#there could be like a dozen chapters of the different heroes finding out they are destined to be gods and training with their new gifts

[elizabethemerald]

The Future of the Pantheon of the Gods

@prehistoric-catgirl added onto @stealingyourbones 's post about Random DC characters interacting with DP characters. Her character was Cassie Sandsmark and she created a prompt where-in Cassie is assigned to become part of the new Pantheon and to seek out other members of the new Pantheon, including Danny Phantom who will be the new God of Death.

Masterpost

***

"Is this true?" Cassandra Sandsmark asked.

Cassie, Donna Troy and Diana Prince, stood before the gathered gods of Olympus. Cassie had been surprised to be summoned alongside the original Wonder Woman and the first Wonder Girl, her mentor and greatest inspiration respectively, to stand before the Olympians.

"Yes. Though we have tried to stop the decline, the truth is the gods are dying." Zeus rumbled, ozone and petrichor filling her nose as he spoke.

Cassie hadn't wanted to bring it up, but the gods around them did seem... older... weaker than they ever had been. They were still far over any mortal, but even with all the gathered Olympians the air was suffocated by their power like it had been even a few years before.

"Is there some way we can assist?" Donna asked, looking around them and no doubt cataloging the same changes Cassie had noticed.

Hera smiled at the trio of Wonder Women.

"Your noble spirit is why we have summoned you, but there is nothing that can be done to save us now." The words had a weight of surety to them. Everything had already been tried. The end of the Olympians was inevitable.

"The worship from the mortals has declined in recent centuries." The ground rumbled and shook under her feet as Poseidon spoke. "We are not as powerful now as we were a decade ago and in another decade more our infirmity will only grow."

Hades spoke next, his voice cracking with cold that stole Cassie's breath away. "There were some of us who felt we should just fade away, if the mortals no longer wished to worship us, then they can see how well they do without our influence over our domains."

"However, the rest of us wanted to ensure our domains remained to serve the humans even after our passing." Hera said, her words like a gavel. "The solution we have reached is to pass on our mantels to new, worthy successors. Those who have some skill with our domains, unshakable moral codes, and a deep love for their fellow mortals."

Cassie pondered the words of the Gods in the following silence. Then her eyes widened and her head whipped up to meet the eyes of Zeus who smiled at them as she gasped.

"Yes, we plan to pass on our duties to heroes such as yourselves." He declared, his arms open, magnanimously.

Cassie could see that Donna and Diana were as shocked as she was, though both of them kept their gasps silent. Diana gave a short bow.

"If there is no other way, than is a duty I can bare." She said.

"Not you Diana." Hades said, his empty eyes capturing them each in turn. "You have your own purpose among the new Pantheon, God-killer."

Diana stiffened and rose to face the Olympians once more, her shoulders set. Hera was the one to speak next.

"We decided those best to handle the weight of the cosmos would be those who are young enough to grow into their new roles. There are many such young heroes in your world who could train alongside us before our decline is complete."

"And if they should fall short of your standards, you expect me to serve as their executioner." Diana's disdain could have only been more clear if she had spat on the floor.

"Yes." Poseidon snapped like the crash of wave. "The power we have, that we are offering is too great to exist without some kind of check to prevent its abuse."

"Besides," spoke Athena for the first time, her eyes still filled with power despite her declining worship. "How many problems have been created for the mortals by the petty squabbles of those who sit on these thrones? We believe you, Diana, will be a worthy mentor for our successors, but you will not be among them. Always apart, always with your sword ready."

Diana's fury burned off her in waves, hating the idea that she would have to turn her blade against some of the junior heroes that she had helped raise, and seen grow up. Cassie swore she could hear her grinding her teeth and was afraid that Diana would decide to end the Pantheon right there.

"So! Who is it you have decided to be your successors?" Donna spoke up quickly, clearly thinking the same thing Cassie was.

"We have consulted the greatest oracles and soothsayers and each of us have chosen one who will suit." Hera said. "Zeus, why don't you go first."

Zeus held his hands out towards Donna. His eyes locked on hers. He stepped down from his dais as Donna stepped back, her eyes the size of dinner plates.

"Who else could take my place other than the sister of our dear Diana, who has proven her metal through lifetimes of strength and suffering. Donna Troy, you will be the next Queen of Olympus."

Donna looked like she might pass out, but shook the shock off and stood firm, earning her a proud smile from Zeus. Cassie patted her on the back, proud of her idol for everything she has accomplished.

"And you Cassandra, daughter of Zeus will take my place as the Goddess of War." Ares declared. "As you should."

Cassie carefully kept her snarl inside, her problems with her "brother" Ares was better left for when she was away from the rest of the Pantheon. At least if she were the Goddess of War, she wouldn't revel in the violence like he always did.

"We will not transfer our power now." Zeus spoke up again, returning to his throne. "Once the New Pantheon is assembled we will hand over our mantels, retaining only a fraction of our power to train our successors."

"Your responsibilities, and the reason we called you first, is so that you may notify those who will join you by your side." Hera said, settling to the details of their mission. "Diana, you will inform the mentors of these young heroes to prevent a panic. Diana, many of these are known to you, and you are known to them, so you will be the primary contact."

Hermes and Athena stepped forward to hand off scrolls to the two of them. Cassie fought to keep her emotions neutral. She would help no one by pouting at being redundant. Diana and Donna looked closely at the scrolls, their faces journeying through emotions as they considered the names.

"And you Cassandra," Cassie looked up in surprise at being addressed by Hades. "There are other heroes that you must reach out to who are not known to your organization, including my own successor."

"Secret would be a perfect-" Cassie started, quick to suggest her own teammate before Hades cut her off.

"No!" He snapped, the word stealing her breath away, forcing her to gasp and clutch her chest. "Your companion does have skills with regards to my domain, but there is another whose power and dominion of death is absolute. He is already a king in his own right, and his connection to life remains strong enough that he would be able to sympathize with the mortals. While he is unknown to your Justice League he is know and beloved to me."

Cassie nodded her head as another scroll, this one cold as ice was handed to her by Hermes. She couldn't help but be impressed by whoever this person is. She hadn't heard Hades call anything beloved other than Persephone in all the time she had known him. She looked at the names and coordinates on the scroll.

"Who on Earth is Phantom?"

[autumnshighlady]

I've Always Liked to Play With Fire (part 24)

NESTA ARCHERON X ERIS VANSERRA X FEMALE!READER

summary: Eris is now High Lord, but the three of you have a serious talk

warnings: Feysand slander, tooth-rotting fluff and adorableness to make up for the emotional last few chapters

word count: 5.5k

DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE

a/n: to those of you who thought the last chapter was the end, do not fear! There's still 5-10 more chapters to go. But the poor reader finally gets a break. This is a chill chapter with lots of fluff as a little treat, enjoy

part 1 // part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5 / part 6 / part 7 / part 8 / part 9 / part 10 / part 11 / part 12 / part 13 / part 14 / part 15 / part 16 / part 17 / part 18 / part 19 / part 20 / part 21 / part 22 / part 23

read on ao3

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It had been three days since Eris killed Beron in the dungeons. After it was done, the new High Lord ordered Azriel to take you to your room, where you would be guarded and seen by servants for your injuries. You had protested, wanting to join your mates in dealing with the aftermath of the days’ events, but were quickly shot down.

“Absolutely not.” Eris had said sternly. “You have been beaten senseless and need time to heal. There are going to be lots of angry individuals and people attempting to challenge me, and I will not have you anywhere near that. We will find you when things settle down, I promise.”

Additionally, he had mentioned that he would be blaming his father and brother’s death on Hybern assassins – they had snuck into the castle in an attempt to wipe out the Vanserra bloodline while they slept. The story was that Beron had been slain during his late night walk around the dungeons, the assassins had attempted to kill you as well, but Malgorm died defending you. Hence an explanation for your injuries and a way to keep you sheltered from the chaos of Eris’s transition to High Lord.

The idea that Malgorm would be perceived as a noble hero in the narrative made you roll your eyes, but Eris assured you that there wasn’t a single individual in this court who didn’t know how vile Malgorm truly was. It made you feel slightly better.

You had been bored out of your mind for the past three days. Your injuries were almost fully healed, thanks to the work of the healers. Nesta had come to visit you a few times, brushing your hair or holding you in her arms until you fell asleep again. You yearned for the additional comfort of Eris’s presence, but he was understandably busy. Nesta insisted he was remorseful for his lack of time to see you, but you could feel it through the bond already.

Part of you was still angry with Eris for hiding his knowledge of the bond. Deep down, you knew he did it out of concern for your safety, but even though you had come to terms with the idea of Eris being your mate, the betrayal still stung. You tried to ignore it – Eris had worked so hard and sacrificed so much to help you and Nesta, the least you could do was give him the benefit of the doubt. But with everything that had happened, there hadn’t been a good time to talk about it with him yet.

Lirilla had also paid you one or two visits over the past three days. She had thanked you over a dozen times, tearfully expressing how she owed you an eternal debt for bringing her back at the cost of never seeing your own mother again if you were to die. You had teared up in response, a hundred different emotions running through you. At first, you had expected to feel some faint resentment, knowing your mother’s soul had brought back the Lady of Autumn.

But there was none. In fact, you had an opportunity few others had – to say a proper goodbye to a departed loved one, and have one final moment wrapped in their embrace. You’d be lying if you said you hadn’t cried into your pillow several times over the memory, clinging onto it as if it would fade away into the breeze. But somehow, having Lirilla alive and present helped you.

Night began to fall on the third day since Beron’s death, and it took you great effort to pry yourself out of the warm bubble bath a servant had drawn from you. Lavender and mint clung to your scent from the healing soaps you had used to scrub yourself raw, still feeling the sticky sensation of Malgorm’s blood being painted over you. No matter how many times you bathed, it wouldn’t go away.

After putting on a pale grey nightgown, you settled into bed to read when a soft knock sounded at your door. The inside of your chest warmed and fluttered like a cat purring, and you felt the bond glow with happiness. You knew who it was before the door even opened. “Come in, Nesta.” You called out, propping yourself up on the lush green pillows.

Nesta entered your room, still wearing her dark red dress from dinner. Half her hair was pulled back into a braid, the other half cascading down her back in elegant waves. In her hand was a plate of fresh strawberries, the unmistakable rich smell of chocolate coming from the small bowl beside the fruit. 

Your mouth watered. “Please tell me those are for me.” 

“No, I brought them all this way just to make you watch me eat them in front of you.” Nesta said dryly, closing the door behind her. “Of course they’re for you. I snagged them from dessert. Figured you’d want some.”

“Obviously.” You said, shifting more to the centre of the bed and patting the space next to you. The bed was absolutely massive, leaving tons of room for the female to come sit beside you. After kicking off her shoes and sliding under the thick covers, she settled the plate carefully on her lap. Wordlessly, you curled into Nesta’s side, resting your head on her chest and sighing contently. Slender fingers came up to tangle themselves in your hair, gently caressing the locks. Nesta’s free hand reached down and grabbed a strawberry, dipping it in the chocolate before bringing it to your lips. Eagerly, you lifted your head slightly and moaned as warm dark chocolate hit your tongue, along with the sweet taste of the freshest strawberry you’d ever had. 

“Mmm…” You mumbled, swallowing the delicacy. “I could die happy right now.”

With the hand that was stroking your hair, Nesta smacked you lightly. “Don’t you dare even joke about that,” She scolded. “You’ve had too many close calls for that to be even remotely funny.”

“Whatever. Feed me another chocolate covered strawberry and I’ll shut up about it.”

Nesta rolled her eyes but obliged, and you rested your head back on her chest after swallowing. You couldn’t help but notice how different she was now from when you first met her in the House of Wind. Her body had filled out, soft flesh hiding the brittle bones that used to stick out from underneath her pale skin. For Nesta to be relaxed enough to be this close to you as a huge change. She was not on edge, body tense and flinching with every shift in movement. Even when you had tentatively held her hand or brushed your knee against hers while in the Night Court, she seemed afraid of the contact, always tensing before relaxing into you.

Now, she showed no signs of anxiety. You knew that physical touch was not something that Nesta was used to, but you could tell through the bond that she was comfortable doing it with you. 

“What are you thinking about right now?” Nesta asked, noting your silence.

“You.” You said truthfully.

She snorted. “Care to elaborate?”

“You’re different now.” You admitted, choosing your words carefully. 

But her voice was curious, not defensive as she spoke. “How so?”

“I feel like you’re more… you. You’re not putting up a wall anymore. You seem more comfortable in your own skin, that’s all.”

You felt Nesta rest her cheek on the top of your head. “I do. You’ve helped me with that.”

You shook your head. “No, Nesta. That was all you.”

“Perhaps. But you being there by my side throughout all of this has helped.”

You hesitated before asking the question that had been lingering in the back of your mind for a while now. “Do you have any regrets about doing this?”

A moment of silence filled the room. Part of you had constantly asked yourself if you were dragging Nesta into your plan too much. As much as you knew she wanted out of the Night Court, to switch courts so quickly after having her entire life uprooted by the Cauldron was a drastic change. 

“No.” Nesta said confidently. “Not for a second. I have no desire to return to the Night Court. While I will always love my sisters, it is clear that they care about their image more than what is truly best for me. I have no place there in their little found family, and that does not bring me any sadness. Now, I am free to make my own decisions free of their scrutiny, and that brings me comfort. So no, I don’t regret taking this journey with you.”

You closed your eyes, the rhythmic stroking of Nesta’s fingers through your hair making you tired. “We have to talk about Cassian at some point. About all of us, about what comes next.”

You felt Nesta sigh. You knew she didn’t want to talk about Cassian, and neither did you. But he was convinced that he is Nesta’s mate, something that could potentially bring a threat. If he invoked a blood duel, Eris would certainly win with his new power as High Lord. But you? You stood no chance against the Lord of Bloodshed.

“You’re right.” Nesta said slowly. “But I think we need to wait for Eris before we have this conversation. It involves him, too.”

“You’re right. When will I get to see him?”

“He said he’d come here after his last meeting. He should be here soon.”

You sat up, reaching for the plate and grabbing another chocolate covered strawberry. You felt a bit of the chocolate smear on the side of your lip as you ungracefully popped the strawberry into your mouth, attempting to keep the expensive duvet free of mess. 

“You’ve got something on your face.” Nesta snorted.

You rolled your eyes at her. “Wow, I didn’t notice. Thank you so much for pointing–”

Your sentence trailed off as Nesta reached down and slowly wiped the chocolate off your lip with her finger. You watched with wide eyes as she then took that chocolate covered finger and closed her lips around it, sucking the chocolate off. Her blue-grey eyes never left yours as she did so, making your body tingle.

“That was one of the top five hottest things you've done.” You said, causing Nesta to raise an eyebrow.

“Oh, you have a list now, do you?” She murmured, amusement across her sharp face.

You shrugged nonchalantly, but heat flooded your cheeks. Truthfully, everything Nesta did was absolutely mesmerising to you. It was almost impossible to actually think of five moments that stood out. “Maybe.” Was all you mumbled in response.

Nesta simply chuckled, then leaned down and sensually pressed her lips to yours. You moaned into her mouth, melting into the touch. It was different from the tender two kisses you shared previously – ones that were gentle and soft, as if you were both afraid that the other would disappear from in front of you at any moment. No, this kiss was more passionate, sending goosebumps up your arms despite the warmth of the room. She tasted like chocolate and wine, and it took all your self control not to simply melt right there and then.

When Nesta eventually pulled away, she cradled your head back into her chest. You were so comfortable, encased in the expensive fabric of the lush bedsheets and cuddled up against Nesta’s side. A distinct knock on the door snapped you back to consciousness. “Three guesses who that is.” You muttered groggily.

Nesta snorted, but called out, “Come in, Eris.” 

Surely enough, the door swung open to reveal Eris. His red hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and he was dressed in his sleepwear of a white tunic with long, billowy sleeves tucked into loose brown pants. Despite the casual look, the soft hum of power coming from the male made it hard to mistake him as anything other than a High Lord.

“How’d you know it was me?” Eris asked, closing the door behind him as he sauntered into your room.

“Oh please, you knock like a pampered princess.” You said playfully, popping another strawberry in your mouth.

Eris narrowed his eyes at the delicately placed bowl of melted chocolate on Nesta’s thigh. “Please tell me you’re not getting chocolate on my expensive bed sheets.” 

“You’re High Lord, can’t you just use your fancy new power to remove any spills?” 

“Ugh, please don’t remind him he’s High Lord.” Nesta insisted, rolling her eyes. “It’ll get to that pretty head of his and he’ll become even more insufferable than he already is. Besides, he hardly needs reminding with how much he throws his new title in everyone’s faces every two seconds.”

You laughed, causing Eris to look down at you from where he was standing at the end of the bed, pressing a pale hand to his chest with mock hurt. “Your cruelty wounds me,” He sighed. “I do not know what I did to deserve such treatment.”

“You make it too easy.” You patted the space next to you on your other side. Eris scoffed, but peeled back the covers and crawled under them anyway, sliding right next to you and resting his back against one of the many pillows behind you. You leaned forward and grabbed another chocolate covered strawberry, bringing it up in front of his face. “Here you go, oh mighty High Lord.” You said dramatically.

The male raised an eyebrow, but kept his amber eyes on yours as he leaned forward and gently took the fruit from your hand with his mouth, lips brushing your fingers ever so slightly. You suppressed a shiver at the sensation, trying to ignore Eris’s moan as he savoured the rich chocolate. You straightened up, no longer leaning against Nesta’s chest but instead still keeping your shoulder pressed against hers.

“Delicious.” Eris muttered after swallowing. “And exactly what I needed after today.”

“What did you get up to today?” You asked. “Or any of the past three days, since I haven’t been allowed outside of this room to see for myself.”

Eris shot you a light glare. “As both of us have explained to you several times, you are in here because we need to wait until things settle for a few days. Right now, you are vulnerable. Both physically and in terms of your position as an unwed and unengaged female. While I intend to eliminate anyone with the same mindset as my father regarding females of your status who refuse to change, they might not yet be revealing themselves. Many have tried to challenge me these past few days, and every one of them has been turned to ash. I need to ensure nobody will come after you.”

You sighed, knowing Eris was right. A female like you without ties to a male would be an easy target for those looking to cling to Beron’s ways. You briefly wondered exactly how many people Eris had slain in his first few days of being High Lord, but dared not ask. “Did everyone believe the story about Hybern assassins being responsible?” You chose to ask instead.

“Mostly.” Eris said. “Those who seemed suspicious have been dealt with. But it matters not. I am High Lord now, and the court knows that if they dare question how I came to be in this position, they will not live to see the next sunrise.”

“So what happens now?” Nesta spoke up. “With the three of us, I mean. And we still have the Night Court to deal with, not to mention Cassian.”

“Given your sister’s situation with her pregnancy, I believe the Night Court will be occupied by that for the next while.” Eris said. “She is due soon, is she not?”

Nesta nodded, but said nothing. 

“Can we help Feyre?” You asked hesitantly, feeling Nesta’s turmoil through the bond. While she did not part on good terms with her sister, you could tell she felt anguish at the idea of Feyre dying because of this pregnancy. And as much as you disliked the High Lady, you did not wish such a fate upon her either.

Eris spoke with caution. “I have spoken with our best healers. And to be truthful, yes, we have the means of removing the baby surgically rather than having little Archeron try to deliver the child naturally. But I do not think it’s a question of whether or not we can, but whether or not we should.”

You blinked in surprise, feeling Nesta tense beside you. “What do you mean?” You asked. “If we have a way to save her life, why not use it?”

Eris shifted slightly, turning on his side to face you. “Because it is leverage we can use against them. A bargaining tool. We could promise to save the High Lady’s life on the condition that they leave us alone, permanently. That they are never to enter our court without permission, including the brute.”

You bit your tongue. Nesta was silent beside you, her expression unreadable. “Nesta?” You asked quietly, pressing your arm into her. “What do you think we should do?”

There was a minute of silence before she straightened her spine, grey eyes finally landing on you and Eris as she spoke. “The Feyre I knew who went under the mountain is gone.” She said, her voice like steel. “Once she accepted the mating bond, she changed. Rhys changed her. The Feyre I knew would never just sit by and let her mate make the decisions for her. The Feyre I knew would never have sent me to be locked up if Rhys hadn’t planted the idea in her head first. She used Elain as a bargaining chip to strong arm me into doing her bidding. If she has no qualms about using our lives for her own gain, then I have no issue doing the same with hers. But under one condition. Feyre has to agree to it. Hers is the only opinion that matters. Rhys cannot accept the terms, only she can. It will be her choice, and her choice alone.”

Eris nodded respectfully. “Very well then. Once everything settles further over the next week or so, I will set up a meeting with the Night Court and we can propose our bargain.”

“Cassian can’t be there.” Nesta said suddenly. “I can’t see him. Please.”

“We won’t let him try and take you,” You grabbed her hand, holding it reassuringly. “I promise.”

Nesta bit her lip, worry lining her features. “He thinks we’re mates. I don’t trust him not to try something.”

“Cassian does not stand a chance against us.” Eris said calmly, fiddling with the emerald ring on his finger. “Although I am curious as to why he is acting like a mated male when Estelle said he is not mated to you, Nesta. There’s something else at work here, maybe having him at the meeting will allow us to figure out what it is.”

Nesta hesitated, but exhaled softly. “Fine. Cassian can be there. But the dragons will come to the meeting.”

“They will be delighted.” Eris chuckled. “I am sure they will happily eat anyone who dares protest against our lovely mating bonds.”

You went still, the soft sheets of the bed suddenly stifling. Aside from your brief moment after saving Lirilla, you hadn’t yet acknowledged or discussed your mating bond with Eris yet. With Nesta it was easier, as you had plenty more time together to mull things over. But with Eris, it all happened so fast. The High Lord duties swept him away from you before you could even propose the discussion.

“Eris…” You said carefully after a few moments. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew we were mates?”

At first, the male did not reply. Eris Vanserra usually had a witty reply for everything, a silver tongue that came up with a response within a half second no matter how unprepared he was for the question. So you turned to face him. Eris’s expression was one of regret, tender sadness in his usually stone cold eyes. But the mask was off. He had no need for it anymore.

“There were so many things happening at once.” Eris said slowly. “I did not know how you would react, truthfully. We all needed to be focused, just until we were safe from my father. I did not want to risk compromising what I’ve been working towards for years. It is selfish, I am well aware. But it is the truth. If you knew about the bond, who knows how different things could have been? And if anyone found out, it would be used against us. I could not let that happen.”

The High Lord swallowed thickly, his slender hand gently coming to cover your fingers as he continued. “I know what a breach of trust this was, little fox, especially after you put your faith in me. And I will spend the rest of my life trying to make up for it, because I selfishly cannot stand the idea of you hating me for it.” 

You inhaled a shaky breath, wetness lining your eyes. You felt Nesta rubbing your back comfortingly, as if she, too, felt your pain through the bond. “I don’t hate you for it.” You said quietly. “I understand your reasoning, I just wish none of this had to be this way.”

Eris smiled sadly. “I wish that very much, too. Although this path has led me to you, to Nesta. So despite everything, I have no other regrets about how things played out.”

“Me too.” Nesta said from behind you, squeezing your shoulder. “It was all worth it to get out of that situation, to end up with both of you.”

Your heart fluttered as you smiled. Even though the past months have been hell, they lead you to Nesta and Eris. Everything you had been through, it was all worth it to get here. Because you knew that even though the horrors you had endured would keep you up at night, you’d have your mates to ease the pain.

But your smile faded as reality sunk back in. “What about the wedding?” You asked. “If you two are getting married, where does that leave me? I know marriage is a sham at the end of the day, and the mating bond is what truly connects us. But I admit that I will not feel like an equal if you two are wed.”

You felt the bed shift as Eris straightened beside you. A hint of a blush came over his cheeks as he coughed before speaking. “Well, I thought of a solution for that. It’s a bit outlandish, and something that would definitely make the majority of this court lose their minds over it. And don’t be afraid to tell me I am a fool for this, Mother knows everyone else will be–”

“Eris.” Nesta said sharply, cutting off the male’s rambling. “Spit it out already.”

You could feel Eris’s nerves in your chest as if they were your own. You had never seen him so flustered before, so unsure of what to say. 

“Well,” He continued, taking a deep breath. “It is not unheard of in Pythian’s history for a High Lord to take two wives…”

“You’d want to marry both of us?” Nesta said incredulously.

Eris blushed further, his eyes narrowing angrily at the heat of his cheeks. “Well, it would be a good way to ensure you are both protected–”

“Stop.” You cut him off firmly, squeezing his hand. Eris was silenced immediately, doubt flickering in his eyes as if he were afraid this would happen. “Fuck the political scheming and doing everything for the sake of a plan. We’ve made it this far, guys. It’s time to think about what we want, not what we should do. So, Eris, what do you want?”

“Well, it wouldn’t be the worst thing to have you both as my wives…”

Nesta snorted. “A heartfelt proposal, Eris. Well done.”

Eris shot a playful glare at the female. “Smartass. Watch it, or I’ll leave your finger without a ring and keep (Y/N) all to myself.”

“Oh, please. You’re too obsessed with me to do that.”

“I am afraid you are right, Nesta Archeron.”

The three of you laughed, the harmony of it echoing throughout the spacious room like a song. But Nesta’s serious tone returned, cutting the laughter off. “But seriously, Eris, are you proposing this because this is what you want, or because of the mating bond?”

Eris shifted as he reached forward, taking each of you and Nesta’s hands in his own. The authority of the High Lord rang in his voice as he spoke, his amber eyes meeting Nesta’s blue-grey ones. “Make no mistake, I am happy about the mating bond. But it does not create this desire from nothing. It merely amplifies what is already there. The desire to marry you, Nesta, began the day we danced together in the Hewn City. I knew then that I wanted you as my equal at my side. I wanted you because you were you, sharp tongue and all, not because a mating bond made it be so.” 

Eris then turned to face you. “The desire to marry you, (Y/N), began the day you came to me with your plan. I saw your resilience, your brilliant mind, and I wanted you. Not for your magic, or your connection to the Mother. I didn’t even know you were my mate then, or that you possessed a unique power, and I wanted you. My desire for both of you did not come from wanting something from you, or because of a mating bond. You asked me what I wanted, (Y/N), and this is it. I want you and Nesta as my equals, my wives, my High Ladies by my side. If that is what you wish, of course.”

You teared up, seeing Nesta do the same. Eris spoke so fiercely, so passionately it pulled at your heart strings. All this time, you had prepared yourself to see Eris and Nesta marry for political convenience, leaving you on the side with your secret ancient vows to Nesta that could never be shared with the outside world. You had prepared yourself to put aside your feelings for Eris, and your feelings for Nesta, to once again make a sacrifice for the ones you loved.

But you didn’t have to do that. Somehow, along the way Nesta and Eris had fallen for each other. And you had fallen for Eris, and he for you. The bond the three of you shared was deeper than any mating bond – it was a bond of survival, of fighting for a better life. A life you now couldn’t imagine sharing with anyone else.

“I would like that very much.” You said through tears, squeezing Eris’s hand.

“And I as well.” Nesta said softly. “Although I never thought of being High Lady.”

“You are both free to pass on that,” Eris said. “It would simply be an added bonus. But you both have enough power to be my equal as High Ladies, and you would be free to be as involved or removed from court politics as you wish.”

You glanced at Nesta, meeting her eyes. You knew Nesta had never possessed any ambitions to become a leader. She was content to simply exist in her own life, as long as she had control over it.

But this opportunity Eris was presenting could be used to help people. All you wanted was to make Autumn safe for females in a way Rhysand failed to do with his own court. Perhaps instead of relying on Eris to make it happen, you could do it yourself. “I wouldn’t be opposed to that.” You said.

“Me neither.” Nesta replied, nodding. “If my sister can be High Lady, so can I.”

“Feyre Archeron does not know how to run a court,” Eris snorted. “You’re the sister much better suited to the job.”

“One more thing.” You interjected, turning to Nesta. “Technically, we are already married due to the spell we used to create the daemati bond. But I would like to redo it, with a proper wedding. That way, the world will know that we aren’t just married to Eris, but to each other as well. I want everyone to know you’re just as much mine as Eris’s. If you’ll have me.”

It was not how you could have ever imagined proposing to Nesta, fumbling over your words so casually as if you were suggesting trying a new food for lunch. But it felt right. You wanted to be married to Nesta properly, in the eyes of the world. True, you had known her for less than a year. But you knew in your heart you would want to marry her eventually – why not now while she was already marrying Eris?

Nesta’s lips twitched for a second, as if she were instinctively fighting off her smile. But then her face loosened, and she allowed her smile to stretch across her cheeks fully. “Of course I’ll have you, you fool.” She said softly. “Without a shadow of a doubt.”

“In that case, I shall inform the priestess so she can modify the ceremony.” Eris said, grinning in a way that made your heart sing. “If my father could see this, he would lose his mind. As will many members of the court, probably. Having two High Ladies married to each other and me will be a lot for them to comprehend.”

“It’s actually possible, right?” Nesta asked him. “For all three of us to be married?”

“There is no law or religious text that prevents it, my dear.” Eris reassured her. “It will be legitimate, I swear.”

You smiled, another tear of happiness slipping down your cheek. “So this is really happening, we’re all getting married?”

Eris nodded. “Yes, love. We are. And we can take as much time as we want to plan the wedding so it’s exactly how we want it, not how my father wanted it to be. It will be a day about all three of us.”

It was like a heavy boulder had been lifted off your chest. All of the anxiety of the past few weeks was gone, replaced by pure happiness at the idea of marrying Nesta and Eris. Before, the talk of a wedding filled you with dread, a reminder that you were engaged to a cruel male who would delight in torturing you however he could. The idea of a wedding made you feel sick, and sad at the same time knowing you’d have no say in any of the planning.

But with Eris as High Lord and your soon to be new position as High Lady, everything would be different. You would be able to pick out your dress, the flowers, the cake, everything. After months and months of having no control over your life, you were finally taking the reins back.

You wrapped your arms around Eris, pulling him in for a tight embrace. “Thank you.” You muttered.

When Eris pulled away, his amber eyes burned into yours. It ignited something in you, making your blood sing as his voice dropped as he spoke. “I know by tradition I am supposed to wait until the wedding to kiss my brides. But I would really like to kiss you now. Both of you.”

“Fine by me.” You said, your heart racing and drowning out the sound of your own voice.

Eris smirked, his hands coming up to either side of your face to cup your jaw. Towering over you, he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to your own. Instantly, it was like a tidal wave of lust surged through the bond, as you melted into his mouth. It wasn’t the seductive, claiming kiss you had expected an Autumn court male like Eris to give. It was just as sensual, but softer, like a warm hearth rather than blazing wildfire. It was a kiss of love, of promise for a better world.

Your hands brushed the fabric of Eris’s tunic as he kissed you, and you felt the male shiver beneath your touch. When his lips finally abandoned yours, you let out an involuntary whine at the loss of contact. 

“Don’t worry, darling,” Eris purred, his thumb stroking your cheek. “There will be plenty of time for more later.”

 The High Lord then turned towards Nesta, taking her hands in his own. You watched as he leaned forward, kissing her with the same tenderness he had with you. Nesta’s eyes fluttered closed at the contact, her body relaxing. They were like a scene from a painting. Nesta’s wavy locks contrasting with the fiery straight hair of Eris, their heads angled so perfectly as their lips moulded together with longing. 

As you watched your mates kiss, you felt no jealousy. No anger. No feeling of exclusion. You only felt love – happiness that the two people you cared for most loved each other just as much as you loved them.

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[zombie-bait]

The Death of a Vampire

Lestat as a protagonist just works so incredibly well and a very significant aspect of that is him being Anne Rice's self-insert. Lived experience can be critical when it comes to writing a good story and many memorable novels will feature elements of that. Anne is built different, though. Lestat (book 2 onwards) is basically Anne's journal for dealing with her grievances and trauma, which, on its own, is a very questionable method of writing. More often than not, it causes him to be characterized inconsistently between books because Anne's own opinions have changed. But it also makes him so real.

You follow his struggles with religion, you see him yearn for forgiveness from a god that has seemingly abandoned him a long time ago and you feel it. The passage I will never get over is in the early chapters of The Vampire Lestat, when Lestat has a breakdown over his mother's (and frankly his own) mortality. He struggles and he cries and he can't get out of bed because there's nothing he can do. Eventually he starts to live again, forces himself to.

But.

"I wandered into the church and on my knees I leaned against the wall and I looked at the ancient statues and I felt the same gratitude looking at the finely carved fingers and the noses and the ears and the expressions on their faces and the deep folds in their garments, and I couldn’t stop myself from crying. At least we had these beautiful things, I said. Such goodness. But nothing natural seemed beautiful to me now! The very sight of a great tree standing alone in a field could make me tremble and cry out. Fill the orchard with music. And let me tell you a little secret. It never did pass, really."

I think about those last two sentences a lot. I think about them even more since Anne Rice passed away.

Every page of Interview is spent talking about death and yet (imo) it's only in TVL that you really feel it. Louis in book 1 welcomes death quite readily because, besides his toxic boyfriend and their traumatized daughter, he doesn't have much to live for. He's basically given up by the time Lestat appears. The greatest torture, to Louis, is the knowledge that he can live forever on the suffering of others.

But Lestat is the complete opposite. He wants to listen to music, to explore Paris, to perform on any stage that will take him, to embrace the man he loves and to send his ailing mother letters of his accomplishments. Death matters most to those who are desperate to live and god is he desperate. He's haunted by his mother's sickness, by the wolves on the mountain that threaten to end his life before he's even lived it, the witches place that reeks of meaningless suffering. And in a way, the dark gift provides opportunity to escape that. But it is still death. It takes away Nicki in a very literal way and takes away his mother in a more personal one. Magnus, like death, chose Lestat arbitrarily. He sees the cellar of blonde corpses and knows that he was only one of dozens to meet an untimely death with no explanation.

Lestat also really wants you to know that he is, truly, a good person. He must be. He swears to only hunt criminals and then goes back on that two pages later. He reshapes stories to present himself as the noble protagonist and the audience has no choice but to believe him. He wants, desperately, to be loved for all that he is, man and monster. He wants to be the hero.

He's this awful, fascinating, very human man so clearly born out of the internal struggle to find meaning and love in a cruel, unpredictable world we all tend to share. He's made up of incredibly basic and powerful human desires hidden behind a mask of bravado and I can't recalling seeing another protagonist like him.

(Quick mention: This isn't some kind of "wow Anne Rice is an incredible author who can do no wrong" piece. She's written a lot of fucked up and bad shit that cannot be easily brushed over. But I don't think I'll ever get over reading TVL for the first time. To read someone bare their soul in such a way creates a truly unique experience. A lot of characters in a lot of pieces of media face death, but it's rare to see a character face mortality in such a personal way.)

(Also odds are I've written similar posts to this before but shhhhh these sad gay vampires are all I have)

[homestuckreplay]

[S] WV: Be the hero Can Town deserves.

(page 755)

A few weeks ago I asked the question, ‘would WV be a good mayor?’ I confess that I was being a little silly when writing that post, but I am now ready to take a serious stance. In today’s animation, the Wayward Vagabond has cleared their path to the exit, but they’re not willing to escape alone. They’re not going anywhere without their tiny firefly companion and the several dozen cans they’ve personified as citizens. So like a fresh faced gnome in the first chapter of a fantasy novel, they gather up the cans into a pumpkin bindle and carry it over their back with a meter stick, and attempt to rescue everyone. I call that beautiful. If they care this much about cans, imagine how much they might care about members of their own species.

On page 753, Serenity’s Morse code reads LETS GO!!!, and I bookmarked Wikipedia’s handy Morse guide for further use. In this animation, the translations (HURRY UP, IS THIS REALLY NECESSARY? and THIS IS INCREDIBLY SILLY) appear with the Morse on screen. I would have screenshotted and translated if necessary, but it’s nice that this video is so accessible. Especially when this comic has things like Sassacre’s text on page 69 which are pretty challenging to read even as someone with good eyesight.

This animation parallels the end of act 1 flash (p.246) in a couple ways. Both play a Sburban theme as a timer counts down from 30 seconds – a timer that exists for the character, but is displayed to be useful for the viewer and provide a sense of urgency and anxiety, as we watch our current focal character hesitate on their way to accomplishing a goal. Both also feature a second character in that focal character’s life. For John it’s his dad, who’s understandably surprised by the sudden meteor; for WV it’s Serenity, who – as the responsible figure hurrying them out of the bunker – is arguably equivalent to their guardian. In fact, she’s probably a better parent than any of the characters’ guardians so far.

There’s differences, too. The big one is that John wins. He bites that apple just in time to save himself, while WV almost makes it – gets so close that based on this past experience, we think they’re gonna make it – and then they fail. I want WV and their cans to escape so bad, but I’m SO compelled by how this establishes Homestuck as a story where failure at the last second is possible (with a perfect variant on Sburban Jungle and Sburban Countdown to match). The anxiety of the timer is real, we were right to feel that fear, and next time the tension will be heightened even further because we know that things could go either way. The possibilities have opened up so much.

Stylistically, the end of act 1 flash is essentially a series of GIFs linked in succession – examples – with today’s feeling like a far more dynamic animation, with so much continuous movement from WV. The three days without updates leading up to this flash – the longest time so far without a new Homestuck page – has definitely been spent working hard on this, and the extra effort shows. Today’s animation is also far more character focused, compared to EOA1 showing us the environment and the broader situation, which had already been revealed to us. While it would make sense for the end of the timer to mean the end of the act (as before), there’s still so much we don’t know about what’s happening to WV – hopefully the final ‘psyche’ leaves us with a chance to find out.

[asleep-in-the-keep-sideblog]

Asleep In The Keep: A DP x BNHA fic

Summary: Aizawa soothes Danny

Word count: 2412

Chapter 22: Star Boy

It was 11:56 am when Shouta woke up. He stared up at the black ceiling of his empty home. It was 4 minutes before his alarm would go off, forcing him to get back out into the field. Hizashi was busy either with hero work, finding Phantom, or helping prep for the upcoming training camp for class 1-A & B. As much as those kids deserve a break, they need to be prepared for what's coming, more so than any other class. The kids never should have been exposed to the LOV, but that was out of their control now. What they can control is how much access the League has to the kids. With the training grounds so far away (and several dummy locations), it should stop the league from finding them. Shouta had a bad feeling in his stomach. He just had to keep trusting Nezu. 

The alarm blared in his ear, startling The Queen of Arson from her throne, which was less importantly Shouta's chest. She quietly curled her head back down, unbothered. Shouta looked down at her and rubbed her head, her purring in response. This part always hurt… With regret already in his bones, Shouta slowly rose out of his bed, gently lifting the blanket underneath her so she wouldn’t immediately notice his departure. He lowered her back down once he was completely out. Of course, she could tell the difference, and looked back at him in disgust, then jumped off the bed. Pancake ran after her, trying to play, annoying her further. 

As much as Shouta wanted to stay and watch the cats, he had a job to do. He stripped out of his dirty jumpsuit and threw it in the hamper. It was Hizashi’s week to do the laundry. He thinks . He rummaged through his bare closet but was only able to find an atrocious pair of pink sweatpants that said Juicey, on the butt. Absolutely not. Hizashi had gotten them for him 5 years ago for an anniversary, and they were only to be worn in the house. He went back to the hamper and smelled the old suit, it didn’t smell that bad. He took them into the bathroom and hung it on the empty towel hook. Then took the scented spray from under the sink and sprayed away the surface stench of an alley. This would have to do. 

It didn’t take long after that to get ready. On his way out the door, his third cat, Sushi, rubbed against his leg. He crouched down to pet her, ignoring the slight pain in his leg. He looked around for the others and secretly fed her a treat he kept in his pocket for the strays. And with that, Shouta was out the door. 

His mind raced with thoughts of Phantom and the café, he just hoped he was still there. He had no idea how he was gonna get the boy to join UA. He distracted himself with a more current problem, the training camp.

He had been hoping for an in to place Shinso in the class, and this could be it. He had been training him since the sports festival, and could tell he was more competent than some of his other students. His personality could push his other students in the right direction and force them to use their heads. Throwing him into the mix could also throw off the League, at least for a while. He didn’t like the idea of using children as pawns, but again, he had to trust Principal Nezu. Shouta had made up his mind long ago anyway…

The café was only a 15 minute bus ride, and too soon he was kicked off. He watched the café from the outside for a moment, confused by what he saw. All the windows emanated a white light, but the street lamps around the shop were burned out. A dozen alarm bells went off in his head. 

Shouta crept towards the door, ears and eyes open for whatever could be waiting for him. He knew Phantom glowed and had blasts of some kind, but was this his doing or something else? There was always the possibility that the LOV had found him. Regardless, he had to call for backup from UA. He grabbed for his phone, but as soon as his fingers touched the case, it shocked him. He tried turning it on but it was dead. Great. 

The phones for heroes were designed to be resistant to most everything, especially electric or other power-emitter quirks. Was this the league? A new member of theirs, or Phantom? If it was the boy, how many quirks did he have jammed into him? It didn’t matter if Shouta had backup or not, he needed to help Phantom. 

He pushed the door open with no resistance, chills running up his spine. It was still early in the day, so it made sense for it to be unlocked, but the ease still bothered him. Shouta tried to sneak in, but he wasn’t small enough to fit through the gap, and the bell dinged. He braced himself for an attack, but only felt gentle gusts of cold wind. The whole café was silent except for a faint buzz. Shouta walked into the threshold and finally saw the source of the light. 

There, by the front of the counter, was the curled up form of Phantom, floating and shining brightly like a star. Shouta just stared at the specter, transfixed and disturbed by the light show. Phantom was dimming in and out of visibility, his hair and lights flashing a different color as he returned. Greens, purples, whites and blues pulsed in and out with the boy. It was like the northern lights, or maybe closer to stardust since he looked so much like a star.

Shouta put on his goggles for some relief, afraid he would have a seizure if he stared at the thing for too long. Hairs rose on the back of his neck at the activation of his quirk- but nothing happened. He tried again for longer but with the same result. Shouta should’ve been surprised, but he wasn’t. Logic and common sense wasn’t something that affected the boy thus far. 

Shouta let out a frustrated sigh, and slowly approached the boy. With each step, a sharp cold wind blew into his bones and he exhaled, feeling numb. Is this what Mt. Lady was talking about in the report? 

Shouta pressed on, not wanting to fail the kid before he even got the chance to try. He wrapped his scarf around his face to protect from the cold, and marched forth. He was only 3 feet away when he heard the kid mumbling. It was incompressible and sounded scratchy and acidic. It hurt his teeth. Another wind knocked Shouta down, causing him to hit his bad knee. He grit his teeth in determination, but got up, it was not the worst pain he felt. More and more blasts of cold went through him as if trying to keep him away (which was very likely). Once he had good balance again, he started walking, adrenaline in his veins making him completely numb. It was like climbing up a snowy mountain. Finally he reached Phantom. He stretched out his scarf and wrapped them around the boy, but he did not budge. Shouta didn’t expect him to, he just needed an anchor. With his hands free, he dug through his many pockets. Shouta clumsily found his space blanket and unwrapped it. He tried to wrap it around Phantom, but the wind was too strong. His scarf was starting to fray, despite that being near impossible. In a hasty moment, Shouta grabbed the boy's shoulder.

Everything stopped. 

Light bulbs shattered as the boy fell down. Fortunately Shouta was able to catch him, if barely. He looked at his face, which was blue and slack. So this is what he looks like… Shouta had to file that away for later. He hurriedly wrapped the blanket around the boy. It was clear he had an ice quirk, but even they could get hypothermia if overused. He started rubbing the boy’s back and arms, trying to get him and Phantom warmer. He felt like frozen meat.

“Oh god…” Shouta cursed. His quirk wasn’t suited for this. The boy’s heart wasn’t beating and Shouta had to hope that it was a side effect of the kid's quirk instead of the very obvious truth. Shouta was holding a dead kid with white hair, a scene that was already very familiar to him. 

“Shit!” he cursed louder, at himself more than anything. He started to aggressive rubbing faster, trying to get any warmth through him. His fingers were numb and he could no longer bend them right. In his frenzy, he almost didn’t hear the boy groan. 

“Phantom?” he questioned. Another groan. Shouta nearly laughed from relief. “Are you okay, kid?” He didn’t try to hide how frantic he felt. He checked the boy’s heartbeat, but still felt nothing. No warmth radiated from the boy either, if he hadn’t made a noise Shouta would still think he was dead. Maybe he is a phantom, Shouta thought. 

“My god, you’re freezing…” he held him tighter, hoping to give whatever warmth he could to the boy. The ice around them started to melt, which had to be a good sign. 

“Come on, just breathe…” Shouta started breathing deeply to guide him, and slowly the kid started mimicking him, but grumbled. “There you go, in” Shouta breathed in and the boy copied, if a bit more shallowly. “And out…come on kid” the adrenaline had started to go down and Shouta could feel himself grow tired. 

Finally after a few more breaths, the boy slowly opened his eyes. They were black and looked like a galaxy. Recognition lit like fire in his eyes, and too quickly he was scooting away from Shouta. Panic and confusion were clear on his face, but underneath it was a layer of fear. Shouta raised his hands slowly. The boy had been through a lot, he didn’t need Shouta stressing him out more.

With the excitement out of his system, Shouta started to shiver, but he clenched his teeth and bared it. Phantom eyed him, his eyes radiating a toxic green glow. He was instantly on guard, and unconsciously settled into a fighting stance. Shouta’s heart sank a little, but it was expected. He waited for the teenager to make the first move, not wanting to scare him. Teens were like animals when scared (or all the time really). He eyed Shouta’s body, or more specifically the frost on his torso. Phantom looked at his own hands and then around the café. Realization flashed through his eyes and his face twisted. 

The boy’s shoulders jerked, suddenly aware of the slight weight on them. Phantom grabbed the blanket like it was a snake about to bite him. His brow shifted as he saw what it was and then he looked at Shouta with new understanding. He still wasn’t completely relaxed, but it was a start.

His face suddenly went green, as if he was about to throw up, and his face twisted as if he ate something sour. He started fiddling with the blanket, twisting it into a tight whip. His eyes left Shouta for the first time as he looked down to the floor. He bowed, just as awkwardly as last time. Shouta’s heart went out to him. 

“You don’t have to do that.” The silence and tension was broken between them but now replaced with awkwardness radiating off the teen. He stopped still mid bow, and stood up rigidly. It was nice to see the teen recover so quickly. 

“Uhh you too” Shouta didn’t know what he meant by that and was about to say as much when the boy said, “I mean, be on the ground.” Suddenly the teen rolled his eyes, as if Shouta misinterpreted him intentionally. 

He got up, slowly, both to ease the boy and not to injure his knee anymore. When he fully stood up, he was tempted to pop his back, but this was the wrong time. The two just stared at each other, not sure how to bring up what happened. Shouta’s eyes shifted to his blanket and the boy followed. 

“Here, sorry.” In a second, the boy cut the distance between them and shoved the blanket in Shouta’s chest, face green. This kid needed a doctor…  

“Thank you.” Shouta nodded. Now that the kid had nothing in his hands, he started fiddling with his gloves. He looked slightly different than in the report. Instead of a hazmat suit, he wore a café uniform with a turtleneck and apron. It was clear that he was the same barista from before, and the boy must’ve known that Shouta knew. He looked like he was about to say something when Shouta interrupted him.

“I won’t tell the Hero Commission” A dirty trick, lying by omission. He was going to tell principal Nezu, but no one who would harm the boy. 

“The commission?” He quirked his head.

“Yes. That’s why the news and that group of heroes are after you.” he clarified. Clearly the boy didn’t know about them. Why would AFO keep him in the dark about them? “You do know why they’re after you, right?” the boy shook his head. Jesus. 

Shouta could talk to him about that later. Right now, it was clear the boy needed medical attention or at least some form of care.

“I know a doctor who could help you, she won’t ask any questions unless it has to do with your health.” He needed to get the kid to UA, for his own safety. 

“I’m fine.” the kid stated without hesitation. 

“I’m sure you are, but you were frozen-” Phantom cut him off. 

“I said I’m fine” And that was the end of the discussion. It made sense not to trust Shouta, hell, he wouldn’t either if he were in Phantom’s situation. He wished he could show Phantom that he was genuine. 

“Is there at least a safe place for you to go? Truly safe?” Phantom narrowed his eyes at Shouta, but nodded. Shouta had to get the boy to trust him first before he introduced him to the idea of joining an organization that he (probably) never heard about. 

“Good.” And he meant that.

[theghostlycoyote]

a flood of blood (blossoms) to the heart

by me :) aka @coyotecrackers

NOW COMPLETED!

Summary:

Danny Fenton is tasked with investigating a warehouse full of blood blossoms. Jake Long is also tasked with investigating a warehouse full of blood blossoms. What happens when fate (and a warehouse full of blood blossoms) brings these young heroes together?

Tags: crossover, minor injuries, minor violence

WC: 16,453

Chapters: 4/4 (Ch 4 out now!)

———

This is a Danny Phantom and American Dragon: Jake Long crossover fic, all born from the amazing art created by @ryd3rthest4r for Ecto-Implosion 2023

Find their art here:

Tumblr || Instagram || Ch 2 of the fic on AO3

———

Chapter 4 Sneak Peak:

Jake feels like he really knocked it out of the park with this one. By destroying all these flowers, he gets to do his job as the guardian of magical creatures and thwart the Huntsclan all in one fell swoop. He’s still not really sure what they wanted all of this for, but they were obviously hurting Danny, so if he can at least stop them from doing that, he’ll call it a win.

His satisfaction, however, is currently completely overcast with the worry and fear he feels for Spud’s safety. He feels guilty for not keeping track of his friend. Who is he to call himself a protector when he can’t even protect those close to him? Spud could be anywhere, and they’ve already searched a lot of the warehouse.

As he ignites another small pile of the seemingly endless red blossoms — and seriously, Jake’s never seen this many flowers in his whole life — he glances back at the ghost behind him. Danny seems to be doing slightly better. He’s starting to favor his injured side less often, and he even looks like he’s gained some color.

That surprises Jake. He didn’t remember Shackles Jack being this… lively. Danny did say he was different from other ghosts. Jake would have to remember what that meant when this is all over.

Ready to start gathering another pile of flowers, Jake continues forward, taking a sharp turn around a giant stack of boxes. He jumps back immediately, shushing Trixie as she tries to ask a question. Danny just raises an eyebrow at him.

“Huntsclan,” he whispers as quietly as he can. Around the corner are just under a dozen Huntsclan members, all carrying mean looking weapons and looking like they were on the prowl for something. Jake would bet money that he knows what they’re looking for.

His skin tingles at the promise of a fight, but he still feels uneasy about where Spud might be. He wants to find his friend and make sure he’s safe before he gets into an all out brawl with the Huntsclan. With all his friends in one place, including Danny, he’ll be able to keep an eye on all of them easier, and protect them if the Huntsclan tries to start something.

Luckily, it doesn’t seem like the hunters spotted him. He’ll avoid them for now, and come back after he’s found Spud. He at least knows where they are. He motions silently at Trixie and Danny to start moving in the other direction, and they follow his lead in sneaking quietly away.

Jake’s plan goes up in smoke when, in front of them, from around another corner, three more Huntsclan members appear. There’s no time for them to hide or get out of the way, and there’s a brief moment where both groups are frozen, just staring at each other.

Then, unfortunately, the Huntsclan makes the first move. One of them points at Jake and shouts loudly, “It’s the American Dragon! He’s with the ghost!”

“Crud,” Danny groans.

“Aw, man,” Jake says, hearing the larger Huntsclan group behind them rally themselves. They’re surrounded.

[gofancyninjaworld]

Call this the anti-Scooby gang plot

Wait, what?

So, the latest manga chapter of One-Punch Man (update 231, online: chapter 184, fan-translation: chapter 186) may be similar to chapter 108 of the webcomic, but it's Not The Same. And one of those differences is very important:

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoaaaaa. Scheduled? SCHEDULED? Leaks scheduled by who? Why?

Yes, I know it's the Neo-Hero scouts. I'm shocked that they're that confident that Genos will choose to jump ship rather than go to the HA and tell them that there's an organized smear campaign planned against them. Yes, they're right that Genos has no loyalty to the HA. Still, that takes some balls: that could go so badly wrong.

So, these scouts must have approached, what, at least a dozen of the most powerful heroes on the planet and told them about plans to undermine the Hero Association.

We know that the S-Class heroes in the manga are an astute bunch and that they're not too proud to talk to each other and take joint action. If they wanted to foil the Neo Heroes, they could. Seriously, imagine Genos thought the HA needed protecting. Imagine that Child Emperor thought the same. Imagine that Fubuki saw the curiously insecure back end of the HA's servers and thought 'damn, I need to warn them and see to it that something is done' rather than think how she might extract advantage from it.

Why aren't they? Because no one loves the Hero Association.

How do you misuse me? Let me count the ways

And why would they? The Hero Association was founded specifically so that the individuals who feel themselves moved to do good in the world wouldn't have to choose between doing good deeds and making rent, but in a hundred little (and not so little) ways, they've shown heroes that they're not at the centre of the organisation.

Shit pay

The shit pay is a frequent plot point. I've spoken already about Tatsumaki apparently unable to afford a good home. When the number two hero lives in a shitty old house, think how bad it has to be for everyone else. If they were coining it in, Metal Bat would have a nanny for Zenko so he could afford to work full-time as a hero rather than only during school hours. He's one of their longest-serving and most loyal heroes.

Terrible benefits

Instead of helping, the HA reads it as his being uncommitted and punishes him with low ranking (and corresponding worse pay). Just like IRL organizations treat working mothers. Hell, the HA has been positively vindictive in how slow they've been to raise Metal Bat's rank. Despite spotting his talent early, when the other low-ranking heroes were swept up into the newly-created Class S six months after founding the HA, do you know when they put him in Class S? A year ago.

You put it together and go 'wait, so for a year and a half, Metal Bat's had to watch heroes far weaker and less capable than he is be promoted over his head while he barely makes ends meet?' You start to understand why hero relationships are so often fraught.

It's a burning indictment of the Hero Association that Metal Bat jumped ship on being offered child care. If the Hero Association's standards of care were any lower, they'd be subterranean. They didn't deserve his loyalty.

The Hero Association pays its heroes the bare minimum they can get away with, despite collecting billions on their behalves. It's interesting to note that almost every hero on their roster is a young, single man. I remarked on this demographic seven years ago on Reddit. I know, what was I thinking? That the membership there had eyes and brains -- so foolish. As the story has progressed, I'm vindicated on this.

Yes, a lot of hero work is hard and physical, but that's not the whole story. Anyone with a family to support or caring responsibilities will find themselves pushed out -- god forbid your parents grow old. Add to it that they don't encourage teamwork or cooperation and the isolation of it will repulse a lot of women. Good, strong, capable ones. And as the story shows, there are a lot of them out there:

in a big population, even a small proportion of people is a sizeable demographic -- the HA has put off a lot of people who could have helped

Not to mention that as soon as you start thinking of marrying, you'll leave, even if you're the sort of loser dude who hates the idea of a man doing 'women's work'. Because you know that the HA is not going to be there for you or your family if you get hurt, and while you're okay taking risks for your own sake, subjecting your family to the same... no thank you. Sekingar's then-fiance making him choose between being a hero and marrying her really comes to mind.

Leaving aside poor pay and benefits, let's talk more broadly about the industrial relations disaster that exists between HA management and the heroes.

Disrespectful names

Shitty disrespectful hero names that leave their recipients feeling bullied, and no good way to change that name.

Inadequate, inconsistent support

The total lack of an effective mentoring program, not to mention the unreasonable and even unethical demands on them:

Not to mention an excessively harsh disciplinary regime

A lack of anyone actually looking out for heroes

We watch Busho, a junior official, try to get better conditions for the heroes on the ground and see his appeal go nowhere.

Disastrous leadership

The fact that most of the executives appear to be just... wet. People who have position but nothing behind it to inspire respect:

The fact that heroes are hurting with the desire to see actual competent leadership:

Sleazy practices that offend heroes:

It all adds up to not what heroes signed up for

Anyway, the important thing is that heroes, ALL HEROES, are working to make the world a better place. They aren't there to be loyal employees. If someplace else will let them work as heroes with less nonsense, they'll move.

No love lost

And that's why the heroes who could stop this Neo Hero plot right here, right now, aren't lifting a finger. It's like watching the Scooby Gang get told who's behind the creepy funfair at the outset, shrug, and go, 'eh, let him get away with it.'

Probably the only hero who actually cares about the Hero Association is Metal Knight, as he literally built a lot of it. But he's fucking furious at the top brass right now, for good reason. He probably thinks they deserve to suffer a little.

The heroes have no idea what kind of evil they're letting into the world. But then again, none of them are Madame Shiwababwa.

[trumai-jpg]

Chapter 3: Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Woman (2/2)

Master Post: link

AO3: link

Spider-Woman and Gwen Stacy are very much two different people. These people have their own friends, enemies, hobbies- hell, even personalities to a point. Sure, Gwen could live her full life as the hero or alternatively just give up the mask entirely but really what kind of life would she be living? It could hardly be called living, she would be forever in a half life. Just like today, as after she got done dealing with another bust of a villain she was headed back to normal-everyday life. It didn't take her too long to get back to school campus… or, it wouldn't if she didn't stop on the way to help a cat from a tree… or a purse-snatcher… or, to get coffee for The Mary Janes as an apology for already BEING late. The point being - she was on her way back now, walking on two legs through the halls of the school just as any normal student would. She held a small carrier in both hands whilst she followed the route down to their music room- more specifically the one Mr. DiPaolo let them use after school. It was a strange sight to be around after everybody left, a ghost town. All that was left were the odd teacher or janitor. As the blond walked down the halls of the school, her gaze wandered as it does after exploring these same walls for a good few years now. Posters encouraging inclusivity were taped around framed boards near the lunch hall, pictures of school sports teams huddled around trophies… of course, she wasn't in any of them- why would she be? Even before getting bit she just sorta… kept to herself, even more back then as a matter of fact. She was social enough- but it was always difficult to really become ‘friends’ with someone new, you know? Harry and Em Jay were fantastic through that whole period, and Betty and Glory were always nice to have around, but-...

Ugh! Forget all that. Serves her right for leaving her earphones at home today, without any music to drown it out the thoughts would just keep coming and coming. Quite lucky for her that just on the other side of this door labelled ‘Music 4C’ she would find a whole band then, huh? It creaked at a pull of the handle, it was utterly ancient - probably the same door that the school was built with however many years ago. With that noise, it would obviously draw the attention of all in the room- one cluttered with instruments wall to wall. Any number of old acoustic guitars, half a dozen keyboards, twin drum sets- and a good few tables and chairs set up for tomorrow’s students. After taking… what, thirty minutes? She had missed more than half of their session again.

“I know I'm late— shut up-” Gwen was preemptive, not even bothering to draw her bright blue eyes up at the other three before setting down the four coffees. The hope was that the sight of caffeine could offset just how irritated these three may or may not have been. “The barista was taking fuuuucking years. Hope you girls can forgive me.” She smiled, finally getting a look at her bandmates.

“Nah, you're good.” The first voice to speak up was… surprisingly their guitarist, Glory. With beautifully clear adusk skin with a double dose of eyeliner and a fantastically maintained afro it was a shocker guys didn't flock to her. She wore a purple vest over an old white top, and she was first to grab for her cup- that being an all black coffee. Bitter, like her soul. “Em was late too… though, not by nearly as much as you.”

Gwen’s eyes darted to Em Jay at that moment, just as beautiful as ever with massive thick curls stretching out down her back, dyed a striking mix of red and orange. “Damn, how'd that happen?” The drummer inquired.

Mary Jane shrugged, leaning against one of many walls decorated with sound-proof padding. “Harry called.” Gwen had to do a double take. Harry Osborne? What the fuck- why'd he call Em Jay and not her. It's not like her and Harry were insanely close or anything but it's not like he and Em Jay were either, they were both just friends with Peter- they all were. Whilst speaking, she made her way closer to the desk surrounded by the others- being the second to pick up her coffee: a cortado. It just gave her that kick for the day. “He says hi.”

“Is he still in that weird… military-boarding school thing, yeah?” Gwen asked, grabbing for her own cup - one filled with mocha, chocolate and steamed milk up to the brim.

“Yeah, that's right.” The redhead stopped for a moment, taking quite noticeably long sips. “He's such a fucking psycho sometimes, dude.” Of course they were all friends, but even friends had to admit when you get a little out of line sometimes. After Peter’s death, he ended up going down a bit of a spiral. She shook her head at the thought, glancing back at Gwen. “He kept saying he was gonna ‘get revenge’ for Peter, all fuckin’ Punisher style.” Ah- yeah, right. He did have a bit of a… distaste towards Spider-Woman, yeah.

“Oh, Peter Parker?” The last voice to pipe up was the shortest of the four - Betty Brant. Her outfit consisted of a white shirt well over her size and a thrifted old tank-top, and of course a beanie in-doors, snatching away at her cappuccino before any one of them could notice. “I forget you guys were all so… close.”

Betty may have been a teensie bit insensitive but that's just how people are- especially those as ditzy as her. It wasn’t an insult by any means- by now Peter Parker was old news to all but a few people. He was either used as a talking point against Spider-Woman by the mayor, police, whoever wants to seem like they know what they’re talking about, or mentioned as a passing thought. ‘Hey, remember that kid who died at our school?’ that sorta thing. Gwen was numb to it by now, tuning all the talk about him out. To her and Em it was all just a little too painful. “Betty you knew him too, didn’t you?” The drummer questioned.

“Yeah, when I was like-... thirteen.” Betty shrugged, sitting her body back on one of those terribly uncomfortable school chairs with any amount of gum stuck to the backside. “We weren’t really… ‘friends.’ Not like you guys were.”

It was a difficult conversation for Gwen. Em Jay too. That sort of uncomfortable topic you try your best to act casual about while finding any opportunity to escape from. Of course neither of these girls was about to up and leave, but it’s not as if this was the sort of thing they wanted to speak about. Betty could tell that too, and with the science in the air getting louder and louder, Betty was starting to sweat- feeling a mix of guilt and embarrassment- eyeing Glory for help which she did not receive. At least not straight away. If they thought that either of Peter’s old friends were about to move on she was dead wrong. Avoiding eye contact like their lives depended on it. Hours could have passed before any of them spoke up, but fortunately for them all, Glory did eventually come to the rescue - only after the silence became absolutely unbearable. With a clear of her throat and smack of the desk- she finally spoke again.

“So, Gwen.” Huh, her eyes darted up to those hazel eyes of Grant. “You coming to Cindy’s Halloween party?”

Cindy Moon, right. She had a few classes with her. Short, smart…ish, and filthy bloody rich. Her family was completely loaded, which usually meant Cindy-Parties were packed to the brim. It wasn’t really Gwen’s crowd most of the time- hell, if she even had the time.

“Yeah, uh. Maybe.” The blond didn’t exactly sound sure. “Was I invited?” She asked curiously, leaning forward in Gloria’s direction.

“Em was.” Glory snorted.

“Ah, right.” That makes sense. Suppose that gives these three a free pass. “It’s not at that mansion of hers, right? Can’t be, not after last year's bender…” Hell of a party- and lucky for Gwen she got out early due to her, er… day job. Well before the grease fire or Ned’s stomach-pumping.

“Nah. The woods.” The redhead smiled, maybe at the absurdity of it all, finally locking eyes with the would-be vigilante again. The woods though? Like… A bunch of drunk high schoolers dressed in barely any clothes on Halloween night, out in the cold, Out in the woods. Gwen looked confused, and rightfully so. She was about to open her mouth to question the woman before her up until, “...N-No, Gwen-” Em laughed. “There's this old abandoned spot right near Wallenberg. Cind’s decorating it, getting it all… Ready for the season, I guess.” Even Mary Jane didn't sound too sure. “Look- point is, it’ll be fun.”

“I-... I dunno, Em. I don’t really like dressing up-”

Em Jay looked forward at the shorter girl with a tinge of disappointment in her eyes. It was clear she was trying- trying awfully hard to get Gwen involved in more out-of-school activities. Ever since they were little the blond was always a little different from everyone else. Maybe in some universe she’s some pretty lady, popular with the boys- but… Gwen wasn’t that. She wasn’t any of those things, back then especially so- not in everyone’s eyes. Halloween was always hard because she didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t a time to put effort into a costume- it was a time for girls to get all dressed up in sizes that are A LOT too tight and- and Gwen couldn’t do that. If you show too much, you’re a slut, if you don’t show enough you’re a tease- and if Gwen showed anything at all she was a freak! Not everyone was as kind as Em Jay- and Betty, and even Glory too, god forbid…

“Well… hey.” Em Jay sighed, smiling as she dropped her shoulders- shrugging. “Parties not for another fortnight. Give it some thought- all I ask.” As Gwen stuck her gaze to the floor, the marble tiling echoed out with steps made by their vocalist, making her way towards Gwen, and leaning against a table just to her right, arms crossed with a reassuring smile. “We’ll be with you. Swear to God- won’t let you leave my sight.” Em bumped shoulders with Gwen. “And trust me- Flash won’t be saying shit. We’re not in Middle School anymore, I can beat his ass if I need to.” She laughed - and so did Gwen.

“Means the world, Em.” it was hard to not smile when around Em Jay, and… Maybe the others too- to a hell of a lesser extent. “Look- I’ll… I’ll try.”

“And that Gwendolyn, is all I ask.”

Watson’s remark was followed by a firm, hard slap to Gwen’s already crooked back after fall upon fall upon fall- sending her body forward in a jolt, letting out an “Ough!” As this damp mess of a girl. That’s when she smiled, gleaming like a beacon in a storm. Being around Em Jay made things better- they did for everyone, and unlike most people, Gwen Stacy was actually friends with the rockstar leading this merry band. Sure, she was sociable enough, knowing everyone as everyone knew her. Sometimes it was difficult for Gwen to tell just how close the two of them were after so long. You’d think time would bring you closer but it was just… strange. You know when you have this friend and you really, really… really like spending time with them and yet you can tell that they don’t feel the same way. Sure, they like you - but they don’t have that same connection that you do- or at least they’re damn good at hiding it. You don’t hang out anymore, barely talk outside of band, and every now and then they do something undeniably kind - refuelling that fire deep inside that wants them to think of you as closer, as a better friend while knowing full well that’s an entirely selfish thought for an entirely selfless girl.

Or, maybe Gwen was just overthinking it.

She always did when it came to Mary Jane Watson. Even back in middle school - before she got hot. God, she remembered it like yesterday- a redhead who didn’t fit in, braces from ear to ear - sitting with the three most awkward boys in school because they were the only three who wanted to hang out before she became ms. sexypants starting at high school.

They’re all gone now, the other boys.

Now it’s just Gwen.

…And Betty.

“What about Black Cat?” she piped up, sipping at her fun-sized cup of mocha.

“What?” Em questioned, rightfully so, how out of the blue it was.

“Who?” The blond followed up, raising a pierced eyebrow at the name. Hasn’t she heard that name somewhere before…?

 

“For Halloween.” The beanied junior of the group replied, shrugging. “I kinda wanna go as Black Cat.”

“They sell costumes of thieves?” Glory scoffed.

Betty huffed in return. “It’s hardly a hard costume to put together- ‘specially in the spooky season!” She smiled wide, smugly too. Wait… It’s coming back to her now. Black Cat, she's been on the news lately - not to mention dear old dad’s been bringing her up every now and then. A phantom thief, one who burgles silently in the night from any number of progressively more difficult and secure spots… She’s been making the rounds online- and fast. Much faster than Spider-Woman ever had… aw. The thought had been there after hearing about her- a jet-black, completely silent cat burglar. Catching her might put Spider-Woman on the map- but… She’s impossible to predict- and after two years of petty thieves and helping cats out of trees, Spider-Woman was NOT ready for a full-on stakeout just for a cat in black. “Did you hear she even sent a calling card…?”

Oh.

“Yeah, shit’s wild.” The guitarist laughed, finishing off her labelled cup. “The gall you gotta have to send a card like that to the goddamn Metropolitan of all things too…” Gwen’s head was wild with thoughts. Up till now, Spider-Woman hadn’t gotten anyone big nobody that people were discussing Halloween costumes of- and if she left a calling card then- hell, it was at least a chance. Forget feeling pissy about a Halloween party! Gwen’s spirits were revitalised. If she knew where to look- what time to be there then it shouldn’t be too hard. Sure, she alluded the police - but so did Gwen.

“What’d it say?” The palest of the four asked, if it was crazy enough to move Glory even by a hair then surely it must be some next-level shit!

Betty’s blues moved to Gwen, laughing to herself before finally speaking up…

What Black Cat’s calling card to the Metropolitan Museum of Art was…

[tinisprouts]

The Façade of Happiness

Chapter One - Moving On

Masterlist | Next

Synopsis: Kel always seemed the happiest out of his childhood friends; back then and now, and maybe in a way, he was if he just didn't think too hard about it. But when he heard of Sunny's soon departure, Kel knew he had to try and reach out to him again. All is well, everyone had come back together again and Kel could say he was happy. Yet, it is falling apart once again after Sunny reveals the truth behind Mari's death. Kel wasn't there for his friends the last time, he didn't have the capability. It was different now, he would make sure he wouldn't lose his friends this time, not after finding real happiness.

Word Count: 1k

Warnings: none

Kel had waited anxiously for Sunny to open the door, he knew these next three days would be his last chance to be with Sunny before he was gone. To his surprise, Sunny opened the door and Kel felt many complex emotions he didn’t know how to describe, but he knew this was his chance to be by Sunny again. This would be the first time in four years that Kel felt joy like this and it was only the beginning, the next few days he would be with all the people he considered his best friends. It wasn’t the same, many things changed between all of them, but they all decided to be there for each other this time. But their happiness was like a fragile vase on the edge of a counter waiting for someone to knock it down, it almost fell when Sunny and Basil were hospitalized from their fight. But it came crashing down, shattering into dozens of pieces from the truth.

–

The truth of that night came flowing out of Sunny’s mouth without relenting. When all was said and done the something that haunted Sunny, always behind him, the dark presence, a constant reminder of his sin was suddenly gone. The overbearing feeling dissipated, still, the pain of it all remains, but it felt like Mari had forgiven him, maybe he really could start to forgive himself. Sunny looked at Basil, hoping he could feel a sort of freedom as well, and he smiled, feeling tears brimming in his eyes. Basil smiled back as if he was saying thank you, similar emotions brewing inside.

Sunny is brought back to a harsh reality when Aubrey grabs him by the collar of his hospital gown, anger-filled tears pricking her eyes threatening to fall at any moment. “Why the hell are you smiling? Is this some stupid joke?!” Sunny could see in her eyes, Aubrey was praying with all her heart that it was some cruel stupid joke, but the even crueler truth is that it wasn’t. Sunny felt his throat strain, it was hard to look at Aubrey, but he was done turning away from the truth. He had to face the music not only for himself but for his friends, they deserved it.

“It’s true, it’s my fault, I pushed her….” Aubrey clenched her fist she wanted to hit him, she was going to. As she lifted her arm, Hero ran out of the room without a word and Kel yelled after him snapping out of his daze. Kel looked down at Basil with pleading eyes, not wanting to believe Sunny’s words, Basil looked at Kel for just a moment and felt shame, so he quickly averted his gaze. 1, 2, 3 Seconds passed and the punch Sunny was waiting for never came.

The longer Aubrey looked at Sunny her resolve faded and she was left with questions that didn’t have answers she was ready to accept. She pushed Sunny out of her way and ran out of the room. She felt like she needed to be alone with her thoughts, praying that her thoughts would not consume her. Sunny had let himself be pushed around, he thought he deserved it; this was his long-overdue punishment.

There was a long pause, so what now? What would be Kel's choice, would he run like Hero and Aubrey or would he welcome Sunny with open arms? Kel always seemed to be the least affected by everything, the most well-adjusted of everyone, at least that's the part he played.

"Sunny… I think you should go. I… I-" Sunny interrupts Kel.

"I get it," Sunny says while taking a step back feeling almost embarrassed. Why did he think Kel, as kind as he was, would forgive him? It was almost funny, Basil and Kel were the only ones that reached out when he shut himself inside, but he pushed them away. Now he was being pushed away, by Kel of all people, the one who persisted longer than Basil. Sunny thought Aubrey's punch would have hurt less. "Bye guys," Basil mouths a goodbye and offers up an awkward smile at this, not knowing the words to say.

It hurt thinking this is how he would say goodbye to his friends. Maybe before he could have continued to fool himself and leave without a problem. But ever since Kel took him outside and he got to experience the colors of the outside world, the hyper-saturated colors of his dream world paled in comparison. As the days passed Sunny found himself craving for real connections, these connections were what gave him the strength to not succumb in the fight against himself. Despite it all he wanted to believe the words of his dreamworld friends, it will get better, so Sunny turned around to leave, accepting this new reality.

Before Sunny was out the door Kel called to him with a shaky smile, "I'll see you later… Okay?" Sunny did a half smile, he wasn't sure if Kel meant those words or if this was just Kel's way of saying goodbye. Still, Sunny appreciated the sentiment.

"Yeah, Later." Sunny felt ready to move on with his life, so he left. The door to Basil's hospital room came to a close with a thud. Kel looked at Basil again, there were still questions he wanted answers to. Basil's feelings were all over the place and he had no idea how to confront Kel, it would have been easier if he left too. But if Sunny had the courage to face it all then he had to do the same.

Basil grabbed at his chest and finally looked back at Kel. Shockingly, Kel's face was crumpled as tears fell down his face, it seemed like he was trying to hold back sobs. Basil clutched at his gown even tighter, growing anxious as heat was building behind his eyes.

"Kel, I- I'm sorry I-," Basil stopped talking then Kel put a hand over the one on Basil's chest.

"It's okay, Basil. I just need answers. No matter what you say, I'll be on your side, I won’t leave. I promise." Kel gives Basil's small hand a squeeze to express his sincerity. Basil nods, deciding to hold Kel's hand back, there was so much that he wanted to say after holding it in all these years.

Masterlist | Next

[thmgau]

CHAPTER 15 - A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO CELESTIALS [wattpad link]

---

“Watch closely, my dear friends. This is how you make the best popcorn known to humankind.”

Kalani opened up the microwave & put the popcorn package in there. She set the timer to around 2 minutes & pressed the start button.

“2 minutes seems kinda excessive, don’tcha think?” “Patience is key, Leslie. Just wait.”

The group was currently at Kalani’s apartment for a sleepover. They did sleepovers fairly often, & shifted around whose place they’d have the sleepover at every month or so. This time, it was at Kalani’s.

“What do we do in the meantime?” “Uh.. I dunno, actually.” “Hmm..”

An idea popped into Nora’s head.

“Oh! Kalani! That.. magic book thing is here, right?” “Yea?” “How about we read through that?” “Oh, that sounds fun.” “Yea. Plus, if we’re so-called ‘heroes’ anyway, we should maybe read the book telling us how to be heroes.” “Alright, lemme go get it.”

Kalani left the kitchen to go get the book. The microwave had about a minute & a half left on it.

“How much do you wanna bet he isn’t gonna come back before the popcorn’s done?” “At least $5.” “I’ll get a bowl.”

Cherry reached up into the cabinet & grabbed a big bowl for the popcorn.

“Have you all noticed an increase in posters everywhere with that puppet guy on them?” “Oh, yea. There’s been a TON of them everywhere. Wonder why that is.” “Les, weren’t you gonna find out what those red things above each poster were?” “Yeah! I showed it to Natalie today during class, & I guess she knows a bit about tech stuff, so she’s gonna do some research on it & tell me what’s up with it later.”

The microwave went off. The popcorn was done.

“Why Natalie?” Cherry asked, opening up the microwave & pulling the popcorn out. “What’s wrong with Natalie? She’s nice.” “Yea, when she’s not trying to steal shit & antagonize us.” “She’s helped us get out of some sticky situations. She’s not all that bad.”

Cherry opened up the popcorn & poured it all into a bowl. “Whatever. I still don’t like her.”

“I’m back!” Kalani grinned, entering the kitchen with the book. “Awesome! Let’s get to reading!”

The group got all huddled up in Kalani’s living room. The book was laid out in front of them, & the popcorn was sitting on the coffee table. Kalani flipped through the pages.

“Alright... we’ve already read about the weapons... let’s see.. Aha!”

Kalani had landed on a page titled CELESTIALS.

“This seems interesting enough to read about!” “Celestials? What the hell is a Celestial?” “‘A Celestial is a god-like being, each one representing a different element of life,’” Kalani read. “‘There are currently 9 Celestials who reside at the Castle of Celestials.’”

“Ooh! They have a castle!” “I’ve never been to a castle before. Unless bouncy castles count. Then I’ve been to dozens.”

“‘The 9 Celestials are as follows:’” Kalani continued reading from the book. “‘Fate, Time, Mr. Moon, Sun, Betty, Spring, Storm, Good, & Evil.’”

“Why does Mr. Moon get an honorific? Nobody else has a ‘Mr.’, a ‘Ms.”, or even a ‘Mx.’ What’s their deal?” “Maybe they’re the most important?” “I don’t think so. You remember that quote-unquote ‘dream’ we had?” “How could we forget?” “The dream mentioned that we were chosen ‘by Fate itself,’ & in the list it says there’s a Celestial named Fate.” “So Fate’s the most important one then?” “I guess so.”

“Wait,” Nora said, pointing toward a line in the book. “It says here that each Celestial represents a different element. What element is Betty supposed to represent?” “Who knows? It’s not like there’s a list of each element or anything, so all we can do is guess.” “& there are 2 Celestials named Good & Evil respectively! Why aren’t they maintaining ‘the balance between good & evil’ instead of us?!” “That’s fucked up.” “I’m gonna flip ahead to a different page.” “What, we’re not reading the book in order?” “What? No. That’s for losers.”

Kalani flipped ahead a couple of pages. She landed on a page titled CASTLE OF CELESTIALS. On the page, along with some writing, was an illustration of the so-called “Castle of Celestials,” which was light blue & white.

“Ok, that’s a sick looking castle.”

Clearing his throat, Kalani began reading. “‘The Castle of Celestials is where the Celestials live. Occasionally, we let guests hang around for a while if they need a place to stay-’” “We? These Celestial guys wrote this book?” “I guess so.” “Could you not interrupt me when I’m reading?” “Sorry, ‘Lani.” “Ahem.. as I was saying... ‘As you are (presumably) the prophesied heroes, you are free to come & go whenever you please. All you must do to visit is be in Hero Mode & just think about going to the Castle.’” “Why does everything have to be in Hero Mode?” “I dunno. But I’m too tired to go to this castle right now, so who cares?” “Yea, we’ll just.. keep that knowledge in our minds until we need it.”

Cherry yawned, stretching their arms. “Maybe we should call it a night. Read this thing tomorrow or something.” “Yea, sounds good. G’night everyone-”

Leslie’s phone buzzed all of a sudden. “Oh! That must be Natalie!” “Oh, great.” Cherry rolled her eyes. “Let’s see what she said!”

Leslie took out its phone & looked at the text it had just received. The smile on its face quickly faded into a frown.

“What is it?”

They showed the phone to the group, so they could all read what the text said. Attached was a picture of the red, metal thing, & what Natalie had to say about it wasn’t pleasant.Natalie: its a camera.

[toliveforthehopeofitall626]

You Can't Always Be Your Own Knight In Shining Armor

Five hours.

Five long hours.

That's how long you had been stuck in a room with dozens of other terrified omegas. That's how long it had been since the league broke into the college you were visiting and kidnapped a bunch of people. Students, faculty, visitors. You were all the same now, omegas shoved into a small, dark room, waiting for whatever would happen next. You weren't exactly sure what was being planned but you knew it couldn't be good. You had recognized several different League of Villain members. 

The door opened up and in walked Dabi. The pyromaniac who looked like he spent way too long in a sun tanning booth. His eyes scanned over the group of you before he stopped at the front of the room. "YN." He called out your name, causing your pulse to race. Why on earth were you singled out? He made eye contact with you, his piercing blue eyes staring down into your soul. "Come here" He ordered. You felt yourself slowly move forward, unable to really feel your legs beneath you as fear ran through your body. 

"The rest of you will follow Kurogiri and Compress out to another location. Your families are all coming for you." He watched the other two villains lead everyone out before grinning, bringing a hand onto your shoulder. "You, however, are so much less fortunate. You see we kidnapped you all to entice the heroes to come and play with us, but I figured we may as well get something else out of holding you all here. So, we send ransom letters out to everyone's family. It is a college known for the powerful and wealthy to go. However, you don't attend the school, do you?" He grinned as he let go of your shoulder and began circling around you. "You had no records. The only thing we could find was an application to be an apprentice to the school's healer. You have a decently impressive resume. Graduated top of your class both in Highschool and college. Lots of volunteer work. I imagine you could have had any position you wanted. Unfortunately, you have no record of any family history. No parents, siblings, uncles, nothing. No social media presence to speak of. If it weren't for your resume and public records, we'd have had no idea who you were. It's a shame that your hard work is all going to go to waste all because you're unwanted."

You narrowed your eyes and reached out to slap him, the offensive comment causing you to be a lot bolder than you'd ever been before. Before you could make the connection, he caught your hand. A sadistic grin spread over his face as he tightened his hand, crushing yours beneath his. You screamed out in pain, yanking your hand back to cradle against your chest as he released you. 

"Try that again and you'll wish you hadn't. The heat houses have plenty of healers that will put you back together once I'm finished with you." His grin widened as he saw the look of horror wash over your face. "Did your situation finally sink in? No one is going to come searching for you. No one knows your here." He stepped closer, running a hand down your cheek. "Maybe I'll just keep you instead. Keep you as my little toy, my plaything." You squeezed your eyes closed, begging for all of this to be over, for it to have been a terrible dream that you could wake up from. 

He took a step away from you and you felt your body relax ever so slightly. "Oh you're going to be a fun little thing to break." Dabi smirked before looking over as Mr. Compress walked back into the room. He was a bit less threatening as Dabi was, being a beta who was a bit smaller than the alpha who had been threatening you. Dabi walked over to him and the two spoke in hushed tones. "Alright little Omega, my friend here is going to make sure you get hidden away for me to have my fun with. I'll be back for you soon." He winked before making his exit. 

Alright this was your chance. You could do this. The door was not too far away from you. If you ran fast enough there was a chance you'd be able to make it through before Mr. Compress got ahold of you. You would just need to wait for the right moment. You watched as the villain came closer to you. You knew what his quirk was, anyone with a half decent television would have known all about the different LOV members. There was no doubt that Dabi was going to have Compress put you in one of his strange marbles before relocating you. You couldn't let him get his hands on you, but you'd use his attempt to catch him off guard. 

Just as you'd predicted he reached for you. You waited until he was moments away from contact before grabbing his arm and using his own momentum to send him into the wall. It caught him off guard. Clearly he wasn't used to civilians, especially omegan civilians, fighting back against him. It was perfect. You bolted for the door, going as fast as possible. 

It was a short-lived victory. You should have known the villains would be too smart to leave a hostage alone with only one other person to guard them. There were two other guards right outside of the door. That was it. This was your only shot at escape and it was already over before you could really even try. You heard Mr Compress groan as he got up and came back over to you. "Don't make this difficult." He spoke as he reached out for you again. This was the end. Game over. There was no hope for your escape now.

[laxyaklovesloz]

The Legend of Zelda: Real Courage 2: Dark Mirror | Chapter Seven: The Past Can Kill You

The sun was coming up by the time Lila’s captors reached a cave that led into a large mound-like hill. The hill and nearby area were cleared of trees. Lila guessed the trees had been cut down to make the blins’ weapons. Upon entering the cave, a smell assaulted her so strongly that it made her eyes water. She gagged but tried to hide it, not wanting to provoke her honor guard. She struggled to breathe for a few seconds, but they didn’t stop. In all of the places she had been, none smelled as bad as this one.

They passed through many corridors and down several stairs. Wooden support beams created crevices where various blin were hiding. Lila tried to keep track of their path, but the smell made it hard to concentrate, and the darkness made it hard to see how many side passages there were. It didn’t take long for her to become completely lost.

Eventually, they entered a large chamber, lit up brighter than the hallways had been. Columns allowed the room to be quite big, enough for maybe four dozen people to fit comfortably. The blins guarding her finally spread out. Other blins entered the chamber from various entryways. In the center was a grand wooden throne, and on that throne sat the biggest moblin Lila had ever seen. He wore a Hylian sword around his head like a crown, as well as a cape made of fur. His reddish, pudgy body hung over the edges of the throne.

The bulblin leader kicked Lila’s legs and made her kneel. The smell was making her dizzy, so she almost fell on her face.

“You, Hero,” the chief said. “You kill many! You make suffer! Now you suffer!”

The blins around her made excited noises.

“I’m suffering enough just being here and smelling your stench,” Lila retorted.

The chief laughed. “You not even begin suffer! Take her to dungeon. I take weapons to treasury.”

Lila wished she could see which way led to the treasury, but the bulblin leader grabbed her by the arm and steered her away before the chief got off of his throne. Her chest tightened in fear, thinking about losing the Master Sword. She could think of no way to get herself out of this mess. She felt tears running down her face. That’s from the smell, she told herself stubbornly. You will find a way out of this!

But how?

∴

“Do you have any idea where she would go?” Link asked. He, Zale, Salvatore, and three volunteers who could be spared from work rode out the town gates on horses.

Zale had already considered a number of places. “My best guess is that she went to find your Zelda,” he said so only Link could hear.

“How would she do that?” he asked with his eyebrows raised.

“My Lila is resourceful that way,” Zale replied lovingly. “She probably tried to put herself in your shoes.”

“Well, okay. I guess that makes sense.” Link turned in his saddle to address the others. “We’re heading into the eastern forest. Follow my lead.” He pushed his horse to move faster and everyone did the same.

Zale noticed how similarly he moved compared to Lila, but there were subtle differences. He was more comfortable on a horse, for one. There were also discrepancies presented because of their genders. It was surreal to see the face of someone he loved on someone else’s body. Especially a male body.

The horses had to slow as they entered the forest, so Link took the opportunity to question Zale.

“Why do you trust me?” Link asked.

“Hm? Probably because you look like someone I already trust. Why do you trust me?”

“Who says I do?” Link paused to let that sink in. Then he sighed. “I didn’t tell you all of that stuff because I wanted to. I want answers as much as you do, that’s all.”

Zale hesitated. “That’s all?”

“Yup.”

“So you still want the Master Sword?”

“Of course. It belongs to me.”

Zale pondered the words of his green-clad companion. He didn’t think it was a bad idea to trust him, but he’d need to keep a closer eye on Link.

Suddenly, Link stopped his horse and sat up alert, bow at the ready. Zale looked around in confusion to see a blond-haired girl in a light blue dress approach from behind a tree. Seeing who it was, Link instantly lowered his guard and got off of his horse. He rushed to the girl, held her by the shoulders, and took in her ragged appearance.

“You’re safe! Are you okay?” Link asked.

The girl, Zelda, nodded. “I’m fine, but Lila… Oh Link, so much has happened!”

Link said, “I know about Lila. Let me introduce you to Zale, prince of this time.” He gestured to Zale, who was off of his horse to greet Zelda.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Zale said to his reflection. “Sorry to rush, but, did you say you’ve met Lila?”

Zelda nodded again and said, “She was taken! She negotiated my release, but they tricked her! You have to save her!” The last she said to Link.

Zale felt the blood drain from his face. “Who took her? Where?” Panic raced through Zale’s body. He’d almost lost her once, and now she was in danger again–without being fully healed, no less! He couldn’t lose someone else. She had to be okay, You promised, he thought.

“Bulblins,” Zelda replied, practically in tears. “I think they went east, but I’m so lost in these woods.”

“Don’t worry,” Link comforted her, “we’ll find her. Can you show me where they took her?”

Zelda spread her arms. “Here. I didn’t want to get lost, so I waited here.”

Link said, “Good. I should be able to track them.” He examined the ground, and, despite the early morning light, he was able to discern what direction they were headed. “You’re right, Zelda, they went east. You can ride my horse. Zale, can you take her back to the castle?”

“I’ll be fine,” Zelda protested. “Let’s find Lila first.”

Link nodded as she mounted the horse. “Okay. Let’s get moving, then. We don’t know how far we have to go.”

Zale also mounted his horse. Then he looked down at Link and said, “Thank you.”

Link replied, “Don’t thank me yet.”

[aspenforest732]

Mortem ad Wrens Chapter 16: We Are Determined to Live and to Die!

Summary:

tw: addiction, elevated gang involvement, suicide, mass murder, grooming, abuse, shortened life expectancy, multiplicity adjacent activities, kidnapping mention Logistics are logicked, plans are explained, and quirks trained

Notes:

Happy Halloween/Samhain! I'm gonna be dressing up as Present Mic for dnd tonight. Next week will include the first art I made of Akira :) Also, Chapter 2 of Memoirs Mori is up! It's an essay Akira will write in book 2 on Forced Quirk Manifestation. Check it out if you want to see how trauma maps to quirks and what the different types look like ‘text’ JSL Text thoughts

Slipping into their room at almost half past midnight, Akira flopped onto the bed and saw over a dozen chat notifications from the Mad Banquet. Koda and Shinso were thriving, although the latter was going through what they called the Eraser Hell Course. Shaking their head at his theatrics, Akira frowned as they scrolled down to Tokoyami being disheartened with his internship, having learned nothing except how self-centered and seemingly unwilling to teach Hawks was. Only Shinso was still online, but Akira sent a quick update that they just got in from patrol and were about to crash. Shinso immediately sent a facetime request, which Akira blearily accepted, barely sitting up enough to sign.

“Hey, how’d your first- woah, our eyes match!”

Akira cocked their head in confusion before remembering that they’d taken their contacts out a bit ago since Taishiro and Amajiki already knew their birth family. ‘Exhausting. I have to more than double my food budget with the plan he said I need, and I don’t know how that’s going to happen. Fat Gum also figured out more than I wanted him to – at least in this phase – and now Purple Moon knows, too.’

“He- I thought you were barely keeping up with Recovery Girl’s?” Shinso switched gears as Aizawa walked into frame.

‘Hi sensei, and I’ll figure it out eventually. I just haven’t had the time to sit down and hammer out more than an unsustainable work/school/sleep balance that’ll set me back too far on that deposit. I have a week to make it work, two if I need to delay continuing the plan.’

“What about those 1000-calorie drinks you sometimes use?”

‘Those are expensive, though. He gave me a bunch of recipes that are meant for a low budget, but they all require electricity to some degree.’

“Did he give you them before or after he… found out?” Shinso asked, drawing Aizawa’s attention. “Then maybe he’ll adjust it tomorrow? If nothing else, I can make you some of the stuff here and bring it to school.”

‘Blank, no. That’s too much. My base intake needs to double, and part of this week is figuring out how much I need to increase my variable snacks to be effective.’ Aizawa choked on his coffee in the background, and Akira stifled a laugh. ‘Besides, you two need to leave soon for patrol; I imagine that’s why Eraser is lurking?’

The next day, Akira found the morning shift in the cafeteria and was quickly spotted by the Diminutive Hero: Mouse. “Hey kid!” the petite hero bounded up. “I’m Mouse, fae/faer pronouns. You must be Umbra Mortis. Not many first years see me on their first day. Let me guess, Class A?”

They nodded, ‘I remember reading about those, but do you know the JSL? I was having trouble finding signs for a lot of neopronouns.’

“Sure thing, kiddo,” Mouse grinned and went through the signs. “They aren’t coded yet, so it varies between people. Kind of like call signs! Fat Gum and Suneater usually aren’t down here for another two hours, so how about you sit with us.”

Gust and Lizarro waved tiredly from the group’s table while nursing coffee mugs.

“What got you up so early this morning? Did Fat Gum forget to give you the schedule? From the shift overview, it sounded like you had an eventful first night.”

‘I’m just used to getting four hours of sleep. Figured I could go back over my new budget I started working on yesterday.’ Noticing Lizarro’s stare, Akira cocked their head, ‘Do you need something?’

“You’re the kid who danced instead of fighting in the quarter-finals at the sports festival, right?”

Akira quirked a small smile, ‘While not accurate, you’re not technically wrong. I didn’t want the media exposure, so approached Pink Queen with an offer of letting her show off an unusual fighting style. She’s been dancing for years and noticed that most people with vocal quirks along with a few outliers move to a beat that can be followed.’

“And since she wouldn’t face a quirk like that, you wanted to show her understanding,” Gust supplied. “Smart move if she was looking for an internship with someone with that type of quirk. Did you get many offers?”

‘I had ten in total, but Fat Gum was the one I was hoping to get the attention of, so it wasn’t much of a choice.’

“Because of your quirk drawback, right? That blonde kid with the copy quirk seemed pretty shaken up about it.”

Why does everyone think that? Akira huffed. ‘That was part of it, yes, to see if he had ideas for better management since his is similar. But the main reason was he’s one of the few heroes with core ideals similar to mine and a track record of consistently upholding them.’

Finishing their breakfast while listening to the group banter about various pros’ codes and – mostly questionable – morals, Akira logged their meal before flipping to their budget again. The thought briefly crossed their mind of convincing Boss to let them be a tester a couple times, but the risk of addiction or serious side effects were too high even for them, not to mention if the drug was picked up by a quirk or a trip to Recovery Girl. Wait. Akira sat up a little straighter as they mentally ran through who had been blacklisted after the USJ incident. We are low on security personnel… While not intimidating on their own, Akira could easily be a cloak in the shadows and eyes in the rafters. They quickly made another chart, grinning as the standard security schedule would get them enough for a security deposit before winter.

“You figure it out, kid?” Lizzaro asked, interrupting Mouse’s rant on the difference between mice and rats.

‘Yeah, I think I can make this work. Just need to pick up some extra responsibilities at work. We’re a little short-staffed, so it shouldn’t take much convincing.’

“That’s great! If you ever need help, though, Fat Gum’s helped all of us out of tight situations before,” Mouse pointed out before faer watch started chiming. “That’s our alarm to get ready for patrol, remember to leave some time for fun, kid.”

Akira blinked, wondering at the idea for a moment before turning their chair against the wall and continuing to encode their notebook. Half an hour into the process, Taishiro and Amajiki came in with the night shift, who mostly grabbed small meals, tea, or presumably decaf coffee. The pair made their way to Akira’s table.

Tucking away their notebook, Akira signed, ‘I figured out the budget. There are some openings that would pay enough to cover food while still putting a bit aside.’

Taishiro smiled gently even as an edge creeped into his voice. “What would you be doing and why are the positions open?”

‘Protection detail. Most likely from the shadows or rafters since Boss will still want me out of harm’s way when possible. Some people were blacklisted after USJ.’

“And if a pro arrives?”

Akira gave him a flat look. ‘I’m not giving you our exit strategies.’ After a moment of Taishiro’s smile turning mildly amused, Akira realized what he meant to ask. ‘Sorry. If it’s Eraser, talk. If it’s any other pro, lead them off.’

Once Taishiro and Amajiki finished breakfast, they headed to the large office. After closing the door, Taishiro guided Akira to a chair, the latter realizing they were shaking. The hero moved back to his desk, pulling out a small bin and offering its contents to Amajiki before heading back to Akira, who was just taking out their texture ball.

“Ah, good, you have one already. I always keep fidget toys in here for harder conversations or days,” Taishiro said gently. “Feel free to continue using that one or peruse the bin as we talk. Now, for today at least, I want to understand why we aren’t moving on the Wrens now and what plan you have.”

Akira unsuccessfully willed their hands to stop shaking as they signed, ‘They have decades old contracts with the Hero Commission and understandings with the Police that protect their status and reputation in both hero and civilian circles. As bad as corruption is among limelights, the Wrens account for most of the cover-ups and blacklisting victims with their teams of lawyers and full support from the Commission as a known producer of powerhouses.

As for my plan…I’ll give you the choice: plausible deniability or reality?’

“The more I know, the more likely I am to be able to help you.”

‘Purple Moon?’ At his firm nod, they continued. ‘Once I get my full license, I’ll be an independent underground hero. I’ll grab one of the young Wren heroes and determine if there’s a way to reverse the memory alteration. If not, I’ll be pretty limited in who I can save, but I’ll still grab as many pre-quirk and “weak” quirked kids as I can, using my associates to help with housing them. Once everyone I can get out is out, I’ll kill the Legacy Holder branch, which is in charge of breeding and breaking memory- and emotion-altering quirks to make the empire more sustainable. If fortune is on my side – which it rarely is – that will end the effects currently over most of the Wren heroes. At that point, it’s a matter of bringing the old guard to justice and preventing mass suicides.’

Akira looked up from their lap to check in before the darker alternative. Amajiki once again looked sick, but Taishiro’s prominent emotion was worry with nearly concealed fury. “And if fortune isn’t on your side?”

‘If the process is reversible, reverse those I can, but… When justice is an impossibility and the crime too great, revenge is the path to take. I would take my army of vigilantes and “villains” and gut the Wrens. The Commission should then be weakened enough for the kids to take them down in a legal battle.’

“The kids?” Amajiki whispered. “What about you?”

Akira blinked. ‘I doubt I’ll make it to 30 with everything that could go wrong. Given that the Wrens will underestimate the kids they practically or literally left for dead, they’ll have a better chance of surviving the war.’

Taishiro quietly observed them for a few minutes before continuing. “If you took out the leaders, would the group not fall?”

‘No, part of the alterations from the differences I’ve seen is convincing the victims that the abuse was justified and doing the right thing. They will just continue because they were programmed to not know better. They won’t face justice because they’re so ingrained in the justice system, and if I target the Hero Commission and police first, I’ll effectively be facing all of Japan. Anything I expose on their end will be refuted by the family, and they can easily bring in the Legacy Holder branch to turn witnesses and victims.’

“What if you target the Legacy Holders then the Commission?”

‘If I move on the Wrens, I have to keep them on the defensive because they have the quirks to find me once they realize I’m alive and taking revenge. Giving them the time it would take to go after the Commission would also give them the time to make an excuse to obliterate whatever building I’m in along with my followers.’

“Sounds like you need some people on your side, then. Many of the twilight and underground heroes are unhappy with the state of the Commission and have been for a long time. You’ll need people to help evaluate your first target, right? I know some, and we can help with stable environments for the kids you bring.”

Akira nodded, deciding not to bring up Plan B for now, at least. ‘Twilight and Underground only, though, and I want to watch them before they know any part of this. If word gets out, the Wrens will not hesitate to kill anyone they think might be associated with their secrets.’

The somber mood followed the trio to the training rooms after Akira finished encoding their notes and destroying the keys and plain text. ‘When I warped to the lamp post, I noticed a new shadow next to me in my mindscape.’

“Next to you?” Suneater asked.

‘Yeah? I was standing in my neutral space, and a figure made of shadow appeared next to me.’ Akira paused. ‘Do you not see in first person in your mindscape?’

“I… don’t see anything. I know what I have, but it’s just black.”

“Let’s start with you warping, then, and see if the shadow figure is back,” Taishiro suggested. “You can text me while invisible, so we have a line of communication.”

Akira nodded and warped a meter to the side and, closing their eyes to focus, once again saw the shadow figure. They texted “it’s back” to Taishiro before refocusing. Circling the figure, Akira noted that it looked like someone had taken a silhouette of them and made it 3D. They reached out to touch the figure, but their hand passed through with a sensation not unlike petting Dark Shadow.

“It twitched,” Fat Gum called out.

Interesting, I wonder…Akira stepped into the shadow figure and moved into a defensive position. A deep feeling of wrongness settled in their gut, and they quickly stepped out.

“Keep doing what you just did, it changed position.”

Akira opened their eyes to see the clone now in the pose they took. They texted Fat Gum, “Something felt very wrong when I tried to step into the figure to control it, but it moved as I did.”

“The first few times I transformed a body part, it felt unnatural and almost wrong,” Suneater said softly. “It might be the unfamiliarity.”

After a moment, Akira texted that they were going to warp again to see if anything changed when they had two clones active. With Fat Gum’s go-ahead, they noticed that the first figure split into two. Closing their eyes, Akira touched the connecting thread of shadow and startled at the distinct thrum of energy. Slowly reaching their hand back in, they grasped the tendril and felt what was almost like two additional pulses harmonizing with their own.

Even as they stepped back from the connection, they felt the pulses remain. Breath hitching, they quickly dispelled the clones. The pulses faded out slower than the clones, echoing in their chest.

“Are you alright?” Fat Gum approached, eyes searching their frame.

Akira shuddered before nodding, ‘Just… a bizarre feeling. It was like when Pink Queen and I synched up at the sports festival, but I could feel the two pulses.’

“Okay, do you want to slow down or keep going?”

For the rest of the session, Akira focused on getting used to the connection with clones and forming it with only one active. Mentally stepping into a clone still didn’t seem like a good primary control method, but they were at least moving in the right direction. Once it seemed Akira wasn’t being a danger to themself, Suneater started his own training routine, focusing primarily on his arms for the day at least.

Notes:

fun fact: I actually have hyperphantasia, which is like the opposite of aphantasia, which I gave Amajiki. I can see all the things in my head and my other senses often interact with them. Great for learning what injuries feel like, horrible when the same activates involuntarily I was double-checking the trigger warning edits for this chapter and registered the “multiplicity-adjacent activities.” Hadn’t really thought about how I picture Stranger quirks working that way, but makes sense. In order to differentiate control mechanisms from Masters and Changers, I set up how I picture each of them being represented in the user’s mindscape. For Masters, are usually strings leading to the people they control or their summons. Amajiki’s description is standard for Changers, although those without aphantasia can see their options, a switch, or some other on/off visualization. Additional note: yeah so I didn't know I'm host of a DID system at the time of writing this. Akira is a bit system-coded between that and her masks being somewhat based off Shallan in Stormlight Archives, who is also canonically a system (forgot about that when I was drawing inspiration)

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

[fmp1cieranshippy]

EXTENSIVE RESEARCH 2

How does my game work?

On what I want it to be like when players play:

In terms of the gameplay I want it to be in a platformer mixed with exploration, with some levels focusing on dodging bugs and navigating through the obstacles while fighting bugs, while Also having moments of exploring the town solving mysterious depending what character you pick, to get closer in finding the nest.

Each level will have mini levels within them.

Main level: Will focus more on story solving mysterious interacting with characters you could have picked while also talking to people in the town that weren't options, to understand the story more which will be in different parts like chapters, which will tell different stories.

Mini levels: the Mini levels will as stated before, for example if your characters home has been overrun by bugs you have to make it out the door without getting attacked or killed, treading slowly and sneaking, same with outside walking through the town dodging and attacking bugs while jumping over obstacles like crash cars etc making your way to safety, some mini levels will be like mazes like the cave a mixture of maze and basic platforming where you navigate through the cave to find the exit and or nest.

The Main levels will be divided into two parts and within these two parts will have your character to whatever character you choose from, will do different tasks and have different levels.

1st level depending on the characters will have you learn and interact with people, while solving mysterious of whats going on,

Where the 2nd level will focus on Both story and platforming and maze navigation.

There will be a boss fight , similar to Mario and the donkey Kong game where you have to hit the bug 3 times, however only one specific character will have the boss fight, as the other characters have their own roles and own sad tragic ends, just one character makes it out alive from the rest that you choose.

However this does not change the story, as the character how doesn't die and receives the boss does not mean that is the true story each character tells the exact same story, its just the story is all about how one person survives when everyone else died. its more like a point of view type idea I have where f you want you could pick a character that will survive or learn and understand how the other characters died and what their story is and if you would love to see them survive or not.

To have a good contrast this concept of how the game should work, upon looking at this website below, I need to map out, sketch layout of how the gameplay will play out, how actions will be seen and how will the player know what to do in a specific situation.

Examples down below

Making sure I have a script to easily follow on what's going to happen within the story and gameplay aspect

Having an easy to understand cover

Making sure I have a visual understanding of those aspects, while also having visual concepts of other aspects and ideas. Like how the character will act to certain situations, how they will walk run jump etc

these are the things I need to consider, as trials are good and all I still need to show off my idea in many ways and actually have a consistent ground and understanding on how simple or hard or easy this game will be, how it will look the vibe it will give off etc.

Review unusual games

Amanita

Story: Join the hairy hero Chuchel and his rival Kekel on their quest to retrieve the precious cherry and face numerous puzzles and challenges! The reward? Cheerful situational humor, wild music and sounds by the band DVA and dozens of hilarious gags that warm up even the coldest of souls. Plus cherries!

Happy game

Story: A little boy falls asleep to a horrible nightmare. Can you make him happy again?

Machinarium

Story: Machinarium is our first full-length adventure game in which players take on the role of a robot who has been exiled to the scrap heap. Players must use logic, collect important items, and solve environmental puzzles to get the robot back into the city of Machinarium so he can rescue his robot-girlfriend, save the head of the city, and defeat the bad guys from the Black Cap Brotherhood.

Upon looking at these few games, the way they had to draw this to give an idea to draw a concept of what they wanted to show and how the characters and monsters move and how they act, within these games and then bringing it to someone else to then refine the drawings and put over a digital style over them to make them pop and stand out and to give them a unique style to them.

To contrast to pixel art it is a good thing to sketch and draw concept drawings first, then to put it in a pixel format cause in my opinion pixel art don't have to look so realistic as long as it has the inner details that make it look like a person and or creature or give off some form of style.

The importance of having a good artist and skills is as stated before, you need a good concept a good sketch and a good idea to work from an outline of what something should be and update and refine it to look like something you want it to look like while also still staying in the lines of what they want it to look like.

Which helps me alot in multiple aspects as again to contrast to pixel art you don't need to have a good art skill as long as you can draw in pixel art and make a weird shape and weird sketches into something amazing then you're good to go. and learning that you can make something look like something with only a few blocks.

Example:

This example here, but when you look close it just looks like random blocks placed however it forms and creates an illusion of a person despite not using a lot of blocks

Harold Halibut

Upon looking at this process it is so cool how they create models and every small itty detail when making the scenes, then go over it with a digital software, while having a hint of a "2D aspect" to it, which i should consider with my pixel art make models and draw over in pixel art or make my pixel art into online 3d models etc, a lot I can try and achieve and try out and it is really and cool process in how they designed the game and every itty bitty detail leading to the final presentation and how their process went into depth for making this game.

I will say for personal opinion his voice was annoying and dragged on a bit but apart from that and only skipping a few times like 3 / 4 it was a fun video to watch tog et some incite on how they made the game and what i can consider in the future.

[violetren]

Aether Chapter 18

I laughed out loud and had to explain to my sister how funny it was that Varsha had head slapped Elisa at super speed. So that was a thing.

^^^ that is as far as I got before getting half a dozen different domestic tasks, then meals, then shopping, then party prep, then balloon fetching, and omfg, I am so tired.

Back to the important stuff.

Every time I had sat down to try and write just about anything I have been reminded that Maggie is the reason Maxine has powers because she's a fucking dork whose mental image of a healthy cat include all her memories of pretending her childhood cat could talk like Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and it delights me every time.

Oh so Focus and Scatter were on the moon. Three lesbian icons together. Post party I am just tired and tipsy enough that I started humming Fly Me to the Moon (So I Can Fight It) to myself. Got some odd looks from the surrounding family but made myself giggle. Anyways, I wonder what the fuck is going on up there. Invasion prep that is hopefully got thwarted.

It is very narratively clear why Maggie doesn't like or want to be a hero. But holy shit baby girl, the way you behaved during every step of that emergency from the time you and Varsha got the call WAS NOT just a by product of safety and first aid training over the course of an education in physics.

The Unitarium is a name that gives me sci fi dystopia vibes. I wonder if Garrett has gone and gotten himself involved with them. They definitely sound like the type of folks who would want their hands on the kind of weapon Garrett has become. Hell, they sound like the kind of group that would be funding the illegal research that started this whole mess in the first place. Right now I reckon they have some kind of ongoing connect with Praetorian.

Nomi is a lot gentler than Banks that is for sure, and she actually takes the time to offer benefits, and explanations about how Maggie might be able to find some balance and keep more of her old life trajectory than she had been expecting. She isn't a soft touch though. She straight up says Varsha's not being sensible with her reassurances that Maggie can just walk away from this life if she wants. Nomi is also the only one who forces Maggie to acknowledge that the choices she makes when people need help are not choices made by people who can and would pass on becoming a superhero.

Truly Nomi would be fully justified using her spot as team leader to toss Hannah and Ashley into couples therapy. Even individual therapy would probably help some at this point. Or locking Hannah and Eurion in a room until Hannah got it through her thick skull that Eurion has basically been trying to wingman for her and get Ashley to woman up and admit her feelings for almost the entire time they have known each other.

I am once again asking who the fuck is Tux and when the hell do we get to meet her? She sounds fun.

It's funny that Nomi's most compelling argument as to why Maggie should sign up is her shovel talk.

Holy fuck I got to the end. It only took what 2 days?

[spnfanficpond]

September 2022 Angel Fish Awards

(Angel Fish design by @slytherkins!!)

Welcome to this month's Angel Fish Awards!

Every month all of you fantastic writers work your asses off to post some truly incredible stories. Our Angel Fish Awards are the way for all of us, as a community of writers and readers, to lift each other up and give praise to those who have captured our attention and deserve a few kind words.

The monthly Angel Fish Awards are peer-nominated, meaning ANYONE (you don’t have to be a member) CAN NOMINATE ANY POND MEMBER’S FIC. Everyone in this community deserves to be showered with love and feedback, and we hope that this fun, thoughtful award will do just that.

Be sure to read through this whole post as people who were nominated more than once only had one tag activated for Tumblr tagging purposes!

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE ARE THIS MONTH’S ANGEL FISH AWARDS!

Nominated by @mrswhozeewhatsis

The Pact (series) by @coffee-obsessed-writer

I had lost track of this series a while back, but I recently found it again, and I’M SO HAPPY! For those who steer away from smut, the smut is minimal in this series, but the plot is maxxed out!  There’s everything you could want: mystery, intrigue, magic, enemies to lovers, daddy issues, found family, and true love. (The masterlist doesn’t have the two most recent chapters on it, but they are easily found on Jen’s blog.) Only start reading this if you’ve got some time to spare because you won’t want to take a break!

Proud by @waywardnerd67 

Tumblr was being a pain and decided that I didn’t need to see any of Nerdy’s tags for me for... *checks calendar* ...FIVE YEARS. I missed a couple of YEARS worth of these little drabbles and ficlets! Well, 2017′s loss is 2022′s gain because I’m getting them all in dribs and drabs, now. This is just one of the dozens of these little stories that are like little, yummy snacks of fics. They’re bite-sized morsels of mostly fluff (there are some that are angst or smut, too) that are perfect for when you’re on the go! Be sure to check them all out!

The New Mrs. Winchester (series) by @percywinchester27

I thought I had already nominated this series, which is my only reason for not having nominated it before!! This is a Sam x Reader AU with so many mysteries that I’m on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happens next. We have heard just enough of what has happened in the reader’s past to know it wasn’t pretty, but Sam’s past, and why Dean is nowhere to be found, is still completely unknown. The back half of your chair won’t get much use while you’re reading this because you’ll be on the edge of your seat!

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Nominated by @percywinchester27

Reluctant Renegade (series) by @deangirl93

I really like how the SPN scenario is completely reversed in this one. I've only just started with it, and the story has already gripped me. I'm curious to see how much more of an anti-hero Dean can be and the reader is very interesting! Looking forward to reading more!

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Nominated by @mariekoukie6661 

Family Matters by @glygriffe 

I thought it was a really great story and I loved that it was different! I really liked the « what if this happened instead » ! I really enjoyed it!

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Nominated by @princessmisery666 

Hunter/Hunted (series) by @talesmaniac89 

I need to catch up but the 15 parts I've read are amazing. So few words in each part but each one gave me just enough to want more and enjoy the ride. Excellent work.

Without A Stitch by @raidens-realm 

I loved the idea of the bunker being a living entity and wanting to take care of the boys. Bonus for Sam being naked most of the time 😂

Butter Knife by @fictional-affairs 

Can't beat a bit of miscommunication and love confessions. 💓

A Little Trip by @mariekoukie6661

I could totally picture the guys walking around in absolute amazement and getting lost like we all do in Ikea.

The Best and Worse Plans by @girl-next-door-writes 

I am a total fangirl for @girl-next-door-writes and I can never resist putting in a request when they open them up. This one was perfect for that gif.

Big Brother by @girl-next-door-writes 

Emma indulged me again and this broke my heart but is soooooo in character 😭Dean will always sacrifice his happiness for his brother.

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE AWESOME WORK AND GREAT FEEDBACK!

These are not actual awards, as in, there is no competition! This system is set up so everyone has a chance to share the love and promote a fic/author in the Pond that has grabbed your attention. The more people that participate, the better this will be :D

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN, KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK, AND AS ALWAYS, HAPPY WRITING!