#trying not to push too much of it into this space but. yknow

[thedeafprophet]

When the mental eels so strong u can't even find it in yourself to think about toxic possessive blorbos 😔

[bainutwater85]

can i get nsfw headcanons about any naruto characters? your choice !!

characters: gaara, kiba, kakashi, shikamaru

cw: cum, anal, vibrators, dick sizes, fem reader with fem parts

a/n: hope u enjoy! also i’m writing for them during the time naruto and hinata got married (?) i know they were like 19-23 or 24

GAARA !

when you two are alone: he likes when you lay on him n he rubs your back inching his way down to you ass, rubbing it and kneading it in his hands.

twerk on this man, give him a lap dance i swear to god he won’t be disappointed by anything you shake. his eyes will be wide and he’ll have the biggest smile on his face, if y’all are drunk and doing this then you’ll definitely be fucking wherever you are at. Most likely will come in his pants..

his balls are tight and full, not big but average size for his age. Loves when you just lay next to him and invade his space then slipping a hand in his pants to massage his balls; especially when he’s cramping there to.

he’s not much of a sex guy but definitely prefers dry humping over the real dick in the ass thing, if yknow what i mean. you 2 just get the grind on..slow and sensual. & by dry humping— he’s not humping you like a wild animal, just dragging his boner across your leg/thigh. You do the same..just without ur panties (^_^)

Don’t get me wrong..he’ll have sex and release his load in you or on you a few times— he just has a..in between sex drive (?) basically: sex isn’t always on his mind unless you propose to it and if he’s having a rough day (which is almost everyday & barely resorts to sex to get relaxed) anywayss. With that being said i really feel like he likes to take sex slow so your foreplay will last about 15-20 mins and another 20 while he’s kissing every crack and creavice of your body.

⤴︎ i also feel like he’s big into role play. Like yes, i’ll be the princess and you’ll be the evil big bad wizard that needs my love and touch. Or yes you can be the UPS guy and i can be the mom of 2 college and highschool kids during the summer waiting for my dildo to arrive because me and my husband divorced a few months ago

he don’t lick pussy he SUCKS pussy. he don’t give you fast kitten licks he will head straight for the clit and suck on it like a pacifier and rub it when he’s done.

his cum has an easy flow and isn’t too thick but he spurts out a lot. Also average size with an average girth, 6.4 inches at best🙌🏾

KIBA !

biggg ash, GIRTH && LENGTH WISE. i’d say 6.6 at least. n he lovesss it when you whine and tell him it don’t or won’t fit & try to push him back a bit by his abdomen or run. just for him to grab you by the hips/waist and start pounding into you

unlike gaara he will dive in and lick your pussy clean. sorry not sorry, he has no pussy eating technique and does what he saw a man do on a porno he seen when he 12 years old. yeahhhp

why fuck one hole when you can fuck 3? we all say in usion. He’s an anal god & prefers the butthole than the vagina or mouth.

speaking of mouth..he likes a little teeth on his cock, not a lot tho😗 cause it “tickles” he says.

Guys..he does not have breeder balls..i’m sorry :(. They aren’t small they just aren’t as big but they don’t sag either..they’re TIGHT. tight like if he was to go soft rn his ball sacks would be a futon for his penis

also has bad ball cramps and whines so much when you can’t or won’t help him with it. But “its fine” he says, just don’t beg for any dick post- shark week 😒. && to top it all off he is a MASTER MASTURBATER. when he got with you he stopped watching porn and used his imagination with you being the the source of material.

sleeps bare butt ass naked with his balls all out jus free ballin like we’re in the paleoithic age💀

ass eater ass eaterr. he don’t care if you ain’t shower this morning he wants to go in and down. He’s a free and wild man when it comes to sex, LITERALLY.

whines the most and hates to admit it but he just can’t help how tight you are. Like you wrap around him just right and it makes him come on the spot sometimes

they don’t mind a bush or fuzzy peach. But kiba is the one to cry when you shave or get a wax down there 😗 the others don’t mind if it’s hairy, a little hair never hurt them and plus “we grown” kakashi, kiba and SHIKAMARU say in harmony 😭

+ all of the character listed above

KAKASHI !

always and i mean alwaysss has to have a hand on your ass and tits. it’s not even in a horny or sexual way— he just wants to squeeze and feel the squish of your body. Unknowingly massages them to and you don’t even point it out, then he’s moving his hand looking down at your nipple like “why is it hard?” man you just gave top tier massage that could clear migraines and cramps.

his dick is big and he knows ittt. Sitting on his lap is enough for his dick to go in ‘up mode’ he will nottt back down or let YOU back down when you tease him and try to leave him by hiself with a hardon, no ma’am..you’re gonna finish what you started.

never fully gets naked when you two are having sex. his shirt is off, pants down and his dick coming out the deisgined hole of his boxers. Your bra over your tits and panties pulled to the side.

he lives in the country and rural era of konoha so yes you suck his dick and he eats you out on his back patio, what about it?

doesn’t want you having any dildos, he doesnt know why it makes him so upset you need a FAKE cock to make you cum when you have him. The only sex toys he’ll allow is a vibrator and butt plug. Speaking of vibrators, he so fascinated by the way your plump pussy lips move when you use it😫

preps you all the time, you two could’ve been fucking since the day you got together, he’s still gonna prep you either way cause mans is BIG. he’s more of a shower than grower tho 😗

6.7in when soft and 7inch hard. His girth isn’t wide..it’s more on the skinny side but he reaches places better with the size and length. Once you cried so hard and almost reached your breaking point when his thrust kept getting deeper and slower cause he was hitting the entrance to your cervix and lord was it painful yet pleasing at once.

his balls are average but they sag, not low but they got some weight to em on the inside 😭

SHIKAMARU !

wants to makes movies with you and has made movies with you. But it’s premium tho so only you and him only see it.

always and i mean alwayssss has a hand in your panties or on your thigh. You two would be chillin in the living room, the floor or in the bed (most of the times the bed) and he’ll just sneak his through and just rub your clit. he doesn’t finger you just rubs you slowly, occupied with his phone and your pussy while he’s just strolling through social media and getting you off all at once.

fav position is most likely doggystyle. Why? because if you both are getting your freak on and wanting to watch something..you can do both.

lazy sex..need i say more? he’s got you laying on top of him with his dick barely all the way inside you and giving half ass thrusts while you both are half away and naked at the crack of morning

hates pulling out, says it ruins the good feeling when you’re about to cum. Naw sweetie he just wants to be a dad of a cheerleading team. He might wanna be one and done or 2 kids but the way he cums inside of you..😗 it says otherwise. he doesn’t even pull out till you guys wake up, and if he did so you can go pee and get it out your system— he’s gonna ease way back in and go to bed like that 😭

another sagger and shower but not a grower. He’s average, length and girth. 6.6 hard and 6.6 soft. It’s just limpy yknow?.

also sleeps naked well semi-naked. but you? oh he makes you strip down to your socks and earrings. he wants you skinned down to the toess. He only sleeps in a bare of boxers and time out time he uses rhat as his advantage. won’t even take them off to pull his dick out. he either slips it through the hole of his pants or over the hem of the boxers. Somtimes doesn’t even take it out himself and gets you to do it by grinding it agaisnt you or pulling you closer to it.

cums a lot and cums whenever and wherever tbh. on your face in your mouth, wipes it off for you tho. One thing he lovessss to do is slap his tip on your lips or cheeks he just loves slapping his cock all over your face anyways

[ohbo-ohno]

I’m feral and need more of your a/b/o thoughts. Like I need to know your thoughts on alpha!141 snatching omega reader to keep for themselves

yknow i was gonna say that i haven't touched abo in forever, but then i remembered the gaz thing i just posted the other day lmao

(btw i wrote alpha 141 here but i think abo poly 141 would have alphas price/ghost and betas soap/gaz. probably. maybe. idfk.)

cw for noncon and kidnapping below the cut

i find poly 141 x reader really difficult to write outside of porn, since there's already so many interesting dynamics in regular poly 141. i have a hard time adding in a FIFTH element, yk? especially when that fifth element has to be a reader insert instead of some sorta OC or smth

anyway, i think the best dark poly 141 x reader idea is basically reader being used as a sex toy for the guys. like, she's there for them to relieve their stress in. but in an abo au i could totally see them using her as an element of softness in their lives. with 4 alphas in one home, you need an omega to soften things up a bit

and there you are. soft and sweet and small (compared to them at least) and just so perfect. you're the unlucky bastard who happens to smell appealing to all of them, and you're whisked away before you really even know it

they'd have to be sneaky, probably. you'd have a positive reaction to their scents too, so maybe johnny or gaz gets you to go on a date with one or both of them and then kidnaps you. maybe price or ghost just grabs you one day. something like that, i think, but there's much higher angst potential is kyle and/or johnny lulls you into a false sense of security first (and you know i love a good betrayal)

they'd push and prod at your instincts to force you into a heat before anything else. lock you in their den (soon to be their nest) and surround you in their scents, make low purrs to convince your instincts that you're safe

and as terrified as you are - and oh boy, are you - there's only so much you can actually fight your instincts. lets say you're either not on heat blockers, or maybe the blockers are weak, but for whatever reason you're very susceptible to all of their little pushes

they've got you knotted and mated by the end of the week

it's odd, coming up from that heat. your neck aches all the way around, to the point that it's painful to even turn your head. despite the unfamiliar room, your brain screams at you that you're safe, that you're in your nest.

it doesn't take long to put together the pieces. it also doesn't take long to become very very upset

thing is, it's too late to do anything now. you can't break a bond, and they're not giving you any opportunities to get away. you're stuck with these alphas who have performed the greatest invasion possible on your body and soul. it's crushing

cue lots of attempted comfort. soap and gaz would be the softest with you, always trying to tempt you into realizing how good it is to be with them. soap is rougher when he fucks you, but they're both equally soft outside of that. they bring you nesting materials, constantly make sure you're covered in their scents, and bicker over who gets to cuddle you on the couch

ghost isn't willing to coddle you. he's sweet (in his own right) but he's not nice. he doesn't try to make you feel better - you're meant to be with them, why should he apologize for making it happen? all they did was skip the courting process, this is always where you were going to end up. he refuses to apologize for that. but he also doesn't want you miserable. he holds you close at night, soaks with you for long hours in the tub, and is always making sure you clear your plate

price is... weird. i'm never sure if i should make him the meanest or a softer kidnapper. because i could absolutely see a version of price whipping your ass raw every time you scream at them and call them names, but i can also see a version of price who just levels you with a disapproving stare and locks you in a small dark space when you get like that

regardless, they all smother you. you help balance out their dynamics a bit more, but they're always fighting each other for your attention. especially with the bond making it so they always know what you're feeling. and your instincts scream to trust them (and you can feel their emotions too, know that they really meant for the best, as sick and twisted as it is).

[thedoctorisgroovy]

I come bearing a request!

Spencer Reid x Male reader who's just joined the BAU, but suffers from mild hallucinations. It's not enough to impede on their ability to work, but they still keep it a secret and don't get it diagnosed out of fear of losing his job or being treated differently by the team.

But then Spencer notices him taking pictures of empty spaces to confirm they're actually empty or maybe even talking himself down from an episode when he thinks no one's around. a nice little hurt comfort yknow?

Thanks so much for the request, I hope you like it! It got a little away from me and is longer than I planned hahah. I ended up writing this in first person, so even though it's x reader it's a lot of "I did etc." Use of he/him pronouns, readers describes themself as a crazy man at one point. 18+ MDNI! Spencer is a sweetie in this, I wanna give reader a hug.

Warnings: proceed with caution please, mention of schizophrenia (reference to Diana), physical hallucinations, creature type hallucinations, reader is afraid but also makes jokes about their condition, spencer's addiction issue, mention of dilaudid use, mention of injection, angst, HAPPY ENDING I PROMISE!.

Words: 1,285

I stood in the elevator, heart pounding and sweating slightly trying to calm myself down after the difficult morning I had been faced with. My “friends”- as I call them - had decided to join me during my morning routine and send my mind into chaos and fear. I’d only been with the BAU for a few weeks and hadn’t quite settled into the confusing hours of when to eat or sleep, so my morning was filled with rushing around trying to get ready for the day. It started off as fleeting movement out the corner of my eye, which I tried to ignore. I was used to the peripheral figures, and groaned sarcastically trying to show my brain that I wasn’t interested this morning.

“What? I’m busy!” I shouted towards nothing in particular, hoping my brain would get the message. It wasn’t until I turned towards the mirror by the door, checking that I was presentable before leaving. All it took was the grin appearing behind me in the mirror before grabbing my bag and bolting out the front door, essentially running down the street to work.

I pushed the glass door to the bullpen open and froze in my tracks, seeing the figure sat at my desk chair, grinning at me. I turned and sprinted down the hall, looking for somewhere, anywhere safe to hide. I barrelled into a filing closet, slammed the door behind me and slid down the wall opposite, tucking my knees into my chest and rocking to self soothe. There was a determined but light knocking at the door and I heard Spencer call my name. I didn’t respond - couldn’t respond at first, convinced that it wasn’t him. It was whatever that thing was trying to trick me.

“How do I know it’s really you?!” I shouted out, the panic in my voice apparent.

“You once told the team that your favourite movie is Star Wars: A New Hope, but you later told me that it’s actually Disney’s The Lion King you just didn’t want to admit it to everyone.” He affirmed through the door, luckily convincing my brain enough to allow him entry. I mumbled through sobs that he could come in and he flew towards me, shutting the door a little too forcefully by accident.

“Hey hey, it’s okay. You’re safe, it’s just me and you here.” Spencer soothed gently, crouching down to my eye level and placing his hand on my knee. We sat for a few minutes in silence while I tried to regulate my breathing, him rubbing small circles on my knee. When the panic had subsided, Spencer spoke up again.

“Do you want to tell me what’s going on? You don’t have to, but you’d be surprised at the things I’ve dealt with myself.” I laughed quietly at his statement. Not because I was surprised or to be dismissive but because I did actually believe him. In the brief time I had spent with him - talking with him around the bullpen and being partnered on cases together - there was something in his eyes that showed a similar depth and pain to my own. Even though I barely knew Spencer, I felt like I could trust him. He seemed like the kind of person to take your secrets to his grave if you needed him to. If anyone on the team was to understand, he would. I sniffed and tried to steady myself, placing my hands flat on the cold tiled floor. I used the sharpness of the cold stinging my hands to ground myself and muster up some courage to explain what was going on. I tried to meet his eyes but in one swift flick, shame took over my body and forced my gaze down into my lap instead.

“I see things.. sometimes. I don’t know what they’re called or why, but I do. And they scare the shit out of me, man! I know I’m supposed to be this big tough FBI agent who takes down the bad guys, but when the bad guys are in my head too, it freaks me out.” I laugh again almost incredulously, not believing that I’m admitting this out loud and that to Spencer, I must’ve looked like a crazy man just ranting at his crotch. I tried once more to look up at him, and was met with his head tilted 45 degrees in confusion but compassion in his eyes.

“I’ve never been diagnosed with anything or told anyone because I didn’t wanna blow my chance at getting this job, or lose it once I got it. I’ve been therapy a few times in the past and they said it was due to childhood trauma that I can’t remember. I’m not crazy Reid I promise. And it doesn’t affect my job, it just gets overwhelming sometimes. Please man, you can’t tell Emily or the others.” I pleaded with him, tears starting to form again, breath hitching in my throat. Spencer switched from crouching to cross legged on the floor.

“You know, many years ago, I was kidnapped by an Unsub. His name was Tobias Hankel. He tortured me by injecting me with a narcotic called Dilaudid and it made me hallucinate. I was addicted to it and even though the hallucinations scared or upset me, I couldn’t stop. So even though it’s not the same, I know what it’s like to be afraid of your own mind. My mother has schizophrenia and I was afraid for many years that I would develop it too. I saw how she suffered and she didn’t want to get help, but she did and she’s doing better now.” He paused, stopping himself from rambling.

“I’m sorry you’re dealing with this.” Wow. He wasn’t kidding when he said he’d dealt with a lot. His words caused an emotional rollercoaster to unlock inside my head. Grateful that he understood, pity that he dealt with such harsh things, hopeful that because he and his mother were healthy that I could be too, and vulnerable after exposing my truth. His question brought me back down to earth.

“Is this why you’ve been taking pictures around the room sometimes?” He asked softly - almost in a whisper but inquisitively. I nodded solemnly and sighed.

“It’s to prove to myself that there’s nothing there. If my eyes see it but the camera doesn’t, then it’s in my head.” Spencer thought for a moment before speaking.

“Okay here’s what we’re gonna do.” I rolled my eyes at him, ever the pragmatist. “I won’t tell Emily or anyone else if you promise me to get some sort of help. I don’t believe you’re crazy, but this is clearly upsetting you and as my friend I don’t want to see you hurting. If you end up getting a diagnosis or medication, we’ll cross that bridge together when it comes okay? But for now, I can help you find someone professional to talk to.” He stood up and stretched his legs quickly before extending his hand towards me and pulled me up into a hug. I wasn’t used to hugs from the team, let alone self proclaimed germaphobe Spencer, but I allowed myself to relax into it. We left the filing closet and returned to our desks, pretending that nothing had happened. He rummaged through his desk, pulling out a singular business card and leaning over to drop it in front of me. ”Dr Katherine Reynolds. MD - Therapist.”

We exchanged smiles before attending to the mountain of paperwork awaiting completion. The “friends” I’d made may not go away any time soon, but I was happy to add Spencer to my list of positive ones.

[luxaofhesperides]

You know how Spiderman has 'canon events'? And how Gwen would always die? How about in every universe Duke exists in, there would always be Danny. And every time they fall in love! But whenever Duke tells/hints at him being The Signal, Danny suffers an accident or dies.

Like let's say in the DC vs Vampires universe, Duke tells Danny he's Signal and then a few days later he gets turned into a vampire and Duke has no choice but to kill him.

Or something like that yknow?

Earth 26.

The undercity is full of life. People from above refuse to understand it, staunch in their beliefs that the undercity is full of crime and sickness, drugs and filth. But the people down there are more human than any of the ones Duke has met up top.

Though Bruce Wayne can try to bring Duke in all he likes, there’s no denying that Duke doesn’t belong. His heart will always be in the undercity, where he was born and grew up and lived and lost so much. 

The undercity is where Danny is.

Away from the blue skies filled with blimps, tucked beneath the towering buildings and clocktowers and elevated rails for trains leaving trails of smoke through the city, there in the cramped spaces and dark alleys, is Danny. 

He ducks through familiar alleys, cutting across perilously stacked homes and hopping over railings to get to the Fenton Lab faster. 

He’s been excited all day, heart thrumming with anticipation, as he returns to his roots and seeks out Danny. Today is the day he’s going to come clean, tell Danny everything: his feelings, his powers, his identity as The Signal, fighting crime in all parts of the city to keep Gotham safe. He’s sure Danny suspects something is going on with him, likely has already guessed at everything he wants to talk about, but Danny deserves the truth.

It is his inventions that help Duke save people, after all. 

Finding the front door of the Fenton lab is always a challenge. Metal scraps and materials stripped from vehicles litter the front of the building from people leaving all their unwanted things with the Fentons. Miscellaneous inventions and tools are left scattered around as well, creating a labyrinth that Duke has to traverse every time he wants to see Danny while he’s working with his parents.

It takes a few minutes, but Duke manages it, pushing open the door after a quick knock.

“Danny? Are you there?”

He can hear something from the lower floor, a strange, high pitched whirring noise. His powers kick in and suddenly he can see people rushing around the room, shouting in voices that he won’t be able to hear until the time comes. He can see himself, crying.

Duke’s heart drops.

“Danny? Danny!”

He runs down the stairs, suddenly terrified that he’s too late. Something is going to happen to Danny. It has to be Danny, because no one else is home with him; that’s why Duke asked to meet in the Lab, to have some privacy while the other Fentons were out.

The noise is louder, too loud to hear over, and Duke rushes into the Lab just in time to see some strange circle of metal spark with electricity. Danny stands right before, staring up at it.

“Danny!” Duke shouts as loud as he can, and Danny startles, then turns around.

Their eyes meet just as the machine finishes turning on, the metal circle ripping open with a thunderous noise, and Duke can do nothing but watch as it sends electricity and some other energy racing through Danny’s body.

It lasts just a brief moment, and then Danny is crumpling to the ground, eyes closed as the machine settles. The swirling pit of white and green stares out at him and Duke knows without a doubt that Danny is dead. . . .

Earth 41.

Duke’s been acting strange. Well, stranger than usual.

Danny’s not one to go around poking at people’s secrets, especially not his boyfriend’s, but he knows something big is going on. He’s not worried that Duke is cheating on him, but he can see the injuries he comes back with some days, citing all the unrest and the resurgence in crimes following Batman’s death.

He wonders if Duke is going out each night for street fighting, forcing all his emotions into his fists until they’re beaten bloody. Batman’s death hit him hard, and Danny has no idea what to do to help him.

They’re both stressed, on edge and scared, but they don’t fight as much as he expected. Admittedly, it’s hard to fight where they’re always spending time apart. 

No longer. Tonight, Danny is determined to get to the bottom of things so he can help Duke with whatever he’s going through. He even texted Jazz to get some tips about communication and helping someone through grief. He’s as ready as he’ll ever be. 

Right at 3AM, the window slides open. 

“Welcome back, Duke,” Danny says, watching as Duke flinches, then sighs as he closes the window. 

“What are you doing here, Danny?”

“Well, it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other, I decided to hang out here and wait for you. But you’ve been gone for a long time.”

“Sorry, Danny, but I’m really tired. Can this wait?”

Anger bubbles in his gut and Danny takes a deep breath to force it down. “I’ve been waiting. If you keep pushing this conversation off, we’re never going to get anywhere.”

Duke slumps against the window, rubbing a hand against his face, looking exhausted. “Look, Danny, things have been getting real bad, and I don’t want you to get hurt because of it.”

“What’s going on, Duke? What are you so worried about?”

“It’s… The guy who killed Batman. His name is Karma, and I’ve been going after him.”

“You’ve been what?!” Danny shouts, shooting to his feet. “Duke, are you insane? Anyone who can kill Batman is bad news, there’s no way anyone short of like, Superman, can stop him! You’re going to get yourself killed!”

“Someone has to stop him! And I can do something to help, okay? I’ve been helping the other bats fight him. I can do this.”

Danny clenches his fists, feeling frost crack against his skin. “You could have told me,” he says. “You know I can help, too. You’re not the only one with powers.”

“I can’t endanger you like that, Danny.”

“So you leave me in the dark instead? You would have rather I wait for you forever while you never come back because you got yourself killed running into a situation you can’t get out of? You think I would have been any safer not knowing? Then clearly you haven’t been paying attention!” He’s shouting by the end of it, shaking with fear and rage and so many things it all becomes a tangled mess in his head. 

“I really think we should have this conversation in the morning,” Duke says, eyeing Danny warily. It’s probably just because he’s been out all night hunting Karma, so used to being attacked while he goes out to try to save a city that even Batman couldn’t lift from the darkness, but that doesn’t stop the stab of hurt from going through his heart. Danny has done his best to be safe for Duke, to be human and comforting and strong enough to protect him. 

And Duke is looking at him like he could be at threat.

“Whatever,” Danny mutters, shaking his head. “You’ll talk to me in the morning by saying nothing but how you need to do whatever this is and then you’ll leave and we’ll both be unhappy. Great. Can’t wait.”

“Danny—”

“Bye, Duke.”

Danny’s up and out of the apartment before Duke can take more than a few steps towards him. He zips up his jacket and pulls the hood over his head, taking the steps two at a time to get to street level. It’s dark and quiet outside, save for the distant police sirens, and Danny barely spares a glance around him before he’s making his own way home, sure that no one would still be out at that time.

He should have been more careful. More vigilant. Not so lost in his hurt feelings.

But there’s no time for that when he’s pulled into an alleyway, knife at his throat.

A man in a black helmet, face fully covered, stares down at him. “Well, well, well,” he purrs, digging the knife in a little deeper, “What’s the Signal’s little lover doing out so late at night?”

Signal?

…Duke. His boyfriend who always disappears in late hours, blows off dates when something big is going down in Gotham, who is trying to pick up the pieces following Batman’s death. 

And here is Karma, the very man Duke is searching for, pulling Danny away into the dark.

He only has a brief moment to regret storming off, for not being more patient with Duke, for not paying attention and avoiding Karma, before the knife is pulled away, tossed into the air, and the hilt comes down hard on his temple, and it is a long, long time before he is seen again.

The Signal does not find him alive. . . .

Earth 53.

The apocalypse isn’t kind even on the best of days. But today it might be coming close to something resembling kindness as Duke approaches the skeletal remains of Gotham. It’s been years since he’s been back here, moving with the Robins across the United States just trying to survive. They’d constantly been moving, searching for other survivors and food and shelter and any sign of hope they could get. 

There hadn’t been much anywhere, too much devastation across the country for anyone to even think of rebuilding. Even now, nature is just starting to recover, little green shoots pushing up through concrete rubble. 

This world isn’t one for superheroes anymore. Supervillains aren’t around either. Everyone is either dead or barely getting themselves through each day; but humanity is still around and wildlife is beginning to recover. 

Duke doesn’t know who’s left in Gotham these days. He suspects Oracle is still there, somewhere, helping reconnect telephone wires and setting up internet and electricity. Lights have been flickering on steadily as the Robins made their way into New Jersey and the sight lifted their spirits so much they decided to keep traveling through the night. 

No one in his group has a working phone any more, but the possibility of getting that piece of the old world back excites them all. 

By the time they reach the outskirts of the ruined city, the entire group is nearly buzzing with energy, speaking in hushes whispers that do nothing to hide the elation in their voices. Gotham was everyone’s home, once. They’re all happy to be back, regardless of what they’re walking into.

Duke volunteers to go scouting with a few others to find a good place to settle in for a bit as they reacquaint themselves with the city. Even before the end of the world, it was never a good idea to go blind into Gotham. 

Much of the city is still abandoned, and concrete rubble carry faded graffiti that show the remains of a gang long gone. The few people he see in the distance are quick to hide and disappear and Duke himself is too wary to approach them. But as he gets closer to the heart of Gotham, picking his way through destroyed streets, he sees more and more signs of life, people who don’t hide, weak lights in hastily constructed shelters.

No one attacks him as he wanders closer. In fact, a few exchange nervous glances then approach him, quietly asking if he’s coming from outside Gotham and what news he brings of the outside world.

Duke tells them about how Chicago is gone completely, unable to be saved at all, but there are settlements all along the shores of the Great Lakes. He tells them of the traveling groups he’s met who rotate through a few chosen states and are willing to take in new members. He tells them of someone who has an entire farm up and running again, full of chickens and cows and sheep and goat and horses, on top of all the crop they can grow. The location of the farm is kept secret and carefully protected, but they give away seeds and young animals for anyone wanting to raise their own.

The news gathers more and more people around Duke, eager to listen, and they’re more than happy to update Duke on what’s happened in Gotham. 

The Bats aren’t around as much anymore, but at least two of them are still in Gotham, helping people from the shadows. They’re fixing everything up as best they can, and most people live in or around Robinson Park where Ivy, who survived, grows food and shelter for everyone in exchange for protection and companionship. The Riddler turned from making death traps and taking hostages to creating new technology and inventions to make life a little easier, taking in a crew of assistants to learn from him.

That is to say nothing of the ghosts.

Gotham is full of them now, walking among the living as if they never died. They help people and stick with loved ones who lost them and fly through the air to deliver things with ease. It’s nothing that Duke has ever seen before, and he wonders how many people who died in the apocalypse chose to stay in such a ruined world. 

He begins to head back to the Robins, mind racing with everything he’s learned, when he sees Danny.

Danny, his friend once, who he loved dearly and didn’t quite realize it was deeper than friendship until after the world ended. Danny, who was always sleepy and soft and smiling, cracking bad jokes and lifting Duke’s spirits whenever he felt down. Danny, who was lively and dreamed of going to space to sit among the stars.

Danny, who is dead.

He never got the chance to tell Danny he was the Signal, but he thinks Danny knew anyways. He could ask now, put that lingering thought to rest, but it was one of the few things left unsaid between them, the only thing he had of Danny for all these years, and he doesn’t want to let go of it yet.

Danny hasn’t seen him yet. Duke could go to him, speak to his ghost, have some part of him back in his life.

But it wouldn’t be the same. It certainly wouldn’t be fair to tie Danny, who is free from the pain and misery of the living, to Duke, who is never going to stay in Gotham permanently. 

He misses Danny so much he feels hollowed out and empty, but he knows this is for the best.

Duke turns, pretending not to see him, and walks away. . . .

Earth 78.

Duke was…

Duke was important to him, Danny thinks. He can’t remember much, not after everything (electricity, screaming, pain pain pain, heavy darkness, a spark, hist chest cut open, where is ___? Why won’t he save—) but without any memory of what his life was like back then, his feelings are without context and easily ignored.

Wraith follows Shrike from a distance, watching as he drops into an alley to kill a rapist. Wraith feels nothing about this, for caring is not in his duties. He is instructed to simply keep Shrike alive and assist in his plans, whatever they may be. Wraith does not care about killing.

Danny, tucked away deep inside the mask, shivers and cries, wishing to hide away and say enough, please, that’s enough, just stop please stop stop stop stop—

Batman crosses the rooftops, a figure of darkness across the city’s skies. The Signal, his second oldest companion, travels through the shadows by his side until they land on the building Wraith stands on. 

The yellow of Signal’s armor is familiar and it feels safe but Wraith knows better. Talia and Ra’s have taught him to see past his emotions, to force away any sentiment and grapple with the cold hard truth. This is the truth: they are here to hurt him and Shrike, because they are dangerous killers and dangerous killers are dealt with swiftly and painfully in Gotham. 

They can do as they please to him. They will not take Shrike.

He engages Batman in battle first, easily slipping past his defense by going intangible, freezing his boots to the ground and icing his fists together. The Signal slips away at first, leaving Batman behind to try to get around Wraith, sending shadows towards Shrike who leaps away deftly, dodging them with ease as he leaves the beheaded body behind. 

Wraith grabs Signal before he can fully sink into a shadow and tosses him back, then flies to Shrike, picking him up and getting them away as quickly as possible.

“They found us faster than I thought,” Shrike says. His voice carries something in it that Wraith doesn’t recognize, but it makes his heart feel heavy. 

“We’re done for the night,” Wraith returns, voice low and hoarse. He died screaming and even the Lazarus Pits weren’t able to fix the damage done to his vocal chords. 

He lets his invisibility wash over them both, and they disappear into the night. The safehouse they set up, far away from the one Talia prepared for them, is small but comfortable. It’s secure, everything created and coded by Tim, which means Danny can relax inside the walls of the small apartment. 

Shrike helps him shed his gear, putting it away carefully. Wraith becomes Danny and he watches as Shrike becomes Tim. 

Gone is the ruthless efficiency, the quickness to cut down the scum of Gotham without remorse. Instead, he’s pale and tired, eyes still a faint green from the linger remains of the Lazarus Pit that brought him back from the dead, but there is no madness in him. Only a coldness that came long before his death, unwanted by Damian, the first of Batman’s vigilante partners, who refused to see him as part of the family or even as a hero at all. Duke had already gone to work with other teams since then and never met Tim properly for more than a few minutes.

But he knew Danny. They must have been close. If seeing The Signal sends such a sharp stab of pain in his heart, it must be for a reason. But the memories are long gone, and with them, any desire to be close to him again. 

They never do well after a run in with the Bats. Though they have won every fight they’ve had, Tim often retreats to bed in order to hide his tears and Danny is left alone, lost, and wishing he had stayed dead. 

Tonight is no different. Tim is making a difference as Shrike, striking fear in the hearts of Gotham’s criminals. Crime has gone down in Crime Alley, his chosen territory of the city, killing as many people as needed before they finally get the message to be better people. Tim is also still only eighteen and had spent three years with the League of Assassins before returning to Gotham and seeing that his place in the Bats is erased and forgotten and replaced by the well-loved Jason.

He only stays in Gotham to kill the people who sold him off to the Joker and laughed as he died slowly and painfully. Once the Joker is dead, he’ll leave Gotham and disappear for good. 

Danny will follow him. He has no life now and no other direction. And with Tim hiding under the covers, Danny can do nothing but feel his own skin crawl at the need to get away from everything that connects him to his life Before.

It’s a terrible idea, but he goes out again, heading into Otisberg, where he once lived. Only a raised hood conceals his face; the expressionless mask he usually wears is gone, and Wraith feels far away from him.

He hears the Signal land behind him some time later. It could be minutes or hours; time slips by Danny easily these days no matter how hard he tries to hold onto the minutes passing by. 

“Wraith,” Signal says, and his voice is hard. “Where’s Shrike? Out terrorizing the rest of Gotham?”

Danny doesn’t reply. He stares out into the city lights, a cold emptiness growing inside his chest. 

“Well, if you’re going to just sit there, then I suppose you don’t mind if I take you in to let Batman interrogate you. You’ve been causing a lot of trouble around here, and we don’t take kindly to murderous masks in Gotham.”

He doesn't resist as Signal grabs his wrists, hauling him up from where he was sitting on the ledge. Danny allows Signal to turn him around, shadows binding his wrists together and pulling down his hood.

The Signal sucks in a sharp breath, hands falling limp to his side. “Danny?”

Danny doesn’t respond.

“This better not be a joke, I swear to God. If you’re just wearing his face to fuck with me, I’m going to kill you, Batman’s rules be damned. Say something already!”

Danny looks up into the visor of Signal’s helmet. He opens his mouth and a hoarse whine slips out. “I knew you,” he manages to whispers. “I knew you. And then I died.”

The Signal flinches, then reaches up and pulls his helmet off. “Tell me something only we would know. Anything.”

“I don’t… remember. I wanted you to save me. I don’t think you did.”

“If this isn’t really you, Danny,” Duke says, voice thick with tears, “Then it’s a really fucked up joke.”

Danny looks at Duke, helpless. He doesn’t know what to do. What to say. Wraith only knows how to follow and protect and take orders. Danny doesn’t know how to live anymore. There is nothing he can do.

And then, as he stares as Duke, a memory slides into place, fuzzy but there.

“Arcade on eighth street,” he whispers, and Duke’s eyes go wide. “That was going to be our first date.”

“It was,” Duke says. There’s a light in his eyes now, something that looks like hope and the sight of it makes Danny sick to his stomach.

“I’m dead, Duke. Danny is dead. There is only Wraith now. Let the dead go, and stay away so we don’t have to kill you. I… want you to live.”

The shadows have loosened, still wrapped around his wrists but as a caress instead of a restraint. It doesn’t take any strength to pull out of them and drop off the roof, falling towards the ground. Danny lets gravity take hold of him for a few moments, then goes invisible and flies away just as Duke grapples down and searches for him desperately. 

He can hear Duke calling his name, then calling in Batman and Nightwing, but his voice fades away before Danny can make out what they’re saying.

Not that it matters. Whether tomorrow or further down the line, he and Tim will leave Gotham and disappear for good.

The dead cannot stay with the living, and so they will go.

There’s nothing left for them here, anyways. . . .

Earth 0.

Duke has had his fair share of strange dreams. It comes with the trauma and the powers, a terrible mix that leave him shaken and rattled when he wakes up, gasping for breath.

But instead of fear, his latest series of dreams leave him with a deep-seated feeling of grief. The details fade away quickly once he’s awake, but he can remember bits and pieces of worlds that looks so different from the one he lives in, and all of them have a single constant: Danny.

Danny, whose face he never remembers when he wakes. Danny, whose name is permanently etched into his mind. Danny, who he loves and loses every single night.

Danny, someone he’s never met.

Dick asks him if he’s alright the next time he’s in Gotham, eating breakfast in the manor with him and Tim. He considers lying, then tells him about the dreams and how frequent they are, snapshots of other lives where there is someone important to him that he can never save. Tim, who he thought was sleeping with his eyes half open, looks up and mumbles that it might be another universe.

After a few cups of coffee, Tim is awake enough to ramble on about the multiverse, pulling up reports from the Batcomputer on his phone to show Duke how many of them have had run ins with alternate universes. 

“So you’re saying that Danny might be here? In this world?”

Tim shrugs. “Well, maybe. If he’s the only constant, then I wouldn’t be surprised. If you’re here, so is he.”

“But he always dies!”

“Don’t worry, Duke,” Dick says, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder, “If you do find him, then you’ve got all of his to help keep him safe.”

“Do you want me to find him? If you give me a description, I can probably narrow it down to a few people in the United States. One of them might be him.”

Duke considers it for a moment, then shakes his head. “Nah, thanks though. If we’re supposed to meet, then we will. No point in rushing it.”

“Alright. Let me know if you change your mind.”

And that had been that. Nothing to really worry about, but the dreams continue and Duke keeps waking up grieving and so love with Danny, carrying the feelings of his alternates over to his own reality. At some point, he wishes that he and Danny would never cross paths in this world, if only so he doesn’t have to lose him.

But he wants to meet him. The universe says Danny is important to him; why else would he be part of his life in every world?

The thought never leaves him. It’s always in the back of his mind as he goes about his life, going to school and fighting crime. He finds himself lingering in the streets, trying to see everyone’s faces, listening for that familiar voice.

It takes over a year before he hears someone say, “Danny!” as he’s patrolling as Signal. 

He bends the light around him, going invisible, and searches for the people shouting the name of the person he hadn’t been able to get out of his mind. It takes some time, but his eyes land on a tall, red haired woman fussing over a boy with black hair and blue eyes, leaning down some so she could reach his face.

He can’t hear what they say with the distance between them, but he knows with absolute clarity that he’s looking at Danny.

His Danny.

Duke takes a step forward, ready to drop his invisibility, letting the light escape his grasp, the pauses when he sees the bright smile on his face. 

This Danny is safe. He is alive and laughing and is with someone he cares about. 

This Danny has a life and a future and as much as Duke wants to know why his alternate selves love Danny so much, it isn’t worth Danny’s life.

Heart breaking, Duke steps back and watches as they walk away, disappearing into the crowded streets. 

He stares after them long after they’ve disappeared from sight, then grapples to a rooftop and releases his hold on the light. He sinks to his knees, trying to breathe through the grief that runs through him, and taps a pattern into his comms to signal that he’s ending his patrol early. 

It’s fine, he tells himself. This is for the best. This will keep Danny alive.

Danny always dies because of Duke. Someway, somehow, whenever they meet, the bell tolls and Danny’s death quickly approaches. It happens in every world, in the many, many dreams he’s had looking into a moment of their lives. 

But not this one.

In this one, Duke will save Danny by doing the only thing he can: making sure they never meet. 

It’s for the best. It has to be. . . .

[send me ghostlights prompts!]

[baxndaid]

ive been wanted to ask for a while but i was so scared 😭😭

do you mind doing redson x reader (friends to lovers type deal) and both of them r absolutely smitten but doesn’t want to tell the other (the mk gang sees right through them)

sorry if this is too specific lmao 💀

red son x reader

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 ! this is so cute PLEADSE hey guys shock of the century but i have never actually watched lmk 😔🙏 just going off clips i find on yt

• he’s not even that awkward at first tbh

• he’s just stiff

• you’re definitely a bit more chill about it, on the outside of course, but in the inside? chaos

• whenever your shoulder’s accidentally brush together due to MK’s bone crushing hugs you can’t help but ignore the pain and focus on the fire user next to you

• he isn’t much better by the way

• he’s so much worse what am i saying i’m LYING to you all

• he’s so blatantly looking between you and the spot your shoulders are touching so frantically, his lips pursed and a noticeable red hue on his face

• when MK is done with his murder attempt, red son will push him away and hastily fix his clothes and hair, avoiding eye contact with you

• let’s be real your doing the same

• at first he would be polite (as polite as he could be) when you first met

• but as time passed you saw more of him and he saw more of you

• you would exchange stories and laugh together which was something that made the gang’s jaws DROP

• like?? get together already???

• Mei always liked to tease both of you, trying so hard to make it obvious that you both feel the same way about each other

• doesn’t work you’re both stupid

• most of you and Mei’s texts go kinda like,

mei: “hey y/nn you planning on marrying yknow who today?? ❤️”

y/n: “loll Mei your so funny lol like i would ever like him lol he’s so stuck up and mean sometimes like LOL like so what if he’s really really cute and actually pays attention to me and makes me feel special like it so doesn’t matter or anything lol mei your so silly lol !! you need to be put down!! lol!!”

mei: “therapy y/n”

y/n: “lol… 😔”

• anyway! Mei (and the rest but let’s be real mostly Mei and MK) are eating this shit UP

• they like to do this thing where they tell you both (separately) that something urgent is happening and they needed you there asap

• and when i mean “there” i mean a weirdly nice park with a strange already set up picnic with MK (with a poor disguise that consists of a paper mustache and a black shirt) playing the violin horrifically and Mei clearly in the tree near by, listening in with a excited grin plastered on her face

• you and red son looked at each other, you gave him a bashful smile, fiddling with your hands that you could feel already sweating

• he gave you a small smile back and sat down, patting the empty space right next to him for you to sit down

• you leaned your head on his shoulder as he leaned his on your head, he was stiff, but he relaxed as you both started to converse

• despite the eerie feeling of being watched and the screech of MK’s violin, it was a peaceful, or dare i say it, romantic, day for the both of you

lego monkie kid masterlist

[prof-peach]

Yknow what I don’t ever get to dive into this one, so for my own holiday fun, let’s elaborate on the ranger AU:

The girls are room mates, rivals for a long while, the tape line that divides their shared space like a battle zone.

Plum is obsessively neat about her books but otherwise is chaos, clothes everywhere, shoes scattered. Bed is about the only thing she makes and keeps clear to sit and work, desk is a mess of research notes and dog eared manuals. Her dratini is utter chaos, unruly doesn’t even describe how Missy is. Plum was raised in a very well off household but her family never came home, work keeping them almost completely busy. This leaves one girl who knows what she’s all about because she had to figure it out, plum is just as wild and chaotic as her Pokemon in her own snooty kind of way. Very particular teenager.

Meanwhile peach has never been allowed to be a kid, she was told what to do and when to do it, hobbies we’re chosen for her, free time used up working hard, training harder, her Pokemon just as pushed to keep up standards. The prodigal daughter put on a pedestal has nothing but pressure from day one. She doesn’t listen to music, have toys or hobbies, even her clothes are plain and not really things you’d fully expect a teenager to wear. She had to just go with her family always pushing her to do what they want and be who they expected. Failure was not met well. Her personal space is painfully tidy, purely because she doesn’t really have much to fill the space at the start. Val is volatile at best, but Bob keeps his sunny disposition, often out in the dorm room happily.

Plum soon realises peach has not developed a personal taste of her own, and cannot understand how that just never happened. So begins her task of getting peach to find things she likes and enjoys. None of her skills sound like things that excite her, peach is this dead pan teenager with no fire for anything. Her hot head rears up when she’s backed into a corner, so when pushed too hard peach snaps, she doesn’t know what she’s suppose to like or do, out of her family home she can only sit and watch others and try to assimilate quietly. A skill she’s quite good at, so most just assume she’s cold and distant by nature, an angry face leading to most leaving her alone.

Plum proceeds to open up a whole world of things for a teenager who never got the chance to just exist without an objective. Music, junk food, staying up late to play games or gossip. They sneak out to town, maybe they steal some overly sweet awful booze, maybe they hide it in their dorm to stay up and talk some nights. Plum gets peach to pick clothes she wants, tries to encourage her to care about anything noticing she’s got piercings, so like…punk?? Is that her thing? No clue, but it’s the total opposite to plums sporty preppy cute outfits, so together they look like night and day.

Their initial arguing and dislike of each other eases off fast, peach realises that maybe not everyone is so awful, and that she’s been stuck with a highly intelligent if not a little scatter brained girl who actually encourages her to live, not just simply exist. It is tentative steps into realising she is more than the weight of her family name.

Other dumb teenager things: peach pierces plums ears for her. Ranger team work tasks that the girls smash through. Late night dorm activities with the other students, you know, typical junk like spin the bottle and such.

Plum 100% is cocky and straightforward during a party and makes sure peach never lives down that she stole the grouchy girls first kiss, etched into her memory forever.

Peach realising “oh no. Very very not straight. Oh no.” To which she’s in deep denial and horrified, because her family CANNOT find out. Seeing as her mom likes to dig through her memories from time to time, peach is utterly terrified to go home.

Plum seeing her roommate return from a weekend back at her family house looking more exhausted and worn out than when she left. Never asks why, never pries, tries to be cheery and help peach not feel so crappy. Peach can’t ever tell her what she’s done, or the guilt she’s carrying around, and as they grow closer, it becomes harder to lie.

Then Booker happens, where the story line splits from canon to the ranger AU. Instead of peach taking the little mon and running, leaving plum without more than a ‘sorry’ and an old bangle on the dorm door handle, she instead cracks, can’t hide the truth anymore, packs up to leave, but can’t go without telling someone, anyone that she’s been a monster, and has to change. Has to do better than she had before. Through tears and drama the truth comes out, plum learns it all, and sees her best friend with a bag on her shoulder, running away.

Through a convincing speech and an understanding and grounded view on the situation plum gets peach to stay, with her, with the rangers, they’ll face it together. For once peach does not want to feel so alone, everything she’s ever done has been singular, even though she’s been surrounded by people pulling her strings, it’s never been because of care or love, just progress. ‘The family comes first’ echos in her mind, and she has to stop this cycle. So peach stays, is deathly afraid her family will hurt plum for getting involved, she hardly sleeps for a while, making sure the night is safe, that no one’s trying to tamper with the path she’s trying to stay on. A good one. A kinder one with less bloodshed.

Plum encouraged peach to take up boxing, for her anger, so she joins a club and finds a love for it. The gains begin, and plum is at every fight, shouting from the side lines. Peach loses a few and takes it really badly. Loss in her family is usually cause for punishment, for isolation or consequence. She expects the same from plum, shocked when it never comes. Her partner is nothing but worried bout the bruises, but seems very encouraging. This is not what was expected.

Plenty of later year teenage shenanigans. Usual suspects, figuring out things like future career options, sexuality, the parties, sneaking out, stress over exams, first hangovers, smoking a little pot after handing in final coursework as a celebration. Peach finds herself, but both girls find a family in each other. Thick as thieves, forever entangled in each others memories now.

The girls grow as rangers, have a few run ins with peach’s cousins but otherwise are left with only a few scars, scrapes and bruises, and eventually they graduate, top of their class none the less. The powerhouse duo that others couldn’t compete with.

Plums become the agile ranger she was meant to be, strategist, a woman who knows every option before you even take your first move, but she lacks practical instinct and brutality, which is peach’s area of expertise. It’s head and heart at it’s most perfect balance.

————————————————

I have so many little headcanons bout this alt set up, but I’m tired, it’s the holidays, and I wanted to blurt this one out. Sorry to all for putting up with me haha

Give me peach gut laughing for the first time and plum realising she’s totally mad for this person.

Give me ranger prom/graduation where they both dress up and get to sneak off and dance together.

Give me chaotic but perfectly drift compatible fights with them and their Pokemon.

Give me prank wars, makeup help, hair style tests, bad hair dye attempts, pizza hang outs.

Give me plum learning how to train Missy well with peach’s help.

Give me adoptive momma bears for Booker.

Give me them laughing so hard one of them nearly throws up at something so stupid and dumb.

Give me the moment that penny drops and they realise they can’t move forward without each other.

I am thriving on this.

[reimeichan]

how are you doing with final fusion after a couple months?

Heyo, sorry it took me a bit to respond to this. I haven't been particularly active on Tumblr due to trying to take care of some RL things and also being suckered really hard into FFXIV but shhhh. I've been trying to figure out how to answer this ask for a while, and I think it'd be best for me if I'm just honest I think.

It's been hard. I was so excited to reach final fusion/full integration whenever it was that I hit that point, and I thought things would be smooth sailing from there. But... these past few months have showed me that even if I am capable of reaching that point now, it's still not my default state, and when push comes to shove, I still lean back on and fall back into dissociation and splitting.

I've been struggling with a lot of feelings of... I don't know. I guess I've been feeling guilty, that maybe I celebrated too early and I'm not doing as well as I thought. That I'd somehow painted a better picture of my situation for everyone around me and now I had to take back some of the things that I've said. "Maybe I'm not actually at final fusion," I've been telling myself. "Maybe I never was and I was fooling myself and the people around me."

"That's bullshit," I'd also tell myself. "Healing isn't linear, this is something we truly believe in and often have to remind others. And so I will now remind myself, healing isn't linear. We hit some rough patches. Staying fused full-time has been more difficult than we expected. This doesn't mean we lied back then, and doesn't even mean we were misinterpreting our experiences or spreading misinformation. We had fully fused. And we regularly experience splitting again. It's fine. We'd expected this to happen, after all."

"Touche," I respond back to myself.

So I guess, all this to say... it's been a process for sure. I'm still someone with DID, that hasn't changed. And I don't think that even once I've reached a point of being fully fused without regularly splitting again, that I'd call myself someone without DID. I struggle with dissociation and memory loss and being consistently inconsistent. But, I've also made a lot of progress, and I really shouldn't discredit that.

I've been feeling a lot of guilt and shame over all of this and that's likely contributed to my absence from this blog and from the DID spaces I'm a part of. But, really, there's nothing to be a ashamed of I think. I know so often people try to paint the best version of themselves online, and sometimes I catch myself doing that too. But I think I'd rather let this blog reflect my genuine thoughts and experiences, and right now that experience is I've not been able to stay fully fused regularly. And that's okay, it just means I still have work to put in to get to my goal.

But, hey, I know how it feels to be fully fused. And I do regularly sit in that state a lot. Just... I'd like to be there more as a default, and rely less on dissociation and splitting so much, yknow?

[lacrimosathedark]

I want Lian Harper to interact with and get close to Jason Todd for a lot of reasons. Their mutual childhoods as Gotham street urchins and growing up around superheroes (though they did that in like opposite order), they both died tragically at the hands of a villain, their deaths destroyed their parents, they were resurrected by unknown means with their memories fucked up, kept away from their family for years with only a dangerous mother figure knowing where they are, and are actually kindhearted despite everything.

But also, I want her to meet Cassandra Cain.

Like, think about what Lian could learn from Cass! They both have complicated relationships with their mothers who are renowned for their strength, mothers who adore their daughters and want to be part of their lives despite everything (who also contain multitudes of self-loathing yaaaaay). Mothers who also just happen to be also Asian, making them half-Asian and half-white. Not the same, Jade is Vietnamese and Sandra is Chinese, but still.

Lian hasn't had a lot of struggle accepting her mother despite her mother being what she is. Cass, however, has such a visceral disdain for killing that she rejects her mother. She doesn't really hate her, and has respect for her as a fighter, but wants nothing to do with her. And that conflict has, at at least one point, pushed Shiva to try to be better.

I think Cass could get Lian to truly face what Cheshire is, since no one else, Roy especially, seems willing to actually talk to her about that. And because she's in a similar position, she might be able to do it more effectively because Lian won't have to feel alone in it. Hell, Steph could join in too! Though her dad is...Not The Same (his crimes are much lesser but he also has never cared about Stephanie).

And maybe, if Lian realizes Shiva is trying to change, it might give her hope that rejecting her mom could get her to improve too. That maybe one day there'll be no reason to feel guilt for wanting to be with her mom. And we could have a somewhat functional divorced family dynamic rather than...yknow, This. That maybe one day she can actually be with her mom.

I also just love the idea that Lian could get along with Cass. There was this one point where a bunch of orphans were living at Titans Tower, and Lian was going through a phase of being very selfish and wanting her space and loved ones to herself, but the only other kid she could even somewhat tolerate was the kid that was seemingly selectively mute (they thought she was autistic but she was actually possessed sort of? it's a whole thing). So I feel like a more mature and selfless Lian would get along really well with someone like Cass, who relies on actions more than words.

And I actually just have this idea of the two of them dancing together. I love the idea of Cass forcing her brothers to dance with her, but imagine Cass dancing with Lian! Cass teaching Lian ballet! idk it's just adorable to me.

Yeah, "Auntie Cass" should be a thing I think.

[joohanisms]

idk if you wrote about this before or not but thoughts on taking junhans virginity 😭😭😭

i haven't!!!!!!! tysm for the ask so i have an excuse to <33

(half written before i went ia)

mmm first of all i think hed actively look for someone inexperienced to date while hw himself was inexperienced

less space for disappointment yknow how could hw disappoint you when you kinda just .. dont know better literally

but then he ended up w you <3 who actually does have some experience and its kinda nervewracking for him, he's not gonna lie

he's been putting it off for so long – sure, it only took a couple of dates for you to make out and your hands to wander. the way he tentatively gripped your ass made you want him kind of desperately.

but it never went past that. a while later, when the topic of making things official came up, his cheeks blushed a deep red while he looked down at his feet.

"ah, before we, you know, start dating for real... i thought you should know." and fuck, you think. there it goes. there's the catch. "i'm not too... experienced. actually, i've never had sex before. i don't want you to be disappointed if we get to it and i'm not any go–" his mouth is sealed shut as you kiss him firmly, hands cradling his face.

"you're stupid. i don't care. nothing of what you just said would ever make me lose interest," he wants to avoid your eyes, hide his face, but the way you're holding his flaming cheeks in place won't let him. "at most, it just makes me happy i'll be your first."

and since then, he's been avoiding – more like procrastinating, to be fair – getting sexual with you. the most you've done so far was dry humping each other on his sofa while his apartment was empty (that is, until one of his roommates opened the front door and he jumped out of his skin).

you don't want to push him, so you wait for him to come to you.

(but if anyone asked you whether you were fingering yourself in the shower thinking about him, you wouldn't be able to deny it.)

the next time he got to escape from his dorm and visit you and your blessedly empty tiny apartment, he has you on his lap, the movie playing on your laptop long forgotten.

you didn't notice anything before – he was the same hyeongjun as always – but now you can see how his hands are shaking and how he keeps taking deep breaths seemingly out of nowhere.

you detach your lips from his, studying his face. this makes him more nervous, the poor thing. did he do something wrong? is he this easy to read?

"hyeongjun, are you okay? you look like you're going to pass out." you try to leave the comfortable seat that is his thighs, but his hands shoot up and grab your waist, holding you down.

"hyeongjun. you're shaking. have you eaten? let me grab you a cup of wa–"

"i'm fine."

"really? what did you have for lunch? did you have enough? or did you have too much?" you can't help but worry for him. he's already a skinny guy, but you can't be too careful knowing how much time he spends online.

"i swear i'm fine! i'm just..." he trails off, looking at everything in your room but you. one of his hands leaves your waist to fiddle with a loose thread on your comforter. once again, you wait for him to come to you – he likes that about you, how you leave him to find ways to express himself instead of dragging it out of him. his tone is soft when he eventually finishes, "i'm just nervous, that's all."

you cup his cheek in an act of comfort, looking at him like he's some kind of baby bunny, small and defenseless. he finds he doesn't mind it too much.

"nervous about what, baby? what's on your mind?"

"i was thinking," he finally lets go of your waist to play with his fingers, "maybe it's about time we, uh, you know, fuck."

jesus christ. your tummy does a backflip at his wording.

"you know i don't mind if we don't, right? i'm fine with how things are now." you slide your hand down his neck and shoulder, and some braincell vaguely makes him think that you're not doing anything to help him go against having sex.

"but i want to," his response is eager and he backtracks, "if you want it too, i mean."

your mind is so clouded with the thought of not only having him, but also to have you be his first, that you don't even respond before you're pressing your lips to his again.

" of course i do."

[monstersinthecosmos]

i'm rereading vantablack for the 1000th time and i'm thinking about how marius is a lil insistent when offering armand some water, like. i know i'm probably just reading way too much into it but do you think marius would be the type to kind of humiliate him like that, having armand drink a little too much water for comfort and then pressing down on his lower belly to make his bladder ache while he's fucking him? maybe making him have an accident lol? all the while retaining plausible deniability ofc, he was just being a good respectable host not letting his guest go thirsty etc. lmao sorry! one more horny marius thought ig ^_^

yknow i was fuckin screaming because I witnessed people on discord talking about Vantablack and the person said "Is that the one where Marius keeps trying to give him water?" sdgkjldsgjklasdg AND LIKE ??

happy accident I JUST WANTED HIM TO SEEM LIKE WAY TOO FRIENDLY, I didn't realize that it became a remarkable feature of "that fic where he keeps trying to give Armand water" sdgkjdlasg BUT NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT

yea he does stuff like this. 100%. the bathroom studio is not an accident, and watersports are an entire subgenre of Marius's business.

The thing about Armand as an asset for Marius's brand is also that like, he's such a naive virgin and Marius wants to exploit that. As Armand gains more and more experience he's going to have to keep pushing the envelope to elicit reactions of genuine shock. If he gets too comfortable being debauched (regular style) he's gonna have to start being pissed on/in or being forced to have accidents. :) :) :) :)

growing up in a weird sex-shame cult is hard enough but once Armand starts getting acclimated to his new job and doing some work on himself I think it will be easier for him to embrace sexuality because he can see that regular people in the real world have sexuality and it's okay, but Bathroom Stuff is private and shameful even to open-minded and liberated folks. It's such a deeply vulnerable space to occupy! So humiliating! So infantilizing! Such a VISCERAL loss of control wow!!!

thank u so much, this is lovely to ponder. :D

[cubezart]

Hi!! You totally don't know me at all, I'm a complete stranger >:) And I'd love to hear about Jim's mental world!!

HI ok so erm this is mostly just gonna be a mess of rambles and vague ideas smushed together barely in order but

(old/outdated concept sketch, but it's a good start)

for starters, the prime issue(s) to help resolve in his mental world (or this version at least) is jim's fear of burdening his friends and family, and his resistance to reaching out for help, as much as he really needs it. it doesn't get too deep into his trauma, it's just giving jim the push he needs to seek out help again

after jim's recent divorce with bettie, he's been trying to give his family "some space to process" ...which didn't take long to sink back into old self isolation habits. he's been putting his all into his job to repress and distract from everything else going on with him, and it doesn't seem like it'll work for very much longer

first area in his mind is a boring + extremely tiny office room, the other cubicles are all empty and open except for jim's, which has a big metal door attached to the entrance. you can try and talk to him or ask him things, but it won't get you much . he insists he's happier in there really !! its so nice and safe hes fine :) its ok :)

when asked why he's locked in, he'll insist it's for his own safety, saying some vague stuff while the clairvoyance hints become even more obvious. when you use clairvoyance on him, his POV shows the cubicle door and everywhere around it surrounded by nightmares clawing and staring at him from the other side. (something something these are all just his own perception of things and he's really not in danger)

afterwards, his dialogue tree gets pretty short and limited, leaving raz to explore !! there's a few doors you can interact with, one being just a simple archetype-required door with a little collectible or somethin. the other is an old n dusty storage closet filled with memory vaults piling up to the ceiling. you can't really interact with any of those individually, (maybe some raz line along the lines of "i can't punch through all those :( ") but there's one or two real ones that just seem to have completely mundane and normal memories inside. weird! cuz with cpstd n trauma memory loss/repression, it can repress a lot more than what's necessary

there's one last door to try, leading out into the next phase ! raz says goodbye to jim, and jim happily waves back as the door shuts n locks behind raz, and the hallway distorts and extends, distancing raz away too :( sorta like the effect in the pn2 office construct !! im taking a lot of inspo from that world tbh heehe except for the obvious yknow. dental stuff

the next phase is kind of a messy stub for now, still sorting n planning out everything in my head lol but it's called Jim's Judgement

it centers more around jim's trauma and Issues TM and a lot of it is more vague concepts than any real gameplay ideas for the more dark story elements bc i don't want raz to have to see that and like to think after raz gets him a head start, he gets into actual professional Psychonauts therapy (and for my own silly oc/canon interaction fun, its sasha and milla assigned to help him. perhaps. maybe. they almost assigned oleander but he yelled too much and scared him away /hj) ANYWAY!!

all that being said i honestly have 0 ideas how to tone shit down for raz and im still trying to plan out the smaller in-game per se variation on it so i will simply. wait to talk about it. there's a lot of cool symbolism and motifs i prommy i swear </3 but the main "boss fight" final moment thing surrounds his whole paranoia of being a horrible person who others only tolerate + he constantly has to "make up for it" by putting everything and everyone Before him. i really wanna end it back in the small office space with jim having the key on his desk this whole time, making it literally In His Hands to get himself out. he just needed the support! he's definitely scared and slow, but he opens the door and steps out of his cubicle. the room grows a little bit. its a start

i was gonna ramble more about the darker version of the second phase but this post is already gettin Long and kinda incoherent i think so ermm. ill split it off into a second post probably if anyones interested in hearing more . i hope this all made sense lol i have too many thoughts about him to keep together honestly

[huffle-dork]

Swap Beyond the Crystalverse Chapter 7: Banished Fae

Co-written with @crystalninjaphoenix Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs

Other Multiverse Stories: SITCV | SATCV | GITHV SBTCV Masterpost

Bro lands in a small living space. Its size is close to an apartment, but judging by the staircase leading to a second floor, and the half-open sliding glass door showing a backyard, it's a house. Just a very small one, a cottage, maybe. An older one. The floral wallpaper is peeling, and the wooden floors are dirty, especially around the front door and glass door. There's a small kitchenette in the corner right of the glass door, its appliances looking old, stains on the stove and rust on the metal cabinet handles. 

Bro has landed right in between a sagging sofa and a TV stand with a box of a television on it. Looks like this place is in the middle of being fixed up. There are cleaning supplies all over, including a big mop and bucket next to an ajar door leading to a bathroom. There are bags of groceries on the kitchenette counter, everything perishable put away. And it looks like someone's trying to hook up a more modern game console to the old TV. 

Bro looks around the new space in confusion. Huh… cozy little place. Wonder who’s staying here?

Voices come from through the glass door. Three of them. 

"The tulips are great, but you really need more variety. Oo! Have you ever heard of peonies?" 

"Oh! We could dig up the ground in this spot and put in a water feature with lilies and such!" 

"Do all of you guys have such strong opinions on flowers?" 

"Not that strong, but stronger than you." 

"Well I'll look into peonies, but I'm not tearing a hole in the ground." 

"Awww."

Bro  blinks as he hears the chatter outside. …so much gardening talk- he’s never really been into that kinda stuff. All of this goes straight over his head.

"I'm getting thirsty," says one of the voices. "I think I'll go back in to get a drink. Do you two want anything?" 

"Mmm. Yes, I will get a soda." 

"I don't want anything, but I'm coming anyway!" 

"Hah. Okay, okay." 

Sounds like the three voices are going to come into the cottage.

Bro freezes- ohhh this is always the awkward part! …he really should just stay out to see what he’s dealing with but- god he doesn’t want to scare these guys either! He frantically looks around as if something around him can give him an answer on what to do.

There's really not much in this cottage living room at all. If he wants to leave there's the staircase, the ajar bathroom door, another door beneath the staircase that probably leads to a closet. There aren't any knickknacks or anything--just the cleaning supplies and groceries. 

And then someone walks in through the glass door. A man in a long brown coat, square glasses hiding his eyes. He stops shortly over the threshold, seeing Bro, and gasps. 

Someone else starts walking in after him--a man in a blue shirt and snapback cap, with a thick beard--and the first man suddenly covers his eyes. "Gah!" the second man shouts. "Schneep, what the hell?!" 

"Don't look, Chase!" the first man says. "A doppelganger is here! Looking like you!" 

"The fuck does that mean?!" 

Bro is too overwhelmed with decisions that he ends up yelping in surprise as the brown coated guy- obviously Schneep covers other him’s eyes. Huh- blue… he doesn’t wear a lot of blue that’s more of Alt’s color. He grins and waves awkwardly, “Ahhh hello! S-sorry kinda just- felll in here! How’s it going~?”

"You will not find anything here!" Schneep says, looking awfully fierce. "How did you get in without an invitation?!" 

"For fuck's sake, Schneep!" Chase pushes Schneep's hand away. "Yknow, the fact that he is in my house without an invitation means that he's not a fucking doppelganger!" He looks at Bro. "Though, uh... you do look a lot like me..."

“I mean… doppelgänger is good way of putting it?” Bro says meekly, rubbing the back of his head. “I… I am you- I’m Chase Brody from another universe… surprise? Also what’s this about invitations??”

Chase blinks. "Uhhhhh... what?" He looks at Schneep. "Do you two know anything about this? Other universes?" 

Schneep shakes his head. "I have never heard of such a thing... though some say there are other worlds out there." 

There's a sudden streak of red, flashing from behind Schneep and moving towards Bro!It's so fast, that even with his super reflexes, he can't stop a heavy weight from landing on his shoulder.

Bro blinks in confusion then yells out as the red streak knocks into his shoulder and throws him off balance. “What the hell?!”

"I don't think he's a fetch," A voice says right by his ear. "It's too perfect-looking." And then something tugs on the rim of said ear. "And this isn't a glamour."

“Ow!!! What the heck??!” Bro cries out and swats at his ear, “the fuck is a fetch?? What are you??”

"Ah fuck!" Bro hits something solid and something red goes spinning to the ground. 

"Jackie!" Chase gasps, starting to hurry over there. 

"I'm fine!" The red thing stops spinning and rises back into the air. It's... a tiny person. Eight inches tall, with insectile wings on his back, beating swiftly. He's wearing a red outfit, with a hood pulled over his head, and has dark markings around his eyes, a bit like a mask.

Bro’s blinks rapidly and looks at his hand in confusion. Then he sees the tiny person flying in front of him and his jaw drops. He points at the fairy with wide disbelieving eyes. “…what in the fucking world…?!!! Y-You’re A fucking fairy?!” 

The little man glares at him, rising to his eye level. "Yes. And you just smacked me!" 

"You did land on his shoulder without permission, Jackie," Schneep points out. 

"I had to check that he was safe!" 

“I-I’m sorry! When something just talks in your ear like that it freaks you out!” Bro defends himself. 

Chase sighs. He looks at Bro. "I know. It's fucking insane, isn't it? You have no idea the crisis I had when I first found out."

But Bro blinks even more like this will help him make sense of what’s in front of him. “…this is sooo fucking weird oh my god-“

"God, I know, right?" Chase shakes his head. "I mean... you saying you're from another world is also weird." 

Jackie flies over and lands on Schneep's shoulder, sitting down. His wings fold, and as he turns around, looking around the room, Bro can see a shell on his back partially covering them. A red shell with black dots. "I don't see any sign of break-ins, and if he was of the Good People he'd need an invitation. So he's human. And he's probably friendly."

“…bro are you a ladybug??” Bro asks, completely missing what Jackie said.

"I'm a ladybug in the same way you're a monkey!" Jackie says, folding his arms. 

Bro flushes and waves his hands, “I-I didn’t mean anything by it! J-Just observing!”

"Calm down, Jackie, he means nothing of it," Schneep says. 

Jackie sighs. "Yeah. I'm like a ladybug." 

Chase walks over to the fridge and opens it up. "What did you want, Schneep?" 

"Cola." 

"Got it." Chase grabs a couple cans then looks back at Bro. "Want anything?"

Bro blinks over at Chase then shakes his head, “Uh no thanks-“ he then looks back at Jackie and Schneep. “…uhhh do you mentioned… invitations and uh.. good people. And that I’m human- which I am! …kinda? I’m also like- a superhero so that’s a dubious area-“

"You know--the Good People. The Fair Folk. The Fae." Jackie grins. "Like us." 

"Not me!" Chase hurriedly adds. "I'm human. And you're a... superhero?" He laughs. "Man... okay. Sure. That might as well happen.”

“Ohhh the fair folk!” Bro says, brightening. “I kinda know about them! Mostly just… fairytales my Emmy used to tell us!”

Schneep walks over to Bro. "I am sorry for snapping at you earlier," he says. "I thought you were here to hurt Chase." He holds out his hand, smiling. The cuff of his coat is wet, like he'd recently washed his hands.

Bro blinks and then waves Schneep off and shakes his hand, “No problem I get it! I hate that when I come into a new world it’s usually by accidentally intruding- I don’t try to do that normally!” He laughs.

"So this is a usual thing for you, then?" Chase raises an eyebrow. 

“By now it is,” Bro grins, “me and my brother are regular multiverse travelers now!” He points his thumb to himself cheekily.

Chase walks over to Schneep and hands him a can of soda. "Well uh... guess I should... explain some things? You're in this tiny town called Díbeamha, in Ireland. And uh... there are a lot of strange creatures living here." 

"We do not have many other places to go," Schneep says, opening the can with a hss. "For various reasons. They depend on the individual."

Bro nods to Chase, “Oh Ireland! Man- I haven’t visited here in a while…!” He laughs. Bro then tilts his head at Schneep and narrows his eyes slightly, “…you said we- are you also a fae-something-creature-thing??”

Schneep pushes his glasses up. "Well not exactly. The Good People are native to these isles. I am, as you can hear, German. But yes, I am not human. It's easier to lump myself in with the ones from here. Like this little pisky here." He reaches up and taps Jackie's head with his pointer finger. 

"Hey, you're going to ruin my hood!" Jackie complains. 

"Schneep got kicked out of his home, like... really kicked out," Chase says. 

"I do not mind. The rest of my people are monsters." 

“Oh,” Bro says simply, blinking at Schneep. He tilts his head at him, thinking. “…if you’re not human, then what are you?” 

Schneep hesitates. "My people are called nixie. Nix, for just one. You may not have heard of them." He takes a drink of his soda, not explaining further. 

“No I… don’t think I have. Huh…” Bro says, making a face. “My aunt and Emmy were both very Irish so that’s what I usually know of…” 

"Aaaand Jackie's on some sort of probation," Chase continues. "Eternally waiting to come back." 

"It'll happen!" Jackie says defensively.

Bro blinks at Jackie, “…isn’t eternity, like, forever though??”

"Chase was exaggerating," Jackie says. 

"I was," Chase confirms. "I don't think fairies live forever... but they do live really long." 

"I... might've been here for... a couple decades," Jackie says slowly. 

Bro laughs a bit at first- but then his face falls, “oh I… I’m sorry Jackie. It must be hard… to not be able to go home.”

Jackie rubs the back of his head. "I mean... it's not that long. But... yeah. It sucks sometimes. I-I'm really glad that I found this place to stay in the meantime." 

"Anyway... you have a brother?" Chase asks. "Huh. I don't have a brother. Or, uh... any family. Is he here now? Or are we going to have to prepare for him falling from the sky?"

Bro laughs, “He’s probably around this city somewhere if I had to guess. We travel through these worlds together- if you guys have any other friends you know- he might have fallen over by them.” He says casually.

"Hmm." Chase frowns. "Marvin or Jameson, then? Where are those guys now? They didn't show up for gardening help." 

"Eh. You know those two, they're not interested in that sort of stuff." Jackie leans back against Schneep's neck, and he unconsciously leans his head away so the ends of Jackie's wings don't tickle him. "They might be out in the forest, in Kilearney's, or maybe shopping somewhere." 

"We can go look for them," Schneep says. "Díbeamha is a small place. It will not take long. And if your brother was nearby, they will probably be helping him find you in turn."

“Most likely- we got something we need to find here,” Bro explains, “We had this thing we used to travel the multiverses easier but it got broken and the pieces broke off into other worlds. We gotta try to find them all before a really bad guy tries to stop us.” He pauses and makes a silly thinking face. “…that sounds like a plot to a kids cartoon or something-“ he laughs. “But yeah he’s probably with those two! We usually end up around you guys~” he grins.

Chase laughs. "Dude, sometimes I think my life sounds like a kid's book, I know how you feel." He takes a swig of soda. "Well, guess gardening is on pause. Walk around town time." 

"Yay!" Jackie looks over at Chase and smiles. "You sound so excited to go out!" 

"Hah. Well, this is a lot of excitement, isn't it?" Chase smiles a little. "Alright. Let's head on out." 

----------- 

Alt falls for a bit, and then lands somewhere outside. He's standing on an old stone bridge, arching over a small river. In one direction, a single-lane road extends into the distance. To the other direction... is a town. The buildings are spread out, old-fashioned in their style. The road heading this way is cobbled stone. If it wasn't for the telephone poles, he might think he's back in another medieval world. It's a nice, sunny day. The stream babbles cheerfully as it passes by. 

"Quaint little place," Anti comments. "This world is UA-0703020BF, according to IRIS. Seems fascinating." 

Alt shakes himself off then blinks at the surroundings. “Wow- it’s so…” he laughs at Anti’s description, “Yeah quaint. Say if the TRVLR is still broken how do you know what world is which?” He asks

“I hacked IRIS’s database in preparation,” Anti says. “Sam helped with matching them up. That does mean there’s a risk I’m wrong, since your TRVLR was from another world, but I’m sure I’m right. I even memorized some nearby worlds, just in case.” 

“That’s dedication to the cause, man. I gotta give you props!” Alt laughs. 

There’s a loud mrow. And suddenly a cat hops up onto the wall of the bridge. Holy shit. That’s a big cat. Even if the fluff is making it look bigger, it’s still about the size of a golden retriever. It’s almost completely black except for a big white spot on its chest, and it stares at Alt with unblinking green eyes.

Alt jumps at the sight of the black cat- momentarily panicking thinking it’s on my mag’s panthers-! But this one, while huge, isn’t as big as those guys. He stares in wonder at the cat. “Woahhh… uh- hi kitty?” He waves.

The cat tilts its head and loafs.

Alt’s heart melts and he prowls closer, offering his hand for it to sniff, “Ohhh you’re so pretty! Can I pet you?” He coos.

The cat leans forward and sniffs Alt’s hand. It seems to find him friendly, and pushes its head towards Alt’s hand. 

Alt beams and quickly starts to give the cat all the best pets, cooing softly to it, “oh you’re so big and fluffy!! How’d you get so big huh? You’re adorable!” 

Then there are footsteps. A man is walking towards the bridge, towards the town. He stops, seeing Alt, and for a moment he looks shocked, then relieved. This man is wearing a dapper outfit, with a vest that ripples in shades of red and orange, and has a very distinct mustache. He tips his hat—gray with a red ribbon around it—in greeting. 

Alt blinks up as the man addresses him- and recognizes this must be the Jameson of this world. He smiles and waves with one hand- the other still petting the cat. 

The man--Jameson Jackson, of course--walks up onto the bridge. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small notepad and fancy-looking pen, writing down something and showing it to Alt. 

Hello. I think you're new in town, right? My name is Jameson, what can I call you?

Alt blinks and finally stops petting the cat and smiles at Jameson. “Hi, I guess I am new, huh? you can call me Alt.”

Jameson smiles and writes down something else. Nice to meet you, Alt! What brings you to Díbeamha?

Alt hums, sticking his hands in his pocket, “Oh I’m looking for something here. And my brother too- but we just got separated so I’m sure I’ll find him soon.” He looks out at the town, “Guess this place is small enough you guys don’t get a lot of travelers huh?”

Jameson shakes his head. No, not at all. Everyone pretty much knows everyone. Do you need help finding your brother? I can show you around. After Jameson shows Alt the writing he reaches out and scratches the cat beneath the chin. It starts to purr.

Alt smiles, “I mean- I guess I wouldn’t mind if you’re not busy. He’s pretty easy to spot- especially if you guys aren’t used to strangers.” He grins more as Jameson pets the cat, “This is a pretty big cat- do you know its story? I’ve never seen one this big before!”

Laughing silently, Jameson writes something else down. He's a special breed. You'll see him around town sometimes, no owner or anything. Don't worry, he's harmless. Unless you're unkind to him, of course. Jameson jerks his head towards town, as if to silently ask, 'shall we go this way?'

Alt looks down at the cat, “Huh… neat.” He smiles then starts to follow after Jameson. “Oh by the way- I know sign language if that helps. Should have… said something sooner-“ He laughs sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

The cat hops down, trotting after them. Jameson looks at Alt in surprise, then laughs again silently. He puts the notepad away. That does help, thank you! he signs. 

Alt chuckles, "No problem, must be a bitch to write to everyone!"

There are a few people out walking around. No cars. Doesn't look like there's many of those in this town. Some of them wave at Jameson as he walks by, and he waves back. 

As they walk, Alt looks around the village and is surprised. "... this is a very small town. I mean... feels Irish so i guess that tracks but... this feels like abnormally small..."

Jameson blinks. It feels Irish because it is. He chuckles. Did you forget you were in Ireland? Or did you somehow arrive here without realizing? Still, you're right. This place is tucked away. It's nice.

Alt flushes and laughs awkwardly, "Ah- well... k-kinda the second one. I kinda just.... fell in here."

Jameson stares at him for a moment. He tilts his head thoughtfully. From where? 

"Uhhh... a parallel universe?" Alt grins nervously. Might as well rip the bandage off.

Whatever Jameson was expecting to hear, it clearly wasn't that. The cat, still walking next to them, lets out a long mrrrow and Jameson glances down at it, nodding as if in response. He looks around. I feel like we need to sit down to discuss this, he says. 

"Yeahhh- that's fair." Alt sighs. 

In here, this should work. He heads to a building with a hanging sign reading Kilearney's. The mugs on the sign show that this is some sort of pub. 

Jameson opens the front door, causing a bell to chime, and a voice from inside calls out, "Ah, Jameson! Please, come in, lad." Jameson then steps inside. 

Alt looks around the pub with interest- god a drink sounds good.. but he has to make sure he stays on task too. He blinks over at the voice, trailing behind Jameson.

The interior of the pub is pretty typical for a place like this. Heavy wooden tables, rafters crossing the ceiling, and a bar up against the right wall. There are some posters decorating the walls--but the main decoration is the huge-ass crossbow mounted near the ceiling. The pub is empty except for two people behind the bar. An older woman wearing an apron, her brown-gray hair held back behind a red-brown scarf. And a younger person with long white-blonde hair and big black eyes. 

"Oh? You're new," the woman says to Alt. "Friend of Jems'?" 

Alt grins nervously and hides his face partly in his mask. "U-Uh yeah- just... sorta wandered into town. N-Nice place you got here?"

"Thanks." The woman nods. "Call me Meabh. I'm the barkeep. This is Zephyr." She jerks her head at the younger person. "He works here. Can I get you anything?" 

Alt nods his head in greeting. “ah I think me and Jameson just needed a good place to talk-“

The bell chimes again as the door opens. A man stands on the threshold, wearing a black jacket over a white shirt, black jeans, and black boots. There's all sorts of silver and gold bracelets along his arms, and his shoulder-length brown hair has a few small braids in it. 

"Ah, Marvin, come in," Meabh says. 

"Thanks." The man--Marvin--walks in, and looks at Alt. "Hi."

Alt blinks at the new person and awkwardly waves, “Uh- Hi.”

Don't worry, Marvin is a friend, Jameson says. But he's not very good at acting like a person. 

“…what’s that supposed to mean?” Alt asks with a confused face. 

Marvin makes a face at Jameson. He walks over to the bar. "Usual?" 

"Yep." Maebh turns back and starts making a drink. "Don't knock the cup off this time." 

"That was an accident." 

Alt laughs, “Ha! You’re making him sound like a cat!” 

"Heh. I am, aren't I?" Maebh smiles a bit smugly, and Marvin rolls his eyes. 

Jameson gestures for Alt to come sit down with him at a table. So... a universe? he asks. What do you mean by that?

Alt then blinks and follows after Jameson. He sighs and removes his mask from his face and talks with his hands as he explains, “Well- me and my brother… we’re people from a different world altogether. Like- in comics when you meet your alternative self that’s you but also not you. That’s us- …if you know anyone named Anti… that’s who I am.”

I've heard of comics like that, Jameson says slowly. My friend Jackie is a big fan. 

Marvin sees him say this and laughs. "'Big' fan." 

Yes, yes, it's very funny. Jameson gives Alt another look, thoughtful. I did think you looked like him... but you're clearly not. You're... human.

Alt blinks in confusion at Marvin then back at Jameson. He seems to relax a bit that there's no instant hostility. "... kinda? I'm... mostly human, I think. But I'm also well..." He glitches back across the room and then back into his seat in a bright flash of green, a flurry of pixels bouncing off him for a second. "...I'm magic."

Jameson gasps, eyes wide. 

Marvin whistles. "I've never seen magic like that before!" he says. "You two?" He looks back at Maebh and Zephyr. 

"Not in all my days," Maebh mutters, handing Marvin a drink in a soft orange color. Zephyr shakes his head. 

That... definitely lends claim to you being from some other world, Jameson says slowly.

Alt grins sheepishly, “I’m… kinda an outlier for most magicians in my world… cuz I’m also known as a Glitch. But that’s… complicated.” He shakes himself out, letting himself fizzle and pop with glitches now that he doesn’t feel like he has to hold back. “So… by what you said about other me- this world's Anti… is he not human or… well considering everyone’s not more freaked out I guess non- humans and magic are more prevalent here?” 

The four others in the room exchange glances. Clearly, they're wary about something. 

"Zephyr, how do you feel about him?" Marvin asks. 

Zephyr walks around from behind the counter. Suddenly, he's really close to Alt, leaning onto the table. He quickly reaches out and touches Alt's hand. Then, just as suddenly, he's backing up. 

He's good, Zephyr says in sign language. 

Alt glitches back as Zephyr approaches then glitches even more and kinda hides behind his chair. “hey what the fuck??” He bites out. “What was that for?”

Well... that was no doubt really confusing for him, Jameson comments.

Zephyr also shrinks back in turn as Alt snaps at him. 

"Hey! Leave off him!" Meabh says defensively, baring her teeth. 

Everyone calm down! Jameson hurriedly signs. We're all friendly here. He sighs. I suppose you all should have ASKED before suddenly approaching. 

Sorry, Zephyr signs. 

Alt fizzles and pops, “I-I just don’t like being touched by people! Especially strangers!” He defends, crouching behind the chair, sparking a bit.

Sorry, Zephyr says again, looking guilty. I... don't like that either. But I wanted to be sure you were safe. 

Alt nods to Zephyr, “I-It’s okay… just a bit of warning I-is good…” 

"Zephyr is a... let's say he knows what people are like," Marvin says carefully. "And if he says you're good, then you're good. We can probably trust you." 

Alt starts to relax as Marvin explains , “oohhhkay?” He says in confusion.

Meabh sighs and starts polishing a glass. 

To answer your question, Alt... magic is prevalent, but non-humans not so much, Jameson says. Except in certain places. This town being one of them. You are... actually the only human in this room right now.

Alt’s eyes widen as he looks around, “wait seriously??? None of you are human?!”

"Not-a-one," Maebh says casually. 

Jameson tilts his hat back, and--holy shit, how did Alt not notice before? His ears are pointed. And his vest--it's not some shimmery fabric, it seems to be made from vivid autumn leaves pressed together. 

Marvin also pushes back his hair. His ears are similarly pointed, though with some tufts of black fur at the tips.

Alt turns to look at eveyone and starts to take in the details but he’s still confused. “Okay uh.. ears- I guess those are pretty inhuman… but what are you all like… elves then? Like dnd?”

Jameson shakes his head. Not like that game--though that game is quite creative. "Elves" to us means little people, one to three feet tall. 

Marvin takes a sip of his drink. "How much do you know about Irish folklore?" 

“A decent amount… my mum and Emmy are Irish,” Alt says, “Emmy used to tell me and Chase folktales as bedtime stories. Plus we grew up in Dublin…”

"Well you'll know all about the People of the Hills, then," Marvin says, grinning. "Surprise! That's us."

Alt’s eyes widen, “…fae- you’re all Fair Folks?”

Jameson smiles. Exactly. Though not everyone in town is--in fact, most are human. But everyone knows about the ones who live here. Even if they don't... KNOW know, if that makes sense. 

"Though the four of us are different," Marvin says. "Jems here is the only gentry--you know, the traditional human-like ones."

Alt nods but then knits his eyebrows together, “…maybe I don’t remember as much as I think… cuz aren’t gentry like… nobility?”

Jameson purses his lips. ...techically. But there are... levels. And it's very possible for one to... lose favor. 

Marvin hisses, narrowing his eyes. His ears move, lowering. "Pricks." 

Alt blinks a bit more in confusion. “So you’re like… fae nobility?” 

Before that can be explained, the bell at the door chimes, and a man in a snapback cap walks in. "Oh hey! You guys are here!" 

And behind him--is Bro.

Alt jumps and glitches back as the door opens then he grins as he sees Bro. “Chase!” 

Bro grins wide too, “Yooo! We getting drinks?? Fuck yeah!” He sees Jameson and Marvin and waves, “Sup?”

All four of the guys snap towards Bro. Marvin hisses again. "Is that a fucking fetch?!" 

"He is not a fetch!" Schneep is still standing on the threshold of the pub even as Bro and Chase walk in. "We already went through that, he is human." 

Alt narrows his eyes at the hostility towards his brother, glitching a bit. But, he deflates quickly as the others do. 

Maebh bows her head in his direction. "Welcome in, doctor." 

"Jackie is here too." 

"Him too." 

Schneep nods and walks over, joining Alt and Jameson at the table. Huh, that's weird. There are a few puddles of water that follow him, like he was dripping. But he looks completely dry. 

“Man, these fetch guys must be real trouble-“ Bro comments as he walks over to Alt to sit at the table. 

"Fetches are spectral creatures that take the form of a human," Marvin explains. "Then they kill them. With magic. So yes. Wouldn't want that to happen to Chase." 

“Oh,” Bro says, looking a bit pale, “…yeah that’d be bad.” 

"So... I am guessing you are this other Chase's brother?" Schneep asks.

"Nice to meet you!" Chase says. "Wow... fucking wild that I have a brother in another universe."

Alt blinks then nods, “Yeah hi, I’m Alt. Nice to meet you all too.” He smiles sheepishly.

"Well you have not met all of us yet," Schneep says. He points at his coat pocket... which is moving. 

And then a tiny person pops out of it. "Heyo! So I guess you've already got the run-down then!" Jackie laughs. He looks at Alt--and for a moment, his expression turns to shock. Then he shakes his head, brushing it off.

Alt blinks at Schneep then yelps in surprise and glitches back. Then he blinks rapidly. “Oh! Uh- h-Hi there! Jesus… you’re a fairy!” 

Bro laughs, “You’re a bit calmer about this then I was, bro!” 

Alt looks confused at Jackie’s expression then waves towards Jameson, “Uh yeah- J and Marvin were just explaining stuff to me…”

"Honestly you're both taking this so much better than I did," Chase says, sitting down. "I guess being from other universes help?" 

Alt shrugs, “We’ve seen a lot of crazy shit. And a lot of different worlds.” 

Chase is human too, Jameson says to Alt. 

"Yeah, I just moved here recently, actually. All the way from the US--you have no idea the fucking heart attack I had the first time I saw any of these guys." 

“Oh hey! We’re originally from the US too!” Bro grins at Chase, “mostly grew up in Dublin though!” 

"Are you all actually going to get anything?" Maebh asks. "Or are you just going to take up space in my pub?"

Bro turns around to look at Maebh and then grins, “Oh I’ll take something!” 

Alt lightly hits him, “Chase! We’re supposed to be focusing, not drinking!” 

“C’monnnn Alt! You got to get that like- Wendy’s knockoff thing! Can’t we just have like… one? Maybe two??” The hero pouts to his brother. 

Alt just crossed his arms and gives him a look.

"Oooo, Maebh, give me a crow's nest!" Jackie flies out of Schneep's pocket and over to the bar. 

"Put it in the bowl, Jackie," Maebh says, pushing a small ceramic bowl over to him.

 Jackie digs into his pockets and pulls out a couple handfuls of shimmering dust, dropping it in the bowl. 

"And the rest of you?" Maebh asks. 

"I am fine." Schneep nods. 

Me as well, Jameson adds. 

Chase hesitates. "Nnnno." The guys all turn to him and smile, all looking proud in some way. Chase rolls his eyes. "Let's not talk about it." 

Bro blinks then gives Alt puppy dog eyes.

Alt stays firm then finally sighs and waves him off. “One drink- anymore and I’m leaving your drunk ass behind.” 

“Psssh im not gonna get drunk from two drinks! But fine- compromise!” Bro grins, hurrying over to the counter. He then blinks, “uhhh… hm… is this like- faeee alcohol or… human?” He asks sheepishly.

Maebh laughs. "I'd be in real fucking deep for serving otherworld stuff to humans here. You think I want the rest of Themselves in this town to drive me out?" 

"I asked about it too, bro," Chase calls. "Apparently fairy food does weird shit to your brain. Probably not a good idea if you want to stay clear-headed." 

“Oh… yeah I figured fairy food would do that-“ Bro laughs, remembering their time in the Wyldwoods.

"Here, Zephyr, hand him a menu while I work on that mini crow's nest," Maebh says. 

Zephyr hurries over, pulling a handmade paper menu out from under the bar and handing it to Bro. Looks like they have just about any type of alcohol imaginable.

As much as Bro wants to try that he doesn’t wanna piss off Alt or get them in serious trouble just for being curious. He looks at the menu then shakes his head and laughs, “I’ll just take two Irish whiskeys please-“ He says, pulling out his wallet.

"Got it," Maebh says. "Zeph?" 

Zephyr nods, and makes Bro his drinks. Meanwhile, Maebh hands Jackie a tiny drink in a miniature glass cup that's actually pretty cool-looking in how well-made it is. 

“Oh my god it’s so tiny!!!” Bro squeals. 

"I still think that's so fucking cute," Chase says, grinning. "Oh, Bro, don't say thank you. They don't like that here... for some reason." 

"We don't like being in debt, and that's what thanks implies," Marvin says, taking a sip of his own drink.

Bro blinks at other him, “Oh! Okay- that makes sense… I guess?” He laughs as he takes the drinks from Zephyr, he opens his mouth then just nods to him before hurrying over to the table. 

Alt sees the two drinks and sits up quickly, eyes sparking a bit, “Hey! I thought I said-“ 

“The other is for you, dummy!” Bro laughs, handing Alt the other glass. 

Alt blinks slowly then takes the glass and holds it. “…oh-“ 

“maybe it’ll get you to chill out a bit-“ Bro smirks as he takes a sip. 

Alt hits him again. 

Jackie flies over to join the rest of the group at the table--though Marvin continues to hang back. 

"Were you two not here for something?" Schneep says, frowning. "You should not ah, 'chill' too much." 

I'm sure they know what they're doing, Henrik, Jameson says. Once they finish they can go do whatever they're here to do. Perhaps we could help. We all know the area really well, after all.

Alt moodily sips at his drink… damn that’s good. He has to admit it’s nice to just have a quick drink.

“Hey it should be no big!” Bro laughs, “We’re just looking for something- we got a really good way to look for it too!” He says pulling out the tracker and touching the pupil. 

Marvin makes a mrrp sound and walks over. "Magic?" 

Schneep chuckles. "Marvin loves his magic." 

Alt grins, “Yeah it’s magic! It’s like a scrying orb- but it’s attuned to the thing we’re looking for.”

The tracker tells Bro that the part is in the forest to the north, in the hands of the fae that lives there. Bro looks down at the eye and seems troubled, “uh,.. we may have an issue…” 

“Huh? Why?” Alt asks. 

“The orb says it in the north part of the forest… and it’s with the fae that live there.” 

The mood immediately drops. Jameson in particular looks the most nervous, going pale... or, even paler. Alt hadn't noticed it before, but Jameson doesn't look fully well. Kind of like how people look when they've been inside sick for a while. 

"The north, right?" Chase says. "I've, uh... been told not to go that way." 

"We've told other Chase this, but um... all of the Fair Folk are here because we cannot go back home, for some reason," Schneep says. "Many of us were banished. And among them... the one they call the Iron-Mad Prince. He is the one who lives in that area."

“He’s a banished fae too? Living in the forest?” Alt asks. He gauges everyone’s expressions and purses his lips, “…guess he’s a really big threat huh?” 

“Why is he called the Iron-Mad Prince?” Bro asks, tilting his head. “…that’s a fucking sick title though I have to admit.”

"Oh, um... not really an immediate threat," Marvin says slowly. "But if you go in there... it's a risk." 

He's called that because... iron isn't good for us, Jameson explains. It tends to have a bad physical and mental effect. But the Iron-Mad Prince is, for some reason, obsessed with it. With human technology. It's driven him... a bit... well, mad. 

“Oh yeah! I’ve heard iron is bad for fae,” Bro says, nodding. 

"And he's a prince because his brother is one of the Fae Kings," Jackie adds. "Of the Green Court, nearby. That's where I'm from, too." 

Alt holds both hands around his drink tightly. “…does the Prince… look like me?” He asks quietly.

A moment passes. Then Jackie nods. "...except for your eyes," he says. 

"Are you thinking that that guy is you?" Chase asks. "In the same way that Bro is me?"

Alt nods and then sighs heavily and takes a bigger sip of his drink, “Yup. The other mes tend to be… mad. And tied to tech somehow…” 

Bro frowns then messes with his hair as he takes another sip too. “Well… if he’s not an immediate threat then… we might be able to just find the piece and get out there, you know?”

"I guess it's possible," Marvin says slowly. "The goal will be to get in without attracting attention. Or getting too close to any of the iron he has lying around there."

 “What can he like- sense the iron around? That’s weird…” Bro frowns. 

“Guess it makes sense… makes him sound like a stalker though-“ Alt mutters. Bro blinks and Alt looks back at him, “Like the hybrid that Schneep was? They collect scrap metal.” 

“Oooh! I forgot about that to be honest.” Bro laughs. 

Alt’s eyebrows furrow, getting lost in thought for a second. 

"Wait, You guys want to go?" Chase asks, surprised. "But--you just said iron was bad for you." 

"These guys will need our help!" Jackie says. He reaches down to his waist, and in a flash of light, he suddenly has a tiny silver sword. "As a knight of the Green Court--" 

"A knight on probation," Schneep mutters. 

"--I am bound to protect human and fairy from danger!"

Bro gasps in delight at Jackie pulling out his sword. “Woah! Tiny knight!! That’s awesome!” He grins.

"Heh." Jackie grins and does some fancy maneuvers. "Knights come in all sizes in the Courts. Because threats come in all sizes as well." 

Jameson sighs. I'll come too. I know the forest well. 

"Me too." Marvin nods. 

"Iron does not affect me as strongly as the Good People from these islands," Schneep says. "So I will come, too." 

Chase frowns. "Well... now I have to join in."

Bro blinks at everyone then smiles, “Great! It’ll be good to have people who know the land! And get to know you all! I wanna know more about what you all are!” 

Alt nods and glitches to his feet, taking one last sip of his drink. “Alright then… guess we should get going, huh?”

"Good luck, lads," Maebh says from behind the bar. "If you need help, send a signal and I'll come running." She tilts her head at the giant crossbow on the wall. 

Best wishes! Zephyr adds. Your pure hearts will guide you. 

Bro waves at them with a bright grin, “th-!” He starts to say before he closes his mouth and nods again, giving them both a thumbs up.

"That sounds like a Barbie movie quote," Chase chuckles. Both Alt and Bro laugh at Chase’s joke. 

Jackie makes his sword disappear again and chugs the rest of his drink. "Alright, let's go." He hops into Schneep's pocket, head and hands sticking out.

Alt glitches towards the door. Bro walks up besides Jackie and Schneep, “You can fly dude! Why you hitching a ride on Schneep?”

"Why do you take a car when you can walk somewhere?" Jackie asks. "Also, the Fair Folk might be an open secret, but it's still a secret." 

Schneep chuckles. "I do not mind." 

“Oh- well- damn I was excited to have a flying buddy!” Bro laughs. 

"I'll get out once we get into the forest don't worry," Jackie says, grinning. 

Marvin puts his empty glass down, stretching. He stares at the glass for a moment. 

"Noooo," Maebh says warningly. 

Marvin looks back at her. Then he walks towards the door and--and between one step and the next he changes shape. Into that cat Alt saw on the bridge. The cat walks over to the door and looks back at the others, waiting. 

"Bro, you just got rid of your thumbs, you can't just stare at us to open the door for you," Chase says, standing up.

Alt blinks then points at Marvin with a slight Pog face. “Oh my god!! You’re the giant cat?! …actually that explains so much-“

Marvin looks back at him and meows in such a way that it sounds like he's laughing. 

"Yep. Marvin can turn into a cat," Chase says. 

Actually, it's more like he can turn HUMAN, Jameson corrects. The cat is his main form. 

Alt’s eyes sparkle, “That’s so cool!” 

Jameson gets up and goes over to the door, pushing it open. Ready? 

“Ready," Chase, Jackie, and Schneep all say in unison.

Bro laughs, “Ready!” He says a bit after them. 

Alt nods and follows after Jameson. Then he grins at the others, “You know- I can change into animals too!”

"Whoa, really?!" Chase's eyes widen in surprise. "Sick." 

"Oh, I've never met a human mage who can do that," Schneep says. "I believe it's difficult to master. 

“Well… it certainly was a difficult skill to get-“ Alt says, rubbing his wrist. “But it’s… useful. And a cool trick. I try not to do it too often though.” 

“I'd ask you to show us, but let's at least get out of town first?" 

"Oh! What about the other Chase who says he's a superhero?" Jackie has ducked back beneath the flap of Schneep's pocket, so his voice is muffled. "What can he do?" 

And I know Marvin is curious about the rest of your magic, too, Alt, Jameson says. 

Indeed, Marvin is prancing by Alt's side and looking up with wide eyes. His pupils are large in the way cat pupils get.

Bro grins, “I am a superhero! I can fly, I have super strength, super speed and I can shoot lightning! That one is kinda hard though-“ 

Alt blinks down at Marvin and grins wide. “well- once we’re in the clear I’ll show you all.”

Marvin looks away again, purring a little. 

Chase shakes his head. "Man... why is everyone around me so cool?" 

Bro nudges Chase with a smile, “Hey give yourself some credit! You’re cool too!”

"Heh. Thanks, man." Chase smiles at him. 

Then, they all start off towards the forest.

[mystycalypso]

grabbing you and shaking you bc u ars like one of three ppl who post abt the silly hello neighbor show. you are doing me specifically a great service in these trying times (being in a fandom with 0 content)

How it feels being one of the big 3 wtrb creators /j

But seriously tho, thank you so much.

I've mentioned it in passing to Kaydin a lot, but Hello Neighbor was the first fandom I was a part of (even before fnaf which has arguably had a bigger impact on my life as a whole). I remember way back in 2016 when I was just a wee lad with very little internet access and the just- joy the alphas brought me. I remember waiting patiently for ANYONE to make videos on the game, for MatPat's theories on it, and so on. Hell, I remember getting so upset about the final game that I swore off Hello Neighbor forever (you can guess how well that went, heck even at the time I couldn't keep away completely from Hello Neighbor 2)

But when I was in those early fandom spaces, like a lot of young artists probably do, I wanted to be up there, wanted to be one of the artists you recognize with their content about a certain series, yknow? And it's cool that while the Hello Neighbor Fandom today is quiet, it's still active enough to share my and Kaydin's art and theories and way WAY over-analyzing.

Maybe this show will be the push this franchise needs to get it back on the water, floating with the other indie series. I mean it certainly dragged me back in.

All this to say that it's so cool getting to be one of the artists making stuff to satisfy the hyperfixation of the rest of the fandom lol. And getting this ask has legit made my week <3

(It's for my own sanity too dw, if I bottled up all this hyperfixation I'd explode, even after dragging Kaydin into it. And that's not to mention my Senior Promise (tm) I've made lmao)

[scintillating-galaxias]

oh my god, i am. actually so pleased and relieved about the way good omens season two handles an adult wlw relationship. just... idk, there's something nice that, even though the whole point of aziraphale and crowley's meddling was a weird, magical, happily ever after for nina and maggie--it wasn't meant to be. not yet. lesbian rambling under the cut . no editing we typo like. lesbians

i feel like it would have felt really hollow and cheap if aziraphale's and crowley's interference paid off and went off without a hitch. it'd feel like... i don't know, the process, the journey, would have been dismissed, and it'd end with nina in particular not understanding why maggie feels the way towards her as she does and maggie missing out on a lot of important milestones while seeing someone. she's known nina for a week. if the Plan worked, the End Result is all that matters, right? which would contradict the show's core message about how wonderful the time and grace to know someone is, (especially as long as crowley and aziraphale have known each other, cough) and how it's necessary to really understand what 'us' means without forsaking 'you.'

that plan was fated (i know, loaded word) to fail. they weren't in love with each other. maggie is in love with nina, sure! but again, she's known her for a week, and nina isn't ready for a relationship and had broken up with a seriously horrible partner not 12 hours before the time the last episode takes place. there is no 'love' to see! aziraphale didn't Make Up love ("miracles don't work like that") and i don't think he would have particularly wanted to even if he could. no wonder they were so baffled and bemused at the strange 'feel happy and lovely and wholesome to your fellows' air he soaked the place in at his ball.

the scene of maggie fetching the milk and other supplies nina needs and being with her at the counter shows that nina can trust her with helping out with the coffee shop (which, yknow, also parallels neatly with aziraphale trusting crowley with his shop), which is obviously something deeply important to her. again and again, she worries about opening, about getting the night-workers their coffee, and refusing to let it go even due to a partner that constantly degraded her and blamed her for their failing relationship. that's a huge opening-up. nina says it herself, she's closed off, but nonetheless, that's a branch she's extending out for maggie! she's willing to do that much, and maggie handles it wonderfully. they both know a relationship would just be too much. nina is still willing to try, despite her hurt, because she can trust maggie to put in the work.

these last thoughts ramble even more than the rest, but i'm glad the last ep left the off where it did. no time skip to go, 'oh they talked and they waited, and it all worked out!' or something, but it ends like... realistically. relationships don't just, happen, without a good deal of talking. look how that worked out for az and crow. acknowledging the need for space (and a good chiding to meddling forces of heaven and hell) but not pushing each other away completely and isolating themselves one another, i think, is a sign that they can do well together. even though maggie knows she is completely head over heels for this women, she doesn't even make a move towards her while they're sitting down with crowley in episode 6. and then they end in their own shops with the space they requested. its respect and trust, and that's the foundation you really need to build before a relationship can start anyway!!

[darkhangels]

2. this night of ritual

enjoy the silence masterlist 

morpheus x f!reader

warnings: swearing

words: 3399

A raven

A sacrifice

A death

Waking up panting ,you clutched at your chest desperately heaving to get your breathing back to any kind of normal rate. Wiping the tears from your cheeks you let out a frustrated sigh.

You were tired, so very tired. 

Something had to be done.

With a new found sense of resolve you stepped out of bed and almost instantly a piercing, unbearable pain washed through your head. Oh yeah, that's one of the new side effects of these nightmares by the way. 

Cradling your head with the palm of your hand you practically stumbled to the medicine cabinet in the kitchen, surprised to find Lorna sat by the wooden table with a glass of orange juice.

“Hey, this is a surprise” You muttered trying your hardest to smile through the headache sent directly from hell itself.

Lorna took a swig of orange juice before replying “Good morning, should I even bother asking if you had the nightmare anymore?”

Popping the paracetamol out of the packets and into your hands, you let out a snort. “Yeah, probably for the best to not ask” Grabbing a glass and placing it under the running tap water, you harshly swallowed the tablets and guzzled down the water before turning back to your friend with a quizzical and suspicious look on your face. “It's your day off, shouldn't you be sound asleep with your girlfriend right now?” Placing the glass down and wiping your mouth you muttered to yourself “Or doing other things?”

Lorna scowled “I heard that!”

You smiled cheekily to yourself before Lorna continued. “I figured I’d start packing today, while you were at work”  

“Oh” That crushing weight of loneliness descended on you yet again. “Yeah, of course, that makes sense” You nodded, trying to not let the disappointment be shown.

“I’ll be gone by the time you get back though, going out for dinner with Veronica” She beamed.

“Ooh la la!” You purred, teasing Lorna.

“Shut up!” She giggled.

“Shit. I gotta get ready for work” You grumbled looking at the time before speedily heading towards your bedroom to get dressed for the day.

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

It was a cold morning as October started to draw to a close so you were more than happy to be greeted by the warmth of the coffee shop. 

You heard your name being called and instantly turned to the direction of the voice only to be greeted by Corey. 

Great.

Corey was another one of your co-workers and a friend of yours, well more like acquaintance or ex. There was a relationship there once upon a time (once upon a time was seven months ago)  but well it didn't work out. Corey wasn't your type and you weren't his, it seemed like the relationship was formed more out of convenience than anything else. 

At least that's the story you told most people, your honest story? Corey didn’t want you, he wanted a girlfriend not an actual person. His ego took up too much space not leaving you any to just be you, not a showpony, not a performance or an idea of what a girlfriend should be.

After three months together you had to put your foot down. Which went down so well as you can imagine. Corey got over it in like a month though and started to pretend the breakup was mutual and on good terms, to protect himself from embarrassment or maybe he truly believed that's how it ended?

Still despite it all, you put on a polite smile and made small talk with him. 

“Hey Corey”

“Fucking freezing out there huh?” He said, watching you with a deep gaze.

You shivered putting on your work apron “Yeah winter is for sure on its way” You awkwardly chuckled.

“I’ve got my hoodie in the back if you wanna wear it, yknow” Corey suggested watching you shiver.

You looked down and licked your lips “I’m alright, thanks though Corey” offering him a smile. 

He nodded curtly and went back to the customers. You breathed through your nose in relief he didn't push any further. He was just being gentlemanly, that's all. 

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

The day dragged on as it always does when your shifts are with Corey. After plenty of conversations the main subject of course being him. You were thankful when 17.00pm finally rolled around and you could finally go to the bookstore. 

On the street you worked there was a large, ancient bookstore crammed to the edges of books, new and old (mostly old). You didn’t visit too often but you had a purpose today. You were going to get rid of those nightmares one way or another and if anywhere in town would have the answers, it'd be this place.

The walk there was about three minutes, fairly straightforward, only one dodgy alleyway to cross and you're practically there. The sound of your ringtone made you jump out of your skin as you swore under your breath reaching inside your coat pockets to pick up the phone. Studying the phone screen you saw it was no other than your mum. Bracing yourself with a breath you answered the phone.

“Hey mum, what's up!” You said cringing at the forced enthusiasm that left your own mouth.

“Sweetheart! Hey I hope you’re good. I wanted to wait until we could meet up to tell you but I just couldn’t wait!”  A voice excitedly said through the phone.

You snorted a bit. “Ok what is it?” You continued to walk down the street now bustling with people leaving their offices and traveling back to their respectful homes . 

“I’m getting remarried!”

Oh.

Uh oh.

“Darling, did you hear what I said?”

“Oh yeah, yeah congratulations mum. I’m so happy for you! Uhhh when did this happen?” You said frantically trying to find any inkling of any kind of excitement.

“Well, Mark took me out last night and we were at this moonlit dinner and he hid the ring in my food and I almost choked on it, but still!”

“Romantic!” You agreed, trying your hardest to sound convinced at what you were saying. “So when is the wedding?”

“December! We haven't got an exact date yet but we both wanted a winter and festive wedding”

“December?” You stuttered. “Mum, that's so quick that’s like under 2 months away”

“I know, but it won’t be too hard for us though, not many people get married in December so we shouldn’t have any scheduling conflicts”

You sighed before rubbing your forehead “I am really happy for you Mom”

Your mom's voice sung through the phone “Awe thank you dear, Of course you're also going to be one of the bridesmaids along with Marks daughters”

Shit. 

“That's great!” You cheered in an overly shrill voice.

“Oh and Marks friend has a young single son around your age who will be at the wedding in case you were interested, if you get what I'm saying ”

You rolled your eyes as far as they could. “Mum” 

“Just think about it!” She added. You reluctantly agreed as you bit on your lip and shook your head in disbelief.

“Look darling, I've got to go, but I'll keep in touch about the details!”

“Alright, mom, Congratulations” You said again trying desperately to sell your fraud happiness.

“Thank you, Bye!”

“See ya” 

You hung up and resisted the urge to throw your phone across the street. Great and in case you needed anything else to worry about you had a family wedding coming up. 

No one likes family weddings and it's not as if your family was the worst by any means they were just…mean, sometimes.

Between your mother always trying to set you up with someone despite your disinterest, the invalidation of your feelings and the general talking down. It made you livid, like at any second you were about to break and it would all come flowing out as everyone stared in horror.

Blinking back tears of frustration and setting it out of your mind, as you always do, you looked up at the shop in front of you and focused on the matter at hand.

The warmth from the lights within the store glowed in the darkened autumn evening. Creating a gentle auburn aura cascading through the windows and door of the shop. 

Gently opening the door, the bell above chimed notifying the old man perched at the till of your presence. The man had a kind face sprinkled with wrinkles and flecks of grey hair. "Good evening". He studied you over the top of his glasses but still beamed a friendly smile.

"Hey" You responded with a smile of your own now gracing your face. 

With a nod the man returned to marking the pile of books stacked on the counter and you quickly set off to find your destination. Your plan? Well you didn't really have a plan. Just find every book to do with sleeping. Psychological, Metaphysical, you name it. If it has to do with sleeping and dreaming, you were buying it.

In 10 minutes you had picked up 6 books. Some written by doctors, some by hippies and some by people who just fancied themselves expert's after a lifetime of sleeping and dreaming. 

As you got to the till, you set the books down with a hefty slam and looked at the kind man. "Just these please and a bag if you have one" Smiling nervously hoping he wouldn't ask any questions.

The man picked up the first book and scanned the title, he did the same with the second and third and fourth. He looked over to you with one furrowed eyebrow. "Trouble sleeping, dear?" 

You chuckled and nodded. "Something like that" 

The man considered you for a second before taking off his glasses slowly. "You know we have a book out back, extremely old and rare about sleeping, it takes more of a classical approach on the spiritual side of sleeping" He hesitated before he continued. "But if this is something you really care about and seem passionate about" He emphasized the word passionate almost as if he could smell the desperation lingering inside of you. "Then I can sell it to you for half the price"

Your eyes widened at the strangers words "You would do that?"  

"Aye" The man nodded.

You saw the kindness in his eyes and realized he was telling the truth. "No I couldn't, please that's very kind of you but I shouldn't"

"Please, my dear, We've had this book for over a decade now and quite frankly I'm not sure what to do with it but it would make me beyond happy to see it go to someone who needs it" 

You looked up at him and saw the way he studied your face, it seemed like he knew more about your struggles then the man was letting on. But you were hopeless and you were desperate. "Alright then"

He gave you a bright smile before trudging to the door behind the counter and wading through the endless stack of books. 

With a sigh you looked back at the books you had picked up and wondered, hoped and prayed they would work. But what if they didn't? What if they didn't work and you were stuck with these nightmares forever? Terror seized your heart and the dark blanket of anxiety fell upon you yet again. 

Your dreams had always been so pure, hell even your nightmares were pure compared to this new repetitive nightmare that had plagued your slumber. Never, even in your childhood, had nightmares been something normal for you.

Maybe that's why. Maybe you hadn't had enough bad dreams as a child and now they're catching up to you, in a sultry abundance. 

"Found it!" The man's voice sang, pulling you out of your own thoughts. 

Your head snapped up and watched the man put a thick hardcover book on the counter. Wordlessly you pulled it closer and studied it. 

The cover was a faded scarlet red with gold entailing crafted into the material. The front of the book had an image on top, something easy to miss if your eyesight was poor. A mask of some sort similar to that of a plague doctor in the same rich gold that gleamed in the lights above you. 

The book itself was clearly decaying. Letters started to fade and pages with several rips and bends in them. Just how old was this book? 

The keeper stored all of your books into a paper bag.

"How much do I owe you?" You smile at the man as you reach for the purse in your pocket.

"30" He responded.

"30? for all this?" your eyebrows furrowing.

"I like to throw in a discount for customers who I like," He gave a cheeky smile.

You looked at him with a mischievous glint in your eyes before sliding him 40. He went to argue but noticed the determined look on your face and instead thanked you.

Gathering the bag and putting your purse back you started to leave the shop. “Please, do tell me how you get on” The shopkeeper called and you nodded in agreement.

“Good night sir”

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

Trudging through the door and setting your books down, you heated up some leftover pasta in the microwave for dinner and peeled off your work clothes into your pyjamas. Throughout the apartment you realize a few of Lorna's items are missing. Oh, right. 

Swallowing the harsh lump and pushing the thoughts to the back of your mind, you settled into the sofa in the mini living room and stuck the TV on, not really paying attention more for background noise as you ate. By the time you were finished and settled down from work it was 8pm and you anxiously threw your gaze to the books lay on top of your counter.

Was there even any point? The chances of any of these books holding the answers and cure to your torture were low. But you had nothing else to lose.

Something had to be done.

With a bold huff of air you grabbed the stack of books. And began your quest.

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

11pm. You had skimmed and scanned the books and nothing of relevance was to be found. Mantras, essential oils and Freud held no cure or secret answer. 

“You've got to be shitting me” You muttered rubbing your now heavy eyelids. There was one book left. And yet something inside you made you hesitant to open it.

The heavy book laid unopened opposite you and your eyes squinted almost trying to intimidate it, dominate it, let it know you weren't scared. 

You reached out and grabbed it, studying the flecked gold symbol on the red book. The man acted strangely when talking about the book. He said it was old but, maybe there is more to the story. In fact he actually hadn't told you a single thing about the book apart from the fact it was old. It could have all been bullshit. A prank on you just for laughs but, no, that doesn't seem right. The man seemed genuine, just eager. 

The pages of the book were yellowed and in very fine print. A lot of the passages were in Latin and some in characters you had never seen before. There was one page that had been dog tagged and you instantly turned to it. There was that sigil again. With a word written in large black ink. “Morpheus” You whispered out loud. The God of Dreams. “Sandman, right” You chuckled to yourself. 

Underneath was a ritual of invocation, presumably for this god. The ingredients seemed pretty simple in fact you only needed one thing, an offering. Popular offerings included : Sand, Poppies and feathers. 

You gulped as your mind raced back to the image of the raven's wings being ripped.

The ritual seems easy enough. Get the offering, say a couple of words, no need for blood spill or sacrificing of virgins. But still did you want to do this?

The book didn't specifically note what kind of magic this was so you doubted it was anything satanic. Though at this point you might’ve just gone along with satanic magic if it had done the trick.

So what was your plan? If this really worked, though chances are low, if it did you would ask this god of dreams to please stop the nightmares, surely he would listen. You only hoped he was a benevolent god, one that after seeing your desperation would cease the nightmares from existence. 

If it didn't work? Well you hadn't thought that far ahead yet.

Chewing on your bottom lip, you looked at the rest of the open books, all with no answers. Then your mind drifted to the gruesome images of your nightmare and your decision had been made. It had to be worth it right?

No sand. No poppies. You needed to find a feather. 

“Think, think. Where could I find a feather?” You paced up and down your apartment before looking out the window. And realization hit you. In the spring a pigeon had made a nest just outside your apartment above your window. The pigeons had left a couple of months ago, but a feather or two had to have been lurking, caught in the guttering or a cobweb.

Opening the window quickly you stretched your arm out, praying to not accidentally brush against a spider or any other kind of bug. Feeling something soft stroke your hand you grabbed it and pulled your arm back inside. 

“No fucking way” You deadpanned staring at the item in your hand. 

A black and white feather. It was skinny and withering. But it was a feather nonetheless. Feeling an outburst from your success you grabbed the feather and ran to the book.

Holding the book in one hand and the feather in your other, taking a deep breath and shaking your head, preparing and hyping yourself up to read the ancient ritual. “Here goes nothing”

“I stand here among the waking world seeking an audience with the God Of Dreams, Prince of Stories, Third child of the endless. I stand here in utter devotion and in utter desperation invoking The King Of Dreams. Speak to me now in tongues of Dreams and Nightmares alike. Let me into your realm and you into mine. Speak to me, Dream of the Endless. Speak to me, Lord Morpheus!”

Your eyes had been squirmed shut as you spoke the last line, daring to open to see what was in front of you. After a couple of seconds of painful science you peeled one eye open cautiously before opening the other. You scanned your apartment. To find nothing. Not a single thing. Everything the exact way it was before.

Disappointment crawled into your heart and you slumped on the spot you stood. Letting the book fall to the table in front of you and discarding the feather on top of it, you swore under your breath. 

You were dispirited, tired and worst of all: embarrassed. I mean did you really think something was going to happen? Had you expected a 10ft man with horns and goat feet in your living room, Pinhead asking you what your pleasure was, or maybe a genie voiced by Robin Williams about to give you three wishes?  

You tried to fight back the tears that came but what was the point. It was hopeless. One quiet sob left your throat before you turned off all the lights and crawled into bed, knowing your fate and the restless sleep you were about to have. 

You’d cry tomorrow. For now you needed to sleep.

And then, the strangest thing happened. 

There was no raven,

No sacrifice. 

No death.

When you fell into your slumber you found yourself not in the dingy dark dungeon crawling with rats but instead in a bright, ethereal cathedral? Warmth relief ebbed through your body like rays of sun. It was quiet and there were no cloaked men to be seen. It was nothing, nothing but peace. 

And the dam broke.

You fell to your knees in hysterics. You had done it. You had broken the cycle.

And the tears mixed with laughter wouldn't stop. Even if it was for one night you had finally done something right. 

“You requested an audience?”