#what if the small portal was corrupted

[p0ssym1lker]

Imagine Danny meeting Jason and being like ew he feels like Vlad and so he runs away all the time until through hijinks he finds out Jason was dipped into some weird ew goo of ectoplasm and is like oh! They yetis will help and so they do and it really helps jason

And then he remembers why he avoided him in the first place and realizes that maybe, just maybe Vlad has some ew goo in him too

[emelinstriker]

{Eternal Servants AU} Macaque ♤ Sounds of Silence

Art drawn by me + the AU is mine.

Just a smol little hurt/comfort drabble on the topic of ESAU!Macaque being unable to sleep alone in a room.

[TL;DR] Macaque hears the voice again.

♤ ~ Comfort ~ ♤

The dark-furred simian woke up in a cold sweat, hyperventilating as this damned voice invaded his mind again. Macaque held his hands over his six ears as he desperately tried to silence the corrupted whispery voice. "No... N-No... Shut up.. S-Shut.. up..."

Usually the voice wouldn't be a problem had Wukong been in the room, or anyone else for that matter. But he noticed very quickly when he woke up that he was alone...

All alone...

Tears welled up in his eyes at the voice. Everytime he heard it getting louder, the more he felt like he was losing himself.

Suddenly, he jumped onto his feet, his hands still desperately covering his six ears as he tried thinking of what to do. His mind felt like it was slowly melting as he quickly opened a shadow portal beneath him, making his panicked self fall through. Unlike his usually controlled and smooth movement when landing, he straight up fell onto something soft, his eyes were shut as he landed face first on the fabric.

That's when he noticed the voice getting quieter until it disappeared again. He was still hyperventilating as he looked up, noticing he was on someone's bed.

And not just anyone's bed.

"Mhm... What the wha... Mac..? Is that you..? Did you have a nightmare..?" You asked him tiredly, your words slurred a bit as you tried making out his silhouette. The only thing that made you know that this had to be your purple champion were his ears and tail.

Macaque hiccupped as he quickly crawled up to you, hugging you tightly while he felt you sitting up straighter to hug him back.

Now very much concerned, you gently rubbed his back as you comforted him, letting him cry into the crook of your neck. "Shhh... It's okay... You're alright... I'm here, Mac... I'm here...", you soothed him softly, swaying just a bit to try calm him down from his panic attack. The moment he loosely wrapped his tail around your waist was when you knew it was slowly working. After a while, the dark-furred simian's breathing became a lot more regular as you told him to take a deep breath, count to three, and exhale a few times. Once he was only sobbing a bit you decided to ask him, "Are you feeling better now? Did you have a nightmare?"

"I-It wasn't a nightmare, Master... I just... heard the voice again... Wukong wasn't in the room..." He responded shakily as he nuzzled into your shoulder to calm down. Sighing you kissed the top of his head, making his breath hitch as he kept desperately holding onto you, almost as if he was afraid you would disappear.

The monkey, finally having mostly calmed down, left a soft little kiss on your neck. "...Thank you, Master... For not leaving me."

That reminded you... Why did Wukong leave their room in the middle of the night anyway?

Suddenly, as if to answer your question, the door swung open and whoever entered was so inhumanely fast they were already next to your bed in a heartbeat, while the wind of their speed hit you in the face. Judging by the silhouette, you knew this had to be Wukong himself. It was too dark to see his expression, but his posture seemed to have been in a rather worried panic.

"Master, I felt a spike in-" He then stopped himself as he notices Macaque hugging you tightly in bed. He just stood there for a few seconds before realization set in. He sighed, "I'm... I'm so sorry, Macaque..." Your blue champion then got tackled into a hug by your purple champion, who sniffled into the older monkey's shoulder, Clearly having missed the presence of the other simian. Especially under these circumstances.

Turns out Wukong had left because he went to grab a small nighttime snack, but forgot to wake up the other monkey. He knew it was his fault for not waking up Macaque or taking him with him, and he felt extremely guilty for it as it reminded him of when the two of them became servants.

"I'm sorry for leaving...", Wukong mumbled repeatedly. You barely heard him profusely apologize, but Macaque heard it all, which made him hold onto his brother tighter. You smiled softly as you heard Wukong comfort Macaque. Despite barely being able to make out what was happening in the darkness, since unlike them you didn't have enhanced night vision, you knew they were hugging it out. And that was quite sweet to witness due to how rarely Wukong ever showed his emotional side in general.

"If you two want, you can sleep with me for the night. At least it might calm Mac down better", you offered as you scooted over to the middle of the master bed. While Wukong took his time joining you, Macaque was all too eager and jumped at the opportunity, happily snuggling into your side, holding onto you like a koala. If you listened closely, you could hear the faint rumble of a purr, confirming he was comfortable with his position.

Eventually you fell back asleep. This time safe and sound between two of your champions.

[ Masterlist ]

[iguessthisisanewobsession]

Ghostwriter was really asking for soup time at this point.

He had apologized for his first Christmas truce before, last year he even convinced Clockwork to help him make a copy of the original work he had ruined.

So why in god’s gracious earth did he wake up to Amity Park being in a hallmark movie.

Danny glared as the people milled about the center of town like they haven’t since the portal opening.

It was unnerving, the only thing really missing from the equation was some out of town love interest or something.

“Hey, excuse me.”

Tall and built with black hair and blue eyes.

Oh you got to be-

~~~~~~~~~~~

Dick tried to make himself look more charming as the guy he approached turned around.

When he heard that the justice league were getting concerning calls about a town In Illinois, he saw an out from the Christmas gala.

Sure Dick enjoyed the season, but the fact that he has to spend a large amount of the winter season putting up a front as the perfect firstborn was not something he wanted to do unless he had to.

That being said, the town was a bit unnerving. He hadn’t seen anything supernatural per say but the constant cheer is something he had only ever seen on the silver screen of his home. He had tried to approach several different people only to be met with seasons greetings and promptly ignored when as they ran off to do whatever small towns do for the holidays.

This guy at least wasn’t plastering a smile on his face.

“Hey, excuse me I’m new in town and looking around, my name is-“

“Let me guess, Rupert or Orlando or some shit.”

“What?”

“Well it has to be pompous and annoying. It’s kind of a trend and shit last time I checked.”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about man I just wanted to ask-“

The man snorted as he left, throwing over his shoulder with a large amount of snark,

“For a tour around town? A place to stay? A friendly face? Sorry man, man but I’m not interested. The town square is full, ask someone else I have a date with a caffeine addiction.”

Dick watched a bit stupefied as the guy weaves into the ground and out of his eyesight.

“Well he seemed charming.”

Dick raised his phone to the earpiece and sighed,

“Yeah well, he’s the first person who didn’t sound like they weren’t on a script so far. I didn’t even know that midwesterners took Christmas so seriously. How long until you reach town Jay?”

I’m reaching midtown just about now. It looks like Santa took a shit on every-“

There was a sudden squeal of tires as the line cut.

Oh no.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jason gasped as he tried to calm his breath glancing at the guy he almost hit on his bike.

Jesus Christ that was close.

“Shit man are you alright?”

“Peachy. Always liked pancakes and all that.”

~~~~~~~

Danny felt a blush hit him as the behemoth of a guy let out a snort. It was embarrassing that he didn’t notice the guy until he almost became a smear, the dude was built like a tank and wearing a red helmet.

“I shouldn’t’ve taken that turn that quickly.. sometimes forget I’m not at home.”

“Oh yeah? Where’s home for you?”

“Gotham if you believe that.”

“Explains why you drive like you’re chased by death.”

“You have no idea..”

He took off his helmet with another snort and shake of the head. A white wisp in a sea of black shook out while mirthful blue eyes met his.

Crap..

“Name’s Jason. You are?”

“Nunya,”

The guy raised a brow mildly confused.

“Pardon?”

“Nunyabusinessbye!”

Danny took off before he was done with the sentence. He could feel eyes on his retreat for the second time today.

‘Jesus, smooth recovery Fenton.’

~~~~~~~~

Tim rubbed his eyes as he listened to his older brothers bicker over the coms.

He couldn’t understand the issue with the surveillance! All the cameras and mics are properly functioning but for some reason everything is corrupted and it’s driving Tim up a wall!

A break, Tim needed a break from this Airbnb and something caffeinated.

~~~~~~~~

‘Just ten minutes, ten minutes and he could get his drink, he could rant to his friends on the group chat afterwards and wait out the story. ‘

And with as much bravo as any tired young adult, he entered the shop.

Danny almost left the cafe as he heard another unfamiliar voice bellow out.

“What do you mean you don’t have coffee, it’s a coffee shop!”

Blue eyes, black hair, surprisingly smaller than the first two and eye bags that could rival Danny some nights.

Danny was done.

Fuck the treaty this was war.

[obsessivevoidkitten]

Anjinth Comes

Yandere Male Eldritch Abomination Deity x Gender Neutral Reader (CW: Violent noncon, blood, major character death, heartbreak, broken reader, religious themes, cult, paralysis, venom, oviposition, mild choking, breeding, tentacles, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat.)  Word Count 2.2k (So sorry that this took me so long. So sorry that this is so fucked up, more fucked up than the eel one tbh. Reeeallly need something fluffier to balance these last two out.) 

The psychic scream for help released by Anjinth the Shadowed was not heard by many. It was only possible due to the thinning in the barriers separating the planes of existence and only a very few gifted in magic could perceive his call.

Of the handful of people who could, almost all of them discounted it as either a hallucination or a demon trying to lure them in with pleas of help and promises of power.

In fact on all of planet Earth you, and you alone, could both hear his call and were willing to assist him.

Anjinth told you all about himself. That he had originally come from the same realm of man, from deep within space, and had molded Earth to his will. But he had been bound and sealed into a realm of shadow and despair from which he could barely even talk into our world. He could only manage to do so now because the walls between the worlds had thinned ever so slightly.

He told you everything that you would need to do to release him from his prison, and he promised you power, immortality, and land that you would be able to rule under him. How could you resist?

So for years you made it your unyielding mission to bring him back to your world.

Luckily you slowly amassed a small cult to assist you. You had convinced enough people of your cause, getting them to see that the current world needed to be united under one unquestionable ruler.

The first thing you had to do was either find the pieces of magic crystal that summoned the portal that he was kicked through or to make a replacement that was tuned to the same frequency.

Since the pieces of the old one were crushed and scattered you had to make a new one. This was easier said than done.

But eventually you and those working under you managed to collect enough lapis lazuli to build the structure. It was high quality.

You were not a particularly gifted mage though, so enchanting the lapis gate and attuning it to the reverberations of the void realm where Anjinth lay waiting was beyond your capabilities.

But you were not alone in this and many of the Anjinth cult members had abilities and specializations that surpassed your own.

Your boyfriend, Zereff, was one such cultist. He was perfect, he was just as dedicated to the overthrow of the current world's corruption and disorder as you were and magical enchantments and attunements just happened to be his strong suits.

With the help of your beloved everything was almost ready for the day of reckoning when Anjinth would finally be released from his prison.

All that was required now was the summer solstice and it wasn't a long wait.

When the solstice came the entire congregation joined hands around the portal and began chanting a spell in unison, the runes etched into the crystal glew with a strange purple light, and eventually the portal opened, twirling and dark.

A gleeful laugh could be heard from the other side, you recognized it as the laugh of Anjinth, you had heard it a few times when he saw fit to speak to you.

You and your boyfriend, as leaders of his cult, stepped forward and knelt before the portal.

You did not know exactly what you had expected this ancient and powerful being to look like, but it certainly wasn't what you saw clamber out of the void to stand before you.

He was humanoid, but the proportions were off. He was easily over 9 feet tall, but his arms were strangely long. And there were four of them. You were too in awe to count but you could tell each of his hands had more than five fingers. His nails were black and pointed.

He was clothed in black robes that sparkled like a clear dark night.

Anjinth had long dark black hair that seemed to be in constant motion as if from a very slight breeze.

Sharp horns sprang from his head, but instead of curving upwards they curved downwards.

Tendrils made of shadow extended from his back and constantly writhed.

The being's legs were human enough, but he had a strange scorpion-like tail that looked like it was tipped with a scythe made from obsidian.

But the most striking features were that he seemed to have no mouth or eyes at all. Where his mouth should have been there was nothing and where his eyes should have been there were bandages.

At least they seemed like bandages, but they must have been part of his body as they appeared to be like his pearl white skin, not fabric, and tiny little malformed hands grew from them in random spots, and they moved and grasped, as if seeking something unknown.

Despite a lack of eyes he looked down, regarding you and your partner.

"Thank you, esteemed acolyte. I had been locked up for countless years, and now I shall bring the world to order under my command!!"

A lack of a mouth did nothing to stop him from communicating verbally.

His voice was like several men speaking all at once in near perfect unison, it came from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

Anjinth gestured for you to approach him and spoke as he did so.

"Come now, we shall consummate our union, you shall be my mate and forever be at my side!"

You looked at your partner and then back at Anjinth with confusion. He knew you had a partner already. And that wasn't the deal.

You were supposed to rule under him, not be at his side.

"What? No, I was supposed to just rule under you… l-like a general or something! I am already with Zereff!"

The words tumbled from your mouth and were filled with obvious fear. Disobeying such a powerful cosmic horror was not something many would do.

He regarded you silently for a moment before stating angrily, "You WILL rule under me, as my mate. It is your reward for being so wonderful and dedicated, it was how I intended our deal to work from the moment you answered my contact!"

His arm elongated to an impossible length as you trembled at his wrathful words. He lashed his elongated arm right into the chest of your love and ripped out his heart.

Zereff fell to the floor lifelessly before he tossed the body aside like useless trash. The other members of the cult kneeled and looked away, not daring to defy their lord.

You ran to wear the crumpled lifeless corpse of your beloved had landed but were intercepted by the shadowy tentacles on Anjinth's back.

Though they seemed forged of shade they felt fleshy and were stronger than any iron, they pulled you close to the one you had worshipped for years, though you were unable to meet his eyeless gaze as tears dripped down your face.

"There, I fixed your problem for you. Now you no longer have any other mate to take your loyalty for me. Only minutes in your realm and I am already solving problems for you, how lucky you are to have me here!"

Your sorrow turned to fury at those words and you lashed out at him, punching and kicking wherever you could make contact. You did not care if you died, at least if you did you would be back with your only love.

Instead he just chuckled as if what you were doing was utterly adorable.

"So cute, but really we need to make our union official and seal it in sex and I might hurt you if you keep moving like that. So stop."

Words were not enough to deter you, if anything you lashed out only more fervently.

Suddenly there was a great, though brief, pain in your side. He had stabbed you with the tip of his obsidian bladed tail and injected you with something.

Your entire body tensed painfully before going completely limp. You were nothing more than a rag doll held in his tentacles.

Anjinth held you in front of him and began using his claws to tear your pants and underwear away, you certainly wouldn't be needing them for a long while.

He disrobed and, still in full view of all of the frightened cultists present, spread your ass cheeks with two of his hands and began to prod and knead your hole with his free tentacles.

His cock was strange, it protruded from a genital slit, all thick and slimy with a hint of a knot at the base.

He took you in his arms and turned you around so that your hole was presented to him like a bitch in heat.

Anjinth rubbed the tip of his cock on your entrance teasingly, as if mocking you for being able to do anything about it.

Under the effects of his venom you were unable to form words, managing only to produce a garbled whimper in protest.

"Oh, what am I thinking, you are too small and fragile! I better use lube!"

Once more his arm stretched out and went for the corpse of your lover. He covered his hand in his thick dripping blood and covered his cock and your hole in it, massaging it into you.

Wetting your cheeks with fresh tears was all you could manage to do. He wasn't sadistic, but he was angry you had defied him and he knew he had to thoroughly put you in your place as his mate.

This would be both a lesson and punishment.

You could feel his slimy tip lined up with your hole before he plunged down to the base in one smooth motion, causing your stomach to bulge with the outline of his cock.

You braced yourself for the pain that would come with being impaled by a cock that was at least 16 inches, as thick as your arm, and lubed only by sticky blood, but no amount of anticipation could prepare you for how excruciating the pain was.

It was otherworldly, far beyond just the physical sensation of having your hole stretched to its limit. It was like he was willing the pain into you, like you could feel his anger in every movement of his cock.

Cries of pain caught in your throat as he violently rage-fucked you, one set of arms moving you up and down his length like a living cock sleeve and his other free arms.

His tendrils snaked all over your body, feeling every part of you, slithering under your shirt and teasing your nipples before making their way to your neck and choking you. This wasn’t supposed to happen, none of this was supposed to happen. He was supposed to come into the world and unite humans with order. Some of his tentacles began entering your pained hole along with his cock, stretching you even wider. But just when you thought you could not possibly be opened up any wider the base of his cock began thickening, he pulled his tentacles out as his dick tied you to him. A few moments later he was pumping you full of what you thought was semen but was actually just lubricating fluid for eggs. You could feel large round masses being deposited deep within you as he moaned. Anjinth sent the other cultists away, commanding them to do various tasks, and they scampered away quickly. They were eager to no longer see what had become of their former leader. Once alone Anjinth sat down on the throne you all had made him with you in his lap facing towards him. The paralytic he had drugged you with had worn off but all you could manage to do was sob and babble incoherently as your new lover rubbed your back and pressed your face into his warm muscular chest. You were still firmly knotted to him and the tip of his cock twirled about gently inside you, as if trying to comfort your pain, even as a mix of Zereff’s blood and his own inky black lubricant leaked out of you and all over his thighs. “Shhh, it’s okay. Now that you are without that bothersome inferior and know your place I won’t have to be violent with you again~ You can just sit back and be by my side as I breed you full of my spawn everyday for the rest of eternity.” Just as he promised from the very beginning you would rule under him, it would just be a bit more literal than you had anticipated. 

[tenderleavesbob]

General Impa and Queen Zelda were going to kill him.

Link looked at the familiar ring of light in front of him and groaned. A portal. He hadn’t seen one of these in years. Weren’t they done with these? Wasn’t the timeline fixed?

A message had come from one of the forts regarding strange monsters. Zelda had been nervous about Link traveling alone, but he had assured her that there had been no reports of anything in Hyrule Field. From the sound of it, the monsters had been sighted at the far side of the field. It would be quickest for Link to just go alone and send back word of what he found. If he discovered that reinforcements were needed, he would send word immediately.

He wasn’t even halfway to the fort when the portal appeared. Link sighed and swung his leg off Epona. His loyal mare snorted and danced restlessly. Even she didn’t like a random portal appearing out of nowhere. 

Lana had vanished at the end of the war, too, but Link thought she would at least send a message if something was happening with time again. He sighed and walked a little closer to the portal. It looked similar enough to the ones from the war. 

An awful thought occurred to Link, and he grimaced. He hoped this wasn’t a sign that something had happened to Lana. Anything from an attack on her to Ganondorf’s corruption staining her, too, could have dramatic effects on Hyrule and the timeline.

Not that he wasn’t worried about her being hurt. Just…

Link didn’t like thinking about Lana.

There were no other clues. No other signs. Just a portal in the middle of Hyrule Field. Link sighed and rested his hand on his hip. It seemed like he would be sending word back to Zelda sooner than he thought. Was this how Tune and Mask felt when another adventure popped up in front of them? Thinking they were done and then something appeared without warning? No wonder Mask was so cranky.

Yet a small part of him looked at the portal and hoped. When Mask and Tune left, he had never admitted it to anyone, but it had broken Link’s heart. Plagues took his family before the war started, and between the war itself and his new title of hero, Link found himself with few friends. Those two boys had been his little brothers. It was a popular joke among the camps that they were his kids. Link had been surprised by how much he had liked that. When they left, they took chunks of his heart with him.

He lost them through a portal just like this one. Link cocked his head and studied it, fingers tapping his hip. He couldn’t just go through it. He couldn’t just vanish. He had to report to Zelda what he found. 

But what if the portal vanished? What if this was his only chance to see his boys again?

Link closed his eyes and shook his head. He had to do his duty. He had to report to his queen. If this was like the portals of before, it wouldn’t just --

He opened his eyes again. He looked up. He blanched.

No.

The portal was gone.

No. No. Link looked around frantically, but the field remained empty besides himself and Epona. She was still shifting and dancing, but Link couldn’t bring himself to focus on her.

The portal was gone. His chance to see Tune and Mask again was gone. He should have just gone through it. He should have been more decisive. He was supposed to be the hero. He shouldn’t have --

The portal appeared again. Under Link’s feet. Link screamed and fell.

Startled and frightened, Epona turned and ran back to the castle. Link wouldn’t discover the truth for several months, but his initial guess was correct: General Impa and Queen Zelda were not happy.

Link’s screaming did not last long. He slammed into the dirt and his breath exploded from his bruised lungs. He wheezed and choked on flying dirt and his own spit. He rolled onto his side, arms wrapped protectively around him, hacking and coughing and trying to catch his breath.

“Easy, easy!” a man said above him. Unfamiliar hands grabbed him and pulled him into a sitting position, making it easier for Link to breathe. Normally, Link hated it when strangers grabbed him, but something about this man felt so soothing that Link didn’t question it. He leaned into the man and coughed weakly. His back was going to hurt for a week.

I’m too young to feel this old, Link thought miserably.

“Are you all --”

The man cut off. His grip tightened on Link. Link startled and looked up.

His vision was a little blurry from his hard landing. He blinked and it took several moments for the face in front of him to come into focus.

The face was older. Different. Scarred. It didn’t matter. 

Link would always know his boy’s face.

“Mask?” he whispered. He reached up and cupped the man’s scarred, painted face. 

Mask choked on a sob and placed his hand over Link’s. “Yes. Yes, it’s… I can’t believe it’s really you!”

Bruises be damned. Link threw himself forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Mask. He couldn’t quite hug Mask like he used to, but that was fine. He was happy to practice as much as it took to get it right. 

Mask laughed and cried and hugged him back. Yes, Link decided, clinging to his boy. This was worth every bruise he received in the fall and every shout he was going to hear when he returned to his time.

“I think you’re taller than me, you brat,” Link managed, hugging Mask so tightly his hands began to cramp.

Mask laughed and held Link back just as tightly. “Bigger, too.”

“Still a little shit.” He pressed a hard kiss against Mask’s temple.

It took a long time before Link managed to make himself let Mask go. It was fine. It seemed like Mask was just as reluctant to release his grip. Mask straightened Link’s scarf, and Link almost started crying all over again when he realized that Mask was definitely taller than him and no longer needed to stand on a chair or stand on his tiptoes.

Link couldn’t resist reaching up again and cupping the scarred side of Mask’s face. He rubbed his thumb under Mask’s closed eye but didn’t ask. If Mask wanted to tell him, he would. Link pulled away and asked a more immediate question instead. “Where are we?”

Mask shrugged, grinning. He was certainly bigger and taller. He even looked older than Link. It didn’t matter. That mischief on his face remained the same. “Don’t know. Welcome to your first adventure, Captain.”

Link snickered. At least this meant Zelda and Impa would need to find him first to yell at him. “You’re the expert here, Mask. Lead the way.”

Mask could lead him anywhere right then, and Link wouldn’t care.

He had one of his boys back.

[facts-i-just-made-up]

Which country is the biggest exporter of video games?

Though China, Japan and the United States make great leaps and bounds in video game production each year, it is a small country in the Austrian/Bolivian borderlands that makes more tons of video game per capita than anywhere else in the world.

The small nation of San Sundertail was founded in 1981 by Mario von Wiisportz as a social experiment. Surviving at first on the quality of their mining craft and production of ceramic plastic, and mostly metal gears, their game industry grew quickly after. The government of the country was based on a tetrad of rulers who answered their nation's call of duty including the Prime Minister, the Prime Echoes Minister, and sadly another minister who was dismissed for Prime Corruption. Rumors of another arrest circulated but a 4th Prime still has yet to released. Hopefully a more straight-line tetrad will fall into place soon and clear the growing mess.

Sadly as a result, the nation is plagued by crimes such as grand theft auto, assassinations according to some kind of creed, and even the raiding of several tombs. Leaders insist that there is no inherent evil resident to their country, but the U.N. Squadron has declared this to be a fantasy, and the final one that they'd accept. Being a far cry from peaceful, they feel they now have just cause to enter the uncharted regions nearby and open a diplomatic portal, no matter what the fallout of such a commanding and conquering action may be.

This got depressing cuz all the franchises have negative or violent names. I'm gonna go take my mind off it with something else, something with serene rolling landscapes and lots of rest and quiet. Here we go, "Silent Hill" sounds nice, I'll try that.

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 278

You know what I’ve gotten obsessed with and inspired by? Dredge. 

You know what is also fun? Merfolk. What’s even better? Lovecraftian corrupted merfolk. Especially if say, one goes with the Lazarus Waters being a form of ectoplasm. So, in this? Lazarus waters are like lakes, while Amity Park, thanks to the Portal, and the barriers? It is an entire sea. 

There are islands, small areas that were once the tips of buildings that have gathered more landmass around them. There are mangroves, trees not like anything on earth or anywhere else stretching up in canopies dark enough to block out the sun, yet lit by the green waters. 

It goes deep. Mariana Trench deep, despite it being impossible. The GIW have explored for caves or tunnels, they’ve tried to find some sort of explanation, but there isn’t one. 

Now all that ecto? That has an effect on people. They mutate, they change, they adapt. Anywhere else would have been a slow death- something the GIW might have even been counting on. But Amity Park? It was founded by witches, it was the hotspot for the supernatural, even before the Fentonwork Portal. They’ve been dealing with this sort of energy in microdoses from the moment they first began to live in the city in any generation. 

But they begin to adapt. Shift into something… other. Some stay contaminated, clinging to human forms as they form homes on the tiny islands, fishing and farming what they can. Others become Liminal, almost seeming to meld with fish, some similar to ones of the Living and others something just to the left. Similar yes, but not quite… right. And then there are those that have truly melded with the energy of the dead, forms torn asunder by it, ripped apart and made anew by it. 

The first sign back when the barrier was activated, when they could no longer leave and were trapped were the fish in the lake. And now they are the same, with gazes of something Else, with gnashing teeth and a hunger gnawing at where hearts once were. 

But they aren’t monsters. They’re still themselves. Just a little… Other now. 

[mikimakiboo]

Surprise adoption

Once again based on @ancientschampionau 's Real Age AU

Soooo surprise surprise, I may have done a little something with your little something 👀

Quick summary: For some reason a Nightmare from a Dadmare au found baby Nightmare and decided he will be his fifth kid, the gang is not happy with that

Some notes at the end

How did Nightmare ended up in this AU ? Did he open the wrong portal again ? He wasn't at the supermarket, he was standing in front of a farm. Was he in Farmtale ? No, he had already been to Farmtale multiple times, he would have recognized the magical signature of the universe. A new timeline maybe ? One he hadn't explored yet ? Maybe... but he didn't have time to explore it, he left the castle to go grocery shopping for his four boys, and he couldn't just leave them alone for too long or else they would make a mess in the house again. He didn't want to clean up tonight.

He sighed, turning around, but as he lifted his hand to summon a new portal he saw someone, well, not someone, himself, he saw himself standing in front of him, himself from when he was six with his bright lavender eyelights and white bones... what was he doing here ? It wasn't his AU, why wasn't he in Dreamtale ? Did he get ejected from his AU ? Did the AU collapsed and this Nightmare found himself in this timeline as an outcode ? It wasn't his place, it wasn't a place for a child... he looked at his portal... the groceries will have to wait, he couldn't just leave him there, when he was his age he would have killed for someone to take care of him, if he could give that to this tiny version of him, he would do it, especially since the apple incident visibly didn't happen yet. No one saved him, but he would be the one to save himself.

The little Nightmare on the other side... did not expect to be grabbed by this adult corrupted version of himself, like, at all. It was a nice day today, Horror told him he could play in the backyard while he was making dinner, it was supposed to be safe, he was just behind the house after all. When a portal opened he quickly got up with excitement, thinking it was Error paying him a visit, but it wasn't, since he found himself standing un front of, well, himself, but an adult version of himself, a real adult version. He didn't know what to say. What did that mean ? Was their AU, their home, under attack ? Was this Nightmare's gang, if he had one, going to make an entrance too ? Did the multiverse simply replace him since he wasn't fulfilling his guardian role anymore ? He didn't understand. And what he also didn't understand was why the adult just grabbed him out of nowhere to cross the portal again. Was he allowed to leave this AU ? Probably not. But he also wasn't allowed to follow strangers and technically the adult wasn't exactly a stranger. Plus it wasn't his fault, he didn't even follow him, and he wasn't sensing any vile intention from him either, so he would probably be fine, it would just be a small trip, he would be back before dinner !

On the other side of the portal Nightmare recognized the castle, it was practically the same as his, which made sense because since they were alternative versions of each other it was logical for them to choose the same place to live. He wondered if the gang was the same as his or if he picked different versions, maybe they came from a Fell universe ?

- Boys I'm back !

The adult called, closing his portal with one hand, holding the child against his chest with his other arm. Nightmare turned to look as he heard rapid, and little, footsteps coming from the hallway.

- Dad !

An excited high voice yelled as a small skeleton entered the room, not older than six years old, he had tar leaking from his eyesockets. Nightmare recognized him immediately despite his surprise: Killer was a kid ? Another skeleton followed, arriving just as fast as Killer and bumping into him, this one had a hoodie on with mismatched eyelights: Dust, who looked the same age as Killer. The two children rolled together on the ground, none of them looked hurt and judging by the sigh the adult let out it was most likely an habit for them. Nightmare looked at them, now fully expecting everyone to be a kid, and his theory was soon confirmed as the two remaining skeletons entered, much more calm than the previous two: Horror, who looked older than the others, maybe eight, was holding a little Cross by the hand, he looked four. So this Nightmare's gang were kids... he had heard about some AUs where he would take care of his gang as children, Dadmare and Mommymare AUs, if he remembered correctly, and since Killer called him "dad" he was pretty sure this one was a Dadmare AU, which meant this was one of the safest AU he could have ended up in with Dadmares usually being pretty chill.

- Who's this ?!

Killer asked as he got up, spotting the tiny Nightmare in his dad's arm. The adult kneeled so all the children would be on the same level.

- He's your new friend, his name is.. uh..

- Night.

Night answered before the adult could come up with anything. He didn't particularly want to change his name, but two Nightmares would be confusing and he didn't want anyone to choose how people called him, this choice was his to make, and "Night" wasn't that far from his real name.

The four kids looked at him with different level of curiosity, out of everyone Killer was the most excited to have a new friend.

- My name is Killer ! This is Dust, this is Horror and this is Cross !

He happily introduced everyone, unaware that Night already knew them. He simply nodded.

- Did you found him like you found me ?!

Killer asked Nightmare, his dad.

- You could say that.

- Dad found you in the trash.

Dust added, looking at Killer. These two seemed to tease each other just like in Night's AU. Nightmare frowned.

- Dust, don't say that.

- But that is true ! You found him in a bin !

Dust argued.

- That... that is true but it is still not a nice thing to say.

Dust mumbled a "sorry", earning a little pat on the head as to show it wasn't a big mistake and that Nightmare wasn't mad.

- How old is he ?

Night didn't notice Horror and Cross getting closer. Horror was the one who asked the question, Cross hiding behind his leg.

- I'm six.

Night answered.

- Six ? But you're the same height as Cross ! And he's four !

Killer noted. Night simply shrugged, he didn't have an answer to that, at least he didn't have one that didn't involve malnourishment, near death experience or physical abuse, so he decided to not say anything, it wasn't worth it, especially considering he wouldn't stay too long in here, he had a home to get back to after all.

Nightmare put him down, and the moment Night was on his feet Killer grabbed his hand.

- Come, we'll show you our room !

And with that he pulled him to go to their room, a big room where they all slept and played together. Night let out a little yelp when Killer suddenly ran, he wasn't used to run anymore and he felt a pinch in his back, luckily the room wasn't far so he didn't have to run for too long. Horror opened the door, never letting go of Cross, and they all went inside.

The room was heavily decorated with lots of toys and posters, no doubt the children choose their decoration themselves and Nightmare didn't object. Killer let go of his hand to go stand in the middle of the room, his little arms stretched out to show everything.

- This is where we all sleep and play ! Dad doesn't let us bring food here but don't worry ! We found a way to sneak some food in here without him knowing !

- Dad knows, he just doesn't say anything because he thinks it helps us develop our skills.

Horror contradicted him, but Killer wasn't listenning, already looking through their box of toys. Night noticed Cross staring at him, he was the only one who hadn't said anything yet and stayed close to Horror, he couldn't blame him: Horror was a reassuring presence. He waved at him, making the small skeleton flinch but shyly wave back.

Killer finally found what he was looking for and brought back multiple little cars and action figures.

- Here ! All we need to play !

Dust grabbed some pillows, putting them on the floor to lay on them so they would be more comfortable. Night looked at them settle before going next to Dust.

- Can I sit here ?

He asked. He wanted to be with Dust, he knew he was different from his own Dust, but he was still a Dust, he felt safe with him. He felt safe with everyone, but Dust was just.. special to him.. he couldn't explain it, he just felt it.

Dust looked at him for a moment before nodding and looking at the new kid settling down on the pillow.

It was nice, very nice even, to play with kids his age, especially when these kids were alternate versions of his family. For how long had Night wished to have friends ? For how long had he looked at the villagers, wishing that at least one of them would want to play with him ? He knew his gang would arrive soon, but he kinda wished they wouldn't arrive too soon, he wanted to play a little longer, to enjoy something that had always been denied to him. He felt good here.

- What do you mean he's gone ?! You were watching him !

Back in Farmtale, a scream emerged from the house, making the birds flee from a tree nearby.

- I mean he's gone ! He's not in the garden ! I looked at him, put the chicken in the oven, and he wasn't there anymore !

Horror screamed back at Killer, worried but also pissed that he was insinuating that he failed watching over the child. Killer didn't mean it like that, it actually came out meaner than he thought, but it didn't matter now: Nightmare was gone and they didn't know where he was.

- Who the f#ck would kidnap a random child ?!

Dust asked, clearly as mad and worried as everyone. Cross tried to calm him down, to reassure him, maybe Nightmare wasn't far, maybe he was in the vine field or the woods, he always liked taking walks in the woods before. But it wasn't like before. He wasn't as strong as before. If something happened, he couldn't defend himself.

- Don't you ever read the news ? Kids get kidnapped everyday !

- Killer, please, you're not helping...

Cross gently scolded him, they were already worried enough, no need to add such information.

- What if the Stars found him ?

Dust blurted out. They looked at each other, they all thought of that but no one dared to say it out loud, as if not saying it would prevent it from being real.

- We need to search the AUs.

- That would take ages to look through all of them !

Horror claimed. He was right, that would take long, especially when they didn't know which one to begin with.

- Do you perhaps have a better idea ?

Killer asked, losing patience. That's when Cross remembered something.

- I have one; when I went shopping with Nightmare Error opened a portal above us and told us he sometimes looks to make sure everything's fine, maybe we could try to leave a sign so that the next time he looks he knows something is wrong ? And then he can localize Nightmare's code in the multiverse ?

They thought about it for a moment. That could work, Error could find his code faster than they could, and even if Killer didn't particularly like the idea of seeking Error's help, he was their best and only solution at the moment.

- But how are we gonna leave him a sign ? We don't know when he's looking.

Horror asked before a glitchy voice interrupted their thoughts.

- No need for a sign, I heard you talking about me. What do you want ? And make it quick, I have other things to do.

It was late in the AU Night was in, he didn't know if time was passing at the same speed for him as it was for his gang, but here it was almost dinner time. Would it be okay if he ate here ? He was hungry, but he was already supposed to have dinner at home, would Horror be mad if he ate before dinner ? They were still so cautious about what he ate, what would they say if he ate something that his magic couldn't digest yet ? Maybe he shouldn't eat, but he was hungry... he would just ask for a little plate, not too much food should be fine, he would say his tummy hurt a little and he didn't feel like eating a lot. It would be fine, surely it would be fine.

- Boys, dinner is ready !

Nightmare called. The boys rejoiced and quickly abandoned their toys to get up, Killer left the room first, followed by Dust, Horror helped Cross getting up and looked at Night.

- You're coming ?

Night looked at him for a second before nodding and getting up. A pinch. His back hurt. He must have made a face because Horror was still looking at him, frowning.

- Are you okay ?

Night nodded again, he didn't want to worry them, his back would probably be fine, it was just a pinch. Horror didn't insist, Cross tugged on his arm, he wanted to eat but didn't want to speak, eyeing Night. He seemed shy. Night followed Horror in the dinning room to the big table. His back hurt when he walked, he just hoped his wound didn't reopen, because there was no one there to take care of it properly. He watched as they all sat at their respective seats and before he could ask anything he felt the adult grab him to sit him down on a chair.

- You can sit here, I hope you like cannellonnis ?

He asked as Night looked at the plate in the middle of the table, it looked like tube shaped pastas with meat and tomato sauce inside and grilled cheese on top. It looked good, but he still couldn't eat too much.

- Can I have only a little please ? I'm not very hungry and I don't want to waste..

The adult looked at him with some worry before smiling.

- Of course, you eat as much as you want.

Once the food had been served, they all started to eat, Nightmare helping Cross to eat and not make a mess but still watching Night to make sure everything was okay with him.

- What do you mean he's in a Dad AU ? What the f#ck is a Dad AU ?!

Killer asked, not satisfied by the localisation Error gave them. The Destroyer sighed, did he really have to teach them everything ?

- A Dad AU is an AU where Nightmare, usually called Dadmare, takes care of kids, with most of the time the kids being you but it can be anyone.

- Why would he be there ?

Dust asked, not satisfied as well but not yelling like Killer.

- How the hell would I know ? You asked me where he was, not how he got there !

Error responded, quite pissed with all the questions.

- Can you make a portal to this AU ?

Cross asked before they could start a fight that they clearly didn't have the need of right now. Error sighed before raising his arm in the air, focusing for a second to find the right line of code and tearing it open to create a portal.

Night was hiding. His back hurt. It was fine before dinner, hurt a little during, and started to hurt a lot when he went back to play with the others. He got scared, he wanted to go back home now, he liked playing here, he really liked it, he liked having friends, but his back hurt and he didn't want to be touched, he didn't want to be with strangers when it hurts, even if he technically knew everyone here, he wanted his gang, he wanted his family, he wanted Dusty...

- Night ? Where are you ? Come out please, we're not gonna hurt you..

He heard the adult version of himself looking for him. He curled up even more in his hiding spot, trying not to make noise as he felt tears forming in his eyesockets.

- Why are you crying ?

Night flinched at the voice and quickly looked on his left: Horror was sitting next to him, he didn't hear him arrive. He shouldn't be surprised, Horror had always been the best at finding things, of course he would have found him before the others.

- I wanna go back home...

Night sobbed, he was tired. Horror looked at him with sympathy.

- Why didn't you tell dad you had a home ?

He shrugged, he didn't know why, he was just curious to see what would happen.

- Dad brought us here because we didn't have a home anymore.

Horror explained.

- But if you have one then you should go back to it. Do you have parents too ?

Night nodded, he did have parents, he didn't know if they considered themselves as parents or simply as caretakers, but to him they were his parents, his family.

- Then you should go back, they must be worried. Come, we will talk to dad.

Horror got up, stretched out his hand for Night to grab and get up too. He didn't let go of the older child's hand, clinging onto it as he left his hiding spot. He followed Horror until they both stopped. There were screams, people were yelling, and Night knew these voices.

- Where is he ?!

Killer, the adult, yelled. Him and Dust were the first to cross the portal, Horror was in the middle of it and Cross was on his side. Nightmare was in front of them, visibly confused by the sight of the adult versions of his kids, worried for their safety and mad that these people broke into his house to scream some nonsense at him.

- Where is our kid ?!

- I don't have your kid ! How many times do I have to tell you ?! Get out of my castle !

Night tightened his grip on Horror's hand.

- They're my family...

He said quietly to the older child who seemed pretty confused by the strangers and why did they look like them. Horror still nodded, he knew universes existed, since their dad brought them all from different places, but he had never seen other versions of himself. He wasn't supposed to, as they weren't allowed to leave the castle without Nightmare and he never took them with him when he made his portals. They got closer, just enough for the adult version of Dust to spot them.

- Nightmare !

He rushed to his side, but before he could get close enough to grab him a tentacle blocked him, impaling the floor in front of his feet between him and the child who grabbed Horror's arm for more reassurance. They were fighting because of him, he didn't like that.

- You are NOT taking him away.

Nightmare growled, his corruption dripping. When Night still had his corruption it would sometimes drip too, usually when he was really angry or too sick or tired to maintain it in place.

The other kids were on the doorstep, alerted by all the noise and scarred for their dad.

- You were the one to take him when he was in our backyard !

Horror accused him.

- Because he belongs here ! He needs someone to take care of him ! To protect him ! I need t- He needs to be safe !

Nobody responded. Cross looked at Horror to see if they understood the same thing. They did. This Nightmare was still a Nightmare, he had his own bagage of trauma, and he found himself in front of his kid version, of course he would want to protect him, how could they not figure that out before lashing out on him ? He faced terrible things, and he faced them alone, he didn't have anyone to protect him, he must have thought that protecting this tiny version of himself would help him cope with everything he went through... he was not a monster, he was just hurt and nobody ever saw it, nobody ever tried to understand what he felt and to help him...

Horror took a step forward, Nightmare tensed but didn't attack, he knew his boys were there, if a fight started he couldn't protect them alone against four. Could he even fight them ? Could he fight when his opponents had his kids' faces ?

Horror spoke, calmly.

- He is safe. We can assure you that he has everything he needs and is being taken care of by all of us. He is not in any danger.

Killer didn't understand what he was doing, why was he so calm when their baby clearly got kidnapped ? He was about to say something when Cross made a quick hand gesture to tell him not to, to let Horror manage it.

- No one is gonna hurt him, no one is gonna approach him like that again, he isn't in danger anymore. He is safe now. I promise.

Nightmare's gaze locked on him as he was speaking, his corruption dripped less and his tentacle relaxed a bit.

- We just want to take him back home, we don't want to fight, I'm sure you can understand that.

Nightmare felt a tug on his shorts. He looked down: Cross, his baby, was looking at him, his eyesockets filled with tears. He bent down to hold him against his chest, standing back up with his kid in his arms. He couldn't imagine his life without them, without his children, his little gang as he called them, if anyone tried to take them away from him he would tear up the whole multiverse just to take them back. These four adults seemed to have done just the same for their kid. He didn't have the right to take him from them. He retracted his tentacle.

Dust quickly grabbed his baby and pulled him against his chest, returning with the others as he looked at the black skeleton. Night looked at them too.

- Can we come back some times... ?

He hesitantly asked Dust. He liked his new friends, it was fun to play with them, at least when his back wasn't hurting. Dust looked up at the others, Killer didn't seem to like this idea, but it looked like he was the only one as Horror and Cross both seemed okay with that and the group of kids was looking at them expectantly. The little Horror went back to his dad's side.

- The kids liked him...

Nightmare simply said, gently rocking his baby Cross in his arms. Horror smiled softly, this Nightmare wasn't dangerous, he could tell he really took care of the children and they all genuinely liked and trusted him. This castle was a safe place.

- Of course, we're happy he made some friends.

He agreed, shushing Killer before he could protest. The kids looked happy, and a quick look at their own baby comfired he was pleased too.

- We have to go now, we can't be gone for too long.

- Of course, I'm sorry.. for what I did..

- You better be.

Killer spat before crossing the portal again, rapidly followed by Dust, he needed to check Night's wounds.

Horror nodded at Nightmare, and he too returned home with the others, Error closing the portal behind them. Their baby was safe, it was all that mattered at the moment, that he was back in their home...

It mattered so much that no one noticed that the chicken burnt in the oven. Good thing Nightmare already ate.

- the end -

●●●●●●●●●●●

I'M DOOOOOONE

So many characters it was hard to keep track sometimes :')

The baby got kidnapped, but he made some friends ! So it wasn't that bad

Dw about Killer he was just very worried for his tiny baby, Horror did explain everything to him afterwards and, yes, he did feel a little bad, but not too much, because this other Nightmare still stole his baby, and that is unforgivable

@ancientschampionau here's your surprise ! If you're wondering why I asked you about Cross's and Horror's age/responsibility it was because I couldn't decide which one should be 8 and which one should be 4, but I didn't want to spoil so I asked the question like that ;3

Also i HAD to put some angst I love writing angst SO MUCH so here you go, a little bit of angst sprinkled on the fic

Was Nightmare projecting his trauma onto baby Noot ? Yes, yes he was

Hope you'll like it !

I proof read this at 3am so there is a HIGH possibility that there are still mistakes left

[blitzor0de0]

Hihi! Can I pretty please get a Saint Peter x sinner!reader where reader visits heaven with Vaggie and Charlie. Peter and her (or them if readers written as gendernutural) kind of have a love at first sight moment? One shot if possible!

-self proclaimed anon ✖︎

ohoho I know of you anon!! Hopefully this is everything you wanted, made it a life at first sight to a small date between the two !!

cw: none really, brief mention of biblical saint Peter, no y/n used, gn! reader but is referred to as "pretty" once

word count: 1.4k

part 2 part 3 part 4

Holy Ground (Saint Peter x Sinner!Reader)

Now when Charlie suggested that you should join her and Vaggie to visit Heaven.. To say you were surprised would be quite the understatement. You ended up in Hell for a reason so the mere thought of seeing those pearly gates, well it was rather exciting! …And nerve-wracking.

Your belief in Charlie's venture for sinners to be redeemed was an interesting one for sure, a little sceptical, but seeing how enthused and determined the Princess was, well.. You were swayed, and hopefully redemption was on your near future bucket list.

Bidding a quick farewell to your fellow hotel inhabitants you stepped through the portal to face the blinding golden rays of Heaven and its gates.

Dumbfounded, you stared at the exterior, jaw slightly agape not quite fully listening to the couple besides you.

The only thing to break your focus,

“Hiya! Welcome to Heaven. Can I get your name, please?”

Snapping your head in an almost alarming rate to the source of the voice, you found yourself growing increasingly flustered.

The man before you was gorgeous, stunning even.. You weren't even sure if there were any words in the English lexicon to describe the ethereal man before you.

Turquoise eyes, curly blond hair, and an overly cheery, yet silly voice. You had hardly noticed the conversation between Charlie and the keeper of the key.

It was only when Vaggie nudged you with a quirked brow did you regain any sense of normalcy.

In a mild act of bravery you asked his name, it was only polite to do so. With a small surprised expression upon his face alongside a hardly noticeable blush, he went to answer but got interrupted by Sera instead, a small pout taking over his features as the attention was shifted to the two Serafim.

Saint Peter…

His name echoed in your mind. You knew him.. Well of him, one of Jesus’ apostles or something of the sort.. He was a lot different than you expected him to be…

a lot different

You gained a little bit more of intel about him through his song. Overly peppy, charismatic.. a little flirty too, it was rather surprising. Also the moaning during the song.. It felt almost sinful for an angel to do, or so you thought.

So when you, Vaggie, and Charlie split off to venture Heaven’s plaza, you decided it was only fair to scout down the only man who piqued your interest.

Thankfully, he wasn't stationed at his post, opting to reside at the ice cream plaza, sneaking up behind him and spoke a soft “Hi.”

Giggling, you watched him jolt in surprise as he turned to face you, a soft smile growing upon his features.

“Hiya! You're that Sinner accompanying.. Lucifer’s daughter, aren't you? I'm Saint Peter.. though you already know that! You're actually the first person ever to have asked my name at the gates so it took me for quite a surprise!! Oh I'm getting ahead of myself, what's your name?” He rambled.. Cute.

After giving your name to the angel, his smile only grew. “That's a delightful name! How did a pretty thing like you end up in Hell, from what I've seen so far you're up to Heaven's standards.” Peter spoke, subtly flirting.

It was rare for Peter to come in contact with sinners, the thought of how corrupt they must've been in life sent shivers down his spine, but there must've been something different about you.

What you didn't notice when you first arrived were turquoise eyes peering at you from the second your presence was known in Heaven.. Peter was enamoured. Sure everyone in Heaven was hot, he even stated so through song format, but there was a certain sparkle in your eyes when seeing the pearly gates which filled Peter with a sense of pride, his heart almost fluttered.

But then you asked his name.

An act of common courtesy, yet something in Peter’s millennia of existence had never experienced, people were typically so excited with the fact that they made it to Heaven, or wanted to see God, Jesus, a former lover or family member, even Adam. He was just the Keeper of the Key, what did he matter to them?

So asking for his name at the gates, well you may as well have just proposed on the spot, thank the lord he was able to hide his excitement and fluster.

Back to the present, your small blush wasn't unnoticed by the angel, in fact it only egged him on, “Come, sit! Have some ice cream with me, any flavours you prefer, we've got everything here!”

“Everything?” You questioned, taking a seat opposite the angel.

“Mhm! Anything you can imagine we've got. Pistachio, butter pecan, mint choco chip, birthday cake, anything!”

There was that sparkle in your eye again. “Woah..” You spoke breathlessly, “Down in Hell we, uh.. Don't really have ice cream… or anything particularly edible like there was on Earth. In fact I can't even remember the last time I even had ice cream.” You awkwardly laughed, causing Peter’s eyes to widen.

“Seriously?! I had heard things were… forgive my language, rather shitty down there.. But nothing edible?” He looked dumbfounded, how did you survive down there? He quickly perked up. “Well then! I insist, pick as many flavours as you like! My treat.”

“No no, you don't have t-” You were quickly cut off.

“My treat!”

Nodding, you chose the flavours you so desired, and promptly, the sundae glasses were placed in front of the two of you.

Taking your first bite, it was as if you were seeing Heaven… In a figurative sense, you were physically there after all. It was everything you had ever imagined and more.

Peter, watching you with a soft smile, was truly thinking how you ended up in Lucifer's grasp. You were as angelic as it came.

Conversation came easily to the two of you, even explaining the reason for your visit.. Rehabilitation for sinners?

It echoed in Peter's mind. Interesting, very interesting. It was never something that crossed his mind that Hell was overpopulated.

Enthused, stars in his eyes, Peter expressed his encouragement for the three of you. “Seriously? This is huge!! Would add a tonne of workload on me but, if anything, I think the first redeemed soul should be you! You've already shown so much potential, and frankly, I think you deserved to be here in the first place! With the evidence you mentioned Charlie has, there's no doubt that Sera will have to agree! Ooh this is so exciting!” He exclaimed, wings fluttering to match his energy.

“I know! I didn't have a lot of faith in Charlie at the beginning but, that girl is incredibly determined, I won't let this be another failed dream for her, she deserves this..” You spoke fondly, a small sigh escaping your lips before your eyes were filled with shock and realisation of Peter's words.

“Wait. I. What? You seriously think I could manage to get up here? I.. I'm not so sure about that, I haven't really shown any signs of change, or redemption.. I've just been myself the whole time I've been in Hell, well.. besides adapting to, well, everything.”

Peter could only flash you a smile, “Yeah. You deserve it, I'm not sure about these other residents of the hotel you've mentioned, but I'm sure they could make it up here with Charlie's guidance.”

You were stunned, if an important angel like Saint Peter could get on Charlie's side, then it would be no problem getting the Serafim to agree too! Maybe.

“Well, thank you, Peter.. Truly, I'm glad someone here agrees.” You smiled at him, arguably the most genuine smile you had held in your afterlife.

Taking your hand, Peter pressed a small kiss to the back of your hand. “It's no problem at all, anyways, that meeting should be starting soon, right? Best be getting there, Sera isn't fond of late comers.”

Flustered, you stood, holding your hand with your other, a small tingle lingering from his kiss. “R..Right! Well.. Hopefully I'll see you soon, Peter. Thank you”

And with that you left with a little pep in your step, which didn't go unnoticed by Peter, head resting in his hand as he watched you leave.

You made a mental promise to yourself ensuring your path to redemption came before anything else from then on.

[reindeerswillsavethisworld]

Corpse au case fic where the trio decided to try cracking a murder mystery, except instead of angst it's a comedy of errors where they make everything worse.

Like. Danny comes out of a portal dead and translucent and glowing, and there's charred remains of a human body on the floor. So now all three of them are freaking out, and instead of asking for help, or finding an adult, or telling literally ANYONE, they decide to just. Get rid of the body. As one does.

So that's what they do: they break out Tucker's nice shovels (because god forbid Sam's family owned something as pheasant as a shovel, and Danny's too afraid of touching their family's Patented Fenton ShovelsTM for... reasons), they find a nice desolate clearing in the woods, and then they bury Danny's body like one would a very unfortunate hamster who met their demise too soon under very suspicious circumstances. They even stay at the new "grave" in silence for a minute or five in respect and DEFINITELY nothing else, you know. And so, they bury the body, and then they (try to) forget the experience as some horrific nightmare.

And then, a year later, there's an uproar: the Amity Park's police department found the child's remains in the woods! And you see, Amity Park is not THAT big of a town, and the police estimated that the body belonged to a 14-15 year old child, and, look, there's only so many schools in a small town, alright. Obviously, the rumours start very soon in Casper High: about how the kid could've gone to their school, about how they could've died, about whether or not anybody was missing them, about their identity, and some definitely-truthworthy-would-I-lie-to-you-bro-come-on sources insist that the kid was murdered around a year ago, around the time ghosts started showing up. And these rumours obviously reach the ears of Sam, Danny and Tucker.

Now, you would've thought that their first thought would be something like "oh no, they found Danny's body", or "oh no, they know", or even simply "we're sooo fucked". Except. You see, the night they buried the body? It was really cloudy. And dark. And, y'know, it's very easy to get lost in a forest. And they were too high-strung, you see, they completely forgot to leave some sort of a marker or anything. And also like, it was so long ago, you know? A lot have happened, they were sooo busy and the likes, you can't really blame them for forgetting some things.

And here's lies the problem: all three of them just fucking forgot that there was a body left to bury at all.

And then it gets out that the police can't even conduct any sort of DNA test because it became corrupted to the point of being absolutely unrecognisable due to exposure to a large amount of ecto-energy.

It's now looks like a bad set up for a joke: an identifiable body of a child, cause of death unknown; the probable involvement of ghosts or at the very least a very large quantity of ecto-energy; a probable murderer on the loose, which naturally breeds suspicion and speculation; a town full of all kinds of rumours; and a trio of absolute dumbasses, who after hearing that ghosts were involved immediately went to stick their noses where they don't belong.

Rejoice, Amity Park! Sam, Danny and Tucker are now on the case! Except they are all teenagers, and nobody in their right mind will allow teenagers to solve a murder case. Plus, them poking around would be highly suspicious, but Phantom, on the other hand?

(people seeing Phantom helping solve this case and coming to the conclusion that the ghosts were definitely involved was not on their bingo card, but oh well)

They don't go to the cops, obviously: Danny at least in part because he's worried they will call GIW on his ass or try to arrest him, and Sam and Tucker simply because fuck the cops (one because the police is involved in a militaristic, capitalistic corrupted system that breeds injustice and furthers the divide between average people and the wealthy, and the other because cops suck and will probably call GIW on his friend's ass). They also can't go to any other authorities: cops are out of the question, as is the mayor; laboratory personnel will most likely just throw them out; and there're no witnesses or known relatives, so they're stuck.

Therefore they decide that desperate times need desperate measures, and so they enlist all of their ghost allies on a quest, hoping to find the ghost of the kid. Considering the amount of ecto-energy they were subjected to, they MUST have formed a ghost, they only need to find them.

Except. The Ghost Zone is a big place, and they only have so many allies, even if some of them are a queen and a god. So Danny bites the bullet and does the most stupid (debatable) thing he has ever done: he goes to his enemies for help. They're surprisingly understanding and willing to help, even if some of their reasons are a little... strange (Skulker and Johnny entered some sort of competition on who finds the ghost first, Box Ghost starts to seek out coffins (??) and Youngblood is not above to start torturing people to finally have a friend that is not either an adult or a complete stick in the mud). And even then they still can't find the ghost.

In the end Danny goes to Clockwork in a desperate hope that he will be able to glimpse at least a little of what had transpired on the night of the murder, and to Danny's annoyance Clockwork laughs so hard he almost pops a ghost equivalent of a blood vessel.

A few weeks down the line Sam hesitantly brings up Danny's buried corpse ("MY WHAT" "Your corpse which we buried in the woods, Danny, don't you remember?" "Yeah, bro, I think you dissociated the whole time we were digging the hole and carrying your dead body" "WE DID WHAT-"), reasonably saying that, you know, they ALSO technically buried a body in the woods. On that Tucker just shrugs because obviously it was not Danny's body, the place of the burial was way off, he remembers that there was a really big stone to the left of the grave (he doesn't and there wasn't), so they are in the clear. During that exchange Danny's sitting on the floor and having a panic attack, because he really did dissociate the whole time and afterwards legitimately forgot that there was a body to bury at all.

After that conversation all three of them leave with a certainty that Danny's body is still there where they left it, whenever it was. And so the shenanigans continue.

[noxcheshire]

I’ve been kinda thinking this for a while because I know the dpxdc fandom likes thin as a bean and shouldn’t be capable of lifting Superman so easily, buff as a Viking, and as small but so much curves like his mom, Danny Fenton/Phantom.

And I love them all. For various reasons.

But I just thought about something really hard for a second.

Danny died at 14.

He died being small, and young. He became ecto-contaminated in a way so much more different from Vlad who had been blasted in the face by the smallest portion of ecto-portal that infected and corrupted into his skin.

This is in comparison to Danny who literally had a dimension rip open on top and inside of him.

To me, Vlad basically got the equivalent of a mini bomb exploding in his face and came out of it with severe third degree burns that translated into Ghost Acne.

And then we look at it again from their Ghost’s.

Danny’s ghost is that of a 14 year old boy who died in a cold portal in his parents basement.

Vlad who got blasted in college, was a twig and yet his ghost form is buff and aged just like his aged human body.

If he ‘died’ when he got hit by the mini-portal than his ghost would mimic the form he died in.

But he isn’t.

Instead we get Two different spectrums of a ghostly appearance for two halfa’s.

Ghosts who are meant to form as how they had been during the time of their death. Ghosts who will always be at their core the person they died as, the identity of those last seconds before death took them.

That’s the point of ghosts.

The only time it changes is if there are external third factors.

Such as Aragon’s Necklace. Or being able to use something of the living to ‘change shape’ as the Lunch Lady, or stretch yourself into a giant like Walker, and the greatest exception being Amorpho who HAS no identity to begin with. More than likely a thought that was made but never given anything further, and thus his jealousy with identity. Either that or he died never making a solid identity that could carry on into death, thus making him faceless because he didn’t even know who he truly was at that time of death.

Even Spectra is different! She’s more of a poltergeist-demon than an actual Ghost from the way she does things and even from how she looks in ghost form.

So with that, who is actually Human-Ghost and who just happens to be Ghost adjacent enough to get powers?

Danny is a real Halfa and Vlad is just mimicking one.

Now for the Dan, evil-phantom, of the fandom.

Dan is just BUFF.

He’s an adult. He GREW.

But it wasn’t due to Danny.

It was due to whatever he took from Vlad/Plasmius.

To me, Plasmius was just the ecto that resided in Vlad. All that anger and resentment that gave birth to itself from Vlad’s own anger at what he went through with the mini-portal. It was ecto that was residing in him, ecto from the Infinite Realms itself that was made INTO an idea and then given form.

Ecto that lived, Venom-style, in Vlad.

An idea that grew up with Vlad BECAUSE Vlad was growing up himself. He wasn’t thinking of himself as that scrawny college student anymore. He was becoming an adult so of course the ecto would mimic that idea of Vlad and make Plasmius older too.

Plasmius was a fairy tale that Vlad made up, and that’s why Dan was able to rip that part out of Vlad like it was it’s own true ghost. But it wasn’t, and so it collapsed without its person to control it. At least until Dan dove into the ecto and took the ideas that were there and intertwined himself with it.

Those YEARS of ideas isn’t so easily brushed away either, and even less so when Danny and Vlad had believed that Plasmius was Vlad’s ghost, a halfa just like Danny. So of course Dan would believe in the idea that he took/ate Vlad’s ghost. And that idea would spread because ecto is just another form of power and vitality. So of course that ecto should change Dan.

And then it did.

It changed his colors first and then eventually his physical form.

Thus we have Buff older Dan.

Now back to Danny.

With all that, this means that Phantom is never going to age.

Because Danny did die that day. He died, and only came back because the dimensional rip of ecto from the Infinite Realms tied his ghost neatly into his human body. The human body that just died.

He isn’t alive, his ghost that is tied to the body is simply puppeteering it. And as the Infinite Realms is literally all of time and space throughout every single multiverse in existence, it’s not too far of a shot to say that it could snatch that very moment, that heartbeat Danny craves restlessly, the heartbeat just before he truly died entirely.

Danny is a moment in time.

So his ghost will never age. And neither will his body.

Basically, Danny is forever an eternal 14 year old twig and he will be so very mad about it.

[fandomtrashcan]

Hunter's in game detailed suit and Midnight Suns Lore Dump.

Hunter is Marvel's Midnight Suns protagonist and Road to Recovery co-protagonist. If you haven't played the game you might be a little bit confused about her background and what's going on behind the scenes so beware: big text ahead.

According to the game's lore, centuries ago, Hunter was born the only child of an ordinary man and a powerful immortal. When Hunter’s father fell victim to a plague, Hunter’s mother, the sorceress Lilith, was consumed by grief and ended up striking a deal with Cthon itself, selling her soul in the process and permanently corrupting Hunter when they were still a baby.

Hunter was raised in secret by Lilith's sister, Sara, also known as Caretaker. She was raised and trained as a living weapon since they were a child, destined to face their mother. This goes to the extent that they don't have a real name besides their title as Hunter.

When Hunter came of age, they fought against Lilith with the Old Midnight Suns, their former team. In the end, Hunter defeated Lilith but perished in the process.

Both were buried for centuries, until Lilith was awoken by Doctor Faustus working for Hydra, her devastating powers augmented and amplified by modern technology and magic. Hunter was resurrected as well, to lead a new team of Midnight Suns.

The new Midnight Suns are composed by Robbie Reyes, Illyana Rasputin, Nico Minoru and Blade, who had already been training for a while when the Avengers arrived to the Abbey so they could join forces against the upcoming Apocalypsis. Since then, the young Midnight Suns have found themselves sidelined and are not very enthusiastic about it.

Most of the action of Road to Recovery takes place in The Abbey, Hunter's ancestral home, and the present-day makeshift base of the Midnight Suns, located within a pocket dimension on the cursed grounds of Old Salem in Salem, Massachusetts. The Midnight Suns use Illyana's portals as a means to get out of the Abbey and reaching their missions locations. The Abbey counts with a Training Yard and The Grotto, a small lake that serves as pool for the Abbey's residents to relax. It's also surrounded by extensive patches of haunted land and forest.

In the game, Hunter is a customizable character. This version of the Hunter is female and identifies as such. Since the game dates don't make a lot of sense (Hunter is supposed to be 18 but mentions having been slaying demons for decades), this Hunter was born in 1690 and died in 1713 at 23 years of age, but has been going out in missions and hunting monsters since she was a teen.

[tenderleavesbob]

To fix the timeline, they needed to break the timeline.

Lana watched the trio of heroes and bit her lip. She wrung her hands silently, keeping to the shadows so no one saw her distress. They might ask and she didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t tell the truth. This had to happen. This was a piece missing from the timeline, one that had baffled her/Cia for thousands of years.

The timeline needed to break. For Tune to even be born, the timeline needed to break.

Captain Link looked as beautiful as ever as he spoke with Tune and Mask. Lana’s heart ached as she looked at him. Most of the other warriors had traveled home. Some would stay. She had searched for the home of Marin and her people, but that was another mystery not even she could solve.

Lana knew she shouldn’t. She needed to finish with the portals and then leave herself. Heal the shattered timeline once and for all and leave her own broken heart behind. Maybe her split from Cia wasn’t complete, though. Maybe some of the corruption lingered. Whatever the reason, Lana found herself creeping closer to the trio. She wanted to hear his voice again before she resumed her protective role.

“I’m going to miss you both so much,” Tune was saying, holding tight to Captain Link and Mask. 

For once, Mask had no snark to offer. He didn’t look triumphant. He looked devastated, like Ganon had won. He had a white-knuckle grip on the captain, and Link’s grip was just as tight back.

Link smiled at both of them, anyway. Lana hated herself for how she admired him right then. His tears made his blue eyes shine like jewels. “I’m going to miss you both, too. So much.” He leaned down and kissed Tune’s hair, then Mask’s. “But you two are going to go home and see your loved ones again and go on more adventures. I’m sure you’ll forget this crusty old captain in no time.”

Mask sniffled and buried his face in Link’s chest. “No,” he said at last. “No, I won’t. I don’t want to leave.”

Link closed his eyes like Mask’s words had physically pained him. “Goddess, Mask, if I could, I would keep you forever. You know that. But you have your own time waiting for you. Your own destiny --”

“I’ve completed plenty of adventures by now!” Mask cut off sharply. He pulled back from Link but didn’t lose his white-knuckled grip on him. He was crying in earnest now, and when Link opened his eyes, he began silently weeping, too. “Tune has his family waiting for him back home, but I don’t! You know that! My family is here!” He sniffled and only let go of Link to angrily wipe at his face. “Don’t send me away!”

“Mask…” Tune tenderly touched his shoulder, tears streaming down his own face, but Mask knocked his hand away. His desperate gaze never left Link’s heartbroken face.

It was time for Lana to intercede. She braced herself and forced a bright smile. She had her own duty to complete. “He’s right.”

All three heroes whipped around to face her. The spirit of the hero shone brightly in all of them, brighter than their tears, even with how Mask and Link had been born with it and how Tune had independently claimed it for his own. “Lana?” Link rasped. Lana didn’t think Link caught how he clutched at both boys, like Lana was going to steal them away.

“Mask is right,” Lana explained. It wasn’t quite a lie. Not really. Not with how the timelines worked. “If everyone is all right with it… it won’t damage his timeline if he isn’t sent home with the rest.”

That was both one of the greatest lies she had ever told and one of the few real truths. Mask had to stay. He had to. He would stay, and his timeline would splinter into another part.

Lana’s eyes flickered toward Tune’s flushed, tear-damp face. If the splinter didn’t occur, Tune’s timeline would never be born.

“He can stay?” Link demanded hoarsely. He grabbed Mask and yanked him back into his arms. Mask clung to him and hid his face in Link’s tunic, small shoulders shaking.

Both Link and Lana looked at Tune, who leaned into Link’s side. “I know I can’t,” Tune said simply, without fanfare. “But I’m happy one of us can.” He touched Mask’s shoulder again. This time, Mask didn’t hit him. “You have to keep an eye on our captain for us both now, Mask. You can’t leave him alone. He’ll do something stupid for sure.”

Mask made an odd, wet sound and then grabbed Tune back into their hug. “Damn straight I will.”

“Language,” Link scolded, but he didn’t put an ounce of feeling into it. He began crying anew as he looked at Lana. “He can really stay?”

“He can really stay,” Lana agreed and felt the small crack in time form.

When the evil returned and the land needed a hero, the hero would not respond. He would be safely at home in Captain Link’s era, Link’s beloved younger brother and charge. They would both have their happily-ever-after. After all of this, it was the least that was owed to them.

“You can stay,” Link whispered disbelievingly, hugging Mask close. Oblivious to the countless people who would drown when the hero did not answer the call.

“I’m home,” Mask whispered back, just as disbelieving. 

To fix the timeline, first Lana needed to break it. Looking at the small family in front of her, Lana couldn’t bring herself to regret it.

[radiance1]

Phantom and Plasmius get miniaturized by Fenton technology, they became what the Fenton's deemed a 'harmless' size. Literally only as big as the average baby, then they got taken by the two scientists down into their lab.

Plasmius took this in stride, however, Jack was an eyesore as always, but he saw this as an opportunity to get close to Maddie. Danny actively mocked him for it, but he was looking for a way to get out of their lab.

He's honestly hoping Jazz would notice he's missing and put the pieces together.

Their powers were a bit wonky right now, even more so after the Fenton's made something small enough to put on them to suppress their more, dangerous, powers by disrupting the flow of ectoplasm inside their bodies in the form of a damn collar.

The experiments the Fenton's performed had to be modified of course, thanks to their smaller size, but they were no less cruel. Danny knew his parents hated ghosts, but he never knew the full brunt of that hate extended so far, they didn't even treat him like he was intelligent, they regarded him as a pet- no, less than a pet.

Meanwhile Vlad, he was at first self-assured, wanting to woo Maddie this way, then it turned into surprise and then horror. He wasn't all that surprised by the experiments, no, he could see himself doing them as well if he weren't half ghost, but he was horrified that he had to participate in them.

A part of him wondered what would happen if he were to expose that he was half human, and he tried. He tried to show them that he was human, but they just wrote it off as a ghost imitating their family friend.

If he thought the previous experiments were cruel, they had nothing on the ones to do after that.

Which just made Danny even more sure that he shouldn't reveal his identity.

So after a multitude of experiments, where neither Danny nor Vlad knew how long it went on for, they planned for an escape. A plan which they acted on when Jack and Maddie left for a rather long period of time, Vlad made Danny walk out of the ghost shield since he wasn't chained up like he was and turn off the ghost shield.

Vlad and Danny managed to find the blueprints for the collar, rewriting it until the damn thing fell off their necks and then escaped into the ghost portal. Vlad was a bit miffed about having to leave behind all his wealth and the packers, but he would get over it, meanwhile Danny had to leave basically his entire life behind.

Not everyone was socially for 20 years like Vlad, so.

They would still try and kill the other occasionally, but now it was more to the ghost standard of bonding by fighting. They also formed some weird, fucked up form of comradery via having both been experiments to people they knew and liked.

They landed in a new dimension, one where quite literally nobody knew who they were or what they were. Vlad did what he did before, overshadowing a multitude of small yet successful companies and taking over them and their wealth, only the 'corrupted' ones at Danny's very vocal insistence.

Perhaps you could call it sympathy, pity, or something of the like. But Vlad used a good portion of his newly acquired money to help along the 'meta-humans' that inhabit this new dimension, with the added benefit of helping himself of course as both he and Danny would be categorized as one because of their size and abilities most likely.

Vlad drowned himself in a fuck ton of work, throwing a part of his attention into taking care of his new business and getting it back on the level that the one he left behind was on. The other part of his attention was thrown into finding Danny schooling that wouldn't be bigoted towards Meta-humans and would also serve as a place where Danny could (hopefully) become well connected with the children of high society.

Which took him to Gotham city, while he cannot ensure that the other students wouldn't bully him for his extremely tiny size, he could at least ensure the education and opportunities would be adequate.

Now he just had to find a way to acquaint himself for one Brucie Wayne and the rest of the Gotham elites.

[jo-harrington]

Charitas. (An As Above, So Below Story)

Gratia. Charitas. Solamen. Grace. Charity. Peace. The oath of the Knights of the Holy Order.

Summary: You and Eddie--separated by time and endless suffering--don't realize how many strings keep you connected on the web of fate. What players are there trying to cut those strings? And when will you both find out that they are unbreakable?

Word Count: 3.7k

Pairing: Eddie Munson/Fem!OC (The Knight - Written in 2nd Person POV - You/Your - No Use of Names of Physical Descriptors)

Warnings/Themes: Soulmates, Kas!Eddie, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Grief, Minor Character Deaths, Manipulation, Transformation, Corruption, Supernatural Encounters, Religious Elements, Discussion/Criticism of Religion, Biblical and Other Literary and Pop Culture References

Note: Sorry this one has taken forever. The next part is already written, just gotta clean it up. Shouting out @powderblueblood and @rosewaterandivy for being my fellow media vacuums and not only enabling me to do this/what's next but also Powder specifically for her love of the Archie-verse because CAoS is one of my favorites and why would I not let the Knight get a chance to face Faustus Blackwood one on one while also maybe alluding to The VVitch and criticizing religion even more?

You can find my masterlist here.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

“But the rage passes and leaves no trace behind.” ― Rainer Maria Rilke, Sonnets to Orpheus

November 12, 1986

You'd developed a dislike for small towns.

Hawkins might still be home in some ways, but it was more because of the people who had lived there--the memories--than the town itself. But it, too, fell into the category of small towns that you'd grown to hate:

Small, unassuming places that held some kind of dark, terrible, dangerous secret. Atrocities in the making.

You'd walked into Hawkins fully oblivious to the monsters that lurked there, though.

Here and now, with Greendale, you were almost too aware.

Jinette had entirely too much to say about it and that unsettled you.

Strange energies and missing children and sudden turns of fortune for seemingly innocent townspeople. Rituals performed in the woods and a possible portal straight to hell.

"I'll knock on the door," you joked as you read through a report he'd provided about the Greendale Mines. "Maybe I'll get some kind of time off for good behavior if I hand Satan my soul in person, instead of waiting to die for him to take it."

Jinette ignored you; jokes were lost on the clergy.

Instead of a lecture though, he simply gave you a warning: to be on the lookout for witches.

"Thought the Order vowed not to discriminate against religions," you'd scoffed at him. He ignored you again and just sent you on your way.

The Order against discrimination? Sure. The Catholic Church? Definitely not. And Jinette? The most judgmental bastard of all.

Still, his warning was front and center as you felt an unnatural, chilling frequency of magic in the air upon your arrival in Greendale.

"Let's get this over with," you slammed the door shut and shouldered your backpack so you could start investigating.

Greendale was nice enough--it had that hazy, natural beauty of the late fall that was synonymous with upstate New York--and if you weren't in such a sour mood, you probably would've enjoyed it. This stage of your work was always somewhat fun. Talking to people and learning local histories, seeing different buildings as you walked around, eating a little lunch at some hole-in-the-wall off-the-beaten-path type of place.

But you were surrounded by ghosts. Both literal and figurative.

Someone died on that street corner, heart stopped cold as though someone had stuck a pin in it.

There was a bakery that had apricot kołaczkis; not Italian but still one of Nonna's favorites.

The dentists office used to belong to a serial killer who'd never been caught; the spirits of his victims rapped on the little window at street-level, begging to be let out even decades later.

Cerberus Books was a beacon for classic horror with neon lights and mannequins dressed as monsters in the windows...and Eddie would have loved it.

You fought the urge to flinch as you felt the phantom feeling of his hand in yours, his voice in your ear urging you to go inside and look around.

You closed your eyes and took several calming breaths to clear your mind. Little by little those ghosts were banished and you'd regained your cool, your focus.

If the Order wanted you to be a weapon, you would be one. You'd break whatever darkness lurked in Greendale and then onto the next job, and the next one, and the next one. Until you could go home. Your real home.

Then you wouldn't need to rely on ghosts anymore.

Or fear them.

Your world was knocked off its axis as someone exited Cerberus Books and crashed into you. Even moreso as a surge of unearthly, dark power clashed with your heavenly one, and you fought the urge to tap into that power to repel the intruding force away from you.

The man that crashed into you grabbed your shoulders to steady you before you fell, and you breathed in the smoke-and-brimstone tinged air that surrounded him. It was suffocating and further tapped into that instinct towards defensiveness.

But as you regained your bearing, all you could see was how unassuming he looked.

Truly, his visage belied that imposing aura--a kind older man in a suit and fedora, with neatly-trimmed facial hair, and a gentle smile--but you could sense that he was a witch, just as he sensed you were...

What were you?

He held you there for a moment and you watched as his brow quirked. He read you, just as you read him. A mutual discovery. Tenuous, so as not to alarm one another, but curious.

Although naturally adverse, you could sense no danger to each other.

"I'm so sorry," he apologized softly. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"N-No, no," you insisted. "I was caught up in my head, it's my fault."

"You're...new to Greendale." he stated.

"Just driving through," you answered, an excuse that was well-used in the past few years. This time you had a feeling you meant it. "Maybe sticking around for a few days."

"The diner has a great cherry pie."

"Cherry's my boyfriend's favorite."

"Is he traveling with you?"

Yes.

It was on the tip of your tongue. Because yes, actually he was just here with you. The memory of him, the ghost of him. You wished he was, and maybe that was enough to make him real.

Maybe that was enough so this witch felt him.

"No," you said instead. "It's just me."

His gaze softened as you continued to study each other. You held out your hand to him.

"Anyway, I should get going," you told him and you held out your hand to shake. "Thank you for the recommendation, and sorry again Mr..."

"Spellman," he replied, hands letting go of your shoulders so he could shake yours, but his words were like a shot to your heart. "Edward Spellman."

November 6, 1983

Henry was an observer, a thinker, a visionary.

He took care of them, offered mercy when he wasn't required to. He simply demanded obedience in return for all that he provided for his children in the Upside Down.

But for some reason beyond understanding, chaos had broken out.

And he was livid.

Eddie stood tall and received the images that his master filtered through his mind; strange growths, riotous creatures, and the partial reformation of the beast that Henry himself gave life to: the Mindflayer.

All with a will of their own.

"You must fix this," Henry demanded of his right hand, his general. "You must restore order."

The efforts of the physical communication winded him, as he was still fragile and healing from the attack by Eleven's friends, so he continued to relay unspoken demands through the collective consciousness. He strained to spread his authority as far through the dimension as he could.

Destroy the malcontents or you shall be destroyed.

A warning not just for Eddie, but for any of the creatures that resided under his rule to reconsider their rebellion before they met their demise.

Then came a jarring mental image of a wasteland of bodies, torn apart but still writhing and alive. The pain that would come in the wake of any betrayal would be immense, and he would keep all of them alive for as long as he saw fit to extend their suffering.

No Gods or devils could enact the devastation he could, if only they tested him.

"Does that mean you too?" you sowed doubt inside of him. "The destruction? What would happen if you didn't listen?"

Eddie stiffened as he felt the tug of your presence at the corner of his mind, hidden in that deep, dark pit. A spark amidst the void. He growled, both in acceptance of Henry's orders and to silence you.

"Do you know what this reminds me of?" He fought the urge to twitch under Henry's all-knowing gaze as you continued. "The Emperor. And Vader. Do you remember Return of the Jedi?"

His mind was a flurry of images again, these vague and distant though, twining with the ones that Henry had just relayed to him: spaceships and planets and furry little creatures, and Vader towering over Luke--

"Do you question me?" Henry snapped at him, gnarled body shaking with the effort. Eddie's eyes focused on his master once more. "Beast?"

He ducked his head and growled again. Grumbled. Repentant in his errors.

"Question him," you hissed, emboldened to no longer stay buried and hidden in the pit but slithering along his skin. Unseen, but acutely felt. "Do it. What's happening? Why are they rebelling? Ask him."

He let the growl turn into a roar, a battle cry and a warning to keep you silent. He then took to the air, determined to succeed in snuffing out this insurgent blight that had taken root in the Upside Down.

His master needed him, relied on him.

He wouldn't fail.

No matter how much you tempted him to.

November 14, 1986

To find witches, one often had to think like a witch.

Though the term witch when it came to those who practiced magic was just as broad as the term Abrahamic when it came to some of the so-called “major” religions of the world. One of your fellow Knights considered themselves a witch, more of a polytheist with an affinity for Hecate, but they derived their abilities from nature.

Technically you did too, your powers rooted as deep within the earth as they were tied to the Heavens.

Maybe it was all the same? Or maybe it was all bullshit.

The type of witch that you were looking for though, the type that Edward Spellman was, was something else. Dark rituals, blood curses, deals with demons, names signed in books, machinations with The Devil himself.

“Arthur Miller was popping a boner somewhere right now,” you muttered.

You supposed it felt a little unsettling, but less in a way that made you fearful, and more in the way that oil floated on water. Similar, both liquids, just...not meant to mix.

Which is why you kept yourself calm and open minded.

"I'm not here to kill them," you reminded yourself. "Find out why innocents are disappearing...stop them, maybe...but they'll carry on unharmed."

Truly, you could have just followed Edward Spellman as he went about his business in town, but you figured that that would have probably been as suspicious and rude as you could get.

That's why you enacted your own sort of a tracking spell.

Witches didn't always move in the world like mortals did; they transmuted, teleported, moved along the shadows cast by clouds and trees and blades of grass.

But if you reached out…asked the clouds and trees and grass to show you what they’d seen? Well, then it would be impossible for them to stay hidden.

So you walked.

Left your car at the motel and set foot into the lush forests surrounding Greendale, letting instinct guide you.

The further away from town you got, the more unruly your surroundings became, until you ended up following an old, overgrown set of railroad tracks deeper into the wilderness. Bats or birds--you couldn't quite tell--flew overhead; omens of some sort urging you to give up and go back to safety.

"How bad could it be?" you asked aloud, only to skid to a halt as something larger and shadowy crossed your path ahead.

Once again, you couldn't make out what it was, but the energy it left behind felt dangerous and smokey, an ephemeral stain of dark magic.

You took a calming breath and clenched your fists, ready for whatever you might find, and soldiered on.

Eventually, the treeline thinned, and power lines sprung up along the track, and then a structure. Large, looming, and made of stone and glass; it was overgrown with dead ivy and surrounded by tall, dry grasses.

Gehenna Station.

You scoffed at the name, at the implication, but the longer you observed the structure, the more you felt the underlying darkness that churned within. In fact, the longer you stared, the less sure you seemed to feel of the building's existence itself. Your eyes started to lose focus of the structure; your perception wavered, almost like it didn't want you to know that it was there.

Maybe it wasn't even there at all?

"Good afternoon Miss."

You whirled on your heel, ready to defend yourself, only to find a young boy standing there. His eyes were large, cheeks round and soft, and there was a small smile on his lips; kindness and innocence emanated from him, but also a deep sadness.

It didn't take long for you to realize that he was dead.

"You don't belong here," he stated matter-of-factly. "You should go."

"I'm here to help," you told him instead. There was no duplicity when it came to ghosts; they could see through you, no pun intended. "Kids are dying. Kids like you. Can you tell me what happened? I can try to stop it and find you some peace."

His brow furrowed, and he pouted.

Then he held his hand out to you, palm upwards for you to lay your own hand in his small grasp. You hesitated for a moment, but gave in.

He was solid and your hand didn't sink through his form like you expected. But as your palms touched, you saw.

A dank cell illuminated by the moonlight with sights that would drive one insane.

A desolate forest full of dead trees and a clawed beast that slunk unseen.

And a looming tree laden with thirteen rotten apples and a swinging noose.

The Harrowing. And it truly was as it's name described, as you watched one child after another succumb to the trials.

You blinked and the images were gone, but the sound of screaming still rang in your ears.

"It's always been this way, Miss," the boy said sadly as he pulled his hand away again. "You can't help us. No one can."

Something burned in your chest at his words, the finality of it, the acceptance of this fate. How many times had you heard that from your father or Jinette or the other Knights? This is the way it always would be. Cycles. Downward spirals.

You'd already decided that that would end with you.

This would too.

"The hell I can't."

You let go of the boy's hand, turned back towards Gehenna Station, and started walking.

Every step felt heavier and heavier, but you proceeded onwards until the doors of the building opened of their own volition and then slammed shut behind you once you were inside.

November 6, 1983

Eddie soared over the vast landscape of the Upside Down alone.

He had gotten used to flying with legions of bats at his sides, wings beating in tandem. It was a euphoric experience to be with them. Be one with them. To dip and roll, swarm, and even play.

He tried calling out to them through the bond—

Help me, the master demands your cooperation, your obedience.

—but there was no response. Not even a reluctant one.

It was irritating. He was leader after Henry, for all intents and purposes. Even their friend in some cases, their own flesh and blood.

Why wouldn't they come at his call?

He could feel them. Some waiting in the trees, cowering. Some were tempted to fly with him, soar with him, safe with him in the lead.

But there was something in the air that stopped them from answering the call.

A strange sense of foreboding, a shift in the presence of the dimension itself. A change in frequency, in the fragile balance of control that Henry had over everything.

Even the particles floating around him didn’t seem right.

“Are you sure he’s in control?” you whispered deep within him. “Are you sure Vecna is telling you the truth?”

Of course, you were still there clinging to the edges of the pit inside of him, snatching at his thoughts like the parasite you were.

He curled his lip and growled at you again, willing you to be silent. But you simply refused. Whispering worries and warnings.

It was curious how your tone had changed. You seemed weaker here. Unsure. In contrast to how you’d been earlier in his master’s presence. There was a tenuous quality to you now.

He had considered, more than once, that you were some machination of Henry’s. To weed out the disloyalty in him. A little remnant of his humanity to taunt him and tempt him. A test.

But even with unhindered access to Eddie’s mind, there were simply things Henry couldn’t be bothered with. Memory, emotion, humanity. Those were all things he sought to destroy when he created the perfect weapon.

All of the things that you tried to bring out of him.

“Be careful,” were the final words slithering from you before you went silent once again.

He scoffed despite the pang in the hollow space where his heart should be.

Careful.

That was another indicator that you couldn’t possibly be of Henry’s design.

Careful wasn’t in his nature anymore.

Had it ever been, though? Even when he was alive, even when he was truly Eddie Munson, had he ever been cautious or careful? If he had been, he wouldn’t have brought Chrissy Cunningham to his trailer that fateful night.

Then he wouldn’t have shed that fragile body and become something greater.

This was fate.

He could feel you scoff at the thought now, and he grinned ferally, hoping his great and dark destiny would keep you quiet.

His wings beat harder, propelled him faster, motivated by the thought of some peace and quiet from you. At the prospect of being his master’s great weapon and champion.

He preened so hard, he didn’t realize how human the action actually was.

Until he crossed some seemingly invisible threshold, some metaphorical membrane made up of static electricity, that made everything go quiet.

The constant buzz of the hive mind was suddenly gone, thousands of consciousnesses silent, and his body seized momentarily as he reacted to the tangible loss.

Everything felt harder to do--breathing, thinking, feeling--and he went into freefall.

Down he went. Falling and flailing, air whipping about him. If he thought flying had been a freeing feeling, falling was another kind of freedom; something deep down and dark inside of him welcomed it, the prospect of a hard and fast demise.

But as his eyes drooped closed, the phantom feeling of your hands grasped at him, encircled his torso and willed him to take flight once more. Your phantasmic voice sounded underwater to his uncooperative ears, to his non-existent soul, as you screamed for him.

“Eddie!” His name brought him back into focus as hands grasped his face. Your invisible touch was electric and abruptly brought the world back into focus. “Eddie, wake up!”

He gasped a breath as your spark kickstarted his reflexes, but it was simply too late. He crashed heavily into the ground, barreling through the earth, until he came to a halt.

His body, unbreakable, seemingly bent with the impact. His ears rang, he couldn’t move, couldn’t think.

There was a distinct absence of being.

An absence of everything.

But he swore, before he lost himself, he saw the impossible.

He saw your face.

November 14, 1986

The inside of Gehenna Station was exactly what you expected.

That is to say, it was nothing that you expected; you had expected the unexpected.

If you reached out with your consciousness, you felt...a vast infinity. Halls that led everywhere, rooms of an unimaginable quantity. No wonder the outside of the building felt as if it wasn't there, because it really wasn't. This pocket reality was folded inside of it.

And what this pocket reality was, was a school.

A suspiciously empty school.

There were empty classrooms and hallways, an auditorium with a slide projector showing a list of incantations on a screen at the front, a cafeteria with trays of abandoned lunches.

You explored and searched--looking for someone, anyone--until you found yourself back in the main atrium, before a statue of a man with a goat's head and lower body, winged, with two fingers pointed up and two pointing down, surrounded by statues of children.

Baphomet.

"Interesting," you muttered as you encircled it.

You'd think a place like this, a place of satanic witches, would have some kind of idolatry towards Satan himself. Traditional depictions of devils and demons, maybe even some kind of artistic imagery of the archangel Lucifer?

Not this.

Your thoughts raced.

Hadn't you just contemplated your fellow Knights and their differences of beliefs outside? Yes. And that was where the mystery of this school and these witches remained. Everything had meaning; imagery like this had meaning, words had meaning.

Gehenna had ties to Hell and eternal suffering, places of divine punishment, and yet this was a school. A place for children to learn and grow. And Baphomet? People often mistook it for something sinister but Baphomet symbolized balance, the equilibrium of opposites; as above, so below and all that. Equal light and darkness inside everyone and everything. Peace at finding a balance with it. Equality in all and for all.

How could a statue that depicted children, trusting and reverent, stand for an institution that killed kids?

You supposed that the contradictions found here were akin to those in your own beliefs; how the church was supposed to be merciful, but you only found wickedness--like Jinette...like yourself--tied to it. That's how you were in this mess in the first place; someone using God as a justification to kill and steal.

"Guess all religions are shit," you snorted.

That's why you needed to find out what was actually happening here and stop it.

Unfortunately, in your rumination, you'd let your guard down.

You felt it before you saw it, the slide of your sneaker on the uneven floor. When you looked down to investigate, the tiles--made to look like a thousand eyes--began to fall away right under you.

The last thing you did before the floor beneath you disappeared and you fell into some dark oblivion wasn't an attempt to save yourself or find something to hang onto.

Instead you snorted and thought:

Guess the whole thing about being delivered right to Satan wasn't such a joke after all.

"I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil." — Marilyn Monroe

[superlinguo]

Research Data Management. Or, How I made multiple backups and still almost lost my honours thesis.

This is a story I used to tell while teaching fieldworkers and other researchers about how to manage their data. It’s a moderately improbable story, but it happened to me and others have benefited from my misadventures. I haven't had reason to tell it much lately, and I thought it might be useful to put into writing. This is a story from before cloud storage was common - back when you could, and often would, run out of online email storage space. Content note: this story includes some unpleasant things that happened to me, including multiple stories of theft (cf. moderately improbable). Also, because it's stressful for most of the story, I want to reassure you that it does have a happy conclusion. It explains a lot of my enthusiasm for good research data management. In Australia, 'honours' is an optional fourth year for a three year degree. It's a chance to do some more advanced coursework and try your hand at research, with a small thesis project. Of course, it doesn't feel small when it's the first time you've done a project that takes a whole year and is five times bigger than anything you’ve ever written. I've written briefly about my honours story (here, and here in a longer post about my late honours supervisor Barb Kelly) . While I did finish my project, it all ended a bit weirdly when my supervisor Barb got ill and left during the analysis/writing crunch. The year after finishing honours I got an office job. I hoped to maybe do something more with my honours work, but I wasn't sure what, and figured I would wait until Barb was better. During that year, my sharehouse flat was broken into and the thief walked out with the laptop I'd used to do my honours project. The computer had all my university files on it, including my data and the Word version of my thesis. I lost interview video files, transcriptions, drafts, notes and everything except the PDF version I had uploaded to the University's online portal. Uploading was optional at the time, if I didn't do that I probably would have just been left with a single printed copy. I also lost all my jewellery and my brother’s base guitar, but I was most sad about the data (sorry bro). Thankfully, I made a backup of my data and files on a USB drive that I kept in my handbag. This was back when a 4GB thumb drive was an investment. That Friday, feeling sorry for myself after losing so many things I couldn't replace, I decided to go dancing to cheer myself up. While out with a group of friends, my bag was stolen. It was the first time I had a nice handbag, and I still miss it. Thankfully, I knew to make more than one back up. I had an older USB that I'd tucked down the back of the books on my shelf (a vintage 256MB drive my dad kindly got for me in undergrad after a very bad week when I lost an essay to a corrupted floppy disk). When I went to retrieve the files, the drive was (also) corrupted. This happens with hard drives sometimes. My three different copies in three different locations were now lost to me.

Thankfully, my computer had a CD/DVD burner. This was a very cool feature in the mid-tens, and I used to make a lot of mixed CDs for my friends. During my honours project I had burned backed up files on some discs and left them at my parents house. It was this third backup, kept off site, which became the only copy of my project. I very quickly made more copies. When Barb was back at work, and I rejoined her as a PhD student, it meant we could return to the data and all my notes. The thesis went through a complete rewrite and many years later was published as a journal article (Gawne & Kelly 2014). It would have probably never happened if I didn’t have those project files. I continued with the same cautious approach to my research data ever since, including sending home SD cards while on field trips, making use of online storage, and archiving data with institutional repositories while a project is ongoing.

I’m glad that I made enough copies that I learnt a good lesson from a terrible series of events. Hopefully this will prompt you, too, to think about how many copies you have, where they’re located, and what would happen if you lost access to your online storage.