#they will eventually address her as savior but | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

averagewriter-inthedark · 11 months ago

Text

Eye of The Storm ⛈| Six of Crows Imagine

Takes place during the events of Shadow & Bone S2

My Masterlists

Characters & Pairings: Crows x Squaller/Saint!Reader (platonic), Kaz Brekker x reader (slight/eventual)

Content Warnings: fighting, blood, profanity, cannon divergence | female!reader (she/her) | wc: 4.9k

Requested 📨: yes/no

Premise: As the Crows make their way back to the Slate following their climatic dethronement of Pekka Rollins, they are ambushed by his supporters with no plan of action to escape. As they slowly accept their fate, what was once a clear night is rained upon with lightning and thunder in its wake. Having beat the odds of meeting one living Saint in their lifetime, the Crows are stunned when their savior, a player in the ever unfolding drama in Ravka, is the legend in stories of restoring life in the world when all hope was lost.

Note: although the Saint name I give is not Y/n, it’s still a reader insert and explains more at the end (it’s not an OC) also I know Zoya is called Sankta Zoya of the Storm but I have yet to get to her arc so for this the reader has powers equivalent to her

————————

The sirens had finally seized, concluding the hysteria in the streets of Ketterdam once it was revealed the Firebox outbreak was a hoax. Constructed by none other than the Bastard of the Barrel and his thieves amongst men, the Crows. After years of heated tension, and guided vengeance, against Pekka Rollins, Kaz Brekker succeeded in his plans of putting down the Lion that had ruined his life. Constant mental torture as he manuevered his players on their chestboard now able to rest.

“Where were you?” His voice was raspy, face still painted with his blood from the beating as he addressed Inej when she appeared from the shadows. They had been making their way back to the Slat. Nina, Wylan, and Jesper were flanked beside him, the dimly lit street light shining down on the group. Inej had been the only one not accounted for, flooding Kaz with anxiety mixed with anger that she strayed from the plan.

“I--.��

A gloved hand came up, stopping her. “Actually, I’d rather not hear what you have to say.” he wanted to shout. Reprimand her for being so foolish. Voice how her actions could’ve gotten her or one of them hurt because they had no idea where she was.

Despite these desires, the pain in Kaz’s body was too much and he was in need of a strong drink. Inej narrowed her eyes, but the man brushed past her leaving the others to send her looks of sympathy. Falling in step, the group followed behind Kaz, making note of how empty the streets were at that time of night. It was eerie. Yeah they may have caused an uproar with their little stunt, but they assumed there’d still be people out and about.

Dance halls and clubs are empty. The markets closed for business. Not a soul in sight. Wylan was the first to speak, “I’ve never seen it this quiet.”

“Very odd if I must say,” Jesper agreed, unconsciously letting his hands fall to where his guns strapped to his belt. His intuition was picking at his brain at the feeling that something wasn’t right.

“Wouldn’t be surprised if someone’s plotting now that Pekka is gone,” Inej made note of their surroundings. They were only a block from the Slat. Soon they’d be in the comfort of their home, able to bask in the relief they pulled their task off. A warm cup of tea by the fireplace before it came time for bed. Inej was looking forward to it.

But unfortunately, fate had other plans.

Nina suddenly froze, “Stop,” all movement seized, heads turning to the heartrender. Unease consumed them as they took in the sudden paleness of her appearance. “I hear heartbeats.” There was a subtle gulp, the woman adding in a low tone, “a lot of heartbeats.”

Tensing, they were met with the sounds of footsteps approaching from every angle. Inej pulled out her knives, as did Jesper with his guns. Wylan clutched his satchel to his chest, thinking of what he could use to help them out of this situation, though the odds were not looking good. Meanwhile, Kaz reversed his steps while the others spun around, the Crows forming a circle with their backs to one another, Kaz keeping space between him and Jesper. Allowing them a full view of the square.

They watched the herd of men step into the light. Revealing themselves with menacing eyes filled with vengeance. Kaz tensed, recognizing them as Pekka’s men.

Well the ones still loyal to the King of the Barrel. Several had already pledged their support to Kaz or took the chance to ditch town while they had the opportunity. Yet, here was a group of at least twelve, likely part of Pekka’s inner circle who’ve taken the actions of Kaz more personally. Those who refused to kneel. The young criminal should’ve known better than to expect a sudden shift in power would come easily to him.

“We have no business with you, gentlemen,” Kaz spoke with a level of calm that surprised even him. Deep down he was consumed with nerves seeing he and the Crows were severely outnumbered.

“Oh, but we do,” a gruff voice replied. Kaz’s eyes drifted to the owner, who’s hand mavuevered over his gun. “See, some of us are not too pleased with your little show tonight, Brekker. And we’ll be damned before claiming you as the King of the city.”

Jesper tilts his head slightly, whispering under his breath, “What do we do, boss?” Beside him Wylan was visibly freaking out. Nina raised her hands, ready to counter any attacks while Inej tightened the grip of her knives.

“This is it,” Kaz thought, clutching onto his cane. No ideas surfaced to help them escape. Accepting his time was up. Though he was going to fight for his Crows, the Bastard of the Barrel was ready to come to terms with his fate.

But before anyone could make the first room, a crack of lightning followed by its booming thunder shook the ground. Several flinched, including the crows, some of the Dime Lions stumbling by how close and sudden the element was to them. Rainfall began to pour down the once clear sky. Dark clouds covering the stars and skies.

The rain was thick, drenching everyone from head to toe. Their clothes became heavy. Had it not been for the skewing of their visibility, making them struggle to see where they were, they’d be annoyed by their state. But there were more important things at stake.

The storm made it hard to see. Only getting a glimpse of shapes and figures when flashes of lightning in the near distance hit the earth. Coupled with its thunder. Kaz barely could make out the enemy, bringing his cane up for any sudden attacks.

“What’s happening?” Wylan shouted, gurgling when the water hit mouth. “What do we do?”

“I-I--,” Kaz stuttered, the feeling of nausea swarming him at the cold, wet, rain hitting his face. It brought him back to the worst days of his life. Floating on top of cold, wet, bodies in the harbour, begging the Saints to save him. The man wanted to crawl away and hide. Yet the fear of not knowing what waited for them when the rain stopped kept him from falling to his knees in a panic.

“Hey! You there!” the same man from before shouted, Kaz squinting his eyes to see him raise his gun only to be thrown back by an invisible force of wind. His partner beside him went down next, though what hit him appeared to be a beam of light.

Kinda like a lightning bolt.

“What the hell was that?!” Inej shouted over the thunder.

‘A Squaller?’ Kaz thought to himself, watching another bout of wind sweep his oncoming attacker off their feet. He had not heard of another Grisha roaming the streets of Ketterdam. Surely if a squaller were inhabiting the area he’d know.

Using the butt of his cane Kaz knocked him out unconsious. When he glanced back up, his eyes landed on a cloaked figure standing on the roof of a nearby building. The rain made it impossible to make out their face. But judging by the way they moved their hands, and the fact his enemies were being bombarded by gusts of air, their savior was in fact an Ethereaki.

But what kind exactly?

At first Kaz believed they had to be a Squaller due to the wind. Yet, he then witnessed the rain shift direction, and water from a puddle shoot up to hit a man about to attack Wylan. A Tidemaker would better fit that description, however Kaz wasn’t aware of a Grisha able to control both air and water.

“I don’t know,” Jesper responded, shooting at an assailant he saw racing toward them, “But I’ve never been so happy for a thunderstorm as I am now.” At that moment Kaz realized nobody else noticed the mysterious person on the roof. His attention turned to Jesper beside him, oblivious to the help he was getting from a fellow Grisha. Turning back to the roof, expecting to see the cloaked individual, but they were gone.

As the fight commenced the storm ensued. Thunder overpowering the sound of pelting rain and gunshots. The Crows fought for their lives as the number of Dime Lions against them decreased. Nina managed to incapacitate several as did Jesper and Inej. The fight came to a climatic end with the last one standing was, quite, literally, hit with a lightning bolt causing the Crows to freeze where they stood.

Smoke filled the space, and when it cleared they were met with the mysterious being. Rain pelting down on them, however they seemed to pay no mind. As though it were a natural occurrence. It was still hard to see them. The streetlight candles had been blown out from the rain and wind, and the moon was covered by the clouds. Both those combinations obscured the face of their savior.

Nina raised her hands, ready to defend the group but Kaz motioned for her to stop, causing confusion amongst the rest. Who was this person and what did they want? And why was Kaz not doing anything?

“Well,” their voice, a feminine one at that, breached the once silent square. “That was entertaining if I’m being honest. Been a while since I’ve squabbled with angsty men,” she chucked, “but I was in dire need of practice.” Now hearing the woman speak clearly, they were able to identify her Ravkan accent. For Nina, her heart nearly stopped.

“I know that voice.” she felt the eyes of everyone, including the woman, on her. Hands lowering to her side, Nina's face etched into pure astonishment. Adding more confusion to the group who were at a loss of who this woman was.

“Oh!” The woman chuckled, not commenting on Nina’s words, “Apologies for the storm, let me just--,” they watched in stunned silence as her right hand rose, displaying a motion before the rain slowed and stopped altogether. Then with two fingers, she waved them around causing the clouds above to dissaperate, allowing the moon to shine down.

“Did she just--.” Jesper whispered to Inej, who’s expression resembled that of witnessing a miracle. “Can squallers summon thunderstorms? I thought that was a myth.”

Inej blinked rapidly, voice so low the others barely made out her reply. Tone in absolute awe, “Only one can.”

“One?” Kaz repeated, feeling a wave of unease beneath his skin.

Water from puddles splashed as the woman walked forward, stepping into the ray of light. The Crows, now able to see her fully, were greeted with her (y/h/c) hair and bearing dazzling grey eyes like the storm clouds she’d summoned. She appeared to be slightly older than the group, possibly by a few years. Then again Grisha were known to age slower than regular folk. For all they know she could be in her 50s. Look at the Darkling, who passed as a man in his early 40s to the naked eye but had lived for nearly 400 years.

Adorned in a deep grey kefta, the white and blue embroidery etched on resembled lightning bolts along with tiny drops of rain. It was unlike any kefta the Grisha wore. Those in the Ravka’s Second Army, with the exception of the Darkling, wore certain colored keftas and embroideries to signify their order. But to the knowledge of the Crows, no Grisha wore grey.

“Saints,” Nina gasped, jaw dropping slightly, causing the woman to smirk.

“Now, now,” she playfully tsked, “I’m not above swearing, but considering that applies to me….” her smirk never faltered, “I’m sure you can understand.”

Jesper’s head spun, looking between his comrades to see they were reacting the same way, “I’m sorry, are you saying that you’re--.”

Nina beat him to it, “Sankta Imber of the Drought.” Inej gasped, as did Wylan. The former repeated the name in wonder, falling to her knees in respect, “Sankta Imber….”

Kaz tightened his grip on his cane, mind racing to remember the tale behind the name. Who’s story was passed down from generation to generation for centuries. Who, like the Darkling and the Sun Summoner, was said to be either myth or once lived but suspected of perishing long ago.

Legends say that Sankta Imber of the Drought had been born in the century following the creation of the Fold. A farmer's daughter in the region of East Ravka, her family lived through the period where the country was stricken with a severe drought lasting over a hundred years, beginning not long after the Black Heretic disappeared. With no rain bringing water to the crops came a deadly famine. Hundreds of people and animals were lost, not only due to starvation and dehydration, but also illness. The economy in all of Ravka crumbled. Both States were fighting against each other for resources, as the food supply from East Ravka to West was now scarce. An increase in fires and dust bowls destroyed a lot of ecosystems, further deteriorating the country.

What was left of it that is.

There was little to no hope, with even prayers to the Saints to help them becoming meaningless words. Those still worshiping begged for a savior. The one who would bring the rain and storm. Ending the drought. Releasing them from the famine.

The idea a Squaller could summon a powerful storm was unheard of. Being able to bring forth powerful winds, rain, and possibly lightning and Thunder? Surely a Grisha of sorts would be only known by folklore. Especially given Tidemakers were the ones to control water.

Yet, it all changed one day as the 104th year of the drought approached.

“You’re more powerful than you think, Imber,” Baghra's stern voice echoed in the cave. Sitting opposite of her, with her head down and tear stains painting her cheeks, 15-year-old Imber Egorova made a sound Baghra could only assume was a whimper. “Denying it will do you no good. It will do this country no good.”

“How do you know?” The girl whispered, voice hoarse from crying following another gruesome 12 hour training day. “What makes me different from any other Squaller here?” She referred to the 20 other Squallers residing on the Little Palace grounds. Though some trained with the renowned Gisha teacher, none experienced the level of intensity Imber did.

“No Squaller here has shot someone 80 yards by their power during an exercise,” Baghra rebutted, causing Imber to wince at the memory. The reason why she was suddenly called to Baghra’s cave in the first place. From then on Imber barely got a lick of sleep or time to eat a proper meal.

The older woman gave a pointed look, “nor have they been able to summon electricity.” Ignoring Imbers stunned expression, she continued, “yes, girl, I know what you did when your sister’s heart stopped before you came here. Why your family was so willing to let you go after the testers proved you were Grisha,” Baghra leaned back in her chair, face void of emotion. “Ravka has not seen more than a few inches of rain since this drought began. No storms. And with the famine,” there was a light pause, “It’s claimed more lives than the Fold.”

Imber shuddered at the mention of Ravka’s darkened entity. Not wanting to think about its black abyss swimming with volcra.

“The point is, child,” Baghra captured her attention once more, “Besides the Sun Summoner, you could be the one to end part of Ravka’s suffering. But that will not happen if you cannot believe it yourself.”

Weeks shy of her 16th birthday, Imber received a letter from her father, which would change not only her world, but the one around. After contracting a bacteria from contaminated pond water, her mother and sister succumbed to a deadly illness after only a week. Her father had buried them on their land by the dead oak tree where they used to have picnics before Imber was taken to the Little Palace.

Distraught and riddled with unbearable pain, Imber collapsed to her knees in the middle of the courtyard, crumbling the letter in her hands. Her peers were silent, staring at her with sympathy. Unsure of what to say to the grieving teen, despite many knowing the exact feeling Imber was feeling.

Sorrow, anguish, regret. Never having the chance to correct wrongs or make memories with the loved onces they longed for. The cries of the Grisha filled the otherwise silent courtyard.

Suddenly, a rumble came from the sky..

Imber didn’t hear it over the sound of her sobs. Her companions, however, drew their attention upward, where they were greeted by a sight unimaginable. What once was a clear blue canvas, barely any clouds to begin with, transformed to that of a dark shadow. Wind, so powerful they thought a Squaller was responsible, nearly sent them off their feet.

“What’s happening?” A girl shouted, though they had difficulty hearing her due to the mix of rumbling overhead and breeze of wind.

“I don’t know!” the boy, a Tidemaker, beside her squinted, “Imber!” He lifted a hand to protect his eyes while focusing his view on the kneeled Grisha. A flash of light where her hands were plaed on the ground had him flinching. ��What in the---.’ The spark occured once more. Chills filled his entire being as his eyes became saucers, falling to a whisper. “Saints above.”

Witnessing the sparks, an Inferni moved closer, ignoring the warning sent by the Tidemaker. “What is she doing?” His answer came by being blasted back by a gust of wind.

Imber let out a broken scream, head tilting back toward the sky as bolts of lightning released from her hands, igniting bouts of thunder in its wake. Gasps and shouts echoed around the Squaller from fellow Grisha and palace guards. The group behind her ran to find cover as the wind became too much, sending barrels and crates flying. Lightning and thunder, the duo reuniting as lost friends.

A sight to behold.

As the tears rolled down Imber’s cheeks, heavy rain soon replaced them. Drenching the lands of East Ravka for the first time in a hundred years.

For hours the girl remained kneeling on the grounds of the courtyard. Alone as everyone had seeked shelter within the Palace walls, letting the water from above coat her. The kefta she bore grew heavy. She paid no mind to it.

It wasn’t until she began to shiver from the freezing atmosphere that Imber retreated inside. Coming face to face with the reality of what transpired. As two guards escorted her to the throne room, Imber barely took notice of her peers watching the storm draw on from the windowsills. Some glanced at her in a mix of wonder, awe, and fear. Fear at the unknown, but wonder at what will be known.

Entering the throne room Imber was greeted by the King, Queen, Baghra, and the General of Ravka’s Second Army. Whereas the country’s monarchs were visibily bewildered at Imber, Baghra appeared impressed in comparison to the General’s excitement. Nerves consumed her on top of the immense grief Imber was experincing. Rain continued pelting the windows and roof of the Little Palace. Every once in a while, the occupants in the room flinched at the crack of thunder.

Upon making eye contact with the King, Imber bowed her head, curtseying as best she could with the weight of her soaked kefta. From there she underwent an hour of intense interrogation at the hands of the King and General. Baghra was questioned as well. Admitting she suspected the scale of Imber’s power but decided to stay quiet until the time came. The General, while pleased to know the world’s most powerful Squaller was among his ranks, voiced concern at the possibility of their enemies discovering her.

“Ravka has been praying for the day storms finally wash over her,” his tone was calm, almost haunting. Imber couldn’t look away as he moved toward her, tear stains painting her cheeks. “To save them from this wretching drought. Bring an end to this famine that has wiped away countless lives. Rain has touched grounds for the first time in over a century, Miss. Egorova. The people of Ravka are going to celebrate you. Erect statues on your name for being the hope they prayed for all these years.” he halted directly in front of her, keeping hold of her gaze it sent another wave of chills not relating to the cold clothes Imber wore.

“You are now the symbol of this dark period coming to its end. You are Sankta Imber of the Drought.”

“The storm lasted a fortnight, dispersing across Ravka’s lands until every inch had been touched by lightning. Yet the rain continued for months on end after the winds disappeared,” Nina recited the story etched into her brain. The crows silent as they took in her words. “Many say it was the raw grief of Imber losing her family that the storms were so strong. The constant rain marked as a symbol of her time in mourning.” The crows familiar with loss could relate. Kaz, Jesper, and Inej looking elsewhere than the Grisha.

Nina let out a breath, “Now whenever a powerful storm appears in Ravka, locals believe it to be Sankta Imber reminding them they will never experience a drought again. Famine will never touch their lands so long as she remains. Rain will be their protector, and she will be its champion.”

At the end of the Heartrender’s tale, Imber clasped her hands behind her back. “Nice to see my reputation still precedes me after all these years.” Chuckling, she took another step toward the group, “Still odd to hear myself spoken like a myth when I still live and breathe the same air as you.”

Again, no words could describe what the Crows were feeling at that moment. No one however was more shocked than Nina herself. And her reasons were far more than just being in the presence of a living Saint. “But you…”

Imber’s smirk turned to a soft smile, “Been some time since our last acquaintance, Nina Zenik.”

All eyes turned to the brunette, Kaz the first to speak, “What?” Not only was his mind racing, but now it was full of questions and doubts. They knew each other? But judging by Nina’s reaction, it was not all that meets the eye. She was stunned beyond belief like they were. “Care to explain, Zenik?”

Tensing by the tone of his voice, Nina sent him a light glare, “I don’t know her as Sankta Imber,” her eyes returned to the Grisha, this time showcasing betrayal as the memory of the woman in a blue kefta like her fellow Squallers appeared in her mind. “But as Commander Y/n Tempestasov of the Second Army.” Everyone felt the shift in the air at the mention of the Darkling’s army.

Why was one of the Darkling’s soldiers, a Saint at that, coming to them in the middle of the night? Traveling across the sea and saving them from Pekka’s men. There had to be a reason.

Kaz tightened the grip he had on his cane. Thinking back to events of the past several months. He would’ve recognized Imber, or Y/n, whatever she wanted to be called--at the Winter’s Fete. The kefta was unique; it would've captured anyone’s attention. As a powerful Squaller, Kirigan surely wanted her close to his side. Yet the Grisha had not been present on the skiff nor did Alina mention anything of meeting another living Saint.

Then there was the fact that the legends of Sankta Imber of the Drought were from nearly 300 years ago. It was believed she had died or dissapeared roughtly 20 years after she brought the storm to Ravka.

Meaning she’s been hiding in plain sight for centuries. A ghost among the living. Playing the role of a Second Army soldier under a false name to preserve her identity.

Another chuckle brought Kaz out of his thoughts, “Allow me to fill in the blanks, Crows,” Imber smirked at their reaction, “yes I know who you are. Do not doubt Nina’s loyalty--the last time we saw each other I was a different person. Roughly eight years if I’m correct,” bringing a hand to her chin, the Saint acted like she was deep in thought, “You’d only just arrived at the Little Palace before I escaped.”

“Escaped?”

Imber retained her posture, more serious than the initial laid back she had presented, “You’ve witnessed the evil General Kirigan is capabale of first hand.” they stayed silent, but each of their expressions faltered. “I discovered the scale of it a long time ago, after he made me a prisoner of the Little Palace under the guise of a trainer.” Nina bowed her head, the memory of Commander Y/n paroling the grounds where the Etherealki trained. She always appeared detached, but was kind to the young Grisha who had not yet succumbed to the corruption of the Darkling. “He was responsible for everyone believing I had died or dissapeared. After instilling fear in me at the thought of being captured by enemies, he had me locked in the caves of the Little Palace.” Inej let out a gasp, face consorting with sadness.

Imber shrugged, “sooner or later people stopped searching for me. Unaware I was close the entire time despire my storms becoming a blanket over Ravka for years. I was all but the myth you’ve heard.” Turning her head to Nina, Imber offered a soft smile, “It was years before he let me out. When he did I was named Commander under a false name and trained Grisha for centuries. Changing my name each time he did because someone asked too many questions and we had to clean up his mess. Y/n Tempestasov is the recent name of the many I’ve gone by. Frankly it’s my favorite if I’m being honest.”

“Would you prefer it if we called you that?” Wylan raised his hand, resulting in a side eye from Kaz at his formality. The Saint, however, smiled at him, “I’d like that. Imber Egorova…” she trailed off, connecting her gaze with Kaz as though she read him like a book. “She is of the past.”

Ignoring the weight on his chest, knowing damn well what the Saint was refering to, Kaz changed the subject. “Enough sentiment. You still haven’t said why you’re here.” The sound of his cane echoed on the pavement when he moved closer to her. “The Darkling might be dead but how are we to trust you’re not doing his bidding.”

The woman scoffed, obviously offended by the assumption, “Believe me, I hate the man more than anyone. Probably more than you and Alina combined.”

Jesper made a face of shock, voicing what they all thought, “You know Alina?”

“She sent me,” Y/n mused, shocking them more when she added, “And Kirigan is alive.”

“How is that possible?” Inej wondered aloud, unable to grasp the news.

“Turns out his own creation did not kill him after all. Instead he used merzost to create shadow monsters. Monsters that can only be destroyed with a certain blade that, like me, is also a legend.”

“Neshyenyer,” Kaz narrowed his eyes, waiting for her to call bluff. Y/n smirked in response.

“That is where you come in. We have some mutual friends, and they sent me to retrieve you lot to find the sword. Said you were the best of the best.” Hand going into her pocket, she removes a rolled parchment tied with a ribbon. “For your cooperation, the King of Ravka plans to generously compensate you.” She held it out to Kaz, “For you, Dirtyhands.”

He ignored the name, deciding not to question the depth of her knowledge on him and the Crows, and instead took the parchment. Once unfolded, he read the message inked onto its surface, detailing the extent of the mission and amount of kruge to be paid. He stopped at the name signed at the very end, ‘Nikolai Lantsov.’

‘Mutual friends,’ he remembered she said. Intuition telling him it was not only Alina and Mal the Saint referred to. Only person Kaz recalled that could likely be said aquaintance was a certain privateer.

Footsteps wandering away had the man look up, finding Y/n to take her leave. Kaz and Jesper flanked to his sides, the whole group watching her depart. “Come along, Crows,” she called out, the playfulness returning. “A storm is approaching.” light rain began to fall once more, followed by the sound of thunder in the distance. Kaz pictured the smile on her face by the tone of her voice. “And we’ve got work to do.”

#kaz brekker #kaz brekker imagine #kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker x fem!reader #inej ghafa #inej ghafa x reader #inej ghafa imagine #jesper fahey #jesper fahey imagine #nina zenik #nina zenik imagine #six of crows #SOC #six of crows imagine #grishaverse #grisha!reader #Saint!reader #grishaverse fanfic

148 notes · View notes

p1nkshield · 2 years ago

Text

Greetings and welcome to Chapter Seven!

Bruce kept checking and rechecking the security footage. One moment his son and the surprise guest were talking in the cave and the next a rift opens up pulling them both through.

“Hn”

Not good.

“Barbara.”

Bruce decided to call in the big guns on this one.

“Hello Bruce, I would say it’s nice to hear from you but considering this is the emergency line I'm concerned. What’s up?"

"Jason is missing."

Bruce let words fall out of his mouth quickly. He didn’t want to make his worries so apparent. He didn’t want to lose his composure. Losing his composure could cause mistakes in his detective work.

Bruce could hear the first few questions that Barbara posed.

"What do mean he's missing? Like he's left the manor? I can try to track him if you want."

Bruce nodded.

Of course he put an inter-dimensional tracker into the comms he gave to all of his children. This was exactly why.

Bruce rechecked the security footage.

For once Jason was actually wearing his.

good.

All the while Barbara was entering something into the computer on her end.

"I'm not getting anything for Jason's location..."

Bruce was truly concerned now.

He needed a lead to latch onto. Something he can focus on to keep his mind from wandering to extreme conclusions. Bruce then reviewed the audio recording from his cameras.

"Take us to Frostbite!"

"Wait!"

Frostbite? Was that a place or a person? Where have they gone that his tracker was out of range? Was it out of range or was it broken?

"You called me before listening to the audio from the security cam?"

"..."

Barbara decided not to press the matter.

"We have a lead, but I'm not really equipped to follow it. The only thing coming up for "Frostbite" is the medical condition and Icicle Jr.'s really sub par band"

Bruce's worry mixed with reluctance.

"Constantine."

"What is this now! Two calls from spooky the bat this year? I'm just tapping my toes with joy. What cataclysmic event do you have for me?"

Jason felt as though he had accidentally caught Superman's cape with his grappling hook.

He wrenched his eyes shut as he hurtled through space via map. Danny on the other hand was enjoying every moment of the journey, grinning as they flew to their destination.

Jason found himself face down among ice, snow and glaciers.

"Great One! It is good to see you, and you've returned the infinimap! You are truly full of surprises."

Jason managed to dislodge his face from the snow bank in time to see Danny being clapped jovially on the back by an eight foot tall yeti.

He could only blink.

"Who is this new guest you've brought with you?"

Jason was then scruffed like a kitten, placed on his feet and had the snow gently dusted off of his head by an eight foot tall yeti.

"That's Jason. He's cool, I promise. I was wondering if you could give us both a check up though. If you haven’t noticed yet he doesn't have a core yet and I'm tinier than usual."

Frostbite looked appraisingly between both Danny and Jason.

"And here I was about to applaud you on finally mastering shapeshifting! No matter, a friend to the savior of the infinite realms is a friend of mine. Follow me! You both shall receive the best care we can offer!"

Jason shuffled through the snow, following an eight foot tall yeti.

Said eight foot tall yeti managed to make Jason feel surprisingly comfortable in his presence. That is until he came to his diagnosis.

"Let me get this straight. I'm basically an infant, I’m ectoplasmicly malnourished, and I will eventually have powers?"

"Essentially, yes."

Danny snickered from a distance.

Jason really missed being a regular old zombie.

"What if I told you that I do not believe you?"

Frostbite mirthfully chuckled.

"If that were true I would ask you why you survived drinking ectoplasm."

Jason conceded.

"Ya got me there."

"That I do!"

Frostbite then addressed Danny

"Great One, I must admit this is not the safest place for either of you to heal and grow respectively. It has come to my attention that your parents are accepting payment in order for a certain Organization to have access to the portal."

Danny quietly processed the information, looking far too profoundly tired than any child should.

"How can I help?"

Frostbite carried two large tanks into the center of the room.

"Rest, heal and allow yourself to delegate tasks amongst your subjects."

Frostbite then knelt down to Danny's level and placed a large paw on his shoulder.

"We will be fine here Danny."

He then got up and lifted the two tanks.

"You both need to have a good supply of ectoplasm where you are staying. I think one of these will be enough for both you to reach a point where your cores are properly formed or reformed."

Frostbite carried the two tanks to out to the second most interesting individual Jason has met today.

"Wulf!"

Danny apparently knew this werewolf enough to greet him happily.

"Wulf, if you would be so inclined, can you open a portal to the dimension this young man is from?"

This Wulf as Jason has now gleaned sniffed him aggressively then nodded.

This is totally normal and fine.

Wulf then used his claws and ripped a portal out of thin air into the batcave.

Great.

Danny traipsed through the portal as if it was a door. Jason decided to help Frostbite push the tanks through the portal to feel some semblance of knowing what is happening.

Frostbite left them with well wishes as the portal closed.

Jason tried his best to wipe the bewildered look off his face when he realized the batcave was currently occupied.

Bruce had apparently started an entire search party with the rest of his family.

Tim had his detective wall of documents all pinned up.

Damian was arguing about the placement of the string.

Dick was pacing a few yards away from the wall.

Bruce was about to get carpal tunnel with the speed at which he was typing, his monitor was split between a database and a call with Constantine.

That is until the scraping of large metal tanks stopped them all in their tracks.

Jason waved.

"Hey"

He was immediately tackled by his older brother and squeezed into a hug.

"You can't scare us like that Jace!"

Bruce hung up on Constantine and walked towards him.

"Sorry I spooked you I didn’t really have time to leave a note-"

Interrupted, Jason and Dick by proxy was swept into a hug by Bruce.

Bruce let go.

"Let me know before you travel extra dimensionally."

He then left.

Dick had yet to let go, continuing his fretting.

"You just disappeared! None of use could find you! Never ever do that to me again. I swear you’re going to make me go bald with stress! Do you want me to look like Lex?"

Jason managed to get out of the vice grip Dick had on him.

"I'm sorry, okay? I go to the ghost doctor once and everyone thinks I've been kidnaped!"

Tim piped up

"To be fair it did look a lot like you got kidnaped by an inter dimensional map"

Dick managed to look even more worried.

"What do you mean a ghost doctor!?"

Jason shrugged.

"Exactly what I said. Found out I'm a baby ghost."

"A baby half ghost! Wellcome to the club, you are one of very few halfas in existence."

Jason took that information in

"What he said."

@shinyladykingdom @kyrianclawraith @vehan-tikkun-olam-and-stuff @darkhinauniverse @krzys2000 @coruscateselene @kjoboo91 @vythika96 @hydralusus @addie-lover-of-stories @skulld3mort-1fan

Also I don't want to flood people's notifs with my silly little fanfic so if you want me to continue to tag you let me know! Also sometimes I can't find the blog people ask me to tag them with so if you asked to be tagged and weren’t it wasn’t on purpose!

#At the Core fic #dp x dc #dcxdp #poor Bruce really was worried

417 notes · View notes

flightfoot · 20 days ago

Note

Hi Keyseeker! Just wondering if you could recommend any reveal fics that have the LS talking it out afterwards? Or just, don't end immediately? So many fics include a great build up, full of misunderstandings and shenanigans, do the reveal, and then just...end. And the tension is never really addressed! And I just feel...left hanging. I don't know, is this just me? In any case, no pressure but was just wondering if you've come across any that linger around after the reveal. Not necessarily prpr, which is kind of its own category IMO. Am I making sense? Thanks either way in advance!

I'm guessing you're looking for longer fics then? I'll see what I can do.

---

Perfectly Platonic (Unless...) by @frostedpuffs

After accidentally revealing their identities in less than ideal circumstances, Adrien and Marinette must navigate their newfound relationship as both partners and friends. Becoming best friends was a quick process, but when romantic feelings begin to bleed into what's supposed to be a platonic connection, their friendship starts to change in more ways than one. Surely it can't be that hard to hide their feelings from their best friend? (A post-reveal, pre-relationship fic full of romantic crushes, best friend shenanigans, and a whole lot of dumbassery.)

If you just want a straight-up romance slowburn with these two just somehow being convinced their relationship is platonic (or that the other person wants it to be platonic at least), you'll find little better to scratch that itch than "Perfectly Platonic (Unless...)". It's a little smutty and definitely earns its M rating because of that. If you want mutual pining, there's a ton of that here!

---

The Adventures of Babybug and Kitten Noir by @unecoccinellenoire

When Chat Noir gets turned into a baby all seems lost to Ladybug....or is it?

So despite what the name and the summary makes it sound like, this fic is less about Chat Noir and Ladybug, and more about their parents, with Gabriel and Nathalie discovering that baby!Chat Noir is Adrien, and Tom and Sabine finding out that baby!Ladybug is Marinette. Needless to say, neither group are happy about their discovery.

I loved seeing the parents work things out here. While most ML fics are about Adrien and Marinette driving the plot and ultimately, the resolution (for obvious reasons), in this case, we get to see the adults being reasonable and competent, and doing their best with this new situation they've been thrown into.

---

A Child's Love by jaron5

This takes place post-Hack-San. Ladybug hands Chat Noir a potion she brewed which accidentally turns him into a kid without any of his memories. How is she going to keep an eye on a miniature Chat Noir while trying to keep their secret identities intact? Or the more pressing concern- how will she preserve her sanity when faced with the overwhelming cuteness and innocence that is her now de-aged partner?

I loved this fic, it's adorable and heart-wrenching. Adrien doesn't understand what's going on, but he still enjoys being around Marinette and the rest of his friends, and they just keep on hearing more and more little things that make them increasingly worried about Chat Noir's childhood.

---

The Parable of the Caller by @nemaliwrites

A week after Hawk Moth’s identity has been revealed, Adrien finds himself with nowhere to go, nothing he can do, and worst of all, strange gaps in his memory he can’t explain. In a stroke of luck, he stumbles upon a burner phone filled with voicemails from one of the Saviors of Paris: Chat Noir himself, who disappeared following Hawk Moth’s arrest.

But with each new voicemail Adrien listens to, he’s forced to confront the fact that there might be some kind of connection between himself and Chat Noir — and discovering it might leave him more broken than before.

I absolutely adore this fic, it’s a fantastic character study for Adrien! Basically in this universe, Ladybug and Chat Noir talked about who should be Guardian, with Chat eventually convincing her that he should be the one to take it on, primarily due to the whole “the Guardian gets amnesia about Miraculous-related matters” situation, and wanting to protect Ladybug from that. Then he finds out Gabriel is Hawk Moth, they take him down, and he relinquishes the Miracle Box and his guardianship to Su Han - all without having a Reveal with Ladybug, since well, he’s not in the greatest shape mentally at the time.

It’s a real treat to see Adrien’s thoughts and feelings about one of the Heroes of Paris leaving him all these voicemails, treating him like this close friend for reasons he doesn’t understand, and just seeing Chat Noir as this outside person. He’s got a very different viewpoint on Chat when looking from the outside than he would from the inside, with being able to see his heroic and good qualities far more easily when he doesn’t know that he is Chat.

Also Marinette’s struggling in the background of the fic with the loss of her partner and guilt over sending Adrien’s father to prison. It gets touched on at various points, and you can tell that she’s having her own story off to the side that we’re just not entirely privy to, what with this tale being told entirely from Adrien’s perspective.

---

call it even by @anna-scribbles and @sha-nwa

After a year of dating, there is one thing Marinette knows for certain: it's her and Adrien against the world. Through it all, Adrien is kind, patient, and endlessly understanding—even as she tries her best to keep her secret superhero identity hidden from him along with the rest of the world.

Nothing could ruin it, not even the supervillains of Paris: Hawkmoth and Chat Noir.

(adrinette dating // ladynoir enemies au)

This is one of those fics where Adrien and Marinette are REALLY going through it emotionally, with them starting off with wildly different perceptions of each other when untransformed, and then reckoning with the person they love the most being someone they think of as a villain, with all the betrayal and doubt that involves. Especially with Adrien having been lied to extensively by his father, and not knowing who or what to believe.

---

team is a four letter word by @ladyofthenoodle

Alya didn’t want to come between Ladybug and Chat Noir. But she didn’t want to stop being Rena Rouge either. And if Chat Noir didn’t want to talk to her, then she’d need to find a different way to prove all three of them could be a team. Her plan unintentionally brings a few secrets to light, which leads to even more secrets coming to light, which leads to... well, Alya is sure it'll all work out eventually.

This is a season 4 fic, with a heavy emphasis on repairing the relationships that were damaged, or could have been damaged, during that season. I love how everyone gets to really feel and react, be hurt and then gain understanding, with a happy ending to cap it off!

---

I hope that these satisfy you!

#ask #ml fanfic rec #miraculous ladybug #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng

13 notes · View notes

musicalmoritz · 2 months ago

Note

Do you have any Kousano headcanons?

YAYYYYYY FINALLY A BSD SHIP ASK :D SAPPHIC BSD SPECIFICALLY YES :D

• Okay since BSD isn’t my current hyperfixation this might be tricky BUT I was hyperfixated on it for like half a year not too long ago so I still have loads of info stored up in my brain to be dumped out

• Their first time meeting was when Kouyou was held captive by the Agency during the Guild Arc. They had heard of each other prior to that and being from rival organizations, they went in expecting to be enemies

• Their first impression was a rough one, but there was an underlying thread of chemistry. They matched each other’s banter very well, despite being used to having the final word at their respective organizations. It was a welcomed change

• And they’re both raging lesbians so like…hot lady who is my enemy…many thoughts occur

• It’s very much an enemies AND lovers dynamic, they meet up for secret rendezvous and then fight each other during times of conflict

• The tragic part is that they both like each other, that’s why it’s become an ongoing thing. That’s why they start going on secret dates in disguise, although they both claim to not enjoy it

• In another life they would’ve been soulmates, but their conflicting ideologies and rival positions force them to be enemies (because I like to make things overly romantic, sue me)

• They have a lot of insignificant things in common- favorite desserts, favorite books, etc. Those are important, but they’re also similar personality-wise and with their backstories

• I imagine Yosano dates around a lot and this makes Kouyou insanely jealous. They aren’t official so she technically can’t have a problem with it but it still gets under her skin

• So Yosano’s like “hey if you want to be exclusive just say that, there are no rules to this secret relationship thing” but Kouyou is too stubborn to admit she likes Yosano that much

• Yosano initially takes a very “your trauma is not my business” approach to their differing jobs but as things get more serious she starts to develop a slight savior complex. She goes from being completely unattached to way too attached. She wants to show Kouyou the light the way Ranpo and Fukuzawa did for her

• Speaking of which, there’s only one person who knows about their situationship and that’s Ranpo. He figured it out himself and mentioned it casually to Yosano one day, nearly giving her a heart attack. She knew he would find out eventually but it was very sudden. At least she has someone to vent to when things get especially confusing

• Higuchi and Gin eventually find out too because they catch them at the same lesbian bar

• Pretty soon it becomes an open secret

• I like to imagine there’s a big moment of confrontation between the PM and Kouyou that goes down exactly like the “how long have you been fucking Nate Jacobs?” scene from Euphoria

• Kouyou addresses Yosano as “Doctor” in public and “Akiko” in private

• Kouyou likes to use her mafia money to send Yosano anonymous gifts on a whim. Yosano always knows who they’re from

• Yosano’s favorite physical trait of Kouyou’s is her hair, Kouyou likes Yosano’s sadistic smile

• Speaking of which, Yosano definitely appreciates having a relationship where they get to beat the shit out of each other on occasion. It keeps the spark alive

• But on dates or in settings that are generally more intimate, Yosano is a total gentleman. She def gives all her girls the princess treatment. Kouyou is used to being the one to spoil women so this makes her very flustered

• They had one big fight about Mori and ever since then they made a silent agreement never to bring him up. When things are tense he becomes an elephant in the room

• In traditional “ADA member has a PM-related secret” fashion, Kunikida was the last to find out about their relationship

• This is so completely random but they remind me of Kermit and Miss Piggy. Yosano is Kermit

• Kouyou pretends to be severely injured every time the PM and ADA team up so she has an excuse to see Yosano

• Yosano sends Kouyou pictures of particularly bad crime scenes or injuries at random to jump scare her

• Kouyou likes classical music and Yosano is a metalhead

That’s all I can think of for now, thank you for the ask!!

#kousano #kouyou ozaki #akiko yosano #bsd #bungou stray dogs #headcanons #ship headcanons #ask #ask me anything

9 notes · View notes

marvelmaniac2000 · 2 years ago

Text

The Riddler - (Edward x Reader) 💚 Ch.2

Summary: Edward can’t help seeing you struggle with your day to day life, if only there was a way to make it more tolerable.

Subject: Deep! meaningful fluff, eventually will turn into smuts in upcoming chapters, desperation, submissive kink, savior kink, Being pampered/babied kink, stalking, minor depression, mystery thriller?

MATURE 18+/ MISPELLING GRAMMAR APOLOGIES

Words: 981

Characters: Edward Nashton x Reader (college fem! reader)

(Side notes)

I’ll try to let you guys know when I will post the next chapters. Or at least try to post in advance when it will be out but hopefully maybe there’s a certain day in my schedule I can be consistent If not turn your notifications on for me ig. But anyone who follows I hope you enjoy the readings to come! <3

Ch. 1 2 3 4

____________________________________________________________

Edward sat on the subway train with sweaty palms. It seems so crazy how he could act like a confident prude in front of you, but deep inside when you’re gone, he’s nothing but an anxious mess. He frantically looked around the subway seeing the absent minded people all mind their business. Gotham wasn’t a good city to go catching love or trying to be a good citizen. Edward knew right away that you weren’t from this city, you seemed so delightful but yet so dreary being able to blend in with everyone here all too well.

“Excuse me sir, do you know how to get to Gotham’s courthouse from this stop?” a random man who had a hunched briefcase leaned down toward him. “Uh no not really sorry” he pushed his glasses up and lowered his head.

“Don’t you live here?” he scoffed.

“Yea, but I simply don’t know sir” Edward grew tired of the people around him. All so rude and corrupted. But when he thinks about you he feels all of his pain go away. No one ever made him feel as happy as his lovely girl. Everyday he needs to see you at least once. His little darling girl, his doughy eyed girl. You were so young and vulnerable, but deep inside you knew what you were doing to him. Deep inside him he wanted to fuck you like a whore and own your body. But eventually he would have it. Patience is something he knew all too well…

His office space was something stereotypical from his boring cubicle and office supplies on the table. He noticed an extra pile of work that had been slammed on his desk early this morning. One of his coworkers popped his head up next door to him.

“Hey more work to do today what a fucking asshole” he rolled his eyes. “Yea I know this isn’t nothing we aren’t used to” he replied.

Edward leaned his elbows down and moved his cursor back in and forth from the screen. Mentally he was at work but emotionally he couldn’t stop thinking about you. He opened his work tab and tried to get in his zone. But of course he had to open a second tab to make sure he was stalking your social media account. He never missed a post.

His pants harden looking at your profile pic. This girl he grew so infatuated with was going to be living with him. Every day, every second, every hour, every moment will be spent alone with her. He wants to devour his hands around your soft skin and caress your hair. So perfect and lovely you are…

There’s so much that had to be done, he had to figure out how to clean out his apartment and make room for your stuff. He couldn’t let you see all of the things he’s collected from you and the obsessive things he’s created in his world. It would scare his precious girl off. He couldn’t let you escape. He finally got what he wanted and there was no stopping him.

Edward looked at his phone, and realized you held his phone with your delicate fingers. He now has your number. He now has the power to call and text you whenever he wants to. The truth inside him hurted knowing he already knew your address and contact information already, but it was the only way he could be near you, he loved you dearly. Excitement drew deep inside him, he felt like he was hit with some kind of drug. He was addicted to you, and finally having his lovely girl live with him was all surreal.

After Edward’s meeting with his manager, he scurried down to leave work to come find you waiting for him. Before he entered he watched for a minute unbothered. The way your hips moved around the tables and how effortless you were with other people around. He needed to clean his room fast before he let you in.

He entered the cafe and tried hard not to look at your shirt picturing your soft bouncing breasts.

“So how was your day?” He sat at the counter and handed over a key.

“Oh geez it was.. good” she gave you a naive smile and plopped down on the stool next to you. “How did you manage to make a spare key already?” you furrowed your brows.

“I have my ways” he shrugged and swiveled his stool to make his knees brush yours.

“You should move in whenever you’re ready tho”

You blush a bit red seeing those eyes kiss your soul. “Um thank you E-Edward” you smiled.

“Can I call you Eddie instead? I feel like that fits you more” you blushed.

“Whatever you want, we’re roommates now” he grinned.

“Well not yet but I feel like we made the right choice” you flirted back.

She said we, Eddie’s mind race. Someone needed to pinch him already. He couldn’t wait any longer, he was going to pay you a visit tonight in your bedroom if he had to. He needed to be inside you now, you both were roommates right?

Tags: @miurumacaroons

please! leave any feedback/likes/comments <3 Thanks to anyone who supports us lil fanfic writers. we do it for yall!

#love story #writing #fanfic #the batman #edward nashton #edward naston fanfic #edward nashton x reader #edward naston smut #the riddler #riddler x reader #the riddler smut #riddler fanfic #riddler love story #dc universe #bruce wayne

68 notes · View notes

givemethesleep · 5 months ago

Note

Kay, I read the post about your DnD OC's and I am SO INVESTED! That is one HECK of a traumatic backstory! I guess my biggest question is, what's kind of the endgame in your head for these characters? Because they are SO COOL and SO FULL of potential!

Do you want them to reconcile? To physically fight it out? To become an immovable object and unstoppable force, doomed to constantly butt heads?

Is there any sort of plan for either of them to address their trauma and/or get themselves in a healthier environment? Will Boreal ever find someone who loves him just for him and not for what he can do? Will he ever be able to conquer his constant need for validation? Will Australis ever find someone who isn't afraid of her and cares about her, even past her rude and snappy defense mechanisms?

Or are we going for more of a negative character development angle where they go in increasingly darker paths, with Australis eventually succumbing to her patron or Boreal's savior complex becoming much larger scale?

And please tell me anything else about them too, because holy heck, this is juicy!

I ADORE YOU. THIS IS THE BEST ASK EVER. YOU'RE INCREDIBLE MWAH<333

Answering these questions and more + some random picrews and images I have for them under the cut (when I add the cut tomorrow because idk how to do it from the web browser) <3 And grab some popcorn because this is probably gonna get long AND juicier.

SO as far as their endgames, I'm not entirely sure. I use them in a variety of contexts (D&D with my friends from highschool, Australis is my Tav for BG3, discord rp ect.) So their endings are sort of fluid but.

They don't reconcile. They miss each other terribly. Australis offends Boreal's desperate attempts to be "good" and "pure" in spite of the magic that made him the way that he is. Australis cannot forgive him for driving her into exile and building his reputation by painting her a ghastly villain. Every time they meet, they tear each other apart. More often than not, though, Boreal is the antagonist in these meetings. More on this later!

Australis gets a lot of comfort from her pact, drawing her magic and knowledge from the pool of those that came before her. Even if it's confronting, she grows a better understanding of who she is, and why she is how she is. And that, at least, is a comfort. It doesn't change the fact that a 9 year old child was tortured as she was, it doesn't change the fact that she was forcefully stripped of both her human and elven heritage in exchange for crystal-coated horns and otherworldly blue skin. But she understands it, and understanding is the first step to accepting it. Her patron is careless in how knowledge is accrued, so long as Australis contributes it's happy

I think, be it platonic, familial or romantic, Australis does have the capacity to love and be loved. How this will come about is up for debate - I'm using her in an upcoming campaign with friends, and (when I get the hardware to properly play) she's my Tav in BG3, so she has the companions from that game to play into this idea too. I'm also super keen in mushing my ocs together with friends and mutuals so. if you see this. hit me up if you like fucked up and mildly unnerving undead tieflings that turn into a creature of nightmares and explodes sometimes. She does have a pretty big heart, under that spiky exterior.

But, naturally, her story/ies are unfinished, so whether she finds a proper support system in one of her parties (or even one or more partners) is something that is still to come!

Boreal is the one that has the negative arc, with the help of @waffles5588. And his need for validation and the steps he takes to achieve it aren't specifically combatted. He does chance across an adventurer. An orc, looking for work in the more rural towns to help build his portfolio for bigger jobs. The two hit it off right away, and Boreal tags along on one or two jobs as the local guide and emergency healer should Mal take too much damage. They kind of end up in a sort of fwb bordering on romantic relationship. Mal adores Boreal. He's funny, he's someone who sees Mal as something more than a weapon, and who cares about his safety. He's also illiterate and not particularly bright, so he doesn't really pick up on the fact that most of the incidents in the general vicinity Mal and Boreal are asked to help with were incidents that Boreal himself setup. He's open to the idea of sharing his fame with Mal. It's a sort of intimacy, and he doesn't feel like Mal is a threat to him and his persona.

Though we haven't really gone into specifics, it's probably not going to be a happy ending for a long time, if at all. Boreal has to do some introspection and fix himself, which is going to be an unpleasant experience, but losing Mal due to his conniving nature would probably hurt just as much, if not more. Boreal's kind of dug himself into a lose lose situation that nothing short of a full rehaul of his entire person can fix. Sucks to be him, I guess. (All jokes aside, Boreal has two major forces that would force him to change for the better. One would be Mal threatening to leave or leaving him and ruining his reputation, the other being Helm directly stepping in and stripping Boreal of his divine power. Both of these would destroy him, but it'd be the wakeup call he needs)

That should answer your questions re: arcs, so now for some more fun facts (mostly about Australis she's the girl ever)

- Australis is an undead warlock with the pact of the tome, meaning she has her Book of Shadows to learn spells from, does not need to eat, sleep, or breathe, and can turn herself into her form of dread - with a grotesquely twisted face, distended limbs and cold sharp crystals covering her body. When she hits 0 HP, she explodes into a fine powder littered with small shards of crystal, dealing considerable necrotic damage to those in her vicinity. From the dust, she regenerates with 1 HP and 1 level of exhaustion.

- Australis' pact has had a noticeable impact on her appearance. Her sclera are a very dark blue and her irises a startling pink. Her horns, once barely ridged, are slowly being encased in the same crystals that encase and hold her patron and it's vast knowledge. Her and her brother both had faint purple markings where they had once had normal birthmarks, but Australis' grew and wove elaborate patterns that darkened and pulsated.

- Every time she uses her warlock skill set, it widens her connection to her patron and the souls that make up it. Often, the voices of her patron question her actions and bombard her with alternate actions, sometimes even downright berating her. It's very very overwhelming, and she can't make it stop. Most of the time, after battles or fights where she has to take the lead, she has to shut herself in her tent and just completely shut down and endure it. She'll often emerge exhausted and with bloodied fingers from trying to claw the crystals growing on her horns off. Hence why she may come off a tad cowardly, insisting others try and carry the brunt of a fight.

- To flex his righteousness, Boreal sends Mal and some other mercenaries up the mountain to find Australis, claiming she's a witch spreading misfortune to the communities on the mountainside. Boreal helps as Mal and the crew attack and destroy the crystals in the cavern. Attacking Australis' Archivist and, indirectly, her. It's agonizing for her, her patron screaming at her in its thousands of voices to protect it, her mind and her vision swimming. She can't fight off her brother, the other half of her, and the pain Boreal and his friends are inflicting make focusing a spell nearly impossible. Her patron channels its power through her and drives the mercenaries from the cave injured, and nearly kills Australis a second time. Boreal tells the others that they must have killed the witch, or at least deterred her from attacking the villages again. They are hailed as heroes. Australis is almost fried from the inside out, lying half-dead in her damaged cavern with so many of the souls that made up her patron just... gone.

Besides, Australis had not once attacked the villages.

- Boreal is a bartender at the town he and Australis spent their late teens and early 20s in. People come to him for comfort and support, for healing and advice. That's where his people skills come from, and how his network and influence became what it is. He's a gossip and a busybody, sure, but he uses it to his advantage! The more he knows, the more damage he can cause and then ultimately fix!

Images are from picrew + a photo from BG3

#long post #sleeptalks #sleep answers #oc: boreal #oc: australis #TYSM MWAH MWAH MWAH

11 notes · View notes

heydorothea009 · 7 months ago

Text

Bread on Toast - A Future Man Fanfiction

Josh Futturman and his fellow coworker and best friend, Liv Branson, get roped into saving the world as time traveling saviors with, what were thought to be, video game characters, Wolf and Tiger. Not only are Liv and Josh completely incompetent, but they are also emotionally inept- will this cause the destruction of mankind? Only time will tell.

Warnings: strong language, Liv and Josh try nitrous, Josh does NOT try to bang his mom, sexual innuendos

Chapter 9: Operation: Natal Attraction

As soon as Josh and Liv had turned the corner onto the neighboring street by Kronish’s house they stopped to catch their breath.

“Can I see the bag, Liv?” Josh panted, holding out his hand. Across the street, a lady walking her dog shot the two of them a nasty look. “Have a good day, lady.” Josh called to her. He dug through the bag and paused. He dug through it again. He looked panicked as his face went pale. He knelt on the sidewalk, putting the bag down and rummaged through it again, pulling pieces of lingerie out.

“What’s wrong?” Liv asked.

“…did you drop my clothes?” Josh asked, looking up at her.

“I don’t remember.” She whispered.

“…fuck.”

The plan was to go to Josh’s house and nab the gun that hung on the Futturman family kitchen wall. Josh pulled out a pink robe to try and cover up the lingerie. He contracted many weird looks and comments and they walked to his house. Josh didn’t realize how far his house would be on foot from Kronish’s. They eventually approached a gas station on the corner of a street.

“Can we stop at that 7/11 and try to get this makeup off?” Josh asked.

Josh had Liv come into the family bathroom with him to get the makeup off. She scrubbed his lips and eyes with wet paper towels, giving him an apologetic smile at the sight of his miserable look. It worked well enough. They walked out of the bathroom together, and the teenage boy who worked the counter stared at them.

“It was a dare.” Josh said in an annoyed voice. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

“You and your boyfriend are weird.” The boy said to Liv as they walked out the door. As the sliding door closed behind them, Josh and Liv looked at each other shyly, blushing.

“So…” Josh wrapped the robe tighter around him. “Are we going to address the elephant in the room?” He asked as they continued their trek.

“I guess we have to.” Liv shoved her hands in her back pockets.

“So. We kissed.”

“We did.”

“And you like me.”

“Yes.”

“Can I ask how long you’ve liked me?” Josh asked.

“Since the day I met you.” Liv admitted.

Josh stopped in his tracks. “Really?”

“Why is that so crazy?” Liv asked, giggling slightly at how shocked he seemed by that.

“I remember the day we met very well, and I went home and hoped you didn’t think I was annoying.” Josh laughed. “I went home and told my parents all about you.”

“Yeah, I know, I think your mom brings it up every other time she sees me.” Liv giggled.

“Since the day you met me you’ve liked me?” Josh asked, smiling widely.

“Yeah.” Liv was grinning shyly. “Do…do you…?”

Josh blushed, realizing what she was asking. “Well, I asked to kiss you didn’t I?” He looked back over at her. “I like you, Liv.” Josh admitted out loud. And it wasn’t scary. In fact he was so sure of it.

Liv paused, stopping in her tracks with a wide, goofy grin. Hearing it made her wonder if it was a dream. A dream she’d had before too. Maybe Wolf and Sigorn-E had been right, he wouldn’t be weirded out if he knew. Her body coursed with adrenaline as she continued walking with him. “Really?”

“Do you think if we sneak into my house I’ll get beat up again? Oh wait, you weren’t there for that, never mind.” Josh derailed the conversation.

“Josh!” Liv laughed, hitting him with the bag.

“Sorry, sorry! Just thinking out loud.” He laughed along with her. As they walked and talked, their hands brushed, neither one of them making a move, but neither one of them moving away either.

“…wait, so you’re telling me you never took a date to the Kronish Ball because you were always hoping that I would ask you?” Josh asked in shock.

“I got asked by a couple guys,” Liv confessed.

“Did you turn them all down? Who asked you?” Josh asked.

“Last year both Dr. Smith and Jeremy from HR asked me.” Liv said.

“You turned down Jeremy from HR?!” Josh gasped “Liv, he’s hot! You turned him down because you were hoping I would ask you?!”

“I told them both that I had plans to go with a friend.” She shrugged. “I think most of the lab knows I like you.”

“Liv, I’m so sorry I never asked you.” Josh said.

“We always went together though, right? At least as friends.”

“But I never asked you to go as my date.”

“I was your date for two seconds this time.” Liv gently gave him a shove.

“Oh yeah…sorry for ditching you.” Josh said sheepishly. “…oh my God…that’s why you listened to me every time I talked your ear off about ‘Biotic Wars’.”

“Now you’re getting it.” Liv teased.

“God, you must like me a lot if you let yourself endure that for years.” Josh laughed.

“It’s okay. I like listening to you talk.” Liv said simply, smiling at him. Josh’s stomach fluttered. Liv started snickering.

“What?”

“Sorry, I cannot take you seriously when you’re dressed like that.” She giggled.

Josh rolled his eyes. “Shut up, Liv.” He teased. “You love it.”

“I’ll never say.” She shrugged and pushed his shoulder, almost knocking him off balance.

It was dark by the time they approached his house. Josh checked his phone, 8:33 pm. They still had time. As they walked up to the door they heard loud music and saw colored lights flashing inside. There must have been a party going on inside. Josh looked down at his clothes.

“I can’t go in there looking like this.” He muttered.

Liv pointed up to the window that led to his room, which was cracked open. They climbed through, this time, Josh waiting for Liv to tell him he was good to climb in after her. After helping him off the desk the sat right under the window, they looked around.

“This is my Uncle Barry’s room.” Josh whispered, surveying the room. Josh accidentally backed into a small garbage can, spilling discarded papers. He dropped down to pick everything up. He picked up a job application that read “America Online ‘AOL’ application due by 4pm”.

“What is it?” Liv asked as she saw Josh’s face. He was shaking his head with a look of disappointment.

“Come on Uncle Barry,” he muttered. “Maybe if he applied for this job he wouldn’t be such a sad and lonely douche in 2017.” He showed Liv the paper.

“Damn…” Liv exhaled.

Josh set the paper on the desk and started going through Barry’s drawers. “If I find anything bad in here…” Josh mumbled, digging through Barry’s pants drawer. Liv took that as a sign to find interest in something else. It was strange to see Josh’s room not look like Josh’s room. There were no movie posters, his gaming chair wasn’t there, no evidence of Josh in the room. Josh turned around holding the ugliest pink button down with black and white triangles, a jacket with graffiti style writing all over, and black pants.

“Oh Jesus.” Liv eyed the shirt is disdain.

“Uncle Barry was never known for his style choices.” Josh sighed. After turning around and letting Josh change and helping him shove all the lingerie into the bag and hiding it under Barry’s bed, Liv and Josh snuck out of the room and tried to discreetly join the party. There were college kids everywhere. Liv sent Josh a wide eyed look as they slowly walked down the stairs, trying to remain unnoticed.

“I didn’t take Gabe to be such a party animal?” She muttered in his ear.

“Did you think it was my mom who always throws parties?” Josh asked.

“…it’s not your mom?!”

“There it is.” Josh’s voice dropped to a whisper, quickly pointing to the gun. Liv followed Josh down the stairs and amongst the party goers, heading towards the gun that was apparently mounted on the living room wall in the 80s.

“Gabe! Gabe! Gabe! Gabe!” They both heard chanting. Liv and Josh turned to the kitchen to see Gabe Futturman, on his knees, chugging alcohol being funneled into his mouth. “Futturman!” The crowd of people around him cheered.

“…Dad?” Josh breathed out. Gabe grimaced as he pulled his mouth away from the funnel, victoriously fist pumping the air.

“Yeah!” He began high fiving his friends around him.

“I’m gonna go high five my dad!” Josh whispered excitedly, making his way over.

“Wait-“ Liv hurried after Josh as he walked up to his dad with a big grin on his face.

“Hey!” Josh said as Gabe absentmindedly high fived Josh’s readied hand. “That was…radical.” Josh seemed to be in awe that his dad was actually cool.

“Thanks dude! You can’t spell ‘funnel’ without ‘fun’, am I right?” Yep, that was Gabe Futturman alright.

“Yep, you definitely are Gabe!” Josh laughed, looking at Liv.

“That’s mi nombre! Do I know you guys?” Gabe asked.

“No,” Liv said quickly.

Josh was looking at Gabe like he was a magical creature that he’d just discovered. “No, we’ve never met.”

Gabe studied them. “I dunno, there’s something familiar about you,” he pointed at Josh. “Especially you, you sure we didn’t go to middle school together or something? What’s your name?”

“J-Joosh.” Josh lied. Liv puffed out her cheeks as she tried not to laugh. “Joosh.” He repeated.

“Joosh, your name’s Joosh.” Gabe said, shaking Josh’s hand, saying that as if he almost didn’t believe him.

“Yes. My name is Joosh.” Liv could see the immediate regret in his face.

“And you are?” Gabe turned to Liv.

“Liv.” She said, shaking Gabe’s hand too.

“Wow, you guys rule!” Gabe said excitedly. “We’re gonna go get high.”

“What?” Josh grinned in shock. “You- you don’t get high?”

“That’s right, I stay high.” Gabe grinned. “You guys in?”

“Wow, uh, you know there is nothing I would rather do than stay and party with you but…” he glanced at Liv. “We’ve got somewhere we need to be…”

“Hey man, no worries. My door is always open. This is a Futturman house! That means it’s a,” Gabe did a goofy little dance with his shoulders. “Party house, okay?” He gave Liv and Josh pats on the shoulders. “You can come by anytime!” He walked away to rejoin some friends.

Josh turned his body to watch his dad walk away. “You wanna stay for a bit, don’t you?” Liv said.

“We’ve got time.” He muttered. It was only close to 9. The marina wasn’t too far from Josh’s house. “We’ve got some time, actually!” Josh called out to Gabe. “We would love to stay and party with you.” He turned to Liv. “I mean, if you want to.”

“Sure, why not.” Liv giggled.

“Get over here, new friends.” Gabe waved them over.

“Okay!” Liv followed Josh as he excitedly walked to his dad.

“I like your coat.” Gabe complimented Josh. “What is that, French or something?” He tried reading the writing on the coat.

“He just got it today, actually!” Liv said, sitting on the couch in between Gabe and Josh.

“You guys ever tried nitrous?”

Nitrous made Liv’s brain feel like it turned into a puddle. She bravely was the first to try it, her eyes immediately fluttering as she said, “What is this stuff?” Her voice came out low as she giggled. “Feels like my brain just orgasmed.” Gabe burst out laughing, clapping his hands. Liv saw Josh’s eyes glaze over at her reaction, shifting on the couch.

“My turn! My turn!” Gabe took the mask from her and deeply inhaled. “Joosh, I am your father.” He said in a deep voice.

Liv cackled as Josh let out a flustered laugh. “Ahhh, you are, you really are.”

“Try it Joosh,” Gabe held out the mask.

“It’s crazy Jo- Joosh, you have to try it.” Liv said. Josh looked hesitant at first, glancing between Liv and his dad.

“Uhhhh…you know what? You taught me to ride a bike, I trust you.” Josh grabbed the mask from Gabe’s extended hand.

“Joosh!” Gabe cheered.

“Yeah Joosh!” Liv gave him a teasing grin. Everyone started chanting his fake name. Josh took a deep inhale of nitrous, quickly pulling the mask from his face.

“The Joosh is loose!” Gabe cheered.

Josh’s head rolled back and it hit the couch as he spoke in a deep voice. “My brain melted.” He giggled deeply. Liv giggled and rested her head on his shoulder, leaning back on the couch.

“Shit’s gnarly, right? I made Barry steal it from dentist school.” Gabe said, looking over at a guy who was pulling the tape out of a cassette and laughing, amused by the destruction. Josh bolted upright, making Liv’s head fall off of his shoulder.

“Barry?” He looked nothing like the Uncle Barry they both knew, but he sure acted like him. “He’s in dentist school?”

“Was. Big was.” Gabe looked back over at Barry. “Yeah, he got kicked out for ganking the nitrous.” He pointed to the tank. “You’d have to be crazy to let that kid anywhere near your teeth with a drill.” He looked back at Josh and Liv. “I wouldn’t let him near drywall with a drill.”

“Sometimes Gabe, people get better at things. Maybe give him a little more time and maybe he’ll change.” Josh said. His dad and Barry had always had a rocky relationship and he hoped maybe he could soften it. “People change!” He said. “Big, big changes!”

“I hope not for me! My life is perfect right now. Why would I change a thing?” Gabe scoffed.

“Well, for example…what if you had a child-“

“Ha! A kid?”

Josh’s face fell. “Yeah?”

“I’m this close to getting snipped. Barry’s got a friend in med school who says he’ll do it for free if he can practice on me.” Gabe said. Liv turned her head so Gabe couldn’t see and gave Josh the widest, most panicked eyes.

“Oh! Um! You know what, that- that seems like a decision I shouldn’t influence!” Josh gulped. “I’m sure- I’m sure you’ll make the right choice…uh…”

“So you two,” Gabe propped his elbow up on the back of the couch. “What’s your whole deal? Boyfriend/girlfriend? The rooms upstairs are available for any couples who wanna sneak off.” Gabe elbowed Liv’s arm, winking. Josh and Liv went bright red.

“Oh! We’re-“

“Liv and I- uh-“

They both searched for the right words. They couldn’t call each other friends, that put them back in the friend zone, and they definitely had crossed that zone…but they weren’t really dating either…yet.

“Oh…” Gabe chuckled. “I see, it’s complicated huh?” He reached over Liv and patted Josh’s knee. “Something about Futturman house parties is that they have a way of bringing people together.” He winked at them and stood up, walking back to the kitchen.

“It’s true.” Josh whispered to her. “My parents met at a college party.”

“Hello, cupcakes.” They heard Gabe slowly drawl from behind them. They turned to see two girls walking in and looking around, holding a pan of cupcakes.

“Cupcake?” Liv hit Josh’s arm. “Josh, that’s your mom!” She pointed to the blonde girl with the cupcakes.

Barry was trying to haul the heavy nitrous tank away from them. Josh stood up from the couch to talk to him, Liv followed. “Unc- Barry? Who are those two girls?” Josh asked.

Barry swept his long hair out of his face. “Uhhh,” he held the mask up to his mouth. “I think those are Richie’s friends, Vanessa and Diane. They’re hot.”

“Diane!” Liv and Josh excitedly hit each other.

“Oh my God, tonight is Richie’s birthday, the night of the flaming sombrero! This is the night my parents meet.” Josh nodded in the direction of a man lighting a cigarette, lighter dangerously close to his giant sombrero that hung low on his head.

“Dude,” Barry’s voice was exceptionally low now, having inhaled the nitrous. “Your parents never met? That’s fucked up.”

“You’re fucked up.” Liv deadpanned.

Barry excitedly grabbed Josh’s elbow. “No way dude! I have this same jacket!”

Josh slowly turned to look at his uncle. “Barry. What’s your plan?” He asked like a high school counselor.

Barry giggled, drunk and brain loopy from the nitrous. “I dunno, finish this and then humiliate myself in front of some women?” He glanced at Liv. “Wanna be one of them?”

“Eat shit, Barry.” Liv scowled. Barry had always been a jackass.

“Barry. You need to get that AOL application and apply for that job.” Josh said seriously.

Barry blinked a couple times, shocked. “How’d you know about that?”

“I went through your garbage.” Josh said.

“It’s something he does.” Liv said.

“But there’s no money in that, man.” Barry complained. “I mean, what, it’s like stock options, what am I-? What good is that gonna do for me?”

“Barry, we have to go, but listen to me and listen good. You need to apply for that job, take those options, and get the fuck out before 4.0. Trust me.” Josh brushed past Barry, who looked surprised by what had just happened.

“I’d trust him if I were you.” Liv said, stepping around him to follow Josh. She realized where Josh was headed; to his dad and Vanessa and his mom.

“Hey guys, what’s going on?” He stepped in between his parents, throwing his arms around them. “Okay, so, here’s the sitch, Liv and I’ve gotta head, but we couldn’t help but notice that we really like what we’re seeing here.” He looked between his parents. “Right Liv?”

Liv stood in front of them awkwardly, nodding. “Mhm!” What the fuck was he doing?!

“You are just the most beautiful thing!” He complimented his mom. “You have the smoothest skin I've ever seen. Your skin is like…an angel’s bottom.”

“Oh…thanks!” Diane smiled. Liv stared at him.

“Have you ever been in a moment where time just freezes and everything seems perfect?” Gabe and Diane looked at each other and then back to Josh, who was dreamily looking back between his parents, clearly convincing himself he was creating a romantic scenario for them.

“It’s his first time doing nitrous.” Gabe explained to Diane, who just giggled.

“It is. But! Not the nitrous talking my friends, you two are perfect.” He looked at Liv. “Right Liv?”

Liv wanted to drag Josh away. She couldn’t figure out why Josh was trying to set his parents up with each other. They were bound to end up together anyways. “Yeah.” She crossed her arms.

“What about me?” The other girl with brown hair, Vanessa, asked.

“Yeah, sure, you’re fine.” Josh said dismissively. “But this one,” he looked at Diane. “Gabey, this is the one right here. This is the kind of woman you have to hang on to, and never, ever let go of.” Liv saw Josh’s eyes flick over to her multiple times, making her body feel warm. “The kind of woman that could change your life.” Gabe and Diane shared a moment, looking at each other. “Alright,” Josh unattached himself from them. “We’ve got a boat to catch, Joosh and Liv out!” He called.

Finally. Liv turned on her heel and walked towards the gun on the wall with Josh.

“Wait!” Diane pranced after them, making them turn around. Liv looked slightly annoyed. “I like boats.” She eyed Josh flirtatiously. “Maybe I could change your life.” She grabbed his hand. Josh pulled his hand away, looking horrified. Liv stepped closer to him, pressing her body into Josh.

“That’s not happening.” Liv said sharply.

“No! No! No, no, no! I’m too smart to fall into that old trap,” Josh frantically shook his head at his mom. “You need to come with me young lady.” He sounded like such a dad. He pulled away from Liv to try and drag Diane back over to Gabe.

“Ugh! Chill out, Jesus Christ!” Diane slapped his hand away from her arm.

“Yes, that’s more like it. You’re supposed to think I’m repulsive.” Josh looked over at his dad to see him standing way too close to Vanesssa.

“What, no!” Liv was right next to Josh again, watching together as Vanessa touched Gabe’s forearm. “What have you done?” She looked at Diane, who looked annoyed and confused. She saw her friend talking to Gabe flirtatiously and her face brightened.

“Oh God, they’re adorable! Bet that’s the last we’re gonna see of them tonight.” She tittered.

“Liv, what do I do? I’m Back to the Future-ing myself.” Josh panicked.

Liv pursed her lips. “Okay, talk to your d- Gabe, I’ll talk to the girls.”

“Okay.” Josh nodded, sounding nervous. Liv dragged Diane over to Vanessa and Gabe. “Hey Gabe, can I steal you for a sec? Okay, awesome.” Josh pulled his dad away and Gabe looked confused. Vanessa and Diane eyed Liv as she stood in between them.

“What’s the deal?” Vanessa asked. “I was talking to him.”

“Hello ladies.” She said awkwardly.

“Who’s he?” Vanessa asked.

“Gabe?”

“No, your boyfriend.”

“Not my boyfriend.”

“Oh! Perfect!” Diane leaned against the table. Liv looked up at her with concerned eyes.

Liv looked between them uncomfortably. “Gabe sure is cool though, right?” She said in a high, uncomfortable voice. They weren’t here to talk about Josh, she was there to fix the fact that Josh might not exist if Gabe talked to the wrong girl.

Diane looked over at Gabe and giggled. “Oh, I dunno, he’s pretty cute too.” She blushed. Yes! Okay, this was working!

Vanessa linked her arm through Liv’s and spoke to Diane. “You can have him if I can have, what’s his name? Joosh?” Liv’s eyes widened and jealousy brewed inside of her. She slowly turned her head to look at her. Vanessa saw Liv’s face and lightly hit her shoulder, giggling up a storm with Diane. Liv loved Diane Futturman, saw her as a second mother, but college Diane and her friend Vanessa were annoying as hell.

“What? Do you want him?” Diane linked her arm through Liv’s other arm. She’d never felt so trapped and uncomfortable in a non-threatening situation.

“Oh my God! She does!” Vanessa tittered. “What’s your name?”

“Liv.” She said uncomfortably.

“Liv,” Vanessa gave Liv a small hip bump. “Well, you better go and get that boy or I might steal him from you!” Diane and Vanessa dissolved into giggles. “He’s so cute and mysterious, I’ve never seen him around here before.” She lowered her voice and said in Liv’s ear, “So, if you dont fuck him, I will-“

“Okay!” Liv said loudly, breaking away from the two girls. “Lovely chat! I think that’s enough Vanessa-“ she said to Vanessa.

“Vanessa? Oh!” She giggled and pointed to Diane. “She’s Vanessa, I’m Diane!”

“Yeah, I’m Vanessa!” They giggled. “This happens all the time, we’re so close that people always get us mixed up.”

Liv’s brain shutdown. Diane. Vanessa was Diane. SHE JUST TOLD ME SHE WANTS TO FUCK HER SON?!?!?! Liv’s brain shrieked. “Oh!” Her voice came out strangled. “Um! Be right back.” She spun around and marched towards Josh and Gabe.

Meanwhile, in the time Liv was chatting up the girls, Josh had pulled Gabe over by the couch. “I was kinda in the middle of a thing, Joosh-“

“That’s okay, just one quick moment of your time.” Josh placed a hand on Gabe’s shoulder. “I know we just met and this might seem a bit weird to you, but trust me I’m really, really good with these kinds of things. Liv and I are like, we share a brain, okay? We were just talking with her,” he pointed to his mom, or who he thought was his mom. “And we think that you two would be just a dream together. Absolutely perfect, okay?”

Gabe shook his head and gave a lopsided grin as he glanced over at “Diane”.

“I don’t know if it’s just your energies, or your vibes, or something, but it’s, like, a romance written in the stars!”

“You think so?” Gabe blushed as he looked at “Diane”. “She is really pretty…”

“Yes! And! She totally seems into you too!” Josh said excitedly. “Trust me Gabe, the way you two looked at each other, the earth stopped spinning for a moment.”

“Well, it’ll also stop spinning when I’m finger blasting her in the laundry room-“

“Oh my God, dad! No!” Josh was horrified.

“Doing the big one in the-“ Gabe just kept going.

“No! Just stop! You went from stars to the fucking gutter. She’s a lady, you’ve gotta treat her like one.” Josh patted his dad’s shoulder.

“…did you call me ‘dad’?” Gabe finally realized.

“No. I didn’t.” Josh shook his head. Liv came marching over and grabbed Josh’s arm, pulling him away roughly.

“Yeah! Woo!” Vanessa and Diane were cheering. “Get him!”

“Hey, rooms are free upstairs!” Gabe teasingly called after them as Liv dragged him all the way to the corner of the living room.

“Liv, what-“

“That’s not your mom.” Liv said. “The blonde? Not your mom, she is.” She pointed to the real Diane.

Josh’s eyes were so wide Liv thought they might fall out of his head. “What?! How do you know?”

“She told me that she’s Diane after I called her Vanessa.” Liv huffed. “What time is it?”

Josh looked at his phone. 9:17. They still had time. “Okay, uh, uh, what do we do? Am- am I disappearing? Is my existence stopping?” Josh was panicking.

“Josh, you’re fine. Calm down.” She hissed. She turned around to see Gabe had both Diane and Vanessa draped over him. “Talk to your dad again.”

“And what? Tell him I changed my mind and he and other girl would be better together?” Josh asked anxiously.

“Sure, I don’t care, just get him to talk to her. And she’s Diane, not ‘other girl’.”

Josh sighed. “You have to tell him with me.”

“Fine. I don’t want to talk to your mom and your friend again.” She shuddered.

“What? What happened?” Josh asked, looking concerned.

“Nothing. It was just weird.” She didn’t feel like telling him his mom thought he was attractive. It truly was the plot of Back to the Future. “Hey Gabe!” Liv waved him over. Gabe looked more annoyed this time and pulled away from the two girls. He sauntered over.

“What?” He asked, trying to hide the fact he was severely annoyed with them right now.

“Hey, so, Diane, she’s pretty…cool?” Josh started awkwardly.

“What is it this time?” Gabe folded his arms.

“So here’s the thing,” Liv jumped in. “We got her confused with Vanessa-“

“Yeah, earlier when I told you Liv and I shared a brain, we both were thinking of Diane, but we thought Vanessa was Diane.” They both laughed awkwardly.

“…huh?”

“You should go get with Diane.” Liv stated plainly.

“But, Van-“

“Yeah, she’s cool, but she was telling me about some other guy and…” Liv shrugged and made a “you know what I mean” face. “Diane, is really sweet. And funny. And she makes an amazing seven layer bean dip.”

“She does!” Josh chimed in.

“Well…I do like bean dip.” Gabe considered. “Listen, I appreciate the matchmaker thing you two have going on, but I am going to head back over and talk to the two pretty ladies and decide for myself.” Gabe gave them a sly grin. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll end up with both in my bed tonight?”

“Oh…God…” Josh shuddered as his dad walked back over to Diane and Vanessa.

“Well…we tried.”

“Liv, I might stop existing.”

“Eh, maybe you’ll just have a different mom in the future.” She lightly hit his chest with the back of her hand. “Do you wanna leave right now, or, do you wanna stay? Or?”

Josh looked around and sighed. “Can we stick around to see if my parents hit it off at least?”

“Yeah,” Liv nodded. She knew now he was stressed. “You sure you don’t trust nature to just take its course?”

“I think I might have accidentally fucked everything up.”

“That’s what happens when you meddle, Futturman.” She teased, tugging his shirt collar. Josh immediately flushed a dark red.

“You wanna do nitrous again?”

“Um, you know what, I think I’m okay. Let’s stay for 25 more minutes.” Josh saw Liv’s eyes wander over to the table with alcohol on it. “And let’s not drink. We need to be able to walk.”

Liv playfully rolled her eyes, grabbing his hands and leading him back over to the couch they were sitting on earlier. As they sat down, Barry plopped next to them. Great.

“Liv?” He asked, clearly very drunk. “That’s your name right? I heard you tell Vanessa and Diane. Do you wanna…go upstairs with me?” He insinuated.

Liv felt Josh tense next to her. “No Barry, I don’t want to go upstairs with you. Like at all.” She felt Josh’s arm slide around her shoulders, pulling her against his side.

Barry let out a noisy sigh. “No one ever does.” He groaned.

“Maybe that’s ‘cause you’re an asshole, Barry.” Josh said as Barry stood up and sauntered away. Liv turned to look at Josh.

“Oh God, you’re jealous.” She teased, poking him in the side playfully. Josh never moved his arm, it stayed lazily wrapped around her shoulders.

“Oh you mean like you were when Vanessa tried to flirt with me earlier?” He teased back.

“I thought she was your mom!” Liv giggled defensively.

“You pressed yourself against me.” Josh laughed.

“Yeah? Well you liked it.” She said, flirtatiously. Her heart and her stomach fluttered as she openly flirted with him.

“Oh, you mean like you liking the sight of me in lingerie?” He smirked as he leaned back on the couch. The sexual tension between them was thickening like it had back in Kronish’s bedroom, only this time, they were openly flirting and teasing each other. Oh, they wanted each other so badly. The music loudly played over the stereo as they talked, playing “Can’t Fight This Feeling” by REO Speedwagon.

“Hm,” Liv pretended to think about it. “Well, I guess you looked okay.” Josh had a dorky, “I knew it” smirk on his face. “But you were jealous.” She said in a singsong voice.

“Maybe I was.” Josh said in the same tone, looking smug. “Maybe I was jealous because all the guys at this party have been checking you out.”

“Have they?”

“Oh yeah,” Josh rolled his eyes. He really was jealous.

“Awww, poor Joshy.” She fake pouted and tapped his nose. “It sucks when your best friend is so beautiful.”

“You're not just my best friend.” He said in a low voice. Their faces were inches apart again. Liv was practically in Josh’s lap.

“Then what are we?” Liv whispered.

“I dunno, we’ve definitely overstepped the friendship line, but I don’t know when is too soon to ask you out, so I guess we’re kinda just in this awkward-“

“Shut up, Josh.” Liv breathed out as her lips crashed into his desperately. Josh’s lips excitedly reciprocated the kiss just as desperately as hers, like he was dying of thirst and she was water. Liv melted. No one had ever kissed her with this kind of passion, this kind of desperation, it was magical. He pulled Liv all the way into his lap as they couldn’t get enough of each other. No one else at the party paid any mind to them, as there were several other couples scattered along the house doing the same. Well, no one minded except for Gabe.

“Yes! Go Joosh!” He cheered as the song kept loudly playing, becoming the soundtrack to their first actual kiss. Josh and Liv didn’t break away, instead they both grinned into the kiss, Liv bringing her hands up to Josh’s jaw and trying to pull him in closer, if that were even possible. Josh’s tongue snuck into her mouth, and Liv melted in his lap again. His hands were rubbing up and down her back, Liv’s thumbs lightly rubbed the stubble on his jaw. Josh pulled away slightly to catch his breath, lips still brushing.

“Have I ever told you I love this song?” He grinned even wider.

“You’re stupid.” Liv grabbed him by the shirt collar and smashed their lips together again. Josh’s hand ran up her back to the nape of her neck, pulling away slightly.

“You know, the rooms upstairs are available.” Josh whispered.

Josh kicked open the door to what would one day be his parents room, but was currently his dad’s. It was dark and no one was in there.

“What time is it?” Liv asked, face flushed.

“We’ve got time.” Josh assured her and gave her a quick kiss. “I promise.”

“15 minutes.” Liv said to him as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

“15 minutes.” Josh repeated, a dopey smile crossing his lips. “16?”

“Shut up,” Liv gave him a deep kiss. “We’ve got places to be.”

“I never wanna stop kissing you, Liv.”

Kiss.

“You’re gonna distract me, Josh.”

Kiss.

“God, Tiger’s gonna kill me.”

Kiss. Kiss. Kiss. Liv giggled into Josh’s mouth as he pulled her with him to the bed and she got in his lap again. Josh gave her soft kisses all over her face, Liv scrunched her nose. Josh chuckled at her face as he planted a soft kiss on her lips.

“Is this happening for real?” She asked, practically glowing in the moonlight shining through the window.

“I should be asking the same thing.” Josh looked up at her with those hazel puppy dog eyes. God. “Hachi machi…”

She made a face. “Please don’t say that ever again.” Liv giggled as he kissed her again lightly, lips traveling over her cheek and down her neck. It was another moment where Biotics weren’t a concern and the weight of the world wasn’t on their shoulders. It was just Liv and Josh together, falling in love. Finally. The feeling of Josh’s lips kissing down her neck was addicting, and she never wanted the moment to end. She balled his jacket in her fists as she let out flustered giggles. She could feel Josh grin as he searched with his lips for any spot on her neck that would make her react the way he wanted her to. His hands slid over her hips, pulling her closer to him.

“Josh?” Liv giggled.

“Hm?”

“Why do you have a fucking lightsaber in your pants?”

Josh pulled back in shock, blushing and laughing. “Oh, uh, sorry…”

“No, it’s okay, it’s just,” she glanced down. “Holy shit?!”

Josh looked down too. “Jesus Christ!” He was in just as much shock. “Way to go Wolf!” Josh hadn’t been lying when he said that this dick was huge.

“You’ll have to show me that sometime.” She whispered slyly in his ear, playing with the collar of his shirt. Josh looked at her with the most shocked and horny look.

“Really…?”

“Yeah…” Liv slowly and sensually kissed him again, tangling her hands into his hair. Josh let out a small moan against her lips. Liv faltered. “Jesus…” she mumbled, grinning against his lips. Josh let his fingers shyly graze up under the back of her shirt.

The door opened, making Liv and Josh look over Liv’s shoulder and freeze. Gabe and Diane’s flirty giggles stopped as they realized the room was occupied.

“Oh! Joosh, Liv! Didn’t realize you were in here.” Gabe said, arm wrapped around Diane’s waist.

“Oh!” Liv scrambled off of Josh’s lap. “Uh, that’s okay, we were just leaving.” She pulled Josh to his feet.

“Diane and I were just…we were coming up here to clean the cupcake off of her.” Gabe stammered, pointing to the frosting mess that decorated her shirt. Yeah, okay, “cleaning”.

“Cupcake…” Josh mumbled under his breath.

“Oh…okay!” Liv said, awkwardly standing in front of Josh, hiding the obvious sign in Josh’s pants that they’d been doing nefarious activities.

“We’ve gotta leave for real this time, it was really nice to meet you Gabe.” Josh said, nudging Liv to head towards the door.

“Likewise,” Gabe said, grinning.

“Oh, well, hopefully we’ll see you guys again, Joosh and Liv.” Diane said as they awkwardly shuffled past them as they exited.

“Oh…you will…” Liv gave Diane a small smile. “I’m pretty sure we will.”

Gabe slapped Josh on the back as he walked past, holding his fist out for a fist bump. “Nice score, Joosh.” Josh awkwardly fist bumped his dad.

“Thanks…bye…” he nudged Liv down the stairs. “I can’t believe my parents just caught us…making out…” he said in disbelief. “And I think my dad just encouraged it.”

“So, your parents are okay!” Liv said excitedly.

“Yeah,” Josh let out a relieved sigh. “They’re okay. I’m okay.”

Liv held out her hand to stop him. “Gun.” She reminded him, staring at it on the wall. “You get it. I’m against guns.”

Josh looked at her and then at the gun. “And I’m not?!”

“If you get it I’ll give you a kiss.”

Josh let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t believe the chokehold you have on me right now.” He muttered. Josh moved from point A (his spot next to Liv) to point B (the mounted gun) as if he were trying to be a ninja. As Liv looked around the room, everyone seemed too drunk and high to notice or care. Josh removed it from its mount and clutched it like it was loaded and ready to fire at any moment.

As Liv casually walked out the front door, Josh sidestepped like a crab with his back against the wall all the way to the exit. “Really?” She asked, unimpressed.

“So, do I get that kiss now, or…?”

“Not while you’re holding that gun!”

“What?!”

“Put it on the ground and I’ll kiss you.”

Josh put the gun gently on the ground and looked at her excitedly. It was adorable how much he wanted to kiss her. Liv grabbed his face and gave him a big, giant kiss on the lips.

“Is this our thing now?” She giggled, pulling away to see Josh’s dopey lovesick grin.

“I think it might be, and you know who’s gonna be pissed? Tiger.” Josh said, making both of them double over laughing.

Corey Hart’s hit song “Sunglasss At Night” was all Tiger could hear. Tiger’s night had not gone down as well as Josh and Liv’s had. In fact she was trapped in Corey Hart’s dressing room inside of a giant pair of sunglasses (thanks to Wolf). She’d followed Wolf backstage after he dropped the bomb on her that he was quitting (she had to recruit some 15 year old Corey Hart fans to help her). Nothing made him want to come back. Not even Liv. She pounded against the front of it enough times she’d felt it start to loosen and open.

“I’m not dying in this fucking sunglasses hut.” She threw all of her body weight against it, almost spilling to the ground as it swung open.

Wolf exited the venue to the back where he’d left his car. He’d never returned it like Tiger, Josh, and Liv wanted him to. It was his. He leaned in through the open window of the driver's seat and grabbed the TTD, ready to destroy it. He loved it in the 80s and wanted to stay, he’d never felt so loved and wanted. Except when he was with Liv and the Futturmans. But he belonged in this era, he knew it. He held it up, ready to smash it against the hood of the car.

“No!” Tiger gave a guttural scream as she tackled Wolf to the ground. The TTD slid under the car.

“Don’t try and stop me!” He yelled, swinging a punch and nailing Tiger in the face.

“Are you trying to strand us here?” She picked up a stanchion and swung it at him. He jumped back and she hit the car instead.

“No, not the car!” He wailed as Tiger repeatedly hit it, breaking off a mirror. “Part of you wants to stay here, I know it! Why else would you take a DNA test?”

“That was a mistake!” She screamed, trying to bash both Wolf and the car as he repeatedly dodged her attempts. He picked up the bumper, which had fallen off in Tiger’s battery of the car. Their metal weapons clanged as they struck at each other. Tiger shoved him back with a heavy grunt. Wolf hit the car as he wound up to strike again, pushing the hood open with the bumper on accident. The tied up man from earlier was still in the trunk and seized the opportunity to make a run for it, going unnoticed by Tiger and Wolf. Tiger managed to hit Wolf in the face with the round base of the stanchion, making him drop the bumper as he reached for his nose in pain. He retaliated by kicking her in the stomach, sending her flying back over the car.

Tiger pulled the katana from her belt, thwipping Wolf several times across the face. He fell onto the hood of the car, leaving a trail of blood over the windshield as Tiger grabbed him, pulling him off and shoving him against a dumpster. He looked up at her, blood trails pouring down his face.

“I’m doing this for both of us.” He panted. Grabbing a brick, he readied his arm in the direction of the TTD.

“Wolf, you stupid motherfucker!” Tiger yelled, punching him and wrestling the brick from his hand. “Stand down!”

She threw him through the passenger window of the car. Grabbing a skateboard from the back, Wolf jabbed Tiger in the ribs, sliding out of the car, broken glass falling from his arms. Tiger landed one last blow to Wolf’s face as he tried to retreat back inside the car, but Tiger kicked him, sending him and the driver’s side door flying across the asphalt. Wolf laid on the door, head spinning. Tiger violently grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him up, landing several blows to his face before letting out a war cry, swinging him over her head and slamming him down to the hood of the car.

Wolf’s face was covered in blood, dripping down his back and seeping into his shirt. Tiger looked at him sadly as she limped around him as his chest heaved.

“Don’t make me keep doing this to you.” She begged.

“I don’t have any fight left in me, Tiger.” She could hear the fatigue in his gravelly voice. “But I got a taste of freedom and there’s no coming back from that.” He shook his head, tears falling from his eyes and mixing with the blood. “I’m done.” He sounded so defeated.

Tiger looked down at him. She quickly shook her head. “You can’t be done, Wolf.”

“I’m not Wolf anymore. You know what my name is.” He said, lifting his head slightly as he could hear the crowd loudly chanting “Corey! Corey! Corey!”

Tiger felt a lump form in her throat as she watched Wolf listen to the crowd cheering for Corey Hart. She didn’t want to lose him.

“You’re going to have to kill me.” He mumbled. Tiger closed her eyes to stop the tears. “Punishment for desertion is death.” He laid his arms straight out of either side of him, prepared for Tiger to plunge her katana in his chest. “Do it.” If he couldn’t live a life where he’d be happy, he didn’t want to live at all. Tiger reached for her knife, chest heaving as she felt tears stream down her face.

Elias Kronish’s heart stopped when he heard a gun cock behind his head. He dropped the full garbage sack he’d been holding out of fear.

“Come with me if you want to live. Truly live.” A voice that sounded like it was trying to be intimidating said. Kronish raised his hands.

“Look, I just-“

“Get in your car.” A woman’s voice said. “Now.”

Kronish fumbled with his car keys in his pocket as his hands began to sweat and his brain was in fight or flight mode.

“Okay, okay, I have my keys.”

“Get in and take us to the marina.” The man’s not so intimidating voice said.

“I-“ Kronish paused. “The marina?”

“The marina.” The two people said at the same time. Kronish inched over to his car, unlocking it and shakily getting in the front seat. He heard the two back doors open as his kidnappers got in.

“The prostitute?!” He cried, whipping around after seeing the man’s face in the rear view mirror.

“We don’t have time to talk about this! You’ve got to get to the marina before midnight!”

Kronish looked over at the woman. “You’re the gay porn girl!” He was shocked.

“Yeah, yes, I’m the prostitute and she’s the gay porn girl.” The gun was pointed at him again. “Drive.”

As Kronish drove, Liv felt the exceeding guilt weigh on her. Josh’s hands were trembling as he kept the gun pointed at Kronish as he shakily took every turn. When they pulled up to the marina, Kronish quickly got out of the car and Josh followed, gun still pointed at him.

“Okay, we’re here!” Kronish held his hands up defensively as Josh followed him so closely with it. “Now will you tell me who the hell you crazy people are and why you are so violently supportive of my…” Kronish whispered as he said, “…homosexual lifestyle?”

“Dr. K, you know what? We really, really tried this whole freewill thing, but it’s not as easy as it seems.” Josh said, nervously shifting back and forth, gun still raised. “So, here we are.”

“You have to get on that boat.” Liv demanded.

“How do you even know about the boat?” Kronish narrowed his eyes at her. “That was a secret plan.”

“We know everything about your secret plan. Seychelles, the conch fritters,” Josh said, making Kronish’s eyes widen. That must have been things 2017 Kronish had told Josh back in the lab. “Trust us. Your life is going to be much happier if you do that and don’t stay here with your wife.”

“You’re telling me to throw my life away.” Kronish pointed toward the boats.

“No, we’re asking you to change your life for the better.” Liv said.

“What do you know? Do you have any idea what it’s like to be a gay black man in this world?”

Josh shot a glance at Liv as he lowered the gun. “Obviously, we don’t.” He said. “Howerever-“

“Getting on that boat…I’m not just throwing my life away, I’m throwing away my career, my social life, the church-“

“Listen! Okay? The world is going to get much better for gay people!” Liv yelled.

“…sort of.” Josh added. “In some states.”

“You’ll wanna stick to the coasts- but! You have a boat! So that’s perfect!” Liv said positively.

“What do you know?” Kronish shouted. “You’re just crazy kidnappers with a gun! Help!” He cried.

Josh panicked as Kronish screamed, looking to Liv, who pried the gun from Josh’s hands and chucked it into the water. Kronish looked stunned.

“We’re not crazy!” Liv cried.

Josh squeezed his eyes shut as he blurted out, “We’re from the future.” Kronish stared at them for a moment. Then he tackled Josh to the ground.

“Josh!” Liv shrieked, jumping back. Kronish wrestled Josh into a headlock. “Dr. Kronish! Dr. Kronish! We can prove it to you!” She begged, grabbing at his arms.

“He can prove it to the sandman,” Kronish said through gritted teeth. “You’re next.” He tried to push her away while still holding Josh in the headlock.

“Show him the picture you took with him, Josh!”

Josh fumbled with his phone in his pocket, dropping it to the ground as his vision went blurry. Liv dropped to her knees, picking it up and hurriedly pulling up the photos of Josh and Kronish, the blurry one, the normal one, and the silly one.

“Look! Look! That’s you and him!” Liv frantically held out the phone. A look of familiarity crossed Kronish’s face as he saw his older self. He dropped Josh to the ground, who gasped for air and rubbed his neck. Kronish reached out and grabbed Josh’s phone from her hands in shock and confusion. Liv helped Josh up, grabbing his face and making sure he was okay. He looked like he was clinging onto consciousness for dear life.

“What- what is this?” Kronish breathed out. Clinging to Liv, Josh turned and touched his phone, zooming in on the picture hanging up behind them in the photo.

“You see that?” It was a picture of the boat Leslie had gotten Kronish. “It’s that…” he pointed to the exact boat behind him. Kronish looked, eyes filled with a million emotions, fear, curiosity, confusion, excitement, all at once.

“That photo is hanging on the wall of your office in 2017.” Liv explained as Josh continued to cling to her like a koala. “We know that because we work for you.”

“We have come a very long way to try and save you.” Josh reached for his throat as he let himself take a deep breath, leaning his head against Liv’s. Kronish looked up at them and shook his head and blinked a few times, as though he were trying to wake up from a dream.

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“So you’re telling me you two have been back and forth through time, courting death just to avoid killing me?” The three of them sat on a bench, explaining everything to Kronish. Everything.

Josh slowly nodded. “Yeah. Which is why you have to get on that boat.”

“If you don’t…our colleagues will shoot you as a baby.” Liv said, bracing herself for Kronish’s reaction.

“So, my big breakthrough was possum semen?” Kronish asked. Josh and Liv were not expecting that to be his first follow up question. “Really?”

Josh shrugged. “Yeah, it’s crazy. Look, we have broken every rule of time travel by telling you this, so, please, please get on that boat.”

Kronish looked at them with a soft expression. “You’ve sacrificed so much to be here,” he smiled as he stood from the bench. “The least I could do is sail away with the love of my life and be happy forever.” He stuck out a hand to shake Josh’s hand.

Josh excitedly jumped to his feet. “Oh wow, yes! Thank you!”

He turned to Liv and shook her hand too. “For the record, I don’t film gay porn and he’s not a prostitute.” She said, making Kronish chuckle.

“I figured.” He looked at both of them. “Set sail.” He said, winking at them, remembering Josh’s advice from earlier. He approached the entrance. “Oh, Marigold still thinks I’m taking out the trash-“

“Don’t worry, we’ve got it covered.” Josh assured him. “Bon voyage Dr. K.” He sounded slightly sad.

“Safe travels.” Liv gave him a small wave. They both would miss Kronish dearly.

“Goodbye Josh, goodbye Liv.” He gave them one last smile before hyping himself up to walk through the entrance. Josh and Liv both watched with bated breath as Kronish made his way down the dock and to the boat with the title “S.S. Second Coming”. Leslie stepped off the boat as soon as he saw Kronish.

Josh leaned his head against Liv’s. “Bon voyage.” He whispered as they watched Leslie and Kronish embrace, sinking down to the dock, happiness radiating from them. Liv tightly hugged Josh as happy tears fell from her eyes.

“We did it.” She said quietly.

Josh looked at her and grinned widely. “We did. I’ve never been so relieved.” He planted a light peck on her lips. Liv stiffened as she looked at the headlights approaching behind Josh. He turned his head to look. Correction: headlight. It was Wolf’s Pontiac and it was badly beaten up. The driver’s side door was gone and only Tiger sat in the car, badly bruised with dried blood crusted under her nose. Liv untangled herself from Josh.

“What happened? Where’s Wolf?” Josh’s eyes grew concerned as he bent down to look inside the car.

“He’s gone.” Tiger said.

“Gone.” Liv repeated, eyes welling up again. “What- what do you mean?”

“He’s just- he’s gone.” Tiger stated, looking at the ground. “Don’t ask again.”

“Holy shit.” Josh muttered, looking at Liv, who was holding back tears. He looked back to Tiger, reaching out to comfort her. “Are you okay?”

She flinched away and stared down at the steering wheel. “Did you get Kronish on the boat?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I think we finally did it this time.” Josh solemnly nodded.

“Good. Now let’s go, I fuckin’ hate the 80s.” Tiger said quietly. Liv sat on Josh’s lap in the passenger seat as Tiger drove them back to the lot for sale that would have been the location for Kronish Labs. The ride was mournfully quiet. Liv silently cried as Josh rubbed her back, trying to comfort her. Wolf was gone and her heart ached. Josh caught Tiger eyeing them over and over again. She parked the car in the lot and they all quietly got out of the car and Tiger tapped away on the TTD.

“Okay, Kronish Labs was built in 1992. If my plan worked and we jump back to 2017 it won’t be there.” Josh said.

“Tell me this will all be worth it.” Tiger sighed as the TTD began to whir, firing up.

“Oh shit,” Josh looked over at Liv as he placed a hand on both her and Tiger’s shoulders. “We forgot to tell Marigold- ah whatever.” In a flash of lighting they were gone.

After a less painful time traveling trip, they landed back in 2017 to an empty lot. “Oh my God…” Josh gasped. “We did it!” He turned his head to look at Tiger and Liv. “It worked!” Liv pulled him into a hug, burying her face in his shoulder as they both laughed, relieved.

“Okay, body part check…” Liv pulled away and started patting herself down. “…I think I’m good.”

“Me too…” Josh said, doing the same. “Tiger?” Josh looked at Tiger who was staring up at something, completely horrified. Josh’s face fell. “Tiger?”

Liv's head snapped up, hearing the concern in Josh’s voice. Josh was slowly turning around, face turning white. Liv looked over her shoulder and shock coursed through her veins. A tall and menacing black building loomed over them, The Kronish Labs logo right in the middle.

#josh futturman #future man #josh hutcherson #tiger future man #wolf future man #derek wilson #eliza coupe #maia mitchell #bread on toast #hachi machi #future man fanfiction #Josh Futturman x OC #jhutch

8 notes · View notes

only-lonely-stars · 6 months ago

Text

Hair As Gold As Straw (Chapter 8 - Eyes Being Opened)

[Prologue] // [Chapter 7 of 9] // [Chapter 8 of 9 - you are here!] // [Chapter 9 of 9] // [Epilogue] – (FFN) (AO3)

Part of the @ninjago-fairy-tale-au!

Summary:

Once upon a time, Princess Vania of Shintaro lived in an ivory castle in an ivory city. Her father, King Vangelis, kept her safe in her tower, where no one could hurt her and she could not hurt herself... until the day when she ran away. A Colania Snow White retelling.

Chapter summary:

Something strange is afoot, and Princess Vania misses her own welcoming banquet.

In the evening, Cole and the Upply met each other, that they might attend the king's feast. Like the princess, they had prepared themselves, dressed in their finest attire. Fungus wore his best robes (freshly laundered thanks to the castle staff), Plundar a fine silk shirt courtesy of a royal guard, and Korgran wore a simple shirt and pants. Cole, too, felt like a new man after having rested; he wore a suit one might call "princely," made of the finest royal silk, given to him as a gift from the king. Despite the strangeness of wearing such clothing, it was not unwelcome. He wondered what his mother would think of him, and how proud his father would be.

When the four men arrived at the feast, they were amazed at the decadence. Hundreds of Shintarans were assembled in a great room, in which several tables were piled high with the finest foods. They wore the finest clothing the adventurers had ever seen, laughing and socializing like friends with everyone. At the head of the room was King Vangelis, seated in a throne-like chair and being attended by several people. To his right laid four empty seats in the place of honor. To his left laid one, obviously belonging to the princess, who was once again absent.

The four adventurers approached the king and took their places. He turned to them and smiled.

"Ah, my good men. I am glad you have found your way. The feast is about to begin."

"Where is Princess Vania, your Majesty?" Fungus asked. "We have not seen her since this morning."

"I am sure she is still preparing herself," the king assured.

"It ain't like her to be so slow," Plundar said.

"Yes. Korgran wants to see her," the barbarian added.

"You will," Vangelis said pacifyingly. "For now, we may begin; I am sure her entrance will come later. This has happened before, as I'm sure you remember from this morning." He tapped his crystal wine goblet with a fork and it rang like a bell. At the sound, every mingling Shintaran took a seat, and the king stood to address them.

"Loyal men and women of Shintaro, tonight we honor four brave men for their service to our kingdom. Together, these four have rescued Princess Vania from the depths of the mountain!" The crowd cheered, and after a moment the king held up his hand to silence them. "One of them in particular has undertaken hardship to rescue our beloved princess, my daughter." He turned to Cole. "Stand, Sir Cole."

Cole stood, and the assembly cheered for him.

"You have done us a great and honorable service. May the future smile upon you," he said charmingly.

"Thank you, your Majesty. Your praise is humbling." Cole bowed.

"As is your service." The king waved his hand over the whole assembly. "Tonight, we feast in honor of the princess and her savior!" With that, he sat down, and Cole did the same.

The entire assembly began the feast, and for a little while it proceeded as one would expect, with raucous laughter and conversation filling the room. Cole checked the doors to the hall frequently, but Vania never passed through them. The Upply likewise checked, but each of them seemed too interested in their food to be as concerned as he. Eventually, Cole decided to ask the king again about her whereabouts.

"Your Highness, Princess Vania is still not here. Has something happened to her?"

The king nodded, suddenly seemingly upset. "I'm afraid so. She is ill tonight; it came on suddenly this afternoon. She will be unable to join us."

"When did you find out about this?" Cole asked, suspicious.

"One of my staff came to tell me just a few minutes ago. I am deeply sorry, Cole."

"I do not recall a servant coming nearby." The king shrugged off the comment, so Cole pried more. "What is the nature of her illness, your Majesty? Would she at all be well enough to join us, if only for a little while?"

Vangelis seemed to be annoyed by this question. "I am afraid not. She is currently sleeping; her illness has made her very tired."

"She exhibited no symptoms of illness on the journey to the surface."

"Her maidservant noticed her first feeling ill late this afternoon, about when she was starting to ready herself for this evening."

"Yet she is now sleeping?"

"I believe this has been made quite clear." The king's face hardened. "I do not believe you are ignorant. Should I consider myself mistaken?"

Cole shook his head. "Certainly not, your Highness. My parents made sure that I was well educated in many things, such as health. However, I have never once heard of an illness that causes such unforeseen lethargy as you say the princess is experiencing. Does this illness have a name?"

"As a matter of fact, it does not, as far as I am aware," the king said, teeth gritted. His eyes sparked, green irises shining like flame.

Cole surveyed him, brows furrowing. After a moment, he stood and faced the king.

"You have just answered my next question, King Vangelis." His voice echoed around the hall, the sound of the king's name turning every head. The room slowly quieted, hushed whispers washing across the assembly. Cole waited for them to subside before speaking again. "Princess Vania is not ill. She has been put under the control of an enchantment."

A few quiet gasps were heard. The king stood and faced him in return. "How can you be sure of this? I have not heard of such an enchantment, nor is there any sorcerer in Shintaro."

"In that, you are wrong. There is a sorcerer in Shintaro, one which you know well." Cole looked over the people and then back at the king. "You are the one who has put Princess Vania to sleep!"

The entire hall murmured in shock and outrage.

"How could you possibly have come to such a conclusion?" Vangelis asked. "It may not be clear to you, but I love my daughter."

"She would not have run away if she felt loved." Cole raised his chin defiantly. "If you truly love her, you would not have trapped her in her room. You would not have forced away her companions. You would not have isolated her, nor enchanted her. You would have shown her compassion and the care of a father."

"I have shown her great kindness. I have provided for her and kept her safe. I have taken great strides to find her a strong, moral husband, so when she inherits the kingdom, it will be guided well."

"You have demeaned her!" Cole interjected. "She is not unfit to rule simply because she is a woman."

"She is unfit to rule because she is foolish and headstrong!" The king's anger flared like fire, the air around him seeming to heat with every word he spat. "She has never listened to my guidance, but instead has the infernal curiosity of a child. Her mother warned me on her death bed that Vania's curiosity would be the end of her, so I have striven to prevent such a thing."

Cole's heart beat like a heavy hammer. "You stifled her!"

"It was for her own good."

"Whether it was or not, she only suffered. She was miserable."

"How would an outsider know? You are not part of our family. You know nothing of our lives," Vangelis accused.

"She confided in me, just as I saw her in the mirror you gave me. You enchanted that, too, so you could watch her." Cole held it up, and it flashed in the light of the hall. "Perhaps I should ask it again, so it can show me if you're telling the truth about her condition."

"By all means, do so. You will find I have not lied," the king said, his shoulders taut.

Cole laid the mirror on the table, where everyone could see it. "Show me the princess."

Once more, the mirror flashed blindingly, green light enveloping the room. The assembly shielded their eyes. When they could see again, gasps filled the room. In the mirror was an image of Vania, dressed in her finest gown of black and gold, motionless on her bed with Chompy sleeping beside her. Her eyes were closed peacefully, and she betrayed no emotion at all; if not for the rise and fall of her chest, she would seem dead. Her sleep was unnaturally still, her poise too perfect. The enchantment was clear to see.

The image faded after a short while, and Cole pocketed the mirror again. He turned back to the king. "The mirror is your handiwork."

"Very well, it is. However, where is the harm in a simple mirrorsight enchantment, that I might watch over my daughter?" the king asked. "It is a spell many can learn; it does not make me a sorcerer."

"That is untrue!" Fungus cried. "Mirrorsight is an advanced spell, known by students of Hazza D'ur's magic. It took me many years to learn it."

"I'll bet it's not the only thing you've lied about," Plundar added. "That dagger in Cole's room was yours, wasn't it? No guard could have a gold dagger; it's too nice for 'em."

"Korgran never liked King Vangelis. Too proud. Too many secrets." Korgran hefted his axe. "If he lies more, he backs them up with proof, or fights!"

At this point, the crowd in the hall was murmuring to themselves, some voices crying out indistinctly. It was clear that they were angry, so Cole seized the opportunity.

"Korgran's right," he announced. "If you want your people to believe you, you should fight to prove yourself. They deserve a king who tells the truth, not falsehoods, and will fight for them."

The king seemed to relent, although angry. "Very well. We fight in the gardens, one against one. You shall prove yourself, too."

"What are the terms?"

The king's green eyes flared again. "To first blood. Insolence must be punished. You will be cast out upon my victory."

"...I accept the terms," Cole said warily, "on one condition. If I win, you must abdicate the throne." He held out his hand to shake the king's. "Do we have a deal?"

Vangelis shook it. "We do."

-----

A short time later, the crowd gathered in the gardens of the palace. On one side stood the king, flanked by a group of guards and holding both a spear and a skull that burned with magical green flame. On the other, Cole stood with the Upply, hefting his golden scythe from hand to hand. Between them, a guard stood in the middle of the makeshift arena.

"The fight will be to first blood!" the guard reiterated. "None may interfere." Cole and Vangelis locked eyes.

"Let the battle begin!" the guard shouted, taking off into the air.

Within moments, the two men clashed, scythe against spear. The sound echoed off the walls of the gardens. They drew back and clashed again, pushing against each other forcefully, locked against each other in a deadly game.

Vangelis was the first to retreat. He pulled back his spear and summoned the skull, which flew to his hand. With it, he cast a burst of green flame, which fell on Cole. The knight cried out in pain, falling to his knees and digging the handle of his scythe into the ground.

The torrent of fire cascaded over Cole's head and shoulders, enshrouding him in flame. All was green. For a moment, he thought he saw his mother; then his father, and the master who had taught him. They passed through his mind fleetingly, but it was enough.

Slowly, he forced himself to stand. In his surprise, Vangelis let the fire cease. It was then that Cole seized his scythe and began to attack again. With a fury, he swung and jabbed, advancing on Vangelis with every movement. The king lifted the skull up to block an attack, but in his rage, Cole threw it aside, where it shattered on the paved path.

Vangelis brought up his spear next, and they clashed again with a great ringing sound. Cole glared at him, and the king glared back. Then, Cole drew back and swung wide.

For a moment, there was stillness. Vangelis lifted his spear, intent on attacking, but paused.

Cole watched as he lifted his fingers to his cheek, brushing it. His hand came away red, bloodied.

Vangelis looked up at Cole in shock.

Cole rested his scythe on the ground, then turned to look at the guard from before. "First blood," he announced.

The crowd erupted in outrage and celebration, equal in intensity. The guards were quick to come to Vangelis, taking away his spear. Cole turned back to him, his face stony.

"Do you yield?"

The king lowered his head, anger overtaking his features. Cowardly as ever, he did not look up at Cole. "...I yield."

"Good. Do you step down from the throne?"

"...I abdicate the throne of Shintaro," he gritted.

Cole nodded. "Very well. Now, I must go tend to your daughter."

"You will not be able to wake her," Vangelis said, his tone almost pleased. "The enchantment can only be broken by me, or someone I authorize."

"I will do what I can. I will save her again," Cole said, before turning and entering the palace, the Upply following behind him.

-----

The trip back to Princess Vania's room was a brief one. Cole rushed to reach it, passing by many confused guards. He only paused for a moment, and only once, to look at the alcove from the night before. It brought him a smile, but his face hardened in determination mere moments later.

At last, he came to her door, where two guards were stationed. They blocked the doors with their spears.

"We cannot let you in," they told him.

"Your king has abdicated the throne," Cole told them. "Stand down."

"King Vangelis would never do such a thing," they insisted. "He is our ruler!"

"He has surrendered the title after a trial by combat. Stand down!" Cole repeated. "I must see the princess."

After a moment of trepidation, the guards unblocked the doors. Cole strode past them, opening the doors with enough force to rock their hinges. They slammed behind him within moments as he rushed to Vania's bed, running in his haste.

When he reached her bedside, Cole had to stop himself, unable to keep himself from admiring her. Just like she had looked in the mirror, Vania was the picture of beauty; her golden hair was spread out on the pillows behind her, and her eyes were shut lightly, as if she could open them and look at him any moment. Her hands were folded, resting lightly on her stomach, as if she were peacefully waiting for something.

Cole smiled, but it was pained deeply. He sighed. "Vania… wake up."

She gave no answer.

Next, he took her hand in his and kissed it. "Vania, please. Wake up."

She laid still, having not moved at all.

Finally, Cole sat on the edge of the bed. He looked down at her sleeping form, heart clenched painfully in his chest. He put a hand on her cheek, his thumb brushing against it gently, her ivory skin without blemish.

An old memory came to Cole as he sat with her. It was one of his mother from when he was a child. She had read him stories of magic and mystery, filled with dashing heroes and beautiful enchanted princesses. He had not believed them then, but he believed them now; life had proved them in the painful way it wished, mocking him. However, one thing his mother said came back to him, clear as day.

"In many stories, and in real life too, there are insurmountable obstacles. However, the one thing they can never stop is the power that comes from truly loving someone. Through that, you can overcome anything."

Cole bowed his head, knowing what he had to do. He leaned over Vania's sleeping body, his hand still on her cheek.

"...I'm sorry, Vania." With those words, he kissed her, slow and deliberate. When he came away, memories of the night before flooded his mind.

For several heart-wrenching moments, Vania did not move, as if nothing had even happened. Cole searched her face, but found no sign of life. "Vania…" he muttered, his heart breaking in his chest.

After seeing no response, he finally threw caution to the wind. If she was to sleep under enchantment forever, it would not be because he was too fearful to save her.

With his resolution in mind, Cole leaned down and kissed her, pouring his hope into it. This kiss was desperate and brief, over too soon, but it didn't matter to him– all he wanted was for her to wake up. Against her lips, he once again whispered, "wake up," before drawing away.

After another quiet moment moment, the princess' eyes fluttered, slowly opening so she could look up at the ceiling. When she finally looked at him, her gaze filled with confusion. He drew back, unable to speak as she woke up.

"Cole…?" she asked, managing to sit up.

"Vania..." he breathed, taking her hands in his. "You're awake."

She nodded. "I am."

His face broke into a beaming smile. "You're awake!"

She laughed and nodded again, taking his hands. "Yes!"

Cole laughed, disbelieving. He let go of her hand, but only so he could bring it to rest on her cheek. "Vania, I…"

She nestled her face in his hand. "What is it?"

"I woke you."

"You did? How?" she asked.

Instead of answering, he smiled and kissed her again. Immediately, she reciprocated, their instant connection stronger than steel.

When they separated, Vania smiled at him, affection filling her very presence. "You woke me up with a kiss?" she asked.

"I did," he replied, cheeks flushing red. "I'm sorry I couldn't wake you another way."

She laughed, lighter than a feather, and kissed him again before answering. "Oh, Cole… I can think of no better way to wake."

#ninjago #ninjago cole #ninjago vania #cole brookstone #princess vania #colania #conia #vanillacake #ninjago fanfiction #OLST fanfic #OLST writing #ninjago fairy tale au #hair as gold as straw

6 notes · View notes

sentenceme-leni · 6 months ago

Text

Friday. Minimum 5 sentences.

---

Jefferson walked through the receiving hall with the ease of a man who knew himself safe from the moods of the owner of the mansion.

As usual, Rumpelstiltskin had need of his talents. Jefferson had been promised a hefty sum in return.

In this world as in the other, the Dark One's gold - or dollars, Jefferson supposed - was as good as any other.

It helped keep his confidence, of course, that Rumpelstiltskin's favorite person was escorting him into this version of their Dark Castle.

Rumpelstiltskin himself didn't appear yet, probably embroiled with some trouble among the royals, but Jefferson could be patient with his best client.

He passed the time looking around the living room, recognizing several of the pieces in display. Some of them, he had retrieved for a price in his younger years.

His eyes stopped on the tiny, easily disregarded, porcelain cup placed among the treasures. The chip faced forward, clearly implying that it was its best feature.

He turned to Belle with a smirk. "May I finally address you as the lady of the castle?" he asked jovially, and her answering blush made him giggle.

"There are no such things here," she said.

That wasn't a denial.

"You know there are people itching to request an audience with you. If it weren't for this whole lost Savior drama, you'd have a line at the doorstep."

Belle raised an eyebrow.

"All right. So most wouldn't step a mile around Rumple's home if they could help it." He ignored the unhappy purse of her lips. By now, she must be aware that even a human-looking Dark One was a nightmare for the rest of the world. "You, however, will find yourself with a new influx of clients at that bookstore of yours."

Belle sighed.

"Unless you plan to close the bookstore?"

The glare she gave him was actually frightening. "Independent business women are a thing here, you know."

"Of course," he said quickly, giving his most ingratiating smile. "I apologize for presuming."

Belle nodded, accepting his apology with ease. A little frown stayed with her, though. "Do you really think people will approach me?"

"No. They'll mob you if they can." He shrugged. He was fond enough of Rumple's lover to tell the truth. "They already used to find you at markets and stores, if you visited a town. Now that you have actual business hours? Of course they'll beat your door down."

Belle dropped onto a couch, her expression far off as she thought the situation over. "Well. I should hear them out, if they come."

Jefferson didn't bother to reassert his certainty. His point would prove itself eventually.

"And if they ask for too much?"

Belle met his eye. "I'll ask Rumple to cover for a day or two."

Jefferson took off his hat, impressed. She was so nice and sweet that even he, who had been a frequent visitor at the Dark Castle, often forgot she was a true match to the Dark One.

Woe Storybrooke, if they forgot that fact for too long.

The End

03/05/24

#background rumbelle #belle (ouat)#jefferson #ar: the long haul

5 notes · View notes

whirlwindimagines · 2 years ago

Text

I apologize but I thinking about my Star Wars men again. There might have been a point to this? But I just needed to get my feels out lol

It always hits me so hard how much of a tragedy Star Wars is especially the Skywalker legacy how love was its downfall but also its savior. How bright-eyed and excited Anakin was to be chosen to train as a Jedi only to be manipulated by the adults around him. People like to say that if Qui-gon Jin didn't die, and trained Anakin he wouldn't have turned to the dark side and I think thats false. Qui-gon had his own struggles with the dark side, and the only reason he vouched for Anakin was because of the chosen one prophecy I'm not saying Qui-gon is a bad guy but his actions weren't pure either.

Obi-wan was not what Anakin needed, but he didn't know how to be. Obi-wan is a good Jedi, thats what he knows how to be he's strong and confident in the force and his abilities. But he could not be Anakins father, he was so young when Anakin became his padawan, barely a Knight himself and cast into this role because he promised his Master. The Jedi way made Anakin vulnerable and left an easy opening for Palpatine to come in and take advantage of him. He knew what Anakin wanted, and played his part well to get what he wanted.

Anakin loved too much, and it was his eventual downfall to the dark side. Blinded by his love (lol) it also brings back to the point of Anakin never truly being free he was freed from slavery sure, but then right to the Jedi order which had shackles of its own, and then as Vader, Anakin has never been free.

Then along comes Luke and oh Luke so good and pure. I hate and love in Star Wars media when they say how much Luke is like his father and completely forget about Padmé who was strong, kind and believed in her values and believed in Anakin. Padmé who was good. Who Luke is so much like, while he has his father's strengths he also has his mother's and I feel like that is something that isn't addressed enough.

“I am a Jedi like my Father before me”

This. This line fucks me up, Luke chooses to believe in Anakin his father. He chooses Love, he believes in his friends to play their part and he believes in his own convictions. When he says this he throws his weapon away, because like a true Jedi it's not the weapon that makes them a Jedi, it's their convections. Luke brings Anakin back to the light and truly frees him, and Vader dies as Anakin. Love saves Anakin, and in turn, it saves Luke from the emperor. Like I'm crying in the club.

AND ANOTHER THING. It breaks my heart how loved Anakin is the people in his life love him so much! Luke belived in him! Padmé loved him till the end even after everything! Ahsoka mourned him and would avenge him. Obi-wan completely broken after everything, but still loved him because that was his brother after all. And its not shown in modern Star Wars, but Leia forgives Anakin not completely but she understands, in legends she names her youngest child after him, to bring light back to his name.

#Luke my beloved #star wars #star wars headcanons #star wars rant #clone wars #luke skywalker #HOW TO GET ME TO CRY 101 STAR WARS #anakin skywalker #ahsoka tano #padme

46 notes · View notes

randomidiocyncrazies · 2 years ago

Text

Gwitch s2 e4: The Cycle of Sin

I'm glad Miorine is back with Earth House and Suletta! She's so happy :3

It's really unsettling when Suletta says she'll do whatever Prospera asks of her, even kill using gundams, though she's obviously troubled by this line of questioning. She can't get out of the cult mindset on her own, but hopefully she'll have slightly more doubt going forward...

Also, I'm so glad Mio doesn't get mad *at* her—rather, she gets mad *for* her and confronts the true source of the problem. She's not stupid and knows first hand how manipulative Prospera is, so it's good that she doesn't blame Suletta for it.

It's chilling that Prospera literally does not think of Suletta as anything but a tool in her revenge/for her 'real' daughter during her confrontation with Miorine, and the whole "hee hee do you want to have your way with her next?" is soooo gross

I'm curious about where the Space Assembly League plot is going, and I'm slightly worried that 8 eps will not be enough to wrap Witch from Mercury's story up and have a satisfying ending? There are quite a lot of plot points that need to be resolved, and while the show has a quick pace idk if they can address all those in a satisfying manner.

It's interesting that they cut to Felsi at that point of the couch duo's conversation. It seems to imply that Felsi will be gunning for the Holder title herself, and with how many times Suletta talks about how she hasn't lost a duel yet, it's foreshadowing that Suletta *will* lose. I've seen speculation that Miorine orchestrates to have another Holder in order to make Suletta a less attractive tool to Prospera and to get the backing of one of the big three—if that pans out, it might also add an obstacle on the Mio/Suletta romance that they can overcome together.

Also, Felsi already felt excluded by Lauda and Petra's closeness last ep, and this time only Lauda and Petra got to reunite with Guel, so Felsi might be doing what she can for Jeturk Heavy Machinery using the skills she has with very limited information. I'm looking forward to see how her character develops in future episodes.

I hope Guel doesn't do anything dumb, his family and team needs him. Jeturk Heavy Machinery's reputation is dragged through the mud, they're going bankrupt, the Group and stakeholders need an explanation for why Jeturk MS were piloted by the terrorists, and there's an upcoming election for a new Benenit Group president, so Guel is coming back to a volatile situation. Also, the fact that Guel accidentally killed his father will come out eventually—I'm scared about what will happen to the brothers when that gets revealed... And on the same note, Shaddiq's involvement in the terrorist attack will also get revealed eventually, maybe even during the election for the Benerit Group's next president (PLEASE).

Sabina being confirmed Earthian implies that all the girls in Shaddiq's squad are Earthians, or has Earthian heritage like him—my guess is that they all came from the same orphanage, or at the very least Shaddiq and Sabina did. Their group is an interesting look into how marginalized groups wield power & status once they've been (conditionally) accepted into the privileged group, and how they don't necessarily treat others within the marginalized group they were once part of with any more sympathy/kindness. Or like, they still treat Nika and Sophie+Norea like pawns in their grand scheme, despite their grand goal of redistributing the power dynamics.

Sabina's adoption by Grassley also suggests interesting CSR practices within Grassley—Shaddiq's adoptive dad was shocked and dismayed by the events of the prologue, so I guess he and his company adopt Earthian children to "make up for it"? Since Vanadis Institute was working with an Earthian company. It's also possibly a critique on international adoption practices, where the adoptive parents see their children's native culture as inferior and has a savior complex about it.

(Also, we finally see one (1) dude in Shaddiq's faction, and he looks quite a lot older than Shaddiq, so I wonder what his deal is. We also see Shaddiq's faction is the weakest within Grassley, but they seem convinced they'll come out on top quickly, so I'm guessing they got blackmail on hand. They should damn well hope none of their own skeletons get dragged out at inopportune moments lol.)

I'm looking forward to the Benerit Group president arc—Shaddiq is extremely confident, but I'm equally confident that he'll get his smug ass kicked. He wrote Miorine off as a contender and doesn't seem to be aware of Guel's return, so he's deffo getting blindsided by at least one of them.

I also can't help but notice Peil doesn't seem to be pushing for their own contender in this ep—it fits their practice re: enhanced clones, in that they'll let someone else be the face (i.e. the Group's president) and pull strings from the shadows. Since El5n is unable to steal Ariel's secrets, they might back Miorine as president in an attempt to get at them, or even just because Mio isn't directly affiliated with one of the other big three, so them backing her gives them leverage further down the road—she'll owe them, and they don't have to contend with the pressures of Mio's own company; a Grassley candidate will have to answer to Grassley's interest first, and likewise for a Jeturk candidate. Gundam Inc. is a tiny company with little ability to push back against one of the big three, so by corporate logic Miorine 'has to' put them first.

On the subject of Peil, Belmeria talking about how she had no choice but to make enhanced clones on Peil's payroll in front of an enhanced clone whose life was fucked over because of the procedure she helped develop sure was a dumbass move—I understand that the Vanadis massacre was traumatizing and she needed to survive, but ngl I was rooting for El5n during their confrontation. And the clones are a foil to Suletta in terms of their lack of agency/autonomy—Suletta is raised to be blindly obedient through Prospera's fake care for Suletta's well-being, while the clones are not given any care and directly threatened with death for any perceived failures or refusals of compliance... but both Prospera and the Peil company sees them as nothing more but disposable tools. If given the chance, the clones will bite back, but someone who was brainwashed like Suletta would struggle a lot more with turning against their abusers.

Eri's confrontation with El5n is quite interesting: I assumed she let El4n pilot her because he was with Suletta and got her okay to do so. However, Miorine did not get Suletta's consent to pilot Ariel, but she emerged fine from the experience. Likewise, El5n did not get Suletta's consent to pilot Ariel, but unlike Miorine, he ended up violently rejected. IMO either Eri can tell that El5n intends to snoop around and uncover her secrets (Miorine didn't have that intent), or the reaction is because of El5n's enhanced Parmet sensitivity/data storm resistance (which Mio most likely lacks), or a combination of both. So far the only people who saw Eri were El4n, Sophie and El5n, all of whom are gundam pilots, and Eri/Ariel says "mom can't hear my voice" in the novella, suggesting that you have to have a certain level of Permet sensitivity(?) to communicate with her, and that maybe she only acts defensively if someone with the required Permet level who she doesn't trust is in the picture? idk if she can forcibly override the Permet scores of someone who is not receptive (connected to the GUND format), which might be why Miorine was okay back in the first ep.

the sentiment of "ends doesn't justify the means" has come up at least twice this ep, and I hope it will be more nuanced than how it's usually portrayed in most media—yanno, the kind of thing where it's like "the oppressed radical group has a good point! quick, make them so evil that the moderate course of action is the only morally justifiable one by comparison" etc etc.

Also I hope the power dynamics and structures will have a meaningful change at the end of the show, instead of "dw the right person is the supreme overlord now, so everything's gonna be okay" that a lot of stories default to. It's easy to criticize and replace a person in power; it's hard to criticize and change an oppressive system that perpetuates inequality and the suffering of minorities/the disadvantaged. the former is a superficial easy fix with no real substance, while the latter is meaningful but takes skill to write about. I'm... optimistic but cautious about Okouchi Ichirou's abilities—I've heard decent things about Code Geass, but I was personally disappointed by the ending of Sk8 (hopefully season 2 will be better?), and I've heard his endgame plots can be very divisive.

#gwitch #gwitch spoilers #ric reacts #gundam

27 notes · View notes

fries243 · 4 months ago

Text

A LITTLE OUTING

Summary: Carol and Daryl are on a supply run and they find a grocery store.

Tags: Established Relationship, mentions of kissing, pure fluff, clearing walkers, pre-Saviors, no smut, no spoilers.

———————————— ୨୧ —————————————

Daryl was out scavenging with Carol. By the perimeter, there situated a promising albeit run-down grocery store. The two silently agreed with a nod that they must clear the shop and claim the resources.

As planned, Daryl raises his crossbow and fixes an arrow on the flight groove, his finger hovering over the trigger. Carol, in parallel, menacingly cocks her gun and prepares to fire.

The pair takes even, deliberate steps to the store, simultaneously scanning the area. They eventually notice several walkers swarming the entrance.

“God…” Carol contemplatively glances at the herd, implying reluctance. “That’s a lot over there.”

Daryl’s expression couldn’t brighten more. He has always wished for an opportunity to impress the badass Carol and flex his abilities; he will seize this opportunity without a doubt.

“It’s nothing I couldn’t handle,” The employed cold tone held no semblance to the fuzzy sensation in his heart. Deep down, the man was wagging his tail.

Carol sighed, pondering.

"Alright then, let's get to it..." She unenthusiastically approved.

He playfully nudged her, "Good, thought I lost you there."

"Stop it," She returned the nudge with an innocuous smirk.

Daryl laughed. "Fine, Jesus."

The two then headed to the store, retaking their initial guarded stance. Upon closing the distance to the herd, Daryl suddenly stood still, placing a hand on Carol’s shoulder.

"You stay here."

Carol dramatically brought a hand to her chest, "What was that I heard?"

"Just watch." Before she could argue, he sprinted to a different spot, one that was closer to the walkers.

Carol's eyes widened in concern. What the hell is he doing? She thought.

Daryl struck the herd, head-shotting each Walker that came in view. However, his little spontaneous attack was interrupted by Carol's intervention. She gracefully fired at the rest, each Walker thudding like a sack of rocks.

"Daryl-" She addressed the man. "That was reckless!"

"I know." He confidently replied.

"You could've gotten yourself killed." She glares at Daryl, inserting the firearm in its holster.

Daryl notices the glare, seemingly unbothered. "Did I, though?"

Carol exasperatedly breathed out, finding no use in bickering further. "You're an absolute dumbass."

Daryl responded with a taunting smirk. "Mhm, got that right."

She flipped him the bird. "Let's get going."

₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊

The pair stepped to the grocery store, Daryl pushing the door and setting space for Carol to enter.

They split up to search the shelves, Carol stumbling across the hygiene aisle.

"Daryl! You need to see this." She called for him.

"What?" He moved back to her.

"I bet you've never seen this before." She sarcastically points at a deodorant.

"I don't need that girly shit to smell good," Replied Daryl with confidence.

"Trust me, you do not smell good." She snarkily responded

"It's a real man's scent, you won’t get it." Daryl stood strong on his point.

She scoffed, "Oh really?"

"Hell yeah."

Carol shrugged, moving to a different aisle.

Daryl returned to the food rows, throwing all that appeared significant in his bag.

₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊

After thoroughly looting the store, they took the road back to Alexandria, walking beside each other.

Silence reigned the air between them until Daryl spoke out.

"How'd I look when I took the walkers down?" Daryl asked.

"Stupid," She replied.

"That's it? You weren't impressed?"

"Just a little." Carol chuckled.

"Really?" Daryl glanced at her.

"Yeah." She pecked his cheek.

"Oh." Daryl fully turned to face Carol. He lifted her chin before pressing his lips on hers, his eyes shutting.

They eventually parted, both smiling.

"A silly man you are, Daryl." Carol continued to walk.

"Pft," Daryl followed behind her.

———————————— ୨୧ —————————————

Author’s Note: I love them!

#carol x daryl #twd #the walking dead #drabble #fluff #no smut #no spoilers #wholesome Daryl #kissing #relationship #cute #I love this ship #killing walkers #supply run

2 notes · View notes

chekovssomethingorother · 2 years ago

Text

Pikelan putting the B in romance

I think Pike and Scanlan love each other deeply but are not in love. I also think Pike and Scanlan are aromantic.

Let’s start with Scanlan. We’ve never seen any evidence that Scanlan had any meaningful romantic connection with anyone besides Pike, whom he ‘falls in love with at first sight’. Scanlan spends a lot of time and effort lying to himself and those around him that he’s simpler and more palatable than he actually is. Instead of saying “I don’t care whether I live or die” he says, “Suicide mission? I was born for those!” and everyone has a good laugh about it and doesn’t think on it any further. Because to address the things that are actually wrong with him would be vulnerable, and ugly, and miserable. Easier to just lie about it and secretly take drugs and eventually become so miserable and angry that you explode at all your friends and leave for a year.

When you live in a world where romantic love is essential to a happy ending, when it is the end all be all to your trade as a bard, when the world is ending and all your friends are falling in love, it would be difficult and ugly to say that you’ve never felt that, and maybe never will. Easier to lie to everyone and yourself and say “I’ve finally found it! I’m in love!” easier to pursue a gnome who will seemingly never give you the time of day, who will never call your bluff, than to acknowledge that there is one more thing wrong with you.

Scanlan is a character who is desperately searching for a meaningful connection that can fulfill him, and I think he wants it to be Pike. He wants it to be Pike and he wants it to be romantic love, because that would be easy and comforting and safe. But it isn’t. Even if you don’t think they’re aro we all know that Pike isn’t the end all be all to fixing Scanlan’s problems; Kaylie is. Kaylie and their relationship are the things that make Scanlan feel fulfilled and meaningful. Romantic love is not the answer for Scanlan.

Onto Pike. Pike spends most of the campaign gently rebuffing Scanlan, or sidestepping his advances. She doesn’t fully accept them nor does she ever make it clear that the answer is no. This is not at all because she is incapable of telling Scanlan, or anyone else no. I think this is, because Pike doesn’t know what the answer is, because she doesn’t know what romantic love is. The only person we know Pike to have ‘had a crush on’ besides Scanlan is Percy, and in the Talks Machina where the Percy crush was revealed Ashley confirmed it was an “I can fix him” situation. That strikes me as not being genuine romantic feelings but rather a combination of Pike’s care for Percy and her savior complex.

Same as it is for Scanlan I think Scanlan was an easy out for Pike. Pike tries so hard to be perfect and live up to the pedestal her friends put her on, and part of being the loving cleric has to be being in love. Ashley says that Pike didn’t really consider Scanlan seriously until she read Scanlan’s letter. The letter is lovely and touching, but still ‘falling for Scanlan’ after reading that strikes me as ‘being the thing to do’ rather than genuine romantic love. Pike cares for Scanlan deeply and they’ve been through so much shit and by the end of it they’re both just wanting a happy ending and being that for each other is the easy answer even if it isn’t the most true one. (Also this is neither here nor there, but I don’t think it’s acknowledged enough; Pike says that she goes to brothels when she is separated from the group. She is not the romantic she is sometimes made out to be)

Additionally Pike and Scanlan’s relationship doesn’t really get anywhere until the Feywild, in my opinion. The Feywild, before which Scanlan pulled Pike aside and said “I’ve been thinking of you as something to pursue rather than a person. Starting now I’d like to get to know you as a person and as a friend,” It’s not until they put the notion of romance aside, at least for the moment, that their banter seems to become comfortable and joyful and most importantly genuine.

Pike and Scanlan confess and get married and move in together with Grog (which I adore, but strikes me as odd for a married couple who are in love rather than just three close friends (two of which who sometimes fuck) living together) They then eventually divorce, but remain close and still fuck, neither having significant/mentioned romantic relationships afterwards. I think the divorce is a product of them finally coming to terms with and understanding their feelings. They love each other and want to be in each other's lives etc. but they are not in love.

Obviously there are a shitton of other ways to interpret all the stuff I said and I don’t think Ashley or Sam intended this at all. But there it is, my (an aromantic/aromantic adjacent person’s) take on the matter.

#critical role #cr 1 #scanlan shorthalt #pike trickfoot #im not married to this idea as the end all be all of pikelan #but it is fun for me and i think the evidence is ther #let me know what yall think!!#meta

26 notes · View notes

ravenrose18 · 10 months ago

Text

My Personal Savior

Chapter 7- Haunted

Once he arrived, he made his way inside before he locked the door behind him. He immediately unzipped his leather jacket, slipping his arms out from the sleeves, before tossing it onto the same chair that Lucille was propped up against. He strolled over to the music player, pressing the button to rewind the tape before going over to the sink and washing the dishes. Once he was finished, he took a seat on his bed, the mattress bouncing slightly underneath him. He grabbed the bottom of his shirt, slipped it over his head, then tossed it to the chair as well. He kicked off his cowboy boots, placing them neatly on the floor at the corner of the bed before changing into some grey jogging pants to sleep in. He lay down on the mattress, his eyes trailing up to the ceiling where he stared for a while, his mind thinking back to the dinner. Despite the occasional friction, it had been a great evening. One that he knew wouldn't forget for a long time to come. A deep breath escaped his nose as he closed his eyes, his mind beginning to drift away into sleep.

Raven slowly drifts to sleep and smiles in her sleep a few hours go by and she starts having a nightmare she tosses and turns grips the bed sheets and heavily sees Negan being attacked by walkers and getting bit she can't do any She screams his name in her sleep. "NEGAN! NO PLEASE! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME! I CAN'T LOSE YOU AGAIN!" She screams as she quickly sits up heavily breathing sweating and heart racing she puts her hand to her chest feeling her heart beating fast.

Even though he was asleep prior, Negan's eyes shot open upon hearing the yelling. He couldn't quite make out what was being said, but he recognized the voice and it sounded like he heard his name. He tossed the blanket off of him, swinging his legs over the side of the bed as he moved into an upright sitting position. He hastily slipped his boots back on, before rushing over to Lucille and grabbing her by the handle. Negan flung the door to his room open before sprinting downstairs to where he heard the sound. Eventually, he found himself outside of Raven's door, Lucille sitting in his hands, prepared to be used just in case. "Everything alright in there?" He called, silently hoping for an answer. Concern was evident on his face, his heart and mind both racing.

Raven keeps trying to calm down and covers her face with her hand hears Negan's voice and closes her eyes as she walks over to the door and opens it a crack. "Yeah Negan I'm fine I hope I didn't wake you up. Just go back to bed I'll be fine." She says that she knows she won't be able to go back to sleep after this nightmare every time she has a nightmare it's always bout NegN being hurt or killed and she never goes back to sleep.

He took a step back, preparing to kick the door down but stopped in his tracks when he heard her voice. He lowered Lucille, letting her dangle near the floor as a wave of relief washed over him. His eyes went to the crack in the door, a small smile appearing on his lips. "It's fine. Besides, I needed to make sure our newest addition wasn't getting a not-so-warm welcome." He joked a bit, before his voice became serious, a hint of concern slipping through, "Are you sure you're alright? I heard your yell from upstairs.."

Raven looks down sighs and looks away hiding her face with the door. "Yeah, I'm fine I don't want you to get in trouble I have dealt with this stuff before sorry if I disturb your sleep." She says as she holds her necklace and she thinks back to her nightmare bout Negan getting bit and not being able to save him. She felt guilty for waking him up she didn't want to get him in trouble or be the talk of the community on how he was there helping her but he was going to address their relationship tomorrow.

He gave a quiet scoff of amusement, his smirk growing brighter. "'In trouble?' With who? Last time I checked, I don't have a manager or CEO to kiss the boots off, I am that guy. But aside from that, if you're sure you don't need help, then fine. If you change your mind, then you know where to find me. And again, all is forgiven." He responded. Sure, it was a little annoying to wake up, but he needed to make sure that she was okay. Her well-being meant a lot more to him than a few minutes of lost sleep.

Raven smiles slightly and nods as she slowly closes the door and puts her back against it and walks back to her bed and sits on the bed she didn't want to bother Negan about her issues she did mention to him that she gets nightmares but she only knew being held or cuddled helps her sleep but she never had that with any of her boyfriends so she just suffered and didn't sleep.

Once the door was shut, Negan released a sigh, bringing Lucille up to sit on his shoulder out of habit. He tensed briefly as the cold wood touched his bare skin, before he made his way back upstairs and into his room. He carefully sat Lucille up against the chair where he had placed her before. He closed the door behind him, leaving it unlocked. He didn't like to lock it, just in case someone had to get him in a tense situation. He walked over to his bed and sat down, slipping his boots off of his feet. He placed them back where they were at the corner of the bed, before lying down and getting comfortable as he awaited to fall back asleep.

Raven puts on her jacket and boots and walks to the door and peeks outside the room she decides to go up to the roof for fresh air and since she can't go back to sleep she will just watch the sunrise and look up at the stars she always love stargazing whenever she wanted to just be alone she stargaze. She looks up at the stars as she gets to the roof and sits in the middle of the roof.

Negan eyes fluttered open as the sunlight began to trickle through his window. He glanced around his room with squinted eyes, a groggy grumble escaping his throat, as he moved the blanket off of him. He sat upright, rubbing his face a little with his hand, his eyes squinted as they adjusted to the light. He changed out of the jogging pants and back into his signature clothes, before heading to his mirror to comb his hair. Once he felt presentable, he walked over to Lucille, taking her into his hands before staring at the door ahead of him. After a deep sigh, he lifted the bat onto his shoulder, a smile stretching across his face as he made his way out the door.

The soles of his boots clicked against the concrete floor as he walked through the once-barren hallway. Now that dawn had broken, the Sanctuary buzzed with life as people began to get to work. As he walked by the residents, they would stop in their tracks and kneel to him, only getting back up onto their feet once he passed by. He didn't turn his gaze to them though. He was in the zone with only two things on his mind, introducing Raven and the upcoming trip to Alexandria. Negan stopped outside of Raven's door, giving it a knock, unaware that she might have already been out and about. "Up and at 'em, Rosie. Big day today." He called, waiting to see if he'd hear an answer.

Raven was still up on the roof she stayed up all night watching the sunrise it was so beautiful. Her nightmare may be a bitch to deal with but having the time to appreciate the beauty of a sunrise. She felt better but she felt exhausted too she was just glad she got some sleep when she did. She knows today is a big day for Negan and she needs to be ready to show who she is to everyone and that she needs to get ready for the day. She walks to the roof door walks downstairs and walks to her room she notices Negan standing there at her door. She was still in her tank top and shorts she only used her jacket to cover up and her boots on as well, she needed to get dressed for the day and she might as well wear a badass outfit. "Hi, Negan." She says softly approaching him.

Negan tapped his index finger a couple of times on Lucille as he awaited a response. If she was sleeping in, he could exactly blame her. After all, she had already explained to him that she had trouble sleeping. Negan had just opened his mouth to speak once more but didn't get the chance as he heard someone call his name. His eyes trailed away from the door as he turned in the direction he heard the noise, his eyes landing upon her as she approached. His lips instantly formed a grin as he saw her. "Well, shit, if that isn't a pleasant surprise. Good morning, darling."

Raven sighs and smiles softly "I guess it is a good morning I have been up all night I was on the roof stargazing after I had a nightmare. That's what I was screaming bout last night I watched the sunrise it was so beautiful. I need to get ready for the day if you want to wait it wouldn't take me long at all or I can get ready in my bathroom and you can wait in my room so you don't get spotted." She says as she opens her door and walks into her room.

Negan's smile faded a little when he heard that she had stayed awake for so long. "Those nightmares are a pain in your ass, aren't they?" He asked, before shaking his head with a sigh. As she continued speaking, he couldn't help but chuckle as she once more mentioned her worry about him 'getting in trouble.' "I'll be fine out here, Rosie. Unless you want me to go in there and hide my head from my non-existent manager."

Raven giggles and shakes her head "I'm just trying to help you not get caught by your wives and them asking why you are outside my door. But you can come in Negan." She says walking to him out of the door and grabbing his arm dragging him inside her room. "I wouldn't be long okay just give me a few minutes." She says grabbing her clothes from her bag and walking to the bathroom closing the door but leaving it cracked so they can talk while she gets dressed. "And yeah bout my nightmares they are a pain in my ass but I've dealt with them for years so it's not a big deal." She says

He chuckled, rolling his eyes a little. He wasn't afraid of his wives doing anything to him, he just didn't want them to get any ideas when it came to her. After all, he was pampering her and putting all of his attention on Raven, but she got to remain free, unlike them. When he was pulled inside, his brows raised before his smile was replaced by a surprised expression for a brief moment. As soon as he had crossed the doorframe though, his smile had already returned. Negan shut the door behind him, before taking Lucille off of his shoulder and letting her dangle near the floor. He didn't walk far into her room, wanting to give her privacy as she changed, even though the bathroom door was nearly shut. "Again, the doctor has sleeping pills if you ever decide to try. That shit will knock you out cold in just 30 minutes and keep you out for at least eight hours. But, it's your sleep, so I'll let you decide on that."

Raven looks at herself in the mirror and sighs as he suggests sleeping pills. She opens the door walks out and looks over at him. "Thank you Negan but my mental health is ummm not great I've had thoughts Negan anytime I did find something like sleeping pills or regular pills I had dark thoughts in the back of my head so I'll deal with myself having the lack of sleep." She says as she walks to her bag grabs her knives and puts them in her holsters.

His smile faded as the revelation hit him, concern appearing in his eyes. Negan's heart sank, now aware that if he were to get her that medicine, he may give her the very thing that take her away from him once again. He wanted to offer comfort, but after so many years of pushing away his compassion, he wasn't exactly sure how. As much as he hated to, he decided to try to find a way to move on. Otherwise, he'd be stuck there as he struggled to find something to say. "Pills are a big no-no, got it. Anyway, let's not keep the others waiting, shall we? There's a lot of eager faces just dying to meet the newest enigma." He spoke, a small smile appearing on his face.

Raven smiles and walks over to him puts her hand on his chest looks into his eyes and smiles softly "Thank you for helping though Negan I appreciate it. And yeah we don't want to keep your adoring people waiting. The only thing I can think of on helping me is having someone to hold me at night to help me sleep but it's fine." She says as she walks to the door before patting his face softly

Negan's eyes trailed down to her hand upon his chest, his grin brightening. "Someone wanted another feel, didn't they?" He teased, before returning the gaze into her eyes. "You're welcome, sweetheart. Well then, let's go." He began to gently move away to go for the door but stopped in his tracks upon hearing what she said and feeling her hand touch his face. He was tempted to offer her the chance to become one of his wives. That way, she could get rid of her nightmares and she'd be kept safe in the sanctuary. Although, he already knew that she'd say no. Not only did she hate the idea of him having multiple wives, but she already expressed her dislike of being stuck in a building.

Raven looks over her shoulder at him and sees him stop in his tracks and looks at him confused "What is it Negan? What's going on in that brain of yours?" She asks wondering what made him stop she doesn't want him to be uncomfortable with her touching him but she always has touched him before the apocalypse she always just makes those sweet little touches on his chest and cheek. Hope he doesn't feel weirded out by it. She just wishes things could go back to the way they were before the apocalypse.

He put his attention on her, his smile returning. He wasn't weirded out or uncomfortable by her touch, it was just that it had been so long since then. Every single time it was like an electric shock of nostalgia, one that he had missed so much. Brief laughter escaped his mouth before he decided to speak, "It's nothing to worry your pretty little head about, Raven. Just thoughts." He reached a little past her to open the door for her as he usually did. As he pushed the door open, he lifted Lucille, resting her upon his left shoulder again.

Raven walks out of the room and looks at him smiles and sighs "Okay Negan I don't want you to hide anything from me okay? I like to know that you can trust me and let me listen to be here for you because I'm not going anywhere." She says as she walks with Negan down the hall wondering what he was thinking. She wants to know what he's thinking about; she doesn't want to be left in the dark about anything that happens with Negan or what he's planning or thinking about.

Negan followed her out of the room, before shutting the door behind him. Once he was sure that the door was secured shut, he put his attention back on her. "Trust me, sweetheart. You wouldn't have liked it. You'd be fussy the entire way to the meeting." He teased, beginning to walk in the direction of their destination. Negan shot a glance over to her as he smirked. After a moment, though, he released a soft sigh. "But, if you're certain that you want to know, then you can always ask again." He spoke, his attention going to the path ahead of him as they continued their journey to what many Saviors had dubbed 'the killing floor.' It was the largest room of the sanctuary where they held their announcements. It was also where they performed live executions of those who wronged them, thus the name.

Raven looks around the large room she stops in her tracks making sure Negan walks in front of her because she isn't ready to show her face to his group yet she wants him to do his introduction and announce and then bring her out to introduce her to everyone she stands there holding her arms crossed. "How bout you tell me what you were thinking on what would make me upset? Before we do this introduction..." She asked she wasn't sure if she was ready for what he was going to say on what he would ask but she needed to hear him out.

Negan silently appreciated that she walked behind him, he'd rather be the one to introduce her than her doing it herself. Not only would it look bad on him as a leader, but others might think she was above the rules. He was pulled from his thoughts and stopped in his tracks when he heard her speak. He turned around to face her, releasing a sigh. "Well, if you're so desperate to know, I was thinking about what you said earlier. And the thought crossed my mind of asking you to be one of my wives. That way, I could chase away your little night terrors, and you wouldn't have to work a single day in your life. You could spend as much time with me as your heart desires. But judging by how much you hate the idea of wives, I didn't ask."

Raven looks up at him blushing and then looks down hiding her face and her arms going to her side feeling her heartbeat fast but she doesn't want to share him she didn't feel like she could handle being one of his wives and having to fight or try and get his attention. "I don't think thats a good idea I just wish I could get help without having to be one of your wives Negan but like I said I'll deal with the nightmares on my own." She says as she walks to the wall leans against it and looks down not looking at him just waiting for him to do what he needs to.

Negan grinned as he watched her blush. He loved to watch people get flustered, especially when it came to Raven. For a moment he thought he might be wrong about her saying no, but his suspicions were quickly confirmed as she spoke. He released a sigh, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, can't blame me for trying." He spoke, before turning and walking away. As he began walking up the stairs onto a balcony-like platform, he did the same two-note whistle from before. Instantly, the people who had gathered below dropped to their knees in a kneel, lowering their heads as if a king stood before them. A smile appeared on Negan's lips, his eyes full of pride as he stared down at the sea of people below. After a moment, he gave a signal, the people rising onto their feet and lifting their heads to look at him. "Listen up, you sorry bunch! Today, I've got a special treat for you." He turned his eyes towards Raven, a silent signal for her to walk over.

Raven watches Negan go up the stairs and watches in mesmerized she loves how Negan carries himself in front of his people even though it seems like he carries himself with fear for his people to listen she notices him looking at her she looks down at the people and glances up at him as she slowly walks over to him she stood straight showing how strong and badass she is. But she notices how many people there are she doesn't notice his wives down in the group wondering if he's going to introduce them to her later or fully avoid her meeting his wives.

Negan smiled a little brighter as she walked over, unable to stop himself from making a quick quip, "Come on up, sweetheart. We don't bite. Well, some of us do, but they can't reach you from up here." Negan laughed a bit to himself before his eyes turned to look at his crowd of loyal followers again. "I'd like you all to meet Raven. She and I go way back, back when the world was still spinning like it had a purpose. She's seen the worst, survived to worst, and still stands tall today.. I expect you all to treat her with your utmost respect. Anything less, and you'll be getting some one-on-one time with good ol' Lucille here.. Understood?"

The crowd, once dead-silent, now uproared with affirmative answers before falling silent once again. Although they never dared to say anything, the men and women of the Saviors remained a little skeptical of Raven. Of course, they'd do their best not to show it in front of their brutal leader, fearing the consequences that would follow.

Negan grinned, his pearly white teeth shining in the morning light. "Good.." A couple of seconds later, he turned his attention back onto Raven, "Would you like to add anything, or shall I move on?" He questioned.

Raven looks over at him smiles softly and chuckles as she pulls out two of her knives shines them in the light and looks down at everyone. She clears her throat smirks and grips her knives in her hands "If any of you tries anything to me even if Negan is not around I will take care of you myself or otherwise if you think I wouldn't tell my dear old friend Negan what you did well he hears the big man on what he said so try me I dear you!" She yells leaning down against the railing and then standing up tall and proud looking over at Negan smirking and then winking at him.

Negan returned the gaze, raising his brows a little upon the wink. After a little chuckle, he decided to speak once more. "Well, boys and girls, you heard her. Treat her as your equal, or you'll be demoted to the fences. Plain and simple.." Upon mentioning 'the fences' a spark of recognition and fear flickered on their faces. Sure, it didn't sound like something bad on the surface, but in reality, he was threatening to kill them and chain their walker to the fence surrounding the sanctuary.

"Alright," He started up again, "Big day today. Today, we're gonna be taking a little field trip to a place called Alexandria. It's time to show these folks what the Saviors are all about - strength, order, and a dash of swagger. Now, I want you all to look sharp, like a well-oiled machine. We're gonna stroll in there like kings and queens and make sure they understand who's in charge now. But remember, we're not there just to flex our muscles. We're here to make sure they're keeping up on their end of the deal. So, put on your best smiles, polish those negotiation skills, and let's give Alexandria a visit they won't soon forget. Now, I expect you all to be locked and loaded in those trucks in 45. No more, no less.. Dismissed." With a movement of his hand, the crowd began to stir, moving to leave the room and begin preparing.

Raven looks at him confused as she leans against the railing crossing her arms wondering what he is talking about with the fence and where they are going today. "The fence? Alexandria? Man, you are a busy man today, aren't you? And a question for you. Are you going to keep me a secret from your wives or were they down there with the rest of your group? Just wondering." She questions putting her knives away in her holsters on her hips

Negan continued looking out at the people below before his attention was immediately brought to her as she spoke. "Well, I am leading a group with hundreds of people." He responded in turn to what she said about being busy. "My, that's a lot of questions to go over. What I meant by the fences was if someone tries to harm you, they'll be killed and their walker chained to the fence. It's a damn good reminder of the consequences here, and it deters the dead. So, it's a win-win, and Alexandria. Remember how I was telling you about the prick that slaughtered one of our outposts while they slept? His name is Rick and he's the one that was in charge of Alexandria, but there's no need to worry. Already had a meeting with him and his friends, and offered them a deal they couldn't refuse. Now, they work for me. We're going there to get the supplies he's been so kind as to promise us. And my wives were in the crowd, don't you worry."

Raven looks at him and then glances down seeing the women with black dresses and heels I see them staring at me giving me glares she rolls her eyes and glares back at them as she looks back up at Negan "Right I remember what else do we need to do before we leave on our little outing today? Do I need to bring anything or do anything before we leave?" She asks wondering if she needs to bring her weapons with her in case this Alexandria group tries anything while we are there she doesn't know what happened but she wants to make sure she supports Negan on what he's planning with this group.

Negan didn't seem to notice his wives shooting dirty looks in Raven's way, at first. It wasn't until he watched her making faces in return that his eyes trailed over to them. Before he could react, his attention fell upon Raven once again as he heard her speak. His brows raised, before he leaned back slightly. "'We?' I thought you said you hardly slept last night. Shouldn't you stay here and catch some Z's?" He questioned. He didn't necessarily want to leave her here, but he also didn't want to have her tag along in case things got messy. After all, he wasn't too sure how she'd react if he were to bash someone's skull in front of her. Already, she showed distaste for how people feared him, if she saw the reason why, it'd probably cause more harm than good.

Raven looks at him and crosses her arms as she stands up off the railing and sighs "I'm not going to sleep Negan if I try I'm just going wake from. my nightmares again plus you said I could tag along I rather be with than be alone with people don't trust. Plus I wanted to tell you what my nightmares are and also I wanted to tell you how I killed my parents too you would've been proud I think of how I did." She says she didn't know if he had ever bashed people's heads in other than the threats he gave to scare his people or his enemies.

Negan sighed, his smile fading as he stared her in the eyes. Even though he knew what she said was true, he still wasn't sure about allowing her to go. After all, if she was tired from the lack of sleep then she probably wouldn't be as alert as the others, anyway. However, Negan was a man of his word, and although he was deeply regretting what he said earlier, he'd still live up to his promise. Besides, he wanted to know more about the topics she mentioned. A moment later, Negan released a sigh before giving a nod. "Grab your guns, ammo, and some food for the trip. Meet me at the '94 'AM General M35A3. The big military car thing."

Raven smiles softly and she nods "Look Negan I know you're worried bout me but whenever I go through a night with little sleep I'm still very much alert I taught myself how to be alerted especially with walkers on there in the woods. Plus Negan you wouldn't want anything to happen to me if you were gone I know I said I can handle myself but what if it goes worse like being tortured, or killed without you knowing? I only trust you with my life." She says

Negan shook his head, a small smile appearing on his face. Even though he was still unsure, he trusted her judgment. She was the one with more knowledge on the subject, and she was making some pretty good points. Besides, if they were lucky, they wouldn't have to do anything too overexerting. "Damn, you're persistent. I already said you could go, get your shit before I change my mind." He joked, reaching his hand over and ruffling her hair a little, before he began to walk away to get prepared for their journey.

Raven smiles and giggles as she playfully pushes him and walks away back towards her room when she gets to her room she grabs her crossbow, and pistol since she already had her knives on her she wasn't all that hungry so hopefully she not getting a snack will be fine. She walks to the bathroom looks at herself in the mirror, and smiles. She walks to the bedroom door and walks back towards the big room area she keeps her guard up as she walks the halls in case someone comes behind her or near her.

Negan smiled a little more upon her response to his teasing, before continuing on his way to the front of the Sanctuary. Saviors were hurriedly going to and fro through the halls, gathering guns and ammunition from their armory and bringing them on the truck. They weren't bringing a crazy amount. After all, this was just a check-up, nothing too major. Meanwhile, Negan stood nearby the General M35A3 like he said he would, his back pressed up against the tailgate with his gaze overlooking the swarm of people doing his bidding. Even now, it still felt surreal to have a whole army of loyal people at his disposal, but he enjoyed every minute of it.

Raven walks down the stairs walks outside and looks around she sees Negan at the truck, and she walks over to him. She has her crossbow on her back with her pistol in her hip holster. She wasn't sure what would be happening next but she wanted to make sure that she was prepared for anything even if it was not going to end up going well she knew Negan would protect her in case something bad happened. "Well, I'm ready to go Negan." She says

Negan's attention didn't move over to her until she was within a couple of yards, wanting to make sure he kept his eyes on his men. Once he turned his head to look at her, his smile instantly appeared on his face. "Glad to hear it." He spoke, raising his hand in the air and signaling for the others to load up into the vehicles. Instantly, everyone stirred and began climbing into the trucks or on their bikes. Negan too began to move to get in one of the trucks but stopped in his tracks. Seeing Raven's crossbow had given him an idea, one that would be another way to rub his dominance in Rick's face. "Hey, Dwight!" Negan called.

A couple of seconds later, a voice rose from inside a burgundy '99 Ford F-150 Supercab. "Yeah, boss?" "Fetch the prisoner and have him tag along," Negan instructed, a mischievous grin spreading across his lips. "Which one boss?" The voice called again. The man stayed inside the truck still, although he did have the door slightly ajar now. "That asshole with the raspy voice. The one you took the vest from. Go get him and load him up. Rick will be tickled pink to see him, I'm sure." Negan spoke, opening up the door on the passenger side of the military vehicle, and gesturing for Raven to climb inside. He figured she'd rather travel in the same vehicle as him since she already communicated her distrust of the others.

Next Chapter

@integra1127 @integra1127grimmreaper @jdmorganz @jdm-negan-mcnaughty-blog @justjdm @jdeanmorgan @jwritesfanfics @justjdm @negansource @negans-girl-blog @negans-dirty-girl @negandarylsatisfaction @negangifs @jdm-traash @jdmslut-red @jdmorganstuff @girlwiththenegantattoo @ghostwriter2203 @a-woman-with-claws-and-fangs @naughtyneganjdm @naughty-negan @naughty-negan-clan @naturallynegan @neganbabygirl @fanfictilltheend @neganandjdm @neganappreciation-blog @neganandtonyswife @neganandblake @neganandstevensdoll-blog @savedpeople @sanctuaryforthelost @jdmswh0re @jdms-flat-ass @jdmsimp@integra1127 @integra1127grimmreaper @jdmorganz @jdm-negan-mcnaughty-blog @justjdm @jdeanmorgan @jwritesfanfics @justjdm @negansource @negans-girl-blog @negans-dirty-girl @negandarylsatisfaction @negangifs @jdm-traash @jdmslut-red @jdmorganstuff @girlwiththenegantattoo @ghostwriter2203 @a-woman-with-claws-and-fangs @naughtyneganjdm @naughty-negan @naughty-negan-clan @naturallynegan @neganbabygirl @fanfictilltheend @neganandjdm @neganappreciation-blog @neganandtonyswife @neganandblake @neganandstevensdoll-blog @savedpeople @sanctuaryforthelost @jdmswh0re @jdms-flat-ass @jdmsimp @twdxtrevor @jdmorganstuff @jdmslut-red @jdm-traash @jeffreydaddydeanmorgan @jeffreydeanmorganconfession-blog @jeffreydeanmorgantrash @jeffrey-daddy-morgan @negansource @negans-girl-blog @negandarylsatisfaction @negangifs @sanctuaryforthelost

4 notes · View notes