#thank you everyone for your brainstorming on this *breaks own heart*

[hogans-heroes]

Branded

Crossposted on AO3

Brady POV. Inspired by discussion on this post about Gale's neck bruises.

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There must have been something Brady could have done to stop it.

But there were some new guards now, ones that were harsher and fresher from training, who hadn’t been softened by familiarity with the prisoners, yet one was particularly brutal, with a temper quick with blows and other punishments. He had everyone on edge, and it was really only a matter of time, but why did it have to be Buck? Of course it was, though, he was always somehow in front of the other prisoners, the one to speak up or negotiate on their behalf, toeing that fragile line of mediation with his chin held high and starved-scrawny fists clenched behind his back.

They presented their requests weekly at the little deck at the entrance to the mess hall, clustering loosely as the prisoners and guard leaders talked out their needs and issues. Buck was commonly the representative speaker—certainly the most level headed choice—yet this time things had gone different. That new brutal guard towered over them, yelling and ranting and generally escalating the situation. Brady had been hanging back, eyeing the group fringes, when without warning the guard hauled off and struck Buck hard enough to make him stumble back. Before he could catch his footing, the guard seized his neck and bent him backward over the deck railing.

The small group of prisoners shouted in alarm, jostling forward on instinct, but Brady could only stand rooted to the ground, breath snatched right out of his lungs. Crank had lunged forward, nearly reaching Buck before the other guards leveled their rifles at all of them, screaming commands and forcing them to freeze in their steps, to stare in horror as the big guard growled, red in the face as he dug his fingers into Buck’s neck and pressed him farther down. Buck made a choked sound as the railing dug into his back, hands scrabbing on the man’s arm and feet slipping from under him. 

The guard shouted something else, then grabbed his pistol from its holster and jammed the barrel against the side of Gale’s head. A cold horror choked Brady and his vision tunneled, world narrowing to the hatred and rage on the man’s face as he forced his prey down and squeezed . Buck’s grip faltered. His body began to go slack, arms falling from his attacker's arm, and a scream lodged itself in Brady’s throat, limbs trembling with the need to run, to fight.

Suddenly the prisoners’s senior officer and the kommandant’s aide burst onto the scene, and rapid-fire arguing followed. One by one, the guards lowered their rifles, and after more arguing the big guard finally hauled Buck back up by the neck, and threw him off the deck. It wasn’t a big drop, only one step, but Buck still went down like a ton of bricks. His head hit the dirt and Brady flew the few yards over to him, knees skidding on the ground as he dropped beside him. Buck was coughing and wheezing—pale as a sheet—and Brady nearly vomited, but the adrenaline and newly-bubbling anger swamped all his senses as he and Crank hauled their leader to his feet.

“It’s alright,” Buck rasped, patting their frantically hovering arms even as he swayed a little. His voice was absolutely wrecked, and on either side of his neck were rapidly-darkening bruises in the shape of a thumb and fingers. 

“Fuck,” Crank hissed. “Bucky’s gonna lose his shit.”

.....

Bucky did, indeed, lose his shit.

When they entered the barracks it took barely a second for Bucky to spot them and take in the scene, eyes lasering on Gale’s bruises like a cat on the hunt. Sequences of shock, panic, then thunderous anger crossed his face and he lunged with his full height towards them, so much like an avenging angel Brady half-expected mighty, soot-covered wings to swoop out from his back. With fiery eyes he snatched Buck from them and sat him on the edge of the table.

“What happened?” he spat, the Major voice taking over. “Who did it?”

“Usual negotiations went bad,” said Crank. “New guard hit him and choked him.”

Bucky cursed viciously under his breath, which for some reason made the corner of Buck’s lips quirk into a grin. This seemed to make Bucky angrier. He could have levelled the room with it, and Brady resisted the urge to step back. 

“Was he unconscious at all?” Bucky asked.

“I don’t think fully, but he went limp for a bit.”

Brady could have sworn Bucky’s eyes went black, hands gripping the lapels of Buck’s coat. Buck swayed a little, lifting a hand to rub his neck, and Bucky’s gaze darted back to him. One side of Buck’s hair was messed up a little from where the gun had been shoved, and Brady had to lean on the nearest bunk to stop the room from spinning.

“He had him at gunpoint,” he said, voice dazed to his own ears.

“What do you mean he had him at gunpoint?” Bucky snapped.

“He had a pistol against his head alright?” Brady burst out, vision blurring. He vaguely heard Buck muttering it’s alright before DeMarco appeared from nowhere, grabbing Brady’s arm and pulling him out the door into the barrack hallway. He closed the door behind them and firmly but gently pushed Brady against the wall, stepping close with his hands gripping his shoulders. 

“Breathe, Johnny.”

Brady choked, then sucked in a breath, trying to keep the rolling panic at bay. He had seen other men shot in the camp, gunned down as an afterthought by guards who hardly needed a reason, but it could have been Buck, it could have been Buck , it very nearly was, and the image of his gentle friend going limp as the guard crushed his neck had seared painfully into his mind. 

“ Johnny ,” DeMarco begged, hands now gripping either side of Brady’s head. “It’s ok, just breathe.”

“Sorry,” Brady forced out, scrubbing his face roughly, but DeMarco shook his head.

“Don’t be. It was horrible, no one will get over it,” he said, and it made Brady pause.

They wouldn’t, would they? Of course Bucky wouldn’t—if he wasn’t unhinged before he certainly would be now, and Brady felt a spike of sick terror at the thought—and Buck would act like he was alright, but the glassy sheen on his eyes would get thicker and he would become even quieter, walking like his own body was too heavy to bear. 

DeMarco swallowed, eyes understanding, but before he could say anything a panicked shout came from the other room. They bolted back in to find Bucky’s face painted with raw fear and Buck draped limp against him.

“He’s…he’s not…” Bucky panted. “Get the doc!”

DeMarco ran out, and without being conscious of moving Brady found himself at Bucky’s side, helping him lift Buck into the nearest bunk. Buck was unresponsive, eyes half closed and head rolling a little as they laid him down, and Bucky’s hands shook where they gripped his body. His expression shuttered, jaw clenched and lips pressed together as his chest heaved with breaths he struggled to control. 

With aching lungs Brady grasped him by the collar and gently pulled him down, tucking Bucky's head under his chin, and Bucky made a keening sound that stabbed Brady’s gut. He held him like that for a while—let him gasp brokenly into Brady’s chest with his hands still fisted in Buck’s coat—until Brady was more or less sure he wouldn’t shatter into irreparable pieces on the dirty floor.

When Bucky finally, hesitantly, pulled back, his eyes were wet and he released one hand from Buck to scrub at them, schooling his face back into composure with disarrayed curls falling over his forehead. He looked like such a lost little boy that Brady’s heart cracked again. 

“He’s gonna be alright,” Brady murmured. 

Bucky nodded, inhaling a deep breath and unable to meet Brady’s gaze.

......

The “doc” gave Gale more or less a clean bill of health. The bruising wasn’t too bad, probably no damage to the trachea, but in Buck’s weak state even a small time deprived of oxygen would take a toll. He just had to rest. He regained coherence fairly quickly and was fussed over by everyone in the barrack until nightfall. By lights out the tension and panic hadn’t quite faded, but eventually they all settled, dropping off to sleep one by one. 

All except the two majors, and Brady, who couldn’t quite tear his eyes from the bunk where their leaders lay intertwined, Bucky cradling Gale in his arms without a trace of shyness. Vaguely Brady found it strange he had been thinking of Buck as Gale now, but Bucky had said it softly so many times that day that it had begun to cement itself in Brady’s mind. It felt too intimate, somehow, and opened another small wound in Brady’s chest.

He pulled the blanket to his chin and curled up a little more, watching Bucky smooth Gale’s hair and push it back from his face, stroking Gale’s cheek with his thumb. After a moment he ran a hand down Gale’s arm and wrapped it around his back, leaning in to tuck his face under Gale’s jaw. Gale’s hand shifted a little against Bucky’s waist but he stayed otherwise still as Bucky pressed a lingering, open-mouthed kiss to the worst mark. He then moved his face under the other side of Gale’s head, nuzzling to lift Gale’s chin just enough to reach that side of his neck, and Brady realized he was kissing both bruises. The simple tenderness was so uncharacteristic of the brash major that it drowned Brady’s chest in a swell of affection and tightened his throat. Bucky’s hand flexed against Gale’s back. His jaw worked where it was hidden in the crook of Gale’s neck, drawing a soft inhale from him, and Brady quietly rolled over to face the wall. 

The next morning, the tense lines on Buck’s face had faded. And if the marks on his neck were slightly different shapes and a little deeper shade, Brady didn’t mention it.

[luna-rainbow]

After brewing this for over a year, I have finally bit the bullet and posted the first chapter!

Thank you so much to @ashacrone for putting up with my incessant brainstorming and whining, and @possibleplatypus for beta-ing =)

This fic will not be for everyone (heed the tags!!), but if you're interested in something a bit more plotty, with the same sort of Stucky tropes as canon (mutual pining, childhood friends to lovers via a sloooow burn, identity porn and temporary character death) transplanted into a hospital AU, if you like most of your characters smart or competent, or if you wish we got more of Yori's friendship with Bucky in canon, or maybe some good Steve and Peter friendship like in the comics, and you can put up with the darker themes mentioned in the tags, consider giving this story a try!

Updates will be slow because I'm a slow writer and the chapters are chonky ToT

[michelleleewise]

In My Shoes

Pairing: Avenger Loki x female reader

Warnings: kidnapping, panic, mind control, minor mentions of blood (not too graphic), mild swearing, very minor mentions of torture.

Summary: Loki is ready to open up to you, but someone else has other plans......

A/n- aahhh!!! I'm back!!! Sorry this took FOREVER!! a very special thank you to @mochie85 for reading and helping me with all your wonderful ideas and letting me brainstorm with you!! 💚💚💚

Part three -- Part four-

Loki paced back and forth, the bass of the club vibrating the floor as his heels clicked against the tile. "Norns where is she?" He asked aloud looking down the hall where you had disappeared. He looked around seeing everyone else engrossed in their own fun making him sigh. He had hoped he would be able to talk to you, try to explain his behavior these last few months but if there was one thing he knew he wasn't a master at it was his emotions. Expressing himself had never been an easy task, especially with the Allfather raising you. So he did what he did best and buried that part of him deep inside of him, allowing anger and rage to rule him.

But meeting you changed him, made him feel things again he hadn't felt in decades and if he was honest it scared him. He laughed at the thought...the so called dark prince scared of a mortal woman...but there it was. And he knew deep down if he didn't let how he felt out...didn't break the chains around his heart he would lose you, and everything he wanted with you. So he had made the decision to tell you everything once and for all, to open himself up to someone for the first time in centuries because you deserved his honesty, you deserved everything he had to give and more. He was going to lay himself at your feet and let the pieces fall as they may because the one true thing he knew in his heart was that he loved you and he would gladly spend eternity proving it.

He ran a hand through his hair glancing back down the hall still not seeing you "Alright, this is ridiculous." He huffed storming towards the restrooms seeing a small crowd gathered he quickened his pace, hoping with everything in him that you were ok. He made it to the group, leaning up on his toes but even in heels he couldn't see "pardon me...whats going on?" He asked one of the men standing there "oh, there was a fight in the bathroom, well we think...there wasn't anyone in there just a broken mirror and blood." He shrugged. Loki felt his heart leap into his throat what had happened he asked himself quickly pushing through the group "get out of my way!" He yelled as they parted all eyes looking at him as he made it to the door "Hey, you can't go in there." One man said putting a hand on Loki's shoulder.

"Remove your hand at once." He growled keeping his eyes on the door "what are you gonna do sweetheart, beat me up?" The man taunted making Loki smile "something like that." Loki said quickly reaching up he grabbed the man's arm, dropping to his knee he flipped him over his shoulder before straddling his chest, his dagger at the man's throat. "Woah! Hey! Sorry lady!" The man yelled wide eyed "I suggest you and your friends return to the bar yes?" He said clenching his jaw "y..yes...we will." He stuttered as Loki stood slipping the dagger back into his garter belt seeing the man get up and run down the hall "thats it...run away little mouse." He snarked turning back to the door. "Y/n...are you in there!?" He called out knocking but getting no response.

He slowly pushed the door open, keeping his eyes down in case he wasn't alone "y/n?" He asked again as he rounded the wall, shards of broken glass littered the tile floor, specks of red along the broken mirror and floor contrasting against the white "y/n!" He yelled quicky going to each stall slamming them open "Darling! Where are you!?" He yelled again, his heart beating in his ears as he made it to the last stall finding it empty. He turned around freezing spotting the blood on the floor again leading towards the door. "Y/n!" He yelled running back into the hall looking around seeing a door positioned at the end he ran to it throwing it open he came out into a back alley, seeing taillights shining at the end before pulling out onto the street "y/n!" He yelled staring in the direction the lights went.

Panic set in as he realized whoever that was hadn't intended on taking y/n....but him. "Thor!" He yelled running back into the club, coming out of the hallway looking out at the dancefloor seeing Thor grinding against some red head he stormed over pulling her away "Hey! What..." She started when loki shot a glare at her "sorry..." she said quickly making a beeline for the bar "y/n what is the meaning of this?" He heard Thor's voice making his head snap up at him "something has happened to m...Loki!" He yelled over the music hearing Thor laugh "trust me y/n, he can handle himself." He said patting Loki's shoulder. "No you oaf! This is....come with me!" Loki said grabbing Thor's arm he drug him to the bathroom, his eyes widening at the scene.

"Dear y/n, that could have been anyone, maybe there was a fight?" Thor said looking around "no! Listen to me!" Loki yelled feeling tears welling in his eyes "he came in here and never returned! I know something..." he trailed off pressing the balls of his hands to his eyes "do not worry y/n, we will figure this out." Thor said rubbing a circle across Loki's shoulders. "First thing is first, we need Stark." Thor said grabbing Loki's hand pulling him from the bathroom back into the club, and Loki prayed to whoever was listening that they would find you.

You slowly opened your eyes, wincing at the throbbing pain behind your eyes as you lifted your head "well, he's finally awake." You heard a man to your left say. Squeezing your eyes shut you tried to lift your hands only to find they wouldn't budge. "What the..." you trailed off looking down seeing the metal cuffs still in place as well as thick leather straps around your wrists. "Ah ah, none of that." The man snarked walking closer "what do you want from me!?" You yelled looking up at him, recognizing him as the one that attacked you in the club. "Don't worry, the boss will explain everything." He said with a sinister smile.

You took a deep breath, trying to keep the panic rising inside you at bay when you heard a door behind you open and close. "Ah Mr Laufeyson. So glad you could join us." A man said making you freeze...you knew that voice. Looking to your right the man came into your view holding the scepter from the New York attack making your eyes widen. "H..how did y..you..." you stuttered "oh its pretty easy when you know the right people." The man said smiling as he set the scepter down on a long silver table. "Now, I'm sure you are wondering why you are here." He said grabbing a chair setting it down in front of you "I have reached the extent of what I can do with the scepter." He said sitting down "I know it has greater potential, I saw what you did in New york." He said smiling "so I thought, what better way to learn then from the wielder himself." Holding his arms out.

You sat stock still, looking between the man and the scepter, remembering the stories Loki had told you...the nightmares, the manipulation "I will not help you." You growled meeting the man's eyes again. "I told you he was gonna be a hard nut to crack Stucker." The other man said laughing. Clenching your jaw you watched the man stand up with a sigh. "Well, we have our ways after all." Stucker said walking back to the table. "Now as I mentioned, I don't know the extent of the power in this." He said picking up the scepter. You felt your heart pound against your chest as he began to walk back over to you, the bright blue glow at the tip illuminating his face "but I did figure out one little trick." He said with an evil grin as he grabbed the chair moving it aside. You twisted your wrists, pulling as hard as you could trying to free your arms "wait...please don't...i..." you trailed off feeling two hands on your shoulders.

"I'm not sure if this hurts or not." Stucker said hovering over you looking into the blue glow "but you're a God after all." He said meeting your eyes again feeling the tip of the scepter press into your chest above your heart. Panic consumed you as you fought to free yourself, the metal cuffs cutting off access to Loki's siedr you realized you were helpless, tears pooling in you're eyes as the light brightened "don't worry, it will all be over in a minute." He said smiling again "no! Stop....ple..." you were cut off feeling a surge of electricity shoot onto you, gasping as it traveled through your body. Looking into the man's face you gritted your teeth "that's it, let go." He said as the edges of your vision darkened "he's ours now." Stucker said standing up straight, you tried to move your arms but your body wouldn't respond as the power slowly passed through you. "Prepare him." You heard as your head slumped forward as the darkness consumed you.

Loki made his way to kitchen, hoping a cup of tea would calm his nerves even though he doubted it. It had been three days since the club, three days since you were taken and it was eating him alive. How could "Loki" be out there and no one see him he thought setting the kettle on the stove grabbing a cup. "Couldn't sleep either?" He heard making him freeze, looking to the doorway seeing Thor walk in running a hand through his hair. "No, I could not." Loki said setting the cup down as Thor sat on the bar stool across from him. "Did you want any?" Loki asked pointing at the kettle "no, thank you. That's always been more Loki's..." he trailed off looking down "we will find him thor." Loki said watching his brother intently. "I never got to tell him." Thor whispered making Loki furrow his eyebrows. "Tell him what?" Loki asked as the kettle screamed.

"That I'm proud of him." Thor said fidgeting with his fingers making Loki freeze. "Life hadn't been kind to him, sometimes even cruel." Thor continued sighing "but he persevered, he never gave up." Thor said finally looking up, loki seeing tears in his eyes "I admire him, if I'm honest I don't think I could have made it through what he's been through." Thor said with a sad laugh. "Thor..." loki started feeling a lump rise in his throat when Tony ran into the room "oh good, your here." He said trying to catch his breath "what is it stark?" Thor asked watching him "radiation, we found similar gamma radiation that your weird blue box gives off." He said looking between Thor and Loki "what does that mean?" Thor asked "the scepter..." loki whispered as they both looked at him. "The scepter gives off similar radiation." He said looking up at them.

They stood there for a minute thinking "does that mean..." Thor cut himself off looking at stark "He has the scepter." Tony finished "but how? Your people were supposed to secure it." Thor said, anger rising in his tone "I have no idea, it was sent to..." Tony started when realization came over him "we have to go...now!" Tony yelled "meet at the jet in ten." He said running from the room "I'll meet you there y/n." Thor said quickly following behind Tony. Loki stood frozen at the counter. He never thought he would see the scepter again, let alone be in the same room with it. A shiver ran down his spine remembering his time with it...with the mad titan...new York.

"Y/n..." he whispered looking up into the empty room he gripped the counter running to y/n's room as quickly as he could, going to the closet he pulled out her battle suit, slipping it on he heard her phone go off, seeing it was stark he picked it up "I'm on my way." He said quickly before handing up. Tossing it on the bed he grabbed the daggers he had given you, his thumb running over your initials etched on the blade as he slid them into their holsters strapped to his thighs running from your room, making his way to the roof, his thoughts running rampant how did they get it...were they using it on you...were you using it.

He made it to the roof, throwing the door open he saw Thor and stark waiting by the jet "finally! Let's go." Tony said walking up the ramp as he came up next to Thor "Do not worry y/n, we'll get him back." Thor said patting his shoulder. "I hope your right." He said looking up seeing Thor smile. "Let's go kids!" Tony yelled, walking up the ramp loki saw Bruce in the cockpit "in case we need the big guy." Tony said patting Bruce's shoulder making loki shiver. "Well let's hope not." Loki said taking a seat next to Thor as the ramp closed, hoping for the best but preparing himself for what may need to be done.

A couple of hours later the jet landed In a remote area of Romania, loki unbuckled himself as the ramp slowly lowered "Alright Bruce you stay here just in case, you guys let's go." Tony said walking down the ramp Thor and Loki following close behind. They looked around seeing nothing but a small dilapitated barn in the middle of a large field "where are we? Are you sure this is the correct place?" Loki asked looking at Tony "yep, my computers don't lie, and they're saying our guy is in there." Tony said pointing to the barn as he began walking towards it. "I have a bad feeling about this." Thor said glancing around "everything's fine point break, stop worrying." Tony said as they all made it to the only door on the building. "Ok, in and out." Tony said grabbing the handle "and keep hidden, we don't know what all is going on here." He said. Opening the door they walked in seeing nothing but a huge empty building, dust and cobwebs covering every surface.

"I knew you brought us to the wrong place stark!" Loki yelled making Thor jump "stop calling me that, it's weird and no I didn't!" Tony yelled back pulling a device from his pocket he walked around "no, it's definitely here, look around." Tony said as they split up searching. "And what exactly are we looking for?" Thor asked "anything that may be a door, if any of the dust has been disturbed...ah!" Tony yelled making them jump "over here guys!" He yelled making Thor and Loki run over. Looking down seeing a small symbol etched into the wood floor. "What is that?" Thor asked leaning closer "hydra..." Tony said wiping the dust away from around it, seeing a small hinge he lifted it up revealing a small control panel. "All we have to do is input the code and we're in." Tony said looking up at Thor "yes and how do we know what the code is?" Loki asked "elementary my dear Watson." Tony said pulling another device from his pocket.

He pointed it at the keypad, a blue light emitting from it revealing fingerprints "now, we just need to get them in the right order." Tony said beginning to input different combinations "will they know of the failed attempts?" Thor asked watching Tony "we'll see I guess." Tony said as the keypad flashed red again. "Would you hurry up! We don't..." loki was cut off as the pad flashed green, a small section of wood sliding open revealing a staircase "bingo...let's go." Tony said quickly descending into the hole in the floor "ladies first "Thor said waving loki forward "oh...right, thank you." Loki said quickly following Tony, Thor close behind him. They made it to the bottom, being met by a long dark hallway "well if this isn't the stuff of nightmares." Tony said slowly walking forward "just keep your eyes open." Loki said pulling his daggers from their holsters. They made it to the end of the hall where it split in two directions. "Should we split up?" Thor asked looking both ways "no, we stay together." Loki said when they heard a loud bang down the hall on the right "down there! Come on!" Loki said running towards the noise.

Coming up on a set of metal double doors he looked back making sure Tony and thor were behind him as he opened it stepping inside "very good, see your getting it, I knew it would all come back to you." Loki heard a man's voice echo through the room before a flash of blue light shot across the room hitting an oil drum making them all duck. "Dude, your brothers gone all psycho again." Tony said when Thor and Loki glared at him "Stark, I have said it before and I will say it again, you will not speak ill of my brother or my hammer may accidentally land on you." Thor growled making Loki look at him "ok ok sorry, but what are we going to do?" Tony asked as another flash of blue lit the room. "Hit him in the head...hard." loki said making the others look at him "if he is under the control of the mind stone again, the only way to free him is a hard blow to the head." Loki explained seeing Thor nod "yes, I suspected that last time." He whispered

"that's enough for today, take him back to his cell." The man's voice sounded again as they ducked behind a large crate. Loki peeked out seeing a small group of men surrounded what looked like you but he couldn't get a good look. "Ok, we wait a few minutes, and then we follow." Loki whispered crouched back down. "So, what are we going to do with him when we're done?" They heard another voice ask "I haven't decided, but I suppose we could make use of him as our new soldier." The other man said. "Stucker....that's stucker!." Tony whisper yelled making Thor and Loki look at him "he's a high level hydra agent, had ties with shield so I heard, that's why I don't trust them." Tony said as Loki peaked over the crate seeing they were alone "Alright, it's clear." He said as they slowly made their way across the room to another set of doors.

Looking back Loki opening the door letting Thor and Tony go first when Tony suddenly stopped making loki run into him "what..." loki started seeing them both staring ahead. Loki stepped to the side seeing himself, or rather you standing in the middle of the hall, looking like death walked over you. "Brother..." thor said making loki look at him seeing you tilt your head "I am not your brother." You growled looking at Loki. "Well, I think it's safe to say loki isn't home right now." Tony said when your eyes snapped to his. "Do you ever stop talking?" You growled making Loki tense "Alright, enough of this we're going home." Loki said taking a step towards you when your eyes snapped at him, the blue glow in them unsettling him

"I have nothing to go back to." You said taking a step towards him "you have me!" Loki yelled seeing you laugh "I never had you...I only thought I did." You said looking to the others "I never had anyone." You said balling your hands into fists "yes you do, that's why we are here! We care about you!" Loki said sternly when a man walked into the hall "ah guests, Loki why don't you give them a proper welcome yes?" Stucker said crossing his arms. Loki looked at you as you knelt down on one knee bowing your head "yes Master." You said lifting your hands "no...you couldn't..." loki was cut off seeing your hands begin to glow bright green "shit! Run!" Loki yelled grabbing Tony's arm he drug him behind him "what's happening?" Tony yelled as a green blast barely missed his head hitting the wall next to them, sending chunks of concrete and dust into the air "He is not himself." Thor said catching up. "What do we do? We can't get close to him." Thor asked as another blast bairly missed his side "yeah last time I did that I went through a window." Tony said as they rounded the corner at the end of the hall.

Loki leaned againt the wall trying to catch his breath hearing slow footsteps down the hall "come out...come out wherever you are." He heard you when a blast hit the wall next to him throwing more dust in the air. "Mjolnir! Thor throw it at him." Loki said seeing Thor shake his head "no, it may do too much damage." Thor said gripping the handle "throw it past him and recall it, it will only graze his head...he'll be fine." Loki said as another chunk of wall was blasted next to him "ya know...you were right...this isn't that hard." You said laughing loudly, the sound echoing down the hall "now Thor!" Loki yelled as Thor stood up "I will try." He said stepping out into the hallway facing you. "Ah, thor...atleast you can face me." You growled. Loki looked over seeing Thor fidgeting with the hammer "I am sorry brother." He said throwing the hammer towards you. Loki looked out watching your hands light up, throwing a large blast sending the hammer into the wall next to you before shooting a blast at Thor shooting him back into the wall behind him. "Nice try, but you'll have to do better then that." You said laughing.

"Ok, you put the suit on and distract him and I will take him by surprise." Loki said gripping his daggers "I swear if I go out a window.." Tony said standing up "I'll throw you out of one if you don't stop talking." Loki snapped watching Tony hit a button on his chest, his suit materializing "he's fast...I hope your faster." He said stepping out where Thor was. "Ah Tony! Let's see what you've got." You growled as Tony lifted his arm "did you miss me?" He asked sending a repulsar blast at you, loki peeking out seeing you deflect it. "I wouldn't go that far." You said as Tony's thrusters kicked on and he flew towards you. Looking over he saw Thor lying unconscious and sighed "you oaf." He muttered quickly standing up he stepped into the hall watching the battle between you and stark "hold still you ass!" You yelled throwing another blast as he dodged "age tends to slow you down a bit, and your getting up there." Tony snarked as your attack became more erratic, green and blue flashed shooting throught the small hallway making loki worry about the stability of the structure.

He watched as Tony ducked and weaved, getting you to turn your back to him "perfect" loki said, taking his advantage he ran towards you, gripping the handle of the dagger he brought the hilt up as he came up behind you ready to bring it down when you suddenly turned, your hand gripping his neck before slamming him into the wall. "That body's not so fast is it?" You snarked tightening your grip on his neck "y/n...please..." loki gasped trying to pry your hand away but he knew it was pointless, he knew the strength you wielded now "I think I could get used to this." You said lifting him up the wall, his toes barely touching the floor as he felt the wind leave his lungs "let her go!" Tony yelled trying to send a blast at you but you beat him to it, lifting your free hand you shot him down the hall lodging him into a wall. "Y/n. L..listen.." loki tried as your attention turned back to him "listen to what? More of your lies...your excuses?" You growled, your fingers digging into his neck.

"No, no more excuses...no more lies." Loki said trying to stand on his toes to relieve the pressure "i...I love you y/n...only you." He said seeing your expression harden "God of lies." You snarled lifting him further his feet leaving the ground. "I'm telling the t..truth." loki gasped gripping your wrist "i...I wanted to tell you...everything..." he wheezed kicking his legs "so many...times..." he tried, feeling a warmth begin to move through him "just like every other girl right? I was nothing to you." You said, loki seeing a tear steam down your cheek "y...you are....everything...to me." He said closing his eyes he let your powers flow through him, feeling them in his hands he opened his eyes seeing them glowing bright purple "what are you doing?" You asked as Loki dug his nails into your wrist "saving you." He said feeling his feet touch the floor again "just as you saved me." He said as you loosened your grip on his throat he took a deep breath channeling everything he had into you.

"L...loki...." you said shakely, looking up he saw your eyes had returned to their normal color, you hand slowly releasing him "i...I'm sorry..." you stuttered as your eyes began to glow blue again. Loki quickly jumped up wrapping his arms around you "I'll always love you." He whispered in your ear, closing his he felt your powers surge through him, gripping the leather of your suit he sent it out engulfing you both in a bright purple glow before tearing you apart, the blast throwing you to opposite sides of the hall slamming you into the wall. Loki slowly opened his eyes, rolling to his back he saw the indent in the wall his body made. Lifting his hands he hoped he would find his own, sighing when he saw his own long fingers. Patting his chest he felt leather "thank the norns." He breathed closing his eyes. "Brother?" He heard Thor down the hall, tilting his head seeing him pry mjolnir from the wall "yes, I'm fine now thanks to...y/n!" He suddenly shot up, wincing at the pain in his head seeing you lying lifeless across the hallway. "Y/n!" He yelled getting on his hands and knees crawling to you.

He placed his fingers on your neck feeling your pulse "she's ok....she's alive." Loki breathed reaching down he laced his arm under your legs picking you up "but we must get her back to the tower, I am certain she will have a concussion." Loki said looking down the hall "Stark! We must go!" Loki yelled seeing Tony stumble from his hole in the wall "is it over...did we win?" He asked rubbing his head "yes, now let's go." Loki said quickly turning they made their way back to the stairs, stopping seeing Stucker standing at the bottom "where do you think your going?" He asked as they were suddenly surrounded by hydra agents "we are leaving." Loki snarled gripping you tighter to him. "Do you think I'd give up my best soldier?" He laughed when he was suddenly knocked off his feet, a silver flash shining through the dim hall "get her to the jet, I will be right behind you." Thor said spinning mjolnir "thank you brother." Loki said quickly running up the stairs.

Making his way to the jet he was met by Bruce as he ran up the ramp "what happened?" He asked as Loki laid you on a gurney "I belive she has a concussion, she hit her head hard." He said stepping back looking back seeing Thor and tony running across the field. "I think your right, let's get her strapped in." Bruce said securing you to the gurney as the others ran in "we gotta go." Tony said jumping into the cockpit raising the ramp. "Come sit, she will be fine." Thor said patting Loki's shoulder. Loki took a seat next to Thor, watching Bruce hook you up to various machines as Tony took off. Loki closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the wall hoping you would he ok, and that things would finally return to normal.....

@lokistoriesblog @hyperlokilover @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @simplyholl @lokidokieokie @mjsthrillernp @violethaze @dryyoursaltyoceantears @loz-3 @commanding-officer @stupidthoughtsinwriting @high-functioning-lokipath @jaidenhawke @lokiandbuckysdoll @littlespaceyelf @lastlovesong17 @ladyofthestayingpower @homesickloki @glitterylokislut @avoliax @yelkmelk @mayjaysthots @buttercupcookies-blog @differenttyphoonwerewolf @her-glorious-purpose @nate-ate-hate @chantsdemarins @ladymischief11 @usagishira @princess-asgard @honeyg19 @goblingirlsarah @cabingrlandrandomcrap @silverfire475 @smolvenger @loki-laufeyson-1054 @marygoddessofmischief @animnerd @texmexdarling @fictive-sl0th @jin0x0 @vbecker10 @eleniblue @lady-rose-moon @pics-and-fanfics @kittiowolf210 @kats72 @asgardianprincess1050 @crimson25

[snarkspawn]

Ok, So I adore your KenBig art even though I have absolutely zero idea of what the fandom is about haha, would love to hear more about them because I can tell you're so passionate.

Thank you so much! 

I am !! Very Passionate about them yes adhjfkshjks let me try to break them down for you without making it a 3 hour TED talk lmao (no promises)

So they're two minor side characters from the Thai bl series KinnPorsche, also known as The Gay Mafia Show. At the beginning of the series Big is the head bodyguard for Kinn, who he is secretly (and quite hopelessly) in love with and who is the heir to the family's mafia empire. He is Loyal with a capital L, fiercely protective of Kinn, a little (a lot) pathetic in his devotion and quite frankly a bit of a dick. Ken is just Ken his best friend, also a bodyguard for the Main Family and also a bit of a dick. He's from Australia originally and brings us delightful iconic phrases like "nice one, loser" and "are you fucking dumb, bro". Also, pineapple boxer briefs. You mostly see the two of them together and when they show up it's usually to be a bitch and/or to bully Porsche, who is the other main character and love interest for Kinn (hence the name of the show).

They're terrible people is what I'm saying. But then again so is almost everyone else on the show lmao it's the mafia ok!!

It's never explicitly stated in the show but we see other bodyguards room together (namely Porsche and Pete) so the widely accepted headcanon is that Ken and Big are roommates (oh my god they were roommates etc etc) and just because I live for this kind of thing I have convinced myself (and others, apparently! through the power of art) that while Big is hopelessly in love with Kinn (canon), Ken is hopelessly in love with Big (canon in my heart). It's about the pining and the tragedy and a secret third thing (jealousy) for me

Well. I don't want to spoil too much in case you're ever planning on watching it but it's kind of important for them, so ... towards the end of the show Big ends up sacrificing himself for Porsche (or rather, for Kinn's happiness) and dies not knowing that Ken is the mole they've been searching for and is actually working for the Minor Family (so, for Kinn's cousin and uncle who are the main villains in the series). But Ken is killed as well, at roughly the same time just at a different place and at the hand of his actual employer Gun, so they both end up dead.

Which, you know, I personally think is unacceptable because I love them and don't want it to end there, so most (but not all) of my art is set in an AU that I brainstormed with my partner @pharawee in which they both survive and then have to deal with the consequences of their actions (which is absolutely delicious to me because man!! You have Big who is so desperately loyal but has been kind of struggling to find his place now that Porsche is there, and Ken who betrayed everything Big held dear but !! Is also his best friend!!! But is he really? Has he ever really been his friend at all?? And if Ken is a traitor what does that make him who has been sharing everything with him?? Bonus points since Ken is in love with him and never wanted to betray Big personally. So much potential for angst I am telling you, it's a feast), and then eventually they find comfort in each other and carve out their own path. If you're interested you can read the beginning on ao3.

In other headcanons there's been a Thing going on between them all along and sometimes they still die. Or they don't but everything is still fucked up. Either way it's all good and I'm here for all of it hehe

So this is shaping up to turn into that 3 hour TED talk after all which is why I'll stop here, but if you have literally any other questions or are interested in hearing more I would be prepared to go on for hours lmao sorry (but not really).

[moodymisty]

How does tech react to reader safewording out? Or just tech aftercare pls <33

Author's note: Yesss! I've been meaning to write about something like this, thanks for giving me the perfect segway.

Relationships: Tech/Fem!Reader

Warnings: Lewd but not full nsfw, Mentions of sex and bondage, Fluffy fluff, Some gentle aftercare,

With you’re with Tech, one becomes distinctly familiar with experimentation.

There’s so many times where Tech has come to you wishing to try something new; To see how either of you will react. You’ve cum so many times at this point you feel like an absolute mess, barely able to tell up from down. Your legs hurt, arms, wrists; From where he’d previously had you tied to the support pole of the Marauder’s bunk rack.

You still feel your heart racing, but it’s no longer trying to break from your ribcage the way it had been earlier.

Tech however, laying beside you is also out of breath, but no where to the degree you are. He brushes a hand over his hair, looking over you.

“Are you sufficiently satisfied?”

‘What a romantic way to word it’, you think, with all the fondness in the galaxy. It’s Tech; He speaks his own language and you love every word of it.

“You can only fuck my brains out so much, Tech.”

Damn clone libido… It finally caught up with you.

Tech however ignores your quip much to your surprise, and instead begins searching for the bottom half of his blacks through the crumbled blankets and various other clothing items. You’d both snuck out into the Marauder while everyone else was off elsewhere, leaving the two of you alone for at least a few hours.

Needless to say, you’d taken good advantage of the time.

Finally having found the bottom half of his blacks, he slips them on and slides off the bunk, telling you he’ll only be gone for a moment. He just snags some water for the both of you, and returns to see you using the top half of his blacks as a loose top, handing you the container of water as he gently takes your wrist and examines it. He brushes his thumb along our skin, from where he’d tied you up.

“Does this hurt in any way?” He presses softly against the inside of your wrist, as you shake your head and hum. Satisfied that you weren’t hurt in anyway, he softly returns your hand. “Do you require anything, love?”

“A soak in a nice bath would be the dream…” You say it overly wistfully, as Tech moves to slide onto the bunk right beside you as you take a drink.

“The Marauder can only do a short shower as of this moment unfortunately,” Tech mumbles the second half of his sentence largely to himself. “Though perhaps I could include upgrades to the refresher on my current list of tasks.” Leaning back enough that you can do so, you move to lay partly over his stomach, chin against his sternum. He takes a moment to gently brush his hand over your hair, his touch soft.

“Tech, don’t tell me you’re already brainstorming.” He just barely cracks a smile, feeling your hands on him. He secretly loves the way you look right now in his clothes, he considers not mentioning that he needs it back soon it in the hopes you’ll keep it and use it more often.

“Not quite. Though this rare amount of quiet would nice applicable for that sort of thing.” Laughing you crawl up just enough to give him a kiss on the lips, his hands resting on the small of your back. One does leave however, and gently grasps you hand once again. You roll your eyes.

“Tech, I told you it doesn’t hurt.” He lets go only once he’s satisfied.

“There is no harm in being sure.” You don’t know how long the two of you just lay back and relax, before the idea of cleaning up is a little bit too tempting to take advantage of. Especially when the ship is currently empty other than you two. Speaking up, Tech’s eyes perk up to look at you from where they’d been resting and taking in the entire scene.

“How about a shower?” Tech’s eyebrows raise, looking at you.

“Are you merely stating your current intent, or is that an invitation?” Sliding off of his chest you slowly move to get up, and Tech follows; Holding out a hand for you just in case.

“That’s up to you~”

[ryuichirou]

8, 16, 20, 24, 25, 27 for the ask game!

Ask game!

YessSSS that’s a lot of questions, thank you so much, Anon!

Let’s roll.

8. What's an old project idea that you've lost interest in.

There are a lot of them, unfortunately.

I won’t name any of our projects with Katsu because I still hope to come back to them and finish them one day. Even the ones that are super old… They are just so good that the idea of not completing at least some of them would break my heart lol

But there are some Solo Ryu projects that I’ve lost interest in. I used to brainstorm about a comedy comic about a girl and another girl that represents her periods and treats her poorly… The joke got old pretty quickly, and the whole thing didn’t work out.

I also used to come up with random characters, but I never do anything with them when I’m doing it alone, so they appeared for one or two sketches and then perished – I’m not really a storyteller, and without a story I can’t get invested in my own ideas :(

16. Something you are good at but don't really have fun doing.

I don’t know if there is such thing, to be honest. Maybe I’m forgetting something, of course…

But in general, if I’m good at it, my mind usually goes “fuck yeeeeah”, so I’m inevitably end up having fun at least to some degree. Even if it ends up not looking good…

I guess I’ve gotten better at drawing shoes, but I still stress out every time I draw them, so it stops me from having fun sometimes.

20. Something everyone else finds hard to draw but you enjoy

I guess… that would be… hands. 👀

I used to suck at drawings hands so bad that one person from my past even said that with every new drawing I invent a new way to avoid drawing hands. Well well well guess who’s laughing now, Linda?

Saltiness aside, I spent a lot of time getting better at them, so now I really genuinely like drawing hands.  

24. Do your references include stock images

I try to avoid them as much as I can, to be honest. It depends on the stock image; sometimes they work nicely, but when it comes to special equipment, the models from the stock images usually don’t know how to hold them properly. Which isn’t their fault at all, I wouldn’t randomly know how to hold a violin either; but for that reason I would probably try to search up some violinist. If I find a good video, that’s even better.

… I rarely really use references aside from situations like this lol

But I also feel like everyone uses stock images to some degree, and I’m no exception.

25.  Something your art has been compared to that you were NOT inspired by

We used to receive a lot of comments comparing our stuff to Killing Stalking back when we posted SnK fanart lol And we haven’t even read it…

There were also a couple of times when our stuff got compared to the artstyle of Avatar, which is??  A huge compliment that I didn’t deserve back then?? But despite us loving Avatar very much, we’re not actively inspired by it.

27. Do you warm up before getting to the good stuff? If so, what is it you draw to warm up with

I try to, a lot of times it’s necessary, because otherwise I make stupid mistakes 💪😔

A lot of times it’s just a simple portrait sketch. But also, sometimes I start by drawing day by doing something simpler, like cleaning/shading the scans or adding base colours to my drawings. I feel like it also counts as a warm up.

[badger-bear]

Thank you @hellolovers13 @neondiamond @onlythebravest @beardyboyzx @disgruntledkittenface for tagging me to do the 2022 Writing Self Evaulation!

1. Number of stories posted to AO3 this year: 15

2. Word count posted for the year: 144,414

3. Fandoms I wrote for: One Direction, NHL

4. Pairings: Harry/Louis, Marcel/Louis, Zayn/Liam, Niall/Liam, Harry/Emma Corrin, Louis/Florence, Harry/Jamie Oleksiak, Harry/Niall, Harry/Liam

5. Story with the most:

Kudos: as it was

Bookmarks: as it was

Comments: as it was

the rest under the cut!

6. Work I’m most proud of (and why): As a surprise to no one, As It Was. I had an idea for an age play fic for years but was too scared to post it. For one reason or another the previous versions didn't work. This time, it did. I think I showed the complexity of the topic and how at the heart of age play it's about trust and care. I love what I wrote and I'm really happy with it. I'm proud of myself for being vulnerable and posting it.

7. Work I’m least proud of (and why): I have struggled with self-doubt and imposter syndrome for a long time and I kind of refuse to answer this. Even if the story didn't get a lot of hits I'm proud of myself for writing.

8. Share or describe a favorite review you received: Anyone who commented on As It Was saying they had never read an age play fic but gave it a chance. Especially the few people who said they trusted me to get them through the journey. I am honored that those people gave it a try.

9. A time when writing was really, really hard: Oh god, writing Liquid Gold because of all the sex and the vibe I was going for. Or Not Sure How To Say This Right. I was going through some weird transitions in my personal life which had me axious to work on this fic.

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: Hm, I mean, I didn't expect to write Harry/Emma. Does that count?

11. A favorite excerpt of your writing: This is from Deafening Silence.

Harry turned to run towards the house, his ankle twisted uncomfortably from the quick movement. He pushed through the pain and the fear and started to run, his vans sliding on the gravel due to lack of friction. He slipped going up the stairs, causing him to fall on the cement making him cry out. He got up and tried open the sliding glass door, it was locked.

“No,” Harry cried. “No, no no,” he chanted as he tried again.

He didn’t lock it and he knew Louis wouldn’t lock it if he woke up and didn’t see Harry in bed. Something else locked it.

Fresh tears fell down his cheeks as Harry started to bang on the door, yelling for Louis as he gasped for breath. Harry felt like he was being watched, his gut was telling him not to look behind him and to get inside as quickly as he could. He heard a stick breaking and felt breath on the back of his neck.

Harry couldn’t hear over his own sobs or the pounding in his ears as he begged for help. The door was slammed open, and Harry was pulled inside by the collar of his sweatshirt and right into Louis’ hands.

“Close the door!” Harry yelled as he tried to shove Louis away from him. “Close the fucking door! It’s out there!”

12. How did you grow as a writer this year: Trusting myself! Writing whatever the hell I wanted.

13. How do you hope to grow next year: Same answer as above.

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc): Oh god, I will try not to write an essay. But truly everyone at my discord @writerscornercafe. I built the community I had been wanting for years. Everyone is so supportive and wonderful in so many different ways. The amount of times people have helped me with phrasing or naming a character or reminding me of the name of an object is insane.

There's also a few people I want to shout out because whether they knew it or not, they helped me.

@larrieblr has been my brainstorming buddy/beta/friend/confidant for the past few months. Every Tuesday we talk about our fics, get each other unstuck, give each other tips, motivation and cheerlead. I am so thankful for the care they show me and my characters.

@justalarryblog for not knowing me for long but deciding starting a discord with me was a good idea. She is not only my bot guru but a trusted friend. I love laughing with her, coming up with ideas for the discord and knowing she has my back and I have hers.

The next few are writings who's work has inspired me to create meaningful stories, stories with laughter, and heart. Thank you for sharing your craft. Thank you for inspiring me. I'm sorry if I haven't said anything until now. Next year I hope to be better showing my appreciation.

@neondiamond somehow didn't get freaked out when the first thing I messaged her was that I had a friendship crush on her lol She has sent me pictures of her dog which never fail to make me smile. She is such a joy to get to know and I am such a fan of her work. They are all warm hugs when I need them.

@restless-rebels for being excited and non-judgmental every time I send her a text that says "so..." or "I was a thinking..." or my personal favorite "👉🏻👈🏻". She knows there is a 50/50 chance I am following it up with a bad decision and I can trust her to be honest that it could be a bad decision.

@disgruntledkittenface @uhoh-but-yeah-alright @neondiamond @littleroverlouis @lhhomefics @larrieblr

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year: I haven't talked about this publicly and maybe it won't surprise anyone but I use age regression as a way to deal with trauma, chronic illness and the horror of being alive lol While I didn't write my trauma into As It Was, I used my own experiences and research as a starting off point. I (obviously) did a lot of research and self reflection before deciding to use age regression as a coping mechanism and i think that only helped me as I wrote. There are also a few phrases in every fic that my husband uses.

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers: I cannot stress enough to write what you want. Fuck what anyone says about tropes or charterers, do what you want.

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: I am very excited to finish my big bang!

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read.

@onlythesweet @tommokat @allwaswell16 @berzerkshires @justalarryblog @voulezloux @louistomlionson @londonfoginacup @littleroverlouis and anyone else who wants to do it!

[foxwitchaine]

list five things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last ten people who liked or reblogged something from you! Get to know your followers, mutuals and all the wonderful people on here!

Five things that make me happy? Let's see...

1.) Food

I'm a home chef who likes trying new recipes. Food to me is a love language all on its own. To me, there's nothing more loving than seeing a freshly prepared hot meal on the table. Cooking is also a huge de-stressor for me. Whenever I feel too stressed out, I go cook something.

It's tons easier when the summer heat isn't lurking around, lol

2.) Brainstorming

Had a bit of trouble with this one since it covers a wide range of what I like to do. I like playing matchmaker for different canon characters, be it with other canons or with OCs. I like planning out projects and how they will go. Acting on them is another story altogether, but I'm learning.

Which brings me to my next one...

3.) Learning

Probably has something to do with nearly everyone in my family, both immediate and extended, being in the education field. I like learning new things, be it art, music, or programming. I'm currently studying programming so I can start breaking out of this funk I've been in regarding the TWST fan game. It's still happening, I'm just having to make some choices to accomplish what I want with it.

4.) The arts

This should be a no-brainer. Visual art and animation aren't the only things I love. I've got a passion for music that I've been nurturing lately. I used to sing and perform when I was in high school, but I dropped that to focus on college. Well, now that I've been out of school for a few years (I just dated myself, didn't I), I've been rediscovering my old hobbies and hoping to bring them back to life. I've slowly been getting back into playing piano and I've been saving up to take singing lessons.

5.) Video games

Anyone who knows me knows that I've been a gamer for years. Two of my favorite series of all time are Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy. I also like playing indie titles such as Ib. And some horror games I really enjoyed are Haunting Ground and Eternal Darkness. Lately, I've been playing Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail with my partner Rafe. We're slowly inching back into Minecraft for winding down.

This was fun. Thanks for the asks 🙂

[missywritesfor7]

🌺 Promise Flower | PJM 🌺

Synopsis: Jimin is a popular dance student and the best one at his university. Mina is a photography student and has known Jimin since high school. An idea for a photo project finds Mina getting closer to him than she ever has before. She learns how big his heart is, but also learns how closely he guards it. Every time she thinks he'll let her in, he pulls away again. Is it even worth the trouble?

Pairing: college student!Jimin x fem!oc

Warnings: depression, anxiety, panic attacks, alcoholism

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Masterlist

|| Ch. 20: Process ||

Thanks to Jimin’s great caretaking and lots of medicine and rest, I’ve pretty much fully recovered from my flu after a few days. The new semester starts in two weeks so I’m glad I’ll be able to enjoy a little time before then without being sick or fighting with my brother.

While Jimin is doing much better since his injury, he still hasn’t been cleared to go back to fully dancing as he was before. He’s been working hard to rehab his leg, but he still gets impatient. I know he wants nothing more than to be on stage again, but he can’t rush his healing.

Since he still can’t take a dance class he was offered an opportunity to be a teaching assistant for one of the classes. He’ll help with coming up with choreography and instructing the other students in the class. The school will allow it to count as internship credit so it will still be worth something. He was also offered a scholarship that isn’t for performance so he won’t have to worry about tuition this time around either.

He was nervous at the thought at first, but I assured him he would do great. When I took pictures of him in his class earlier last semester he made it clear that he has the patience and knowledge to teach others. He’s also been coming up with his own choreography for years. He’s perfect for this assistant position.

As the first day draws near, everyone else returns to campus and things are as they were before we all left for the holidays. Hoseok returned the week before and Jin came back two days before. Tae also came back two days before and we went out for lunch to catch up on a lot. We talked over the break, but there’s nothing like sitting down and having a long talk over some food.

Just like every other semester, Tae and I have our photo class together. This time it’s a film class and I’m a little nervous about how I’ll do. I only ever use my digital camera, so using film is going to be a brand new experience for me. Tae on the other hand loves shooting with film so he’s much more excited about the class. At least I’ll have him to help me out if I have any issues.

The first day of classes is a bit chaotic, but nothing a little coffee can’t fix. I had to rent a film camera from the school so I can get started right away on my first photo assignment. I learned that we would be developing our film ourselves and it seems like there’s much room for error so that has me very nervous.

After class Tae comes with me to my place so we can brainstorm ideas. Our first project is due in two weeks and we were given the freedom to choose our own theme. For some reason that’s a lot more difficult than if we had just been given a theme. Now we’re on the couch searching online for inspiration.

“Ah!” Tae shouts. “Fashion! I could do fashion. Maybe take pictures of street fashion.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” I say wishing an idea would hit me like that too. “Now help me with mine,” I whine.

“Don’t think so hard.”

“Too late,” I sigh.

A knock at the door pulls me out of my sulking and off the couch. Jimin is standing at the door with two cups and a big smile.

“I brought you a slushie,” he says as I let him in.

“Thanks, babe,” I smile taking a big refreshing sip.

“Hey, Taehyung,” he says stealing my spot on the couch. “Did you and Taylor move into your new apartment yet?”

“Next week,” Tae responds. “I can’t wait! My roommate is awful.”

“So I’ve heard,” Jimin chuckles. “What are you two up to?”

“I’m having a hard time figuring out what I want to do for my photo project,” I pout cuddling close to him.

“You’ve got a little time though,” Tae assures me.

“Yeah I know, but if we have to take the time to develop our film I don’t want to wait until the last minute. What if it all goes bad and I don’t have time to fix it and then I fail the class?”

“Take it easy,” Jimin chuckles. “I know you’ll figure it out.”

“I hope so,” I say already feeling the stress after just one day of class.

The three of us continue chatting and brainstorming until Jin comes home a little later. He seems to be in good spirits and offers to make us lunch. No one can turn down his cooking so he goes into the kitchen and begins putting lunch together.

That’s been one of the biggest benefits of having him as a roommate. He’s an amazing cook and is always generous about cooking for me and others. Not only that but he’s always trying to make sure his dishes are plated nicely. He’s such a perfectionist sometimes.

He presents us with some lettuce wraps filled with ham, bacon, cheese, tomatoes, and topped with a sauce he put together himself. It’s so simple but it looks amazing.

Then the lightbulb in my head turns on.

“Jin! I think you just solved my problem!” I say in excitement grabbing my film camera.

“I did?” He says confused. “Was your problem hunger?”

“Yes, but no,” I laugh snapping a few pictures of the lettuce wrap in front of me. “I’ll take pictures of your food for my project!”

“That’s a good idea,” Tae says with his mouth full.

“You have to cook every day!”

“Wait what?” Jin asks still confused. “Why? That sounds like more work for me.”

“Ok not every day, but you know, enough so I can get some good pictures out of it.”

“How did I get dragged into this?” He chuckles.

“Because you’re the best most handsome roommate in the entire world who makes the best food.” I hit him with my big pleading eyes.

“Fine,” he submits. “You owe me though.”

“You’re the best!”

I feel relieved now that I’ve got an idea. I just hope I’m able to execute it well.

By the next class I have a whole roll of film of everything Jin has made these two days. Now comes the hard part of trying to develop the film myself.

It’s a bit of a process and must be done in the dark as to not ruin the light sensitive film. I’m basically doing this blind and it makes me very nervous.

Tae is silently hyper focused on getting his film on the reel and into the developing tank. If the film isn’t on the reel properly it can ruin the entire roll from the start and we’ll be back at square one and have to shoot everything all over again. There’s so many things that could go wrong before I’m even able to see the pictures I took.

Once we finally get past that step we move back into the light to develop the film through an intensive process involving various chemical washes and a lot of agitating by hand. I just know there has to be a more modern and easier way to do all of this, but what’s being an art student if you’re not forced to spend an entire semester using caveman methods?

Overall it takes us an hour and a half to complete the process and hang our film up to dry. It shouldn’t actually take that long, but it’s our first time. Hopefully next time we’ll be able to get it done much quicker.

When the film is dry we sit down and look over our photos to see how we did. Tae’s photos came out great, he really is a natural with the film camera. My photos on the other hand didn’t come out quite as great. Aside from some issues with my camera settings (shooting digitally has really spoiled me in that regard) I realized that my film wasn’t loaded on the reel properly which resulted in about half of my photos being ruined in the developing process as they were all stuck together.

“I can’t use any of these,” I sigh in defeat. “I’m basically going to have to start all over.”

“It’s ok,” Tae says trying to console me. “You still have time to shoot more. Plus, this is your first time working with film, you’re not going to be perfect on your first try.”

“But yours came out so good.”

“Yeah, but I’ve shot with film before.”

“But you’ve never developed your own film before. Yours came out perfect.”

“Stop that. Let’s get some lunch before you lose your mind.”

We gather our things and step out of the photo lab and to our surprise Jimin is standing in the hall a few feet away.

“Hey,” he says bouncing up to me and giving me a soft kiss on the cheek.

“Hey,” I say. “What are you doing here?”

“I knew you would be working in the studio so I wanted to wait for you and see if you wanted lunch.”

“Yeah, we were just about to go get some. Come on.” I hold my hand out and he interlaces his fingers with mine.

The three of us head down the hall deciding to go out to the food court in the middle of campus instead of our usual cafe in the art building. Jimin seems bright and happy but I’m not sure if it’s because he had a great day, or if he’s being his usual peppy self. Either way I feel a little bad that I don’t currently share his enthusiasm.

When we get our food and find a table in the campus commons Jimin seems to notice my lack of joy. My mind is still on my failed project and I can’t shake the thought of possibly failing the class because I suck at all things film.

“What’s wrong?” Jimin asks with his usual big eyed look of concern.

“None of my pictures came out well,” I sigh poking at the chicken in my burrito bowl.

“She’s being too hard on herself,” Tae chimes in. “I told you, you still have time. You don’t have to beat yourself up over one roll of film.”

Jimin takes my hand and gives it a soft kiss.

“It’s ok, babe,” he says softly. “I’m sure Jin won’t mind cooking a few more things for you. And I’ll always cook for you if you need me to. I can’t make my food look as pretty as his, but I can try for you.”

“That’s really sweet of you,” I say still struggling to pull my head out of its funk. “I just feel like I should’ve done better.”

“You will do better,” Jimin emphasizes.

I slowly nod and take a bite of my food. I appreciate their support, but right now it’s not picking me up the way they want it to. It’s actually starting to be a slight bit annoying.

Yes I know I can do better, that’s why I’m so upset that I didn’t do better. I understand that I’m new to film and I shouldn’t get upset about messing up on my first try, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m still upset.

I hate that I know I’m being unreasonable yet I can’t stop my mind from doing so anyway. It happens from time to time and all I need is a little space and time to pick myself back up. However right now their positivity feels almost like added pressure. They believe in me and have faith in me but I messed up. I failed myself and I failed them.

“Mina,” Tae says gathering his things. “Go take a nap.”

“Taylor must be out of class now?” I ask watching him grab his food and stand up.

“I’ll see you later,” he flashes his big boxy smile which tells me all I need to know. He takes off leaving Jimin and I sitting next to each other at the table.

“Do you want to go back to my place?” Jimin asks me.

“Actually I was going to go to my place so I can catch Jin whenever he gets home. Hopefully I can get him to cook something for me to take pictures of. Do you want to come to my place instead?”

“Sure,” he nods. “I’ll meet you there. I have to make a stop first.”

“Oh? Where?”

“You’ll see.” He winks at me and gathers his things. “I won’t be long.”

We both head out our separate ways and I go home to sulk a little more. I take another look through my notes and I’m still struggling to figure out what exactly I did wrong when shooting my photos. I guess my biggest issue is in the developing process. I can shoot the greatest pictures but it won’t matter if the film is ruined while I’m trying to develop it. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this stressed out so early in a semester before.

Jimin arrives about 15 minutes later with one more bag than he had earlier.

“What’s this?” I ask as we take a seat on the couch.

“I thought you could use a few things to ease your stress.” He says opening the bag. “First here’s some orange juice to boost your vitamin c.” He smiles handing me a bottle.

“Ok,” I giggle.

“And a heat pad for any tense muscles.” He pulls out a pack of heating pads, but he seems to have more in the bag. “Some massage oil made to relax and calm you.”

“You didn’t have to get me all of this.” It’s a sweet gesture, but part of me feels it’s a bit much.

“Of course I did,” he smiles. “I may not be able to help you with your project, but I will do whatever I can to help you feel better.”

“Thanks, babe,” I say giving him a quick kiss. It’s still way more than I think is necessary, but I can’t be upset when he’s only trying to help.

He offers to give me a massage, and while I love his massages I’m starting to feel a bit smothered in the moment. We relocate to my bedroom and I lay on my stomach allowing him to gently rub my back using the oil he brought. I couldn’t say no. I figured I’ll just let him take care of me in this moment and then maybe he’ll ease up a bit.

Sadly, feeling this way actually makes me feel worse. I’m already lost in my head because of my failed photos, but now I also feel like a terrible person because his attempts to make me feel better is having the opposite effect.

I start to think that maybe I’m broken or something. Why do I feel like I don’t want him to try cheering me up? I allow him to because I feel like that’s what I’m supposed to do, but it’s not exactly what I feel like I want to do. However, if I tell him that I’m afraid he’d take it the wrong way. He’s sweeter than sweet and doing his best to help, I can’t fault him for that.

Maybe I should take Tae’s advice and take a nap.

[astermacguffin]

What if the Mark of Cain manifests differently when it's imprisoning God and not the Darkness? If the Darkness makes the Mark bearer go insane with unbridled want for destruction, then what does sealing God make you do?

An obsessive desire for creation? Creation to the point of corruption? (Think of the Shimmer from the film Annihilation. Continuous reproduction to the point of begetting alien, cancer-like entities. A refracted, distorted notion of creation.)

Okay, so canon divergence from The Trap. They successfully seal away Chuck, then Castiel bears the Mark. (Jack won't be back until later episodes, so he's not here yet.)

At first, they think he's fine. Cas says he's not feeling any bloodlust just yet. (He does feel a certain itch under his skin. Not a desire to murder, but a desire to do...something. He doesn't tell this to anyone.)

His grace is getting stronger, almost archangel-like (if not more). It's incredibly helpful for hunts, and Cas is happy to feel his wings healthy again after a long time. Sam is happy for him, but Dean is suspicious of things (especially since he's a previous Mark bearer).

After a while, Cas starts feeling...burdened, almost bloated by grace. (After all, he does have access to an infinite supply of it.) He needs to have an outlet for it.

Cas tells them so and Sam suggests healing people. Dean gives the green light on the condition that he remains invisible and he doesn't go Godstiel on them again.

It's a great outlet, and for the first few weeks they start feeling normal again. But unfortunately, healing stops being enough to relieve Cas of his excess grace anymore. The mass healings start to pile up all across the globe and it catches everyone's attention. Some think it's a blessed miracle, some think it's a sign of the end times. They make him slow down on the healings after that.

Without an outlet, however, Cas starts feeling antsy and pained. They brainstorm on possible alternatives. Cas suggests going to Heaven and saving it from collapse by healing his brethren's wings and creating more angels out of consenting souls in Heaven.

He explains Heaven's endangered and dwindling numbers. Sam agrees that it would hit two birds in one stone: relieve Cas from excess grace and prevent the extinction of angels. Dean doesn't like the idea of more winged dicks so he shoots down the idea. Eileen says that since Cas is the one in pain, he should be the one to decide.

Ultimately, Cas defers to Dean's judgment (as always). Sam protests, arguing that he can't just shoulder that pain. Cas replies: "I've suffered worse, Sam."

Cas doesn't complain about the pain for about a week, so for a while, everyone believes him when he said he can shoulder the pain. One day, Dean finds him outside the bunker, groaning in pain as he bleeds himself out, his grace pouring into the ground and sprouting plants. Dean sees this and is finally convinced to allow Cas to make more angels.

What follows then is a series of escalating events:

While Sam and Eileen are practicing their witchcraft for spell they need in a hunt, Cas suggests to enhance Sam's physical and magical abilities using his grace. "It will make the process faster and safer," he reasons. He agrees, but Dean eyes this suspiciously.

During one of their hunts, they encounter a young and freshly-turned vampire. The boy begs them not to kill him, and Cas gives him a proposal. "Promise not to feed on humans ever again and I shall cure you of your hungers and your pains. Pledge your allegiance to me and you shall never be afraid of yourself ever again." The boy agrees, and before Dean could even protest, Cas slices his palm and feeds the vampire his grace.

They argue about the grace-feeding in the Impala. Dean notices Sam's pointed lack of complaints and figures it out. "You're in on this, aren't you? How long has Cas been doing this? He's going Michael behind our backs and you're letting him?"

Sam argues that it's different because Cas isn't making super monsters; he's making them less "monstrous" (whatever that means). Sam's obsession with his own "purity" is key to understanding him here.

One time, Dean catches Cas in his "garden" ("forest" seems more apt with how lush the greens already are) creating butterflies and bees out of thin air using his grace alone.

Reports of the miraculously healed people suddenly gaining new abilities like increased strength, heightened senses, and prophecy start popping up. Some are experiencing phantom limbs, talking about their sprouting "wings."

Sam is becoming addicted to Cas' grace to the point that he willingly lets himself be hurt in hunts just so Cas can cure him. Dean confronts him about this, but Sam just argues that he's "never felt this pure before." Eileenn shares the same concern as Dean.

Hunts are becoming less frequent the more monsters are being "cleansed" by Cas. The world is becoming disconcertingly quiet.

Cas' "garden" is starting to emit this strange aura. The plants and creatures growing inside it are starting to look more...alien.

One of the original angels goes to Dean and tells him of Heaven's affairs. The Host is stable again, but the angels he created are...not exactly angels. They're graced up and they sustain Heaven, but their true forms are "horrifying and incomprehensible, even to an angel." The angel adds that more than 60% of Earth's creatures have already been touched by Cas' grace.

The final nail in the coffin is when Dean catches Cas in the garden fiddling with his angel blade. It's emitting a strange glow, vibrating a subtle hum and looking as if it's liquid, flowing and distorting here and there.

Dean asks him what he's holding. "Oh, this?" Cas responds. "This is the Last Blade. Last, not in terms of time but in concept, for no other blade shall ever compare to it. The spark of creation. Fiat lux."

Dean's heart sinks. Of course. The First and the Last, Alpha and Omega. "Cas...the Mark, I think i-it's scrambling your brain, man."

"I know," he replies, eyes wet and apologetic. It's a small moment of lucidity amidst weeks and months of...whatever that was.

"Okay, okay, so you're still you, that's... that's good. Okay." Dean doesn't know how to approach this. Give him a fight and he'll know what to do, but this? Watching his best friend, the love of his life, be distorted into something incomprehensible? Yeah, this is totally beyond him.

"You know, I used to hate Chuck," Cas says. "How could the Father of All Creation be this angry, petulant child? But," he continues, "knowing what I know now, it's either regressing into a petty child or being reduced to insanity."

"Cas...what are you talking about, man?"

"No mind should bear this burden, Dean. No matter how infinite they are," he says, voice trembling in exhaustion.

(more below the cut)

He continues. "The awareness of everything is the awareness of nothing at all. Imagine perceiving every possible piece of information about the world all at once. Seeing light in all its forms all at once: ultraviolet, infrared, etc. Sensing all the neutrinos zip by, sensing gravitational waves, sensing the slighest bit of seismic activity."

Dean doesn't know how to respond, so he lets him go on.

"Knowledge can only ever be a slice of the Totality of Truth. Truth is absolute chaos, and Knowledge is the partial ordering of this chaos. One can sanely approach Truth only through organized paritions of Totality. Why do you think Chuck is so obsessed with stories? Stories are linear and finite; they're sensible snippets of the endless sea of possible worlds."

"So, what? Are you trying to—"

"I'm not trying to justify Chuck's actions, Dean," he interrupts. "I just want to contextualize them. Chuck's simplistic and repetitive narratives are what they are: manifestations of a chaotic Totality, gone insane trying to understand itself. Looking for simple things to hold on to."

Cas takes a deep breath. He speaks with a shaky voice. "I'm barely holding myself together, Dean. I can feel the universe beneath my skin."

He doesn't know what possesses him to ask, but he does it anyway. "What are you holding on to?"

Cas smiles at that. "You."

They stare at each other for a while, frozen where they stand. Cas, with unrestrained affection in his face. Dean, struck by shock and indecision. It's Cas who first breaks the silence.

"I think we both know what needs to be done, while I'm still lucid enough." Cas slices his palm and lets his blood drip down the soil. He then thrusts the Last Blade into the ground, lifting it when the soil glows.

Dean stared in awe as the ground erupts and a familiar shape rises from the hollow. "Is that.."

"The Ma'Lak box, yes. I also enhanced it with the Blade to be able to house things as powerful as me."

"Cas, wait, maybe we can think of another way to—"

"Dean," he says, calmly. "You know there's no other way. I wouldn't ask this of you if there was."

In any other scenario, Dean would've kept arguing, but even he knows that they're running out of time. Sam's grace addiction is getting worse and all the creatures touched by Cas' grace are slowly mutating into eldritch horrors. Dean offers a shaky nod. "Okay."

Tension visibly releases from Cas' body. "Thank you, Dean." He opens the box and enters it with ease. "When you lock this, bury me with the garden's graced soil. Once I'm under, my influence over the world should dampen."

Dean gives a wordless nod. For a while, they just stared at each other, Cas lying down and Dean trying to memorize every inch of his face while he can.

Cas presses his hand into Dean's left shoulder where his mark used to dwell. "My untainted grace," he whisper gently. "Some of it is still inside you. That's probably why you're not as affected by me."

Dean wants to say, I'll always be affected by you, but he holds himself back.

He takes his hand back, a bloody handprint now on Dean's jacket. "I love you, Dean," he says, breathless.

"Cas..."

"I probably would've built up to that if we had more time but," he makes a surprised laugh, "I am, as you would say, already 'losing my marbles', so."

The air quotes would've been funny and endearing in any other scenario, but it just makes Dean's vision blur up with tears.

"Thank you for everything, Dean. I know we've done nothing but repeatedly hurt each other these past few years, but I don't want to spend a deathless eternity with that as my memory of you. I forgive you, even for the things you haven't forgiven yourself for yet. And I'm sorry for everything, especially for ending things like this."

He should probably wipe away his tears to clear his vision, but Dean can do nothing but stare at Cas in awe, in fear, in grief, in reverence. They're both fully crying now.

"Goodbye, Dean."

"Wait, Cas."

Cas looks at him, waiting.

"Can you...can you say it again?"

He doesn't need to clarify what 'it' means. They both know.

With one last mournful smile, Cas says: "I love you, Dean."

And with that, Dean finally gathers all the strength he needs to shut the lid and lock the box. He stares at it for a while, unblinking. He forgot to ask, Can you hear my prayers down there? But it's too late now to ask.

The box automatically lowers itself into the hole it arose from. Now all that's left to do is to cover it again with soil.

Dean doesn't bother with a shovel. He gently buries the box with his hands deep in the soil, some of it getting trapped under his nails. He continues the mindless task, whispering a tireless series of I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I hope you're okay I'm sorry, over and over between his quiet sobs. Cas is quiet inside the box. No screaming or crying. Dean doesn't know if that's better or worse.

When the final clump of soil is pressed into the mound, he suddenly feels it: a visceral shift that echoes throughout the world. The alien glimmer of the garden dims, and the world corrects its axis. Dean screams his agony into the air.

That's how Sam finds him: sprawled over a mound of soil, crying his heart out. Dean doesn't need to say anything: he knows what happened. He pulls his brother off the ground and brings him inside the bunker.

For the first two weeks, Dean cycles through drinking and passing out in various places in the bunker. If he's not wearing the jacket, he's holding it with close to him. Sam gives him a considerable space to grieve while he monitors the world grace problem with Eileen. The grace mutations have significantly dropped since then and everyone's going back to normal.

Unfortunately, that means monsters are getting hungry again. Sam doesn't want to leave his brother alone after going nonverbal with grief and dysfunctional due to alcohol. Eileen assures him that she can handle hunts on their own and that the hunter network that they're building will lessen the workload.

Sam's attempts to sober Dean up finally work, mostly due to the latter having very little strength to protest. Dean remains sober an entire day for the first time in weeks, and all he can think about is: I haven't prayed to Cas in a while. The longing might have reached him, but never a coherent prayer.

The first time he goes out of the bunker in a while, he heads straight to Cas' garden. Sam's glad that he's finally going out because "the sun is good for you" or something, but he's really only here for Cas. He kneels in front of the burial mound (where a patch of an unknown species of flowers is already growing).

The first prayer he says to him in a while is: I love you, Cas. I should've said it while you were still here. Not saying it out loud and just strongly thinking about the words somehow bolsters him to get the words through.

He's crying again, and he knows he's losing coherency. In his mind, he's explaining about his hangups and his regrets and his continuous denial of his own joy, but one constant remains: he's beaming all his love and affection into this prayer.

He's halfway through explaining all the traits that he finds endearing in Cas when suddenly, he feels it like a snap. If the glimmer dimmed when he buried Cas, now it's as if it was never there in the first place. With an unsettling amount of certainty, Dean just knows that Cas is gone. For real, this time.

"C-cas...?" It's the first thing he's said in a while and it sounds rough in his long unused voice.

"CAS! CAS!!! " He's now screaming, ripping away the flowerbed with his bare hands and scratching the soil away. Tears are obstructing his vision, but he has no time to wipe them away. He needs to make sure that is really gone. His hands are bleeding and he doesn't give a damn.

Eventually, Sam comes running towards him. "Dean! Dean, stop!"

He tries to hold his brother back, but Dean just keeps on clawing away soil. "Sammy, Sammy he's gone, he's not there anymore, Sammy I have to see, please, let me see Cas again, I need—" he breaks into sobs again, and like a puppet with its strings cut off, he slumps into Sam.

"Dean, it's okay, it's okay..." he says softly to his shaking brother.

Eventually, when Dean calms down, he looks at the carnage he's done and starts sobbing again. The flowers, his last evidence of Cas being here, are all destroyed. Now Cas truly is gone.

. . .

When Cas first heard Dean's confession prayer, he was overcome with joy. When he realized what that means, however, his stomach suddenly sinks.

He hears before he sees the Empty arrive, slithering like black goo.

"Wow, were you excited enough for eternal slumber that you wanted a preview?" The Shadow teases in Meg's voice.

At first, he was dreading the Empty, but now that he thinks of it, it's actually the perfect prison for him: a vast, endless nothingness for him to fill with his creations.

And if Jack wasn't in Heaven, that only means that he's in the Empty, and he can't wait to see his son again. Even when blinded by the madness of the universe, he can never forget the joy of being a father.

"Yes," he replies, "I'm actually glad you're here now."

. . .

Somewhere around the globe, Billie drops Jack back.

"Don't worry, kid. You'l reunite with your father very soon."

(to be continued)

[just-reblurbs]

yeehaw unova

Fun summary train bandit ancestors, via server brainstorming power with jokes I couldn't have thought off on my own. A lot of fun buildup so im putting this under the cut!

Player has a quest that leads them to Nimbasa City Town, either one in the town itself or you've been told the train can get them to their destination sooner

On your way through town, some chatty passerby mention that the train they'll be taking has a fun theme! Can you guess what it is?

- [Fighting?] - [Fashion?] - [Food?]

No matter the answer, you only get a giggle and 'You'll see!' in response. One might assume the first one, because of the battle subway, buuuuut...

Now on the train, it's surprisingly quiet. Not entirely, mind you, because people are talking in excited stage whispers as they hurry to stash their bags aside and get into their seats. You can make out them talking about wanting to see "the masks" and being ready for "the show". A little odd, but you hurry to your seat as well to see what's going on

A bell rings, and enter a small, orange... rat? The entire car goes silent, aside from excited shushing, and the dedenne lights up the car with a Flash, poses with a Charm, and steals the hearts of everyone in the car with a Nuzzle.

In enter a person in a large coat and hat. They strike a pose with Dedenne, and a Dazzling Gleam blinds the audience.

Revealed is someone in uuuuh nice fashion clothes for wild west times, and the owner of the train station. (Their name's "Tessie, derivative of Tesla and is also Elesas ancestor" thanks junie)

So basically the Pokemon Amie system in on the go! Very epic, very cool, and probably very fun...

Until the train passes under a tunnel.

Darkness! Windows break! People scream! What on earth is going on? You grip one of your pokeballs protectively when the train exits the tunnel.

Standing there are two NEW people: Both wear bandanas and theatre styled masks (yknow, the smile and frown one? yeah i'm funny) and a funny hats; classic bandit look. They pose with their old unovan variant Arbok and Fearow (or somethin') and announce that-

"Howdy!" says the frowny one. "We'll be taking this 'ere train." says the smiley one. "Yup! Buh-bye!"

Arbok uses Smog. The two vanish from sight, and while some passengers seem panicked, most are... cheering?

You don't get time to think about this before Tessie reappears, frazzled, and asks if anyone could please help stop The Masks from taking over the train!

There's some chatter and, again, while some seem genuinely worried, others are talking like this isn't a big deal ("Yeah, they were strong last time. I think I'll pass, but maybe if I train some more I could try!" like what dude your shit's probably gonna get stolen). But congrats on being the main character cuz ofc the person to help is gonna be you.

So you head up the train cars and encounter other trainers (heh, train-) who want to run up ahead and fight the bandits. But they insist that they wanna go first, or that they're gonna be the one to beat em, or you're too young, etc reasons for them to challenge you to a fight first.

Now this functions somewhat like the Battle Subway, as your main items are stashed away, but you're healed after every encounter ("Aw, well, good luck up ahead!") until you finally reach the front car.

Th conductor is tied up in the car before, who you released, and now you're faced with.. something you weren't expecting

Both of the bandits are fawning over the train controls, the view, the speed, and practically speaking in tongue in train lingo. What the hell, you probably think before one of them notices you

"Howdy again, ma'am/sir!" "Lil' lambs shouldn't get to close to wolves." "Which means we have to fight!" "Mhm, and a fight we'll have." "Exciting! Now, hit stand back!" "Smile!" "AND LET THE SHOW BEGIN!"

Cool ok now uh it's late so I'ma end this with fun notes.

- Their names (thanks to junie again) are Indigo and Emile! Their hilarious cover names (thank to pixal) are Yee and Haw... or is it Haw and Yee? No clue, but very funny

- After you win, you'll get a request to further investigate bandits by some sheriff. The Masks, as they've also been called, don't SEEM to be actually taking anything or obstructing travel, but it's still hitching a free ride and causing a disturbance

- They always leave a calling card of sorts of which train they'll hijack next. This is because they're actually working with Tessie! It's a fun show and Tessie admires their train enthusiasm.

- By day, they work at the Nimbasa Town Saloon, owned by a big dude with rainbow hair who has three darling girls... who's monkeys keep ruining his curtains. He also has a husband who works out in Striaton Town cuz he has gay hair (the chat had fun with that idea)

- The player probably figures them out quickly upon meeting them in the Saloon (again, if you've been there before) but they're not upset! They just ask if you'd keep their little secret. If you agree, someone said they give you an honorary bandit outfit ("If you'd like to join us, sometime.") and you kinda get to do the reverse of being on the subway (instead, think champion seat defending from sun/moon. Challenger waves)

- If you disagree, that's mean so Indigo just goes "please." and if you disagree AGAIN, Emile also repeats "please". Disagree? Indigo asks now. Disagree? Emile asks again. Disagree-? You're stuck in an eternal loop. They know they'll wear you down.

- You can choose to report them, but Tessie will cut you off before you do. Rip, you're stuck

- I feel the twins' personalities would be roughly the same, mostly. Maybe more thoughts when it's not nearly midnight

uuuh thanks for reading this far, bYE

*uses smog and vanishes*

[villainous-thorn]

Hello! I hope that you are having a good day!

Could I request a right hand submitting their resignation to their villain? This is after right hand has been running the villain's organization for a while because the villain has gotten into a relationship with hero(s) and that is taking up most of their time now. Right hand realizes that without the villain they have no life and are a nobody. They have dedicated themselves mind, body and soul to villain and their goals but now villain has dedicated themself to their new partner(s) leaving right hand feeling lost and alone.

Thanks so much for sharing your writing with us!

Thank you, lovie! It means the world to me, truly <3 I wrote this all at once and didn't proofread it, but I hope you enjoy!

In hindsight maybe Right Hand should have noticed, no, they definitely should have noticed. Noticed that all their time had been dedicated to one person, Villain. Not only their time, but their energy and affections, Villain had been their entire world at one point, and they their most trusted advisor. Right Hand was blinded by their newfound freedom and power. It should have felt empowering, maybe it did in the beginning.

Still, they should have seen it coming, the way Villain was pulling away from their own organization, the fact that they were disinterested whenever Right Hand would suggest things. Then that fateful, “Just take care of it yourself.” Villain had posed, waving their advisor off. Giddy, was the first reaction. Slightly overwhelmed with the new power bestowed upon them, Right Hand was in charge. Temporarily, they assumed, but in charge.

It was not temporary, Villain was pushing everyone and everything they had worked for away. Embarrassingly, it took Right Hand weeks to notice. Weeks to realize Villain would never be taking the reins of their little empire back. And that should not have hurt Right Hand as much as it did. It stung deep in Right Hand’s chest and they couldn’t place why.

Then Villain had stopped coming by HQ, insisting on updates via phone calls, which they rarely answered. Right Hand was fed up, finally tipping over the edge to their breaking point with this shit. They were bordering furious that Villain would just give up like that. Not to mention for a goddamn hero. No, Right Hand was done.

Now they had put in their resignation, if Villain would even read it, they didn’t know. They stopped showing up to HQ, they tried not to think about Villain. A fool’s errand seeing how long they worked for them, how much of their existence was influenced by them. Maybe Right Hand was a workaholic, they could try and throw themself back into another job, that might work.

So Right Hand sat on their dingey couch for a week or so, applying to other villains in the area, even getting offered a few, but each time they met with their employer they were underwhelmed. Everyone else was so dull, lackluster, boring. No one was Villain, but not even Villain was themselves anymore, not in the way Right Hand needed them to be.

The revelation that they actually missed Villain crashed into them like a bag of bricks launched from a cannon, and in the aftermath they laid on the floor of their apartment in defeat. Why the hell did they miss Villain? It made no sense. Sure, they had been a good boss and an objectively kind person, but they were still just their employer, right?

Despite all those late-night work sessions trying to brainstorm for the villain’s most recent plot, despite all the kindness, despite the care, despite the fact that Right Hand poured their entire heart into not only their work but into Villain’s own life as well… It was truly heartbreaking.

They hadn’t been in love, not romantically, at least, but they had loved the villain as much as they could. They were aromantic after all, which is why they were able to apply so much of their time and energy to work. Too many people in the world were worried about love and desire to focus as deeply as Right Hand.

Right Hand wasn’t a workaholic for no reason, they were an overachiever simply because of Villain. Whether it was to impress them or prove themself worthy of Villain’s trust or affection, they weren’t sure, but they were sure that Villain had devoured their entire being.

Right Hand’s entire life had revolved around Villain, and Hero had taken that away. Hero had taken Right Hand’s entire life away and left them with nothing but pure fucking emptiness, a decaying void of an existence. Right Hand was going to need some time to plan, but they could do one last thing for Villain. They could get them back.

[not-so-mundane-after-all]

WICKED GAME - by @wonderbatwayne & @not-so-mundane-after-all-97

Fandom: DC Titans

Pairings/Relationships: Dick Grayson/Kory Anders, Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, Kory Anders & Rachel Roth, Rachel Roth & Garfield Logan, Graysonfam

Chapter: 16/16

Rating: Mature

Summary:

Everybody plays a game. Every move counts, anyone, can be a player. Some play dirty, some play nice, everybody's got eyes on the main prize.

In a world of deception, money, and power, where women are forced to dance with the devil in the name of survival, where men need to break their oaths to do the right thing, Dick Grayson is on a mission to win. A man with a plan, with a goal and a target. Trigon Azarath needs to be eliminated by any means necessary. He's been playing a very long and calculated game, and it has to stop now.

But what happens when a little ballerina with raven hair and a guarded heart, a girl who shouldn't even exist for all he knows, spins the table on him like the pirouettes she does on stage? When a woman with green eyes and a bloody past sets his world ablaze instead of being just a step on the road to victory? Will sticking to the rules be worth the outcome?

It's a wicked game to play, indeed.

Rhi:

And with that we draw final curtains on Wicked Game. I'm still in awe we created this, we brought it to life and you all supported us by devouring every crumb and screaming about every plot twist. You are truly amazing. Wicked Game isn't just mine and Mundi's... It belongs to everyone who loves these characters and these relationships as much as we do. Thank you for the incredible ride you've given us, all the love week to week. We couldn't ask for better friends and readers!

But there is one very special person I want to thank. My writing partner in crime. The person who breathes the heart of this story. The wonderful, the brilliant, the insanely talented Mundi. This story wouldn't exist without her. I wouldn't be half the writer I am without her. Thank you bestie, for making this collab such a dream, for always encouraging me to push beyond my limits and always cheering me on.

We've played a Wicked Game with you all these past 16 weeks but now the game is over! I guess we all won!

Mundi:

Well, game's over. It's honestly mind blowing this thing actually exist, I still to this day look at his fic, at all the ramblings and brainstorming and I can't believe we did this. But what's more important is that we did this for YOU. This amazing, wonderful fandom that deserves the whole world, our friends from far away who were right here with us on this special journey. Your reaction to this story, the way it was received, it exceeded our hopes and expectations by miles!!! Every laugh, every cry, all the screaming and all the therapy bills thrown at us, we'll cherish that forever. My heart is in shambles right now because the ride is ending, but I'm also so so so thankful to all of you for joining us on this roller coaster. The best friends we've ever had, the best audience we could have hoped for. THANK YOU.

And of course I have to take off the crown and bow down low to my partner in crime. Rhi, my darling, if it wasn't for you, that little scene of Dick seeing his baby girl as a ballerina in a different universe would still be stuck in the back drawer of my brain. You breathed life into it and helped me nurture it and grow it into this magnificent thing. It was an expierence of a lifetime and I will never forget it, I'll be in my 80s still remember every little detail of this adventure. You are incredible. I've learned so much from you, I've grown as a creator, as a writer and as a person because of you. To find a person who clicks with you so easily, who rides on the same frequency as you and loves the art they make and the show they make it for just as much as you do is sometimes a miracle, but it happened to me and I will never be able to fully express how much that means to me. Here's to you, to you brilliant, unbelievable talent and to this friendship that will last as long as Tumblr and ao3 are breathing and LONG AFTER THAT.

And that's a curtain call on Wicked Game. Roll the credits, check the scores. And then... Play it all over again.

@undertheknightwing @legendsofentity @mejacinta @meetmeunderthestarrynight @escapism-through-imagination @lady-stirling @grocerylines @xburningbluex @ambelle @ffiamgoku @greatthingssmallworld @garsfavouritejacket @redhairgreeneyes1 @halliwellextra @happilyshanghaied @jerriandtheirfanfics @koryvndr

[animeomegas]

Hello! How have you been? Which of the Naruto boys are most likely to teach there pup to swim? I just feel like it would be wholesome and chaotic with some boys that have so many pups! Thank you

(Hello! I've been much better today actually, and I had an amazing day messing around around Camden with my brother! I hope you've also had a good day. I decided to do a tiny little overview of what happens when each of the boys try to teach their pup(s) to swim. Enjoy~)

...

Naruto:

Things get a little chaotic, ngl

His eldest son straight up refuses to get in the water unless Naruto is holding him, and therefore won't learn to swim at all.

His daughter is actually a normal child in this sense and spends a few minutes getting it down before practicing mostly on her own. She does constantly call for Naruto to look at what she's doing though because she wants him to be proud of her.

Naruto's twins take the whole experience as an opportunity to jump off high things into the water (even though they can't swim) and try to... play? drown each other? Unclear.

So, Naruto spends the whole time having to wrangle the twins while his eldest clings to him and his daughter shouts for him to watch her every five seconds.

No one ends up being great at swimming, but everyone ends up very wet and very exhausted...

Sasuke:

Sasuke is actually so good at teaching his daughter to swim.

Like, he's amazing at it.

He knows exactly when to push her boundaries slightly to encourage her to learn, but he also knows where the limit is and when to stop.

Him and his daughter speak in quiet tones as he instructs her to swim in the river, and there is no splashing.

Just calm, quiet, learning.

After his daughter is a little more confident, he uses her competitive nature to encourage her to improve.

He creates competitions and races for them both to do together.

Sasuke's daughter ends up as an amazing swimmer.

Shino:

Shino attempts about five times to get his daughter to come to the river to learn to swim, but she says no everytime because she's too scared.

And Shino doesn't want to push her or make her cry 🥺

But eventually, he realises that it's dangerous that she doesn't know how to swim, and tries to brainstorm a way to convince her without too many tears because they just break Shino's poor heart.

In the end, he just says that he's going to the river to swim by himself, and she begs to tag along because she doesn't like to be apart from him.

He tricks her into it lmaooo

Shino is a very good teacher, but his weak point is that he doesn't know when to push his daughter out of her comfort zone, so the second she's even slightly nervous, he aborts the whole thing lmao.

Shino's daughter only learns if Shino holds her up the whole time.

She ends up being able to float in a survival situation, but nothing much more than that.

Shikamaru:

He's a terrible teacher.

Shikamaru hates swimming in the river. He's like a grumpy cat when he gets wet, so he really tries to teach his daughter from the safety of the riverbank lmao

His alpha pushes him in. And then he drags them in with him.

The whole session devolves into a low effort water fight in which exactly zero teaching is involved.

Luckily, Shikamaru's daughter is very smart and a little bit more driven than him, so she figures it out.

She can swim decently by the end, but I doubt she would do it for fun.

Neji:

Neji gets a little stressed teaching his children how to swim. Not because they do anything especially wrong, but simply because it gets a little chaotic and Neji doesn't like chaos.

Neji's daughter absolutely spends about 95% of her time choosing out the swimming costumes she likes and 5% of her time learning to swim.

She sighs very dramatically when Neji makes her get into the river the first time and also complains about it being too cold which only frustrates Neji.

She ends up a decent swimmer but much prefers lounging on the river bed or just floating on her back.

Neji's son... he tries his best...

Neji himself has the most majestic breaststroke you're ever going to see in your life, and Neji's son... kind of looks like he's drowning the entire time he tries it.

He isn't drowning, mind you! He just flails a lot and splashes Neji a lot by accident, making Neji even more frustrated with the whole endeavour.

Neji's children are very polite and respectful, but all children cause chaos when they first learn to swim and Neji isn't great at handling things like that.

Kiba:

Okay, so anytime I've mentioned chaos before this... delete those from your mind... This is pure chaos.

Kiba fully just throws all six pups into the river and hopes for the best.

Of course, he throws himself in too to make sure that no one drowns, but that's really as much help as he gives.

He figures they'll learn eventually. Also, some of the older ones probably already know how to swim, so they can teach the younger ones!

It'll be fine...

He does bring a huge picnic with him as a reward for his pups for working hard.

Everyone is so tired out that it's the most peaceful meal he's had with all his pups in a long time.

Most of his pups end up very decent swimmers, mainly due to their complete lack of self-preservation and a penchant for making a mess. They all throw themselves into the river with no thought for their own safety.

It's almost impressive.

Iruka:

He's a phenomenal teacher, of course!

He's so encouraging and patient, and he finds the humour in the few accidental (and purposeful) splashes his son sends his way.

Both of his children are very close to each other, so they have zero issues sharing his attention and working together to learn to swim.

His son is a natural swimmer and while he loses focus and tries to prank Iruka in the middle, he picks it up easily.

His daughter struggles a little bit more, but she is a bit younger than her brother.

At one point she chokes on some water and gets upset, so Iruka takes her out of the river and wraps her in a towel and cuddles with her until she's calmed down.

Then he gently leads her back into the river with the promise to make sure he keeps a hand on her at all times.

She doesn't end up as good a swimmer as her brother, but she can handle herself.

Iruka also takes both his children back to the river one at a time about a week later so that he can work with them both separately and give them his full attention.

He's such an amazing parent and teacher, I can't-

Everyone has an amazing day and also learns to swim!

Itachi:

Itachi is a very patient teacher, but he gets a bit nervous about teaching both his children at the same time, so he teaches them separately so that they can learn faster, and also he won't accidently lose track of one of them and can make sure no one gets hurt.

His son takes the lessons very seriously!

He also refuses to go anywhere near the water without goggles on, he's one of those kids.

He kicks a little too hard trying to impress Itachi... ends up kicking him in the face instead.

Cries about that for about ten minutes.

His daughter is a natural and is all smiles for the whole thing.

It's unbelievably wholesome to watch Itachi spin her around in the water while they both laugh together 🥺

All in all, Itachi does a very good job and both his children successfully learn to swim!

Hope you enjoyed!

[princess-of-inarizaki]

Heyheyhey!! Can i request manager birthday and the team forget about it for seijoh, inarizaki, and shiratorizawa bcs tomorrow ma birthday hahah. Thank youuu and i love you

Anon-chan!! This is SUCH an important birthday request and I am beyond honoured to write it for you :D 💖💖💖💖✨

Our birthdays are so close too👉👈 mine's next week. (Exactly ten days apart from yours!!)

Anyways, happy birthday Anon-chan!!I hope you have a beautiful day, filled with lots of happy things, and a wonderful year ahead. you're wonderful, and I hope you always remember that !! 💖💖💖✨ I love you so very much <3

The teams forgetting their manager's birthday

Characters: Seijoh, Shiratorizawa, and Inarizaki

Warnings: none

Oh btw!! since the type of manager is not specified, I'll go with my default fem manager :D she's cute and sweet (like you, Anon-chan 😺😆💖) and the boys adore her a ton. She's also very capable, smart, and confident, and she loves being physical with the boys, which constantly flusters them!

Seijoh

The Seijoh boys would be so busy practicing for an upcoming match, they kinda forget everything that's happening around them.

Lots of focus. You smile fondly, because that's what makes them such a good team. Their ability to focus on their goals and eliminate all distractions.

Until one day, Yahaba is just scrolling through his phone's calendar when he sees “Manager Chan's birthday, 19th November.”

And he's just so shocked and guilty. He immediately calls the rest of the team and tells them what he just realized.

The team feels so guilty and disappointed in themselves. They're a day late to wish you, and they desperately want to make it up to you.

You're their precious manager after all, the one who bandages their injuries with a smile and who always gives them the motivation to do better.

How could they possibly forget such a precious human being's birthday?

That same day, they create a group chat excluding you, and begin to plan something special for you.

They break themselves up into teams with specific tasks of getting things ready for an impromptu birthday party for you.

Iwa-chan is in charge of ensuring everything runs smoothly, and he makes sure to do it with zeal, hoping to make it the best birthday ever for you, eventhough it's a bit late.

The next day, you walk into the gym, and it's absolutely quiet and dark. The boys aren't there yet, which is pretty odd, considering practice should've started a few minutes ago.

You stand in front of the gym and dial Oikawa's number, because he's always quick to respond to your calls, but the number goes straight to voicemail. You're confused, and a little curious as to where they are.

Suddenly, you feel someone's hands covering your eyes, and Oikawa's voice saying “y/n-chan, don't be scared. We have a surprise for you.”

You laugh, realisation washing over you that the boys probably planned something because they forgot it was your birthday yesterday, and follow Oikawa as he guides you inside.

When he finally uncovers your eyes, you see the boys holding a huge, slightly odd looking cake, lit with candles.

Oikawa hugs you from behind and you pull him closer to you, snuggling in his embrace.

You then blow out your candles and make a silent wish. I wish to always be by their side

Iwa-chan is already hitting Oikawa for hugging you before the rest, so you hug Iwa too, then Matsukawa, Hanamaki, Yahaba, Kunimi, and even Kyotani, albeit him being slightly rigid.

“thanks guys, this is an amazing surprise!” you say softly, as your eyes tear up. It's obvious that they made the cake themselves, and eventhough it wasn't perfect, your boys, made it for you.

Your heart squeezed as you cut slices for everyone, and handed it to them, as they sat on the bleachers to enjoy it.

You sit next to Yahaba and leaned on his shoulder. “Thanks for remembering” you said softly.

He blushed. “how did you know?” you explained that Kunimi told you, and he smiled at you and ruffled your hair.

“We're sorry for not remembering sooner, Y/n-san. Thanks for being the best manager ever” said Iwaizumi. He seemed to be nonchalant about it, but his eyes and smile betrayed him. He was fond of you, and genuinely glad that you enjoyed the small celebration they had prepared.

You smiled and kissed his cheek as acknowledgement, which caused him to blush and Oikawa to throw a small tantrum.

You laughed as you looked at them bantering with each other, Hanamaki and Matsukawa teasing Kyotani, and Yahaba and Kunimi next to you. You really did love these boys.

Shiratorizawa

So I'm pretty sure it's exam week, and these boys are just so studious and hardworking, they're totally immersing themselves in their studies and books.

Until it's their calculus exam and Tendou just suddenly remembers “Oh my God, it was Y/N's birthday two days ago!!” as his pencil flies across the room, much to the sensei's disapproval (haha, miracle boy is so cute)

He pulls the other third years aside after the exam, like Ushijima, and Semi, and tells them what he just remembers.

Ushijima is just stoic, but internally he's like "how could I forget? I never forget important dates like these? Is something wrong with me?" And Semi's just so sad he wants to scoop you in his arms right away.

Tendou then proposes the idea of taking you somewhere after school to surprise you, and they agree, and run off to tell the rest of the team.

Goshiki is just close to tears he hates that he forgot his favourite senpai's birthday, especially when you remembered his (and the entire team's) and never failed to make it a special day for them.

So after school ends, you're getting ready to go back home, when Semi just scoops you into his arms and carries you to the rest of the team.

You're not all that shocked, since Semi does this pretty often, and so you let him. “where are we going?” you ask, and he just casually answers “to celebrate the end of exams”

You laugh silently. They're definitely planning more than that, but you decide to humour them, and smile at the team when Semi lets you down gently.

“let's go have udon” says Shirabu with a too-big smile. You and the team walk to an udon shop near the school, and enter quietly.

Goshiki sits next you, and he looks like he wants to say something, but can't, as he bites his lip. Ushijima sits in front of you, and rest of the team take their places and begin ordering.

You notice Tendou talking to the shop owner intently, with Shirabu next to him. Ushijima knows that you might suspect something, so he tries getting your attention by asking you about your exams.

Suddenly, Tendou brings a cake to the table and team begins singing happy birthday for you. You smile happily and wait for them to finish before making a wish and blowing off the candles.

You smile happily at the team and their hearts grow warm, seeing you so happy like that.

“We're sorry for not remembering sooner, y/n-senpai” says Goshiki in a sad voice. Your heart tugs at seeing him so sad, so you ruffle his hair and assure him that exams are tough on everyone, and that it was better to celebrate it after they ended anyways.

You and the team eat the cake after having udon, and talk about the week together. They start reminiscing about memories with you, as they talk about their first impressions, and cute memories with a soft smile on their faces.

Tendou retells the story of how you first came to the team and how much you've grown ever since then.

At some point, Semi sits in your place whilst you've gone to the ladies room, and pulls you to his lap when you come back.

The team laughs when they see you desperately refusing, worried that you'll be too heavy, whilst Semi reassures you that you won't.

Goshiki adoringly smiles at you, and Semi pulls you closer to him. Tendou feeds you small pieces of strawberry left from the cake, as Shirabu records everything, excitedly typing in a caption on his social media.

Meanwhile, Ushijima is just carefully adding in a small reminder in his phone calendar, so he'll never forget your birthday in the future ever again.

Inarizaki

My sweet little fox babies! I think they would be excitedly counting down for your birthday, you're their precious manager-chan after all (and I can't bring myself to say they forgot 😅😭) when Atsumu suddenly sees a friend of yours post a "happy birthday y/n!!" on their Instagram story.

Atsumu immediately jumps on his brother's bed and wakes him up, whilst texting your friend. “Isn't y/n's birthday five days from now?”

Your friend replies. “no haha, it's today!” which cause the twins to desperately call Aran, Suna, Ginjima, and of course, captain Kita!

The boys are hurriedly awoken a few minutes after midnight, and absolutely frazzled! They had all planned something special, but now they would have to change the date, and some things (like the cake and venue) weren't ready so soon.

Osamu groggily got out of bed and began taking out eggs, butter, flour, and other baking ingredients. Eventhough it was extremely late, and he had a tiring day, nothing could compare to his love for you. And so, he started mixing the ingredients at one a.m.

Kita tried to remain calm, but internally freaks out. He and Suna are trying to brainstorm ideas of places they could take you to make your day enjoyable.

Atsumu was busy wrapping the gifts they had all got. He got way too many papercuts and had a bit of trouble, but it was for you, and the thought alone of you smiling was enough to motivate him.

Aran and Ginjima made their own preparations in their own homes for the next day, and Aran even facetimed Osamu to keep him company throughout the baking process.

They were determined to make your birthday a happy one, and genuinely wanted to let you know they loved and cared for you so much.

The next day, six terribly sleep deprived boys arrived at school, with the needed arrangements set. The cake was safely secured with Osamu, and Suna took the bag of gifts from Atsumu.

Kita went to go find you, and he saw you waiting by the entrance of school. “Y/n-san, let's go.” said Kita with a mysterious smile.

You were a bit confused. School was the other way and he was dragging you away from it, but you trusted Kita and followed him.

He led you to the rest of the team, and gently places his hand on your back. “Let's go, y/n-san. We're going to the beach.”

You were super confused. “but school?”. Suna gives you a sleepy smile. “Kita and me have already handled that. We told your teachers you'd be absent today, now c'mon.”

Atsumu gently holds your small hand in his and you guys walks to the subway. As you dig for your subway card in your pocket, the boys get seated. There's one less seat, so Atsumu pulls you to his lap, much to the rest of the team's disapproval.

They're all so jealous, Atsumu laughs silently, and pulls an oblivious you closer. Osamu just rolls his eyes, but internally seethes.

Two stops later, the team motions to exit, and Aran shyly comes closer to you, taking your hand this time. You smile at him and make your way to the small beach you sometimes spend time in, with the rest of the team.

Kita finds an empty picnic table and everyone sits down, placing the items they had brought with them down, and looking at you expectantly.

“Happy Birthday, y/n-chan.” they chorused together. Suna ruffled your hair from the right side of you, and Osamu begins lighting up the candles on your left.

You gratefully thank them for going to the trouble of bringing you here, the fresh beach air and breeze immediately putting you in a cheerier mood.

They then start singing you a happy birthday as you blush silently and blow the candles out, making a wish. I wish to be able to love these boys forever.

You lean over and kiss Osamu's cheek. He blushes red immediately. “Thank you for going to the trouble of baking this, Samu'” if only you knew, he thought silently, as flashbacks of him almost falling asleep in front of the oven came to mind.

Kita cuts the cake and gives you the biggest slice, much to your happiness. The boys all eat their cake and joke around about all the memories they've made with you.

“I can remember when y/n-chan just came. She was so small and sweet, Osamu said she reminded him of a macaroon” said Aran.

Kita fondly smiles as he gives you a pack off green tea from his grandmother.

Ginjima gives you the gifts the entire team had picked and you begin tearing up, much to everyone's dismay. You're just so grateful to have them.

Suddenly Atsumu leans over and swipes frosting from the cake on your face. The mood is once again lifted, as Suna takes a ton of pictures, and contributes to the frosting on your face too.

“hey that's enough now” says Kita. He looks firm, but his eyes betray him. The slight sparkle shows that he thinks it adorably hilarious how the boys are annoying you.

The water seems to be calling you, so you pull Suna to the shore and lean down to the water.

The rest of the day is just filled with the boys and you doing random things by the beach, like eating popsicles, and finding seashells. You're unable to actually get into the water, due to your school uniforms, but seeing an excited you gush over the seashells and smile happily over ice cream is enough for the boys.

At the end of the day, you and the team watch the sunset together, and swear to work extra hard for the upcoming nationals.

As they see you looking up at the sunset adoringly, their hearts squeeze in their chest, so grateful to be a part of your life.

Taglist: @osamusriceballs @k-sakusa-old

[carewyncromwell]

🌑 “You rise with the moon -- I rise with the sun.” ☀️

x~x~x~x

Oh Naaaaz @night-rhea​...you know this is all your fault!! 🤗🖤

So a while back I did these ATLA-inspired moodboards for Carewyn, Jacob, and Lane Cromwell, thanks to a brain spark by @nightmaresart​...and because of Naz’s lovely brainstorming regarding Firebender!Ben and Waterbender!Night and Yakup, I decided to go ahead and try to draw Jacob and Carewyn as these two firebending/waterbending siblings! 

Basically, I see Charles Cromwell in this scenario being a kind of twisted “Amon” type who somehow is able to transfuse bending abilities into his four children through both selectively picking wives from the different nations and then using his own advanced bloodbending to mess with their genetics, which results in him fathering a Firebender (Pearl), Earthbender (Claire), Airbender (Lane), and Waterbender (Blaise). Clearly this lunatic wants to be something of an anti-Avatar, by controlling powerful benders from each nation. And just like in all canons, Lane ends up breaking away from Charles’s toxic arse because she deserves better, only for her to get charmed by Evan, second Prince of the Fire Nation. Now Evan has two children -- one a Firebending prodigy and delinquent prince named Jacob, and the other a lovely lady of court named Carewyn, who Evan has oddly distanced himself from. Most believe the reason is that Evan favors the elder son and Firebender over the younger daughter and non-Bender, even if he isn’t a Bender himself, due to the esteem Firebending has among the royal family...but in truth, it’s because -- to everyone’s shock -- Carewyn somehow popped out a Waterbender. For yes, indeed, she inherited Charles Cromwell’s talents, rather than her father’s family’s Firebending like Jacob did, or even the Airbending abilities her mother has tried so hard to keep under wraps while living in the Fire Nation. This makes it so that Evan suspects Carewyn is not truly his child, and so rather he doesn’t treat her as a princess, but instead like an addendum: a future consort to strengthen alliances, rather than a potential heir he’ll invest time into promoting to his uncle, the Firelord. 

Two people love Carewyn unconditionally with all of their hearts, though, and those are Lane and Jacob. From day one, both of them have always made Carewyn feel special and loved, despite Evan’s dismissive attitude toward her. Jacob in particular -- who quite frankly resents both his father’s treatment of his precious little sister and targeted efforts to try to “groom” him into a future heir to the throne -- has always tried to encourage Carewyn to practice her talent for Waterbending as best as she can, when they’re away from prying eyes. Carewyn isn’t particularly interested in fighting the way many citizens of the Fire Nation are, but she still nonetheless is as poised, methodical, independent, and fearless as the best of them, and fashionable, honorable, and charming, besides. Despite the questions regarding her ancestry, she ends up endearing herself to many members of court without much effort, to the point that some have said that if she merely had Jacob’s Firebending talents and genius intellect, she’d be the one being lined up to pursue the throne rather than her brother. Not that Carewyn truly has any more ambition to rule the Fire Nation than her brother does -- but, those people say, at least everyone would know she’d take the responsibility seriously. 

I took a lot of inspiration from ATLA outfits for this. Jacob’s hairstyle was originally inspired by Avatar Roku’s, but it ended up resembling Ursa’s quite a bit without me realizing it. His outfit is based on Zuko’s in season 3, while Carewyn’s dress is largely inspired by the Painted Lady’s dress, because unlike Azula, who tends to dress very masculinely, Carewyn would really like wearing pretty dresses and would actively not want to be engaged in combat, preferring to deal with diplomacy. (Not that she can’t fight -- Jacob has taught Carewyn how to use his twin swords, if she’s ever in a jam and can’t use her still rather basic Waterbending skills.) 

I am actually working on some more doodles for this concept, featuring characters like Bill, Charlie, Jae, and a few of the Quidditch kids, which I hope to post in the future...but for now, can I just laugh about how Orion most definitely would be an Airbender and possibly could even make a damn good Avatar?? Like -- a being who’s half spirit and half human, meant to bring balance back to the world in times in need?? Who else in the game Hogwarts Mystery would be the Avatar but Orion “Center of Balance” Amari?? 😂

Hope you guys like this -- if you do, please consider liking/reblogging/commenting, and I hope you all have a lovely evening! xoxo