#very heavy AU with zero research

[panthera-tigris-venenata]

Let me expand this once more:

Claude Frollo absolutely has a cult. He is also the reason why Claudine is legally dead.

This:

Harriet: „CJ, this is your new sister, Claudine. She is legally dead.“

CJ: „Hi, Claudine!... Wait, why is she legally dead?“

Harriet and Harry: „She was like that when we found her.“

Freddie Facilier might or might not have taken over Frollo's cult upon his unfortunate demise.

Jafar and Nasira are feuding with most of other Aladin villains. It makes for excellent drama between Jay & Jade and Reza. Just saying.

Also, the Badun detective agency exists. Kinda. Sorta. Because, as @hannahhook7744 said, every noir AU needs a detective.

Though honesty, the Badun cousins mostly just want a go at Cruella.

That said, the de Vil cousins are not fans of Badun detective agency at all, as they keep driving away the customers.

„Just hand us over the matriarch.“ „...Geez, fine.“ „WHAT?!“

Ally also exists.

But everyone thinks she is high and no one takes her seriously. She is into conspiracy theories.

Jordan is an investigative reporter. Luckily for her, her morals are quite flexible, as otherwise, she would be too capable for her own good. She is therefore open to bribes, especially when the alternative is „they will never find your body,“ as Harriet Hook kindly put it.

You see, there were other bars selling alcohol nearby Harry's place. That was before their owners mysteriously decided they were better off not sticking their noses into the territory of the Hook siblings.

Harry has never learned how to fight properly in this universe – he was barely in more than a street fight. That said, he has ridiculous standarts at Uma's safety and neither she nor Gil are amused.

Doug is an accountant. Hear me out, Doug is an accountant.

Uma or Harriet hired him for Harry when they saw the state of his book keeping and he is kind enough to look the other way and pretend he doesn't do financial management for the illegal bar that regularly hosts most of the city's underworld.

It's funnier if he meets wasted Chad and Audrey on his way to work. He absolutely also works for their families and he won't say a thing if they won't.

Li Lonnie wouldn't be too opposed to becoming a mercenary if she ever managed to escape her older brother for long enough to do the negotiations.

The vaguely 1920 mafia AU (based on vibes and vibes only✨)

(no historical research went into this whatsoever)

(part one, aka just notes on who does what „proffession“)

Everyone got assigned a non-magical crime/activity, again, based on vibes. Except the Hooks don't get piracy because where would be the fun in that?)

Harriet and CJ Hook are black widows.

Harry Hook has a bar (it's prohibition era, but when did he not have a deathwish?)

(Arson and harbouring fugitives could also be on their list, but we are not here to nit pick, are we?)

Uma has a gang, The Lost Revenge, cosisting mainly of orphans and petty criminals. Her main value is that she knows everyone and everyone owes her a favour.

The Faciliers are smugglers, among other things. They have the vibes, you know?

Freddie also sings in Harry's bar and Celia practises fortune telling.

The Tremaines are disgraced nobles and just trying to marry in peace and back into wealth, thank you for asking.

The de Vils do business with anyone. I mean anyone.

Also, arson.

And since Cruella is there, good few animals went missing.

Jay and Jade are children of foreign gang that specialises in over-border smuggling and probably tomb raiding and went to *Auradon City* on a joy ride.

Evie run away from home and cooks drugs. Sorry, girl. She doesn't sell on the streets, though.

Gil also ran away from home and is now playing self appointed bodyguard for Uma.

No one is sure what exactly is Ginny Gothel doing. No one wants to know.

Yzma, Yzla and Zevon sell stuff. (Don't ask.)

Frollo's crime is existence ✨

Just kidding. He would just never in a million years admit he is a criminal.

Also, Claudine is legally dead.

Audrey Rose is that rich heiress that is perpetually high to cope with society. And also because cocaine is considered a perfectly fine medicine.

Lonnie is a daughter of foreign emissaries who runs away from home occasionally to fight in some fight ring or another.

Who runs that anyway? Would it be a stretch to say Gaston?

Actually I have no idea what Mal is doing.

She is running around, doing the 1920 equivalent of spray paint and calling for revolution. Which is funny as her parents are two of the most influential people in town. Not sure on which side of law though.

Ben has no idea that this all is happening.

Yes I WILL elaborate.

@dragoneyes618 @hannahhook7744

[gomzdrawfr]

[oc rambles - call of the ring au]

Thoughts are all over the place but this idea sprung to me from the concept in Tolkien lore where elf are immortals, but can die from several aspects (oh yeah angst ahead but with a sweet ending I promise)

One is violent physical harm, the other is grief, and the third one (which is not technically death) is fading where their body becomes less connected to the world

[I have done zero research and the following are made up other than the canon lotr lore + not proof read grammar and english are terrible + I am live writing this]

But you know how Gandalf died in lotr?? Im thinking about that and how Raven felt it

— her body shook uncontrollably as she staggers and falls to the floor, it was as if the very axis of her balance were off and her world was spinning, heavy and tight was her chest—

“Mithrandir”, she whispered out harshly, clutching her chest, it twisted and turned, a sickening feeling bubbling up from within— it claws against her rib cage, like a beast wallowing in pain and sorrow, escaping her lips as she lets out a shriek, tears streaming down her skin

“No, it can’t…i-it cannot be—he promised!“

Something something Raven gets hits with such immense grief and mourn for Price, and slowly starting fading

[making this up once again]

Raven who spent her days and night in her chambers, stood as still as a statue under the moonlight, closing her eyes as she wondered to the stars above

Those who dwindles and seek solace in a far away place often leave pieces of their souls there

Lingers in the night sky, around stars and clouds, doesn’t want to go back— to the empty room, to face the silence, the heartbreak

The fair elf lost its once witty remarks, moving along the scrolls and the great halls with no aim, fair skin as white and bright as the snow darkened to a pale, dull complexion

“Loss is so loud,” she weeps quietly, holding a shiny jewel in her palm, “I had so much I’ve yet to tell you” the Froststar glimmer between her fingers, yet it only seemed to mock her misery “should’ve given it to you, maybe it would’ve helped, but you’re ever the stubborn wizard…” The pendant shines brighter, damp and slippery, “now I tell my secrets to the stars, in hopes it may reach you”

((Froststar is just Evenstar but in ref to her name, Eira which meant snow))

Just as the days only grew impeccably longer, something changed for once. It’s the ache again, around her chest, but it wasn’t suffocating, nor was it crushing—

It’s faint, like a flutter of a moth

She gasped out, holding the pendant tightly, “Price”

Stumbles out her bed, rushed straight to Lady Laswell (Elrond), begged and asked about anything and everything, and got a confirmation that the Grey Wizard, might have returned after all

((Rejoice! She’s not going to insane after all!!!))

The exhaustion finally catching up on her as she falls into a deep slumber that night, and she doesn’t thread through the night clouds in search for stars no…

He came to her, and suddenly, she was reminded of the words from Laswell

“We do not know if he truly is back…he may return a different being, thread carefully, Raven”

Froze on the dark chasm of her dream, she stayed rooted at where she stood, and she sees it

He does look different— white, his robes and staff are white, his beard is white (and oddly rather soft looking)

Has he ascended? Or is this merely a figment of what her exhausted bird brain has conjured up as a cruel joke? He looks the same actually beside the whole white look— what’s with the get up? Isn’t Saruman the White Wizard? Wait— did he took his place—

“Eirwen”

That pulls her out of her mind, and she released a breath she didn’t know she was holding, and trembled slightly

“Mǐrathra…”

She whispers back, tearing up immediately, watching as the familiar figure strides forward, those blue eyes who she has longed to see— yet felt so different—

“Gwael nǐn…you’ve gotten thinner…”

She sniffles, sobbing a bit

“Y-you’re not real”

“But I am, I’ve come to see you…”

“Y-you— I felt it—“

“Yes…yes I was”

Price reaches forward, brushing his knuckles on her cheeks, it felt ghostly, like a wind, but it always felt warm

He was always warm

“Im sorry, meleth nǐn, you’ve suffered a lot from me…”

“N-no…i-it’s fine— I…are you back…i-is your—“ she gestured his white robes and all “what…?” Myriad of questions, yet words failed her

Price laughs quietly, gruff yet fondly, staring at her with those crinkles around the corner of his eyes

“You need not think about those…” leans forward and presses his ghostly palm over her chest, and for a moment she felt it, the warmth seeping into her cold, frail body

“I will see you soon, so please…” his palm wafts through her chest, as if he was reaching out for her and held it dearly

“Keep that heart beating for me”

—she wakes up with her face wet once more, but not with an empty, void in her chest, as her heart beats once more

((Eirwen is her Sindarin name, literally it means white snow, Mǐrathra meant jewel, theres no direct translation for Price so this will do))

((Gwaleth nǐn: my bird, meleth nǐn: my love))

Anyhoo that’s basically the gist of it HDJFJSHS sorry if its messy as hell and the format’s weird, but yeah Raven nearly dying and fading from grief but Price returns and yippiieeee

[owladaptive]

This au you formed is amazing 👀 not just bc how you adapted them, but bc you managed to keep their real personalities but in a twisted way 👌

Any au about sidekicks like Lena Vi and Goss?

Thanks very much! And are you asking for the addams au versions of the girls? If so, I can of course provide.

Lena was pulled from Magica's shadow when the sorceress - missing having anyone to talk to while out in the world now that her brother is incapable of conversation - decided to do something about her loneliness, and took a page from Scrooge's book. Magica is Magica though, and wasn't ever going to entertain a gross little toddler, so she makes Lena 15 years old from creation as in canon. Lena leans heavily into her punk aesthetic in this universe, heavy eye makeup and dyed hair and piercings. And she and Magica are stuck in a perpetual loop of back-and-forth banter, gripes and misdemeanors, somehow just barely managing to be a functional unit while on the sorceress's magical errands. Altogether they act a lot like a cranky, hungover parent dragging their moody, apathetic teen out of their gloomy bedroom "for their own good" even though neither of them want to be doing this. There's a lot of "UUUGH"ing and zero traditional affection. It works for them.

Violet isn't changed much, either, simply leaning her bookish and magic-fascinated ways more towards cultist rituals and the eldritch. She's a normal, non-expressive girl with a dark hobby. Nonetheless, she is QUITE taken aback by the deranged nature of Webby and the McDucks at first. She takes her research very seriously, but it hits her quite unexpectedly that she didn't fully GET what her special interest was getting her into until she met Webby and learned it the hard way. That's not to say Violet gives up, she never would. She wants to learn more about forces beyond her understanding and gladly stays friends with Webby. The McDuck lifestyle just... takes more getting used to than she anticipated.

Gosalyn follows this universe's Darkwing's example and takes on a more brutish brute force method of vigilante justice. Gosalyn is a wannabe brawler, too young and inexperienced to be a force true villains would reckon with, but certainly someone other kids try to avoid. When Darkwing takes her in he has to help her focus her fighting on more than beating up bullies on the basketball court with her hockey stick. She's not too fussed about where her hockey stick lands, so long as it's on someone that deserves it.

[llycaons]

You are getting eaten uppp on the AO3 sub for that fic anti-rec list jsyk. Probably because it’s incredibly weird and mean behavior. Be blessed

No one “hates you” but someone posted your anti-rec list thing on the AO3 sub and people are (rightfully) saying it’s a weird thing to do that shows zero awareness of fic etiquette or like, being a normal person. Just strange. Like you want people to trigger tag *fruit* but are comfortable saying all this shit about authors (not just the fics themselves… the regular-ass people who write them)… weird and strange behavior

I was so excited to receive this ask until it was clarified that nobody actually hates me :( exciting news either way. is this reddit? were you on the ao3 REDDIT? good fucking luck on there anon I cannot imagine subjecting myself to that. also it's not a trigger tag and it's really bizarre that you bring that up at all when it has absolutely nothing to do with the actual conversation here

let's start. you're placing a heavy amount of moral weight on 'weirdness' while (I think?) also recognizing that it's inherently an amoral quality. and it is - but that criticism doesn't really mean anything to me. I've never been a 'normal person,' and idk what you mean by that. normal by who's standards? people who frequent ao3? let's say I am an out-of-touch meanie who doesn't understand 'fic etiquette'. based on the fact that it's ao3 fans, I can only assume it's people who are cool with ao3 hosting slave AUs and explicit child/adult content. and I'm really going to pretend like I care about their standards of conduct? oh no, the people who say 'your kink isn't my kink' about rape porn think I'm being mean to them! whatever shall I do! trust ao3 fans to consider legitimate critique a breach of etiquette but not...idk, incest porn. sure, I'm making assumptions but I am well-acquainted with the culture of that site lmao so am I wrong?

like, the meat of this ask is just so hung up on 'normality', which is not a very useful metric for moral behavior or critique and I'm not sure what you want me to do with it. I do many harmless abnormal things, and there are many 'normal' things that cause great harm. like, what does a normal person do according to ao3 fans? do they read cp? do you consider that normal behavior? is that harmless? does reading cp, or turning a blind eye to it, adhere to this precious fic etiquette? should I conform? should I be polite and sit quietly while the community I'm in runs wild with abuse apologism and bioessentialist nonsense? I recognize this is not what your ask was about, but you're asking me to compare my behavior to what ao3 fans think is acceptable, and I went through the entire tag last year so I KNOW what kind of things they like. I just don't think I can extend the benefit of the doubt to this place I've never heard of until today but which sounds a bleak and wretched place

anyway I am autistic and I don't mind being weird, and idk why you're so fixated on that as a value judgement or a way to shame me. you have to understand how little I value the moral standards of the average ao3 fan or the 'normal' signifier.

on to your next grievance - my critiques of the authors as people. I just read through my entire list and I am extremely specific and detailed about why I hated those works, going into poor characterization and soulless, boring writing. I specify if the works are confusing, infantalizing, bioessentialist, out of character, nonsensical, overwrought, passionless, disrespectful, insensitive, boring, poorly researched, misogynistic. is it really unfair to extrapolate from racist writing or an unwillingness to self-educate that the writer has racist ideas, and that might bleed out into their behavior and actions in the real world? that someone who writes an AU that doesn't make sense for the character didn't understand the characters' journey? that someone who writes a nonsensical story doesn't know what they're doing? that's just drawing conclusions based on what the writers themselves have already posted. that's entirely within the scope of a reader and any argument to the contrary is both absolutely absurd and an insult to the intelligence of literally any reader, of anything

but on that page I barely talk about the people who wrote them. except for the author who was white? because I know she's white, I looked her up and I think her writing of Chinese characters is really awkward and bad. I've also called a few writers racist idiots, but their fics were really poorly written, and the other one got mad when being corrected on cultural inaccuracies, so I mean. is that a stretch? like, maybe, but it is really unfair? I think no. it's not even that personal of an attack. but by and large I don't even care about the authors, and I don't know why you're getting so defensive of them when I'm simply judging their work and not them as people.

no matter how much of a fun hobby anyone claims fanfic is, it's not a form of media uniquely exempt from criticism. and I don't think it's healthy for any writers to take criticism of their work so personally. that's something for them to take responsibility for if they're going to post their stuff on the internet, and by extension readers need to be okay with that too.

also I gave them all gold stars...ao3 girlies can't appreciate a passionate and thoughtful critique smh.

back to my tag request, which is something that makes my personal blog usable for me - trying to act like an unusual tag request is the same as making assumptions about people based on what they write and post publicly is both unfair and really shitty of you, anon. is my 'weird' request really as bad as calling someone a misogynist for writing something sexist? I DO judge people for what they decide to publicly put into the world, and rightfully so. people have a responsibility for their creations. meanwhile there is absolutely no reason to judge me for my tagging requests no matter how strange they seem to you, because they're absolutely harmless. this isn't hypocrisy and I don't understand why you seem to think it is.

and I don't go out of my way to be an asshole - if someone's first language isn't english or if they're clearly not an experienced writer, I'm not going to be a dick about it. I mean, I try. I barely have over 100 followers. the anti-rec page is hard to get to, and notposted anywhere but my blog. I have never harassed anyone, or encouraged harassment. I don't even comment negative reviews. I purposefully didn't tags the recs when they were posts because I didn't want people finding them, and I don't even talk about my interests on other websites, much less spread my rec list around. this is purely a personal project I did for fun while under one of the most stressful times of my life to share with my online friends, and I don't regret it. I had a blast. this is nothing I wouldn't post on my blog or talk about with my friends anyway. I don't mind being criticized for it, since it's public too. I just don't feel bad about it either nor do I feel like apologizing or taking down the page.

so yeah idk what you expected from me but I don't really give a shit that a bunch of fanfic readers are mad at me for having standards. you (general you) simply cannot expect to publish something on a public website with a massive fandom and then whine when a random stranger on the internet dares criticizes you. one of these writers is a published author! if she's one of the people upset - learn to take some criticism! maybe it'll improve her writing! and I'm hardly posting on the front page of a major website here, I don't even know how that sub found my list because I don't really post about it on here either unless specifically asked about it

anyway this ask got me to go back and read that page again and I had such a good time revisiting it that I'm linking it. so hi everyone read my anti-rec list it's genuinely so funny and I'm very proud of it and it's actually quite well-thought out so yeah i'm not ashamed or embarrassed but thanks for letting me know as this is kind of fun news and brightened up the day

ALSO I feel like there's so much focus on the anti-rec page when I have a lovingly crafted and THEMED rec list right there split into equal sections, all carefully and appropriately titled with summaries, ratings, trigger warnings...I'm very proud of my rec list most of all. in fact, the anti-rec list was the wild child I tacked on at the end for a laugh when I really needed to complain

bascially tho I'm a complete stranger who put like six fanfics on a list and talked about them because I didn't like them so idk why everyone's freaking out. well knowing ao3's allergies to the slightest criticism I guess I do know why, but it IS deeply unserious. anon. pretend I'm looking you right in the eye. you know this. I don't need to be blessed. it is deeply unserious. it's going to be fine.

[mostlyinthemorning]

5,4,3,2,1

Thanks for the tag @rmd-writes !

Rules: post the top 5 works you’re most proud of that you released in 2022 (not necessarily your most popular), your top 4 current WIPs that you’re excited to release in the new year, your top 3 biggest improvements in your writing over the past year, your top 2 resolutions (ways you wish to improve your writing/blog) for the new year, and your number 1 favorite line you’ve written this year!

5 works I’m proudest of:

The first two are easy, longfics take so much work that I'm always proud of them.

No Mountain High, No Valley Low There are a few fics that I've written that really come from the heart and this is one of them. It's my homage to a place that I love very much and I'm glad I got to share it.

Strangers, Friends, Husbands, Lovers I'm not sure if writing an entire blog to go with a fic is the craziest thing I've done, but it's probably up there. But if you're going to go big, then let's go big.

If Dreams Were Lightning and Thunder Was Desire An Angel of Death meet-cute but make it funny and tender? Sure, I can do that. I'm pretty proud of how this dances along the edge of tragedy without tipping over.

The Feelings Closet This fic shouldn't work, but I think that it does and I'm pretty proud of that.

There is definitely, absolutely, positively only one bed I think this might be one of the funniest fics I've ever written. It gets inside David's head in exactly the right way.

4 current WIPS I’m excited about: 

My WIP is an absolute mess right now. But, here goes nothing, no promises that these will make it to completion:

Who Killed Sebastien Raine? A murder mystery fic that I have written zero words on but that I think I have a starting point for.

A timey-wimey epistolary fic where David and Patrick write letters to each other from two different timelines.

Magical street art - David is a magical street artist whose creations go awry, Patrick is a commuter who is frequently annoyed by these inconvient anonymous artworks. Oh, and they're neighbours.

A bakery reno AU - Patrick owns a bakery, David is the host of Bakeology, a TV show that does makeovers of small bakeries. This has been in my WIP folder FOREVER.

3 improvements in my writing:

Oof. I think my writing gets better with everything I write, but picking three specific things seems hard. But here goes:

I'm trying to write stories with different plot arcs. With No Mountain High, I really tried to stay away from the misunderstanding/personal conflict arc.

I think I've done a lot more research for my fics this year. Both Strangers and No Mountain High were research heavy fics.

Thanks to @missgeevious I'm slowly starting to understand the correct way to use commas.

2 writing resolutions:

I'm going to finish and publish an original work this year if it kills me.

My specific goal is to write at least 120,000 words.

Number 1 favourite line:

I'm pretty proud of this line from There is definitely, absolutely, positively only one bed:

He hasn’t voluntarily touched a baby since the time he confused Jessica Simpson’s newborn for a Pomeranian.

Tagging @blackandwhiteandrose @weathereyehorizon @alysiswriting @chelle-68 @cheesecurdsgravyandfries @missgeevious

[shostakobitchh]

for the character asks!! idk if I can pick any character but let’s say Ariel and Snape (and Lily too if you’re feeling generous) - 47. Their dream job? I’d also like to ask what would their dream job be in the muggle world as well? I like how different the careers can be in the two worlds, but there’s also some similar ones (like potions x chemistry etc) xx

this is a great question, so I will answer for all three characters!!!!

Snape hates children so I don’t see him wanting to work at Hogwarts; I think his dream job would be to open his own apothecary and travel the world to speak about his research (which he does all the time because the man does not stop). The Muggle equivalent I guess would be like you mentioned; a chemist? Muggle Snape kind of breaks my brain to think about but I see him doing a career that is very research heavy; scientist.

Ariel!!! I think she’d be a great Healer, but like, chief Healer, but I also think she’d be a fantastic DADA professor as well (Snape would be so proud). on the flip side, as a Muggle I actually can see Ariel becoming a lawyer; fighting for the little guy, being really good at seeing and cutting through bullshit, cutthroat when she needs to be, overall workaholic.

Lily; I headcanon her as a Healer too (which is where Ariel will eventually get the inspiration) but Muggle AU would 10000% be an ER nurse who takes absolutely zero shit from anyone. really quick on her feet and able to keep her cool in most situations.

[hexonthepeach]

fic info & requests

hi, i’m ash and i enjoy writing ridiculous erotica in my free time

i write primarily for nct with a focus on nct 127 (ults: johnny, jaehyun close biases/wreckers: jungwoo, doyoung, ten, haechan, yangyang but i adore everyone ot22) with no current plans to expand into other content although i do love and listen to a large number of other kpop groups and solo artists and enjoy rpf for other bgs

my fic tics (and tropes):

i write y/n reader self-insert and consider it a universalizing genre, i may specify things like size difference for fic purposes but will tag gendered terms and actively avoid anything discriminating (please let me know if anything rubs you the wrong way by ask (anon is ok) and i’ll correct it) 

pansexual/bisexual agenda - i don’t state sexualities often so this should just be assumed

polyamory and reverse harem, not always but often with m/m - i don’t write exclusive m/m often but i appreciate it and it’s very much a possibility in my aus (and will always be tagged)

heavily researched world-built aus - this won’t be as apparent on tumblr but check my AO3 notes. my fics take a long time to construct primarily because i’m autistic and need like three months to make sure which aftershave was popular in 1981 before i post so please bear with me

hardcore, pornographic, kink-heavy smut - if i haven’t written it into an au, it will happen eventually. i’m an erotica writer first even if i sometimes write feelings

i abide by YKINMK, if i haven’t tagged something properly let me know and i will add it without any repercussion, but i also ask you respect any tags i include because as much of a fan as i am of negotiating consent i will also read/write/post noncon/dubcon, incest, and a number of other harder subjects (as always, and forever, tagged)

ask rules and request guidelines:

asks:

i accept any and all head canons related to my work or aus

short requests or prompts for drabbles are very welcome and answered when i have time (may take ~1-2 weeks)

my favorite thing in the world are song recommendations (kpop or not!) so please, please, please send me any you thought of while reading my work or as inspo. in fact, send me anything - it means a lot to me 

fic or author recs are also my jam and reblogged once i have the energy for review (non-nct on my main: @loveholicsanon but send a they/them your faves i’m open to anything)

please no asks related to personal info besides what’s been stated on my blog

absolutely zero tolerance for hate for members or other groups i don’t have the energy for it and i abide by a don’t yuck anyone’s yum policy when it comes to everything because i’ve been on the internet way too long and know where that leads

dnr/dnw

underage

untagged noncon/dubcon or gore/violence/bodyhorror (note: i do read/write these subjects but will always respect guidelines for consent and ask the same in return) 

real life idol aus

nct dream centered fic (i have a hardline t-rating for chenle, renjun, & jisung but will include them as accessories)

commissions: no plans to accept at this time

tag list: i’m open to starting one but honestly i’m also old and haven’t used tumblr in a while so you can just trust this blog will mostly be fic and fic recs

thanks again for reading and interacting, and let me know if you have any questions or concerns at any time

[megamindmegatron]

Not All Heroes Need Capes ( 2 )

Pairing: Future Pro Hero Katsuki Bakugou x Fem reader

genre: Hero AU, Fluff, Romance, Angst

Chapter count : Chapter 2

side note : when you see this      ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────  it means a spoiler is coming up

Series Summary : When the number 2 Hero Dynamight ( Katsuki bakugou) gets into a serous injury that will lead him to do physiotherapy with a student in training yet very qualified he will learn more about himself and experience of patience, motivation, starting from zero back to a hundred and even love but the biggest lesson he will learn is what makes him the number 2 hero and soon realize not all heroes need capes.

Content warnings : Slight spoilers from chapter 362, mentions of blood, slight Angst I want to specify all the information I get about physiotherapy will be from google I will do my best to research on this topic. There will be spoilers from the manga in the future, I will put a warning when I do.

From your perspective you found the blonde hero intriguing for sure, obviously you heard about the Pro Hero Dynamight you kind of had to, working in a specially hero hospital it was your duty after all to be informed about the hero society as much as  you could, as for your job although you were only at a young age of 25 you were already highly experienced mostly because of being used in emergencies when the hospital was short on staff. You had your bachelor’s done which took you four years to complete. After those four years you took a break from University to work and earn enough money for masters degree funding while still keeping up with your desired profession your mom had managed to get you an internship in the hospital. 

Employees never doubted you nor did your boss. You were a highly responsible worker and after helping your first ever pro hero patient  Yo Shindo back on his feet no-one ever judged that you were still a training student. 

You enjoyed helping people this way to motivate them and get themselves back up, because of your cheery and kind personality the patients would immediately trust you, however Bakugou was surely different than the patients you had ever helped on the first day of his physio you started him off with standing up from sitting and then sitting down gently. Repeating this 10 times and while he was doing it he would integorate you on where you studied, for how long, in which university, training details even as far to ask personal questions sometimes which you would have to remind him it wasn’t appropriate he would also comment on how ridiculous exercises you gave him “I know it’s just standing and sitting back down but it is important with your injury we take this as slow and easy as possible at least for a couple of days before getting into stretches” you would remind him which in return he would grunt in response. While he was here in the hospital for the first five days at the end of his sessions you would convince Maria the nurse that you would be able to bring him back as you thought it would help around having as much nurses as possible around the building so that’s what you would do you would watch him seat carefully back down on the wheelchair as you helped him get back to his room.

Bakugou didn’t know what to think about you he got the jist that you were a nice, kind and caring person and you did take your job seriously as you guided him through all the steps you planned for his healing process however the idea of still not being able to work or properly exercises his old routines made his blood boil it reminded him off that time back in UA. 

                                          ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── 

The ground was cold, it was about to rain too yet his body gave up after his last attack on Shigaraki , his stomach was bleeding as he also coughed up blood his eyes felt to heavy to keep open he could feel his body going numb and worse of all his heart slowly beating he could feel it all.

Bakugou shook his head ignoring the memories. This wasn’t the same situation he reminded himself he would get back up much quicker, heal much quicker and go back to living his usual normal life as a hero. What did you know? You were still in training you were doubting him he thought just like everyone else from his past you were trying to look down on him. Although that’s what his brain was telling him his heart didn’t agree.

                     ︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

The next day all was still the same. He was reading one of his books in the hospital bed before the nurse Maria would walk in and help him get to your room. “You’re looking much better” you commented before realizing what you said grimacing a little “I mean your wounds have basically disappeared and you look much more well rested” you explained before getting him started with the same exercise from yesterday “ I want to try and walk” you heard his deep voice say, you looked at him softly before shaking your head “look I know this is hard for you and you think you’re ready but let’s just give it a few more days” you almost said in a pleaded tone never had you had such a stubborn patient “Why should I trust someone who isn’t even a professional yet?” ouch you could feel your heart sting from his comment as you sighed you crossed your arms over your chest in an ‘x’ shape before sighing “Fine don’t trust me go ahead” you gave permission as you watched him stand up he looked at the ground contemplating for a moment as he chewed on his lips before he sighed and lifted his right foot, you held in your breath and made a stance just in case something were to happen and you thanked your senses when you watched him lose balance and starting to lean forward as his knees gave out. You quickly caught him by the shoulders and leaned in making sure his body knocked onto you, you admitted he was heavy but with all your strength you helped him stand back up straight gripping onto his muscular biceps that you had noticed but ignored to keep things professional, when you noticed you were still close to his body your cheeks heated up as you took a step back sighing in frustration “ believe me now?”  you asked with the ‘I told you so’ look and tone. Bakugou sat back on his wheelchair with a frustrated look and defeat. “You just need to give it some time” you started “I don’t have time-” “well you’re gonna have to make it your time this isn’t a joke, you’re body needs time to recover the healing process can’t be rushed it’ll leave you more injured” You tried to look at him in the eyes however he avoided you as much as possible as if a kid was just getting scolded by his mother. Another sigh left your mouth as you crouched down to his height your index finger and thumb softly placed under his chin as you tilted his head gently towards you “I need you to trust me” you spoke softly as you smiled lightly your beautiful glimmering eyes looking into his pools of red Bakugou was flustered from the action his blush spreading from his cheeks to the nose of his bridge it took all of your will strength not to comment how cute you looked “now back to work” you leaned back standing up straight as you clapped your hands. Bakugou was definitely flabbergasted.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿

The 30 minute session of his second day ended as he sighed sitting back on his wheelchair as he watched you go behind him and grip onto the handles as you started pushing him out your room and towards his Bakugou thought back to today's session on what he had said about you for some reason it was weighing on his heart, here you were doing all your best to make sure he wouldn’t injure himself more into the process while he gave you crap about not knowing enough. Bakugou stared off into the hallways before he began to speak well more like mumble something out “i’m sorry” he had definitely got your attention when you let out a confused hum “for what I said today, i’m mostly frustrated at myself and I took it out on you which isn’t right so i’m sorry I insulted you” he spoke softly he couldn’t see you from behind but he could feel your smile radiating out of you “ it’s alright, I understand i’ve been through that phase too” you slipped out something personal that made Bakugou confused however he didn’t pry when you didn’t explain further “ it’s a common feeling during this process but it will get easier as time goes by” you spoke reassuringly almost like you knew the outcome “All I can advise you is to be patient with not only yourself but towards me is well, this is a huge pressure getting the number 2 back on his feet” you expressed you figured if you opened up to him a little he could trust you little by little. You opened his room door as you strolled him in before helping him get to bed and putting the blanket over him Bakugou watched you “thank you” he looked at you genuinely, you smiled as you bowed before heading towards the door “rest well” you said before walking out and closing the door behind you.

Bakugou not even realizing he smiled lightly as you left. He thought maybe it wouldn’t be too bad for the next couple of days being here and just maybe physio would be just alright with you being by his side.

[sunjaesol]

juke | spiderman au | tw: violence | title: motion // luke hemmings

🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️

"Hey, Julie," Luke greets, walking into Molina's Flowers & Gifts.

It's quiet in the store. An abundance of flowers packed together winking at him, corners stuffed with candles, books, vases and picture frames. It's a well-loved shop, within the Molina family for decades, their youngest daughter and his classmate now meandering behind the counter.

She smiles, "Hey, Luke. How are your aunt's tulips?"

"Uh," he chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck, "very... tulip-y."

"Solid."

"Yeah. Anyway—" he points at her "—about the assignment. I can't do it with you."

She frowns. "Why?"

Because at night, he has to patrol the city! Who else is going to protect and serve New York — or Queens, specifically! They need him! Sure, they don't appreciate him or, y'know, know who he is, but...

As much as he wants to work with Julie — and really, he does, she's amazing — he simply can't. That's the responsibility he's taken upon himself as Spiderman and he has to honour that.

"Family commitment," he lies with a grimace. "I can do some research in the library this week, but—"

"Forget it," she mutters. "I'll do it. But you present, okay? I hate public speaking."

He sighs in relief. "Thank you! Yes, you got it!"

"You owe me now, you know that?" she asks, peering. It reminds him how she, unlike him, is a full-blooded New Yorker. She has bark and bite, while he has that Los Angeles softness buffing the edges of his actions.

Unless he's Spiderman. Then there's no stopping him.

Leaning against the counter, he tries dazzling her with a charming smile. "Like what?"

She thinks for a moment, face twisting up in that cute, pensive face she has; always crossing her features during calculus or physics. Another reason why he hates bailing on her: she's mad cute — and one of the few people at school that doesn't regard his music mania as geeky.

"Every weekend, me and my dad go to the flower market and get our batch. It's at four am. My dad's sick, so you're joining me this Saturday."

He grimaces. "Four? Really?"

"I know you're not Jewish. You're free."

"I could be!"

Her head tilts, amused. "Are you, Patterson?"

Sighing, his head drops along with his resolve. She has him. "Fine. Yes, I'll help you. Don't blame me if I fall asleep with my eyes open!"

Julie giggles at his remark and it makes him look up, a giddy feeling spreading in his chest. Her face is close to his, the colours of the flowers glimmering in her eyes, and he's kind of taken by her. Wow.

"Great. Now get out of my store!" she commands, grabbing the broom beside her. "I need to sweep the floors."

Pushing himself off from the counter, he cheekily salutes at her and bids goodbye, bouncing outside mere seconds later. That went better than expected — he even made her laugh!

Reggie sends him a text. I updated your suit. Good to go for tonight with zero malfunctions!

His grin widens. This Tuesday afternoon could not have gone better!

~

Fuck. He should've known those words were gonna jinx him.

Luke slings from skyscraper to skyscraper after a gang of armed criminals, failing to capture them with his webs and almost being shot himself just ten minutes ago!

Yeah, sneezing loudly during their very creepy gang meeting in a quiet Queens alleyway was not his proudest moment. Fucking hay fever.

It's even worse that they're fighting in his neighborhood, the streets familiar and well-trodden by him, his friends, his family. His stomach twists up with dread, but he has to keep going. He almost has them!

There's six of them, so he's sure he can get a few from a distance. Quickly mapping out his strategy from the ledge of a building, bug eyes gleaming in the street lights, he launches into action.

(There are police sirens in the distance, likely being called after the thugs broke into that bank, but Luke can't wait. This is his time.)

Webbing two against the brick walls of a bodega, he throws a joke alongside it too and adds extra webbing to their mouths. No need to hear their response!

A third thug gets lassoed towards him, dizzying the man, and a simple swing of the fists knocks him out cold.

The other three keep sprinting, shooting over their shoulder all precariously. If Luke wasn't running on adrenaline and fright, he'd scoff at their mindless use of bullets. One hits a lamppost, a mailbox, a tree.

(On that tree, a “who is spiderman?” poster, something he'd get excited over if, again, there wasn't a crime to be solved. Damn it, thugs!)

He manages to shoot a gun out of one man's hand and then web him down on the pavement, but the last two outsmart him. Exhaustion weighs his bones down — it's one am, school starts at eight, he has to pretend to be all normal and cool — and the police still hasn't arrived.

Any nagging thought gets knocked out of his mind the second he sees them crashing the windows of the Molina's, barelling into their store. His gut plummets while anger rises, reaching a fever pitch shaped in an angry cry and a boost of energy. Screw, strategy! He needs to fix this!

Zooming into the store after them, more bullets hurl by, shattering glass and vases and flying past their faces. It works to his advantage, the criminals trying to shield themselves with their hands, a sudden weak spot. Luke webs one to the ground, extra hard.

But then two arms curl around his neck from behind.

"Whoa!" he chokes out, flailing to be released. "C'mon, man!"

"Time to sleep, Spiderman!" the criminal snarls with a thick east coast accent, tightening his iron hold.

Luke helplessly tries hitting him with his feet and elbows, but the man is rock solid and his spidey system malfunctions again from the high levels of stress. Shit!

Just as he feels lightheaded, a resounding clang! makes the arms slacken, the man slumping on the ground like a heavy sack of potatoes. Staggering away, he whirls around, only to come face to face with an enraged Julie Molina.

She squeaks out an undignified warrior cry, raising her baseball bat once more to knock him out.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he yells, grabbing onto the end of the stick before she gives him a concussion. "I'm the good guy! I'm—" he lowers his voice "—I'm Spiderman!"

The bat clatters to the ground. Her eyes slowly drift to the webbed man and the man's ass she whooped. And then, when he thinks she'll start crying from shock, she looks back at him in confusion.

"Why did you lower your voice like that?"

He blinks. Not what he expected. "Wha-? No, I didn't."

"You did. You sounded like a boy and now you don't."

He groans, stomping his foot. "I didn't! Anyway, Ju- miss. Girl. Thanks for the help. The police is on their way."

Her shoulder sag, now seemingly registering what just transpired. Her eyes, previously so pretty in daylight, well up with tears as she takes stock of her ruined family establishment. Luke swallows back the guilt, the immense urge to comfort her.

If he had just been faster... none of this would've happened.

A sob wracks her body. "My- my store. My dad. The flowers. We- we-" Her gaze locks on his, furiously devestated. "Why did you lead them here?!"

He raises his hands in defense. "I didn't! They trespassed! I- I'm so sorry, miss."

Her head shakes, more tears slipping down her cheeks. "That's not... good enough. Please go."

"Miss—"

"Go!" she shouts, pointing at the broken window.

He nods, obliging, utters once more the police is coming, and flies out the window. His mask rubs uncomfortably against his skin, cold sweat and tears pricking like needles.

When the next day at school Julie is nowhere to be found, he's not surprised.

🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️

@blush-and-books @bluefirewrites @thedeathdeelers @unsaid-emily @willexx @ourstarscollided @pink-flame @constantly-singing

[thefactsofthematter]

hi bestie <3 you said send in some requests, so i'm suggesting:

javid with, "it's not okay! you're not fine!"?

i hope you have a good day !!!

hi bestie <333 i had so much fun with this, i haven't done a short little fic in ages!! here's a 2.7k javid fic - a college au and a classic (emotional) hurt/comfort type deal, heavy on the comfort ;)

-

"Wanna come for dinner at my parents' house tonight?"

Davey is laying on Jack's couch after his last class of the day, since Jack's apartment is just off campus, and it's a ridiculously convenient place to go nap after a long day of school. He honestly spends more time here than at his own apartment that he shares with his sister, a short train ride away.

"I'd love to," Jack replies, his gaze still glued to his computer screen, "but I totally forgot I have an art history paper due at midnight, analyzing a painting, and I haven't started. It needs to be ten pages, and I don't even have an outline. I'm gonna sit here and write until my eyeballs fall out."

Davey laughs softly.

"That sucks. Do you at least have some research done?"

Jack turns to him with completely dead eyes.

"Not a single academic source."

Davey glances at the clock. Jack has seven hours to pull this off, which is doable, but... intense. It would've been a lot easier to spread it out over a few afternoons, and it'll be a painful squeeze to get ten comprehensible pages of writing done tonight. Jack can write decently fast, but his spelling and grammar are atrocious, so he'll have to factor in editing time too. Davey is not envious of these circumstances in the slightest.

"Shit. Good luck. That sounds awful, but I'm rooting for you. What's your prof's late assignment policy?"

Jack, entirely beaten down, leans forward to rest his forehead on his keyboard.

"He won't accept them past the due date without a good reason... which I don't have. I'm just an idiot and forgot to put it in my planner— thank god Romeo texted me today to ask if I was done."

Davey pushes himself up and walks over to where Jack is sitting at his little dining table, under the constantly-flickering fluorescent bulb. He wraps his arms around Jack's shoulders and kisses the back of his neck.

"You got this. I'll come back here after dinner and bring you leftovers, okay? My mom's gonna be sad you couldn't make it, so she'll totally pack up a plate for you."

"You don't have to come all the way here," Jack sighs. "Your place is closer to your parents, and this is out of your way— you have work in the morning anyways, so you should go home and go to bed. I'll be fine, I'll probably write faster alone anyways."

Davey kisses him again, this time leaning around to plant one on his cheek.

"If you're sure." Jack's plan is probably the smart move, since Davey's shifts at his stupid coffee shop job start ridiculously early, and coming here would mean staying up with Jack until he finishes, probably distracting him. "In that case, I'll see you tomorrow after work, and I'll bring the food then... keep me posted about the paper, text me when you finish. And make sure you eat something."

Jack turns back to look at him with a strained, stressed attempt at a smile.

"For sure. Go have a nice time with your family, and tell everyone I say hi."

-

"Aba, you're doing it wrong. You have to use your left arm."

It's getting late in the evening, dinner has been eaten, and Les is trying to coordinate the family to make a TikTok with him. It's not exactly going well.

"My left or your left?"

"It doesn't matter, we have the same left!"

Davey has thankfully been placed in the back row, both because he's tall and lanky, and because he's so uncoordinated that Mom used to make you wear one of those leash backpacks as a kid to keep you from wandering into traffic... which is true, but Davey isn't sure why Les even knows about that. He certainly wasn't around yet when that was the case, so he probably heard it from Sarah.

While Les tries once again to explain how this little dance is supposed to work, Davey's phone starts to buzz in his pocket. It's probably a spam call, but he's not particularly invested in the dance lesson so he pulls it out to check.

Incoming call: cowboy babyy 💖🤠

Davey frowns. Jack never calls him. It's always texts or voice memos, since he's got some kind of weird aversion to talking on the phone. If he's calling, it must be important.

"Hi babe," he says, pressing his phone to his ear and walking off to his old bedroom to get some quiet, while Les shouts at him in the background for not taking this seriously. "How's the homework going?"

Jack is quiet for a second too long as Davey toes the door shut.

"...Not great. I'm really frustrated." He pauses and sniffles a little, sounding almost like he's holding back tears. "I don't know why I called you while you're having a good time with your family, though. I shouldn't be bugging you."

"Hey," Davey breathes, "you're not bugging me at all, sweetheart. Is the paper not going well?"

"I just... I'm so bad at writing, and I don't know what I'm talking about, and I have no idea how I'm gonna get this done in time." His voice is shaking, and it's breaking Davey's heart a little. "I'm being dramatic, though. I just need to keep working on it."

Davey sits down on the edge of what's now a guest bed, his old outer space-themed comforter replaced with something more neutral.

"You're not dramatic, it's okay to be upset. Do you want me to come over and help?"

Jack's breath hitches softly, and it confirms that he's almost definitely crying.

"You don't have to, you're busy with your folks. I'm sorry for calling." He shudders a little as he must try to take a deep breath. "It's okay... I'm fine."

Davey sighs, almost exasperated with Jack's self-sacrificial sense of pride. He'll never ask for anything for himself, not wanting anyone to go out of their way for him, even when he seems to be having a panic attack of sorts.

"It's not okay; you're clearly not fine, Jackie," he replies. "We already ate, and I'm not busy. If you want me to come over, I'll be there... do you?"

Jack is quiet for a moment again, taking a deep, shaky breath.

"Yeah. I do."

Davey nods, though Jack can't see him.

"Okay. I want you to take a little break from writing until I get there, alright? Change into your pyjamas and have a glass of water. Try to relax a little."

"Okay... thanks Davey."

The call ends, and Davey rejoins his family while tucking his phone away in his pocket.

"I have to go." He kisses his mother on the head as he walks by. "Thanks for dinner, Ima."

"Is everything okay?" she asks, catching him gently by the elbow before he can get too far.

"Yeah..." he sighs. "Jack's just having a hard time with homework, I'm gonna go help him out."

His father ruffles his hair and gives him a quick hug.

"You're a good boy, David. Take him those leftovers— your mother's cooking can fix anything."

"For sure. I'll see you guys next weekend, and I'll try to bring Jack along then."

He waves goodbye to Sarah and Les, grabs the dish of food, and then sets off on a speed-walk to the nearest subway station.

-

Jack is sitting on the couch when he arrives, his knees pulled to his chest, looking very soft and cozy in pyjama pants and one of Davey's old hoodies from some baseball tournament. He's staring into space, and he hardly even moves to acknowledge Davey's presence when he walks in.

"Hey darling." Davey leaves the dish of food on the counter and crouches down in front of Jack to try and catch his eye-line. He carefully takes Jack's hands in his own. "Hanging in there?"

Jack finally looks at him and nods, but as he blinks, more tears slip out and roll down his cheeks.

"I'm only done two pages," he mumbles, practically whispering. "I don't know why it's so hard, but I just can't do it."

"Oh, Jackie..." Davey reaches up to wipe Jack's tears, cupping his face gently with both hands. "Hey, you still have three hours, right?" Jack nods. "That's lots of time. We're gonna figure this out... let's just sit here and calm down a little first. It's gonna be okay."

He climbs up onto the couch to pull Jack into a hug, and the moment he's settled, Jack wraps his arms around him and breaks, sobbing into his shoulder. Davey cards his fingers through his hair and rubs his back; he's never seen Jack this distraught, especially not over homework. There's a good chance the problem runs a lot deeper, and stressing over an assignment was simply the last straw.

"You're alright," Davey continues, since talking is what he does best, even in moments like this. Jack is shaking with the force of his tears, breathing so hard Davey worries he might hyperventilate. "Listen, it's just one assignment, my love... if you get a bad grade, or if we don't finish in time, we can deal with that. We'll hand in whatever we finish tonight, so at least you won't get a zero. Worst case scenario, you retake this class in the spring... even that doesn't sound so bad, does it? I know you could handle it, if that's what happens."

Jack nods a little, but his tears don't stop.

"I'm so tired of being stupid," he hiccups, after a long while. "I keep getting distracted, and I can't word things right, and I spell everything wrong, and- and maybe I should just drop out, because I'm clearly not meant to be doing this."

"Baby..." Davey sighs, giving him a gentle kiss on the temple. "You're so intelligent, Jack. You're almost done your degree— after this term, you've only got one year left, and it's not like you do poorly in your classes, is it? Even when it's something hard for you, like writing, you always do well when you put in the work. What did you get on your sociology paper a couple weeks ago?"

"Ninety percent," Jack mumbles, muffled by the way he's speaking into Davey's shoulder. "But I spent so long on it, and you edited it for me. I'm gonna fail this one. I can't do it in one night, and I can't write papers without your help."

"Well, I'm here to help now, aren't I?" He rests his hand midway through brushing it through Jack's hair and scratches his scalp gently, which makes Jack shiver and laugh quietly through his tears. "Right? And you can write, darling— all I do is fix up the spelling and grammar for you. The ideas and words are all you, just like when you give presentations and knock it out of the park every time. I sure can't do that."

Jack finally looks up at him.

"Yes you can. You get nervous beforehand, but when you do a presentation, it's always really good."

Davey smiles at him, now that they're actually looking at each other.

"It's hard for me, though. Just like writing is for you— but with lots of effort, you're really good at it. See my point?"

Slowly, a small smile spreads across Jack's teary-eyed face, and he nods. Davey feels rather accomplished with this development.

"I guess so." He wipes at his eyes and sighs. "Sorry about this. I'm such a mess."

"No apologies. I don't blame you for getting overwhelmed— you're in a tough spot here." He pulls Jack in for a quick kiss, which they both smile into. "I brought you dinner. Go heat it up when you're ready; I'll look over what you've written so far and see if I can come up with some more ideas to add on. We're gonna work together on it, okay? What painting did you choose?"

"The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio," Jack sighs, looking almost forlornly at his computer on the table. "I have a lot to say about it, and lots of good stuff in my notes, but I just can't put it into paragraphs and sentences that make sense."

Davey nods, watching Jack as he stands up to go put the leftovers from Davey's family in the microwave.

"Well, I don't know anything about paintings, but if you talk me through it, I can help you put the actual paper together." He pauses as an idea dawns on him. "I'm gonna email your professor and ask about an extension— it might be a shot in the dark, but we should at least try. The worst he can do is say no."

"Sure," Jack replies from the kitchen, his voice still shaky. "He's a total hardass, though. Fingers crossed for a miracle."

Davey sits at the table, opens up Jack's email, and starts a draft.

Hi Professor Diaz,

Apologies for the short notice, but I'm wondering if it would be possible to have an extension on the analysis assignment, even if it's just by a few hours. I unfortunately mixed up some due dates in my planner, and I thought I had an extra week for this assignment; I only realized the mistake today, so I'm currently scrambling to get it done in time.

Would it be at all possible to turn it in a few hours late, just to have a bit more time to finish it up? I would really appreciate any amount of time you're willing to give me.

Thank you in advance for your understanding, Jack Kelly

He shrugs, sends it, and sincerely hopes a little professionalism and a decent (if slightly fabricated to make Jack look less forgetful) excuse will go a long way.

-

It's quarter to eleven, the paper is now five-and-a-half pages long, and Jack isn't crying anymore. He's in the zone, talking aloud about the painting while Davey helps him get his vague ideas into concrete sentences, and they're on track to have at least seven or eight pages by the time midnight rolls around— it might not get full marks, but it'll be better than nothing.

Jack's computer dings with the sound of a new email while they're taking a two-minute break— something they've interspersed every half hour, since Jack's focus is best in shorter bouts. He's in the middle of walking laps around the apartment to get his energy out and annoy his downstairs neighbours, but he scrambles back to the computer at the noise.

"We got a reply!" he shouts.

Davey is over on the couch, and he watches Jack's face closely as he opens the email. So far, so good... and then he slumps down in his chair in a show of what could either be defeat or relief. Davey can't quite tell, so he jumps up to go read it for himself.

Sure. Email it by 11:59pm tomorrow.

Sent from my iPhone

"Yes!" Davey shouts, grabbing Jack by the shoulders. "I told you it was worth a shot!"

Jack laughs, and then reaches up to pull Davey down for a kiss.

"You're the best, Jacobs. A fucking lifesaver." He rubs at his eyes, and then pushes his computer away, across the table. "I'll deal with this tomorrow. Let's just go to bed— you still have to be up early."

Right. Davey has a dreaded Saturday morning opening shift tomorrow— they open at five, and he has to be there well in advance to get set up, so he's got no chance at getting more than a few hours of sleep. He's going to be dead on his feet in the morning, probably fuck up a few coffee orders, but it'll be worth it to have helped Jack through tonight.

Poor Jack seems completely exhausted— as anyone would be after crying so hard earlier— so collapsing into bed after washing up quickly is an utter relief. Davey, despite being tall and long-limbed, greatly enjoys being the little spoon and Jack is happy to indulge him, so they curl into the familiar position.

"Thank you for everything tonight," Jack whispers, practically into Davey's ear. "I love you so much."

Davey smiles as his eyes fall shut, and he kisses Jack's knuckles softly, where his arm is wrapped around him.

"Any time, darling. I love you too."

[mtjester]

So, back on the BNHA Steampunk AU bullshit train, here’s what I’m thinking:

Basic premise: Midoriya is an poor, unacknowledged engineering/inventor prodigy who lives in the mountains on the outskirts of a small town, working usually as a sheep herder for the town’s wealthy landowning family (the Bakugous) while he tinkers with his stuff. One day, an airship crashes on a nearby peak, and Midoriya find a sole survivor -- Yagi Toshinori (All Might). He and his mother don’t know who he is, but they rush him back to their house and take care of his wounds. He remains in a coma for a while. Midoriya finds an odd contraption near Toshinori, and he starts to tinker with it. He begins to unlock its potential. Toshinori eventually wakes up, sees Midoriya’s progress with the odd contraption and therefore his potential, and invites him to join him at U.A. Academy of Sciences in the Big City.

Once there, Midoriya finds Bakugou, the son of the wealthy landowners in his small town, whom Midoriya knew well growing up. Toshinori goes to attend to his own business, Bakugou begrudgingly shows Midoriya around, and it comes to everyone’s attention over time that some nefarious Science is happening in the criminal underground. Human experiments, a la Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Where science doesn’t have answers, horrendous experiments take place to find out. What’s the goal? Immortality? The Ultimate Human Weapon? A new step in human evolution?

Midoriya and Bakugou along with others in the academy who seek to uphold the honor of Science for Good go to join Captain Aizawa’s airship in the hopes of catching the perpetrators of the Evil Science.

Character Stuff under the cut!

The Academy:

Midoriya: He grew up in a small town setting and is overwhelmed by Big City Life. The contraption he finds near Toshinori is the AU’s version of OFA, and it’s a multipurpose machine that can meld to the body, enhance strength, increase mobility, shoot out tethers, etc. Toshinori was only able to unlock the first of these abilities in his tinkering. Now Midoriya, an otherwise underwhelming guy, is a force to be reckoned with.

Bakugou: The only son of a wealthy land-owning family in the same small town Midoriya came from, Bakugou was used to be being a big fish in a small pond. Now the pond his very large, and he’s the same size. He pursues his studies in explosives at the academy, and he has little clue how much of his research is directly responsible for fueling the Empire’s war machine. If he did, he would be horrified. He is adamant that the future will not be Steam but Diesel. He’s putting his stocks in the combustion engine.

Ochako: Ochako is going to be the first person in space! Supposedly. She’s working with all of her colleagues to create a rocket ship that will break through the Earth’s atmosphere, and she spends a lot of her time training for zero gravity in a gyroscope. She is studying gravity and magnetism. When asked how either works, she replies confidently, “I have no idea!”

Todoroki: Todoroki is the youngest son of a prestigious family in the city. His father is captain of one of the airships and has been on multiple expeditions into the Unknown. Todoroki himself is working on thermodynamics at the academy. He is rather fond of steam technology and has his doubts about the rise of diesel. He is considered one of the more successful and promising up-and-coming researchers there at the moment.

Iida: Iida is working on combustion engines and works closely with both Todoroki and Bakugou. He agrees with Bakugou that the future will be Diesel. Like both of them, he is from a well-to-do family, which boasts a long line of pilots. He has trained from a young age to be a pilot as well and has a natural knack for it, but he’s actually rather air-sick. He prefers to stay on land and work on moving vehicles faster more effectively.

Momo: Momo is from a prominent family and knows everything. She has read the entire library, so the rumors say. Her studies focus on the nature of matter, and her research has been inspired by everything from ancient books on alchemy to the most contemporary experiments. She hopes to create an Everything Machine. She is another of the more successful and promising up-and-coming researchers.

Denki: Denki is involved, not surprisingly, with the newer technology of electricity. He is attempting to harness its power more successfully and to figure out new ways to create bigger currents. Like Ochako, he doesn’t actually know what’s going on most of the time, and his experiments are trial-and-error.

Jirou: Jirou works with sound, and she has revolutionized the gramophone industry with her work. She is also working on devices that can pick up sound from miles away. On the side, she does jazz. 

Aoyama: Aoyama is working on light technology. He envisions a future when a beam of light can be used to cut through anything. Nobody puts much confidence in his experiments, and he’s often forgotten. He gravitates to Midoriya, the new guy, for this reason. Midoriya doesn’t brush him off, and he often shows up to help Midoriya off, acting more like a lab assistant than a researcher in his own right.

Sero: Sero is one of many standby engineers who help the researchers out. His preferred tool of the trade is his own tape (patent pending). It is surprisingly effective.

Mina: Mina is another standby engineer with a penchant for welding and chemicals. She is an aspiring chemist, but nobody will agree to help her with her research because of the haphazard way she handles caustic chemicals. Nevertheless, she is well-liked and popular.

Satou: Satou is a standby engineer whose brawn comes in handy. He is an academy favorite because he spends the time he’s not working creating lovely baked goods. In fact, most researchers call for his help last, since they would secretly rather he be baking sweets.

The Experiments:

Tsuyu: Tsuyu was rescued from a freak show, and the freak show discovery is the first step to uncovering the Bad Science. She is the result of a genetic modification experiment. She doesn’t remember what it’s like to not be frog-like, and she doesn’t really mind. But she is grateful to not be in a freak show anymore, and she’ll cooperate with the investigation to the best of her abilities! She becomes Ochako’s lab assistant.

Shoji: He was rescued from the freak show at the same time as Tsuyu. Like her, he doesn’t remember much of his previous life. He remembers more of the facility than Tsuyu does, and his recollection is a big help in the investigation.

Koda: He was rescued from the freak show at the same time as Tsuyu and Shoji. For a long time, he only speaks to animals. If he remembers much, he won’t (or can’t) communicate to the investigation team.

Hagakure: Another freak show rescue. She’s invisible. Sometimes the investigation team forgets she’s there. She’s quick to remind them, and she’s ready to put her sneaky abilities to good use!

Tokoyami: Tokoyami remembers his time in the facilities well. The experiments haunt him. He doesn’t remember the escape from the facility where he was “created” because Dark Shadow did most of the heavy lifting. He has been in the shadows, working as a vigilante for a while now. When the call goes out for people willing to help with the investigation, he shows up, ready to join Aizawa’s crew.

Kirishima: Kirishima and Ojirou are not found until later, when the investigation team uncovers an illegal underground fighting ring. Kirishima’s skin is tough as rock, and he can take a beating. He also has incredibly sharp teeth, and he has been outfitted with a muzzle for that reason. He doesn’t usually bite, but the harsh world of human fighting has made him somewhat more snappy. He does remember the facilities, but he would prefer not to. It seems that whatever the Evildoers were attempting to accomplish with their experiments came a bit closer to fruition through Tokoyami and Kirishima.

Ojirou: Ojirou, like Kirishima, was rescued from the underground fighting operation. Ojirou’s powerful tail gives him an advantage over his opponents, and the martial arts skills from his life before the facilities also give him a good edge. He survives the fighting operation with more of a level head than Kirishima, thanks to his previous training. It spares him the muzzle. 

This is already a lot, so maybe I’ll just stop at the 1-A group for now!

[kittydemon9000]

Tell me more Inside Voice AU if you don't mind

Yeyeyeyeye

Because I can we’re skipping all the way to S4. S2 and 3 are pretty uneventful in terms of changes. Only thing really note worthy is how Kai is more trusting to Nolan and doesn’t get too upset when certain things seem to go wrong since he trusts Nolan’s judgement and that if things truly go that Nolan will tell him.

Ofc, this doesn’t stop Zane’s death from hitting both of them. Kai doesn’t get mad at Nolan though. He knows that even if he knew what would happen, even if he did everything in his power to stop it....it wouldn’t have been enough. 

He wouldn’t have been enough.

After Zane’s funeral, he goes into a bit of a depressive spiral. The days start blurring together as he tries to fill them, because doing nothing means thinking, and thinking means hurting.

Nolan honestly isn’t sure if this is worse than Kai being mad.

Now, unlike canon, Kai doesn’t go into fighting rings. Instead he throws himself into research, finding every magic book, scroll or whatever in order to find a counter spell to get Nolan back into his own body. He actually started doing a bit of this research in-between S2 n 3, but not as heavily as he is now.

Because of all this heavy research and traveling, Lloyd isn’t actually able to get a message to him and is forced to only meet up with Jay and Cole, however this doesn’t mean Kai still doesn’t get a message. Now, Kai and Nolan both know this Tournament of Elements is absolutely a hoax and something’s going on behind the scenes, but the incentive of both Zane and the possibility of finding Clouse’s spell book is too much to ignore, so they go.

And again, canon is pretty much the same for a bit. Only notable things for the first part of the Tournament is that Kai is cued in on Skylor’s powers earlier and Nolan is reminiscing on when Skylor was a baby. Oh and they have absolutely zero trust toward Chen or Clouse. 

Skylor being the traitor is also figured out pretty early on by Kai, so there’s that too, but he isn’t too upset at her this time around because based on what Nolan told him about her as a kid Chen was a shitty father and that was all she knew.

The whole time, however, Nolan is being incredibly thorough on what futures to take to avoid getting them and the others noticed by Chen. Meanwhile Neuro is very confused about why the Master of Fire has future seeing and another person in his head.

Kai and Nolan actually try and sneak in to get the book, but unfortunately it doesn’t work out as luck wasn’t on their side. And double unfortunately.... one of the times they were looking they were caught by one of Clouse’s magic alarms, but we unaware since Clouse didn’t check it until the next day.

This time during the run through the jungle Kai is able to avoid getting captured for a bit longer, but isn’t lucky enough when Skylor shows up and he tries to reason with her, unfortunately failing and he tries bringing up Nolan to sway her. This distracts both of them long enough that Clouse is able to sneak up on them and capture Kai.

Now, this time around Kai isn’t able to do the whole “Skylor was able to get me on her side” thing since Clouse heard him mention Nolan and doesn’t believe anything he says. Nolan is sort of freaking out since there are very very few futures he can see that lead out of this with them alive and they’re completely based on luck.

However, it should be fairly obvious to you as the audience that luck is not going to be on their side.

This time when they’re brought to Chen’s throne, they bring Kai forward to ask how he knew about Nolan. Kai denies it, but Chen uses Neuro’s power to look in his mind and “see” Nolan. Clouse then uses the counter spell to rip Nolan out of Kai’s mind, which is more than a little bit painful for both of them.

While Chen’s monologuing about how foolish Nolan was for thinking he could escape him, everyone else is reeling. Skylor because her basically brother was not dead like she’d been told and from what her father was saying had run away because of reasons she isn’t quite sure, the EM’s, Jay and Lloyd because “holy shit that’s a whole ass person,” Neuro because “oh so that’s why there was another person in there,” Nolan because yay he has his body but oh no Chen knows he’s here. Meanwhile Kai got knocked the fuck out and doesn’t show any signs of waking up.

Nolan and Kai end up being taken to special cells instead of being sent to work in the factory with Kai still not waking up. Skylor actually pays the two a visit and Nolan explains why he ran and about all the horrifying futures he saw, most ending in his and her deaths(Chen would have gone a bit insane with the future sight and seen maybe two or three very low probability futures of Skylor betraying him and taking her powers, then killing her). After a bit more explaining and negotiating and arguing Nolan is able to get her on their side and the plan to trick Chen since they still have Chen’s inexperience with the future sight in their favor.

Meanwhile Jay and Lloyd are explaining what just happened in the throne room and Neuro adds what he knows about the situation and how either Kai or the stranger had some kind of future vision, which they all collectively decide to ask about later.

Unfortunately, they aren’t going to get the chance.

See, for the most part the ceremony goes mostly as planned. Nolan fakes apologies and express how being trapped in the mind of a naive child was horrible and made him completely reconsider his actions and is willing to stand beside Chen once again and take the world as rightfully theirs(Lloyd is getting ready to commit murder in the back). Skylor does her part, the two break the gem, yadadadadadaadadadadadaadadad and Kai and Skylor get captured

Now Kai, while he has woken up, is still really out of it so the two aren’t able to escape this time around so that sucks, but they have Nolan so it sort of balances out.

Nolan then gives the very abridged version of who he is, how he met Kai and why he was in his head, and what Chen and Clouse are planning, so they get on that. Nolan also gives as much future help that he can and they end up avoiding the whole Truck Diversion Thing and they’re able to split up accordingly, most going to protect Pythor while a small group going to save Skylor and Kai. The second group consists of Nolan(obviously), Neuro, Nya, and Cole. The rest of the ninja were a little salty they had to reduce Pythor instead of Kai, but moving on.

With Pythor the same thing happens as canon and they actually come back in the middle of the rescue operation, but they’re still able to get the two out, but with a lot of close calls and Neuro messing with a couple guard’s memories and Nya knocking some more out.

Corridor of Elders thing is also pretty much canon, nothing changes except Kai is removed from the fighting.

That’s kinda it for a while. Now Nolan’s an actual apart of the team and properly explains what happened without the rushed details and now the ninja have a new father figure :D

[lala-ladybug]

Healing Hands: Chapter 4

Yesyesyes I’m super excited to share this one with you guys!! The game is finally beginning, ahhhh!!!!

Jasonette Sword Art Online AU

Read here on AO3

Tag list: @iloontjeboontje

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Chapter 4: Goddamn wimps, all of them

Marinette opened her eyes, squinting against the bright sunlight. She stood in a huge village square filled with hundreds of people, the gaps between them growing smaller as more and more players appeared. The sun shone merrily, and an excited chatter began rising in the air. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It felt good to be back.

“Marinette!” She looked around to see Alya and Nino waving a few yards away. She broke into an excited smile and jogged over to meet them. They must have spawned in relative to their actual locations since Kagami, Luka, and the others from her class were already there.

“Hey guys!” Marinette said breathlessly. “Almost didn’t make it. Thanks for the call, Alya.”

The brunette gave her a quick hug. “Anytime, girl. Now you and Lila can show us the ropes!” She bounced excitedly.

Marinette barely caught herself from rolling her eyes and just nodded instead. Of course Lila would be able to help teach the others how to play. It definitely wouldn’t just be Marinette teaching everybody. Again.

Meanwhile, Max and Nathaniel were remarking on how realistic the textures of the cobbled streets were. Marinette did a double-take when she saw Adrien standing next to them. He had an immensely intricate and ornate suit of armor. There was an excess of spikes, ribbons flowing from every joint, and every inch of him was covered in metal. A tall helmet adorned with skull decals cast a shadow over his grinning face.

“What are you wearing?” She spluttered. He pointed a thumb to his chest with some difficulty, the thick metal creaking with the movement.

“This bad boy is the toughest armor in the game! I may have made a few embellishments of my own, so now I look even cooler.” He stated with pride.

Marinette shot a look at Luka, who wore a light set of simple leathers. He grimaced and shook his head, warning Marinette not to question their friend’s surprisingly atrocious taste in fashion. Or serious misunderstanding of armor weight classes.

“You know you could’ve picked any armor you want, right?” Adrien asked.

“Oh, I know. I crafted this set during beta testing!” Marinette spun around to show the boys, gladly welcoming the change in subject. She was dressed in a light suit of armor, the metal tinted a deep red. Black fabric peeked underneath the gaps, a strong yet flexible design of her own making. A simple grey cloak hung off her shoulders, concealing the quiver behind her back.

While Luka and Adrien complimented her brilliant design, she spotted Lila. She looked a little out of her element, hanging back to awkwardly watch a conversation between Kim, Alix, and Kagami, oddly enough. The three were dressed in heavy sets of armor, lamenting about how there weren’t any monsters to battle yet.

Chloe sauntered over to join them and, having heard how even Kagami was itching for a fight, wrinkled her nose. Marinette giggled to herself. This was going to be interesting, to say the least.

* * *

Jason’s eyes snapped open and he threw out an arm to steady himself. The transition from logging on was dizzying, but the sensation faded with every deep breath he took. He noted the smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the air. Damn, even he had to admit this tech was impressive. Dick and Tim stood next to him, wearing blue and red-toned armor respectively. Tim was looking around wildly, grinning like an idiot.

“Timmy!” Cassie Sandsmark sprinted towards them to tackle her boyfriend in a hug. Oh great, looks like the rest of the kiddy patrol was here too. Looking to where Cassie had run from, Jason indeed saw various members of The Team. Connor looked just as nauseated as Jason had felt after joining. Roy stood next to him, unmoving as he stared down at his very realistic-looking hand. Ouch. Jason had to have some sympathy for the poor kid, not that he’d ever tell him that.

Bart and Garfield, on the other hand, appeared to be having the time of their lives. Bart got into a running stance and Garfield gleefully jumped into the air, both falling flat on their faces. Jason snorted as he watched Jaime help his boyfriend up. Jaime asked him, “Whoa there ese, what gives?”

Bart shook his head and muttered, “I don’t have my speed.”

Garfield furrowed his brow and strained his face. “You look like you’re either really constipated or trying to shift,” Artemis informed him.

Ignoring her, Garfield locked his panicked eyes with Connor’s. “I can’t shift either, SB.”

“Der kaolc ym nrut,” Zatanna intoned quietly. When nothing happened, she nervously said, “My magic doesn’t work either.”

Jason rolled his eyes. Goddamn wimps, all of them. “Looks like all you supers will have to stoop to our level.”

“Stay whelmed everyone,” Dick stepped in to mitigate half the group’s outrage. “It’s just a game, we don’t exactly need our other skills right now.”

Before they could say anything else, an enormous bell mounted in the center of the town square began to ring. A hush fell over the crowd. The sky darkened as red hexagons interlocked to create a massive dome around the town.

A tall being flickered to life in the air above them. The hooded figure floated high overhead, their face eerily concealed.

“Attention players,” the figure raised their hands. “I welcome you to my world.” Well that didn’t sound ominous, Jason thought to himself. He felt the mood from the others shift into high alert.

“You may call me the Game Master, and I am the only one in control of this world. You may have noticed that the logout button is missing from your main menu.” The figure paused dramatically. “I assure you, this is no defect in the game. It is all as I have designed it to be. You cannot log yourselves out, and no one outside the game will be able to remove you forcibly. If anyone tries to do so, a transmitter inside the VR headset will emit powerful microwaves into your brain that will end your life.” Shit, shit, shit. This was just supposed to be a dumb game he played to make Replacement shut up about it, what the hell?

“Of the 10,000 players, 215 have already died because their family or friends ignored this warning and attempted to remove their headsets. Media outlets have been reporting on this, so it is safe to assume the danger of your headsets being removed has passed.” This guy had to be joking. Though if he wasn’t, Babs would surely research everything within her power to try to remove them safely.

“One other feature of the game is that you are no longer able to revive players. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will die and the headset will destroy your brain.” Jason’s eyes widened and his head whipped to Dick. He ran a hand through his hair, looking just as horrified as Jason felt.

“The only way for a player to return to the real world is to clear the game. You are currently on Floor 1, the lowest level of the castle. If you make it to the dungeon and defeat the level boss, you may progress to the next level. Defeat the final boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game.” This motherfucker couldn’t be serious.

The game master, god what a pretentious prick, raised his hands and began to disappear once more. He said, “Good luck, players,” before disappearing entirely. The sky returned to its cheery blue.

 A beat of silence passed before someone started screaming. Then the thousands of players erupted into a cacophony of sound.

* * *

Marinette stood stockstill amidst the chaos. She felt more than heard masses of people panicking around her. Her eyes darted back and forth without truly seeing anything, mind racing to figure out a solution. If there was no way to safely remove the headset, then they’d have to beat the whole game. What about the Kwami? Could they connect with their miraculi? What about the small powers they’d each accumulated over the years? If those were accessible, then they might stand a chance, but god if they weren’t--

A hand on her arm made her snap her head to attention. It was Adrien, his jaw clenched tightly. She gripped his arm in return, the small reassurance barely that. Around her, the new Order looked to their leader for orders, direction. And behind them, her classmates....

Most were white in the face. Max had his hands clenched in his hair and was muttering to himself about the likelihood that the headsets actually could kill them. From the way he was shaking his head, she guessed it was a definite possibility. Lila looked like a cornered animal, twitchy and desperately looking for an escape. Even Kim and Alix wore uncharacteristically serious expressions.

“Well?” Chloe prompted Marinette. The latter took a deep breath. Better focus on solving the smaller problems first. “Your VIP package came with a house on the first floor, right?”

Chloe blinked in surprise. “Yeah, it did,” she replied uncertainly.

“Good.” Marinette whistled and gestured for the rest of her friends to gather around. “Listen up! We don’t know how everyone else is going to react, so it’s best for us to go somewhere safe to lie low for a while. I can teach everyone the gameplay, and we’ll do our best to help beat the game.”

She looked Alya and Nathanial in the eye, since their hands seemed to be shaking the most, and said with all the confidence of Ladybug, “Think of all the bullshit Hawkmoth’s put us through. We are not going to die here. That’s a promise.”

Marinette drew her bow and half-strung an arrow, holding it parallel to the ground. “Chloe has a house on the first level. Let’s go.” She nodded to Adrien, Chloe, Kagami, and Luka to establish a perimeter around the rest of the class as they moved. She exhaled a quiet, shaky breath and led the way out of the square.

The crowd did not part easily. People were sobbing, shouting, hyperventilating. They needed to get out fast before the shock wore off.

Someone stood in front of her. The poor soul was probably just as scared as they were. She put her bow back in her inventory, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible.

“Excuse me,” Marinette gave a little half-wave to get their attention. “May I please get through?”

“Oh, sorry,” He had a deep, male voice. One hand gestured to the direction she was headed as he stepped out of her path. “Go right ahead.” His hands weren’t shaking as the other crept towards his belt. Not good, not good.

A flash of silver was all the warning she got before Luka pulled her back. A knife collided with his hastily raised shield, shedding sparks as the assailant nearly dropped his weapon in surprise. Marinette dropped down to sweep her leg beneath Luka’s shield, knocking the man off his feet. He gave a shout of surprise as he went down, and Luka disarmed him in the confusion.

“Come on, move it!” Marinette shouted over her shoulder. She re-equipped her bow and surged forward, picking up the pace to get the hell out of there. Such a large group was an easy target, they had to get out of the open and fast. People were starting to react beyond their shock, and more of them were bound to get violent.

Her eyes scanned over the buildings in front of them. There. A momentary break in the throng of players allowed her to spot Slipcut Alley, a favorite shortcut of hers. It was only a few yards away. The alley was too narrow for anything but a single-file line, but it provided cover and was hidden by a spell that only other beta testers would know about. It was their best option.

She squared her shoulders and pushed through the last of the crowd. She turned to face her friends, who gathered around her as they too made it out into the small clearing. Chloe, Kagami, and Adrien were watching the crowd behind them, ready to defend against any other attacks.

Marinette put her bow away one more time and asked, “Do you trust me?”

Shaky nods and wide eyes. That would have to do.

“Then follow me,” she said, and walked straight through the wall before them.

* * *

“Our first step should be finding shelter for the night,” Dick said sharply. “We can figure out the rest tomorrow, but it’ll do us no good if we die tonight.” Tim nodded, ever the protégé.

“And just how do you suggest we do that?” Jason countered. He couldn’t help it if it came out a little accusatory. He did not sign up for a damn death trap.

It was Garfield who had the answer. “Well, in order to do anything, we need money. So we need to start killing some monsters!” He palmed his fist with a resounding smack. “And then we can see about an inn or something.”

Connor rubbed his chin. “That’s not a bad idea, kid.”

“Just tell me where to hit them,” Roy said in a low voice, sounding about as pissed as Jason felt.

“Let’s split into three teams. Alpha squad will be Artemis, Wally, Bart, and myself. Tim, Roy, Gar, and Connor will be Beta. Jason, you’re with Jaime, Cassie, and Zatanna for Gamma.” Great, Jason was the only non-super there. What a grand old time that’ll be.

He made to leave the square and disappear into the panicking crowd, but Dick held his arm. “Hey, I’m trusting you to keep them safe,” he kept his voice low. “It’s been a while since they fought without powers, so keep an eye on them.” He then turned to address the rest of the team. “Alpha will take north. Beta, go south and Gamma see what’s west. Meet back here at sunset. Alpha will secure lodging before engaging enemies.”

“What, no pep talk?” Wally elbowed Dick. The latter didn’t crack a smile as he said, “Just stay alive.”

Beside him, Garfield swallowed hard and said weakly, “Noted.”

Jason rolled his eyes and jerked his head in their assigned direction for the other three members of Gamma squad to come with him. He’d follow along as long as Dick made good plans, and Jason didn’t exactly have any better ideas for now.

He put on his very best I know exactly how to kill you and I’ll do it if you don’t get the hell out of my way face and lead the way out of the packed square. The crowd parted easily before him, and they were out on an open street within a matter of minutes.

”Where to first, ese?” Jaime asked, shifting nervously from foot to foot.

Good question. Jason looked around for a map or something that could tell him the way out of the damn town. When he glanced back for a quick headcount and only counted two, he cursed and asked Cassie, “Where the hell is Z?”

She pointed at a nearby stall where the magician was chatting with the vendor. Zatanna waved to them, then sauntered back over to the rest of the team. “The shopkeeper says there’s a bridge further down this street and to the left that’ll take us west out of the town.”

Cassie frowned. “Was that a player with their own shop already? Man, we are behind.”

“Oh, no it was an AI.” Zatanna readily supplied. “An NPC?” She added on seeing the confusion on her companions’ faces. “Honestly, was I the only one to do research on this game before playing it?”

Jaime sheepishly scratched his head while Cassie squeaked, “Well....” Jason had to agree with them, he just did this to keep Replacement happy. And get Dick off his ass, the meddling prick.

Zatanna shook her head. “Look, AI stands for artificial intelligence, and NPC is a non-playable character. They’re computer-generated people, not actual players.”

Jason caught enough to surmise that these NPCs were created by the same maniac that locked them up in here. He crossed his arms and asked, “How the hell can we trust their word if they’re controlled by that fuckin’ game master freak?”

Cassie bit her lip and had the good sense to look concerned.  Zatanna just shrugged and said, “I guess we’ll just have to find out. We can try following their directions but stay cautious in case it’s a trap.”

“Fine,” Jason sighed. “Let’s go.” He was already resigned to the absolute stupidity of the situation anyway.

They made it to the end of the street without incident, and turned where the shopkeeper had directed them to. There was a bridge, spanning a merrily bubbling river, and open fields dotted with trees beyond it. Jason could smell the greenery and apple blossoms from here.

“Wait!” Jaime threw his arm out. He made a face, then sneezed. “Aw man,” he gave a tremendous sniff. “Can’t eben escabe allergies in a video gabe.”

Cassie laughed at her friend and slapped him on the back, which only made him sneeze again. Dumbasses, they didn’t have time for this. Jason rolled his eyes for what felt like the umpteenth time that day and walked up to the base of the bridge. He slowly, carefully stepped across and edged his way to the other side.

The other three followed suit, and upon joining him, Zatanna said cheerfully, “Seems like we can trust the NPCs!”

“For now,” Jason muttered, still not convinced. He turned his gaze to the rolling hills before him, warm breezes sending waves that shimmered through the knee-high grass. He didn’t see any monsters, but there had to be some... right?

He used two fingers to swipe the air in front of him, opening his inventory. At least he remembered that much from the tutorial. He equipped the crossbow he’d loaded in when he created his avatar. Damn, that night in the Batcave felt like it was a week ago.

Jason took a wary step forward, into the grass. “Fan out,” he directed the other three. He didn’t turn to watch as he heard them draw their own weapons and creep up to flank him.

A rustle in the grass ahead had him throw a clenched fist into the air to have the others hold their positions. He waited until the movement stilled, then crept forward a few more steps, careful to keep his footsteps silent. He was within feet of it now, whatever it was. He hoisted up his crossbow to brace it on his shoulder and trained it on the last place he’d spotted movement. There was a sharp inhale behind him, and then Jaime sneezed loudly.

The head of a wild boar whipped up and it lunged for Jason. “Shit!” he yelled. Damn kid and his perfect timing. Jason blindly jumped backward and fired a bolt at the same time. It met its target and the boar shattered into glittering dust that resembled pixels. In front of him, a notification popped up that 20 copper coins, the crossbow bolt he’d shot, and a boar tusk had been added to his inventory. Huh, that was surprisingly easy.

“Wow, that was so crash!” Cassie pumped her fists in the air. “This game is gonna be a piece of cake.”

“Not so fast,” Zatanna frowned. “Remember, this is only the first level. It’s bound to be easy. It’s only going to get harder from here.”

Jason turned around to face them. “And just because that little shit was easy to kill doesn’t mean they all will be on this level.” He noticed Jaime hanging back, looking embarrassed.

“Hey kid,” Jason jerked his chin at him. Jaime's head snapped up. “Do you want to try the next one or wait by the bridge until your allergies clear up?”

Jaime opened his mouth to respond but had to sneeze again. “I think I’ll just waid by the bridge. I’b really sorry guys.” He trekked back to where they’d come into the fields.

“And then there were three. Ladies first,” Jason mockingly bowed, gesturing to the open fields beyond where the boar had been. Zatanna smirked and Cassie stuck her tongue out at him, which he returned with a rude gesture.

[whump-town]

Deaf!Hotch

In AU in which I make Hotch deaf and hope that my research paid off and I do the deaf community right in my writing of Hotch. So, obviously, there’s the disclaimer that I know ASL but I am not deaf 

Warning for language

Word Count: 2,902

It was touch and smell that Aaron Hotchner knew first upon awareness. The heavy scent of antiseptic hovering in the air. He frequents the hospital enough to know that the smell will linger on his clothes, skin, and hair for days. A ghost with its fingers dug into his skin. The touch he feels is familiar. Fingers wrapped around his own in a light hold. There’s a light pressure around his bicep and the sting of a needle in his elbow. 

It’s with that last thought that it occurs to him that he can’t hear any of the sounds he commonly associated with a hospital. No hiss of the oxygen canal wrapped around the back of his head or beeping machines as they dump the numbing painkillers into his arm. 

Just silence.

“Can you hear me?”

Through slivers, Hotch looks up at his old mentor. He can feel Dave squeeze his hand, attempting to ground him through his blinding pain but… he can’t hear Dave. He doesn't hear the older man call his name or shushing him softly when the pain brings him to tears--- his own pain-filled cries falling deaf to his ears. 

Mercifully, he falls unconscious once again. 

The team comes in a moment later. The easy smiles on their lips falling. Together, they’d managed to shake some of their fear after seeing him collapse in the field. Emily had caved and told them about Hotch’s reaction to being so close to the backhoe. Reid had told them that while he and Hotch had been sharing a hotel room this trip, he hadn’t seen Hotch sleep. Any naps he may have been getting were rudely interrupted by pain or nightmares.

They’d shaken their mixed feelings with the reminder that nothing can keep Aaron Hotchner down. At least… nothing yet.

Knowing what they did, they still had a false sense of hope walking into his hospital room. Expecting their boss to greet them like he always does. Maybe he would let them have their moment. Giving in to the hugs and worried complaints they have but…

He’s curled onto his side, pain etched into the grimace he has even in his sleep, and they can see the drying tears from the door. 

“Hey, kiddos.” Dave stands from the only visitor’s chair offered and smiles wearily. “Did you eat something?” 

A nurse steps past them and they allow her through without mumbled complaints. She works quickly and they watch with curiosity and fierce protectiveness. When Hotch whimpers as she touches him, Morgan steps forward, stopped only by the hand that JJ grabs him with. He settles back against the wall, shifting nervously until the nurse can give Hotch the painkillers he needs and sends him into a painless, drug-induced slumber.

“He’s not alright,” Morgan mumbles, shaking his head. “What are we going to do?”

Dave shakes his head, rubbing at his goatee. His eyes are glued to Hotch and the nurse, smiling and nodding as she makes her way back out of the room. With the room cleared, he lets his shoulders fall and his resolve crumbles --- for only a moment.

Emily steps closer to the bed. Her arms are wrapped tightly to her chest. She has a complicated relationship with the man in question. A challenging friendship blossoming but… "We'll do what we always do, " she says, steadying herself with a deep breath. "We'll remind him what we're fighting for and we won't let him fall behind."

Dave starts to add on but Hotch shifts on the bed. A soft grunt leaving his mouth as he tenses in pain. He pulls his leg up towards his body, kicking out. 

Morgan grows frustrated--- are they not giving him enough painkillers? He shouldn't be in pain.

"Aaron, " Dave calls. He catches Hotch's hand as he raises it to his ear--- the doctor had warned he was only aggravating the eardrum by pressing into it with his palm. "Can you hear me, son?"

Hotch opens his eyes but still tries to weakly pull away. 

"Alright, " Dave mumbles, rubbing his shoulder and caving. Giving up on getting an answer. "Easy now." He holds Hotch's hand and steadies him when Hotch's panic-filled eyes find him. "It's alright."

Hotch turns his head away. "No, " he rasps. "No, " his chest heaves as he sobs. Ragged breaths leaving in heart-wrenching wheeze's.

"It's alright, " Dave tries but Hotch vehemently denies it.

With a soft, broken voice Hotch whispers, "I can't hear you, Dave." Tears falling down his face, got stinging tears. "I can't hear."

They should have seen it coming within the weeks leading up to the accident. 

New York had left them all shaky but if anything that should have made them more aware of his vulnerability, right? 

Hotch had stayed with Dave the weekend following the explosion. Dave had seen Hotch grappling with the pain and the buzzing. He’d forced his old protege to eat whatever meager bites of sandwiches he could manage but he was only drinking enough water to swallow the fistful of pills he’d been given by his doctor. 

But Dave isn’t the only one who’d seen.

Derek had driven Hotch home and then to Dave’s. He’d watched as Hotch sat in agony in the front seat. Trembling hands rubbing at his temple or covering his hurt ear but Derek hadn’t stopped. He’d asked if Hotch wanted him to but he knew Hotch would never agree. Not until it was too late and that’s exactly what had happened. Hotch had pushed himself too far and his body had made the decision to stop. 

When the Sheriff fired the bullet that finally killed Chloe and ended the horror she brought back to the Angel Maker and his disgusting legacy, Hotch had collapsed. 

And now…

“Stop hitting me!” As if losing his hearing wasn’t bad enough--- he’s got to have Emily fucking Prentiss teach him American Sign Language. She’s an awful teacher but he’s learning quickly. As much as he hates it, he’s getting really good at signing. 

Within two weeks he’s picked up a strong enough vocabulary that Emily no longer brings a notepad to visit him. It’s a wonder to him how she picks up ASL so easily but he also knows she's a very mysterious woman. He’s probably safer not knowing. Even if he can profile his way into understanding her time spent being thrown about the world in her youth made her adaptable to quick change. 

She raises an eyebrow, “sign the word right, and I wouldn’t have to hit you.” 

He frowns back at her, “you enjoy it.”

She smirks and he shakes his head. As aggravating as this all can be, he knows it’s brought him closer to his team. To his family. 

JJ had taught Jack and Henry some common signs and Jack had taken to them incredibly well. Children, Reid would later tell him, are good at this kind of stuff. Rapid change. Reid… not so much. The best part of his week is their updates. Each one taking the time to come to his apartment and show him what they’ve learned this week. 

They’re trying. They care.

But they’re all terrified for his return to duty.

The Bureau is always working against Hotch and the very idea of what losing this job will do to him--- the thought is sickening. And to lose it over something as silly as an accident? Over something that he can’t control? Especially, when he’s fought to learn ASL and to use the hearing aids that don’t help but are necessary for his return… It’s not fair.

If he can come back, if the Bureau sticks to their vow of inclusivity, then he can suck up dealing with the hearing aids.

“Are you alright?”

He hasn’t been cleared to drive yet. Hearing isn’t the issue. In fact, deaf drivers have a great reputation. Emily’s been steadily supplying him with books on deaf culture and even a program in Georgetown for deaf people in the community. The tinnitus is holding him back from driving. The hearing aids help with the buzzing of the tinnitus but they don’t improve his hearing quality enough to really matter. Which is fine, Emily doesn’t mind carpooling. 

“No.” He rubs just under his right ear, breathing through the wave of pain. It’s a bad day and hearing aids or not, his hearing is at nearly zero and his pain intense. “Hurts.” The Bureau has decided he needs the hearing aids for his return. They improve his hearing by a fraction but he’s not going to put up a fight if they help the tinnitus. The problem is, if he does leave them in for too long he gets a headache. 

It doesn’t get better as the day progresses...

His stomach lurches dangerously. Standing on shaky legs, he makes a jerky but quick pace out his office door. He can’t get any further than the stairs at the catwalk. It’s a stumbling crash that he can’t hear as his body hits the metal. He feels the cold bar pressing against his temple. Closing his eyes, he pulls in a deep breath and waits for the relief. Prays for the ringing and pain to settle with the soft, muffled pace of the bullpen. With sound other than the keys of his laptop and emails chiming. 

Lavender-- Emily. The soft scent of her customary perfume is the first thing to greet him. She must be hovering in front of him, deciding whether or not he’s better left alone. Giving him a chance to collect himself for a moment before pressing on.

A hand squeezes his shoulder and he peels his left eye open, leveling it on her. He knows it’s bloodshot and surrounded by the heavy bags that are cemented proof of the fact that he hasn’t slept well in days. He also knows, she’s not here to judge him.

Standing at the bottom of the stairs, crouched right in front of him she signs the word help. He’s likely to never tell her but this is what he appreciates most about her. He’s in pain and she’s not going to waste her time if he doesn’t want her near him. He does want her near but… he doesn’t know how to say that.

He can feel the catwalk shake as someone steps out, heavy, solid steps coming his way. The low vibrations of a voice--Dave-- says something but he can’t hear it as he presses his head harder into the bars and digs his palms into his aching ears. A hand is placed between his shoulder blades and Dave sits down beside him-- the familiar scent of cigars and books washing over them. 

Dave. 

A hand comes between them and cups his jaw, tilting Hotch’s head away from where he’s painfully pressing it into the bar. “Hurts,” he feels his mouth form the words. He can feel his vocal cords moving but he can’t be certain he’s made a tangible sound. 

“One to ten,” Dave asks and Hotch is thankful the older man is much better at sign language than Reid because he can’t focus on his lips. Even if he were good at lip-reading, he’s not sure he could manage right now.

He holds up a shaky hand-- six. 

“Liar,” Emily says as she comes to squat down next to them. He hadn’t even noticed her leave. She’s got a cold press of paper towels and presses it to the back of his neck. It does wonders for his stomach but nothing for his pounding head. 

Derek offers a water bottle with a straw wordlessly as he passes with a cup of coffee.

It takes ten minutes for the ringing to start to die down. The pain doesn’t go anywhere but he can hear the faintest mumbling coming from Morgan and Reid’s rowdy conversation. It doesn’t matter how many times his ears flare up like this, each time he’s waiting for the noises to never come back. 

He knows that one day the world will fall completely silent. He’ll never hear Jack’s voice or the deep rumble of the team all trying to talk over one another. The progression of the loss of his hearing is slow but even with hearing aids now, he can’t make out the distinct sounds of words when someone is talking directly beside him. 

To the team's credit, he seems to be the only person bothered by this. 

“It’s only a two-hour drive,” Reid observes with a smile. “We can drive!”

One of the preventive measures for his hearing that the team had taken is cutting back on the use of the jet. If it’s not enough watching Hotch suffer through the buzzing amplifying each time they take off, then for the ecosystem (Garcia had sent a very lengthy and inclusive PowerPoint and email into the director to persuade him using the SUVs would be helpful in many ways). He’d agreed to fend off any more of her emails.

 The downside is they always have to stop for snacks.

“He’s a grown man,” Hotch signs down the aisle from Dave and Emily. “He should know PopTarts are not a meal.” Reid is, what, nearly thirty years old now and Hotch is still watching that kid eat these overly-sugared, processed things every day. It worries him. What does Reid eat when Hotch isn’t around to cut him off?

Emily holds up a power bar and the red Gatorade Morgan had requested, “do you remember if JJ said she wanted chocolate milk or not?” 

“No,” Hotch says from behind the shelf he’s scanning. “She wanted a Snapple.” He points her over the refrigerator he’d just come from. He would have gotten the Snapple if he’d been thinking about it. “What are you getting,” he asks, unsure of what he wants for himself.

“Hey,” Dave has to shout to get Emily’s attention and she points over Hotch’s shoulder to Dave. Hotch turns, eyebrows furrowed. With both of them looking Dave motions that he’s heading back to the car. “I will leave you,” he threatens, stepping out.

“No, he won’t.” They both agree.

They agree to split a bag of trail mix--- intends to pick out the pretzels and he knows she’ll eat the M&Ms out. It’s this intimate knowledge of his team that makes up for their shaky ability to sign. He’s not actually that good at lip-reading but he knows them and that covers his ass pretty well.

That and JJ has gotten really good at jotting what she wants to say rather than struggling to understand and use sign language. He appreciates it--- she’s really bad. It doesn't help that Emily is way nicer to JJ when she teaches her signs than she was with him.

When she takes her time, though--- when they have the time--- it’s all good. 

Morgan is surprisingly good at ASL. He didn’t just take to it like Emily but he didn’t blink. It brings them closer together. Sign language is also insanely helpful in the field. Even if Hotch can’t join them in the field. Running point means that Morgan and Hotch have to work closely. The shift in power between the field and the precinct is barely discernible. 

He enjoys talking to Garcia the most. 

She’s quick to adapt to slang. He has no idea where she’s getting these words from (she made internet friends so she could immerse herself better and support him). She also carries her very unique way of speaking and being into her signing and he really enjoys that. Even when it confuses him.

It takes some getting used to for all of them. 

Lots of flashing alarm clocks and Garcia showing Hotch there’s a program on his phone to make his phone flash when he gets a message. They all have things they learn to adjust. It’s safer to stand to Hotch’s left, it’s his better ear. Before talking, they have to actually make sure he’s paying attention. JJ signs as she gives her messages to the media that way he can keep up. They remind him to take the hearing aids out before he gets headaches and offer advil when he forgets. 

Slow and steady and, to them, it’s no different than the ways he looks out for them. Because he’s still the same hard ass who work long hours and doesn’t sleep enough. 

Jack takes is way easier than all of them. The kid doesn’t even stumble. 

There’s a sing for chicken nuggets and Hotch didn’t even know that until one day Jack out right refused to just verbally speak. Of course, he’d heard Aunt Emily and Hotch arguing about Hotch’s reliance on what’s left of his hearing. Siding with his aunt, as he has the aggravating tendency to do, he’d decided the only way for himself and good old dad to communicate was sign language. 

Later, he’ll use the story of his father’s accident on a college application. They’ll tear up a little as they proof read it. Jack might have been young when it happened but he saw the way his family shifted. He learned a valuable skill, ASL, and he also learned a very important lesson about family. 

Family adapts for those they love. 

And that’s what they’d done. When it would have been easier to let him go, they fought, because that’s what family is supposed to do.

Shout out to @softcabrera for looking over this!! 

[mego42]

Shamelessly stealing @foxmagpie​’s monthly rec thing without the ability to get my life together to do these on a monthly basis so, seasonal recs! So excited to see if I manage to do this again with anything remotely resembling consistency but i’ve been keeping the notes for approximately 43 years (or since ~september, whatever that means) so by god i’m gonna use them. 

found my thrill - s_t_c_s / @sothischickshe​

Turner POV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

guys turner is SO OBSESSED with Beth and Rio

both canonically and in this fic

it’s gr9

also features a weirdly soothing and relatable cord untangling moment as a metaphor

truly disturbingly relatable turner pov tbh

relentless boomer disdain, always a plus

led to the creation of this monstrosity, not sure what kind of a monster would do that

War In My Mind - mintletters16

Backread!!!!

post-213, gorgeous character study 

guaranteed to make you feEl stUfF

I really love the like, cyclical, fractured pattern of Beth’s internal monologue, it gives the whole thing a really affecting at times dreamy, at times haunted vibe

the end twist is *chef’s kiss*

mourning bells - Ejunkiet / @ejunkiet​

Backread!!!!

Later s2 era, Rio’s at a funeral, gets drunk and calls Beth

V short, kind of…..mmm, not sweet, but almost? Idk

It’s got a wistful sort of almost/i can be quiet with you vibe that i go extremely bonkers for

delinquents - foxmagpie / @foxmagpie​

Lol are any of you actually not reading this yet?

g o d ch 8 where do i start

First off how ABSOLUTELY VERY DARE for the tragic angst that is delinquents!beth boland. This poor baby, this precious bean. MUST PROTEC

SHE’S TRYING HER BEST AND I LOVE HER

zero percent deserves dean’s clammy hands, no i have not forgotten, tattooed on my brain, will never forgive

I also love love love love LOVE the ruby/stan subplot happening

(and ruby’s mom!!!!!) (seriously though you write the best moms)

oh god and baby beth starting to have confusing feelings about rio?????? *chef’s kiss*

p sure i was just like, straight screaming the entire end of the chapter

the dugout is like, pure serotonin

I can’t even talk about the closet

tHe teNsiOn

thank you i will take eleventy billion

don't give it a hand, offer it a soul - medievalraven / @medievalraven

am a desperate heaux for any fic that features rio and mick friendship

you are all incredibly shocked i know

still would not be mad if this swerved into rio x mick fake dating but beth x rio is cool too i guess

Speaking of things i am a desperate heaux for: DIANE!!!!!!!!

and DATING ANNIE???????????? Blessed

honestly this fic is worth it purely for the assertion that mick watches queer eye

Why don't we go to Venus? - watermelonriddles / @bensonstablers​

another grief study! 

apparently i was working through some stuff in september, idk, that was like 4 years ago

considering it’s the premise of the fic, i don’t think it’s a spoiler to say this fic is canon divergent and working with the premise that rio killed beth in 302

he is uh, not coping well

extremely haunted you might say

lots of marcus and rhea which is a delight!

rhea is to good for him tbh

i said what i said

truly top notch dream (nightmare?) sequences

the conversation at the end is extremely uncalled for

drop the game - Ejunkiet / @ejunkiet​

Backread!!!!

Am going to die mad Beth and Rio didn’t hook up in 211 but luckily this fic scratched the itch 

(temporarily, it’s a fairly permanent itch)

Bonus rec: missing scene series i wanna do bad things to you featuring 2x02 and 2x04

Viva Voce - zetuslapetus / @querenaxx​

Whoops we woke up married Vegas shenanigans!! 

So cute!!!!! So sexy!!!!! 

What more do you want?

am desperately obsessed with how beth can’t help stalking rio

feels right, feels organic

this makes me feel a lot of stuff about how they could be without their canon garbage between them

🎶 we could’ve had it aaaaaaaaaaall 🎶

you showed me colors (i can't see them with anyone else) - gild_fire / @gild-and-fire​

really into the use of color to illustrate beth’s emotional state, i feel like there’s a word for that but idk what it is

UNIMPORTANT

really nice job capturing beth’s inner vulnerability balanced by her outer stubbornness

am DESPERATELY into Mick playing matchmaker

more please???????

Both Sides of the Law - JoeyLee / @joeyjoeylee​

LAW SCHOOL AU! I suuuuuuper love Beth and Rio here (alt pov!! a gift!!!!) I love how initially prickly they are, I love how it’s evolving into a grudging respect, I love how INCREDIBLY AND HILARIOUSLY OBSESSED WITH EACH OTHER THEY ARE and neither one of them seems to see it

listen I know we’re all already foaming at the mouth over this one but as it’s gonna go down as one of my all time favorites it bears repeating/rereccing

cannot stress enough how masterful the use of POV is here, both voices feel completely true and distinct and I love how the alternating chapters revisit, reveal and emphasize pieces of each other

i can’t talk about this fic without hyperventilating

I LOVE IT SO MUCH YOU GUYS

the slow burn is going to ACTUALLY KILL ME

rip, no regrats

Earned It - wakeupflawless / @wakeupflawless​

spanking

that’s it that’s the pitch

H O T

living for beth’s exit in the first chapter, rio and i are both incredibly into it

second chapter also features violently possessive Rio who cannot deal with anyone messing with his girl so if that’s your thing boy howdy get on it

shake, baby, shake - openhearts

backread!!!!!

according to my bookmarks this was a reread but ???????

must’ve read it in the fugue state that followed reading for a moment we were strangers which is gr9 and I believe I have recced it before. If not, horrible oversight, reccing it now

beth and Rio POV lead up to the bathroom break, beautifully done, low-key feel bad reccing it bc the end point of both chapters makes me want to throw things but it’s super worth it for the tEnsiOn. ENJOY

What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have - flashindie / @pynkhues​

I’m assuming all of y’all are already reading this

If not OH MY GOD FIX YOUR LIVES

P I R A T E  A U

I’m sorry maybe you didn’t hear me piRaTE aU

meticulously researched, brain-meltingly vibrant, already painfully sexy slow-burning PIRATE AU

god where to start okay so first off, the world-building here straight up breaks my brain, sophie’s put in the work and it SHOWS

second, the atmosphere. i’m generally a pretty like, vague mental picture sort of reader but the sensory detail here grabs you by the throat and like, forcibly hauls you in whether your brain’s wired that way or no

and hey speaking of throats if you, like me, go a little funny about the knees at the idea of beth holding a knife to rio’s throat (he’s fine, calm down), there’s a v excellent beth-in-a-barrel moment for you

oh christ and the sexy tension

it’s gonna be a race to see which slow burn takes me out first, this or law school

Stunner - foxmagpie / @foxmagpie​

Another high school AU, this time with baby Rio absolutely head over heels for his older sister’s bff

stunner!Rio has an emotional earnestness about him that I feel like delinquents!Rio has already outgrown and it’s so SWEET I can’t get enough

Desperately cute!!!!!!

alL he waNts iS foR beTh tO bE hiS girL

also unreasonably angsty???????

ANN ARBOR IS NOT THAT FAR MEGAN

A Heart's A Heavy Burden - tooshyforthis / @bathroombreaks​

Howl’s Moving Castle AU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love Howl’s!!!!!!!!!!!

perfect opp to roast Rio for being a Dramatique Heaux 

and it’s gonna be 9 chapters?????? H Y P E

author’s note boldly presumes I did not know I needed this AU when the reality is I did in fact know I needed this AU, I just wasn’t expecting anyone to deliver

so blessed

author also claims to not be team nose stud and yet it features prominently in all its magnificent glory

what is the truth dot gif

A Bit of a Stretch - septiembre / @septiembur​

SO????? CUTE?????????

would be on this list for Rio calling Beth E alone tbh

really really really really really love this Rio POV of being settled into a relationship with Beth

It manages to be sweetly domestic af while still holding the edge that makes brio brio which is a neat trick

@septiembur may be a witch

beth’s approach to getting rio to do yoga with her is hilarious and exactly right, canon-typical amounts of subtlety 

1000000/10

Post Break-Up Sex - femalegothic / @bethsuglywigs​

stg this was called Hit Shuffle

no matter

h O T

with a side of damn i’ve made some questionable choices in my life haven’t i introspection

(no regrats tho)

(esp not with this fic)

not the point of the fic by a long shot but i’m also extremely obsessed with Weed Eddie, so real

She drains my soul... she drains it not - niham87 / @niham87​

ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED WITH THIS CONCEPT

am a complete sucker for paranormal world building that satirizes bureaucracy 

Is that a trope? If so that’s my favorite

I did it. I’m picking a single favorite. You know what that is growth dot gif

ANYWAY i love the concept, i love the humor, i love beth instantly clicking with annie

I love her and mick’s sort of grudging professional courtesy

Love beth as a champion of environmental responsibility and all of the underworld being like …...okay??

cannot wait to see where this goes

Nine-Tenths - riosnecktattoo / @riosnecktattoo​

*INCOHERENT PTERODACTYL SCREECHING*

sometimes i think about rio putting beth’s hair in a ponytail and have to go lie down

science please explain why this rUinS mE

wait hold on i skipped ahead

HEY KIDS DO YOU LIKE UNBEARABLY CUTE DOMESTIC TENDERNESS

opens with rio sleepily holding beth’s hand to his heart so that’s the kind of thing you’ll be dealing with

uGH theY’RE sO CUTe

idk why precisely but rio adding hair ties to his bracelet collection is my undoing every time

Missed Call - foxmagpie / @foxmagpie​

Rio doesn’t come home from a job when he’s supposed to. Beth (and I!!!!!!!) slowly loses her mind

Truly a masterpiece of rising tension

Will literally never forgive her for calling this light angst

I was SO STRESSED OUT

The first person to point out there was an author’s note at the beginning I obvs didn’t read is getting blocked

crush - foxmagpie / @foxmagpie​

Listen even though this is centered around two OCs, they are OCs FROM a (n iconic) brio fic AND Beth, Ruby and Rio all make cameos (I mean, Rio’s pretty present since he lives in Mar’s mind rent free bc they are THE SWEETEST MOST ADORABLE BEST OF FRIENDS so idk if i’d call it a cameo but whatever)

and even if it didn’t feature any official GG characters I’d still rec is bc that’s mY SON AND this fic is TOO CUTE

I have so many feelings over mar and rio growing up and not knowing how to cope with girls becoming a Thing in their life and how it affects their friendship and mar feeling left behind but (SPOILERS) at the end of the story rio starts feeling that too and it’s so poignant knowing how that’s going to continue in delinquents

while mar may be my son, i also claim elena’s #1 stan status

before you’re like meg you’re only reccing it bc it’s a bday present ask yourselves do i really strike you as the kind of person that wouldn’t be equally obnoxious about this either way?

truly cannot fathom how hard i have fallen for these OCs i don’t normally do that

@foxmagpie is definitely a witch

The Ottoman - Niham87 / @niham87​

look i will be the first to admit that i don’t go near as bonkers over the ottoman line in 308 as y’all do

(don’t get me wrong, i love it!!! I love that he laughs and i love that she’s pleased it just doesn’t hit my lose my whole mind button like idk, the dubby or the 306 convo, idk why)

BUT i v v v much love the context this delightful Rio POV pwp gives it

am also absolutely feral for 209 missing scene fic

and anything that captures the complexity of Rio’s s3 feelings for Beth and how twisted they’ve become

so this scratches a bunch of itches, is what i’m trying to say

Bet On It - zetuslapetus / @querenaxx​

*INCOHERENT PTERODACTYL SCREECHING*

That’s what my brain does when I think about Beth and Rio meeting in ch 1

am DESPERATELY OBSESSED WITH the tension between the two of them in this fic

I love how it plays with the ways they have to rely on but don’t trust each other

plus FAKE DATING and BED SHARING (fair warning hasn’t happened yet but the set up is there)

originally supposed to be 2 chapters, already up to 4, prayer circle it goes on forever

do you like drugs (tonight) - s_t_c_s / @sothischickshe​

v important focus on hydration, other fic should take note

extremely about the use of cut to and then flashback to enhance the ‘we were on drugs’ vibe

speaking of, beth and rio absolutely would take ecstasy to prove they are fun bc they are the exact kind of idiots that would peer pressure themselves

so glad beth kept her purse, got a bit stressed there for a second, clutches in that kind of circumstance are A Risk

not that i would know

FLAWLESS USE OF VOICEMAIL TBH

really love the ongoing denial that they are remotely into each other while proceeding to demonstrate how they are in fact, extremely into each other, great vibe

rio dances

I know my brain broke too

mmmm bacon

Navigate A Broken Path - flashindie / @pynkhues​

*INCOHERENT PTERODACTYL SCREECHING*

I have a long standing tradition of getting unreasonably obsessed with side characters so i’m not like, entirely surprised by how obsessed i am with both Mick and Mary Pat but i never in a million years considered them as a ship

AND Y E T

they fit????? so perfectly?????? It’s amazing how she developes them individually enough that i look at them together and think ah yes this makes perfect sense for both characters

and they’re such an amazing foil to Beth and Rio? 

can ships have foils? do i know what a foil is? 

unimportant

GUYS you dON’T uNDERStAN d 

hell i don’t understand

how absolutely very dare you make me care about YET ANOTHER set of gg ‘verse children

do not read this fic if you have no interest in feelings you zero percent asked for

wHA t hAPPeNED iN aLASkA?????????

A Moment’s Silence - femalegothic / @bethsuglywigs​

*makes sign of the cross*

y’all are gonna make me rediscover religion

extremely appreciate the author’s note approach to backstory top notch prioritization

listen it’s basically 3k of beth deep throating rio idk what more you need me to say about it

it is…..good stuff

bless the kinkmeme or fest whatever we’re calling it

praise - civillove / @blainesebastian​

I mean you had me at “three times rio calls beth a good girl and one time he really means it”

ephemeral rio

I left that note for myself in here in the middle of the night and haven’t the foggiest what i was thinking but i stand by it none the less

okay okay i think i know what i meant, this fic (as do all of my fav civillove brio fics) has this sort of like, liminal, in the quiet moments feel to them that makes the moments and feelings somehow feel like i’m catching a glimpse of something secret and precious???

idk i just really like it okay

Heart and Soul - riosnecktattoo / @riosnecktattoo​

oh look more unbearably sweet domestic tenderness, this time to music

thank you ma’am for my life

rio remembers beth used to play piano and gets her one and revoltingly cute shenanigans result

also hilarity

and sexiness

this fic has it all, truly

shout out to mick who sees no reason to keep rio’s feelings to himself

good girls tumblr fic - prettylittlementirosa / @hypermania​​

cheating and reccing a whole series

It’s my list and i can do what i wanna

stop crying about it, it’s four fics and they’re all AMAZING absolutely impossible to pick a fav

truly flawless characterization, next level ability to capture evocative mood, cannot get enough

three’s a crowd: who knew ballroom dancing while dean watches and grinds his teeth could be so sexy 

(trick question everything about that premise sounds A++++ and boy howdy does it live up)

feel it on the way home: rio tries to break up with beth, it goes about as well as you’d expect

(thE angSty tenSioN)

i want to play the game: [from the floor] i’m still not ready to talk about it

(rio/turner, missing scene, 10000000% a taste of what went down in that hotel room)

june after dark: pitch perfect annie pov, really really love the take that Annie is the baby whisperer, can’t fully explain why but it feels incredibly right

(ANNIE X NANCY COULD WORK SO WELL YOU GUYS)

[donkey-hyuck]

word count- 2,710

genre- the nightmare before christmas! au (if that makes sense) || fluff || suggestive || mayb angst

characters/pairing- jack skellington! jaehyun x sally! reader || nct

warnings- suggestive scenes || does not really follow the storyline of tnbc tbh || lowercase intended || dialogue heavy!! || lmao i used festival so much || obvs if you’re v religious and don’t celebrate halloween, don’t read it pls and ty although this is purely fictional

a/n- lmao just watched the nightmare before christmas on disney+ and it gave me some inspo ;) also i love tim burton films :)) the divider is by @/firefly-graphics i’m just a pussy lmao

jaehyun was the official representative of halloween. well, halloween in your town, specifically. although he is known throughout the globe, he celebrates the special occasion in his hometown. but during the past few years, jung jaehyun had gotten bored. bored with the ongoing festivities and the same traditions. yet he didn’t want to disappoint his people, whether he knew them or not, the citizens of all ages looked up to the halloween king.

“hurry, hurry! jung jaehyun is on his way! i repeat, the halloween king is on his way!” shouted the mayor, while all the villagers were frantic to make everything perfect for this year's halloween festival.

“hurry, hurry! jung jaehyun is on his way! i repeat, the halloween king is on his way!” shouted the mayor, while all the villagers were frantic to make everything perfect for this year's halloween festival.

and as soon as the gates opened, everyone was rushing and screaming, finally being able to see jung jaehyun himself. the crowd cheered as he waved and greeted the people he oh so loved. but he was getting tired of the same old thing. for every halloween since he’d been born, the man was always left alone. the fellow women and men fawned over him, he was drop dead gorgeous, no doubt. but he wanted something more, something passionate, someone who he could love and trust, not just a one night fling.

so while everyone was cheering, you had been sitting on the farest point of the street. your creator, lee donghyuck, had no intention of seeing the man himself. although donghyuck loved jung jaehyun, he wanted to be back home, well rested and well fed. only you wanted to see jaehyun up close.

whenever jung jaehyun was invited to the lab, or came to stop by, donghyuck would always keep you locked up, and so you were never able to meet him.

“but i want to go see…. mark. he’s up with the crowd,” you begged your creator. he only held your arm back and refused to let you walk up the street without his consent. and after fighting back, you unstitched your arm to let go of the pressure and quickly ran to the closest thing you could hide behind, in hopes of getting away from donghyuck, and in chances of seeing jung jaehyun.

you had a slight feverish crush on the man, but who didn’t? even so, almost the entirety of your town loved jaehyun in one way or another. so you were pretty much hopeless. a hopeless romantic, as some would say.

hearing the shouting of donghyuck approach you, straight away, you headed toward the cemetery. a safe place, somewhere you were able to hide, to get away from your life as a creation.

while running to the farthest point of the cemetery, jaehyun had been cornered by the women of all ages.

“jaehyun, i can give you what you want. what you need,” said a young woman.

“oh don’t mind her. i can set you up with my granddaughter, a very beautiful and successful entrepreneur,” bribed an older woman.

“forget them! jung jaehyun, i will devote my entire life to you. for us to be together forever,” begged another.

he looked astonishing that night he came back. with his hair nicely styled, and his all black outfit bringing out his physique and tattooed self. no wonder why all the women were all up in him. but he was a family man, and the children had also been disturbing him as well.

“jaehyun! look what i did for the festival tomorrow.”

“look at what i can do! i’ll be as strong as the halloween king one day.”

“look at my sister jaehyun! isn’t she pretty?”

he loved the attention, but sometimes he wished they would leave him be. he had a life. a really hectic and busy life.

“we’re doing the first bunch of raffles today! get ready to collect them!” announced the mayor over his speaker, making everyone turn their heads and jaehyun to run the opposite direction, towards the cemetery.

you and he shared the same safe place. it was quiet and there was barely anyone around, so it was a good place to take a breather and relax.

planning to eventually go back to the lab, you picked some gardenias to put in donghyuck’s soup for later. hearing the district voice calling for his dog, you hid behind a tombstone and listened to the halloween king.

“zero! come here,” he patted his upper thigh. the spirit of his dog then arose from the ground and barked as jaehyun smiled and picked up a branch from the ground. he then started to say aloud, “oh, zero… i love this community very much. everyone is so welcoming and friendly, especially during the halloween season. but i just feel so suffocated. it’s the same event every year for the past four years. i want something new. i need someone new.”

you felt connected to him, in a way. the two of you were broken souls, ready to find anew; yet it never came. and it felt like it would never come. you were attentive of his wants because you were on the same boat, sort of.

as much as you loved lee donghyuck, he was very strict and it was too throttling in the lab which made you venture to the cemetery and gather gardenias to help him doze off faster.

peering through the corner of the large tombstone, you saw him standing on the edge of the cliff, playing with zero and talking to himself. while he was paying no attention whatsoever, you quietly exited the cemetery and walked the way to donghyuck’s lab.

you sauntered through the front door and walked directly to the kitchen to crush the gardenias before he was to ask for his soup.

“oh y/n!” he said in a singsongy voice, he entered the kitchen to see you stirring up a boiling pot of frogs breath soup, his favorite, with a gardenia touch.

“i’m almost done, master haechan. it’ll be up in a minute!” you spoke over your shoulder before mixing in the dash of gardenia powder into his bowl. he willingly smiled and walked back up into his research laboratory.

after the finishing touches and a sprinkle more of the gardenia powder, you brought the soup up to his room and let him gobble down the soup with a blink of an eye before going to your room— or what you called prison— to pack a basket of goodies to give to jaehyun, anonymously. but first, you sewed your arm back on.

in the basket, contained a bottle of red wine, a block of cheese, and some baked bread from the bakery down the road. as well as a not that read, ‘i know how you feel, and i’m on the same boat as you. i wish there was a way for us to escape.’

popping your head through the research lab door, you confirmed that donghyuck was knocked out cold, and should be for the next two hours.

silently, you sneakily passed through the townspeople and made it to jaehyun one hell of a house. it was on the other side of town, so by the time you reached his home, it was already evening. lee donghyuck must’ve woken up, for sure.

after you entered the gate, regret instantly filled your body. but you traveled all this way, so there was no point in stopping now. carefully, you placed the wooden basket on the doorstep and rang the door, hiding behind the wall.

jaehyun opened the door, ready to greet whoever was visiting him at that time, only to be met with no one but the basket filled with delicacies and a note. picking up the basket, he read the note, and a small smile appeared on his face before walking back into his house and closing the door.

you had been holding your breath the moment you hid behind the wall. and when the coast was clear, you breathed out the breath you had been holding, only for you to suck it back in when zero was sitting by your feet, looking up at you with his face turned. then, he barked.

“no, no, no! shhh. i don’t want him to know i’m here. please be quiet,” you pleaded while whispering. yet to no avail, as the door is opened once more because he heard his beloved dog.

“zero! zero where are you? i heard you barking, let’s go inside!” he walked around his property and finally checked the place where you were previously hiding.

“there you are. let’s get you some rest.” but zero looked to where you hid next, behind a boulder statue.

“come on, let’s go,” he patted his leg, and this time zero obliged.

“whew,” you huffed out while slowly getting up from your hiding place to walk back to the lab.

but as you were cautiously walking out of his property, jung jaehyun saw you exit his gate through his peripheral vision, he then looked to the basket he placed on his desk. and in that moment, he had to know who you were.

the next day during the halloween festival, you’d been punished for putting gardenias in his soup as well as sneaking out. donghyuck locked you up in your room and the only thing you could do was look out the window to see the villagers enjoy their time.

jaehyun had woken up early that morning, to get ready to find his secret admirer he hoped was going to be at the festival. he dressed as nicely as he could, making sure to gel back his hair and wear a nice suit for the occasion. he then stuck the note you gave him inside the pocket of his blazer. and he knew what he was getting himself into. if he were to ask anyone who knew about the note, they would lie and say they did. but it was worth a shot.

he vividly remembered your pin straight hair, reaching down your back, as well as those tiny black heels that were about two inches high. but that was all he did remember and he was unfortunate enough to not be able to see your face.

so, jaehyun just observed.

when he reached the main part of the festival, crowds of townspeople filled the street, excited for the day to come. and when people started to notice the halloween king was there, they gathered around him and showed him everything there was possible. however, jaehyun knew it was just all the same activities and booths. everything that just tired him out. they needed something new, something fresh.

“jaehyun! you’re here early,” said the mayor, but the man was not paying attention, rather he was maneuvering his head around, trying to spot ‘the one.’ noticing this, taeyong bumped him on his shoulder, now worried.

“... is everything alright?” asked the mr. lee in an anxious voice. to which jaehyun just smiled reassuring the mayor.

“everything is perfectly fine, mr. lee! but to keep this between you and me…” he paused for a moment, looking around and taeyong leaned closer to jaehyun. “.... i’m sorta looking for someone. she gave me this note yesterday and as well as a bag of goodies.” but the mayor was surprised by his statement, and he screamed louder than he should’ve.

“woah, woah! the halloween king has a crush on someone? you have a secret admirer!” he tried to hush him but it was too late, the people had already heard.

questions started to arise and the people started to gather around jaehyun again. asking when, where, and more commonly, who. he refused to answer the uprising interrogations and ran the farthest he could.

he ended up hiding in the bushes of lee donghyuck’s lab. when he was sure there was no one who had been following that far, he stood up from the bush and dusted himself off. it seemed like he got ready for purely nothing.

the man paced back and forth, rereading the note you had given him and throwing small stones to the wall of the lab. hearing all the commotion, you gazed out the window to see jung jaehyun, reciting the note over and over again. you listened for a bit, until you remembered the throwing stones part.

“..... you know… master haechan will be upset if he finds you chucking rocks at his lab,” you spoke up as he chuckled at the sentence. he looked up to where the voice was to be already met with your chin resting on your crossed arms, looking down to him.

“calm down, it’s only stones. besides, the professor loves me,” he bragged. “what are you doing up there anyways? shouldn’t you be at the festival?” he asked with his brows furrowed.

“yeah, but i disobeyed the master yesterday. got stuck locked up.” you didn’t know you had the confidence to have a regular conversation with the man you’ve always admired. jaehyun only smiled and replied, “how about i save you then, princess?” your pulse was racing, and you didn’t know how to feel. after a few moments of silence, you looked back down.

“master haechan is at the festival. probably with the mayor or his great uncle taeil. if you ask, he’ll probably give you the master key.” jaehyun nodded and ran back to the scene of the festival to find the professor to bail you out.

when he came back, he immediately opened the front door and walked up the stairs to try and find you. but when he was gone to look for donghyuck, you’d been pacing around your room, anxious. why did you tell him? you thought to yourself over and over. but every one of your thoughts came to a stop when the jiggling of the key became clear. you were really doing this.

somehow, you were more afraid of getting caught that day than the previous. if donghyuck knew jaehyun came to get you out, you’d be in much bigger trouble.

he was finally able to hear the click and opened the door. a full smile plastered on his face, showcasing the dimples people fawned over. shyly, you smiled back and tucked a piece of hair behind your ear catching me do the debby ryan HAHAHA.

jaehyun held out his hand and instantaneously he knew, you were the one. without any further conversation, he dragged you to the place he loved; the cemetery.

while talking about no specific topic, he brought up the shenanigan you pulled yesterday, although he was grateful you did.

“so, were you the one that stopped by last night? and gave me the basket…” he ceased his walking, “who gave me this note?” he pulled the note from inside his blazer. if you thought your anxiety was bad when he was bailing you out, it did not compare to the amount of anxiety you were feeling in that moment.

“...uh… yes i did... did you not like it?,” you stuttered, getting jittery. he only cooed in adoration as he cupped your cheek. “don’t worry, my love. you’re the first one to ever give me a gift that thoughtful. even gave me my favorite red wine.” his response made you sigh out of relief as he just smiled softly and rubbed his thumb against your cheekbone. it was an intimate moment. but slowly, jaehyun found himself leaning closer and closer to you.

grazing his lips against yours he whispered, “thank you,” and pushed himself closer to your lips, catching the gasp that escaped your lips. you were left shocked, with your eyes wide opened and your figure stood there awkwardly, not kissing back. but the man grabbed you by your waist, gently, and his other hand rested on your jawline as you responded back.

it was a slow, yet needy kiss. desperate to have each other but savoring the moment. his tongue met your bottom lip as he turned his head to kiss you deeper, his nose now tickling your right cheek. he then stopped and removed his lips with a pop.

“i think i found my escape this halloween,” he was breathless.

“i think i did too.”