#they use it because their left leg is slightly longer than their right due to the whole helical thighbone situation

[peliginspeaks]

[Acquaintance: The Frostbitten Tomb-Colonist has risen to 1!]

The Frostbitten Tomb-Colonist is old enough to have been and done most things that are, and thus has developed an interest in doing and being things that aren't. They expect to be quite occupied with this for the foreseeable future.

Name: "None that matters, dear."

Gender: "Oh, if you must." (They/she)

Age: "Older than you." (And most anyone you know.) (...And most cities you have heard of.)

Profession: Most recently Correspondent, formerly Licentiate, Silverer, zailor, barber, journalist....

Moral alignment: If the world will forget a harm in 200 years, she sees no barrier to forgetting it today.

The Frostbitten Tomb-Colonist is difficult to reach as they spend little time in London, but any in-game messages intended for them can be directed through Dola Hallowrove.

[kyluff]

— ↺ Jealously

✎ luffy x reader !

✦ summary ➠ you start feeling a little jealous after a certain incident

✦ warnings ➠ nsfw, flashing, swearing

— The fight with Crocodile and Baroque Works was finally over, it felt like the brawl lasted years. But now, the Straw Hat pirates could get all the rest they so desperately needed. In return for helping the kingdom, the pirates were allowed to eat as much as their heart desired. They were also invited to enjoy the palaces royal bath.

You now sat in that very bath with Nami and Vivi. It was a beautiful place, to say the least. Everything was dressed in shiny gold, glistening as the mist from the warm water filled the room. You were in the women’s side of course, but you thought if this side was this grand then the men’s area must be just as nice. This made you think of your boyfriend, Luffy. He was just on the other side of that wall, you guessed he was fooling around like he usually would.

As you admired the bath, Nami and Vivi chatted about what the world could hold for them; how the world has so many secrets that are just waiting to be found out.

“Y/n, could you get my back?” Vivi asked sweetly, her long blue hair was slightly darker due to the water. She chose to have a towel wrapped around her figure rather than being fully naked. You too chose to have a towel on.

“Of course, your highness.” You joked as you made your way towards her to take a seat on the stool behind her. You gathered the sponge that was soaked in soapy water, gently but firmly scrubbing the blue haired princess.

“Don’t call me that!” It was light hearted but it did hold some truth, she truly felt like you guys were friends now and she was grateful for all that you have done.

“Her highness is angry!” Nami added in, laughing along with you as you both ganged up on Vivi. She caved in too, she couldn’t hold in her giggles any longer. It was nice just to enjoy each others presence after all the fighting.

A comfortable silence overcame the room, all three of you smiling. Until suddenly, Nami’s smile dropped as she stood up. This made you and Vivi turn your heads in that direction, what you saw surprised you. All of the guys were now on your side of the bath, peering at you over the wall.

You clutched the towel tightly, ensuring none of your body would be exposed. “What are you doing, you freaks?!” You and Vivi screeched together, this is the girls side, you idiots, you thought.

“Peeking on us.” Nami walked closer to the group, she too had a towel on. “All right pervs, I expect each of you to pay $3000 for this!” Nami declared as she let the cloth fall to the ground, letting the men see all of her.

You were shocked, not only because she just showed them her naked body, but also because your boyfriend was part of that group that saw her. oh.

They all toppled backwards, many noses oozing out blood from the sight they just saw.

Something bubbled deep inside of you, jealousy. You don’t know why you felt this way, it’s not like Luffy asked to be flashed, it’s not like he wanted that to happen. You told yourself that, but you still felt the same as before, jealous.

Nami and Vivi left the bath and so did the men that were laid out on the floor. But you stayed, you decided to wash yourself with the sponge you were using earlier on Vivi, you need time to yourself to think and calm down from the previous event. He saw another girl naked, and it was one of your closest friends.

As you rubbed the sponge along your bare legs, you yelped when you felt a hand touch your shoulder. “Wha-”

“It’s me Y/n!” He smiled and used that tone he always did, a energetic one. He was acting the same as always, like he didn’t just see Nami in the nude. That makes you irritated slightly.

“Oh, hey Luffy.” You brushed his hand off your shoulder, resuming the wash on your legs.

“What’s wrong?” His furrowed with worry, he kneeled in front of you where you sat on the stool. He took note of the coolness in your tone, how you barely looked at him as you spoke. Usually you’d have a soft smile on your face, usually you’d be eager to talk to him. But now you were different.

“Nothing, just busy. I didn’t get a chance to properly wash myself fully. You can go.” You said nothing was wrong but that was a lie. You really just wanted to be alone in your thoughts right now. You would rather Luffy not be here because you were afraid you’d lash out at him for no real reason, you didn’t want to hurt him.

“No, I wanna spend time with you.” He was still kneeling down, now leaning closer to your body. “I’ve been sleeping for 3 days!”

“Ya well, that’s what happens when your bleeding out and have poison in your system.” You turned away from him, making more room between the both of you. Now you were just being mean.

“Y/nnn, tell me what’s wrong.” He whined, looking at you with those big eyes, they looked so desperate to know your answer. Those eyes make you weak, they make you cave every time he wants something.

“It’s just…” He still held intense eye contact, listening intently. “Earlier, you know when Nami.. did what she did. You saw her body, you saw her breasts and her hips and her.. you saw everything!”

“Oh.” Is all he says, he looks zoned out. Is he mad at you? Does he think your feelings are stupid. You look away, starting to feel embarrassed. But his hand on your chin brings you back to his eyes. “Is that what you’re mad about?”

You nodded while still in his grip. He pulled you in, placing a gentle kiss to your lips. You couldn’t help but reciprocate, even if you were still a little jealous.

“You don’t have to feel jealous, Y/n.” He whispered between kisses. “Because you’re my girlfriend, not Nami. You’re the only one I want to see naked. I want to see you naked right now, actually.”

You pulled away from the kiss, blinking a few times at his statement. You weren’t feeling much jealousy anymore, mostly just lust. You grabbed the top of your towel, where the piece of clothing wrapped around itself to keep your body concealed. You tugged on it, making it fall off your body and drop to the ground at your ankles.

“Pretty.” He reached out both hands to grope at your boobs, squishing them between his fists once or twice. “These are the only pair of boobs I think about, prettiest ones I’ve ever seen.”

He went down to lay kisses all over them, sucking when he got to your nipple. He’s always had a thing for you chest, he would spend all day kissing them, licking them, laying on them if he had a choice.

He smiled up at you, laying one last kiss to your nipple before lowering to align himself with your heat. He spread your legs apart further to allow room for his head, snuggling up close to your pussy.

“This is the best pussy out there.” He used his fingers to split your lips apart, face diving in. He started by licking on your clit, he knew you loved when he did that. And it was proved by how your hand slipped in his dark hair, pulling on the roots of it. You shoved his face in harder, wanting to feel more of him.

“Luffy!” You moaned out, curling your toes. He sucked on your clit next, making you lose your breath.

He starting sucking harder, licking more aggressively, wanting you to reach your orgasm quickly. You panted, feeling sparks starting to form in your lower half. Your legs shook and shut around Luffy’s head, trapping him in.

He slid out of your thighs, licking his lips clean from your juices.

“You have the only pair of boobs for me, you have the only pussy for me, you’re the only one for me, Y/n. K?” He kissed your cheek and grabbed your towel to drape around you again. He took your hand and pulled you along behind him, leading you away and out of the royal bath.

[greg-montgomery]

omg what about aaron sees you talking to another guy and he gets really jealous, but instead of him being all angry and taking control he becomes more submissive and sad and let’s you show him how much you actually want him if you get what i’m saying 🤭

oh i get what you’re saying 🤭

i based the first part on something that happened to me the other night lmfao only i don't have an aaron to get jealous over me :(

minors dni

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

“Excuse me,” you heard a voice followed by a light tap on your shoulder. It made you shift on your seat and turn your head so you could see who it belonged to. “Is the smoke bothering you?”

You found a man staring at you, holding a drink and a cigarette with his right hand. He looked older than you and that was all the information regarding his appearance your brain was interested in processing, as you were completely devoted to your boyfriend who had left for a refill of your drinks.

“No, it’s alright,” you answered absentmindedly, and before you had the chance to turn your attention back to something else, he spoke again.

“Okay, good! I’m Johnny by the way.” He offered you his hand, and you had no choice but to shake it.

“I’m Y/N.”

“Well, that’s a pretty name. So what do you do, Y/N? You look young, you’re what? Twenty two? Twenty three?”

“No, actually I’m older and - sorry I can see my boyfriend is back with our drinks. Nice to meet you though,” you said, and turned your whole body around so you were facing Aaron who was walking towards you.

He handed you your drink and dipped his head to whisper in your ear. “What’s up with him?”

“He was just trying to make conversation. I told him you’re my boyfriend. I don’t think he’ll bother me again.”

Aaron nodded his head and brought his hand behind your neck, pulling you in for a forehead kiss. It lingered a bit longer than you expected and it made you wonder if anything was wrong.

You grabbed his other hand, left a sweet kiss in the middle of his palm and then nuzzled your face into it. Looking up at him you offered him as sweet smile, but the one he gave you in return seemed almost melancholic.

There were a lot of things you could handle, but seeing the love of your life even a little bit sad was not one of them. Your heart simply couldn’t bear it.

“Baby?” you called for him.

“Yeah?”

“Let’s go home.”

--

Aaron sat down on the side of the bed to take off his shoes, but you didn’t give him the chance to do so as you took a seat right into his lap.

He had been silent for most of the ride home, and you suspected it was because of that Johnny guy. Aaron had nothing to be jealous of, but a little reminder of the fact wouldn’t hurt anybody.

“What’s that frown for?” you said, as you settled on his thighs, leaving tiny kisses on his jaw and the side of his mouth.

“It’s nothing, sweetheart. Don’t worry.” He rubbed the side of your leg in a soothing motion, but this time this gesture did nothing to calm you down.

“It’s something,” you insisted, brushing his dark hair back with your fingers. “Could it be that you were a little jealous earlier?”

Your tone was gentle and not at all teasing. Aaron had admitted to you that he used to have his suspicions about Haley being unfaithful to him before his divorce; and that was something he still carried inside him no matter how hard you tried every day to show him your love and devotion.

“I guess I was,” he admitted, with a soft laugh. It made his dimples make an appearance and you couldn’t help but brush over them with your thumb.

“You have absolutely no reason to be jealous of anyone. Aaron, you’re my only one.”

“I know and I trust you,” he said sincerely. “It’s just…” His hand moved to the side of your face, cupping your cheek. “You’re so beautiful. Sometimes it’s hard to believe you’re mine. And then I see these men lusting after you. It reminds me that I could lose you at any moment.”

“What are you talking about, baby?” Your tone was slightly raised, due to your disbelief. There was no way your Aaron actually thought there was a possibility you would ever leave him. “You’re stuck with me forever.”

He laughed. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“Aaron, seriously. I love you.”

“I know you do.”

“Plus have you ever happened to look into a mirror? When we walk into a place together, I know immediately that half of the population there hates me because I have the hottest guy in the room by my side.”

“Shut up.”

“But I’m not even exaggerating! Aaron, you’re sexy. I have to fight the urge to throw up every time a woman even looks at you.”

He threw his head back as he chuckled at your words, and you took the chance to hide your face in the crook of his neck. Aaron was quick to wrap his arms around you and pull you closer to his body.

“Also how can I even have the time to think of another man when during ninety percent of my day I am drooling over the thought of your cock inside me?” you said innocently playing with the buttons of his shirt.

He grabbed your face with his big hand and squeezed your cheeks. “You dirty mouth.”

“It’s true, baby,” you said, and shifted your position so you could straddle him. “No one has ever made me feel the way you do.”

You ran your tongue over the skin right next to his Adam’s apple and then bit it softly. “Will you let me show you how much I want you? How bad my body needs you?”

“Yes,” he exhaled.

“Lie back for me,” you said, pushing him back on the bed and he didn’t show any resistance.

Moving your hips back a little, you palmed his hardened dick over his pants. “You’re bigger than all of them, do you know that?” You moved your hand up and down, slowly rubbing him, and it caused him to whine. The noises he was making sent butterflies right between your legs too.

“And everyone can tell too, trust me. I love that when people see us together they’re wondering how you can fit that thing inside me.”

After finishing your sentence you unzipped his pants, and took his dick in your hand. Lifting your head a little, you maintained eye contact as you spit all around it. And with that you started jerking him off in a steady rhythm.

“Y/N…”

“Yeah?”

“Please, keep doing that.”

“I’ll do anything you ask me to, honey. Anything you want you can have it. Isn’t that right?”

“Ah…”

“Aaron?” you said, giving him a second chance to answer.

“Yes.”

“Good.”

As attractive as he looked inside that suit of his, you needed to see him naked. To run your hands over his hairy body. So you carefully removed all his clothes, making sure to leave kisses all over his newly exposed skin. You could feel him shaking with desire and anticipation under you.

When he was finally naked, you lowered your head towards his cock. Your movements slowed down, as you left a few little licks on his head and sucked on the tip. “Mmm…” you moaned around him. Eager for more, you left open mouthed kisses down his length until you reached his balls. Your free hand cupped them while the other picked up the pace again.

“You turn me on so bad, Aaron,” you whined, sloppily trying to touch him and suck him and lick him, all at the same time. “I could cum just from one touch on my clit right now.”

“Inside,” he moaned.

“What was that, baby?”

“I’m gonna cum. I want it to be inside you. Please, honey,” he begged.

“I told you, I’m gonna give you anything you want,” you answered and placed your body over his dick; and thankful that you were wearing a dress you used your hand to pull your panties to the side and guide him inside your pussy.

Lowering yourself on him, you grabbed his hands and brought them on your tits. “I love feeling your huge hands on my body. I-” a loud moan escaping your lips, caused you to pause. “I love how deep in me I can feel you. I love how good you fuck me, Aaron.”

You rocked your hips against his, guiding his hands all over your body; your hips your ass, your thighs. And Aaron took advantage of every single touch.

“Fuck,” you moaned, at the feeling of him rubbing your clit. “I’m cumming.” Your pussy pulsed around his cock and you closed your eyes savoring the feeling.

Just a few moments later, Aaron came too; his whines and whimpers blessing your ears. You wrapped your hand around the front of his neck, carefully, making sure to make eye contact. “Fill me up, baby,” you urged him. “Only you can do that. No one else.”

He did as you said, and as a reward you gave him the deepest kiss you possibly could. “Good boy.”

“Fuck.”

You grinned against his lips and left a sweet kiss on the tip of his nose. “Better now?”

“Much better,” he sighed.

[hoiststowline]

streetwise x reader drabble

After the exterior door swings open, the rush of fresh air reveals a landscape dressed in snow that hadn't been there upon initial arrival. Exposed fingers furl around the collar of a heavy coat, hopeful to better brace against the impending bitter weather. Hands slide into fuzzy pockets, silently swearing as you recall a set of gloves atop your counter, left there unremembered while leaving in a hurry.

It made perfect sense earlier in the evening to brave the short walk to work, as the draft was not as forceful as it now appeared. However, now to face the snow in worn out sneakers and exhausted legs proved brainless, but taken with stride. It wouldn't take long to get home, but you'd have to take the route a little more steadily and meticulously.

Just as you go to begin down the steps that lead to the rear parking lot, your phone buzzes within your coat pocket. Halting underneath the overhang to protect yourself from the elements, you swiftly answer the call and raise the phone to your ear, fingers now nipped by the winter breeze.

"Hey." It sounds as if he's driving, engine rumbling faintly in the background. "Did you decide to pick up that shift? I tried you once earlier, but it rang until voicemail picked up."

A small smile overtakes your expression, knowing that your inbox was probably nearing full of voicemails from the crew. Any chance they got, when their call ended up heading toward your answering machine, they would fill the allotted time with hilarious and heartfelt messages. They ranged from lighthearted bickering amongst each other to sincere check-ups, often wondering where you were or what you were up to.

Just by how he said it, you could tell Streetwise left a message and you looked forward to listening to the voice memo once you were home.

"Hi, Streets." You breathe, exhale visible due to the single digit temperatures, shifting uncomfortably in the cold. "I did. Sorry I missed your call."

"No complaints by me," He answers suavely, a lighter twinge to his tone as if satisfied that you were alright. "You in your car? I'll stay on the line until you're inside and headed home."

He and you both knew that you'd chat all the way back to your house, where he'd be waiting patiently in your driveway for your return. Streetwise shamefully used your garage as an escape from the nonsense around the base, yet you never seemed to mind, often calling to see if he was nearby. He had initially felt so much guilt regarding it, but you had expressed throughly enjoying the company, effortlessly hushing his worries with a simple sentence.

"Funny story, actually," You sputter a laugh, shoulders jumping slightly as chill runs the length of your spine. "Might be a little longer than normal, I walked today."

There's a deafening pause, knowing you were about to be chewed out as he carefully analyzes your words. "You what?" As if he didn't quite believe you.

"I walked to work?" Now a little shy, your nose begins to crinkle.

"Sorry, I thought I had misheard you." Streetwise's engine revs a little louder, and you think you can now hear him switch his blinker on. "Why didn't you let me drive you to work?"

He almost sounds offended, as if you didn't think of him first. You enjoyed any moment with Streetwise but it never felt quite right to abuse and deplete their resources, especially when everything was so touch-and-go. One instant they had enough to get by, the next, something was broken and needed the funds to be repaired.

Sniffling softly, you consider the thought before answering. "Because you aren't my personal chauffeur, Streetwise. And I have a car, I just chose to walk."

"Didn't check the weather, did you?" He counters, a hint of sarcasm.

"First of all, it was kinda a last minute decision to even pick up this shift. It was a nice day when I got here," Streetwise in turn laughs at your poor argument, but it disperses pretty quickly.

"I don't want you catching a cold, sweetspark. You know you can call me whenever, and I'll be there," He returns, casual but heartfelt. "No questions asked. And if I can't do it, I'll get one of the guys to. You know they'd be more than happy to."

When you don't immediately reply, he presses you gently. "You do know that, right?"

"Yeah." Chewing absentmindedly on your bottom lip, you go to take a courageous step onto the asphalt, not realizing how long you'd been standing there talking to him. "I just don't want to be any sort of burden, s'all. You guys have more than enough on your plate."

"And of all the things on my plate, guess what's most important to me?" You hardly make it three steps before headlights appear at the end of the street, illuminating the dimly lit road. "Making sure you are always safe. You're never a burden, anything I can do for you, I will."

"Thank you." You whisper, just barely making it to the sidewalk as he pulls up right at your front, window rolling down as you simultaneously end the call.

"Now get in, or I'll have to call First Aid to give you a check up," Each word is annunciated by the lights within his center console, the passenger door opening in one fluid motion. "And, I'm driving you to work tomorrow,"

"Okay, okay!" You giggle, maneuvering into his cabin. Once you're settled on the seat, the door closes over, the window tugging back up. "I promise, I won't walk anymore without checking the weather."

"I care about you, y'know?" It's softer, rearview mirror tilting your way as he begins back down the street.

With a small smile, you bob your head in acknowledgement before offering your own sentiments. "And I care about you, too."

"Good. We're on the same page." Streetwise ex-vents, but it's more so relief than anything else.

"You're staying tonight, right?" You ask, finally regaining some warmth within your fingertips.

"If you'll have me." He hums, coming to a stop at a red light.

"Always." Settling back against the leather of the seat, you begin to ramble off movies that you think he'd enjoy, the mech hanging onto each of your words with an infatuation that he can only describe as lovesick.

...

you have one new message, one new message waiting:

Hi y/n, it's Streetwise. I am going to take a wild guess and assume you picked up that shift you were talking about this morning, I hope all is well there. I don't really know why I'm leaving this message, I suppose to let you know I'll call you the usual time you get off. Like always. Agh, I guess I'm rambling now, scrap- but just wanted to make sure you were good. Okay? Alright. I'll talk to you soon, lo-

you have reached the end of your message.

[tojisangrylittlething]

my angel - satoru gojo x reader

summary: being satoru gojo's girlfriend has its perks, but it also has its flaws.

tw: canon typical violence, cussing like one f-bomb, insecurities, hurt to comfort

wc: 2.8k

you hobbled home on the good leg you had, sweat and blood still pouring down your face. you can feel how hard your body is shaking, the adrenaline still pumping through your bloodstream. breathing unsteady, unable to shake the images of the mission from your brain.

you'd think you'd be used to it by now. violence and death are a part of the job. today though, today was different.

running down the different alleys, you could hear the screams. feeling you chest tighten with every second you couldn't pinpoint where they were coming from. slowly losing your hearing due to all of the blood rushing through your ears. almost there, almost there, almost there...

you were too late.

eyes widening ever so slightly, the hairs on the back of your neck stood up. looking around the scene, you see nothing. the fog is thick and all you see are 3 figures laying on the ground. slowly, you make your way towards them. when you get close, you jump back slightly.

their eyes were open.

3 boys. they couldn't be older than 16. backpacks still on their shoulders and ties hanging loosely from the end of the school day.

poor things, you can tell they suffered. the more you look at them, the more they remind you of your own students. if something were to happen to them...

you straightened your back and took a deep breath. now is not the time to mourn or think about the what-ifs.

whatever committed this atrocity, it's still here.

focusing your eyes back on the fog, you try to sense any energy coming from it. you move your gaze from left to right.

that's when you hear it. a sickening moan coming from your left. turning your attention in that direction, something flashes before your eyes.

you jump backward just as a dark, long claw reaches for where your face was just moments before.

you shake your head. now is not the time. you need to get home. you're injured, you need to be assessed, you have to check-in.

you promised you'd see him tonight.

him being your lovely, albeit annoying, caring boyfriend satoru gojo.

you two began dating a few years after graduation from jujutsu tech. he was a third year during your first year in attendance. he was a bit of a bully, but you could handle it. a few charming gestures and you were wrapped around his finger.

neither of your respective clans approved of the romance, claiming you would be each other's downfall. with satoru's status in the world of sorcery, there were always bound to be risks.

you and satoru have discussed this at great lengths, determining an approach to every possible scenario that could be thrown at you. you loved him dearly and he was just as crazy about you.

of course, your relationship with each other came with great criticism. his clan claiming that you were too weak and unworthy of being with him. your clan voicing worries about your possible death simply carrying the title of being his partner.

with what happened tonight, you can't help but think that maybe the elders of the gojo clan were right about you.

you were too late to save those boys and that curse was barely a grade 2. you're special grade for fuck's sake, you shouldn't be this injured. that curse really packed a punch, the punctures in your leg from its claws being proof of that.

all you wanted to do was go back to your shared apartment with satoru. you know he bought your favorite takeout for dinner tonight. you just need to shower, eat some food, and go to bed. after all that's done you should be fine.

you continued the 20 minute walk back to the complex, pausing every so often because of the pain. you're breathing is ragged, the makeshift tourniquet only doing so much to stop the bleeding.

you finally arrive after what seemed like hours, the ride up the elevator seeming to take even longer. you ignored the stares of stragglers at this late hour, just wanting to be home.

as you leaned against the wall of the elevator, you can't help but wonder, what is satoru going to think?

he knows that you are more than capable. in the beginning, he insisted on tagging along with you on your missions. it wasn't that he didn't trust you, it was everyone else he didn't trust.

he worried extremely for your well-being, claiming that he just wanted to help.

"what if the intel is wrong? i would never forgive myself if something happened to you."

"toru i promise i'll be fine, i'm a special grade just like you remember?"

you have always admired his caring attitude, it's always been one of his more redeeming qualities.

but to others? this was mistaken as a deficiency on your part.

"they can't possibly be special grade!"

"they are a flaw in the system, there's no way they can do this on their own!"

"how could satoru gojo choose them out of all people!"

the ding of the elevator informing you that you have arrived on your floor pulls you out of your negative thoughts.

you take a deep breath and push yourself off of the wall. you hope that satoru is asleep by the time you get there, you don't want him to see you like this. frail.

once you arrive in front of your door, you pull your keys out of your pocket and stick them in the lock. you twist and hear the lock unclick. you shove open the door with your shoulder and close it behind you with a sigh.

you bend over to slip off your shoes and take off your jacket from around your shoulders. every movement making your body ache with a throbbing pain.

you turn around and see that satoru is nowhere to be seen. tip-toeing your way as best you can with your wounded leg, you keep a careful eye out. he has a tendency to pop in the most random of places at the most arbitrary of times.

making your way down the hallway, you hear faint snores from your bedroom. the door is ajar and you open it slightly, peering around its edges.

satoru is fast asleep on your shared bed, laying on his stomach with his hair sprawled everywhere. his mouth is open and he's cuddled up to your pillow. you can't help the small smile that appears, seeing him in such a peaceful slumber always makes you delighted.

satoru carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and he deserves his rest. he works so hard and gives so much, the absolute least he should get is a night of uninterrupted sleep.

you move away from the bedroom door and make your way to the bathroom. you are in desperate need of a shower and you have to dress the wounds you obtained.

you shut the bathroom door as quietly as possible and turn on the shower, letting it warm up before you step in. you slowly strip off all your clothes, wincing every now and then from the tenderness of your body.

after washing away all the blood and grime, you're now sat on the edge of the tub in your robe with medical supplies all around you. you grab some cotton balls and some disinfectant. dabbing some of it onto the cotton, you know that this is really going to sting.

as soon as you press the cotton ball to the nasty wound on your leg, you can't help the small cry that escapes your lips.

you immediately quiet yourself, biting your fist and squeezing your eyes shut. the burn from the disinfectant is the only thing you're able to think about. you're so disoriented from it that you don't even hear the door to the bathroom open.

"what happened to you angel?"

you turn and see satoru looking at you. his eyes are wide assessing the situation, you can still see the faint hints of sleep swimming in them.

shit, this is the last thing you wanted to happen.

you attempted to give him a reassuring smile, but it doesn't quite reach your eyes, "the mission didn't go as expected."

he looks you up and down with a quizzical gaze, "you look like a curse tried to turn you into kushiyaki."

the joke makes you laugh, but you grimace as the pain consumes you once again.

satoru instantly makes his way over and kneels down in front of you. he doesn't enjoy seeing his significant other in pain.

he grabs your leg, holding it softly and moving it around in his grip, trying to gauge the damage.

you're breathing densely, your free hand gripping the edge of the tub so hard you fear you could put a dent in it.

"here angel, let me."

you look up and see satoru holding his hand out to you expectantly. his bright blue eyes holding a tender expression, clearly wanting to aid you in any way he can.

you grip the cotton ball tighter in your fist, clenching your teeth together and sneering out, "i got it satoru, i'm fine."

you see the look of disbelief cross his face, his mouth forming a small frown, "you're obviously not fine, let me help you."

when he says this, your mind flashes back to all of the rotten words that have been said about you through the years. those words filled with anger, jealousy, and pity.

frustration bubbles up inside of you, a scowl constructing itself on your face, "i don't always need your help satoru! i don't need you to save me all the time!"

satoru furrows his brows in confusion at your tone, frown deepening on his lips, "i know you don't angel, i just want to-"

you cut him off, voice raising to another level, "no satoru let me do this, i can do it!" you feel tears beginning to sting behind your eyes, your voice sounding so desperate.

satoru goes quiet, looking at you intently. he opens his mouth to say something, then closes it. he's completely baffled at your demeanor, unsure of what to say.

you wear a look of animosity and can't help the words that spill out of your mouth next, "just because you're the strongest out of all of us doesn't mean i always need you to run to my rescue!"

you're breathing thickly, unable to tame the anger any longer. years of biting your tongue at the verbal degradation you've suffered coming to a head.

"angel."

you fully look at satoru now, he wears a soft smile and looks at you with a loving gaze. he strokes your leg with his thumb, rubbing it back and forth so gently you wouldn't have noticed it if you couldn't see him doing it.

"i know you can do this yourself, but i want to help you. i love you too much to let you do this on your own."

your breathing stops, and you feel all the aggression leave your frame. your body slouching over as all the tension is released. you bite at your lips anxiously, shooting him an apologetic stare, "i'm sorry toru."

satoru moves up to pull you into an embrace, being mindful of the injuries that litter your body. he rubs your back lightly, the other hand cradling your head, "i know angel. it's okay."

you pull away from him and shake your head vehemently, "no it's not okay, i let them get to me and i took it out on you-"

satoru cuts you off then, looking at you with bewilderment, "who? who got to you?"

you close your eyes and sigh dejectedly, you knew this would come up sooner or later. you just hoped it would be later.

you tell him every spiteful thing you've heard. everything from random sorcerers to the elders of his clan. you're crying by the end of it, now feeling ashamed of the effect they had on you.

"baby, look at me."

you peek up at him timidly, suddenly feeling very vulnerable under his gaze.

he grabs both sides of your face, holding and looking at you as if you are the most precious element on earth. his thumbs graze over your cheek bones and he smiles at you fondly.

"i don't care what other people think of you or our relationship. the only thing i care about is you and your happiness. you're happy with me, aren't you?"

you nod at him, gripping tightly onto his black sleep shirt, "yes toru, the happiest i have ever been is when i'm with you."

satoru smile grows impossibly large, bearing all his teeth and it's blinding with how bright it is, "and i am happy with you, angel. do you know why i always call you my angel?"

you shake your head, you never knew there was a reason he called you that. you always figured it was just a nickname, nothing more nothing less.

satoru presses his forehead to yours, squishing your cheeks just a little tighter, "it's because you are my angel, sent directly to me from the heavens. i know the gods spent more time creating you, so you could tolerate being with me."

you giggle softly and he giggles along with you. satoru's happy he got you to laugh, only if it was a small one.

he pulls away from you slightly, his eyes holding so much devotion you feel as if you could melt under his powerful gaze.

"never forget that it will always be you. no matter what anyone says, you will always be the one for me. my perfect angel who is so strong and so brave. i know you don't need my help with anything, you are already so resilient. i do it because i made a promise to myself that i would never let my angel be taken away from me."

the tears flow down your face like a flood. you sob freely into the air, not caring how unsightly it may be. satoru's words accomplish their goal of reassuring you and you begin to see how truly special you are to him.

to hell with the people who whisper their depraved phrases behind your back. the people who believe that you are just a hindrance to the satoru gojo.

to you, he's just toru, your toru. he is the most caring and attentive boyfriend you could ever even hope to dream of. the one who is always by your side, no matter the cost. most importantly, the one who loves you for you.

and you love him, just as much. the thought of him ever being out of your life causes your heart to ache.

you move your hands up to grasp his face, giving him a look full of adoration, "i love you toru, until the end of time."

satoru pulls you into a passionate kiss. the type of kiss that is full of nothing but pure love. every emotion you feel for each other being poured into it.

after some time, you both pull away from each other to breathe. a string of saliva connects the two of you as you're both gasping for air.

satoru opens his eyes and beams at you, his face screaming exactly what he says next, "i love you too angel, until the end of time."

suddenly remembering why you both were in the bathroom in the first place, he looks down at your wounded leg.

he looks back up at you and reaches his hand over to grab the cotton balls, along with disinfectant.

"let's get you cleaned up, yeah?"

you nod at him and smile, this time accepting the help that he's offering.

he cleans your injuries with care, every wince or grimace you make is met with "i know, i know angel, i'm sorry." or "we're almost done okay? you're doing so well, just a little longer, you can do it."

he helps you out of the bathroom and assists you with putting your pajamas on. he heats up your takeout, knowing you need to eat. he even forces you to drink a glass of water, wanting to keep you hydrated. the last thing he remembers you eating or drinking was when you met him for lunch earlier in the day before your mission.

you're falling asleep by the end of it, the mission and the sentimental moment in the bathroom taking its toll on you.

satoru carries you into your shared bedroom, tucking you in before hopping in himself. he pulls you close, leaning your head against his chest and his arm fastening itself around your waist.

he rubs your back as he does every night, knowing that it always lulls you to sleep.

you feel your eyelids drooping with sleep, the comfort of him being intoxicating, "toru?"

"yes my sweet angel?"

you snuggle into him more, wanting to be as close to him as humanly possible. your eyelids fully close and you speak quietly, a slight rasp to your voice, "until the end of time."

satoru feels your breathing even out, signaling that you have now fallen asleep.

he pulls you impossibly closer, squeezing your waist and kissing the top of your head, "until the end of time."

[iwanty0uu]

“𝐺𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑃𝑢𝑚 𝑃𝑢𝑚 𝑁𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑠 𝐺𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑆ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑡𝑒𝑟“~𝓁ℯ𝓁ℯ ✧˚ · . ✧˚ · . ✧˚ · .

pt3…

He closed the room door after you trailed behind him, the bed bounced slightly as you sat on it, smiling keeping your head low. “Why wont you look at me baby? I’m not that ugly am i?” he joked making you giggle, “no its just that..”looking away, tears starting to form but they were blinked away before the boy in front of you noticed, you were sensitive but not pussy. “Talk to me mama” he said as he cocked his head, leaning in front of the wall that seemed to have gained your interest.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

“Well i literally just met you but it feels like i can really trust you, I’m not an idiot and I would kill you before you could even try to just hit and dip” He chuckled at the statement, he understood where you came from and thats what he wanted to avoid. He didn’t want you to have the impression that he used you, so he would only do as much as you wanted him too. But before he shared his thought you said something that changed his mood, that almost offended him. “And i honestly thought you wouldn’t like me all that much because i not all that skinny you know” you hunched over to untie your shoes and set them aside, the high waist of your skirt rolled itself down.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

You couldnt help but open the button to get more comfortable. Your belly ring showed and shimmered while you adjusted your skirt, no longer caring about the stretch marks on your tummy and the indents left on your skin due to the tight nature of your skirt. “ Why would think any part of you is ugly? You dont need me telling you that you’re beautiful because i know you already know, but i refuse to let you sit here and shit on yourself cus you dont look like what bum ass dudes think is beautiful” his hands navigated their way to your chin,“boy fuck them niggas” you added which made laughter erupt from the both of you.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

A sigh escaped your lips, inhaling the remaining air. You appreciated his humor, but he was right, your insecurity started from a young age. You were so mean to the little girl that just wanted to fit in and feel beautiful, the kind of beautiful that was like the sunset, that reminded people of Pink and White by Frank Ocean, the kind of beautiful that was self made and wasnt built on the validation of others.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

If you felt anything right now, it was that, beautiful, confident, and ready to fuck the guy that caught your eye. You started the kiss back up again, only this time you had the intention of taking it further than before. Your clit throbbed as your hand slipped and grabbed onto your purple panties, using them to subtly stimulate the throbbing bud in between your legs. His tongue fought for dominance in your mouth, his soft plush lips were so warm, you couldnt help but wonder what it felt like on your second pair of lips. Pushing him away and separating ,left a long thread of saliva connecting between you two.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

“Con” lust filled his hazel bright eyes, he listened to every word you said, your voice remained low but strong, “take this off, i dont want you to mess it up” you said smirking, tugging on the bottom of his hoodie, lifting it over his head. His chains clanked together, falling onto his wife beater. His hoodie was discarded and forgotten as he untied and removed your shirt, revealing the purple bra under it, breasts pouring out of the “too small” push up bra which sent the blood straight to his dick. You felt it throb through his sweatpants as the bulge grew on your legs. He shifted in between you, now attacking your neck, you moaned softly as he left love bites all over your skin.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

“Connieee” you pleaded softly. If you didnt know any better you would confuse the throbbing in between your legs with the increasing pulse of your heart. “Can i take your skirt off Y/n?” he said breaking his kisses, “tell me when you want me to stop baby girl,please.” At this moment, you knew he was all yours and only yours “yes connie, take it off” you said, you felt the adrenaline rush through your body making you hyperactive. Small kisses were sent down your plush thighs, kissing the wet mark on your panties.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

He lifted your leg over his shoulder and kissed the scar on your ankle, then kissed your knee, fingers slowly removing your undergarment as he made his was back up to your pussy. He spread your lips open , kissing your left lip, then your right, then focusing his attention on your slit. Licking up and down slowly, then quickly, “Connie baby i-“ you gasped as he pushed his finger inside of you, the same one with the silver ring on it. “i seen you liked this one” he said thrusting up into the plush on your throbbing, wet cunt, licking the fluid that was on your exposed thighs. He sucked on your clit, a feeling you only even experienced thanks to your purple rose toy that you bought for yourself as a graduation gift.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

He flicked the bud of nerves as goosebumps flooded your body, arching your back in an unnatural shape as you rode his finger that was now curved making space for the second one. “mhhhmm oh shit conniee please fuck this pussy” you babbled as he licked faster, making deeper and slower strokes inside of you, “Connie im cumminnnn” you tried to stifle your moans but you were submerged in the orgasm you worked so hard for, your body twitched in Connie’s mouth, tightening around the tongue that pushed up against your walls further into your hole.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

Eyes now rolling back at the overstimulation, Connie gripped onto your hips, his motions came to a halt as he kissed your clit, and went up all the way to your stomach. Legs rested over his shoulders, you smiled to yourself knowing that the night you had dreamed of was successful. A pussy drunk connie still kissing your tummy mumbling sweet things about you. Less than five minutes passed and Connie got up kissed you on your cheek, rubbing your hip, “lemme wipe you up baby” he said getting a wet rag from the restroom, it was dark outside and you weren’t surprised, but Connie came back quickly with a towel and went over your areas, slipped your panties on and rested on your stomach. “How did i do pretty?” he asked looking up at you, hazel eyes low. “I didn’t hurt you did I? was i grabbing on your thighs too hard?” he asked, you felt the genuine concern in his voice. It was so so so cute.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

“Aww look at you all pussy whipped, I’m okay baby you did amazing like amazing probably isn’t the word” you said rubbing his head, hearing his chuckle “only for you, you better never tell nobody you seen me like this” he joked “ only if you keep doing what you do with your tongue boo” you lifted his chin, and his face met yours with a nice smooch to seal off the night. “Thick girls just do it better” he said as he laid on your chest, playing with your breasts, biting them from time. “What can i say, this tummy of mine is made of gold ,likeeee good pum pum need good shelter” you couldn’t keep yourself serious, bursting into laughter at your comment, Connie laughed as well feeling nothing but content. He felt like he was already falling in love with you, you tasted so good and you were funny, and smart, and got your money up. Your Dior sneakers and Telfar didn’t go unnoticed, but besides that, he didn’t want to loose you trying to rush into a relationship and was willing to go as slow as you wanted as long as he got to see you smile...

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

i meannn be did know you were right tho pussy as good as yours did need a shelter, and he felt comfortable under it, and he love that you were comfortable with him being under it, as long as it was yours <3

like i literally wanna cry i have written this about 6 times because this shit constantly deletes like i have no more motivation to make it cute and aesthetic till tomorrow just lmk if yall fuck wit itand if my booboo bears want another one~𝓁ℯ𝓁ℯ <3

[divinelolita]

Can you do a fanfic of tom x male reader were reader is the older brother of Britney Spears but tom or the band doesn't know that and they go to an awards show (whatever there called) and Britney keeps hugging and clinging on to us and tom gets extremely jealous because he thinks there dateing so he glares at reader and ignores them wean ever we try to talk or get close to him. And Britney comes to visit reader as a surprise for ur birthday but can find us and goes to tom and ask "have you seen my brother?" I'll give you my left kidney if you write this

TOM KAULITZ X BROTHER OF BRITNEY SPEARS

this was definitely hard to write but I really liked the plot-sorry if my writing isn't good I'm better at bullet pointing lol

"How much longer 'til we are there?"

Georg asked Tom, lazily slung on one of the couches in the tour bus. Tom took a few seconds before responding.

"Uhh I dunno...ask Bill."

Georg rolled his eyes, muttering a small "Asshole.." under his breath before turning to Bill and asking the question. Tom didn't respond to Georg calling him names though, as his mind was already preoccupied. They were going to an awards show (bb idk what it's called either LMFAO) and Tom didn't know how to react. I mean sure, he was excited and hopeful but also scared shitless. I mean, BIG stars were going to be here and he hated to admit it, but would feel small near these stars.

His leg shook up and down as he played with his lip ring, moving it in small circles as he got slightly worked up about the thought of having to go to this whole show thing.

"Tom..? You alright?" He heard Bill's voice ask faintly, but his heart rate increased as he thought about how many people will be there. What if he somehow embarrasses himself there? What if something happens to the band? What if he gets lost? What if he..

"TOM." A punch on his shoulder almost made him jump, his head whipping up so quickly he almost got whiplash. He winced at the pain in his shoulder before apologizing to his brother.

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I'm cool." He replied nonchalantly, although he was everything from it. When Bill raised a pierced eyebrow he continued. "Seriously, Bill. I'm fine." he gulped lowly, his palms becoming sweaty. "You're not scared about the show, right?" Georg asked from the couch, propping himself up on his shoulders. Before Tom could answer, Bill patted him firmly on the back "You got nothin' to worry about, silly. Everything is gonna be okay, yeah?" Somehow, his tone of voice brought Tom back to reality as he let out a sigh, smiling softly at the two band members. "Mhm. I know."

Before Bill could say something else, the bus came to a screeching halt, making Tom grimace due to the loud noise. "Alright, let's get moving, hm?" Jost said, opening up the door. Gustav came groggily out of the bathroom, having just woken up not even 20 minutes ago. "God man, I just got up.."

Bil giggled lightly, following Jost out the door "C'mon, 'lesgo!"

(AT THE AWARD THINGY MA-JIG 😋)

Tom shuffled, standing next to Gustav and Bill, Georg on the right of Gustav. His eyes scanned the crowd, trying to find a hot girl. Hey, if he has to stay here in this place full of people there has to be at least one hot chick, right? But his eyes scanned over somebody so beautiful, he had to do a double take. A gorgeous man with beautiful hair stood tall and confident, chatting with a blonde on his side. Tom's attention wasn't on her though, no, but on the boy.

The boy was.. exactly his type? I mean, he had been questioning if he was into men or not but always pushed it to the side, afraid of accepting himself. But looking at this boy made his stomach curl into knots and made his face slightly hotter than it was before.

Tom's fascination was cut short though, As he got to see the girls face more Cleary and saw it was none other than Britney. Britney Spears. His heart rate increased for the second time of the day as he noticed this. Britney was a fabulous, gorgeous girl. No wonder she was talking to this dude. He nipped his lip ring anxiously as he watched, to his horror, as she hugged the boy tightly and laid her head on his shoulder, laughing as he whispered something to her.

"Tom! Tom, are you even listening?!"

A pinch on his arm made him whimper in pain as he turned to Gustav, the blonde raising his eyebrows at him. "Huh? Sorry man... was'up?" Tom mumbled, his usual cherry and cocky self turned into a quiet, almost miserable boy as he replayed the memory of Britney wrapping her hands around the boy he had just seen. How has a stranger he never talked to made him feel this way?

"I was asking if you wanted to scout out some girls with Georg and me, yeah?" He asked, Georg smirking at Tom as he pointed in the direction of some pretty girls. "Seriously, the girls here are BEAUTIFUL, man!" Georg chortled, looking at Tom expecting a yes.

"Erm..No thanks. Not tonight.." Bill looked at Tom out of the corner of his eye. "... I'll go with you guys." Bill said quietly, smiling at the G's. They were surprised by both of the twin's answers, but nodded to Bill while smiling "Alright, let's go! Hey Tom, we are gonna be over there, kay?" A voice said, Tom not being able to make out who it was. All he could do was nod as he looked over at the boy again, Britney holding his hand and ruffling his hair. Tom felt pangs of jealously coursing through him, wishing that he could take the blonde's place. He watched how the boy smiled whenever Britney said something, or how he would laugh when Britney said something funny.

Tom's never felt like this before. He wanted to make this boy from heaven laugh, smile, and touch Tom's dreads. Although they were a good 50 feet apart, he could feel himself freeze as his blood went cold when the boy locked eyes with him. He could make out a faint smile and watched as the boys hand went to wave at him. He felt frozen in place as the boy walked over to him, still keeping that warm smile on his face. Tom felt the air leave his lungs as he properly saw how damn gorgeous he was. "Hey.. Your uh, Tom right? The guitarist from Tokio Hotel!" the boy spoke with a voice full of confidence. His voice was so beautiful Tom swore he could've heard angels singing in the background.

Tom let jealously get the best of him, as he found himself slightly glaring at the boy. He nodded slowly, muttering out a soft "Yes." although his nervousness made it seem more like a question. Even with his tone, the boy kept that dammed beautiful smile on. "Ah. My names M/N. It's nice to meet you!" Tom's eyes flickered back and forth between the boys two beautiful (colored) ones, feeling himself get more nervous and barley being able to keep upright. If he stayed here he knew he would die of nervousness.

"Oh.Erm.. I have to get back to my band." he grumbled out, trying to make himself seem confident but failing to do so. Tom's heart twisted as he saw the beautiful mans smile falter for a moment, before speaking in a slightly smaller voice. "Oh.. I'm sorry for keeping you up. See you around then, Tom." Tom hummed, almost falling on his heels as he darted to the band. As soon as he got there, a pretty brunette came up to him. "Hey.. I'm Abbi." *she said, smirking at him. He cleared his throat, not wanting his reputation to get ruined. "Oh? Is that so?" He held back a grimace as she threw herself on him, leaving light kisses on his jaw and neck.

His eyes stayed on one person though, and that was the boy. He felt really bad about just leaving him, but he really didn't know what else to do. He wanted to push this girl off him, go to the boy, and talk again. These thoughts left as quickly as they appeared as he saw the boy talk to Britney again, rubbing his arm. His stomach twisted as he detached his eyes from him quickly, trying to focus on the girl. But for some reason, it wasn't feeling good. It felt like a ghost lingered on his skin as she kissed him, feeling nothing but emptiness.

The girl picked her head up as someone called her name, another girl. She smiled, apologizing as she nipped Tom's neck one last time before going over to her friend. Tom groaned in relief but couldn't help but glance again at Britney and the mystery guy. What a mistake. She clung to his waist, head rested on his chest. He wanted to throw up as his chest curled and he felt jealously surge throughout his veins. Yes, this was going to be a longggg night.

Thirty minutes later, Tom found himself around a bar, his bandmates close to him. Georg burped rather loudly as he finished another bottle. " Alright Geo, that's your last." Bill scolded, taking away the empty bottle. "What do you mean? We are at a show!" Georg hissed, eyeing another bottle of beer. Gustav chuckled, patting Georg on the back "Georg, you're not even 21 yet. Relax, man." Georg grumbled as he laid back in his seat. "Tomi, go put this away for me, please?" Bill asked, smiling at his older brother. Tom rolled his eyes but took it. Stupid bar, why can't the employees go take the shit?

As he was going to put it back, out of the corner of his eye, he saw that dammed boy again. As he put the bottle on the counter, the man came beside him, smiling once more. He opened his mouth before Tom cleared his throat and walked away, leaving the boy confused and sad.

(when they announce Tokio Hotel wins cuz I'm not writing all that)

Tom felt like he had frozen, but was cut back to reality as everybody around them screamed and applauded. Bill brought Tom into a tight hug which Tom gave back, hugging his little brother like it was his last day on earth. Tom felt as if he was on cloud nine.

They went up to the stage, Bill being the singer holding the award. He gave s beautiful speech as he thanked everybody for the opportunity to receive this. Everybody applauded once again as all the band members hugged, feeling proud of themselves.

(like 20 minutes later idfk LOL)

Tom felt happy with himself as he leaned up against the wall talking to the band, two girls plastered near the G's. He had completely forgotten about the boy and was happy that way. They all laughed, having great conversation. Georg and Gustav were slightly drunk...okay maybe very drunk but that made it feel even better to be there and hang out with them. Bill only had one drink so although feeling fuzzy he was still fine. Tom felt that way too, as long as Bill was okay he was okay. He believed that for 18 years. 18 years he spent thinking that twin emotions were shared. That was shattered as he saw Britney approach him, looking all around her as she called out someone's name, the band and music being too loud for Tom to hear. When she came closer he felt his heart drop, eyes squinting at her slightly as he still felt mad and jealous about the boy. God dammit, now he was thinking of the boy again!

The rest of the band fixed their posture, looking at her with admiration and a little bit of something else. She was drop dead gorgeous, so Tom understood wh they looked at her dumbfounded. He glared at her, raising an eyebrow. "Hello! I just wanted to say congrats on winning the ____ Award! You guys deserved it!" She smiled happily, making the G's flustered. Before anybody else could say anything, She turned back to Tom, his eyes filled with jealously. "I was just wondering if you knew where my brother, M/N, was.. It's his birthday and I wanted to do something for him." Tom felt himself freeze as his eyes widened, jaw dropping slightly. "M-M/N...?" He asked weakly, not being able to process what he just heard. She smiled softly at him, nodding "Yeah! The boy you talked to earlier. The one with (colored) hair?"

I MIGHTMAKE A PART TWO LATER IT'S MIDNIGHT AND I'M TIRED AF LMAO

[itskybabes-blog]

The Kiss Of Death

Daniel Garcia x fem!reader

Warning: drinking, still pretty innocent

Part: two

Word count: 1385 words Comments and advice is welcome.

Part one

The shots keep coming and the chat keeps flowing between Daniel and Y/N. 45 minutes past and they’re still talking at the bar, losing track of time.

They shared some aspects of their lives with each other; Daniel tells her about his hometown of Buffalo, New York and how he loves Bad Bunny. Y/N is a little more reserved, simply because she doesn’t know this man well enough to break down her protective barrier just yet. But, he knows that she’s a photojournalist, taking pictures of some of today’s biggest stars on her cameras.

After he told her a corny joke, Daniel admires the glittery smile of Y/N’s as laughter filled the air around them. His eyes linger on her lips a little longer than expected, but when he realised her erratic laughter was coming to an end, his eyes snapped back to hers.

She lifts her eyebrows: she saw that, but she’s not going to make a fuss out of it.

“You are such a comedian,” Y/N says sarcastically, going against her instinct to flirt with this hunk of a man who is clearly drinking in her beauty. The glint in her eyes, the way light bounced off the tip of her nose, the vivid colour and unique cut of her hair made her standout from the rest – how did he manage to grab her attention for so long?

“I should change careers, right?” Daniel replies. A chuckle escapes Y/N before a comfortable silence ensued.

“So…"

"So…"

The two's eyes rest on each other's lips while their bodies inched closer. The music starts to fade out before…

"DG!"

Daniel's head snapped to his right, scowling at a stumbling, slightly intoxicated man approaching the duo. Y/N places her hand in front of her face, trying to shade her eyes from the bright flash darting through the club's low lighting.

"Yo, Danny! You've been gone for a wh- ohh, my bad," the tall and toned man turns off his camera and apologised to the mysterious girl. "I'm sorry! Where's my manners? I'm Isiah."

“Y/N,” you say apprehensively.

The new character stretches his hand out for Y/N to shake, which she did.

Daniel goes red, looking at Y/N with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry about him,” he says, “He don’t know when to quit with all that vlogging shit.”

Y/N offers a sweet smile before brushing it off: “It’s okay! Would have liked some warning so I could check how I look.”

She playfully begins to touch her lips and fluff her hair, as if to correct her looks.

“You look gorgeous, what are you talking about?” Daniel interjects, blushing hard again while Isiah teases him.

“Oh, is Danny tryna rizz you up right now? Oh, oh, I see how it is: you left us to chat this girl up. You left your friends over a girl? Aight!” Isiah lays into Danny as the latter playfully keeps trying to shut him up and pushing him away.

Y/N giggles at Isiah’s sarcastic jealousy, before asking, “Who’s ‘us’?”

Isiah points to the rest of the people in the VIP area. “A bunch of us came to the club to celebrate tonight,” he told the young lady. “You should come dance with us! Danny boy’s taken up enough of your time.”

Tenderly, Danny glances at Y/N as hope sparkles in his eyes. He wants to show off his new friend to the rest of the group.

“Sure, um…” – Y/N’s drinking is playing with her memory.

“Isiah-”

“Isiah! Yes! Sure, Isiah. I’ll come over.”

Danny offers his hand as she get off the bar stool. Her landing was a little rocky because her legs went a bit numb due to the sitting and the alcohol, but she leans into Danny as he protectively walks you over to the gang.

She see a bunch of smiley people having fun in the VIP area behind the DJ booth, and can hear the same laughter emanate from there like it did while Y/N spun the decks.

“Everybody!” Isiah starts to announce to the group, “Look who Danny found at the bar?”

A deep heat rose in your cheeks.

“Hi, I’m Y/N,” she attempts to say over the music but her hushed tone is overpowered by the 808s of the tune playing through the club.

“Huh,” a floppy haired guy said in confusion, peering at her over his shades. The other guys and girls – either standing or sitting around their table of drinks, clothes accentuating their chiseled physiques – stared blankly at you. Y/N must admit that anxiety is starting to settle in.

“This is Y/N,” Danny cuts in, saving her. He then proceeds to point to everyone and says their name.

“This is Tyler- ”

“Call me Hook,” the floppy-haired giant gives her an endearing smile and offers her a head nod.

Danny continues: “This is Andretti.”

A golden-skinned muscle man gives her a huge smile and wave, like a bright burst of energy.

“Ricky”

With an eyebrow raised and his lips pursed, there’s a cheeky expression on the man’s face. His shirt is open, showing off his washboard abs, and he just gives her a confident “Hey”.

“This is-” “CHEESECAKE!” Isiah yells over Danny, causing him to go red again and give Y/N a sorry look. She again giggles at his cuteness.

The authoritative stance of the Cheesecake man told Y/N he wasn’t anyone to play with.

“Lastly, here’s the girls; Skye, Kiera and Willow.”

The gorgeously dressed women wave, smiling back sweetly before continuing their gossip session.

Y/N sits next to Danny on the couch and talk more about life; he breaks it to her that he’s only in town for a couple of days – he wrestles for some “promotion” called “AEW”…

… she plays stupid. Yes: she loves wrestling – have watched it since she was a child and regularly watched the promotion – but she underplays how much she knows. Y/N don't want Danny to think she's being fake and on some crazy fan girl shit, which is ironic since downplaying what you know is “being fake” but anyways.

Y/N tucks her hair behind her ear, allowing herself to hear better. He tells her something about fighting some Adam Copeland guy: he corrects himself.

“Um, you know Edge? From WWE?”

Her eyes widen. Y/N thought she was up to date on all things AEW but she must have miss the thousands of social updates on the fact thee Edge from Edge and Christian had jumped ships to “the competition.” Danny’s in the big leagues – how cool?!

“Yeah,” Daniel chuckles, admiring that same glint in her eye she had earlier. “That guy!”

“Wow, that’s huge. Congrats!” Y/N says back, beaming a bright smile.

She then proceeds to tell him about her crazy day getting to the club: Y/N was shooting Megan Thee Stallion and she got her drunk, pouring D’usse in her mouth so she was already a bit drunk and could really use some food.

“So, let’s grab a bite!” Danny says before downplaying his eagerness. "I mean, only if you want to."

"Ugh!," Y/N jokingly grunts. "Don't tempt me with a good time. I could eat a horse, right now!"

Y/N grabs her belongings and checks her bag as Danny jumps up and says his parting words to the rest of his posse. Just as she finished triple-checking she had everything, Y/N sees a palm appear in front of her adorned with several gold rings that reflect the strobe lighting in the club.

"Come on, my lady!"

Her head snaps up to see her Prince Charming shine his own pearly whites. And it did something to her, something ineffable, something that she hopes to feel again. She felt a tingle in her soul like no other – as if she can feel their souls tying in the pit of her stomach.

She gladly grabs his hand, swings her bag over her shoulder and waves animatedly to Danny's friends. She tries not to think too much about it, but were they smirking at her? Hmmm.

Danny drags Y/N towards the cloakroom to get her jacket before they try their luck at sobering up under the dazzling starlight.

A/N: Thanks for waiting! As I continue this, this might turn into Drabble instead of a flowing story so expect to see loads of time descriptors at the top of chapters. Just so I can write them quicker.

I also just realise I'm switching between past tense and second tense because dyslexia is dyslexing. Pls bare with but each chapter might be in a different tense: fuck it.

[mayimkjs]

Microanalyzing Double

Taken from the FOOL's MATE research doc.

This includes theories and thoughts from a bunch of different people.

I will be separating some things into Trikoto and Twokoto variants.

Mikoto is singing/speaking when:

The background is white

The train is moving right

John is singing/speaking when:

Black background normally means 

The train is moving left

Symbols

This symbol show up multiple times and it looks like a pair of wings. There are 3 variants. The first is only used with Mikoto. The second is a warped version of the first one. The third has lower and upper sections like a butterfly. The last 2 are only used with John.

This is another one that shows up multiple times and it looks like a halo. The halo is only used with John. A circle is also drawn around his head multiple times. The halos and circles draw your eyes to the center of it. Same goes for neon colors. This technique is used many times throughout the MV.

Another symbolism/technique that appears multiple times is that both Mikoto and John’s faces are scribbled out.

A calendar appears in multiple glitchy scenes, all with dates in October. 

Both Mikoto and John have their own version of this. Mikoto’s is smoother and John’s is pointier. In one of the last scenes, these 2 are combined.

The eyes that appear in the glitchy scenes represent how Mikoto is being watched by his alters.

The blue eye in the second scene could contribute to the Witness theory. This is the only place that this shows up.

The big red eyes in the third are referencing John. It only appears three time. twice when Mikoto is running away and another time where they communicate.

During the scenes in the bottom row, you can see Mikoto’s eye twice in the glitchy mess.

On the right sign, 9, Mikoto’s prisoner number, is highlighted. Other from that, these are just normal train signs. The time here says 5:03.

Again, 9 is highlighted and the time here says 12:39. 

The time here says 5:03 again. 

MV Details

This scene has a lot going on in it. In the opening, you can see Mikoto switching to John.

Mikoto is faking a smile.

John’s canines are more pronounced then Mikoto’s, mirroring Kotoko.

You can also see him gaining bags under his eyes.

During the switch between John and Mikoto, “John” suddenly looks scared. I think this is Mikoto realizing something is wrong. Of course, he wouldn’t remember this.

John starts to cry a little.

The shattering symbolism could represent Mikoto’s mental state. His head is a mess. He is confused, frustrated and scared.

This scene also mimics the one from the start of MeMe where the cards are scattered in the water. The composition is practically identical apart from the movement. 

Solid gradient background.

Scattered objects in the foreground.

Smaller, less noticeable objects behind the ones in the foreground. 

When he’s in the crowd of mannequins, he stands out. This is likely because Mikoto feels like he stands out too much.  Once the train passes, Mikoto disappears and reappears.

This could symbolize Mikoto falling apart. The order of this scene is interesting. 

1

- His shadow is mainly blue with a little bit of red in the corner - There is a skull taped on him - His torso is behind the blue shadow - Mikoto’s name is next to his head

2

- His name is moving over his head

3

- A part of the blue shadow is now missing

4

- There is no blue shadow and the red shadow has started to expand - The skull no longer has tape on it - The song title is next to his head

5

- The shadows are now equal - The skull is gone and is replaced with either a *Go board or a calendar  - The song title has now appeared. 

6

- His shadow is now mainly red with a tiny bit of blue - Mikoto’s name is now were his legs where - The handwriting of Mikoto’s name slightly changes here, although that could just be due to using a different pen. 

*Go is an abstract strategy board game for two players in which the aim is to capture more territory than the opponent by fencing off empty space. One player uses the white stones and the other black. The players take turns placing stones on the vacant points on the board. Once placed, stones may not be moved, but captured stones are immediately removed from the board. Stones are captured when surrounded by the opponent's stones on all adjacent points. The game  ends when neither player wishes to make another move. The winner is determined by counting each player's surrounded territory along with captured stones. The standard Go board has a 19×19 grid and beginners often play on 9×9 boards. 

His boss keeps messaging him and demanding things from Mikoto. The time is 12:35 AM and his phone is at 29%. His phone battery could be referencing multiple things. 

2 as in Double and 9 is Mikoto’s prisoner number.

9 is considered unlucky as it sounds like the word for suffering (苦), so this could be read as “double suffering”.

29 can be read as “Niku”, meaning meat (肉). 

The code here looks like it’s just gibberish. Same with the black version of this.

Trikoto: The door to the train is green as if it symbolizes Midokoto allowing John to front.

When the scene transitions into Mikoto sitting on the train, there is one Mikoto covered in white over the normal one. it then goes to a shot where there’s a blue glow around him. Then it goes back to the white Mikoto which is now over the normal one instead of offset.

Mikoto has white strands in his hair, signifying how stressed he is. This could also be a stylistic thing.

There are 2 Wheel of Fortune looking things.

Trikoto: If you count the halo, this makes 3 circles.

These 2 scenes are pulling your attention towards their eye shines and how they are in different locations. The left is also only a still where's Mikoto on the right is opening his eyes. John is also leaning his head forward.

The windows in this scene are white and this is the closest we get to one of the mannequins. When the scene turns around to show John, the windows are black. I believe this could symbolize John “killing” Mikoto’s stress.

Trikoto: Another green door. Possibly referencing the same thing as last time. 

On the torn paper, there is a coin. This scene is also from John’s perspective.

You can’t see a reflection when the windows are white, while you can when they are black. This could represent how John knows about Mikoto but Mikoto doesn't know about John. This is Mikoto falling apart from all of the stress. Mikoto is still until this light passes them. This represents how Mikoto is trapped inside of his own head while John causes chaos. As he stands up, John smiles.

His mom calls him, and during this call, the scene flips between Mikoto and John.

Mikoto on the phone with his mom, and John killing someone. White background = Mikoto. Bottom eye shines = John. Mikoto may have witnessed one of John’s attacks and only has blurry or no memories of it. This entire scene is interesting.

During the phone call with his mom, Mikoto seems nervous. He seems like he’s hiding something from his mom. Likely his stress levels or a murder. 

In the next shot, the background is white but we don't see an eye shine. The surprised look makes me think this is Mikoto. He quickly hangs up after the call. We never see his face or the background in this shot. I believe that this isn’t Mikoto but John or Midokoto. It’s more likely for this to be John given how he was acting during the call. I feel this whole scene feeds into the Mikoto is a Witness theory with it seemingly flipping between John and Mikoto. 

After the call, Mikoto is observing his surroundings. He sees all of the damage that has been caused. He stands up and switches to John.

Mikoto is running away from his problems. This can also be interpreted as Mikoto running from John because he doesn't know that he’s just trying to help him and means him no harm.

This is yet another thing that can contribute to the Witness theory. The background is white while someone gets killed off screen. 

There’s a slight red drop shadow to John here, mirroring the shot of Mikoto with a blue outer glow. He’s also overlaid with white which normally represents Mikoto.

This is where the line between Mikoto and John blur. This shot shows multiple assets that are associated with John, even though Mikoto is the Kayano in the shot. 

Towards the end when the room starts spinning, the 2 of them start to communicate, possibly on accident given the shocked faces. This is the only part of the MV that referenced MeMe directly. The halo is only over one “Me”. 

There's a lot going on in this scene too.

His face goes from shocked to smug to somewhat sorrowful.

Then it looks like he’s either hyperventilating or crying.

When he shows his face, his expression goes from distressed to scared back to distressed.

In this scene, either of them could be saying sorry. John is saying sorry to Mikoto for all of the trouble he’s caused him, and Mikoto is saying sorry because he feels responsible for John’s actions. The pronounced canines while his mouth is open and the placement of the eye shines makes me think that both of them are saying sorry.

Other Details

Double is mainly from John POV.

Outfit Analysis

Long tan jacket

Blue long sleeve shirt with white trim

Gray jeans 

Circular, gray earrings

Black ankle high boots w/ heel

His earring resembles the Wheel of Fortune tarot card. The meaning of the card differs whether it's upright or upside down. It appears to be upright which means good fortune.

[iwillbringyouruin]

Is this the moment of just letting go?

I can't begin to describe the feeling of seeing the vision I had for this come to life on paper. I have put an elaborate description of the details I put into this (with the meaning I personally intended for them) as well as the reference that inspired it below the cut!

Please don't repost this!

The pose is based on the 1560s version of Repentant Mary Magdalene by Titian. However, unlike in that painting, Copia isn't looking up to the sky or heavens but rather forward/slightly down, perhaps mostly inward in reflection. He is sitting there in the foreground on one of his cloaks, nude - completely stripped of his vestments, clutching one of his chasubles to his chest to cover most of his torso and his legs as the fabric drapes over them. He is literally holding onto who he was or presented himself as, but he knows that he cannot be that same person again.

Copia's skull paint is smudged - based on the markings on his face and his fingertips, it can be assumed he has been desperately clawing at it without having the energy to properly wipe or clean it off. To the left, there is a rat sitting on the cloak looking up at him, his mitre lies folded on the right, no longer of use. He acknowledges neither, too lost in thought. There are three semi-transparent hands grabbing onto Copia's shoulders in support and comfort, one lighter than the other two, indicating these to be the hands of the three Emeritus brothers that came before him (the lighter hand belonging to Terzo due to his white gloves). They have never taken the steps he has; they haven't had to or haven't had the choice to. But they can be here for him now in those moments when he feels there is no one else.

In the background, there is a large bookshelf on the left, reaching to the middle of the drawing both horizontally and vertically. From top to bottom, the left part of the bookshelf displays: a plush rat and a plush goat (a reference to on-stage shenanigans), a foldable picture frame showing the silhouettes of eight people in the large rectangular middle frame - Copia's ghouls and ghoulettes - and one pair of people on either side - Copia with his father and his mother, respectively. This picture frame is intentionally placed at eye level so that Copia can always comfortably look at his family. Below are an inverted cross, two candelabras and the Grammy award won for Cirice in 2016. The rest of the bookshelf is stacked with books. In one place, a human skull is used as a bookend, a reminder of his mortality.

On the right side of the background, slightly further back in the room, there is a work desk in front of a stained-glass window with a pentagram in the middle, a curtain is gathered to the left of it. Almost out of frame, in the front and to the right of the desk, there is the tricycle Copia has been gifted, covered in cobwebs, not having been used in a long time. He hasn't put it away or covered it, be it because he didn't have the heart to or because he intends to dust it off at some point. On the work desk, there are slightly messy stacks of paper, a mug and an inkpot. Additionally, there is an open book on the desk, on top of which is another book. This book has been open just before the end but stopped from closing entirely by what's supposed to be the quill belonging to the inkpot. This book stands for Copia's story. It is unclear if he was the one who has stopped it from closing, if he wants to delay getting to the last page, if this book has been written by him or if it has been written by others for him.

Perhaps a combination of both. Either way, he is in charge now. There is also a vase on the left corner of the desk, containing flowers that are wilted in the vase except for one, signifying a new beginning and the cycle of life, growth and death, but also the way that time seems to slip when we find our minds clouded by pain - life and our obligations don't stop for grief, but we mustn't be hopeless.

[viris-ocs]

Assarashi Atsuhi (SYOC OC for Meaningless Names on FF.Net)

Name: (family - Given)

Asaarashi Atsuhi

渥火 朝嵐

朝 (asa) meaning "morning" and 嵐 (arashi) meaning "storm; tempest"

渥 (atsu) meaning "moisten, make moist" combined with 火 (hi) meaning "fire"

Nickname:

- Suhi

- Paper Boy (because he always has Fuinjutsu papers all over the place)

Clan:

No clan, though his mother has briefly hinted at their distant connections to the Senju.

Family:

Mother - Asaarashi Mishiko

A tired but professional looking woman with curly black hair with white, high cheek bones, green eyes, and glasses.

She works as the head of village relations, it's her job to document and compile how the common people feel about their village and make plans of action to improve it.

Father - Asaarashi Daiji

A laid back guy with short, copper brown hair and stubble, cloudy blue eyes, and moles.

He used to work as a blacksmith for ninja tools, but was forced into an early retirement due to deteriorating eyesight.

Older Brother - Asaarashi Kazu

A wise guy with a friendly face, he had long curly black hair with some white in a ponytail, high cheek bones, jade green eyes, and moles.

He used to be a ninja, a very talented one who would have been promoted to Jounin, but quit to look after his family (mostly his younger brother).

Affiliations/Village:

- Konohagakure

Date of birth and Age:

April 11th, 13 years

Sex:

Male

Sexual Orientation:

Gay

Blood Type:

A-

Appearence

Weight/Height:

5'1"

101 lbs

Eyes:

light but saturated periwinkle blue in colour. His eyes look sharp and calculated, with a downward slant to them. He has prominent bottom lashes.

Hair Colour/Style/Length:

Cool black with some streaks of off white and various greys, though not many (a genetic trait from his mothers side of the family). Hair tends to be long and a bit messy unless he's visiting his mom's work. The front is just past chin length and tends to fall somewhat in front of his face, while the back is a bit longer, a little past shoulder length. It's typically kept up in a very lazily done bun or ponytail tied off with a thin red rope.

Physical Characteristics:

Very fair skin that's a bit of the pink side, he has many moles on his body, including 2 under his left eye and one under the right side of his lip. He has normal promotions, though his legs are a bit longer than the norm.

Atsuhi appears semi-androgynous, having some feminine traits like his hair and lashes, while still having enough masculine characteristics to be recognized as a boy. Though one wouldn't be blamed for getting it a little confused from a distance.

Markings:

Other than his moles, Atsuhi has many scars over his hands and half his forearm from his time learning blacksmithing techniques.

Clothing/trinkets:

- No mater what, he always has a silver dogtag necklace with his own and his brother's name on it.

- Atsuhi tends to mix modern styles with traditional japanese styles. His casual clothing includes the basic first layer of his ninja Outfit, black leggings and sleeveless, nigh neck top. Over that is a second pair of black pants that are cuffed with an outlined cloud pattern at the bottom, and a red belt with 2 belt chains. He also has a red/white/black/grey patwork knit cardigan sweater in a near Haori style. He also wears wooden sandals with red cord.

- Nightwear is a simple large, white tee stolen from his brother, and black shorts.

Ninja Outfit:

Wide, Very French Navy Blue, slightly shortened Hakma Style Pants that mix in some modern elements, including some seamless cargo pockets. There's a faint windy/mist style design at the end of the pants.

The pants are held up by an obi style belt, 2 thinner black belts, and a crimson red rope tied at the side. There are some belt accessories, including belt chains, and other trinkets, mostly Weapon/scroll related but also some more fashionable items.

Under that is simple black leggings that go into black ninja sandals.

Tucked into the pants and belt is short sleeved, white Kimono shirt that sits over a sleeveless high neck fitted shirt. He has long gloves that disappear under his sleeves, giving the illusion of them being attached to the shirt. His forehead protector is tied to his right wrist.

Personal/Advance

Personality:

Atsuhi is a calculated individual who is very analytical and cunning in his way of thinking. He often has a stoic face that will change only slightly when showing emotion, which can come across as being cold and unemotional. This isn't true however, Atsuhi holds a lot of care in his heart, at least towards those who has earned his care (which is pretty simple, you just have to be a descent human being). He has a rather eloquent way of speaking, but has a lot of patience towards those who don't understand and is willing to rephrase whatever he's saying to help everyone follow along. He's also very empathetic towards people's struggles, and is willing to lend an ear or some advice if they are willing. However that doesn't mean that he isn't willing to be harsh towards you. Atsuhi can be rather blunt with his words, regardless if those words are kindhearted or brutally honest. He's a very "speak the truth" kind of guy, and is willing to call someone out for doing something stupid, or just calling someone an idiot. Despite his honesty, Atsuhi is emotionally and socially intelligent enough to know when to hold his tongue, keep a secret, or stay silent all together for the grater good. It's all about timing, he'd think to himself.

Atsuhi is also incredibly intelligent, truly a one of a kind in terms of brain power. He may not be on Shikamaru's level (no one really is), but it wouldn't be dishonest to say that Atsuhi holds a candle to him. He has a photographic memory that's practically like a library in his head, and loves learning new items of knowledge, especially if they are seal, Chakra, or blacksmithing related.

A negative aspect of his personality is that he puts a lot of pressure on himself. He knows a lot of things that he shouldn't from his mother, and he is lacking in a lot of fundamental ninja-related things that effect his efficiency, and that makes his very anxious about his future. To combat this, he throws himself onto his work, working on his weapon and seal skills to an unhealthy degree. Sometimes, when Atsuhi is having a particularly bad couple of days, he will become borderline obsessive over his work, feeling that something bad could happen if he doesn't get better imidiatly. He usually has to be taken out of his "trance" by his brother or a friend. It's because of these things, as well as being too involved with his mothers work, that he can struggle with his mental health, and with taking breaks.

Likes:

- blacksmithing

- seals

- Bonzai

- wood carving

- teriyaki beef bowl

- cloudy days

- Snakes and rabbits

Dislikes:

- being shut out of his makeshift workshop (the shed)

- being told what's "best" for him

- not being able to sleep

- splinters

- sour candy

- hot & humid days

- milipedes (too many legs!)

Alignment:

True Nutral.

He'll follow the rules when it's convenient for him to do so, or when it's less troublesome than breaking them, but he also knows how to break and bend them to his advantage, or to the advantage of others if he so wishes

Values:

Atsuhi Values preparedness and knowledge, regardless of how other people tell him to achieve these things.

He tends to prefer isolation, but won't shy away from going out with friends if invited.

Goals:

Atsuhi wants to learn everything about seals and Weapon making, even if they have... less than steller ethics attached.

He also wants to become a strong ninja to be respected by other nations, and protect the people he cares for.

History/Backstory:

Atsuhi's parents aren't originally from Konohagakure. They had roots in the leaf village, via a great great grandfather, but the Asaarashi family moved away from the Leaf village 10 yeas after its founding to go live in Sunagakure. When Atsuhi's mother, Mishiko, found out that she was pregnant with her second child, she wanted to move back to the Leaf village and away from the growing turmoil of the Sand. His older brother Kazu was 7 at the time, and has many memories of his old home, he finds himself missing it on most days.

      They lived peacefully in the Leaf Village for about two and a half years, Mishoko found herself with a nice secretary job, and his father Daiji made hood money as a blacksmith. Kazu even enrolled in the Ninja academy, and found himself very quickly at the top of the class. Life was good, but then the nine tailed fox attacked and changed everything. Money started to grow tight, and they couldn't afford a babysitter to watch Atsuhi anymore, so Mishiko started to bring him to work with her (something that would end badly for the boy).

      As he grew up, Atsuhi was surrounded by the village troubles via him mother's work, especially after she had gotten her promotion to Head of Village Relations and was constantly swamped with complaints. Atsuhi would describe it as having a "front row seat to the hidden Leaf's downfall", and he knew a lot of things that he shouldn't have. Whenever his mother had to have a private meeting with other high ranking members about whatever the current situation was, Atsuhi would sit outside and wait, and he could always hear them.

      This grew to be Atsuhi having a rather complicated relationship with the Leaf Village. After hearing their suffering, he felt himself to be more loyal to the people than to the village itself, but he would keep those thoughts to himself for the most part, he wouldn't be trusted to become a Ninja if he didn't. There would also be times when his mother had to go hand out or collect public servayes and consensus reporters from the people of the village, and Atsuhi would have to tag along. He saw a lot of things that he shouldn't have, people cursing and spitting, especially in the seedy areas. Sometimes people would get violent, sometimes the single Jounin bodyguard would put them in their place, sometimes Atsuhi had to get involved.

      All of these things put Atsuhi is a very difficult position. One one hand, he had all this knowledge of all the villages troubles and could feel the weight that they carried, but on the other hand he had no way of doing anything about it and could even tell anyone what he knew. It was from that struggle that Atsuhi came to the decision that he would become a ninja.

      He still went out with his mother when he was asked and grew up learning about Diplomacy, and how to read people with their subtle expressions and body language. After being attacked by angry and disgruntled villagers for so long, you learn how tell what other people planing before they can act on it.

      While learning to be a ninja in school, and doing Chakra practices, Atsuhi started to struggle greatly with his chakra control. Whenever he tried to use his chakra, it felt blocked and pent up before coming out in large bursts, like shaking a can of pop before opening it. No matter how much he practiced and meditated and trained, Atsuhi just couldn't figure it out. Eventually he explained his problem to his teachers and parents, and they had a chakra expert come in to examine him. He made the shocking discovery that Atsuhi had a somewhat mutated chakra system in his body. His chakra system has smaller chakra points than normal, and that causes his chakra to build up pressure until it is forced out in large bursts. When it bursts it's powerful and controlled, but when it's pent up it's barely usable in a reliable manner.

      To offset this terrible set back, Atsuhi started exploring different ninja techniques to try and either balance out his lack of chakra, or find some way to stabilize it. His father, not wanting to see his young son struggle, decided to try and take his mind off of it by taking him down to the shop and teaching him how to make Kunai. Atsuhi took to it pretty much imidiatly, and found himself loving the process of creating his own weapons. Eventually, while helping his dad in the shop, he saw a ~smoking ninja~ use special blades with chakra, and Atsuhi's curiosity was peaked. He asked his dad about it, and he handed his son a similar blade. Surprisingly, despite his chakra issues, the blade took very well to his chakra and he learned how to use it properly.

      After that, Atsuhi started playing with things that required external Chakra. He tried to get his hands on a summoning scroll, but couldn't find one anywhere. Then he discovered Fuinjutsu, and he took to that nicely as well. At was at this point that his obsessive tendencies began. He saw the potential that Fuinjutsu had, the idea of seals fascinated him and he spent most of his free time reasurching them. When he was with his father, sometimes he'd sneak away to work in the blacksmithing shop all by himself. Eventually he turned the unused shed on their family property into a workroom where he would experiment with seals and different weapon combinations.

      After a while of going to his mothers work and practicing his new techniques, Atsuhi began to grow paranoid that there was a "war" bruing on the horizon. He threw himself further into his work, and neither of his parents really minded all that much if it ment that he improved, but his brother started to worry. After coming back from a month long mission, he saw how his father's eyesight deteriorated, how his mother was swamped with work, and how his younger brother's health was spiraling into unhealthy paranoia and hyper fixation. Kazu was faced with a difficult choice, hope to fix everything from afar, or quit his job to take care of his brother. After talking with his parents, and with his coworkers and higher ups, Kenzo made the very difficult decision to quit his job to make sure that Atsuhi had at least a single positive influence in his life.

      To this day, Atsuhi still lives with his parents, and still accompanies his mother from time to time. His father had to retire and no longer works at the shop, but Atsuhi still practices there by bribing the new owner with free child labor on the side. He has his obsessive tendencies kinda under control, though still finds himself slipping during particularly bad days. Kazu works at a couple part time jobs to make up for the lack of income, and is secretly hiding money to eventually take custody of Atsuhi and take him away from his parents.

TLDR;

Great Great Granpa is from Konohagakure, but mom and dad are from Sunagakure and moved before Atsuhi was born, which made Kazu sad. Life was good, dad did blacksmithing and made money, mom did accounting and made money, but then the Fox attacked and now they need more money. Mom was forced to take Atsuhi to her stressed out work, which was a bad choice for a developing child (no shit) and Atsuhi accidentally learned village secrets and got anxiety. Whoops! He decided to become a Ninja to do something about all the stress, but then turns out he has bad ninja genes and his chakra points are too small, causing chakra to build and burst like a whoopy cushion. He didn't like that and got sad, but then dad taught him to make Kunai because he thinks knives are good for children. Atsuhi actually loves knives and making weapons, and then added chakra to his weapons which was surprising but exiting. Then he looked into doing seals and loved that too, but then got paranoid about war and mental health went bye bye. Brother came back from ninja stuff and saw how bad his parents were at being parents, then he quit his job and now wants to secretly take Atsuhi away.

Family/Family relationships:

Mother - Asaarashi Mishiko - 44 (alive)

Atsuhi has a rather... strained relationship with his mother. On one hand, he respects and recognizes her authority and position in the village, and knows that she is the best person for the job. On the otherhand, he doesn't think that those skills translated into being a parent ar all. Atsuhi thinks that his mother shouldn't have been HIS mother, and that she simply doesn't understand that kids aren't mini-adults, and shouldn't be brought up into the adult would like she has for him. He wouldn't say there things to her though, that would cause unnecessary strain into his home.

Father - Asaarashi Daiji - 46 (alive)

Atsuhi really wants to love his father, but he can't bring himself to put his whole heart into it. He knows that his father really tried, but he was always just a bit too non-chalant with a "devil-may-care" attitude towards life for Atsuhi, which made doing a lot of more difficult things a lot harder than necessary.

Older Brother - Asaarashi Kazu - 20 (alive)

Atsuhi has a very close relationship with his older brother, and they get along exceptionally well. He always looks towards Kazu whenever he needs a problem fixed, and It's Kazu who helps him ground himself when Atsuhi it going into his obsessive spiral. He would never say it to his face, but he considers Kazu to be more of a parental figure than his own parents.

Character relationships:

Outsiders tend to view Atsuhi as sophisticated, but a bit cold and curt with his words. He isn't very approachable, and his sometimes one track mind and pension for bending rules can be off-putting.

People who know Atsuhi well can see past his shell and often view him as a voice of reason, and someone you would go to for honest help. Having known him for enough time, they would also be able to pick up on the subtle changes in Atsuhi's face and body language that tell them if he's in a "Come and socialize" kind of mood, or a "Buzz off" kind of mood.

Hobbies:

- Bonzai Trees

- Mini wood carving

Dominant hand:

Naturally left handed, but has trained himself to use both hands ambidextrously. In moments of panic he will default back to his left hand.

Reason for becoming a ninja:

Out of a self-made necessity, he decided to become a Ninja to make himself feel useful in these trying times, and to grow stronger to protect the people he cares about in case of an attack.

Fears:

- Being misinformed about a sensitive piece of information, and then accidentally causing even more chaos and turbulence in the leaf.

- Being kicked out/otherwise forced out of the leave village

-Being unprepared if an attack on the village happens

Plot Parts/Story arcs:

It would be nice to eventually see Atsuhi stand up for himself when it comes to his parents as his first step to self healing. He doesn't like going to his mothers work, but he also feels like he constantly needs to know what's going on. I think he should eventually realize how unhealthy it is and unhappy it makes him (probably with the help of older people in his life like his brother) and actually tell his mother no. Then after realizing how bad they've been to him and how they let his mental health slide to such a degree, he chooses to go live with his brother and start his healing journey.

Strength:

- His physical strengths are in speed, Dexterity, and strength, able to weild weapons with grace and power, and building his speed + Dex as a way to avoid Ninjutsu, which he has difficulty countering due to his own chakra issues.

- His mental strengths are in intelligence, Diplomacy, and quick problem solving. He is naturally intelligent and can always come up with a plan on the fly, and is capable of fixing many problems. He also has a lot of Diplomatic skill, having traveled with his mother on her job.

- his Jutsu strengths are Fuinjutsu, Taijutsu, and Bukijutsu. Since he has his Chakra issues, he uses Fuinjutsu and Taijutsu to balance that out, he is very proficient in many weapons that keeps his enemies on their toes.

Weaknesses:

- His physical weaknesses are recovery, limiting himself, and defensive abilities. Atsuhi takes a strangely long time to heal from even simple injuries, on top of him always pushing himself even when tired makes a bad combo. He's also not good at defensive abilities, relying more on avoiding hits rather than tanking them.

- His mental weaknesses are Overthinking, Anxiety based Hyper Focus, and mild imposter syndrome. He can get into his own head and overthink, causing his anxiety based obsessiveness to spiral. He sometimes wonders if he is even a real ninja, given that he can't use chakra properly.

- His Jutsu weaknesses are Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Medicaljutsu. Anything that involves him using chakra without the help of an external source is pretty much a no-go. He also has trouble dispelling genjutsu because of this.

Desired relationships:

- In terms of romantic interests, I won't think of anyone in specific, but I think that Atsuhi would be attracted to someone who is confident, intelligent, and listens to him. Someone who is afraid to call out Atsuhi like how he would another person.

- In terms of friendship, I think that Atsuhi would be friendly with Guy's team for obvious reasons, especially with Tenten given that they both have similar interests in weaponry and probably share tips and techniques.

When it comes to potential friends, Atsuhi doesn't mind loud people as long as they are willing to listen to him. He can't stand stupid people who won't listen to reason though. He is naturally drawn towards intelligent people and determined people, as well as those who have potential to grow and won't remain stagnant.

Desired Rivals:

For Rivals I'd say also Tenten. They're friends that use their casual Rivalry to both one-up each other and learn from each other.

For potential/future Rivals, probably someone who challenges his beliefs and/or skills, probably with a different but complimentary personality.

Personalities most likely to team with:

I'd say the same as friends. As long as they aren't cruel or an idiot, and is willing to listen to him, he's willing to work with anyone. But it still drawn more towards intelligent and determined people.

Bijuu:

None

Sensei:

As ninja Sensei, I'll leave that up to you to decide

Other people considered sensei include his father, who taught him weaponry and blacksmithing, and his brother who taught him many of his ninja skills.

Nindo/Dream:

"Learn to prepare for every action, or you better prepare to learn the consequence of your inaction"

Essentially Atsuhi's Nindo is to always be prepared, and he believes that enough preparation is the key to success, in both ninja and civilian life.

Weapon/combat & Ninjutsu

Fighting Style:

Atsuhi is the kind of fighter to wait and see what his opponent is capable of before attacking, typically watching them from a distance, or waiting for them to engage his teammates.

He uses a lot of weapons and seals in battle, and prefers mid-range combat over any other, being close enough to properly observe the fight while still keeping enough distance to avoid being hit.

Atsuhi is a surprisingly dirty fighter, and isn't afraid to use anything and everything at his disposal to win any given fight. He'll throw dirt in your eye, he'll go for the throat, he'll trick you into thinking that he's surrendered before kicking you where the sun don't shine. For Atsuhi, failure isn't an option in battle, that's how people get killed.

Strategies:

- Atsuhi will always try to disarm his opponent first, using his weapons to knock away his opponents'.

- He will also go for the vulnerable areas in a fight, and will try to take them down as quickly as possible. Atsuhi is a speed fighter who focuses on taking down enemies as quickly as possible.

- If he cannot get his enemy to lower their guard, he will use his skills of observation to point out their flaws and insecurities, and mock them into anger

- If given the proper time and preparation in advance, Atsuhi likes to use his seals to set up traps for his opponent. Leading them into activating barriers, explosion traps, even chakra absorption seals.

Weapon:

Atsuhi uses a great variety of weapons.

Aside from the standard ninja weapons, Kunai, Shuriken, Spikes, Senbon, Wire, we also uses specialty Chakra weapons that he made himself, including a glaive with a black/red/white handle, and a chain whip with a weighed end and a similar handle.

Other weapons he stores away in scrolls until they are needed. Such as;

- A variety of knives and swords

- Bō staff

- Sickle

- Whip

- Fans

- Tantō

- Tonfa

- Windmill Shuriken

- Flash Bomb

- Smoke Bomb

- Gunbai (Rarely)

- Manriki Chain (Rarely)

Kekkei Genkai/Hidden Techniques:

None

Chakra Nature:

Fire and wind (does not have bloodline combination)

Known Jutsus:

Ninjutsu: (NOTE: Just because it is listed, doesn't mean that Atsuhi can use the technique well or often due to his condition. This is a list of Ninjutsu that he knows how to do, though anything more than a D rank jutsu is difficult)

- Clone Jutsu (most basic form) D rank

- Transformation Jutsu D rank

- Disguise Jutsu D rank

- Escape Jutsu D rank

- Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu

- Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu

- Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet

- Fire Style: Fox Fire

- Body Flicker Technique

- Replacement Jutsu

- Vacuum Sword

- Wind Release: Air Bullets

- Wind Release: Gale Palm

- Chakra Blade: Wind

Increases the length and cutting ability of blades

- Chakra Blade: Flame

Increases the length and explosive power of weapons

Genjutsu:

- None

Fuinjutsu: (Canon)

- Barrier releasing technique

- Chakra Control: Bind

- Chakra Draining Seal

- Enclosing Technique

- Dragon Bomb

- Finger Carving Seal

- Fire/Water/Wind/Earth/Lightning Sealing Method

- Sealed Binding Formation

- Sealing Tag Barrier

- Sealing Technique: Release

- Summoning: Lighting Flash Blade Creation

- Unsealing Technique

- Paper Bomb

Fuinjutsu: (Fanon)

- Paper Bomb: Wind Style

Atsuhi infuses a paper bomb with wind chakra, causing the bomb to explode into a series of wind slashes, cutting up the enemy rather than burning them

- Paper Bonb: Earth Style

Atsuhi infuses a paper bomb with earth chakra, causing the bomb to explode with shrapnel that gets stuck in the enemy

- Paper Bomb: Lightning Style

Atsuhi infuses a paper bomb with Lighting chakra, turning it into a stun bomb that paralyzes enemies

- Locked Target Technique

Atsuhi creates 2 seals, a locked seal and a target seal. When these seals are placed on two separate targets, the Target seal will be drawn towards the Locked seal. Atsuhi uses these seals with his weapons, either placing the locked seal on his hands to bring back his weapons like a boomerang, or placing the Locked seal on his enemies to guarantee that his weapons hit.

Future Fuinjutsu:

- Ninjutsu Fighting Blade Technique

A special seal that allows Atsuhi's weapons to preform the Ninjutsu that he cannot. Example, flowing his chakra into a projectile weapon to preform the Wind Bullet Jutsu.

(Atsuhi is still secretly working on this seal via trial and error)

Specialization: (1 being very fitting, 12 being not so fitting, 6 being neutral)

Search and rescue: 8

Sabotage and ambush: 2

Psychological warfare: 4

Seduction: 10

Assassination: 2

Infiltration: 5

Tracking: 9

Scouting and battle Intel: 3

Diplomacy: 1

Espionage: 5

Acquisition: 4

Interrogation 6

Stats: (assuming that the lower the number, the better the stat, much like before)

Ninjutsu: 25/30

Taijutsu: 15/30

Bukijutsu: 11/30

Genjutsu: 23/30

Fuinjutsu: 10/30

Medical Ninjutsu: 30/30

Chakra control: 28/30

Stamina: 9/20

Speed: 8/20

Hand seals: 15/30

Intelligence: 6/20

Offence: 13/30

Defence: 17/30

Dexterity: 11/25

Loyalty: 5/10

People Skills: 7/15

Wits: 4/15

Teamwork: 8/20

Common Sense: 1/5

Extra -optional-

Theme Songs:

Gathered Place - HOYO-miX

Mr. FEAR - SIAMÉS

Personality Type:

INTJ or INTP

Quotes:

"Learn to prepare for every action, or you better prepare to learn the consequence of your inaction"

"Not believing in something does not protect you from it."

Anything extra:

- Atsuhi has 6 bonzai trees, and he's named all of them.

- If Atsuhi wasn't born with his chakra mutation, he would have been a sensor type.

- Any weapon he makes has a signature. The handle with have a distinctive red/white/black mist and cloud pattern called "Kumo"

[midwesternmule]

its cold where i am, warmer than earlier this week though, when i would walk to class with two pairs of thick socks inside my boots and ice formed so thick on the gravel of my apartment parking lot that my truck has stayed stationary for the better half of january. 

i’ve been daydreaming of the warmer months that we experience here in the heart of the states, not yet the hellish days where i wish for winter again and feel the humidity so thick that it sticks in my throat and makes my curls twice as frizzy, but rather the gentle 70 degree nights where i can bring out the hammock to my front porch and set up the tv against my window to watch plotless movies while me and my brother reminisce about our childhood and roll ugly joints. 

in these daydreams, the girl on the other side of the country — the one that i care for so deeply but cant seem to bear to say as much — is stuffed in the hammock with me, our legs intertwined while we sip the cheap wine i bought from the liquor store a few blocks down the hill from the man who no longer asks for my obviously fake id, or maybe she’s sitting on the knobby wooden planks below me while i rake my hands through her self-trimmed hair as she reads me vonnegut and our shared cigarette’s ashes shower the pages. 

later in the night i’d turn on my ancient AC and pull out the futon so we can sleep curled into each other, arms wrapped around slow breathing bodies and fingers woven together. maybe by now we’d have kissed, though knowing us we haven’t, but strangely i think we are both okay with that. my friends don’t quite understand that, but as cliche as it sounds, i don’t need them to. i’d be wearing a tank top and boxers, and she would be wearing a silly pun shirt that she has too many of. i’d hope that she notices the freckles that appear after days in the sun, the ones she told me she loves so much the summer before, and i’d silently admire the tan she can keep up all year due to the beach being a 15 minute walk from her dorms. we would talk about nothing for an hour or two after laying down, giggle at the sounds of other drunk 20-somethings wandering home from the bars close to my building. 

the next morning i’d wake with the warm sun coming in bright through the blinds i’d forgotten to close the night before, laying back down if she hadn’t woken up yet, or maybe if i’d received a moka pot ive asked my mother for as a birthday gift i’ll make her some coffee, she’s the reason i started to love hot coffee after all. maybe we would go to the pastry place across town that we always stop at after a night of drinking, looking as disheveled as every time before. maybe we would go to the donut place my father showed me, the one i promised to take her to earlier this month.

normally she would leave to go back to the town where i grew up and where we met, but in these daydreams she stays with me for the day, and since its a sunday we laze about in my notably less crowded college town, walking downtown streets and rifling through thrift store clothing racks and the record shop’s collections, as i have somehow acquired a record player for my tiny apartment that floats music through the open porch door, which i’ve left open so the incense smoke can reach us outside as we sit on my floor cushions and play cards, shitty but tolerable beer bottles at our sides. 

these daydreams seem to warm me from within, like the ambience of an early summer’s day has some how transcended my consciousness and soaked into my very bones. i’m cruelly reminded of reality though when i open my eyes to scoot further under my three blankets as i have began to shiver slightly while typing. the futon isn’t pulled out to accommodate the warm body of another, but rather because it’s further from the drafty window on the western wall. i’m up too late, not because of a long conversation that i’ll cherish but because the memories of them make me so painfully aware of that which i miss most right now.

its not the summer’s heat that i dream of.

[lavalampstealer]

Okay, I’ve made a compiled dump of lore on my interpretations/versions of IEYTD characters (mainly Phoenix and Handler so far) so I can pin this and ppl won’t have to go looking for old posts. I’ll be updating this as I figure stuff out or if anything changes with them. Apologies if this is a little hard to read, I kind of word-vomited info here and I’ve tried to clean it up a little. Spoiler warning for IEYTD 1 and 2

Buckle up it’s gonna be a long one

First up: Handler, he/him (tumblr doesn’t have yellow text so orange will have to do).

He wears a sleeveless yellow turtleneck over a short sleeved shirt, square glasses, and a yellow headset. Originally a Field Agent for the Agency, he made quite a name for himself and was given the internal/honorary nickname of Agent Moray due to his knack for slipping away from Zor’s clutches while also leaving carnage in his wake (little did people know, he usually ran on pure adrenaline, fear, and general clumsiness that worked out in his favor). He eventually had to retire from field work and become a handler due to him breaking his right leg during his last mission and it not healing properly. Before he had to hang up his spy gear, he was selected to be an early implant tester for the Agency, and the one he got was a rudimentary version of the telekinesis where he could float things in place but not grab objects from afar. He has kept it and it has proved especially useful during his time as a handler for hovering important documents like dossiers and building blueprints/layouts nearby during missions. As for his actual work as a handler, he acts as support to Phoenix, mostly with work related things, but sometimes emotionally as well. He acts as an anchor for Phoenix and is there to bring them back to reality should he notice them getting that glassy-eyed, million mile stare every once in a while. He was very concerned for them in the fallout of Operation: Death Engine and after that he became more attached to them, resulting in him being devastated after Rising Phoenix. If there is anything between him and Phoenix, it leans more towards him being like a father figure than anything else. He usually works from his office in the Agency building (the one from IEYTD 1), but occasionally for more urgent/important/overseas missions, he opts to be nearby (in the crowd in Stage Fright, above Phoenix somewhere in Eaves Drop, outside the chateau in Party Crasher, etc.). If I come up with more I’ll add it to here, 10/10 character.

Next (and probably much longer): Phoenix, they/them.

During IEYTD 1, they had short hair and wore a long sleeve dress shirt and their cyan tie. They were able to do more action-intense missions (hijacking Zor’s sub, sneaking into a cargo plane to steal a car, sneaking onto a shuttle to the Death Engine, etc.) and were generally more aloof about their own safety and pretty much saw their job as just a fun game. However, in the aftermath of Operation DE, their left leg was badly injured and needed to be replaced from the thigh down, so the Agency provided them with a robotic prosthetic. It took them a while to get used to it, and while they can walk, run, and stand with it just fine, it’s a bit difficult for them do more intense activity like, say, hand to hand combat (although a good kick to shin usually has foes doubled over) or dodging projectiles. They also got their facial scars from the DE Incident, with the one on their left cheek coming from the beam that shot into their shuttle when the Death Engine fired for the first time. The other two are just general nicks and gashes from crashing back to Earth. Because of their robotic leg, someone in the Agency gave them the nickname “Tin Can” and it stuck (Phoenix pretends to hate it but thinks it’s amusing). After months of recovery, they were cleared for field work once again where they were given slightly easier missions that have most of the action happen while they’re seated (an exception to this is the implied fight with Gibson before Party Crasher because him being there was unexpected). This time around they prefer to roll up their sleeves because it’s more comfortable, allows for more movement, and it keeps them from getting singed/dirty, but they still wear a cyan tie (a new one since their old one was torn). Their hair grew out during their stint in Medical and they liked it, so they decided to keep it longer. Not much happened to them physically during IEYTD 2, but after Rising Phoenix they had their right arm replaced from the elbow down and got an updated leg (their og prosthetic was shattered in the fall).

I don’t have a design for them as they are in IEYTD 3 yet, so for now just imagine more scarring, longer hair, and a metallic arm from the elbow onwards.

Now, enough about their physical description, now it’s time for more on their mental state(s). After the DE Incident, Phoenix refused to actually dive into their emotions about losing a leg and nearly dying and instead preoccupied themselves with learning to use their new prosthetic and getting well again so they could return to field work. They don’t like to be alone with their thoughts for too long otherwise they start to spiral to a bad place so they’re always listening to some kind of music (a radio, headphones, humming/singing a song to themselves, or just replaying songs in their head). Handler helps them with this and pulls them back to the present every so often. Phoenix also once received an anonymous gift package that contained some very comfy and good quality earbuds (three guesses as to who sent them). They weren’t too surprised by Juniper’s twist of actually being evil (they had an icky feeling about the slimeball ever since they heard his tone in his call during their mission briefing for Jet Set). During Safe and Sound (and by extension, the tutorial), Phoenix gets a sinking feeling that Handler was never truly with the Agency and had betrayed them until Juniper revealed his act. Phoenix is furious with him for toying with them like that and mentally kick themselves for falling for it and for allowing themselves to get that attached to Handler (it’s like a taboo/rule at the Agency for handler and agents to not get connected (they don’t have the budget for employee therapy)).

More random tidbits about them and some other stuff that I couldn’t work into the above paragraphs:

- JJ carries a comb in his pocket at all times because he wants to make sure he always looks good (the smug look on his face undercuts the effect)

- JJ’s hair is more on the side of fluffy/soft but when he slicks it back it looks thinner and more wiry

- Phoenix’s color before getting their TK was a darker blue

- Handler’s favorite flowers were marigolds but after Jet Set, he refuses to have any near him

- Before becoming a handler, Handler’s color was more of an orange before mellowing out to a golden yellow after his retirement from field work

- Phoenix and Handler are injured in opposite legs, to which Handler teases them about them becoming an old man like him (he’s not old, about mid/late 40s-ish, idk)

- Phoenix is around 5’8 while Handler is a little under 5’6

- The Agency trains agents with the implant to use a sort of pointing finger gesture to use their powers but they can develop their own hand sign/gesture that better suits them. The pointer finger is generally effective for everyone but is limited in the sense that the user can’t pick up/float heavy objects. Once agents find a gesture that works best for them, they’re able to lift larger objects (like other people, crates, chairs, etc.). Phoenix has yet to find their gesture

- Background characters do not get a color and are either solid black if they’re with Zoraxis or black with grey or muted gold accents if they’re with the Agency

- Phoenix can and does use their powers in their daily life when they’re off the clock. They use them while cooking to hover ingredients nearby, picking out clothes so that they don’t end up wrinkled on the ground, looking through reports on previous missions to study Zoraxis’ preferred attack methods (explosions, guns, darts, etc.), to grab things from high shelves or faraway, etc. They’re really casual about using it and have to stop themselves from doing it when they go out in public (unless no one’s looking)

- Phoenix isn’t a bad cook, they just like to burn their food on purpose (they like the taste and it annoys Handler)

- Handler is a good cook and gets ticked off whenever Phoenix burns food

- Songs that fit Handler: From The Start by Laufey, The World We Knew and My Way of Life by Frank Sinatra, No More by Manfred Minnich, Nothing by Bruno Major, Slow Summer Swing by Essential Jazz Masters, The Lamp is Low by Laurindo Almeida

- Songs that fit Phoenix: Skeleton Song by Kate Nash, Cloud 9 by Beach Bunny, Leave Me Alone by IDKHOW, Debt Collector, Bad Luck!, and Pressure Bomb 3?!?! by Jhariah (Beginner’s Guide versions), My Way by Frank Sinatra, This Side of Paradise by Coyote Theory (thanks @dieing-lilac for sending me some of these <3)

The songs are a mix of songs from ones that fit their general vibes to ones where the lyrics are accurate (to some degree) of their emotions (Phoenix’s especially). 10/10 songs go check them out if you can

Also the way that character colors work for my style/designs is that it’s an artistic choice to color characters’ details rather than their scars/eyebrows/tongues literally being something like blue or green. A character’s color is a reflection of their personality, characteristics, and general feel that I get from them, with the exception of if a character already has a canonical color (like John Juniper and Roxana Prism). Handler is golden yellow because he seems warm and he likes/liked scotch and marigolds, as well as his subtitle color in IEYTD 1 being yellow (albeit a different shade). Zor is red and gold because Zoraxis is also red and gold so it just makes sense that they would have the same colors as their corporation (also the cliché that red=evil, that whole thing). Phoenix is cyan because of their powers and it fits their personality more than red or any other color would. I don’t really have a reason for why Fabricator would be indigo other than her polaroid pic’s lighting looks dark blue/indigo and that it just makes sense to me. Solaris would be orange because of her love for lasers and because her name makes me think of a glowing ember orange. The more of an impact a character has on the story, the brighter/more saturated their color is (Ex: Daniel Sans would have a muted yellow-green and Anna Ulanova would have a muted maroon because they both don’t appear much but aren’t unimportant).

I think that’s all I have for now, but some of Handler and Phoenix’s characterization can’t really be accurately described without just showing them in their element, so I’m thinking of maybe writing a little story about how Phoenix joined the Agency, how their training went, how they got the implant, and how the events of IEYTD 1 and 2 went with them :) No promises though as I’ll have to find time to plan it out, but if I ever do it I’ll be sure to put it on wattpad or ao3 or something, I’ve never posted a story anywhere before so we’ll see how it goes

Enough of my rambling, I set you readers who made it this far free <33 also here’s something for having made it all the way to the end: 🍬

[eternitas]

Tell us about your bun boy, the world needs to know about him. Who cares if it isn't lore compliant

@wanderin-rook @deathmeddle @saanphoenix @niceaxephotos

Okay so because these people were so kind to indulge me and ask, allow me to give you a short introduction to Yoon before I give you an actual sheet with his stats and all

Also DISCLAIMER: I am not through with A Realm Reborn and therefor have limited knowledge of Vierra so most of this is NOT canon compliant.

So

This.

Is Yoon

Yoon is a Vierra from the Ishgardian snowy mountains. Due to his village and subesquently his baby sister falling terribly ill he took her down the mountain to find someone who could cure her, but ended up in Gridania where he stayed for a good bit. He is NOT A WOL, he is more of a support character for my WOLs squad. Since he is skilled with a spear/lance he later down the line takes up a job as a dragoon. He also has a boif, called Lemuel (played by my irl fiance @kyuji)

I will get to their story later bc its Spicey with a capital S

Here are more in depth stats and a more thorough recount of his story until he arrived in Gridania. Also beware of bigger Font for readability.

Name: Yoon Dorochnewesfv

Age: he never talks about his age, but you can count him around 20ish in human years at the beginning of "A Realm Reborn"

Lineage: Vierra - Veena

Birthplace: Ishgard East Mountainrange/ Yaga village

More info: Yaga Village is an interesting one in its history, as it has been established many many generations ago. Its history is passed down oraly by the elder female Veena and says that they were once send by a divine power to guard the lucious mountains, but with time the climate changed and it became a landscape of ice and snow. However the Vierra could not abandon what they promised to protect and so they stayed in Yaga for centuries, adapting to the new climate. While it is one village its population is divided into different families, named after old Viera matriarchs. Dorochnewes was one of them.

Affiliation: Gridania

Class/Job: Lancer, later Dragoon (tho also versed with a bow)

Status: mated to Lemuel

Physical Describtion: Yoon is a Snow Mountain Veena with almost completely white skin, white hair and white ears and tail. Only the tips of his ears, the tip of his tail and his toes are black/dark blue furred. He has feint freckles in his face, his left eye is white while his right eye is a deep blue. Originally both eyes were blue, but due to an injury he sustained on his trip down the mountain he got partially blind on his left eye and bears a scar on the side of his face. His hair is a bit longer than shoulder length and he has the natural height of Vieras, though among his species he is average in height to slightly shorter. He has very strong legs as most Vierra and rabbit feet with white furr and black toes. Different to other Vierras those of his village have the ability to cover their skin with a layer of furr when in cold regions so there is little need to bundle up for them. The furr falls off and sheds in warmer regions and is, as most of Yoon, completely snow white.

Backstory:

Born as the middle child of a renowned huntress in the tribe, there was a lot of hope in Yoon to be female, as his older sibling turned out male, which was seen as a disappointment to the tribe. His mother did not love him any less and only two years, after his younger siblings birth, his father died. All the more disappointment was once it became clear that Yoon was a male Vierra, which made his mother now have two sons and not a single heiress.

But not shortly after his younger sibling Taya was confirmed to be female, the entire tribe was slowly falling ill to a terrible disease. By then Yoon had been out on his own for quite a few years only hearing of the illness from other male Vierra that visited the tribe. Since his mating cycle was coming close he decided to make an earlier visit to the tribe and to check on his family only to find his mother and little sister terribly ill. By now even a few male Vierras had contracted the disease, however they seemed to recover with little issue while the female population seemed to suffer greatly and even die from it.

His mother knew she was not going to make it and sent Yoon with his sister down the mountain to get at least their youngest into a city where she could get medical treatment, as the tribe was incapable of finding a cure. Yoon knew this would lead to them being banished, but promised to take his sister to safety. He then made his way down the mountain, giving whatever he could hunt to his sister and keeping her alive, while he got by with mere scraps. He went slowly and steadily to make sure he wouldn't overexert his young sister, taking breaks to warm up and let her get some proper sleep.

It's during his way down that he, delirious and weak from little nourishment and sleep deprivation, slips during a snowstorm and tumbles down a steeper and cliffier path, causing him to gravely injure his left side of his face and damaging his eye. He took some time to take care of himself and Taya, who he could luckily shield enough to not get hurt, and with newfound strength made his way further down. However when he came to Coerthas he was met with closed gates and hostility as the nation of Ishgard was in grave tension due to their fight with the dragons. At least one helpful individual by the name of Estinien directed him south towards Gridania, saying Yoon should ask there for a cure.

On his way to Gridania he traverses the forests, unable to hunt, due to his new adjustment to his eyes and being unable to blend in with the green flora. He pushed through by sheer willpower and eventually collapsed in the City of New Gridania, being taken in by Mother Miounne and given a temporary stay to recover. So now Yoon was in Gridania, a place completely different from his home and taking care of his very ill sister. He is aware that he will need money to come by, pay for their stay and especially Tayas treatment so he joins the adventure guild and becomes a Lancer. However doing quests and hunting himself manages to pose itself as a big difficulty. Yoons entire appereance is natural to a snowy and rocky environment with little to no vegetation and he just recently lost most of his eyesight in one eye, having to relearn how to aim and see the world.

It's during this time that he meets another Vierra.... Lemuel.

Character: Yoon is not too hard to read if you are familiar with vierran expression through their ears. His face seems very unmoving and his tone usually stays the same, but his ears give him away far easier as he never had the need to control that. He does learn to open up and be more expressive around people he knows and likes, to strangers however he is cold and distant at first. He is awkward with other people and gets along better with other men, while he has great respect and shows politeness to women and non binary individuals. He is by no means uncaring, sometimes even being too caught in his own emotions as he left to the villages outskirts in his teens only one year after being fully identified as male. He has therefore little social skills and doesnt know much about ettiquette or how to handle his own emotions. Due to the Party, especially the Miqo'te girl Anayeli, he learns to understand emotions and social interactions more, however it often still shows, that he just comes from a completely different background.

He is often led by instinct and his learned skills as a hunter, prioritizing  survival over anything else, that he almost naturally sacrifices his own comfort. As a Vierra male that grew up in the snowy mountains he doesnt do well with heat and had a hard time adjusting to the new climate or the forest environment (Thanalan is his personal nightmare). It's usually uncomfortable for him to stand out due to his appereance, but with time most Gridanians learned to just let him be and do his thing and not stare, because it will trigger his flight instincts. He can be quite childish, when he does feel comfortable and as he had not run a single mating cycle yet has little sexual experience (until he meets Lem). It is his long term goal to find a cure for his sister and if possible bring the cure to the last remaining Vierra of his tribe and to fulfill that goal he is willing to go great lengths tho he has his principles and sticks to them, trying to live a life of which his mother would be proud and he has not to be ashamed of.

Trivia:

-Yoon can not swim. He never needed to learn. Lem teaches him to at least not completely drown.

-as with most Vierra his ears are very sensitive and he puts special wachs mixed with cotton in his ears to dull the noise. It is also why he prefers the quiet nature more than bustling groups of people

-Yoon doesnt exactly see himself as part of the Gridanian population and more as an outsider that happens to stay in the city, which makes him far more sympathetic with some of the wild tribes than most

-his favourite food is Honey Custard Tart, a sweet baked good that is filled with a custard that is mixed with honey and a honey glace on top. He never tasted honey before so when he got the good as a reward from a comission he got immideatly hooked.

-As the mountains are not as rich in vegetation as the forest Yoon was much more prone to have a meat heavy diet, which is only proven more by his sharp teeth and canines, that almost seem to match more Miqo'tes teeth. However he does prefer to have a vegetarian diet if he can help it.

-Yoons brother Eleesh disappeared about a year before the disease befell their tribe and its unknown if he died or not

-While they don't show much PDA, Yoon and Lem have a very active sex life, with Yoon being the one with the driving libido.

-as with most Vierra, Yoons strongest aspect are his legs. He can jump pretty high and far and is a very fast runner, being able to zigg zagg and make quick turns rather easily.

-and yes. He has pawbeans

-Usually Viera give up their forest names after having left their tribe, but Yoon holds onto his name as it is the last remains he has of his mother. However he does emphasize that he prefers to be called by his first call name instead of his full name or last name, as it is a very personal detail to him. He will often introduce himself as "Yoon. Just Yoon is fine."

-he finds Miqo'te to be unnerving due to their intense eyes and the natural predator disposition, Elezen to be unnerving for their height and especially Au'ra men for their size and sharp scales. Roegadyn and Hrothgar, no matter the gender, instinctly trigger his flight response.

-despite being dispositioned as prey, Yoon is very skilled with his lance and an incredible hunter... at least in the snowy mountains. In Gridania he passes as average when it comes to hunting, so he is much more prone to choose flight as an option.

More unrelated pictures as done by @kyuji

I will post the couple ones in my follow up

Thank you for reading!!!!

[almacambiondaughterofsaleos]

I kinda did a re-description of Blitz's appearance for my fic (including outfit) but idk if I should use it or not:

Blitzø is a tall, slender, lean imp demon with a harlequin-like aesthetic. He has a pointed tail and wide-proportioned hands with long black claws. His skin, a deep red-amaranth shade, bears a network of burn marks. These marks range from a pale pink to darker hues of pink/purple, red, and brown, covering most of his left shoulder, a small part of his right shoulder, and extending down his left arm. The burns on his left arm transition into darker patterns that continue onto his tail, where they blend with the natural maroon or burgundy color of the rest of his tail. His facial features also display burn scars, with a large section appearing very pale-grayish pink. One eye always seems half-lidded, while the other is fully open, and his skin looks slightly shrunken. The lower half of his right arm, past the elbow, shows a darker maroon, wine-red hue. Despite these burn marks, the right side of Blitzo's face seems a bit shrunken, with crooked lips, and teeth that have healed better compared to fifteen years ago. Some patches of those burns appear on his legs as well. The tip of his tail has an added black heart tip. His burn scars have a non-uniform and jagged star-shaped edge rather than perfectly round shapes and are third-degree burns but not as bad as Fizzarolli's burns. Because of the fire, he also has a slight vision impairment.

He has a heart-shaped skull symbol on the center of his forehead. His eyes have black lines running down the eyelids, and his sclera is yellow with red irises and black slit pupils. He has a long narrow head with an elongated rear cranium, out of which extends large, curved, black and white striped horns that curve backward at a nearly 45-degree angle, one of his horns being chipped either because of the fire or being self-inflicted, the reason being unknown. He has black spines on his head, in between his horns and two behind the right horn, and three long black spikes on his upper back and tail. He has razor-sharp, conical yellow teeth, a lengthy red forked tongue, and a chiseled, six-packed chest under his clothes.

I have a simplified version/version 2:

Blitzø is a tall imp demon with a harlequin-like aesthetic. His body is slender, and lanky, standing at a height of 5'2'' or 5'4''. His skin is a deep red-amaranth shade, marked by a network of white burn scars. These scars are concentrated on his forearms, chiseled chest, and the right side of his face, with most covering his left shoulder and extending down his left arm. The burns that flow down to his tail and left hand, both dark burgundy-red due to past injuries. His tail is notable, ending in a black heart-shaped tip. The scars on his chest and arms feature jagged, star-shaped edges. Blitzø's face bears the asymmetry of his life's hardships, including slight vision impairment on his right side. A heart-shaped skull symbol, possibly a brand from his youth in the circus, is centered on his forehead.

His eyes are framed by black lines on his darker red-colored eyelids, with the right side notably white-grey. He has yellow sclerae with red irises and black slit pupils. His head is long and narrow, extending into large, curved horns striped in black and white, angling backward at nearly 45 degrees. One horn is chipped, the cause unknown, either due to self-infliction or the fire. Between and behind his horns, black spines emerge, with three longer spikes gracing his upper back and tail.  Blitzø's mouth is filled with razor-sharp, conical yellow teeth and a sinuous, forked red tongue. His muscular torso and athletic yet slender build, noted for a "tight athletic bubble booty" as per an observer’s description, speak to his physical conditioning due to years of being a circus performer/acrobat and then hitman-for-hire.

Which one would be better, the 1st one kinda does actual research into burn scarring though so it's though to choose but what's your opinion?

Love it.

[stewardofningishzida]

Stephen Strange Meta-Fic Sequel - Chapter 11: Recovery Daze

OKAY, PARTY PEOPLE! WE ARE BACK! This is Tear’s last chapter for now, but everyone else is still onboard with Trix, Prettywitch, Blackie, and me. It was a long time in the making, but here we go! Enjoy!

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Some injuries, bad language, and mentions of death

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 11: Recovery Daze

*When we eventually wake up, Trix is being taken care of by healers.  Doctor Strange watches closely to make sure that things are progressing.  Loki is in the bed to her right.  He’s being looked after as well.  Both are rather worse for wear after their ordeal.  The other three women are in beds to Trix’s left.  After everything that happened, the sorcerers and Avengers want to keep them under observation to make sure that they’re okay.  With the extended high-stress situation and running around like a madwoman with my friends all day yesterday, my legs are in agony.  I’m currently in the throes of an inflammatory episode triggered by the strain of what happened.  So, I can’t really walk.  I do manage to force myself to crawl to the bathroom when needed, but that’s about it.  As per usual, I’m being stubborn and don’t want help.  If anything, I’m more concerned about Trix’s recovery and worried about how our encounters with Agatha have affected my friends.  I verbally check up on Tear and Prettywitch to ask if they’re okay periodically.  Despite everyone being alive and here, I seem just as tense as before.*

Me (checking in on the group for the 3rd time this morning):  Is everyone okay?  *I glance at each of them, checking their responses.*

Trix (exhausted): I mean, I’m not trapped so that’s good in my book.

Tear: The room is no longer spinning. That’s a win.

Prettywitch: Yeah, I’m fine. Are you?

Me (trying to give a perky smile, but it looks more like a grimace):  Yeah.  I’m fine.  Just wanted to make sure.  Do any of you need anything?

Trix (leaning forward and looking over): Y’know, if there’s ever a time to not be fine it would be after the past…(*she frowns as she has no idea how long it’s been*) however long it’s been.

*I sigh*

Me (quietly):  I’m sorry…You guys kinda mentioned me as the group leader before and part of a leader’s responsibility is to protect the group they’re in.  I should have done better.  Every place I’ve led us into has been a death trap and now…this…I screwed up.  I shouldn’t be leading anyone at this rate.  Hell, before we even met, I could barely survive myself.  I…I’m just sorry.  I know that won’t fix anything, but it’s all I can say or do now…You guys didn’t deserve any of this.  I should have kept you guys safer.

Prettywitch: But you did everything you could. You can’t predict what’s going to happen all the time.

Tear: She’s right, you know. Not even Stephen or Wong could do anything to prevent it.

Trix (she fully sits up and grimaces): First off, no offense to anyone who is originally from this universe in this room, but this entire place is a death trap.

*Loki shrugs to her right. She ignores him*

Trix: But there’s no way we could have been safer in the hell room than we were unless we were unconscious and locked in a box even more than we were. I’m coming to terms with the fact that it wasn’t my fault that I had a complete breakdown due to what was actually outside interference. But: we’re still learning. You’re learning how to lead, and from what I’ve heard about the rescue plan it was completely badass, but we’re gonna get there. We grow as a team and as individuals and we’ve barely started. I have faith in every one of you and it absolutely wasn’t misplaced because you got me back. You even got Loki back who you didn’t even realize was there!

Me (slightly sour chuckle):  That was just dumb luck.  Tear noticed the two intact crystals, but we couldn’t tell who was in there.  I just figured that one had to have you in it and the other would be some other victim who deserved to be freed from that witch.

Loki (interjecting): And yet not everyone would have done that. I cannot tell you how much of my life has been sheer dumb luck on both my part and Thor’s.

*Trix looks over at him and gives him a deadpan stare and he raises his hands in surrender. She flops backwards into the bed with a groan*

*Stephen is currently focusing on healing a section of her arm that just re-crystallized.  It returns to normal after a few seconds.*

Prettywitch: They have a point, Steward. We’re all still learning and while it’s okay to feel bad, the only thing you can do is learn from your mistakes and try to be better next time.

Me (grim):  I suppose.  In that case, I’ll definitely have to step up my game because this *gestures to our current state* and anything worse than it is unacceptable.  I refuse to let you guys get hurt like this again.  Not on my watch.  *I’m firm in my resolve.*

*Stephen finishes aiding Trix’s healing session and looks up at the rest of us.*

Stephen (firm, but gentle):  Steward, that’s enough.  You and the other girls did your best and far exceeded Wong’s and my expectations.  If anyone is to blame for this, it should be me.  My accident initiated all of this.  I’m sorry that it escalated so severely and that Trix was taken hostage and injured.  If anything, your deeds and reactions to such adversity have shown that you and the others are more than worthy of becoming a most excellent array of new sorcerers for your world.  Yes, you all still have a lot to learn, but you girls have shown that you are more than capable of doing so and handling these abilities responsibly.  *He’s warm and sincere, attempting to comfort us while also being honest.*

Tear: Aww, we love you too, Stephen. *I send him a fond smile, touched beyond words by his genuine praise*

*I sniff and look away to compose myself, still keeping a straight face.  I still hate to show vulnerability like this.*

Trix: *is actively sobbing and is honestly too tired to hide it* Y’know that helps a lot. Also, not your fault either.

Prettywitch: Yeah. It shows you trust us enough to be vulnerable in front of us.

*I’m quiet for a while, wanting to be calm again before I reply.*

Me (hoarse, but having calmed down):  Thanks.

Trix: Don’t forget we care about you, even if you're the leader or not!

*I chuckle a bit.*

Me:  Heh…Thanks.  I care about you guys too.  *I give my friends a small smile.*

Tear: This is where I’d pull you all into a group hug if we weren’t all bedridden right now. So just picture it and feel our mutual affection.

Prettywitch: Oh yeah, where is Wong? I’ve been meaning to ask you that all morning, Stephen.

Stephen:  Oh, Wong is ensuring that Harkness is thoroughly restrained and can no longer utilize her “bypass” from before.  He also confiscated her copy of the Darkhold to carefully analyze and keep locked up until we can find a way to destroy all copies throughout the Multiverse.  Don’t worry.  He’ll take enough precautions to avoid corruption.  

Trix (her eyes are closed): For the love of all that is holy, blow up the mountain.

Stephen:  Ah, Wundagore.  Yes, we’ll take care of that.  Though given the Scarlet Witch’s dominion over the fortress on top, it may be more difficult than we thought.  Seeing as Wanda is free of Harkness’ influence, perhaps part of her community service sentence can be to eliminate her cursed base.

Trix: Blindfold her then have her blow up the mountain. *her eyes are still closed but she’s being completely serious for once. She is sick and tired of corrupted witches*

Prettywitch: That…honestly doesn’t sound too bad. It’s certainly better than what happened in our universe, that’s for damn sure…

Me:  Better safe than sorry.  Maybe tell Wong to lock that book up and put it in the mountain fort so it gets blown up with the rest of it.  Just to be sure.  Don’t bother with the analysis.  That thing will only try to latch onto anyone who tries to read it and if it somehow knows it’s going to be destroyed, then who knows what it’ll do to the poor person who looked through it?

Stephen:  A fair point.  I’ll tell him.  Now, do any of you need anything?  

Me (having calmed down considerably):  I’m good, thanks.

Prettywitch: I think I’m okay, thanks.

Tear: A snack that’s not still wriggling would be nice…

Trix: A hug or any form of human contact, really.

*He looks at Trix a bit awkwardly, but leans in to give her a reassuring hug.  He’s careful, though, to avoid hurting or triggering her.  When he separates, the Cloak reaches out and teasingly musses her hair a bit.*

*She beams up at him and the cloak in response*

Trix: Thanks. You kinda take it for granted until something happens. *she blushes slightly at the reminder of the past adventure but quickly recovers*

Stephen:  I’ll let you ladies rest for a while, but I’ll be back. Lunch time shouldn’t be far off. *He portals away, presumably to check on Wong and update him.*

*We rest and chat amongst ourselves, taking the occasional short nap.  After a couple of hours, we have more visitors.*

Steve:  How are we doing, ladies?  *He walks in with the other Avengers.*

Me:  Hanging in there.  Getting better.

Trix: Could be better, but I’m not trapped so yay! *her hand is having a slight relapse again but she kinda ignores it since it sometimes goes back to normal on its own*

Prettywitch: Not bad, just working on some tarot readings.

Tear: The healers say PrettyWitch and I should be free to leave in two days if our condition stays stable.

Tony: *He leans against one of the wooden cabinets set up against the wall in front of the girls, keeping them all in sight as he smiles brightly at them* That is great news. It’s no wonder Stephen has been waddling around like a proud peacock.

Scott: Sounds like you guys are settling in just fine.

Peter: Do you think the sorcerers will let us bring in some food to celebrate once you’ve all been cleared from the hospital? *He follows in after Tony, but he instead leaps up onto Tear’s bed in one limber move*

Me:  I think so.  The main threat has been dealt with.  Now, it’s just Trix recovering from her ordeal and me dealing with my rogue immune system.  It didn’t like me pushing so hard for that long and decided to take out my legs again.  *Wry smirk*

Loki: *He's cautiously looking at Steve and Tony, ready to flee if necessary but does not want to. He already knows Peter seems fine with him now.*

Tony: *Feeling Loki’s gaze, he lifts an inquisitive eyebrow at him* And what about you, Reindeer Games? Having fun at the slumber party?

Loki (cautious): Still recovering I’m afraid but otherwise I am having an enjoyable time. The ladies are quite hospitable for allowing me to stay here as well. 

Trix (groans): Don’t start that again.

Steve:  No trouble so far, right?  *He glances at the girls and at Loki, still distrustful of the god.*

Me:  Not so far.  He’s been decent company and even helped advise Trix and Prettywitch a bit.  No backfires or anything.

Steve (polite, but firm):  Good.  Let’s keep it that way.  *He looks at Trix and Loki for a moment, trying to figure out what’s going on.*

*Loki and Trix are in a staring match where she is incredibly determined and he is starting to fail at keeping his composure*

Trix: This idiot would like to say something but is too self deprecating to do it properly.

Loki (deadpan): I hate you.

Trix (grins): A lie!

*Loki finally cracks a small smile before turning back to the Avengers, fully serious*

Loki: I do want to apologize for my previous actions in New York. While I would absolutely claim it to be my entire fault, Trix is adamant that I inform you that it wasn’t entirely due to the nature of the scepter and Thanos who I received it from. I still maintain it was my plan and I apologize for any undue strife it caused. Though, getting the tesseract did open my eyes to what I really needed to learn. *He nods towards Tony* So thank you for giving yourself a heart attack. Infinity stones are not worth the hassle.

Tony: *He tenses, Loki’s insider knowledge taking him by surprise* I’m not just… That’s… Is this place magically messing with my brain or did Loki just apologize and thank me in the same breath?

Steve (flatly, still not fully believing it himself):  No.  He really did just apologize and thank you.

*Loki gets visibly grumpier while Trix grins*

Trix: He’s being honest about it. He admitted it while we both couldn’t lie. I knew a bit from what we had seen in our universe but we did talk about things while I was…trying to be distracted in there.

Loki (still grumpy): I still hate you.

Steve (shocked and digesting this new information):  I do trust Trix.  She’s been reliable since the day we met.  However, even a genuine apology can’t fix everything that your actions caused, Loki.  It’s a start and we can try to work something out, but unfortunately you’re still a wanted criminal for numerous crimes against humanity.

Loki: I would like to state that I only lived up to when I left with the tesseract during your time heist and I have no idea what the other timeline version of myself did. Otherwise I do intend to take action for what happened during the tesseract…battle.

Steve (wary):  What kind of action?

Loki: Trix mentioned that sometimes human criminals are rehabilitated by performing acts for the community at large while serving their sentence. Once I can reliably keep my magic under control once more, I intend to do so at the Avengers’ discretion.

Trix (prompting): And also-

Loki (realizing): Oh yes. You didn’t want to be the one to say after this last time. There’s a multiversal dictator that is planning on waging a war between unlimited universes since one of my alternate selves killed the dictator that held complete control over our timeline to suit his own needs but kept the worse versions of him in check. *He says this all with a straight face* I have no idea when it’s going to start however because timelines are annoying though multiversal travel would not have been possible otherwise because there was only one universe.

Tony: *He stares at Loki blankly, hyperaware of the silent stillness that descended upon the room. Finally, he blinks and stands up-straight* That’s it. I’m retiring. Have fun punching more multiversal nazis, Cap. *He waves dismissively and makes a show of heading for the exit*

Loki: I don’t blame you. Do you think I’d wear a tacky suit of my own accord? *he stares over at the pile of TVA clothes sitting on a nearby chair*

Me (recovering from the shock, knowing that this affects all universes):  Ah, right…We almost forgot about that…Great.  *The “Oh, crap.” face has reappeared.*

Trix: I mean, it could happen in like a thousand years from now in this timeline…they did jump through time a lot during the show. And we don’t know what happened with the planned season 2. They were working on it then our universe broke. I think our foresight other than Prettywitch is gone now that the universes are intertwined. Either way, we can’t exactly do anything until someone comes to us.

Me:  Okay.  Then, I guess that means we have to train and be ready.

Loki (regretful): I didn’t mean to cause more strife, but wanted to extend an olive branch by warning you of what I have been dealing with before I got dropped back off in the timeline only to be captured by that witch. *he scowls*

*As we recover over the weeks, we get a few visits from the therapist Christina Raynor, at Sam’s recommendation.  She helps us come to terms with what happened and what is currently ongoing so we’re better-equipped to mentally handle what might be coming.  We also gradually get back to our studies.*

Prettywitch: Hey, Stephen. What’s up?

Stephen (looking up from his pensive state):  Hm?  *He seems preoccupied.*

Prettywitch: You just look like you’re out of it. Is everything okay?

Stephen (absentminded):  Ah…Nothing worth troubling you about, my dear.  I appreciate the concern.

Prettywitch: My dear? Oh, you must be feeling out of it if you’re calling someone dear.

*He pauses and gives her a look, now embarrassed and fully paying attention.*

Stephen (resigned):  Very well…I’ve been having some recurring visions as of late.  A woman clad in purple, the Dark Dimension, and…*He’s still rather triggered by the last bit.*  …Dormammu.

Prettywitch: A woman in purple…? Did she have silver hair and big blue eyes?

Stephen:  Yes.  I take it you know of her?

Prettywitch: Uh…Sort of. (She starts tapping her finger to her chin.) Gee, I’m not sure if I should tell you…

Stephen:  Judging by how things played out last time, I would advise against it.  *He’s being more cautious after the Agatha incident.*

Prettywitch: No, that’s fair.

*The curiosity is eating away at him, but he refrains, not wanting a repeat disaster.*

Prettywitch: I will ask you one thing, though. In the dreams, is the woman helping you or Dormammu?

Stephen:  She appears to be assisting me.  A citizen of the Dark Dimension…helping a Terran…*He’s thinking about this, intrigued.*

Prettywitch: *She grins.* So, you’re intrigued by her?

Stephen:  There is something more to her.  I know that much.

Prettywitch: Okay. *She gets up.* Well, I’m not gonna tell ya. But I will wish you luck, you’re gonna need it. Trust me. *She’s referring to how much Stephen sucks at flirting.* *She walks off to find the others.*

*Stephen gives Prettywitch a weird look, but lets her go.*

*Meanwhile, Trix and Tear are in the library.  I’m currently having a conversation with seemingly nobody out in the courtyard.*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Me (to Barry):  You’ve been quiet lately.  Like, not the sulky kind of quiet.  It’s been the pensive type of quiet.  What’s on your mind?

Barry:  Y’know…Feeling alive again when we were fighting that crazy bitch…I dunno how to describe it, but I didn’t wanna let go.  

Me:  I figured.  Wong had to chase you out.  *I’m still peeved with him about it, but am willing to listen and have a civilized conversation.*

Barry:  I’ve been dead for over 30 years, Steward.  I was kinda starting to forget what it was like…Also, I didn’t really do much while I was REALLY alive.  *He huffs regretfully*  I wasted my life, dude.  While here, I figured I could just keep going, but after all of this…

Me (grim):  You realize you’re limited even more now and that life has moved on without you?

Barry:  Yeah…But at the same time, I don’t want it to end.

Me (gently):  Barry, an end isn’t really an end.  It’s a transition point.  It just means that the stories shift focus.  You played a part and now, you move onto your next chapter while the world moves onto its own.  

Barry:  I guess, but I didn’t really do anything.  I was just some burnout who lived in his parents’ garage, got way too drunk one night, and keeled over.  

Me:  It may not have been the best life, but it was still yours.  Look…How could we have greatness without some ordinary people around?  If everyone was super, then in reality, nobody would be.  Everyone plays a part.  Even if it’s just mundane.  There always has to be a counterpart so we can know and understand the different things in our world.  You still had an impact.  It might not have been what you wanted, but ultimately, it’s what you got.  

Barry:  *Sighs*  I know.  

Me:  So, what do you wanna do?

Barry:  Well, it’s better to burn out than fade away.  I…I guess it’s probably time to move on.  

Me:  You sure?

Barry:  Yeah.  I’ve been dragging this out for too long and everyone I knew has moved on.  

Me:  Well, as much as we fought, thanks for helping Trix and me back there.  

Barry (sincere):  Sorry for being a dick.

Me:  Apology accepted.  I’ll help you move on, all right?

Barry:  Thanks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*After a long chat, I walk over to Trix and Tear.*

Me:  Guys, Barry wants to move on.

Trix (surprised): Really? Wow, that’s a tough decision.

Tear: I’m happy for him. Living stuck as a spirit is no way to spend your afterlife.

Me:  Yeah.  I should let Prettywitch know too and then we need to find Stephen and Wong.  I don’t know how to do it exactly.  Do you guys know where any of them are?

Trix: I think I saw PrettyWitch head into the library before…

Me:  Huh.  Ok.  Let’s find her.

*We find Prettywitch.*

Me:  Hey, Prettywitch.  Barry wants to move on and I don’t know how to help him.  Have you seen Stephen and Wong anywhere?  

Prettywitch: I just talked with Stephen, actually. He should be around here, somewhere.

*We go to find the older sorcerers.*

Stephen:  Hmmm…Helping a spirit to move on, eh?  

Wong:  I’ve got this one, Strange.  You have a meeting with the other Sanctum Masters in 15 minutes.

Stephen:  Right.  *He wants to help, but his higher duties as Sorcerer Supreme have gotten his schedule more bogged down.*  Let me know how it goes.

Wong:  I will.  Steward, come with me.  

Trix: Are we allowed to go with? It would be like going home for Thanksgiving when you’re in college. *She casts a hopeful look at Wong*

Tear: It has been a while since we’ve seen our families…

Prettywitch: Yeah, and I wanna go make sure my friends are okay.

Wong:  Very well.  As long as you all stay close.  You all deserve to know what is happening in your home universe anyway.

Trix: *She smiles softly* It’s honestly been a long time.

Me:  Yeah.  We should check on our folks.

Tear: I can’t even imagine how the bakery must be like right now…

Prettywitch: I just hope my mom isn’t in the fetal position watching CNN.

Wong:  If you are all ready, then I will open the portal.

Trix: *She nods*

Me:  Yep.

Prettywitch: Anytime, Wong.

*Wong opens the portal to our universe and we step through, back into our old neighborhood.  It looks almost the same as when we left.  The burn scar from the phoenix fire is still there.  The ash is gone now, but it seems like the civilians are just as skittish, if not even more so now.  It appears as though people are talking more in-person since the internet and cell towers went out.  Though a lot of people prefer to stay indoors thanks to all of the new cryptids and monsters.  However, we do notice something considerably different from before:  The presence of a latent magical field.  We can sense it and it feels “right” somehow.  As though it’s more in-tune with our bodies and even our spirits.  Marvel’s magical field, when we learned to sense it, felt different.  Not hostile, but definitely not exactly “befitting”, which made our transition feel more jarring.  Returning here, the shift in fields feels almost similar to coming from a rather static-filled area where every move is slightly uncomfortable to a nice warm bath.  It’s hard to describe exactly, but we feel a bit better about our chances after sensing this.*

Me:  Okay.  So, what do I do?  *I look at Wong seriously.*

Wong:  You need to feel the connection binding Barry to you.  When you do, both of you need to mutually agree to sever it.  Then, you perform this gesture.  *He demonstrates.*  Once the connection is severed, Barry must release his own ties to the mortal plane.  Basically, he needs to think of what kept him here all of this time and let it go.  When he does, Steward, you may psychically reach out and channel Barry’s inner peace.  While doing so, open a portal with a clear mind.  It will allow him to pass through into the next life.  Ah, and the remaining energy he held in this realm as he passes through to the next plane will pass onto you once he moves on.  It will help enhance your abilities so that you may help more spirits.

Me (listening intently):  Got it.  Are you ready, Barry?

Barry (taking one last look and nodding):  Yeah.  

*I follow the steps that Wong told me and Barry moves onto the afterlife.  After the portal closes, I let out an involuntary shudder, getting goosebumps.*

Me:  Well, Barry was difficult at times, but at least he finally found peace.  Brrr…That energy feels weird.

Wong (smirking):  You’ll get used to it.

Trix: *She can’t help but stare at their neighborhood around them. The group has changed a lot in the months it’s been since they first left and it’s odd to be home*

Prettywitch: *She notices Trix is staring at the neighborhood. She’s not sure why at first but upon seeing the awkwardness in her eyes, she gets it. It’s no different than when she used to go on vacation as a kid than come back feeling off.* It feels kinda weird coming back here, doesn’t it?

Trix (distractedly): Yeah, after everything we’ve been through it’s like waking up from a dream.

Me (pensive):  Agreed.  *I’m not sure what to think anymore.  It’s home, but it’s definitely not how it used to be.  Not only has our universe changed, but we have too.  For now, all I can do is quietly take things in.*

*For the first time in 2 months, my old phone from our home universe rings and it startles me.  I answer it, surprised.  It’s Tony.  He finally got this world’s cell network and internet working again.*

Tony (on the phone): Hey, kiddo! Stephen told me Wong was bringing you all back to your home universe on a low-risk wizard quest. I swear those two gossip even worse than Happy. Anyway, I’m glad he did because now I can tell you this myself. Surprise! Took me longer than I would have wanted, but your world finally decided to let Iron Man get his hands all over their satellites. There shouldn’t be a spot in the world with no cell signal, so hopefully that will keep hikers happy.

Me (on the phone):  W-Whoa.  Thank you so much, Tony!  Seriously!  *I’m incredibly grateful.*

Tony (on the phone): No need to thank me, Steward. The Magnanimous Tony Stark, that’s me. One last thing. It took Cap’s biggest disappointed stare ever, but your world’s countries finally agreed to another little SI device of mine. Say hello to free, global, high-speed wi-fi!

Me:  Thank you again!  We’re so grateful!  Okay, we’ll see you soon.  Bye for now!

*I turn to the group*

Me:  Guys, Tony fixed our internet and cell service!  We can talk to our families again!

Trix: Oh god- they have to be worried sick at this point. *She’s starting to freak out again but pulls out her phone and starts to text her family to see if they can talk*

Tear: Our phones work now? *I eagerly bring out my cellphone and speed dial my mom*

Prettywitch: *Pulls out her phone and calls her dad’s number.* Hey, dad. It’s me. *She listens.* Yeah, we’re okay. How’s mom?

Me:  Okay, just a sec.  I need to call my folks and check on them.  Wong, is it okay if I stand over there just so I’m not being obnoxious?

*He grunts affirmatively.  I walk over to my driveway and video call my parents to check on them.  We check up on each other and talk for a long time; at least 2 hours.  They’re worried sick and definitely have been through a lot, but are otherwise alive and in one piece.  I’m relieved to see them and we’re all almost in tears because we missed each other and were scared for each others’ safety.  They want to come home to see me in-person, but the world is still essentially on lockdown due to all of the mystical interference.  Travel is still incredibly dangerous and difficult.  I try my best to fill them in on everything.  They’re very worried for all of us, but can’t do anything about it at the moment.  So, all they can ask is that I stay close to the group, listen to Stephen, Wong, and the Avengers, and do my best to be safe.  I promise that to them and let them know that I’ll teach them everything I know whenever we can meet in-person again so they can protect themselves.  They agree to this.  We tell each other that we love each other before hanging up.*

*We all take some time to call and catch up with our families.  Though it turns out that Tear’s family really needs her help.  Since the internet was down for months, they couldn't get a lot of their orders in on time and the business is suffering.  There is also some ongoing family drama and she needs to sort all of this out.  It’s quite a mess.*

Tear (to the group): I’m not dumping my responsibilities as a member of the Order, but I might have to stay for a short period of time until things have stabilized at home again.

Me:  Okay.  We understand.  Do what you need to do.  Thank you for being with us as long as you could, Tear.  *I give her a genuinely grateful look.*

Trix: Thank you so much for absolutely everything. You helped save my life and we’ll be here when you get everything settled.

Prettywitch: Yeah, thanks Tear. It was nice getting to meet you in person.

Tear: *I blush, flustered* You don’t have to thank me for anything. I promise I won’t be long.

Wong: Indeed. It is still not a good idea for any of you to be left unsupervised for some time. You have until I finish building a new training program to reduce the amount of pain your healing spells absorb.

Tear: Thank you, Wong.

*We get a group text.  Tony is inviting all of us for a tour of Stark Industries.*

Me:  Oh.  Erm..What should I say, then?

Trix: I say we go for it. Any opportunity to learn from Tony is a great one, especially if he has any ideas for our universe.

Tear: I’m not passing on a direct lesson from Tony! Wong, please! *I bring my hands together in a pleading motion and implore dramatically*

Wong: *He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose in exasperation. With a deep sigh, his shoulders slump in defeat.* This is all Stephen’s fault…

Tear: Yay! *I grin happily and give his arm an enthusiastic hug*

Prettywitch: I just hope it doesn’t involve building a doomsday bot.

*As we discuss this issue, we hear a strange series of noises approaching.  They sound semi-human, but not completely and we notice a figure stumbling towards us.*

Wong (to us):  Get behind me.  *His attitude changes immediately and he prepares to defend us as the thing approaches.*

*As the figure comes closer, we see a familiar face, but it keeps on shifting into a litany of various animal features.  They appear to be terrified and disoriented as they struggle towards us, tears streaming from their eyes.*

Me (confused):  Wait…is that…?

Blacky (letting out animalistic groans):  I'm sorry…I didn't mean to scare you. And I need help…

Me (urgent):  Wong!  Stand down!  That’s our other friend Blacky!  

*He lowers his shield.*

Wong (watching her closely):  She’s in bad shape and has no control over this shapeshifting.  I will portal her to Kamar-Taj right away.  *He acts quickly to help her, portalling Blacky safely away and updating Stephen as to what just happened.*

Me:  Shouldn’t we-?

Wong:  It is best that Strange stabilize her first before she has visitors.  Given her uncontrollable shapeshifting and response, she needs some time to recover.  We will check on Blacky after your tour of Stark Industries.  That should give Strange enough time to help her and for her shock to wear off.

Me (worried):  Okay…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Stephen receives Blacky and immediately begins to work on stabilizing her.*

Stephen (concentrating):  Almost…got it.  *He reverts Blacky to her human form and helps her stay that way for the time being.*

Blacky (I sigh, relieved but also exhausted): Thank you…I thought it would never stop.

Stephen:  You’re welcome.  How long have you been experiencing this involuntary shapeshifting, if you don’t mind my asking?  *He’s checking her and making sure that she’s fully stabilized.*

Blacky: A couple of days…but it quickly got out of control as you could see…

*He makes a noise of acknowledgment and then steps back, satisfied that she’ll be okay.*

Stephen:  It looks like you’ll be fine for now.  I’ll make sure that you receive training to get better control of your new abilities.  *He’s being professional.  Though he looks quite tired.  It seems like he’s been incredibly busy for a while.*  

Blacky: Wait…could you tell what's going on, please? Because last time I checked, magic isn’t real and you're a comic character and there you are…in front of me. Sorry if I sound rude but I'm scared to turn crazy.

Stephen:  *He gestures mildly to indicate for her to relax.  It’s fine.*  It’s a long story.  Admittedly, to you and other civilians from your world, it sounds more than a little crazy…Your friends who alerted Wong to bring you here know, but they most likely didn’t tell you because they were afraid that nobody would believe them at first.

Blacky: Okay…I need to sit down. *I let out a sigh and sit on the floor trying to gather my thoughts together*

Stephen:  Here.  A chair will be better so you’re more comfortable.  Then, I’ll explain when you’re ready.  *He conjures a comfortable chair for her to sit in.*

Blacky:  Thank you. 

*Stephen sits across from her and begins the long explanation from the beginning.  He starts with his accident and catches Blacky up until the point where the group found her.  It takes a while.*

Stephen:  Do you have any other questions?  I know it’s a lot to handle.  *He’s being gentle.*

Blacky: Okay…that's a lot to handle…so the magic sinking into our world gave me those "abilities" ? It won't go away?

Stephen:  Yes.  Unfortunately, it won’t go away on its own.  There are ways to strip someone of their magic, but it’s very painful and can have lasting consequences for them.  The better option is to train you so you can control your abilities safely.  

Blacky: I see…well…maybe it's for the best…I always had animal tendencies anyway. *I chuckle softly*

Stephen (mildly amused):  Is there anything else you have questions about?  Otherwise, I have some visions to decipher.  The others should be back in a few hours.

Blacky: It'll be fine…thank you, Stephen. *I look at him with some admiration* It was nice to meet you.

Stephen:  You’re taking all of this well.  I can see why the group likes you.  *He gives her a small, comforting smile.*

Blacky: Freaking out never helps…and it's happening so it's useless to go against it. *I smile*

Stephen:  I’ll be on my way for a while, but I’ll check on you periodically.  Welcome to Kamar-Taj, Blacky.

Blacky: *I nod respectfully* Thank you. And be safe.

Stephen:  I’ll do my best.  *He gives a nod in return as he leaves the room.*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Wong opens a portal and escorts us to the driveway of Stark Industries’ HQ.  The building is massive and formidable.  I text Tony to let him know that we’re here.  Within a few minutes, he jogs out of the largest elevator to meet us inside the lobby, Peter hot on his heels wearing a Stark Industries Intern ID badge. At the sight of Tony, Wong nods at all of us before heading through another portal to check on Stephen and Blacky.*

Tony: *He throws his arms out in a grandiose welcoming gesture, which is amped up by his tailored suit and his hot rod red arm* Baby wizards! Glad to see your Uncle Wong agreed to let you all come along on such short notice. Petey here panicked when I told him you had all gone back to check on your families and wouldn’t calm down until I sent the invitation.

Peter: I didn’t panic! *His eyes widen, and he slaps Tony’s metal arm for embarrassing him* I just thought you would all be leaving for real, and I remembered how much you all wanted to see Stark Industries since we first met.

Tear: Aww, thank you, Peter! This really is a dream come true! *I’m grinning widely, split between gawking at Tony in his natural element and looking around at the grand lobby*

Me (taking in the sights):  I never thought I’d see this in real life either.  First, an actual sorcerer landing in our universe, then monsters, then Kamar-Taj, and now this.  At times, I still catch myself questioning our reality.

Prettywitch: Right back at ya! 

Trix: Honestly, while all the magic stuff was always my favorite, this *she gestures around at Stark Industries* is always somewhere I dreamt of being as well.

Tony: Wow, now that’s something I’ll be rubbing in your Supreme Mom’s face for months to come. Would you mind saying that again so that I can record it and stuff it into a teddy bear I’ll then gift Stephen?

Trix (grins): Absolutely!

Tony: Excellent! FRIDAY, be a dear?

*He and Peter herd everyone back into the private elevator.*

*For now, I quietly observe everything and take it in, absorbing our surroundings so I can ruminate on some thoughts later.  Even the elevator panel looks more advanced than the ones we normally have.  I look at it silently with a mild curiosity.  When the doors open again, we see one of the many labs in front of us.  My eyes widen as I ogle all of the amazing equipment.  I’m totally geeking out, but attempting to conceal it.*

Me (trying to play it cool and stoic):  Fascinating…

Trix (excitedly): We get to learn about the technology version of magic!!!! *She is incredibly excited and is trying not to wander off*

Tear: Uuuf, you probably shouldn’t let Stephen hear you saying that.

Tony: Probably not if you don’t want to see him lose at another debate against me.

Peter: *Leans over to whisper at Trix* Last time, they were at it for six hours. 

Trix: Listen, for most of my life I thought the closest I was ever going to get to magic was technology so I love it a lot, okay? *She blushes, embarrassed* 

Prettywitch: Oh please! You have nothing to be embarrassed about; when I was a kid, I wanted to be Sailor Moon. *She chuckles sheepishly.* Hell, I used to try transforming with the toy transformation brooch I had as a kid. I still have it, actually.

*I’m visually examining a particular piece of equipment and it’s easy to see the wheels already turning in my head as the beginning of a smirk forms on my face.*

Tony: That’s because tech is superior to magic, everyone knows that. Anyway, gather around, ducklings! *He claps like a teacher would to gather everyone’s attention, although it is widely unnecessary* And Steward, whatever it is you are thinking…do it when Wong’s not meant to come pick you up, please? Do me a solid here, kid.

*I look at him and quickly slink back to the group.*

Me (innocent):  Yes, sir.  

Tony: Good. Now, the lower block of R&D has been assigned to our biological and medical engineering teams. If Peter here didn’t have such a…stellar…first interview, he’d be probably interning here.

*My ears perk up at the mention of biological and medical engineering.  I listen intently.*

Peter: Wh– I would? That’s so cool!

Tony: *He sighs and gives Peter an aggravated look. Really? Cooler than being an Avenger and his personal intern?* I must admit Stephen did help steer our focus into the right directions. Christine Palmer is now a direct liaison for SI, and we strive to release new equipment and consumer products as soon as we can. Pepper made sure we had strong financial aid and charities to help every patient get the best care at our disposal. Peter, anything you wanna add?

Peter: *He startles slightly, not exactly having expected to be given the floor, but he soon grins widely at the chance* Well, yeah! Lots of things! This department has taken over the creation of advanced prosthetics, advancement in the research against autoimmune diseases and cancer, and even improving the equipment surgeons use in the operating room! And this is all thanks to Mr. Stark–!

Tony: Okay, take a breath, Pete. I think they got it. *He gives him a warm pat on the shoulder*

*I look starstruck at this point. I won’t say it out loud, but if I had been born in the Marvel universe, I probably would have desperately wanted to work in this laboratory division.  Though life certainly didn’t work out that way.  The medical researcher in me would love nothing more than to try everything out in here and do the best research possible.  I’m content with the path that has laid itself before me, but in another life, I could definitely see this happening and I would be happy with that too.*

Trix (responding automatically): Fuck cancer. *She realizes what she said and blushes* So when Stephen brought back the Covid test, this is where it ended up to be studied?

Tony: *He makes a so-so motion with his hand* Highly contagious viruses are a little harder to work with due to all the precautions we must take. But yes, this is where most of the information was processed and evaluated. New vaccine production and testing was done by a renowned medical company. We develop tech, we don’t get our hands messy with the creation of new drugs.

Me (not-so-subtly fangirling over the medical research division):  Which one?  Are any of them similar to ours?  Man…I remember the first time I got to do some BSL-2 hazmat work…*I’m getting excited.*

Peter: I really don’t want to be rude, but your universe’s medical companies suck.

Me:  Nah, I know.  It’s kinda why I find this lab so exciting.  That and I was sorta trying to get my bearings while looking at the equipment.  *I’m sheepish.*

Tony: Don’t worry, we’re working on ways to help give your world an urgent update. It’s been one of the biggest causes of our devilish lawyer’s migraines. But let’s move on with the little Cradles tour. I still have two more areas to show you and I agreed to meet Pepper for lunch. *He herds the group back to the elevators just like he would a classroom full of preschoolers*

Trix (looks over at the rest of our group): *mouths the word ‘Cradles?!’ Before turning back to Tony* Oh I’m excited! 

*I shrug at her about the “Cradles” remark.  I figure it’s probably their version of “MTV Cribs”.  The elevator takes us up a few more floors, and the doors open to reveal a more spacious lab. Most of the equipment has been placed against the walls to allow large pipes and tubes to stretch over almost the entire floor. The large, cylindrical glass containers at the far back of the room all glow with an odd light blue energy. And on the ceiling, looming above it all, is a massive Arc Reactor.*

Tony: Don’t wander too far, now. This place is on a higher security level for a reason. As you might have already guessed, this next block of floors are all dedicated to the improvement and development of alternative sources of energy. Greener, cheaper, and much more powerful than nuclear energy.

*I listen curiously.*

Prettywitch: I certainly hope so.

Trix: Wow! *She stares up at the giant arc reactor*

Tear: Amazing! And this is all done with Starkium?

Tony: *Shrugs casually* Most of it, but the Reactor technology is still too expensive for us to commercialize properly. Electric cars have been our main point for sales so far…

Trix: Well it does make the Tower distinctly more…you! *She tries not to giggle*

*Tony pauses for a moment before he gives her a knowing look, not quite succeeding at hiding his satisfied smirk.*

Tony: Sounds like we’re doing things right then. Now, back into the elevator before any magic makes this place blow up. 

Peter: *He trails along with the girls* He’ll never admit to this, but he totally saved the best for last. 

*I follow along.*

*Trix grins at Peter, still extremely excited*

Trix: I can’t wait!

PrettyWitch: Yeah, me too!

Tony: Well, we obviously had to put everything we learned down there to good use. And so, we’ve claimed the last set of floors for our highest security level. *Ever the showman, he waits until the elevator doors open before continuing for full impact* Ladies, welcome to the Avengers Lab.

Me (awestruck):  Whoa…

Trix (also awestruck): Oh my god

Tear: Shut up! *I hold my hands up to my cheeks in disbelief. My eyes are already tearing up with how excited I am by the sight*

PrettyWitch: *Her eyes light up with wonder.* Wahhhh!!!!!!

*The Avengers Lab is a massive combination of all the previous floors we visited. The stark white walls and floors reflect all sorts of colorful lights from huge computer screens, holograms, and energy cells. There are glass doors leading to whole different areas for construction and experimentation, and even some of the entrances are marked by the logo of an individual Avenger. There are weapon prototypes and what seem to be half-completed superhero costumes for nearly every hero on the roster. There is even a mannequin that is sized eerily similar to Wong.*

*The windows at the farthest side of the elevators reveal a glimpse of the circular helipad that was added after the Battle of New York nearly toppled the top part of the Tower. And overseeing it all from a place on an otherwise empty wall, is a gigantic A styled just like the Avengers’ logo.*

Trix (looking over at Tony hopefully): Can we look around at least a little bit more if we promise not to touch anything? *She has her pleading eyes on because this is absolutely one of the top places she has ever wanted to visit in the MCU*

Tony: *He flicks a hand out toward the entirety of the Lab* Knock yourselves out. Maybe just not…literally. I’m still supposed to hand you all back to Wong in one piece.

Me (happily):  Thank you!  Don’t worry, we’ll be careful.  *I go to check out some of the prototypes, tools, and costumes.  As promised, I’m not touching anything.  Though I’m definitely asking a lot of technical questions, clearly analyzing what I’m seeing.*

Trix (extremely excited): Thank you thank you thank you!!! *She can’t help but finally let herself nerd out and squeal before going over to look at everything she can*

Peter: *Smiles at Tear and PrettyWitch* Wanna come look at my work station? I keep most of my projects here since it’s closer to home than the Compound.

Tear: Sure, Peter!

PrettyWitch: Yeah! Let’s go!

*I watch carefully whenever anyone’s working at the bench, keeping a respectful distance, but also trying to memorize technical details and figure things out.*

*We end up spending almost another hour in the Avengers Lab. Tony settles to do some idle work at the workbench closest to Peter’s and takes a few calls, trusting us and his mentee to not blow up his building. We manage to find another costume that simply screams Sorcerer Supreme, but we fail to get anyone to admit that Tony Stark is now designing clothes for Stephen and Wong no matter how hard we try. We even find a boardroom that seems to keep an eternal video call with the Wakandan research division led by Princess Shuri herself, and Peter briefly explains the ongoing conversations to allow SI to venture into Vibranium usage.*

*Our fun is eventually cut short when we get a text from Wong.*

Wong (via text):  Blacky has been stabilized.  Tear, I will drop you off at your bakery so you can conduct your business.  Trix, Steward, Prettywitch, I will take the three of you back to Kamar-Taj.  Meet me in the driveway.

We all reluctantly make our way back to Peter’s workspace, where Tony is still fiddling with his phone. He lifts an eyebrow at our entrance and takes one more moment before finally putting his phone away and looking up at us, his arms crossed proudly over his chest.*

Tony: So, how did it go?

Me (sincere):  Honestly, that was amazing and I’m grateful that you trust us enough to let us see so much of your labs.  In another life, had I been born in your universe, there would be a good chance that I’d quite eagerly apply to work here, provided the sorcerers didn’t find me first.  *I give a slight, teasing grin before getting serious again.*  None of us have ever seen such advanced technology except for in the movies.  It’s bittersweet in a way.  I can only imagine how our society would have been by now if we actually advanced this far.  Though, at least now we have a start in it.  I hope that we can live up to everyone’s standards.  Especially after the work you’ve all put in to help us.

Trix: Yeah, honestly I completely stand by my initial statement. I love Kamar-Taj and it’s becoming a second home to me, but I had always dreamed of getting to be here! *She then grins* Also if you haven’t already gone through the movie stash we sent with Stephen, you and Peter absolutely need to watch an animated movie called “The Incredibles”. I feel like you’ll love it and find a new favorite character. *She winks*

Peter (Failing epically at concealing his grin): Oh, we already did!

Tony: *Points at finger with his metallic arm* Hey hey! Zip it!

Trix (brightens up): Tony Stark I know your secret now!!! *she glances back at the costumes and cackles*

Tear: Oh gods, so it was true! Those designs really were…! *I can’t even finish the thought. I’m smiling so widely my cheeks hurt*

Me (grinning):  So, the Cloak’s an exception since it’s sentient and can move on its own, huh?  *Imitates Edna*  NO CAPES!

Trix (joining in): NO CAPES! ONLY CLOAKS!

Prettywitch: YES!!! CLOAKS ONLY!!!

Tony: *He practically melts where he sits and hides his face behind one hand as the giggles continue on around him* Didn’t you have to go or something? I think it’s time I dumped the babysitting duties back on Wong’s lap…And you can tell Stephen he can keep full legal custody of you lot while you’re at it.

*I roll my eyes at him, jokingly, before giving him a sincere look.*

Me (grateful):  Honestly, Tony, we can’t thank you, Stephen, Wong, and the other Avengers enough for all that you’ve done for us.

*Tony catches on to the change in tone and peeks at the girls over the hand he still keeps up against his face. The look in his eyes is undeniably fond.*

Trix (finally serious again): Seriously, we’d probably be dead ten times over without all of your help. You helped save our universe even at your own expense as well as us. Thank you so much! *She smiles at him again* And you can at least have the Uncle role if you don’t want to keep us permanently to annoy Stephen.

Prettywitch: Yes, thank you! You have no idea how happy my mother was to hear from me today.

Tony: *He chuckles and finally sits back up-straight, giving them his full attention* You don’t have to thank us for anything. We’re the Avengers. It’s literally in our job description. 

Tear: Well, I know it might not mean much, but you’ve always been my favorite Avenger. You’ve taught me to never give up and always get back on your feet no matter how often I make mistakes or feel like the universe itself is against me. I promise to keep that in mind as I train harder with Wong to improve my healing spells.

Tony: Tch, alright. Stop now before you all actually make me blush. *He flicks a hand dismissively, but the soft pink on his cheeks is undeniable.*

Peter: I told you you were cool, old man. *He leans against the workbench and nudges Tony with his elbow, a fond smile on his face. He’s incredibly proud that his new friends all appreciate his mentor like he does.*

*We say our goodbyes and the two heroes get back to work in the lab.  I text Wong to let him know that we’re ready in the driveway and he comes back to bring us to Tear’s bakery to let her go and reunite with her family.*

Me (sincere, though my voice does crack):  Good luck, Tear.  I hope everything works out.  You know how to find and contact us if you ever need to, okay?  Please be safe and take care of yourself.  We all know how you are.  So, do your best, but try not to run yourself ragged, all right?  *I give her a small, brave smile.*

Trix: Honestly, we just need a hug so you guys can’t see while I sob uncontrollably. *She’s grimacing as she is trying to hold back a wave of tears*

Prettywitch: *She’s trying to hold back tears too…and failing miserably.* Goodbye, Tear. If you need anything just call, okay?

Tear: I’m gonna miss you all, too! *I’m already tearing up too, although I’m smiling brightly at your sweet words. I rush forward and meet you all in a big hug* I’ll try my best not to over do it, but you all promise me not to get into any more trouble too, okay? I’ll practice really hard so that I can always be ready to heal you when you need it.

Wong: *He places a hand on Tear’s head, the only place he can still reach with her surrounded in the group hug.* I’ve asked Master Hamir to come watch over you while you help your family get the bakery back in working order. He will bring you back to Kamar-Taj and begin training you in more resistance and defensive magic until I am ready to help you with your healing spells. Stephen wants you to report straight back to him once you are ready to return with Master Hamir.

Tear: Understood. Thank you so much, Wong. I promise not to let any of you down!

*We group-hug for a while.  After all that we went through together, saying goodbye really stings even if it’s not forever, but it’s for the best.  Life goes on and we know it.  So, after the hug, we wave goodbye one last time as Tear goes into her bakery.*

Me (trying to keep my chin up):  This is gonna feel weird…

Trix (trying to pull herself together): This feels like graduation all over again…

Prettywitch: I know…

Me:  Looks like it’s time to meet up with Blacky, then.  I hope she isn’t too scared.  That uncontrolled shapeshifting looked rough.  *I’m concerned.*

Trix (trying to be reassuring): If anyone has it handled, it’s Wong and Stephen.

*I nod.*  

Me:  Wong, we’re ready to go.

Wong:  Very well.  Your friend should be with Strange in the hospital wing…and don’t think that I’ve forgotten your graffiti in the basement.  You and Prettywitch are on cleaning duty.  *He smirks wryly.*

*I smile sheepishly.*

Prettywitch: *Pouts* Ah man!

*He portals us back to Kamar-Taj where we head to the hospital wing to find Stephen looking after Blacky, who has been properly stabilized into her normal human form.*

Me (to Blacky, concerned):  How are you feeling?

Blacky: As fine as I can be. *I chuckle* 

Trix: I’m so glad you managed to find us so you could get help!

Prettywitch: Do you need anything?

Blacky: Nah…for now it's under control.

Me:  Erm…We should also probably be fully honest with you now about what’s going on.  It’s a rather long story.  Heh…Lemme explain…

Blacky: Stephen actually told me what happened.

Me (slightly ashamed that we had to hide everything for so long):  Oh…Yeah…It’s a lot, we know.  We didn’t say anything before because nobody would believe us and if they did, we didn’t want to start some sort of mass panic.  Though now that all of this is happening, you have the right to know how and why.  I’m sorry we couldn’t fill you in sooner.

Trix: But yeah, surprise you get to join magical boot camp! Don’t piss off any witches and you’re fine. *she then whispers* The food sucks though. *she makes a face before glancing back at Wong and Stephen*

*Wong raises an eyebrow at the food remark.*

Prettywitch: Oh yeah… *She shudders at the memory.*

Stephen:  Rest assured, we will train you to the best of our ability.  Do you have questions for me or Wong about the training?

Blacky: Yeah…what are the class prices ? But seriously, should I get in physical shape or something like that?

Stephen (amused):  There’s no charge.  *He gets serious*  As for physical shape, we do encourage sorcerers to be as fit as they can be within reason.  Even then, we can work with physical limitations.  Disabilities can be accounted for.

Wong:  Indeed.  Sorcery is more about strength of mind, but it is good practice to have a healthy body to withstand stronger spells.

Blacky: Well it's good to know. *I smile softly*

Stephen:  After I make sure that you’ve recovered properly, I’ll show you to your room.

Blacky: *I nod* Thank you.

Wong:  Prettywitch, Steward, come with me.  *He conjures a bucket, some cleaner, and sponges.  It seems we’re not getting away with it after all, true to his word.*

Me (meek):  Yes, sir.

Prettywitch: *Sighs* Alright, let’s do this. But I’m not gonna enjoy it.

Trix:  *She grins from ear to ear* I never did find out what you guys did to deserve this but good luck! *She waves them off*

*I stick my tongue at her as Prettywitch and I leave with Wong.*

Stephen (sarcastic):  How very mature of you.

*Trix keeps Blacky company while Prettywitch and I do our cleaning.  Kamar-Taj in question feels rather peeved at us, but eventually, its aura seems to calm down after we’ve scrubbed its walls clean of our markings from earlier.*

*After Blacky settles in and joins our training, things slowly begin to return to whatever passes for normal at this point.  However, as time goes by, it seems that Stephen has been getting less and less sleep.  After he nearly falls asleep during meditation training for the 4th time that week, we decide to ask him about it.*

Me:  Stephen, what’s going on?  You’re looking really out-of-sorts lately.

Trix: Yeah, you’re not sick, are you?

Prettywitch: *She’s concerned too, but a thought strikes her and her eyes widen. Is it because of his dreams, she wonders?*

Blacky: *I observe Stephen's face, seeing he's clearly exhausted*

Stephen (mildly defensive):  It’s nothing that any of you should worry about.  

Prettywitch: Hey, don’t be like that! We’re just worried about you.

Stephen:  I know.  However, I have to get this under control myself.  You four have enough on your plates.  

Me (matching his old, snarky tone):  Really?

*He glares tiredly at me and sighs.*

Stephen (reluctantly):  That woman I mentioned before is still haunting my dreams.  There are also brief flashes of Dormammu.  It seems like he wants to attempt to absorb Earth again, but that shouldn’t be.  He is bound to his word not to return here.  *That’s about as much as he can figure out at the moment.*

Me:  Wait…Shit…*I put two and two together.*  

*The weary sorcerer looks at me, still calculating.  His severe lack of sleep is slowing his thoughts.*

Prettywitch: Wait…Steward, you don’t think Dormammu…that he might…you know?

Trix: Oh shit

Blacky: An entity as powerful as him can't ignore a vulnerable world like ours.

*I look at the group with an all-too familiar face of resigned dismay, which all but confirms what I’m thinking.*

Prettywitch: Oh great! We’re fucked!

Trix: So that’s an absolute jump from Agatha to fucking Dormammu *she groans and holds her head in in her hands*

Blacky: Wait it's a bit soon to panic. Stephen could send him away once. Together we can do it again.

Stephen (massaging his temples):  No, no.  I confronted him before and headed him off.  Despite not having the Time Stone, I’ll figure something out.  You girls don’t need to get caught in the crossfire.

Prettywitch: Dude! You got squashed, stabbed, maimed, and every other painful way to die till next Sunday! Are you sure you’re even powerful enough to face off against him, again?

Stephen:  His power is beyond any of you, even working together.  I know his strengths and weaknesses and learned more about him than anyone else on this plane of existence from the millions of loops I spent confronting him.  If anyone has a chance of stopping him, it will be me.

Me:  Can we evacuate our people to here or something?

Prettywitch: I feel like that would require hours and a lot of manpower that neither of our worlds have.

Trix: Not to mention the amount of people who wouldn’t want to leave anyway. People don’t leave for category 5 hurricanes!

Stephen (reassuring):  I will stop him.  

Me:  At least let us transfer some of our energy to you so you’re not about to pass out in battle.  We’ve gotten stronger.  So, it shouldn’t hurt us as much anymore.

Prettywitch: Exactly!

Trix: It’s absolutely been a while, so we shouldn’t end up sleep drunk!

Stephen:  Okay.  I’ll allow it for old times’ sake.  *He attempts to cheer us up slightly with this small joke.*

*The three of us perform the energy transfer ritual and donate portions of our energy to Stephen.  He absorbs it, becoming more awake and alert.*

Stephen:  Thank you, ladies.  

Me:  Do your best to come out of this alive, all right?

Prettywitch: Yes. Please do.

Trix: And no getting yourself killed at all even if you’re able to possibly come back!

Blacky: Or we'll find a way to find you in death's realm and kick your arse!

Stephen:  First, I’m keeping your universe safe.  Then, we’ll talk other stuff.  *He’s determined and serious.*  Though I WILL do my best to come back to you however I can.  Take care of each other, okay?

Me (worried):  Okay.  *I’m wringing my hands.*

Trix: We will! Don’t worry about us. All your focus should be on Dormammu.

Blacky: We'll take care of stuff here, don't worry.

Prettywitch: *She runs over and hugs him.* I’m sorry I doubted you, Stephen. I just get nervous really easily..

*He grunts at the sudden hug, but accepts it.*

Stephen:  I know.  

*The Cloak pats Prettywitch’s shoulder reassuringly, as though silently promising to keep Stephen safe.*

Prettywitch: *She smiles.* Thanks, Cloakie. Oh yeah, and remember what I said about your mystery woman. *She gives him a peck on the cheek and lets go of him.* Good luck. 

Me (trying to stay composed while still worried sick for him):  Good luck…

Trix: Seriously, good luck. *She gives him a small smile while wringing her hands*

Blacky: Just don't be stubborn if things turn bad and not go all alone in the fight.

Stephen:  I’ll remember not to.

*With our well wishes said and energy transferred, he opens a portal and disappears through it to the Dark Dimension, on his way to confront the Dread Dormammu.*

***To be continued***