#the whole gang is here!

[lagt-duck]

Day 29 of Monkey May!

Family!

Aka

I really just wanted an excuse to draw the whole gang together AND I FINALLY COULD!

As always the challenge belongs to @vorpaldoodles go check out their work!

[distant-velleity]

Daring Escape

Summary: Santiago and Yu escape Scarabia during the winter break training camp.

Word count: 3.9k

Warnings: none, I think

A/N: Basically, it’s Book 4 chapters 19-22 but my version. Lots of dialogue taken from the game. Alsoooo it’s been a hot second since I wrote this and I barely revised it so. Yeah :)

Tagging: @thehollowwriter since I believe you may be interested :))

-

“Man,” Santiago whines, arms behind his head, “I’m beat. And to think we still gotta go on patrol now? I was born to fly, not this!”

His roommate sighs. “It can’t be helped. Housewarden’s orders.” He fiddles with the whistle around his neck. “There’s probably gonna be another escape tonight, so keep your eyes peeled… We don’t wanna get chewed out for missing someone.”

“Uh-huh.”

Just then, Santiago’s eyes catch on the door of a normally-vacant room—the one currently home to the alchemy TA. One hand falls to the keyring around his belt almost subconsciously.

Tonight’s the perfect night to hopefully get him on board and get the hell out of here.

“Hey,” Santiago says suddenly, smiling innocently. “I just had this idea—we should probably split up for now, since our patrol extends down this entire wing of the dorm. How about you go ahead to the other side while I keep an eye out here so we can catch any escapees more quickly?”

“But if it turns into a fight, we won’t have each other to fight with. We’ll just be on our own,” points out his roommate.

Santiago scoffs. “I mean, that’s what all the magic training has been for, right? I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“But…” His roommate hesitates, then finally acquiesces with a reluctant “If you say so” before walking away.

Once he’s out of sight, Santiago smirks to himself.

That was way too easy. Santiago 1, dormmates 0.

-

Yu is lying in bed, staring vacantly up at the ceiling, when he hears it. The synchronized mental ping of a system notification and something being inserted into the keyhole of his door.

[ NEW OBJECTIVE: SANTIAGO wants to talk. Hear him out and make your choice. ]

What?

But before Yu can question it, the door is already silently hinging open and he has to quickly swipe away the notification pop-up.

Santiago slips in and quickly closes the door behind him. “Hey,” he says quietly, with a sheepish grin; for some reason, much more bearable than his usual one.

“What do you want?” asks Yu coldly, arms crossed.

“Whoa!” Santiago holds up his hands. “No need to get hostile with me. Listen, I heard about your escape attempt from the other day. I can help you actually get out of here.”

Yu stares at him in disbelief. “...Are you kidding me? Aren’t you the one who’s been sucking up to Jamil and Kalim the whole time?” A pause. “Unless this whole time you were doing it to make your life more bearable…”

“See, you get me,” whisper-exclaims Santiago, aiming finger guns at the TA. “Between that and the desire for freedom, I can already tell we’re birds of a feather.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’m being serious!” Santiago insists. His arms fall back to his sides, one hand playing with the keyring attached to his belt. “If that’s not enough to convince you… well, uh… I’m a Scarabia student. I know the layout of this place way better than you do, and I have a vague plan in mind, so escaping will be a walk in the park. Plus, all the guys I room with have been strugglin’, and…” He trails off, looking more and more uncomfortable.

“So you’ve got a guilty side,” Yu says bluntly.

“Nothing like that! I just don’t wanna live like this anymore.” Santiago detaches the keyring and dangles it at Yu. “Listen, we don’t have much time, so what’ll it be? Freedom or more pain until the end of winter break?”

Yu hesitates.

On one hand, this could go super wrong… and we’ll receive an even worse punishment if we’re caught. On the other…

A certain bespectacled sophomore in Yu’s debt comes to mind. Slowly, the corners of his mouth tug upwards in a small smirk.

“On second thought, I’ll take your offer,” replies Yu, standing up and straightening his clothes. “So long as you let me choose our destination. After all, if you need help, I know just the person to go to.”

Santiago shrugs. “Sounds fair enough. Anywhere’s better than here right now, so let’s go.”

They step out into the hallway as quietly as they can, abandoned and desolate as it is at this time of night. Santiago locks the door behind him and turns to Yu.

“Okay, here’s the plan,” he whispers. “We’re gonna head to one of the storerooms, and from there—”

“Santiago?”

At the end of the hallway stands someone Yu recognizes as one of Santiago’s friends, staring at them and looking thoroughly betrayed. Santiago and Yu flinch in unison.

“Are you trying to help him escape?” asks the roommate. “You kidding me?! You just said you’d keep an eye out for escape attempts!”

“Listen,” Santiago attempts, “there’s a perfectly rational explanation for thi—”

FWEEEET!

His roommate takes the whistle around his neck and blows like his life depends on it, creating an ear-piercingly high-pitched noise that has footsteps approaching in seconds.

Santiago curses under his breath. “Yu, you’d better be clear for running now, ‘cause we’re gonna need to do a lot of it. And make a whole lotta detours.”

“I’ll try my best,” Yu mutters nervously.

“Great. So let’s SCRAM!” Santiago grabs Yu and dashes in the direction opposite of his roommate and the approaching stampede.

They wind around corners and decorations, stumbling on carpets and whatnot. There’s a lot of scrambling to lose the mob. Occasionally, Santiago has to pull Yu into a duck or vice versa to avoid a stray shot of magic trying to paralyze them.

“Almost there!” Santiago whisper-shouts as they make a sharp turn into a less well-lit hallway. “They haven’t made the corner yet; let’s hide and let ‘em pass us by!”

Right after saying that, he quickly pulls Yu past the grand doors of what seems to be a storeroom. They work together to quickly push the doors shut just in time. From outside comes the roar of rapid footsteps and shouts—

“Where’d they go? Split up and find them!”

“Show yourselves, street rats!”

After a few moments of being pressed up against the door, Yu hears the footsteps fade away.

“Phew,” he breathes, slumping against the ornate doorframe. “I think they’re gone.”

“Yeah, we’re pretty much golden from here on out,” Santiago agrees, panting heavily. “Coulda been struck by magic at any point back there… I thought you’d be meeker, but thanks for having my back.”

“Yeah, well… you’re not as bad as I thought you were,” Yu admits. “Anyway, let’s focus on that once we get outta here. They could always come back. What’s the plan from this point on?”

“Right.” Santiago flicks his magic pen and a soft, auburn light emits from the magestone at its end. “We’re in Kalim’s treasury—he’s taken me here a few times, hehe. What I’m looking for should be somewhere around here—ah!” He points at the carpet hopping over to them on its tassels. “There. Our ticket out of here.”

“Is that a… flying carpet?” Yu wonders. “Kalim really is rich…”

“Which is why this dorm is one of the best,” boasts Santiago. “I get to see stuff like this almost every day.”

“Mhm. I don’t think I could cope with it, to be honest, but that’s not what we’re here for.”

“Yeah.” Santiago kneels and pats the carpet. “Hey, buddy. You must be going stir-crazy too, huh? Why don’t we get outta here together?”

The carpet hops eagerly. It adjusts so it’s flat, hovering and ready to be boarded. Yu and Santiago share a grin in the dim light.

“Let’s blow this joint,” Santiago exclaims, sitting on the carpet and extending a hand to help Yu on. The TA settles down, holding onto the edge securely. He leans over to whisper something to the carpet, and they’re zipping off within seconds.

Maybe it’s the adrenaline of fleeing that keeps him from fearing this height.

“I see our pursuers down there,” Yu points out as they leave the main Scarabia building, hearing the shouts of indignant students on patrol.

“Heh.” Santiago leans over the edge of the carpet to shout, “Maybe you all oughta learn how to fly first if you wanna catch us!”

Yu huffs out a laugh before turning away and keeping his eyes trained forward. The carpet is headed straight for the entrance/exit mirror, perfectly according to his request.

“Soooo… I forgot to ask, but where are we headed?” Santiago asks, turning back around. “I saw you whisper something to the carpet just now...”

They pass through the mirror and into the Hall

Yu smiles cryptically. “I hope you’re okay with a change of scenery. I’d argue it’s the most drastic from what Scarabia has to offer.”

Santiago stares at him for a few moments, then sputters. “Wait, don’t tell me—”

The magic carpet crosses the hall and passes straight through into the Octavinelle mirror.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Santiago squawks as they zoom through the underwater hallways. “When you said to let you choose the destination, I didn’t think it’d be, y’know, Octavinelle!”

“Who else would that person who could help us be?” Yu questions him, snickering. “It’s fine. Anyway, calm down. You gotta look your best when seeking an audience at the Lounge.”

They burst through the double doors of the Mostro Lounge then. It comes as quite a surprise to the eel twins standing at the bar, both dressed to the nines in their dorm uniforms.

“Well, well, well.” Jade recovers remarkably quickly, smiling and clasping his hands together as Yu and Santiago hop off the magic carpet. “What have we here? Patrons in need of a midnight snack?”

“Aww. I was hoping I’d get to squeeze a burglar or two, but it’s just Koi and Parrotfish,” whines Floyd. “Now I can’t squeeze anyone.”

“Hello to you, too,” grumbles Yu before elbowing Santiago, who has just been staring fearfully at the twins.

“What are you doing here?” is all the bird beastman manages. “Also, where’s Chrysos?”

“You’d think he’d be in the loop by now,” Floyd mutters. “We can’t go home right now. Coral Sea’s frozen over.”

“Chrysos has been… unable to return home either, so he’s here with us,” adds Jade.

Santiago’s shoulders relax. “Oh, thank the Seven! I thought I was gonna go straight from one prison to the next, but at least there’s some kind of familiarity still here…”

I’m pretty sure Chrysos would not say the same about you were he in your shoes right now, Yu thinks.

Jade’s eyes widen with unabashed interest. “Prison? Would you care to elaborate, perhaps?”

“Also…” Floyd circles around the partner-in-crime duo to poke at the magic carpet. “What’s this rectangular flounder-lookin’ thingy?”

“Ah. Come to think of it, it looks a lot like Kalim’s magic carpet,” Jade remarks. “Could it be…”

Their conversation is rudely halted in its tracks with the sound of imminent footfalls. The doors to the Mostro Lounge burst open once more, passed through by none other than two Scarabia students.

“There’s no escape for you now, thieves!” shouts one.

“Surrender quietly!” exclaims the other, pointing his magic pen at Santiago and Yu.

“Ghk—” Yu steps back and accidentally bumps into Floyd (he somehow half-circled around him again??), who puts a hand on his shoulder to stop both of them from tripping. “They followed us all the way here?!”

“How stubborn can you get?” groans Santiago.

“Tsk, tsk.”

Everyone falls silent when polished shoes clack against the ground, an undeniable and recognizable noise. Azul himself emerges from the employee doors, adjusting his gloves with a disdainfully neutral expression. Chrysos follows not far behind him.

“What’s all the commotion at this late hour?” Azul implores.

The second Scarabia student gapes. “You’re—you’re the housewarden of Octavinelle…!”

“That, I am.” Azul glances down at them with his chin held high. “Since you have your pens drawn, would you care to explain just what’s going on here?”

“It’s none of Octavinelle’s business,” states the other Scarabia student. “Just quietly hand over those two”—he jerks his head at Santiago and Yu—“and we’ll leave as quickly as we came.”

Azul’s calculating gaze shifts to the escapees, who are looking back at him with varying levels of nervousness and determination.

Come on, Azul, Yu mentally pleads. Don’t fail me now.

The housewarden hums to himself thoughtfully.

“If you refuse to hand them over, you’ll be an accessory to their wrongdoing as well,” continues the more confident Scarabia student.

“Is that so?” Azul challenges.

Floyd huffs. “Seriously, are you small fry tryin’ to yank our tails here? Who do you even think you’re talking to?”

The Scarabia students bristle. “You—”

“Ah, ah, ah.” Elegantly, with an air of refined confidence, Azul holds up a hand. “There will be no fighting in the Mostro Lounge. This is a place for gentlemen.”

His eyes flit towards the intruders.

“That being said… I believe there is plenty of room for ‘delivering.’ Jade, Floyd. Show these ill-mannered patrons the door. Chrysos, lend them a hand.”

“As you wish,” Jade replies, all too happily, at the same time that Floyd delightfully says, “On it.”

The twins advance on the two Scarabia students, pulling out their magical pens while smiling all the while. Chrysos, rolling up his sleeves, is quick to follow.

“I’ll help them out. It’ll be good stress relief,” decides Santiago, marching straight into the fray.

“In that case…” Azul adjusts his glasses and turns to Yu. “Why don’t we find a quieter spot to discuss what’s brought you here, Yu?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Yu answers dryly, gesturing Azul on with a flourish. “Lead the way.”

-

“So, there’s been Scarabian infighting recently, you say? On top of a ridiculous training regimen set by their housewarden?” When Yu nods, Azul brings a hand to his own chin in thought. “Interesting. I didn’t think Kalim had it in him…”

“Well, neither did I, and I literally see him every single day,” Santiago says. “I mean, people don’t just change that abruptly, right? There’s gotta be some kind of gradual shift first!”

Jade sets down a tray of tea for Azul. “I find myself compelled to agree. In the past year, Kalim has never once failed to be his authentic, happy self—such a drastic change is concerning.”

“S’hard to imagine Sea Otter being all tyrant-like,” Floyd agrees with a lazy smile.

“And Vice Housewarden Jamil has his hands full trying to deal with it all,” adds Yu. He shakes his head. “I can’t believe we can’t even reach out to Crowley right now, so people like him have to do this all on their own…”

“Right?!” Santiago sighs, leaning back on the couch. “Jamil’s cool and competent, I meant it when I said that, but leaving all this on him is a bit much… Especially when it’s hard to find guys like him here.”

That’s when they notice the sophomores have fallen silent and are sharing a certain, unreadable look. Yu glances over at Chrysos, who shrugs—clearly not in the loop either.

That’s odd…

“By chance, is there something we don’t know about Jamil?” Yu asks cautiously, uncertainly.

Azul frowns, propping his elbows up on his desk and lacing his fingers together. “What we know is little more than what you have just provided us. Not only am I in his class, but I share a number of electives with Jamil, so our paths cross frequently.” His eyes narrow, upper lip pressed to his tented hands in thought. “Santiago’s right, in that Jamil… well, Yu, I’m sure you’ve noticed this whenever our class has alchemy. He’s demure and poised, never ventures any opinions of his own.”

“Yeah… Yeah. You’re right. He never raises his hand or anything,” recalls Yu. “I mean, not that that’s uncommon, but it feels weird for someone competent enough to be a vice housewarden to never reveal their hand in intellect.”

Floyd nods slowly. “And he plays like a goody-goody in the Basketball Club, too. I had no clue he was Scarabia’s vice, though, ‘cause I don’t pay much attention to other dorms.”

“And now he’s struggling within his own dorm?” Azul relaxes his hands and leans back in his chair, crossing his legs. “This looks like the perfect chance for me to offer him my aid.”

“Wait, what?” Santiago leaps from his seat. “What about us? Y’know, Yu and me? Are you gonna help us?”

Chrysos kicks him in the shin, drawing out a pained yelp.

“Don’t get your feathers in a twist, jeez,” says Floyd.

“Yeah. We came here for his help, and Azul wouldn’t go back on his word,” Yu claims. He looks over at the housewarden. “Right, Azul?”

Their eyes meet for a moment, neutral yellow on deep-sea blue, and a sense of understanding passes between them.

“Of course. I’ll have you know that the last few incidents have left me a changed man,” declares Azul. “I sincerely want to help as many as I can, so does it not stand to reason that I’d also want to assist Jamil and Scarabia as a whole as well?”

“…Okay,” Santiago replies, relenting. “Fine.”

“I’m glad we’re on the same page. Now—” Azul beckons Jade and Floyd closer with a hand. “Floyd, see our Scarabian guest to his temporary room for the night. Jade, prepare some gifts for tomorrow. As for Chrysos and Yu…”

He smiles as the other three exit the VIP lounge, glasses glinting in the low light.

“Why don’t we briefly discuss what we’ll bring to the proverbial table tomorrow?”

-

“Are you seriously trusting them?” whispers Santiago as they head to the Hall of Mirrors the next morning. His eyes dart from Jade, to Floyd, to Azul, and then to Chrysos. “I mean…”

“It’s fine,” Yu assures him. “Azul owes me. Besides, don’t you want to help those guys out? This is basically our only shot.”

“Ugh…” Santiago crosses his arms. “It’s more about my own freedom, but…”

Yu just smiles at him. “Sure, that’s what it is.”

Suddenly, hands come to clamp down on both of their shoulders—Jade’s on Santiago’s and Floyd’s on Yu’s. Although it’s just for show, it really gives off the impression that they’re prisoners being herded to their executions.

“Look sharp, boys,” Azul commands, stepping in front to lead while Chrysos picks up the rear. “We have a whole dorm in need of our benevolence.”

He twirls his scepter and walks through the Scarabia mirror with long, confident strides.

“Well, Li’l Koi?” Floyd cheerfully taps his fingers against Yu’s shoulders.

“Let’s do this,” Yu says firmly with a nod, letting Floyd take and guide him through to the other side.

“I still can’t believe Santiago took Crewel’s TA and fled to Octavinelle,” mutters one of the Scarabia students from the previous night, standing in the shade of the entrance pillars.

“And they stole the magic carpet,” points out the other. “If the housewarden finds out about this…” He groans and buries his face in his hands. “What are we gonna do?”

“I think we should take it to Vice Housewarden Jamil, for starters—”

“Hello, gentlemen.” Azul, with a pleasant smile, steps in between the two students. “Mind if we pop by?”

“Sheesh, it’s hot here,” Floyd drawls, he and Jade herding Yu and Santiago in. “Feels like the middle of summer.”

“It’s a rather pleasant place to be during winter break,” Jade remarks. Chrysos nods in agreement.

“Y-You…!” The Scarabia students stammer. “You’re the Octavinelle guys who gave us a thrashing last night!”

“What do you want from Scarabia?” demands the more confident one.

“Allow me to apologize,” Azul begins, tipping his hat and adding a level of dramatic remorse to his tone. “At first glance, it appeared that you were bullying these defenseless young men. I stood up for them on the spot out of the kindness of my heart…” He side-eyes Yu. “…but upon hearing their story from the TA, it became more apparent to me that these two were thieves who had made off with Scarabia’s treasured magic carpet. Thus, I’ve decided to take personal responsibility for my mistake by apprehending the two criminals and returning your precious magical artifact to its rightful owner.”

He’s still really good at twisting situations to his advantage.

On cue, the carpet flies past Azul and loops around to hop eagerly by the Scarabia students.

“Rgh…” Santiago shifts uncomfortably until Jade’s hold, looking every bit the part of a guilty thief caught red-handed.

The first student looks to be at a loss for words. “W-Well, uh…”

“Thank you for the… help…” continues the second one awkwardly.

That’s when Jamil, crossing the long path to the entrance mirror area, shows up. “Guys, it’s about time for morning training. If you’re late, the housewarden will…” He notices the whole Octavinelle party, then, and his eyes widen considerably. “Gh—?!”

“Why, Jamil!” Azul walks forward to positively beam at the vice housewarden. “Hello, there. How have you been?”

“Azul Ashengrotto… as well as the Leech twins and Chrysos Pendentif,” Jamil notes, squinting a bit. “What are you doing here?”

Jade nods respectfully to him. “Our home is hardly hospitable during the wintertime—”

“—so we spend our holidays in the dorm!” Floyd finishes, sharing a smile with his twin.

“Wh…” Jamil tries to keep his composure, despite his obvious floundering. “What?”

Azul chuckles before tapping his scepter against the ground. “By the way, where might Kalim be? I’m here to return his magic carpet to him.”

“Er, ah… If you need to deliver something, I’ll take it,” Jamil replies, answering and dodging the question in one move.

“I couldn’t possibly ask you to do that,” insists Azul. “This magic carpet is on par with national treasures. If it were discovered to be damaged later, Octavinelle would be held liable—and we can’t have that, can we? I would prefer to hand it to Kalim in person as a show of goodwill and have him assess its condition first-hand.”

“Kalim wouldn’t care even if it was damaged,” mutters Jamil under his breath, before trying his best to put on a casual smile. “Let me take it off your hands, okay?”

“Worry not!” Azul places a hand over his heart, looking as sincere as he possibly could. “I won’t even ask for my standard twenty-percent finder’s fee.”

“Please,” adds Jade. “Consider it our way of apologizing for our uncouth treatment towards Scarabia last night.”

Floyd continues to add insult to injury—“We even brought seafood pizza as a present. It’d be such a shame if it went cold, right?”

“And the more there to help watch the escapees the better,” argues Chrysos as well.

“The point is,” Azul says, “I would much prefer to deliver it in person. Kalim’s awake by now, I trust?”

Jamil shakes his head furiously. “No, really, he’s not up for any—”

Azul walks right by him and descends the steps to Scarabia’s long, carpeted walkway.

“—hey! You can’t just barge in, Azul!”

As Jamil chases after the Octavinelle housewarden, the eel twins turn to their quarry.

“Shall we?” Jade ventures, ever-polite.

“You’d better keep up,” sing-songs Floyd.

Yu nods with forced confidence. “I’ll do my best.”

As they’re herded to follow Jamil and Azul in, Santiago mumbles, “These Octavinelle guys are so pushy when they wanna be…”

“It’s nice to not be on the receiving end of it, for once,” Yu admits.

Santiago nods reluctantly, clearly not entirely in agreement but not having the time to argue either.

After all, the doors of Scarabia and the execution of their plan await them.

[doyouknowwhoyouare13]

hannah w us on call

LMAOOO YOU SHOULD JOIN BTW

[forthehonorofraeskull]

daddy issues spectrum aka the bad kids

[lizardrosen]

a short summary of the next installment of my claudius fic:

how many people does it take to hold a baby? six apparently.

[tonia-aaaaa]

Old Double Life fanart that still goes hard, bc i put ridiculous amounts of thought into it back when i made it. This one was a hit on the 'gram.

[naomistares]

ianthe's little cannibalism moment except it's not little, it's 15 pages long, enjoy!

(this took a total of 115 hours, waw, i am still sick as all hell, so feel free to leave me all ur thoughts in great details, i will read them.)

[awetfrog]

wow they solved it

[nefarious-smartass]

“leave the demons to his demons”

((can you guys believe the funny jumpscare bear franchise is officially 10 years old now?))

[clarionglass]

here we go :) part one of three, updates to be released weekly!

---

sam says 4 (game master cinematic universe, part 3)

Ruby was at her mum's for a family dinner she couldn't miss on pain of death, apparently, and the Doctor was many things, but a family dinner kind of guy wasn't one of them—particularly when Carla had already slapped him once in the short time he'd known her. He thought he'd broken his streak of bad luck with mums, but… well, seemingly not. So he was companionless for a few hours, and while he could wait for her to get back, maybe catch up on his reading—what was the point of waiting when you had a time machine? 

He ran his hands over the TARDIS console, marvelling at her clean lines and metallic flourishes, the way that even now she felt brand new but familiar, and paused. He’d just pop off for a quick adventure, nothing too dangerous, but—where to go?

He could scan for a distress call nearby, and pitch in to help. He could drop in on Donna and Shaun and Rose, beautiful Rose, and see how they were all doing. Or he could just hit the randomiser button, and jump in feet first wherever he ended up.

He remembered a conversation from a long time ago, when he wore a different face, and his gorgeous TARDIS wore a face too, for the first and only time.

“You didn't always take me where I wanted to go.”

“No, but I always took you where you needed to go.”

He grinned. Who could resist an offer like that? He pressed the button and whooped as the time rotor spun into action, ready to see where the universe would take him.

---

Apparently, he was needed pretty close to where he already was. Earth, 2024. Huh. Same planet, same time—within a few months of where he’d left Ruby, even. The main thing that had changed was the location: he was now in the good old US of A. California, to be more specific, and Los Angeles to be more specific still. And to really narrow it down, the Doctor discovered as he poked his head out of the TARDIS doors, he was in… a broom closet. Not bad, as a parking spot—a bit squeezy, but out of the way. And as he poked his head out of that door, he could finally see he was in the backstage corridors of a studio of some kind. Film or TV, if he was to hazard a guess, it was a different vibe from Abbey Road.

With a shrug, he decided to go exploring.

It couldn’t have been more than a minute before a young woman wearing the full-black outfit, headset, and permanently stressed expression of a production assistant came running up to him.

“Are you the fill-in Sam organised?” she asked breathlessly, and honestly, seeing the look on her face, the Doctor didn’t have the heart(s) to tell her no. And really, what was the Doctor, if not a professional fill-in? This, this was why he had a randomiser button on the control panel, because whatever he was about to get himself into was going to be fun.

“Sure!”

“Oh, thank god,” sighed the production assistant, relief dawning across her face. “When Ally tested positive this morning, I thought we were sunk for the record, because we called around and we couldn’t get a hold of anyone. But then Sam said he could get someone in, and, you know, here you are, and just in time, so—ah, yeah, if you could follow me this way?”

Smiling all the way, the Doctor followed his guide through to hair and makeup, looking around as they went. The studio seemed to belong to a company called Dropout, according to the branding scattered around, and things seemed, at least on the surface, to be… well. Fine. He couldn't tell why he'd been brought here yet, which meant that when he found the reason, it was going to be particularly tangled. He couldn't wait! 

And then he looked back at his guide, still engulfed in a miasma of anxiety, and realised he'd been too busy looking for clues to notice the person right in front of him. 

“Hey, it's cool, you've found me,” he started with a gentle smile. “You can relax. Hi, I'm the Doctor. What's your name?”

“Oh!” she said, startled. “The Doctor, yeah, of course. Um, hi, I'm Kaylin. Look, sorry, it's just that I've been so busy this morning, I'm so distracted… Shit, and I would've completely forgotten to get your details too. There's paperwork to fill in, but you can do that later. Um, just for now, though, can I get your pronouns?”

The Doctor thought for a moment. “He/him, for now.”

Kaylin nodded, making a note on her phone. “Okay, cool! And do you have any socials?”

“Not me, babes,” he replied. “I'm hardly sitting down long enough to be able to update, you know?”

“On a day like this, I know exactly what you mean,” she said. “That's okay, Lou didn't have socials either for the longest time. Right, so if you go through there, the team will get you sorted, and once you're done, someone will take you up to the greenroom. All good?”

“All great,” the Doctor replied. Kaylin flashed him a quick, relieved smile, then hurried off.

Hair and makeup was a fairly quick process, the sound mixer fitted him with a microphone, and before too long, Kaylin was back to take him upstairs. 

“This is the greenroom,” she said, pushing the door open. “The rest of the cast for the episode are already here—they’re great guys, and they’ve both been on the show a lot, so they’ll be able to help if you’ve got questions. And if you need anything else, just come find me or any of the other PAs, okay?”

The Doctor nodded, beamed at Kaylin, and walked in.

---

The greenroom was small but comfortable, and its occupants, two men around the same age as the Doctor appeared, looked up as he entered.

“Oh, you’re new,” the taller of the pair said, clearly giving him the once-over.

The other sighed with a mixture of fondness and exasperation, just as clearly used to his friend’s antics.

“Hey, I’m Brennan,” he said, levering himself up to standing from his perch on a chair arm, and holding out a hand. “That’s Grant.”

The Doctor took it warmly. “The Doctor. Just passing through, and happy to help.”

Grant’s eyebrows quirked. “Doctor… something?” he prompted.

“Or is it just ‘the Doctor’?” Brennan asked.

“Just ‘the Doctor’,” the Time Lord confirmed cheerfully. “You’ll get used to it, everyone does.”

Grant didn’t look convinced, but—

“Copy that,” Brennan shrugged, and settled back on the arm of the chair, returning his gaze to the door.

Grant, in turn, looked at the Doctor and rolled his eyes in a clear expression of ‘no, I don’t know why he’s like this, either’.

“Okay,” the Doctor said after a moment of watching the watching. “I wasn’t going to ask, but now I think I have to. What’s up with the door?”

Brennan huffed a laugh. “Well, the last time there was one of those up—” he pointed to the Out of Order sign stuck to the bathroom door, “—we got locked in here for the game.”

“He’s paranoid,” Grant interjected.

“Well, yeah, maybe,” Brennan retorted. “Or just cautious. Because Sam’s been acting weird lately, and we’re coming up to the last few records of the season, so he’s probably planning something way out of the box for the finale. And the original cast was you, me and Beardsley, so…”

He shrugged one shoulder meaningfully, and Grant nodded, conceding both the point and the potential for chaos.

“So if Sam comes in to give us the briefing, rather than waiting til we’re on set,” Brennan continued, “or there’s anything else weird going on, I’m gonna know about it right from the beginning.”

He turned to the Doctor. “The only reason I'm not quizzing you is because I know for a fact Beardsley was genuinely scheduled for this, so you can't be a plant by the production team. No offence.”

“None taken,” the Doctor smiled. “That sort of thing happen often, does it?”

Grant and Brennan exchanged a look. 

“More than you'd think,” Grant answered with a grimace. 

“Alright,” the Doctor said slowly, then brightened. “So what is it we're actually doing?”

Grant gave him a disbelieving glance. “You don't know—?”

“Very last minute fill-in,” the Doctor said breezily. “But don't worry, I'm a quick study.”

“Well, you're not that much worse off than the rest of us,” Brennan said encouragingly. “You know about Game Changer, obviously, if you know Sam, and we only find out the rules of the game once we get on set. Hopefully,” he added, with a dark look back at the Out of Order sign. 

The Doctor nodded. No, he didn't know Sam, and he didn't know Game Changer, but he could work out the situation from context clues. This was a game show. And with the Toymaker banished, and Satellite Five not coming into existence for another 198000 years, give or take, he found himself smiling. Maybe third time would be the charm. 

“Mmm, hopefully they aren't going to throw you in the deep end,” Grant said. “Because Brennan might seem lovely now, but as soon as we get out there, he's a whore for points. He'll stab you in the back and won't even blink.”

Brennan barked with laughter. “Yeah, and you wouldn't?”

“Excuse you, I'm always a goddamn delight,” Grant replied, the very picture of injured dignity. 

“Oh, absolutely!” agreed a new voice. The Doctor turned to the now-open door to see a bearded man in a pinstriped suit smiling broadly. “That's why we keep inviting you back!”

Grant bowed sarcastically. “Why, thank you, Sam. Good to know I'm appreciated by someone here.”

“Always,” Sam replied, gently but firmly ending that particular path of the conversation. He scanned the room, and his eyes lit up when they landed on the Doctor. 

“Ah, you must be the Doctor!” he said with obvious delight, walking over with his hand outstretched. “I'm Sam—thanks for filling in for us, you've made sure we're going to have a good show. Seriously, it's a pleasure to have you here.”

“Aw, cheers!” the Doctor smiled, shaking the offered hand. “Glad I could help out, I'm really looking forward to this!”

“Well, great!” Sam exclaimed, then took a step back, regarding all three players in turn. “Now, folks, I'm just letting you know that we're just about ready to start the record, so if you can start heading down, that'd be great.”

Grant and Brennan nodded—Brennan, the Doctor noticed, with relief. 

“See you down there,” Sam said, smiling. “Have a great show, and—”

His eyes caught on the Doctor's for a second, twinkling. 

“Good luck.”

---

Backstage, the Doctor, Brennan and Grant were marshalled into podium order and given a final briefing from the crew. And then, with a thumbs-up from Kaylin, that was it.

Showtime.

“Get ready for a Game Changer!” came Sam's voice from onstage. “Tonight’s guests: he can shoot off a monologue with laser accuracy; it’s Brennan Lee Mulligan!”

Brennan, his back to the camera as the curtains opened, spun on his heel and, with a stone-cold expression, pointed finger guns straight down the barrel, before letting the facade crack open. “Hi!” he exclaimed, and walked over to the leftmost podium.

“It’s his first appearance, but he’s already on fire; it’s the Doctor!”

The Doctor leant against the archway to the stage and flashed a broad smile towards the camera, then in a few skipping steps, had bounded over to the next free podium. What the hell, why not make an entrance?

“And even in the toughest of mazes, you’ll always be able to find him; it’s Grant O’Brien!”

Grant dipped his lanky frame into an approximation of a curtsey, spreading his arms wide, then sauntered over to the closest podium with a grin.

“And your host, me!” Sam announced, a ring of manic white showing around his irises as he beamed down the barrel of the camera. “I’ve been here the whole time!”

“This,” he continued, pushing his microphone shut and stowing it in his jacket pocket, “is Game Changer, the only game show where the game changes every show. I am your host, Sam Reich!” 

As he said his name, he looked at his hands, front and back, as if he was pleasantly surprised to be himself, then gestured towards the three podiums.

“I am joined today by these three lovely contestants! Now, you understand how the game works.”

“Of course not,” Grant started. “You know we don't.”

“We can't, Sam, that's the whole point of the theatre you've set up here,” Brennan said over him. 

“Not yet,” was all the Doctor said, anticipation starting to drum a tattoo of excitement against the inside of his ribcage. 

“That’s right!” Sam said brightly, shooting finger guns at the camera. “Our players have no idea what game it is they’re about to play. The only way to learn is by playing. The only way to win is by learning, and the only way to begin is by beginning! So without further ado, let’s begin by giving each of our players fifty points.”

The Doctor, biding his time, watched the reactions of his fellow contestants. Grant looked at the front of his podium, checking the point total, and nodding approvingly when he saw that yes, it was sitting at a round fifty. Brennan, on the other hand, was starting to frown.

“Players, Sam says: touch your nose,” Sam began, and Brennan sighed the sigh of someone who wasn’t happy to be proved right.

“Oh, no,” he groaned. “Oh, you son of a bitch. Wasn’t one this season enough?”

He touched his nose anyway, as did the others, and Sam smiled encouragingly. “Sam says: touch your ear.”

When they all did, Sam nodded. “Touch your other ear.”

Everybody held still, fingers on the ears they had originally touched.

Sam beamed. “Easy, players, right?”

“You say that now,” Brennan said darkly. “Which makes it worse, because all you're doing is setting us up for failure.”

Sam gasped, pretending offence. “Would I do that?”

“Yes,” Brennan and Grant replied in unison, which drew a grin from the Doctor and set Sam off chuckling.

“And I'm not having it,” Brennan continued, leaning his elbows against his podium and pointing at Sam with the hand not touching his ear. “You better watch yourself, because I know how this game works, and you're not going to get one over on me.”

“Strong words, Brennan!” Sam said, clearly delighted by this response. “Okay, then, let's start making things a bit more interesting!”

The game continued as per Sam Says usual, some rounds done as a group and some individual. Points were won, sure, but lost slightly more frequently, and even the Doctor found he was having to concentrate to avoid getting caught in the host's traps. 

It was fun. Genuinely, it was like playing a game with friends, and the Doctor felt himself leaning into it. There wasn't any sign of danger—maybe there wasn't a mystery to solve at all, and the TARDIS just decided he needed a total break. 

Well, probably not. But the way things were going, he was able to let himself hope. 

“Alright, players,” Sam said a good few rounds in, just as pleasantly as he would start any other question, and the screen behind him dinged as a new prompt popped up. “Survive the death beam.”

For a second, everything was frozen perfectly still. 

And then came the crash, the explosive noise of heavy machinery moving relentlessly through a drywall set.

The Doctor was already moving. “Everyone down!”

“Duck!” Brennan yelled at the same time.

The two of them hit the ground within milliseconds of each other, but Grant was still paralysed in the face of the giant, science-fiction type laser cannon that had just ploughed through the wall. 

It whined ominously, screaming its way to fever pitch. And then a sharp pain in Grant’s ankle made him stagger, pitching forwards onto the carpet behind the podiums as the Doctor rolled away to avoid getting pinned.

“Sorry, babes,” the Doctor whispered. “But it was either kick you to get you down, or—”

A hideous metallic screech ripped through the air, and all three of them could feel the crackle of ozone as a beam of energy swept across what had, moments ago, been neck height.

“…Or that,” the Doctor finished with a grimace.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Grant breathed, suddenly very conscious of every inch of his 6’9 frame. “Thanks.”

“Well done, players!” Sam exclaimed delightedly from above them. “But… sorry, I didn’t say ‘Sam says’, so that’s a point off for everyone.”

“What the fuck!” Brennan snapped.

“Are you actually insane?” Grant demanded at the same time, his voice overlapping with Brennan’s.

In response, Sam just wheezed with laughter. “You can come back to your podiums,” he said, cheerfully ignoring them.

Nobody moved.

“Very good!” he acknowledged, and even without seeing his face, the grin was obvious in his voice. “Okay, Sam says: come back to your podiums.”

Although the words were innocuous, and his tone was just as light and breezy as usual, there was nevertheless an edge hiding just underneath the surface. And while the death beam loomed large in the minds of all three players, it was impossible to consider disobedience as an option.

Slowly, they stood, returning to their places. Now they had the time to look at it properly, the death beam was even more sinister, and Brennan and Grant both kept flicking nervous glances its way, ready to move if it looked like it was charging up again.

The Doctor, however, was focused purely on the man standing in front of them. Unbothered, Sam met his gaze like a challenge, a mischievous smile playing about his lips.

“Oh, you’ll love this one,” he said, and the screen changed. “Sam says, starting with Grant: say my name.”

Grant frowned in confusion, but answered quickly nonetheless. “Sam Reich?”

The man himself shrugged tolerantly, moving on. “Brennan?”

Brennan just stared at him coolly. “Do you take me for a fool?”

“Well caught, Brennan!” Sam said happily. “Sam says: say my name.”

“Sam,” Brennan replied, suspicion clear in his voice. “Samuel Dalton Reich.”

He nodded, still with a hint of indifference. “And lastly, Doctor.” His smile broadened. “Sam says: say my name.”

It was easy. Too easy. And as the Doctor looked into the eyes of the man calling himself Sam Reich, he felt his hearts stutter in recognition, because something had changed. He wasn’t hiding himself anymore, and while the face was different yet again, the Doctor would know the shape of that soul anywhere. It was impossible. It was inevitable.

“You can’t be,” he breathed. 

Sam smirked, leaning in across his podium. “Oh, but Doctor… I’ve been here the whole time,” he stage-whispered with a wink.

“He said you lost,” the Doctor said, shaking his head, looking wrong-footed for the first time that Brennan and Grant could recall. “You lost, and he trapped you.”

The other two watched, uncomprehending, but Sam just smiled, drumming his fingers against the podium with an audible beat, fast but distinct. Four taps, four taps, four taps. “I’m waiting.”

The Doctor took a slow, deep breath. Set his jaw. 

“Master.”

---

missed an installment of the game master cinematic universe?

original idea by @ace-whovian-neuroscientist: x

art by @northernfireart concept: x scissor sisters sketch: x sam and his doppelganger: x

writing by me (!) part one (escape the greenroom): x part two (deja vu): x part three (sam says 4): you are here!

[tawnysoup]

Ageswap AU be like

(au by @startagainaprologue, @tealgoat, @the-bitter-ocean, @basilpaste and @pixxyofice)

[amazingdeadfish]

It's the Spookie Month

[magpie-trinkets]

continuing that "maya tries to contact claire" post, i present you the post-Spirit of Justice follow-up

[ranpoautism]

Love it when characters are so intertwined you cannot take them apart from each other unless you break their character. They are frequently bought together and cannot be separated. They need to be studied together.

[firewasabeast]

part 2 to my lonely tommy fic. this time he's not so lonely anymore.

“What did you do this time?”

“Angela!” Tommy exclaimed, smiling brightly as she walked into the room. “Or Angie? Angel? We never clarified that.”

“You know, when I saw your name I thought dear God, that man's still alive? I was certain you would have sawed off a few more body parts by now.”

“I'm trying to keep my limbs, I promise.”

“So then tell me why you're here, back in recovery.”

“My appendix hates me.”

“Oh, that's a pesky little thing, isn't it?” she asked.

“It is. Are you my nurse today?”

“Not supposed to be, but I've got seniority on Gina, so she can deal with the jackass in 212.”

“I knew I was your favorite,” he replied, giving her a wink.

Angela rolled her eyes. “I haven't looked through your paperwork yet,” she said, waving the file in her hand. “Should I assume nothing's changed from last year?”

“You know what they say about assumptions, Angela.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Are you telling me there's gonna be a person to call in here?”

He nodded. “There is a name and a number. And it's a person I actually know. You won't have to call though.”

“I swear, if you tell me you brought yourself here again-”

“No, no, I didn't this time. I just-”

“I got some jello cups from the nurses station, and ice for- Marie?!”

Angela's eyes widened, a grin on her face. “Buck!” she exclaimed, opening her arms for a hug.

“Marie?” Tommy questioned, confused.

Ignoring him, Angela kept her focus on Buck. “What are you doing here? And in normal clothes! I only ever see you when you're in the bed!”

Buck laughed. “I'm a plus one this time. Tommy's appendix decided to burst in the middle of his shift.”

“You two work together?”

“Oh, no. He's at 217, I'm at 118.”

“He's my boyfriend,” Tommy clarified.

“Ohh, okay.” She turned toward Tommy, wiggling her eyebrows. “That's some new information for me.”

Buck took the ice and jello over to Tommy. He tore off the lid and scooped a little bit of the lime jello onto a spoon, then brought it up to Tommy's mouth. He took the bite without complaint.

“They only want him eating soft foods for the next few hours,” Buck said as Angela watched them both with nothing but fondness on her face. “But he gets hungry so fast I keep going for more jello cups.”

“How about I search around for something that will keep you fuller a bit longer?” Angela suggested. “Like some mashed potatoes?”

Tommy swallowed the next bite of jello. “That actually sounds really good.”

“I'll be right back.”

“Wait!” Tommy exclaimed before she could get too far. “Marie?”

She walked back over to his bed. “It's my middle name, and it's what everyone else calls me. You have to keep calling me Angela, because you pissed me off,” she said, gently smacking his leg with the file folder.

“Ohhh,” Buck teased, looking at Tommy with wide eyes, “someone's in trouble.”

“You had me worrying about you for a whole damn year while you were cozying up to one of my favorite patients? The nerve, Thomas.”

“Yikes,” Buck grimaced. “You got Thomas'd.”

“That's just Angela's way of telling me she loves me.”

“Mhm. You've aged me, Mr. Kinard.”

“This could have all been prevented if you'd let me use you as my emergency contact.”

She shook her head. “I'll be back with potatoes. Keep him in check, Buck!”

“Will do.”

Once she left the room, Buck eyes Tommy. "So you know Marie too?"

He nodded. "I do."

*****

After eating some potatoes, Tommy dozed in and out for the next couple of hours.

After that, he and Buck were in the middle of a very competitive episode of The Price is Right when there was a knock on the door.

One by one, people began to file in, much to Tommy's surprise.

Eddie, Hen, Bobby, Athena, Maddie, and Howie gathered into the room, hands filled with different items.

After all the hello's and how are you's, they took turns handing over what they brought.

“We brought flowers,” Athena said, setting them on a corner table. “To brighten the place up a bit.”

“Jee wanted to make you something special to look at while you're in here,” Maddie said, breaking through the crowd to hand Tommy a piece of paper. “She said it's her, her Uncle Buck, and her Uncle Tommy at the zoo.”

Tommy stared down at the picture. Three people, a step above stick figures, with their hands connected as they walked down a path. Some birds and other unidentifiable animals surrounding them.

“It's beautiful,” he said, speaking softly. “Tell her I said thank you. I love it.”

“Karen made cookies.” Hen dropped a bag down on Tommy's tray table. “Snickerdoodle and red velvet. They're your favorites, apparently?”

“They are!” Tommy replied in surprise. “I can't believe she remembered that. I just mentioned it in passing one day.”

“Karen remembers everything about the people she cares about,” Hen responded with a grin. “One of the many things I love about her.”

“We made a schedule,” Eddie said, pulling a piece of paper out of his back pocket.

“Buck made a schedule,” Chimney clarified.

“I've given Buck a couple days off,” Bobby said, “and after that we will be bugging you in shifts.”

“You guys don't have to-”

“Don't even try to fight it,” Hen interrupted. “We've already been made to memorize our individual schedules and tasks.”

“This is happening, Tommy,” Eddie said, giving him a pat on the shoulder, “whether you like it or not.”

Athena hummed. “And I can guarantee by the time you have fully recovered, you will not.”

“He's gonna love it,” Buck said, glaring over at Eddie. “Who brought the balloons?”

“That would be me,” Eddie replied. “Along with an airplane-shaped stuffed toy that actually used to be Christopher's, but he hasn't touched it in years.”

“And I found the cutest teddy bear in the gift shop,” Chimney said, coming up beside Tommy to tuck the bear into his side, “because I don't bring used toys to my friends.”

“Rude!” Eddie exclaimed. “At least he likes airplanes.”

“He likes bears too!” Chimney defended, then he looked down at Tommy. “You like bears too, right?”

“That could mean so many different things to me,” Tommy replied honestly. “But, yes, I love the teddy bear and the airplane. Thank you guys. All of you.”

“I know I didn't technically bring anything,” Bobby said, “but I will be making you guys some meals that you'll just have to heat up for the next couple weeks, at least.”

“You don't have to do that, Bobby.”

“Well, it's not just for you,” Bobby explained.

Athena rolled her eyes. “Here we go.”

“These are new meals I'm trying out,” Bobby continued, “So I need honest reviews before I start making them at work. Don't sugar coat it.”

Tommy lifted three fingers. “Scouts honor.”

As the conversations picked up around him, Tommy settled further into the bed. Buck smiled over at him, taking his hand. “Sorry,” he said, “I didn't know they'd all be coming at once.”

Tommy shook his head. “Don't be sorry,” he replied, giving Buck's hand a squeeze. “This is perfect.”

*****

It was dark outside when Angela came back into the room for her final check before getting off shift. The only light filtering through the room came from the bathroom. Tommy was sitting up, staring down at the drawing Jee had given him.

“Wow!” Angela exclaimed as she walked in. “Someone had a lot of visitors today.”

The room was littered with items that had been left behind.

Tommy smiled up at her. “Yes, Ma'am.”

“We could hear you all laughing from down the hall,” she said as she began to switch out his IV bag. “It was nice.”

“Yeah, it... It was.”

“Did you finally get your boy to go home?”

“Uh, no.” Tommy set the drawing back down on the table. “He's actually gone to get more blankets. I told him I was fine, but he said my feet always get cold at night so I'd need extra.”

“He takes good care of you.”

“Yeah, he does.”

She grinned down at him. “You take good care of him?”

“I try to,” he answered honestly.

They fell into a comfortable silence as she finished up her work.

She gave him a couple of sideways glances before asking. “You okay?”

He bit at his lip, suddenly overcome with emotion as he stared at his GET WELL SOON balloon. Everything had changed so much in the past year. His old life felt nearly unrecognizable.

“It's just a little overwhelming,” he admitted, clearing his throat. “Last time I went home from here I was alone. I took care of myself until I got better. This time I have a schedule to memorize of who is visiting when.”

“Sounds like a good problem to have to me.”

“It is,” he agreed, even as his voice broke. “I just never thought I'd have people.” His eyes burned, filling with tears. “Doesn't feel like I deserve it.”

“Oh, honey.” She leaned over the bed, cradling his head in her arms. She could feel the wetness from his tears on her sleeve. “You are so loved,” she told him as he let himself be held. “You deserve that.”

She leaned back enough to hold onto Tommy's face, wiping his tears with her thumbs as she spoke to him. “All these people who showed up for you today, they came because they love you. Because you show them the same love. And that man you've got, well, he looks at you like you're more precious than gold. Let yourself be happy, okay? You've got people now. You've got people forever.”

He took a shaky breath and nodded, Angela wiping away the last of the tears before letting him go.

He grabbed a tissue off his tray table and wiped his nose. “Do I get to call you Marie now?” he asked.

She laughed. “Oh, no. You're special, so you're stuck with Angela.”

“I got five blankets and two pillows,” Buck said as he entered the room, “which I know you won't need, but I'm trading chairs with the guy in 212- who's a bit of an ass, by the way- so I get the recliner.”

“You're staying the night?” Angela asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Oh, um, yeah,” he answered sheepishly, his cheeks going pink. “I didn't ask, but I- I figured-”

“It's fine,” she assured him before heading for the door. “I didn't think you'd be leaving anyway. I'll see you two lovebirds in the morning, alright?”

“Goodnight, Marie!”

“Thank you, Angela.”

Buck took one of the blankets and spread it out over Tommy's legs. “I gotta go switch these chairs out. Are you good until I get back?”

Tommy reached out for Buck's hand, tugging on him until he was close enough to kiss. When he pulled away, he smiled. “I'm good.”

[pierogipie]

I did my first ever exchange and received this lovely gift from...someone! Whoever you are, thank you!