#then effectively dying before getting to see them come to their senses and realize they love you too

[manofmanymons]

don't look at the tags if you don't want survive spoilers

[mcflymemes]

AS SAID BY JASON TODD/ROBIN/RED HOOD *  assorted dialogue from multiple dc universe sources, adjust as necessary

i did it once for dramatic effect and it just got to be a habit.

you can't tell, but i'm dozing off under this mask.

a whole night in paris... and i managed to not kill anyone. not bad.

you made the same mistake everyone does when it comes to me.

i want to warn them... but i know i can't.

don't know, don't care. i got my hands full.

do you remember the last time we were together?

looks like you guys could use a hand!

i'm looking for someone.

i'm afraid it's about to get much worse.

the angry, reckless vigilante bit is my thing.

i'm not good or bad. i'm just practical as hell.

you and i are more alike than you realize.

i get it. starting over is scary as hell.

i don't even need to turn around to know that's you.

thanks for thinking of me. i'm happy to help. honored, even.

i generally have several madness-inducing hallucinations before breakfast.

nothing in the real world can be as frightening as what we can imagine... right?

you don't think i understand what it's like to be abandoned? forgotten?

i'll be damed if my best friend is going to die... because he was dumb enough to trust me.

i'm sorry. i'm never going to be the hero you want me to be.

next time i see you, i'm going to kick your butt for this dying crap.

you have ten seconds to walk way. nine... oh, screw it.

there are better ways to spend your energy.

that looks like it's gotta hurt. well, i say that like i'm speculating or something. i know it hurts.

we chose to be a family.

if there's hope for us... there's hope for everyone.

you still haven't figured it out?

life's just a game... and this time, you lose.

i seem to have made myself an enemy of all the bad guys.

it's too late. you had your chance.

i'm just getting started.

hard to forget that night, huh?

in a way, this was the site of your first great failure.

ah... memories.

you can't stop crime. that's what you never understood.

you want to rule them by fear, but what do you do to those who aren't afraid?

i'm doing what you won't.

i'm taking them out.

now tell me... how does it feel?

is that what you think this is about?

i don't know what clouds your judgement worse. your guilt or your antiquated sense of morality.

i forgive you for not saving me.

he took me away from you.

i am no one's son.

what do you think this was all about?

welcome to planet earth, baby.

fear isn't the answer.

you son of a bitch.

we were friends, helping each other pick up the pieces of our lives.

it might not be a popular thought, but not everyone wants to be alive.

can you hear it?

funny, i actually escaped death.

the past keeps dragging me back.

they're not monsters. they're victims of programming, abuse, and trauma.

they can change.

fact is, they're just like us.

we became something else.

you hurt a lot of people.

we don't discriminate here.

sometimes you don't know what you want 'til you learn what you don't.

trust? you? i'll give it a try. but i'll tell you right now, i'm probably going to screw it up.

guys like us? the life we lead? we're never truly alone.

i have no idea who you people are.

you pompous ass.

before i kill you, i want the truth.

i'd like to think i'm an open-minded guy.

sure it was fun. but does that mean it was right?

sometimes i wonder if i'm just part of the problem.

i'm not doing one more damn mission with them unless you get me someone i can trust to watch my back.

knew you couldn't do it.

it's official. class is in session.

[boss-poss]

See, Lethal Company's real genius is that it somehow marries two normally opposed genres, those being horror and comedy together into something greater. Mechanically it's a multiplayer looter extraction survival type game. It's designed to create stressful and scary situations by forcing you to speedrun mini randomized dungeons while monsters hunt your character to meet a certain quota (our asses are not making quota). That's not the clever part though, no, that's giving the players the ability to fuck themselves over and the hilarity that comes from it.

Anything you say into your mic is said in the game world and can be heard by certain monsters. Many items, similarly, can be used to make noise and you can bet there is little impulse control when a player finds an air horn or gets a walkie talkie. The sound of a distant honk somewhere out of nowhere is not something most players are prepared for while in a pitch black maze. Sound in this game has a doppler effect, which makes it harder to hear the further away the source is, allowing screams to fade into nothing and unintelligible yelling heard for a second before vanishing. You must rely on your senses but those are, by design, limited and regularly tricked.

Because level layouts, monster locations, and item spawns are all random, it's insanely easy to get lost or lose track of thigs, especially in the dark and especially when panicking. Seeing a bracken for the first time will almost certainly send a player running in the opposite direction and get lost, if they even see it all. No one is prepared to have a hand wrap around their face and snap their neck in an instant. It's utterly shocking and will leave you gasping in surprise to first time you experience it.

Certain weather patterns make levels harder, some even nearly impossible (looking at you eclipse), and sometimes your options are avoiding deadly lightning or not being able to see due to fog. High level moons have excessively valuable loot but also feature the worst foes and cost a fee to access, forcing a compromise between greed, ability, and resources.

Dying, likewise incurs a penalties. Your team is fined for dying and not bringing the bodies back but if you all die, all your collected loot goes poof. Gone. A team wipe can and will effectively end the run in an instant if you do something stupid like stick around when you hear "pop goes the weasel" or try to pick up that funny looking roomba. You can almost feel the pressure weighing down on your shoulders when you realize you're the last one left and you need to get back to the ship or miss the quota.

The monsters likewise, are engines of terror that are comically effective killing machines with no cohesive theme to help anticipate them. The already mentioned bracken is one of the scariest things I've seen in a game, and those technically aren't even that bad. They're completely manageable if you keep your head on a swivel and pay attention to your surroundings. Coilheads are these mannequins with bobble heads that will path to and kill you in a microsecond the moment you aren't looking at them, weeping angel style. There's a thing called the ghost girl that I have yet to see but is apparently one of the most terrifying critters in the menagerie. Forest giants. If you know, you know.

All these little mechanics, these choices that are made by and for the player, create a maelstrom of unpredictable chaos that, like a buxom blond transforming into an orgasming pooltoy, turns what would be strictly serious horror into a unique form of dark comedy that layers over it like jelly on peanut butter. You are scared, you are on edge, and it only gets worse when you know what these things are capable of, but the sheer hopelessness is something you all have in common. It's funny how little hope you have. You will die. A monster will wipe your team. There will eventually come a quota you can't beat. You were doomed from the start.

So why not get silly with it? Why not try to fight that bracken with shovel? Fuck him. Why not just run past a turret and try to nab that fat jar of pickles? Why not wander off from the group? You're just as likely to come back with arms loaded and the quota met as you are likely to not come back at all. You're already dead, so take the gamble, do stupid shit, repeat this hell until you can meet its horrors with grim determination and put in the effort to afford that goddamn boombox. Dance. Just press 1 and dance the fear away.

You are all united in your mortality and duty, fragile sacks of flesh working to break even at the behest of perhaps the greatest horror of all: The company you work for. You are so preposterously fucked beyond all belief from every angle there really isn't enough adjectives to describe it. And that's comedy baby, when things are so bad all you can do is laugh.

[lieutenantfloyd]

Pizza Hut and Silent Observation (Also Known as Stalking) - Deadpool x Reader

Word Count: 3.5k

Summary: Through a series of strange but undeniably on-brand events, Wade Wilson has found his opposite—and falls in love with them along the way. But as they both reckon with their feelings, reader pulls away, though this only hurts them both.

Warnings: fluff, opposites attract, attempts at humor, violence, Wade had ADHD, mercenary! Reader, language, mutual pining and a bit of mutual stalking, gentle tapping of the fourth wall, and Wade being Wade.

Authors Note: As much as I love all the Poolverine x Reader stuff, I’m craving some solo Wade x Reader! So consider this to be me being the change I wanna see in the world lol

Read on AO3

A series of strange but undeniably on-brand events had led to Wade Wilson finding his polar opposite—The soft, quiet, and sweet to his rough, loud, and explicit.

For reasons unknown even to himself, Deadpool swears to keep his distance. Yet the more he tries to avoid you, the more you seem to cross paths. Keeping out of each other's way when you wind up trailing the same target quickly morphs into shared glances across bars and grocery store aisles. Wade is all too aware of the universe's fucked up sense of humor, and when he quite literally runs into you for a third day in a row, he swears that the sweet, melodic laughter that graces his is coming from the universe itself.

Despite the stolen kills and strange lack of conversation, Wade quickly grows fascinated by you. As you approach your sixth month of stilted interactions, the last remaining bits of optimism he has leave him wondering if this could potentially be the slowest slow burn of all time, only for those dreams to be crushed by the weight of everything that lies beneath his fancy spandex suit.

Nonetheless, his feelings about you—and how you operate in the field—grow into something far more than a simple curiosity. It becomes a wide-eyed admiration with an increasingly lewd undercurrent. You're everything he’s not. Clean and efficient with a one-track mind that never strays from the mission at hand.

Or at least that's what he tells himself.

-

It took exactly three meetings with the spandex clad mercenary to realize he might be the single most obnoxious person on the planet, and another five before you were willing to admit that he was also the single hottest.

You had always been someone who built their walls high and kept their defenses higher. It's why you found it so strange that the first crack in your emotional fortress was brought on by a mouthy mercenary taking a bullet for you without a second thought and making a joke about pegging with what should have been his dying breath.

His strange effect on you was something you used to justify your actions over the past several months. Frequenting his favorite bars and choosing to pursue the targets you knew he'd go after was simply just reconnaissance. You needed to know the why and how of what he made you feel, and getting close to him—while swearing it was for professional reasons only—felt like the best course of action. Sure, your heart raced every time you spotted him across the room, but that was only because you were satisfied by getting the timing of your meeting right. Maybe you let your eyes wander a little when he sunk his baby knife into the neck of your target, but you kept your thoughts of what else he kept hidden in that suit of his to yourself like any other well respecting person.

You weren't a stalker.

This wasn't stalking.

A grey area? Maybe. But definitely not stalking.

Or at least that's what you told yourself.

-

It was during your eighth month of silent observation that Wade realized that wherever he went, you were his sweet little shadow that kept him distracted. You had spoken to him barely a handful of times, yet you were always there to listen. You didn't care that he couldn't sit still or that he quite literally never shut up. No, you—his silent but darling angel—laughed at his jokes and brought him fidget toys. Alternatively, he never pressured you to speak up or forced you (too far) outside of your comfort zone.

The mutual respect between you grew larger and more profound until you were practically attached at the hip, becoming an unofficial duo both in the field and not. He'd always feel like he didn't deserve you, but at this rate, you were practically all he had left.

Logic—along with everyone in your lives—said that you should hate each other's guts. Yet from the first moment you met, You both just made complete sense to each other. You didn't ask to see what he hid underneath his mask and he didn't ask why you bought your groceries at the shop by His and Blind Al's apartment even though it was 45 minutes away from your own place. Things were simple. Good, even. But they still weren't enough for either of you.

-

He thinks about you constantly.

Thinks about you so much that he finds himself googling 'Can a person be a hyperfixation?' and 'signs you've found your soulmate' at 3am. Yet as much as his feelings for you have grown, whatever you had felt in return seemed to have disappeared along with your presence in his life.

Now what little focus he had was slipping. All because you had pulled away.

He'd taken more than a few knives to the skull over his last several missions, but the target he'd been tracking all year had finally made a home of an unmarked grave. He should feel excited—or at least somewhat satisfied—but he just felt numb. It'd been weeks since he'd last heard from you, but that didn't stop him from feeling phantom buzzes from his phone or searching crowds for your lovely, angelic face.

He'd even stopped by your place a few times. He forced himself to knock before picking the locks and entering your home. His genuine feelings of concern and abandonment were replaced by a gnawing pit in his stomach when he realized that your cozy apartment had become sterilized and vacant. He stayed there, frozen in place, for far longer than he would ever care to admit.

Deep down he'd always known this would happen. He was a depraved fuck up at best, and nothing good ever stuck around for him. But he thought—no, he knew—you were different. Only then did Wade admit that he was obsessed, if not teetering on the edge of stalkerish. He knew this was a glaring sign that he should back off, but Deadpool is anything, he is a man of maximum effort.

So he started waiting. Hoping that maybe you'll miss his unending self-deprecation and come back for him.

-

You promised to keep your distance. Wade was a good, albeit complicated, man who deserved something better. Someone who completed him. Who matched his energy and didn't forge a friendship based on an act of failed reconnaissance.

You'd been clean and clear of anything regarding him for over a month and were finally feeling good enough to head back to your old apartment and turn in your keys.

If you hadn't stopped in the hallway to reread the text from your landlord stating to leave the keys on the kitchen counter, you would have never noticed the shiny metallic scratches around the lock. Your line of work ensured that you knew instantly that it'd been picked, but you still moved in closer for a better look.

Whoever had broken in was either too inexperienced to know how to cover their tracks or brazen enough not to care. Given that the apartment was tucked away on the sixth floor with a freshly posted 'for rent' sign on the door, you couldn't see why this would be a random attack. You'd kept to yourself while living here, and you didn't have any valuables your more shady friends could be searching for. These were the facts you told yourself as you slipped the keys back into your pocket and ignored how only the latter, more reckless possibility had your heart racing.

Your typical evening plans were pushed aside in favor of pulling the security camera footage and settling in for an unconventional movie night.

Most of the tape was mind-numbingly boring, but your eyes were glued to the screen nonetheless. Searching for any piece of evidence to confirm your suspicions. Just as tiredness began to seep its way into your shoulders, you spot him. Even if he wasn't wearing the suit, you'd recognize him just by the way he dances into frame and gives a sarcastic wave at the camera. Seeing Wade again—even just in video format—fills you with so much affection that how you managed to leave him alone this long feels like a damn miracle.

-

The day of your return was unnotable in every way.

The sky is blue, the weather is mild, and you'd been tailing your target since before sunrise.

The job you were currently working requires fast, efficient work with no loose ends left behind. It was perfect for you, but the payout was enough to catch the eye of every mercenary in the local area and beyond. This was something you were banking on—the perfect way to say "I'm sorry" and "let's start over" to Wade without showing up cryptically on his doorstep.

The target pulls into a parking garage, and you know instantly that this is the other opportunity you've been hoping for. You follow them inside and park a few spaces away. You wait for them to walk in view of your rear view mirror before exiting the car. Their pace is relaxed and unalert as you fall in step with them—exactly how you prefer it—which giving you the green light to move in.

Your footfalls are silent as you close the small distance between you, weapon in hand. Hyperfocused and only a step behind them, you nearly run square into their back when they suddenly freeze and gasp.

"I'm on a tight schedule and you know what you did, so let's just cut to the chase, K?"

A second later, a blade lodges through their chest. As it retreats, their body falls limply to the ground, leaving your position completely exposed. Wade's eyes land on you instantly, and the way the whites of his mask widen has something in your chest growing tight.

"Hey," you stutter, thrown off guard by his sudden appearance. Though with everything you know about him, a part of you honestly should have prepared better for this.

"For what it's worth, I've been super busy since you decided to up and abandon me. So busy that I've only had time to cry twice in the last twelve hours," he says, slipping his katana back into place with precision.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? You're gonna have to do better than that to get back into my good graces, sugar plum."

His humor remains as unwavering as always, but the edge to his usually carefree voice betrays a glimpse of his inner workings. If it hadn't been obvious before, you know now, without any doubt, that your attempt to protect his feelings had only done the opposite.

"I didn't want to hurt you, Wade."

"Well, you failed spectacularly!" He deadpans.

You breathe in sharply and take a cautious step closer to him as his hands rise to rest on his hips. "I like you, you know. Which for me is…a lot."

You can practically see the wheels turning in his head as he speaks. As if he's holding back his true feelings for once.

"It took me far too long to admit it to myself, but I like you too, Wade." He's shockingly quiet as you speak, and the silence drags on for several seconds afterward.

"Do you maybe… like like me?" He asks in a soft voice that has you gearing up for his inevitable teasing. You sigh, and he takes up a pose that says he's the picture of innocence. Yeah right.

"Against my better judgment, yes."

His hands fly to his face, and he gasps so loud you wonder if your sliced-and-diced target had suddenly come back to life.

"You're telling me—mouthy merc Wade Winston Wilson—that I created such a stirring in that-" his eyes flash downwards before rising back to yours "great chest of yours that the only way you knew how to deal with it was to ghost me like fucking Casper?!"

Your half baked plan honestly sounds stupid when you hear it out loud, but he's undoubtedly right.

You nod in a mix of amusement and defeat, which sends his fists flying into the air.

"YES!" He screams "I'm finally getting my third-act-confession-in-a-hallmark-channel-romance-movie moment! Take that you ableist studio execs!"

You roll your eyes, refusing to believe you're letting his weird quips charm you once again.

"I'm sorry Wade, truly," you say.

Guilt sets in then. While you'll probably always think he deserves better—or at least something different—than what you can give him, you've realized that breaking his heart by leaving hurt you both more than whatever may or may not happen if you let your feelings be known.

You awkwardly poke the stiffening body of your target with the toe of your boot before you take a page out of Wade's book and finally bite the bullet.

"You stole my kill, and that means you owe me dinner," You say with a surprisingly playful air.

Wade shrugs, not missing a beat as he counters you.

"I mean, 'stole' doesn't really apply when it was full on open season for this hit, and you just happened to be too slow."

"Wade, do you want to take me out or not?" You bite back.

"Hold your horses there Dr. House, yes I do!"

"Good." You nod.

"Good?" He questions with mock offense. "That's all you have to say when a handsome man such as I is about to take you out for a candle lit date at the third finest Pizza Hut in the city? I even offered to pay with the dirty money from my most recent kill!" He exclaims, eying the increasingly pale body between of you.

"I should stayed away," you mutter half jokingly under your breath as you turn to leave, knowing that he'd follow.

"What was that, pookie?" He asks, using his gloved hand to cup his ear dramatically as he crosses the distance between you with flourish.

You roll your eyes as he falls in step with you, though it doesn't go unnoticed by the usually unobservant mercenary.

"I saw that, sugarplum," he croons. You snort out an exasperated laugh and nearly repeat your previous eye roll just to stir the pot a little more.

"I know you're probably not as well versed in this whole enemies to lovers, will-they-won't-they dating thing, but I've read enough fanfiction to know that this whole dark and brooding thing you've got going on is supposed to be reserved for others, not you're darling love interest."

"I'm glad that you admit that I'm the main character," You laugh. Wade's eyes widen as he realizes the mistake he's made. Yet instead of pressing the issue, he slips his phone out of his spandex suit—where it's kept is something you don't care to think about—and calls in the kill.

You continue on walking, heading nowhere in particular. You’re just happy to have Wade by your side once again. The call comes to an end quickly, the phone disappears once more, and he loops one of his strong arms around your shoulders.

"So, pookie, about that dinner date…"

You raise your eyebrows instantly, recognizing that his tone of voice as the one he uses right before dropping bombshells.

"The money is on a thirty six hour hold—a surprisingly formal rule given our shady choice of gig—so would you mind paying? I'd tell you I'd pay you back but we both know I won't." He smiles innocently.

You scoff, only for a soft smile to bloom on your own face.

"You better sweep me off my feet," you tease, wrapping your own arm around him as you both make your way through the busy city streets. Cars race by and neon lights flicker overhead, reflecting in the puddles left by the afternoon rain.

He shoots you a sideways grin from beneath his mask, "Sweep you off your feet? That sounds like soooo much work. I'll just stick to charming you with my usual irresistible appeal instead."

You snort sarcastically. "irresistible appeal? You mean being an insufferable pain who always leaves me behind to clean up your messes?"

You turn the corner, arriving at the restaurant Wade had promised. You'd been here together before, though usually after a job gone wrong, and it had become your go-to hideout whenever your paths crossed.

Sliding into your usual booth, you lean back against the cracking vinyl and cross your arms, almost amused by the situation.

"You stuck me with the bill, so you better order something cheap," you joke as he eyes the menu.

Wade leans forward, his elbows resting on the table beside his now discarded red and black mask.

"Best I can do is treat you to dessert if you behave," He smirks, very much not talking about baked goods or confectionery.

You narrow your eyes at him, though he sees the playful spark swimming beneath them.

"Behave? That's rich coming from you. I'll be lucky if you don't have a knife buried in your head by the time the food comes out." He grins, a flash of mischief dancing across his eyes.

"What can I say? I like to make life exciting. Besides, we can't all be dark and brooding on the sidelines, now can we?"

You roll your eyes before looking back at the menu, an action that causes his smile to grow bigger.

The familiar heavy but playful energy between you has returned as if the past weeks had never happened. Things are comfortable, if not easy. It's the kind of rhythm you and Wade always fall into, no matter how long you spent apart.

From across the booth you see Wade's head fall to the side, his eyes examining you closely.

"What?" You ask, your eyes staying on the menu but not really looking at it.

"You seem…excited. Well, as excited as you can get, really." He says in a surprisingly soft tone.

"Me? Excited? Never."

"Perhaps then you just missed this sexy face? You wouldn't be the first…" he smirks as he looks at you with annoyingly innocent eyes.

"Or perhaps I'm waiting on the other shoe to drop. It seems like every time we're together, one of us is getting shot at or double-crossed. I wouldn't call that particularly exciting." You counter, though you know he's got you pinned.

He huffs out a laugh, leaning back in his seat. "Come on, Wednesday Adams, admit it—You. Missed. Me."

You glance up at him, meeting his gaze. There was something disarming about the way he looked at you, like you weren't just two messed up mercenaries thrown into the same mess over and over again. Like there was something more to be had than all your teasing and banter. And as much as you hated to admit it, he was right. You had missed him.

"I missed this place, not you," you deflect, though your smile betrays you.

"You missed this shithole?" he replies, eyes twinkling. "I knew your standards were low—I mean you are on a date with me after all—but holy fuck."

You shake your head, unable to stop the laugh that bubbles up. "Hey! This isn't a date!"

He leaned in, his voice dropping lower as it fills with that infuriating charm he's known for. "Oh, don't you worry pookie. This is just the first step in my plan to date the hell outta you."

For a moment you sit there, the noise of the restaurant fading as your eyes lock with his wild ones. A truth hangs between you—no matter how many times you tried to downplay it, there was an undeniable electricity that always sparked between you. Something crazy and unpredictable, not unlike your daily lives.

You shake your head. "If it's a date, then you're paying," you say, finally breaking the tension with a happy smirk.

"Fine," he says with a huff, drawing out the last syllable as he leans back in his seat. "But next time, you're buying the drinks."

"Next time?" You ask, raising your eyebrows.

"Oh, you know there's always going to be a next time," His eyes gleam as you let out a soft laugh, glancing at him with a mixture of exasperation and fondness.

"You're maddening, you know that?" You say, though there's no bite behind your words.

He gasps dramatically once more. "Is this the part of the movie where you say I drive you crazy before we go back to my place and have a heated makeout session?!"

For a moment you just watch him, eyebrows furrowed but a lazy smile hanging on your lips. The noise of the restaurant and the city beyond it fades into the background. It was almost funny how you and Wade always ended up back here, side by side, cracking jokes and deflecting feelings you both refused to admit you had.

Yet as his hand drops onto the table it brushes softly against yours, and you can't imagine a world in which you pull away. He's incessant, annoying, exasperating, along with a million other words, but he's here with you despite everything. A gesture that proves that maybe a bit of humor is exactly what you are missing from your life.

[theredkennedys]

my au my rules. this au is literally called Chucker Spiderverse AU in the archived discord thread so be warned oooOoOOoooOo . gay men OoooooOo

writing out the backstory that me and my friend Donut have been working on for the better part of a year, most of it was inspired by the new itsv movie that was released then. and because I don't plan on writing anything huge for this I'd like my brainstorming to have a wider audience.

All art posted is most likely @franklindonuts , aka Donut the cocreator of this shit,,,hey buddy😆 go show him some love pleeeease

you can see my art of this au here

this will 100% be somewhat incomprehensive but hey I'm just a fag having fun and I was born yesterday🧚‍♀️

**

Tucker is the spiderman in his universe with Church as his "guy in the chair". (Putting it out there that this Church is Alpha, which is significant later on.)

They both share an apartment, I don't think I ever specified why but probably for school reasons. They're both young adults, I want to say around 19-21, similar to their Blood Gulch years.

Tucker loves being spiderman. He loves helping people, being almost an idol for people- a lot of jokes were thrown around about that:

Imagine Tucker after he got his sword. He has a genuine purpose now and he's going to be good at it.

but goddd Tucker is Tucker and is stupid and reckless. being spiderman doesn't make him invincible but he loves to think otherwise. he pushes himself too far too often because he knows if he doesn't he wouldn't be able to sleep at night if someone got hurt when he was taking it "easy". Church knows this but he's still pissed off when Tucker comes back bloodied and bruised from a Villain of the Week that he shouldn't have taken on :/

(Donut art)

mental illness

It's literally just the Spiderman Effect. No one will Ever be able to understand what it's like to be spiderman but other spiders, regardless of how much you tell them or show them, they won't get it. and Church doesn't Get it. He's not stupid, he understands WiTh GrEaT PoWeR y'know but there's a mental toll that can't be communicated in a way that makes sense :/

regardless, Church hates it but he also hates how much he cares about Tucker. Cocreator said that he figured they were both close and willing to become A Thing but the time was never right, and Tucker was scared of liking a dude, etc. Normal stuff between these two. But they're insanely close, I'd like to think even moreso after Tucker's whole spiderman thing and the fact that Church also has to realize that Tucker is not invincible.

(despite them not being A Thing, Donut art of The Spiderman kiss and other gay shit)

Now this is the kicker of why I said to take note of the fact this is Alpha Church specifically.

Now I'm aware of the clowning on the whole "canon event" thing and some people's opinion on it (mostly that it's dumb and cliche), but I find it a very unique and convenient way to give a character a significant plot boost.

That being said, Tucker's "canon event" is Church's death.

I don't ever think I solidified how/why he dies, moreso that it's just a wrong-place wrong-time type of thing. Some brainstorming from Donut about it:

but i never asked him for elaboration so I don't know what the fuck he's talking about. anyway

Tucker finds Church similar to how Miles found Peter in the first Spiderverse movie. He doesn't know what to do. He's frantic and scared and horrified that his best friend is coughing up blood with raspy breaths.

(Alpha s10 parallel with tex lalalala)

Obviously. Obbbviousllyy Tucker is distraught and inconsolable. Something something he has the Worst depression of his life. He doesn't know what to do with himself, the one person who knew about everything is gone, and I'm sorry (not) lol but it's not like in rvb where Church revives 8 times before dying like a normal person.

Church was always there for Tucker and he's at a loss of what to do now because, despite the threat of it, he should've never died. It wasn't even a concern in his head ever because it seemed so unlikely.

Tucker doesn't know what to do with himself, he wouldn't have gotten this far without Church. But really, it was All Tucker. All Church did was give him little tech bits to help him function better but it was All Tucker. But he isn't able to realize that through everything and it ruins him.

I will have to make a continuation post because I love adding images and Just hit the mobile limit🧚‍♀️

thanks for reading if you got this far

[maybeimamuppet]

for the au ask game… had to think really hard for this one but—

how do you think things would be different if regina didn’t get hit by that bus??

<3, sunny

send me an au and i’ll tell you about it!!! it was supposed to be five facts about it but i like to yap

ALRIGHT i’ve been thinking about this one for like three days i am not in a space to answer this well but this sitting in my inbox is haunting me so i’m gonna go for it lol

i think the easiest way is to sort of go through and say how i think things would be different for each characterrrrr??? we’ll see lol

to start with, overall, regina getting bussed is sort of the catalyst for everything coming back together. it both is and is not the climax depending on which characters journey you’re focusing on.

for example, regina getting hit is what makes her soften. it gives her a chance to step back and realize she doesn’t want to die being the kind of person she was. it’s what kickstarts her (at least supposed) redemption arc. we never actually see that happen but it is strongly implied at spring fling. without the bus, i like to think she still would’ve come to her senses eventually. but it’s entirely possible that she wouldn’t. or maybe she wouldn’t until they’re all in their thirties or forties or fifties or god knows when.

for janis, that means she’s left with this leftover, hardened, jaded middle school trauma to eat away at her forever. she’s already cynical and, again, jaded. she’s already affected by it. already needed significant therapy. already is made mean and manipulative and vengeful by it.

for janis i see her track going one of two ways. she either manages to heal on her own, realizing regina will never give her the closure she needs and so desperately wants. she gets more therapy, works on herself. develops strategies and learns how to identify the damaging thoughts rooted in this trauma and cope with them and turn them into something healthy. she really falls into her art and educates herself and makes herself into something wonderful with all the broken pieces.

OR she continues down the path of manipulation and anger and spirals. she tries but can never commit to anything serious, be it jobs or relationships or whatever. she has a long string of failed experiences with both. damian is the only thing keeping her away from living under a bridge and dying of some sort of overdose.

for cady, regina getting hit is the beginning of the end for her. it’s the moment the ivory pedestal everyone has had her on shatters and she falls back to their level. she’s hit hard, but again, it leads her to important self reflections and realizations. we get to see more of her redemption, like taking the fall for the burn book and getting to apologize to ms. norbury and janis and damian, along with her speech during stars.

without that, again, i see her going one of two ways. she continues as she is. nobody dares to bring up that she’s just a clone put in regina’s place. she’s queen of the school and she loves it. she has power but no depth. she and janis and damian never speak again. gretchen and karen follow her exclusively out of fear. aaron still wants next to nothing to do with her. she has no deep, genuine connections with anyone for however long it lasts, whether she keeps it going through college and into the rest of her life or whether it ends at graduation. either way, the effects linger with her and she struggles to form genuine relationships and she lives a very isolated, lonely life.

OR she comes to the realization on her own at some point, whether internally or someone dares to call her out. whether before they graduate or well into her adulthood (similar timeline to regina) and she devotes herself to making amends. similar to janis, she leans hard into academia and channels the drive and the desire to control into becoming very successful. she still worries that she hasn’t actually been forgiven and works extra hard to keep her friends and other loved ones close.

for gretchen, the potential of losing her “boss” is what sparks her realizing she has much more power and worth and value than she thinks. with just how anxious and sheeplike her character is in canon i find it hard to believe she would ever truly come to this realization on her own. i think she’d come close with a lot of therapy and self-esteem work, but i think having one, concrete, solid moment to shock her into it is vital for who she becomes as an adult. it’s what prompts her and karen to drop cady and learn how to do their own thing.

if regina had never been hit i see her basically just continuing as she is. following cady or eventually returning to regina and doing her bidding. maybe someday she’d get fed up and realize she deserves more and better, or maybe not.

for karen i think a lot of the same things as gretchen. she and gretchen are sort of a tag team, so i think they go through and would go through a lot of the same things. i think karen has a little more oomph but doesn’t quite know how to use it or know whether she should. i think she’s much more likely to eventually leave cady or regina’s side on her own and realize how poorly she’s been treated for however long. and who knows, maybe that would be enough for gretchen to go too. i think she does know in canon that she deserves better but she stays because it’s safer. so maybe at some point she decides it’s not worth it.

for regina i think it’s. pretty obvious lol. she has her whole downfall which i think had the opposite effect to the bus. i think that on its own would make her FUUUUURIOUS. i think she would become vengeful and vindictive and bitter and sullen and try and try again to snatch the crown back from cady. no matter what it takes, and i have no idea whether she’d ever succeed. again, i like to think that at some point, eventually, she’d work on herself and make amends and become a better person, but i think dying scared her more than they can show in a movie/musical that isn’t about her. i think, again, it’s a catalyst for changing and becoming a better person. and i think it takes time, and that’s why i’m glad the bus happened when it did because it GIVES her that time to do whatever she can and what she needs to do to apologize and improve while she still is surrounded by the same people she hurt the most.

she either is One Of Those Rich People (really angry but good at their job lawyer or corporate bitch everyone beneath her hates or some shit) or she does make an improvement and makes some genuine friends and maybe has some relationships that benefit all parties. or maybe both!!

in conclusion, as horrible as it is, i think the bus needs to happen when it does and i think the strife and the weird healing it brings is BEYOND necessary holy shit. i think it almost single handedly shapes who they all become as adults and the way they connect with each other and other people around them, and i’m very glad we got the canon we did :)

but make them lesbians

[talulajones-stories]

The lobby was crowded, and Bonnie realized that reaching Aimeé would take even longer than anticipated. She apologetically skirted behind the suits and suspenders on her way to find a corner where a few of the men shuffled so she could claim it for herself. With her back pressed against the wall, she finally took a breath from the hustle over from St. Ann, her mouth parting as if she were dying to say something only to nervously grin, for she didn’t know what to share or where to start with the handsome stranger who vouched for her entry.

“First time to the district?” 

“Am I that obvious?” She asked, fidgeting with a bit of blue ribbon tied around her wrist, the rough piece of cotton dangling a trinket at the end.

She spoke in a hushed manner, embarrassed, her heart-shaped face leaning into him as if she didn’t want anyone to hear her secret shame, and at that moment, he couldn’t resist drinking her in. His other senses doing what his mouth could not. He inhaled the scent of her—sweat and laundry soap, with hints of lavender and the all-too-alluring note of womanly musk. He skimmed over her too-tight school dress hugging her every curve, the pearl buttons at her throat undulating with her rapid breath, the pulse loud in his head, as he almost let the back of his hand brush the untamed curls that had escaped from her braid, adding a wild charm to her face and those mossy green eyes, revealing and eager, reminiscent of forest floors in spring.

His hand found place on the wall above her head, and he positioned himself between her and the crush of others and their probing eyes, effectively hiding her, having her all to himself.

“Tourists tend to get lost but you do not sound like a tourist,” He pointed out, his voice peculiarly clear to her, it was as if he was in her head, cutting straight through the raucous and the clamor in the lobby, the raucous and clamor of her own thoughts, sounding just like it did when he stopped her from going to the alley, his call to her then feeling like it had come from within her, like her own mental whisper, inviting her to come to him.

“I’m from here,” She affirmed, delighted that the refined stranger with the strange accent who made the small hairs on the back of her neck stand every time his intense sea gray eyes fell on her, could tell that bit about her right away, “But my Maman and sister behave as though I will turn to salt if I were to see anything past Rampart. But other people don’t seem too pained to be here”. She angled her head toward a hulking pair of gentlemen, dressed in matching ice-cream colored linen suits, and straw boater hats banging on the gold-painted door to the main hall.

The muffled music and mirth from inside the club vibrated the walls, and they roared to be let in, their discontent spreading through the rest of them until they were a chorus of tenors and baritone bellows, a rowdy chant signaling their patience had left.

A balding white man, his pot belly straining against his black tux, cautiously poked his head through the narrow crack of the golden door. He raised a hand to quell the uproar and shouted, “We are at capacity! As soon as we have people leave, we will let others enter.”

Men booed. One of them shouted and called him pussy. Men Laughed. And the bald head quickly disappeared behind the closed door.

Bonnie frowned, “Maybe they were right.” She whispered, wondering where in all of this was her sister.

Klaus let out a curt laugh and reached for his pocket watch to take the time, estimating how long would it be before Kol arrived and he had not yet delivered the news to Elijah.

Sparing Bonnie’s life had been a whim, a whim attached to a favor he had already made good on by getting her inside the club. 

He did not have to wait with her and continue a conversation with her in the corner of the lobby, fighting his hunger when he could be attracting someone delectable inside.

But he wanted to stay put.

[gabessquishytum]

HELLO FRIEND, WARPRIZE DREAM GRIPPED ME BY THE THROAT AND I STARTED THIS FOR YOU: -------

Hob knows the influence of aphrodisiacs immediately.

When he enters his bedroom he’s immediately hit by the cloying smell of sex and sweat, and the sight that greets him is so arresting it stops him in his tracks.

Dream, his prized Dream, is naked and writing in Hob’s bed, cock gripped tight in one hand, while the other clutches desperately for purchase on the silk sheets. The man’s body is damp with sweat and…is that…

Sure enough, Hob spots a small uncapped bottle of oil sitting on the table next to the bed. Hob can see the bottle is at least half empty, and the evidence of its use is smeared in small wet spots all over the sheets near Dream’s thighs. 

Hob growls, and the noise alerts Dream to his presence. He gasps, immediately letting go of his cock, and makes a poor attempt to cover himself up with his arms.

“Oh don’t stop on my account,” Hob leers, moving towards the bed in the widest strides he can manage. When he climbs onto the mattress, Hob realizes the sheets are practically soaked with Dream’s bodily fluids, and he wonders how long the other man has been at this. Dream is still staring at him like a wild hare caught in a trap, eyes wide and breath uneven.

“Oh you poor pretty thing,” Hob says, carding his fingers through Dream’s sweat soaked hair. Dream's eyes flutter shut and he moans at the touch, before seemingly returning to his senses and trying to jerk away. Hob doesn't let him. He grabs a fistful of hair and forces the other man to look at him.

“I’m not mad at you," Hob says, gently. He loosens his hold on Dream's scalp ever so slightly. "I’m sorry for scaring you. It’s just someone’s gone and given you something they shouldn't have, and I don’t like that. Tell me who it is, my sweet?” 

Dream, beautiful thing that he is, shakes his head.

“No?” Hob asks, surprised at the other man's altruism. “You don't need to protect them, you know. They've left you at my mercy, with no relief in sight.”

Hob releases his grip on Dream's hair and drops his hand to the man's cheek instead. He brushes away a stray tear track, and Dream leans into the touch.

“And while I'd like to say I'm a pious and good king,” Hob continues, dropping his voice to a lower register, letting his arousal at Dream's predicament show. “I'm really not.”

Hob's hand moves lower and Dream groans when fingers brush and pinch at his pebbled nipples.

“In fact,” Hob says, continuing his movements downward towards Dream's beautiful leaking cock.

“I rather like you like this. Helpless.” He brushes a thumb along the tip, still slick with oil, and Dream whines. “Needy.” He squeezes the organ with just enough pressure to make Dream buck into it. “Shall I make you beg for relief, my sweet Dream?”

“Please!” Dream cries out, and Hob's eyes widen in shock. It's the first word Dream's spoken to him since he's arrived.

“Fuck,” Hob grunts, before he starts pumping at Dream’s cock in earnest. “You're really bad off, aren't you?”

Dream wails as Hob continues to stroke him. He thrusts shamelessly in Hob's hand for a few moments before his body stills and come spills across his belly.

“Christ,” Hob mutters, taking in the view of Dream’s newly debauched body. “That's a really effective drug you've been given. You still won't tell me who gave it to you?” At this point, Hob’s ready to promote whoever it is to a fucking knighthood instead of punishing them. 

Dream shakes his head again. “Not important,” he replies, clearly still aroused despite coming just moments earlier. “Just don't…don't leave me alone. Please.”

(to be continued? whenever I get a chance ahaha)

SEIYA.

YOU HAVE SLAIN ME.

ALL THIS? FOR ME? AHHHHHHH.

The fact that the first thing Dream says to Hob is "please"... I am just......

This is so hot, so good, Hob is so fucking sexy, I am dying, in conclusion: holy shit you made my day. I can't wait for more if and when you have time!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[imustbenuts]

Do u have any personal Kiran headcanons for your own Kiran?

:x... uhhh......

okay. get ready.

my hc is that kiran is, objectively speaking, a demigod of sorts.

if you ever watched re:creators or read some stuff about the gnostics or even some christian studies level of stuff then it might make sense immediately what im talking about.

basically: kiran isn't human in the same way that everyone else in the FE verse is. i hc they're really just a regular everyday person, who happens to be a FE nerd with a good head on their shoulders whisked away into a the FEverse.

but kiran isn't really a god. in shorthand, they're similar to an angel or a deva. they dont partake in the creation of the FEverse (thats intsys' job), but they partake in the indulgence side of it all. and they might be interested enough that it becomes a media they happily consume. and that consumption of the media by the audience in turn supports the cycle of creation for more FE and thus FEverse gets expanded like that

very meta. and like in gnosticsm or even christianity the God that spawns creation and fate is unknowable. they are so unknowable that the creation they spawn doesnt even know if they are god or a creation capable of further creation, and creates more unknowing of the fact that these creation becomes actualized in some form out there in the vast infinity of whatever

so you know like. when we like blorbo/s so much we kinda. put them in situations. because. drama is fun. watching the blorbos struggle is fun. watching them overcoming stuff is fun.

and although i mention we partake as audiences, our combined taste does have influence over the process of creation. for example, awakening wouldnt exist if intsys didnt get desperate and shoved everything they think might appeal to audiences into the game, and thereby gain our approval, effectively granting the right for the rest of FE to exist.

so combine the two above and. isekai. oops.

kiran now looks like a psychopathic admirer of the FE heroes who gets their rocks off watching actual people struggle. woah! the bigger the struggle, the more entertaining it is, the better the payoff, and so it gets really difficult to be even normal about the heroes.

maybe kiran doesnt see FE characters as actualized people in the beginning. maybe they negotiate with themselves about the dissonance of it all. maybe at some point they realize, "this is fucked up, actually. i can't be gleeful about hearing these people talk about their troubles and worries while knowing what fates are in store for them."

but in some parts, that gleefulness doesnt ever go away. the fact that they know doesnt go away. the knowing in itself becomes a curse, and the distance is permanent. even if they like them, bc hey, the reason why they know all these info is bc kiran loves the blorbos enough to read up on all of them!

combined that with them being capable of summoning multiple copies of the same heroes. what does that mean for the relationship they might form? they know every marth, but does every marth know them? can the marths even begin to form a proper understanding or relationship? what if another marth comes? what then?

multiply that by like. 500. yikes.

the only exception to all of these are the Heroes natives ofc. alfonse and sharena is their strongest anchor because they can be normal with them. but, the siblings are not at all immune to the FEverse MC tropey fates that awaits, and so kiran's brain runs on predictive mode trying to avoid this and that.

but despite their best efforts, they cant prevent fate. they cant prevent gustav from dying and protect one of the few people they care about from getting hurt.

so they try even harder. bc their prev world has drilled in the idea of meritocracy so much, the idea of productivity at all cost under capitalism, and gave them the skillset to learn on the fly that failure is not an option.

kiran might have been a person with their life barely beginning back home.

in that world before, their identity was built up over 2 decades by the people surrounding them, blood or otherwise. and everything they interacted with there defined their identity. they can share and talk about things they encountered in games normally. there is normalcy here. logic here.

but once in the world of FEheroes, all that built up in 20 years becomes nothing and twisted. their identity folds into itself. their knowledge is a curse. their friendships are the weight of entire suns. there is insanity here, and indulgence and people with delicious dramatic stories to consume and hear at every corner if they so politely asked. in return, they would offer knowledge and counsel. (they wouldnt, ofc. so no heroes really gets to know them in full. look directly into the sun and be blinded, its kinda shitty like that)

and breidablik gives them power. to control, to contract, to plant suggestions. the heroes know, the specifics of the contract ofc, bc thats ethical. being morally upright to the heroic universe they love so much was never in question. so they play the part of the friendly summoner, let the heroes believe in their goodwill, bc the other option is to be truthful and get close and consume.

alfonse and sharena becomes their everything. jailer, god, summoner, champion, curse, blessing, friends, to protect at all cost, to give themselves to for whatever they desire. their reason for existing and continuing.

and if kiran fails, if alfonse or sharena gets twisted, then, well. the identity of evreyone's friendly cheerful summoner would have to get redefined, wouldnt it?

[thewistlingbadger]

Jayce pros and cons list (SPOILER FREE)

Arcane is a show with so much nuance and so many layers that it's not surprising that most people in the fandom cant agree on stances of characters. However, surprising to me, Jayce Talis is one of the more devisive characters in the fandom. Some people think he's alright while others can't stand his ass. In honor of that and season two, I'm making the pros and cons list for Jayce.

CONS

Prejudiced: In a bridge scene in season one, it was made clear that Jayce holds prejudice against zaunites. He basically tells Viktor that he "isn't like them." This in addition to some previous comments he's made don't make him look good.

Canon child killer: Jayce canonically killed a kid with Vi's help while attacking Silco's shimmer factory. That's horrible.

Abuse of power: Jayce abuses his power as a councilor by going after Silco's factory without the permission of the rest of the council AND he involves a citizen (vi) in his rogue mission!

Inconsiderate/Irresponsible: Jayce really doesn't think about the consequences when it comes to things. Had Vi gotten hurt or died while attacking Silco's factory, that would have been on Jayce. Way before he becomes a counselor, he had been doing experiments in his apartment with dangerous equipment. He clearly did not think of how what he was doing could have endangered others or himself. There's something he does in season two and another thing that we learn he did that falls under this umbrella but I wont say what it is.

Corrupt: Once Jayce becomes a politician, it doesn't take him long to start being shady and go against his principles.

Bad friend: Jayce doesn't treat Viktor in the way he should. He has sex with his crush while Viktor is basically dying, spends a lot of time away from him once it's confirmed he's gonna die soon, and even goes against promises he's made to Viktor and against their shared principles (See season two but also he said he wasn't gonna make weapons and the hammer and gauntlets were made and used as weapons). He makes Viktor endure a micro aggression in one of their discussions (the bridge).

Heimerdinger: Jayce is the reason that Heimerdinger is no longer on the council. This ended up having devastating effects for both piltover and zaun. This act was also made due to his emotions, so this decision wasn't all that valid.

PROS

Accountability: Almost every time Jayce does something he bad he immediately realizes afterwards that what he did was wrong AND he takes action to correct his mistakes. He immediately apologies to Viktor after making a prejudiced comment. He immediately feels guilt for killing that kid, he stops fighting, and he tries to get Vi to stop too. He's also able to realize that he and Viktor have failed the Hextech dream.

Peace: Jayce is the only councilor that pushes for peace. He makes up a treaty on his own, gives it to Silco, AND pushes the vote in the council. There would have been peace between the two cities had it not been for the attack.

Heimerdinger: Heimerdinger clearly was NOT fit to be a councilor. He was out of touch of with everyone and many suffered under his watch. And Jayce is the one responsible for his removal. In a sense, bravo Jayce.

Tolerance: This a counterpoint the prejudice claim I made earlier. We know that Jayce went the undercity and bought goods there all by himself. And we also know that he loves Viktor, he's his work partner and best friend. So clearly he's not a raging asshole, he's just got minor issues to work on.

Good friend: Jayce saves Viktor's life when Viktor tries to kill himself. He rushes to Viktor's aide when he hears he's sick and needs aide. He's willing to do anything to save Viktor from dying. He listens to Viktor, respects him, and he genuinely loves him. There's something that happens in season 2 that also falls under this.

Good person: At his core, Jayce is a good person. He's not making hextech for money or fame or even to stroke his own ego; he's doing it to help people. His desire to help others never wavers despite all that changes from act 1 to act 3. And he is successful in his goal. The hex gates helped people and he is regarded highly in piltover for how he's helped people. Even heimerdinger, who was originally against Jayce, ends up admiring Jayce.

Honor: Jayce does his best to honor everyone's wishes. One of the first things we see him do post fame IS honor heimerdinger's advice, despite the fact that Jayce didn't like it. He goes out into a crowd, whom are all expecting to hear something great, only to give them nothing because he respects his teacher. He also does is best to honor Viktor's wishes as well.

Vulnerable: We see a lot of times where Jayce is vulnerable. This can be argued as a weakness but I see it as a strength because it humanizes him and shows that he's a good person.

So what are my thoughts? Jayce is one of the most normal characters in arcane. He's just some guy trying to do right by others and himself. He ends up getting caught in poor situations, some of which are of his own doing and others being because of the situations others put him in (heimerdinger, mel, the council, the undercity, etc). He's a flawed person, which makes him he really important to the story of arcane as well as really refreshing. I don't think he deserves hate but also we can't ignore what he's done wrong. Ultimately, however, I see him as a good person because he has good intentions and learns from his mistakes.

[bilightningwhumper]

Mangst 2024- Day 5

<<Previous . Masterlist . Next>>

Missed Shot (Robin Hood) Masterlist

“Can’t you see that there are people who love you?”

Summary:

Robin receives a terminal diagnosis and refuses treatment. Marianne finds out and is furious about Robin's decision. Potential spoiler excerpt from "Missed Shot"

Notes:

Sorry, this one is a long one. Adding a cut on the tumblr version of this one since it gets up to 4 pages on my doc file, lol Next one is probably going to be shorter. But having all this creative build up while being sick made this one get away from me, so we'll see how long the rest of these take for me to write. Warnings: somewhat suicidal idealization and medical trauma mention, but it's kind of vague, as all of this is from Marianne's PoV Characters: Robin- Robin Hood Marianne- Maid Marian (Fun fact, Marianne was originally Rae's name, but then Robin popped into existence and changed that, lol)

Marianne’s POV

“Marianne, wait. Wait!”

She stopped, hand tight on the stair railing. “What?”

Crystal caught up to her, breathing hard. Once she caught her breath, she said, “You can’t just go in and yell at Robin. She’s already been traumatized enough. What do you think is going to happen if you go in and start yelling at her?”

Marianne felt her teeth squeak from clenching them so hard. “I can’t just be okay with her dying.”

Crystal sighed. “I’m not saying you should be. Just…” She put a hand on Marianne’s arm. “Don’t go in guns blazing. That’s all I’m asking.”

She knew Crystal was right. She did. Taking a breath, she did her best to relax her body. At the very least to make her scent lessen. It wasn’t until she’d stopped that Marianne realized she could smell her own frustration and anger. Thank god she was in the Alpha Dormitory or she’d have put a lot of omegas in distress.

Crystal pat her arm softly before backing away. “For what it’s worth, I do hope you change her mind.” Then she left Marianne standing alone on the stairs.

Taking a moment to breathe more, Marianne continued on her way to Robin’s room. Granted, at a much slower pace. It just didn’t make sense to her. Even though she barely knew the other alpha and had only seen her from afar till now, she’d seen and heard the effects of what Robin had done. Yes, she’d been a part of how they’d been able to free Sam. But she’d helped so many others in the Institution. Helping them escape. Keeping spirits up. Helping people stay themselves under the brainwashing. How could someone like that be so willing to just… give up?

Once she got to Robin’s door, she realized her hands were shaking. How exactly was she supposed to do this? This wasn’t exactly how she imagined introducing herself to her soulmate.

Creak

Marianne startled back as the door opened. Dull gray eyes met hers as the two alphas stood before her.

Robin was the same height as her, she noticed first. Short brown hair hung limp on her shoulders. Her clothing was clean, but rumpled, as if she’d been lying in bed before opening the door.

“You smell like your brother.” Robin’s voice was as tired as the expression on her face.

Marianne licked her lips, mouth suddenly dry as Robin’s scent hit her right then. Pine and… She didn’t know someone could smell like mulled cider. It made her knees weak, regardless. This wasn’t going to plan. Sam told her Robin didn’t believe in soulmate partnering. Falling for this girl would be a mistake. Even if she did look adorable in a slightly over-sized shirt. And her lips looked very kissable.

Aaand she’d been staring. Crap. Say something.

“Is that a good or bad thing?”

Okay, not great, but progress.

Robin just shrugged, leaning against her door frame. “Neutral, as far as I’m concerned. Just means I know you’re related, because yeah, it’s not exactly the same, but I knew I could open the door without it being a nosy doctor coming to check on me.” Her eyes, dull as they were, still pierced Marianne, sizing her up. “I’m going to gather Sam sent you here to persuade me to change my mind?”

She said it so blandly, Marianne felt her teeth instantly clench again.

“No fucking shit, Sherlock. He’s devastated, just like the rest of your pack. And can you really blame him? Deciding to die and abandon everyone?”

So much for staying calm.

Growling lowly, Robin grabbed Marianne’s arm and yanked her into the room. The door shut with a snap as Robin rounded on her. “Stink up the whole place, why don’t you? You’re going to get everyone riled up at this rate. I get that you’re mad on behalf of your brother, but you need to calm down.”

Now enclosed in the room, Marianne’s scent surrounded them. She tried desperately to calm down, but being here, in front of her soulmate, her dying soulmate, she couldn’t stop spiraling.

“I just don’t get it. How can you just not even try to live? There’s treatments, medications, things to keep you alive.” She raked her fingers through her hair. “You’ve got so much to live for, so why?”

Robin pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes. “Look, you don’t know me. Trying to convince me to change my mind is a waste of your time. All you need to know is I made my peace a long time ago that this was a possibility. So once you’ve calmed down enough, you can go comfort your brother.”

“You’re just giving up.” Marianne snapped. “Do you even care about what that’s going to do to everyone that cares about you?”

“They’ll move on and see they’re better off without me.” Robin’s voice was level, resigned.

Marianne wanted to shake her. “But- you- They’re better off with you! Can’t you see that? Can’t you see that there are people who love you? Why else do you think I’m here?”

“They shouldn’t.” Robin snapped, scent flaring to match Marianne’s. “No one should love me. Not after what I’ve done.”

“What, helping people escape that hellhole? Taking care of people you were told to hurt and overpower? Even though you knew you’d be the one punished for it?”

Robin looked like she was chewing on her tongue, jaw tight, fists clenched. When she spoke, her voice was low, a snarl underlying it. “You should stay out of things that are none of your business. This is my life. So you-”

“I’m your soulmate, so I think this is my business.” Marianne growled.

Something flickered in Robin’s eyes as she flinched back. “You’re… You’re Marianne?” she asked slowly.

Marianne softened slightly, smelling the unease in Robin’s scent. “Yeah, I’m Marianne. You didn’t know?”

For the first time since she opened the door, Robin refused to look at her. “I knew you were one of Sam’s sisters. But in my defense, he has a lot of them. Of you.”

At a loss, Marianne didn’t know what to do now. All the fight seemed to have left the other alpha. She’d shrunk into herself, shoulders hunching and, without stepping away, had drawn back away from Marianne.

“Yeah… That makes sense.” She pulled at her hair, debating whether or not to hug Robin. “But I’m not looking to start anything. Sam told me you don’t have any interest in being anyone’s soulmate.”

Robin looked up then, eyeing her. “So what do you want then? Other than to shout at me?”

“To be friends? Acquaintances? Two people that just vent at each other about how stupid and oblivious my brother is?”

She got a half smile for that. “Sam’s not that dumb.”

“So you’re telling me he didn’t complain and pine about Derrick to you at all. Or Hannah for that matter? Even though I’m pretty sure that it’s clear upon seeing either of those two with him they’re as smitten with him as he is with them?”

A small laugh. “Okay, yeah, it was sickeningly sweet. I wanted to smother the kid sometimes.”

Marianne smiled, stepping closer tentatively. “So, can you at least think about it? If the treatments or meds don’t help, I won’t keep pushing. But can you at least try?”

“I…” Robin sighed, rubbing her eyes. “It’s not that simple.”

“You don’t have to answer now.” Marianne said, throat tightning, though she tried to hide it. “But at least just think about it, instead of just saying no.”

She didn’t get any answer, though she didn’t expect one. Resisting the urge to give Robin a hug, she stepped past her and left the room. Down the stairs. Back outside to sit on a bench and put her head in her hands, all the tension leaving her body at once, leaving only exhaustion behind.

She had tried. And hopefully that was enough.

[themattress]

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Continued from my last post.

First, thoughts on the rest of the Part 1 Paralogues.

Tales of the Red Canyon - I fucking love Sothis. This Paralogue shows that even if she's the reincarnation of an ancient grown-up goddess, Sothis is still her own being now and very much a child. She may possess more wisdom and power than most children, but she has the same fear, curiosity, excitability and vulnerability as any child does. She's just so endearing.

An Ocean View - And I also fucking love Seteth and Flayn. This Paralogue is important for them as it's where the game reveals the truth that makes everything about their dynamic make far more sense in retrospect: they are father and daughter, not brother and sister. I genuinely did not see that coming on my first playthrough, so I must tip my hat to them.

Sword and Shield of Seiros - This Paralogue doesn't really hold any weight unless you're playing it in the Golden Deer route, something it has in common with another Paralogue later down the list. Claude coming along, and his reaction to the pirates disguising as Almyrans, makes all the difference. If you didn't realize his true ethnicity before, you should now.

Oil and Water - Pure filler. Nothing is really gained from this. It's just showcasing Hanemann and Manuela's love-hate relationship without actually developing it any. Highly skippable.

Falling Short of Heaven - Yawn. I don't really care about either Catherine or Ashe, so nothing engaged me here. It doesn't even show what Ashe supposedly found out at the end, and the fact that I feel no need to discover what it was reflects my utter disinterest in Ashe.

True Chivalry - This uses the same map as "The Forgotten", but it's way more enjoyable due to Rodrigue's presence and seeing more of what Felix's strained relationship with him is like. And yeah, I am 100% on Felix's side here! Rodrigue's knightly ideals are all well and good on their own, but he has let maintaining them consume his fundamental humanity much like his colleague Gilbert's failure to live up to them consumed his. Behaving as though his fealty to a dead king matters more than civilian lives and as though his older son dying for that same fealty makes his death commendable rather than tragic is ridiculous, and Felix has every right to call him out on it. Surrounded by that attitude for all his life, no wonder Felix is how he is!

Death Toll - While we got the story of how Raphael's parents died and how Ignatz' parents were connected to it in their Support conversations, this Paralogue ends up deepening that story by revealing that their death was a casualty of political strife between the Alliance's nobility. My God, just when I thought Count Gloucester couldn't be more of a piece of shit! But in the end, Raphael again shows just what a pure soul he is - he's focused on doing good in the present instead of grieving for the past, and he's not going to let Count Gloucester's involvement make him think any less of Lorenz just like how he refuses to think any less of Ignatz. He's far from the sharpest tool in the shed mentally, but he has a powerful heart.

Dividing the World - Yet again, we get a Paralogue that's only effective on the Golden Deer route. It's a good accompaniment to Hilda and Cyril, where Hilda showcases her innocent racism - as in, prejudice shaped by ignorance and what she's heard rather than hatred and malice - and Cyril showcases his internalized racism - the way Fodlan looks upon his kind and the better position he's in now in Foldan compared to Almyra has caused him to resent his birthplace and its culture. Throw Claude in there too and it's a very interesting combo.

A Cursed Relic - Another super-hard DLC map. Myson, one of the Agarthans, is the enemy here, as we see him experimenting on creating Demonic Beasts, presumably on Solon's behest. Constance steals the show here, with the contrast between her regular personality when out of sunlight and her affected personality when in sunlight being vividly displayed with her attitude toward Duke Gerth, yet it still somehow meshes together to form a complete, interesting character. Her regular personality is her as she wishes to be, while her affected personality lays all her true insecurities and responses to her past trauma bare for all to see.

The Secret Merchant - This Paralogue is in Part 2 on the Black Eagles route, and only on the Crimson Flower branch, but in Part 1 for the other two. Aside from getting to see Pallardo before his turn to banditry, it doesn't have much to offer story-wise and can be skipped.

Now then, on to Chapters 8 and 9.

- We have great lead-in scenes to the Remire Village mission in all routes. On the Black Eagles route, the foreshadowing of Edelgard being the Flame Emperor becomes way more blatant while setting up the choice Byleth may end up faced with as a result. On the Blue Lions route, we are formally introduced to Lord Arundel while Dimitri finally reveals his and Edelgard's familial relationship. And on the Golden Deer route, Claude finds a book showing the Immaculate One which Seteth promptly confiscates, exposing that the Church is involved in a cover-up that Byleth may be involved in somehow, while also establishing that Tomas has gone missing. No matter which route, you can palpably sense that the plot is thickening.

- There are two red herrings concerning the Flame Emperor presented here. Given that the chapter is called "The Flame in the Darkness", it's easy to think they're responsible for the Remire Village tragedy that Tomas (actually the Agarthan scientist Solon) initiates, and that their denial of being so is a lie. In actuality, they're telling the truth: they haven't been in the loop as to what the Agarthans are doing since they lent them the Death Knight. The other is that your confrontation with the Flame Emperor always ends with your route's Lord's vassal (Hubert, Dedue and Hilda respectively) asking where their Lord is, causing a distraction that allows the Flame Emperor's escape. Given that Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude have all been acting shady on occasion and that they haven't been in the same area as the Flame Emperor yet, there's reason to suspect any one of them. In actuality, Edelgard is the Flame Emperor on all routes, meaning that only on the Black Eagles route is the suspicion truly justified.

- I have a problem with the post-mission scene on the Blue Lions route. While it effectively showcases Dimitri's trauma from the Tragedy of Duscur and also reveals his motive of seeking revenge for it, it always starts out under the assumption that you failed to save villagers in the mission. When you do, Dimitri snaps and screams "I will cut you to shreds!" But if you save all the villagers, this never happens, and yet Dimitri still opens the scene up apologizing for showing you "that side of him" during the battle, rendering it incoherent.

- A much bigger problem, though, is the scene with Dimitri during the ball. No other route has an equivalent scene, so it once again feels like foreshadowing how Dimitri's personal plot will become a tumor in Azure Moon. Also, if you picked Dimitri for the Goddess Tower encounter as female Byleth, then it will feel like this same scene dragging out longer than it needs to.

- The scene where you come upon Rhea looking out at the night sky and singing the song that Sothis sang to her is extremely eerie, and yet at the same time there's something extremely sad about it that you can't quite place at this moment. Later on, of course, you can place it: at her core, beneath all the illusions of dignity and grace, despite all the centuries of living, Rhea is still a sad, lonely child. The bond she had with her mother was deeper than any of her siblings', and she truly believes that she can never feel at peace in life, that the world itself will have no peace, unless her mother is there. It's just so incredibly tragic.

- Jeralt's death....really, what is there to say? It's devastating, and that's all you need to know. There's more to talk about regarding the fall-out of his death, but I'll save that for next time.

[mermaidxatxheart]

Better Together Chapter Seventeen

Pairing: Poe Dameron x Reader

Word Count: 4110

Warnings: if you haven't gotten it by now, violence and Poe. Bryce gets his just desserts

Series Master List

Poe

He doesn’t see his surroundings. Not really. He knows there’s a chair, which Snap is sitting in, exhausted from watching him. There’s a droid station, with one droid present, glaring at him to make sure he doesn’t cause any more disruptions. And there’s a door in front of him that he’s been banned from stepping through. 

He’s never hated a medical bay so much in his life. Memories flash behind his eyelids, so fast he almost can’t make sense of them. Seeing you fall to the ground, hearing himself scream your name. He can still feel the scrape of the twigs and leaves on his knees as he skidded to your side.

“Poe,” Temmin starts, but Poe hardly hears him. “She's gonna be okay,” he continues. 

Your face, when you saw Poe over you, will haunt him forever. You looked at peace, so content. He chokes and sinks to his knees. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Leia come through from the area where he isn't allowed. She looks distressed and he doesn't take that as a good sign. He can already feel his heart breaking all over again. Snap stands up, coming over to hear what she has to say. 

“General?” Snap prompts.

“It was close.” she exhales, closing her eyes. “Maker, it was too close,” she mumbles. “You can go see her, Poe, as long as you let her rest. She's not awake yet, but she will be in a few hours.” She waves him through the door and he bolts without a second look at his best friend. 

He finds the door and takes a second outside it to calm his nerves, take a deep breath, stop his hands from shaking so much. He presses the release for the door and it hisses open. He steps through, his eyes falling on you immediately. You're pale, but, other than that, you don't look any different. He realizes that in his mind, he pictured you with sunken cheeks, looking so close to death that with one good push, you would be gone. But here in front of him, you just look like you're sleeping. 

He eases into the chair next to your bed, reaching for your hand. It's cold. He squeezes it carefully, relief flooding through him as your fingers curl around his. 

“Maker. Y/N.” he sighs, resting his forehead against your hand. 

Light flickers into existence behind your eyelids. Burning bright and feverish warm; or maybe that’s the effects of the water still. 

Something hard and unforgiving is pushing down repeatedly on your chest, feeling like it’s trying to punch through your rubs. The repeated motion forces you to cough; forces the water out of your lungs. You twist your head and neck, expelling it onto the stone floor. 

Your eyes open slowly, blearily and painfully, to find two stormtroopers hovering over you. You try to think back, how many times did you almost drown in that well before it became too much? Five? Six? You’ve lost count. But why would they try to save you? It doesn’t make sense. It’s not as though they care about you.

Waiting until you’re done coughing and gasping, one finally speaks. “Can’t have you dying on us, yet, rebel scum. We still have plans for you.” Sunlight glints off something on his belt and you drop your gaze to see that it’s not his blaster, but instead, a set of keys. 

The keys to your escape? But now how to reach them? It’s not as though you have a lot of chances to get close. He grabs your shackled wrists, yanking you to your feet. The cold metal bites into your flesh, but it’s just another pain on top of an already insurmountable mountain. 

The idea strikes you as he’s hauling you to your feet. You stumble forward, maybe a little too dramatically, collapsing into the trooper. You snake the keys off his belt just as he shoves you backward. His partner forces you back into the well unceremoniously. 

You land hard on your shoulder with a cry. 

“Y/N!” Poe shouts. His voice echoes through the tunnels at the base. 

“I’m… here.” You cough. You’re definitely not okay, but you hear him. You push yourself upright carefully, trying to keep your noises to a minimum, which isn’t difficult. The water already started refilling. Your biggest challenge right now is seeing what you’re doing. 

The water rises fast, and soon is over your head. You hold your breath, determined. Fumbling with the keys, you manage to unlock your shackles. You kick off the bottom and they sink to the floor and suddenly it’s easier for you to float. You keep yourself pressed against the outer wall of the well, trying to undo your wrist shackles now. It takes you painfully long to send them to the bottom. 

Maker, everything hurts. The water stings all of your open wounds. Your hands are shaking as you try to climb the wall. 

The water actually helps this time, floating you up toward the grate. Treading water for that long is exhausting, but you’re so close to freedom, you can almost taste it. 

As soon as you’re able to reach, you have your hands through the holes, trying to find the lock. The water is almost covering your face and you’re still scrambling around where you thought the lock was. Finally, just as the water covers your mouth and nose, your fingers latch over the lock. 

You fumble to get the key in there, lungs burning as you run out of air. The key slides in and clicks open with barely a struggle. 

You brace your aching legs against the wall and shove the heavy metal gate open. Your head breaches the surface and you gasp for air. 

Just as you haul yourself out, breathing hard onto the floor, the water starts to drain. 

No! You pull yourself over to Poe’s well. 

“Poe!” You gasp. 

He’s hanging barely by his fingertips. His chocolate brown eyes are staring up at you in horror. You’re gonna spend the rest of whatever forever you have trying to make this up to him. 

“Hang on.” You plead. If he lets go, you’ll have to wait for the water to rise again and you might not have that much time before they come back. 

“I’m slipping! Y/N, I can’t hold on.” His voice breaks and you can see his arms trembling with the effort. “You have to run, get out of here.” He pleads with you. You reach for the lock and he drops back into the water, already halfway down the well. 

You look around frantically, but there’s no rope or anything. But you know where there’s a chain you could use. Back in the room where they kept you. 

You close the grate to your well, locking it back up so they’ll never notice you’re not in there. You vaguely remember the way back to those nightmare rooms. The first door you open is dim, it smells of metal and oil. It takes you a second to realize that it’s the armory. 

You grab two blasters, knowing Poe will want one as soon as you can get him out. Your goal, though, is to make it through and out without being noticed. The longer you go unnoticed, the better chance you have of making a clean escape. 

As you pass the first room, a glinting catches your eye. You pause, looking inside. Glancing around, you decide you have a minute, and there are plenty of places to hide, so you duck inside. In a little pile on the floor is Poe’s mother’s ring. The chain must have broken during one of the many beatings. 

You slip it into your pocket, promising to give it to him later, once you’re home and safe. After peeking out the door to make sure the hallway is empty, you make your way down to the room you were kept in. You gather up the length of the chain and begin to creep your way back to Poe. 

“Do you think we’ll be able to kill them soon? This is getting boring. They’re not talking.” The voice comes down the hallway and you freeze. 

Hide! You need to hide! Your brain is screaming at you, but your legs refuse to move. 

“Doubtful. KN-1477 really enjoys inflicting pain on the girl.” They’re getting closer. Your heart is pounding. If they catch you, you’ll never escape. 

Your eyes dart around, finding an open, dark doorway to your left. You dash through, pressing yourself back against the frame, making sure to stay out of sight. 

The voices and footsteps carry past you and down the hallway. You wait until you can breathe again before continuing back to Poe. 

The water is back up halfway. You drop the chain next to his well and lean over. 

“Poe!” You hiss, looking down. 

He’s treading water, not well, trying to stay close to the wall. He looks up at you. “Y/N?” He splutters. 

“Hold on. I’ve got a chain.” You unlock the grate and heave it off with immense effort. If only you had Poe’s bantha burger muscles. 

“Watch out.” You drop the chain down to him, twisting your end around your waist. 

“Got it.” He calls and you turn on the spot, using your body to hoist him to the top. You grunt with the effort until he hauls himself over the edge. The sudden lack of tension sends you toppling backward. 

Your breath gets knocked out of you, and despite knowing you don’t have time to waste, you can’t move. You’re aware of Poe laying a few feet away, breathing hard. You know he’s exhausted, too, but the hard part is just beginning. 

“Poe?” You gasp, trying to roll over to reach him. 

“You good?” He asks and immediately more guilt washes over you once again. He’s worried about you, even though this is all your fault. 

You drag in a painful breath and push yourself up. “We need to go.” You shove the chain over to the well, pushing it over the side. 

“What are you doing?” He asks.

“If it takes them longer to realize we’re gone, the longer we have to get away.” You push the grate shut and lock it, dropping the keys inside. 

You stagger to your feet and turn to him. “Can you stand?” You ask, hold out your hand to him. 

He slips his bigger one in it. “Let’s get out of here. Together.”

***

The silver chain usually around his neck is twisted through his fingers, tangled in a mess of chain and flesh. His cheek is smushed into his arm where he fell asleep on it hours ago. There will be a red mark spanning it when he finally does wake up. The delicate ring usually contained on the chain is on his pinky finger, just under the first knuckle. 

It took him ages to fall asleep, thoughts and questions and scenarios swirling around in his mind, chaotic and turbulent as he watched you. Finally, his mind had enough and switched off, letting him rest. 

BB8 chirps quietly in the corner, watching his humans. He hasn’t moved since Poe sat down, watching the struggle on his face. Humans are hard to decipher sometimes, but his humans have become so familiar to him. He registers the difference in your breathing, beeping again, trying to alert the man asleep next to you. 

The soft beeping is what wakes you up. Groggy and disoriented, the only thing you're sure of is Poe’s hand in yours. 

You lift your head, groaning a little as the room spins. You feel weighed down like something is sitting on your head. Poe jerks awake, blinking hard to clear his eyes. 

“Y/N.” he mumbles and you smile, pushing his dark hair out of his handsome face. He captures your hand, holding it to his face and you can feel some of the tension ease out of your shoulders. 

“Love you.” you rasp, feeling his lips press against your palm.

“Love you, too, crazy girl,” he says, lacing his fingers through yours. “Don't ever do that to me again,” he whispers and you squeeze his hand softly. 

“Snap okay?” you mumble. It’s taking you a beat to get your mouth to unstick after sleeping for so long. It feels like years. 

“He's fine. Worried about you.” he inhales deeply along your wrist. “I'll let him in to see you in a minute,” he murmurs. 

You watch him, more strength coming back now. You’re more awake. There's something on his mind, you can read him like a book now. Something he needs to say or he won't be satisfied. You twist your hand in his grasp and cup his face so that he’ll look at you. 

“What are you thinking?” you ask softly. 

He's quiet for a long minute, eyes roaming over your face before he finally speaks. “I was actually just wondering the same thing about you. Back on that stupid planet, you could have been killed. What were you thinking?”

You lean your head back against your pillow, the effort to hold it up more draining than you realize. “I was thinking that I would do anything to keep you safe. I saw my nightmare coming true in front of me and I was willing to do anything it took to keep you in this world,” you say and he squeezes his eyes shut. 

“You think I'm not willing to do the same for you?” he asks, his voice rough and thick with emotion. 

“Poe, I never said that. I know you are. Even after you promised me that you wouldn't get into a fight with a stormtrooper, you did exactly that to save me. But at that moment, all I could see was you dying, and how I would have to live in a world where you didn't exist anymore. And that is a fate worse than death. I won't do it.” you tell him firmly. “If you go, I go.” 

He bows his head against your leg and sighs. “So, what do we do about this predicament?” he asks and you chuckle weakly. 

“Well, I guess we have to stick together forever and ever until we both go out in a fiery ball of stupidity.” you shrug, wincing slightly. 

“We are better together, anyway. You think you could handle a lifetime with me?”

“I've done it so far. I seem to be the only one who can,” you smirk over at him, and he laughs. “Besides. I really like you and you make my feelings go all squishy. So, why not do this forever?”

“Best thing I've heard all day,” he whispers. He lifts your hand, turning it palm up, and places something cold in the center. A delicate ball-chain with something heavier at the end. You open your eyes to see his mother’s ring looking up at you innocently. “I'll go let Snap in to see you.” he stands up and softly presses a kiss to your forehead before turning for the door. 

You admire the view of him walking away until the door hisses shut and you look at the ring in your palm. 

Forever.

***

Two weeks. 

That's how long you're forced to stay on bed rest. It's not so bad this time. Poe comes to see you every day. Sometimes, he'll even stay overnight, much to the med-droid’s annoyance. His mother’s ring hangs on the chain still, except it's around your neck instead of his. It's a simple gesture, but you don't need more than that. You don't feel the need to shout to the whole galaxy that you belong with him, to him; and him to you, with you.

Finally. Finally. You're free to leave the med-bay. You exit the doors to find Snap waiting for you on the other side. You tilt your head, watching his grin grow wider.

“You’re so weird, Wexley.” You mutter and he laughs, draping an arm around your shoulders and leading you through the hallways. 

“I know.”

“Where are you taking me?” You ask, your hand creeping up to the delicate chain around your neck. 

“To get your stuff. Poe has his room all set up, but he said he didn’t want to make assumptions about what you want.” Temmin explains.

“Oh. Right. And where is he?”

“He’s… out.” He trails off. 

Your eyebrows pinch together. “On a mission?”

“Just a small one. For Leia.” He assures you. “He’ll be back in no time.” He stops in front of a storage unit and opens the door. Inside are just a few containers of all your stuff. Everything you’ve ever owned and held dear; it all fits into these little boxes. 

“Did he say what he would prefer me to do?” You ask, looking up at the big guy. 

“Yes. But I’m not supposed to tell you until after you’ve made your decision.” He says. 

You sigh, looking back into the small room. “Can I have a minute to think?” 

He chuckles, patting your shoulder. “Sure. I’ll be right outside.” He steps out of sight and you twist your fingers together. 

Okay. Think this through. You basically pledged to be with him forever, he gave you his mother’s ring. That’s big, right? You want to be with him, to share his bed, to have him near you whenever possible. Why would he give you the option to have your own room away from him? 

You roll your eyes. Because it’s Poe, and he’ll always give you the option. Could you do it? Could you spend your nights away from the man who is so effectively putting you back together? Do you even want to try?

You know your answer. 

You poke your head back out into the hallway and smile at his best friend. 

“Ready?” He asks and you nod. 

“Ready.” He grabs two of the containers and you grab the other two, following him towards Poe’s room. 

He sets the containers on the big bed, leaving you to get unpacked. Poe has left space for your clothes in the dresser, giving you half. You fill the drawers, turning to the last box of stuff. Your things. You set them out on the dresser, the X-Wing Poe got you, a little trinket box that can tell the weather by the temperature of the metal, the precious things you’ve collected over the years. Reminders of friends you’ve lost, and ones you’ve gained. 

You stack the storage containers in the corner to deal with them later, lying down on the bed you’re going to share with Poe. 

There’s a knock on the door and you get up with a small groan before going to open it. Bryce is on the other side and he doesn’t look good. His face is pale, gaunt. There are welts on his exposed arms, one creeping along his jawline. His once bright eyes are dull. He’s sick with something. 

He moves to step into the room and you hold up your hand to stop him, careful not to touch him. “Y/N,” he starts, his voice weak and defeated. “I’m sorry.” He says. You believe him, probably. Or maybe you just don’t care anymore. 

There’s a wrench stuck in a boot by the door and you pick it up. He flinches and you smile to yourself, although you have no intention of hitting him this time. 

“Back out to the light.” You tell him and he does, giving you space to follow. 

You lift the wrench slowly, letting him track your movements. You slowly place the wrench head against his chin, making him turn towards the light. The welt isn’t just a welt. There are little white dots inside the raw, red flesh. The place where you have the wrench turns white under the light pressure. You lower the tool to his wrist, bringing it up closer for your inspection. 

“How long have you had the fever?” You ask, taking a step back. 

“I started feeling sick around the time you clocked me with the wrench in the hangar.” He admits.

“Did you sleep with anyone while you were off-planet finding me a surgeon?” 

“I-that’s not… what does it matter?” He snaps, but there’s no real fight in it.

“Have you slept with anyone since you’ve been back? I assume Nya. Are there others?”

“Why?”

“Any problems going to the bathroom?” 

“How did you know that?” He snaps. 

You try desperately not to smile. You would never openly wish such a horrible disease on someone, but since he brought it on himself, you can enjoy it a little bit. “Come on. Let’s get you to medical. And I’m gonna need a list of names of the people you’ve been in close contact with.” 

“How close?” He frowns, following you down the hallway. 

“Sexually, in their bed. Shared a towel with.” You shrug. “Hopefully they haven’t gone spreading it around.”

“What is it?” He pleads. 

“The King’s Eye. STD. Little parasites that get transferred during sex usually. They worm their way through the skin in your nethers and travel through the blood and tissues. It’s named as such because of some King or other a long time ago. Those little white pustules, the deep welts, the loss of bladder control.” You make sure to stay ahead of him so he can’t see your grin. 

“Am I gonna die?” He asks. 

You tilt your head, considering the question, maybe drawing it out longer than you need to to make him suffer. “Probably not.”

You turn the corner and push open the door to medical, standing well out of his way. He’s going to have to be shaved completely, hosed down fully twice a day with special medicated soap. He’ll have to wear a diaper for a few weeks until it clears up. 

You’re practically giddy. The droids start taking his clothes and you get the names from him. On the central desk is a paging system that transmits throughout the whole complex. You say the five names he’s given you, requesting them to come to medical.

Hopefully it won’t turn into a whole base-wide pandemic. That’s the last thing the resistance needs. But watching Bryce and Nya be humiliated like this, that’s okay with you. 

You wave to him as you head for the door. 

“You could enjoy this a little less.” He shouts. 

“Probably, but why would I?” You laugh and head for the mess hall, following your nose. 

You grab something small, feeling lighter than you have in days, and find your friends sitting at a table. You claim the seat between Beaumont and Snap, propping your feet up on the seat across from you. 

Beau squeezes your shoulder and you hold his gaze for a moment. 

“I’m sorry for yelling at you in my room before. You were trying to help.” 

He smiles widely. “Does that mean you need me?” 

“Always.” You turn to Snap. “So, when will Poe be back?” You ask. “He didn’t say anything to me about a mission. I thought we were still on leave.”

“You are. But he’s just running an errand for Leia, really. An old friend got word to her that he has a map to where her brother is. Skywalker apparently decided to pull a disappearing act.”

“Oh. Alright then. Seems easy enough. Who’d he take with him? Jess?”

There’s a pause where he shares a guilty look with Beau on your other side. “BB8.” He says quietly. 

“Just his droid.” You state flatly. 

“You said it yourself, it’s an easy mission.” Beau reasons. 

“So was the scouting mission we went on. Look how that turned out.” You huff. “I need to go to the lab, distract myself with cataloging those plants.” You rub your forehead and the tension around you mounts.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that.” Snap says awkwardly. 

“And why is that?” 

“Well, some of the guys were assigned to work on them while you were in medical. And it turns out they give off a pollen that induces paranoia. So, we burned them.” He gives you a tense thumbs-up and you stare at him. 

“What?”

“Yeah. So, good news, you’re not going crazy.” Beau chimes in. 

“But Poe didn’t feel anything I was feeling-he wasn’t paranoid and he was around them.” You frown. This doesn’t make any sense. 

“It gets absorbed through the skin. Dameron never touched them, so he wouldn’t have experienced it.”

“Oh.”

“But if you’re looking for something to distract you, you can help us in the hangar.” Snap suggests. 

“Fine.”

Chapter Eighteen

Star Wars List

@everythingisoverrated @bookishofalder @doctor-warthrop @acrossthesestars @waterpancakeao3 @generousrunawaydonut @eclipsedplanet @general-latino @marvelobsessiononastick @itsdameron @mads-weasley @rawrrimamonsterr @diaryofkali @mrsdaamneron @sabxism @fanfictionismydeath @rainlumos @jaxrando @fallinallinmendes @ninjarose23 @einno-arko @a-rose-of-amber @seninjakitey @impala1967666 @theslytherinwriter @musings-of-a-rose

[negative-speedforce]

For Siv and Jessi

🍼🧅🍯

🍸🍩🥔

🍼 [BABY BOTTLE] What's your OC's first memory?

Because Siv was created as a fully-formed child of approximately four years old, they don't have very many memories of their early life. However, one very early memory that she's never been able to make sense of is the moment that she was spit out in the 21st century. They're not sure why, or how, but she knows it happened.

Jessi's first memory is probably her preschool talent show that she performed in, which was where she discovered her love of being onstage.

🧅 [ONION] What is surefire to make your OC cry? Who knows of this information?

Siv isn't really a "cry when I'm sad" kind of person, so it'd be more likely for them to cry when they're frustrated. However, Gina (and all reminders thereof) are a surefire way to actually get her crying. Only those who knew them before their death know this information. Even then, it's debatable whether those are tears of sadness or rage.

The vast majority of Jessi's tears are staged for the camera, as she has a ridiculous amount of control over her emotions. However, if she sees an opportunity to play the victim in a situation, she will. Most people don't know this, and assume her tears are sincere.

🍯 [HONEY] At what point does someone seem sickly sweet to your OC?

Honestly, when they are actually nice to her without an ulterior motive. Siv doesn't really trust anyone, since she's been betrayed so many times. They really need therapy lol.

Jessi can sniff out an insincere friend better than anyone. As a pretty big figure in the music industry, a lot of people try kissing her butt in order to hopefully get mentioned, featured, or some other five seconds of fame. Those people are useful to Jessi, but exhausting.

🍸 [COCKTAIL] When was the first time your OC had an alcoholic beverage? What did they think of it?

Siv snuck out to a party when she was 14, and it was there where she both realized that they like women (the host's older sister awakened something in her), and tried tequila for the first time. They had a better time than Jay, due to the dormant speed force in her making the effects on them lighter than normal.

Jessi doesn't really drink, but the first time she did was in Junior year, when she was just starting her music career, and she was invited to some kind of party with other up-and-coming musicians, and a waiter accidentally served her champagne without checking IDs.

🍩 [DONUT] What is your OC's biggest flaw? How do they deal with it? Do they deal with it?

Siv's biggest flaws are her self-sabotaging tendencies and their inability to trust others. They don't really deal with them at first, but eventually, after finally hitting rock bottom and attempting to steal a relic that can warp reality, she decides to go to therapy to finally work through their issues and the traumatic events that caused them.

Jessi's biggest flaw is her arrogance. Because of her fame and wealth, Jessi believes she's basically untouchable. However, this flaw comes to a head when she tries to blackmail Eobard and ends up almost dying, being forced to fake her own death in order to stay alive. After that, she tries to be much more aware of potential betrayals.

🥔 [POTATO] What do they have that others see as a flaw, but they don't care about?

Siv is extremely stubborn, a trait which most people find extremely annoying, but it has been quite useful for them in the past.

Jessi's selfishness may be considered one of her greatest flaws by others, but she sees it as a positive aspect. After all, she's just being assertive, and the universe wouldn't have given her power if she wasn't supposed to use it, right?

[traincrashs]

Hi uhm, you’re schizophrenic right? What’s it like with schizophrenia?/nf

!!Trigger for some people/Sensitive topic about schizophrenia!!!

This is a very very personal topic for me because it does affect me so much in my day to day life, autism as well.

schizophrenia is a constant bother in my life. Mainly with me having hallucinations and delusions. I will see real life people next to me talk to me directly, in public areas and in my room who I have no idea who they are or they are familiar to me for whatever reason, and talk to them just for them to not be real. Its not a shadowy figure they look human they look like a normal person like ppl you would see on a walk just weird to explain I cannot describe it any better than that. Its not like you are seeing a shadow figure you are seeing a real life person who your brain made up and they talk and act human but they aren't real. My cat is my saving grace because he's so friendly that he will meow at people entering my room or rub on them etc so if my cat does not rub up on them, it lets me know they aren't real.

I do hear voices despite how weird that is to say, I do hear the people talking and I do feel them at times touch me and it freaks me out everytime after I realize they are not real. which is usually the turning point after a few times to make me have an episode. /srs

Very personal to me but it does affect my hygiene a lot it makes me not want to shower most days and often times not want to talk to my friends. I am currently going through that right now with not wanting to talk with my friends because of it being way to much. It makes me feelings often times feel either like nothing (I talk very monotone most times because of it I've been told, or show way to much emotion).

It's often with me having a hard time connecting thoughts unless i'm fixated (my autism coming in) with the show etc so either i know to much abt the show etc, or i don't know anything/if i watch it i don't remenber what i watched etc and cannot for the life of me follow along. My mind is often very very hazy or like misty in a way when i am having a thought or like a string of ideas. It's weird to explain to a person who does not have it.

I have had multiple episodes through a single year. last year i had 4 fucking episodes and i'd rather not get into it but it was a lot. (I didn't do anything illegal or bad nothing to crazy) because of this and it often makes me unlikeable to most people who don't understand what it is like having schizophrenia or makes me seem like an asshole when in reality, I am trying to hold it together and its the fucking worst.

It's very hard to explain bc its hard for me myself bc i don't go to the doctors. Bc of my family situation (I am in a friends house bc I have been abused for the past 10+ years by my adoptive family and had to leave because I was overdosed!). So I dont get a professional opinion from a doctor etc, bc of that. and its either me trying to figure out if this is my autism (I am diagnosed) or my schizophrenia coming back at me. I don't know if its because I haven't experienced paranoia horribly yet bc I have gotten to a sense of like comfort bc of my friend being there that its gotten easier to deal with. that doesn't mean I haven't felt like I haven't be followed before or being watched by people, It feels like half the time I have a million eyes on me and I have 3 times made a public scene sadly. (it will 100% gets worst when I get older /srs its just what happens and it will likely be the reason why I do end up dying if I am being totally flat about the situation.)

schizophrenia and my autism are a really really sensitive topic for me because it does effect my decisions in a lot of things and often is the reason why I act the way I do. and its not something I can control. There is nothing I can do to 100% control my actions if I am having an episode, etc. My autism at this point for me myself I feel like it makes it WORST, and makes me decision making skills WORST way way worst. But I am always open for questions about what it is like because I want people to understand.

We aren't fucking monsters who just lash out, most of us would love to not have these things and would like to live a normal life and it eats away at us every single DAY. Media presents schizophrenia so badly and makes us look insane or like we are monsters and want to kill everybody, we are not insane we are normal people who just need a lot of help and more effectively support.

That's all I have to say honestly, please just note that yes u can ask me about my schizophrenia/autism but just be weary that at times. I will not answer bc its way to deep for me and its private/personal for me as well.

[away-ward]

Why was Pd so sloppy with Emory ? Like there are so many questions. What about her life before they moved back to thunder bay when she was 13 ? The people she knew before moving back . Or the fact that it was made clear of the other girls relationships but not Emory. Like we know rika was with Trevor , winter and banks weren’t with anyone else before Kai and demon , and winters hookup with that midterm guy . But we don’t know that about Emory ? Cause will thought Martin might has r word Emory at some point? And all the time apart was she with anyone? Cause with winter and banks it was kinda a big thing them losing their v card . Also Emory is described as having olive skin . Some people say she’s black but almost every book character is described as having golden, olive skin if they r tan. Like when I hear olive skin I think of Nina dobrev as elena Gilbert in tvd early seasons.

I know, I know! I’m not someone who needs a biography on Emory, but some more insight would be great. I really don’t need PD to confirm what happened during those 9 years. Likewise, I don’t know everything that she went through before Nightfall began, and I don’t need to. I like my headcanon, and to be honest, I like the mystery.

However, you kind of prove a point. I have never once considered that Emory lived anywhere other than Thunder Bay, and I had to go back to check if I missed something. I may very well have, but I think I found enough evidence that I’m not ready to change my mind. When Will talks about her parents dying, he says they were caught in “the river” when a hurricane hit “them” five years ago. To me, that implies he’s familiar with the river, and that he includes himself as one effected by the hurricane. There are a few other lines throughout that, to me, say she’s always been there, but they’re not definite. Either way, the fact that it’s unclear is proof that Emory’s background isn’t specific enough.

In some ways, the mystery surrounding Emory speaks to her character and background. Emory went five years being abused in a small community (not that 10,000 is small, but her circle was), by a notable member of the community (people knew who her brother was and that she was his sister). Nobody in her life suspected a thing.

Emory was invisible. Nobody, not even Will, really knew who she was. He didn’t know her background or where she was before he first noticed her. I can imagine that he saw the headline “Thunder Bay couple dies in Hurricane” and didn’t realize until Emory was their daughter until she got to Thunder Bay Prep a few years later. It makes sense that Emory goes through life with no one keeping track of her coming and going. Nobody but Emory should fully know her story.

However, as a reader and a writer myself, PD not knowing is a difficult pill to swallow. We’re not asking, “what happened at her sixth birthday party.” We’re asking, “Did Emory have any significant others before or after Will?” To answer, “I don’t know” is insulting when we did get that information for all the other girls. I could see PD thinking it’s not information that's necessary to tell Emory’s story (honestly, whether she’s had an SO outside of Will changes nothing within the confines of NF), but those experiences are important to understanding a character, and to not know them yourself is a letdown and bad planning. Like you said, sloppy. Even if they didn't make it to the book, answering those questions outside of the story should be easy.

My thoughts on it are that PD was too tired of Devil’s Night by the time they got to Nightfall. I honestly feel they should have taken a break between releases, but the fandom was really pushing for more. And I can go off on a tangent about how damaging that is for a writer, and how the story suffers the most, but I won’t to save everyone some mental space.

Also Emory is described as having olive skin . Some people say she’s black but almost every book character is described as having golden, olive skin if they r tan. Like when I hear olive skin I think of Nina dobrev as elena Gilbert in tvd early seasons.

I agree that when I hear “olive” I think of a golden tan. I’ve never heard of anyone headcanoning her as black, but if that’s what works for them, I won’t take it away. It's just that I never saw that. I know I get irritated when people don’t acknowledge her wavy/curly hair (this is coming from a curly girl. Please don’t take it away from me😭.) I still haven’t found my Emory, but I’m constantly on the lookout. I’ll be interested if anyone feels like submitting theirs, but no pressure. Fan casts and face claims can be a difficult thing to share. I’m just interested in seeing how other people picture her in their heads.

Please, don't stress about the things PD hasn't confirmed. Just headcanon to your heart's content, and if anyone tries to tell you that you're wrong because they said so, block them.

Thanks for coming around!

-Ko