#tower heroes fracture

[a-little-artsy]

toewer hreos art dump bc i suddenly hyperfixated on it idk whe

most of these are ehumm requests from pb server n friends :3

why does his head look so squished guh,,,

ok by

[your-fav-is-divorced]

slime king and fracture/skeleton king (specifically lvl 5 /nf), both from Tower Heroes

Slime King and Fracture from Tower Heroes are Divorced!

[boog-how]

Tower Heroes!

[seasnailfish]

woke tower heroes: we have got to go on woke adventures

[armz911]

Old man yaoi? in MY Tower Heroes??

[doumadono]

A toast to the past - Dabi x Reader

Warnings: a lot of sadness, grieving

Synopsis: some bonds and moments never truly die, no matter how much time passes. This is what you've learned not only from the League of Villains, but mostly from Dabi himself

A/N: as we say goodbye to 2024, I want to take a moment to wish you all a very Happy New Year, filled with good health and an abundance of positive energy. A huge thank you to everyone who has taken the time to visit my blog, read my stories, or offer the support - your kindness means the world to me. I’m looking forward to welcoming the new year and sharing even more with all of you. Here's to more adventures together in 2025!

MY HERO ACADEMIA MASTERLIST - PART II

The icy wind gnawed at the edges of the dilapidated bar, rattling loose boards and curling under the gap at the door. The League of Villains’ ramshackle hideout wasn’t exactly the place one might expect to find themselves celebrating. It wasn’t often the League found a reason to celebrate, but tonight was an exception. New Year’s Eve was as good a reason as any to drag out the stolen liquor, laugh a little too loudly, and forget - if only for a few hours - about the vain world of heroes that loomed outside.

Yet, the hideout was alive with chaos. 

Spinner had begrudgingly joined Twice and Toga in their frantic attempts to decorate, though the results were predictably awful - streamers dangled half-heartedly from the ceiling, and a mismatched assortment of paper lanterns cast flickering light across the room.

Mr. Compress sipped his drink, attempting to draw Giran into the conversation.

Shigaraki, for once, seemed to tolerate the festive atmosphere, though he sat hunched in his chair, lazily swirling a glass of a cheap champagne, scratching idly at his neck and glaring at anyone who came too close, his Switch laying on his lap.

Kurogiri had been busy behind the scenes, thoughtfully preparing colorful drinks for everyone. He made sure to mix several non-alcoholic ones, particularly for Toga, knowing she would enjoy them without the risk of getting drunk.  He'd always kept an eye on her, knowing well that she could easily lose control if left unchecked, just like Tomura. At the same time, he carefully prepared extra shots for Shigaraki, who had openly mentioned earlier that he wanted to get wasted to dull the unbearable itching sensation crawling beneath his skin. Kurogiri had always been attentive, and tonight, he was doing what he could to ease the discomfort of his comrades, in his own quiet, efficient way.

And then there was Dabi.

The black-haired man, as usual, lingered on the outskirts of the noise, a silent observer. He stood by the window, cigarette in hand, eyes half-lidded as the faint orange glow reflected off the sharp planes of his face. The scarred corners of his lips twitched occasionally as he watched the others, though whether in amusement or annoyance, it was hard to tell.

It was a strange thing, this party. A group like yours wasn’t exactly built for celebrations. You were all too fractured, too worn by the world to embrace something as frivolous as joy. And yet, here you all were, crammed into this shabby room with mismatched streamers hanging crookedly from the ceiling.

"Five minutes to midnight!" Toga announced, clapping her hands together with a giddy grin. She darted to Twice, who was balancing a precarious tower of plastic cups, and immediately knocked it over in her excitement.

"You little menace!" Twice cried, his tone swinging wildly between indignant and adoring.

It was impossible not to laugh. Even Shigaraki's lips twitched in the ghost of a smirk before he buried his face back in his hands.

You glanced at Dabi, who hadn't moved from his spot by the window. Smoke curled lazily around his head, his expression unreadable. Something about his stillness drew you in like gravity, and before you realized it, you were walking toward him.

"You're missing the party," you teased, stopping just short of leaning against the same wall.

He exhaled slowly, his gaze flicking to you. "Looks like I'm not the only one."

"Fair," you admitted with a small smile. “But you’re really going to sulk through New Year’s?” You leaned your hip against the wall, tilting your head as you studied him.

“Sulking implies I care,” Dabi shot back, but the retort lacked its usual venom.

The countdown began, Toga’s voice leading the charge. “Ten! Nine!”

As the countdown began, the League’s mismatched voices filled the air, a cacophony of excitement and half-hearted participation.

Dabi didn’t move. He didn’t turn to the others, didn’t even glance at the clock. His gaze remained on you, sharp and heavy.

“Eight! Seven!”

“You’re staring,” you said softly, though your tone lacked any real accusation.

His lips twitched into something that might have been a smirk. “So are you.”

“Six! Five!”

You opened your mouth to respond, but the words caught in your throat as he took a step closer. He stopped just a breath away, close enough that you could feel the heat radiating from him despite the chill that crept through the cracks in the walls. His hand came up to cup your cheek, rough fingers brushing against your skin with a surprising gentleness that made your breath hitch.

“Four! Three!”

The noise around you faded into nothing, the room dissolving into a blur as his thumb traced along your lower lip.

“Two! One! Happy New Year!”

The room erupted into cheers, Toga’s high-pitched squeal cutting through the din as the others toasted and clapped, but none of it reached you. 

Dabi leaned in, his lips crashed against yours. It wasn’t soft or tentative - he wasn’t the kind of man for that. Dabi’s lips were firm, his touch possessive, the kiss rough and consuming. The heat of him, the faint taste of smoke on his lips, made your knees weak, and you clung to him as though letting go wasn’t an option.

The world seemed to pause, time itself holding its breath as the moment stretched. 

Dabi pulled back, his forehead resting against yours for a moment. His breath ghosted over your lips as he muttered, “Happy New Year, doll.”

Before you could respond, Toga’s delighted giggles shattered the moment. “Dabi kissed Y/N! I knew he would!” she crowed, clapping her hands in glee.

Twice let out a loud, exaggerated whistle. “Didn’t see that coming. Well, maybe I did. No, I definitely didn’t!”

Even Shigaraki seemed momentarily stunned, though he quickly muttered something about idiots and looked away.

Spinner groaned, muttering something about how he couldn’t believe he was spending his New Year with these people.

Compress raised a toast to the unexpected romance, and Twice fumbled with the camera app on his phone to snap a blurry picture. 

But none of it mattered. 

All that existed in that moment was the way Dabi looked at you as though the world had narrowed to just the two of you.

“Alright, show’s over,” the black-haired man groaned, shooting a pointed glare at Toga before grabbing your wrist and tugging you toward the door, leading you straight to his bedroom.

The night passed in a blur of heated whispers and shared warmth, his body a steady presence against yours as you made love for hours. The two of you stayed wrapped around each other long after the world outside went quiet. Dabi’s arm draped over your waist, his breath steady and warm against your shoulder. Neither of you spoke, content to exist in the stillness, in the rare, fragile peace of the moment.

The memory still lived in your heart, as vivid and searing as if it had happened yesterday. The hideout filled with laughter and chaos, Toga’s delighted clapping, Twice’s off-key singing, and the way Dabi’s lips pressed against yours at the stroke of midnight - it was a fleeting moment of happiness in a world that had given you so little.

But that was last year. That New Year’s Eve was the last you all spent together.

Everything changed after that night. The war came, tearing through your lives like a storm, leaving devastation in its wake. Too many lives were claimed, too many futures snuffed out. The League, the world, you - it all fractured, irreparably changed by the battles fought and the losses endured.

Now, you sat cross-legged in the grass, the late afternoon sun warm against your shoulders. A simple summer dress clung to your frame, and a gentle breeze whispered through the trees, carrying the faint scent of wildflowers. In your lap was a handmade bowl of soba, steam curling lazily into the air.

“I started a job last week,” you said, your voice soft but steady. “It’s nothing glamorous, just working in the back of a diner. Washing dishes, peeling vegetables, that sort of thing. It’s hard, y’know? People don’t exactly trust someone with a past like mine.” You picked at the soba with your chopsticks, twirling the noodles idly. “People stare. They always do. Even when they don’t recognize me, they can tell there’s something off, like they can smell the smoke that clings to me. I can’t blame them. It’s not like I’ll ever really blend in.” You laughed softly, though the sound was hollow. “It’s funny,” you continued, wiping your cheek where a tear had fallen unnoticed. “The normal life we used to joke about… it’s so much harder than I thought it’d be. People don’t smile much, not really. And some days, it’s like I’m invisible. Maybe it’s better that way.” 

You held the bowl tighter, your knuckles white against the handmade ceramic. “I brought this for you,” you offered, shifting slightly to place the bowl in the grass. “You probably would’ve made some snarky comment about how it’s not your style, but I thought… I thought you might like it anyway.”

The words caught in your throat, and before you could stop them, the tears came - hot and relentless, spilling down your cheeks as though the dam you’d built over the past year had finally broken. You didn’t bother wiping them away. What was the point?

It took everything in you to get here. Reaching out to the Todoroki family - people you’d once thought of as enemies - had been harder than you could have imagined. But you needed to know where he was, where they’d laid him to rest. You couldn’t keep carrying the weight of his absence without a place to grieve.

The breeze shifted, and for a moment, it seemed to carry a faint, fleeting scent of fire - charcoal and smoke. It wrapped around you like an embrace, stirring the strands of your hair. It was fleeting, barely there, but it made you pause. Slowly, your lips curved into a small, trembling smile. “You’re listening, aren’t you?” you whispered, wiping at your face. “You always were good at pretending not to care.”

What you didn’t know - what you couldn’t know - was that he was sitting right there, just as you’d imagined. His spirit leaned against the gravestone, one knee drawn up, his chin resting lazily on it. He was watching you, his pale eyes filled with a mixture of longing and sorrow. He reached out, his fingers ghosting over your cheek, aching to wipe away your tears. But it was futile, of course. You were here, in the world of the living, and he was there, trapped in the world of the dead. Dabi whispered, “Stop crying, doll. You’ll ruin your pretty face.” But the words faded into the breeze, unheard and unspoken.

He watched you carefully: the way your hands trembled slightly as you set the bowl down, the way your lips quivered as you spoke his name, the way your tears reflected the light of the setting sun.

You couldn’t see the way his jaw clenched, the frustration in his eyes as his hand passed through you like mist. The space between your worlds was too vast, and all he could do was sit and observe.

You didn’t know he was there, couldn’t feel the weight of his gaze or the ghostly touch of his hand. “I miss you,” you whispered, your voice trembling as you rested a hand on the cold stone. “Every day, Touya.”

He closed his eyes, his head tilting back against the gravestone as if to steady himself. The scars on his face softened in the glow of the afternoon sun, and for a moment, he looked almost at peace. “I miss you too,” he whispered, though the words were meant only for himself.

The sun dipped lower on the horizon, casting long shadows across the cemetery. Your fingers brushed over the gravestone, tracing the letters carved into the cold stone: Touya Todoroki. The breeze swirled again, wrapping around you like an embrace. It felt warm, comforting, almost like him.

“I miss all of you. Toga, Tomura… even Twice and his constant grumbling.” You laughed weakly, but the sound was hollow. “The world’s quieter now, but it doesn’t feel better. It feels empty.” And with that, you sobbed more. “I’m sorry,” you choked out, your voice trembling. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more. I’m sorry I couldn’t save any of you. I’m so fucking sorry…”

When you finally stood  and brushed the grass from your dress, you glanced back at the tombstone one last time. “I’ll keep going,” you whispered, your voice shaky but resolute. “For you. For all of you. I promise. I promise I won’t let go. I’ll never forget you. And you guys will always live in my heart.”

He watched you turn to leave, his gaze lingering on you as if memorizing every detail - the way the sunlight caught the strands of your hair, the way your shoulders straightened even under the weight of your grief, and a faint smile crossed his lips as his scarred hand rested on the top of the tombstone. “We all know that, doll,” he murmured, his voice soft and low. “Live the life we weren’t destined to have. And don’t forget - I’ll love you forever.”

As the wind swept through the graveyard once more, Dabi’s spirit winnowed like mist under the light of a chilly morning, fading into the air that surrounded you. And a promise, carried on the breeze, was as eternal as the love he left behind.

tagging: @pixelcafe-network

[jacquitries]

Through the Threads of Fate | H.P.

You've always kept your ability to read the future a secret, but when Harry Potter starts suspecting you're involved with the dark side, everything becomes dangerous. His growing mistrust of you only fuels the tension, and as your hidden talent remains shrouded in mystery, you find yourself caught between protecting your secret and surviving the storm brewing around you.

𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘

The dungeons were your sanctuary. Cloaked in Slytherin green and silver, you moved through Hogwarts like a shadow—silent, unseen, always just one step ahead. The weight of knowledge settled on your shoulders, a burden and a gift intertwined. You saw the threads of fate twist and pull, shaping lives without mercy. But you knew better than to interfere too boldly. No one could ever understand what you saw. Least of all Harry Potter.

From the moment your eyes met his, there was an unspoken war—a silent reckoning. His emerald gaze flickered with suspicion, always following you, never trusting, as though you were the embodiment of the mysteries he couldn’t untangle. And yet, your path seemed to cross his at every turn. Every twist of fate, every dark secret, always brought you into his orbit. A slow-burning tension hung in the air, a game of cat and mouse. You, the elusive enigma. He, the determined hero.

The castle had its secrets, and it whispered them to you. The ancient stones hummed with echoes of both the past and the future. You listened, weaving yourself into the delicate strands of time. You saw the shadows of the Forbidden Forest, felt the cold wind atop the Astronomy Tower, and watched the Black Lake shimmer with memories only you could comprehend. You didn’t want this power. It was a curse more than a gift, revealing fractured glimpses of what was to come, yet leaving you powerless to change it.

Every warning, every quiet intervention, every seemingly innocent suggestion was a part of a greater plan. But none of them could prepare you for the choices you’d soon have to make.

𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘

You’d always known about the Philosopher’s Stone, long before Harry stumbled across the truth. When the troll rampaged through the dungeons, you stood calm, your voice steady as you guided a pair of terrified first-years to safety. When the whispers of Nicholas Flamel reached you, you carefully placed books open on the library tables, knowing Hermione would find them. And when the final confrontation loomed, you were far away, ensuring the corridors were clear for Harry, unknowingly steering him toward his destiny.

But it was the Chamber of Secrets that truly tested you. The mystery unfolded around you in subtle pieces, fear creeping through the walls like an invisible fog. You never spoke of what you’d heard or seen, not even when Mrs. Norris lay petrified in the hall. The whispers came to you, but you stayed silent, only nudging others in the right direction. When Ginny was taken, you held your breath, knowing Harry would be the one to find her. But as the events unraveled, Harry began to grow suspicious. He had seen you talking to Ginny not long before she disappeared, and his mind began to connect the dots. Though you kept your role hidden, a part of you braced for the moment he would confront you. You had done your part, quietly ensuring the balance tipped in the right direction, but now you would have to face the consequences of your actions—especially when Harry, driven by his suspicions, began watching you more closely.

𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘

Harry couldn’t escape you, no matter how hard he tried. You appeared everywhere—always just beyond his reach. In the library, your eyes lost in ancient tomes. In the corridors, slipping away just as chaos erupted. By the Great Hall, your gaze lingering on the enchanted ceiling, as if you could see beyond the stars themselves.

It infuriated him.

"She knows something," Harry muttered one evening, pacing in the Gryffindor common room, frustration evident in his voice. "She’s always there, slipping away before I can ask anything. There’s more to her, I’m sure of it."

"Maybe she’s just… clever?" Ron offered, though even he wasn’t convinced.

Harry’s gaze darkened. "No. There’s something else, something she’s hiding."

𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘

Your path and Harry’s truly collided during the Triwizard Tournament. You had seen it all—the chaos, the danger, the unexpected twists. You watched from the shadows as Harry’s name was drawn from the Goblet of Fire, his shock palpable in the air. You remained distant, a constant, enigmatic presence, your calm unshaken as he faced the dragons, the maze, and the deadly trials.

It was the dragons that first set everything in motion. You whispered to Neville about gillyweed—just a casual remark, but one that changed everything. And when Cedric Diggory died, when the tournament turned from a test of courage into a nightmare, your heart twisted. You had seen it all—had tried in your own way to adjust the timeline, to alter fate just enough to give Harry a fighting chance. But the outcome was inevitable. Fate, in its cruel simplicity, would not be swayed.

𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘

The darkness deepened in your seventh year, and the weight of fate pressed against your chest like a looming storm. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione were captured and taken to Malfoy Manor, you were already there, a silent force, woven into the very fabric of danger. Your presence was like a shadow, unseen but ever-present, watching as the threads of destiny pulled tight around your friends.

Bellatrix’s shrill voice pierced the air, a maddened cackle as she tortured Hermione, her wand poised like a dagger aimed at the heart of your very soul. You stood in the shadows, every muscle tense, your heart a drumbeat in your chest, yet your face was a mask of icy indifference. The visions you had seen, the threads of fate you had tried to piece together, were unfolding in front of you—but this moment, this confrontation, had always been unclear, a haze of pain and suffering that left you uncertain of where to stand.

And then, when the Snatchers dragged Harry before the Malfoys, your eyes met his—briefly, almost imperceptibly. The shock that flooded his expression was unmistakable, his disbelief evident as he saw you standing there, a ghost in the midst of the chaos. But you gave nothing away. Your gaze was sharp, unreadable, a carefully constructed wall that no one could breach. Not even him. You had to keep the illusion intact, no matter how much it tore at you to see him like this.

As the room erupted into chaos, time seemed to stretch, every moment suffocating with tension. You moved like a phantom, a blur in the dark, slipping through the chaos with the precision of someone who had already seen it all. Each step was deliberate, calculated, as if the very air around you bent to your will. Your wand flicked silently, and a whispered incantation loosened the bonds on Harry’s wrists, the ropes falling away like brittle threads. Without hesitation, you sent another silent spell, deflecting a curse meant for Ron, your magic swift and lethal.

You lingered just long enough to ensure their escape, your pulse thundering in your ears as the last of the danger dissolved into the air. The room seemed to hold its breath as you turned on your heel, vanishing into the shadows like smoke. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione dared to glance back, you were already gone—nothing more than a fleeting whisper in the night.

𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘

The final battle came, and with it, the revelation that had been a long time in the making. The skies were suffocating with smoke, the ground shaking as the forces of darkness and the defenders of Hogwarts clashed with a fury that could not be contained. Through it all, you moved like a shadow—graceful, lethal, and precise. The chaos around you was a dance you knew well, every step and strike calculated with a cool precision that only someone who had seen this moment unfold could master.

Harry caught glimpses of you throughout the battle. At first, it was just a fleeting shadow, a figure who seemed too composed for the madness swirling around him. But then, his eyes started to linger longer. The way you moved, the way your magic flowed, it all clicked for him. You weren’t just another face in the fight. You knew this battle—the exact moments when to strike, when to fall back, how to make every move count. His suspicions grew, the pieces falling into place, but a part of him refused to fully accept it. Could he trust you? Could he even trust himself?

Then, it happened. In the thick of the battle, when the world was reduced to chaos, a Death Eater lunged at Harry. He barely had time to react, his own wand raised, but before he could defend himself, you were there. A flash of movement, a wordless spell, and the Death Eater was thrown back, crashing to the ground with a force that rattled the air itself. Harry froze, watching as you didn’t just save him—you fought with a fury and skill that was terrifying in its intensity. The shock flooded him. This was no longer just the girl he'd suspected; this was something else. You weren’t just playing a part in this war. You were at its heart, shaping its outcome.

He barely had time to process. The fight raged on, louder, fiercer, but through it all, his mind kept returning to you. Every spell you cast, every life you saved, seemed to carry a weight he couldn’t ignore. He tried to focus on the battle, to finish what he had started, but it was too late. The doubt had already taken root. What did this mean? What had he gotten wrong?

When Voldemort finally fell, the world seemed to inhale a collective breath, but the Great Hall was left in ruins. The echoes of battle lingered in the air like an aftershock. Harry stumbled through the debris, searching for something, someone—when his eyes found you.

There you stood, amidst the wreckage, the first light of dawn breaking through the shattered windows to cast a pale glow on your face. You were silent, watching the aftermath with an expression that betrayed no joy, no satisfaction. Only the heavy weight of everything that had passed. There was no triumph in your gaze, just a deep, quiet burden that only someone who had seen the future—and fought to change it—could understand.

Harry approached cautiously, the tension of the battle still thick in his voice. “You were never against us,” he said, more to himself than to you, the words spilling from him like the release of a long-held breath. It wasn’t a question; it was a statement—a truth he had been blind to for far too long.

But you didn’t offer him the comfort of an easy answer. You simply met his gaze, your eyes cold but not cruel, a subtle edge of something deeper, something far more complex. “Took you long enough to figure that out.”

Harry flinched, the sharp sting of guilt cutting through him. The weight of all his mistakes pressed down on him, heavier than anything the battle had left behind. He had accused you, doubted you, turned his back on someone who had been fighting for the same cause all along.

“I… I’m sorry,” Harry said, the words thick with emotion, every ounce of regret spilling out. “For everything. For doubting you.”

You didn’t move, your gaze unwavering. You studied him for a long moment, the years of suspicion, of distance, crashing together into the silence between you. “Apologies won’t change the past, Potter,” you said quietly, the words biting with the weight of everything that had been left unspoken. “But they’re a start.”

The air was charged with the unspoken tension of everything unsaid. Harry stepped forward, searching your eyes as though he could finally understand the woman behind the mask. “You saved so many lives. All this time, I thought you were working against us.” His voice cracked, regret lacing every syllable. “I was wrong.”

You didn’t answer with words. There was no need to. His regret was all over his face, written in the lines of guilt that creased his brow. You had always known he’d get there eventually, but it didn’t make the journey any easier. You didn’t expect forgiveness. You never had.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of your lips, a fleeting thing, barely there. “And now?”

Harry’s voice softened, raw with sincerity. “Now I see how wrong I was.” He took another step, his presence steady, unwavering. “You… you’re incredible.”

For a moment, your eyes softened—just a fraction. You tilted your head, acknowledging the truth of his words, but you didn’t give him the satisfaction of an easy answer. “Flattery won’t get you anywhere.”

“It’s not flattery,” Harry insisted, his voice steady but full of something deeper. “It’s the truth.”

A silence stretched between you both, thick and heavy with everything that had been left unsaid. But for the first time, you truly saw him—not as the reckless boy who had thrown himself into danger at every turn, but as the man who had borne the weight of a war, who had fought through the impossible, even when it meant facing his own demons.

“Maybe you’re not as hopeless as I thought,” you said softly, your voice carrying a weight neither of you had expected.

Harry smiled—a faint, almost apologetic curve of his lips. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

But the battle hadn’t ended yet. You both knew that. There was more to be done, more healing to be had. Harry still had much to learn, much to undo. In the days that followed, as the Wizarding World began its slow process of rebuilding, Harry came to you, again and again, seeking your trust. He wanted to know you—not just the seer who had saved him, but the person you had kept hidden for so long. Slowly, carefully, you allowed him in, but it was never easy. You had learned to guard your heart—especially from someone who had been so quick to judge.

One evening, after an unspoken stretch of silence, you both stood at the edge of the Black Lake. The moonlight glinted off the water, casting the world in a soft, otherworldly glow. Harry turned to you, determination clear in his expression. “Let me make it up to you,” he said, his voice heavy with the weight of all the doubts, the accusations, the distance that had passed between you. “For all the times I doubted you, for everything I got wrong.”

You turned to him, the cool night air brushing your face. You didn’t respond right away. The past wasn’t something you could simply forget, but as you looked at him, something in your chest shifted—something neither of you had anticipated.

With a faint nod, you said, “You’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Harry smiled, the sincerity in his eyes breaking through the years of tension and regret. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

For the first time, you believed him. You believed in the possibility of trust, of something more.

And with that, you allowed yourself to believe that maybe—just maybe—you could trust him, too.

𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚𓆚 𓆘

Years later, your name would be etched into the halls of history as one of the greatest seers the Wizarding World had ever known. You became a legend, revered for your foresight and for shaping the very course of events, all while remaining a mystery to those around you. By your side, always, was Harry Potter—your equal, your ally, the man who had finally understood you.

One quiet evening, as you sat together beneath the stars, Harry asked with a teasing smirk, “Still think I’m hopeless?”

You glanced at him, a smile tugging at the corners of your lips, your eyes soft with the weight of all that had passed between you. “Always.”

But deep in your heart, you knew—you wouldn’t have it any other way.

[undercoveravenger]

Venomous

Pairing: Venom!Billy Hargrove x Male!Reader

Requested: Yes

Request: “venom!Billy Hargrove confusing reader (dressed as spiderman for Halloween) as actual spiderman!Steve and going after him. take it however you want to”

A/N: Happy Halloween! Here’s part 2 of your Halloween surprise (I really like this AU by the way- if anyone wants anything else in this au, please feel free to request it!)

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The streets of Hawkins were practically empty this late at night, especially with pretty much everyone either asleep or at one of the dozens of Halloween parties raging on across the city. Hell, you were just coming from one that Tommy H and Carol had put on and Steve had dragged you to. You’d put up with about two hours of costumed young adults dancing and partying around you before you finally managed to make your escape, the cold autumn air chilling you through the thin spandex of your cheap Spider-Man costume as you wandered down the abandoned streets in the direction of your home.

The normal sounds of the city echoed around you, distant car horns and alley cats rustling through trash and music pouring through the doors of packed clubs. Tall buildings rise on either side of you as you turn down an alleyway that you’ve used as a shortcut a million times, but today you aren’t as vigilant as you normally are, not with the slow buzz of alcohol in your veins and the edges of the eye-holes of the mask limiting your vision. 

That’s probably why you’re so knocked off guard when something slams into you with all the force of a semi-truck, brick fracturing around you as you’re thrown up against the wall of some long-closed business. “Gotcha now, Spider-Man,” a massive fanged maw snarls, wide white eyes narrowing as an alien face looms before you, “And there’s no getting away from me this time.” A huge dark hand curls around your throat, the flesh shifting and flexing and crawling against your skin in a way that was certainly not human. “Today, Spider-Man, you die.”

As it speaks, you realize what must’ve happened. That this creature - Venom if you remembered the headlines of the trashy newspapers correctly - must’ve seen you walking home in your costume and mistaken you for the real hero of Hawkins. With the darkness blurring the poor quality of your suit, you must’ve looked enough like the real deal with your mask on for one of the vigilante’s foes to target you. 

You squirm, trying in vain to get yourself even a fraction of breathing room only for the viscous material of Venom’s hand to follow you, keeping the pressure constant and unyielding. The edge of your vision has started going dark by the time you manage to sputter out a weak, “‘M not him-” you fight for every ragged gasp of air, “Not Spider-Man.”

Venom hesitates at that, grip loosening just enough for breathing to come easier. His head cocks to the side as he examines you, seeming to only now notice the differences between your build and Spider-Man’s - your height, your physique, everything that sets you apart from the hero he had been looking for. His hand moves then, catching against the edge of your mask and tugging it up and off then. Venom’s eyes widen as he sees you without your mask and you can’t quite tell what he is thinking before he drops you, hands flying away from where they’d been touching you as though he’d been burned.

You’re left reeling, chest heaving as you scramble to catch your breath, the towering alien pacing wildly before you. You can catch snippets of conversation, bits of growled words in Venom’s harsh tone met with something quieter, smooth and honeyed and just a little familiar. Eventually you’re able to push yourself back to your feet and you start to edge back down the alley the way you’d come, feet scuffling quietly over gravel and debris. You are almost convinced that you’ll be able to get away before a piece of glass shatters under your shoe and the hulking creature whips around to face you, wide white eyes narrowing to almost slits as he stalks toward you.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Venom snarls, hand jerking forward to grab at you, only to freeze before he could touch you, like he was unable to actually touch you. You watch the oozy substance of his face waver before you, parting and falling away to reveal a face you recognize.

You’d seen Venom’s true face before- in class watching you from across the room. Studying you from the opposing team when your gym class was broken up for basketball. Looking up from his place across from your best friend, fists bruised and bloodied from splitting Steve’s lip and darkening his eyes. Between throngs of drunken and dancing people, alluring blue eyes never faltering from where they met yours, intent and fixated from where he was watching you, lips moving faintly like he was having a conversation you couldn’t hear. And now, as you’re putting together the pieces of Billy Hargrove’s secret identity, you realize that maybe he was. Maybe Venom had known just as much who you were as he had known of his enemy in Spider-Man. 

The look in Billy’s eyes isn’t aggressive though, not the way they were when he looked at Steve or his step-sister Max or when someone talked a bit too loudly about Spider-Man’s heroics. His eyes are soft, warmer than you’ve ever seen them as the inky black murk of Venom retreats back into him and he steps toward you. A hand comes up to cup your face as he guides you up to face him. “Quite the costume choice,” he says, lips twisting up into a way you’d come to recognize as sarcastic. “Had both of us fooled for a minute there.”

You struggle around words for a long moment before you manage to speak, “I won’t tell anyone-” you manage to force out. “That you’re-” You swallow sharply, “I won’t say anything.”

Billy laughs and for a second you’re sure you hear an echo. “I know you won’t darlin’,” he drawls, voice like honey and eyes like oceans. “You wouldn’t believe what V thinks about you, y’know?” He snickers a little, pressing forward into your space and crowding you back against the battered brick wall behind you. “I know what I think about you isn’t always fit for polite conversation, but he takes it to an entirely different level. He’s always trying to tempt me into doing something I shouldn’t- something fun. You want to do something fun?” He hums then, ducking forward to nose against your throat and up under your jaw, and you know you should be struggling, pushing him away and running as fast as your feet can carry you, but there had always been something so alluring about Billy Hargrove and to hear that he’d felt the same about you, that the proverbial devil on his shoulder had been tempting him with thoughts about you- 

Well, it was certainly an interesting revelation.

Your head tips back against the wall behind you as Billy presses closer, kissing and biting at your neck and jawline. You knew you shouldn’t- not after finding out he was a supervillain certainly, but God, the offer is beyond tempting, especially with Billy so eager against you. Almost without your bidding, your hands come up to clutch at his waist, fingers tucking through the belt loops of his jeans to pull him closer. You tell yourself that this doesn’t have to mean anything- that it doesn’t have to come with strings attached even as you feel the loose ends of the rope pulling taught around you, tying you to Billy and to Venom too. You’re sure that Steve will have a lot to say to you later about your choice in men and how you really shouldn’t make out with his alter-ego’s nemesis in dingy alleys, but with Billy’s mouth pressing aching hungry kisses to yours, you can’t really bring yourself to care.

[atlasthegreatest]

- Atlas Masterlist - [Requests are open]

��️Male reader

▫️Female reader

🔲 Gender neutral

🔳 Male/ Female Oc

Avatar: The Legend Of Korra/ The Last Airbender:

Asami Sato:

🔳 - War of Hearts- I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, XI, X , XI

Avatar Korra:

Butterfly Effect

Lin Beifong

Katara

Suyin Beifong

Mako

Bolin

Azula:

▫️Unexpected Shelter

Senna

Kya

Kuvira

Percy Jackson:

Annabeth Chase:

🔲- Strategic Minds and Wild Hearts

Percy Jackson

Jason Grace

Thalia Grace

Piper McLean

Hazel Levesque

Nico DiAngelo

Sally Jackson

Silena Beauregard

Drew Tanaka

Harry Potter :

Hermione Granger

Harry Potter

Narcissa Black

Lily Evans

Daphne Greengrass

Narcissa Black

Ginny Weasley

Fleur Delacour

Penny Haywood :

- Baby Problems

Cassandra Vole:

▪️- Unexpected Surprises

▪️- Tme Wrap: Bizarrely Adventures!

▪️- Beneath the Starlit Tower

Scream:

Sidney Prescott :

▪️ Flight or Figth

Tara Carpenter:

▪️ A Nigth Out

Gale Weathers

Sam Carpenter:

▪️A Nigth to Remember

Fairy Tail:

Erza Scarlet:

🔲- A Taste of Love

Natsu Dragneel

Grey Fullbuster

Lucy Heartfilia :

🔲 - Friends…? Friends.

Mirajane Strauss

Juvia Lockser

Irene Belserion

Attack On Titan:

Mikasa Ackerman:

▫️ Fake It ‘Till You Break It - I

▫️She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not

Eren Yeager

Historia Reiss

Annie Leonheart

Pieck Finger

Jean Kriestean

Sasha Braus

Hange Zoe

Marvel Universe:

Natasha Romanoff:

▫️A Hero’s First Flight

▪️Breaking the Chains

Laura Kinney:

▪️Into the Wild

▪️Into the Void

▪️Tréfre à Quatre Feuilles

Jean Grey:

◾️ Unspoken Truth

Emma Frost

Wanda Maximoff

Maria Hill:

▫️A Hero’s First Flight

▫️ A Trick of the Light

Cindy Moon:

▪️ The Bat, The Spider, and The Mutant

▪️Tréfle à Quatre Feuilles

Gwen Stacy:

▪️ Tangled in the Web

🔲- Through the Webs of the Night

Felicia Hardy

Mary-Jane Watson:

🔲- The Jackpot

Ororo Monroe

DC Universe:

Cassandra Cain:

▪️The Bat, The Spider, and The Mutant

▪️The Super’s Bats

🔲- Silent Glances and Secret Smiles

🔲- Shadows of the Past — Birds of a Feather pt.2 — Weight of Memories pt.3 — Weight of the Past pt.4

▪️Shadows of Grief

🔲- A New Begining

▫️ Quiet Echoes of Love

▫️ Cracks in the Shell

◾️ Trèfle à Quatre Feuilles

Helena Bertinelli:

▫️Under the Spotlight

Barbara Gordon:

▫️- Cards on the Table - Wild Card pt.2

🔲- Late Nights and Love Notes

Dick Grayson:

🔲- Breaking the Ice

Poison Ivy

Kara Zor-El:

▫️The Flight of the Owl

Wonder Woman:

▪️The Wonder and the Guardian of Themyscira

▫️Unseen Bonds

Cassandra Sandsmark

Zatanna Zatara

Talia al Ghul:

▫️Duty and Devotion

▫️ A Not-So-Quiet Visit

◾️ A Dangerous Game

Lady Shiva

Starfire:

▫️Tangled Paths

The Vampire Diaries/ The Originals:

Caroline Forbes:

▪️ Late Night Talking

Katherine Pierce:

🔲- Blood Ties

Rebekah Mikaelson

Hayley Marshal

Bonnie Bennett

Hope Mikaelson:

🔲- Bound by Blood

Davina Clare

Freya Mikaelson

The Witcher:

Cirilla of Cintra

Geralt of Rivia

Yennefer of Vengerberg

Acotar:

Feyre Archeron

Nesta Archeron

Morrigan

Elain Archeron

K-pop/K-drama girls (to add more):

Aespa:

Yu Jimin:

▪️ Where it Begins

Aeri Uchinaga:

🔲- Fractured Lines

Kim Minjeong:

▫️Sweet Beginnings

Ning Yizhou:

▫️Heat of the Moment

Red Velvet:

Bae Joohyun:

▫️ Nobody Knows

Park Sooyoung:

🔲- The Way You Make Me Feel

Ive:

Ahn Yujin:

🔲- Bound by The Distance Between Us

Jang Wonyoung:

▫️Love Game

Twice:

Sana Minatozaki:

🔲- Operation: Sweet Serenade

🔲- A Love Worth Celebrating

Park Jihyo:

🔲- A Winter Surprise

🔲- Unexpectedly Yours

Mina Myoui:

▫️Soundtrack of the Heart

Katseye:

Yoonchae Jeong:

🔲- A Glance Across the Field

Sophia Laforteza:

▫️Twinkling Lights and Crimson Blushes

Daniela Avanzini:

🔲- More Than Pretend

Le Sserafim

Girls Generation

All of us are dead:

Choi Namra:

🔲- A Spark in the Chaos

Doona

Squid Game

Manhwa/comics ( to add more):

Navier Trovi :

- 🔳 Honor me of this dance

Penelope Eckart

Samantha Wilkins/ Atom Eve

Mark Grayson /Invincible

Video game girls ( to add more):

Laura Croft:

🔲- Between Adventures — Beneath the Surface pt.2

▪️ Treasures of the Heart

▪️ A Game of Hearts and Ruins

Jill Valentine:

▪️Through Fire and Ruin Against the Clock pt.2

Haley Carter (Stadew Valley):

🔲- Daylight

Sadie Adler (Red Dead Redemption):

🔲- Kindred Flames

Sam Giddings (Until Dawn)

Kitanna (Mortal Kombat)

Sonya Blade (Mortal Kombat)

Claire Redfield

Ada Wong

TV Shows/ Series (to add more):

Miraculous Ladybug:

Marinette Dupain- Cheng/ Ladybug

Kagami

Chlöe Bourgeois

Arcane/League of Legends:

Caitlyn Kiramman:

▫️The Edge of Loyalty

Mel Merdada:

▪️ Alchemy of Minds

Luxanna (Lux)

KD/A

Got/HotD:

Rhaenyra Targaryen:

◾️ A Union of Ice and Fire

Daenerys Targaryen

Alicent Hightower

Teen Wolf:

Lydia Martin

Kira Yukimura

Allison Argent

Bridgerton:

Daphne Bridgerton

Francesca Bridgerton

Kate Sharma

Fate: The Winx Saga:

Bloom

Stella

Flora

Scooby-Doo: Mysteries S.A:

Daphne Blake

XO, Kitty:

Yuri Han

Kitty

Power Rangers:

Rpm:

▪️Reunion Amid the Chaos

Megaforce/Supermegaforce:

▪️Good’ol Journey

Lego Ninjago:

Nya Smith

Grey’s Anatomy:

Meredith Grey

Christina Yang

Addison Montgomery

Lexie Grey

Naruto ( to add more):

Hinata Hyuga:

▫️Blossoms Between Clouds

Sakura Haruno:

▫️A New Tide

Tsunade Senju:

▫️Quiet Storm

Kushina Uzumaki:

▫️Unbreakble Ties

[yellowmagicalgirl]

YellowMagicalGirl's Femslash February 2025 Wrap-Up

It's the first day of March, and for the first time I have made it through all of Femslash February while having completed every prompt! The vast majority of these fics are drabbles, with five double drabbles, one triple drabble, and a single fic above 500 words. All fics are rated G or T (individual warnings can be found in the tags), and can be found on my tumblr as well. These fics have been formatted as follows:

Title + AO3 Link | Fandom | Ship | Prompt(s) (which could come from either @femslashfeb's or @ministarfruit's prompt lists)

Blood in the Snow | This is How You Lose the Time War | Red/Blue | Frost

Heart Over the Horizon | The Locked Tomb | Griddlehark | Horizon & Heal Me

The Downsides of No Longer Being a Tower Prince | The Locked Tomb | Griddlehark | Fracture

Drive the Monster Far Away From Here | Nimona (movie) | Gloreth/Nimona | Hate Me

Checklist for a Date | Winx Club | Bloom/Stella | Picnic

The Princess's Requisition | Arcane: League of Legends | CaitVi | Bow

One Way of Being Useful | Tales of Arcadia | Ajaire | Hold Me

Vase Acting as a Vessel? | Tales of Arcadia Barbmura | Ghost

Kings and Princesses | First Kill (TV) | Caliette | Coworkers AU

Dear Old Mother, You May Safely Trust My Word | Tales of Arcadia | Barbmura | Trust Me

Her Favorite Shade of Red | The Legend of Vox Machina | Cassleth | Vine

A Letter Sent in Wires and Pollen | This is How You Lose the Time War | Red/Blue | Find Me & Blanket

My Heart Would Only Ever Beat For You | Tales of Arcadia | Barbmura | Pulse

towers falling all around us (we rarely become heroes) | Khyber Shards | Kara/Nisaria | Save Me & Crush

when our memories have begun to ring with boredom | Tales of Arcadia | Marynon | Forget Me

Contains Choking Hazards | Winx Club | Bloom/Stella | Doll

I, Agnes, Take You, the Borg Queen Who Assimilated Me | Star Trek: Picard | Borgnes | Marry Me

Rite of Remembrance | Khyber Shards | Thora/Lonnie | Remember Me

Look on the Light Side | Super Suits | Bonnie/Cole | Glow

Welding Back the Pieces | RWBY | Nuts and Dolts | Puzzle

Bid my blood to run | Tales of Arcadia | Barbmura | Shadow (and also Bring Me To Life if you squint)

A Collective Built on Leather, Crystals, Glass, Pearls, and Jade | Star Trek: Picard | Borgnes | Married

Walking Directly Into My Heart's Trap | Khyber Shards | Kara/Nisara

All Star Heathens | Crossover: The Locked Tomb and Arcane: League of Legends | Gideon Nav/Vi | Understand Me

As the Muse Eats the Pomegranate | First Kill (TV) | Caliette | Myth

Dreams of Two White Dresses | Tales of Arcadia | Clairy | Kids

How Many Decades of Hiding (Stash the Proof, Hide the Evidence) | Winx Club | Blicy | Be There for Me

Body Temperature Restored | The Locked Tomb | Griddlehark | Warmth

And now, because I am a massive nerd who does data science for a living, have some statistics! (Which I'm putting under a cut since this post is already long enough.)

The twenty-eight fics linked above total to 3,952 words. For comparison, I published a little over 39k to AO3 in 2024. February was certainly a rather productive writing month for me.

On average, I wrote 141.1428571 words each day, with a standard deviation of 93.9048585 words. (This does not count words written for other fics). For a daily view of the wordcount and running average, please see the graph below:

If we ignore the rather large outlier that is the Videon fic, we instead get an average wordcount of 125.9259 with a standard deviation of 51.58662 words.

I published to 12 unique fandoms (not counting the crossover). I tagged them in order of which fandom has received the most fics from me. This way, if this post only shows up in certain fandom tags and not others, it's more likely to show up in the tags that received more fics.

The fandom that I wrote the most fics for was the Tales of Arcadia series, while the fandom that I wrote the most words for was The Locked Tomb if we sum both the 500 words dedicated to Griddlehark and the 552 words dedicated to the crossover ship I call Videon. This crossover fic was also the longest fic I wrote for Femslash February.

I did not keep a count of this, so I cannot share the statistics for it, but I'd argue that my most mistyped word this month was femslash. I kept trying to type femsalsh instead.

[ayyyyysexual]

suggestion as someone who knows the Bare Minimum about slay the princess, hear me out:

gempearl au?

I wrote all this ages ago and it was just sat in my drafts for forever so here y'all go:

Oh my god glow dont make me think about this bc ill actually start going feral.

THE LOOPING COULD BE SO INTERESTING WITH GEM'S CANONICAL DIMENSION HOPPING...

Okay. Okay. In depth thoughtd below the cut but it will be both 1. Spoilery 2. Lowkey incomprehensible if you dont know much about the game LMAO

First off, I think Cleo would be the narrator. Why, you ask? Because its MY au and I get to put my blorbos where i want. But if im being fr then its bc she has i think the perfect combo of exhausted britishness, willingness to manipulate and lie, and overall just the Vibe to fit the narrator. Bonus points if they're a fractured version of time witch cleo from WCSMP.

And then... THE VOICES. THIS IS WHAT I IMMEDIATELY SNAG ON. Would the voices be different people, or potentially just alternate versions of Gem? Also yes ive decided gem is the protag and pearl is the princess but thats bc my original knee jerk reaction was "gem is the princess (esmp2 gem was a fave) and pearl is the hero" but then i thought harder and went waittt i love shapeshifter pearl and dimension hopper gem. I can work with that.

Anyway yeah im thinking different people for the voices, but I'd probably give gem her own internal dialogue alongside it bc it'd be less interesting if she was just the vehicle for the plot in this au. I'll probably have her be both the actual 'hero' character and voice of the hero, for simplicity.

The first ones to come to mind are false as the voice of the paranoid, because she is my #1 paranoia rep i love her, and grian as voice of the contrarian bc he fucking would.

Potentially joel as voice of the cheated, or stubborn? If we do bring wcsmp elements in then prismarina would make a great voice of the cheated too LMAO. So, Joel for voice of the stubborn

Scar is Very voice of the opportunist. And obviously the witch is double life pearl. Which is so perfect?? Like goddamn???? Especially bc i love dl sunflower duo. AND THE INTERNAL DIALOGUE VIBE WOULD BE ALMOST LIKE IF GEM AND SCAR WERE ALLIED AGAINST PEARL AT THE END OF SECRET LIFE

Broken is hard to pick a voice for, maybe mumbo? but the tower would Definitely lean into Santa Perla and the farmer god esmp2 stuff. I could see him being like "oh well it would probably be for the best if we just listen to the giant god lady who could crush us, right?"

Hunted... I was unsure for a while but maybe Shrub? Wolf spirit shrub would be rlly fun for that. And ig the beast would be some form of alien s9 pearl? OR we could lean into the more monstery salmon/siren/merfolk s10 pearl stuff

Cold could be Cub, i dont know much about him but he seems very chill and pragmatic enough for me to push to the extreme here

Skeptic... My mind has gone entirely blank for this one... ETHO MAYBE i can see etho for this. I have no idea what pearl version would work for the prisoner though

Smitten....... maybe shelby? Specifically great witch Shelby. Idk i think her whole vibe around katherine could be translated into what we need here. plus i love giving crumbs to yuri rarepairs- OR i could lean into santa perla again here and have it as sausage kinda worshipping an idealised person of the past pearl he loved (though not romantically, to me at least), which could work for a damsel variant?

anyway i dont wanna get Super into the major spoilers for stp so i wont elaborate much further, but goddd im so normal about this concept

[seasnailfish]

everyone wake up it's the gay skeleton and his sickass outfit

[bettathanyou]

The Aftermath Of Being A Hero

Y/N x Cedric, Based on the fanfic "The Master Wand" by @shychick-52

A fanfic of a fanfic, y'all. Based off of @shychick-52 's A03 work, "The Master Wand", AN AMAZING FANFIC IF YOU HAVENT READ IT GO DO IT RIGHT NOW. It's still a work in progress, but after... Certain events, I needed to write something to comfort Cedric cuz my heart hurts too much.

Also, yes, I did spend a stupid amount of time researching 19th century/modern day rib fracture treatment. Also symptoms. For the sake of a fanfic of a fanfic. Sue me!

Anyways enjoy, shout-out to everyone else who read @shychick-52's work and deserves financial compensation.

Warnings: blood mentioned, alluding to injuries, implications of medicinal drug use

The days following Cedric's return back to Enchancia were... A blur, if he's being honest. It still felt surreal that he was back in his tower again, completely untouched from his absence as if it never happened to begin with.

Oh, how Cedric envied it.

Every breath was now a painful reminder of what he endured, and of the vile things he had to do for Sofia's survival. Every shadow felt like a trap waiting to be sprung on the sorcerer, dragging him back in chains that rendered him helpless.

Hell, he can't even look at himself without the evidence of those haunting events written in black and blue bruises across his eye and face.

The entire kingdom hailed him as a hero, again, and the newfound respect Cedric had been given these last few weeks is now "forever immortalized", as King Roland declared.

Cedruc glanced down at the specks of red against his fingers from another coughing fit, grimacing.

Respect was a hell of a price to pay, as he's come to know now.

Not that respect was the main fuel for his actions, anyways. Cedric had long since made peace with dying, if it meant Sofia was safely returned home without a scratch. Truthfully, he couldn't imagine a way to do that without laying down his life, but...

Now Cedric has to deal with the aftermath of being a hero, again, but this time didn't feel nearly as gratifying; if anything, Cedric felt like a fraud.

"...Am I really a hero after doing such awful, terrible things?" Cedric questioned himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. The lingering silence was his only response, of course. Cedric fidgets restlessly, the lack of an answer mirroring the uncertainty stirring in the sorcerer's heart.

Needy for a distraction from his thoughts, along with his broken rib, Cedric takes a drag on his pipe. Each inhale felt like both a blessing and a curse. He knew that smoking with a broken rib wasn't smart, given the breathlessness he's already experienced due to his injuries; but willow bark tea does little to nothing for his pain, and Cedric isn't going to accept whatever brain numbing nonsense, like opium, a doctor would prescribe.

May as well get some relief if I'm damned either way, Cedric thought to himself, shrugging as he takes another hit.

He sputters out the smoke with a fit of short, painful coughs that quickly give rise to wheezing. Cedric's coughing had only gotten worse as he returned home, the restrictive tugging on his chest growing by the day; equally, to the darkening of the bruises and swelling on his left side.

The sorcerer covers his mouth with his sleeve, feeling lightheaded from the struggle to just force oxygen back into his lungs. Tears began to build as he coughed, at first from the physical pain; the stabbing, radiating burn and soft clicking of broken bones felt as if Grimtrix was digging his foot into his side, over and over again.

But what really stole the breath from Cedric's lungs, was the foul tang of his own blood in the back of his throat. The sorcerer can't help but gag; he wasn't squeamish by any means, before the Order. But now, the taste, even the sight of blood was enough to make panic take control of his heart.

Cedric didn't really know when the coughing slowly started to dissolve into weak sobs, but the tears were falling, plip plip plip, as hot and heavy as his own blood from his lips.

His free hand scrambled to hold onto the workshop bench, leaning forward onto it for support until the cough spell faded.

Just as the lanky man was regaining his composure, a knock at his door made Cedric nearly jump out of his skin.

A strangled yelp catches in his throat, and if Cedric wasn't so pissed off at the sudden interruption, he would've been embarrassed by such a noise leaving him.

The sorcerer waves his hand with a soft curse towards the heavy oak door, not having the energy or care to bother greeting whoever it was. Cedric had it made up in his mind that he would just give them what they wanted, then swiftly kick them out again.

He turns to glare at his unwelcome visitor, honestly expecting one of the royal children or a castle staff member.

Before he gets the chance to speak, however, Cedric's mind immediately blanks when his caramel eyes meet yours.

"...I wasn't bothering you too much, I hope?" You offered with a nervous, apologetic smile. Cedric had made it clear that he felt fine enough to resume work like normal, and DIDN'T need any doctor's aid for his injuries, and you wanted to respect his wishes, of course.

Although your own anxiety had won out anyways, which has led you to knocking on the sorcerer's door.

"No, not at all."

Cedric replies with a tight smile, which makes your heart sink.

"I just- wanted to check up on you. I know you said you're fine, but, well... You know me."

You rub the back of your neck as you eye Cedric with a knowing look, which melts his stern face with a tiny smile in reply.

"I'd like to think so, my dear."

He replied back, suppressing the urge to cough as his breath waned. The sorcerer clears his throat, trying to downplay it. You notice how he doesn't really answer

And I know you too, Cedric. You think to yourself after a moment, your eyes leaving his to scan his body properly.

You saw how torn up the sorcerer was when he first returned- despite your pleas to help him, he insisted to be left alone, that he was fine.

Now, you weren't sure if he looked any better or worse since that day.

At least he wasn't covered in so much blood this time.

The dark circles usually under Cedric's eyes have somehow gotten more dark, making it appear like he has two black eyes instead of one. The gash on his forehead has been bandaged, at least, but the linen strips are already beginning to unravel. Your gaze settled over to his hands, wringing in a nervous habit, thick bandages surrounding the base of his knuckles and fingers.

You didn't glean any details from Cedric yet, but you heard enough from the rumors flying about the castle from what Sofia recounted. Cedric got beaten up, bad, and it showed.

I can't imagine what else he's hiding underneath that robe... You think to yourself, swallowing the dread as you step forward and approach Cedric.

The sorcerer watches you with wary eyes as you come closer, not really making a move to embrace you.

You pause for a moment, a tense silence filling the room from a million things left unspoken between you both. You look up at Cedric, eyes searching for... You don't even know, really. Confirmation, that he really is okay?

Or that he actually isn't, because who would be? How could you even begin to console him after such horrors?

You exhale through your nose, but shove your insecurities aside. Your hand rests on Cedric's arm, squeezing it gently. Your palms rub up and down in soothing motions, feeling how tense his body was underneath your touch.

"... Your bandage is starting to come undone." You whisper softly, lifting your hand away from cedric's arm to free the strands of silver hair sticking out from the gauze.

"I know."

The sorcerer sighs wearily, turning to rub his cheek and avoid the concern etched on your face. Cedric felt the dull ache of unshed tears behind his eyes, pent up from the thick wall of his defenses.

"I'll fix it later- you don't have to worry, darling." Cedric mutters, inhaling sharply in pain as another chunk of hair was unraveled from the loose linen wrappings. He squeezed his injured hand shut, resisting the urge to flinch and make his discomfort be known.

You frown in turn, exhaling softly in slight exasperation.

"I'm already worried, Cedric."

Bits of dried blood still clumped at the ends of his hair, the white locks stained a rust color. It was evident that the bandages were made in haste, and haven't been properly looked after since. You knew Cedric was a perfectionist to a fault, and the feeling of loose cloth rubbing against his forehead would've surely made him go crazy by now.

Something was definitely wrong here; your gut was right. Cedric wasn't taking care of himself at all- instead opting to isolate in his tower, until he can properly mask his own emotional disarray from others.

Cedric shrivels under your piercing gaze, knowing that the effort to pretend to be okay was ultimately fruitless. Yet he still does it, like a bad habit he still can't quite shake off. Guilt begins to gnaw at him, and he shifts in place restlessly.

You grab his hand, seeing his anxiety and offering him relief through your touch. Cedric intertwines your fingers together, his thumb caressing yours. The silence wasn't so dense, now.

If felt opposite, in fact- fragile, like one word would shatter the sorcerer into a million tiny pieces.

He takes in another painful breath.

You hear the slight wheeze in his following exhale, and it pricks your heart. Gently kissing his unbandaged fingertips, you try to impart love and care into his skin, to show that you're here, with him, and he can trust you.

"We need to change those bandages together... alright?"

Your gaze lifted upward towards the sorcerer, desperation and love swirling together alongside the welling tears in your eyes.

Cedric swallows, hard, trying to keep up the facade of composure. As if there was any more room within himself to stuff down the tears, or the lingering sense of doom and panic that keeps him up at night, or the inevitable feeling of his soul cracking and splitting in half, much like the broken rib lying in his chest.

Which is why, with only a quiet sob, Cedric says, "I know."

________

You gather the remaining ingredients and supplies necessary from Cedric's workshop into your arms before dutifully walking back to the washroom. Cedric was sitting on the floor, the cold tile pressing into his thighs grounding him still to reality. He heart was racing, the fear of your reaction making him almost regret agreeing to this at all.

But seeing you round the corner, supplies in tow with your arms barely balancing it all made a smile creep along his cheeks.

You huff, placing everything down haphazardly on the edge of the sink. Bandages, tinctures, a wound salve Cedric uses for everyday accidents, scissors, alcohol, a couple rags, and a small bucket were amongst the lineup of things you had prepped.

"Spared no expense, I see..." Cedric commented, trying to crack a joke to keep his fear in check.

You smile to yourself, then turn to Cedric.

"For you? Always."

That got Cedric to genuinely smile, his previous fear transforming into soft butterflies in his stomach.

After washing your hands thoroughly, You kneel down in front of him, scissors in your hand.

"I'm going to cut away the old wrappings first, okay?" You lightly touch Cedric's cheek, and he responds by giving your hand a quick kiss, followed by a nod.

You get to work cutting through the loose linen, your heart racing by the second as the cloth gets more stained with the rusty color of dried blood.

Carefully peeling away the old bandage from his forehead, you gasp at the clotted blood and hair sticking to the gash, a semblance of a scab forming at the edges. The skin around it was smeared with blackish brown blood, mixing with the bruises lingering on his brow.

"Cedric..." You whispered in anguish, your face falling.

The sorcerer hangs his head, and you tear your eyes away from the injury to grab a rag, dipping it into the warm water gathered in the bucket you brought in.

You wipe the mess on his forehead clean, Cedric wincing underneath you. The sound breaks your heart of course, but you knew you had to keep going. The wound could've easily gotten infected by now, and the idea of letting that happen to him made you angry- at him, for not letting you help in the first place; then, yourself, for not acting sooner regardless.

But that anger doesn't hold a candle to rage you felt towards the people responsible for this.

"...Are you alright, dear?" Cedric asks in a small voice, his finger touching your arm as it works on his head.

You sigh, heart breaking. Of course this sweet man would ask- always concerned about the needs and emotions of others around him, even with his head split open.

"I should be asking you that-," you reply, frustration seeping into your words more than you liked. You feel Cedric's sad eyes burn into you, not knowing how to reply.

You turn away, unable to bear those brown eyes that make your heart ache.

"I'm fine, love. Really, I... I just." You stop, unable to find the words to say that could explain yourself. You sigh loudly, leaving your sentence hanging midair as you turn to the sink to change the subject. This wasn't supposed to be about you, anyways.

"I don't know what to put on your gash... I kinda just grabbed stuff." You muttered, gesturing to the bottles you've seen Cedric grab a few times when accidents injured him.

Cedric doesn't even lift his head as he replies, "The yellow jar- with the mismatched lid."

You grab it, returning to his side. Cedric stares at the lid that squeaks in the way that always annoyed him, because he lost the damn lid due to an explosion, while patching up another, different injury.

He feels the familiar ointment be pressed into his skin, and a pained groan leaves him at the biting sting of it. Cedric leans further into the wall, and you cringe apologetically.

"I'm sorry- should I stop?"

"No, no- just, make it quick, please." He says through gritted teeth, and you quickly cover the rest. Grabbing the rag, you clean the dried bits of blood out of his silver bangs, until they get back to their soft white-grey color.

He exhales in a sigh of relief, but that triggered a coughing fit as his bones creaked in protest. He doubles over, the wheezing taking hold as his entire frame shakes with the force of his coughing.

"Cedric-?!" You cried in concern, staring helplessly as the sorcerer continued to struggle to inhale. The pain stabbing in his lung felt like his side was on fire, and his hands scrambled to grab the rag on the floor to cough into- tasting the metallic tang already climbing up his throat.

You see the blotches of red staining the cloth, the air in your lungs stolen.

"Cedric..? You-"

"I know, it's bad." He grimaced, cutting you off as he groaned.

Seeing your skin blanch, he's quick to console you.

"It can't be helped- broken ribs sort of do that, I suppose!" His voice cracked like his rib as he forced out a laugh, hoping you would crack a smile.

You didn't.

"If you knew it was bad, why did you say you were fine! You can't just hide a broken bone from me, Cedric!" Your voice hardens, brow furrowed deeply as your gaze holds on the fresh red specks on the rag.

"....I know- I'm sorry, (y/n)." Cedric shoulders droop, his arm cradling his inflamed side as well as his wounded heart. The guilt cut clean through him, and there was nowhere to hide from your piercing eyes that always stripped him down to his most vulnerable.

Cedric cuts through the silence first, tracing the grout between the tiles of the washroom floor.

"I know I should've said something. I know I should've- asked for help..." Cedric sighs, painfully.

"I just... I couldn't. I couldn't keep looking at it- the bruises, the cuts, the- the blood..." Each word makes the sorcerer tremble further, cringing at the rag in his hand. Another piece of evidence damning him to that same night, where he was beaten half to death.

"Everything since that day has reminded me of it, somehow. I just- I don't know, I didn't want to see you, or anyone else, to see me like this. Broken."

Your frown deepens, then your eyes, soften as you process what Cedric said. Your own tears start to form, and you regret snapping on the man. He was already hurting enough, and now instead of helping, you were making it worse.

"Or, having to see the way you're looking at me right now." Cedric added, lifting your chin away from the rag, your eyes crashing into his sweet caramel brown irises.

You hold each other's stare, until you break the silence next.

"How am I looking at you, Cedric?" You ask, voice soft and apologetic. You trace the curves of his cheeks with your hands.

"Like you blame yourself..." Cedric replies in a melancholy tone, his sad eyes locking with yours.

You swallow the urge to apologize on instinct, but a small "I'm sorry," leaves you anyways, turning your face away to take your eyes off him.

"Don't apologize, (y/n)." Cedric catches your face in his hands, turning you back to him.

"I thought I wanted things to just go back to normal- you know. Before, everything happened..." Cedric's eyes darken, but he presses on.

"But it seems like no matter how much I want to avoid it, I can't. Don't have much choice, really." His flicker down to the bloodied rag, damning him once again.

Your eyes track his, biting your lip in a concerned pout.

"You don't have to do it alone." You offer gently, resting your hands on his shoulders, giving it an encouraging squeeze.

Cedric smiles, grasping your hands in his and squeezing them back.

"I know; I'm sor-"

Cedric gasps as his sentence is swiftly cut off by your warm lips. He melts into the kiss, his hands cupping your face. For a brief moment, it was like all the pain and tension bound to his body faded with each brush of your lips together. Cedric can't find the strength to pull away, needing every passing second to last longer.

You feel him finally relax, and you kiss him a few seconds longer before you have to part for air.

Cedric cough slightly trying to catch his breath, the pain making him flinch a little while he hugs his side.

You noticed, playing with the seams of his robe.

"Let me see?" You coaxed nervously.

"It's not pretty, darling..." He replies with a sigh.

"It's you, so that's clearly not true." You retort without missing a beat.

That got Cedric to relax a little, a small smile spreading across his cheeks.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Cedric smirks, but his eyes still are wary.

You kiss his cheek, shrugging off his robe.

"Don't worry about it. I'm here to help." You reassured him, stripping him down slowly and apologizing every time he winced from the crack of his ribs.

Shirtless, you lift Cedric's arm out of the way. You can't stop the gasp of shock that leaves your mouth; purple and green splotches lined up Cedric's side, as well as in clusters all over his chest and arms. It makes your eyes sting, and your heart prick, looking at the extent of the damage.

"Oh, Cedric..." You breathed out, your hands barely brush against his bare skin, afraid to even touch him.

"Told you so." He replied, chuckling awkwardly.

"...I'm not going anywhere. We need to ice this." You speak firmly, steeling yourself to treat Cedric further.

"Allow me, then." Cedric straightens up slightly, eager to flaunt his magic. He mumbles the magic words, an ice pack manifesting in your hand.

"...Thank you, love." You reply, pressing the cold pack against Cedric's angry looking bruises.

Cedric groans instantly from the contact, and you aren't sure if it's in pain or relief. His body seizes up a bit, and before you can pull the ice away from him, he rests his gloved hand on your arm.

"I should be telling you that..." Cedric mused, rubbing soft circles into the crook of your elbow.

"You don't need to. It's what I want to do- by making sure you're okay."

You smile, kissing the tip of Cedric's nose.

"...I will be, as long as I'm with you." Cedric sighs, feeling content for the first time since he returned to Enchancia.

He pulls you into his lap, then shortly into another kiss. It was sweet, and soft, and perfect.

"I think I feel better already, love." Cedric eyes you with a flirty smile, and you laugh, a sound that lights Cedric up from the inside out.

Yeah.

He was going to be alright.

[tgrailwar-zero]

You agreed to go speak with the King of Heroes.

PTOLEMY: "…Well, I wish you the best of luck. I need to finalize my own attack plans for tomorrow's assault. Hopefully, come a few days from now, this issue with Charlemagne will only exist within the records of the Solar Cell as a minor inconvenience."

ANDERSEN: "Hopefully. Now I'm going to rest. Never call me out here this late ever again, Pharaoh, lest I send a complaint to HR."

The KEEPER and the ARCHIVIST took their leave. With them gone, the PHARAOH turned to her two guards.

CLEOPATRA: "Izou, get going. I won't tell you to be safe, not with the type of work you do. But I want a full report when you return."

IZOU: "You're a real piece of work, Pharaoh. Yeah, yeah. I'll bring you the king's head and a stack of paperwork with it."

CLEOPATRA: "And Duryodhana… I'm expecting a lot from you. Don't let me or the people of the Solar Cell down."

DURYODHANA: "I wasn't planning on it, Pharaoh Cleopatra. Sit on your throne and remain as beautiful and glimmering as ever, as Yours Truly saves the Solar Cell in your radiant name."

Her expression softened, just a bit, before she cleared her throat and regained her poise.

CLEOPATRA: "You two… ugh, just get to work! I'll make sure you have a celebratory party and a raise when you return, so come back soon!"

The two warriors nodded as they left.

…It seemed like you should leave to prepare as well.

You returned to your hotel room, with your group-- all of them-- present. CONSTANTINE sat up as you returned, the rest of the Servants acknowledging your arrival.

NERO: "And so you return. Welcome back."

CONSTANTINE: "Ruler already gave us an update on the situation."

CONSTANTINE: "You had arrived for peace talks with Charlemagne, and while you all were unaware, the Assassins struck. They landed a mortal wound on Emperor Charlemagne, but they didn't account for the fact that he had crafted an Alter-Ego out of one of his Paladins, in which he entrusted the remainder of his Saint Graph data to. The newly resurrected Charlemagne, calling himself Carolus Magnus, assumed that the Assassins were working in tandem with the Administration, rather than at the behest of a third party. With this misunderstanding in hand, the Paladins withdrew and pushed forward their war plans, meaning that the conflict will begin tomorrow morning as opposed to several days from now. You attempted to dispatch the Assassins before they could cause any more harm, but they managed to slip away with minimal losses."

KUKULKAN: "…"

GIUSEPPE: "…"

SALIERI: "This is good. The Red Saber needed to be humbled. He's down a Paladin, and he is going against the might of the Solar Cell, as well as us. He is fighting a losing battle."

MUSASHI: "We finished talking with the Pharaoh. In the morning, they're waging an assault on two fronts against Charlemagne. Meanwhile, we've been saddled with finding the King of Heroes."

NERO: "The King of Heroes… Gilgamesh, you mean?"

GIUSEPPE: "Mankind's Oldest Hero… such a man was here this entire time? I never noticed… which seems odd. I'm not arrogant enough to say my information gathering is flawless, but I doubt that I could have missed someone like the King of Heroes."

CONSTANTINE: "Perhaps he's simply concealing himself?"

NERO: "…I doubt that. Even with my fractured memories… That conceited king… he'd have a monument to himself towering high enough for every person within the Solar Cell to see before he decided to hide. There's something else at play here. We'll just have to find out once we get there."

KUKULKAN: "From our discussion, it seems that he'll be difficult… but if we can even convince him to give us one item from his treasury, it could be all the difference."

CONSTANTINE: "Very well. We'll leave at daybreak."

SALIERI: "Hmph. While I'd rather take Charlemagne's head myself, I suppose I can handle a detour if it proves to forge a path forward."

CONSTANTINE: "I'll chart out a course. Masters, you should get some rest. We'll be on the road for about two days, and who knows what we'll find. You should rest too, Saber. You've worked really hard today, handling that massive Attack Program."

NERO: "Ah! I nearly forgot! You were absolutely splendid, Saber! You and our Ensemble! Certainly, you've put my Mystic Code to good use. I'm very pleased!"

MUSASHI: "Thanks! Honestly, without the Masters, I probably would have struggled a ton. Oh, and that Admiral lady too! She said she was going to have drinks… maybe I could…?"

CONSTANTINE: "Rest, Saber."

MUSASHI: "Okay, dad."

KUKULKAN: "Right, when the sun rises, we begin our journey to see the King of Heroes!"

A loud cheer erupted from your Servants before they all broke away to handle their own preparations. It seemed like the next leg of your journey was about to begin...

[the-mic-drop]

Zelink gets Isekaied into BG3 Pt9: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!

Zelda- High Elf Draconic Lineage Sorcerer

Link- Half Wood Elf Champion Fighter

So far: With the Goblin leaders defeated and the Ogres running roughshod over the camp, the party warps back to the Emerald Grove.

The party returns to the Emerald Grove and refuses the payment from Zevlor (much to Astarion's chagrin) and agrees to host a party at their camp after they meet with Halsin.

Zelink, Wyll, and Gale go to check in with the Druids while the rest of the crew either help the Tieflings pack or prepare the camp for the party.

They walk in on Halsin reading Kahga the riot act. Halsin pledges to discuss their next steps after the party that evening. After Zelda collects their reward, it's party time!

Link and Zelda dance together to Alfira's music.

Lae'zel gives Link her "how I long to taste you" spiel, but admits Zelda is a better match for him, despite her comparative weakness. Link might have taken issue with her calling Zelda weak, but he's reeling from the most intense flirtation he received since the Great Fairies.

Link goes to ask Halsin some fairy-related questions.

Zelda takes a moment to talk to Gale and asks him why he's buried himself in books and notes instead of enjoying himself. He's too fascinated by the Triforce power Zelda exhibited earlier that day.

"My options are to either research this, or talk somebody's ear off about this until they beat me senseless. I'm saving myself a concussion and my prospective assailant a hairline fracture."

Gale tells her how her Golden Power is like a Weave unto itself. Like the Shadow Weave, but concentrated and... light. He'd been intimate with the goddess of magic, but feeling the power Zelda, a pretty tame avatar of a different goddess, was... different. It's giving him... blasphemous thoughts.

After a brief misunderstanding, Gale tells Zelda how incredibly proud of her he his and how blessed he is to have her with him on this journey. They share a hug and Gale joins Zelda's Hall of Dads.

Link finds Wyll at the riverbank lamenting his new, demonic form and his kidnapped father. Link sympathizes, noting how he had his memories, his home, his future, and his arm taken from him at one time or another by the Calamity and/or Ganondorf. The Blade of Frontiers and Hero of the Wild share a silent moment of melancholy over the strife of the path of the hero. Though they find some comfort in how they do not travel it alone.

The next morning, Halsin explains Moonrise Towers, the Shadow Curse (kind of,) and the potential routes to get there. He also pledges to travel with the group to Moonrise.

After some discussion, the group decides to start by going through the Mountain Pass, mostly since the Creche is most likely in that direction.

[onesentencemusings]

Disney Mirrorverse Sequel Concept/Story

Opening/Tutorial:

Jafar, in search of the Fractured Mirror, finds himself in a new 'Inbetween-verse' : a small "shallow" alternative universe which Jafar likens to a dimensional dumping ground rather than a whole functioning world. This verse features an endless sea of sand where dunes rise and fall like waves in slow motion and land masses like cliffs and plateaus float about freely like driftwood.

As Jafar crosses the Sand Sea, he is delighted to find Fractured minions, proving he is on the right path. He beats common low-level Fractured easily (introducing the fighting mechanics) and even manages to defeat an Elite minion, although he starts reconsidering journeying alone as he's beginning to tire.

At the top of the floating plateau he fought his way up, Jafar finds a new character Fractured, one carrying a staff quite similar to his own but otherwise not resembling him. More interestingly this Fractures' cracks seem 'patched up' with gold energy. Someone, most likely the person this Fractured is a reflection of, enhanced this creature personally.

Despite his own exceptional power, Jafar can't beat the creation. Enemy reinforcements gather and the new Fractured commands the minions to seize Jafar to be brought to their master. Realizing the Fractured's master must have the Mirror, Jafar pretends to be knocked out and lets himself be carried off by the Fractured's flying ship.

Post-Tutorial/Unlocking Modes:

Back at the Stellar Mirror, Aladdin and Jasmine alert Mickey that no one's been able to find Jafar all day and "knowing him, that can only mean he's up to something". Mickey is reluctant to assume the worst, "Everyone deserves time to themselves" but admits he believes he's started sensing fractured energy from a newly opened portal in the Mirrorforge Crater.

Aladdin volunteers to investigate and Mickey promises to send more Guardians to help when they report for duty. As Aladdin follows the small, wandering Fractured forces seemingly lost in the mostly empty desert world, he is joined by Sulley and Maleficent (as team slots are unlocked).

The team finds a watch tower on a massive stone pillar that's teeming with Fractured (unlocking the Tower challenges). On the way up, they find a supply room, which Maleficent points out is odd because Fractured don't need food or water. Aladdin realizes the supplies mean the Fractured are working for real people or, Maleficent counters, people are working for the Fractured. Sulley states no one would be dumb enough to try to be on the side of something so obviously evil, and Maleficent says he'd be surprised how low people go just to stay on the winning side.

The team eventually gets to the top to find a farm of sorts, more evidence some group is working closely with the Fractured, as well as a dock with a flying ship. They fight their way onboard and find a magic map in the captain's quarters that displays nearby drifting islands in real time, some of which are labeled. Aladdin believes there could be Fractured strongholds all over this verse and Maleficent believes the strongholds should be the guardian's priority in order to weaken enemy supply chains. (This opens up the supply for the gold/motes for grinding)

The enemy ship with Jafar docks in a massive canyon flourishing with plants, food and water in an otherwise almost completely barren universe. While still pretending to be knocked out, Jafar spies on the locals: other powerful people from various alternative worlds that got lost on the way to protect the Stellar Mirror and wound up in the Sand Sea instead; the Lost Heroes. (Gameplay showing this is angled by the new character's training to fight against allied Fractured commanded to hold back)

Main Game:

Jafar is dragged to a cave in the highest ridge of the canyon and finds an alternate of Iago and Yzma loudly arguing over what to do: Iago demanding that the locals be taxed so he can get money (to "Start/stimulate the economy") and Yzma saying the people need to respect authority and thus the canyon walls should be carved to look like her face.

There, in the back of the room is the Fractured Mirror, held in place by some great stand/machinery that seems to be dispersing or stabilizing it's dark energy. The commanding Fractured uses the machine to create a portal, through which comes the Original that the commanding Fractured reflects.

Yzma and Iago quickly stop fighting and pretend they were having a calm discussion about supply chains. The Original tells Jafar to stop pretending he's unconscious and when she gets no response, she takes Jafar's magic snake talismans which makes Jafar react angrily.

The Original introduces herself as the leader of Crossroad Canyon, the only true safe haven of the Sand Sea. When Jafar questions the woman's familiarity with him, she answers that she has endured "his sweetest nothings and cruelest venoms, his gentlest touches and his harshest blows" but states it was a lifetime ago and she doesn't expect some 'second-rate alternate' to care for her. The Original then commands the Fractured to lock Jafar up but not destroy his magic equipment "just to see how he compares to the Jafar I know".

More and more guardians join up on the stolen flying ship with the magic map, traveling to different landmasses that seem like small chunks of other worlds just dropped into the middle of nowhere now swarmed with Fractured (making the excuse for reusing areas for new events and chapters). Every so often they run into Lost Heroes that sees the guardians as trying to destroy their livelihood and fight them as Bosses. Some run after being beaten and some join after learning the Guardian's true intentions.

The Guardians learn from the defectors about the leader of the canyon, Nomad, that commands the Fractured Mirror and even how she's started empowering the Fractured into becoming 'Kintsugi', hardier and more intelligent versions of Fractured 'repaired' by Nomad's own magic.

Different defectors paint different pictures of Nomad. Some say she's a wonderful person that hopes to use the Kintsugi technique she's honing to eventually repair the Fractured Mirror and ease the tide of darkness it creates. Others state reservations about how dearly she clings to such a dark power and note she seems obsessed with finding new sources of magic despite being the most powerful magic user in the verse.

In the end, only the player can decide if she's good or bad.

End Game:

The Guardians reach Crossroad Canyon and find Jafar in disguise as a common civilian. He escaped his cell but didn't return to the Guardians because he refused to abandon the Fractured Mirror. Jasmine says Jafar's hunger for power is why he lost the first time and he'll lose the next time if he doesn't care about anything else. Jafar rejects the idea but asks the Guardians to get his magic items so he can join the fight again.

Going into Nomad's private areas sets off Fractured groups that eventually get the attention of Nomad herself. She isn't surprised Jafar sent others to do his dirty work but is outraged that outsiders are invading her land and calls on the Mirror for more Fractured.

More fighting. Guardians try to convince Nomad the Mirror is too dangerous but Nomad refuses to believe it. She states she'd been able to control the Mirror just fine before the Guardians showed up.

Jafar is finally re-powered and joins to fight Nomad personally to repay her for the humiliation of imprisoning him. Nomad laughs Jafar off, saying she's not surprised he's 'hiding' behind people since 'the last Jafar couldn't beat me on his own either'. This angers Jafar and he chases after Nomad, leaving the others to fight a rising tide of Fractured alone.

Eventually the fighting leads to the Mirror Chamber, where Jafar and the Guardians find Nomad draining the power of the Mirror into her staff. Nomad claims the Guardians aren't heroes for attacking her and she worked too hard for too long to give up her self-made paradise just because people that don't live there don't like how she did it.

The Guardians try to de-escalate, saying the Mirror is dangerous and evil but Nomad refuses to give it up, claiming she needs its power to feed 'him'. Jafar refuses to be ignored by Nomad anymore just because she managed to beat some lesser version of himself. The Nomad's staff surges with power and the woman declares if Jafar thinks so lowly of his predecessor, he should tell "him" himself.

Nomad slams her staff down and passes out in a wave of energy. From the snake staff's mouth comes out a massive hulking red genie, Nomad's version of Jafar. In an blind rage, Genie Jafar screams that he will devour everyone for the Stellar Magic within them.

There's multiple rounds of fighting Genie Jafar with different restrictions but eventually all the Guardians working together wear Genie Jafar down enough that he retreats back to the Mirror Chamber to try and drain more magic. One more high difficulty fight and Genie Jafar collapses. The Mirror shakes and glitches about before vanishing, taking the mechanical stand it was bolted into, and all the Fractured it made, with it.

Nomad wakes up as Genie Jafar pathetically begs the Guardians for magic energy, saying he's starving. She mocks him, saying his hungry for power is why neither of them get to have nice things before pulling the genie back into her staff.

Nomad tells the Guardians she hopes they can forgive her for what just happened because she's joining them in hunting down the mirror. Without being able to drain power from the Mirror itself anymore, fighting endless Fractured will be the only way to keep 'her pet' satisfied.

--

End

---------------

Author Note: I never cared much for the gameplay of Mirrorverse but I adored its world, characters and concepts. Famous characters in remixed or remade versions of themselves is something I've always adored. New takes and interpretations just make my mind flood with possibilities and inspiration.

In addition to this, I have a handful of ideas for characters as well that I intend to jot out and post while I truck along on other projects I got going on.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day!