#too alienated from other friend groups to find escape

[mindful-things]

Even the Vegvisir is a Christian symbol. I believe it became associated with vikingrs because it was seen in old films lots as it fitted the aesthetic.

A reminder!

[waitimcomingtoo]

And I’ve Been Meaning To Tell You

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

Synopsis: you overhear Peter denying that he likes you so you go out with another guy, leaving him to crash your date and tell you how he feels

Masterlist

“At what point does the staring because you’re pining for your friend become staring because you’re a stalker and planing on wearing her hair as a wig?” Ned asked after following Peter’s gaze and seeing he was once again staring at you from across the cafeteria.

“I don’t know. I think when I start wearing baseball caps and standing outside her window with binoculars.” Peter sighed happily and rested his chin in his hand as he continued to stare.

“But, it’s not gonna get to that point though, right?” Ned laughed nervously.

“I don’t know.” Peter shrugged. “She lives on a pretty high floor.”

“That’s not the answer I wanted.” Ned said quietly.

“I had a dream last night that I asked her out and she said “I’ll see you at 8” without ever telling me where we were meeting just like in the movies.” Peter said proudly.

“You should not be proud of that. Why don’t you just ask her out with your out loud words for once?” Ned asked him.

“Because the dynamic of our friendship will be-“

“-forever altered past the point of repair and things will eventually return to normal but never feel the same.” Ned groaned as ge finished Peter’s sentence. “Yes, I know. Thats always your excuse. But I really don’t think she’ll say no.”

“You don’t know that.” Peter insisted. “I can’t risk it.”

“Peter, it’s so obvious you guys like each other. She always laughs at your jokes and nobody, and I mean nobody, finds you funny. And I know you like her back because you stare at her all the time and got goosebumps that one time her ponytail hit you in the face.”

“It smelled like freedom and prosperity.” Peter whispered.

“So ask her out and smell her ponytail all the time.” Ned whispered back.

“I just can’t, okay? And I don’t even like her like that. So stop bringing it up.” Peter said and looked over at you again. He watched you leave a group of friends and walk over to him and Ned.

“But you guys obviously want to be together so why don’t you just be together?” Ned asked him.

“Because I don’t like her and she doesn’t like me, okay? That’s that.” Peter whispered harshly just as you sat down at their table.

“Hey guys. I’m pretty sure I just got a veinte out of one hundred on my Spanish quiz so.” You sighed and dropped your backpack on the table.

“Hi.” Peter’s blushed and smiled at you. Your bad mood quickly eviscerated and you smiled back.

“Hi Peter.”

“If you want, I can help you study for your next Spanish quiz. I took it last semester and did fairly bien.” Peter offered.

“Really?” You lit up. “Thanks, Pete. That would be so bien of you.”

“No problemo.” Peter said back.

“This feels…racist.” Ned mumbled as he watched the interaction.

“I, uh, I watched that movie you were talking about the other day.“ You told Peter with a nervous smile.

“You watched Alien? Did you like it?” Peter asked excitedly.

“I did but it made me kinda paranoid about, you know, aliens. But I liked the part when the alien came out of the guys chest. I never realized that scene was from that movie. I felt like I was finally in on the film bros inside jokes.”

“Yeah. I like that part too. I also like the part when he swam up the filters motor and stuck that pebble in there so the tank would get dirty and have to be cleaned, giving all the other fish a chance to escape.” Peter replied. It took you a minute to get it but when you did, you burst out laughing. Peter blushed at how hard you were laughing at his joke while Ned watched the interaction in disgust.

“That was not funny.” Ned shook his head. “Not even a little bit. It was a little criminal actually.”

“What? Yes it was. Peters always funny.” You insisted.

“Isn’t he though?” Ned faked a smile before rolling his eyes.

“Hey, back off. I liked the joke.” You defended Peter, making his blush deepen.

“Thank you. I like your jokes too.” Peter told you.

“Ugh.” Ned groaned. “This is revolting to watch. Why don’t you guys just get married already?”

“That’s not a bad idea.” You said. “We’d get a tax break, right? Whatever that means.”

“It’s when they break your taxes in half.” Peter answered.

“Oh, is that it?” You laughed. “Sounds about right.”

“I know because I took that accounting class freshman year. You weren’t in that class so you wouldn’t know.” He teased you.

“Hm. Is that the class they cancelled because not enough people signed up?” You teased back.

“Yep. That one.” He nodded. “Wow. The memory on you. You’d be an excellent gatherer if this was Hunter gatherer times.”

“Aw, Peter. That’s the nicest thing a guys ever said to me.” You smiled and touched your heart.

“If you liked that compliment I have like eight more in the chamber ready to go.” Peter told you.

“Oh my God. Just make out already. But not in front of my clementine.” Ned grumbled and peeled his clementine. You and Peter fell silent at his exclamation. Peter’s face burned with embarrassment while you avoided eye contact with either of them.

“I’m gonna go refill my water bottle. I’ll be right back.” You smiled awkwardly and quickly left the table.

“Nice job, Ned.” Peter hugged. “You just made her so uncomfortable she went to fill up a full water bottle.”

“I told you, dude. She obviously likes you. I was just pointing out the obvious.” Ned defended himself.

“She doesn’t like me.” Peter insisted.

“Are you kidding me? You just made a Finding Nemo joke and she actually laughed. Not even fake laugh. That was a genuine belly laugh at the worst joke I have ever had the misfortune of hearing. She’s down horrendous for you.”

“No, she’s not. She just sees me as a friend. And I don’t even like her like that so it doesn’t matter.” Peter lied in an effort to change the subject.

“You can’t hide the truth from your best friend. I see right through your lies. You like her. I know it and you know it. Why can’t she know it?” Ned asked.

“I told you to stop bringing it up.” Peter grumbled, growing frustrated now. It wasn’t uncommon for Ned to bring this up but it was happening more than usual lately and all it did was remind Peter that you’d never be together.

“But-“

“I don’t like her, okay? I never did. I don’t think she’s pretty, I don’t find her funny, and I don’t want to be her boyfriend. I don’t know why you don’t believe me. I swear, I do not like her like that. I never have, and I never will. Okay?” Peter snapped. Little did he know, you had come back to the table and heard his whole outburst. You blinked a few times as your stomach sank but put on a brave face and sat down.

“I’m back.” You forced a smiled but didn’t meet Peter’s eyes. Peter’s eyes widened when you sat down and he looked at Ned.

“How much of that did you hear?” Peter asked you.

“How much of what?” You played dumb. You had to pretend you weren’t crushed that the boy you’d been pining after for years just very aggressively confirmed he didn’t like you.

“Nothing.” Peter lied and exchanged another look with Ned. Ned shrugged before changing the subject to move away from the moment entirely. You pretended to listen as you tried your best not to look as disappointed as you felt.

Once your break was over, you left the cafeteria and went for a walk around campus to clear your head. You ended up on a bench and sat down before taking a big sigh. You hadn’t noticed the guy that was sitting on the other end of the bench, but he certainly noticed you.

“Hey.” He said. You looked around for who he was talking to but found no one.

“Me, hey?” You asked and pointed to yourself.

“Yeah. You, hey.” He smiled and nodded his head.

“Oh. Hey.” You smiled back.

“I’m Drew.” He said.

“Y/n.” You said back.

“What’s the matter, Y/n? You look forlorn.”

“Oh, it’s stupid.” You waved your hand.

“Not to me. Tell me about it.” He insisted and scooted closer to you. You looked down at the lessened space between the two of you and laughed shyly.

“It’s nothing. I just overheard my friends talking about me.” You told him.

“Oh shit. Was it bad?”

“Not necessarily. But it didn’t make me feel good.”

“Damn. That sucks.” Drew said. You nodded in agreement and an awkward silence fell between you.

“I like that shirt.” He said suddenly and nodded towards your shirt.

“Oh, thanks. I borrowed it from a girl I didn’t even talk to anymore.” You replied as you pulled on the shirt.

“Finders keepers.” He shrugged. “You should wear it when I take you out.”

“Why would I wear a shirt you’ve already seen when we go out?” You laughed.

“So we’re going out?” Drew smiled.

“I guess we are.” You shrugged and realized you had just agreed to a date.

“Cool. I’ll pick you up Friday.” Drew winked at you before getting off the bench. You smiled at the unexpected interaction before realizing you had not gotten a single detail.

“Wait, pick me up where?” You called after him, but he was already gone. You slumped back in your seat on the bench and felt an equal mix of confusion and excitement. Maybe this new guy was exactly what you needed to forget about Peter.

The next day, you sat with Peter and Ned at your usual spot in the lunch room but barely paid attention to their conversation. Drew had found you on Instagram and you’d been talking to him all day. Peter had noticed your thumbs flying around your keyboard and the smile on your face and felt curious and ever so slightly jealous about who was making you smile like that.

“Is that good with you Y/n?” Ned asked you.

“Sorry, what?” You asked and put your phone down.

“We were saying we were gonna get chicken wings and watch the Trixi Mattel documentary.” Peter informed you.

“Again? And I can’t Friday.” You told them.

“Why not?” Peter asked.

“I have a date.”

Ned and Peter exchanged a looked before started to speak at the same time. They both stumbled over their words and spoke over each other as they gave you all their thoughts and opinions on why you should not go on this date. You tried to cut in but Ned kept listing Criminal Minds plot lines where women were murdered while Peter asked question after question about the guy.

“Slow down. One at a time.” You shouted over them and they both went silent. You pointed to Ned to signal that it was his turn to talk.

“You have a date? With a human boy?” Ned asked in disgust.

“Yeah. Is that surprising?” You asked, sounding a little hurt that they were so shocked.

“No.” Peter replied and looked at Ned to signal for him to say the same so that you wouldn’t be offended.

“Yes.” Ned said immediately. “Who the hell is this guy?”

“Ned.” Peter said warningly.

“His name is Drew.” You shrugged.

“Drew? What’s his brothers name, draw? Stupid fucking past tense ass bullshit name.” Ned grumbled.

“Jesus Ned.” You laughed. “It’s a normal name. It’s short for Andrew.”

“Andrew?” Peter scoffed. “What is he, an apostle?”

“I don’t think there was an apostle named. Andrew.” You stated. “I think they were all named Mark. And like, John or something.”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t there.” Peter waved his hand. “Why are you going on a date with this potential psychopath?”

“Because asked me on a date.” You said simply.

“And you said yes? When we don’t even know this guy. What if he’s into hardcore drugs and wants to use you as a drug mule for his next big drug operation?“

“He seemed fine.” You shrugged.

“So you’re gonna risk your life going on a date with this lunatic because he “seemed” fine? What if he’s a cannibal?” Ned asked.

“I don’t think he’s a cannibal. He was just sitting on a bench on his phone.”

“Oh my God. He sounds completely insane. Check the sex offender registry for his name right now.” Ned instructed Peter. Peter started typing his name into his laptop so you shut Peter’s laptop with a roll of your eyes.

“Why are you guys being insane? I thought you’d be happy for me.”

“I’m about to end my life over this.” Peter mumbled.

“Me too.” Ned added. “What even spurred this reckless decision?”

“I don’t know. A guy hasn’t shown interest in me in a while. This guy did so I took a chance. Is it really that crazy?”

“Yes.” Ned said immediately. “You’re ludicrous for this. You are absolutely Pitbull featuring Ludacris for this. Saying yes to a date with a stranger. This girl has lost her damn mind.”

“How else do you meet people?” You asked them.

“You don’t.” Peter said a sarcastic laugh. you threw your hands up in exasperation and Peter and Ned exchanged a look.

“What he means is, you should try asking a friend out. That way, you already know them and know you won’t get diced and quartered into a bunch of little pieces.” Ned said kindly.

“Why would he dice me and quarter me? Wouldn’t one or the either be enough?” You asked.

“Probably not for this lunatic.” Ned laughed like it was ridiculous to suggest.

“I think you guys are over reacting. What if he’s just a nice guy wants to take me on a date?”

“No guy wants that.” Ned groaned.

“Wow. Thanks Ned.” You said sarcastically.

“What I meant was, Peter has something to say.” Ned said and pointed to Peter. Peter turned bright red and gave Ned an angry look.

“You do?” You asked Peter.

“No?” Peter replied.

“Right.” You smiled tightly and looked away from him, making Peter know he blew it.

“Where is the date?” Ned asked.

“I don’t know. Some frat house. He said his friend is having a party and he wants to take me.”

“A party? At a frat house? With underage drinking? Oh great. So this guy is a law breaker. He probably has an extensive criminal record already. And I bet it’s for the drug mule thing.” Ned insisted.

“We’re all 21. You literally turned 22 last week.” You reminded him.

“I don’t see how that’s relevant to this conversation.” Ned brushed you off.

“What kind of first date is a party anyway? A girl like you deserves to be taken on a nice, well thought out date that doesn’t involve getting drunk around strangers. If I was the one taking you on a date, I’d make a picnic of your favorite snacks and we’d eat it on the rooftop of my apartment while the sun sets.” Peter stated.

“But you’re not the one taking me on a date. He is. He likes me, you don’t.” You said sharply, making everyone fall silent. You hadn’t meant to snap at Peter like that but it bothered you that he was aggressively putting down your date after rejecting you.

“What? Am I wrong?” You asked the table.

“Peter.” Ned whispered but it was loud enough for everyone to hear. You looked at Peter again but he just couldn’t do it.

“No. You’re not wrong.” He said quietly. You nodded your head like you expected that before getting up from the table.

“I just wanted my friends to tell me they were happy for me. Instead, we just had one of the weirdest and least encouraging conversations I’ve ever been an apart of. I’ll see you guys later.” You grumbled and walked away.

“That went well.” Ned said once you were gone.

“She definitely overheard me. I totally hurt her feelings and drove her right into the arms of that cannibal drug mule. Why did I say those things?” Peter asked and rubbed his face in frustration.

“I don’t know man. I would have stopped at “I don’t like her” but you really went off.” Ned agreed.

“Because you were annoying me with how much you were asking.” Peter whined. “Oh God. What am I gonna do now? Shes gonna go to that party and fall in love with draw and forget all about me.”

“I’ll tell you what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna find draw’s party and crash it. And you’re gonna woman up and tell her how you feel.”

“How are we gonna find his party? We’re not exactly good at attending parties.”

“I have my sources.” Ned smiled deviously.

“You’re just track her location on snap maps, aren’t you?” Peter sighed.

“Yeah, I’m just gonna track her on snap maps.” Ned admitted.

When Friday came around, Peter and Ned were glued to their phones as the tried to find out where you were. Luckily for them, you had been posting a plethora of pictures of the party to your Snapchat so they easily found where you were. Unlucky for Peter, Drew was featured in all of the pictures and you looked like you were having the time of your life. Peter swallowed down his jealousy and got dressed to go to the party. He rehearsed his speech for you in his head as he made his way through the crowd. He finally found you in the kitchen in the arms of a girl he didn’t recognize. Your eyes lit up when you saw him and you tried to go towards him but immediately tripped over your over feet.

“Peter!” You cheered and threw your arms around him. The girl who had been holding you let go of your waist while Peter looked at her in confusion. You stumbled into Peter and had a hard time keeping yourself up straight

“You know her?” The girl asked Peter.

“Yeah. She’s my best friend. What’s going on? Who are you? And where’s draw?”

“I’m Serita. I found her all by herself. She seemed pretty upset.”

“Well if it isn’t Peter Peter pumpkin eater. He actually doesn’t even like pumpkin flavored things. He doesn’t like me either. He made that very clear.” You laughed and clapped Serita on the back. Serita looked at Peter in amusement but he was too focused on how drunk you were.

“Are you drunk?” Peter asked in shock.

“What? No.” You scoffed and nearly fell over.

“She’s wasted.” Serita told him. “I got her to drink some water by telling her it was a big shot of vodka.”

“I’m just here to feel the heat with somebody.” You said and held your hands up in defense.

“I’ve never seen you drink this much. What happened?” Peter asked you.

“Psh. I’m not as think as you drunk I am.” You denied the obvious with a wave of your hand. The action caused you to stumble again and you had to grip Peter’s shirt to keep from going down.

“You can’t even stand up straight. Where’s draw?” Peter asked again and looked around the room for your date.

“I don’t know.” You shrugged. “I’m pretty sure he left with that pretty red headed girl from our statistics class sophmore year. With that teacher who had that cat with a silly name. Remember him? What was the cats name?”

“Kitty puss.” Peter reluctantly admitted.

“Kitty puss!” You cheered again and nearly dropped to the floor.

“I got you.” Peter said and tightened his grip on you. “But if he’s on on a date with you then why did he leave with another girl?”

“Because he didn’t get what he wanted from this girl?” You shrugged with a sad smile. Peter’s eyes darkened and he looked at Serita with a clenched jaw.

“What did he want?” He asked her.

“To get her drunk enough to lower her standards.” Serita stated. “That’s what he does to all the undergrad girls on this campus. Or at least, he tries to. Girls his age know better and stay away from him. But unfortunately for your best friend here, she didn’t know about his reputation.”

“Sterling Knight should have had a bigger career after Starstruck. He was funny and could sing. I never found him all that handsome but he had star power. He deserved more from Disney and I’ll die on that hill.” You interrupted their conversation to say.

“That’s nice, sweetie.” Peter smiled kindly at you before looking at Serita again. “I’m gonna take her to the bathroom and try to sober her up. Thanks for taking care of her. I’m glad she had a friend here.”

“Oh, I don’t know this girl. I just noticed she needed someone and stayed with her.” Serita explained. Peter raised his eyebrows in surprise before giving her a grateful smile.

“Oh. Well thanks for noticing. I got it from here.” He said before picking you up bridal style. You laughed gleefully and wrapped your arms around his neck, making Peter turn red again. Serita noticed this and stopped him.

“Hold on. How do I know I can trust you with her?” Serita asked. “What if you don’t even know her and you’re just trying to do what Drew was trying to do?”

“I promise I know her. Look. She’s my lock screen.” Peter said and showed Serita his lock screen which was a photo of the two of you.

“Best friend, huh?” Serita smirked.

“Please.” Peter whined. “I can’t hear it from you too. I’m an idiot and I know that. That’s the whole reason I’m here.”

“Well good luck. She’s been talking about “my Peter” all night.” Serita patted his back before walking away. Peter smiled at that before carrying you to the bathroom.

“Is this how Lady Gaga felt at the 2011 Grammys when they carried her in in that giant egg?” You asked as you rested your head on Peter’s shoulder.

“We will never know how Lady Gaga felt while being carried in a giant egg at the 2011 Grammys. You’re just being carried by your idiot friend to a disgusting frat bathroom that probably has salmonella and syphilis all over it.”

“Romantic.” You chuckled and held Peter tighter. He shut the bathroom door behind the two of you before gently putting you down on the countertop. He started rummaging through the medicine cabinet while you swung your legs.

“My tummy hurts.” You whined.

“I know. Take this.” Peter instructed and handed you Tylenol.

“Magic beans?”

“Tylenol. Drink this.” He chuckled and handed you back the cup of water from Serita. You chugged the water with the pills and wiped your mouth before giving Peter a sad smile.

“How do you feel? Do you need to puke?”

“No.” You shook your head. That action made you nauseous and you hopped off the counter to throw up into the toilet.

“I had a feeling that was gonna happen.” Peter mumbled.

“Don’t tell Kitty Puss about what a wreck I am.” You pleaded and threw up again.

“I won’t.” Peter laughed and held your hair back.

“I’m gonna die.” You whined and slumped against the bathtub. Peter sat down beside you and got the hair out of your face.

“You’re not gonna die.” He assured you. “You’re just gonna have really bad breath and carpet burn on your knees.”

“I hate carpet burn.” You said and started to cry. Peter had a feeling the tears weren’t just from the carpet burn so he wrapped his arms around you.

“It’s okay. Let it all out.” He said softly as he rubbed his hand on your back. You wrapped your arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder for a minute before pulling away. He grabbed a tissue from the counter and wiped your tears for you.

“I’m sorry.” You said quietly as you stared down at your lap.

“What are you sorry for?”

“For going on this date.”

“No. I don’t want to hear that. You don’t have anything to apologize for.” Peter shook his head as he continued to dry your eyes. You pushed your hand away and held it so he would look at you.

“I do. I only went because I was mad at you. And I posted all those things because I wanted you to think I was having fun with another guy. But I wasn’t having fun. I was thinking about you the entire night.”

“Well you fooled me.” Peter chucked. “I thought you were halfway in love with this guy already. But why were you mad at me?”

“I heard you the other day. I heard you tell Ned you didn’t like me.” You admitted and gave him a sad smile.

“Oh, that’s not-“

“And it’s fine.” You cut him off. “I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you over that. It’s not your fault you don’t like me. We can’t help what we don’t feel.”

Peter stared into your eyes and saw a sadness he’d never seen you show before. You had sobered up a little but still weren’t completely there. He wanted to tell you how he felt, but he wanted you to be sober enough to remember it.

“So what happened to your date?” He changed the subject. You gave Peter a sad smile and shrugged your shoulders.

“He wasn’t much of a gentleman.” You admitted. Peters jaw clenched but he tried to remain calm for you same.

“Why do you say that?”

“I kept trying to talk to him and get to know him but all he wanted to do was get drunk. So I kept drinking whatever he handed me because I thought that would make me a more “fun” date.” You told him. You looked down at your dress and nervously fiddled with the hem of it. Peter stayed silent as he watched your eyes fill up with tears.

“I got all dressed up. I did my hair and my makeup. I tried to look pretty for him.” You said sadly. “But he didn’t even compliment me when he saw me. And he didn’t laugh at any of my jokes. I kept feeling like I was annoying him any time I asked him a question. But I was just trying to get to know him.“

“Well he’s crazy for not complimenting you. Because you look very pretty tonight.”

“Oh, please. My makeup’s running down my face and I probably have puke on my dress.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re still the prettiest girl in this room.” Peter told you.

“I’m the only girl in this room.” You reminded him and pointed to the bathroom wall.

“Doesn’t matter. You’re the prettiest girl in any room you’re in.” Peter stated. That brought a smile out of you and you slipped your hand into his.

“You’re sweet.” You smiled in appreciation and gave his hand a squeeze. Peter squeezed you back before getting the hair off your forehead. You leaned into his hand and looked into his eyes.

“What happened tonight?“ He asked quietly.

“Well, once I was drunk enough for Drew’s liking, he asked me to go up to one of the bedrooms with him. I went because I thought it was because he wanted a more private place to talk. I thought he wanted to hear what I had to say. Imagine that? Imagine your date being interesting in something you had to say? But he didn’t care about that. He didn’t want to talk.” You laughed sadly before looking down at the floor with a heavy sadness.

“What did he want?” Peter asked and braced himself. You looked up and met Peter’s eyes with a sad smile.

“You know what he wanted.” You said softly. Peter gulped and nodded his head so you wouldn’t have to relive it. You let out a sigh and wiped your tears on the back of your hand.

“He didn’t even kiss me.” You laughed sadly. “He just shut the door and tried to unzip my dress. I pushed him away and yelled at him, and then he got upset that I was upset so he left me in there. I was too drunk to go after him so I just sat there for a while in the dark. By the time I came back down to the party, he was already making out with another girl.”

“What’s this guys problem? He got to take the most incredible girl in this city on a date and he blows it in every way possible? He’d be lucky to talk to you, let alone go out on a date with you. How could he not see what a privilege he had just to be near you?” Peter said with genuine anger.

“Thanks, Pete.” You chuckled and felt slightly better about the night. Peter was about to go off more until he saw the look on your face. You didn’t need to hear Peter’s gripe right now. You needed comfort.

“Should we kill him?” Peter asked after a beat of silence.

“I think so. Serita told me he’s got a bit of a reputation for this kind of thing. I had no idea.”

“I can’t believe Ned was right and this guy really was insane.” Peter said, making you laugh.

“I know. I guess this means we should listen to him more.” You laughed. Peter smiled at you before scooping you up again and kicking the door open.

“Woah. Where are we going?” You asked as he carried you straight out of the party.

“On a real date.” He replied and you fell silent. He carried you all the way to his apartment building and swung up to the roof.

“Stay here. I’ll be right back.” Peter said and he slipped out of his button down. He draped it over your shoulders to keep you warm before racing downstairs.

When he returned, he had a picnic blanket, his portable Death Star night light, a lunchables pizza, and two bottles of water. You smiled as he laid the picnic blanket down before patted the space beside him. You sat down and he wrapped a blanket from his bed around the both of you. You cracked open your water bottle and downed it while he put together the lunchables. He handed you one of the pizzas and you did cheers before silently eating them as the sun began to rise.

“Are you enjoying your meal, madam?” Peter looked away from the sunrise to ask you.

“Why, yes I am. This is one of the finer lunchables I’ve ever eaten. Compliments to the chef.” You played along.

“The chef thanks you kindly.” Peter replied and you both laughed.

A comfortable silence fell between the two of you for a minute as you watched the sky become pink. Peter looked over at you and felt his heart ache over the way the sun was lighting up your face with a warm glow. You were holding your blanket tightly around your body to shield yourself from the morning air and had your eyes shut to let the night wash away from you. Peter knew in that moment he was in love and it could not be unspoken any longer.

“So, uh, remember when we were in the bathroom before and you said we should listen to Ned more?” Peter began.

“That doesn’t sound like something I would say. But I guess so. Why?” You wondered and looked over at him. Peter looked you in the eyes and gulped.

“Ned was actually right about a second thing.”

“Two things? Is he going for a personal record?” You laughed. When you saw that Peter wasn’t laughing, you stopped smiling.

“What is it, Pete? Something bad?”

“No. Not bad. Just, um, just a little clarification, I guess.” Peter began.

“Clarification about what?”

“I know you heard me telling Ned that I didn’t like you. And I know that it hurt your feelings. Which I totally understand why it would. It was overkill. But what you overheard the was my frustrated attempt to get Ned to stop insisting that I liked you.”

“Oh. Okay.” You said slowly and never took your eyes off him. Peter stared into your eyes for the last time before everything changed.

“And the only reason he keeps insisting that is because it’s true. He was trying to get me to tell you how I felt and I snapped at him because I was scared that if I ever did tell you how I felt, you wouldn’t feel the same.” Peter finished. You stared at him for a long time but Peter couldn’t read your expression. You were definitely pensive but he didn’t know if you were upset with him or relieved to know the truth. You turned your face back towards the sunrise and stared out at it.

“Hm.” You hummed.

“Hm? That’s all you have to say?” Peter asked nervously.

“Sorry. I was just thinking about that part in the movie Alien when the two main characters get directions from that school of fish and all the fish take the shape of an arrow to show them which way to go.” You said very seriously. Peter shook his head before cracking up laughing.

“Wow. Ned must be on a roll because hearing my own joke repeated back to me makes me realize how unfunny it was.” He admitted, making you laughing.

“I still laughed.” You shrugged. “Even if it wasn’t funny.”

“You did.” He realized with a smile.

“Probably because I like you so much.” You shrugged again and stopped looking at the sunrise to look at him. Peters smile grew and he reached over to hand your hand in his. All that pining and anticipation had led to that moment of you finally admitted how you felt about each other.

“Yeah.” He smiled. “Thats probably why.”

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@thebookwormlife @imanativeofswlondondahling

@tom-hollands-wifey

@whatareyouhidingpeter @takenbyheartstrings

@imyourliquor-youremypoison @andreasworlsboring101

@peterparkoure

@justcallmehitgirl @jackiehollanderr

@emmamarshmellow @unbelievableholland

@sovereignparker @every-marveler-ever @undiadeestos @eridanuswave​ ​

@solarxmoonchild @canyouevencauseicant

@quaksonhehe @lovelessdagger

@thesuitelifeofafangirl @marshxx @nooneinvitedfascistbarbie

@maybemona

@alexxcorona113 @lethal-wisdom

@pandaxnienke

 @officialsimppage @peterbenjiparker @itsemohours

@freakofmusic25 @tomholland85

@olixerwxxd @leilanixx

@whereismytelephone @so-very-asleep @white-wolf1940

@spideyspeaches @hihiweezing

@mathletemadison  

@dhtomholland @insomniac-nerd-posts-things @prancerrparkerr

@hallecarey1 @adayasgeorgia @blackwidowisthebest @imawhoreforu

@ciarahollands

@nellabellaa @pinklxmonade @boogywoogywoogy

[sillyhanako]

˚ ₊ ‧ ୨﹒its getting stickyyyyy﹒୧ ‧ ₊ ˚ ⋅

﹒꒦꒷ headcanons﹔dandadan cast x saiki!reader

﹒꒦꒷ contains﹔tsundere reader , reader being pulled in unnecessary fights , saiki is acc way too op wtf??? , ♾️aura for reader for not being naked in that one scene , a persona reference (find it >:3 !!) , smart reader ftw , seiko considers reader a genius , reader being the 2 lovebird's therapist , fashion show at momo's room , grateful reader.

୧﹒wc : 505 (IM GOING BACK TO 5O5)

꒱﹒a/n﹒୨୧ : HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Omg why did i forgot about this blog for a hot minute. Exams has been DRAINING my pp. Enjoy this draft fr 🤣🔥 GOODMORNING to the SQUID GAME NATION GOODMORNING to THE 8 SHOW NATION love yal fr oh yeah btw i havent watched saiki since 2022 and it was nice scrolling at tdlosk wiki page 💔💔

ー﹕m.list﹐

saiki!reader who is usually the background character, "the quiet kid", a reclusive shut-in who hates being the center of attention. They are quite reserved and rarely uses their voice. you could say that they liked their calm little life, so much as to go out from their way to make other people disinterested in them or avoid others as much as possible.

saiki!reader who gets exposed for having high spiritual energy when the Serpos attack the school. And thus being forced to fight these local-creepy-old-man looking... aliens?? Good grief.

saiki!reader who altered the memories of those who saw the three naked. hm? Ofcourse its only the lovebirds and the third-wheel. what? Did you really think they would be caught naked in front of the whole school? over their dead body.

saiki!reader who is now being constantly followed by the little group of friends that wont stay so little, and they dont get why? They helped them that ONE time. It doesnt mean they could be disturbing his peace everyday?

saiki!reader who isnt escaping the group's question of how they go their psychic abilities, when did they get their psychic abilities, what they can do with their psychic abilities... and the list goes on. And they have to expect this moutain of questions whenever a new member joins.

saiki!reader who rarely participates in fights but if they do its gonna be effortlessly flashy. They prefer to attack from a distance where the enemy wouldnt spot them, putting them at a disadvantage.

saiki!reader who saves their asses when they are in trouble. And they demand coffe jelly as a repayment.

saiki!reader who offers a listening ear for momo and okarun, letting them ramble about how much they love eachother and the people who deem as a competitor for their love. And in return the psychic just tells them how much of a coward they are and yapping their ears off wont magically get them together, so they better muster up that courage and confess. Like its not going to cut off their head. and if they dont they have no ballz (one of them certainly doesnt have em).

saiki!reader who helps with chores around Seiko's house, such as cleaning and buying groceries as a way to repay her kindness that many doesnt seem to appreciate.

saiki!reader who caught the attention of evil eye, he deems them as a worthy rival. And now on top of fighting litteral aliens, searching for balls and being the personal therapist of 2 lovebirds they also need to keep watch from getting jumped by a possessed athlete? End their misery.

saiki!reader whos a victim of momo's fashion show. She says she loves their (unintentional) pink and green aestethic and begs for them to try just fewwwww of outfits that she claims to be just their style.

saiki!reader who combines their hydrokinesis and pyrokinesis powers when jiji turns into the evil eye.

saiki!reader who is grateful for their annoying friends.

© 2025 sillyhanako ━ do not copy, steal, or reupload my works. Thanks!

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Video Games Part 11

Alien: So what is this one about? Human: Vampires in the wild west. Alien: Sounds interesting. Human: You’d think so, but when the main characters are as animated as the undead monsters they fight it’s pretty hard to take them seriously. Alien: From your own admission they are fighting vampire cowboys…..how serious were you expecting it to be? Human: ……. Touché. ---------------------

Alien: What is “The Quarry”? Human: Murder porn and sadness. Alien: ……………… ------------------------

Alien: “Boltgun”? Human: A man too angry to die because of what a sassy bitch he is. Alien: How does being sassy make you avoid death? Human: Because even death is afraid of being mocked so hard. ---------------------

Alien: Why would anyone want to play an aquatic predator? Human: You ever just look at someone and wonder what they’d taste like? Alien: I believe that is called cannibalism. Human: Not unless you’re a giant fish. ---------------------

Alien: Why does the tiny creature have a machine gun? Human: To stop you from eating it. Alien: Most effective. ---------------------

Alien: I heard this one is a popular game. Human: Eh, I guess. Alien: What do you mean “eh”? Alien: There have been five of them made. Human: It’s mostly made for people that like to watch a slow mo shot of a bullet going through a man’s balls over and over. Alien: What sadistic beings are you?!? Human: You should let me tell you about Meat Boy sometime for more context. ---------------------

Alien: This one looks cute. Alien: It’s about a brother in sister in your primitive era. Human: And a shit load of rats. Alien: What? Human: Yeah, you can make the rats devour a man whole as he screams and begs for his life. Alien: I…..but…..just….why? ----------------------

Alien: Why on florps name would someone want to play a game about manual labor? Alien: is not the point of your entertainment games to seek enjoyment? Human: Some people feel pleasure from a job well done. Alien: That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Human: Didn’t your people worship a rock a couple centuries back because when the light hit it the thing sparkled? Alien: ………touché. -------------------------

Alien: I wish to escape this bunker. Human: You just need to find some dynamite and a plunger to trigger it. Alien: Sounds easy enough. Human: And avoid the ancient giant rat god stalking the halls of the bunker. Alien: What is with your people and rats?!!?!?!? ----------------------

Alien: What is this “Crackdown 3” about? Human: A cops fantasy about how they view themselves. Alien: How so? Human: They see themselves fighting crime when more often they help prop up a totalitarian regime. Alien: Did not the second one have monsters in it? Human: That’s how they see poor people. Alien: Holy gargle…..that’s messed up. --------------------

Alien: What is this one? Human: Designing overly elaborate death machines to murder guys in metal suits with swords. Alien: Is that not what we did to your people during the third age of your species? Human: Come again? ------------------

Alien: Is this game about zombies? Human: More a social experiment. Alien: How so? Human: It has no set rules or goal in a zombie apocalypse, but more often you find people choosing the worst things to do to each other for shits and giggles. Alien: It can’t be all that bad. Human: I watched a group of high level players capture a new player, strip them of their gear, and force them to drink bleach under pain of death for a meme. Alien: ……………….. ----------------------

Human: How’s the new game goin- Alien: *Grabs human friend and sprays them with foam Alien: Good…you’re not one of them. Human: spits out foam One of what? Alien: A shape shifter! Alien: They were everywhere on the station and that made me wonder if those bastards are here in the home as well! Human: Wouldn’t say they’re all bastards. Table: Yeah, some of us are actually nice fellows. *Alien and Human both scream*

[deathmybride]

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ the earth from a distance | andrew hozier-byrne *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

ship: andrew hozier-byrne x fem!oc

warnings: references to death, alienation

summary: Gráinne moved to Dunbur to escape her past, to live quietly and write, and wallow in all the grief she had acquired. Andrew has other ideas…

word count: 3663

a/n: dedicated to my beloved @ath3nasgard3n who came with me to see bogfather in concert and held me while I SOBBED to Abstract (Psychopomp), even though she had never listened to hozier before that night.

Also, the setting for this fic is the Old Wicklow Head Lighthouse in Dunbur, which is now a BnB that you can stay in.

How to pronounce Gráinne and Máire

It began, as all good love stories should, with the death of a stranger. This time, it was the old lady who lived in the disused lighthouse by the battered shore, dying as the leaves turned to copper. I had lived in Dunbur for almost a year by that time, I never saw the heather part for any cars that might wind along the gravel path to the sea- but, then again, I was not watching for them. Either way, Lady, my poor MX5 was not built for such terrain and I could feel the scrub catching in sods under her chassis all the way down to the grass flat that had been designated as parking.

My gumboots squelched on the sopping turf as I hopped out, squinting at the pallid sun that tried so hard to reach me through the permanent duvet of cloud. It was a nice day by County Wicklow standards, no rain, minimal mist, and nearly, nearly sunny. The only reason to rug up was the damn wind billowing off the sea. I caught a gaggle of county gents eyeing Lady with appraisal while their wives loaded their cars with salvaged kitsch.

“She’s a beauty.” Mr Mulligan, the butcher- the most confident of the group- spoke up, peering out from beneath his tweed flat-cap with a face far too chipper for an estate sale.

“Ta.” I nod in thanks. “She’s old enough to order a pint.”

“What year?”

“‘99.”

“Ah, excellent year.” He said. I supposed it would be true if cars were like wine. “You’re a fine driver to get her up the back ass of nowhere, o’er all this shite.”

“Ta, just dumb luck, I reckon.” I moved to step away, but he cut in closer.

“We got ‘em lil’ cutlets in at the shop, I know they’re your favourite.”

“Ah, ya can’t fuckin’ get a word outta this one without him sellin’ ya some gobshite.” Mr Ronan, the newsagent spoke up with a roll of his eyes.

“Ahh, rev up ya bastard!” He aimed a light smack at his friend, and soon they were in playful fighting stances.

I took their rough-housing as my cue to retreat, finding their high spirits quite macabre and feeling grateful that the old lady’s family could not see them over the shallow rise.

The sale itself took place over the hillock and down in a scoop of grass a little ways away from the lighthouse. The townsfolk picked over fold-out camping tables laden with knickknacks and books, and a sparse supply of farm equipment and furniture on tarps nearby. I resolved to steer clear of there since Lady wasn’t known for her boot space, and I did not feel like calling in a favour from someone with an appropriate vehicle for the countryside. There was a dull hum of conversation hanging over the scene, and as I approached I must have murmured ‘hello’ and forced a smile for half a dozen of my regular customers. A few young men in black coats seemed to be dealing with the sales; grandsons of the deceased, I assumed.

I started with the books, finding a Folio Society copy of The Divine Comedy for a relative bargain,and- to my surprise- a few of Anne Rice’s Christian novels. I had little luck with anything else and was about to give up and go home, but something more caught my eye. It was a teddy bear with fur like lush, green grass. It had a curious face, with dark eyes and wide, brown nose that matched the brown on its paw-pads. Around its neck were four bells on a chain, each a different autumnal shade. Immediately taken by him, and spying a toddler staring at him with hungry eyes and grubby hands, I decided I couldn’t live without him and snaffled him up. The bells jingled pleasantly, and the fur was silky in my hands.

“Alright?” Someone sidled in beside me- Sue- the dumpy older woman who worked at the dingy smoke-and-gun shop down the street from the cafe where I worked.

“Hi.”

“Quer’n windy out, ain’t it?” Her eye contact was intense and probing.

“Aye.” I kept it brief. Once you got her talking, she wasn’t likely to stop.

“Cute.” She pointed to the bear, raising her brows. Her curiosity read phoney. “Bairns at home?”

“No. He’s for me.” I giggled in embarrassment, but she did not appear to be listening.

“Look at all this shite, would ya?” She picked up an admittedly hideous angelfish paperweight made of blue glass, sneering. “Hard to imagine such a proper woman would fill her gaff with this much cheap junk.”

“Mm.”

“You couldn’t move in that place for all the stuff.”

“You been in there, then?” Shit, she’s got me asking questions...

“Well,” She fiddled with her straw-blonde pageboy hair, suddenly self-conscious. “No, but you know that’s what its like, I mean look at it all.”

“Mmhm.”

“You know, I sold her fags.” She lifted her chin, prideful, yet almost disapproving. “Seven packs, each week on a Tuesday.”

“Maybe that’s what got her.”

I regretted the words as soon as they escaped my mouth, smiled tightly at her aghast expression and made a run for one of the young men dressed in black. This was a sad town, I reminded myself. A sad town, with sad gossip, and sad old ladies who die alone in bleak, majestic places full of items haunted by memory. What do I care if Sue starts spreading rumours?

The man served me quickly, seeming distracted. I wished him well and expressed sorrow for his loss. He thanked me in a robotic way, as if this were the hundredth time he was hearing those sentiments that day, and gave me a paper bag for my books. I took my cue to leave, hiking up over the rise to my car. As I went, my eyes strayed to the lighthouse. It burst up from the earth like the trunk of an enormous tree, though it lacked the natural curvature of wood, instead taking the form of an eight-sided prism. Ringed around the top was a deck with a railing just visible from such a distance. My feet slowed, suddenly intrigued by the memory held within the stones. I cast about a furtive glance. Nobody around, and all the patrons out of sight behind the slope. A closer look couldn’t hurt anyone, could it? Without another thought, I made a break for it, trying to walk swiftly without appearing to be hurrying in case the eyes I felt boring into me were not just a figment of my active imagination.

The gorse and heather grew all the way up to the base of the structure, which stretched high up above me in six tapering sections. I tilted my head back, I shielding my eyes against the glare. It was so tall, yet not even the domed top could scratch at the clouds. It was too windy to see the mist settle low enough to swallow the top, yet the idea of such a sight was glorious in my mind’s eye, like a tower from a fable. I wandered around the base, picking my way across the brush, until I came to the door. It was enormous and fortified, and appeared to be locked. I pushed on it hard, expecting nothing, but it swung in with a creak and a great feeling of resistance.

The surprise drew a gasp from my lips as I slipped inside. The inside seemed tiny in comparison, with low ceilings yellowed by years of indoor smoking. The inner walls were rounded, rough with crackled plaster and faded yellow wallpaper hanging off in sloughs. The air smelt of mildew and damp, and I noticed that the window at the rear was open in an attempt to flush out the smell. I crept over, laying my feet lightly. There was a book laying face down on the sill and a pair of reading glasses folded beside them. A chill ran over me at the realisation that these people may still be using this space.

Get out of here Gráinne, what the hell are you doing? I scolded myself internally as I abandoned my package of books and made a beeline for the stairs. You stupid woman, they’re gonna catch you! Sue’s probably told them all you spit on their grandmother’s memory by now!

The stairs ran openly up the walls of each floor, and I found myself gripping the iron railing as I climbed. They creaked and popped as they took my weight, the sound amplified by the empty stone interior. I saw that the second and third floors were as empty as the first, each showing signs of water damage and decay. The fourth floor was home to a frankly enormous four-poster bed that took up almost the whole room. The fifth floor appeared to be a bathroom, while the sixth was a kitchen. I was out of breath by the time I reached the top, and I had counted 109 steps from the ground floor.

As I bent over, holding my knees while I caught my breath, I noticed that in the corner there was a pull-down attic style door that hung open invitingly. It looked a tad rickety, and the fact that it was open at all should have read as suspicious, but the climb had taken a good five minutes and I’d be damned if I would leave without seeing the view from the very top. Gritting my teeth, I took the final climb, white-knuckling the rail as I popped my head out into the brightness. The wind howled against my ears, cutting through my beanie. I blinked my dry eyes against it, peering through my lashes and rubbing furiously against the sting.

“Hello, miss.”

Such a cheerful voice had never struck such terror in a person. A shock like falling galvanised my blood and before I had time to register what had happened, I had sprinted backwards down the stairs and stood frozen at the bottom. A beat passed, then he appeared, kneeling at the top of the trap door like a gargoyle: a young man with a soft face and a nest of dark hair poking out from beneath a knitted beanie. He seemed to be suppressing a smile, and when he spoke, it burst across his face with a giggly laugh.

“I see you down there.”

“Sorry!” I blurted out. “Sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think-”

“Hey, hey, it’s alright.” He put a hand over his heart in an old-fashioned gesture of sincerity. “I didn’t mean to frighten ya.”

“N-no, I shouldn’t be up here anyway, I…”

“Well, strictly speaking, no you shouldn’t. But I left the door unlocked, and if it wasn’t you, it would be someone else.” He tilted his head, offering a kinder smile than I deserved. “You’re not in trouble.”

“I-” I took a deep breath, trying to swallow my stutter. “Thank you for… understanding.”

He shrugged.

“S’alright. People get curious. It’s not like there’s much left to steal, anyways. Unless you think you can get that bed frame down the stairs.”

“I-I don’t think I could, no.” A nervous giggle found its way into my voice.

“Alas, neither can the movers. She’s a beauty though, ain’t she? Though I think I’ll have to burn some sage before I sleep in it. I’m not the creepiest thing in this place, I’ll tell you what. Banshees and spooks in every corner.” He seemed amused at my wide-eyed confusion. “You may need to sage the bear too. I think I see Aunt Máire’s ghost peepin’ out through its beady eyes.”

“Right…” He raised an eyebrow as I held the bear close to my chest.

“Sorry, I’m just messin.’”

“I know.” I said quickly, taking a tentative step back, eyeing the stairs. “Well, I’m gonna…”

“What? You’re not coming up?”

“I-I shouldn’t. I’ve already basically broken in.”

“Nonsense.” He shook his head, his smile almost exasperated. “You’ve climbed all this way, surely come out and have a look. I don’t mind, I promise. I’m invitin’ ya.”

In that moment it occurred to me that this was a stranger- albeit a kindly and handsome one, but a stranger nonetheless- and we were in a very secluded spot. He could be anyone. He could want anything. I felt my phone pressing on my leg from my jeans pocket. He put his hand up in surrender.

“I won’t twist your arm about it, but the door is open if you like. I’ll let you get on, or would you like me to walk you back down?”

“No.” I left myself no more time to think on it. After all, it was the middle of the day, and the folk at the sale could see us standing by the railing. “I’ll come up. If you don’t mind.”

“Of course.”

He moved aside obligingly, offering a hand to help me up. It seemed rude not to accept such an offering, and I could not say I regretted it. His hands were huge and soft, his grip firm but gentle. He kept hold of me for a beat longer than he needed, meeting my gaze with eyes narrowed against the glare. He was gorgeous up close, with down turned moss-green eyes that resembled those of a creature far older than any human, half hidden beneath thick, dark lashes. He smiled as he stood up, and as my stare dropped to his cherub lips I noticed his close cropped beard was auburn in the watery sunlight. He rose up, and up, and up, and soon he was towering over me like a beech tree.

“Wow, you’re tall.” I had to shout over the roaring wind.

He laughed. A husky sound that made his shoulders shake.

“Aw, and you’re such a tiny ting, I feel like I owe you a couple inches.” Instantly, he blushed. “That’s not what I- uh- oh, forget it.”

He tore off his beanie and buried his face in it. Bubbling up from the depths of me, for reasons unknown, was some of my old sense of humour.

“Well, I wouldn’t say no…”

“Ugh, inappropriate, missy!” He swatted at me with his beanie, then sniffed in mock offence. “You don’t even know my name.”

“Hey! You’re the one who started on about all your inches…”

“And I do have a few.”

“See what I mean? Unbelievable.”

He rolled his eyes, then contained himself no longer and let loose his infectious laughter. Soon enough, I was in bits. When we could both hold a straight face, he leaned in and offered me a handshake.

“I’m Andrew, by the way.”

“Gráinne.”

“Gráinne” He leaned in as he spoke, the sound softening as it passed through his mouth. The ‘r’ rolled gently like the crest of a wave into the breathy final syllable, and the name I once found so masculine and harsh sounded like a prayer to my ears. “Borrowed name for an English girl.”

“Not borrowed,” I sniffed, suddenly protective of the name I once considered an unflattering mouthful, and embarrassed at my obvious lack of an accent. “I’m a quarter Irish on my father’s side, if you believe in splitting yourself into fractions. It’s my great grandmother’s name.”

“I apologise for my rudeness.” Again, he put his hand on his heart. I had to stand close to hear his soft tone as the gale whipped my face. “I was only surprised. Gráinne isn’t such a common name these days, which is a shame ‘cause I find it quite beautiful. Do you speak any Gaeilge?”

I shook my head, heat marring my cheeks.

“If you fancy learning, I’m your man. These courses…” He shook his head. “They teach you how to speak it, but they can’t help you with the feeling.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.” I would be lying to myself if I denied the thrill of excitement I felt at the prospect of getting to know him in some small way.

“I certainly hope so.” He took a step back and gestured broadly. “Such a view is surely incentive enough.”

I looked around, realising that in my fascination with this sprite of a man, I had failed to take in my surroundings. One one side, the prairie hills rolled gently out toward the horizon, marbled in a thousand shades of green, brown, bronze, even pink and yellow where the gorse and wildflowers grew dense through the grass. Clusters of trees and scrub broke up the smooth flow of the turf, crosshatched with paths carved out by hares and foxes. Further out, I saw a sparse gathering of cottages, and an ivory freckling of sheep over the surrounding hillside.

We wandered the circumference of the deck, looking down first upon the rows of reliable utes, and one fragile sports car; then, at the people milling around the tables like tiny crabs on a beached porpoise. Finally, we regarded the stark, white shape of the new lighthouse and control centre; unnatural, yet homely against the shore. Down there, the brilliant tapestry of colour gave way to grey stone that formed jutting structures along the shore, growing smaller and smaller until they reached the small stretch of beach that must have been made from gravel, or even coarse sand. The sea there was deep grey, roiling with pale breakers that threw up jets of foam as they crashed against the rocks. Above the water, yet still strangely beneath us, grey gulls wheeled on the wild wind. Their cries carried over the roar of the sea, reaching us on a breath of sharp, briny air. I inhaled deeply, feeling the spirit of this ancient place come into me, cold and fresh.

“It is… beautiful. Do you mean you’d teach me up here?”

“If it was a bit less windy, yeah.” He scrunched his nose. “Otherwise, I’m renovating the kitchen in the next few weeks. Once its done up and not so decrepit we could use that.”

“So, this really is your place, then?”

“Aye. And about a hundred acres worth of peninsula. The workers at the new lighthouse have right of way, of course, but whatever. It’s a good deal.”

“Wow,” I allowed myself an awed gasp. “You inherited all that?”

“Well, my cousins did.” He itched the back of his neck, as if about to confess to an embarrassing fact. “They were gonna put it on the market and split the money, so I said I’d buy it sight unseen if they come down to help me clear out all the stuff.”

“Wow. How can you afford all that as such a young age?”

“I’m older than I look.” He admitted with an awkward laugh. “But younger than my soul, ma says.”

“You’ve been here a few time before?”

“More’n a few, I’d wager.” He turned his glittering eyes to me. “You don’t seem new either. We’ve probably met before, once upon a time.”

“You’d think I’d remember someone like you.”

“Ah, I’d say the same about you.” I did not miss the redness on his cheeks. “Memory is a fickle thing. Anyway, I can afford this place because I lead a charmed life. I work hard, yeah, but luck has so much to do with it. You collect your share of four-leafed clovers growin’ up ‘round here.”

“You’re from Dunbur?”

“Newcastle, up the coast a ways.”

“I might have driven through on my way to Dublin.”

“Might’ve.” He checked his watch. “Sorry, I better get back to the vultures.”

He strode over to the stairwell, and I took it as my cue to follow.

“Oh, you can stay up there as long as you like.” He assured me. “Just make sure you lock the door on the way out.”

“Oh, no, I better go home myself. Dinner to cook, laundry to do…”

“It never ends, does it?”

“Mm-mm.”

We made our way down, moving quickly as he took two stairs at a time. He reached the ground before me, but I found him waiting for me with an amused look on his beautiful face and my book bag under his arm.

“Sorry, I forgot about your poor, tiny legs.”

“Rude.” I tried to take my bag from him, but he was already digging through it.

“What have we got in here… The Anne Rice novels, very nice, and oh! The Divine Comedy! Have you read it before?”

“No, never.”

“You’ve got to.” He handed it over with gravitas. “Do not let this gather dust. Read it, it’ll change your life.”

“I will.”

“Good.” He glanced over his shoulder as we stepped outside, pulling the enormous door closed behind him. “Alright, I’ve gotta run, but it’s been lovely to meet you.”

“You too.” I was about to let him go, but I wanted to see him for just a moment longer before he dissolved like mist. “Oh, Andrew?”

“Mm?”

“I’m… sorry, for your loss.”

“Thank you, but I never really knew her. She was the black sheep of the family, a title I’m happy to inherit. One day, I’ll tell you all about it.” Gently, he tapped my elbow with the back of his hand, a gesture that set my skin alight. “I’ll see ya round, Gráinne.”

“Bye.”

He waved as he left, the ever present smile still lingering on his lips. He turned to me again when he reached the crest of the hill and waved once more. I waved back, and when he disappeared over the rise, I bounded over to watch him walk away. One more time, he turned, as if he sensed me watching, and lifted his hand over his head.

“Gráinne.” I whispered, trying to match his lilting cadence. “Gráinne, Gráinne…”

I knew then that my name would never sound as sweet again, and wondered how much more exquisite it would be were it to pass from those budded lips in a sigh of bliss.

[nexstage]

Chapter 4: The presentation

Inspired in the GF’s AU from @blabberoo

*********

Stanford grinned brightly as he checked on his appearance using the mirror of his room. Today was the day of the announcement. Today would be the day when the world would know he did the impossible.

The chairs had been placed as he instructed Fiddleford, the giant magnifier glass to showcase Bill Cipher was well secured, and West Coast Tech and other prestigious universities and institutes were a few minutes from arriving. To think all his hardships would end up at this peak of his career—no, it wasn’t a peak. The exposition of Bill and the portal were barely the beginning.

“Stanford, are you ready?”

He turned and regarded Fiddleford. “They arrived?” His friend nodded. Another good reason for his optimism: the reintegration of his lab partner and closest comrade, Fiddleford McGucket. He couldn’t have come this close if it weren’t for his warnings about Bill. Once they began their lives as the pioneers of the Institute of Oddology, the engineer would see how right he was in convincing him to use Bill Cipher as their guinea pig.

Talking about guinea pigs, “How’s the prisoner? No tricks or misbehavior?”

“He has been suspiciously quiet.” Fiddleford gritted his teeth in disdain. The mere idea of getting close to that monster froze his blood.

“No worries, my friend. He’s a sore loser. Let him mope around in his cell all he wants. It’s not that it will change anything.” The southern man straightened up a bit more at the cheerful assurance. Perhaps following his friend's advice might lessen his anxiety. “Now, come on, the future awaits us!”

===========

Game over.

It was so fucking over for him. He was done for. The moment the curtains opened, Bill Cipher would go from terrifying king of the Nightmare Realm to the biggest laughingstock of the multiverse. The pet of a pet. A helpless moron!!

How?!

Why didn’t Ford listen to him?! He was going to give him everything his heart desired: recognition, fame, infinite knowledge, superiority over the brutes that mocked him for his polydactyly, and this is how he repaid him?!

To make it worse, the filthy, cowardly hillbilly joined him in this atrocity. The disrespect of such an anxiety-ridden wimp painted his body a bloody red. One thing was putting up with Sixer using him, but McGucket?! Such circumstances jabbed at every angle of his body in acid humiliation.

His ears, or whatever sound-perception sense he had because a triangle had none, caught on the cars parking, people talking as they exited their vehicles, different groups like journalists, scientists, professionals (fuck, West Coast Tech too?! How did Stanford manage to grab their attention again?!) commenting on the surprise Sixer had in store for the whole scientific community. AKA using HIM as a lab rat to satisfy his filthy ego.

He fumed, multiplying his size for 100, 300, 4000, 500000, aaaagghhhhhh!!! Why this stupid prison remained unscathed?!! It should break! He was Bill Fucking Cipher, not your weekly science experiment!

“Welcome everyone to this marvelous day for the biggest scientific revelation in history!” Shit! Sixer’s speech had begun! Quick, Cipher, think! If you can’t escape what could you do?!

‘Are you kidding me? Why would I want to spend time with the guy who ruined my future?!’

Sabotage! Just like Ford’s loser twin! Problem was that his powers were as useless as growing in size to destroy his prison. Perhaps becoming a childish, cartoonish alien might show them a nasty side of Sixer as a delusional alien hunter that— No, no no! He would never lower himself or his reputation to such a level; he bet Stanford counted on it, expected him to become a hollow shell, devoid of any fighting spirit. Well, fuck you, Sixer! You dreamed of being in the history books? Fine! You’ll be there but as a joke, not as a winner. First, he must figure out how without compromising his pride.

==========

“Now, as much as my findings might have awed, intrigued you, or made you ponder on the existence of magic as that theme clashes fiercely with the fact-like nature of science, let me tell you, Gravity Falls is not only a magnet for supernatural phenomena that anyone would find in folklore tales, fairytales, or the cliches of horror movies.

My article never answered the question ‘Are all the creatures from folklore and fantasy lore real?’, more like what it boldly asked was ‘What if our universe isn’t the only one with sentient life?’. That’s one of the greatest mysteries that was born from wondering if other planets could be capable of host life. Any kind of life! Fauna, flora, most outstandingly, people! Civilizations as advanced as ours or owners of culture and technology rich in complexity!

While finding life on another planet sounds ambitious, what surpasses the wildest dreams of any scientist who marvels at the stars is to discover the greatest civilizations, history, and treasures that other dimensions have in store!

That’s why, ladies and gentlemen, you are the luckiest for today is the day I will show you a specimen from another universe, or, to be more specific, the last one of his kind and from his destroyed universe!”

Stanford pulled on the curtains and the audience gasped.

[dailyunstableeve]

Together

Hobie Brown x witch!Fem!reader

Chapter One

Hobie Brown's Masterlist

°:. *₊ ° . ° .•°:. *₊ ° . ° .•°:. *₊ ° . ° .•°:. *₊ ° . ° .•°:. *₊ ° . ° .

Magic, Spell, energy, aura, elements, and many more are the key for you to manifest whatever you want to.

You're born a witch, or so called mutant, but witch is the term you rather go with. Your power is a secret to everyone, not even those who are close to you, your family. You don't really have friends because people think you're a freak, due to your power, it gives people around you chills, just as if you're bad news. They aren't fully wrong, you think that too. Why were you born with this power? Why can't you just have a normal life?

Since you have the powers, you would try to help people in secret but only a little because sometimes it will get out of control which you managed to quickly fix before anyone finds out. After the multiple times of going out of control, you minimize your power usage, rarely occasionally light up a candle or fill up your drinks.

You always thought you're the only one, until the news is all over about a group of superheroes, the Avengers. Soon, there's more, X-Men and the Fantastic Four.

And SpiderMan. He usually works alone, he has this punk vibe, you would always spot him swing through the city with his guitar on his back, spiky spike on his head, torn out shirt on his suit and a vest with lots of badges.

Everyday, SpiderMan would swing above you and everyone who's heading to school, which gives you the idea that he goes to the same highschool as you. Face the fact, you admire SpiderMan, he doesn't need to worry about his web skills getting out of control, he can swing freely across the city and everywhere he goes, crime disappears even the Avengers and others are more focused on big events.

Turn to your highschool, no one talks to you, which gives you the free time to study more instead of socialize. Forgot to mention, you have a crush, due to your lack of social, and many people avoid you, when this one guy, Hobie Brown, he helped you times to times if he sees you in trouble which makes him the first person who does that to you and eventually, you can't help it but to catch feelings for him.

One thing that can be never understood is why Hobie would help you even with your title of being the creepy scary girl until the superhero you admired resting at the fire escape outside your window. It's your first time seeing SpiderMan right in front of you, just a few feet away, your bed to your window. Ever since then, you know that SpiderMan is Hobie Brown because you could see their aura, everyone's aura is different, or so you thought, after all, you have never met two people who have the same aura.

After that day, you have never stopped looking at people around you, wondering if you could see two same aura on two totally different people but everyone is all different.

Soon enough, high school is finally over, it's time for college or looking for jobs, you hesitated on both. Your scores have always been the best, continuing studying would be a great choice for you but your family's financial situation isn't stable.

Everything changed the moment some purple alien decided to invade your planet. You were running away from the war, eventually you gave up because you saw SpiderMan beaten on the ground, bleeding badly.

"Oh my god Hobie!" It just slipped out of your mouth, when you called out his name, SpiderMan used all his strength to look at you, unable to believe what you just called him. "Hang on, don't close your eyes,"

Your healing spells weren't the best but you could see the wound slowly recovering, the bleeding stopping. Spiderman just looked at you in disbelief, about how you're healing him, with your power that he has no idea about.

"Don't ask questions please," you quickly said because even with the mask, you can tell that SpiderMan wants to ask you a lot of questions.

Five minutes passed, and his wound was fully healed. You were about to flee the scene in case you were found out but how could SpiderMan let his life savior run around? He webbed you and started to swing you up the city, towards where all the superheroes were fighting the purple alien.

"Why are you here? You're assigned to protect the citizens," Captain America asked, when he saw you, he just let out a sigh.

"Don't worry Cap, she can help us," SpiderMan smirked.

"What can she do?"

"She just healed me, look!" SpiderMan showed his wound to Captain America.

"Well, we could use all the help we needed," Captain America said and ran off fighting the purple alien.

"Look luv, I believe in you, you can do this," SpiderMan patted your shoulders, "you're the most amazing person I've known, so I believe in you."

Just like he swung off joining the other, leaving you standing at some random ground of the war, looking at everyone fighting with their life just so they can protect the world they love.

In a blink of an eye, it's over, with your help, the purple alien was defeated and leaving you in terrified of your power because you killed the purple alien instead of doing it in a hero way, show him mercy and justice.

"I did it again," you whispered under your breath, you felt your heart tighten, as you can't focus on breathing but the horror of knowing what you've done. Everything around you becomes muffled, blurry. You can see SpiderMan trying to tell you something but you can't hear anything, all your focus is on the dead body of the purple alien.

There's only a moment of relief for you, which is you fainting out in front of everyone.

°:. *₊ ° . ° .•°:. *₊ ° . ° .•°:. *₊ ° . ° .•°:. *₊ ° . ° .•°:. *₊ ° . ° .

a/n: my first multi chapters Hobie fics is finally here, please go easy on me with the mistake I'll made in the chapters since I'm very used to write one shot comfort fic of Hobie's, hope you guys enjoy ❤️

Chapter Two ->

Chapter Three->

Chapter Four->

[cozmowrites]

Trapped: Below Zero (Subnautica)

It had only been a few weeks since you and your friends escaped the endless depths of Subnautica, but the thrill of the game—and the bond forged in its terrifying waters—lingered. That's why you all sat crowded in a room, your gaming setup in front of other's. This time you guys were playing a modded version of Subnautica: Below Zero.

"No way it can happen again, right?" Uraraka asked nervously, glancing around the room. Everyone agreed to play other games, because maybe Subnautica was cursed.

"Relax," Ashido said, laughing. "We survived last time, didn't we? Plus, imagine we get trapped in this one too! Wouldn't that be hilarious?" Ironic.

You couldn't respond quick enough, the familiar distortion rippled across the screen. That same eerie feeling from last time filled the air, and the room went unnaturally still. Your stomach dropped as the light grew blindingly bright, and once again, you felt yourself falling.

+++

When you opened your eyes, icy wind clawed at your face. Snow whipped through the air, and frostbite nipped at your fingers. You were standing on an alien tundra, the vast white expanse dotted with jagged rocks and glowing flora.

"No. Freaking. Way." Kirishima muttered, his breath visible in the frigid air.

"We're back," Uraraka whispered, her voice trembling. "But... it's colder this time."

Ashido let out a nervous laugh, rubbing her arms. "Okay, not funny anymore. I didn't mean it literally!"

"Everyone shut up!" Bakugou snapped, already inspecting his surroundings. "We've done this before. Same rules apply—we survive, and we find the way out.."

His commanding tone snapped everyone into action, but you could see the unease in his crimson eyes. It was clear he wasn't thrilled to be back in another life-or-death game. Neither were you. You knew a lot about this game too, yet Bakugou wasn't as versed as the last one. You had begged him to get the game and when it was on sale, you ended up buying it for him.

The first few hours were rough. The cold was relentless, and even with the basic thermal gear you scavenged from the starting pod. It was hard to stay warm. You were used to the water around you so being on a different alien planet and a snowy one with more land, at that, it proved to be harder. You and Bakugou retook charge, splitting up tasks while the rest of the group adjusted to the new environment.

"You know the drill," Bakugou told you as you both worked on constructing a shelter. "We've gotta find the endgame. These extras'll just slow us down if we don't stay ahead."

"Don't call them extras," you chided, though your lips quirked in amusement. "But yeah, we've got to get to the Architect's facility and figure out how to escape."

He nodded, his usual sharpness softened by the familiarity of working with you. "At least you know what you're doing."

The compliment caught you off guard. It wasn't like Bakugou to openly praise anyone, but the experience of being trapped together once before had shifted things between you. The tension wasn't gone anymore. It had just... changed.

+++

Over the next few days, the group settled into a routine. You divided responsibilities, with some of you exploring the icy waters while others gathered resources from the glacial landscape. The danger felt even more pronounced in Below Zero, with shadowy creatures lurking beneath the ice and unpredictable weather threatening your survival at every turn.

One afternoon, while venturing into a deep underwater cave with Bakugou, a Shadow Leviathan attacked. Its screech echoed through the water, and panic set in as it barreled toward your small sea truck.

"Hold on!" You shouted, swerving the vehicle sharply.

"Don't screw this up!" Bakugou barked, his hand gripping the console tightly. But beneath the anger, there was an edge of worry in his voice, for you that is. He knew you knew the game better than him, he knew you knew how to get out of this situation. It just worried him.

The Leviathan slammed into the truck, sending it spiraling. You struggled to regain control, and just as it lunged for a second strike, Bakugou deployed a decoy flare. The creature veered off, distracted by the light, and you took the opportunity to speed away.

When you finally reached the surface and docked the truck, your hands were trembling. Bakugou turned to you, his usual scowl replaced by something almost gentle.

"You okay?" He asked, his voice low.

"Yeah, I think," you breathed, though your heart was still racing. "Thanks for the save." You sat on the ice, staring into the water below. Dammit..

"Don't mention it," he muttered, but the intensity of his gaze lingered. "Tough cookie." He murmurs, looking at you. His face softened slightly.

+++

As the days turned into weeks, the bond between you and Bakugou grew once again. When you established a friendship after the last one, you slowly started to show Bakugou that you liked him as more than friends and wondered if he felt the same way. There was an unspoken understanding between you. He trusted you in ways he didn't trust the others, and you found yourself leaning on him more than you ever thought you would.

One night, while the group huddled in the base during a blizzard, you found yourselves alone in the storage room, organizing supplies.

"You're different here," you said, breaking the comfortable silence.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" He grumbled, though there was no real bite to his words.

"I mean... you're still you, but you're also not just yelling all the time," you teased, a small smile playing on your lips.

He rolled his eyes, but you caught the faintest hint of a smirk. "Maybe you're just less annoying than the rest of them."

"Oh, so I'm special now?" You joked, but your heart skipped a beat when he didn't immediately deny it.

"Yeah," he said quietly, surprising you. "Guess you are."

You turned to look at Bakugou, unsure if you'd heard him correctly. His back was toward you as he fiddled with a crate of batteries, but his movements were slower, almost hesitant.

"Wait," you said, stepping closer to him and peering over his shoulder. "Did you just admit I'm special?"

"Don't make a big deal out of it," he muttered, his voice low but steady. He didn't look at you, but the tips of his ears were noticeably red.

You bit your lip, trying to suppress a grin. "I think this counts as a big deal. Should I alert the others?"

"Try it, and I'll throw you outside," he growled, but there was no venom in his words. Instead, he finally turned to face you, his crimson eyes locking onto yours. "You're not like them. You're... different. In a good way."

Your heart stuttered. "Bakugou, I-"

"Don't." His voice softened as he stepped closer, his gaze unwavering. "Not unless you mean it." He wanted to reach out, caress your face, but that was unlike him.

You hesitated for only a moment before you smiled, your voice steady. "I do." You rested your forehead against Bakugou's chest briefly. He stiffened slightly, but didn't move.

The faintest smirk tugged at his lips. "Good. Then shut up and help me finish this before the extras complain."

+++

The Architect's facility, through the phase gate, was the key to escaping. The group endured freezing storms and alien creatures. Yet, Bakugou remained steadfast, his determination never wavering. With him at your side, you felt unstoppable.

When you finally stood before the facility's massive, glowing entrance, exhaustion and relief washed over you. The group cheered, celebrating the milestone, but your eyes were on Bakugou while everyone else moved in and started the motions of the gate.

"We're almost there," you said, your voice barely above a whisper.

He nodded, his expression serious, but he looked at you with a softness. "Let's finish this."

Once everyone was done with their tasks, you placed your hand on the lever and took a deep breath. When the final sequence began, a blinding light enveloped the room.

+++

You woke up back in your room, the faint hum of your computer was heard. The group was sprawled across the floor, groaning as they stirred awake.

"We're back?" Ashido asked, sitting up and glancing around.

"Looks like it," Todoroki confirmed, his usual calm tone tinged with relief.

As the others began to laugh and cry in equal measure, you found yourself sitting beside Bakugou. He was quiet, his gaze fixed on the blank monitor. Without thinking, you reached over and placed a hand on his arm.

"Hey," you said softly. "We did it. Again."

He turned to you, and for a moment, his guarded expression softened. "Yeah. We did."

The others were too busy celebrating to notice when Bakugou's hand brushed against yours, his touch lingering just long enough to send warmth through you that no frost could ever chase away. You intertwined your fingers together and the two of you remained quiet as you watched the others celebrate being back home again.

[pamithebunterfly2007]

Although Sponge on the Run was pretty decent like I don’t hate it it’s just, I’m neutral about it, but for Saving Bikini Bottom 💀 Lord have mercy one me!!! Don’t watch this atrocity on Netflix!!! But I remember hearing about Its a wonderful Sponge aka Sponge on the run, but let me say this, The Whole Gary getting kidnapped by Poseidon and SpongeBob has to find Gary KIND OF ruined the entire plot for this scrapped but super awesome storyline where SpongeBob has to fight Alien Cats from space, THIS I say, would be WAY better then the actual Sponge on the run Plot, And by quoting the entire stuff I found on a Fandom Wiki page state

“Gary was kidnapped by the cats bent on using him to free Galcatacus and turn Earth into a giant litter box, leading SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward and Sandy to rescue Gary and save Earth. Throughout the story, they would have visited different worlds. One of them was a futuristic-like world inhabited by dolphins. Storyboards showcase that at one point, SpongeBob and his friends were supposed to sneak into Bubbles' spaceship, guarded by dolphins soldiers. Another world that the group would have visited was a hellish world where a purple character named Mortius and a woman called Sarcoma live. According to two storyboards, the group would also have returned to the surface. There, they would have met human versions of SpongeBob and Patrick during a fight with the cats.

Other concept art display a flashback scene where Gary was the prince from a world inhabited by snails. During an attack by the cats and Galcatacus, Gary was evacuated through an escape pod thanks to his parents. During his escape, the capsule would have collided with the collar of Galcatacus, seemingly paralyzing him in the process. After escaping his homeworld, Gary's escape pod would eventually arrive to Earth before diving into the ocean near the Bikini Atoll island.”

Now don’t get me wrong, I instantly LOVE this plot! Why did they manage to say “Scratch That, Reverse It, This plot wouldn’t do because it would be too scary for kids.” Which is VERY true yet sort of hypocritical for them, well, Of course Nickelodeon DID slide a few dark scenes from their shows such as Heffer suffering in Heck aka Hell from Ricki’s Modern Life, Weird ass scary moments from that disgusting puppet show Mr. Meaty, And Some episodes from Invader Zim where Dib Membrane nearly Dies and, Well you know the rest of that one episode where Zim steals organs! But having a plot of Spongbob fighting alien cats doesn’t seem dark to me, Well Kids WILL enjoy this type of plot, and as well as Teens, Proof that Movies CAN be for everyone, but with all that matters, I feel like the plot of SpongeBob fighting alien cats SHOULD exist, but sadly in reality, we get this okay-ish Sponge on the run.

What are your thoughts Bunnies?

@softpawsxd

@nicky-toony27

@sketchymenace

@smurfylegofan2005

@galacticsomewhat

@lizzietherwbychibifan

@sakiohappynoi

@itsmetord

@manekimelikawaii

[mastercherry]

More Sterek for you.

Have you seen The Truman Show? If not let me just recap it for you. Some TV director/producer dude had the idea to create a TV show that followed a human life like 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It was the world's largest TV set, a whole island. Everyone in the town was in on it. Even his best friend. His parents weren't his real parents. He finds out in the end and tries to escape.

Anyways, it's interesting I think. Jim Carrey plays Truman. Give it a gander if you'd like.

So here's my Sterek idea. Inspired by The Truman Show.

First of all, the supernatural world is known. Maybe there's even like a Men in Black situation where government agencies specialize in this type of stuff. OR maybe aliens exist too. Who knows?

Anyways, Stiles is a supernatural creature. A very powerful one. Powerful enough to destroy the world if he wanted. But here's the thing, he has no idea.

He thinks he's just a normal human from a normal small town in the middle of a normal little nowhere. Nothing crazy ever happens to him. Really, the only bad thing to happen is his mother getting sick and passing away. Other than that, he's really lived a golden life.

He dreams of travel but he can't just leave his dad behind alone. And what about Scott? His best friend needs him too. So he's never even left Beacon Hills.

Weird stuff starts happening when Derek Hale blows into town. It was a huge tragedy when his whole family died in a fire. Why would he come back?

Anyways... so Stiles is an orphaned little baby who could one day destroy the world if he ever awakened his powers. So what does the government do? They put him in a little small town with some agents to raise him as their son. They infiltrate the town easily enough. And as he grows up, the town builds up around him, actual townspeople slowly being replaced with just agents instead. The Hales are a stubborn group though. When the gov finally convince them to leave they had to make up a pretty great story: house fire.

His "mom"? Claudia? An agent. She's alive and well but she got attached and wanted to tell him the truth. So she had to be "killed". And his dad? The sheriff? He's attached too. But he doesn't say anything because he doesn't want to be "killed" off.

You see what I'm doing here? Stiles' whole life is a lie. His entire experience has been curated by the government in the hopes that they keep his power locked up. Why didn't they just kill him as a baby? They wanted the chance to use his power if it even came to be. He could be an ultimate weapon.

Anyways..... yeah it needs some work but that's the gist.

[stardust948]

Monsters vs aliens sokkla au

Princess Azula of the Fire Nation is to be married to Nobleman Chan. Right before the ceremony, she's hit by a meteor and absorbed the radiation. Azula seemed fine so she continued with the wedding. But while exchanging vows, she grew 50ft tall and accidently destroyed the temple in a blind panic. The military tranquilized before she could cause more damage.

Azula woke up in a top-secret government facility that housed monsters. She insisted that she's not a monster but the Fire Nation princess. She was ignored and renamed Ginormica then forbidden to make any contact with her family and friends. The other monsters and her new cell mates are a girl made entirely of rocks called the Blind Bandit, a massive 350 ft six-legged bison called Appa, and a literal werewolf dubbed Beastman. Azula wanted nothing to do with them and scoffed when Beastman tried to welcome her to the group.

Shortly later, an alarm was sounded, and the monsters are transferred to Republic City that was being destroyed by huge alien robots as a last-ditch effort. Azula only agreed to fight if the government set the free, which they gave into. The robots were sent to retrieve the radiation Azula absorbed and targeted her specifically. Azula put up a fight and the others help. They all bond during the battle, especially Azula and Beastman as they bounce ideas off each other. They eventually destroy the robots and save the city and people.

The government honored their deal and set them free. Azula was the only one who knew where her family was, so she invited them along. She was really excited to be with Chan again and her family, but mostly Chan. The Royal Fire Nation family was both happy and shocked to see her again but try to make do with it. Meanwhile, the other monsters cause havoc since it was their first time around other humans in years. Appa ate the whole garden (RIP Ursa) while Blind Bandit accidently caused massive property damage playing a game and Beastman scared the nobles he was trying to talk to.

Azula found Chan who was hiding from her. She picked him up and tried to kiss him, but he squirmed away and called her a freak in front of everyone. Azula said it's still her, but Chan refused to listen and ran off. Ozai then said he'll find a nice private island for her and her 'friends' to live on which Ursa and Zuko agree. The "go away you're scaring us" undertones were very strong which crushed Azula.

She wandered off and sulked in the nearby jungle alone. Beastman found her and tried to comfort her, but Azula snapped by saying he couldn't possibly know what it was like to lose a family. Beastman said he does and shared his backstory. He wasn't discovered alone by explorers but kidnapped from his home in the Southern Water Tribe as a pup. He doesn't remember what his family looked like, but he remembered their love and his real name, Sokka. He then called Chan a jerk for hurting her and they share a moment.

A shadow then fell over them and Azula was sucked up by a tractor beam into an alien mothership. Appa tried to save her, but the beam was too strong even for the giant bison. Azula was brought to a machine that drained the radiation and shrunk her back to normal size. The alien leader then locked Azula in a cell and used the radiation to start a full-scale invasion on Earth.

The other monsters get the government's help to sneak onboard and rescues Azula. Meanwhile, Azula already escaped the cell and confronted the alien leader but was no match for him in human form. The others arrive to help, but they can't take the alien leader who was using the radiation as a power boost. He's about to kill them one by one, starting with Sokka. Until Azula shattered the container holding the radiation and returned to her giant size, turning the tide in their favor. Together they blow up the ship and escape on Appa who had learned how to fly.

They receive a hero's welcome when they returned to Earth. Chan tried to hook up with Azula again, but she rejected him by flicking him away with her finger. Sokka laughed and in the spur of the moment kissed her. He tried to apologize but Azula kissed him back and Blind Bandit teased them.

Ozai's offer for a private island is brought up and the government backed it up with state-of-the-art living as a thanks, but news came in of a monstrous snail mutation making its way to Omashu. Azula stood tall, with Sokka in hand, and told her father she's busy. They then climb onto Appa and fly off to save Omashu.

[gay-dorito-dust]

Part 7 of deadweight, please?? It’s such a good series!

Vax, Vex, Keyleth and Percy were quick to abandon the original plan in finding the vestige in the hopes of finding you and so far they weren’t so lucky.

Every dark shade that they’d believe to be you was a mere fluke in a realm where it felt like you were on some strange LSD acid trip 24/7. They didn’t know how you could split off from them when you were right next to them through the journey here.

Keyleth believed that it might’ve been the realm, taking offence to your position as the raven queens champion. It was a plausible reason seeing how everything reacted negatively towards you lately.

Vax, Vex and Percy however collectively agreed that their Druid party member just had a bad spell casting capabilities. She was making an attempt which is what counts.

“Do you think they’ll ever forgive us?” Keyleth asked the question that was truly on everyone’s mind but they all knew the answer to that too.

“No.” Vax answered bluntly, “they’d be pissed if our method of reconciliation with them was to sweep all the shit we’ve done to them under the rug.”

“That’ll be the equivalent of kicking a man while he’s down.” Percy pitched in, “We’d be disregarding their feelings and experiences if we did that.”

“So our only option in making it up to them is to acknowledge that we were cunts and promise to be better for the future.” Vex finished as they continued to delve deeper into the woods. “Wherever they are,” she continues, “I hope they’re alright.”

[with you]

“VAX, VEX, KEYLETH, PERCY! IM GOING TO KILL YOU! AND THEN KILL YOU AGAIN!” You screamed as you ran further into a dense, dead forest to escape from the murderous vegetation that had been trailing you. All you did was step on some weird looking flower! You apologised afterwards! What more could they fucking want!

When you didn’t hear the rampaging horde of angry plants did you dare to look back to see that they had seemingly lost sight of you and gave up the hunt in order to head back home. “Weird.” You said to yourself, sheathing your daggers but before you were about to continue trekking the foreign land for your party members.

a voice called out to you from deep within the forest, causing you to become in some sort of trance as though your body was no longer yours to control anymore as you could only watch yourself walk through the dead forest, through some sickly looking swamp of thick black goo like substance as though it were water.

“You’re friends aren’t coming to save you my dear,” the voice said. “They’re too preoccupied with the vestige to worry about your well being.” It then chuckled before continuing, “your need for companionship is quite pathetic. You feel alone whenever you in a room with the rest of your party. Alienated, ostracised, outcasted from the group of outcasts.”

“I, however, can provide you all the companionship you will ever need, all you need to do is come to me. Come to me. Come to me. Come to me.”

Your body did as this voice told you as you watched it reach a dead tree trunk that opened up with an ominous red glow. As soon as you stepped inside, the tree was quick to close up behind you, sealing you in with whatever monster laid inside.

“That’s not good.” Warned a horned mystery figure with fiery hair sat upon a rock. “I must tell their friends that their little warrior mate is in danger, grave danger should they hear out Saurndor terms and conditions.” With a blink of an eye, the figure had dissipated in thin air.

[back to vox maxhina]

They’ve searched

And searched

And searched

But they had yet to still find evidence that you weren’t dead in a ditch somewhere but Percy, Vax, Vex and Keyleth believed that they were getting close, though how close was close was still up for debate.

“Ugh! They could be anywhere by now!” Vex cries as she and the others crossed a riven, annoyed at the lack of progress. How could they miss a armoured figure with black feathered shoulder pads in a realm of eye straining, migraine inducing colour?!

Either you were trying to find them also or…Vex didn’t want to think about the other option. They’ve lost you once, they were determined to never loose you again. They still had unresolved problems to put to rest.

“They couldn’t have possibly gone to Syngorn?” Percy asked, looking back they way they came as though waiting to see your silhouette encroach in on them but nothing. The gunslinger sighs in disappointment and dissatisfaction as he pinched the skin between his brows.

“Fat chance.” A unknown voice told them.

Percy, Vax, Vex and Keyleth turned to look who it was only to see a fiery haired being with horns sat not too far from them, notebook in hand.

Vax was quick to pull of his dagger, “who are you and what have you done with y/n?” He threatens but the horned male merely laughed as though he was threatened with a stick rather then a sharpened piece of forgery.

“I haven’t done anything to them, but Lord Saundor will should you fail to reach them in time.” He muses, still drawing in his little notebook.

“What is that meant to mean?” Percy said gutturally, holding his gun at the being who seemingly knew your whereabouts. “Who’s Saundor?”

“That’s for you to know and for you to find out.” The figure cheeked before pointing towards the dead forest that Keyleth, Vax, Vex and Percy seemed to somehow miss in their mission of searching for you.

“They’re currently under his trance. I should’ve told them to not listen to him but by the time I got to them, they were already walking right into his trap. Poor thing, whatever ails them must take a heavy toll on them.”

Vax, Vex, Percy and Keyleth looked to each other in shame and sorrow. Whatever this saurdon did to you, must’ve been using your most deeply desired against you, they had indirectly made you dispensable to him and now this was their chance to make up for everything by saving you.

“Lead us there and we’ll think about letting you live.” Vex said.

“VEX, VAX, KEYLETH, PERCY! IM GOING TO KILL YOU! AND THEN KILL YOU AGAIN!”

“VAX, VEX, KEYLETH, PERCY! IM GOING TO KILL YOU! AND THEN KILL YOU AGAIN!”

“VAX, VEX, PERCY, KEYLETH! IM GOING TO KILL YOU! AND THEN KILL YOU AGAIN!” You screamed as you ran into a forest area with weird looking plants trailing you with murderous intent.

“VEX, VAX, KEYLETH, PERCY! I WILL KILL YOU! AND THEN KILL YOU AGAIN!” You screamed as you ran deeper into a weird looking forest area with even weirder looking plants tailing after you with murderous intent.

“VEX, VAX, PERCY, KEYLETH IM GOING TO KILL YOU! AND THEN KILL YOU AGAIN!” You screamed as you ran as fast as your legs could carry you deeper into the woods as weird freaking plant fucks were tailing you

[crabbytime]

Actually fuck it y'all get my tfa ocs too because I forgot to post them but I love them dearly (yes my ref style is inconsistent but I refuse to make it consistent)

Mini bios!

Deadweight- An Autobot defector and medic who hoards spare parts, junk, and whatever they've graverobbed. After having their conjux executed during the war for becoming a Decepticon spy and losing their entire team to a wayward alien parasite, they completely lost all joy or hope and switched sides. They don't express any sort of emotion and just let things happen, but they're as honest as they come (though it's mostly due to lacking the energy to lie). This can be detrimental if you're on the operating table, but otherwise it makes others know exactly where they stand with Deadweight. Due to their size, they tend to be used by other Decepticons as a weapon. The compartment on their back is akin to a mobility aid since it's mandatory for them to transform, and they occasionally use it for support when their leg injury acts up. The compartment also acts as a personal infinite pocket dimension, perfect for hoarding their collection! Their alt-mode is a hearse.

Diama- After the Allspark was shot out into space, the Autobot High Command wanted to find a way to create new Cybertronians without wasting too many resources. Thus, Perceptor started a new project that began and ended with Diama. Their goal was to create a completely artificial 'bot that wouldn't need too many resources to run on, and could even survive without energon. What they got was Diama. She was invented with the possibility of failure in mind, so she was made quite compact and with individual parts that combined to make her body in case they needed repair. Since they weren't sure if she'd be scrapped or not, they made her alt-mode something practical they could use were she to be shut down so their resources weren't wasted. A magnet. Her body emits a natural magnetism she has to keep low so she doesn't stick to the metal architecture of Cybertron. This also means she's fairly liable to fall apart at the slightest bit of force. Because she's completely artificial, she has no personality, the reason Ultra Magnus cancelled the project, as he deemed the sacrifice of personality too great a cost in exchange for progress. Though, because her personality is AI, her behavior is influenced by those around her, so her data keeps having to be fixed and reset by her handlers. The only reason she still "lives" is because they have her go around doing maintenance work for situations normal bots can't quite do. Perceptor likes to keep her around as his walking flashdrive.

Throwback- An unaligned amnesiac the Autobot High Command took in after finding his mangled body post-explosion. Nobody knows where he came from or what he is, considering his entire infrastructure was archaic by their standards, yet he had a spark. They had to completely recreate his outer shell while keeping his bare-bones intact, both to study and to not accidentally kill him. The damage he sustained gave him a large amount of damage on his processor and joints, but they couldn't be fixed due to his anatomy being incredibly outdated and unknown to the Autobots. Because of this, Throwback has an incredibly difficult time absorbing new information, which is incredibly frustrating for him and everyone else. He acts out as a result of that and his situation, pushing his already brash personality to its limits. He's incredibly loud and rude but turns tail at the first sign of conflict. His alt mode is a boomerang, but only his top half can turn into it, leaving his legs to their own devices. Because he keeps trying to escape his confinement, they've paired Diama with him so she can use her magnetism to pull him back when he runs.

Evolutia- Has earned the nickname "mommy issues" in my friend group and for good reason. She's as old as Alpha Trion and has both the experience and knowledge to back it up. Having lived through so many conflicts, she's gotten a distaste for it, and instead busied herself with off-planet work and exploration. Knowledge was always something she sought and she was willing to do anything to figure things out. However, an accident left her T-Cog destroyed and rendered her unable to transform. This didn't stop her, however, as she continued her research regardless. There she found that her body, though it could no longer transform, could instead shapeshift and meld to match the environments she was in. This ability was unnatural and made her fellow Cybertronians afraid of her, so she ran off before they could experiment on her. As this occurred during the Decepticon conflict, she ended up switching sides just to learn how they functioned and to study their anatomy. It was there that she took Shockwave under her wing, taking notice of his own shapeshifting abilities. She mentored him in this and various sciences in hopes that he'd use this for Cybertron's benefit, but became disgusted by him and ended up abandoning both him and the cause. She lived alone in space for countless millennia, stopping by other planets and stealing resources for her own purposes. She's even the basis for a variety of myths, legends, and rumors across countless planets as a result, thanks to her ever-changing appearance. There was always just one question she could never answer, the secret to life and existence, and she aimed to find out one way or another. So, she began building constructs to try and recreate Cybertronian anatomy using her vast knowledge of the subject. When this didn't work, she began harvesting honorable sparks from still-living bots from the shadows in order to pass their noble traits onto her new generation. She was the one to first create Throwback, not that he remembers, and she has countless other constructs wandering around the cosmos. She's incredibly patient and motherly, but once she's disappointed, you're essentially dead to her. She does not have nostalgia in the slightest and has no problem with switching her opinions around at the drop of a hat with no hesitation. Her highest priority is Cybertron's future and evolution, and she will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. Before her T-Cog was destroyed, she turned into a moon rover.

This turned into a massive infodump but I love them a lot. All of them have more info on my Toyhouse! I'm not sure how the algorithm works on this site so idk if I'm allowed to link it but my username is also Crabbytime!

[whoppert]

SUNNA 11 (doctor strange/reader) (loki/reader)

◂ previous chapter first chapter ▴

----- words

warnings: the after effects of mind violation; canon-typical violence.

AO3 MASTERPOST

Through the flames I spot a crack, leading to a cream-colored hallway. Another memory.

An escape.

A crack in the fabric of my mind.

In the distance the monster howls grow steadily closer. 

I sent a searching glance out into the forest but Loki is nowhere to be seen. We'd gotten separated somewhere in the flames and smoke. I wasn't suppose to leave him, but this is an out.

What had been a crack the size of a large tree rapidly stitched up, if I waited too long I would lose the opportunity.

The howls grow closer - the creature is after me.

I throw myself through the crack, misjudging the drop onto the carpeted hall and grazing my knee. The crackle of burning wood is shut completely out as the gateway to the forest vanished, leaving this new alien environment eerily quiet. I suddenly know exactly why I am not supposed to leave Loki. What do I do now?

Shit. I have actually fucked myself.

AO3

What Would Wong Do? Gotta get my bearings. It's office building but not, very corporate feeling, clean and efficient, everything made from synthetic materials and white or off-white or beige or gray. The open doors show big rooms, and stacks of chairs that could accommodate a decent group of people if needed, but the building is seemingly empty.

Somewhere a phone is ringing.

Some of Loki's words begin to sink in. It's not that he's suggesting that Stephen is behind all of this - even if I'm realizing I don't actually know Stephen that well, I trust him, implicitly. I don't know why, I can't put a feeling into words, but I do. Even if I have just embarrassed myself, I still trust him. Maybe that's why I like him. Am I crazy for liking him? I'm definitely crazy for kissing him.

The hallway led to some kind of foyer area which was a lot nicer in appearance than the beige hallway. New looking couches as well as ornate flowers arranged in vases and paintings decorated the room, though I recognized nothing.

Maybe I'm not crazy. I'm not the only one who thought Stephen and I had a connection, even if the only other person is Loki. I literally just watched our meet-cute. Stephen is very attractive, super smart. Witty. And I swear I can feel his hands linger on me every time he touches me, even if he makes a point of touching me very sparingly. He makes my heart race. I make him snort with laughter like at least once a week. God, this the world's stupidest crush. I have to get over it, because he made it perfectly clear- I barely see him as it is. He turns up for five minutes after avoiding me for a month, or it definitely feels like he's ignoring me and then we get- I get too close and he avoids me again. I don't have any other friends as it is, the last thing I need is to chase one away.

My mind quivers at the thought of him, tightening like a heart pulsing. I can do it, I can get over him.

A low rumbling vibrated the walls. No matter where in the building I went the ringing of that stupid phone never seemed any closer or further away.

WWWD? Keep moving, I think.

The ringing gets louder and louder. I push on the crash door to get outside, only to find myself next to a waterfall in a lush looking rainforest and face-to-face with Kuema. The ringing ceases as the door shuts behind me.

“You,” I reared back a little, “who are you to me?”

“You know, I really don’t remember,” she smiles brightly.

“What?” A bird called loudly from where it was perched on some vines, distracting me, but when I looked back Kuema was gone. “What do you mean?” I call to the forest, the humid air hard to breathe and I gasp, my throat closing up. It's only a few seconds but time doesn’t seem so fixed now that I'm away from Loki. I’d assumed that he was using his magic to keep the area around us stable enough for us to explore, and now I am confident that my assumption was correct.

I continue to choke on nothing. I claw at my throat, desperate to stop the burn in my lungs, but by the time my nails began to sink into my flesh, something slid into place inside me and I gulp the fresh air down.

While I was distracted a golden throne room had grown around me. Kuema stood next to it, wearing long delicate white robes and a tight smile, her hair braided into a white crown that wraps around the top of her head.

“I didn’t make you up,” I realize. She didn’t fit here. I could just feel it. She originated elsewhere.

“No, you didn’t,” she replied, suddenly serious.

“You’re not a memory. This- you’re not a memory.”

“No.”

“What are you?”

“A safety feature.”

Again, my mind pulses. The setting sun shines through the columns, bouncing off the smooth edges of the ornate stone. I clutch my head as it begin to grow heavy and ache. Sleep would be so, so easy.

Kuema vanishes in a blink of an eye, the room melting like it had suddenly turned to liquid, reforming to place me in the center of Stephen’s office.

“Your relationship with Stephen is unusual, don’t you think? That you’re so enamored with him, even if you won’t admit it to yourself. Another word for the Loki list - insightful. I know that you think Loki has some valuable points, though even torture likely wouldn't get a confession out of you.” Kuema smirks, her tone playful, like she was dancing around a lesson, but wanted me to come to the conclusion on my own. She reminds me too much of Loki.

“It’s Loki, even a broken clock and all that,” I say, wiping spit from my mouth, “I’m not worried about him, I’m looking for my memories. Where are they?”

In the hall, that godforsaken phone began to ring and Kuema’s head whipped towards it, a slight frown tugging at her mouth. “I don’t know.”

“Did the real you plant you in my head?”

“I don’t know. I assume so.”

“You’re the only thing in my head that isn’t a memory? The beast?”

The Kuema copy shook her head.

“What does it want with me?”

“It doesn’t want anything from you .”

My blood chilled. Loki. It was after Loki. And I’d left him.

As soon as I decide I need to get back to Loki, the scene comes undone like a loose thread on a gray wool sweater, the carpet beneath my feet frayed, causing me to trip as I try to steady myself. The roof lifted off and the walls began to dissolve as though touched with something very acidic. Another stumble takes me to my knees. Something else inside my head clicks into place and purple light glimmers my fingertips. My magic. I can feel its energy thrumming. My magic returned. Somewhere, wherever he was in my head, Loki was fixing my brain and I’d left him alone while the beast hunted him.

A quick glance below me revealed other memories, filling thousands of feet below me. The fall would kill me.

“What does the beast want with him?”

Another pulse causes a spike in my reclaimed power that I can’t tamp down quick enough. I plummet, memories whizzing pass me as I fall. My hair whips in my ears. The memories, around me, always moving, shifting, showing things I cannot remotely declare as truth. One such memory moves below me, as if to catch me, but I fall through it as if it would nothing but a cloud. Chunks of land and parts of scenes flew past me, faster than I can grab with my magic. Desperately, I try to cling onto a statue from work, but the impact on my reaching arms and bloody hands causes instant agony. The world around me responds in kind, turning red and inflamed. The collision with the statue had set me spinning and I smash through the floor of my bedroom at the Sanctum, splintering the wood, and opening up an exit wound in that scene. Again the world responds, squeezing in on me like a heart valve with no blood, pulsing to an inaudible beat, and my magic responses in kind, tightening then releasing. It's excruciating. My magic is back, but I'm so out of practice using it.

New York quickly comes into focus, but I can barely process the nearing pavement, too busy pondering the result of landing on concrete at speed when something invisible wraps around my middle, slowing my descent, my feet finally make purchase with the sidewalk, but they don’t have the energy to keep me up and I fall straight on my hands and knees, nauseous and grateful for solid ground.

Loki made no move to help me. "I have been looking everywhere for you!" His coat was gone and the edges of his trousers singed, but he doesn’t look too worse for wear. "If I hadn't looked up, you would be a splatter on the pavement right now."

"Because you care so much about my wellbeing, right?" I cough, breathing heavy. My heart pounds. I clutch my chest as though it would stop it from tearing out of me. Everything is getting so vibrant. My brain hurts.

“You abandoned me, even though I am the only thing standing between you and madness." 

“Don’t act like you wouldn’t have done the same if the positions were reversed.”

“That’s the thing, Sunna, you don’t know a thing about me. Your entire perception of who I am is based on assumptions, I understand it, it is the same of every soul I encounter, but when it comes down to it, like everyone who exists, you choose to save your own skin first. You’re not better than me. You’re the same as your perception of me, and your moral superiority complex grows tiring, child.”

“Your reputation knocked before you did. Boo-hoo. You tried to take over New York!” I managed to push myself up, leaning back on my ankles and swaying dangerously.

“But I didn’t.” Indignant.

I face plant on the ground, my body limp.

I have no idea if I have dreamed this dream before.

“It’s not you, you know,” Stephen mutters. “I don’t fall for people. It’s always a mess when I do.”

"Listen to him," Kuema's voice splinters around us.

When I wake, I am confronted with the distorted image of Loki leaning over me. “Thank Ymir. You’re awake.”

But before I can answer there is a thunderous crack and he's knocked out cold, crumpling next to me.

I scream.

“It’s okay,” said Another Loki looms over me, a plank of wood in his hands. “He wasn’t real- that wasn't real, no, no, no, no, stay with me.”

Again, I pass out.

It's like watching bacteria multiply, one Stephen becomes many, each a memory or a thought, but all about him. I can feel on my body the imprint of every time he’d touched me, a shoulder brush as we passed each other in the hallway, heat blossoming across my skin from the remnants of sparring bruises, the impression of his lips over mine when I'd kissed him, the feeling of his hand tangling in my hair after he’d found me wandering New York, concussed and frightened.

Intoxicating to me.

When Stephen and I first met, it was like basking in the warmth of the sun for the first time after a life of shadow. His laugh, his humor. Even in the beginning he'd been able to make me laugh, loudly and without care. I care about him. I do. He makes me feel safe! He makes me feel safe. He makes me feel safe.He makes me feel safe.He makes me feel safe.He makes me feel safe.He makes me feel safe.Hemakesmefeelsafe.Hemakesmefeelsafe.Hemakesmefeelsafe.hemakesmefeelsafe.hemakesmefeelsafehemakesmefeelsafemakesmefeelsafefeelsafesafesafesafe.

I'm in some parking building when I wake up. All grey concrete and dotted with a handful of cars. Loki is next to me, sitting on the dirty ground, head resting back against the wall.

His eyes opened narrowly to observe me, before squeezing shut again in annoyance.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"I've had worse beatings," Loki said with an air of nonchalance. Still he winced, his hand raising to the opposite shoulder. Red stains his shirt. Claw marks.

“What happened?”

“You passed out, and I’ve had to lug you around until you woke up, so not only are we even, but now you owe me,” he sounds exhausted, but clearly not too exhausted to be frustrated at me.

“I… thank you,”

He says nothing.

“Why are you helping me?”

Loki doesn’t have time to react before the flash flood hits us. His body slides against the wall, smashing into mine, winding me, and pushing me under the surface, the current sweeping me down to the next level of the parking building. Is it possible to drown in your own mind? The tumultuous waters kept flipping me, and I can't tell which way is up. My brain forces me to breathe in, choking on water, flailing in the pull of the undercurrent when arms wrap around me, hoisting me so my head comes out of the water. My back is against Loki’s chest, and I cough and splutter. His own breathing heavy, laborious in my ear is swept from him entirely when the wave crashes, and I sandwich him against the wall. We descended another level.

A small white car barrels in my direction, about to crush me when Loki pulls me out of the water. He had managed to heave himself onto a nearby staircase, one hand hauls me up and the other gripping onto the railing.

Once I am out of the water, Loki drops me, more out of exertion, so that I stumble onto the stairs.

The beast is swept past, trying to fight through the rushing rapids.

Loki hasn’t noticed, still focused on me, as the featureless monster defied the thundering water to make its way over to us. The prince is in the middle of saying ‘what are you doing?’ when I yank him away from the beast’s outstretching claws, even though he falls against me on the hard edges of the steps. If this was real-life my ribs would have broken against the concrete, but even in this form the pain overwhelms me, and I whimper, trying to fight through the feeling.

The parking building vanishes and we are laying in long grass in the middle of a meadow, still soaking wet, Loki straddling my waist.

“Get off-” I try to push him off, but his hand covers my mouth (covers half my goddamn face), silencing me, though it is just as likely his expression would have silenced me on its own.

Loki has gone preternaturally still, his gaze searching as he listens for something I can’t hear, his supporting hand pressed palm first into the soil above my shoulder.

The grass rustles.

Nearby, the monster stalks.

It could not see us over the long grass, though without eyes, I’m not sure how its been able to see us in the first place. It croons, a long, sad mournful sound, broken with gasps for breath.

My body shakes against my will, trying to contain the fear when the creature takes a step in our direction. Loki does not release his hand from my mouth, though I wasn't inclined to speak again. His hair has come out of its braid, dripping water onto my nose.

Another step towards us. Again, that anguished call vibrated over our heads. Was it crying? It sounded like it. 

Neither of us had the energy to run again. I wonder how Loki had managed to keep me alive while I had passed out, but the beast takes another step and Loki lays flat on top of me, keeping me pressed into the earth. I hold him tight. Even wet from the flood his body is particularly cold, though he does not shiver.

If I die, I am going to miss Stephen so, so much.

The strong pungent smell of earth fills my noise. I could hear Loki whispering faintly in some language I can’t understand. The beast is close now. I want to tell him to run. It’s not after me, I scream in my head, but there was no falter in his whispers to suggest he’d heard.

The beast bore down on us and I couldn’t help but jolt in fear when the warm earth beneath us began to drag us into its embrace, plants and bugs and soil and Loki’s arms wrap around me tightly, holding me against him as we sunk out of sight.

I have no control over anything in my whole life. The Spellcaster uses me for an unimaginable end. I have lost my memories.  I feel like some fantasy that mistakenly gained sentience. I don't know who I am.

A phone rings. My cell.

It’s in my pocket.

Slide to answer.

When we rise out of the earth we were no longer in the meadow. We weren’t even outside. The walls of my old apartment were closed around us. It seems normal on the surface. The layout was as I remembered, familiar even. The kitchen is stocked with food, dirty plates in the sink. An open door to my bedroom reveals an unmade bed. There is art on the walls and a busted TV that only plays a few free channels and had a bad habit of giving anyone who touched it a static shock.

Somewhere in the room, a phone rings.

The apartment shudders and becomes double exposed, showing memories over the top of other memories.

Every memory that I’d had in this apartment.

Kicking off my shoes at the front door and slumping on the sofa to watch TV after work. Cooking a midnight snack.

He props himself up on one elbow, and I am vaguely aware that I have my own body, and he his, and I falling back against the floor as he raises himself up.

A flick of Loki's hand and a wash of green is all it takes to reveal the magical signatures in the room, mine, all mine. Purples and violets and blues laying overtop of everything like a fresh bruise.

Hundreds of ghosts of me go through the motions of living, each memory laid one on top of another, reenacting every single moment I had in this apartment.

“Diplopia, I know that it might not seem like a good sign, but it is.” Loki slid off of me, he offers me a hand up, which I accept. He's relieved. “An anchor point in your mind, usually your childhood home. Interesting that you only have adult memories in this place,” he swept his hand through the air in a wide arch, gesturing to my compatriots.

Every thought seemed to mix together, slurring words and images into a brown smudge. Loki looks badly drained.

“No, no, don't-” Loki is at my side, holding me up, strong fingers gripping my upper arms. I hadn’t realized I was swaying. “Oh dear.”

The window shows the street outside, and the beast whines like an ignored dog, wandering back and forth, looking up and pawing at the brick occasionally.

Inside the memories kept flowing.

Only of them seems solid. It's me, sitting in the heap against the wall, staring into space.

Motion sick. Not well, not well. I have the urge to vomit.

"Stop," Loki's voice is rough in my ear, like I am a child who needs chastisement. "Don't go to sleep, that's what it wants. The key to getting your memories back is in this room."

It seemed that he'd sensed that my eyelids beginning to droop before I had.

The memories around us are making me dizzy.

Something calls to me in a sleepy whisper in my ear, "lay down and rest." The voice feels like family.

Someone snaps their fingers in my face. I open my eyes expecting to see Loki, but it's Kuema's hand, her other arm wrapped around me, supporting me as Loki had.

Next to us, the window opens, sliding up.

The beast stretches its bulk in order to fit through the window, flopping into a puddle on the hardwood, where it sits contained and unmoving.

Kuema, slightly taller than me, braced herself so that I wouldn’t trip when I stumble backwards away from the beast.

The creature is bigger than a horse with grey mottled skin that reminds me of the worst kind of spiders. Featureless flesh stretching over the sockets where its eyes could have been, its thin, lipless mouth held no expression, and strangely enough, no teeth. Its bones must be able to maneuver into unnatural positions.

Where is-? My own thought it cut off when I see him.

Loki is collapsed on the floor, seemingly asleep. The beast made no move to harm him.

“She's after Loki,” Kuema mutters in my ear sharply, “not you, okay? It recognizes him as a foreign body in your mind. No one intended for him to be here.”

I nod, but my head hurt from the movement.

“This can all be over in a moment, but you have to listen to me,” Kuema’s tone was almost… motherly. Commanding and gentle at the same time, like I would be smart to do as she said. “This creature here, she wants to take Loki’s memories. And you’re going to let her, okay?”

“Wait- what?” I slur through the words, shaking the fog off my brain.

“There isn’t time-”

“No,” I push her away, a moment of clarity emboldening me, enough. Without her I wobble. “Why would it want that? His memories? What is it?”

I try to throw off the sluggishness overtaking me, but it weighs me down, and again Kuema is holding me up, only this time I accept the assistance.

"You're asking too many questions," Kuema snaps.

"If you don't give me some context, there is no way I am acting on your recommendations."

"You have to trust me."

"Why would I trust you?"

"Please! I don't know why I'm here, but I know I have a job to do." Her golden eyes narrow. "This apartment, this room, is the last thing holding your memories from splintering away. It is the anchor point in your mind, your memories are here, but the person who cast that spell on you booby-trapped it. As soon as Loki entered your mind, this point birthed that creature to hunt him down.”

"To protect me?"

Kuema doesn't answer me. "My duty is to protect you."

The beast cocks its head to the side, quizzically. When the monster leans back on its heels, it looks humanoid. It's not angry anymore. Neither am I. Anger was for elsewhere, maybe outside this anchor point, maybe for outside of being in my own head. This creature is just lost in here like I am. When faced square on, it looks horribly misshapen, marked and wrinkled and yet bland, the kind of thing the audience imprints their own fears upon.

“It’s your deepest sense of self, it's the offspring of a great trauma,” Kuema said from behind me, sadly. “It knows the pain that Loki caused you, it knows what he has taken from you. It wants revenge. It wants him to feel the vulnerability- the violation."

The beast just looked mournfully at the sleeping prince.

I get the impression that she is trying to whip me up into an angry frenzy, but I just can't. Anger does not exist here.

The heap in the corner, the only other solid me in this room full of memories looks at me.

The double exposed memories stop and stare. I could not meet the hatred in their eyes, so I stare at the beast, and the beast, without eyes, stares back at me.

They all ignored Loki.

“And I-I could get my memories back?”

The room breathes in unison, it's subtle but I can feel it, I breathe with them.

“Yes,” Kuema takes my hand, rubbing her thumb along the back of it comfortingly, “and all you have to trade is his memories. You could get even with him.”

For a long moment, I am tempted.

A really long moment.

But I can't do to Loki on purpose, what he had done to me inadvertently. “What if I don’t want him to lose his memories? I wouldn’t wish this fate on my worst enemy.”

“It’s yours or his. You cannot have both.”

“Why not?” I snapped, turning on her, “why do you get to make all the decisions Kuema? I’m getting out of here and I’m taking both of our memories with me!”

“That is not possible. Right now, I am the only thing keeping you alive. Loki’s been wandering around your mind, he’s gotten you your powers back. When you wake up you will find the physical symptoms of his invasion totally healed. Out there-” she pointed up, “Stephen and Wong have made sure that your body survives the physical toll of this treatment,” she called me by my name, but it sounds foreign on her tongue, “but right now? The only person intervening in the natural order is me. If it weren’t for me, the beast would’ve taken its price by now, and this anchor point would have remained as it was created- to erase your memories permanently. I am the only reason you get a choice. So choose, and quickly. If a decision isn’t made soon, I don’t know what will become of any of you.”

The beast observes me coolly, no hint of expression.

“You’re thinking of saving him. Of giving up everything you are. Would he do the same for you?”

I glanced at the solid me, glaring from where it rested.

Somewhere in the distance, a phone rings.

"Lay down and rest," that sleepy voice whispered again, only it's the room that is speaking to me. Each memory, each version of me whispers it over and over again.

I looked at Kuema, and she holds my gaze, a hand sliding to each of my cheeks, as she looked at me in sympathy, "I know, this is hard for you, but you have to put yourself first."

"Can he hear us?" I whisper.

“Loki knows everything that is going on, the room has subdued him to prevent further damage to your mind, but he is powerful. He watches from his slumber,” Kuema guides me to make my decision.

"And he won't remember any of this?"

“He is at your mercy this time.”

AO3 MASTERPOST

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[thetallowman]

Some analysis and predictions for the trio, now that I'm through the first bit

Lucy: what I would call the group's moral compass. (Not in the sense that the others are lacking morals, but in that she's the only one pointing somewhere.) She wants to do things right, not just morally but practically as well - the kind of person who likes to have a plan, who is invested in the process just as much as the results. She started out focused on the mystery, on solving the case, but the encounter with John shook her, and now she's worried about the local Others as well. Her mother actually seems like a decent parent (in a Wildbow story: shocking), and her friendship with Verona is firmly established. There's definitely s some sort of trauma packed away in there that we haven't seen yet, but I'd say she's the most stable of the three - at least insofar as the whole magical girl detectives thing isn't a direct improvement to her life. Probably the most likely to actually solve the case.

My assumption is that each of the three will pick up either an implement, a familiar, or a demesne first. (Practically, due to diverging interests, and narratively/metaphysically, for reasons of balance and cohesion - the trio of witches, each with a different defining feature, etc.) My prediction is that Lucy will get her implement first - something straightforward, physical, capable of directly influencing the world around her, shift it from what it is towards how it should be. My initial guess was a sword, but the ring somewhat fills that role - so a tool of some kind? Something versatile, like a multitool? (I'm thinking back to the awakening ritual, and the emphasis she placed on adaptability and self-sufficiency. She's suited to something that can cover multiple bases.)

Avery: the odd one out. Less interested in the magic than in the friends that come with it. (A package deal.) She's got issues with self-esteem, with being overlooked; she's happy to follow there others' lead, but she wants to be recognized for her contributions. Wants to not be left behind again. Her parents seem nice - they're failing her in some important ways, but not out of malice. (They've got what I would call too many kids.) There's a line earlier, where Avery's thinking about a sandwich, which feels like it sums up her role amongst her siblings: "She couldn't help but feel like any one ingredient could be changed out for something similar and it would make the sandwich ten times as good."

My guess is that Avery will be first to find a familiar. Might be some level of wishful thinking - could go a long way to resolving the self-esteem problem. (It worked for Blake, at least: isolation and alienation are no match for the power of a cute animal companion.) Could be something from the Forest Trail she was given - remains to be seen.

Verona: very relatable. If a magical creature had approached me, as a callow youth, and offered the chance to trade a life of magical adventures for the "normality" of college, taxes, and a 9-to-5 - I'd be taking that deal, guaranteed, common sense be damned. (Heck, I'd probably do the same tomorrow, given the chance.) She's in it for the escapism, essentially. There's a murder to solve, and her best friend's along for the ride, but magic itself is the main selling point. Under normal circumstances, whatever she does she can't win - the things she cares about aren't "important," she doesn't care about the "important" things, and even when she puts in the effort it isn't seen as good enough. Her dad sucks - I won't belabor the point - but it's true amongst her classmates as well, with sports and the app and so on. She's happier investigating the "eat your own fingers" ritual than doing yardwork, which makes perfect sense.

Verona's going to get a demesne. No idea what that will look like, but of the three, it fits the most. Having a place other than her house - somewhere that she controls, gets to make the rules for - should go a long way. (In some ways, I'm reminded of Blake - though her definition of freedom seems less about what she can do, and more about what she doesn't have to do.)

[gollygeedash]

19 14 12 Mason!

I was going to try and do nicer drawings for these, but Art Fight is so close MS PAINT IT IS! (heehee) 19. Has your OC ever had an experience with the paranormal or the divine? What happened? Was it a one time encounter or is it a normal part of their life? Did they find it terrifying or thrilling?

In canon, no. Mason was born and raised on a planet full of various kinds of aliens so I don't... think weird stuff phases him too much. I guess the weirdest thing he'd interacted with is his cat that sometimes Bethesda-glitch through the wall and can make her head do weird things when she sneezes.

IN AU THOUGH.... It's very very funny to me to put Mason against paranormal things because he's either "WHAT" about it or he's trying so so so hard to pretend it doesn't exist and everything's normal. In the Gollyville RP my friends and I do he gets to be exposed to a few weird things, like for instance a girl he took in to stay with him can just turn into a raccoon. His first instinct was "get the broom". And then there's also two of his friends that got fused into one person, Leanne, and he had A TIME trying to cope with that at the beginning. Hey, two of your friends might be gone forever and you have this abomination instead? Have fun with that Mason. (He did later on)

And then of course my friends and I play Phasmophobia and one of the models looks... VERY MASON ADJACENT so we like to joke that he's now on a ghost-hunting squad with two kids.

There was also a one-off RP session where we dropped Mason in a haunted dead mall (along with some other characters) and they all had to escape! Unfortunately he didn't get to see too much weird stuff because he was too focused on trying to find Alynne. Though there were moving mannequins.... He did get to see that.

Sometime in the near future another friend of mine has another horror-RP planned for him and a few other friends OCs, so I'm very excited for that :]c

14. How important is friendship to your OC? Do they prefer to have one or two close friends or a large group of casual friends? Or do they prefer their own company over that of others?

Mason would like to say he doesn't need friends/friendship but WITHOUT FAIL, every time, he's going to find out he does (get appreciated, idiot) He's not a very social person, so the idea of having a larger group of casual friends feels like a death trap of making small talk the whole time. He much prefers the company of one or two closer friends. In college he stuck to only hanging out with Rex, maybe another person he fell out of contact with. When the story takes place and when he's done saying saying "woe is me, I'm unlovable" he's going to find it harder to keep people away from hanging out with him. Be it Rex, Eda, Miranda and Deven, Maddison, and even others later on :]c

He is very introverted though, so he's going to have his moments of needing to step back and have a day to himself. "Nap on the couch with the tv on" kinda day.

12. Is your OC cynical or optimistic? Who or what shaped their outlook on life?

Who, Mason? Optimistic? PFFT. He'd need a whole life changing event for that to happen. Ahaha, haha. Hah. (He'll get what's coming for him.)

As for what caused the cynicism.....