#the way amy just crouched to the ground at the video

[whatimdoing-here]

VIGIL | 2.03

[themadauthorshatter]

... I just love OTPs, I can't help it.

OTP HEADCANONS: 2020 Edition

These will include the series of Red Queen, Dorothy Must Die, SGE, The Folk of The Air, and Nightmare Before Christmas(I'll throw in the Skellington kids, too, because I love them💙)

MAJOR TW FOR ALL THE EVENTS THAT OCCURED IN 2020, AND THAT INCLUDES QUARANTINE.

RED QUEEN:

At the news of a Pandemic, Mare and Cal are equally confused and scared, but at least they're not on the battlefield.

They hold up in Paradise Valley until the quarantine is lifted.

It starts off fine with them doing puzzles, hiking, and doing some exercises to pass the time. Then 3 weeks pass and both are bored; Mare's bored enough to drink coffee onto of the fridge and Cal's sitting in a chair upside down because fuck court etiquette, he's so bored.

Cal contemplates luring wolves with dinner scraps again.

They had a mini argument that meant nothing because Cal's hair got long and he wanted Mare to cut it, she but only offered to shave his stubble, not cut his hair.

They both get a lot of sleep, and have a lot of nightmares, which they comfort each other from.

They also really enjoy the silence.

Cal gets into poetry and Mare paints. Both are surprised at how good the other is at their new hobbies.

They talk. A lot. It begins awkwardly and ends with the two in each other's arms.

Cal becomes more of a punner, and Mare loves and hates it.

There's tall of getting a dog, but there's one problem: Paradise Valley doesn't have any shelters, and they'll be arrested or forced ro turn back hime, regardless of rank.

Mare grows taller... by 2 inches. She almost killed Cal for how much he laughed.

When they're allowed to go out, Mare often forgets to bring her mask.

Cal's good at remembering their masks.

Mare REFUSES to leave when she hears about the murder hornets.

Cal gets repellent to calm her down.

They also recover some Old Era TV Shows.

ENDLESS quotes from The Office, Friends, and many more shows.

Cal visits Maven's grave more. Mare comes with every now and then, but usually lets him go alone.

They don't usually argue, but those arguments never last.

They tried a bit of ability training, and greed that they should be careful when Mare summoned a bolt of lightning from the sky and Cal almost set fire to everything around them.

They read a lot, too, but Cal reads more than Mare because she falls asleep, usually on him.

DOROTHY MUST DIE:

Nox had no clue what a Pandemic was, or what the big deal was about going outside and not being near people, until Amy explained it.

First day of online school crashed and burned because Nox had NO IDEA what he was doing, which led to Amy 'accompanying' him in classes.

Amy puts her college plans on hold for a little while.

Nox is more emotional and neither of them know how to handle it.

They have more nightmares, since there's nothing to keep their minds busy, but Amy is more reserved about it. Nox prefers to write about what he dreams, anyway.

Nox stays up, from all the nightmares, but Amy sits with him to keep him company.

When Amy heard about the murder hornets, Nox held up a fly swatter and opened all the windows.

Amy does fine, but Nox dies from boredom, when they're done with school. And I don't mean he just sits and groans, he lies face down on the couch as Amy tries to get him up.

They spend A LOT of time in Nox's apartment, and it's literally spotless because Nox is THAT bored.

They binge a lot of TV shows, and Nox falls in love with shows like Peaky Blinders.

They tried watching Game of Thrones. It didn't go well; negative past experiences.

Nox figured out the plot twist to The Umbrella Academy WAY before Amy did.

They watched Heathers and Amy asked Nox what he'd do if she was dealing with trash friends and guys who don't take 'no' for an answer. The look on his face when he asked who it was reminded Amy of who he was before meeting her.

Nox finds YouTube and discovers the guy that makes knives out of anything and makes it his mission to copy each and every video, come Hell or high water.

Amy walked in on him doing this and genuinely wondered if he was okay, and asked if she could help him.

They also binged musicals. Nox isn't a huge music person, but he still loves them; Kansas has its own magic that he finds intriguing.

Amy once found Nox crouching ontop of the fridge while drinking a mug of coffee.

Madison stopped by and dropped off some rhinestones, lash glue, and a tool to apply the stones. Amy spent a lot of time putting the stones on her face while Nox watched, with Madison and Dustin also watching via Facetime, sitting backwards in a chair and wondering what her plan was, even making very Julien Solomita-esque comments, mixed with very 'I used to be a fighter and a spy' comments that made Amy, Madison, and Dustin laugh. Some if those comments:

"I know Glamora told you to lighten up, but I don't she'd expect this."

"If those were real diamonds, you wouldn't need any armor or a weapon. Just headbutt them, and you're good."

"Don't be upset, but it's the beginning of summer, so I don't think winter's coming any time soon."

"Whichever chandelier you made out with, I will find them, damn it."

After a little while, Amy asked if Nox wanted a rhinestone face. He agreed, but only as long as she took out all the red stones. He could handle pink, but no red.

It took them an hour to get the stones off.

Their hair gets long and they agree to cut each other's hair. Nox cuts her hair chin length and Amy tries to be as style his hair. They don't look the best, but they at least look good.

They absolutely watch Unus Annus, and start quoting that.

When they get the news they can go out wearing a mask, Nox got confused and got 3 different masks: a masquerade mask, a normal face mask, and a gas mask, which he wears all the time to annoy Amy.

They do stay in shape as much as possible, but there is evidence that they could have been more active, with their muscles shrinking and both having lost a little weight.

Nox NEVER drops his guard, and quarantine didn't help.

They tried dying their hair, but it didn't work as well as they'd hoped.

SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL:

Tedros worries about Agatha and everyone else, but Agatha keeps him in check.

Crime drops big time, so that's a plus for Tedros and Agatha.

They have more time to breathe, with everyone being inside and avoiding each other.

Tedros hates the quiet at first, but Agatha helps him adjust.

They spend a lot of time wandering the castle and answering whatever call there is, if any.

The SGE is out for a little while, so they don't hear too much from there.

Tedros, without normal king business to distract him, has more nightmares and starts losing sleep because he doesn't want to dream about what's happened to him and his friends.

Agatha has nightmares, too, but she's better at hiding it.

They do talk about it and agree to be more open with what's going on in their heads.

They also agree that they'll help each other through these times.

Tedros helps Agatha with swordplay and Agatha both gets him into reading more and tries to help him with his magic.

Whenever there's something they need outside, Agatha gets it because she's not that afraid of getting sick; she grew up eating frog and lizard soup.

Tedros worries about her, but doesn't really stop her because she's taller, and having fun trying to stop Agatha once she's committed to doing something.

Tedros finds a new hobby: origami.

Agatha doesn't join in, per se, she more watches because she's never seen Tedros be so patient with something.

They play around with each other's hair, as it grows longer. Agatha ties Tedros's hair back and Tedros braids her hair.

They write to Sophie or anyone else, like people who have some sort of report of a crime or complaint duch as infertile soil, so their penmanship improves.

Tedros grows a bit of a stubble and, after some prickly kiss attacks, Agatha threatens to shave it off herself, if he doesn't. It's all in good fun, but she sort of did mean it because his face and cheeks were really scratchy.

Tedros REFUSES to let Agatha go out alone, even when she's masked up.

When they go out, Tedros always carries a sword.

Picnics in the woods.

Star gazing at night.

Agatha starts wearing pants, as an experiment, and her "dresser"/dress designer is APPALLED.

There are times they argue, but they stay together and communicate because relationship goals.

THE CRUEL PRINCE:

At the news of a Pandemic/plague, Cardan ordered all the human servants to get as healthy as they could so they'd be able to go outside. He would accompany them, but they could not let Jude go out.

She's not happy, when she finds out

Cardan asks if she can avoid going to the human world, so she doesn't get sick.

She goes anyway and returns unscathed.

Cardan considers glamoring the human servants to keeep Jude healthy, but Jude almost pincushions him for it.

Anxious? Worried? Psh! Don't be silly. Cardan becomes somethimg if a paranoid maniac because he's scared of Jude getting sick and dying because he's Fae and she's Mortal, so she's more susceptible to illnesses and he doesn't know wnoufh about mortals to get her healthy agaun were she to get sick, but there's nothing wroung with him, really.

Whenever they're not ruling, Jude practices her swordplay while Cardan reads, major plus being that he reads full series to not worry about Jude so much.

Jude helps Cardan with sword fighting, using wooden practice swords not metal, and Cardan helps her try to get into reading, reading to her as she rests her head on his chest when she doesn't want to read read.

Cardan discovers manga and graphic novels and is too confused for Jude NOT to laugh; "He's in armor made if IRON. How is he able to fly!?" "I've seen a lot people different people, and none of them have made this face." "... So is Spiderman THIS one or THIS one?"

Sword practice usually ends with Cardan on the ground exhausted while Jude simply stands and chuckles for him to get up.

Cardan doesn't get beat smd scarred, he gets poked and minorly bruised, which he was not ready for because of how he was treated by Balekin.

One day, while Cardan was reading some Sherlock Holmes, Jude slipped hoop bracelets on and tied ribbons to his tail, at least as many as she could before she got caught; she only realized as such when his tail started flicking out of her reach and curling around her wrist, and saw Cardan grinning at her.

They do visit Taryn and Vivi still, but Cardan only wears a mask to remind Jude, who does not forget ever.

Cardan thinks about his 'friendship' Nicasia, Locke, and Valerian and semi-realizes that Valerian and Locke may have been using him while Nicasia was at least a little genuine.

They talk about Locke and equally wish that they had helped Taryn in killing Locke. If not, then they wish that they at least watched. They agreed that if time travel was real, Jude could help Trayn kill Locke and Cardan could watch, as long as he helped dispose of the body.

They laughed at that a couple minutes later.

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS(Featuring the Skellington kids(I'd say Skull Kids, but I feel like Skull Kid(s) was taken)):

Jack knows what a Pandemic is; he lived through one while he was alive.

Sally knew it would happen because she knows one happens about every two hundred years/whenever a year ends in 20.

The triplets know what a plague is, but have never seen one actually happen.

When they explored the human world at night and noticed there were absolutely no humans in sight, Luna reminded her brothers that the humans were told to stay inside to prevent any spreading.

Jacob takes the opportunity to MAKE SURE people actually stay inside.

Pro: he got Instagram famous. Con: Jack and Sally were not happy at all with how reckless he was.

Let's say, for the sake of the story, Halloween had to be cancelled worldwide because regulation and a need for things to get better.

Upon hearing the news of Halloween getting cancelled, Jack was very salty about it; "Why cancel Halloween, if the 4th of July was still allowed to be celebrated?"

All of Halloween Town was very upset; the living are so fragile, it ruins the fun of scaring them.

The Mayor was in deep, DEEP distress, but Jack made it up to him, and the rest of the town, by saying next year's Halloween would be ine no one would ever forget, and it's not because he's 'borrowing' a holiday again, it's because they'll all have a year of scaring shenanigans built up inside them all that will make up for what was missed.

Everyone rejoiced and Jack, once he got back inside his house with his wife and children, sighed and mentally kicked himself for saying no one would forget next year's Halloween; there was one Halloween in particular he sure as hell isn't forgetting any time soon.

Daemon's carving more intricate pumpkins and plans on giving the humans mini-scares so they keep quarantining, hiding a 'surprise' for any entitled Karens he finds.

Luna is the most obedient of the triplets by staying in Halloween Town and instead studying what she calls a 'counter-plague' so there's no need for a Pandemic; she refuses to call it a vaccine because that would imply sje wants to help the humans that shot down and could have killed her dad. She still has a bone to pick.

Jack doesn't spiral out like in the movie, he has Sally to help and the triplets to keep his mind busy.

While Jacob and Daemon keep the humans from leaving their houses, Luna researches the current events and learns of murder hornets that are large, sting like all hell, and cause death to anyone unfortunate enough to get stung.

Jack gets very intrigued and they collect as many as they can and keep them in a jar, but take one out to study it.

They were not impressed; murder hornets? Jack has seen worse.

Since there wasn't a Halloween, Jack decided to walk through the streets, seeing as how Daemon and Jacob already did a lot of the scaring for him(thise little shits). He had to admit, it was nice to walk in the night and only hear the animal sounds and not screams.

Luna did not find a 'counter-plague,' even with Sally's help, but she did discover some poisons she could use against her brothers. Sally made her promise not to do so.

On the Halloween night where nothing happened, Jack took his family out to a picnic/star gazing session. Genuinely one of his favorite Halloweens to date.

HENRY STICKMIM COLLECTION:

Henry and Ellie knew it was going to happen and were more than surprised to also see Charles planning ahead by making a list for what they needed, even admitting he'd been following the news and rumors and stocking up on ADD medicine so he wouldn't have to go out to get them.

The other soldiers weren't worried until they were told to go home and take a break for a little bit.

Triple Threat wasn't really effected until day 24.

On day 1, they just hung out and were relatively calm, working online, doing workouts to stay fit, and just being as normal as possible.

On day 24, all three are more than a little bored. Henry's bored enough to andwer calls from telemarketers and prank them, Ellie's contemplating bleaching her hair with peroxide, and Charles is playing with fidget toys he's bough and collected over the years, though he's doing it more because he's a little stressed than bored.

Henry and Ellie are surprised to this this, but Charles admits he used to bite his nails a lot, but stopped after a LONG while.

Speaking of names, Ellie paints hers and the boys', though while Henry paints his in clear coat, Charles paints one hand black and the other in red, mint, and glittery pink on one nail because try stopping him.

It makes Ellie laugh and pisses off Henry so much.

Ellie gets calls from her family saying they want her to come home, or closer to home, because they're worried and she instead blocks their numbers.

They watch a lot of horror movies as a reason to stay inside.

When they get bored of American horror and try Japanese, Asian, and more western horror movies.

Instant regret.

They watched the movie Audition and Henry looked at a very unimpressed Charles, who said the antagonist was being sloppy, and hid all the kitchen knives, saws, and sharp and blunt objects, including tools(must've remembered Human Piece).

He stopped after a week of Charles being himself and literally shaking at Hannibal Lecter as they watched the Silence of The Lambs series.

All three open up more about their lives. It's ugly, there's yelling, conflicting life philosophies, and even some insults thrown. Henry admits that gotten screwed over by the law enough times while fending for himself to have as little faith in it as possible, Ellie admits she ran away from home and would rather die than go back because of how tight of a leash they kept her on, and Charles admits that while he has thought about quitting on the government and turning to a life of crime, he never did because that would have been to easy of a choice. Training for the military was and still is hard as hell, which Henry and Ellie can tell because Charles can physically do more than them(if they ran a mile, Henry and Ellie would be exhausted and Charles wouldn't even be out of breath), but he's never given up on it because he knew his parents would skin him, if they were still alive.

There were tears at the end, and the team all needing to be alone for a little bit, but they were back together and agreed to be a little more open with each other, since they were a team now.

[fabulouspotatosister]

truth hurts

summary: there are just some things you can’t hide. truth serum does that to you.

word count: 3,452

warnings: minor injury, mentions of blood

gif credit: @lowercasev

a/n(1): hello everyone! i hope you're all having a splendid day, wherever and whenever you are. this is just another one of those "i had a random idea and i wanted to get it out" except the idea is super old and i just wrote it now because i love procrastinating. anyway, i hope you enjoy this fic!

---

I suppose this is what I get for not listening to the Doctor.

 The wound on your ankle was looking, for lack of a better word, bad. While you weren’t a medical professional, there were a few things you were sure of - small cuts shouldn’t bleed so much, small cuts shouldn’t hurt so much, and small cuts shouldn’t be purple.

 You hadn’t meant to wander off. Amy was with the Doctor, talking with the locals of the planet that you had landed on, which left you to watch the TARDIS. As if the TARDIS needed watching, you had thought then. You’d taken a small walk - just a little deeper into the forest you were in, looking at all the strange flowers and trees.

 There weren’t many rules when it came to travelling with the Doctor. Not wandering off was one of them. And no interfering, but was that really a rule? You were a repeat offender, of course - how did the Doctor expect you to just stay still while there were so many extraordinary things to explore? 

 The forest was beautiful. You spent a lot of your small walk looking up at the canopy of trees that let in just enough light to make all the foliage glitter and glow. You were distracted, not really looking at where you were going, and you’d missed the feeling of something scratching against your ankle as you walked. 

 “I guess this is my karma,” you muttered, leaning against the TARDIS. You’d hobbled back when the pain became too much. The wound was pulsing now, beating in time to your heartbeat, a steady trickle of blood finding its way into your shoe. “I’ll listen next time.”

 A sharp call of your name made you look up - the Doctor was there in the distance, smiling so wide it had to hurt. “Come on!” he called, and waved. 

 “Is it safe?” you called back. 

 The Doctor nodded and motioned for you to come over, bouncing up and down like an excited kid. He could be unbearably cute sometimes. (Wait, where did that thought come from?) “It’s fine! Totally safe! Amy’s distracted in the market, I think we should go get her.”

 You looked at the Doctor, then at your ankle, and back to the Doctor. His smile was so earnest, so adorable. Your ankle would probably put a damper on everything, and the Doctor being upset was never a good sight. You were supposed to be having fun. You weren’t going to ruin everything by just having a scratch.

 “Hang on a minute!” You bent down, hidden by some of the shrubs, and rolled down your pant leg. Your wound stung as the fabric brushed against it, and you winced. You stood up, straightened yourself, and gave the Doctor your best “I’m-totally-fine” smile. “Okay, I’m good to go.”

 Your smile must have convinced him, because the Doctor grinned and spun around, disappearing back into the forest. 

 You tried not to limp as you followed him, but every step sent a stab of pain through your entire foot. Just grin and bear it, you thought, taking in a shuddering breath. Do it for him. 

 You pushed through the trees, finding yourself in a little clearing. The whole place felt alive - the trees glowed a warm orange as they swayed in the breeze, and the sound of their leaves rustling together sounded like delicate wind-chimes. Scattered around the clearing were various stalls and booths that were decorated with spools of vibrant cloth. The sounds of lively music and distant chatter filled the air as aliens of all kinds milled about.

 The Doctor was waiting for you, leaning against a wooden pole that held up a string of twinkling lights. Underneath those lights, with his arms crossed like that, he looked quite… quite… 

 You frowned and something throbbed in the back of your head. 

 “Ah! There you are,” the Doctor said brightly. He stepped away from the pole, still smiling widely with that smile of his, and wrapped his arm around your shoulders. Don’t look down, you begged silently. Just ignore me. “Brilliant, isn’t it? One of the legendary Elremian marketplaces. Just huge melting pots of culture, and the best place to find rare collectibles - hey -”

 The Doctor called your name, his voice soft against the din, and you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. Your head snapped up to meet his eyes. Your heart stuttered in your chest at his gaze, his gorgeous green eyes sparkling with worry. (What in the world...)

 “Are you okay?” he asked. He leaned down slightly to peer into your eyes, and you found that you didn’t want to pull away from how close he was. 

 You swallowed. Then, you nodded, and the throbbing in the back of your head turned into a pounding. “Of course,” you said, trying another “I’m-totally-fine” smile. “Let’s find Amy, yeah?”

 That smile wasn’t quite as convincing. The Doctor frowned as he stood back up, his gaze lingering on you for just a second longer before he wrapped his arm around your shoulders again and led you through the crowds.

 “As I was saying - collectibles,” the Doctor continued. Everything passed by you in a blur of vague colors and shapes. The Doctor’s voice was the only thing you could really focus on. “They’ve got everything from jewels to recalled video games, even stuff from archaeological finds if you can barter. Great, yeah?”

 “Yeah,” you muttered. The beautiful lights of the marketplace were so bright now, even though the rest of the sky was already turning dark. “It’s just - it’s loud.”

 “Loud? Don’t worry about that,” the Doctor said, and you caught a faint hint of concern in his voice. “Amy’s not far now. In here.”

 The Doctor pushed back the curtain of a small tent, gently pushing you inside. It was a little better than outside, a little darker and a little cooler. There were candles scattered around the floor, which had to be a fire hazard in a cloth tent, but no one in the tent seemed alarmed.

 “Amy!” the Doctor called, “How’s the shopping?”

 Amy emerged from behind another curtain. She was in a new dress, a tight-fitting neon green piece with a cape that fell over her shoulders and to the floor. It trailed behind her as she walked up to you. “Good! Here’s one,” she said, then spun around and raised her eyebrows. “How do I look?”

 “Bit bright,” the Doctor said, and Amy glared. “Sorry! Sorry. Good. I mean you look good.”

 The Doctor was right. It looked good on Amy, and honestly Amy could make anything look good, but the green was just so bright and annoying against the gentle tapestries of the tent and - “I don’t like it,” you blurted.

 Amy’s eyebrows had practically disappeared into her hair, but she was smiling. “Oh? Well, you’re honest today.”

 “No, no! I mean -” The pounding in your head had started to feel like someone hammering at your brain, chipping away parts that you actually needed. You winced at the pain, and your ankle began to sting again. “No, I think it looks great, I think you look great, you always look great -”

 “Don’t lie,” the Doctor said, moving to stand in front of you. 

 “I’m not lying,” you ground out. The Doctor’s brows furrowed.

 “Are you in pain?”

 “Yeah,” you answered - but if you were hurt they would be so upset and then you’d ruin everything - “Uh, no. I’m fine -!”

 At “fine”, you buckled, your knees giving out beneath you - Amy rushed forward and caught you, gently lowering you into a sitting position on the floor of the tent. 

 “What were you saying about fine?” Amy asked, her hands on your shoulders keeping you steady. “Doctor, what’s wrong with her?”

 “Nothing’s wrong with me,” you ground out, even though your legs felt like jelly and your brain felt like cotton. A sharp pain pierced through your head and you squeezed your eyes shut. “I’ll just - I’ll get up, let me -”

 “No, seriously, don’t lie,” the Doctor said, and rushed to your side. He crouched down beside you, taking your face into his hands, his skin warm against yours. His face was so close to your again, and you could see every single detail, down to the way his lip trembled slightly. He’d always been pretty, but now, looking over you with concern, he was even prettier. How was that possible?

 The words were out of your mouth before you could stop yourself. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re really pretty?”

 The Doctor’s eyes widened. “More than once,” he said, then mumbled something under his breath. “Is that the truth?”

 “Yeah, a hundred percent,” you said slowly, a smile spreading across your face. Shut up, shut up now before you ruin everything! “Super attractive. One might even say hot.”

 “Hot?” the Doctor mouthed in Amy’s direction before he looked back at you. Amy made a face that said not my words. “Right, you told the truth, do you feel better?”

 You let out a breath through your mouth. The cotton was coming out of your ears. That was funny. “Yup.”

 Suddenly, Amy gasped. “Oh my God, Doctor,” she said, her voice tight with fear. She looked up at the Doctor, fear filling her eyes, and reached out to slowly pull up your pant leg. You hissed as warm air met your wound again. “She’s bleeding!”

 Amy cringed and looked away, which meant that your wound was probably looking much worse than before.

 “No,” the Doctor said, breathless. “How long ago was this?”

 Your “I’m-totally-fine” smile was definitely not going to work now. “Just after you left me at the TARDIS, I think. Uh - I wandered off -” The Doctor’s eyebrows pinched, and something welled up in your chest, threatened to spill over. “And I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, please don’t be mad, but I wandered off and I cut myself on something and now I can’t stop talking -”

 “I’m not mad, sweetheart, you’re hurt,” the Doctor said, his voice gentle. “Amy, move her a bit, I’m going to have to take a look.”

 “Sweetheart? That’s nice, can you call me that more often?” Externally, you were smiling like an entire idiot, but internally you were slapping yourself in the face. “I really like it.”

 The Doctor went still for a moment, lips parted in surprise. He glanced at you and smiled, his cheeks a little flushed. “Yeah?”

 You breathed out a tiny laugh. “Yeah.”

 The Doctor whipped his sonic screwdriver out with a flourish and pointed it at your ankle. You winced at the whirring noise it made, and the Doctor shot you an apologetic look. He brought it up, doing the little flick that he always did, and squinted to read the results.

 “That screwdriver thing you do,” you said.

 “What about it?” the Doctor replied, slightly distracted.

 “It’s kinda hot.” Oh my God, please just shut up. “The way you flick your wrist, it’s nice. You’re nice. Everything about you is nice.” 

 The Doctor gave Amy a kind of helpless look. Amy’s eyes were still wide, her gaze still tinged with fear, but she still waggled her eyebrows at him. 

 “Not helping,” the Doctor groaned, and Amy grinned.

 “Definitely helping.” Amy reached out to tuck a piece of hair behind your ear. Her lips curved upward in a reassuring smile. “Is she going to be okay?”

 “No,” the Doctor said.

 Amy glared up at him. “What do you mean, no?”

 “Yes, I said no, in the interest of being honest.” The Doctor looked at the sonic again, then tucked it into his jacket. “She’s been scratched by an Iophinque plant, so, one of two things - either it goes away in an hour, or it kills her.”

 “I think I’d prefer the first one,” Amy said. She glanced at you, and smoothed out your hair with her hand. That felt nice too. 

 “Me too,” the Doctor muttered. “Right. I’m going to head out for just a minute. Talk with the locals. Amy -” His face went serious - “call me if the worst happens.”

 “The worst?”

 The Doctor's voice wavered. “You know what I mean.”

 You whined as he stepped farther away, and you swore you could see the Doctor’s face crumple. But then he smiled, a “I’m-totally-fine” smile. “Don’t worry,” he murmured, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of your head. “I’ll be back.”

 “He always says that,” Amy grumbled, watching him run out of the tent.

 “He always comes back,” you told her. She looked at you, her expression unreadable - and then laughed, a little bit amused and a little bit incredulous. 

 “You like him,” she said.

 There was no use hiding it now - the plant that had scratched you had to be some kind of truth serum. It felt a little ridiculous, but there was always space for ridiculous when you travelled with the Doctor. “I do.”

 “Him?” Amy stressed, and you nodded. “Seriously?”

 You nodded again, and the motion made your head spin, your eyes fluttering. “Seriously. He’s just so wonderful, and nice, and - and -”

 “Hey, look at me,” Amy sounded so far away, but there she was, kneeling right in front of you. She patted your cheek gently. “Stay awake. Keep talking. Let’s make this like a sleepover, yeah? Talking about boys. Alien boys.”

 “Alien boy,” you corrected her. “Singular.”

 “Okay, fine,” Amy said, laughing fondly. She shifted, and you tried to focus on the color of her dress. You still didn’t like it, but the neon green was loud enough to keep you awake. “What is it about him?”

 You didn’t have to think much. “He’s - he’s brilliant. That’s what he is. He’s smart, to the point of being a little annoying, and funny, and kind, so kind. So lonely but so kind. And he cares so much. I think it’s beautiful. I think he’s beautiful.” You frowned. “Does that make sense?”

 Amy nodded and smiled gently. “Yeah, I do. You said he was hot?”

 Your frown morphed into a pout. “He is!” 

 “Oh, I know,” Amy said. “Believe me, I know.”

 Silence settled over the two of you. Amy sat with you, a quiet comfort as she stroked your hair. But there was something else you wanted to say, something important, something -

 “Sad,” you said softly. You felt tears well up in your eyes. “He makes me sad. It’s okay, but -” Your breath hitched in your throat. “It’s sad, you know?”

 “What is?”

 “I don't think he loves me back.” The words were out of your mouth now. They crashed over you like a tidal wave, and now that you had actually said them, they felt real. “He doesn’t - oh, God - he doesn’t love me back.”

 Amy shook her head, her hands moving to your shoulders. She shook you slightly and you looked at her, your breathing shallow. Tears were already streaming down your face. When did that happen? “You don’t know that.”

 “It’s okay, it’s okay,” you said. Your words were blending into one another like smudged paint. That was okay too. “I’m okay with it. He doesn’t have to. He - I know he can’t.”

 Amy sighed, sadness swimming in her eyes, and wrapped her arms around you. It was nice, being hugged by Amy, but you definitely weren’t feeling nice - nausea washed over you, and you sagged in her arms. You coughed, and something warm trickled out of your mouth. Spots of bright red.

 “M’sorry,” you mumbled weakly. “Your dress, I got it all dirty.”

 “It’s okay,” Amy said, soothing you. “I haven’t even paid for it anyway.”

 “You know, I still don’t like it.” You coughed again, your chest rattling. “Hey, Amy?”

 “Hmm?”

 You pulled away from her and watched as her calm expression shifted and morphed into one of fear. It must have been bad, whatever you’d coughed up, because Amy’s eyes were the size of dinner plates. It was a little funny, and you would have laughed if your mouth didn’t taste so much like pennies.

 “Got the second option,” you slurred. “I think you should call the Doctor now.”

 You pitched forwards, hanging limply in her arms, your head resting comfortably against her shoulder. You didn’t even hear Amy scream into her phone. But you could feel her shuddering, and you wanted to tell her that it wasn’t worth it, being scared over you, but your mouth was just so full of -

 The Doctor burst through the curtains of the tent, clutching a metal cylinder in his hand. “What happened?”

 “Doctor,” Amy began, “I think she’s -”

 “I know,” the Doctor said sternly. He took you from Amy’s arms and everything seemed to lurch for a moment, shifting until everything went still, and he was above you. Through the cloth of the tent the twinkling lights outside looked like stars. It was the perfect backdrop for him. “I’ve got you.”

 “Yeah, you have.” The Doctor looking down at you, his hair falling over his face, was enough to make your heart clench painfully. Everything else hurt too. “You always have.”

 “I found an antidote, you’re going to be okay,” the Doctor said, pushing your hair away from your neck. Something cold pressed against your neck, and you jolted - you reached up to grab the Doctor’s hand, clammy fingers wrapping around his wrist.

 “Wait, wait,” you said, the words coming out jumbled, “I love you.”

 The Doctor stared. It felt like an eternity under his gaze. His eyes were wide, searching your face for something - proof that you were lying, maybe? He wouldn’t find that anywhere with you, whether you liked it or not.

 “I love you,” you continued, “and I need to tell you before you cure me and I get embarrassed and take it back.”

 The Doctor was still staring, his whole body frozen in place. He blinked once, twice, and swallowed thickly. He was never usually so quiet. 

 The silence was getting to you. “I really want you to say something.”

 “You -” The Doctor let out a heavy breath. “You love me?”

 “Yes,” you whispered. Your vision blurred, putting something that looked like a halo around the Doctor’s head. How fitting. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

 The Doctor laughed softly. His free hand found your face, and he brushed his thumb against the corner of your lip. “You know that’s in bad taste, right?”

 “Definitely.”

 There was a click, and then a hissing noise - something sharp pinched your neck, and you felt a warmth spread over your whole body. It was taking the pain away, you noted dimly, your whole body relaxing even more as the antidote did its work. 

 “Feels nice,” you said, letting your eyes slip shut. “Thank you.”

 “You are very welcome,” the Doctor said gently. Then - “Are you with us, now? ‘Cause I really want you to be awake for this.”

 You quirked one eye open, and the Doctor smiled down at you. This wasn’t your truth-serum addled brain thinking, this was your very love-addled brain thinking - he shone brighter than anything else in the room. Even Amy’s neon green dress. Which you still didn't like. 

“Guess what?”

“What?”

 “I love you too.”

 You spluttered, your face burning despite how tired your body was, and made a noise that was probably the audible equivalent of multiple question marks. 

 All of that doubt and fear - just gone in seconds, wiped away like it had never had been there. Distantly, you could hear Amy sigh in relief, muttering something that sounded like “I said you didn’t know”.

 “Oi, don’t tell me you’re getting shy on me after a confession like that,” the Doctor said, his eyes crinkling. 

 “I was under the influence!” you protested weakly. The Doctor laughed, a sound full of fondness, and brushed a hand over your hair. It made you feel warm, like sitting right next to the fireplace in the TARDIS library. It felt like home. He felt like home.

 "I wouldn't kiss her, if I were you," Amy said. "She just coughed up blood. On me."

 You ran your tongue over your lips, still tasting the blood that was left there, and grimaced. The Doctor mirrored your expression. "Seconded."

 "There's always later," the Doctor said coolly, sending another wave of heat to your face. "You should rest. We'll get you back to the TARDIS."

 You blinked up at him. "You'll be there?"

 "Always." He pressed a soft kiss to your forehead. "This'll have to do for now," he murmured against your skin.

 "It's perfect," you whispered, your eyes fluttering shut as a welcome darkness overtook you. You're perfect, you thought, but he already knew that, didn't he?

---

a/n(2): i really hope you enjoyed! i hope you guys are doing awesome, love you lots!!

[keyofshadows]

This was ages ago, but I still love it. Part of the fight between the Refugees (well, some of them) and Maleficent in her dragon form on Destiny Islands. Ray ends up punting Jalen through a Light Corridor and into a Christmas tree because he was lacking common sense. (His wife was extremely grateful, gave Ray a framed twig as a thank you, lol.) Sora, Riku, and Kairi end up crashing the party.

A familiar light appeared from above, growing from a small orb to the more typical size of a portal within seconds. Without any warning, beams shot out from it, lighting up the night sky and lancing straight for the dragon - the tail, maw, wings, eyes, whatever it could reach was a fair target. She landed on her feet, the sound muffled by the noise of battle.

"Sorry to crash the party," she said, eyes scanning their surroundings, "but it kind of hurts, not being invited. Right here." A fist touched her chest, above her heart. Ray grinned. "You'd know all about that, eh, Maleficent?"

Seph dove around her jaws, occasionally only barely dodging(lost some feathers at one point) and striking out whenever he had a chance. He was uncertain about trying to go for a kill. She could very well be toying with them after all. It was a silly thought but, he hoped one of his feathers got in her eye.

He had to back off some when the beams shot out but, as soon as they were gone he was back on the attack.

Aria was considering how she wanted to approach. Carefully obviously. She didn't want Seph to get distracted by getting in trouble.

"Not gonna curse a baby, are you?" Not that there were any babies around to curse at the moment.

Watching the tail she got a bit closer and started casting. Nothing seemed to happen at first then a handful of bubbles started drifting towards the dragon. They grew a bit as they went and sparked a bit. They moved slow but, if Maleficent touched one it should give her a nasty shock. If Aria had put enough power into them anyway. Hopefully no one else would run into them. They were high enough that those that stuck to the ground wouldn't have a problem. At least Seph would know how best to avoid them since he was there when she was working on the spell.

Ray's sudden appearance made Jalen grin. He supposed Amy had something to do with it. Definitely good to have another experienced fighter on their side.

Things were happening faster now, which he was somewhat grateful for. He'd gotten to his feet and drawn his sword, ignoring the dull ache in his side. He'd worry about whether he'd cracked a rib or just bruised himself later. Watching out for Brendan, and Aria's little surprise, he headed for one of the dragon's front legs, intending to get a good stab in.

Her gaze landed on Jalen, grin instantly turning into a glare of fury the likes of which only Ray could muster. When he charged, so did she, but there was one vital difference.

Ray wasn't going after the dragon. No, she was going after Jalen.

With a single Thunder Step, she was ahead of him, looking back over her shoulder. Once he was close enough, she dropped, sweeping a leg at his feet to trip him up before he could go any further.

Song had scurried behind cover during Ray's dramatic entrance, and started casting. The first try was a failure before she even invoked the spell aloud. There simply no build up of power. The magic refused to listen.

She took a deep breath and tried again, focusing. This time the magic stirred. She had been experimenting with the feel of wild magic in the air and how to catch and tame it. It took longer than relying on a set spell to do all the work for you, and in most cases it didn't add enough of a power boost to make it worth while, but for her purposes it was useful, even necessary. This was anything but a set spell. it had to be cast from scratch, and that took precision.

On the third try, she almost put herself under the spell's predecessor, and only just managed to recognize the downward tug of a dream dive and abort it before she fell asleep.

The fourth try was exactly like the second try, and her frustration was getting the better of her. This was not working.

A rumble of a laugh spread from the dragon's throat. "I do apologize for the lack of an invitation. I had hoped the general invitation would reach all interested parties, but it appears I was mistaken. You seem to have made a wise choice."

Then her attention turned back in the direction of Seph, and she began to draw in a deep breath.

Seph was still somewhat aware of what was going on on the ground. When Maleficent started to draw in breath he was left with the choice to doge what he expected was coming or try to attack. As it was he didn't have many long range attacks that he thought would be effective (darkness or fire based attacks didn't seem like the best idea) and he wasn't about to get close enough to try to stab her in the mouth.

Well, there was a sort of energy beam he could do with his sword but, it wasn't an actual ability Sephiroth had outside of a non-Kingdom Hearts related video game and Seph was still working out some bugs. May as well give it a shot though. Half a moment of concentration followed by half a dozen quick slashes sent out five crescent moon shaped beams of energy. A couple were not as strong as he was aiming for and the last slash failed to produce one at all but, if the ones that appeared to come out right seemed to do damage he may try them again.

It might have been a good idea to move himself out of reach after that if there wasn't the chance she'd turn her attention to the people on the ground. He'd have to try to dodge at the last moment if his attack didn't interrupt hers.

Aria made her way closer to Song. Whether to try to help with whatever she seemed to be trying to do or to pull her out of harm's way if something happened while she was concentrating Aria wasn't sure.

Clearly not expecting Ray to trip him up, Jalen went down hard on his back, staring up at her in absolute disbelief. What did she think she was doing?

"Are you insane?"

Because that was a good question to be asking right now. He was lucky to have avoided falling on his sword.

"Amy sent me here! It's not like last time!"

He felt a little like a child, having to defend his presence at this fight. He scrambled to his feet, grabbing his sword. He wasn't going to use it on Ray, but he had a dragon to help deal with, and she wasn't going to stop him.

In the middle of the fight and the chaos and the flashes of magic, there comes another light, more pure than anything else anyone could have conjured. It lights up the horizon in a brief flash of white, silver, and blue, and is followed by a strange silence - the calm before the storm.

And then wind and fire explodes in the center of the island, sending sand and water blasting outwards from the epicenter. The dust hasn't even settled and the light has barely begun to die away when a voice, familiar but different somehow, cries out from the middle of the burning star and a wordless spell lashes out at the dragon, brilliant white vines of light entangling around its form. The darkness retreats away from the immediate area of the shore, coiling away into the sea and sand and sky.

Eventually, the light fades away and the tendrils of pale magic can be traced back to two spinning keyblades - Oblivion and Oathkeeper - floating next to a surprisingly familiar figure. It wouldn't do to call him a boy anymore - he has long since become a young man in the years since the battle against Xemnas and even Calum. It has been several years since he's been a part of this fight, and bringing it crashing back to where it all began clearly doesn't sit well with him.

Or it could be that the fight interrupted college finals.

"Hey guys!" Sora remarks cheerfully, immediately dropping into a fighting crouch. "Could you have picked a time that wasn't so close to Christmas to bring back the darkness? Or you know, when I finished my math final?"

Once the light and the dust begin to clear, the battlefield is shaken by the arrival of a new Darkness...and a new Light, each working in perfect harmony. Those who can sense it will sense that this is as far from another threat as Darkness could get - in fact, it's very familiar to most.

At first, there's only a brief flash of a bright purple aura, rushing once towards the dragon before vanishing. Then, a few seconds later, it repeats. Then it comes again, in a blinding, impossible rush of attacks, before a bright flash erupts in the center of the flurry.

And at the end of it is Riku, recovering from the impressive display almost casually, smirking belatedly in response to Sora's comment.

"It would figure, though. You guys never were great at timing things." he said, moving into a fighting stance and holding Way to Dawn at ready almost as an afterthought.

Following shortly after is the most brilliant of pure Light, warm and comforting and all too familiar as the other two had been. It forms in the distance, like a brightly shining star before shooting straight towards the dragons other side, ice forming where the attack hits.

Kairi drops daintily behind both her boys, Destiny's Embrace dropping into a defensive position before quirking a brow at their backs. "Weren't you two just complaining about being stuck inside studying though?" She teases, never once taking her eyes off the scene. "Maybe if we time it right, we can still make it back."

A few of Seph's attacks hit their mark, but Maleficent hardly seemed to notice them. Her attention was on the new arrivals. She did not seem surprised by there arrival, though one could not strictly say that she was pleased. It was simply more power upon the field in a battle that had been coming for a very long time.

She was more than she had been when last she faced the young Keybearer. The Darkness of the Cornerstone that had become her own and the fallen hearts of world's that had strengthened it . . . they had only been the beginning, and when the greatest Darkness of all had come into the stone, it had cracked. All that had been left as a vessel for that power was her. Her allies may have been gone, but the need for them had passed.

She turned towards her three greatest adversaries and breathed out death.

Seph opened a corridor before Maleficent released her attack at the new arrivals. His mostly darkness based attacks would not likely be much use here but, he didn't go far. He wanted to see how well the Key bearers handled the situation and of course he would resume his own attack if he felt they wouldn't end up tripping each other up.

Song was nearly ready to give up her plan and hope the new arrivals could handle it. She was certainly glad they'd got the message, even if they were a little late. And dear Light, the three of them were even more impressive than she'd remembered.

She tensed, preparing to rise and join the fight more directly, but something tugged at her mind. It wasn't right to just give up on her plan, was it? After all, it was her strongest point. What else could she offer that would come close to matching this, provided she could make it work?

With a fresh sense of determination that seemed to come from somewhere else, she settled herself again and tried one more time to cast the spell.

This time, she felt something even before she'd consciously called to the magic. There was a soft touch on the back of her hands, like fingertips, guiding, and she thought it was a cool breath that ruffled the hair around her ear.

'Like so.'

The voice came from inside her head as much as it did from behind her, and she wasn't startled to hear it, though she very well should have been. The tone was gentle and patient, like a good teacher, and through her, the presence summoned and shaped the magic. All Song could do was be dragged along as the spell itself was pulled from her memory and cast with her hands.

"Awakening," she heard herself whisper, and slowly... very slowly.... a blanket of foggy white began to spread from where she knelt.

"She may have sent you here," Ray said, "but you really should have thought this through a little better."

Grabbing Jalen's wrist an instant before he could charge again, she yanked him back as hard she could. Before he could even think of getting back up, he was pinned to the ground. She looked down at him, shaking her head in dismay.

"Honestly, Jalen. Your wife is pregnant, and you leave her home, alone, with three little kids, just so you can traipse off and fight a stupid dragon in the most idiotic way possible? Is it just me, or is there something slightly wrong with this picture?"

Without giving him a chance to answer, she sighed and dragged Jalen back to his feet by the front of his shirt. A portal opened behind him and Ray shoved him in none too gently. Pausing, she turned back with a smirk at the young Keybearers.

"About time you guys got here," she said teasingly. "You've got this one in the bag, right?"

Apparently, she didn't need or want an answer. She stepped through the Corridor without another word, heading straight back to Rainbow's End.

Amy was sitting on the couch in the living room, cuddling Larkin in her lap (what there was of it), with Eli and Ashlyn snuggled up on either side of her while she read them a story. The kids had started picking up on her nerves shortly after everyone had left, and she'd decided a nice, quiet distraction was a good idea. So, out came the books, and she'd let the kids pick. They'd already gone through Eli's choice, and she was just a few pages into the new book when her son tugged on her sleeve.

"Daddy's home soon?"

Amy bit her lip and turned the page before answering.

"I-"

She stopped abruptly as there was a bright flash of light, followed by a crash as something fell into the Christmas tree. She grabbed Larkin, and both Eli and Ashlyn cried out in surprise, clinging to her. A second later she realized the 'something' was actually a someone, as Jalen staggered away from where he'd fallen out of the Light Corridor into the tree. He was glaring at the still-open portal, no doubt waiting for Ray to step through. Amy simply stared in disbelief. She'd only asked Ray if she wanted to come help her babysit, but this was good too. Really good.

"...Daddy's home."

[therainroguefanfiction]

🎃 Frightful October Act V, #15 ~ School (Gon F. & Killua Z.)

📑 Table of Contents

Genre: Supernatural, Fluff, Family, Slice of Life, High School AU

Word Count: 3,746

Pairing: Gon, Reader x Killua

World: Hunter x Hunter

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

BANG!

Hearing the loud noise coming from the living room, you shot up from your chair and rushed down the stairs. Your eyes landed on your younger brother. He was on his back on the floor with a vase broken beside him. Killua stood over him, looking guilty. It was obvious to you that they had been wrestling again and it got out of hand.

You kneeled beside your brother, eyes scanning for any injuries. “Are you okay?”

He sat up, rubbing the back of his head as he offered you a sheepish smile. “Yeah, I’m okay!”

You turned your attention to his best friend, whose pale cheeks turned pink at the attention. “And you, Killua? Any injuries?”

He quickly shook his head. “I’m sorry, it was my fault!”

You chuckled, ruffling his white locks. “It’s okay as long as both of you are safe. Go on upstairs, I’ll clean this mess up.”

Gon threw his arms around your neck and kissed your cheek. “Thanks, Y/N!”

You smiled as the two ran out of the room and up the stairs. Being the older sibling wasn’t always easy, but you were happy. Gon is such a sweet kid. He’s the best sibling you could have ever asked for so you were more than happy to look after him. Killua was his best friend and he, too, is a really sweet kid.

Carefully, you picked up the large chunks of the vase and spread them out on the kitchen table. The way it had hit the ground had prevented it from shattering, so it should be easy to patch up. You grabbed the superglue and got to work. It wouldn’t be perfect again, but the cracks just added character to it in your opinion.

After you finished gluing it, you left it to dry, leaving a piece of paper nearby in case someone tried to touch it or pick it up.

‘Now, what should I make for dinner?’ you hummed thoughtfully as you looked through the cabinet. ‘I know, I’ll make some pasta and garlic bread!’ With a smile, you got to work.

When the sauce started to bubble, you reduced the heat so it could simmer. You placed another pot beside it, full of water, and turned the heat on medium-high. The sound of footsteps reached your ears as the two boys descended the stairs. You glanced over your shoulder, seeing the two peeking around the doorway. They quickly pulled back when and you smiled, returning to the task at hand.

The two boys talked in hushed whispers, going back and forth trying to decide who would approach you. They finally decided to use rock-paper-scissors to settle it and Killua lost. With a frown, he slowly stepped into the kitchen while Gon ran back upstairs.

You glanced at him as you stirred the sauce. “Something wrong, Killua?”

“Can I help you?” he asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“If you want, you can put the garlic bread in the oven. Careful not to burn yourself.”

He nodded and approached the freezer, pulling the box out and reading over the instructions. As he put tinfoil over the pan, he glanced at you nervously. You were now sitting at the table, stretching your arms above your head.

“Ne, Y/N?”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry about breaking the vase,” he apologized, arranging the bread on the tray. “I hope it wasn’t an antique or something.”

“Don’t worry about it,” you smiled. “Dad brought it home from one of his business trips, but I don’t think it’s special or anything. I fixed it already, anyway, so no worries.”

“That’s good,” he smiled, opening the oven and carefully sliding the tray onto the rack. He hesitated as he turned to look at you, shoving his hands into the pockets of his tan shorts. “Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”

“Janey asked me to come to her movie marathon but there are already five people going, one of which I don’t really see eye to eye with. What about you and Gon? Are you going trick-or-treating with your friends?”

Killua’s nose wrinkled. “We’re not kids anymore, Y/N! We’re in our first year of high school.”

You chuckled at that. “You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy it. Actually, why don’t the three of us go together? I wouldn’t mind bumming some of your candy.”

Blood rushed to his cheeks at the thought and he quickly turned so you wouldn’t see. “Actually, Gon and I already decided what we wanted to do.”

“Ah, I see,” your smile fell a bit, the excitement leaving you like air from a balloon. “Well, just promise me you’ll both be safe and stay out of trouble, okay?”

“Go with us!” he said suddenly, whipping out to meet your eyes. “I-If you want to, I mean…”

You looked at him in surprise, resting your cheek in your palm. “What are you guys planning to do?”

“One of our classmates told us this story about the school. He said that tomorrow is the anniversary of a girl who died in bathroom thirteen years ago on Halloween night,” he took a step forward, eyes shining with excitement as he recalled the tale. “It’s a full moon, too! We’re determined to find the ghost and see if the rumors are true.”

You sweatdropped at his enthusiasm. “Killua, the bread…”

“Shoot!” he whipped around, putting on an oven mitt before pulling the tray out of the oven. You moved to stand behind him, looking over his shoulder at the damage. The bread was darker than it should be, but it wasn’t burnt.

“Not too bad,” you commented, making his body tense at how close you were to him. “If you’re both okay with it, I’d love to join you.”

He nodded. “Gon was hoping you’d come with us. He’s kinda scared.”

You chuckled, wrapping your arms around his shoulders from behind. “Don’t worry, I’ll be there to protect both of you!”

Killua’s heart raced in his chest and he found himself leaning back against you, his hand resting on your arm. He couldn’t stop the smile that lit up his face.

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

The next night, the three of you headed to the school. Killua went to climb the gate but you stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “If we go in the front, someone will probably see us.”

“How do we get inside then?” he frowned.

“Follow me,” you patted his shoulder before following the concrete wall that surrounded the school. You stepped off the sidewalk, following the alley of grass on the right side of the school until you came to a large set of rose bushes near the back wall. Carefully pushing them apart to avoid the thorns, you place your foot on the bottom of the wall and pushed until a small section gave way, falling to the grass on the other side. “Careful of the bushes on the other side.”

“How do you know about that?” Gon asked, curiously.

“Let’s just say, I was a pretty bad student in my first year.”

The two exchanged a look before approaching the hole. Gon went first, followed by Killua. You did your best to hold the bushes apart while going through, but the thorns did get your legs in a few places.

“Okay, what about getting inside the school?” Killua asked.

“That’s easy! The janitor is a smoker, but the principal doesn’t like him to smoke while he’s on school grounds, so he does it at night while he’s cleaning. He always smokes at the same window on the second floor, and leaves it open so the smoke won’t stick around inside the hallway.”

“The second floor?” Gon tilted his head. “How do we get up there?”

“There’s a cherry tree right by the window. We can easily climb it and get inside.”

“Just how much trouble did you get into as a first-year?” Killua raised a brow at you.

You sweatdropped, choosing to ignore his question as you approached the tree. Most of the orange and yellow leaves had fallen from its branches, littering the earth below. The petals, usually a soft pink in the spring, were now a snowy white, reflecting the cold air that hung over the town.

You swung your leg over the thick branch leading toward the window and held your hand out towards the boys. Gon slipping his hand into yours, placing a foot on the trunk of the tree. You gave a quick tug, helping him up onto the branch. He crouched, holding onto your hand as he slowly moved toward the open window. Once he was safely inside, you held out your hand for Killua. He took the same stance that Gon did, hopping into the window.

Once the three of you were safely inside the building, you set your bag onto the floor, pulling out a flashlight for each of you. You also brought some water, snacks, a first aid kit, and a few other small items.

“Woah,” Killua leaned over, peering into the bag. “You really came prepared.”

Gon reached in, pulling out a small rectangular box with a small LCD screen and some buttons. “What is this?”

“That’s a spirit box. It scans the FM and AM bands along with white noise, where spirit voices seemingly are able to form words,” you explained. “It’s been used by some of the top paranormal investigators.”

“I didn’t know you knew so much about all of this stuff,” Gon’s eyes sparkled with admiration and you laughed, ruffling his hair.

“I really don’t. After the two of you fell asleep last night, I stayed up watching a bunch of paranormal videos so I could research the top. Get a feel for what to look for and what to expect. The spirit box belongs to a classmate of mine, Ami. She’s really into the paranormal. She started the Paranormal Research club in her first year! She was bummed that she couldn’t join us tonight.”

“How come?” Gon asked.

“She had to take her baby sister trick-or-treating, then she has to babysit her while her parents are at a business party.”

“That sucks,” Killua folded his hands behind head and started to walk down the hall. You clicked on your flashlight and followed.

“I also researched the story you told me. It’s accurate for the most part,” you commented, shining the flashlight across the hall. “A girl did die here thirteen years ago today, and there have been numerous sightings of a ghostly apparition throughout the years. The strange thing is that no one was able to determine how she died. It was labeled as ‘mysterious circumstances’. A lot of people speculated that it was suicide, while others are convinced that she made contact with a demon that night.”

“D-Demon?” Gon squeaked, holding onto your hand tightly.

‘Oops, guess I shouldn’t have told him that part,’ You smiled down at him. “It’s just a story, Gon, don’t worry. Demons don’t exist.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, looking up at you with watery eyes.

“A hundred percent sure!”

He nodded, but it was obvious that he was still a bit worried.

You frowned, giving his hand a squeeze. ‘Maybe letting them come here was a bad idea. What if they have nightmares?’ “Let’s find a spot to try out the spirit box. Then we can go home and spend the rest of the night watching movies and binging on snacks.”

Killua caught on to what you were doing. “Sounds good to me. I’m kinda getting bored already.”

“Where should we try? The cafeteria?”

“It happened on the third floor, right?” Killua jabbed his thumb in the direction of the stairs. “Let’s just pick a classroom up there.”

The three of you headed up the stairs. As soon as your foot landed on the third floor, you felt like you were being watched. The entire school was dark, naturally, but the end of the hallway seemed impossibly dark like no light could penetrate it. Gon didn’t notice the change in the atmosphere, but you certainly did. You exchanged a worried look with Killua, who gave you a reassuring smile. Even so, you could see the worry in his eyes.

“This one is unlocked!” Gon called, sliding open the door to class 3-C. You followed him inside, the beam of light sweeping over the empty desks. You were so used to seeing the desks full of students that it was eerie to see it empty now.

You set your bag down onto the teacher’s desk, rifling through it for the USB speaker.

“Soo~ how do we use that thing?” Killua asked, hopping up to sit beside the bag as he watched you closely.

“Ami said I just needed to plug it into the speaker and turn it on.” You did as she instructed, jumping at the sudden sound of loud static coming through the speaker. You placed your hand over your heart, feeling it beat against your chest.

“Maybe turn it down a bit…” Killua winced, plugging his ears with his fingers.

“Yeah…” you decreased the volume before setting it down on the desk beside Killua. It started to scan the radio stations at a high speed. “Now we ask questions and see if anything answers back.”

Gon tilted his head to the side, his index finger resting on his chin. “What do we ask?”

You hummed, thoughtfully. “Is anyone with us tonight?”

The three of you looked expectantly at the box.

“Nothing is happening,” Gon whispered, bouncing on his toes.

Killua poked it. “Maybe it’s broken.”

You leaned over the desk, resting your chin in your hand. “Ami said that it takes a lot of energy for spirits to speak with us, so nothing might come through. If anything is here at all, that is.”

Killua scowled, poking the box again. “Come on, say something!”

A feminine voice came through, but it was too distorted to understand the words.

“Did you catch that?” Killua asked, glancing at Gon.

“Nope.”

“It was a feminine voice,” you mused, leaning closer to the box. “Can you say that again, please?”

“H̸̻̓e̷̖͘ĺ̵̼p̵̧̉,” the whispered word sent a chill down all of your spines.

Killua swallowed hard, grasping your arm. “Did it just…”

“I… I think so,” you released a breath, glancing at your baby brother. He was shaking. You cleared your throat and put on a smile, patting him with your free arm. “What is it you need help with? I’m not the brightest crayon in the box, but my grades are average!”

“Didn’t you just fail your algebra test?” Killua deadpanned.

“That’s neither here nor there, Killua!”

He laughed loudly and you scowled.

A tugging on the hem of your shirt made you glanced down at Gon, who was staring at the supply closet with wide eyes. “What is it, Gon?”

“I heard something…” he mumbled, softly, his gaze not leaving the closet.

You pulled your arm free from Killua and stood up straight, picking up the flashlight. As you approached the closet at the back of the room, it felt like your hair was standing on end, goosebumps erupting across your flesh. You lifted your hand toward the handle.

Just as your fingers made contact, a clear voice came through the spirit box. “No!”

“‘No’ what?” Killua’s brow furrowed as he looked down at the box.

The voice made your heart speed up as the feeling of being watched returned. You swallowed. “Do you… not want me to open the closet?”

“D̵̺̽o̴̦̚ṇ̵̚’̵̱̀ţ̵͘,” the voice was distorted again as if it had used all of its energy on saying no.

Something slammed against the closet door and you jumped back, dropping the flashlight. It rolled across the uneven floor, casting eerie shadows on the wall. Unparalleled dread filled your entire body, something deep inside telling you that you needed to get out. Your father had always taught you and Gon to trust your instincts no matter what, and you refused to put the boys in danger.

You speed-walked to the front of the room, where you turned the spirit box off and shoved it into the bag along with the speaker. “Let’s go home, it’s getting late.” Both boys agreed without resistance and all of you left the classroom. You slid the door closed and turned around to head for the stairs.

It happened so fast you almost didn’t register it. A black shadowy vine shot out from the darkness at the end of the hall, wrapping tight around your ankle and tugging hard. With a surprised shriek, you fell to the linoleum floor. The impact left your chin throbbing, blood dripping from the cut on your lip. You felt dazed, like you were in a dream.

The vine started to pull you into the darkness. The boys, who had been previously frozen in shock, rushed forward, each grabbing onto an arm and pulling. When that didn’t work, Killua tried pulling the vine off, but it only tightened around your ankle. You tried to grab your bag, but it was just out of reach.

“Killua, my bag!”

“Forget the bag!”

“It has a pocket knife in it!”

He ran to the bag, turning it upside down, the contents scattering across the floor. The pocket knife landed in front of you and you wasted no time flicking it open and turning over.

“Get off of me!” you screamed, slamming the blade down onto the vine, expecting it to break apart.

“…nothing happened.” Killua sweatdropped.

“I noti~ced!” The vine gave a tug halfway through the word, sending you sliding across the floor toward the darkness. You kicked and struggled to no avail as you got closer to the endless void at the end of the hall. ‘Shit, what do I do?!’

“N̵̲̍o̶̗͊,”

The same icy voice from the spirit box now echoed throughout the hall. A figure materialized in front of you, glowing white from head to toe. It looked like a young girl, around the same age as the boys. You couldn’t see her face because she was standing in front of you, but her black hair fell in gentle waves to her mid-back. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her body flickered in and out of sight, like a light whose battery was dying.

She turned toward you, an annoyed look on her face. Her mouth did not move, but you heard her voice clear as day in your head. ‘Lend me your energy.’

‘M-My energy?’ you swallowed. ‘Ami said it’s dangerous to allow a spirit to take my energy, but… I have to protect Gon and Killua!’

‘If you want to protect them,’ her voice echoed in your head as she glanced at the two boys behind you, frozen in fear. She reached her hand out to you. ‘Give me your energy.’

‘I have to protect them, no matter what the cost,’ Determined to do just that, you placed your hand in hers.

The glow around her increased until it engulfed the entire hallways. It was so bright that you had to close your eyes. The coldness you felt slowly started to fade as the hallway grew warm. Your head started to spin and the last thing you heard before plunging into darkness was her soft voice in your head, ‘Thank you.’

2 Hours Later

Your eyes fluttered open, squinting at the bright light above you. ‘Where am I?’ you wondered, pushing yourself up into a sitting position.

“Y/N!”

Gon and Killua ran at you, jumping onto the bed and throwing their arms around your body. Tears fell from Gon’s eyes, soaking your neck and the collar of your shirt.

“I was so worried!” he sobbed, his body shaking.

You wrapped your arms around both of them, holding them tightly. “Are you okay, Gon?” He nodded and you turned to Killua. “How about you?”

His pale cheeks darkened and he held back the tears that clung his eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine. Are you okay?”

You nodded, running a hand through his messy hair. “Yeah, sorry to worry you.”

Someone cleared their throat and you looked at the door, feeling your body tense up. The vice-principal, Hisoka, stood at the door with his arms folded and lips pressed into a thin line. He did not look happy. “Would you care to explain why the three of you are inside the school at one in the morning?” He raised a brow.

‘One in the morning? Is it really that late?’ you offered him a sheepish smile. “Um… we were walking by and saw someone inside so we decided to take a look…”

“And you didn’t think it necessary to inform the cops?”

“Uh, well…”

“We thought it was a student!” Killua interjected. “I heard some students talking about the school being haunted, so we figured it was them.”

Something flashed through his eyes so quickly that the boys didn’t notice it, but you did. With a heavy sigh, he glanced at the clock. “Let’s get you all home. I will be calling your parents first thing in the morning.” He turned to the door, glancing over his shoulder. “Hopefully, you will have your story straight by the time school ends tomorrow.”

You glanced at Killua and he sweatdropped, lowering his voice. “Gon told him the truth.”

With a chuckle, you held Gon close and slid off the bed, carrying him since he refused to release his titanium grip. You followed Hisoka out of the school, sliding into the backseat with Gon while Killua sat upfront.

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

After dropping you off at your house, Hisoka returned to the school. He reached the third floor, glancing at the end of the hall. The inky blackness was gone and the hallway felt calm.

The girl materialized behind him.

He didn’t turn around, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Will you be moving on now?”

‘Yes,’ her chilly voice echoed within his mind. ‘There is nothing to keep me here any longer.’

“I figured you would leave as soon as it was destroyed.” Hisoka finally turned to look at the girl.

‘That was always the plan,’ she smiled, sadly. ‘But I wanted to make sure that girl was okay first. Now, I am free to leave this place that has kept me captive for so long…’ her voice faded away with her body until Hisoka was standing in the hallway alone.

Hisoka bowed, respectfully. “Rest in peace… Misato.”

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

[flowerboyethan]

Goodnite Socialite

Chapter 1: "Difficult For Me To Do, Quiet The Brain"

We all go through phases in our lives, right? There's ups and downs, high and lows, it's all part of the human existence.

Human existence seems subpar as of lately.

This voice has crawled into my head and made a home, filling my thoughts with nothing but negativity, sucking my motivation dry. I've done nothing but wake up, record a video, send it to my editor, and then crawl back in bed. I've been stuck in this damn routine for the past month, and people have noticed. What could I do? This voice refused to give me a break.

Luckily, Mark hasn't given up on me. Last week, we proposed a plan, a plan to create a channel to end in one year. He told me it might bring my motivation back, and I couldn't agree more. He dragged me out of bed today to record one video for Unus Annus and then drag me to some bar to watch his friend perform.

"A break from your routine would help," Mark had said as he dropped me off at my house to get ready. "Get you back on your feet."

I didn't want to be out in public, and certainly not inside a crowded bar. But Mark was right, I needed a break, I should push myself to get out.

I stood in front of my closet now, filing through different shirts to wear. Something nice, but not too nice. I glanced at my yellow hoodie.

A hoodie makes you look like a slob, the voice mocked.

I moved on to a long-sleeve.

Plain.

I huffed, grabbing a random shirt. It was a button-up, red, yellow, and blue geometric shapes against a grey background.

There was no snarky comment from the voice.

I put it on, shrugging in the mirror. I looked good, but I couldn't let myself admit it.

I texted Mark, letting him know I was ready. I gave Spencer a scoop of food, gave him a quick pat and headed out the door. Mark smiled as I hopped in the car.

"Lookin' good, man!" He exclaimed, backing out of the driveway.

"Thanks, where's Amy?" I asked. Amy was supposed to join us, but she wasn't in the car.

"Already there. She's helping Salem set up."

"Salem?"

"The friend you're going to meet."

I nodded. "That's a badass name."

"Fits her personality, too. She's sweet, just a little…" he paused. "Out there."

"What do you mean?"

"You know how I have a big ego?"

"All too well, my friend."

He ignored my comment. "She's that and then some."

I winced.

"You'll like her better than most people she's associated with."

He was making her sound like a bad person. I started to regret leaving my house. I wasn't up for dealing with a bigger ego than Mark's.

"She's a socialite," he continued. "She just does this cover band thing for fun."

I kept quiet. A socialite. So, she's rich. I hated the rich.

"Listen, man," Mark sighed, picking up on my silence. "You know me, I'd never be friends with someone that I didn't think was a good person. Amy's known her since they were teenagers. She's a good person. I didn't mean to give you a bad impression of her."

"It's okay," I finally spoke up. "I just don't know if I have the energy to meet someone like her."

Mark nodded in response, pulling into the bar's parking lot. It wasn't too packed, but we had to park a ways away from the door. We spotted Amy near the center of the bar, sitting at a small round table with several baskets of fries and a few beers.

"Hey!" She greeted us as we sat down. "You're just in time, they're starting in a few minutes." She slid a basket of fries and a beer bottle to me. "These are from Salem."

I was being buttered-up already by someone I haven't met yet. I smiled, masking away the truth. "Tell her thank you."

"You tell her yourself," Amy sipped on her own drink. "She wants to meet you after the show."

Puzzled, I asked why.

"'Any friend of Mark and Amy is a friend of mine' she said to me. And she always loves meeting new people."

"And she likes to show off," Mark piped up through a mouthful of fries.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's true. She can be a bit flirtatious, but she means well."

A flirtatious, egotistical, narcissist. A perfect reason to get out of the house. I sighed, looking down at my fries. Was I really stubborn enough to not eat these just because she bought them for me? I've barely eaten anything for the past month, I guess a few fries wouldn't hurt.

The lights flickered up on stage, drawing my eyes to a woman adjusting her base strap on her shoulders.

She looks pretentious, the voice mocked again. For the first time, I disagreed. She was stunning, dressed in a Hawaiian shirt tucked into her jeans. All my previous thoughts of her faded away. She was graceful but powerful in the stage lights, as if she belonged in the spotlight.

"Good evening, everyone!" The woman on stage purred in a singsong voice, placing her round glasses on top of her head to keep her wavy hair back. "Welcome to tonight's show!"

The crowd cheered as the rest of the band walked on stage.

"If you are new, my name is Salem. This is Melanie." She gestured to the soft-looking keyboard player who blew a kiss to the crowd. "Pike," an androgynist guitarist winked. "And Vivian," the drummer danced in her with her drumsticks in hand. "And we are Witch Haven!"

"Witch Haven?" I leaned closer to Amy, questioning the band name.

"An homage to her ancestors," she whispered back. "They were witches during the Salem Witch Trials. She gets her name from that, too."

"Really?"

"Yes, now hush!" She waved me off with a smile.

Salem continued to speak upfront. "We have a few covers lined up for you tonight, starting with Goodnight Socialite by The Brobecks." A few people in the crowd cheered. "Mel? Will you start us off?"

Their show began. For a cover band, they played well together, and didn't try to outshine the original artist. Salem, the lead singer, sang beautifully, and I could hardly look away.

Halfway through the song, her eyes landed on me. The anxiety that I had felt this whole month increased. My stomach turned, my palms sweating. Every time I glanced back at her after taking a swig of my beer, there her eyes were, dark, and fixed on me. I gulped, and she must have noticed. She winked at me. Was she into me? I felt myself give into that idea.

You think she'd ever be with a loser like you? The voice shot me down. You? She's rich, Ethan. She has no interest in you. Why would she ever be into you?

I covered my ears, trying to drown it out. Would this ever end? This low-point? Would I ever get a break. It was a mistake leaving my house, I should have protested to Mark more. I should be at home, with my dog, curled up in bed while I wallow in misery.

"Ethan?" Mark's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Ethan, are you okay?"

I paused, what could I say? They both knew what was wrong with me, so why ask?

"Is it too loud?" Amy asked.

I nodded, a good excuse.

"The next song is quieter. Or do you want to go home?"

I shook my head. Something in me wanted to stay, to possibly talk to Salem. Maybe I had a chance despite what the voice said.

After an hour, the band finished their show, and the bar started to clear out. Mark left to go talk to the band, Amy headed for the restroom, leaving me alone at the table with an empty beer bottle and a basket of fries. I watched Mark disappear backstage, I was truly alone in the bar now. Should I wait by the car? Do I wait here? I didn't know what to do.

Salem walked out from backstage, beginning to pack away the instruments and cords.

You should leave.

I stood up.

Leave! Now!

My feet involuntarily started towards the stage.

What are you doing?! What do you think will come of this?

I reached the stage, Salem’s back turned to me.

She doesn’t see you. You can still turn away and-

“Salem?”

She turned around, her shoes squeaking against the floor. She smiled, her tongue sticking out a bit. “Hello,” she cooed, crouching to meet my eyes. “And who might you be?”

Hazelnut. Her eyes were the color of hazelnuts. “I, uh- I’m Ethan.”

“Ethan!” Her eyes started to sparkle. “Amy told me about you. Come, come!” she stuck her hand out, waiting to pull me up onstage with her. “Any friend of Mark and Amy is a friend of mine.”

I took her hand, pushing off the ground with my foot to climb up. She fixed the collar of her Hawaiian shirt, shaking it out a bit. “How did you like my show?” She took her glasses off her head, cleaning them on her shirt.

“Oh, it- it was incredible,” I fumbled my words a bit, trying not to look at her stomach that was slightly exposed.

“Ah! Good!” She placed her glasses on her face. “I love meeting new fans. Now, do you have a favorite part, dear Ethan?”

My heart jumped. “Well, I- uh…”

She tilted her head a bit. “You seem so nervous! Is everything alright?”

“I'm- I'm just going through this anxious episode, thing.”

Stop talking.

“Oh, you poor thing!” She grabbed my hands, holding them close to her chest, causing me to stumble forward slightly. “I do hope my show helped!”

“It- it did! It did!” I stuttered. God, I couldn’t think straight. “It’s just that-”

“Did I upset you somehow?” She started to lean closer, concern covering her face.

Spit it out.

“You were making eyes at me!”

Salem dropped my hands, taking a step back. “I was doing what?” Her singsong voice disappeared.

You shouldn't have said that. 'Making eyes at me'? Who even says that? She winked at you, nothing more, you idiot.

“I was sitting near the back, and you couldn’t take your eyes off me, and-”

“Oh!” She started laughing. “Oh, no, my dear Ethan. My girlfriend was sitting in the back. I was making eyes at her!”

Every ounce of hope left my body.

“You must have been sitting in front of her,” Salem continued. “Her name’s Cherry. I love her to death.”

“You- you must be- you must have been- been together for a while, then?” I stuttered, shoving my sweaty hands into my pockets.

“Five years!” Her eyes lit up, clasping her hands together. “I couldn’t be happier. She always takes off after my gigs, though,” she stood on her toes, peering over me to scan the room. “She’s a busy woman, taking calls left and right. I’m proud of her!”

“I’m happy for you,” I cleared my throat, rubbing the back of my neck. “Look, I’m really sorry for thinking-”

“Don’t be!” She took up my hands again, just like before. “You are so sweet and respectful, Ethan. Stuff like this happens more often than you’d think!”

“Wha- really?”

She nodded vigorously, her glasses slipping down her nose a smidge. “Some guys will straight up try to kiss me after a show without even asking. Pike will have to step in and throw ‘em out.”

“I’m so sorry that happens to you,” I was itching to leave now. I felt my stomach turning.

“But you are a gem, Ethan. Will you come to my next show?”

“When is it?” I was filling in words to get this over with. I had to leave.

She shrugged. “It’s never set in stone.”

“I’ll try my best, then,” I pulled my hands away. “I gotta go. It was so nice to meet you, Salem.” I hopped off the stage, speeding towards the door, hardly hearing Salem call after me.

“Goodbye, Ethan! Lovely to meet you!”

I stumbled through the exit, sprinting towards Mark’s car. I fell to the ground, dry heaving into the ditch. The parking lot was almost empty now, only a few cars parked on the other side.

I’m an idiot. A loser. How could I be so stupid to even think of talking to Salem? Let alone think she even had a desire to be with me. Of course, she was in a relationship. Of course, she had a girlfriend. Just my luck, falling for a girl who had no desire to even be with a boy.

Since when did I start crying?  I stopped dry heaving at this point. I sat on my thighs, knees digging into the dirt, sobbing into my hands.

“I’m such an idiot,” I choked on a tear. “Look at me, crying in a bar parking lot. Pathetic.”

“Ethan? Ethan!”

Oh, god. It’s Mark.

Mark grabbed my shoulders from behind me, gently pulling me to his chest. I kept my face in my hands. “Ethan, what is going on?”

“Ethan.” I heard Amy’s voice next to me. She started rubbing my arm with one hand, the other on my knee. “Ethan, everything’s gonna be alright.”

I whimpered, shaking my head, still covering my face. “No, it not.” I pulled away from Mark and Amy. I had nothing more to say. Everything was going wrong. This low-point, it felt like my world was ending. I wanted this voice gone, I wanted my motivation back, I wanted this anxiety to leave. I shouldn't have come here. I shouldn't have spoken to Salem. I should never leave my house again.

They were silent for a moment, Amy rubbing my back as I hunched over, crying.

“Do you want to go home?” Mark asked, his voice soft.

I nodded.

“Will you be fine alone?” Amy chimed in.

I nodded.

“Let’s get you up,” Mark coaxed, placing his arm around my waist and a hand in mine. I never protested as he lifted me up and brought me to the car door. I usually would, claiming that I could do it myself. I was too tired to protest.

So tired…

[spn-rewrites]

01x16 (part 1)

Season One Episode Sixteen: Shadows

A/N: i know this part is a little short, but it’s here! thank you for all the support, it really does mean a lot to me! feel free to send feedback, as always, and any suggestions you may have for the story. i have a vauge idea of a main story line, but i’d love your input for smaller ones or whatever you may have! please REBLOG if you enjoyed and let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist. i also wanna say thank you to everyone letting me know when the tags aren’t working, i know it’s frustrating but bare with me while i figure it out!

SYNOPSIS: a strange case brings you to the Windy City wearing polyester jumpsuits

WORD COUNT: 1693

It isn’t that dressing up as alarm system employees was beneath you, it was that dressing up, in itself, was becoming a more embarrassing part of your job. It was mostly Sam’s idea and at least Dean was on your side, tugging at the cheap polyester clinging to his thighs. “I’ve gotta say, we were doing just fine without these stupid costumes,” he says. “I feel like a high school drama dork.” The costumes were a new development post-operation Get John Back, courtesy of Sam’s desire to keep everything at mute as possible. You and Dean clearly did not share the same mindset.

The suits, in fact, did come from a costume store, completed with a tool box that Dean is carrying as you walk up the streets of Chicago. Horns were blaring, people were yelling and the pollution was thick but you always did have a soft spot for the city. 

They were calling it a Sleuth Killer, the thing that killed Meredith Rodgers in her apartment. It wasn’t unusual for murders in cities like these to go uninvestigated. Most of the time they chalked it up to gang violence or a freak accident and that was the end of it but the moment you read this article, the entire thing seemed too fishy to just be a coincidence. 

             “What was that play that you did?” Dean asks, snapping his fingers and pointing at Sam. 

            “You were in a play?” You perk up, looking at the younger brother with excitement. It’s always fun finding out new things about the boys, things that happened before you and before this. 

  Dean continues to snap his fingers as he thinks. His nose scrunching up in focus as you bounce on your own feet waiting for more informtion. “Our Town!” Dean cheers when his memory comes back to him. “Yeah,” he chuckles and shakes his head. “You were good. It was cute.” 

“Look,” Sam says, trying to change the subject just as you lean into Dean to ask more questions about this play and maybe if he had video evidence of it hidden somewhere. “You wanna pull this off or not?” 

“I’m just saying these outfits cost hard earned money,” Dean says. 

You shrug your shoulders and look down at your outfit. It was an ugly shade of navy blue, the fabric made you look frumpy and not to mention the awful shoes. “I kind of like the costumes sometimes,” you say. But mostly when they involved dressing up in tights and a pretty skirt and not like a city laborer.

“Whose money?” Sam asks his brother, ignoring you. 

“Ours! You think running credit card fraud is easy?” 

+++

The landlord was more than willing to let you inside Meredith’s apartment, which was no longer blocked off by crime scene tape but still had the evidence stained on the white carpeting. It was the only evidence of a crime even happening. Everything else was still perfect, the way that Meredith wanted them. The only weird part, besides the blood, was the fact that Meredith had at least five different deadbolts installed on her door.

“You guys said you’re with the alarm company?” The landlord asks. She’s a short woman dressed in comfy clothes: a long cardigan and t-shirt underneath and her hair was in a bun on the back of her head. You all mumble, confirming her question. “No offense but your alarms are about as useful as boobs on a man.” 

You try to stifle a laugh as Sam looks down at you smirking. “Well, that’s why we’re here,” Dean says. “To see what went wrong and to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” The landlord nods her head and glances around the room, shivers a little bit under the grotesque situation. 

“Ma’am. You said you found the body?” You ask her. The question was meant to distract her from looking at all the blood on the floor, but it probably ended up making her think about it more. She twists the key around in her hands and nods. “Right after it happened?”

“No. A few days later. Meredith’s work called and she hadn’t showed up,” she says. Most of this information you already read in the news article that Sam was reading out loud in the car on your way but you ask her anyway while the boys check the surroundings as if they were looking for the alarm sensors. “I knocked on her door and that’s when I noticed the smell.” 

“Any windows open? Any sign of break in?” Dean asks.You turn your head to look at him. He was holding a curtain open and the view from her window was spectacular. You start to miss it the moment the curtains falls closed. 

“No. The windows were locked, the front door was bolted. Chain was on the door, we

had to cut it to get it open,” she explains like she was telling an adventure story. One with so many twists and turns it was hard to keep it straight. She has a dispassionte tone about her voice, though. Like maybe telling it as a story was easier than admitting it happened to her. 

“And the alarm was still on?” Dean moves his finger around in a circle as he walks toward you and the landlord. 

“Like I said, bang-up job your company is doing.” Dean just agrees softly and your eyes dance around the room. The blood splatters don’t seem like splatters to you. Their placement just too perfect and your eyes are so drawn to them, it’s hard to take them off. 

“Any overturned furniture? Broken glass or signs of struggle?” At this point, Dean is just fishing for her to say yes to anything that deems this as normal but she just shook her head once again and Dean lets out a sigh. You start to walk the trail of blood, noting how the big ones seem to be always the same distance apart. Only being strung together but smaller spots. 

“Everything was in perfect condition,” she maintains. “Except Meredith.” Your eyes snap back to her as her voice quiets down and darkness cover her eyes.

“What condition was she in?” You asked softly. 

Without looking at you, she answers. “Meredith was all over. In pieces. The guy who killed her must have been a wack job. But I’ll tell you, if I didn’t know any better, I’d have said a wild animal did it.” You look up at Sam, whose standing by a window and then you look down at Dean, who’s crouched down by the desk chair looking at a pool of blood and you sigh. 

“Ma’am, would you mind if we just took a minute? Give this place a once over?” Sam asks and the woman agrees, leaving the key on the coffee table and exiting the apartment as if her feet couldn’t carry her fast enough. 

The tool box that Dean was carrying did come with the costumes, however the contents

inside were all your own. EMF readers, blacklights, temperature detectors. All the makings for a ghost hunting were inside. “So, the killer walks in and out of the apartment. No weapons, no prints, nothing,” Dean says.

“I’m telling you, when I read that article. I just knew that something was off,” you say. The moment you saw the heading, you ran over to Sam and showed him and there wasn’t a doubt in his mind either. The EMF reader going off in Dean’s hand seemed to be certain, too. 

“I think I agree with you,” Dean mumbles. 

“So, you talked to the cops?” Sam asks while he and Dean sweep the room with their gadgets. You, empty handed, walk the path of the blood. Your eyes trained to the ground, following the pattern over and over again trying to make sense of it. 

“Oh, yeah. I spoke to Amy,” Dean says absently. “A charming, perky, officer of the law.” 

“What did you find out?” You ask, oblivious to Dean’s statement. You both were to engrossed in your own tasks to put much force into your voice. 

“She’s a Sagittarius and loves tequila,” Dean says.

“I’m a Sagittarius, too!” You perk up and glance over at him, but he doesn’t look at you and he doesn’t stop talking.

“I mean, whew. And oh, she’s got this little tattoo--”

“Dean!” Sam snaps, turning around to face him with his hands up. Sometimes, you wonder if Sam feels like a dad trying to rangle in his toddlers. Because, quit honestly, that’s sometimes how you feel when the boys fight. 

“What?” Dean looks back at Sam and then shakes the thought of Amy out of his head. “Nothing that we don’t already know. Except for one thing they’re keeping out of the papers.” Sam looks back down at his reader and mumbles for Dean to keep going. “Meredith’s heart was missing,” he says. 

“What?” You ask, your attention leaving the blood pattern. Sam seemed a little less phased than you, but his eyebrows raised in interest. “So what do you think did this?” You ask softly as the boys meet you in the middle of the apartment. 

“Well the landlady said it looks like an animal attack. Maybe it was a werewolf?” Dean suggests. Your fingers dance in the pattern of the blood. 

“The lunar cycle isn’t right. If it was a creature, it would have left some kind of trace,” Sam suggests. “It’s probably a spirit.” You nod your head to the side like you’d consider the thought but Dean saw the half-ass attempt at making Sam feel like he was on to something while your brain was already onto the next and the next after that.

“What’s up?” Dean asks you. 

“Do we have duct tape?” The boys exchange a look but Dean checks the tool box and Sam digs through Meredith’s junk drawers for some kind of tape and when they find it, Dean hands the roll you to you and you begin connecting all the dots of blood together with it. The pattern was cohesive and with actual lines connecting the dots, you were able to see it clearly on the floor in front of you rather than a foggy image in your brain. 

“What the hell is it?” Sam asks as you stand back and look at the final product. 

“I have no idea.”

tagged: @matchamendes @stuckupstucky @sillydecoy @kaelyn-lobrutto24 @liztorr1212 @icanreadbookstoo @rachael-mae @jessewa26 @sundownridge @givemebooksorgivemedeath @alienemilyyyy @teenwaywardasgardian @mpmarypoppins @mellowlandrunaway2

[crowned-ladybug]

A Thousand and One Words

I was going to write an actual “birthday fic” but already hated it ~300 words in so I wrote this instead. Still happy, still cheesy, but also more enjoyable in the end.

Idea once again from convos with @sunkistjello and it will probably be as much of a reoccuring/referenced thing as Anti’s tattoos or his brotherly relationship with Chase.

Written on 10/10, Anti’s birthday.

Characters: Anti, Seán, a bunch of others are mentioned

Word count: 2.3k

Warnings: nothing.

Anti is sitting on the floor of Seán's recording room, alone. He loves how quiet it is when it's only him, the padded walls swallowing any unwanted noise. It's one of his few safe spaces in the world and as someone who gets sensory overloaded when he crosses worlds sometimes, he really values the peace. But now he's just hanging out, maybe a bit tired, sitting there because he enjoys the tranquillity and because the house around him feels like home.

He's flipping through his photo album.

He got it, almost empty save for a single picture, from Signe some time ago. The single picture in it, right on the first page was a photo of the three of them – Anti, Signe and Seán – taken during the first convention Anti had accompanied them to. The rest? Empty, with neat little slots for new photographs, up for Anti to fill.

Now, while not nearly full, it has many more pictures in it. Anti loves flipping through them, reminiscing, laughing at the funny ones and constantly being reminded that he has a place in the world and it's right here. Sometimes he looks through it with friends, sometimes alone, and this time it's the latter. He loves the memories.

One of the first pictures is a group photo of Chase, Dark, Bing and Oliver, taken by Anti himself. It was an impromptu pic, taken in their own dimension on a quiet afternoon. They have all just been hanging out, Dark reading, Anti cuddled under his arm and occasionally throwing in a word or two to the playful conversation between Chase, Bing and Oliver. A thought struck Anti, that it was so peaceful and nice and they were all just like family, and he just had to take a picture. Dark pretended (poorly) to be annoyed by it while Bing and Chase gave him big, goofy grins and Oliver leant over the back of the couch to make ears over their heads with his fingers. Later Anti decided to have the picture printed out and kept in the album as a reminder that big, special moments aren't the only ones worth making into memories.

There’s a photo Signe took back at the old house in Ireland, of Anti sitting in the middle of an empty room, surrounded by about a dozen boxes. It was a bittersweet day, one of the last ones Seán and Signe (and thus Anti) had spent in that house before officially moving out. They found themselves wandering the house, taking in the strange emptiness, but somehow what came out of it was a happy photo, Anti sitting on the ground and looking around with an excited grin on his face. Seán and Signe were going on a new adventure and he was going to go with them.

There's one of just Anti and Seán, hanging onto each other's shoulders and making funny faces at the camera. It was taken during a day they spent exploring Brighton a little after Seán and Signe had moved in. Anti was wearing a scarf and a beanie to pass better as human and him and Seán enthusiastically pretended to be brothers just for shits and giggles. Signe decided that the light-hearted stunt and the unbearable amount of dumb jokes called for a photo.

There’s a similar one, Anti and Seán striking goofy poses and making faces in front of a mirror, phone in Seán’s hand. They’re both wearing crop tops, Seán his Dream Daddy one and Anti a black one with “glitch bitch” written across the front. Looking back Anti really loved the picture and the feelings behind it – the laughter and jokes, the feeling of losing all seriousness and just how much he loves wearing that top. And so it wound up in his album.

There's a selfie Anti had decided to have printed out. It's him and Dark, cheeks pressed together, Anti wearing a big, toothy grin while Dark is smiling lightly. It's another one of those pics that have no special occasions behind them, Anti just felt cute, wanted to take a selfie and Dark butted in with some badly-veiled cheesy compliments, and had Anti insisted on keeping him in the picture.

There's another group photo a few pages over, one of Teamiplier, Dark, Seán and Anti, standing and crouching before a green screen. It was taken after they filmed the "Dark vs Anti" video for Mark's channel, successfully creating more bloopers than actual usable footage. Anti is crouched in front of a very dishevelled-looking Dark and next to a very joyful Amy, and just before he had turned his head to grin at the camera he had been having a competition with Kathryn on who could talk shit about Dark and Mark better.

There's one of just him, arms spread wide and body playfully leaning to the side, grin wide as ever. He's standing on a pier in the late-August sun, arms bare, bandages around his neck and form barely glitching. Behind him is the fountain in Geneva, way too tall to fit in the picture, casting rainbows in the sunlight. Dark was the one who took the picture, settling into playing tourist surprisingly easily and smiling softly at Anti as he ran as close to the fountain as he possibly could and came back with his hair sticking in his face from the water. They had jumped to Geneva together using their dimension crossing like usual. It was just one of the many places they had visited or are still planning to visit together. Anti remembers each and every trip fondly.

There's a polaroid that's the copy of the one hanging on the wall of Chase's living room amongst many others. It's Anti, sitting on a swing with Chase's son Grayson on his lap, both of them looking to the side, watching Bing skateboarding if Anti remembers correctly. The old-timey camera didn't pick up any of Anti's glitching and so he looks perfectly normal. He looks exactly like a happy uncle, hanging out with his nephew at the park, just having a good time spending the day with his family. He felt normal that day, too.

There's another selfie, of Anti, Seán and Chase. Anti has band-aids on his neck and Chase's snapback on his head, Seán is in full Anti make-up with a fake bleeding cut on his neck, plastic fangs and a black shirt, and Chase is wearing Seán's old favourite hat and an Overwatch hoodie. They thought it would be fun to pretend to be each other just for the sake of a few pictures and some good laughs. It was amazing. Anti smiles to himself remembering how ridiculous Seán is every time he tries to mimic his glitching and how Chase ran around screaming Seán's intro until Signe checked on them, laughing at the sight.

There's another photo that's a little similar in nature, of Seán dressed as Anti and Mark dressed as Dark. It's hilarious knowing the height difference between Mark and Dark, and how generally very different all four of them really look. But Mark pranced around in his suit proudly nonetheless, exclaiming "Who wore it better? Me, of course, you VHS bitch!" when someone suggested Dark being more handsome than him. They had been filming skits together, Seán and Mark, because they still do about half the shots and voices for their egos when it comes to possibly glitching up footage beyond repair, and Anti was part of the immediate audience, struggling to hold his giggling back at pretty much anything they did.

There's one of Seán and all his egos known at the time. It's a rare occurrence, getting all of them to be in the same place at the same time, and they all had an absolute field day together. They all stood together in one clump, a dozen different shades of blue eyes smiling at the camera and everyone's hair a different shade of green somehow. Anti remembers Marvin almost falling from trying so hard to stand on his tiptoes to appear taller next to Jackie and Jackie watching him with concern, and Henrik bursting out laughing when he saw Chase and Seán giving each other bunny ears without realising that the other was doing the same.

There's a picture that's one of those very stereotypical family ones, they're even sitting on and around a couch and used a timer on the camera to take it. And Anti loves it. It's the newest addition to his album, taken a few days ago on his birthday. He's right in the middle, sitting on the couch with a wide smile, cheeks pink and tears of joy almost visible in his eyes. Dark is on his right, arm hooked around his waist while Anti is holding him close by the shoulders, and Seán is on his left, one arm wrapped around Anti's shoulders and the other around Signe. Chase is right behind Anti, standing against the couch with his arms draped over the back of it, and of course Bing is right next to him. There's so many more of them. There's Marvin, laughing with his arm wound loosely around Jackie's neck and Jackie laughing too, eyes just barely open to squint at the camera. Host is standing above Dark, a warm smile on his lips, and Wilford is sitting on the floor at Dark's feet, throwing a peace sign at the camera. Chase's kids are sitting on the floor too, Sammy holding Grayson to her side and her smile is exactly like her dad's. And there's Henrik sitting a little clumsily on one of the armrests and Anti remembers that Google had to steady him by the shoulders a couple of times before he found his balance. The other armrest is occupied by Amy, usual wide smile on her face, and Mark is standing right beside her, grinning like an absolute goof and striking a dumb pose after setting off the timer and having just ran back into the picture. It's a long haul, a lot of people, and there's even more who couldn't make it to his birthday.

Anti sniffles, smiling and wiping clumsily at his eyes with the back of his hand. It's a cheesy family picture, because he's cheesy and that's his family. Because he has a family.

He's shaken from his reminiscing by a knock on the door. "Hey dude, you in there?"

It's Seán and Anti smiles at the fact that he knocked coming into his own recording room in his own house, just because he knew Anti could be in there.

"Yeah, what's up?"

Seán enters curiously and he sees Anti sitting on the floor, photo album on his lap and he immediately suspects what’s up. Especially so when he notices the drying tears on Anti’s cheeks that he had failed to wipe away. He walks over and sits down comfortably, knowing Anti won't mind his presence.

"You good?" Seán asks, eyes searching his friend's face for any evidence that those tears are from a bad cause.

"Yeah," Anti chuckles, because he's got a lot of nice feelings bubbling in his chest already and Seán's concern only adds to it.

Seán hums in understanding and looks down at the album. His smile widens into a proper grin when he sees where it's opened. "Nice pic, dude."

"Yeah, I..." Anti lets out a small laugh. "I really like it too."

"A perfect, cheesy as fuck family photo."

"Of a perfect, cheesy as fuck family," Anti jokes and Seán wraps an arm around his shoulder.

"I don't know about perfect, but..." he shrugs. "I do think we're up there, if you know what I mean."

Anti laughs again, but his voice is quiet when he speaks. "I don't care if it isn't perfect. It's mine. It's the best family."

Grinning, Seán squeezes him against his side and Anti almost loses his balance from the sheer force of it. "Of course it's yours, man."

It's such a small, dumb thing that shouldn't even need to be said, but both of them know how much comfort it gives Anti. Having a family, a home to return to, people who love him and care about him, that's all something that Anti never thought could be his and yet it is.

Because just two days ago they had gathered in Seán and Signe's house to celebrate his birthday, Chase ruffled his hair saying Anti will forever be his little brother and Marvin lit the candles with magical, colourful fire. Because a week ago he had gone out to get ice cream with Dark and their niece and nephew. Because it's already been two weeks since his last trip with Dark, they've both been too busy and now they're intensively planning the next one, because it's tradition, it's their thing and they both need it to continue. Because a couple months ago Signe had given him a box to keep his belongings in if he wants to and placed it in her and Seán's closet, and they drew things on the side of it together. Because that box holds so many memories now and Anti keeps filling it with more and more.

And because tonight he will be falling asleep in the guest room of Seán and Signe's house after they talk and laugh and play video games until one of them starts nodding off. Because sometime during the week he's finally going to Vienna with Dark to see the Schönbrunn Palace and the treasury and just walk around the streets listening to Dark talk about history and sit down for a coffee and maybe some cake somewhere. Because he doesn't know how Christmas and New Year's will go but he knows he will be spending both with his family.

Because he has a family, they've been there ever since he's met them and he's finally starting to really believe that they will stay, too.

[nintendroid]

Nintendroid’s Lazy Boy No-Chew Reviews

Doctor Who: Return To Earth (Wii)

2010

I can’t come up for a witty tagline for this one. Doctor Who: Return To Earth is a bad, bad game.

 My wife has been a fan of Doctor Who for several years, while I, myself am fairly new to the series. The 40-year continuity intimidated me because there was just so much to learn and catch up on. My wife suggested that I start with the 9th doctor and go forward, so I did.  At the time I had started this game, I was in the middle of actor David Tennant’s run as the 10th doctor.

I can see why the series has the following it does. Science-fiction, humor, drama, it’s a great show. When I got to the 10th doctor’s run, I kept thinking that this series had great potential for video games. Surprisingly, Doctor Who doesn’t have a lot of games. I guess developers just can’t find their footing with it.

I had seen that there was a Doctor Who game for the Wii released in Europe. Being a Wii fanatic, I had to get this game.

The price was ridiculous, and overseas shipping made it worse. It wasn’t “how am I gonna pay my car insurance this month?” bad, but it was “I don’t have enough for the combo at Burger King” bad.

So I get the game, put it in my Wii with no time to spare and oh boy…

I’ve never been one to complain about graphics, but this game is outright ugly. I would go as far as saying they’re Nintendo 64 games that look so much better. The Wii was never touted as a graphical powerhouse, but they’re tons of great looking games on the system. This is just low effort.

With that said, I can give graphics a pass if the gameplay is at least decent. Starting out, Return to Earth is actually ok. It’s nothing groundbreaking but I can say I was enjoying myself. The gameplay is a mix of stealth, puzzle-solving and platforming with the latter being what eventually drives this proverbial Volkswagen off a cliff into a dumpster fire.

The story is penned by veteran  “Who” writer Oli Smith. The Doctor and Amy Pond arrive on an abandoned star ship headed to earth after a bout of solar storms. The Time Axis is on board the ship and Daleks and Cybermen are there to take it so your job is to make sure they don’t. I honestly had to look it up because I couldn’t hardly remember the plot. Just put it this way, it was an excuse to cram Daleks and Cybermen together in a video game.

You switch between controlling the Doctor and Amy, spending your time trying to get from point A to B without enemies spotting you. Both characters have no way of defending themselves, aside from traps you can trigger throughout the levels that help dispose of some of the enemies. Stealth is key, and you find yourself crouching to avoid enemies a lot. I didn’t mind this and actually enjoyed dodging enemies this way. It never got too frustrating and even if you were caught, more times than not, you could outrun them.

 Opening doors, triggering traps and walkways and just about everything else needed to advance revolves around finding these different colored crystals that allow you to shoot at the coordinated targets. For example, there’s a door that doesn’t open and around it is a moving red target. To open that door, you need to find a red crystal to shoot at that target. The more crystals you have, the more chances you have. You can store up to 6 at a time.

These crystals are guarded by these little smart-mouthed robots that stick up out of the ground. They’re harmless, but if you get in their line of sight, they go into the ground and take the crystal with them. When this happens, you have to walk away, allow them to pop back up and try again. This wasn’t a major issue, but it was a minor annoyance at times.

Once you got your crystals, you’re ready to shoot at these targets. To do so, you point your Wiimote at the screen, press A to aim and shoot at it using the B button. The shot has to take time to charge, so you have to time them just right. It starts out simple but some of the targets get frustrating as you go on. In the later chapters of the game, this gets to be a nightmare. If you have a difficult target, you’ll sometimes waste all your shots and have to go and refill on crystals. Some areas are full of bad platforming segments and unavoidable enemies so you’re gonna die a lot until you get lucky enough to accomplish your task.

During the “shooting” segments, aiming and firing isn’t that bad and for the most part fairly accurate. The only times I had trouble nailing a target was when the target was far off and had a crazy-erratic floating pattern. During the segments where you’re shooting projectiles in space however, hoo-boy.

 They’re few times where you have to man the ships laser-guns to either shoot projectiles coming to damage the ship, or to pull something from space to the ship. The aiming is so broken in these segments, and I only pulled them off by sheer luck. Luckily these aren’t common segments, but I dreaded any time they appeared.

Sometimes you had to open these panels to complete a circuit board mini-game. To screw off the covering you had to twist your Wiimote like a screwdriver to remove the screws. That’s the fun part, the circuit mini-game is a pain. They start out ok, then after the 9th chapter, they become a chore. The game calls it a circuit but you’re basically guiding a marble through a maze and if that marble takes enough damage, it’s back to the main beginning of the maze. These segments are mandatory to reach certain areas of the game, so you have no choice but to tough them out,.

What makes them tough is later on, there’s a “bad marble” that chases you until you complete the circuit. If that bad marble reaches yours, it’s instant death and you’re back at the beginning. Within the mazes you’re trying to guide through, they’re traps that can drain its energy if you get caught. So you’re hurrying to avoid the bad circuit chasing you, all the while avoiding touching certain walls, fixing mechanisms that open energy-sucking laser doors and traps to get to the end. If you’re circuit-marble loses it’s energy, then it’s back to the beginning of the maze. This game sucks.

 Now let’s talk about the game’s worst feature. It’s awful, awful, awful platforming. For one, none of the characters can jump, so moving from platform to platform involves simply walking over to the next one, when the platforms align briefly. Doesn’t sound bad, but both the Doctor and Amy are so incredibly slow that by the time you get your butt in gear to walk to the other platform, it’s already moving and you’re going to fall right into whatever bottomless pit is waiting below.

 If the platforming isn’t enough alone, you have the camera to wrestle with as well! The camera is worse than any N64 platformer ever dreamed of being. The camera is stationary and you can’t get it at an angle to see how to cross a certain platforms. There was a part where I was having to cross platforms above a green sewage pit and since I couldn’t move the camera to get on the right platform, I found a way to get to the other side without having to reach the game’s intended platform. I reach the door and it breaks the friggin’ game. So even though I reached the other room, my view was still stuck at the sewage area, because I didn’t get on the intended platform to get there, because the camera wouldn’t let me get a viewpoint of what I needed to do to get to the intended platform! ARGH!

I can’t fathom that Nintendo paid BBC 10 MILLION POUNDS for this game. Nintendo got ripped off big time, and they should’ve sued the ever-loving piss out of BBC for giving them such an half-brained creation.

The sad thing is, there is promise here! The first 5 or so chapters are enjoyable. I can say there were times that I had fun, but the artificial difficulty makes this mess unplayable. If you insist on playing this garbage, stop after the 5th chapter or you’ll regret it. I can’t even recommend this to hardcore Who fans. If you have to play a Doctor Who game, pick up the point-and-click adventure games for PC.

 My Grade: F

[Watch a full play through by Pikawil64]

[Nintendroid on Facebook]

[explorer1321-blog]

Imagine pt2

WARNING! IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE FIRST PART, GO DO THAT OR YOU'LL BE CONFUSED AND MAJOR STORY EVENTS SO GO READ OR STFU ~Enjoy~ Amy POV I sighed, pulling the car into the office lot. As soon as I left, worrying squeezed my chest and constricted, like a snake. I'd been sitting in my car for how long, simply thinking, before I walked in. The last thing I expected to see was Ethan sitting at his desk, editing one of Mark's pre recorded videos. I didn't expect him to be sitting there, leaning back, sipping a coffee, yet there he was. Doing exactly that. He tilted his head back toward me a bit, sighing at the look on my face. "He missed his 2nd post, been getting notifications all day." he finished up and spun his chair around. I noticed the bags under his eyes, wondering if he had slept last night. "Why are you here?" his head turned slightly to the side, a questioning look covering his sleepiness. "I told Mark that we need to take a break. After all that's happened, I figured we could both use one." I ignored Ethan's shocked expression and sat down. I realized that when I said, it sounded completely devoid of emotion, happy or sad. "Holy shit," he mumbled," is he ok?" he stood up and walked toward me. "I've been wondering that." "Have you tried calling him?" "Well- no, actually," I pulled out my phone and quickly called, it immediately went to his voicemail. "Weird," I whispered. "Well, he won't be on social media, and obviously hasn't posted. Is there any other way to get to him?" I though about it for a moment. "Cameras. A month or 2 ago, someone tried breaking into the house, I started getting paranoid everytime we left so he bought some cameras," she swirled around and logged into the computer quickly, opening up the website and entering in a password. The first shot showed the living room where Chica was circling nervously. The screen flickered. I could feel Ethan breathing on the back of my neck, yet it somehow calmed me, reminded me I wasn't alone? It turned to the kitchen, where I saw something I thought would never happen. Beer bottles, a whole case, emptied onto the counter. She knew what happened if he drank, especially like that. "Is that.." his voice trailed, "holy shit." I switched the camera again and it showed the hallway. There was another case on the floor, a bottle opened, but had tipped over, its contents on the floor. There was what looked almost like a hole in the wall, and there was a bit of blood splatter on the floor. "We have to go. " I stated calmly, but inside I was about to explode. What if he was dead and it was all my fault? Oh god, the thoughts of him dead made me want to throw up. I grabbed my keys, Ethan and I rushing out to my car. I lost track of time as I drove to the house. If I went any faster, I might crash. After what felt like eternity, we pulled into the driveway. We both got to the door, but I paused before turning the handle. "You check the downstairs, I got the upstairs, k? I looked back. He looked so nervous, worried about something. It was understandable. I carefully twisted the handle, the dark interior looming over us. We walked into the silence, a bad feeling running down my spine. Chica was no where to be seen or heard. Ethan tip-toed into the kitchen as I walked up the stairs. I could see the faintest light coming from the end of the hall. I jogged down quickly and opened it in what seemed like slow motion. Relief filled me for a split second when I saw Mark standing in the corner. It disappeared when he looked at me. Those eyes were not the eyes of the person I knew. The door slammed behind me, loud enough to where I heard Ethan come running up the stairs. He flashed in front of me, his smile seeming to be mocking Mark's. "ʏȏȗ'яє ѧṡ ɞєѧȗṭıғȗʟ ѧṡ һє ṡѧıԀ," as I stood frozen in fear, he ran his fingers from my shoulder to my wrist. I instantly fell to the ground as if my body gone numb on its own. I could still hear Ethan banging on the door, tugging at the handle. Suddenly, it flung open and he instantly crouched down next to me, but he was too slow to notice it. He was grabbed by the neck and flung into the wall. I heard a crack and thud. In the corner of my eyes, I saw him drop to the ground like a broken doll, blood started mixing with his bright blue hair. Oh god, his chest wasn't moving, he wasn't breathing. Oh god, no. I could feel my breathes quicken, but I still wasn't able to move. He walked up, crouching by my face, wiping the hair off my face. "Ԁȏṅ'ṭ ẇȏяяʏ ѧɞȏȗṭ һıṃ, ı'ʟʟ ṃѧҡє ṡȗяє һє'ʟʟ ʟıṿє, ṃѧʏɞє. " every party of me was screaming to move, to tackle this son of a bitch. "ʏȏȗ ċѧṅ ṭяȗṡṭ ṃє, ı'ʟʟ єṿєṅ ṭѧҡє ʏȏȗ ṭȏ ṃѧяҡ, ѧṡ ѧ ṡıɢṅ ȏғ ƿєѧċє. " I didn't want this thing near me ever, but it was my only chance to get to Mark, see if he was even alive. I guess he saw me relax a bit, a row of sharp teeth shined through that smile. "ɢȏȏԀ. ṅȏẇ ı'ṃ ɢȏṅṅѧ ʟєṭ ʏȏȗ ȗƿ ѧṅԀ ɢяѧɞ ʏȏȗя ɞȗԀԀʏ ȏṿєя ṭһєяє. ṭһєṅ ʏȏȗя ɢȏṅṅѧ ṡṭѧṅԀ ṭһєяє ʟıҡє ѧ ɢȏȏԀ ɢıяʟ." he pat my head and I felt myself regain control, but it still felt like there was something holding me back. I tried running over to him, but the energy was drained out of me. I heard a laugh behind me, but I kept going. I kneeled next to him, blood soaked into my leggings. I lifted under his legs with my left hand, wrapped his left arm around my shoulders and lifted under his armpits. Her was just light enough for me to carry. I turned around and faced whatever this creature was. He grinned as Ethan's head drop back, leaving trails of blood underneath him. He walked up with a cocky stride, smirk slapped on his face, and he stared me dead in the eye. I wasn't gonna look away, break it. "What are you?" "ṭһѧṭ'ṡ ṅȏṭ ṡȏṃєṭһıṅɢ ʏȏȗ ṡһȏȗʟԀ ɞє ѧṡҡıṅɢ ṃє." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -im thinking there is gonna be about 4 parts, next one will be "a lot of shit" and the last will sum it all nice in a new perspective, literally! -sorry if too short Once again @markiplier No regrets Sincerely, A random trash bin!

[acoolguyscoollife]

Chapter 4: Suddenly Serious

Amy

“What in the hell were you thinking?!” Tabitha yelled, her hair frazzled and unkempt from running, and then anger not long after. She punctuated her sentence by hitting CG with a book, which she had produced from nowhere.

“Well, see, I needed a weapon-” CG’s words were cut off by Tabitha hitting him with the book. “The guy was just asking for it-” He tried again, but Tabitha wasn’t impressed, once again smacking him with the book. It was hardback so it must’ve hurt. “It saved us money-” A third thwack sound echoed across the still wasteland afternoon. “Alright!” He finally yelled in response, holding his hands up in defeat. “It was stupid, but this world is literally just a game!” Tabitha raised the book again, causing CG to let out a whimper.

Cool Guy

A manly whimper.

Amy

She hesitated as she thought about his words, before lowering her book arm. CG sighed in relief, but Tabitha raised her middle finger to him in response, taking a few steps away from him.

“Do you guys not get that this is important to me?” She asked quietly, and I had to admit, I hadn’t really grasped that it was important. I had been caught up in where I had been. I walked over and put my hand on her shoulder, giving her my best attempt at an understanding friend’s style.

“We do, I swear.” I lied badly, and though I was certain she could tell, she didn’t seem to care. “Tab’, do you not think that maybe you need to… take it a bit less seriously? I mean, look around, we’re in a freakin’ video game simulation that’s good enough to pass the Two-Ring Test. That’s a pretty damn good accomplishment, maybe you should just… you know, relax a bit?” She laughed slightly, rubbing the back of her head with her hand.

“I guess maybe I’ve been too extreme. This is pretty cool, I have to admit.” Tabitha said, smiling. “It’s hard to switch off, you know?”

“Just do what I do, and separate serious time and super fun time.” Seth added, having walked up on her other side. “You can be super smart and also fun.” He reassured her. Or at least, I think it was reassurance. It could have been him pointing out that she wasn’t fun, but it was Seth so it was hard to tell.

“Thanks guys. I’m glad you’re all my friends.” Tabitha grabbed the two of us into a tight hug, and we sat there in silence for a few seconds.

“What the hell just happened?” CG asked, having watched that entire thing go down. “When’d we get all touchy-feely?” He added, his head turning to each of us one by one.

“Don’t worry about it, CG. Here, pass me those swords, I wanna do something cool.” Tabitha replied, and he recoiled slightly, hiding the swords from her.

“You might break them.” He replied, taking another step back. “They’re mine, fair and square.” Another step back. “Well, kind of fair.” Tabitha shrugged, turning around, but I could tell by her expression that she wasn’t done yet. Her turning motion didn’t stop, instead speeding up and sprinting towards CG, tackling him as he called out in surprise. The two wrestled for a bit, before Tabitha stood up, holding one sword in each hand triumphantly. CG stood up as well, glancing at the floor. “I hope I can’t get tetanus from that.” He gestured to the entirety of the floor, which largely consisted of deserts with metal bits in it. Tabitha wasted no time in moving over to a flat bit of metal protruding from the ground, using it as a makeshift table that she placed the two swords on.

“You know how mad scientists have some cool catchphrases before they do something awesome? Well, check this shit out.” She said, which wasn’t quite as cool as other people’s catchphrases, but I could tell she was trying, and that was what counted. Out of literally nowhere, her hands started to glow a bright orange, a light which also surrounded the swords, shaking them slightly. I was pretty sure none of us knew what to do except Tabitha, since she actually knew what she was doing, so we all watched the pretty lights as they brought the swords closer together, the metal shifting and changing as they almost glitched into each other, flashing in and out of reality and imprinting strange visuals on the world as they collided. After a few moments of this, a bright flash of light engulfed the two of them, causing me to cover my eyes and recoil slightly. When I opened them again, and saw what now rested on the makeshift workbench…

Cool Guy

It. Was. Awesome. I hadn’t been as blinded as the others by the light since I was wearing my signature cool shades, so I got to see the exact moment where the two glitchy swords combined into what now lay in front of me. It still maintained the general shape of the katana that had been one of the components, but the once steel blade was now a deep, rich blue, shining in the sunlight and immediately calling out to me. Tabitha didn’t stop me from taking it, and I immediately tested the weight of it, giving it a few swings (after I had turned away from everyone else, of course). It was light, almost impossibly so, and it took a moment to figure out exactly how to hold it properly. I had usually relied on the weight of the sword to counterbalance myself, but now I ended up overcompensating slightly when I swung. An analogy that, when referring to swords, is very unflattering, and thankfully something I would only worry about if my cripplingly low self-esteem was a smidge lower down.

“It’s a… Cobalt Katana.” I said finally, watching my slightly shifting reflection in the sword. “A Cobatana.” I added, looking over at everyone else.

“Isn’t that a place in Rio?” Seth asked, which I ignored as I gave the sword a few more swings, slashing it against the ground and letting out a noise of pleasure as I felt how easily it cut through… well, sand. It was very coarse and rough sand, to be fair.

“Why not call it the Cobana?” Amy asked, and I groaned aloud. “Right, too 90’s.” Giving it one of those sword flicks (you know the ones, where they spin it around the back of their hand and look super awesome), I sheathed it in the katana’s old sheath, which was now attached to my belt.

“Okay, I am now officially ready for anything this world throws at me.” I said to Tabitha, who was grinning from ear to ear that her experiment had worked. “Bring it on, world!” I added with a yell, causing the others to flinch slightly.

“Wait, how come you can use magic like that?” Amy asked, turning to Tabitha. “There’s no magic in the Apocalypse series!” Instead of a response, Tabitha clicked her fingers together, producing a spark that quickly turned into a ball of flame that deftly danced around her fingertips.

“It’s more just manipulation of the program and working with what I can behind the scenes. You could do it too, though I’ve had a lot of experience with this.” Tabitha replied, with the ball of flame landing in her palm and extinguishing. “Just focus on changing the world, channel the electric pulses from inside you to your hands, and push them into the environment. It’s easier to follow the laws of alchemy than it is to simply create things.” As soon as Tabitha had mentioned alchemy, Amy clapped her hands together, before crouching down and slamming her hands to the floor. Nothing happened for a moment, before a spire of ground came up in front of her, creating a barricade for a brief moment before she let it drop. Amy stood upright again, grinning as she did so. She had managed it without breaking a sweat, which I was almost positive was more than I could have done in the same situation. “Good job, but the clap wasn’t necessary.” Tabitha said, and Amy just smiled further.

“Well, the way I see it, the clapping of the hands only serves to add further energy to the transmutation by pushing the already dormant energy in the hands to the other hand, while at the same time channelling more energy from inside the body to the hands, causing a bigger build-up.” Amy stated nonchalantly, as if it was no big deal that she had just said something weirdly science-y for her.

“That… actually kind of makes sense.” Tabitha said after a moment of silence.

“Does that mean that you can build up a load of energy by clapping your hands over and over?” I asked, and both of them shook their heads.

“The only way it works in the first place is that there’s space in the hands for the other energy to be stored. Maybe two claps would be possible, but the difference would be negligible. Plus, you’d look really dumb applauding the entire way through a battle.” Tabitha replied, writing a few notes down in her notepad. “Seth, what about you? Do you want to learn magic?” She turned to Seth, who was hunched over the workbench.

“Huh? Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m pretty much good to go.” Seth replied, brandishing one of the makeshift guns I had seen earlier. He had been tweaking it, from what I could tell, adding modifications to it. “Meet Susan.” He proclaimed proudly, holding it out for us to look at.

“Why is it called Susan?” I asked, and he shrugged.

“I dunno, people name their guns all the time. Also, check this out, I made this too.” He took something from the back of his belt, showing it to us. It looked like a tiny crossbow, with a very tense-looking string being held in place. Instead of bolts, however, it was armed with… pencils. While it was a great desert island weapon, I couldn’t see it getting much use here.

“I feel like pencils wouldn’t even do much. Hell, even if they’re sharp they’d only be a minor inconvenience and probably wouldn’t hurt.” I said, and Seth said nothing, though his response spoke volumes as a deft hand motion fired the crossbow into my shoulder, leaving a pencil stuck into it. “I stand corrected. Ow.” I said, taking the pencil out of me. That was probably going to end up giving me lead poisoning. That, and I had no idea what diseases the wasteland had in general. Open wounds didn’t really seem like a fun idea.

“So we have an alchemist, a magician, a ranger, and a warrior.” Amy said, counting off each of us with one hand. “Gotta say, this seems like a pretty good situation.”

“I mean, all good groups need a healer, but I don’t really think we can get one of those any time soon.” Seth replied, holstering the two weapons he had at his sides. “Plus, we can just heal ourselves.”

“What’s the healing stuff in Apocalypse again?” I asked, and Seth opened his mouth to answer, before coming to the same realisation as I had. Morphine.

“…Okay, yeah, maybe we should avoid healing ourselves, that might go badly.” He admitted. “Unless drugs in the simulation don’t affect us in the same way dying would?” Seth added, looking over at Tabitha.

“I mean, you’re always welcome to test it, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”  Tabitha replied, casually floating her notebook in the air with magic. Show-off.

“I don’t get it, how do drugs and death affect us in a simulation?” I asked, and I could tell from the look Tabitha gave me that I had just asked something she’d already answered.

“As I’ve already said, the simulation tricks the brain into placing the body itself in a sensory-deprived state, instead registering the simulation as reality with your senses. As such, your body will genuinely react as if you’re dying if you die, causing shutdown of vital organs.” Tabitha stated flatly, as if it was no big deal. “Now, my teacher had created a completely different way of interacting with the virtual worlds, involving turning physical elements of our world into data, and vice-versa, but… Well, I’ll explain that another time.” She added, hinting at her super mysterious backstory that I was sure I didn’t care that much about.

“So now what? We’ve got weapons, we’ve got skill, and we’re bored. What do we do?” Seth asked, changing the subject from the technical speak. I pushed my glasses further up my face, unsheathing my sword and making some heroic-looking motions with it.

“Now, we royally screw some shit up.”