisters and her friend’s life in danger (even, though they dealt worse in a demon infested world). So she couldn't risk it. Especially with Kanao, because she was so sensitive (if Umbridge or worse any Death Eater hurting her. She and Shinobu would snap if someone dared to hurt her). Severus could agree with her, Umbridge had been torturing people in her detention by making them write until words got stuck on their arms. So it would be horrible yet horrifying sight if she dared to do something towards Kanao. “The last thing I wanted was risking the life of our little sister? I rather not want to put her through that.” The Flower Hashira spoke as she looked down on the floor.

“Anyways, she's alright. She pretty much just stays in the Butterfly Estate.” She adds. She doesn't want to say “mansion”. They had been living there since the time they were taken in by the Stone Hashira; Gyomei Himejima (and of course years prior before they took in Kanao). Of course, the little girl wouldn't just do nothing but she surprisingly learned Flower breathing while both she (Y/n) and Kanae trained. Severus looks at Y/n dumbfounded but mostly in confusion. “Flower Breathing?” he asks still looking dumbfounded.

The Flower Hashira sighs again which felt like the milionth time. ‘I almost forgot that you can hear my thoughts, Professor Snape.’ she says to him through her thoughts.

Severus can’t help but smirk. “I expected you would have gotten used to it by now” he says.

The Flower Hashira shrugs at that. ‘Trying like literally.’ she admits. To be fair, she's slowly getting used to it.

The two were then snapped out of their thoughts. When Hermione spoke, “You did what you had to do, Y/n.” she says. The Flower Hashira then sighs “Kanao is still a kid so I couldn't take the risk.” she says as she crossed her arms. Although, she can't help but miss her sister; Kanae. She and Shinobu hadn't been the same ever since.

“By the way, I'm sorry that I wasn't around much, you guys. You see me and my sister had to take care of things here.” Y/n says to the Trio. Her friends just give her an understanding look. “We understand you had a lot on your mind lately, Y/n.” Harry says as Hermione and Ron nod in agreement. The Flower Hashira then sighs. Being a Demon Slayer was never easy, you had to take your duties seriously as you get missions done. Three months ago she had rise to Hashira. Which is a group of the most strongest swordsmen within the Demon Slayer Corps. She became one herself as she ended up slaying a member of the Twelve Kizuki. However, which meant she ended up taking her sister's place as the Flower Hashira. Kanae was the previous Flower Hashira. Severus then looks at her dumbfounded once again but mostly confused. “Demon Slayer and Hashira?” he questions still looking dumbfounded. Y/n just mentally sighs when she heard him speak.

‘Pretty much Hashiras are a group of the most powerful Demon Slayers within the the Demon Slayer Corps. Kanae used to be one until the time she was killed. I had no other choice but to take over her place. Which is rather stressful in dealing a dimension infested with Man-Eating Demons.’ She explains to the former Potions Master through her thoughts.

He nods, understanding. “I see. That must have been difficult for you” he says.

Y/n nods at that. ‘To become one you need to slay about 50 Demons or a member of the Twelve Kizuki.’ she then adds through her thoughts.

He widens his eyes at that. “Really? Interesting” he mutters.

‘However, the many humans they consumed, the more difficult to defeat. A member of the Twelve Kizuki has a number and their rank (whether lower or upper) in their eyes.’ Y/n adds added as she looks down. Severus looks disgusted at the part of devouring humans. He felt like he's going to vomit but seeing someone getting devoured by some creature like that is absolutely horrifying. The Flower Hashira winces at the thought. ‘Believe me, I first witnessed that when me, Kanae, and Shinobu were children (and of course a few years prior before we adopted Kanao). A demon devoured our parents and we survived. We were saved by Gyomei Himejima; the Stone Hashira. He was a Demon Slayer like me, Kanae, and Shinobu. We begged him to take us with him. He felt sympathetic for the three of us and later took us under his wing. In my dimension, life is too short.’ she says to him through her thoughts.

He slowly nods. “It was fortunate that he saved you and took you under his wing” he states.

The Flower Hashira and the former Potions Master were then snap out of their thoughts when Shinobu spoke. “Nee-chan (Sister)? Are you in there? You seem lost in thought.” she points out. Y/n sighs, “I’m fine, Shinobu.” she lies. She then turns to look at her friends. “Harry, please don't tell the others about this but you know I plan on asking Professor McGonagall. Mine and Professor Snape’s current situation.” she pointed out.

Her friends along with Shinobu and Aoi just nod at that. “Alright, Y/n... Although...” Harry starts. “Are you sure you're alright?” Ron questions, he could tell that she's not alright at all. The Flower Hashira sighs once again. “I’m fine, Ronald, really.” she lies once again. This the thing she hated the most. Lying to those she cared about.

Severus sighs. He knew that she's unsure to tell her friends that she's a Demon Slayer and of course the surprising part she's from another dimension. Y/n remembered telling Dumbledore and McGonagall about this. Their the only ones who are aware. The former Potions Master (later Headmaster) later look at her in shock. McGonagall and Dumbledore knew? Since when. Y/n sighs once again. ‘They knew since first year. I never told anyone else about it. They understood I have missions to attend to at night. You see, sir. Demons had a huge advantage when they attack at night. They mostly attack and devour humans. However, Demons despised one another. It's not surprising to see them arguing with one another. As I stated the more humans they consumed the more difficult they are to defeat. This is where the Twelve Kizuki comes to play. The Twelve Kizuki or should I say the Twelve Demon Moons. They pretty much attack and serve the Demon who started it all’ she states before she then grits her teeth as Severus waits for her to continue ‘Muzan Kibutsuji....’ she says the name with disdain through her thoughts.

“Muzan Kibutsuji? So you are saying he's a demon as well.” Severus asks looking very curious and a bit disgusted about Demons. These creatures must be heartless monsters. ‘Hai (Yes), however I can speculate he seems to be more powerful than the Demons he create. He must be looking for something.’ she says to him through her thoughts.

“Indeed, he must be looking for something” Severus mutters, agreeing.

The two of them were then snapped out of their thoughts. When Harry clears his throat. “We should go and find Professor McGonagall. Maybe she knows what caused Snape's spirit to merge with your soul, Y/n.” He says as the other five nodded in agreement. Both the Flower Hashira and the former Potions Master sigh at that. The six of them (more like seven) went back to the Great Hall to look for the Head of Gryffindor house. When they found her she was talking to some students. “Professor McGonagall.” Y/n calls out. That seem to caught her attention. She look up only to be met by the Trio.... and Y/n, Shinobu, and Aoi?!! “Ms. Kocho, what is it you need?” she asks the young girl. Y/n mentally sighs before taking a deep breath as she starts speaking “There’s something we wanted to talk to you about.” she says.

“Is that so? What is it, dear?” she asks the girl, patiently waiting for her to tell her.

“I want to talk about this somewhere private.” Y/n states.

“Very well, let us head to my office” she says as she starts walking. The others follow her until they reach the place. They head inside. “So, what did you want to talk about?” McGonagall asks, looking at them curiously.

Y/n then takes a deep breath before she starts speaking. “I know this is will be unbelievable but somehow Professor Snape's spirit had somehow merged with my soul. I didn't notice him around until I heard his voice in my head.” she starts explaining. As expected, McGonagall doesn't seem to believe her. Severus’ spirit who was standing next to Y/n looks at the Flower Hashira as if he's asking permission. Y/n immediately knew what he means so he let him have control so he can speak to McGonagall. The Flower Hashira’s eyes turned obsidian black. “She is not lying, Minerva. My spirit really merged with her soul.” Severus spoke through Y/n as that startled the Head of Gryffindor house. “Merlin’s beard! Severus, Is that really you?” McGonagall asks still startled by what she just witnessed. The former Potions Master who currently has control of Y/n’s body just nods.

McGonagall then turns to look at Y/n’s younger sister; Shinobu and her friend from her dimension; Aoi. “I pressume your sister informed you about it as well, am I correct, Ms. Shinobu Kocho?” she asks as both girls nod. “Nee-chan (Sister), informed them as well.” Shinobu says pointing to the Trio as the three nod their heads in confirmation. “Is Ms. Kanae Kocho aware about this?” McGonagall asks carefully. Y/n, who is currently in spirit form winced when the Head of Gryffindor house mentioned Kanae’s name. Severus notice this as he was well aware that the Flower Hashira doesn't feel comfortable to talk about it. “I’m sad to say this, Minerva.... However.... She's dead.” Severus mutters in a rather soft voice. “Kanae Kocho was dead. She died months ago. A month before I killed Dumbledore that night.” He says as he then winces at the thought. He never wanted to do it but Dumbledore ordered him to do so. Y/n who was standing next to him while he has control of her body just gives him a sympathetic look.

Severus just looks to the side. Shinobu looks down on the floor with a look of sadness and guilt on her face. Aoi placed a comforting hand on the younger Kocho sister's shoulder.

McGonagall sighs, knowing how hard it must be for Severus to mention that night. “I see. Very well, I believe what you are telling me. However, I must admit that I haven’t heard of such thing happening before. This phenomenon is new to me” she explains, giving them an apologetic look as she can’t give them any information about how it happened nor how to fix it.

He wouldn't admit it. It's new to him as well. He has never heard of it before however there must been a reason why his spirit merged with Y/n’s soul.

It feels odd and strange being in possession of the body of one his students. Y/n who is in spirit form had a feeling that her former Professor would be stuck to her until the day she dies. Severus in Y/n’s body sighs at the thought of it. That would be the case for the both of them. “It’s alright, Minerva. I have to admit this is very new to me as well.” He spoke through Y/n. He then turns to look at Shinobu who was still looking down on the floor. “Ms. Kocho?” He calls out to the younger Kocho sister. That seems to snapped the girl out of her thoughts. “Eh? What? Sorry.” she says. “It’s alright, Shinobu.” Hermione says as the Harry, Ron, Aoi, and Severus nod in agreement. McGonagall had a hunch something must've cause her former Colleague’s spirit to merged with the soul of one their students. The soul mark. The soul mark can take the shape of the animal that represents their soulmates. She remembered Severus’ soul mark was a butterfly on his left arm. However could it possible that Y/n Kocho would be his soulmate?

McGonagall clears her throat as she looks at Shinobu and Aoi. “May I talk to you two privately?” she asks them. The girls nod as the three of them go somewhere quiet, confusing the others. Once they are alone, the Head of Gryffindor looks at the girls. “Now, I have a theory of how this happened to her and Professor Snape. Which is why I must ask - did she receive a soul mark on her 18th birthday?” she questions, looking at them curiously.

The two girls look at her, shock. Pretty much shock with her question. Shinobu then clears her throat “Soul mark? Well, Nee-chan (Sister), got a mark on her left arm during her 18th birthday, McGonagall-sensei (Professor McGonagall).” she admits as Aoi nod in confirmation. “What animal is her soul mark?” McGonagall asks the two girls. “Well..... It was a.....” Aoi starts. “A snake. A snake, Professor McGonagall.” Shinobu finish.

McGonagall widens her eyes. So that’s why his spirit was merged with the girl’s soul… They are soul mates!

The Head of Gryffindor house then clears her throat. “I have came to the conclusion on why his spirit merged with your sister's soul, Ms. Kocho.” she states as both girls look at her. “What is it?” Shinobu asks. “He was your sister's soulmate which would explain why it happened to both of them.” The Head of Gryffindor house says. “Eh? What?!!” Shinobu says looking at McGonagall in shock. Aoi looks stunned “What? So that means Y/n-san (Ms. Y/n) was Snape-san’s (Mr. Snape’s) soulmate?” she then asks not believing on what she's hearing.

Shinobu was still in shocked. Out of all people it had to be her sister to be the soulmate of the former snarky, mean, sarcastic Potions Master. To McGonagall, it would make sense. Y/n doesn't seem to hate him like most of the students outside of Slytherin. She showed genuine concern when he was bitten by Fluffy back in her first year. She had a high respect towards him. She's the only student who seem to respect him outside of Slytherin. Strangely, back in fourth year (and also during the Tri-Wizard Tournament) he shown genuinely concern towards Y/n because of her strong allergic reaction to shrimp. The two maybe opposites to one another. One thing, they care about for what they fight for. Severus risked his life protecting Harry Potter just for Lily Potter while redeeming himself for the past sins he done in the First Wizarding War. Y/n Kocho on the other hand was to exterminate the Demon race so she along with her sisters can live a normal life without dealing with demons. They both dealt stress and hardships in life.

“Yes, that is exactly what it means. I know this must come as a shock to you” McGonagall says, looking at the two girls in front of her.

Aoi then clears her throat. “So how should we tell them without freaking both of them and the others?” she asks. As that made Shinobu and McGonagall look unsure whether or not to tell the others about it.

Meanwhile with the Trio, and Y/n (and of course Severus)....

They are waiting for Shinobu, Aoi, and McGonagall to return. They were wondering what they are talking about. “I wonder what they are talking about?” Ron asks breaking the silence getting the attention of his two other close friends and of course Severus (who still has control of Y/n’s body). Y/n’s spirit who was standing next to Severus was wondering the same thing. “Maybe it is something related to our current situation. What do you think, Professor Snape?” She asks in a very polite yet formal tone that made the former Potions Master mentally sigh. ‘Possibly, Ms. Kocho.’ He simply says to her through his thoughts.

Severus in Y/n’s body clears the Flower Hashira’s throat getting the Trio’s attention. “Ms. Kocho and I have a feeling it has something to do with our current situation.” He says in a monotone although the way he spoke was Y/n’s voice but with a hint of his.

Harry slowly nods. “I agree with both of you, it would make sense anyway” he says. Meanwhile, Hermione looks deep in thought. Ron groans. “Just tell us what you think already” he complains, looking impatient that she’s not telling them what she’s thinking. Hermione huffs. “Well, I think Professor McGonagall might have an idea to how this happened” she states, gesturing to Y/n although it was actually Snape who’s currently in control of her body.

Before the others can react to Hermione’s suggestion, the others return.

The four (mainly five) then turned to the others. “Did you figure out something that was relating to what happened to Professor Snape and Y/n, Shinobu?” Hermione asks as the younger Kocho sister as she and the boys waited for her response. Severus in the Flower Hashira’s body looks at them curiously.

Shinobu then takes a deep breath as she looks at the former Potions Master (who was in her sister’s body) before she starts speaking. “We managed to figure why your spirit merged with my sister's soul, Snape-sensei (Professor Snape).” she states. She and the others then turned to look at Harry. “Really?” He asks. “How?” Hermione asks. Severus then turns to look at McGonagall. The Head of Gryffindor house then clears her throat. “I had a possible theory on why it happened to both of you, Severus.” she starts. Severus then raises Y/n’s eye brow as he cross her arms. “What is it, Minerva?” he asks his former colleague. McGonagall sighs. “Before I could tell you 5 about it.” she starts. “Please try your best not to freak out.” Shinobu adds as Aoi nod in agreement. The others just look at them confused but just nod. The Head of Gryffindor house sigh once again before diverting her attention to the former Potions Master “You see, Severus.... The reason why your spirit merged with the soul of Ms. Y/n Kocho is....” she starts. The Slytherin waited for her to reply. “Is because you and Ms. Y/n Kocho are soulmates.” She states.

That surprises Severus. In fact, so much that if he was able to breathe, he would have forgotten how to do that. Y/n Kocho and he are… soulmates? How in Merlin’s name is that possible?

Y/n who was standing next to him in spirit form. Then looks shock. “Eh?!! We're soulmates?!” She says as both her and the former Potions Master (who was still in her body) look at one another in surprised. They couldn't believe they are both.... soulmates? How would that be possible, Y/n is from another dimension.

The Trio on the other hand, were in shock. “Bloody hell!” Ron exclaims looking shocked from what he heard. Harry and Hermione couldn't believe it either that their friend, Y/n, was actually Snape's soulmate. But why of all people did have to be him?

“Are you absolutely certain, Minerva?” Severus asks via Y/n’s body, sounding dumbfounded. McGonagall sighs as she nods. “Yes, Severus, I’m certain. It’s the only logical explanation as to how you ended up in Ms. Kocho’s body after you died” she states. She then looks at Y/n’s body. “Ms. Kocho… I believe you have a soul mark, isn’t that true? A snake?” she slowly says, trying to show the evidence of them being soulmates.

The Flower Hashira who was standing next to the former Potions Master stood there eyes widen in surprised. Did Shinobu and Aoi told her about the mark she gotten on her’s and Kanae’s birthday? The former Potions Master looks at her surprised as well. “A snake?” He asks as she avoided making any sort of eye contact on him. ‘Ms. Kocho....’ Severus calls out in his thoughts. After awhile she sighs. “Yes, my mark was a snake when I got it on mine and Kanae’s birthday. At the time I was confused about it at first, sir. Of course, I did my research and figured it was a soul mark which represents our soulmates.” she says to him. To the former Potions Master it was true that an animal was to represent their soul mark to their soulmates. The age to receive it was around turning to the age of 18.

The two were then snapped out of there thoughts when Shinobu spoke. “I think I should unbutton the cuffs of Y/n’s left sleeve on her left arm.” she says as the younger Kocho sister then made her way towards Severus via Y/n’s body. She then made a gesture for him to hold out her sister's left arm. The former Potions Master raises an eyebrow before holding out the Flower Hashira’s left arm. The others watched as the younger Kocho sister unbotton the golden cuffs of Y/n’s Demon Slayer Corps. Hashira uniform. Once she was done she push up the sleeve, when she, Shinobu, Severus, and Y/n’s eyes widened in shock. On the Flower Hashira’s arm was the mark of a snake and of course a mark the younger Kocho sister never saw on her sister's arm before. A mark of a butterfly. Severus was surprised. That mark was his soul mark.

“What is… Is that Professor Snape’s soul mark?” Harry questions, referring to the butterfly mark.

“Yes, it is, Mr. Potter.” McGonagall says in confirmation. She seen the mark before. Hermione then remembers something as she turns to look at Shinobu. “Shinobu, doesn't your last name; Kocho, means butterfly in Japanese right?” she asks as the younger Kocho sister nods in confirmation.

To Severus, in the past he was hoping his soulmate would be Lily once he reaches his 18th birthday. At the same time, he was disappointed that his soul mark was a butterfly. He got really upset when he found out Lily's soul mark was a stag while James Potter's was a doe. So since then he kept the butterfly mark on his left arm hidden. That is until 14 years after he graduated when Y/n Kocho came to Hogwarts. Her presence really brightens the mood.

At first, he thought of her being the same as the dunderheads he usually teach however that immediately change when he accidentally scared her little sister Kanao that she sang a lullaby to calm her down. She maybe identical to her currently deceased twin-sister, Kanae Kocho. But the complete opposite was that she was calm, composed, caring, kind, and quiet. Y/n, who was standing next to him never said anything as she decides not to say anything on what the former Potions Master thought relating to the fact that she was his soulmate.

Severus looks at the soul marks on Y/n's arm before looking back at McGonagall, raising an eyebrow as if saying “I’ve never heard that one’s spirit will merge with the soul of their soulmate if they die”. McGonagall clears her throat. “This is the only explanation as to how Professor Snape’s spirit merged with Ms. Kocho’s soul. You see, soul mates aren’t supposed to be apart from each other. Which must be why this happened - the bound simply wouldn’t let Severus’ spirit die and leave Ms. Kocho, which is why they got merged together” she explains.

It makes sense now to them. So Severus was bound to Y/n. Shinobu then gets the others’ attention “Ara Ara (My My), so that means he's bound to Nee-chan (Sister) until the day she dies.” she says. Aoi and the Trio nod in agreement. “Yes, demo.... (but....) if Kanae-san (Ms. Kanae) was here she would be surprised about this as well.” she points out carefully as the younger Kocho sister nod sadly while Y/n who is standing next to the former Potions Master just looks down on the floor.

‘She may be gone, but she will always be with you… In your heart.’ Severus says to Y/n through his thoughts, giving her a rather sympathetic look.

The current Flower Hashira then looks at the former Potions Master (who is still in her body) as she nods in agreement. “You’re right, sir.” she says.

The two were then snapped out of their thoughts when Shinobu spoke. “Demo... (However...) Are you alright about being stuck to my Nee-chan (Sister), Professor Snape? You never liked my sister when she was a first year.” she carefully says the last part as she remembered the former Potions Master accidentally scared Kanao when the three of them are visiting back on Christmas. At the thought of it Severus almost jumped at the mention of the things in Y/n and the Trio's first year.

The current Flower Hashira looks to the side when her younger sister said that. Severus remembered back in Christmas he accidentally scared Kanao. The look in her eyes reminded him the fear he had when his father beats him when he was a child. Coincidentally, he and Kanao were abused when they were children except the youngest sister of the Kocho Family was abused to the point she can't feel anything.

At that, McGonagall and the Trio sigh. “Why would you bring that up, Shinobu?” Hermione asks, shaking her head in disapproval.

The younger Kocho sister sighs as well. “He accidentally scared Kanao 6 years ago back on Christmas.” she says carefully. “That happened when Y/n accidentally bumped into him, Shinobu!!” Hermione argued. Before Shinobu could say anything she was interrupted when Severus spoke via Y/n’s body. “In which I also ended up accidentally scaring Kanao.” he says as there is a hint of guilt when he spoke.

The former Potions Master then turns to look at Y/n who was still standing next to him. “Daijodayo, Snape-sensei (It's alright, Professor Snape). I know you didn't mean to but it's technically my fault on why you accidentally scared my little sister.” she points as she starts remembering that day. She also sang the lullaby her mother used to sang to her when she was a child before she and her sister were taken in be Gyomei Himejima. Severus sighs. ‘Still I regret what I did seeing the look on her face reminded me the way I was when I was a child.’ he says to her through his thoughts.

They were both snapped out of their thoughts when Hermione spoke. “Will you be okay with being stuck with Y/N, Professor Snape?” the Gryffindor girl questions. Severus answers through Y/n. “As long as it wasn’t someone else, yes, I will” he states. Ron widens his eyes. “Snape is fine with being stuck with Y/n?!” he exclaims. Severus via Y/n’s body glares at him. “I’m only fine with it because we are soulmates, you dunderhead” he snaps.

Ron was then startled by the glare the former Potions Master who was possessing the body of his friend. Even when he has control of Y/n’s body Snape was still scary. But his glare was almost similar to the Flower Hashira’s glare. McGonagall then clears her throat get their attention. “How are you going to tell Ms. Kanao Tsuyuri?” She asks them carefully. The Trio, Shinobu, Aoi, Snape (along with Y/n) sighed at her question. “I’m afraid not, McGonagall-sensei (Professor McGonagall).” The younger Kocho sister says. The other five nod with what Shinobu said.

Severus via Y/n’s body then spoke. “I agree with Ms. Kocho. As their little sister is still a child-” he starts allowing Hermione to finish what he was saying. “and of course it is still too early for her to know. Especially with her unable to feel emotions.” she finishes. They all turned to look at Aoi when she spoke. “Demo..... (But.....), she will know one day the time she was able to feel any emotions. Kanao is still learning by flipping a coin to make her decisions when she's not being ask what to do.” she explains. The others just nod in agreement. The Boy-Who-Lived then spoke “Let’s hope that one day she'll be able to feel emotions again.” he says.

The others agreed with what Harry said. Severus agreed as well was because the youngest sister reminded him of himself when he was a child except Kanao was abused to the point she can't feel anything.

[elderdragonblu]

For questions for fic writers: 1, 7, 38, 41, 49!

Answer for Tumblr

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

Depends on the person and their taste. I’d say either Alexithymia or Lacuna. They’re both pretty good examples of my writing style and how I write and typically do things with fics in general. Unless people wanna go and read the owl house fics, which aren’t bad, but they are old and have a lot of projection put onto them :)

7. Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of?

Actually yeah! Depends on whether we’re talking about posted or not quite finished WIPs. Cause there’s a bit of both. I particularly like the Wardfield AU I have for Max and Dana, while it’s not completely “original” I did spend a lot of time trying to come up with an interesting world that’s different from canon but is also relating back to it, too, if that makes any sense lmao.

As for wips, I have this Amberwardfield fic that I’m working on and I’m enjoying the world building for that!! The world itself isn’t the canon Blackwell, just a regular high school called Blackwell with typical high school shit and I’m having loads of fun constructing the world, probably some of best I’ve done. There’s more, but I’m afraid if I say too much it’ll ruin further wips.

38. Did any of your fics get surprisingly popular (whatever that means to you)? Which ones? Why do you think they were so successful?

There have been a few that have gotten more attention than I thought. I originally started fanfiction writing simply because I had so many ideas and I thought “hey, there’s billions of people out there, I’m sure this story will satisfy the same itch it did for me if they read this” so I never had high expectations of being noticed or particularly praised by people for my work.

I would say more than, like, half of what I post was surprisingly popular. But for the sake of actually answering question I’ll give a very specific fic: Forget Me Not.

I’m serious when I say I wasn’t expecting anyone to actually care about FMN. Like genuinely. I posted that fic as a fun, like, little trial run. I’d never posted a multi chapter fic and fully finished it so I wanted FMN to be that finished story while also soothing that same itch for Max with memory loss lmao. What I didn’t expect was for so many people to actually like that story!!

As to how it got that way, there’s various logical reasons. One being that it’s a multi chapter fic that gets updates, so it constantly bumps the fic up to the top of whatever ship/tags its under whenever I post a new chapter. Which allows for people to constantly be interacting with it. Not to mention the tags itself, a lot of the LIS fandom lives off angst revolving around Max. Not to mention the ship tags I use like amberpricefield or pricefield, etc etc.

41. Link a fic that made you think, “Wow, I want to write like that.”

Sadly, I don’t have the link of this fic, but I do remember bits and pieces of it.

This fic was about Love is Strange Amberfield where Rachel is living in this house in LA and Max had given her these flowers before she left and Rachel was trying her best to take care of them, and by the end of the fic she’d managed to take care of them and she couldn’t wait to show Max the flowers once she visited LA (which was supposed to be soon in the fic).

That fic changed my life honestly. The way the author wrote made me want to write like that. To convey a similar vibe without so many words. That fic was just so… wow, you know? Shocked me right into my core. I knew right then and there I wanted to write like that author.

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

Hehehe, well I’m always working on new things. I’ve got a few stranger things fics I’m working on along with other LIS fics. A few multi chapter fics are making their way through slowly, with FMN being the top of my list atm, so it’ll take a while for those to get out. As for a snippet? Well… do you like Wardfield?

-

“What do you mean?” She signed, her brows furrowing further when Dana gave her an exasperated look.

“He was flirting with you, Max!” Dana threw her hands around dramatically, emphasizing her point. Max blinked for a moment, processing the words slowly.

It was quiet for a moment, the gears in Max’s brains shifting and turning autonomously.

A beat.

Then another.

Then, it clicked.

“Wait he was?!”

[sweet-herbal-peach-tea]

TKATB Theories

Evidently spoilers ahead for chapters 1 and 2!!

This is my analysis and theories based on 3 character's we got intense lore drops for including Sol, Crowe, and Hyugo.

(THIS IS SPECIFICALLY FROM THE ORGINAL TKATB V2 UPDATE NOT V3 WITH IMPROVED DAYS 1 AND 2)

CW: mentions of drugs, and implied abuse,

SPOILERS UTC!

Credit for header goes to the wonderful @arklayraven

HYUGO

So, the recent lore drop for Hyugo was crazyyyy. The whole thing about him and Geo being brothers was implied especially with Geo's introduction on Fantasia's twt where he talks about disliking Hyugo. There definitely has to be a reason beyond sibling bickering to why Geo dislikes Hyugo. Whether it's Hyugo's vigilante tendencies or his connection with a potential crime syndicate.

One of my theories is that possibility Geo and Hyugo's father are a part of the syndicate or some kind of organizer. The reason Geo possibly despises Hyugo so much could be due to the fact he believes Hyugo is so heavily intertwined in the world of crime? I guess we'll find out in the next few chapters??

SPEAKING OF HYUGO'S CONNECTIONS TO CRIME?? THE SECRET ENDING??

Okay so idk if Hyugo is skipping town in both endings but I think regardless of what choices we've made he'll be skipping town bc of the events that took place in the theatre. Whether we were present or not. What I think hints towards this is the particular ending we get when we go to the arcade and when Hyugo asks us to "take care of Sol". Then he smiles and leaves. It may not be as obvious at face value, but I do think we won’t see him for a good while.

ALSO, the deal he made with Sol??

I think it has to do something with definitely gathering information on us, or it could be as someone else said supplying Sol with sleeping pills. However, I think it's implied that Sol does unfortunately missuses them, but they are intended for Sol to be able to get sleep.

More than likely I think the simpler version of their deal would consist of Hyugo keeping quiet of Sol's list of many many crimes, and Sol doing the same for him.

CROWE

I think will generally be the shortest, however I think my theories for him are more based on context clues and reading between the lines rather than baseless conjecture.

As we know literature and double meanings play an extremely important role in this visual novel. We see this in reference to Anabel Lee and the constant references between our past and the poem and how each verse links each chapter.

Where getting to in this is during Crowe's route when he asks for the MC's opinion on Marie Antionette. In the answers we give he seems to take them to heart, and when a negative opinion of her is brought up he seems to take them strangely to heart.

It is clearly evident is some way shape or form Crowe is somehow connected to the man that took our farm away. I think it is most likely that he is Crowe's father. Crowe evidently feels guilty about the place he takes and the role that he is forced into in regard to our debt. He more than likely can’t say anything either out of guilt or second party purposes. Regardless he is obviously trying his best to support the MC from the sidelines in any way he can.

I love Crowe… :( My sweetybear snookums pie…

SOL

ughhhh this man.

I love him but he's clearly insane. Okay let's talk about him bc I have so much to say.

My first theory unfortunately is my least favorite, and it is that potentially MC is not Sol's first soulmate, and he is projecting an image of someone else long gone onto us as the MC.

My reasoning behind this theory is because of his views of rebirth, death, and life. Specifically on two occasions that really made me think of this.

During the conversation you have with him in the library after making the decision to sit on his lap you ask him about his interpretation of the poem Annabel Lee, which the game takes heavy inspiration from. During this conversation Sol speaks of "being separated by death" and it's followed by Sol's responds in a fast dialogue something along the lines of "I won’t. it won’t happen again." Which leads me to believe we may potentially remind him of someone in his life that has passed.

There's also a second dialogue during day 02 which sparked this idea, in which based on the player's pronoun options Hyugo says something along the lines of "you remind me of her/him/them." It's unknown if Hyugo and Sol are childhood friends, but if it is likely then it may confirm that we remind Hyugo and Sol of an entirely separate person.

The only thing that sways me away from this theory other than the fact I detest the idea of it is during Crowe's route on day 02 when Sol mentions something about how…

"It has always been you, Ichabod."

This line could imply a multitude of things really. This could also imply that he generally detests the family due to the fact that they play a role in the MC's suffering. However, for now, I'll diverge into a separate theory that definitely more likely being Sol somehow knows us from childhood.

I like the theory that a fanfiction author pointed out that our farm may have been near the sea, and the reason why Sol detests it so much is due to the fact we the MC were separated from him, and the sea may remind him of that.

There are also these implications of the flowers in his hair in Fantasia's braiding hair post with the "forget me nots" in his hair.

I also believe the key carries around him has something to do with our past as well. Given that in fantasia ask box when someone asked about how Sol and MC first met, he actively fiddles and plays with the key that he wears? Where does it unlock? Where does it go to?? Only the lord knows.

BUT ALSO?? SEPERATE NOTE?? FINAL THEORY AND IMPLICATION?? THE NSFW ENDING ON DAY 02??

Seeing Sol's back in the last CG absolutely broke my heart. It's clear that his back is riddled with bruises and burn scars clearly from recent abuse. (after my second check I also noticed his stomach with bruises??)

Obviously out of respect for fantasia's terms I will not link it nor post it, but it's there in game and I recommend other theorists checking it out.

The reason why I say recent is due to the fact that if they were just scars, we most likely would have seen the marks features in Day 01's NSFW art, seeing as it also has his stomach exposed.

Again, this all conjecture, and they could be in places we couldn’t have seen.

On the subject of scars, I think it's also evident that Sol is more than likely hiding a scar on his neck or some sort of burn scar behind it. He's extremely self-conscious about his looks, and Fantasia has stated that his choker will more than likely stay on at all times when he's with his soulmate.

The side however, and its coverage eludes me considering the only time we've seen Sol's neck is in art Fantasia has given us (but his neck is covered with a scarf or ribbon). The only time we see a little smidgen of his neck is in the Day 01 NSFW ending, but it's barely anything to form a for sure statement on!

I think here is where I'll wrap up my theories for now!! Thank for reading this extremely long yap fest! Fantasia if you are reading this I just wanted to say I love your game and I love Sol!! Hope he knows this very much! Thank you for your hard work and I hope your internship goes well!

Very excited for the future of this wonderful game! I will now go lock in for finals season! This is peach signing off!

[yan-senna]

Shooting Star (SS)

By yan-senna

Other links to the one shot: Wattpad / AO3

One shot schedule list

Want to be tagged when I post a fanfic?

Introduction:

This one shot contains Severus Snape x Muggle from our world! reader. I only own Y/N who is about 20 years old.

This is a request from @encantadiafan12 on Tumblr & Wattpad. Thank you for your request!

Y/N Y/L/N is a college student who loves to read Harry Potter. One night, she spots a shooting star outside her window. She makes a wish - to meet her favourite character, Severus Snape.

I hope you enjoy!

PS: You can send requests!

Word count: 1.8k

Published: 12/28/2021

———————————————

TW: Mentions of death

In a small apartment in the big city, a young woman sighs in relief as she finishes her ten pages long assignment which is due in less than an hour.

Y/N Y/L/N is a college student in her third semester. She’s hard-working and does her best in all her lessons, homework as well.

She loves to read in her free time. Her favourite book series is Harry Potter - she has read them so many times she has lost count.

She loves the movies as well, but there’s just something magical about reading it as you imagine in your head what’s happening in the story.

Once she has sent her assignment to her professor, she decides to reward herself by reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

When she gets to chapter four, she can’t help but chuckle. Bellatrix is questioning Snape’s loyalty to Voldemort, and the man has a response to every single one of them.

Y/N loves rereading this chapter - the main reason is because of Severus Snape.

The grumpy Potions Master of Hogwarts is her favourite character from the series, both the books and the movies. He has always been an inspiration to her since she was a child.

She also has a crush on him. Yes, Y/N has a crush on a fictional man. She has always found his appearance appealing - his onyx eyes, his crooked nose, his thin lips, his black hair…

Besides his appearance, his sad story has always touched her heart. He was a broken man who had been grieving since his childhood friend was murdered, but he still kept saving the Boy Who Lived and the Wizarding World.

He risked his life and worked as a spy in order to stop Voldemort once and for all. It worked - Snape himself didn’t live to see it happen, however.

Y/N can’t help but get sad at the thought. He deserved so much more. He deserved happiness which he never got.

Sighing, Y/N decides to put a bookmark where she left off before closing the book. Once she does so, she notices something in the dark sky of the night. A shooting star.

Quickly closing her eyes and folding her hands, the young woman makes a wish.

“I wish I could meet Severus Snape” she whispers.

After a few seconds, she chuckles. She knows how silly it sounds, one can’t simply get their wish just because there’s a shooting star. But it’s a beautiful thought.

As it’s quite late, she puts on her green pyjamas and brushes her teeth before heading to bed. Thank Goodness it’s the weekend, she can sleep as much as she likes to. Smiling, she goes off to dreamland.

As she’s in a deep sleep, she doesn’t notice the stars outside shining more than they usually do. She also doesn’t notice a bright light that covers her whole apartment.

She’s suddenly awoken by a loud noise.

“What was that?” she exclaims, sounding scared as she covers herself with her duvet as if protecting herself.

She then hears another sound. It’s coming from the living room. Has somebody broken into her home?

Taking a deep breath, she decides to get out of bed and puts her slippers on.

She quickly thinks of something that can protect her from the intruder. A broom… Well, it’s better than nothing.

She grabs the broom and slowly enters the living room. As she does so, she can hear someone curse under their breath. What’s going on? Maybe the thief doesn’t like her items?

As she’s about to whack them, the intruder is faster.

“Expelliarmus” they mutter. Just then, the broom flies out of her hand.

Y/N blinks a few times. Did he just say “Expelliarmus?”.

While she’s deep in thought, all the lights are turned on. Y/N gasps - in front of her is none other than Severus Snape.

He frowns at her. “Who are you? And where in Merlin’s name am I?” he demands.

Y/N can’t believe her own eyes. Is she still dreaming?

As he clears his throat to gain her attention, she finally realises that she has been staring at him for a while. She blushes at that.

“Oh, I’m sorry… My name is Y/N Y/L/N, and you are in my home, Mr. Snape” she explains.

She thought to be polite and called him Mr. Snape. She however regrets it as soon as Snape steps close to her, looming over her.

“How do you know my name?” he questions, looking at her suspiciously. Isn’t this girl a Muggle? How does she know about him?

Y/N gulps. How is she going to explain this? She doesn’t even know how he got here!

It then hits her… The shooting star. Did her wish really come true?

“Um… You wouldn’t believe me if I told you” she quietly says, avoiding his eyes.

He is a Legilimens after all, she’s afraid he will try to read her mind if she looks into his onyx eyes.

Snape raises an eyebrow. “Start explaining. Now” he demands, noticing how she avoids his eyes.

Sighing, Y/N decides to tell him. “W-well, you are a fictional character here in my world… That’s how I know who you are” she admits.

Snape raises an eyebrow at that. Is she telling the truth? “Really? Fictional character, you say?” he questions.

The young woman nods. “I can show you the books and explain the plot to you. If you would like” she hesitantly offers.

Snape thinks for a while. If she is indeed telling the truth, then he could perhaps use the information to stop the Dark Lord once and for all.

“Very well, then” he merely says.

Nodding, she then leaves the room. When she reaches the doorframe, she turns to look at him.

“Would you like a cup of tea?” she offers.

He simply nods at that. Y/N smiles before leaving.

Snape looks puzzled as she does so - did the girl just smile at him? If she knows him and his story, then she would surely despise him like everyone else, right?

While he’s deep in thought, Y/N grabs the seven books and makes two cups of tea. She somehow manages to bring everything into the living room in one go. She hands him his cup.

“Would you like some sugar and milk?” she asks. He shakes his head.

Nodding, she hands him the books as well. Waiting for his tea to cool down a bit, he looks at the first book.

“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”. Snape huffs. Of course the books are named after the Boy Who Lived.

After he has looked at them, he takes a sip of his tea as he listens to the girl explaining the story plot. It sounds identical to what has actually happened in his world.

As she explains, he notices that she’s wearing pyjamas. He wonders if he woke her up. He landed hard on the ground, cursing under his breath as it hurt.

Once she’s done telling the plot, Y/N quickly takes a sip of her tea before it turns cold. She told him everything except for his death. She has no idea how he would react to that.

“So… We will need to destroy all of the Dark Lord’s Horcruxes? And the boy must sacrifice himself thinking he will die?” Snape asks, remembering all the information he has just been given.

He will make sure they will defeat the Dark Lord with as little deaths as possible.

“Yes, that’s right” she confirms.

Nodding, he rises from his seat. “I appreciate the tea. I will return to Hogwarts to let the Headmaster know of the information you have just given me. By the way, do not let anybody know of this” he says, giving her a warning look.

“Don’t worry, I won’t. I promise” she says.

Looking like he believes her, Snape prepares himself to apparate. Before he can do so, the girl suddenly hugs him tightly.

“Please be careful” she whispers.

Stiffening, he slowly pats her back to calm her down. Trying to figure out why she’s acting like this, he can only come to one conclusion.

“I will die, won’t I?” he questions, looking at her. She then starts sobbing.

Looking confused, he grabs her chin to make her look at him.

“Why in Merlin’s name are you crying?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. Why does his death make her this upset?

Y/N sniffs. “I-it’s just… b-because I… I l-like you” she confesses, her cheeks turning red as she looks anywhere but at him.

As Snape finally registers her words, he’s deep in thought. Does this girl truly like him? He wonders how anybody could ever like someone like him.

He can’t help but smirk at her confession, though. “You like me, huh? Do you fancy me?“ he questions, still smirking.

Y/N’s cheeks turn redder at his question. “Y-yes. It’s my fault that you are here. I wished to meet you when I saw a shooting star…” she admits, still not looking at him.

Chuckling, he decides to thank her for telling him how to beat the Dark Lord - by kissing her left cheek.

“Well, thank you for giving me the information about the Dark Lord. It is very appreciated. If we do destroy him and if I do survive, then I will come back here and let you know” he says.

Y/N sniffs. “Do you promise?” she asks, looking at him with her teary puppy eyes. He nods as he wipes away her tears with his thumb.

“I promise. It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Y/L/N. Now, I must get back. You should go to sleep, anyway. I think I have kept you awake for long enough” he says. He then apparates back to where he came from.

Y/N blinks a few times. Did that really just happen?

Shrugging, she grabs the books and takes them to her room. As she puts them on the desk, the bookmark falls out.

When she grabs it, she notices there is writing on it. It wasn’t there before.

“Thank you. May we meet again someday. S.S.” it says.

Smiling, she can’t help but admire it for a while. It was real, it was truly real.

She then chuckles. Her best friend, Y/F/N who is a fellow Harry Potter fan, would go crazy if she told her. She however won’t as she promised Snape not to tell anyone.

Yawning, she decides to jump into bed, covering herself with the duvet. She puts down the bookmark next to her pillow.

Before she closes her eyes, she spots another shooting star.

“I wish that Severus Snape survives and that we will meet again” she whispers. She then closes her eyes, smiling as she falls asleep.

Little does she know that her second wish will come true as well.

———————————————

Author’s note:

There will be a part two on 1/4/2022!

Also: If you like fanfics where the reader is from a world where the Harry Potter characters are fictional but appears in real life, then you might like my series “The Keeper of the Diamond”.

Taglist:

@severuslovebot / @nickangel13 / @someoneonearth2007

[recurring-polynya]

Once again, I am thinking about the dubious claim that people make from time to time that Renji would have gotten better character development in the TYBW arc if Byakuya had died. The thing is, though, that Renji did get excellent character development in this arc, particularly with respect to his relationship to Byakuya, it was just very subtle and I want to talk about it.

So, the first thing I want to point out is that the captain-lieutenant relationships is one of the major themes of the TYBW. A lot of this is sort of weird and awkward, but this is perfect, actually, because captain-lieutenant relationships are, for the most part, weird and clunky and awkward. Take for example, the part that I always make fun of, where the captains are told not to go to bankai, and Hitsugaya, Komamura, Byakuya and Soi Fon immediately go to bankai-- but they all do this on the assumption that they are luring their opponent into a trap to see how this works, and that their lieutenant will somehow ??defeat them anyway?? (well, except Soi Fon who seems to think she can one-shot her Quincy). There’s Sasakibe’s funeral, where we find out that Yamamoto cared far more for him than we ever imagined. Kyouraku returns Nanao’s zanpakutou to her and stands behind her as she defeats an opponent he can't. Iba carries Komamura’s body off of the battlefield as he loses the last of his humanity. Isane struggles to keep her head above her grief because that’s the burden Unohana left her with. Rose avenging Kira. Hitsugaya and Matsumoto fighting and (sort of) dying together. The Zaraki-Yachiru thing. The Mayuri-Nemu thing. Momo and Shinji actually got to have a relatively normal one, which they each deserved, but at least they got to have normal one together. Anyway, that could be an entire essay, but as usual, I only want to talk about Renji and Byakuya.

Renji’s introduction as a character happens in stages. Initially, he sort of appears to be Byakuya’s sidekick-- he's here to do the dirty work during Rukia’s arrest, while Byakuya stands by and calls the shots, but even early on, it’s clear that Renji’s a little hung up on Byakuya. He’s trying to impress him, and gets more embarrassed and self-conscious as things go progressively pear-shaped. When Byakuya finally enters the action, Renji’s thought bubbles reveal that he’s watched Byakuya for a long time, that he knows all his moves. When we get the Renji backstory reveal a few issues later, we learn that Renji’s goal is to defeat Byakuya, which he seems to feel is necessary to seeing Rukia again, even though there has never been any sort of causal link revealed between these two things. Don’t get me wrong, if Young Academy Renji had tried to continue to be friends with Rukia, I think Byakuya would have kicked him out on his ass, but it’s clear that a lot of Renji’s hang-ups are internal-- he doesn’t want to face Rukia again until he can stand against Byakuya. I think the origin of this is that he simply wants what’s best for Rukia, and he can’t stomach the idea of asking her to leave her rich, noble family for him, unless, of course, he’s somehow better than Byakuya in some dimension, and the only thing Renji’s ever considered himself good at is fighting.

Even more interesting is that he’s chosen to go about this by... studying the man’s every move and becoming his lieutenant. But for as much energy as Renji has put into learning Byakuya’s favorite combat moves, he doesn’t actually know anything about him as a person. He’s shocked when Rukia predicts that Byakuya won’t lift a finger to help her, and then horrified when this actually comes to pass. A few chapters later, as he’s running Hinamori through, Aizen comments that “Adoration is the state furthest from understanding.” I would probably classify Renji’s feelings towards Byakuya more as admiration or idolization, rather than adoration, but I think this statement is also very true of Renji and Byakuya’s relationship. Unlike poor Momo, Renji gets a little more time and opportunity to do something with this information. With a little Ichigo-forced soul searching, he realizes that he’s not going to come out the hero of this story no matter what, but if he doesn’t do something, Rukia’s not going to come out of this story at all, and even if he’s not really ready, he’s spent 40 years trying to figure out how to beat Kuchiki Byakuya, let’s hope all that was good for something.

The Byakuya-Renji fight has no direct impact on the events of the Soul Society Arc. It makes Byakuya show up to Rukia’s execution 5 minutes late and without his scarf. Renji gets healed, so it really doesn’t matter all that much to him, either. You could argue that they both wasted a bunch of energy (that they could have used to fight Aizen later) but it’s primarily a character-driven moment of them both drawing lines in the sand about where they stand, vis a vis Rukia. Byakuya wins this fight, and he wins it handily, but he’s wrong, as he comes to realize a few issues later, when Ichigo kicks his ass and tells him he’s a bad brother, a lesson that Byakuya will take to heart for the rest of the manga. Byakuya claims that the difference between Renji and himself is class, but the real difference between is the heart, and in the long run, Renji is the real victor of this fight.

The hospital scene is an interesting footnote to this. Byakuya defeated Renji, but Byakuya was the asshole and everyone knows it. There’s an expectation that perhaps Renji will quit or perhaps Renji will give him an earful and perhaps even Rukia will choose to leave the family, either to go to the Living World or to be with Renji (and Byakuya would deserve this), but instead, both Renji and Rukia give Byakuya another chance, which is not, I think, a place Renji ever expected to be.

Rukia and Byakuya building up a sibling relationship after this is fairly straightforward (although I’m sure it had its weird moments), but Byakuya and Renji now have this profoundly awkward relationship where Byakuya is obviously in charge, but he sort of depends on Renji as a personal compass because he’s shit at dealing with people and he doesn’t want to screw stuff up with Rukia again. Take for example, the part of the Hueco Mundo arc where Orihime is kidnapped and Rukia and Renji desert their posts to come help rescue her. Kubo takes to the panel-space to tell us that Byakuya has tacitly approved this. As a clan head and a captain, a person who is entrenched in the hierarchy of Soul Society, Byakuya couldn’t possibly go to Hueco Mundo-- but he can turn a blind eye while his sister and lieutenant scurry out through the Kuchiki family senkaimon. Renji, for his part, tried to go to Hueco Mundo through official channels and got shot down. We don’t know what Renji would have done if Byakuya had explicitly forbidden him from going, but it doesn’t matter-- Byakuya enabled Renji to follow his heart here, because Byakuya can’t. Rukia would have gone to Hueco Mundo regardless. She cares about Byakuya, but she doesn’t depend on him for validation the way Renji does.

I said this was going to be about the TYBW, so let’s get to that. Early in the arc, we’re shown several scenes where it’s clear that Byakuya respects and values Renji as a lieutenant, but he’s also pretty damn patronizing to him. Renji is the first one to engage As Nodt, and when Byakuya shows up, he acts surprised that Renji hasn’t taken him out yet, but then proceeds to take over the fight (real, “stand back, fives, an eleven has arrived” energy). After Byakuya then loses his bankai like a doofus, Renji wants to take point so that Byakuya can figure out As Nodt’s attack and Byakuya won’t let him... and then proceeds to get thrashed.

This has to be one of the most emotionally charged fights in Bleach. Byakuya is losing, and Renji jumps in, absolutely incensed that As Nodt would use Senbonzakura against Byakuya. Renji isn’t doing great, but he’s not doing terrible when Byakuya gets up and tries to help Renji, even though he’s a big bloody mess. As Nodt reacts by shredding Byakuya into chunks, and Renji just loses it, and if Mask de Masculine hadn’t shown up and kicked him halfway across the Seireitei, I daresay Renji would have killed himself trying to take down As Nodt.

This is where I usually make the point that if Byakuya had died to here, it would have broken Renji into little pieces, but that’s not today’s essay. Instead, everyone goes to the Royal Realm, and by virtue of the fact that Byakuya is injured worse than everyone else, Renji has to go forward without him or his approval.

In typical Renji fashion, the thing that motivates Renji here is not glory or heroism, but the desire to accompany Ichigo, the need to be with his friends in their times of trial. In fact his companionship here is absolutely essential-- at Hikifune’s, Ichigo expresses deep doubts that he’s doing the right thing, and Renji reminds himself that if he wants to protect others, he has to take care of himself first.

At Nimaiya’s however, Renji and Ichigo are split up because they must follow their own paths. The other extremely interesting thing that happens here is that Renji’s sword is reforged. Byakuya shattered one of Hihio Zabimaru’s joints the very first time Renji used them in combat. Renji brushed it off at the time, saying that he could get by without it. Even though Byakuya has long been his motivating force and his mentor, he’s also been held back by his connection to him. And at this point, it’s gone.

I really wish we got to see where Renji and Rukia meet up again, but we don’t. Unlike with Ichigo, though, Rukia doesn’t seem to need anything from Renji. They travel together, fight together as equals, wear matching outfits, like you do. Oh. Wait. After all this time, in the 493 chapters between Needless Emotions and Blue Stripes, Renji can finally see himself as an equal to Rukia. They get. bankai. Together.

I want to emphasize that it’s not really anything about Rukia herself that allowed Renji to make bankai, it’s the fact that he’s finally managed to move past the feeling that he’s not enough. Defeating Byakuya would not actually have solved this problem, and having Byakuya dying in front of him wouldn’t have either. Renji gets criticized for losing a lot of his fights, but that’s such a key to his character. He’s not always the strongest, he doesn’t always win, but he keeps fighting for what he cares about. He struggles with his need for approval, for external validation, but Renji is at his best when he doesn’t have time to think about that, when he’s just fighting by his friends’ sides against impossible odds, doing what he knows in his heart is right.

I think people tend to make a little more than is strictly necessary of the line where he tells Mask that he’s “a villain”, I think he’s most just making fun of Mask’s own self-aggrandizement. On another level, though, this is just Renji being at ease with himself. Byakuya typically enters a fight bloviating about the honor of Soul Society and “how dare you raise your sword against me, the 28th Head of the Kuchiki” and even Ikkaku had the whole deal about telling people your name before you kill them, but Renji is more like “you beat up my friends, so I’m gonna break your face,” like there’s no ego in it, just you’re there, and he’s there, and then you’re lying on the ground and he’s taking a nap somewhere. This is so different than the insecure, posturing young man he was at the start of this series and I love this growth for him.

Even after he eventually meets up with Byakuya again, something has changed about their dynamic. The group gets split up and rejoined two or three times, and Renji and Rukia always stay together while Byakuya ends up fighting alongside others, Hisagi and later Hitsugaya and Zaraki. This is cemented in their last scene together, where Rukia and Renji try to stay with Byakuya and he sends them off to fight with Ichigo by saying “your help is not needed here.” In some ways, it’s an echo of Byakuya sending them off to Hueco Mundo, but in other ways, it’s acknowledging that they are their own people, not just an extension of him.

Hitsugaya follows it up with this:

There’s more here than meets the eye, though-- Byakuya and Renji have maintained a pretty strict superior-subordinate relationship, because that’s the easiest way for them to make sense of the world, but the fact is, they do care about each other and are important to one another.

I know there would be a certain narrative satisfaction in seeing Renji make captain at the end-- he’s one of the hardest working people in Bleach, and it frankly seems weird to see Iba get the haori when he doesn’t. But Renji has never wanted to be a captain. Renji becoming captain would, in some ways, be a failure. He spends years pre-canon chasing rank and prestige because that’s what he thinks will make him worthy, and it didn’t. Instead, he found worth in being himself, in loving his friends and being there for them, in learning things from Byakuya and teaching him things in return. Renji doesn’t need to be Byakuya’s lieutenant anymore, he just does it because he likes it. It makes him happy. What better character development is there than that?

[angry-slytherin]

We Really Like Fluff

a totally incomplete guide to dousy fan fictions that are a must:

according to me, anyway

no idea where to start? looking for a fic you read a year ago? I’ve got you.

help me find the tumblrs of those not tagged (if they have one)!

all we do is drive. (romantashas) @romantashas

Daisy has missed the open road. She used to always love taking her van out and just driving. Los Angeles was where she liked to stick around, but she would always go on these road trips just because she wanted to explore somewhere new.

She's always liked running away from things.

It was different, having someone with her.

In which Daisy Johnson helps Daniel Sousa explore the modern world by taking him on a cross-country road trip in a van. Post-Finale road trip AU with MCU tie-ins.

the first beloved fic by this fandom. completed in august 2020, it strays from canon somewhat at S7E11, but the characterization makes you forget that anything is different at all. truly a masterpiece, and definitely a must-read.

6/17/55 (lazyfish)

6/17/55.

She never thought it would mean 1955.

(Spoilers up to 7.06.)

one shot. soulmate au. beautifully written. it’s only just under 2k words but one of the most popular fan fictions under the tag on ao3. absolutely adorable and you’ll feel your heart flutter for them.

One Year Later (marvelsquake) @marvelsquake

Set right after the series finale's 'one year later' part where Daisy stares into space with Sousa and Kora.

Inspired by the 'anatomy analysis' bit Jemma says to Daisy.

there are so many amazing “anatomy analysis” fics out there. that is one of those “if you know, you know” things;) this one is really thoroughly written, and marvelsquake took their time to make every detail perfect. really, just excellent.

Stay (SteeleHoltingOn) @steeleholtingon

Not everyone knew she could feel heartbeats. Sousa’s sped up every time he looked her way.

His reaction wasn’t particularly unusual, and Daisy was an expert at fending off unwanted advances. But that was just it: Sousa hadn’t actually made any advances, and if he did, Daisy wasn’t sure she’d ward them off.

Her heartbeat, it seemed, liked to match tempo with his.

this one needs little introduction. it has been recced(??) to death, and rightfully so!!! the author is this incredible genius and I love them for giving this to us. it’s over 150k words, so be ready to commit some much deserved time to this excellent character study on both Daisy and Daniel.

Feel Good(I Like It) (enigmaforum)

It's not the the first time she’s felt something for someone since Lincoln but it’s the first time she felt like it had the possibility to actually turn into something. Something Good.

I’ve always loved the title of this fic, but that’s besides the point. enigmaforum is a very talented writer who does plot AND characterization like a pro. definitely an A+ in terms of quality. also part of a series with some other excellent works!

Exposure (agentquakingskye) @blcssqvake on instagram

Dying in a half-second blast of radiation wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be.

Dying all over again, slowly, because of that half-second of radiation?

That was worse.

okay I lied. we also love angst and this work is angst central. it’s a cancer AU following the finale, but it’s just as happy as it as sad. prepare your tissues, but also prepare for some seriously good writing.

A Week After Death (manoutoftimeandquake) @puddle-of-awesomeness

An explosion in an alien junkyard sends Daisy, Sousa and Kora back in time to meet some people from Sousa's past.

the astro ambassadors sent back in time to meet the AC cast(essentially). such a fun, action-packed, hilarious work. such a classic. go read it now!!

Where I Need To Be (JennaPotter)

This is set from Episode 7x03 onwards and follows the story of Daisy Johnson and Daniel Sousa, and how their relationship has been developing throughout this amazing season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.! This story mostly follows canon but is interspersed with missing moments between Daisy and Sousa that I imagine could have happened off-screen.

almost 200k words of absolute beauty. it’s incredibly detailed and excellently written. it’s like reading a published novel!! but with dousy!!

you’ve got that power(over me) (romantashas) @romantashas

"It's you," Daniel whispers. He's in awe, looking at Quake. She steps back away from him. "Let me help you," he says, reaching out toward her injured arm slowly.

Daniel only gets a moment more to admire her glowing eyes and her purple hair before she turns and runs away, her hand slipping out of his.

In which the superheroes of the Marvelverse actually try to keep their identities a secret and Daniel Sousa is determined to figure out who is behind the mysterious Quake mask. Superhero AU with MCU tie-ins.

yet another classic(I’m definitely misusing that word… it’s deserved by these authors) work by romantashas. the description gives the gist of it, but it’s one of the best dousy AUs out there.

get ready for the shameless self promo…

Your Heartbeat On The Highline(Once In Twenty Lifetimes) (doctorsimmonswilson) @angry-slytherin

He’s a man out of time and she’s an orphaned superhero. They’ve just got to figure out what to do next, after the mission is over.

[aka Daisy and Daniel’s story post finale]

welp… I included my own story. honestly it’s because it is one of the most popular in the tag(I’m sifting through too kudos and top hits). I’m really super proud of it, so read it if you’d like. it’s canon compliant (and extremely fluffy for the most part:)

somebody hurt you(but you’re here by my side) (agentmmayy) @agentmmayy

Daniel doesn't leave Daisy's side, even when she's out of the healing chamber.

very popular, and for good reason. such a sweet, nice fic. I very much enjoyed it and it’s a quicker read than most on this list!

and here’s to the question marks

aka: unfinished works that are beautiful and deserve your attention

want you(to unravel me) (IzzieBee)

Daisy never wanted to be rescued, by anyone. She never wanted to owe someone that debt, but especially not to a handsome WWII Vet, traveling through time. Daniel, who was brave and decent, and kind of funny, and who she could easily depend on, which was way too dangerous to consider.

OR

Daisy really wasn't ready for Daniel Sousa.

sexy, fun, well-written… what more could we ask for? it’s missing the last chapter, but the brunt of the story is there, and it’s satisfying either way.

A Truth Stranger Than Fiction (wordsmithraven)

Daniel Sousa was having the worst day of his life...and he’d lived through a war. Service had always been something he’d understood. Honor. Sacrifice. Duty. He’d just never thought his journey would mean leaving everything he loved behind.

a lot of daisy and daniel getting to know one another… a little bit of season 7 adventure… a whole bunch of fun.

Loving The Journey Together (manoutoftimeandquake) @puddle-of-awesomeness

Moments in the lives of Daisy and Sousa (and Kora) after the end of the team's final mission.

this one is a WIP(being updated currently). manoutoftimeandquake has some amazing snippets/slices of life waiting for you in that work!

it’s in the subtext (eggsaladstain)

Snippets of the relationship between Daisy Johnson and Daniel Sousa through the words they said and the ones they didn’t.

SO. FREAKING. GOOD. just go read it, okay?

and finally, some links to some authors who’ve written a bunch of amazing stuff.

romantashas

manoutoftimeandquake

enigmaforum

@hecckyeah

lazyfish

hereforthephilindafics

dearemma

seriously, there’s so many more amazing fics in this tag. I didn’t have the energy to include all 800+. these are just some that are most popular and/or deserve your attention.

thank you for taking the time to read through all of this! I hope you’ve found some things to bookmark(or binge-read;)

[liquid-luck-00]

Connections 10

Chapter 10

this is based on @thepeacetea daminette soulmate au

Masterlist *** First *** Previous *** Next

~~~~~~~~~~

Arriving in Themyscira, they were greeted by Queen Hippolyta and guided them to large hall. Introductions were made and Tikki zipped towards Hippolyta, nuzzling her cheek.

"You are the Ladybug of this generation?" The Amazonian Queen asked the youngest in the room.

"Yes, Ma’am." Marinette answered quickly and slightly panicked in the Queen's presence.

"Your soul is a true creation soul," she began her explanation. "As your soulmate and intended cat is a true destruction soul." As if on cue Damian, in corporeal form, 'crashed' through the ceiling, falling, and landing with a thud.

"Nice entrance Demon spawn." Jason snickered as Damian stood up.

"Tt. When I get my body back Grayson and Drake help me with this.” He demanded, but was actually asked of his brothers. He held up two batons.

“Dick would be better than...” Tim’s voice cut off as Damian merged the two and it expanded into a bo staff. “I stand corrected.”

“The Black Cat is the most offensive Miraculous," Hippolyta continued to explain. "As you've already found the first two, attempt to find the third."

"There are five total," Tikki chimed in. "But you'll need Plagg for the other two and to use your Power." Damian nodded and sat down fiddling with the staff, then batons, then the staff again, while listening to the Amazonian Queen.

"What does this have to do with the Lazarus Pit and bringing Damian back?” was asked by Bruce.

"Everything. Understanding the power that she is and he will, wield explains why there will not be an adverse effect on him." Hippolyta calmly explained. “The Ladybug as you may know uses a yo-yo as the primary weapon, but you also have two collapsed escrima sticks. Your powers include the 'Lucky Charm' and 'Miracle Cure’ used together you can reverse all damage caused as a result of the miraculous, or if any miraculous took part during anytime of the altercation. It is also possible to revive the dead with your power."

"So is it possible for Mari to bring back Damian?" Was asked by a hopeful Dick.

"Unfortunately not. What occurred was a result of the soul bond and the magic embedded into Marinette." A sad knowing look crossed the Queen's features. "This is where the Pits of Lazarus comes into play. As Marinette is the embodiment of creation and luck, as Damian is the embodiment of destruction and misfortune they are the two souls of this generation who can enter its waters without corruption."

"Why?" was chorused by the four eldest Waynes.

"The Pits were created by a wish merging the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous." Tikki now spoke again. "But with such powerful magic it comes with a cost. Pit madness comes when a person has a soul alignment with a miraculous, like Jason. For others it may vary, but for souls like the two of you, as part of Plagg and I, you are immune to the madness only reaping the benefits."

"Why didn't you say this before, Tikki." Tim brought up. "Because I can't see souls like my chosen can and Mari is too young to see them now." the miniature goddess responded.

"Pits as in more than one?" Bruce whispered, as if in deep thought.

"There are half a dozen pits around the world hidden away. Each is guarded by one of the inner kwamii, but that is more of a tidbit than necessary information." the Queen smiled. “Now has that calmed some concerns?"

"Is there a Pit not controlled by the League?" Jason blurted out. Because logically the league couldn't control all of them.

"A few, such as the one here on Paradise Island." Queen Hippolyta answered in turn.

"I can get my body back without the League?" Damian whispered just loud enough for everyone to hear.

This was the best news they could get. Damian could be revived while not having to struggle with the Pit madness. He wouldn't need to be near the League which means he wouldn't question himself. That he is able to build upon what he has since moving to Gotham without being the Prince of Assassins.

"Yes. Now come little bug, little cat." Marinette and Damian each flanked the Queen as the rest followed behind.

A short trek into the Mountains and they arrived at a pit. The same acidic green with chaos and creation swirled. Damian's body was deposited next to the swirling pool.

"Understand that when you emerge, both of you, will train here in order to strengthen and teach you the magic you will wield." the two children nodded, clear resolve on their features. "Good."

After bringing Damian back from the dead they almost immediately were placed into training. It was true that there was no madness, his mind was intact without being clouded by anger. Their soul bond was a huge benefit. Where Damian caught the physical aspect quickly and it transferred to Mari. While Mari was a natural at magic and helped guide Damian through.

Yes the Amazon’s did not particularly trust men but they could recognize Damian as a Black Cat, which along with his brother’s nickname Demon Spawn, he gained the name Hellcat. That and they could clearly see that Damian was Marinette’s soulmate, but didn’t treat her as a damsel in distress, instead as a partner and equal. Which helped him earn some respect to the warriors around them. Which was how the two spent most of the week before going back.

What they couldn't be prepared for was the tornado named Jagged. As soon as they arrived in the manor he was there in a fury of a whirlwind.

"Hey little Rocker, how was the trip?"

"It was fun." Marinette smiled at her dad.

"So got any pictures to show your papa, love." he asked excitedly.

"Pictures?" she repeated quizzically.

That was when the Wayne’s and Mari began to laugh

"What’s so funny?" The rocker asked confused.

"Apparently we were so caught up in the vacation we didn’t take pictures." Tim grinned, the little liar he is, spoke up. He had pictures but they were mostly of his brothers getting their asses handed to them by the Amazons. And he couldn’t explain how they happened to be on the secret hidden island filled with Amazonian warriors. "Their also was zero service on the island." He finished with a shrug.

"Ohh I did bring back some shells and crystals and some seeds for my garden." Mari chimed in. "I can tell you all about it."

"Yes you can on the plane to wherever you and the bird you choose to come with us." Jagged smiled at his daughter.

"Jared what are you..." Bruce near finished his sentence.

Jagged having interrupted his thoughts he sentence. “Come now Batsey you steal little rocker for a week so I steal one of your birds." He stated as a matter of fact.

Bruce just stood with his jaw slack. Sure Mari told them he figured them out, but he forgot, he had a child to revive goddamn it. “Fine but I think it’ll be a good idea to tell him Mari." He turned to the young girl.

The girl chewed her lip before putting her hand in her light vest shirt. A red pixie bug flew out and sat on Mari’s head.

"Hello I’m Tikki the Ladybug kwamii, Marinette is my chosen holder." Tikki's voice rang through the room.

"I’m sorry what now?" The rocker was eerily still and quiet.

"Long story short your daughter is a magical girl and Demon Spawn is her soulmate and is also a magical girl, boy, you get the idea." Jason chuckled.

"Okay let me get this straight. Mari's soulmate is the Grumpy Gargoyle, they are both magical kids who are chosen by fairies. All of you are Gotham's vigilantes, which I'm assuming you've been training Little Rocker."

"Yes.??” Dick answered unsure.

"Okay."

"Okay." Dick again responded. Before realizing, "Wait! Okay!”

"Ya," Jagged shrugged. "You've all met Mari. This is completely plausible with her. So who are we stealing from Bruce?"

"Dames!" she jumped to hug him from behind, arms wrapped around his neck.

Damian for his part didn't throw Marinette off. In fact he repositioned to piggy back her, a ghost of a smile spread on his neutral features.

"So where are we going?"

Yucatan Peninsula

Why?

The Twins said a gift for future bugs and cats were there.

Haven't their been cats and bugs since them?

Yes but travel was limited.

In other words scavenger hunt.

Yes. How's your Spanish? Because the most logical place to start would be the Mayan ruins.

"Mejor que eI tuyo." she smirked at him.

"God damn it their doing it again." Jason dragged his hands down his face.

"Doing what?"

"Their bond is shockingly rare, its a Mind link sharing knowledge, meaning basically anything one knows so does the other. As if that isn't enough now they can communicate telepathically."

"So why the Spanish rocker?"

"Cancun, Mayan scavenger hunt." she grinned.

"Sounds good. I'll shoot Penny a text and we'll leave tomorrow sound good?"

"Yup." She responded, Damian nodded and finally set her down.

Your helping me pack.

As if I'd let you do it yourself.

Knowing you, you'd pack your Robin uniform.

'Pfft'

Next

~~~~~~~~~~

Permanent Taglist: @itsmeevie01 @miraculouspenta

Taglist 🐞🦇: @thanks-captain-obvious @mandy989 @our-preciousss @readingismyoxygen @birdy912 @shifty-lesbian-retro-goblin @todaylillypads @laurcad123 @demonangel27 @be-happy-every-day-please @fandom-trapped-03 @thequeenofpotatoeunicornss @t1dwarrior-of-earth @saays-bitch @k-poplunardreams @animegirlweeb @weird-pale-blonde-person @myazael @toodaloo-kangaroo @moonlightstar64 @miraculous-simmer7 @wannajointhecrabcult @blackmagicforever @iamabrownfox @justcourttee @consumeconstantly @abrx2002 @livelifeauthorstyle @certifiedbidisaster @dreamykitty25 @ironspiderstark @fantasyislive @dast218 @susiej1118 @sassakitty @lilyreadbooks12 @dawnwave16 @mochegato @galla02006 @nathleigh @trippingovermyfeet @promiswords @rosep16 @officiallydarkgeek @inarachi02 @justafanwarrior @emimar7

[mayonnaisetoffees]

DtA Daily Day 4 (part 1)

Jerked awake at the unexpected noise, Castiel fights down the instinctive panic, blinking uncertainly into the gloom of the room, barely lightened by the weak grey light beginning to spill through the window. Which means it’s less than an hour before dawn, a time he didn’t expect to ever see again.

Far more unsettling, he’s beginning to suspect there’s been more than one of them.

So we are STRAIGHT back into DtA with a fun bit of intensity. Again, this comes back to depersonalisation of grief. Not only is Cas grieving (End!)Dean, he's grieving the world he assumed would end on Day 1. Grief can be strange in the way it makes you process time. The world continues around. When my mum's dad died, my dad drove her across the country to their best friend. They spent some time together and then he drove her back. My mum remembers none of this. I think Cas here has a similar thing. Not only has he been self medicating against the pain, but his brain has protected him from remembering the worst of the pain of the last few days. (I know Cas has a perfect memory bear with me I'll talk about that soon)

“Go away, Vera.”

Vera my absolute beloved. My best friend Vera. Light of my life Vera. This isn't quite the moment I fell in love with Vera, but it is so very close.

“You don’t remember?”

“I remember everything.” It’s true, even if at this moment he’s not quite able to retrieve the specific memory.

This here is how I'm reconciling the knowledge of Cas's perfect memory with the idea that his brain is protecting him. It's the mix of human and angel and not quite either that will be part of the theme of identity as we move through Down to Agincourt.

“Let’s make this easy on us both,” Vera continues flatly. “Hour after dusk to an hour before dawn, you’re stealth searching the entire goddamn city for Dean. I get it, you want to find him, everyone does, but going alone to Kansas City every night—Jesus Christ, even you’re not usually that stupid!”

“Why would you think—”

“Jeep’s still warm,” she says flatly. “I checked before I got here. Wanna try again?”

[...]Vera waits for a few pregnant moments before finally saying with an unmistakable quaver in her voice, “Cas, tell me—here, you can lie to me—that you aren’t going to the city while you’re fucked up—”

“Unless you wish to count speed, no. [...] I'm not an idiot.”

“Because three days of no sleep, that’s good for you,” she says acidly, but the relief in her voice strips the words of any heat. “Cas, why—I mean, I get it, it’s Dean, but come on. I know you can take care of yourself, but—look, right now, we can’t afford you—” She hesitates so briefly that he almost misses it, “—anyone taking that kind of risk right now. You know Dean’s orders as well as I do.”

“And I’m famous for my obedience.”

Lots of quote there but let's be real I could have quoted this whole chapter this is me showing restraint.

I absolutely love Vera's introduction. One of the things that I think Seperis does so well is creating the feeling of history behind things. Places where you understand that the places, the people, the relationships, in this fic have been around long before Day 1.

Here's what you learn in the first scene of meeting Vera:

Vera and Cas are close.

Vera is the one who came looking for Cas, the one who noticed the Jeep and put together a theory (bearing in mind she doesn't know about Dean this theory makes the most sense), and comes in with a clear Taking No Shit attitude that Cas plays off of.

Dean is not from here

What Vera sees as Cas being sloppy about hiding what he's doing is actually Dean not knowing how to cover his tracks at all. Or not even thinking he might need to. These people have been on high alert for years and Dean hasn't, not in the same way.

Vera is worried about Cas.

This is linked heavily to the above point, she worries about Cas because she cares about him, the two are intrinsically linked. She's angry at him and the risks he's taking (or at least that she perceives for him to be taking).

Something else is going on

“Cas, he’s alive. I know that, you know that, everyone knows that. I get it’s hard to wait, but—”

Now the slip of the tongue of "we can't afford you" changed to anyone might have been an emotional slip if it wasn't for two things: 1) she still said we not I 2) the chain of command later in this section

“We can’t afford for me to leave the camp.” Vera nods distractedly, glancing toward the door, and he notes the darkening circles beneath her eyes that he missed earlier, the weary slump of her shoulders beneath the oversized olive Army jacket, the barely-there tremble of hands locked together to hide it, but while bloodshot, the brown eyes are unnaturally alert for this early in the morning.

“You look tired. Is patrol more active than usual?”

And here we have Cas knowing Vera right back. He can see her and read her easily once he's paying attention.

“No, it’s fine, [...] Pretty quiet, actually, Amanda and Mel say day’s about the same, though, so no idea.”

Three days, what was he doing, why would Dean be going to the city; he can be stupid, but it usually involves some form of logic, however incomprehensible it might be to anyone but himself.

This is why I love Down to Agincourt. Because things that are throwaway lines on the first read are build up to something so much more significant on later reads.

“The camp is running smoothly?” he asks, never looking away from her face. “No panic, worry, belated realization that with Dean missing and all of his lieutenants dead we lack even a rudimentary command structure…” He closes his eyes at the way she stares at the wall just over his shoulder. “Please tell me I should be congratulating you on carrying out a successful coup on Chitaqua and you wish to be referred to as ‘Your Dread Majesty’.”

Again, it's the grief. It may be tedious that I'm pointing out grief again and again but genuinely the narrative is shaped by it particularly in the early chapters.

“It wasn’t a coup,” she says deliberately.

[...]“I don’t have time for this, so if you would, please explain who is currently in charge of Chitaqua since all of Dean’s lieutenants are dead in Kansas City?”

“Four of them are dead,” she corrects him. “One of them came back.”

“They think I’m getting orders from you,” she says simply. “Now, you got a choice.”

Okay as much as I will talk about the future coups becoming almost an inside joke by The Game of God, this first one? It isn't that at all. This is a calculated move on how best to keep the camp running. The situation is tense as fuck and this is about survival.

[...]“The answer is no.”

“You get your goddamn gun, walk outside, and give them their orders,” she continues flatly. “Or tell them I lied, you’re opting out, and good luck with that survival thing, because I’m sure as fuck not doing this for you.”

Castiel jerks his gaze back to Vera. “Why not? You’ve done an excellent job so far.”

“Fuck you,” she answers, brown eyes hardening. “Playtime’s over, Castiel; time to deal. What are you gonna do?”

Checking it automatically, he pauses, remembering the first time Dean handed him a gun and told him it was time he learned how to use it.

Again, this scene only works because of how well Cas and Vera know each other. She isn't going to take his shit and she gave him three days and now she needs him to step up. And despite everything, everything, in him that's wanted to check out the past few days, he does. He takes note of the information that things are strangely quiet on patrol. He remembers Dean's instructions on what to do in this kind of situation. And he comes up with a way to ensure that this Dean isn't able to go to Kansas City anymore.

“Cas,” Vera says slowly, “what happened in Kansas City?”

Dean said: Cas, it’s just you and me now. If we’re gonna do this, you have to learn everything you can.

“The team leaders were killed,” he tells her, sliding it into the holster before retrieving his knife from under a pillow. “Dean’s orders were for anyone who survived the confrontation to secure the camp until he was able to make contact.”

“He survived?” Vera licks her lips nervously. “You’re sure?”

Otherwise, you’re useless to me. So, what’s it gonna be?

“He’s alive,” Castiel answers, meeting her eyes. “Until he returns, his last order will be obeyed.”

[...]Closing his eyes, he thinks: I can’t do this.

“Cas?” Vera says quietly, and he feels a nudge against his arm. “You ready?”

Opening his eyes, he looks at the doorway to this tiny world within the protection of the wards. He has to be ready, because all they have is now. He has to be ready, he has to be, because the world is over and Dean’s dead, but asleep in his cabin is a man who doesn’t have anyone else.

So, what’s it gonna be?

“Yes,” he breathes. “I am.”

I can't wait until we get to The Game of God because there's a scene there which mirrors this one so beautifully and I'm going to scream about it so much. For now, let's talk about Cas and Dean.

In the first post I made about grief (HUGE spoilers for The Game of God ch14), I spoke about how in Map of the World part of what makes Cas's grief so painful is that he is so alone in it. Here, he's confidently telling Vera that Dean is alive. Because he has to. Because He has to be ready, because all they have is now. He has to be ready, he has to be, because the world is over and Dean’s dead, but asleep in his cabin is a man who doesn’t have anyone else.

[...] but all he can think is that Dean’s been dead three days and he’s still checking the wards as if he’s not.

Cas cannot let anyone else inside his grief with him because he cannot let anyone else know Dean has died at all. Because there is still a Dean here who needs his help. He still has a charge on earth who he will protect with his life. In my second post on grief in DtA (I find the theme fascinating okay?! - spoilers for A Thousand Lights in Space) I talked about how unique a situation this is. Dean is dead. Long live Dean. Cas lost the most important person in his life. But he has to keep moving because Dean is here and not only does he not have anyone else, I don't think Cas would ever trust anyone else with Dean. So even as the ghost of his Dean follows him through his movements, he pushes through. "Yes, I am." The world is over, now is all we have. Fuck yourself.

Abruptly, he finds himself seated on the rocky ground, unable to draw a full breath; the world’s over and Dean’s dead, but he’s not.

Pressing his forehead to his knees, a choked sound claws itself free of his throat and spills into the air; another follows, and another, and he can’t stop it or even control it, vomiting jagged-edged sobs it hurts to make and even more to hear.

It’s obscene, that he can possibly be alive in a world where Dean isn’t; it’s impossible, that he can live when most of him died three day ago and burned to ash before his eyes. Whatever this is can’t possibly be called living.

He can’t do this, he can’t survive this, no one could expect it of him. He can’t. He can’t.

Cas's pain is absolutely visceral here. It's clawing. It demands your attention. It's pure solitude and pain. The words Seperis uses here are evocative and scraping. The word choice runs you ragged as Cas. Grief claws up and spills out. Vomiting jagged edges. It's obscene. Dean is dead but Dean is alive and Cas is alive and he never meant to be and how is he meant to survive this. Cas was always meant to die with or before Dean, the man for whom he fell. And he did. He died with him in Kansas City. But he's also alive and now has to watch a man so alike Dean, so unlike Dean, and pretend that he is still whole.

(part 2)

[lochsides]

If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power Review

Where do I even begin with 'If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power'? It is such a good album, it's almost criminal. If I had to pick the best album to be released this year, IICHLIWP would be it. Halsey has always been an excellent songwriter, that was never even in question, but it has been proved once again, in case anyone wasn't paying attention. IICHLIWP is an album that covers so much depth in sound and in lyric. The dichotomy of the Madonna and the Whore, as they said in their announcement of the album, is an overarching theme of IICHLIWP and it is articulated so consummately. The references to pregnancies and childbirth are more subtle than I expected but that's what makes them so genius. This is an album where every lyric is intentional.

My favourite songs are ‘The Tradition’, 'Bells in Santa Fe', '1121' and 'Ya'aburnee'. More detailed thoughts on each track are below the cut. Trigger warnings for sexual assault and miscarriages.

The Tradition — This is the first song on the album and Halsey had already fucked me up so there's that. I got full-body chills listening to 'The Tradition'. The production is masterful. There is this darkness that settles in early and ebbs and flows beautifully, not only throughout the song but the album as a whole. 'The Tradition' already sets up so many of themes of this album, but what a way to talk about sexual assault. I am in love with the entire chorus line but I think my favourite lyric is ‘she got the life she wanted but now all she does is cry.’

Bells in Santa Fe — The transition from 'The Tradition' into 'Bells in Santa Fe' was so smooth I didn't even notice that the songs had changed until I looked at my screen. I don't think I could actually describe how much I adore this song if I took up the rest of my life doing so. The production is absolutely God-tier. Everything from the way it keeps building throughout the song to the percussion to the piano on the second chorus and the distortion towards the end is so perfectly done. You will never hear me rave about production this much. What a fucking song! On top of all that, you have the lyrics that are so powerful. When they said 'cause who the fuck would chose this?' it reminded me of my favourite Manicsong, 'Forever... is a long' where they sing 'how could somebody ever love me?' so that stood out to me. I love the cadence on 'secondhand thread in a secondhand bed with a second man's head' but the lyric 'better off dead so I reckon I'm headed to Hell instead' is probably the one that hits the hardest. My escapist, runaway tendencies felt very exposed by the entirety of the pre-chorus.

Easier than Lying — The way she emotes on ‘you lair, you don’t love me’ is fucking everything. I needed to start with that. It’s my favourite aspect of the whole song. And then there is that obvious callback in the bridge. ‘Easier than Lying’ is the punk sound we were promised of IICHLIWP and they delivered. The Grungy electric guitar, the bass, the production!!! This one goes hard and it makes no apologies of it’s anger.

Lilith — ‘I’m disruptive, I’ve been corrupted, and by now I don’t need a fucking introduction.’ I mean what could I possibly say after that??! Honestly, I love the duality of how this line could be about Halsey but it could also be about Lilith, herself. There is a selfishness to 'Lilith' that I love. When you connect that to the mythology of Lilith preying on pregnant women and the context of this album — it's just got so many layers. Halsey's mind!! I love the sound of this song. The production has a classic rock flare to it. Those drums are so clean and the bass accompanies it perfectly. The smoothness of their vocal on this track is very pleasing to listen to.

Girl is a Gun — I'm not going to lie, this song isn't for me. I get it. The message is right up my street but the overall sound of it just isn't what I personally like. I do love their little laugh at the start! The lyric 'it's a shot in the dark, I'm not a walk in the park, I come loaded with the safety switched off' is my favourite.

You asked for this — This song is really interesting because they gave us a pop punk sound, pushed it to the back of the track, really grungey guitar riffs and all, but their voice is so light and delicate almost, very airy in a way that stands apart from the backing track. I really like it. To me, it's like an emphasis of the message of 'You asked for this'. Young women are oftentimes forced to grow up too soon and 'be a big girl.' Society forgets, I would even say purposely overlooks, that they are 'still somebody's daughter,' one of the few things that is used to give value to a woman. We've all heard people throw the phrase "but what if it was your daughter/sister?" into the conversation when discussing women that have somehow been abused by the patriarchy. 'You asked for this' also calls attention to how when we're younger, all we want is to be grown up but how unaware we can be of what it means to be a woman in this world, the trauma that comes with it.

Darling — The guitar in this song and it’s almost-country sound are what sets this song apart from the rest of the album. ‘Darling’ is a lullaby for their child, but it tells a story of their struggles. It is honest in a way that feels private. Motherhood sounds so good on them!! This song is just a collection of things I love in music. 'Darling' is soothing and it sounds like comfort, in both melody and lyric. 'Foolish men have tried but only you have shown me how to love being alive' is perhaps the softest lyric on the whole album.

1121 — I expelled a heavy sigh when I heard ‘1121’ it absolutely took my breath away*.* This song is a truly moving ode to an unborn child. So many people talk about how they had never known what unconditional love really meant until they had a child. Halsey tells it as such: ‘you could have my heart and I would break it for you.’ I love their vocal styling on this song so much, going between their lower register and those beautiful falsettos in the chorus. The overlapping on the bridge of ‘please don’t leave, don’t leave me in the shape you left me’ and ‘I’m running out of time to tell you, I’m running out of things that I regret’ and ‘you’d never, you told me’ really capture all the wide array of emotions felt by pregnant person upon finding out they are pregnant when they’ve dealt with miscarriage. Her voice emotes the fear of losing another child, the regret of the ones she's already lost, the promise, almost desperate, of the opportunity they have right now. All of these feelings are brought to life further by the production of the song. There is so much depth in '1121'.

honey — Pop punk wlw anthem check. Halsey suits this sound so much. This track, the production, the instrumentation, all of it catered to their voice so perfectly. The sound is so refreshing and yet so classic. I adore the melody. It’s unsuspectingly catchy. I wonder if there are links to ‘Lilith’ with ‘she’s mean and she’s mine’ or if I’m just reaching. Either way, a song about a love that is a little chaotic and wild, sign me up!

Whispers — Whispering on a song called 'Whispers' might be obvious but I'm a basic bitch so leave me alone, I loved it. Lyrically, 'Whispers' was the song that I saw myself in the most. When she said 'camouflage so I can feed the lie that I'm composed,' I just felt far too exposed for comfort. Same thing with 'I do not know me.' And that's what art is supposed to do. The instrumental is haunting and dark. The way they create tension by adding in one instrument at a time. The production is amazing. Top 5 shit right here!

I am not a woman, I'm a god — Not only does this song have the catchiest hook, it’s literally ‘I am not a woman, I’m a god. I am not a martyr, I’m a problem. I am not a legend, I’m a fraud so keep your heart ‘cause I already got one.’ That hook right there tells you everything you need to know about this song. ‘I am not a woman, I’m a god’ acknowledges that one needs not be a woman to create life. They are claiming power to their gender identity through relation to Godliness. Even in the other lyrics, they talk about being ‘a different human in a new place’ or ‘a better human with a new name’ (this line in particular draws direct parallels to trans experiences). Both times, they specifically use ‘human.’ The production of this song is designed to be a single. It’s got the signature darkness of this album, tells the listener where Halsey is at sonically, and it’s a total banger.

The Lighthouse — The way this song just comes in swinging right away with the distortion and the heavy guitars is exactly what I expected from this album going into it for the first time. Very modern punk rock. And the lyric doesn't pull any punches either. 'From a tender age I was cursed with rage,' like c'mon!! I love the melody and her vocal inflations throughout the song. This is the longest song on the album but it doesn't drag. The change up right before the outro really helps with that. I find that outro so interesting. The contrast between the instrumental constantly building but their voices staying so far in the back on the track creates so much tension that is relieved in the best way possible with 'Ya'aburnee'.

Ya'aburnee — ‘Ya’aburnee’ is the perfect conclusion to this album. Halsey said in their Apple Music interview that IICHLIWP is about the power to choose and by the end of the album you realise that they choose love. This song perfectly embodies that. It’s familial. The entire chorus talks of seeing yourself in your kin and the circle of life. The second verse is a clear love letter to their partner and it makes me emotional, knowing their romantic history as we do, to hear them sing ‘wrap me in a wedding ring.’ I love how the lyric ‘you will bury me before I bury you’ is not only a statement of their hopes that they don’t have to live in a world without their loved ones, a statement of how parents should never have to bury their children, but it almost sounds like a protective promise that they will do anything to ensure their loved ones are kept from harm so as not to need burial. The softness of the instrumental on ‘Ya’aburnee’ is feels like unwinding from the rest of the record. It’s such a beautiful song.

[imonthinice]

The Criminal Psychology Majors, Jason Todd x Fem!Reader Part 8/?

Word Count: 1.6k

Author’s Note: Y/N - Your Name, A/N - Any Name (Your Best Friend’s Name)

This one is shorter because of the last one’s length.

Hi everyone! By the time you see this, I will probably be out and therefore cannot update the other parts with this one’s link, so don’t worry about that if you notice it.

Warnings: Swearing, Mentions of Jason’s Trauma and his Death, Lightning, no beta bitch we die like Jason Todd

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7) (Part 8) (Part 9)  (Part 10) (Part 11) (Part 12) (Part 13) (Part 14) (Part 15) (Part 16) (Part 17) (Part 18) (Part 19) (Part 20)

Going on day 5 of knowing each other, Jason and Y/N would spend the day apart. Why? Because they gave each other the chance to have family time, Jason got it by playing around with his baby siblings, playing Assassin.

Fluff Head canon came from frownyalfred on Tumblr, who wrote about Jason playing Assassin with his brothers 

He would go running through the halls playing the game that he and Dick knew all too well, it had been the only ‘no contact’ game they were allowed to play at a summer camp Bruce had sent them to all those years ago when they weren’t adults with a bunch of other siblings, and girlfriends. But here they were, explaining the game to their younger siblings while Alfred and Bruce hung out with Barbara, who wished she could play, but was paralyzed.

Everyone missed playing games with her like they used to, but with the video game consoles in the house they did transfer a lot of their gaming to online so they could relive memories with Barbs. It was bittersweet, and everyone remembered when she became paralyzed like it was yesterday, but she always wanted them to play games like they used to, with or without her. 

Jason admired his, hopefully, one day older sister for how she treated her disability, like it was a gift, not something that impacted her everyday life and made her have to hang up the cloak of Batgirl.

But running around chasing after Dick, because of course, he got Dick, the universe wanted them to play again, was something he missed so much. They hadn’t had so much of this time, family time, ever since they all became vigilantes, and they never realized how much they missed the thrill of running around with each other.

Jason ended up getting Dick and throwing him out of the game, calling it a ‘selfless act of brotherhood so you can hang out with your girl’ and they both laughed at it. Titus, Damien’s dog, ended up barking up a storm at Jason when he killed Dick, like the big dog was rooting for Dick to win the tournament.

“Down boy! It’s a game!” Jason would whisper-yell at his dog.

“Yeah! Good boy, Titus! Get him!”

“No!” Jason would yell while running throughout the house, Titus on his heels. Passing by Alfred, Bruce and Barbara, where Titus would stop and go lay at Bruce’s feet, but Jason didn’t know that.

Jason would end up coming in just 10 minutes later, with a green slash on his neck. Tim, who had pulled Cass but killed her, Cass, who had pulled Jason. Tim now had two kills in the game and both were to people who could have easily overpowered him. 

“Jase! Welcome to the land of the dead,” Dick greeted him.

“God dammnit I’ve already been here,” Jason whined in a joke.

“You and your ‘I died pity me’  jokes,” Barbara said.

“It’s called a coping mechanism, Barbs. And hi dad, Alfred,” Jason said as he waved slightly at both of them, Alfred waved back and Bruce nodded at him.

“You could just to go therapy, Jase,” Barbara said, seeming concerned for someone who she considered her baby brother. She remember when he came into the Manor, she was older than him, sure . But he had nightmares and she and Dick would switch between who would sleep at his door at night, they both had terrible backs until the nightmares calmed down. Jason never knew they did this.

It also happened when he was resurrected, but the nightmares were worse and he’d wake all sweaty and upset. There were too many nights where batkids would be in Jason’s bed with him from 12am to when Alfred would greet them in the morning. The nightmares had slowed down a lot in the past few years with the introduction of his Goddaughter into his life, but they still came by to remind him of what happened.

He didn’t talk about it much. They would always try to edge him on about about really happened, but he was stubborn. It made sense, sure, trauma is trauma. But they all wanted to help him get better. It hurt them all that he was hurting and they didn’t know how to help him get through it.

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

Y/N would sit on her bed that morning and finally finished organizing her criminal psychology and regular psychology notes when she came across her printed copy of Dr. Barry Allen’s dissertation she had studied so hard. She found it so weird that she was so close to someone who she looked up to in the field while also being so far in the same breath.

She didn't dote on it for long, she stocked it away with her forensics notes in their place. This, the relationship she had with Jason that intertwined her with so many people, was something she was getting used to by the minute, but it was never something she’d get fully used to as time goes on.

She would put on a JCS - Criminal Psychology video in the background as she worked and tried to make her journal look nicer when Jason texted her,

Good morning. He said.

Good morning :)  She said back.

I just lost a game against a 16 year old.

Huh?

My brothers and 2 of my sisters were playing Assassins with me right? Well my 16 year old brother, Tim, he ended up getting the better of me and beat me. 

Oh! So you suck!

What!? No, I’m literally so cool what do you mean? He said, it clearly had sarcasm undertones to it, so Y/N wasn’t worried if she offended him with saying he sucked.

Oh yeah? Then why’d you lose?

Well, I killed Dick.

Okay so you didn’t lose, Dick lost.

It started raining a little bit, the sounds of it hitting lightly against her window, and she felt at peace. It was never hard for her to feel peace when she was by herself. She only had one roommate because she liked the silence, to be alone to collect her own thoughts in her head.

Her parents said it was because she probably had underlying mental illness that they never had the money to diagnose. She agreed. But she still didn’t have the chance to do it.

Jason and her deserved so much more than what the world have given them up to this point, so when they found each other it was, in a way, the universe saying ‘I’m sorry, you deserve this’ and with each passing day it made the pain they had both felt in their lives just a little bit more tolerable.

No, I guess Dick sucks at the game more than me.

Where’d you even get the concept for that game?

Dick and I used to play it at a Summer Camp before we got kicked out.

For playing the game?

No, for being unruly children.

You seem like you were a handful back in the day.

I was, I was the worst kid to raise, my dad has a shirt that says ‘Proud parent of a kid who is sometimes an asshole but that’s OK’ and he wears it all the time.

What a dad moment. Don’t tell my father that shirt exists, he’ll get one for my mum and himself to represent my sister and I.

Were you an unruly child as well?

I was a troublemaker. Getting into arguments with my authoritative figures about dress codes, rules, why girls couldn’t carry chairs, literally anything that was unequal, I was at their throats about it.

I mean, as you should. My older sister, Barbara, and my younger sisters, Stephanie and Cassie, they would like that about you.

I feel like in someway I’ve won over every part of your family.

The rain would get more violent as time went on. Strikes and hits of lightning would strike all around the city, hitting those gargoyles on every building, she always figured they were decorative, but A/N explained that their horns were made out of copper so people wouldn’t get struck by lightning. Bruce Wayne actually made that a thing, A/N said.

Y/N got a message from the dance competition that she signed up to, turns out, California was hit with a hurricane and most people evacuated. No one was allowed in or out. She guessed weather was being funky everywhere. It sucked, but she already was wishing she could spend time at home instead of out in the world.

A feeling she hated.

She would spend the rest of the day on and off the phone with Jason while it stormed. She would go to bed early that night.

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

Jason slipped on his vigilante uniform, the Red Hood was going to be on patrol over this night, stormy or not, it was his duty and he knew that. Did he want to go? Yes. He was killing for some action and he was going with Dick. They would probably have some ‘Bro Time’ which Jason wanted. 

Even if it was silence, having Dick nearby him meant enough and gave him peace of mind.

He grabbed his guns and loaded them while packing a few extra magazines in his belt, when Dick placed a hand on his shoulder, “You have to be careful tonight, Jase,” Dick said as he gulped down tears, “Just come back to me alive if you break off from me, okay?”

“Alive but bruised,” Jason joked.

“I’m serious. I can’t lose you again and tonight is going to be massively dangerous.”

“You won’t.”

[marshmallowgoop]

Magic Kaito vs. Magic Kaito 1412

I’m not sure if I ever finished all twelve episodes, but I first watched at least a handful of the original Magic Kaito specials about a decade ago, and I remember really enjoying them. Superhero stories are among my favorites, and while both Magic Kaito and its sister series Detective Conan overlap with the genre in various ways—after all, Conan’s glasses were literally inspired by Clark Kent—Kaito’s flashy costume alone pushes his adventures more in that direction. So, maybe it’s no wonder that, back in the day, I kind of considered Magic Kaito my preferred series of the two.

Recently, I’ve got a reignited interest in the DCMK world (evidently). And it’s not a bad time to have a reignited interest, because English-language accessibility for this universe is much better now than it was ten years ago. Conan’s getting new movie dubs, and Kaito’s newer, expanded TV series, Magic Kaito 1412, is freely available on Crunchyroll. Obviously, I had to give it a shot.

I wasn’t impressed. Far from it. I chalked up my old fondness to nostalgia goggles. Kid the Phantom Thief is simply more enjoyable in Detective Conan than in his own thing, I figured.

But a few weeks ago, those old specials went up on Crunchyroll Germany. And it took me a while, but I finally decided to figure out the truth, once and for all. Have my tastes totally changed, or has Magic Kaito anime not always been Like That?

I was impressed. I watched all of one episode, and I enjoyed it so much more than 1412.

Which surprised me! Just examining the first episodes of both series, they’re honestly practically identical. They cover the same story beats almost exactly. Kaito’s introduction is even consistently him being disgusting to Aoko—behavior that, nauseatingly, convinced me that Mineta of the My Hero Academia series would actually be adored if he were conventionally attractive.

But as it turns out, that’s relevant to why the original Magic Kaito strikes me as far more palatable. Kaito’s actions towards Aoko are still indefensible in the old special, but he doesn’t repeat them on his teacher, and there are repercussions. Unlike in 1412, Kaito doesn’t get away with his harassment because his teacher finds him charming; in fact, Aoko even later notes that he “should be thankful [he] [wasn’t] expelled,” implying that he was indeed punished harshly for what he did. While Aoko assures Kaito’s mother that he didn’t get in trouble in 1412, in the original special, it’s clear that being cute isn’t enough to give him a free pass for disrupting class and being gross.

Further, in a more general sense, the tone of both series is of course goofy overall, but the characters in the old Magic Kaito feel much more like human beings than the cartoonish caricatures portrayed in 1412. A scene especially missing from the new show is a quiet one where Kaito and Aoko walk together after school. With the sun hanging low in the sky and a sparkling river flowing beside them, Kaito expresses his disappointment in how his magic trick didn’t exactly end as planned. “I guess I need to work on my finale,” he bemoans, but Aoko is more concerned with why he feels the need to pull these ridiculous stunts in the first place.

She quickly gets her answer. One of the exuberant little kids who had run by them earlier falls over and cries, and Kaito doesn’t hesitate to cheer him up with magic. And Aoko watches. She sees the way the little boy’s face lights up. She sees how he runs off again with renewed energy. And she smiles. She doesn’t say it, but the audience gets the message.

Oh. That’s why Kaito’s a magician. That’s why Aoko walks by his side.

I won’t claim to fully comprehend Kaito’s character. I haven’t read the manga, it’s been years since I’ve seen more than the first episode of these old specials, I’ve only watched about 20% of 1412, and for as much as I’ve been posting about Detective Conan lately, I’m (maybe humorously) about the farthest thing from current and would only be able to tell you about Kid’s first appearance in that show. But when Kaito returns to his empty home in the original series, and when he announces that he’s there to nobody at all, and when he welcomes himself back, all with a smile and a cheerfulness to his tone, I deeply feel his loneliness. I feel the weight of his lost father. I feel that, even if some of his tricks are inappropriate and inexcusable, he does them because he wants to make people laugh. He doesn’t want anyone to feel as sad and alone as he’s felt.

Maybe I missed it, but I didn’t get any of that from Magic Kaito 1412.

And they’re small things, they really are. But they make a world of difference. Even Jii, who really only becomes more than just a mysterious figure in the episode’s closing minutes, feels more like a tangible person in the special. He loudly gasps for breath after performing the magical, fantastical feats of his old friend, and it’s such a tiny, minuscule detail, but when watching, I feel it so strongly. I literally understand the strain of Toichi’s loss on Jii, too.

Beyond narrative decisions—and there are others that I much prefer in the old series, such as how Kaito links his failed magic trick to his father’s “poker face” philosophy, and how Kaito uses a successful variation of his earlier trick to escape the police as Kid the Phantom Thief—I also just simply prefer the original art style. Magic Kaito 1412 is slick and shiny and modern, but in being so, it strikes me as much more generic than the older-styled 2010 special. Shot compositions also feel more powerful in the first anime; just consider how differently the two series handle what is arguably the emotional height of the entire episode:

[Image descriptions: A series of four comparison images examining how the 2010 Magic Kaito series and the 2014 Magic Kaito 1412 portray the same sequence of events. In both, Kaito asks Jii, “Dad was murdered?! Was my dad... a thief? Was he Kid the Phantom Thief?” Kaito then says, “I see...” End image descriptions.]

While the dialogue is essentially unchanged, the old show’s use of close-ups expresses the tension of the scene spectacularly. You can see the terror in Kaito’s eyes. You can see how the thought of his father being a thief is so distressing that merely asking the question is painful and heartwrenching. You can see the sweat on Kaito’s face. You can see in great detail how much he struggles to grapple with this new truth.

Magic Kaito 1412 is significantly more distanced. And there’s power in that decision, too. The revelation is overwhelming. It’s hard to take. Kaito may want to get away from it, but he can’t.

However, I resonate more with how the original series handles the moment. Seeing how everything affects Kaito way up close speaks much more to me—and there are still some fantastic long shots, too:

[Image descriptions: Two screenshots from the original Magic Kaito series. Both are distanced long shots. In the first image, Kaito and Jii kneel on the ground. Kaito’s hands are on Jii’s shoulders. In the second image, Kaito stands, facing away from Jii, while Jii remains on the ground in shame. They wear identical outfits in both images, and their capes blow in the wind. End image descriptions.]

Gotta love those capes.

Overall, my feelings on Magic Kaito as a whole could probably be best described as somewhat mixed. And I’m kind of new here, and I don’t even know when it’s appropriate to use the #dcmk tag, so I of course don’t have the slightest clue about how popular or unpopular my opinion that the 2010 Magic Kaito series ranks above 2014′s Magic Kaito 1412 is. 

But skipping down memory lane and revisiting the old show was pleasantly surprising. Maybe my affection for Magic Kaito will never reach the highs it once had all those years ago, but it was almost comforting to find that my tastes haven’t changed all that much—rather, it’s Magic Kaito itself that’s changed.

[storiesforallfandoms]

he’ll never see this ~ noen eubanks

word count: 1994

request?: yes!

“Hi can you do one imagine of Noen Eubanks, like, the reader is a tik toker or influencer something like that and they have a crush on each other,and they Fans are Shipping them.

Thanksss💖🖤💖🖤💖”

description: in which she admits her feelings for a fellow creator during a stream thinking he’ll never see it

pairing: noen eubanks x female!reader

warnings: swearing

masterlist (one, two)

The sound of a new donation message coming in pulled you away from your game for a split second. The automated voice read the message out to you: “are there any influencers that you are totally crushing on right now?”

You chuckle to yourself as you turn back to your game. “You guys really wanna start something, huh? You realize this will be trending within an hour if I say anything.”

You glanced over at your chat to see they were begging you to tell them who your influencer crush was. You had mentioned a few times that there was a fellow influencer that you had a crush on, but you refused to admit who it was (for obvious reasons). Your viewers, however, were determined to find out who this mystery man you liked was.

“We promise we’ll keep it a secret,” you read, managing to catch one message before it disappeared into the void of never ending messages. “I don’t believe you guys at all.”

You laughed as you watched the chat blow up again. You finally paused your game and made your face cam bigger for the audience. “Okay, you know what? Fuck it, there’s no way he’ll ever see this and I’m not big enough of a content creator to have articles written about me. My influencer crush is Noen Eubanks. If you don’t know who he is, look him up on TikTok and you’ll totally understand why I have such a crush on him.”

Your chat went absolutely wild at this. You went back to playing your game, smiling to yourself as you did so. It felt nice to get that off of your chest, and you knew you were about to get a kick out of your fan’s reactions to this.

Like you said, you had no fear of Noen actually finding out what you said. You had a bit of a following, but it was nothing too big. Just enough that you could be classified as “Internet famous”, but not enough that admitting you had a crush on someone else who had a much bigger following than you would be a big deal.

Or so you thought.

After your stream, you decided to go right to bed. You were feeling tired and had to get up early to edit the video you were planning on uploading. You weren’t awake to witness the internet absolutely explode over your comment, but lucky for you it was still happening when you woke up the next morning.

When you checked your phone for the first time that day, you noticed that your notifications had blown up over night. You figured it was just your fans teasing you over your crush on Noen, which it partly was, but you noticed that it was also YouTube news Twitter accounts and internet tabloid accounts tagging you in their articles about your crush on Noen.

“Oh no,” you said, your eyes widening as you read through article after article, tweet after tweet.

Before you knew it, you had spent nearly two hours sat on the floor, reading through everything that mentioned both you and Noen. All the articles were the same: an brief introduction to you and your small Twitch/YouTube following, talking about you admitting to having a crush on Noen the night before, and asking whether the reading audience believed that you and Noen would make a good couple or not.

The reactions from fans were as entertaining as you figured - with many of your fans trying to come up with ship names for you and Noen and tagging him in clips from your stream - but then there were the less than entertaining reactions. Many people, whether they were Noen’s fans or just people who wanted to hate on you you weren’t sure, were saying you had mentioned Noen’s name just for clout, or that your “crush” was nothing more than an infatuation over his looks.

It wasn’t until your phone rang that you were finally pulled out of your trance and back to the real world. Your friend’s name lit up on your screen, and it took you a moment to collect yourself before you answered.

“(Y/N), have you been online yet today?” she asked.

You sighed and nodded, then remembered she couldn’t actually see you. “Yeah, I’ve been scrolling for the past two hours on Twitter.”

“You haven’t checked your Twitch page, or YouTube account yet?”

Your eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. “No? Should I?”

“You definitely should.”

You put her on speaker and switched to your Twitch app. You were shocked to see that you had skyrocketed in subs overnight, same with your YouTube page. You had gained a solid ten thousand subscribers on both platforms, and it was still rising by the second.

“So this situation has gained me more subscribers, who cares? That’s not why I talked about Noen on stream,” you said.

“Oh no, honey. It isn’t just the situation that has given you new subscribers. Go check Noen’s Twitter.”

You knew what she was implying, but you had to see it for your own eyes. You immediately opened the Twitter app again and typed in Noen’s name. You were brought to his Twitter page, where his most recent tweet was a link to the clip from your stream along with a caption that read, “When your internet crush calls you *their* internet crush”.

You covered your mouth in shock. You were sure you were about to start screaming, but you were so speechless that you couldn’t force any sounds from your mouth.

“I’m assuming by the silence that you’ve seen it,” your friend said after a prolonged moment of silence.

“D-Did he just c-call me his...?” you trailed off, unable to finish your sentence.

“He did,” your friend confirmed. “And both of your fans are going wild. They’ve already come up with a ship name for you, which isn’t the most clever name but I admire their spirit.”

You could barley hear what your friend was saying. You were still staring at the tweet in disbelief. Your mind could barley comprehend anything else besides the fact that your online crush thought the same as you. You were trying to tell yourself not to get too worked up, as it was most likely that nothing was going to come from this besides some gossip for a week or more, but your heart was still racing with excitement.

You gasped as a notification popped up on the top of your screen: “@/eubanks_noen is requesting to message you”.

“He’s trying to DM me,” you whisper, so silently that you could barley hear yourself.”

“What?”

“He’s trying to DM me! On Twitter!”

“What are you doing talking to me?! Go answer his DM!”

You were too focused to laugh as you hung up the phone and went into your DMs. The familiar profile picture that you saw almost every day on your timeline was the first thing you saw in your message requests. Your whole body was shaking so much that you could barley see the screen as you pressed to open it.

“hi :)”

It was a very simple message, but it was enough to make your heart race even more.

You were debating on messaging back, wondering if maybe this was a fake account or something. But you knew there was only one way to find out for sure, so you took a deep breath and responded.

“hi! :)”

His response came near seconds later: “so...we’re the internet’s hottest power couple, huh?”

You chuckled to yourself. “i guess we are. sorry if i ruined your mentions last night. i didn’t think it would blow up the way it has. i’m not all that famous online.”

“are you kidding me? you’re like one of the best twitch streamers. i’ve watched every single one of your streams, including last night’s”

You felt your face heating up, but a slight groan of embarrassment came from your lips. You were thinking of all the embarrassing things you had said and done on stream, and now wished you could just melt into the floor or erase the entire internet.

“oh that’s embarrassing. i’d say i’m not that awkward and dumb in real life, but i’m actually more so”

“i wouldn’t say you’re awkward or dumb at all. i think you’re adorable”

“Oh my God!” you exclaimed to no one in particular. If your face got any hotter, it would be on fire.

“you really know how to talk to a girl”

“i really don’t, but i’m glad you’re enjoying my attempts to flirt”

“so you’re flirting? never would’ve known”

“i know, it’s hard to tell. i’m trying to be subtle”

You continued to message Noen for a while. It felt so natural, as if you weren’t talking to someone you had been crushing on for about a year now. You were extremely glad you weren’t coming off as awkward as you normally felt.

Finally, after having been sat on the floor for a good three hours, your back began to ache and your stomach was growling so loudly in attempts to get your attention. You realized then that you had put getting breakfast on hold in order to fall deep into the hole of internet gossip that had surrounded you overnight.

“love talking to you and all, but i’m gonna have to go for a little bit. i’ve been sat on the floor basically since i woke up and i haven’t eaten yet today so my stomach is very upset with me”

“why are you on the floor? 😂”

“when i’m stressed i tend to sit down no matter where i am, and i was very stressed to see my name plastered all over social media this morning”

“why were you stressed over that?”

“it’s not something i’m exactly used to. like i said, i’m not overly famous online. i just have a small following. i’m not someone who has an article written about every little thing she says. also like i said, i didn’t expect you to see me admit that i have a crush on you last night, so i was so worried about what your reaction was going to be”

“i guess i can understand that. i haven’t had a lot written about me. i’m not a big tiktoker like some of my friends are, but i guess that’s a blessing”

You started to type another message, but paused when you saw the three dots from Noen indicating that he was typing something else.

“for what it’s worth, i’ve had a internet crush on you since you first started streaming”

Your jaw dropped at this. You had started streaming months before you even knew about Noen, which meant he had known about you before you knew about him. Just when you thought this day couldn’t get any better.

“wow! that’s quite a while. you must be one of my first subscribers then”

“i’m up there i think. i’ll wear that badge with pride”

The three dots again. You waited anxiously to see what he was about to say.

“i liked getting to talk to you today, though. maybe we could talk offline sometime, like through text or phone call. maybe meet in person eventually”

Your smile was so wide that it hurt your cheeks. “yeah, i’d really like that”

You exchanged phone numbers and added his to your contacts. You finally pulled yourself off the floor and started making a super late breakfast while also starting to edit your next video since you had also gotten such a late start on that.

You were putting your food on a plate when your phone chimed, indicating a new text message.

“btw, it’s nice to finally get to meet you internet crush :)”

“it’s nice to get to meet you, too, internet crush”

You sat at the table, your heart feeling warm. And to think, it all came true thanks to one nosy donation.

Not sure how much I like this imagine, but I hope you enjoyed anyways!

[wannabe-fic-writer]

Natasha Romanoff x Reader : Her Other Family

As requested by @slvt-4-bees Hope this meets your expectations and thanks so much for the request!

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1,826

******

The anxiety that’s coursing through you right now would worry even the most oblivious of people.

You wring your fingers together as you pace the floor of your bedroom, thoughts running a mile a minute.

“I’m almost positive the neighbors are gonna make a complaint soon if you don’t stop.” Your girlfriend speaks, eyes watching your form.

Bringing your hand up to your face, you continue the unhealthy habit of biting your fingernail(yes just the one, on your thumb).

“Look I didn’t think it’d stress you out. You don’t have to come if you don’t wa-“

“I want to!” You cut her off,“ I just- they’re the Avengers.”

Natasha lets out a small laugh,“ I’m an Avenger.” She reasons.

“That’s different.” You wave her off.

Jokingly offended, she asks,“ how!?”

“Tasha you walk around here in light pink fuzzy socks and pout when I don’t bake you cookies.”

Admittedly, yes, Natasha is very soft for you. But having not met her other family you aren’t aware of how soft they actually are.

That is to change though, tonight at Tony’s costume party. With the man having plans with his daughter on Halloween, he planned this party so he could celebrate with his team(and it’s Tony of course he wouldn’t pass up a chance to have a party).

Standing up, Natasha steps in front of you, her hands gripping your shoulders,“ Y/N, love, it’s just a party and they are normal people.”

When you look into her forest eyes you can’t help but take in her assuring words. After a deep breath, you nod, and mentally agree to calm down and let things happen.

For the couple hours you have before the party you hang out with Natasha: helping dye each other’s hair for your costumes and then cuddling on the couch and talking about her team(you didn’t want to go in with only the knowledge you got from the media). 

Soon enough the two of you are getting dressed.

You stand in front of the mirror, wiggling your hips as you pull the small red and black shorts up your legs, then tugging on the matching corset. As you’re fixing your hair Natasha walks out of the bathroom.

E/C eyes trail up the expanse of her body, over the green knee high boots, nude colored stockings, and green one piece. The plastic leafy material covers all the important parts of her body but leaves her legs, cleavage, and arms exposed. 

Looking at her now, a big part of you wants to negate the whole party plan just to stay here and ravage her. 

Natasha shares the same adage, biting her lip as she takes in your costume clad body. With a smile, she stands behind you, admiring how good you two look together in your costumes.

“If this party weren’t so important to the team I’d tie you to the bed right now.” She whispers against the shell of your ear.

A tingle travels through your body at her words and it takes everything in you to push away from her. It takes even greater strength to actually get out of your apartment with Natasha constantly putting her hands on your body. Even on the ride over her hand remains on your thigh.

You’d heard about Tony Starks legendary parties, you’d even treated a couple patients with broken bones who came from said parties to the urgent care clinic you work at. And all those stories are completely true.

The party is in full swing when you and Natasha arrive. People move about the large space dressed in a variety of costumes, drinks flow freely from the bar and the DJ in the far corner fills the room with music as orange lights strobe. If you didn’t know any better you’d think a teenager planned this.

At your moment of entry, you’re greeted by the first two members of her team. Clint, her best friend/brother who you’d met before, approaches in a leather Green Arrow costume accompanied by a pretty brunette in a Wonder Woman outfit.

“Nat, Y/N, you made it.” Clint wastes no time pulling you both into a hug. 

You chuckle and return it,“ it’s good to see you too Clint.”

The brunette looks on curiously, urging you to nudge Natasha a little to introduce you.

“Right, Y/N this is my friend and teammate Wanda. Wanda this is Y/N, my girlfriend.”

Wanda didn’t need more explanation than that. She’d seen the illuminating grin on Natasha’s face when she’d get texts from you or the same grin that appeared when she left the compound every night. Wanda now knows the source of Natasha’s happiness. 

She immediately pulls you into a hug, gushing about how good it is to meet you and how much she loves your costume. 

“Thank you so much. I love yours too. Wonder Woman is a brilliant choice.” 

A thankful smile plays on her face,“ oh thanks. It was suggested by Clint’s daughter. If not for her I’d be in my mission gear.” 

You laugh at that, the four of you heading deeper into the party.“ Like Iron Man over there.” Natasha laughs as well.

Tony is indeed in his Iron Man suit, arm wrapped around Rhodey(who’s dressed in a black suit with black glasses) in front of the DJ’s set up.

“Did he paint his suit orange and black?” You squint trying to see clearly through the lights.

“Yes, yes he did.” Wanda nods.

An unfamiliarly smooth voice joins the conversation,“ cause he’s dramatic as hell.”

All your gazes turn to the source. A dark skinned man dressed in silk boxing shorts and a matching robe stands at the bar.

“I think he has a reason to be. Or at least the goods to back it up.” You retort. 

Tony’s a billionaire and a genius. Alongside being among the heroes who saved the universe, he’s lead groups and contributed to organizations that better the world. He(if anyone) deserves to relish in the spotlight.

The “boxer’ scoffs,“ if you wanna talk about the goods to back it up why d-”

Before he can even finish, an arm circles around your waist. The familiar woodsy and cinnamon scent relaxes you,“ Wilson, always looking for an excuse to have your shirt off.” 

It’s not lost on you that this is a possessive move. Wilson was clearly about to pull some corny ass line but Natasha was not about to have it. Your her girl.

“Don’t act like you aren’t impressed Romanoff.” He smirks back.

You raise an eyebrow at her, only playing,“ are you impressed Romanoff?”

Suppressing a laugh, Natasha shakes her head,“ not at all. But I’m sure you know exactly how to impress me.” Her voice drops seductively as well as her hand on your waist.

“Woah woah. Is this- is this a thing?” Wilson points between you and Natasha.

“Sam, this is my girlfriend, Y/N.” Natasha introduces you,“ Y/N this is Falcon, aka bird boy, aka Sam.”

You extend a hand to him,“ nice to meet you Bird Boy.”

Addressing him as that made Wanda, Clint, and Natasha laugh. 

Luckily the laughter continued through the night. The four of you stuck close through the party, drinking(all of you except Natasha who’s driving you two home later), and talking. Sam popped up every so often to join conversations.

It wasn’t until the party started to end that you met the rest of the Avengers. 

In a way that seems completely routine, the team grabs drinks, and heads to a seating area. Natasha fixes you a f/d and tugs your hand. 

Tony, who’s now removed the Iron Man suit, frowns at you, that frown directing to your hand linked with Natasha’s.

“Am I missing something here?” He asks.

“Just an introduction.” Your girlfriend teases, pulling you on to the couch between her and Wanda, who you admittedly hit it off with.

Not that you were ranking Natasha’s teammates but you like Wanda the most. She’s a very genuine person, giving off a warm and welcoming vibe. 

Everyone waits for Natasha to introduce you, eyes widening and eyebrows raising when she says you her girlfriend. 

“Y/N that is Steve and Bucky,” she points to the blonde and brunette men in Dodgers uniforms,“ that’s Thor,” another blonde man but he’s dressed as Superman,“ and obviously that’s Tony and Bruce.”

Thor very loudly and boisterously speaks of how nice it is to meet you. Bucky and Steve make mention of how they’re glad you make Natasha happy. Bruce’s reaction is hard to put a single emotion on, but he seems okay with your presence. And Tony, surprisingly, is pretty excited to get to know you.

Over the next couple of hours you see how chaotic the seemingly put together group of heroes actually is. As drinks flow further they fall into teasing but playful banter and they include you in it as if they’d known you for years. Until it shifts to childish games, mainly being that of lifting the hammer. 

Natasha whispers in your ear that it’s basically a party tradition to do so. They reason that one of them could very easily have become worthy over the time that’s passed between parties.

“Y/N, you’re up.” All eyes fall to you as Tony calls you out.

Eyes wide, you look around at them,“ what about Natasha?” You point out.

They all laugh at that, saying how Natasha doesn’t participate in this.

“Why not?” 

Natasha chuckles,“ cause love, I can’t lift it.” 

“Like hell! You wouldn’t know, apparently you haven’t tried.” 

The team instigates it, ‘ooo’s ringing out. 

Letting out a sigh, Natasha rolls her eyes, and stands. Everyone’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. 

Her slender fingers wrap around the handle of the hammer, she sends an uncertain look receiving a challenging eyebrow from you, before she pulls.

When nothing happens, Tony is quick to mention that it’s rigged. For the hell of it you go over and attempt to but it doesn’t move. 

Faking upset, you fall on to the couch beside Natasha,“ I thought I was worthy.” You pout.

The team watches in slight awe at how soft Natasha responds to you.

“Awe, lyubov moya, you are worthy of all the stars. That hammer obviously uses fingerprint recognition.” She presses a kiss to you temple making you smile.

“Isn’t that sweet.” Tony mocks.

Sam rolls his eyes,“ so Romanoff is soft, huh?”

The Black Widow mask slips on instantly as she levels Sam with a glare,“ I won’t hesitate to kick your ass.”

He makes his next statement as he runs away and your girlfriend chases after. 

With everyone laughing at the two around you, you can’t even remember why you had been so anxious in the first place. More than anything you find yourself looking forward toy getting to know Natasha’s other family better.