#to carry that to guard I am really nervous all the time because there is an expectation for me to be really good and boi am i struggling

[em1i2a3]

i don’t know if you take requests but some yearning or very obvious bob having a crush on reader… like full on fluff and everyone makes fun of him cause he’s just that obvious

Plainclothes Man

Pairing: Bob/Robert Reynolds/Sentry x Avengers!Fem!Reader

Summary: Everyone at the compound knows Bob has a massive crush on you–except you.

Warnings: Semi-Spoiler for Thunderbolts because of Bob’s involvement but other than that…None :)

Author's Note: Hey y’all! I do take requests! Just to make that clear! Nothing is really off limits! :) I love this idea! So I thought I would start with it. I kind of rushed it a bit because I have so many ideas going at once for Bob right now, but I wanted to please y’all so hopefully it’s good :)

Word Count: 1,775

Bob was a neon sign of romantic agony.

Everyone could see it.

He was about as subtle as a firework in a library when it came to you, and everyone–everyone but you–knew that he had very obvious feelings for you.

At first, it was just the little things. He would hold the door open for you, make your coffee in the morning, and sometimes he would walk you to your training sessions carrying all your weapons and gear. God forbid you mentioned needing help with something too, because it was like he teleported into the room instantly just to be your knight in shining armor.

It would’ve been sweet–it was sweet–except for the fact that he looked like he was going to pass out every time you smiled at him, or the fact that the first time you touched him he felt like he was having a heart attack.

Not only that, but at the Thunderbolts compound, privacy was a myth. Everyone noticed the way he put you first, and nobody had the emotional maturity to leave it alone, especially during down times when everyone was home with no missions or jobs to run off to.

Idle hands made for cruel commentary.

They started small. Little side-eyes, snorts, giggles, the occasional cough-covered ‘lover boy’ muttered under someone’s breath when Bob stood the moment you entered a room, like he was always on guard.

Then it escalated.

Yelena turned it into a sport, narrating his reactions like a nature documentary when you weren’t present.

”And here we see Bob Reynolds in his natural habitat–blushing violently, hands wringing in his lap, trying not to pass out because Y/N said his name. Observe how he avoids eye contact while trying to remember how to function.” This would make him even more flustered, and only add to his embarrassment of wearing his feelings on his sleeve.

“Please stop,” He would say, with his face on fire.

Ava took to mimicking Bob’s dreamy stares behind your back when the both of you would talk to one another, making sure there was grotesque exaggeration to every detail. How his eyes would widen, and his lips would part, oftentimes she would clutch her chest dramatically and sway from side to side, which only made his cheeks go a bright red as he was talking to you.

Even Alexei, who should’ve had better things to do, began to offer unsolicited advice.

”You must confess, Bob. Women like confidence. You must say, ‘I am man of strength and softness, let us be passionate together!’” Bob nearly choked on the air he breathed, blinking up at Alexei, who was nodding like he had just offered the secret to eternal happiness, and not a line from a Soviet soap opera.

”I…I’m not saying that,” Bob stammered, voice thin with embarrassment.

“Why not?” Alexei boomed, looking over at Walker and Yelena as if they were going to back him up, “You are soft man! Strong man! Women love this contradiction!” Walker sipped his protein shake without looking up from his phone.

”Honestly Bob…It’s not the worst idea he’s had.” Bob looked like someone had just pulled the emergency brake on his nervous system. He was stunned by the agreement the idea was receiving, then he rubbed his hands over his face, like he could scrub away the humiliation clinging to his skin.

”I can’t say that…I’ll die in the middle of it.” Bob muttered, his hands muffling his voice, before hearing a little chuckle coming from Yelena.

”You’re like watching a candle melt under a heat lamp…Take it easy on yourself Bob.” She said, leaning back in her chair.

”Seriously,” Ava added, leaning against the counter with a yogurt in her hand, “ Just say something. Anything at this point will be better than nothing. And please hurry up, because you’re starting to give us secondhand embarrassment with this mating dance you’re doing.” Bob was about to say something then the door creaked open, causing him to pause mid conversation.

Bucky walked in with a towel draped around his neck, drenched in sweat from the endurance run he had done on the treadmill just moments ago, with a look of vague concern on his face.

”What’s with all the noise? I heard Alexei yelling about passion through the vents.” He said, glancing over at everyone who was crowded in the kitchen.

”We’re trying to get Bob to confess his undying love for Y/N.” Yelena replied, watching as Bucky looked over at Bob who was hunched over the kitchen island and flushing a scarlet red.

”Oh,” He said, like it suddenly made perfect sense, “…Wait, he still hasn’t said anything?” He added, confused.

“Nope,” Walker responded, still scrolling through his phone, not bothering to look up, “Somehow he’s been able to keep the verbal diarrhea to a minimum with her.”

“Barely. Last week she complimented him on how strong he was for carrying six bags of groceries for her in one go and he stammered over a thank you for two whole minutes.” Bucky let out a little laugh.

”Pretty sure you’re describing a stroke, not a crush/“ He started, wiping his face off with his towel, “What exactly are you waiting for, Bob? A written invitation from the president or something?” Before Bob even had a chance to answer, the door creaked open again, and you appeared.

You were still damp from the shower you had taken a few minutes ago, with your hair pinned back, and your skin still flushed from the heat of the water. You had on a soft, oversized t-shirt and…Bob’s sweatpants. He had given them to you last week without prompt, saying that you would be warmer in them, and since then, you managed to forget to give them back–whether it was on purpose or by accident, nobody really knew for sure.

Yelena had caught it immediately though.

”Wow…Y/N, those are some nice sweatpants, where’d you get them from?” She drawled, grinning like a cat that had just spotted a mouse. You glanced down at them and pointed.

”These? They’re Bob’s actually, so I have no clue where they’re from, but they’re super comfy.” Bob made a noise that could only be described as a choked squeak, as everyone glanced over at him in their own small ways. Yelena grinned.

”Oh, Bob’s, huh?” You nodded cheerfully, completely missing the way Bob’s soul was visibly leaving his body.

“Yeah, I was freezing after that mission last week and he just gave them to me. I forgot to return them, but they’re just too good to give up.” You replied, looking down at them fondly, like they were a luxury item of sorts, before adjusting the waistband a little bit, “Hope you’re okay if I keep them a little longer before giving them back to you.” You added, with a little smirk.

Bob–already pink from neck to ears–opened his mouth but only managed a soft, and cracked, “Yeah…Yeah totally fine.”

You smiled at him–kind, and warm, and totally unaware of how he was going to spontaneously combust in a few moments if you didn’t stop looking at him the way you always did, with this admiration and care.

Yelena nudged Ava as you turned to the pantry to grab your tote bag.

”I was about to actually go on a grocery run, I figured it’s a good time to stock up for movie night tomorrow…Bob, do you wanna come?”

He lifted his head almost immediately, like he wasn’t sure if he’d heard you correctly–or like he was still rebooting from the sight of you wearing his sweatpants again and saying you might want to keep them longer.

You looked at him with your eyebrows raised, and everyone else looked at him like a firing squad waiting to shoot.

”I-uh…Grocery run?” Yelena pressed her lips together to hold back a grin, before glancing over at Bucky who was shaking his head, then Walker glanced up from his phone, staring at him with a look that basically screamed ‘don’t you dare blow this.’

“Yeah, “ You said with a casual smile, “I was actually going to go because they finally restocked those kettle chips you like, and that weird sparkling iced tea…The lemon honey one. But I thought I’d just kill two birds with one stone and just take the whole movie night snack order now and get it over with…Y’know what I mean?” Bob felt like his entire chest was going to cave in under your words. The fact you remembered such little details about him killed him, because it gave him those butterflies in his stomach–the ones that gave him hope. Dangerous, reckless hope.

”He’ll go.” Yelena replied, “He’s not doing anything anyways, he’s super available right now, aren’t you Bob?” All eyes turned to him.

“I–uh…”

“He lives for those late night grocery runs,” Ava chimed in, “You’ve made his week.” Bucky crossed his arms, clearly entertained.

”Oh yeah, didn’t you say twenty minutes ago that your dream night would be picking out snacks with a girl you–respect deeply as a teammate?” He piled on, causing Bob to swallow loudly.

“Well that’s perfect then! I’ll meet you in the garage in five minutes!” You said brightly, giving him one last smile that probably shaved three years off his life expectancy before you turned and strolled out of the kitchen, with your tote bag bouncing against your hip. Everyone waited until the front door clicked to interrupt the silence.

”Oh Jesus.” Bob said, sinking his face into his hands, hearing Yelena clap like a coach at halftime.

”Alright, let’s lock in–because if you mess this up, Bob, you’re probably never getting another invite like that again.” Ava pointed her spoon at him like a judge handing down a sentence, before saying.

”And it’s the first time she’s asked you to come with her somewhere instead of you tripping over your shoelaces to offer a hand, so that’s a good sign.”

“Yeah,” Bucky added dryly, “So don’t think yourself into a grave for the love of god, because you’ve done it all backwards. She’s supposed to be wearing your clothes when you’re dating, not before.” Bob groaned louder.

“I think I’m gonna throw up.”

[fushigurioo]

SAKURA VS TECHNOLOGY

FACETIME EDITION

y/n is missing sakura, so they thought they’d facetime him so they could see him before bed. oh, if only they’d known what a struggle it would be..

wc: 831

You blink down at your phone screen - in utter disbelief in what it’s displaying back to you. Once, twice, three times.

“HELLO?? Why aren’t ya saying anything?” Sakura huffs on the other end. “Why are ya calling me this late anyway it’s midnight, what’s up?”

Another second passes before you sigh and giggle at your boyfriend, who currently has his phone pressed against his ear, despite being on a facetime call.

“What are ya laughing at? HELLO?”

“Haru..babe.. take your phone away from your ear. This is facetime.” You say, trying with all your might to hold back your laughter. As funny as it may be, how clueless he is with technology, you find it simply adorable at how surprised and flustered he gets when he discovers something new on his phone that would be so mundane to most.

“Huh? It’s what time?” He asks, while pulling the device away from his ear and looking down at the screen.

You tilt yours away from your face, snorting and choking on your laughter.

He’s lying on his back, flat on his pillowless futon. His two-toned hair is pushed back and messy. He’s looking downwards at his phone, holding it just slightly below his chest. It’s the most UNFLATTERING angle.

Your restraint cracks and you burst out into a fit of laughter at the combination of the angle, and his confused expression when he realised he can SEE you on his phone.

“Huh.. What the hell is this? How is there a video of ya on my screen? Did you do this?” He’s talking so fast, and has the most precious pink blush spreading across his cheeks.

“No Haru,” you say in between short laughs. “This is facetime. It’s a phone call, but we can see each other at the same time! I thought we could try it out because I couldn’t sleep and I miss you.” You explain, propping your phone up against a makeshift lump on your blanket, giving him a little wave and heart hands.

“It’s- oh..” Sakura mumbles. He smiles softly down at his phone, his heart rate increasing when he registers that he’s looking at you in real time. His blush deepens just ever so slightly into a darker shade of pink. Though, the sweet moment soon ended when his eyes widen and he gasps, sitting up quickly and fixing his messy hair.

“Wait - did ya say we see each other? You can see me too?” There’s a slight tremor in his voice, he’s nervous.

“Mhm” you nodded. “I saw how happy you were to see me.”

His face flushes all over again and he chokes on his breath. “AS IF! I wasn’t happy to see you, I was just surprised that - huh? What’s with ya?” Concern briefly flashes through his face as he clocks your face, which had lost its smile and in turn replaced it with a pout, your lower lip sticking out. Just a slight manipulation tactic you mastered which always catches your boyfriend off guard when he’s yapping random words to make it seem like he isn’t completely head over heels in love with you.

“I’m sorry, I really did think you’d be happy..” You carried on with your pretend sad act, knowing that Sakura would crumble at any second.

And boy, did he crumble.

“HEY! STOP DOING THAT I -“ he lowers his voice and looks down to his left, avoiding eye contact. “I am happy to see ya, okay? I.. I missed you too.”

Your heart swells with undeniable joy and love for your boyfriend, and your happy smile made its way back to your face. Sakura moved his eyes back to his phone screen, and after seeing your change of expression, couldn’t fight the small smile that spread across his face too, nor the sheer adoration in his eyes as you moved on and started telling him about some funny tiktok you had just watched.

From this night onward, you and Sakura would always facetime before you fall asleep, on the nights that you don’t spend together.

Despite facetiming becoming a regular routine for the two of you, Sakura still always puts the phone to his ear when it’s you calling him, but you wouldn’t have it any other way.

BONUS

“Did you guys hear the rain last night guys? Boy, it was really coming down.” Nirei questions his friends, before taking a sip of the coffee he had, courtesy of Kotoha.

“Mhm. Although not for long, heavy rain always relaxes me into a peaceful sleep.” Suo answers.

“Not me. I didn’t realise, I was talking to y/n on face chat. Face talk.. whatever.” Sakura explains nonchalantly, taking a bite out of his egg sandwich.

Kotoha, Suo and Nirei all exchange knowing, amused glances with each other, with Kotoha covering her mouth with her hand to stifle her laughter.

“I think he means facetime.” Suo said, with his signature closed eyed smile and head tilt.

“I SAID WHATEVER.”

NOTE FROM RIO: THIS IS MY FIRST NON SMAU POST 😭😭 I really hope you all enjoy, as always please let me know if there’s anything you’d like to see and i’ll do my best to make it happen❤️

[schlattslambo]

please pleaeee do a sequel to the chubby reader x schlatt I've reread it soo many times I need more !!!

a/n: i gotchu bestie!! i am so glad that so many people like this! i may have gotten carried away with this one lmao. but im sorry that this took so long! work has just been kicking my ass

warnings: as before, female presenting reader, unprotected sex, just schlatt being super sappy and romantic

bigger girls are better | schlatt part 2 18+

It had been a few weeks since you last saw Jay, and the two of you had been in almost constant contact. With both of your schedules, it was hard to meet up, but today was the day that you were going to see each other again. Jay wouldn’t tell you this, but he was giddy as he waited for you to text him that you were ready to go on your date. You’d mentioned to him that girls like you never really got to go on dates with guys like him, so he was determined to take you on the best date ever.

Snow came down as you waited for Jay to pick you up. He’d promised that he was going to take you to a steakhouse. His favorite steakhouse to be exact, and you were excited. You weren’t sure what had come over Jay for him to like you, but you weren’t complaining. You just had to keep your guard up because there had to be a catch. He was so attractive, and you were, well, you were you.

A knock on your door brings you back to reality and you sigh, looking at yourself one final time in the mirror. Your hair is curled to perfection and your eyes pop with mascara and eyeliner behind your glasses. Your jeans hug your ass and your sweater is just baggy enough to hide your tummy. You open the door, revealing Jay standing there. He’s got khakis on and from what you can see, a nice collared shirt. He even ditched his hat.

“Holy shit,” He whispers, raking his eyes up and down your figure. “You look…holy shit.”

A giggle bubbles out of your mouth before you can stop it, color blooming on your cheeks.

“Do I look okay?” You ask. “I don’t really have anything that screams ‘steakhouse’.”

“You look like a goddess.” Jay says, his own cheeks finding some color. “I almost don’t want to go out to eat. I’d rather eat you out.”

You gasp and swat at his chest, which makes him laugh. “Shut up!” You yelp.

“C’mon, baby,” Jay says, linking his fingers with yours. “Let’s go get lunch.”

LIke the gentleman that he wants to show you that he is, Jay opens the passenger side door for you, allowing you to get in the car first. He gets into the driver’s seat and starts the drive to the steakhouse, his hand on your thigh.

“Have you ever been to a steakhouse before?” Jay asks you. You shake your head.

“The closest I get is going to the hibachi place around the corner.” You reply. “But I’ve always wanted to go to a steakhouse.”

When you pull up to the steakhouse, you realize that you might be a bit more nervous than you first thought. You attempt to swallow down your nerves and follow Jay in. He speaks to the hostess and the woman leads the two of you to the back. You’re sitting in a dimly lit area with a candle on the table. This steakhouse is way more romantic than you were expecting.

“I didn’t know that steakhouses had candlelit lunches.” You say with a smile.

“This one does.” Jay replies, his cheeks still flushed. “I wanted our date to be really romantic.”

You give Jay a warm smile as the waiter comes to your table and takes your drink orders. Soft music plays overhead and you can’t help the warm sensation that sits in your chest. Jay is staring at the menu, pretending to figure out what he wants to order, because if he looks at you for too long, he’s going to want to take you right here on the table. And that’s not very romantic.

The date goes well, despite both of your nerves. You’re both complementing each other and laughing softly together. Surely Jay is serious about this, you figure. He wouldn’t go through all of the trouble to get a reservation at this super fancy steakhouse if he was just here to get his dick wet. And his foot wouldn’t be resting against yours if he wasn’t serious about it either.

As Jay pays the bill, the two of you realize that the snow has really come down since you had gone into the steakhouse. The main roads are clear, thankfully, but the two of you have to clear off his car. By the time you’re done, you’re shivering and Jay just wants to get you home so you can warm up. He blasts the heat on the way back to your place, where you plan on lighting a fire in the fireplace.

Jay parks his car in your driveway, giving you a smile.

“You can come in if you want.” You offer. “I was gonna make some hot cocoa and light a fire.”

Jay takes you up on that offer, getting out of the car. As your foot crunches in the snow, you get an idea. You lean down and make a snowball, packing it tightly in your hands before launching it at Jay. It hits him in the shoulder and explodes, making him flinch.

“What the fuck?” He asks before his eyes land on you. “Oh, you little brat!”

You squeal as Jay runs at you, grabbing some snow as he does. You attempt to take off, but can’t really move quickly in the five inches of snow that sits on your lawn. Jay grips your shoulder and shoves snow down the back of your shirt, making you yelp and arch your back at the icey cold snow that’s now dripping down to your ass.

You whip around and attempt to do the same thing, but Jay’s quicker and stronger than you. He grips both of your wrists and attempts to turn you back around, but you slip and suddenly the two of you are in the snow. You throw some snow at Jay, which lands on his head, and he throws some at you, which lands just above your shirt. The two of you are laughing hysterically and unable to breathe.

“Lets get you inside and warmed up.” Jay says as he helps you up.

“I can throw your clothes into the dryer.” You offer as you unlock the door.

“That would be lovely.’ Jay replies.

The warmth of your house envelops the two of you as you walk in. You both strip out of your wet clothes and you take Jay’s clothes to the dryer. After putting them in, you realize that you’re both just in underwear, skin pink where you were laying in the snow. This is the first time you’ve seen Jay in just his boxers, and your eyes widen.

He’s large and broad, with the tiniest bit of tummy. The faintest dusting of brown hair sits in the middle of his chest and a happy trail that leads to his bulge. He’s looking at you with a shine in his eyes that you haven’t seen before. You’re standing there with your bra and panties (not matching because who the fuck has the time for that??), cellulite and tummy, thick thighs and all, and he’s looking at you like you hung the fucking moon.

“You’re so beautiful.” He says softly. “Like, wow.”

Jay walks up to you, wrapping his arms around your waist and pressing his forehead to yours.

“Yeah?” You ask. Jay nods.

“I know I’ve said it a lot these past few weeks, but I really mean it.” He whispers. “You’re the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on. All of those fuckheads who said otherwise are idiots. You deserve to be worshiped.”

“I do?” You look up at Jay with wide eyes. He just nods with a smile.

“Can I worship you?” He asks, breathing against your lips.

At your nod, his lips attach to yours. The connection is nearly as hot and desperate as the fire crackling in the fireplace. You moan into his mouth and he presses you against him. You feel his hard cock pressing against your lower belly as he takes your bottom lip between your teeth. You back up until you reach your couch, allowing Jay to lay you back. His kisses stop for just a moment before he attaches his lips to your neck, smiling against your skin as you moan.

His hand travels behind your back and he unclips your bra with ease. Jay watches as your breasts fall out, nipples already hard at both his contact and the chill from outside.

“God,” He groans, leaning back down and taking a nipple into your mouth and nibbling on it.

Your back arches and Jay’s thigh is right between your legs. Your hips grind on it and Jay smiles, watching as your tits bounce.

“Atta girl.” Jay praises. “Make yourself feel good.”

“Fuck, I need you.” You gasp.

“Yeah?” Jay asks, hooking his fingers into your panties and pulling them down. “How do you need me?”

“Fuck me, Jay.” You sigh.

You watch as Jay takes his boxers down, his cock hitting his stomach. He strokes it a few times, smiling as you watch. One hand is around his cock and the other snakes between your legs. He finds your hole easily, and it’s already nearly dripping onto the couch. Two thick fingers plunge into your heat and you cry out. Jay teases you a bit, fingering you slowly. Every time his fingers go back into you, his thumb presses on your clit.

“Jay!” You whine. “Please!”

“So impatient.” Jay teases. “I’m just getting you ready, toots. I’m thick.”

You groan as Jay adds another finger. You look down and watch his cock. The head is an angry pink and the tiniest bead of precum is forming. His balls are tight behind his fist and he looks as if he’s holding back.

“Just fuck me already.” You beg. “Please, Jay, I need you inside me.”

“Yeah?” Jay asks. “You want my cock?”

You nod quickly, gasping as his cock slowly works its way inside of you. Jay groans deeply as you pull him in. You’re so warm and wet and your walls hug him so tightly. As he bottoms out, Jay attaches his lips to yours as your legs wrap around his waist.

He slowly starts moving, swallowing your moans as he kisses you roughly. One hand holds him up while the other reaches down and twists your nipple until your cunt flutters over him and you cry out. His balls slap against your ass as his thrusts get harder, wanting you to feel good. Jay looks down at you, your face twisted up in pleasure, and his cock twitches inside of you.

He can’t believe anyone would talk bad about you, ask you out as a joke, or anything like that. You’re so plush and warm and wet for him. And you’re so sensitive to his touches. He leans down, sinking his teeth into your neck before sucking. You cry out even louder, your pussy contracting.

“You close, baby?” Jay asks against your ear as you nod. “You gonna cum all over this cock?”

“Yes!” You cry out. “I’m gonna cum!”

Jay reaches down and strums your clit with his thumb, watching as you throw your head back in a silent scream. Your pussy holds him tight as you cum, making his orgasm hit him like a truck. He groans, his thrusts growing sloppier as he rides out his high, spurts of white painting your insides.

Both of you are out of breath as Jay’s cock softens inside of you. He pulls out, and before you can whine about the emptiness, he sticks a finger in.

“Don’t let any of this fall out.” He orders, pulling your panties up.

You’re pulled against him on the couch, him completely naked and you just wearing your undies. Your heart is racing and you look up at Jay, who’s combing his fingers through your hair. There’s a moment of silence, the only sounds being your breathing and the crackling of the fire. Jay smiles down at you, pressing a kiss to your forehead. After this, he feels like he’s on top of the world, but there’s one more thing that he needs to do.

“Hey, (y/n)?” He asks softly.

“Hm?” You hum from his chest.

“Will you be my girlfriend?”

[ghouldump]

Your fics are amazing! Enjoy all of them! Keep writing, and especially about iwtv 💖 and don’t delete it, it’s really great works :)

And can i request something about soulmates? Anything, really. It can be lestat x f!reader or lestat x f!reader x loius, i like everything! thank you 🥹

The Night Is Ours | Rockstar!Lestat x Reader

ෆ being awakened, naturally you go to your old love, only to find that he is now a rockstar, perhaps now you can have the happily ever after you both once wanted.

Walking through the sanctuary, Lestat’s eyes roamed, the walls were filled with portraits and elaborate paints, all relating to the Great Mother. Marius explained the significance for a few but kept moving when the painting caught his eye. It was one of its own, none like it.

“Oh, I see you've spotted Y/n,” Marius said, backing up to stare at the art.

“Who is she?”

“Akasha’s sister, they had different mothers, I believe, they were extremely close, she ended up turning Y/n after Enkil. Y/n wasn't as cold-hearted as her sister, although, she had her moments. She loved her sister, so she followed her lead, she is also a statue,” he said, as Lestat stood frozen, analyzing your face. Next to Akasha, you sat, looking off to the far side, away from the painter. An unreadable expression on your face, you were a mystery, forced into your sister’s shadow.

“Why does she look like that?”

“Y/n is full of secrets, she has never confided in anyone other than Akasha, didn't even have a companion. She was always a third in their lives, I imagine she was lonely,” he sighed. Part of him felt pity for you, unable to have a life for yourself because of your love for your sister. He only hoped that one day, you would find a lover stronger than the relationship.

“She likes music?” Lestat grinned, noticing the small stringed instrument at your feet.

“Yes, she always has had an ear for good music-excuse me, someone is trespassing, stay here, please,” Marius said, leaving to go to the entrance.

As soon as he was out of sight, Lestat was headed straight down the narrow walkway. The guard had been going on and on about how no one was allowed near the great mother, but Lestat was more interested in you now. Seeing the statues, he slowly approached the two. He couldn’t deny, Akasha was beautiful, and could easily be mistaken for a goddess.

Moving closer to them, he noticed the room, on the right side of the great mother. Frozen in time sitting upright in the chair, he was sure he stopped breathing, seeing your condition. A small instrument in your lap, your head turned.

“Mademoiselle, it is a pleasure to grace your presence,” he said, taking his violin case from his back, and carefully placing it in front of you.

“I hear you like music, and so I’d like to share a piece with you,” he said, taking the instrument and setting it in place. He was never one to be nervous, but something about you made him feel as if he was human again.

Shutting his eyes, he dragged the bow across the strings, allowing the melodic music to flow. The piece, he'd written himself, expressing his yearning desire to escape the lonely void that seemed to be consuming him. Lestat was too immersed in the harmony to even notice, that you began to move, your head turning to face him, slowly, you were going back to your old self.

“You too have beautiful taste in music,” you spoke, making his eyes open, widening as he stared at you. You sat with excellent posture, carrying yourself as royalty.

“I-

“Who are you?” you tilted your head, standing up, beginning to circle him.

“I am Lestat de Lioncourt,” he said, keeping his eyes set on your own.

“Lestat, why are you here? Where is Marius?” you questioned.

“He was tending to trespassers, I was learning about the great mother, when I saw a painting of you and decided to see you for myself”

“Why?” you bared your vangs at him, defensively, but he stood unfazed.

“You and I, we aren't much different, lonely, tossed to the side, someone’s second option - and this feeling, since the moment I have laid my eyes on you, I’ve experienced the strangest pull to you, you can not tell me the force isn't mutual,” he said, staring at you as you lunged forward, tugging his hair back. Using your freehand, your fingers you touched his cheek, dragging them down to his neck, before his chest.

He was right, the sensation was deeper than attraction. The mystic tug was like no other craving you'd ever encountered. Flinching back, you were speechless, unable to attack, when Lestat brushed his hands across your cheek.

“Who are you?”

“I believe we already covered that subject,” he chuckled.

“What did you do? Why do I feel this way?” you questioned.

“I don't know, but it is okay to give in, ma chérie, I won't tell,” he whispered, as you finally let go of his hair.

Lightly shoving him backward, you peered at him, trying to hide your confusion. His blonde waves disheveled, a look of amusement on his face, he was enjoying this.

“Get out of here” you spat.

“And leave you to go continue living, or should I say frozen in time? A devout follower of Akasha, your own sister, who didn't even love you enough to have seated amongst them,” he said.

“You know nothing”

“Centuries, you have been thrust into loneliness and eternal rest, when you deserve more. You won't live in anyone’s shadow, together, we will take the night as ours,” he said, slowly approaching you.

Unexpectedly, he smashed his lips into your own, kissing you softly, the air thickening as the kiss grew hungrier. Kissing down his neck, you pulled away, looking him in the eyes, as he leaned back, giving you consent.

Quickly, your fangs were in his neck, draining his blood. Sinking to the floor, you hadn't realized how thirsty you'd been, until this moment. Lestat chuckled, his throat vibrated against your mouth.

Pulling away, as his head lay in your arm, you used your nail to cut your skin, allowing him to drink from you. Inhaling, you couldn't wrap your mind around the euphoria. Sharing your blood, despite being strangers, you felt unnaturally close to one another.

“Y/n? Lestat, what have you done?” Marius said, making the two look at him, as Lestat pulled away from your arm.

“Marius, leave us,” you dismissed, not even looking his way. He seemed hesitant, but turned around, grumbling as he stormed away.

“You are like no other, I’ve ever met,” Lestat told you, smashing his lips against your own. Rolling around, you kissed each other, before you heard it.

“Y/n,” her voice was as soft as a whisper but caught both of your attention.

“Sister?” you furrowed your eyebrows in confusion.

“Surely she can wait, you have much to see, the world has changed since you were awake,” he said, helping you stand. Taking your hand, he led you further from the statues, and closer to the entrance. Feeling the cool air blow against your skin, you gasped.

“Come, the night is ours,” he smiled, guiding you down to the beach shore. Humans surrounded a fire, singing songs and dancing. Stopping for a moment, they stared at the two of you.

“Hello, would you like to join us?” one of them asked. Lestat turned to face you, seeing the mischievous smirk on your lips.

In an instant, you were in front of the man, grabbing him by his neck, and plunging your vangs into him. Lestat quickly joined you, as you both viciously devoured each person.

Laying in the sand with each other, you laughed like you hadn't laughed in centuries. Lestat was interesting, funny, with a touch of fierceness. You both continued in this manner, for the next three weeks. Taking the night as your own is what he called it, exploring, finding your next meals. Then, either on the beach near your home or in front of the hundreds of portraits, you held each other.

“I’ve always been told relations were futile, we have no need of such pleasures,” you mumbled, your head against his chest.

“We don't, but it is fun, is it not?” he asked, grinning.

“What is this that you make me feel? I have never met anyone like you,” you told him, as he leaned to peck your lips. Being around him, it felt like you had known him for centuries as if you had been together for an eternity.

“Become my companion, let us leave this place, and we shall see the entire world and what it has to offer,” he told you, his hand placed on your cheek.

Opening your mouth to speak, you stopped, feeling a wave of goosebumps, the quiet groaning beginning to increase in your ears. Abruptly, Marius walked in, halting in his steps as you stood, only wearing Lestat’s shirt.

“Akasha calls for you, she is becoming impatient and sore at your decision to ignore her,” he explained. Gulping, you looked towards the walkway leading to her throne.

“Y/n, I understand she is your sister, but you mustn’t wake her, you, of all people, know what she will do to humanity,” he said.

Turning away from them, you walked down the narrow hall, to their thrones. Getting on your knees, you bowed your head.

“I am here, sister, at your side,” you called out.

“You were going to choose him over us,” you heard, making you cry out.

“No, I am at your side sister, we will be together forever,” you reassured her, wiping your tears.

“I will stay,” you said, hearing the footsteps coming down.

“You can't-

“I must, I can not leave my sister frozen in sleep forever, I have to join her”

“Y/n”

“Don't fight her on this,” Marius said, following behind you, as you went to your room.

Patiently, he stood with his back against the wall, waiting for you to finish changing back into your ancient attire. Walking from the room, you held Lestat’s shirt, carefully placing it into his hands.

“You don't have to do this”

“I do, perhaps we will meet again, and then we could take the night as ours,” you whispered to him. Leaning forward, you slowly pecked his lips, before turning away. He walked as you moved to your seat, your linen kilt, dragging on the floor before you finally sat.

“Thank you for the night, mon chér,” you told him, remembering the term from his native language before you turned back to stone. The blood tears poured down his face, as he fell to his knees, placing his head on your lap.

“My god, her face,” Marius said, in fascination. Your previous form, as a statue, you sat, your head turned, a stoic expression, had been replaced. Facing forward, your head held high, a small smile graced your lips.

“Don’t forget about me,” Lestat told you, holding your cold cheek, before standing up to leave.

“Will she wake up again?” He asked Marius.

“Only time will tell,” he said, leading Lestat out of the villa. Looking back once, he vowed to never forget you, and the feelings that you brought onto him.

“Ahhhh, there he goes, Lestat, I love you,” the young girl screamed, as the loud music blasted through the loudspeakers.

Why the long face, my pretty baby

I got long fangs, come appraise me

Bring your long stakes, that doesn’t phase me

I’m an actor, in my makeup

I’ll get fatter, when we break up

Why does it matter, who I take up

Thousands of miles away, you could hear his voice, stirring in your slumber, before you were awakened.

“Y/n, wake up,” you heard, your eyes opening instantly. In front of you, in all of his glory stood Amel, Akasha’s maker.

“Amel,” you moved to your knees, bowing.

“You are not supposed to be here,” he told you.

“What do you mean?”

“Akasha is selfish, she would destroy the human race along with other vampires, she is meant to be stone, you child, are not like her, despite how much you try to be. Why did you not leave the first time I woke you?” He questioned.

“You woke me-

“For your other half, Lestat, vampires are not meant to be alone, you crave companionship, and so I woke up, to be with him, but I can see that you chose Akasha again”

“I couldn’t leave her”

“You must, I’ve watched you, since the beginning, you aren’t meant to be a part of their fate, take this chance, go to him,” he told you, cutting himself to give you his blood. After, your feet seemed to move on their own, as they ran, stopping for a moment, hearing the groaning.

“I am sorry sister, Amel is right, I need to choose me for once,” you apologized, bowing, before you ran out of the villa, flying into the sky.

His blood was calling out to you, begging to be united again. You were grateful for this moment, Amel and your sister’s blood in your veins, allowing you speed, unlike any vampire, had seen before. Soon you found yourself in a place called Los Angeles, people by the thousands were outside, leaving a weirdly shaped building, cheering and screaming…for Lestat.

You could see the large images of him, how different he looked, how he dressed, and his expression. Your vangs came out, staring down at the people, all of the heartbeats. You were close to going down there, attacking them, killing as many as possible. However, as they began to leave, his scent hit you, he was close.

Flying down, you went into the building, behind the stage, walking to his scent. A few staff tried stopping you, but you hissed, making them back up. Security quickly made their way over, blocking the way, but with a flick of your fingers, they were consumed by flames. Closing your eyes, you smelled his unique scent, inching closer and closer.

“Woah, nice outfit,” you heard, as you began walking toward the line of people. Looking at the man dressed in all black, the smeared makeup on his face, you were unimpressed.

“Right, are you a cosplayer or something?” the woman next to him asked.

“I am here for Lestat,” you said, unsure what she was talking about.

“Same, this is the line, it is very-

“Hey, you have to get in line like the rest of us,” somebody yelled. Tilting your head, you hissed, smirking as fear began to fill their hearts.

“She’s a vampire too,” they murmured amongst themselves.

“Lestat…” you called out to him, as you made your way to the front of the line.

The people watched in amazement and dread, beautifully dangerous, they worried you wouldn't be as restricted as the rockstar, Lestat.

“Excuse me, I’m going to have to ask you to go to the back of the line,” another man, security written on his shirt said.

“Are you now?” you asked, the fire lighting on the tip of your fingers. Suddenly, the door opened, Lestat staring at you, unable to believe his eyes. In his heart and mind, he heard you, your blood, calling to him, but he'd waited for this moment for over two hundred years, he couldn't trust his judgment.

“She is with me,” he said, reaching for your hand, pulling you into the room, shutting the door. You went to speak but were cut off by his lips pressing against your own.

“All of those humans, they come to see you, how do you not drain them all dry?”

“I endure, but I usually end up with a treat for the night, how is this possible?” he asked.

“Amel, he was the one to wake me up, when I heard your music, he woke me again, to come to you, for companionship. For thousands of years, I’ve put my sister above myself, her desires over my own, until I met you, and so here I am, if you'd still have me,” you confessed the bloody tears dripping down your face.

“You don't even have to ask, my heart was yours the moment I looked upon your portrait, you had my blood, my kiss,” he told you, pulling you into a long kiss.

“Will we take the night?” you asked him.

“Lestat, you have a long line of fans waiting on you,” someone impatiently knocked on the door.

“The night is ours,” he told you, intertwining his fingers with your own, as his vangs came out, exiting the room, to obliterate the humans outside of the room, for old time's sake.

[wifeiy]

Greetings, Nia~~~ Hope you're having a pleasant day <3 I saw your latest post about TS LIs, and I'm here to talk about certain demon gentlemen we know and love ☺️

Even though Ais only had minor changes in his part, I think the "It's a nice laugh" scene hit hard for all of us Ais lovers (or maybe some idk)I'm still recovering from that scene as we speak. The "..brush away a tear with a MADDENING SOFTNESS" really has me in a death grip. Because wdym by that? Is he afraid his touch might hurt us?? like his touch could burn or something????//// inhale exhaaalllleeeeee

Ok but hear me out, what if; he didn't touch but just stared and you noticed this and asked, "What?" This startled him and his pupils go slit. He wants to say smth but words choke in his throat so he just looks away, rubbing the back off his neck, like he's nervous, covering his mouth with his knuckles. Then he looks at you, eyes softening into crescent. It's subtle but you can see blush paints his cheeks and even his ears. The corner of his mouth lifts slightly, then you heard a whisper, so soft it feels like it was meant only for you to hear it; "It's a nice laugh." ///PUNCHES WALLS-- crying and throwing up

I know of this feels like an OOC but yknow! what if he does hve this side of him? reserved for someone tht he finds truly interesting?? He becomes a bit shy and maybe awkward when trying to show genuine feelings? It’s such a contrast to someone who jst knocked a guy half-dead

IM SO SORRY W THE SUDDEN BABBLE gksajdgas I need the man blush ok,, cuz we got none in this update SOBSSS Aight Imma go back to my basement🧑‍🦯 Have a good day~

KEN!! hi hiii!! my good day has gotten better with your visit! :3 and not just any visit but one with the Sensational Idea of genuine/blushy ais?!?! 🤯😭😵 and now i, nia wifeiy, am here to expand!! >:3 **so sorry this got so much longer than intended. i got Lost in the Sauce idek what my goals were here.

i think it's hard to imagine awkward or shy ais because he's So. Steady and Confident and Open with his emotions. cool considerate consent and communication king. he's just Like That smh /silly. for someone he's truly interested in, in my mind it (sharing genuine feelings) manifests less as shy awkwardness, and moreso pauses before speaking to think about what to say.. 🤔 which i guess is his own way of being shy and avoiding said awkwardness actually. LMAO

so mMMm i see what u mean with feeling OOC. but it's nOT because flustered genuine ais is impossible!! THAT SIDE OF HIM IS REAL! TO ME! but at the start.... harder to find.

like, in the ocudeus scene specifically i think that, to some extent, ais wanted to amuse/relax mc with his comment.. so he'd have to be off-guard/unexpecting to be flustered :0

also ais's base level composure means he bounces back quickly from being flustered.. esp earlier in the relationship (pre-dating) he's more conscious about tucking away that softer side of him? he likes you, but it can't be That easy! THOUGH he might still blush or soften before deflecting/carrying on >:3

SO!! to FIND a stumbling, genuine ais, imo it'd be later when he's realizing the depth of his feelings. Before he reaches the point of trying to cut you off (iirc he was the one who got too attached to vere?). maybe you find him while he's having a Crisis about it and seeing you magnifies everything he's feeling, and for once he struggles with what to say or do. though that's not a fun fluffy scenario anymore... orz

to BRING OUT a shy blushy ais i would attack with sincere affection after an emotionally vulnerable conversation!! or when emotions are already heightened!! his guard's down, his attention is on you, all he can think about is you, etc. like: you saw straight through him/shown How well you know him and he's like [ ! ], you've both shared something really vulnerable, had a near-death experience, or even (gasp!) saying "i love you" for the first time, etc. etc.

YOUR DESCRIPTION OF HIM IS SOOO 😭🫶 Ais... I need him bad. i am here to share some More thoughts !! >:3

the ais in my head is. Hm. i don't know how to explain my ais. he walks the line of having his heart on his sleeve in a specific way that means. a lot of the time if he Is flustered or hiding from you, he doesn't hide the fact that he's hiding from you .? he's not wholly exposed, but to some extent he always lets you see him.... i don't think i make sense. Sorry .

like if it's a sincere compliment. there's the Eyes widening and stare and words getting stuck in his throat (ur a genius 4 that. cool witty guy Can't be cool and witty?? HELL YES!). and then. he doesn't Turn away from you . But he brings his hand to his face and covers his eyes while he softly laughs in disbelief. he covers his eyes instead of his laugh because he wants you to see it. and when he lets his hand fall YES there's a faint blush and his eyes are soft crescents and his smile and voice are gentle YEAS!!

not 2 say he never looks away. i imagine him doing that a lot w his. Emotional Crisis portion of the relationship at least.

covering his laugh with his knuckles.. that's so beautiful to me. i think it's if you do something and his own laughter catches him off guard. and you're like AIS and he's like sorry (not sorry).

^ and wouldn't it be so nice if you said something that caught him sO off guard he covered his mouth but failed to hide a bright smile and laugh. ais's laugh... can u imagine it... i just fell to my knees

also shy flustered ais might appear if you baby him. just being so so sweet on him kissing his face and being affectionate LOLLL like. to be nsft i guess. if it's during or after sex or something.. flustered and flushed ais oh my goodness. HELP ME!! HELP!! orz o(-(

blushy ais when princess exposes him somehow. i don't know how. it doesn't even have to be princess i just think that'd be an incredible move

pouty blushy ais is so cute he looks like he just got in trouble. or, again, you saw straight through him and he's like >:/ because he can't deny it BSJAHDJSHD

& the 'maddening softness' KILLED MEEE like, he told us about ocudeus in a sort of joke-y tone, but probably still prepared for Some sort of Bad reaction just in case—only to be met with Laughter??

that must've been a relief. that it wasn't a bad impression, that talking about something that's probably fucking him up can be a source of reprieve for you (and joke copium for him at the same time). of course he'd wipe away your tear with maddening softness this guy probably can't believe you're still here and he likes the fact that the shitty curse that brought you to him the seaspring hasn't prevented you from laughing like this!! OH MY GOD!! OHHMYGODD OH MY GODDDD MY

[bunnyluvx]

hsr characters and their love languages! ♡

featuring: natasha, welt yang, asta & sampo x gn!reader.

summary: hsr characters and their favorite love language with their partner! <3

warnings: spoilers about natasha if you are a beginner, and spoilers about welt yang.

a/n: hi there everybody!! this is my first official work here on tumblr and to say that i am nervous is such an understatement bc I AM SO SCARED HAHAHA. please be mindful throughout this post that i am not caught up with the game, and am not completely knowledgeable about hi3 or hsr lore. i'm pretty confident that almost all of the characters are in-character, sampo is really the only one i'm unsure of, so apologies in advance. i wanted to give natasha a break bc man she deserves one udbfoein. not proofread btw so have mercy on me for grammatical errors. i may or may not make different parts of this or make platonic/familial versions of how the characters would show their love for their friends/family, so if anyone is interested in that, please let me know!! this is also my first time doing a post like this so please be kind. ;; i'm excited to hopefully make new friends from this!! enjoy all of the fluff! <3

date started: 7:38PM, april 6th, 2024. date finished: 1:56AM. april 8th, 2024.

wc: 2.2k

natasha ♡ quality time.

natasha is always up on her feet, tirelessly working to tend to her patients and taking care of any necessities around the underworld. it is very rare that this woman is able to get a moment's rest, and as the leader of wildfire, she feels as though she cannot show weakness. she has to set an example for all of the children that she takes care of, and all of the underworld's citizens. if she falters, then they will start to worry and panic. she cannot have that. as stressful as her day-to-day life can be, she is incredibly grateful that she is able to help so many people. she loves to tend to the sick and carry out her duties so that she can guide her people to a better future.

however, when it comes to you, she feels as though she can let her guard down, when all of the children are asleep, and all of her duties for the day are done. she flops down onto your shared bed and softly sighs. you would lay by her side, her eyes closed, but she is content knowing that you are close to her. the nights that the two of you spend together are the nights where she feels most at peace. they are one of the moments that she holds of most importance, for they are the moments where she remembers that she is just oh so lucky to have you. whether if it's snuggling in bed together, which she thoroughly enjoys because she gets to snuggle up into your chest and relax, or sharing a meal, what is most important to her is that it is your time together to spend however you wish.

she feels like she can breathe with you near her; you soothe her in ways that no ordinary person could. there is something about your presence that causes every muscle in her body to ease, and she cannot help but smile whenever she sees you. there isn't much time for date nights given her positions, and you working alongside oleg as acting leader surely makes everything much harder, but you two try to make time for nice outings whenever you can because you both love going out to do things together.

to her, it doesn't even matter if you go out to do something. even if the two of you aren't doing anything together. she is just happy with you reading next to her while she's practicing stitching up her teddy bear. or when she's reading through paperwork and you're reorganizing some of the shelves and drawers around the clinic. being in your presence is all she needs in order to feel loved by you.

welt yang ♡ acts of service.

admittedly, welt is quite the romantic. there has always been a part of him that has been fond of the idea of finding someone right for him in this dimension. he never really made a priority for it, he never actively seeked out a partner. it has always been something that every once in a while, he would think of and smile about. it is a very small, personal part of him, but part of him nevertheless. and it blossomed to life when he met you. the part of him that wanted a person to spoil, to care for and to make their every wish came true really came to light.

anytime you say you want or need something, you better believe that he offers to grab it for you. not to say that he doesn't believe that you aren't capable of doing things for yourself; he just likes offering and if you accept, taking out those tasks for you. you want a drink or something to eat? what would you like? he'll get it for you. you're about to enter/exit any building? he's rushing ahead of you to open the door for you. something hurts? where? he'll give you a massage. your room is dirty and you need to clean it? with your permission, he will clean and organize it for you just the way you like it. he'll make sure to put things where he knows you're going to remember them too. you've been feeling down recently? he puts sticky-notes on the bathroom mirror for you to remind you how wonderful you are and how much he loves you. and it is guaranteed that when you are dating welt, that he has drawings in his sketchbook filled with you. he loves every single detail of you, and wants to commit them all to memory. he even made characters for one of his personal animation projects based off of you and him. when he showed them to you to see your reaction, and to gain your approval to have them in the first place, you were smitten and he received many, many kisses to the face.

welt absolutely worships the ground that you walk on. wherever you are, he always makes sure that you are comfortable, happy, healthy and safe. he does everything in his power to take care of you, even though he knows that you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. he firmly believes in "actions speak louder than words". he likes to show his dedication and love for you through his actions. he reminds you every single day through his actions just why you fell for him, and he reminds you everyday how much he loves you. he will continue to do so, until the multiverse falls apart.

asta ♡ words of affirmation.

originally i was going to say that her love language is gift giving, seeing as she has so much money, she wants to be able to give as much as she can. she gives money to the space station to help with repairs, so why wouldn't she want to spoil the heck out of you?! however, upon taking a little peak at her lore, she is actually insecure about her riches. i feel as though she wouldn't want you to think that she's some snobby bigshot just because she has a wealthy family, so while she would get gifts for you, she would worry about what exactly she got and how much of it costed, and what you would possibly think of her if you got something that was deemed "too expensive" by society. she doesn't want you to think less of her. so, after looking at the five primary love languages, my next thought was words of affirmation.

asta seems like the type of girlfriend to enjoy both receiving and giving reassurance, kind words and compliments. in her times of stress, what she really needs is for you to put your hand on her shoulder and tell her that she'll figure everything out and that it will be okay. she looks to you with worried eyes, placing her hand over yours. she wouldn't say a word, her eyes tell you what she wants to say. "how can you be so sure? what if i don't figure this out? what if i get kicked off of the space station? what if-" a thousand thoughts run through her head at all times, and when she's stressed, the volume cranks up to one-hundred. it is only with you telling her that it'll be alright, and that you will be by her side the entire time that she is able to feel more at ease. your words mean everything to her.

she also loves to give reassurance. when you are feeling worried or anxious, she is quick to hop in and listen to whatever may be troubling you. she always tells you that it will all work out, and that she is always going to be there for you. she will never leave your side, she says, and she loves you with every ounce of her heart. she also wraps you up in compliments; when you change up your appearance somehow, whether if it's from clothes, hair, make-up or other changes, she will always point it out to you and tell you that she thinks that you are the most beautiful person in the whole world. or, when the two of you are laying together at night, she will tell you just how good of a heart you have. she will tell you how proud she is of you and of the progress that you have made since she first met you. she will tell you just how enthralled she is with you, and how you make her heart want to squeeze and stop in her chest. she will tell you exactly how she feels about you, and it is overwhelmingly lovely, because you know that every word she speaks, she means it from the bottom of her heart. and in turn, you try your best to do the same when you can. she is always grateful to hear your words of praise and adoration for her, even if it's something small. a simple "i'm here for you" will make her happy, because she knows that you mean what you say. gosh, she just loves you so much that she doesn't know how to handle it. your love is genuine, true and real, and speaking of that love to each other makes asta feel like she's floating in a cloud's soft embrace.

sampo koski ♡ gift receiving.

when it comes to showing his affection for you, he is always buying you things whenever he can. jumping from job to job all of the time can lead to strain with his finances, but he is able to make good money often enough to the point where he is able to buy nice gifts for you. he has become used to taking things from people without thinking twice, so when you first started dating, he gave you stolen things. buuuttt you were very unhappy about it; not because of the gift itself, but because of the fact that he stole it. so you told him very firmly that you would not accept anything that he stole. he respected your wishes, of course, and started to buy you things ethically.

receiving gifts became a regular thing for you. sampo would come home after a long day of working around belobog, hand you whatever little trinket he managed to get his handa on and say, "for you, baby~". you are always grateful for everything that he gives you, and one day, you thought to return the favor. so, while you were out and about one day, you saw a really cute pin of a puppy. when you saw it, it automatically made you think of sampo. so, you bought it, and planned to give it to him when he came home that night.

when nighttime rolled around, he busted the doors open and called, "HONEYYY, IIIII'M HOOOOOOME!!~" in a silly way before laughing to himself and taking his shoes off. you rush up to him, the man opening his arms for you as you hop up to hug him. you share a kiss, then move back out of his arms with a little grin on your face. he noticed the look and asked what was up, then you told him that you had a gift for him. he was caught off-guard, admittedly, as he didn't expect such a pleasant surprise. he tried to act humbly at first, telling you that you didn't need to do that for lil ol' sampo! he's the one that supposed to be spoiling you, after all! but you shut that down immediately and insisted that he takes your gift. he couldn't say no to how excited you looked to give him something, he asked what it was, and you told him to close his eyes. he did, and when he opened them, there it was! in your hands was the cutest little puppy pin he has ever seen in his life.

he took a moment to speak or move as his usual cocky attitude melted away. his eyes became glossy and his lip started to tremble. he was so touched by the fact that you were thinking of him so much that you got him a gift. you asked if he was okay, as he never cried around you before, and he quickly wiped his nose and eyes on his sleeve and sniffled. he assured you that he was okay before taking the pin from you and cooing about how cute it was. seriously, it was so freaking adorable, how did you even get your hands on this??? he asked why you chose it for him, and when you told him that it looked like him, he caved and gave you a bone-crushing hug. his sobs were quiet and he sniffled. the idea of you seeing such an adorable little treasure and thinking that you wanted, no, you needed to get it for him just makes his heart crumble in the best way possible. needless to say, he wears that pin everywhere he goes and never takes it off. it is on him at all times, as are all of the other wearable gifts that you got for him after that. he cherishes every single thing that you give him, and he wants to be able to show you that no matter how big or small it is, he will love it forever. just as he will love you.

@BUNNYLUVX ,, all rights reserved. do not copy/plagiarize any of my works or submit it into ai. any and all support is so very appreciated! <3

[asher-agere]

Hii ashh im some what newer to PJSK and I didn't know if you did chuunibyou content but if you are interested could you do N25 members with chuunibyou powers!!!

So. Trying to do this request was a mess. But I got it all figured out! I am 1000% interested Anon! This is a topic I’m trying to learn more about for personal reasons actually! And I got help from my amazing caregiver @sasha-romeave for this!

Chuunibyou N25

✩♬ ₊˚.

Mizuki

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪

۶ৎ Mizuki would want some kind of shape shifting or invisibility magic! Leaning more towards invisibility. She uses her magic a lot of the time when she’s in public if she gets to nervous, just invisibly sneaking around, pressed tight against walls so no one bumps into her. A lot of people are really scary and say mean things to her, it’s a lot easier to just avoid them! If anyone tries addressing her like this (Which how would they? She’s quite clearly invisible) she’ll just walk away even faster! Clearly her mana is running low, maybe she shouldn’t stay up so late… (She proceeds to make 0 effort to sleep at a reasonable time)

۶ৎ So many magical girl outfits! If she’s gonna be fighting monsters she totally deserves to look cute doing it! She’ll take magical gems and sew them onto her outfits and accessories to give her extra strength and protection! She watches a lot of magical girl anime’s, she’s honestly made some outfits as exact replicas! But most of her designs are a mashup of different things she likes from various anime’s, or just ideas she see in real life! And of course everything is made to be pink

۶ৎ Yuuki loves to hear about Mizuki’s magical adventures! She always praises her sister for being so brave and protecting them all, and she always asks to see her magic! She always acts completely amazed as Mizuki disappears before her very eyes! As an apology for spending Mizuki’s mana for simple party tricks she’ll deliver a legendary forehead kiss! A well known tactic for helping magical girls rapidly recover their mana!

Ena

𓊆ྀི❤︎𓊇ྀི

ᝰ.ᐟ Ena has a drawing tablet that she carries around with her everywhere! It may look normal to most people, but it’s a magic infused item! She draws things in her notebook and makes them come to life! (For my BSD fans. She’s a Kunikida rip off) A lot of the time she’ll use her powers to get weapons when fighting bad guys, but it can also be handy when she’s on her own too! She’ll make herself toys to play with and stuff like that!

ᝰ.ᐟ I think Akito is aware of Ena’s chuunibyou powers! He is. Much less supportive than Yuuki. He definitely calls her weird and has made Ena cry on multiple occasions, but he’s not mean enough that he’d say it isn’t real! He just says that like the way Ena uses her powers is dumb, always asking her to make things she can’t. Obviously she can’t make pancakes! You can’t just eat pure mana. Stupid Akito… (She’s tried to create cheesecake many many times)

ᝰ.ᐟ Some of Ena’s drawing tablets are infused with capture magic instead of creation magic! She needs to draw the monster she’s fighting and it’ll be sealed away! So she has a bunch of tablets filled with monsters and bad guys that she’s had to fight in the past! She has to be careful though because if the pages get ripped it’ll release the monster! So her capture notebooks are kept under the highest security! She keeps plushies on guard duty at all times!

Mafuyu

୭ ˚.⁺⊹ .ᐟ

✦ Mafuyu is possessed by a demon! She spends a lot of her time trying to fight against the possession, and it uses up a lot of her mana energy. She works really hard to put up good appearances around people! So she mainly fights it in public, it’s part of her good girl act. However since she spends so much of her mana while she’s in public, when she’s alone she’s usually left feeling exhausted and it can make her kinda snappy and fussy

✦ I don’t think Mafuyu uses her powers to fight monsters very often, she just doesn’t think she can do it, there’s a lot of self doubt. Most of her time is just spent pretending she doesn’t have powers, because she knows she doesn’t actually… But also it definitely feels like she has the powers. Sometimes when her mother gives her a day off or something though she will go out and fight a monster or two! Mainly her powers are used to help her with archery and other various sports, she makes full use of the super strength she gets from her demon and often will light her arrows on fire because she feels like it makes them shoot better

✦ Unlike Mizuki and Ena I don’t think Mafuyu has anyone she’d talk to about her powers. I think maybe when she was really young she would be playing pretend and go up to her mother to yap about her powers, Mafuyu’s mother of course responding rudely and pointing out that she doesn’t really have powers. And that just sort of made it so Mafuyu never grew out of it, but she did learn not to tell people. She believes her powers to be real of course, but she’s self aware enough to know that if she told people they’d think she was crazy

Kanade

‧₊˚ ⋅ 𓐐𓎩 ‧₊˚ ⋅

ᯓ★ Kanade doesn’t use mana like the other girls, she doesn’t have magical powers covered in glitter or curses of darkness, instead she controls a mecha! Whenever she’s wearing her hoodie she’s able to channel her mana into it and it forms a protective suit around her! Kanade doesn’t want to fight or look cool, she just wants something that’ll let her feel safe and secure, protect her from all the scary things in the world

ᯓ★ I don’t think Kanade has very much mana. Her reserves are shallow and they refill slowly. Obviously her mecha is built with this in mind though! She can store mana in it over time to be used as needed, and it has systems in place to make full use of the mana she puts in. She wants to find ways to use her mecha to heal but unfortunately taking after her aggressive actions when she pushes herself to far, her suit only knows how to lash out

ᯓ★ I mentioned that most of the time Kanade doesn’t like to fight! And that’s true, she almost never seeks out monsters, honestly one could sneak into her house and she’d still rather ignore it than fight it. However! If one of her friends is in danger? She’s taking that monster down and fast. She’s a perfect team up for someone like Ena who needs time to activate their power! Kanade can keep the monsters busy!

✩♬ ₊˚.

Wowza I stopped posting for a hot second there. Sorry guys! I was doing so good too… (╥﹏╥) Surprisingly I have no life updates? Toradora was removed from Crunchyroll though which absolutely infuriated me because I was halfway through watching it

[DNI ID: A grey box with a purple border, to the right are the members of Nightcore at 25:00. Purple text reads “DNI if your blog isn’t child safe. NSFW accounts will be blocked” End ID]

[phillippadgettwrites]

The First Time, Every Time: Lazarus

Rated X / 2231 words / Posted on AO3 / Tagging @today-in-fic

Scully’s been glued to her couch for hours, lost in the melancholic churn of regret. She can’t help but feel partially responsible for Jack’s death, in some tangential way. Perhaps the vacancy left by her departure was too vast to be adequately filled, even three years later. Perhaps he never really got over her. Just as soon as she has the thought, she dismisses it as terribly self-important. 

The phone rings, and she half expects it to be Jack on the other end of the line, admitting that it was all a prank that went way too far. 

“Hey, it’s me. Just checkin’ on ya.”

Scully smiles and moves the phone to the other ear. 

“I’m okay,” she says with a sigh.

There’s a stretch of silence that begins to make her nervous. 

“Most people wouldn’t be okay after going through what you just did, you know. It’s okay to…not be okay,” Mulder says gently, and Scully cringes and closes her eyes. 

“I know, Mulder,” she tells him with just enough insistence that he’ll drop it. “I really am fine, though.”

“Okay,” he relents. “Message received. What are you up to?”

Scully looks at the open box of photographs strewn across her coffee table and the half empty bottle of wine sitting in the middle of them. 

“Not much,” she says, leaning forward to pick up a candid shot of Jack with a cigarette dangling from his smiling mouth. “Just…thinking, I guess.”

“About Jack?” It’s a rhetorical question, one she responds to with only a hum. “He seemed like a good guy,” Mulder comments, somewhat detachedly. It’s the kind of thing you say about people you didn’t know well after they die. The kind of thing that’s said more for the comfort of the living than the benefit of the dead. 

“He was,” she agrees, equally detached. 

They are both quiet for a beat, but it’s a comfortable silence. 

“I reviewed his case notes,” Mulder says carefully, like he’s unsure whether she’ll find it intrusive. “He had some interesting insights on Dupre and Lula’s relationship.”

“Such as?” Scully asks, curious but guarded. 

“He said that he envied their devotion to each other. That they lived in a world where nothing mattered but their own needs, which he found intoxicating,” Mulder recites without much affect, leaving his opinion on Jack’s musings up to her interpretation. 

Scully thinks back to the desperate, lovesick way Jack carried himself through their relationship, like he could never quite get enough of her. At first it had been exciting and addictive, but soon became overwhelming and burdensome. The more she withdrew, the harder he tried to get back in her good graces, and she finally came to the conclusion that he wanted something from her that she was simply unwilling to give. 

“That sounds like Jack,” she says, tossing the photograph back on top of the haphazard pile. 

“I hope you don’t take offense to this, but I was surprised to learn that you’d been romantically involved with him.”

“Because he was my instructor?” she clarifies. 

“Not necessarily,” he tells her, pausing to consider his words. “I guess I just…wouldn’t have thought he’d be your type.”

This makes Scully smile. 

“Oh? What did you think my type would be?” she asks, somewhat playfully. 

“I don’t know,” Mulder admits. “Somebody less…intense. Obsessive. Single minded.”

Somebody less like you, she thinks to herself. 

“I’m not sure I have a type,” she says, knowing it’s a lie even as it leaves her lips. Her type is older, assertive, and unavailable. Bonus points if they make her work to earn their affection.

“Well,” Mulder says in a markedly more upbeat tone, “my type is canadian bacon and pineapple. You hungry? I was thinking about ordering a pizza.”

“I could eat,” she says, and her stomach growls in agreement. “But you don’t have to drive across town, Mulder; I can feed myself,” she adds, feeling undeserving. 

“I need to return a movie, so I’m going out regardless,” he says, and she can hear in his voice that he’s already up and moving around his apartment. 

“I’m sure the late fees at the adult video store are steep,” she teases, and he humors her with a wry chuckle. 

She tidies her apartment while she waits for him, stashing the photos of Jack and corking the rest of the wine for another night. When she hears his “shave and a haircut” knock at her door, she answers with a “two bits” rap of her knuckles before she opens it and takes a pizza box from his hands. 

“I got a movie,” he says, kicking the door closed behind him. “I know it’s a school night, but I’m feeling reckless.”

“When are you not feeling reckless?” she says mirthfully, gathering plates and napkins. 

The movie is something silly that neither of them pays much attention to. It’s clear that Mulder’s intention in coming over was to lift her spirits, and he hits it hard with little self-deprecating quips that make her feel equally entertained and sad for him. She can’t help but see the similarities between Mulder and Jack, their shared restlessness and obsessive nature. Their stalwart belief that if they could just solve this one case, the world would tip back on its axis. 

At one point she turns away from the TV and catches Mulder looking at her. He does this sometimes, perhaps much more frequently than she’s privy to. He’s quite good at averting his eyes almost immediately, but she still catches the tail end of the pained, longing expression on his face, and it makes something warm blossom in her belly. She can’t help but wonder why she’s so drawn to these broken, chronically unfulfilled men. She can’t help but wonder why they are so drawn to her. 

The movie ends, and he helps her collect their dirty plates and cups and move them to the kitchen sink, offering to take the pizza box to the dumpster on his way out. While prone to thoughtlessness when he’s chasing down a lead, he’s the most considerate man she’s ever known, and she wonders for the first time if he’s like this with everyone, or just with her. 

“Thank you for dinner,” she says, following two paces behind him as he moves toward her front door reluctantly, shuffling from one shoeless foot to the other like he has something else to say. 

“Anytime,” he tells her. 

They stand there awkwardly for a beat, and an uncomfortable smile stretches across Scully’s mouth. 

“What?” she asks, and Mulder laughs and looks at the floor. 

“Sorry, I’m being weird,” he says, running his hand across the back of his neck. “I was just going to say…I just felt like I should tell you, or that you should know…” He lifts his head and meets her eye with a level of intensity she wasn’t prepared for, and her stomach drops a little. “I was really scared when you went MIA,” he says. “Just thinking about the possibility that we wouldn’t find you alive was…” He stops and swallows, pausing before he speaks again. “I’m really glad you’re okay,” he finally says. 

She steps forward and opens her arms to him and he greedily accepts her embrace, scooping her up into a bear hug that nearly lifts her feet off the floor. It feels like this is what he came here for, to ease his own mind and see for himself that she continues to be alive and well. She feels the beat of his heart thrumming against her rib cage, hard and fast, and her own heart follows suit in anticipation. He holds her for much longer than is customary, and when he finally loosens his grip enough for her to pull away a little, she presses her lips to the corner of his mouth without giving it much thought. It just feels like the natural thing to do. 

Mulder stiffens, but doesn’t let go of her. A bolt of shock at her own out of character behavior makes her ears ring, and for a moment she doesn’t move at all. Mulder turns his head slightly, which makes his bottom lip brush across hers, and an involuntary little whimper escapes the back of her throat. 

His mouth tastes like sweet pineapple and acidic tomato sauce, and it’s so abundantly clear that he’s wanted to kiss her since long before tonight. She’s wanted to kiss him too—of course she has—but they can’t. They can’t, but they are, and she’s not sure why she’s doing this but she knows she doesn’t want to stop. His tongue is in her mouth and they’re pawing at each other like horny teenagers, and she doesn’t want to stop more than she doesn’t want to find out what will happen if they don’t stop. 

“Wait,” Mulder says, grabbing her hands to stop her from unbuttoning his fly right here in her foyer. It hits her like a ton of bricks just how stupid this is. How reckless. “What are we…what does this mean?” he asks, his eyes questioning and his cock visibly hard. 

Scully shakes her head softly, dazed and aroused beyond rational thinking. “I don’t know. It doesn’t have to mean anything,” she says, and she means it. She knows he has nothing more to give her, and she knows that she is unwilling to sacrifice a larger slice of her life to him than she already has. 

He stares at her for a beat, debating, and then his mouth is right back on hers. 

When she was with Jack, she felt like she couldn’t breathe. His arms around her waist were an anchor, and his kiss stole the air from her lungs. His love was an obligation. Being with him felt like drowning, and she had to swim for the surface to save herself. 

Mulder is nothing like Jack. She’s never felt as safe in anyone’s arms as she does in his, and when she kisses him her whole body lights up. He’s not asking her to love him, though she thinks she could. He’s not asking anything from her at all, and yet she desperately wants to give herself to him. Give him her mind, her dedication, her body. He treats each of these with equal reverence, and whatever the opposite of objectified is she’s feeling it now as he peels the clothes from her body and lays her down gently on top of her bed.  

He crawls over her, nude and stiff to the point of leaking, and nudges her leg to the side with his knee. He watches her face while he touches her with two gentle fingers, mapping her body by feel, and his undivided attention is the most erotic thing she’s ever experienced. He makes her come embarrassingly quickly, first with his fingers and then his mouth, before she manages to get her hands on him. He tucks his face into the crook of her neck while she strokes him firmly, murmuring little words of pleasure and affirmation that make her feel like a goddess. 

It’s been so long since she’s been with anyone that she doesn’t have a condom, but she trusts him enough to rely on her birth control and his promise to pull out. He pushes into her slowly, kissing her all the while, and the stretch of him makes her gasp with surprise and pleasure. 

“Am I hurting you?” he asks quietly, his hips stilled. 

“No,” she whimpers, wrapping one leg around his hips to pull him closer. “You’re not hurting me, Mulder.”

Somehow it feels like fucking and making love at the same time. His mouth on her neck, his hand clasped with hers, his cock buried deep inside her. Being with him feels like flying, like an endless endorphin rush. She may never be able to get enough.

“Shit, I’m gonna come,” he sputters.

Suddenly his slippery cock is laid out on her belly, streaks of hot white cum shooting up onto her breasts. She wraps him up in her fist, stroking him through the final few throbs until he begins to grow soft in her hand. He looks up and smiles at her, a kind of uncomfortable was that a mistake? smile, and she smiles back at him. 

“I’ll get you a towel,” he says, and she averts her eyes out of habit as he makes a run for the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later they are back at her front door, fully dressed. Scully picks the pizza box up off her dining room table and hands it to him sheepishly, and he drums his fingers against the thin cardboard lid as he tries to think of something to say. 

“I’ll see you at work tomorrow,” she says casually, like they just ate pizza and watched a movie, nothing more. 

Mulder sighs, potentially with relief, and nods. 

“I’ll bring you a coffee,” he offers.

“That’d be great,” she says casually, opening her front door for him. 

They wave at one another awkwardly, and she watches him walk down her hallway and out the building before she closes and locks her door.

Mulder is nothing like Jack, she’s sure of it. And she’s not going to run away this time—she’s going to see where he takes her. Where he takes them both. 

She’s never felt more excited in all her life.

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

Ooh I’ve been very hesitant about reaching out to you for this (my own mind being weird don’t worry) but I just really love your fics and I would love to see some more because it brings me a lot of joy seeing your work come by on my dash. im sending lots of love and creative energy your way!!

as for the emojis that i almost forgot:

🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼

Aww hey!! No need to be nervous with me I love receiving these and I am so very appreciative of the kind works <3 Thank you!!!

60 for 🔼:

We might reach some big spoilers here? Unsure!

---

And he means it. August 4th 2020 Shannon better get ready. “You want a hand carrying things up?”

“Oh,” Shannon says. “It’s okay. There’s an elevator.”

“Still,” Buck replies. “It’s a lot to carry.”

“You’re relentlessly helpful,” Shannon accuses.

“Guilty as charged,” Buck grins.

“Fine,” she says. “I’d appreciate the help, Buck.”

It never once crosses his mind that going up into her apartment would be a bad idea. He swears, it never does. 

◀️

It’s a mistake. 

She knows it’s a mistake as soon as the door is shut behind them, and he’s laying her dry cleaner bags over the back of a chair. It’s a mistake because he has no reason to stay, but she doesn’t want him to leave. 

And maybe she’s not really thinking, is the other thing. There’s no inherent malintent. None at all. She’s not really thinking, because he’s asking her about art and the things she used to like.  For a moment, she just feels like herself. Like Shannon, the person who used to exist. Before she drained the hope from Eddie’s eyes. Before she got married to a choppy video call reception with the desert. Before she failed to keep her baby healthy after a birth injury she didn’t see coming. Before Helena drilled into her how she was failing; as a mother, as a wife, as a woman. Before she lost her mom. She’s just Shannon, with dreams and goals that someone thinks she’s capable of. 

So when she steps closer to him at the door and thanks him for helping her today, and he smiles at her and says, “it was really my pleasure, Shannon,” her brain goes offline. 

She’s just Shannon. She doesn’t have a husband or children. Her relentless hormone-induced horniness is just because of the gorgeous man in front of her. The kind, thoughtful man who wanted to spend time with her. Who makes her feel good about herself. Her body is on fire and her brain has melted and…

And she kisses him. 

She reaches a hand to cup his face, stands on her tiptoes, and kisses him. 

He’s warm. His lips are soft. His face is a bit stubbly. It’s been a very long time since she has kissed anyone but Eddie, but this feels different. Not a bad sort of different. A little thrilling maybe. She wants more. A lot more.

Buck takes a second to respond. He is understandably caught off guard. 

There’s a brief second, after he processes, where he starts to kiss her back. Where he raises a hand, lets it hover above her waist. But he doesn’t touch her. He comes to his senses before then. 

Buck pulls away, scrambling back from Shannon like she’s burned him. His back hits her door. 

Shannon steps away from him, hands flying to her mouth.

“Oh my god,” she exhales into her palm as the full gravity of what she’s done crashes over her. 

Buck looks horrified. Those kind blue eyes are twisted with confusion  and something else she can’t read. 

“I would never do that to Eddie,” Buck says. His tone is scathing. Scolding. “I-I would never!”

[shakingparadigm]

WOW. I JUST. I JUST REALLY LOVE YOUR ANALYSIS AND THEORIES DON'T EVER STOP PLEASE. I LOVE THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR EXPLANATIONS.

In the chaos of the wait,there is someone to accompany me through a journey of madness with Alien Stage. Haha.

*insert meme of cat with wine*

I wonder what does Till think about Ivan.Now that Mizi is missing,and he seems to have completely lost himself and a reason to pursue forward,I couldn't help but ask myself: "Does he feel like he's condemned to die because of his guilt towards Ivan too? Does he feel like this or l'm just overthinking?" What if there's a retrospective we don't know about in which Till thinks Ivan didn't escape because of HIM and,now that Mizi isn't there,he's not torn about lvan anymore and what to do if he ever had to compete against him? Was he going to be conflicted in the first place? Like: "I have nothing,l lost my last hope. I may just die now rather than make my friend being killed. Is this the right thing? Why it had to be this way from the beginning,suffering because of the aliens? What am I? Why do I have to remember those things? What am I doing this for? I just wanted to survive and love Mizi"

Like we all know,thanks to the community posts,we see him have a certain dynamic with Ivan,in which they interact joking or bickering,and this strengthens a type of attachment he cannot deny. So,in the ROUND CURE we'll see Till (or Ivan) remember their past and we'll get to know more about their story with the progression of the actual one. (Ivan indeed didn't escape to stay with him,but Till doesn't know about lvan feelings,he may have been supposing all this time that he didn't made it or he just followed him back for some strange reason) I'm uncertain if they remember about seeing each other in the laboratories,through all the trauma...

l just hope that Till and Ivan don't succumb. What if lvan encourages Till to fight again unlike Luka with Mizi. What will Ivan do to try to protect Till?

Sometimes I suspect Vivinos like to play with us. Not just our feelings. WE ARE HERE JUST TO SUFFER.

THE HEARTBEATS IN THE TEASER MAKE ME FEEL SO NERVOUS HELP.

I just know that Till looks so broken and... he may have had a breakdown at this point. He has dark circles under his eyes and it's clear he has not been sleeping. I wonder if the aliens drugged him or something. For the lenght of the hair: how much time has passed?! At least a month?

One more thing I noticed,is that Till doesn't seem to have that sort of IV tube they used to sedate him like on stage in ROUND 2.

And in Hyuna's song,around the end,a security guard writes something in the sand. I don't think they'll be discovered for this but I'm really nervous.

Anyway,l really enjoy my time on your beautiful page! 🫂 Oh,please! Don't think you write stupid things,because your ideas and perspective are interesting and well put. I really like how you express yourself!

Have a nice day!! (and sorry for any mistake)

AH?!!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! tears in my eyes...

Yes!!! I shall accompany you through the madness. In fact I carry the madness in myself as well. If my yelling and flood of posts are anything to go by.

ALSO. WOW. That's genuinely so heartbreaking. Till having guilt isn't talked about often but it's very plausible that he'll be feeling it tenfold during this round. It's his fault, after all, that they're still here. Now that Mizi, the whole reason he stayed, is gone too, what was all of it for? He doomed himself and Ivan for nothing. You're right. He seems hopeless. I can definitely feel Till in those words, and it's so sad to think about how his thoughts could devolve to that point. He seemed so determined, so bright and dynamic at the beginning during ROUND 2. Now he seems so empty. Ivan and Till are definitely much closer than the both of them let on, there's no way they were just "fine". I think Till does hold fondness for Ivan, maybe even a little aware of his feelings (I don't think he knows what extent though, not sure he knows that Ivan's world literally revolves around him). What I'm sure of is that Till isn't as indifferent to Ivan as he might seem. Ivan is incredibly important to him too, and he has to come to terms with all of the guilt and feelings that were previously buried under his love and fixation for Mizi.

Oh... If Ivan spent most of ROUND 6 encouraging Till to fight I would be HEARTBROKEN. I remember one of the most common theories in the beginning was that Ivan would refuse to fight so that Till could win, and maybe Till would try and convince Ivan to fight. It's really interesting to see that the opposite might be true instead! And yes, VIVINOS LOVES to play with our feelings! It's their specialty.

Haha, Till's always had horrible eyebags! He apparently only gets less than 5 hours of sleep per day, and he's an incredibly light sleeper. Despite his eyebags though, Till always possessed such a large amount of energy. He had a lot of fight in him. You're right though, now he just seems exhausted. He's definitely been spiralling down into some very dooming thoughts. I wonder how much time has passed too...

An IV tube? I believe that's just his leash (just to make sure he's constantly restrained), but wow, thinking of it as an IV tube has some very horrifying implications. If they tried to sedate him, it definitely didn't work well HAHAH (RIP Freddie).

I thought the security guard writing in the sand was just a fun little visual gag, but if it's actually used to track down Mizi and Hyuna, oh shit. Improved security, after all. This isn't gonna be easy for them.

Thank you so much for enjoying my blog!! It means a lot to me, seriously. I might cry receiving all these nice notes and messages. Don't worry about any mistakes, by the way! You're quite a well-put writer yourself! :) Thank you for expressing yourself to me as well! I appreciate sharing all these ideas and hearing about new ones! I hope you have a great day too! ^^

[glatisant-questing]

Short Stories from the Hakuouki Manyo no Shou Stellaworth Bonus Booklet (Part 4)

This is the translation of the last part of the Manyo Stellaworth Bonus Booklet! All three stories (Kazama, Iba, and Sakamoto's stories) take place in Edo Blossoms and may contain some mild spoilers, so be sure that you are okay with them to continue reading ;-) As always, the icons/banners come from the game's website.

Kazama's Story

"May the two of you find repose in this room" the innkeeper said graciously, and escorted us into the room. However, the moment we stepped through the door, both I and the young girl from the Yukimura family stood still in surprise. "…!" The two futons in the room were nestled side by side, a placement suggesting that the innkeeper might have mistaken us for a wedded couple. "As such, may you enjoy your stay." With impeccable manners, the innkeeper left the room. After the disastrous culmination of the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, we pursued the Shinsengumi back to the Eastern provinces. Since it was getting late, we decided to stay here for the night.

"Um, Mr. Kazama…" Calling my name, Yukimura Chizuru's face was not only red but her neck was also crimson. (Does she think I'm going to do something to her?) Back when we were still in Kyoto, I had made multiple raids on Shinsengumi's headquarters and clashed in conflict with their soldiers. While I could empathize with her insecurities about what I may do… "Don't worry. I'm not the type to lay my hands on a woman before she was wedded to me." "Truly?" The young girl from the Yukimura family cast an uncertain gaze at me. "Of course. I also made an agreement with the female Oni of Hachisuka, remember? Oni never breaks their promises." "Yes, I do remember…" Upon hearing my words, she finally seemed to let down her guards a little, and the tension in her shoulders relaxed. "But, I am a man of reason. If indeed, you find yourself wanting to marry me, I wouldn't rule out the possibility." After I added that, the young girl from the Yukimura family retreated and stood with her back against the wall. "N-No, I never promised anything like that!" With that, she tightly clutched the small dagger that she carried with her. I thought to myself, this was undoubtedly a young girl inclined to react excessively. (At first, I was only interested in her because she is a descendant of the Yukimura family of the oni clan in the Eastern provinces, but…) Gradually, I found myself attracted by her charm. Like how she would take each of my little pranks with earnest, how attentive she was to others' needs, and how she always seemed to intuitively comprehend the way things are.

"Um, Mr. Kazama?" "I won't lay a finger on you. If I break my word, you can use that little dagger of yours to kill me, or do as you please. But speaking of that, I won't make it easy for you to kill me." With that, I extinguished the light and lay down in the futon. Yukimura Chizuru seemed to hesitate for a moment, but before long, I felt her get into the futon too. Judging from the way she breathed, it seemed that she still had not completely let go of her vigilance. (That's okay. There's plenty of time. As long as she keeps on traveling with me, a day will come when she eventually falls in love with me. It's just a matter of time, so there's no need for haste.) While musing over these thoughts, I realized that the sound coming from the neighboring futon had gradually become the soothing breathing of deep slumber. (She still seems a bit guarded, but she must be really tired, too.) I recalled her nervous look from earlier and couldn't help but smile in amusement. (If this girl becomes my wife, life among the oni clan will certainly be anything but dull.) With these thoughts I closed my eyes, leaving the world to the realms of dreams.

☄︎fin.☄︎

Iba's Story

"My apologies. I heard that my servant's family has encountered an unfortunate circumstance, and it appears he must hastily return to his hometown," I said with regret as I arranged Chizuru's futon in my room. "It's… It's quite all right. There's nothing to be done about it," Chizuru replied. She had been lodging in my home in Edo for several days now. Just as we were beginning to grow accustomed to life here, the servant who had been looking after us decided to return to his hometown for a few days. Moreover, with Chizuru attracting the attention of many who might be chasing after her, I couldn't bear the thought of her sleeping alone. "I will place the futons. Please wait for a little over there," I said, intending to lay out her futon first. "Wait a moment, let me do it. In gratitude for Iba-san's hospitality, please allow me to do what I can." Chizuru replied. "You needn't trouble yourself…" "It's no trouble; please let me." With these words, Chizuru quickly began to lay out not only her futon but also mine. In the blink of an eye, the futons for the two of us were ready. (It's almost as if… We're a married couple.) As I looked at the two futons that were placed side by side, this idea involuntarily crossed my mind. I stole a glance at Chizuru, who was standing beside me. "…" It seemed that she was thinking along similar lines. Her cheeks gradually took on a rosy hue. "Let me guess what you're thinking right now," I said, inquiring. She shivered nervously. "No, I… I wasn't… I wasn't thinking of anything!" Though Chizuru responded otherwise, her adorable reactions were easy to read, always betraying her feelings. "Really? You don't feel like we look like a newly married couple?" I asked, half in jest. "…!" I had hit the mark. Even the tips of her ears were in blush. She bashfully lowered her head and hastily slipped under the covers. "How can you say that…! How could I ever match Iba-san if we were married…" She seemed to have managed to express this thought after some effort. "Is that so? But if you were truly my wife, I would be quite honored," I said. "…" I sensed her holding her breath beneath the covers. "I don't say such things lightly; I've always been sincere." After those words, I extinguished the lamp. The room immediately darkened, allowing us to feel each other's presence even more keenly. (I don't want to rush things… Will that day truly arrive? The day I take you as my wife…) With these thoughts in mind, I, too, pulled the covers over myself to sleep. ☄︎fin.☄︎

Sakamoto's Story

"Oh, this room looks gorgeous! Staying here, we would surely rest well. Chizuru?" "Y-Yes…" After the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, as we followed the trail of the Shinsengumi all the way to Edo, Chizuru and I traveled to the Eastern provinces, intending to spend the night at an inn along the way. If we couldn't reach the inn before nightfall, we would definitely end up spending the night outdoors. However, luck was on our side today. "By this time, it's likely that the pub is already closed. We can dine tomorrow. "Y-Yes, that sounds reasonable…" Chizuru's response was strained, and her expression was also rather awkward as she constantly avoided meeting my gaze. (Well, it can't be helped. It's the first time we've shared a room like this. I don't think this girl has ever been in a romantic relationship before.) "Rest assured, I have no interest in imprisoning a woman who doesn't desire my company. I won't lay a finger on you," I reassured her, though it seemed she was not entirely assured. "……In that case. Here, take this." I withdrew the pistol from my pocket and took hold of Chizuru's wrist, placing the firearm in her hand. "Ryoma-san, what is this for?" "In case something unpleasant happens, just use this to pierce my heart. It has silver bullets, right? Those can actually kill me." I said, but Chizuru turned pale at my words. "How can you say such things…!" Her expression also grew tense. "… Even if it's a joke, please don't say things like that. How could I ever harm Ryoma-san…" Indeed, I had taken my joke way too far, especially considering Chizuru had lost her important companions in the Battle of Toba-Fushimi. "I'm sorry; I was too thoughtless. I only wanted to put your mind at ease, but it seems I did just the opposite. "It's alright…" Chizuru quietly shook her head. Then, she picked up the pistol and handed it back to me. "Although you say that, I'd still prefer you to hold onto it. It might make you feel safer, after all." I said. "It's alright… I trust Ryoma-san, so please take this gun back, Ryoma-san." Seeing Chizuru looking directly at me, this time I was the one taken aback. "I'll go change into my nightgown." Chizuru said, and she was ready to leave the room. "No, I'll step out for a moment, and you can change your clothes here. Just let me know when you're done." "Oh…" I left Chizuru in the room and went out into the corridor. (Chizuru is as resolute as ever. Her straightforwardness only makes me like her even more.) Even though I was being led on by a girl much younger than me, it was a rather pleasant feeling. (Despite the numerous frustrations, as long as I'm with her, this journey seems like it'll be an enjoyable one.) I contemplated this as I waited for Chizuru to finish changing. ☄︎fin.☄︎

[polyhexian]

Since Raine was a teacher I think once they have Hunter living in their home they would immediately start to notice the signs of abuse. They would probably have issues with Hunter eating the normal amount of food for a kid his age because Belos starved him and also Hunter probably wouldn’t really be a big fan of something like pasta with sauce but wouldn’t say anything because he’s too nervous to make Raine unhappy with him so he doesn’t really eat much despite being underweight.

Hunter would probably go stiff if they put a hand on his shoulder or flinch if they heard them in anyway upset with him.

Hunter would probably take all of Raine’s suggestions on what to do while in the house at orders and carry them out with military precision even if Raine just suggested they watch a cartoon on the crystal ball.

Hunter probably has a lot of nightmares too so Raine would wake up to him screaming in his sleep.

Like Raine had hunter for a short while and the whole time it’s just one terrible revelation of what a monster Belos truly was after another.

raine definitely starts off worried about what the fuck jasper wants with this minor but i mean really theres better ways to Steal A Child, it being this SPECIFIC child who is VERY difficult to steal ironically makes it less suspicious like. okay. legitimately what is your game. and also like again despite the fact raine has seen him throw this kind on his ass a hundred times, theyve also seen him fucking vaporize one of their allies for trying to kill him so like. truly. what is his game here.

and then like. once they see how truly BAD it is with hunter, the way he flinches, how DEEP the soldier persona goes, the food and the sleep and the isolation- then its like. well, fuck, i would have wanted to help him too. so 1. how did the martlet know about all this before anyone else, because he CLEARLY knew about all this before anyone else did 2. why didnt he just tell me the truth? 3. why DIDNT he just take him and run?

i think theyre putting pieces together and while they probably have multiple theories- they might not know about the grimwalker stuff yet, but they know this kid is an orphan and related to the emperor, they know he was found the day the previous golden guard died, they know the martlet has the same colour hair as hunter, they've seen it, they know hes incredibly protective of him, they know the martlet is scarred as fuck and an incredible combatant AND a high level magic user despite never using magic- once they find out hunter cant use magic without a staff? click, dude. thats probably genetic! this guy has been around about as long as the previous GG has been gone. he looks like hunter, he's protective of hunter, he never uses magic without a staff, and the second raine asks darius about the previous GG, knowing they were close, "hey, did you ever see that guy use magic without a staff?" that seals the deal dude. raine has clocked that motherfucker from a mile away.

only now like. thats a NEW concern. okay, cool! parent. got it. well that explains his intentions. but now like- wow, he HAS hit this kid a lot, even if his motivations were clearly rescuing him. can he even be TRUSTED with him? would hunter be healthy living with this guy? is he even capable of living like a normal person? he still wont take off his stupid fucking mask or tell them his stupid fucking name! and oh, fuck- if he's the previous gg, he's done some VILE shit. should they be doing something about HIM?

darius and raine im sure have a very exciting conversation putting all the jigsaw pieces together before they realize that jasper isn't dead, jasper is the martlet, jasper is a powerless witch, jasper has a son, and holy shit is that son fucked up and in dire need of help.

meanwhile jasper is like ho ho i am sooooo good at lying and secrets absolutely no one suspects anything

[major-knighton]

HALLOW-LEE-N movie review Oct 28th : The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)

I skipped quite a few of the Hammer Dracula movies on account of being unable to find them. This one is the last of the movies to feature Lee, and second before last Hammer Dracula movie overall.

It's 1972, London, and strange things are going on in the basement of a house. A man wakes up on a bed, all beaten up. He kills his guard and creeps out of the house, but he is pursued by evil guys on motorbikes. He gets rescued and brought back to his headquarters (some kind of intelligence agency) and spills the tea before dying.

His bosses, Torrence and Matthews, discuss what is happening and explain it to a police guy named Inspector Murray. I believe Murray was a character in the previous film that I skipped.

Four members of high society including a Minister have been photographed leaving that strange house, where according to the dead guy's testimony was home to satanic rituals. We see those satanic rituals, featuring a bunch of shots of a naked young woman getting very excited about having blood dripped on her. Whatever.

Murray takes this problem to Lorrimer Van Helsing, a descendant, and carbon copy of the old Van Helsing. His granddaughter Jessica is also there, I am given to understand she played a major role in the previous movie as well.

One of the guys photographed at the spooky house is an old college friend of Van Helsing, so he goes to see him. The friend is a nervous wreck who ends up breaking down and confessing he's working on an accelerated radioactive plage bacillus, and he needs to be finished before the 23rd, when the Sabbath will happen.

The friend unsurprisingly gets killed by the satanic cult the same day. Meanwhile, Torrence's secretary gets kidnapped by the evil bikers and served to Dracula for a drink.

Later, Torrence, Murray and Jessica go to the house of horrors. They ask Jessica to stay behind in a Dracula-typical display of not trusting the female characters, and go ring the bell and talk to the cult leader all polite-like. Barbara Yu Ling is very fun as the cult leader BTW.

Meanwhile, Jessica sneaks into the basement and she does quite well for herself, until she finds a bunch of chained up vampire ladies, including the secretary. Is her subsequent hysterical screaming a case of 70s female character syndrome or a depiction of her trauma from nearly being drinked in the previous movie? I'll leave that to you.

The vampire ladies are defeated by turning on the sprinkler, because their fear of running water apparently applies to showers. I dread to think how the undead smell.

Van Helsing hears about a guy not showing up in photos and his Dracula alarm bells immediately start ringing. He tracks down the place where he last killed Drac to a large company building which is also funding our dead plague scientist's research. Suspicious!

Van Helsing goes up to meet the CEO who plays at putting on a Lugosi accent and hiding his face to pretend that he is Not Dracula, but a little trick with a Bible reveals that he is in fact very much Dracula. Van Helsing tries to kill him but the remaining three cult members stop him.

Van Helsing is brought to the house, where Jessica lays prepared for the sacrifice. Dracula explains that he will make Jessica his bride, and the three stooges plus Van Helsing will be infected with his radioactive super plague and carry it out to the world to end makind. Wow.

Murray sneaks in, accidentally starts a fire which conveniently destroys the plague infected dude, but Murray, Van Helsing and Jessica all make it out. Dracula seems to really enjoy chasing after Van Helsing, until the latter takes refuge near a hawthorne tree. Since Jesus's crown of thorns was made of hawthorne, it harms Dracula, who doesn't think of going around the tree instead of right through it, enough that Van Helsing can stake him with a fence picket.

Thus perishes for good the most powerful vampire of all time, bested by a bush. I definitely get why people say the Dracula series started off strong and then got gradually weirder and less coherent. Cushing and Lee were still giving it their all though, so it was still a fun ride. 6/10.

[bigasswritingmagnet]

Gilgamesh, Son of Zantabraxus (2/3)

Fandom: Girl Genius Pairing: Agatha/Gil Summary: Twenty years ago, Queen Zantabraxus gave birth to twins. Twenty years ago, the queen's consort, Chump, took one of their children and vanished. Zantabraxus chose to let him go, to spare her second child. In one universe, Zantabraxus raised her daughter. In this one, she raised her son. Agatha joins the circus and meets Gil, who has almost as many secrets as Agatha does. They help each other get stronger, in unexpected ways. And maybe fall in love a little bit but they don't really have time to deal with all that right now.

<Ch 1 | AO3 Link

It was only when Krosp bit her on the leg and said “Go answer the door!” that Agatha woke up enough to hear the knocking. Blearily, she tugged the window curtain aside enough to see that the outside world was lit by the pearly pre-dawn light.

“’M coming,” she called, dragging herself out from under the nice warm covers, glaring at Krosp as he promptly curled up in the warm spot and went back to sleep.

It was Gil.

He looked nervous and twitchy, bouncing a little on his toes.

“Hi,” he said. “Good morning. How are you?”

Agatha blinked slowly, trying to get her brain in gear. Gil shut his eyes briefly and muttered something that sounded like “Ashtara strike me down.”

“Sleepy,” was all she could manage, too tired to even be annoyed at the abrupt awakening.

“Right. Sorry. I know it’s early but I wanted to talk to you before everyone got up.”

He looked embarrassed, but his nervousness faded slightly, growing more serious.

“I wanted to apologize for yesterday. That was...I don’t really know what happened but none of the words that came out of my mouth were what I was actually trying to say. At all. I’ve been carrying that weight since I was a kid, and you made me feel...I…you were...”

Some inner sense told Agatha that if she let Gil ramble any further, he’d say something stupid again, so she put a hand on his arm.

“Thank you,” she said. “And I’m glad I could help.”

Gil beamed at her. Agatha waited, but he just kept grinning.

“Was...that it?”

“Yeah...No!” Gil shook himself. “No, I want to repay you. And don’t say I don’t have to, because I do. The Baron is looking for you. We can help you hide, but sooner or later he’ll track you down, and when he does, you’ll need to fight. I can teach you. I want to teach you.” 

“How?” growled a voice from down by Agatha’s knees. Krosp glared up at Gil, suspiciously. “You’re a glorified caravan guard with a few flashy dance moves. What could you teach her?”

“Krosp!” Agatha hissed. Gil’s jaw worked back and forth; his eyes grew dark. Somehow, Agatha got the feeling that Krosp was being a lot more insulting than he was trying to be.

“I keep us safe in the wastelands. Isn’t that enough proof I’m a real warrior?”

“It’s very sweet of you to offer,” Agatha said. “Maybe you could teach me how to throw a proper punch.”

She’d always wanted to be able to punch somebody.

Gil stared at her for a moment, then tipped his head back.

“I’m going to have to tell you,” he said, although he seemed to be mostly talking to himself. He dragged a hand down his face and groaned. “Ugh, okay, can I come inside? I need to explain something to you but I’d rather nobody hear us.” 

Agatha stepped aside to let him in, figuring turnabout was fair play. Krosp scurried off and leapt onto the top bunk of the bed, his tail lashing back and forth as he hunkered low and glared at Gil.

“Watch yourself, pal,” he said. “I’ve got my eyes on you.”

Gil shut the door behind himself and guided Agatha over to the table and sat her down. He took a deep breath, bracing himself, then spread his arms in a pose so dramatic Agatha had to fight down a giggle.

“I am Gilgamesh, son of Zantabraxus, Prince of Skifander!” 

Agatha’s eyes lit up with interest.

“The warrior queen’s hidden jewel!”

Gil’s mouth popped open. His arms dropped to his sides. Whatever reaction he’d been expecting, that was not it.

“My uncle used to tell me stories about it,” Agatha said.

“You believe me?”

“Of course.”

“...Huh.” Gil sat down on Agatha’s bed, still staring at her. “Well. How about that.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t?”

“You are the first person I’ve met who’s even heard of Skifander. I stopped telling people six months after I got here because they all thought I was crazy or lying.”

“Why would they think that?”

Gil gave her a sideways smile.

“Because I can’t prove it. Pirates attacked the airship as soon as we got to Europa. I was the only survivor, and any maps or notes were destroyed when the airship blew up.”

“The pirates blew up the airship?” Agatha exclaimed, aghast.

“No, I blew up the airship, to give myself time to get away on the—” Suddenly he looked sheepish.

“On the…?”

“The...little flying machine I built out of spare parts,” Gil mumbled, and cleared his throat. “Anyway, I got sick of people thinking I was crazy or lying, so I stopped telling people.” 

“Does Master Payne know?”

Gil snorted.

“Circus folks would be even less likely to believe me,” Gil said. “Not that I blame them. They know I’m from a place called Skifander, but I never gave any details, and they never asked.”

“You could tell them now,” Agatha suggested. “Since I’m here.”

Gil waved a hand.

“I really don’t mind. Honestly, it’s been nice not having to be a prince. Might be even nicer now that I let myself be a Spark, too,” he added with a soft smile.

“You know, I’m…” Agatha hesitated. Should she tell him? If anyone would understand about impossible secret identities, it’d be Gil.

No, she decided. It was too dangerous. She barely knew him, after all. When they got to Mechanicsburg, she might tell him.

“I’m glad you told me, and I appreciate you trusting me with it, but I’m not really sure what this has to do with the training thing.”

“I’m getting there. Skifander is...I don’t know your word for it. Inheritance passes from mother to daughter, and our queens are warriors. The royal line guards its secrets fiercely—if I’d had a sister, the crown and the training would have gone to her and her alone. Technically I still shouldn’t have been taught, but my mother…”

He waved a hand.

“Anyway, my point is, I’m not a circus performer offering to teach you a few tricks. I’m a scion of a line of warrior queens, trained by the great warriors of Skifander to become one of the great warriors of Skifander, offering to pass that training on to you.”

“Then...then it would be my honor to accept.”

Gil smiled a smile that made Agatha’s heart flip flop in her chest, leaving her so breathless it took a few seconds to register his words.

“Then let’s get started. Come on, outside.”

“Wait, now?”

“Of course,” Gil said, surprised by the question.

“But it’s barely dawn!”

“Training usually starts during childhood, and the Baron’s actively hunting you. We don’t have any time to waste. First thing’s first, your clothes—”

“Hold on,” Agatha said, suspiciously. “This isn’t going to involve running around in some skimpy, ‘exotic warrior aesthetic’ outfit is it?”

“...No,” Gil said, his expression neutral. “You’ll want to wear something easy to move in that you don’t mind getting dirty or washing a lot. You get changed, and I’ll go put the—I mean, I’ll go get uh. Stuff. Right. Meetyououtsidebye.”

Ten minutes later, Agatha was outside in a loose-fitting shirt and trousers, and Gil was walking very quickly back to her from the direction of the props and costumes wagon.

“What were you doing?”

“Nothing! Nothing. I thought I needed a...uhhh...bo staff!" He shrugged in a helpless sort of way. "But I couldn’t find one.”

“You mean like that one?” She pointed to the long wooden staff leaning against the side of her wagon. Gil stared at it.

“Oh. Uh…Oops!” he said suddenly, with a too-bright grin. “I guess I already got it and…forgot. Haha.”  

“Are you alright?” Agatha asked. “You seem nervous.”

Gil’s smile slipped away and he shifted his weight uncomfortably.

“I’ll be honest, I’m not entirely sure I’m allowed to do this,” Gil admitted. “Like I said, we guard these secrets very closely. Warriors are permitted to teach only their daughters and one other person—ever, in their lives. And that person isn’t supposed to pass it on to anyone.

“I’m not sure if I technically count as being her exception or her heir, but no one ever explicitly told me I couldn’t train anyone so…I should be fine. I think.”

He cleared his throat and put his hands on her shoulders. Agatha could feel their warmth through the shirt. Gil’s eyes were locked with hers, more serious than she’d ever seen him.

“Agatha Clay. By the warrior tradition of my house, I am allowed to train one other—probably—and I have chosen you. The bond between us will be stronger than that of friends, of family, of—” For a second, Gil’s cheeks went pink and his hands twitched. “Of lovers. From this day on, we are kolee-dok-zumil.”

Agatha looked up at him gravely, silent for a long moment.

“Which is…?”

Gil blinked, startled, and then laughed a little. He released Agatha’s shoulders and ambled over to the steps of Agatha’s wagon, where he’d leaned a bo staff. 

“There’s no real direct translation,” he told her. “Most people would probably choose ‘teacher and student’, but it’s more complex. It’s a noun, but contextually it implies action, irrevocable change enacted on one by another.”

He picked up the staff and twirled it idly as he crossed back to Agatha.

“To me it evokes the idea of a chemical reaction, although others compare it to a smelter and ore.”

Gil held the staff horizontally in two hands, considering it.

“I think for right now, you should think of it as—”

There was a sudden pain at the backs of her knees, and she was staring up at the sky in a breathless, weightless moment that ended with gravity’s inevitability and the jarring thump of her skull on the grass.

Gil’s face came into view, grinning ear to ear. 

“Grindstone and knife.”

.

Agatha did not so much as twitch when Gil set the bowl beside her head. She remained face down, flat on the ground, utterly immobile. Gil had stopped training when she laid down like that, and she was afraid if she moved so much as a finger, he’d start again.

“Is it poison.”

“No.”

“I will only eat it if it results in death.” 

Gil settled back against a rock and ate a spoonful of oatmeal from his own bowl.

“You should be proud of yourself,” he said. “You kept going much longer than I thought you’d be able to, considering you’ve obviously got no training, no discipline, and no martial skills whatsoever—and we definitely need to work on your cardiovascular system.” 

Agatha let out a groan of despair.

“Don’t worry,” Gil said, reassuringly. “The first day is the worst on purpose. The zumil is pushed to their absolute limit, so the kolee knows what needs work, and so you can tell when the limit gets better.”

With great effort, Agatha managed to lift her head to look up at him, hopefully.

“Does this mean the rest of the training won’t hurt?”

Gil laughed, crushing Agatha’s hope into teeny tiny pieces.

“No.”

[stewardofningishzida]

Stephen Strange Meta-Fic Sequel Chapter 8: Tibetan Witch Project

We’re baaaaack!~ Sorry for the delay! Life happened to all of us. Without further ado, here we gooooo! Agatha Harkness coming in hot with full witchy glory!

TRIGGER WARNING: Scary situations, mental breakdown, kidnapping, implied torture, death threats

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

*With Agatha Harkness now at large, it’s only a matter of time before she finds out who warned the sorcerers about her and Wanda.  The sorcerers brief the others on who Agatha is.  Keeping this in mind, Tear, PrettyWitch, Trix, and I now need to be put under guard.  Otherwise, the witch will hunt us all down.  We’re overwhelmed by the situation and virtually frozen in terror as the heroes catch up and discuss what to do with us.*

Fury: So we need to set up protective custody then… *looks at the others* I’m assuming you don’t want to do so here.

Tony: *Scoffs* Please, SHIELD cannot even stop any sort of portals from opening inside their premises. You really think you can fight against a four-hundred-year-old crazed witch? It’ll be a bloodbath, Fury.

Steve (worried, but also having a nasty feeling about what might happen):  We might need to close the interdimensional portal in case Agatha decides to try and take hostages from your home world.

Tony: *He points at Steve, seconding his concern* Your families are still safe for now, and we’ll work to ensure they remain so. But it’s never a dumb idea to take precautions.

Stephen:  Kamar-Taj is a magical stronghold.  We can conceal the girls there and our sorcerers can defend the place.

Wong:  I will alert our forces.

Tony: You’ll need backup.

Fury: I need as much information on this rogue as possible if she can do this amount of damage. Get the ladies to safety then we’re going to have a chat. *he looks even sterner than before*

Stephen:  I’ll provide the info.  Girls, go with Wong.

Tear: Wha–? Right now? Stephen, you’re literally bleeding on Fury’s white floor. Both you and Wong should be back at Kamar-Taj too.

Stephen:  It’s better if we make sure you’re all off the playing field as quickly as possible.  If we hide you now and fortify Kamar-Taj, it’ll be harder for Agatha to find and get to you.  Don’t worry about me.  We’ve both had worse.  Go.

Trix: *looks at the others* I think we might’ve fucked shit up in a different way than we expected.

*I nod at Trix numbly.*

PrettyWitch: Ah, don’t say that. How could we have known?

Wong:  Come.  I will lead you to the safest chambers of Kamar-Taj.  

*He beckons us and we follow him through the portal as Stephen stays back to brief Fury, Tony, and Steve.  The mystical compound is swarming with activity as the sorcerers fortify the place.  Wong leads us deeper and deeper into the buildings.  It truly is enormous and seems to burrow into the very stone beneath the mountains.  We have to stay close to keep up with him.  Otherwise, we would easily be lost in the labyrinth of chambers and corridors*

Trix: This is starting to feel eerily familiar and I swear to god we are getting rid of any reflective surfaces because I am not about that scary bullshit. *she’s incredibly nervous and fidgeting but is trying to at least act brave*

Me (grasping at straws):  We all remember at least our basic shield spells and a couple of offensive ones, right?

Tear: …Are sorcerers allowed to carry guns? Shotguns usually work against those that just refuse to die.

Me:  Honestly, I have no idea.  Unless we catch her off-guard, I don’t think it would help much.

PrettyWitch: We’re gonna die, aren’t we!?

Wong:  I will personally see to it that there will be no way for Agatha to get through.

*We eventually reach a small room nestled within several other rooms, each one giving off its own peculiar energy.  Putting two and two together, we realize that we’re passing through several layers of magical wards.  The room itself is small and well-lit with no mirrors.  It has a couple of bunk beds, some emergency supplies, and a radio.  There is also a sink, chemical toilet, and a shower curtain for modesty and hygiene purposes.  Otherwise, there isn’t much to minimize any risk of the room’s integrity becoming compromised.*

Me (sincere, in case I don’t get to say it again):  Thank you, Wong.  Also, extend our thanks to Stephen, the Avengers, and everyone else working so hard to protect and help us and our home world.  Please do your best to get out of this in one piece.  We really do look up to and care about you all.  *I’m grim, scared, and trying to stay composed.  Though I really am terrified that this might be the last time we see someone.*

Trix: Yeah, we greatly appreciate everything you’ve all done for us and our universe. I just wish we didn’t make this so difficult for you all. *she continues to fidget and honestly feels incredibly guilty for what’s going on since she’s the one who explained what was going on in Westview*

Tear: Yeah, please be very careful. When we first met Stephen, we never expected any of you to be so kind and supportive. We’ll never be able to repay you how much you’ve done for us.

PrettyWitch: I’m not sure what else to add but thank you, Wong for everything you’ve done for us. It’s been an honor to meet you. Stephen is truly lucky to have you for a friend.

Wong (surprisingly gentle):  We are simply performing our duties.  Thank you for helping Stephen and for being cooperative and kind.  We shall meet again.  *He says the last part to reassure us.  Even then, seeing as there is an afterlife, he isn’t exactly lying if things go badly.*

Trix: *she kind of inches closer to Wong* Depending on how things might go, can we at least have a hug from one of our best teachers? *makes puppy dog eyes at Wong*

Wong (sighing):  Very well.  Then, I must go back and finish preparations.  After I shut this door, stay here and do not leave until either Stephen or I come get you.  Do not open the door from the inside under any circumstance.  Understood?

Me (shakily):  Yes, sir.

Trix: Absolutely! *she absolutely takes advantage of this rare opportunity and goes for a bear hug because not only is it Wong, she is genuinely terrified*

*I’m still shy, but join in the hug.  After all, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do this again.*

Tear: *I quickly join the group hug* We love you, Wong. Please don’t let Stephen do anything stupid.

PrettyWitch: *She joins in the hug, too.*

*After we let go of him, he gives us a respectful nod and shuts us into the room together.  Now, we wait.*

Trix: Guys, I honestly feel really horrible that we accidentally kicked off Multiverse of Madness. Hell, us jumping universes to escape crazy monsters should have been our first clue. *she flops onto the nearest bunk bed face first and groans loudly into the pillow*

Tear: Not one of our brightest moments, in hindsight…

Me (grim):  It seems the timeline was going to progress in one way or another…I said plenty as well.  All of this to avert it and now look…

PrettyWitch: Hey, don’t be like that. If it didn’t happen this way, it would’ve happened another way. 

Trix: *she sits back up on the bed* I mean, it’s either better or worse that it’s Agatha. Better in that she isn’t as instantly powerful as Wanda. Bad in that she knows the darkhold and her magic so well over the centuries and we don’t know exactly what she’s capable of. Coven of Chaos didn’t even have leaks yet. She isn’t like the comics either.

Me:  How long before you think she’ll find out?  

Trix: I give us a week, tops. If even that long. With a lot of the major superheroes disappearing at once it might raise red flags that something is up.

Tear: I’d give it less than that. If she’s really studied the Darkhold for centuries, then she must be well versed in the existence of alternate universes already. Actually getting to visit the multiverse rather than dreamwalking must be really tempting for her.

PrettyWitch: I hadn’t even thought of that.

Me (peering at the “bathroom”):  At least the sink has a matte finish…Small mercies.

Trix: I miss our Chupacabra.

*The sorcerers have fortified Kamar-Taj.  It’s a long, tense wait.  Yet, it seems, the attack never came.  At least, it doesn’t seem like it.  If anything, this apparent calm only makes Stephen and Wong feel even worse.  They know something is coming, but have no idea when or how.  Several days pass.  Caution fatigue is beginning to take root in the guards’ forces.  A few of the more skeptical members of the Order are starting to become complacent.  Meanwhile, in our sanctuary; we’re cooped up, wracked with guilt over what’s happening, and beginning to get on each others’ nerves thanks to being stuck in one room together with no real privacy or way out.*

*I’m currently sitting on my bed with my headphones on since they were in my purse.  I’m playing music in an attempt to distract myself and tune out from everything.  With what’s going on and the helplessness we’re experiencing, I’ve begun to disassociate as a defense mechanism.  It feels like the only way to stay remotely calm right now.  I’m numb and have been partially blaming myself for not seeing this coming.*

*Prettywitch is beside herself. On the one hand, she’s terrified. On the other, she feels a sense of calm, like somehow this will all work out. Unfortunately, it’s the fear that keeps coming back to her, like an endless feedback loop. She does have one idea forming in her head that’s positive, one that might help them and their friends.*

*Trix has been doing her best to practice meditating the past few days and seems to be having a better time of it. She has been getting more and more paranoid that she is bothering the others by doing anything so she tries to stay as inconspicuous as possible and is barely talking or eating at this point.*

*Tear has spent most of her time sketching to pass the time and studying from the spellbooks Wong allowed them to bring in with them. Her bout of insomnia returned with a vengeance, but the longest things stay quiet outside in the temple the more confident she feels that Wong and Stephen have had plenty of time to heal, strategize, and set their defenses. She has kept relatively quiet so as to not aggravate the others, who seem to be getting antsy after being holed up for so many days.*

*While we take refuge, Agatha has been plotting from the shadows.  She has slowly managed to compromise some of the more complacent and skeptical guards, until she is finally ready to strike. She subtly nudges them towards leaving their posts for a break.  While she has an opening, she slips in, all the while, mentally scanning for any anomalous magical signatures.  Deep below the complex, she detects 4 magical signatures that are slightly “off”.  Bingo.  She locks onto the girls and enters the lower levels, taking care not to cast anything yet to avoid detection.  Once she’s within a reasonable range to affect us and remain hidden, she conceals herself and begins to concentrate, using our own magical energy as a conduit to mentally penetrate our sanctuary.  While doing this, she looks for a weakness.  Any weakness will do.*

*Trix is trying to meditate but as the days have gone by, intrusive thoughts can’t help but creep into her mind. Why is she even here if she’s just a liability? The others are already a lot better while she falls over at someone talking or even just a book. She frowns as her thoughts get even darker. Were the others just putting up with her since she could be dangerous to herself? She was just a tag-along after all and couldn’t even pull off spells that weren’t defensive. Wong and Stephen probably pitied her and put in the token effort so that she didn’t kill herself accidentally. At these thoughts, Trix’s eyes shoot open and her lip quivers as she tries not to react. She doesn’t want to bother the others after all. She would be annoyed with her too. Trix scrambles to her feet and begins to pace the room, unable to stay still but hating herself for needing to do so.*

*I notice Trix’s pacing, but don’t react much more than simply looking up to watch her silently, my music still on.  My expression is as empty and emotionless as it has been for the past couple of days.*

Prettywitch: You okay, Trix? You don’t look so good.

Trix: *she just sort of whines quietly for a moment before pausing and just grabbing at her hair* Yes- yes I’m fine. Don’t worry about it- just…ah. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m the least of anyone’s problems here. *She starts to get aggravated again and begins biting at her lip enough to draw blood*

Tear: *I look up from a sketch of Wong I’ve been working on, curious over the commotion* Are you feeling claustrophobic?

*I silently put my headphones away to listen.*

Me (plainly):  You’re biting your lip.

Trix: *her eyes are wide and slightly crazed* It’s fine! It’ll heal! There are much more important things to worry about right now. Besides, it’s not that bad! You guys don’t have to worry about me at all! *she laughs slightly but it dies off awkwardly as she realizes the others are still staring at her*

Tear: You say that as if worrying is an activity that could actually accomplish something. It’s not as if us caring about you will make us unproductive.

Me (offering, though not feeling anything):  Music?  *I offer my headphones.*

Trix: *getting a bit more worked up* No no no no, if the headphones are helping you I don’t want to take that away! I’m not worth the trouble. You focus on feeling better and if you need me to do anything I can help! *mutters to herself and starts pacing again* it’s not like I’m worth doing something over anyway, I might as well keep myself useful… *she gets stuck in her own spiraling thoughts again and keeps pacing*

Me:  Mm’kay.  *I watch Trix for a while before my eyes unfocus and I stare blankly into the middle distance.*

Tear: *I tilt my head to the side, thinking* Here, I do need some help. Could you please quiz me on how to draw these transmutation circles? I can’t really do it alone.

*Trix is too lost in her thoughts to respond but sits down next to Tear and begins absent-mindedly looking through the notes* 

Prettywitch: *Taps Steward’s shoulder to get her attention while the others are distracted.* Hey. You think we should call Stephen and Wong about Trix? I know we’re all freaked out, but…I think something might seriously be wrong with her.

Me (emotionless):  How?  No cell signal below all of the rock and any spellcasting won’t make it past the wards.

Prettywitch: Oh. Right. *She places her chin in her hand to think.* Well, what if we tried telepathy? That’s gotta work.

Me:  I guess.  We haven’t touched it much yet, but it’s worth a shot.  *I shrug*

Prettywitch: Awesome! Okay, let me try. *She places her fingers on her temples and starts rubbing them.* Stephen Strange! Stephen Strange! Portal to girls! Portal to girls!

Trix: *she starts flinching uncontrollably and grips her head as her thoughts begin to spiral even more. She drops Tear’s notes and shoots back to her feet to get some distance between them. She leans up against the wall and slides down it as she begins to hyperventilate* I don’t even know why everyone is even bothering! *she laughs and begins to rock back and forth* I’m not worth it! I’m the weak link! You would all be further along and safer without me here! I just happened to stumble into all of this because I happened to see Stephen back at the house originally like a creeper! Now you all have to deal with me! *she is becoming more and more unhinged as she is falling deeper into a pit of depression and anxiety*

Me (slowly starting to return to reality):  Trix…?  N-No, it’s not like that.  You’re fine.  We’ve all got strengths and weaknesses.  *I’m finally starting to look concerned.*

Tear: *I put my work aside and stand up but don’t crowd Trix. I’m clearly alarmed now, but I keep my stance and tone kind* I know impostor syndrome can feel overwhelming sometimes. We’ve all been there. What brought these thoughts up right now?

*Meanwhile, PrettyWitch doesn’t feel or hear any answer.  It’s uncertain if the message went through or not.*

Trix: *her eyes are almost glazed over at this point* It’s always been the truth! I’ve just been a coward No- I refuse to bring you all down with me. You’re going to save the universe! I’m just going to faint when I see a book or go anywhere outside! The last things that I love I can’t even do anymore! I can’t do this anymore! *she scrambles to her feet* Agatha probably isn’t even coming anymore and this is just a test to see if we can handle ourselves like this! Well, surprise surprise: I failed again! I give up! I’m done! *she marches over to the door and begins to open it*

Me (snapping back to paying full attention):  Whoa whoa!  Wait.  WAIT.  *I get up quickly to try and stop her.*

PrettyWitch: Trix, don’t!

Tear: Trix, you’re not yourself! *I jerk her arm back from the doorknob and attempt to drag her away from the door, but an unexpected scratch to the cheek makes me instinctually drop my grip on her*

Trix: *she yanks open the door and it’s almost like opening a door outside in negative degree weather in her brain. An absolute cacophony of noise of hundreds of voices crashes into her mind and she doesn’t have her mental barriers up, too wound up from both her own thoughts and the onslaught of negative thoughts and intentions that have been weaving themselves into her head. Trix’s eyes roll back into her head as she collapses but disappears into a cloud of purple smoke before she hits the ground.*

Prettywitch: *She starts running towards Trix.* You wanna get killed!? Get back in here, you boob!

*I’m at the threshold of the door and dive over to try and catch Trix, but her body disappears into purple smoke.  I fall flat on my face, through the smoke, and am stunned for a half second. All around us, the dainty ringing of bells signals the breaking of a seal.*  

Me (realizing what just happened):  Oh God…*I look back at the outer walls of the room.  The wards are gone, having been broken by the opening of the door.*  

Tear: Wong’s spell… *I pale to a ghostly white in horror, still holding a hand to my stinging cheek*

PrettyWitch: *She takes a deep breath, trying not to panic.* Fuck! We’re boned, aren’t we?

Me:  She knows where we are…and the wards are broken…She has Trix…I’d say yes.  *I have a big “well, fuck!” expression plastered across my face.*

Prettywitch: So what do you think we should do? 

Me (grim):  Head up, I suppose.  That’s the only place we have backup.  Agatha will need Trix alive to really get any info, I’m sure.  So, if we can get to Stephen and Wong in time, we can figure out a way to get her back.

Tear: Wait. Wong and probably even Stephen must have been alerted when the spell broke. If they make their way down here and we move to look for them, we might end up missing each other.

Me:  Though it also took a long time to get down here in the first place.  If Agatha wants to snag or kill another one of us, she could very well have plenty of time to do it.  More if she messed with the hallways.  If we stay put, we’re sitting ducks.  If we leave, we might run into each other or at least be less of an easy target.  Dead if we do, dead if we don’t.  Might as well try to find them.

Prettywitch: *Smirks at Steward.* You took the words right out of my mouth. Alright, let’s go! *She runs out of the room.*

*We follow PrettyWitch.  There are already several corridors that open up to our chamber, each just as dark and foreboding.  Compared to our brightly-lit area, the hallways are pitch-black.*

Me:  Crap…Do we remember which way?

Tear: It’s been over a week! And these corridors definitely looked different when they were lit up on our way down.

Prettywitch: I think we take a right first? I can’t remember. 

Tear: That is if Agatha really hasn’t been able to overcome Kamar-Taj’s magic…

Me:  True.  Though with all of the sorcerers here, plus the Sorcerer Supreme AND the ex-Sorcerer Supreme, maybe that part is less likely.  She probably had to sneak in and probe through.  Let’s put it to a vote.  Everyone point at which way to go on the count of three.  One.  Two.  Three!

*We choose our respective corridors.  Two out of the three of us chose the northeast corridor.*

Me:  Guess it’s that way…Are we all comfortable with this?

Prettywitch: Yeah.

Tear: I don’t think we have much of a choice, anyway.

*We head into the dark hallway.  It’s cold and damp like a cave.  Since we’re still novices, we end up using our cell phone lights to shine a path.*

Tear: This is really bringing back bad memories, oh lord. *I hunch over slightly, tense as flashbacks of the mine Steward, Stephen and I visited come rushing back to the forefront of my thoughts*

Me (grim):  Yep…Everyone stay close and be careful, okay?  *I get in front of us protectively.*

*Meanwhile, at the surface, Stephen and Wong have detected the wards’ failures and rush to re-enter the basement.  However, they’re stopped by a handful of frenzied guards.*

Guard (staring wide-eyed at the two of them):  CONTACT!  TO YOUR STATIONS!  GO!  GO!  GO!

*He starts casting offensive spells at them.  Both sorcerers immediately put up their shields at the escalating barrage of trigger-happy guards.  Their eyes are wide and glazed over, indicating that they’re in the throes of panic.*

Wong:  Snap out of it!  *He barks as he telekinetically slams one of them against a pillar to stun them, hoping the sudden jolt will wake them up from whatever spell Agatha has them under.*

Stephen (snarky, but rushed):  I don’t think they’re going to have a breakthrough anytime soon!

*There’s a cackle of laughter before Agatha appears in a cloud of smoke between Stephen and Wong*

Agatha: Come on, they’re just doing their jobs! Clearly I am a very serious threat and have impersonated you to try and sneak down to where you have the girls! *she grins*

*Wong grunts as a particularly powerful group of spells gets barely deflected by his shields.  The guards are clearly not holding back.  Stephen ends up having to intervene and portals one of them on top of the others.*

Agatha: If anything you should be proud they’re trained so well and following your initial orders! You sorcerers are always so loyal *she sneers before disappearing again, reappearing behind the group of crazed sorcerers*

*While the group is untangling themselves after landing on each other, Stephen attempts to ensnare Agatha using the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak.  No time for banter.  He has novices to protect.*

*Agatha disappears into smoke as the bands hit where she just was. She reappears a couple feet to the right with a mocking shocked look*

Agatha: Wow, so rude. I’ve always heard you were a great conversationalist but I guess mama bear has to go protect his cubs. Too bad you’re already missing one. *she laughs again and disappears a final time, the smoke trailing into the entrance of the caves*

*Wong and Stephen exchange a stony look of dread and rush into the caves to find us.*

*Meanwhile, Tear, Prettywitch, and I are fumbling through the dark with no idea where to go when a cackle cuts through the darkness.*

Agatha’s voice: You know, your mama bear would have hid you better if he didn’t make a dead spot for me to find. Almost like an X marking the spot. *she sounds amused and her voice is echoing around them, not coming from any particular spot* For baby magic users, you’re certainly interesting, especially being adopted by Camp Sorcerer and the Avengers right away. You would have loved me as a teacher! In fact, let’s start with lesson one: How to survive. 

*The hallway we’re in rumbles and it begins to shift like a Rubik’s cube. We fall against each other and onto the new “floor.”*

Me (landing roughly):  OOF.

Prettywitch: Well, that’s just great! Now what are we gonna do!?

Tear: If she’s really powerful enough to be altering reality outside of the Mirror Dimension, then I don’t think there’s much we can do.

Agatha’s Voice: Y’know, I’ve never had acolytes before. I haven’t even been in a coven in ages. If you agree to tell me what you know, I’ll teach you everything that I know. Fair’s fair, ladies!

Me (angry):  Unless you return our version of Trix to us healthy, alive, and sane; that’ll only be in your dreams!

*A cloud of purple smoke appears directly in front of me and I’m suddenly staring into Agatha’s amused face.*

Agatha: No can do, sweetums. I can’t promise that because unfortunately she’s already broken. It’s why I wouldn’t mind a new gal pal or two. My new toy isn’t in mint condition anymore, but I suppose that’s my own fault. *she glides backwards into the darkness* Those wards were pesky to get through, and I had to use a bit more power than normal. Bad things tend to happen when you overpower a spell… *she visibly disappears but is still lingering in the hallway*

PrettyWitch: Jesus Christ, does she ever shut up!?

Tear: Even if she’s not bluffing, why do villains always think we’ll believe anything they say?

*I angrily throw a rock in Agatha’s direction.  Seeing as we’re not strong enough to continuously use magic yet, it’s the best I can do at long range.  Admittedly, I’m also just angry at this point.*

Agatha’s Voice: It’s entirely up to you whether you believe me or not. Not my funeral. Although if you don’t want to hear me talk anymore, I have plenty else to keep you busy.

*As she speaks, multiple pillars of purple smoke begin to form and begins to reveal classic horror movie monsters such as Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Mummy*

Agatha’s Voice: You’ll have to forgive me but I’m still in a bit of a TV mood from Westview before you meddling kids decided to send the wizard cops on me. *she sounds genuinely grumpy*

Me (raising an eyebrow):  Really?  I’ve seen scarier episodes of Scooby-Doo…*I scoff, unimpressed.*

Tear: *I quickly move my hands up to cover my mouth and nose* Ugh, she could have done without the smell though.

Agatha’s Voice: Sounds like you have it handled then. *She sounds amused and absolutely knows something the girls don’t* I have to go for now but I’ll check in with you ladies later. Hopefully your corpses keep the latent magical energy signature to study… *her presence seems to disappear but the three monsters begin to advance on the girls*

*Agatha’s tone raises some alarm bells in my mind.*

Me (quickly):  …We should choose another way.  Now.

Tear: What way? We are literally standing on the ceiling!

PrettyWitch: I don’t know! Let’s go back and take a left! 

*As we turn to race back down the corridor, we’re stopped by Dracula blocking the way.*

Me:  Crap…Wait a minute…*I grin widely for a second.*  Bye-bye!~

*I open a portal and move it to sweep up Frankenstein and the Mummy, dropping them out in the middle of the Mojave Desert before closing.  Though that large, mobile portal cast took a lot out of me.  Now, I have to take some time to recover before I can do anything like that again.  So, now there’s Agatha’s version of Dracula in all of his cheesy, cartoonish glory.*

Dracula (dramatic):  I VANT BLOOD!

Tear: Is this supposed to be scary? It feels like this bat is just offensive…

Prettywitch: *Her eyes widen.* Wait, is it…?

Me:  Don’t make eye contact, guys!  Hypnosis!

*The vampire turns into a bat and attempts to dive at me.  I duck, unable to use any magic at the moment.*

Tear: Quick, close your eyes! *I quickly perform one of the many spellcasting motions Wong first taught us. The golden spell thrums with energy in front of me before it releases a blinding flash of real sunlight. I’m unable to sustain it for long, but I hope it was enough against the cartoon villain.*

*Prettywitch and I shut our eyes as soon as Tear warns us. The bat screeches in agony as the light causes it to begin to burn and smoke.  It rapidly bursts into flames before falling into a pile of ashes.*

*Meanwhile, Stephen and Wong have descended into the next few levels of the Kamar-Taj dungeons.  The corridors are shifting and they know it.  Stephen orders Kamar-Taj to keep the remaining girls safely away from Agatha.*

*Agatha is still lurking around the labyrinth, however, she gets more and more frustrated as even her shadows are having trouble making it through the constantly shifting paths. Ever since the wards dropped it had been a free-for-all and while she isn’t tired, Agatha is getting more frustrated at being thwarted by essentially a home alert system. She recalls her shadows in order to track down at least one of the girls.*

Wong (low voice, to Stephen):  Stay alert, I sense Harkness’ presence.

*Stephen nods in acknowledgement, orbs of magical light drifting around the pair to keep the corridor illuminated as they descend.*

*It’s faint at first, but purple smoke begins to roll down the floor of the halls the deeper they go into the corridors. The air becomes more oppressive and heavy while the two sorcerers get the feeling they’re being watched*

Agatha’s Voice: Y’know, we can all walk away from this peacefully without getting hurt if I’m allowed out of here. No tricks, no mess.

*As she talks, Agatha emerges from the shadows with her arms outstretched in a ‘what can you do’ motion and a cocky smile on her face.*

Stephen (growling):  As if you’d keep your word.  You took a hostage.  *He glares at her, poised for a fight if needed.*

Agatha (trying not to laugh): And she’s physically unharmed! I just need a little insurance to get out of here and my own little baby sorcerer to learn about. Her magic and her friends are so…delicious. I just can’t help but want to know more. *she grins* Call it a favor for preventing me from stopping the rise of the Scarlet Witch. 

*Wong steps forward, keeping his cool.*

Wong:  You know as well as we do that the Scarlet Witch is a multiverse-level threat.  *While Wong is talking, Stephen subtly attempts to scan the area for any traces of one of the girls in an abnormal location.*

Agatha (scoffing): And you goodie-two-shoes sorcerers wouldn’t have had to deal with her if I was just allowed to take care of it myself. Wanda Maximoff is a ticking time bomb of PTSD and magic. She was isolated and I was working on it but nooooo. *she makes a disgusted face at the men*

Stephen (dripping with sarcasm, knowing how it would have played out):  Sure.  You had it handled…

*She turns to him, her mood flipping like a switch so she’s serious once more*

Agatha: See, that’s the interesting thing. You weren’t supposed to know what was going on. You got a sneak peek at the spoilers with no Time Stone. It just so happens that four baby sorcerers with no history here happen to appear out of nowhere after the Sorcerer Supreme in training had disappeared? Oh, that is an absolute gold mine and honey. I am feeling like a settler in 1850’s California.

*While Agatha monologues, Stephen feels something faint, but familiar.  One of the girls is here.  Somewhere…Stephen glares at her, seemingly looking up and down her person suspiciously.*

Agatha (coy): Why Doctor Strange, at least ask a lady to dinner first! *She then frowns* Since it looks like we aren’t going to do this the easy way, let’s do this the hard way!

*She gathers two orbs of purple smokey magic and fires them at the sorcerers and almost seems to flood the hallway with energy before she launches forward to attack.*

*Deeper in the tunnels, we hear the rumbling of the dungeon again and suddenly the entire corridor lurches; twisting, bending, rising, falling, closing, and opening in several directions.  In the flurry, Tear, Prettywitch, and I get separated from each other.  It feels like we’re falling back down into the abyss.  Despite the event only lasting a few seconds, it feels like it will never stop.  Then, as suddenly as it begins, it stops.  It’s silent and the hallways look as though absolutely nothing happened.  Yet, there we are, lost and alone in the dark.*

*Prettywitch is surrounded by pitch-black with no sounds or signs of her friends.  She was knocked over while the corridor shifted.  So, she can at least feel the cold, hard floor underneath her.*

Prettywitch: Where am I…? *She looks around to see if she can see anything else. Nothing. Just pitch, dark blackness as far as her eyes can see. She sighs and gets up.* Well, let’s see if I can find an exit.

*She gets up and decides to create some light. She thrusts out her hand and thinks of conjuring a small, fluorescent orb to hold in her hand. It works, though just barely.*

Prettywitch: *She raised an eyebrow.* Hmmm…Close enough, I guess.

*There is a faint sound, barely audible.  It seems to be coming from just out of range of the light.  It’s too hard to make it out.*

Prettywitch: *She turns.* Who’s there? *She thrusts the ball up in the direction she heard the sound coming from. Nothing. She pouts.* Okay, this is starting to get annoying! *She sighs.* Why can’t I magic a deck of Clow Cards and a wand into my hand!? That’d be so much better, right now!

*The sound is back, slightly louder, but muffled.  It’s still soft so she has to strain to listen. It seems to be coming from the left-hand corridor.  The sound appears to be a male voice.  Maybe Stephen or Wong?  It’s hard to say.*

Voice (muffled and distant):  Girls!  Girls!

Prettywitch: *She gasps* Wong!? Stephen!? Is that you? *She moves forward, cautiously.*

*It goes quiet again for a moment.  Then, she hears it again, very slightly clearer.*

Voice:  Help!

*She jumps, scared at the voice. She catches her breath and moves forward slightly, again.*

Voice (just beyond her sight):  Please.  Come here.

*She’s still not convinced.*

Prettywitch: Not until you tell me who you are.

Voice:  Show me your face.  Are you the witch?  *As she listens more, there is something “off” about it.*

Prettywitch: What do you mean?

Voice:  It is dangerous here.  Step forth and reveal yourself, mage.

Prettywitch: *She remains firm in her resolve.* Not until you tell me who you are!

Voice (weakening):  Please…*It sounds almost like one of the men in pain.*

Prettywitch: *She rolls her eyes. Clearly, this was getting her nowhere. So, she slowly walks a little bit closer, hoping to see something but prepping herself to run. Just in case.*

*There is a faint, alluring glow at the end of the corridor.  It’s…compellingly interesting.*

*She decides to take one final step forward. If she likes what she sees? Great! If not…? Well, she’ll cross that bridge when she gets there. She holds the ball up higher to get a better view.*

*The glow of her ball seems to diminish the tantalizing glow of whatever is at the end of the corridor.  Somehow, it seems to want her to keep moving forward.  What could be there?  The curiosity is starting to play on her mind.*

Prettywitch: *Shakes her head.* Yeah, I’m running. *She starts running the other way.*

*She runs, but it doesn’t seem like she’s going anywhere.  The floor seems to move with her, attempting to drag her towards the even-more compelling and intensifying glow behind her.*

Prettywitch: *Whines terrified.* What do I do!!!!? Why can’t I just have a magic staff or something…Hey, wait a minute. That’s it! *She gets up, wobbling a bit from the force of the floor moving, and presses her hands together to create a magic weapon. Her weapon? The bird wand from Cardcaptor Sakura. She gets starry-eyed.* Hey, it worked! *Until she notices one of the wings is fading in and out like a blinking light.* Sort of. Oh, whatever! *Next, she creates a magic construct in the form of a Clow Card; The Light Card, specifically. She twirls the wand in her hand and holds the card out with the other.* Reveal to me the path that will take me to my salvation! Light! *She taps the card and it activates. Unlike the anime & manga, where it takes the form of a beautiful woman in white, it merely creates a ray that shows her which way to go. She smiles.* Thank you! *She starts to run in that direction.*

*Prettywitch breaks free of the moving floor by changing direction quickly.  After the adrenaline rush wears off, she feels exhaustion hit her like a wall.  Her limbs feel like they’re made of wet cement and the ray of light begins to fade.  It takes a massive amount of concentration to keep it visible.  She has exhausted her magical energy with such a strong cast.  Though it was commendable for a novice.*

Prettywitch: *She stops to catch her breath.* Curse me for a novice…I forgot I’m not used to exerting this much energy. Oh wait…I am a novice!... *She looks up at the road ahead of her.* Well, the light was clearly pointing me in that direction, so I’ll just keep heading that way. *She takes one, long stride forward…only to nearly fall over from exhaustion.* You know what? I’ll just walk the rest of the way. *She begins walking in the direction the light told her to go.*

*Meanwhile, somewhere else within the labyrinth, I get back up after being sent tumbling down a short staircase.*

Me (grumbling):  Ow…

*I listen for the others and attempt to look around.  It’s silent and pitch-black.*

Me (grumpily):  Wonderful…

*I turn the light on my phone for now to save magical energy in case I need it and pick a direction to go.  I stick to the right wall to follow so I can at least orient myself that way.  In the chaos, I dropped my spiritual shield.  Yet, the clingy ghost who follows me doesn’t snark at me the way he usually does.  It’s more or a stony silence on my end, but the ghost seems…resigned.*

Ghost:  Look, could you please talk to me or even look at me again?  I feel like I’m back to being completely invisible.

*I ignore him.*

Ghost:  I’m sorry, okay?  I’m a huge dick!  I was bored!

Me (bitter):  Are you, though?  *Referring to his apology.  Words are cheap, after all.  He didn’t seem sincere to me.*

Ghost:  What do you want from me, woman?!

Me:  I don’t want anything from you.  Just leave me alone.

*He sighs*

Ghost:  You know damn well that I can’t at this point.  I bound myself to you.  Look, if you don’t get out of here, we’ll be stuck together forever.  Can we call it a truce?

Me:  Fine…

Ghost:  …Do you wanna at least learn my name?

Me: Don’t push it.  *I sigh, knowing I should at least try to be diplomatic*  Fine.  What’s your name?

Ghost:  Barry.  

Me (neutral):  Cool.  So, any ideas?

Barry:  Well, the traps down here and that witch can’t exactly kill me, right?  Lemme scout ahead and warn you about anything coming up.

Me:  Mm’kay…

*I don’t completely trust him, but he’s been around me long enough.  That and I did notice he never actually tried to possess me.  He seemed to threaten it before, but when I think about it, that was probably just his idea of a crappy joke.  Barry glides ahead, fading into the darkness.  I continue to follow the corridor.*

Voice: Help me!

*I look towards the voice, straining to figure out who it is.  For now, I stay silent, paranoid that Agatha might be disguised or trying to lure me.  So, I freeze and stay quiet.  After a moment, I whisper quietly.*

Me (whispering):  Barry, are you back?  Who or what is that?

Voice: Help me!

Voice: No! Help me!

*I don’t recognize the voice and cautiously inch away from it, getting more paranoid.*

Voice: What’s the matter?

Voice: Scared?

Voice: Stop it!

Voice: No! You stop it!

*I get a weird look and turn to move the opposite direction of the voices.  Arguing or not, I’m not touching this.*

Voice: Stop it!

Voice: You have to!

Voice: No. Run!

Voice: What’s the matter?

Voice: I can’t take this!

*There are now hundreds and hundreds of voices I can hear. Some are benevolent, others sadistic, and some just sound crazy. It doesn’t really matter though. They’re all starting to overlap into one, unending ball of sounds.*

Me:  Sorry, Barry.  *I raise my spiritual barrier and concentrate as hard as I can to try and block the tide of voices as I run away from wherever the voices seem to be coming from.  Though it feels like my brain is filling with static from the cacophony.*

*I can still hear the voices. They seem to not only be following me, but getting louder, too. Like they’re in my ear. At least that’s what it feels like.*

*I’m starting to get a headache and know it’ll get worse if this keeps up.  This is driving me crazy and I can barely hear myself think.  So, I stop and whirl around towards the voices.*

Me:  FINE.  What do you all want?!  I’m just trying to find my friends and get out of here.  I’ll be out of your business in a short while if you either help me or leave me alone!  Otherwise, do we really wanna deal with each other for all of eternity, huh?!  Well?  Can we talk this out like civilized entities or not?

*There’s no talking for a moment or two. Then the voices start talking again, this time they’re all saying different expressions that amount to, “Okay.” *

Me (calming slightly):  Okay.  Good.  Since the corridors keep shifting, I’m trying to get my bearings well enough to move in a specific direction.  Do any of you know which way two other women my age went?  There is also an older woman, a witch, named Agatha Harkness trying to kill us.  She kidnapped our fourth friend and we don’t know where she put her.  Lastly, we tried to call Wong and Stephen to help us, but none of us know if they’re down here.  We’re all trying to find each other, capture Agatha, and get our friend back.  If we succeed, we won’t have to be down here any longer and we’ll be out of your hair, provided the witch hasn’t hidden our friend in here.

*The apparitions all start talking again, simultaneously…answering all of her questions at once.*

*I cringe in pain.*

Me (rubbing my temples):  Maybe one at a time.  I can’t make anything out.  If you guys have a leader or chosen representative, can I please talk to them?

*The apparitions answer, “Yes,” all at once.*

Me (cringing slightly again at the noise):  Okay.  I’m listening.  *I’m being polite since they seem cooperative.*

Representative: Yes. What would you like to know?

Me:  Which way are my friends located so I can go the right direction?

Representative: Ah, yes. Your friends should be located just west of this wing.

Me:  Thank you.  Did you happen to see where Agatha Harkness took our kidnapped friend?

Representative: Your friend is with Agatha.

Me:  Crud…Okay.  Last question so I don’t bother you too much.  Are Stephen and Wong down here too?  I’ll let you be after this question.  *I’m being polite to avoid bothering them.*

Representative: Yes. They are on the top level of Kamar-Taj’s tunnels, battling the witch Agatha as we speak.

Me:  Okay.  Well, thank you.  I’ll leave you alone now.  *I nod and attempt to head west.  I’m still a bit suspicious of them, but will proceed cautiously.*

*After a minute or two of walking away, I hear a more familiar voice.*

Barry (tinged with sarcasm):  Kudos on actually negotiating with people instead of jumping straight to the offensive, I guess.  *Raising an eyebrow*  By the way, you know you’re not going west, right?  Jesus, how did you manage to survive this long anyway?  

*He’s grumbling, but attempting to be helpful in his own way.  Barry directs me west, drifting at his usual position just behind my shoulder.  He knows that hovering so close annoys me.  At this point, I let him, attempting to get along with him since he��s actually being helpful instead of trying to troll me or pick another fight.  I change direction to properly head west.*

Me:  So…The Nirvana t-shirt…You like them?

Barry (humoring me):  Yeah.  Kurt Cobain is a genius!

Me (uneasy):  Erm…Was…

Barry:  What?!  

*We converse as we travel.  I have to gently break the news to him and we discuss the late musician’s memory as well as major historical events since the 1990’s.  Seeing as we’ve been stuck together for weeks and he has seen what we’ve all recently been through, despite his many arguments with me, we finally inch closer to a mutual understanding.  Although we don’t exactly see eye to eye with each other, we’ve at least agreed to converse with one another and try to be more empathetic.  It’s a step in the right direction.  A subtle, but nice thing I notice is that he’s giving me personal space after our chat.*

*Tear finds herself alone in the dark, having been separated from the group.  She has landed hard on the ground and it’s pitch-black.  There are no traces of anyone else around her.*

Tear: Oookay, this is getting scary… *I use my phone’s torchlight to illuminate the tunnel. I feel so close to building a shrine to Tony, Stephen, and Peter for having updated our tech to work in their universe* Steward? PrettyWitch? Are you guys there? *I whisper loudly, not really confident to call outloud in case I end up attracting anything other than my friends. I try my best to look down at both ends of the hallway, but there’s not even a breeze to help me choose which way to head toward.*

___

*I hear different sets of footsteps approaching and freeze, anticipating a potential trap.  While silently watching, I see a dim light in the distance down the corridor.  It seems to be getting bigger and bigger.  I stay in the shadows just in case.*

Prettywitch: Steward!? Is that you? - Wait! Just so I know, tell me something about me only you would know.

Me (emerging quietly from my patch of shadows):  First off, I think we may be in a deadlock.  How do I know you’re not just trying to get info from me about my friends?  

*I’m staying neutral in every aspect in an attempt to conceal details in case this is a disguised enemy.  Meanwhile, my eyes never leave her, watching carefully.*

Prettywitch: *She considers this.* Fair point. In that case, let me tell you about how I got out of the trap I was in; I basically conjured up the staff from Cardcaptor Sakura and made a construct of the Light Card…Does that sound like something I would do? *She smiles awkwardly, mostly because she’s afraid Steward won’t believe her.*

*I think for a moment.*

Me:  Okay…Sounds like you.  

Barry:  That IS Prettywitch, o Paranoid One.  *He’s still a smartass, but a helpful one, at least.*

*I give him a look.*

Me:  If you’re sure…Okay.  *I relax slightly.*  I’m glad you’re alive and made it here, Prettywitch.  I ended up swarmed by spirits and thankfully, they were just guarding the place.  So, I was able to talk them down and ask for directions.

Prettywitch: *Breathes a sigh of relief.* Thank Vishanti! Have you run into Tear, by any chance?

Me:  Not yet, unfortunately.  We should look for her.

Prettywitch: Well what are we waiting for? Let’s go. *Turns to face the hall for a moment, then looks back at Steward.* You know the way by any chance?

Me:  Unfortunately, not.

Barry:  Maybe go back and ask again.

Me:  I’ve bothered that group of spirits enough, I think.

Barry:  You forgot the way back to them already, didn’t you?

*I glare at him silently, though he IS right.*

Prettywitch: Well, let’s just go along the paths and use markers. That way, we know which halls we’ve gone down.

Me:  Good idea.  Want to pick a passage to start at?

Prettywitch: Okay. Let’s go….*She points to the right.* that way! *She magics a black marker into her hand and draws the Sanctum window on the wall.  She puts the cap back on the marker and smiles at her handiwork.* There! That should work.

*There is a faint, disagreeable rumble through the complex’s tunnels, but nothing shifts.  It feels almost like the building is displeased with something.*

Me (looking around nervously):  Erm…Let’s go.

Prettywitch: Good idea.

*The trio make their way down the right corridor.*

*Sooner than expected, we spot Tear heading down one of the other hallways and call out to her, hoping that it’s the real her and not a fake.*

Me (stern, but hopeful):  Okay.  Show us that it’s really you, Tear…Qilong.  *I say the name at the end to indicate to her that it’s really me.  Qilong was the name of the deceased miner whose log we found at the bottom of the mine all of those months ago with Stephen.*

Tear: *I brighten up, immediately recognizing the reason why Steward would even think of that name. Reassured, I don’t hesitate to show my own proof.* Okay, so… When people think “tanks” they will most often think about the classic German Panzers or the cute little Somua S35, which was actually one of the best by 1940. But most won’t remember that it was actually the English who begun experimenting with the idea of tanks back in the Great War as a way to combat trench warfare. In fact, they were first designed in 1915 but were first deployed until 1916 during the Battle of the Somme when…

Prettywitch: *She looks at Steward.* Yeah, it’s her.

Tear: *I’m panting slightly by the end of my eager rant* I don’t think Agatha would have much need to know all of that as a witch, right?

Me (curling my lip, mildly amused):  No.

*We all chuckle slightly and can’t help but relax.*

Me:  Thank goodness…Okay, let’s get out of here.  Stephen and Wong are probably looking for us by now.

Tear: So you guys haven’t heard from them either? I was hoping Kamar-Taj had been attempting to bring us closer to them…

*I shake my head.*

Prettywitch: Well, we’re just gonna have to keep going. We’ll find our way back…eventually.

Me:  Think we should mark this location as an indicator of our path?

Prettywitch: You know it! *She gets out the marker again and draws the Sanctum window, again.* Alright, let’s go!

*There’s the irritable rumble again, but no shift.*

Me (unnerved):  Erm…Maybe Kamar-Taj doesn’t like it…

Prettywitch: *She shrugs.* Eh! We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

Tear: Or maybe Agatha could still be trying to control it? Can buildings feel pain?

Me:  Honestly, I have no idea.  Which way should we go, then?  *I’m getting worried again.*

Prettywitch: Well, we went right before…let’s go left, this time.

*We continue on our way, speeding up a bit.  After all, we do need to alert the more experienced sorcerers and get help to rescue Trix.*

*All of a sudden, a blur of purple seems to whiz forward from the darkness of the hallway in front of us and it materializes to reveal, Agatha who is first shocked but then delighted to have run into us.*

Agatha: Well, well, well! What a sight for sore and slightly battered eyes. Some baby sorcerers who wouldn’t disobey mom and sneak out from being grounded!

Me (snarling):  Says the traitor to her own coven!  *At this point, seeing her has re-ignited my anger.*

Prettywitch: *Groans* Oh great! The crazy lady’s back. Hallelujah!

Agatha (raising an eyebrow): Wow, did this place fuck you up too or are you just happy to see me? *her hands ignite with smokey purple magic* If you want to find out firsthand what happened to them, keep talking.

*I look about ready to explode, but then we hear more running footsteps approaching.  Stephen and Wong burst into the corridor and look shocked to see us there.  Stephen notices that Agatha is about to curse me and is about ready to cast a protective shield in front of us.*

Stephen (glancing at us and then Agatha):  How did you get-?  Never mind!  Girls, get back!  

Agatha: Didn’t you hear? Your ducklings left the nest directly into my waiting arms. It’s not like we’re not familiar at this point. *She sneers at the girls* 

*I glare icily right back at the witch.  The tension is palpable.*

*Agatha’s necklace starts to glow faintly, immediately catching her attention and her face pales. It is flickering between dark purple, light purple, and hints of orange*

Agatha (cooing to it): Now now, that’s a bit too much excitement for you today. I’m going to make sure we get home. *She pats it and the flickers fade away*

*Stephen notices and turns pale, knowingly.*

Me (quietly):  Trix…

*Agatha looks smugly at Stephen*

Agatha: Now then: you have your children to attend to and now I have mine. Though, that could easily change if you decide to follow me *she lifts the crystal of the necklace slightly* so if you don’t mind, toodle-loo! *she disappears into a cloud of purple smoke and peals of laughter before finally vanishing*

Tear: No, Trix!

Me (practically spitting in fury):  That bitch…

Prettywitch: Let’s go after her! We can probably trace her magic trail or something.

Wong (protectively):  No.  You three have been in enough danger as it is.  How in the multiverse did any of you make it this far out of the labyrinth?

Prettywitch: Magic Sharpie…*She smiles awkwardly at Wong.* Anyway, the point is, we’ve got bigger fish to fry than me graffiting the walls.

*Kamar-Taj makes a low, disgruntled noise.  Wong raises an eyebrow, biting back a sharp reprimand.  However, they have more pressing matters at the moment.*

Stephen:  We can’t follow her.  Our own magical signatures are too obvious.  She would shatter Trix’s crystal before we got anywhere remotely close to them.  If Agatha shatters it, Trix dies.   

Prettywitch: Okay. Then what do you propose we do?

Me:  How would we evade detection?

Stephen:  I’m sorry, “we”? Haven’t the three of you gotten in enough trouble?  *He’s trying to keep us safe, his eyes flashing a warning at our group.*

Prettywitch: *Now she’s angry.* Don’t get snippy with us! We want to help our friend.

Tear: *I throw my arms out in disbelief* You say that as if we sought out Agatha and delivered an RSVP for Kamar-Taj. We sat there, stuck in that room, for one week! *I stomp my foot and point back at the dark hallways. My voice starts raising, even if I never thought I’d dare to stand against Stephen and Wong of all people* We did everything you asked, and that woman still found us. How are we at fault for that? How is Trix at fault for that? *My voice breaks at the thought of Trix and my eyes quickly well up, but I swallow thickly and refuse to think about what she could be going through*

*I glare at Stephen in a deadly silence.*

*Stephen huffs frustratedly.*  

Stephen:  *Angrily*  I know!  *He immediately regrets his outburst and calms down again, being sincere in his words.*  I’m sorry.  However, we’re not about to let more of you endanger yourselves further.

Me (adamantly staring the two masters down):  Don’t think we’re just going to keep sitting here.  *My tone is icy, a cold rage blatantly obvious.*

*Stephen and Wong stare us all down for a moment and when none of us backs off, Wong sighs.*

Wong:  Fine…but if you are going to do this, then you will do so correctly to avoid further harm.  *He’s stern.*

Stephen:  We’ll have to report this to the other Avengers first.  Come on.  *He ushers us over so he can portal everyone to the Campus.*

***To be continued***

[madaboutmunson]

WIP Wednesday

Here is a treat as I haven’t posted something in forever.

[captions welcome]

I went for:

“Eddie doesn’t like the show and he’s gonna make it a problem!”

Other things:

I’m working on a lot of different events and projects right now. I’m still writing a fic that turned into a bit of a beast, but once it’s finished I’ll be posting chapters on a more regular basis for it.

So here is a snippet from that mini beast

ITICHBS (it’s a secret 🤫 😂)

rockstarSteve x photographerEddie

Eddie goes to type back, but he feels the car slow to a stop. A crunch of gravel and muffled voices. Moments later, his door is opened.

"Mr Munson?" The woman asks as Eddie steps out and nods. The car is swarmed by athletic people sporting black security uniforms.

The woman in front of him makes eye contact with her team members and then looks back at him, "Your agent said you were staying?"

"I-I am. Just not here." Eddie says nervously. He was supposed to be, that's what Marney had advised, but Eddie had dug his heels in and got an airport hotel instead, at his own expense, "I'm so bad at waking up for flights, so," he scratches the back of his neck, "the closer, the better."

She folds her arms and levels him with a look before scanning him up and down. "You don't want to spend the night? Stay in Steve Harrington's house?" She almost laughs out the last question.

Eddie figures it's something ingrained in him that is making him nervous with all these official-looking uniforms around him, "Not if I wanna keep this job," he says with a forced laugh, looks down and rubs his stomach, "I should really learn that fast food doesn't always agree with me." He raises his eyes to her to see if his performance has landed, and though he's not sure she believes the story, she seems happy enough to accept it for some reason. She extends her hand to him.

"Buckley. Head of security here for Mr H. This is my team. Get to know their faces and names if you care to. If it's not one of us telling you, it's not mandatory." She says and waves him through the huge ornate gates that slowly open as she signals to the house.

Eddie quirks an eyebrow at that. Mandatory? If it's not one of us? What did that even mean? She didn't look like your typical bodyguard or security guard that Eddie had seen over the years, but knowing he'd be meeting her at the gates, he'd done his research.

Robin Buckley. She'd only ever worked with Harrington, no one before, no one in-between. She wasn't a waif by any stretch of the imagination, but she was not your typical heavy-set build either. However, the footage Eddie had unearthed last night definitely sent the message home that she is not to be fucked with. She easily kept the crazies at bay, and Harrington's humanising posts about how safe he felt with her around, made her a fan favourite. Even though she was often the only thing standing between him and his adoring followers.

He'd seen three times caught on film she'd intercepted a weapon or projectile aimed at Harrington. One effortlessly caught out of the air, cool as anything. Then there was a guy with a gun who had been leg swept to the floor, had his wrist snapped, and was disarmed in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it display of prowess. You could see on the video Harrington hadn't seen any of it. Busy leaning back into the crowd for a selfie at the barrier with a fan's phone. Her team carried that guy away, and she just fell back into step beside him. The third was definitely the most terrifying. Mainly due to the fact, there were so many different views of the same event because it happened whilst Harrington had been singing one of his most famous songs. It looks like a fan rushes the stage, not uncommon, but as Harrington shuts his eyes to croon to the crowd under the spotlight, something catches the light in the fan's hand, and if this had been a movie, you'd swear this would be the singer's last scene. But it wasn't. From out of nowhere, Buckley's big black boot steps into the light and puts the assailant in a choke hold from behind. They were out for the count in seconds and pulled back with her into the darkness.

Hope you liked it 🥰