#which is usually an immediate banishment

[alsoanyways]

wait wait wait okay so if Sol kept up the veiling after marrying Lazul, being unveiled in the aftermath of the Incident would add like so much to the devastation actually

[pinkiemachine]

ALSO, for my Legend of Korra Rewrite, there’s an opera house in Republic City, and they do their own production of “The Boy in the Iceberg.”

It’s heavily inspired by Beijing/Peking Opera, native to China, and I’ve been having way too much fun writing this truly ridiculous, over romanticised version of the original AtLA story 😂 First off, the costumes and props—Now, Peking Opera has a set of rules/guidelines for what colours mean what, which costumes go to what kind of character, and which face paint is appropriate for this and that person, but hardly any of it aligns with the world of AtLA, so it will have its own rules. Naturally, the people are colour coded. Blue = Water Tribe, Red = Fire Nation, Green = Earth kingdom, Yellow = Air Bender. How can you tell if a character is royalty or super important? If they’re wearing any kind of elaborate headpiece. How can you tell who the Avatar is? The Avatar alone has special face paint that covers his entire face. Also, how light or dark their clothing is can inform you of their badness level, and also also, if a character’s hands are covered, it usually means they are hiding something or are very sly and cunning.

Then there’s the bending. Airbending is represented by the staff illustrated above, with two tufts of blue fluffy stuff on either end, similar to what the Ember Island Players did. This prop is very similar to a real one used in Peking Opera. Waterbending is achieved in two forms, either with long sleeves or ribbons, both used for dancing. Also straight from Peking Opera. Fire Bending is achieved through flags/staffs very similar to Peking Opera and the Ember Island Players alike. Finally, Earthbending comes across more like hand-to-hand combat in the choreography, because they use large fans to represent their element, inspired by Kiyoshi, and real life Peking Opera.

Now, the story is hilariously fun—it’s been eighty years since the events of the war, and the story has been dramatised to the Poles and back—so strap in and just imagine what the Gaang would be saying in reaction to all of this 😂

Once, there was a prince and a princess of the Southern Water Tribe. Prince Sokka was a brave and mighty warrior, and Princess Katara was the most beautiful and intelligent woman in all the South Pole. One day, they happened across a glowing iceberg, and from within emerged the Avatar! Avatar Aang was a very playful and mischievous boy (think “The Monkey King”), and upon seeing the beautiful Princess Katara, he immediately fell in love and proposed to her. But the mighty Prince Sokka took offence at such cheekiness, and challenged Avatar Aang to a duel to defend his sister’s honour. Here we have the first of many action scenes. Ultimately, Avatar Aang defeats the prince, proving his worth and proving that he is in fact the real Avatar, but when he asks the princess again if she’ll marry him, she replies that she might, if he can teach her to waterbend.

It’s about this time that Zuko, the Banished Prince of the Fire Nation, and his uncle, General Iroh, the Dragon of the West, arrive to capture the Avatar!

They are unsuccessful of course, and Team Avatar escapes. They go to the Southern Air Temple where Avatar Aang grieves the loss of his people, and then he suddenly gets a vision from his past life, Avatar Roku. Here, it is explained that Sozin’s comet is fast approaching, and Avatar Aang must learn all four elements before it comes, or else the whole world will burn. Having received his instructions, the team sets a course for the North Pole. (Oh, and Momo is represented by an actor who’s a type of “clown” as Peking Opera puts it. There to be the comic relief. Not sure if I want the same for Appa…)

At the North Pole, Aang and Katara learn waterbending, and the Chief throws a massive party to celebrate the return of the Avatar. This is where Prince Sokka meets Princess Yue of the Northern Tribe, and they fall madly in love. But it is not to last. Zuko and Iroh have arrived with a Fire Nation fleet and lay siege to the city of the North. In their darkest hour, just before the city falls, Princess Yue sacrifices herself to the Moon Spirit, saving everyone, but losing her mortality in the process. It is said that she now lives on the moon, weeping to this very day for the loss of her one true love. (Keeping in mind, Tui and La are now a state secret, as no one wants a repeat of “Admiral Zhao,” who coincidentally, is nothing but a footnote in the history books due the secrecy of the moon and ocean spirit’s physical home.)

Then, of course, the second act begins with Avatar Aang asking if Katara will marry him now that she’s learned Waterbending. But the princess is far too crafty for him, and becomes sly yet again. This time she says, she might marry him if he can find for her the impossibly rare Panda Lily. Aang is determined, though it may take him a while.

Team Avatar journeys to the Earth Kingdoms in search of an Earthbending master. Now, although the rumours of Toph being a man did stick around for quite a while (helped in no small part by Toph herself) eventually the truth comes out, and the play is amended accordingly. HOWEVER… no one is convinced that Toph is an ordinary human, oh no no no. They believe, whole heartedly, that she is a direct descendant of the badgermoles themselves, and is therefore some kind of half-human-half-spirit type being who sprouted up out of the ground one day. They fear her. As they should.

So Azula and her girlies make their appearance and they and Team Avatar make their way to Ba Sing Se, where they run into Zuko and Iroh, officially outcast from the royal Fire Nation family for failing to capture the Avatar at the Siege of the North. Azula infiltrates the city by impersonating the Kiyoshi warriors (who mysteriously replace the Dai Li in this story, and all mention of the city being controlled by a puppet master and brainwashing people is also mysteriously absent) and we meet Suki, leader of the Kiyoshi warriors, and she and Sokka begin to fall in love. Then, Aang manages to find the rare Panda Lily, but he’s not able to give it to Katara because the Last Stand of Ba Sing Se begins. There’s a massive fight at the palace, and Aang gets struck by lightning and falls into Princess Katara’s arms, trying to give her that Panda Lily she asked for. Then he falls into slumber as Princess Katara weeps. Zuko joins his sister Azula, Iroh is captured, and team Avatar flees.

That night, Katara begs the spirits to spare Avatar Aang, and Yue appears, bringing Aang back to life. It’s at this time that she gives the team a grave warning about the journey ahead of them. She reveals to them that the Day of Black Sun may aid them in their fight against the Fire Nation, and she also gives Sokka a special gift: a sword carved from moon rock. May it serve him well.

End of act two.

Act three begins with the mighty Sokka rallying all their allies together to launch an assault on the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun. Meanwhile, the Fire Prince Zuko battles with himself over his decision to betray his uncle and join his sister. He thinks of his mother, and how she would not have wanted him to follow the path of his father, Firelord Ozai. On the Day of Black Sun, he chooses to redeem himself by helping Avatar Aang defeat the Firelord once and for all. The battle was fierce—Princess Katara feared that she might lose Avatar Aang yet again—but when they arrived at his palace, no one was home. The Firelord was very crafty. He devised a labyrinth beneath his palace in which to hide, and he evaded the Avatar until the eclipse was over. The day was lost. Team Avatar was forced to retreat. However, now Aang had a Firebending Master to teach him the final element.

After much training, and much preparation, Aang was ready to face Firelord Ozai on the day that Sozin’s Comet came ripping across the sky. He tried to ask Princess Katara one last time if she would marry him, and this time she replied that if he survived his fight with the Firelord… she would marry him.

It began. Prince Sokka, Warrior Suki, and Master Toph led the charge against the Firelord’s army. Prince Zuko and Princess Katara held off Princess Azula, and Avatar Aang took on Firelord Ozai alone. Using all that they had learned across their journey, fuelled by the power of friendship and love, Team Avatar prevailed. The Firelord’s army fell, Princess Azula fell, and finally, Firelord Ozai himself fell before the mighty Avatar Aang. (Aang’s ability to energybend remains a secret.) And in the end, Prince Zuko took the throne of the Fire Nation, Prince Sokka took the throne of the South Pole with Suki as his queen, Toph became known as the greatest Earthebnder in the world, uncle Iroh opened the best tea shop in the world, and Princess Katara agreed to marry Avatar Aang. It was a happy ending indeed.

Can’t wait to finish the costume designs! Let me know what you think!

[meet-you-at-the-north-star]

Let Me In

Eric Northman x human! Reader

Summary: inspired by scenes from ep. 3x02 & 3x03 as well as a couple other plot points in the show (but plot is quite vague anyway)

Word count: 1517

“You’re going to invite me in” he stated, slowly, in that gentle purr his voice always sounded to my ears.

I took a step back, partially to hide the jolt that went through my body at those words. “And why would I do that?”

I wondered if he could sense the change in pace of my palpitations. They were yet to invent a way to disguise that from a vampire's super hearing.

“So I can protect you” He took a step forward. Then another, equally measured. “Or have passionate primal sex with you”.

When my hands touched the wood of the door behind me he stopped, slightly tilting his head: “Possibly both”

I gulped. I didn’t even realize that I had been backing away.

“You’re not gonna distract me by talking nasty” I said, perfectly aware that I was the one trying to distract him from the effect he was having on me.

He smirked, leaning down and invading even more of my personal space. “I already have”.

“So…are you going to invite me in?”

“That’s not how it works” I scolded him, a warning look on my face.

“Pity” He leaned back. “As soon as you let me know what the rules are, I’ll be more than happy to play along”

I stared at him for a moment, different streams of thoughts racing through my brain. “Do you really think something might happen to me tonight?”

“There’s a good chance it might. Tonight, the night after that, it doesn’t make much of a difference. I’d rather be safe than sorry” He cut short.

“Alright. I am going to invite you in…” I began, placing my hand on his chest to stop him from taking another step forward. “If you promise not to cross this threshold and to leave me alone the minute I do.”

“Well, that’s no fun”

“Eric.”

He nodded. “I promise. If that’s what you want”

“It is” I lied, but he didn’t need to know that. “You will be able to sense it if I’m in some kind of trouble, right?”

“Correct.”

“Good. Then you’re officially invited to come inside, Eric Northman…if I should need your help” I specified in an eloquent tone.

“Thank you.” His hand reached out to move a strand of hair behind my ear, with a tenderness that was as unexpected as disarming coming from someone like him.

I struggled to fight back the instinct to immediately take back everything I had just said, but I couldn't help but at least smile at him.

He smiled back at me and pulled his hand away. “Goodnight, Y/N”


A moment later he had literally vanished into thin air.

I closed the door behind me with a sigh, my heart now beating wildly. Sleeping was going to be no easy feat after all that.

I tried to prepare myself calmly, retracing all the steps of my usual nighttime routine in order to banish any kind of thoughts from my mind, both the positive and the negative.

When I finally got into bed, however, it was impossible to avoid those piercing blue eyes and features so beautiful they didn't seem real, which had so often populated my recent dreams.

Even though he had cheated by giving me his blood, a part of me couldn't help but think I would have dreamed of him regardless. After all, my daydreams were much the same way.

Eric’s eyes were my last conscious thought, then only darkness. And the sound of steps. Some kind of creature was approaching me. I could hear its menacing growl clearly now. I started running as fast as I could, but it seemed like the noise was only getting louder and more frightening. I turned a dark corner and my heart dropped realizing there was no way out of it. It was a dead-end. Then all of a sudden the floor opened up under my feet and I fell into an endless dark pit.

I let out a scream so loud I must have woken myself up. I felt cold arms holding me and instinctively fought to free myself from their grip, still screaming. Did the creature that was following me finally catch me?

“Hey” Two hands were cradling my face in an instant, gently. “it’s okay, it’s me, you’re alright”

I blinked once, twice and finally the fog clouding my brain started to dissipate as I found myself back in my room, staring into those blue eyes again. But this time I was only not seeing them with my mind. Usually impenetrable, they now betrayed concern as they studied my expression intently.

“What are you doing here?” I managed to utter in the end.

He looked a little uncomfortable, as if he was afraid I might be mad at him. “I sensed your fear”

It finally hit me: the chase, the panic I felt, it was all a dream. But he couldn’t tell the difference and thought I was actually in danger. I felt a blush quickly rising to color my cheeks and I rested my head against his chest to hide my embarrassment. “Oh my god, it was a stupid nightmare”

His arms slid up and down my back, holding me close in a protective grip. “It’s definitely quite a relief”

“I’m sorry you had to come all the way here for that”

“I’m not” he said, a half-smirk curving his lips.

“Eric” I leaned back and looked up at his face, trying to recover some sense of distance between us, but we were too close this time. And there was no invisible magical barrier I could cross.

He understood what I needed, slightly loosening the grip of his arms to allow me freedom of movement, but his eyes remained locked in mine. “Do you want me to go?”

I opened my mouth to respond but not a word came out. I ran a hand through my hair nervously, eyes darting everywhere until his hand came up to gently cup my chin, forcing me to bring my attention back to him.

My eyes dropped to his lips. They looked even redder in contrast to his unnaturally pale skin.

He didn’t move, waiting, while my brain performed somersaults to find any valid excuse why I shouldn’t let this happen.

It couldn’t.

I had about half a second to be surprised at my own impetuousness as I crashed my lips against his, then my mind went blank.

My hands quickly travelled up his neck and tangled in his hair, pulling him to me as our mouths explored each other, greedy and eager.

I felt the blood rushing through my veins and speeding up my heartbeat until it was a loud pounding in my ears. I should have been frightened by how vulnerable that probably made me in his presence, but I wasn’t.

I wasn’t afraid of him or this in the slightest, everything about it felt too right. The feeling of his arms surrounding me again in secure hold, his hands gripping my shoulders and then cradling my face, his lips hungry, relentlessly pressing on mine in a silent request for access.

My mouth parted with a sigh, allowing his tongue to slip inside, deepening the kiss. Our bodies were flush against one another and in the blink of an eye he’d pulled me onto his lap and my hands moved to his shoulders to regain my balance, lips still locked together in a restless dance.

“Hey!” I jokingly protested, finally parting for air after what felt like a two-hour apnea. “Some of us here still need to breathe”

“Mmm, you know that’s something I can easily remedy” He grinned, lips teasingly trailing up my neck and leaving nothing but small kisses behind.

“Don’t even think about that”

“What a shame” His eyes found mine again, thumb lightly stroking my cheek. “You’d make a stunning vampire”

I simply smiled at that, leaning down to capture his lips again. The kiss was slower this time, less frantic; but languid, our lips slowly taking their time to savor each other.

I felt him grin into the kiss as my hands moved in the small space between our bodies and started unbuttoning his shirt.

“Wait a minute” I abruptly stopped and shot him a worried look. “You can’t stay here”

He raised both eyebrows in disbelief. “You cannot be serious right now”

“No, I mean…what about the sun?”

He burst into a soft chuckle, shaking his head. “Good thing you people have invented blinds”

“True, guess humans aren’t all that bad, uh? ” I smirked.

“They have their moments” He conceded, looking at me.“But you do realize” he began, tone dropping suggestively, “that means I’m going to be stuck in this room for the entire day, right?”

I bit my bottom lip and shamelessly let my eyes wander over his messy hair and the half-unbottoned shirt on his chest, drinking it all in: he was one to talk about “stunning”. Then I brought my lips close to his ear: “I’m sure I can think of a way to keep you occupied”

[doshi-sukiru]

Hi I loved all the headcanons about SGTFOne, can we get some more MegOP hcs? (I may be just a little obsessed)

Does OP know that Megatron is having his sparkling? Or does he think that someone else in the high guard is the sire, and that’s another part of why he’s so desperate to get Megs back?

What would he do if he did get his servos on Megatron?

What do the other primes think of what’s going on? Are they aware of how much OP is sinking and try to get him to chill out, or are they in full support of him?

Does Starscream know that he and Skyfire have a sparkling?

What does the general Iacon public think of the angsty soap opera that is the MegOP situation?

I LOVED the other headcanons you wrote!!! Thank you so much for your brain coming up with all this!!

I SHALL ANSWER THEM ALL FOR YOU

There are some NSFW hcs mixed in here!

Megop hcs!:

Optimus as Orion was an oddball by the other miners. Mainly seen as an outcast by many for his reckless behavior and high desire to be 'more than what we are', D-16 was the only one to both support him and befriend him. Losing him scared him, because he was sure he'd never find such a wonderful mech like him.

They had a small relationship during their time as miners, and would go on dates on their rare day offs (usually ending with some 'fun' before recharge).

When Megatron and the high guard tried to stop Optimus and Elita from getting the people to basically destroy the city recklessly, Optimus angrily claimed Megatron was trying to defend Sentinel's actions with the high guard, and through a fit of anger Optimus immediately had them banished. It was the first time Megatron felt betrayed by Optimus, and cried the first night on the surface.

Orion was always gentle with D-16 when they slept together. Optimus is still gentle, but will occasionally go rough if Megatron tries to steer the moment to trying to end the war.

As I mentioned before, Optimus sees Megatron as a hostage of war, and thus doesn't hold back in battle, hoping to save him.

Megatron sees Optimus as someone blinded by anger and greed and wants to convince him in some way without killing anymore bots.

Whenever Optimus successfully captures Megatron, or one of the Autobots do and bring him to him, he keeps him in his private chambers and spoils him while purposefully calling him 'D-16' and not 'Megatron'. Megatron hates it.

Megatron does not know about the bust, and Megatronus will not tell him either for his sake. Optimus is the only living mech that knows of it, and will keep it that way for life.

This is based off of a SG story that I skimmed over when going over sg Cliffjumper's story (world-building purposes, I can't find it anymore) - the first time Optimus ever actually got Megatron in his hold was by Cliffjumper successfully brainwashing him to obediently follow Optimus's command. He was 'happy' until Bee killed Cliffjumper, freeing Megatron from the brainwashing and helping him escape safely. This is also what caused Bee to get his first 'strike'.

The second time Optimus gets Megatron is when he finds him injured during a surprise Quint attack, to which he made sure he was nursed back to health, while also keeping him locked on the table. He was found by Skywarp and Starscream and brought back to their base eventually.

Optimus doesn't know that Megatron is carrying his sparkling for a long time. When he first heard about it during a stealth mission to find Megatron again (spying on the Decepticons), he did think it was one of the High guards. He thought the worst, and immediately believed it was Starscream, before quickly hearing he was in fact, the sire.

Optimus believes that Megatron and his sparkling are now being treated worse because of the existence of a Prime's sparkling, and thus grows more dangerous in battle as a warning to the Decepticons, and demands they return Megatron to him.

Megatron surrenders himself when he finds out Optimus is getting out of control, and hopes that this sparkling will bring peace in some way.

Megatron is much more emotionally sensitive pregnant, and will cry at the littlest of things. Someone bumped into him by accident? A fountain. He dropped some energon? A puddle at his feet. He starts feeling the sparkling move in him? A fucking flood. Optimus coddles him so much more though.

A massive Quint attack caused them to separate, and in that time, Megatron decided it to follow the high guard back to the surface to help Optimus and stop the Quints for good. Optimus misinterprets that as Megatron getting stolen by the high guard, leading to more misunderstandings that it hurts.

Extra hcs that aren't Megop related:

Because this is sg but still following the original storyline, the primes themselves hold some form of twisted desires of their own. The one who holds the matrix encourages this behavior depending on the holder, which right now is OP. Liege encourages his silver tongue attitude to keep the people under his obedience. Prima helps him find patience in order to strike down any enemy with enough force that they, and anyone who gets to witness it, learn not to mess with him. Alpha Trion will guide his thought process to make more powerful plans to leave a large amount of damage to the Quints. Megatronus is also affected by it when he appears through the matrix, sometimes encouraging Optimus to show no mercy in battle.

Starscream did not know about Skyfire being sparked, mainly because Skyfire suddenly disappeared one day without anyone knowing. Only during his rescue mission did he find Skyfire, and learned about the sparkling. He was tempted to stay, and Skywarp was willing to let him leave for their child, but when they got caught and Starscream nearly got shot by Rachet, he quickly rejected and escaped for safety.

Starscream will occasionally sneak into Iacon with Skywarp's ability to visit Skyfire and spend some time together. He understands Skyfire's decision, and will not stop him from raising their sparkling in the city, if only because of better resources, but only asks that their child does not grow up and forced to pick a side. This war is theirs, and theirs to die with, not to pass on.

To Iacon, the high guard are traitors that seek to ruin them like how Sentinel did, and forced Megatron to join their side when Optimus became Prime because they were 'savage mechs that desired power and greedy bastards', and knew of their relationship when they were on the surface. (OP's words)

Some Autobots don't buy that story, and will actively try to kill Megatron because of Primus's conscious desire to kill Megatron.

And thank you! I always love it when I meet people who want to know more!

[inthehouseoffinwe]

Ok a lil hc for why Curufin is so close to Fëanor and why the twins went to Beleriand.

So idk how many of you have seen twin pregnancies, and no doubt many of you will know more than me. But the ones I have seen were *exhausting* for the mother. Constantly tired, unable to do a whole lot, usually in some kind of pain be it back, ribs from the kicking babies, legs, hips, you name it. Not to mention the nausea. Nerdanel would have been absolutely shattered for most of her pregnancy, but by this point Fëanor is confident enough (has been reassured by Nerdanel over the last five pregnancies) that he’s ok leaving her to her own devices.

What this means though is Nerdanel doesn’t have a lot of energy to spare looking after her other children. Caranthir is old enough to happily stick with his brothers or sit with his embroidery, but little Curvo is around 5/6 equivalent and is very attached to his parents. Nerdanel suddenly not being able to do much creates a distance, neither of their faults, in which Fëanor steps in. This time spent with his father shapes Curufin’s interests and personality to make him embody his mother name. Atarinkë indeed, in more than just looks.

Now this temporary distance that should’ve started to close by the time Ambarussa were two or three is furthered because now is when Fëanor and Nerdanel start getting into arguments. At this point they’re small spats at most, nothing too serious, but Curufin who’s very attached to his now primary caregiver and distanced from the other, immediately takes Fëanor’s side. Again at this point both parents are still trying to get him close to his mother again, but it’s not going well and with how heated both parents get, it’s difficult to keep disagreements behind closed doors.

Then Curvo becomes a teen and it’s his father above all else. The time for change is passing, Fëanor and Nerdanel have started to spend days apart, days in which Maedhros and Maglor often take care of the twins so their mother can have a break, and Curufin sees this as another sign his mother isn’t worthy of their family. By the time we get to the banishment to Formenos, Curvo refuses to speak to Nerdanel, and whilst his brothers still send letters and occasionally go out to meet her, he burns the letters as soon as they come.

On a side note, the twins end up very very close to their oldest brothers because of this. It’s why they decide to go to Beleriand: their brothers, their primary caregivers, are all going. So they are too. They don’t know their mother well enough to stay.

Disclaimer: I adore Nerdanel and think she’s absolutely brilliant. You have to have some guts to not only marry Fëanaro Curufinwë, but then stick to your guns and refuse to follow him. And successfully wrangle seven very skilled, very opinionated sons. She’s the best and was no doubt an amazing mother, but the way things turned out just didn’t work in anyone’s favour.

Also to still be known as ‘the wise’ after marrying Fëanor and everything he did? Insane.

Fëanor was also a great father ok. At least until Morgoth really got in his head towards the end of their time in Aman. There’s a reason all his kids followed him to Beleriand.

[crystallizedtwilight]

🎃 LSBC Questions: Part 23! 🎃

Part 22 here!

All are welcome in Halloween Town as long as they follow the rules of the King & Queen. Jack and Sally view scaring as a fun aspect of life, a way to reinvigorate the soul for humans and supernatural alike: "life's no fun without a good scare / that's our job but we're not mean."

They have also decreed a no-kill policy regarding humans. Oogie couldn't follow this rule and that's why he and those associated with him were banished to the outskirts, as well as why the town was fitted with a gate and gatekeeper (that have since been removed since Oogie's demise in the hopes of making LSB feel more welcome).

No, Shock was focused on other things. Also, young Calliope!

I enjoy drawing short comics and singular works of art, which is how this AU will remain. I don't have a timeline but I do have an overview

The movie is the sole source material for this AU. Jack and Oogie were on good terms once, before Oogie's hunger for flesh and gambling got out of hand.

gotchaaaa

Lock/Barrel, Shock/Calliope, Jack/Sally. Barrel went on one date with Belladonna, which ultimately led to Lock and Barrel admitting their feelings to each other after a two year fwb arrangement.

I draw them both still dressed, sometimes one more than the other. Just to suggest how they may enjoy their private moments.

Lock's not really a happy crier. He'll cry if he's extremely stressed but doesn't want anyone to see, so he'll usually run off for privacy.

There's a countdown clock to Halloween in the town square so they're familiar with the concept. And if it had easily accessible openings to 24 treats those would also be devoured immediately 😂

Greater than his fear of not knowing how an imp should be or act, Lock was most afraid of not belonging anywhere. This subsides when he's older, after Shock and Barrel both assure him that they will always be friends, and he will always be wanted and have a place with them.

[artist-issues]

okay SO

If I were to pitch a sequel for Rise of the Guardians I’d have the Pied Piper be the villain.

And he is introduced because Sophie (Jamie’s little sister, she’s about 11 now) has had a falling out with her parents.

Sophie Bennett is excited to finally join the super secret “Belief Club” that her big brother Jamie started when he was her age at their local school. The Belief Club, as you can imagine, are a gang of middle-schoolers who still believe in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the other Guardians. They collect library books about folklore figures, make up fun stories about the Guardians, look for evidence of their work in their own town, and just generally try to keep belief alive. They’re mostly the younger siblings of Jaimie and his friends who got to watch pitch be banished from the first film.

Jamie went off to college, and Sophie misses him, which is part of why she’s so determined to get elected President of the Club, like he was. Aside from the club itself, Sophie hates school and all things learning. Her grades start slipping immediately. This is a big issue, because Sophie’s mom has recently been hired to be a teacher in her daughter’s school.

When stress levels boil over, Sophie’s mom declares that Sophie is too old to spend all her time daydreaming about fairies and rabbits. She signs Sophie up for after-school tutoring, which is devastating to the pre-teen, because that’s right when the Belief Club usually meets.

Sophie decides to run away and live as an explorer, together with as many of her “supporters” as she can from the Club.

All of this is what’s going on in the human world. But of course, it’s influenced by…

the Pied Piper!

The reason Sophie’s mom turns so cynical and even short-tempered with Sophie is, in part, because Piper has stolen her baby teeth (and therefore, childhood memories) from the Tooth Palace. While there, he also kidnapped the Tooth Fairy, herself. Because of this, tensions are rising between adults and kids around the world—they’re no longer able to relate to one another.

It seems inconceivable to the other guardians that she could’ve been kidnapped—after all, there are an army of baby-tooth-fairies that should be between their queen and any harm. Bunnymund smells rats—but the magical kind of rats that appear to have infiltrated the Tooth Palace can’t be controlled. They’re forces of chaos, and they never should’ve been able to organize themselves well enough to overcome the tooth army.

Unless. Only one person could control rats like this (it’s the best line in the script)

North calls a meeting of all the remaining Guardians together, and Sandman explains. Long ago, just after the Dark Ages, the Man in the Moon chose a new Guardian. Apparently, the children of the world were still having a hard time believing that it was okay to relax and stop jumping at shadows—Pitch was gone, but plenty of other monsters lurked in the shadows, trying to take his place. For example, the wicked Mouse King, a monstrous creature of chaos who appeared in the form of a sea of rats, was stifling the wonder and hope of the poorest villages.

The Man in the Moon selected Pit D. Piper, (a gifted young German musician who tried to educate the poorest children with his rhymes until the plague ended his life) to become the Pied Piper and help solve this problem.

He would become the Guardian of Fun.

The Man in the Moon, as well as the other Guardians, advised their newest member to fight the Mouse King by working together, the way they had done with Pitch. But Piper, who wanted very badly to be believed in, had another idea. He didn’t think the other Guardians’ setup of hiding in secret palaces and doing their work in secret was a good idea. He wanted to live among the people, and have them see him.

He played a couple of clever tricks, got the children of a nearby village to believe in and see him, and even convinced their mayor to let him stay and make their village his home if he could end their rat problem. Piper did this, but the suspicious leader of the town declared that there was nothing “blessed” or “magical” about Piper—he was a charlatan, who had brought trained rats into the town to extort them.

The lonely Piper tried to prove he could be trusted, but to his surprise, the next day, several of the children could no longer see him. They believed the mayor’s story; he wasn’t a fairy or a hero come to save them, he was a trickster. Desperate to keep the few who still believed, Piper told them they should come with him. He would set up shop in a secret place, like the other Guardians, after all. And these kids could be like his elves—or his fairies, or whatever. He wouldn’t have to be alone.

But the children chose to stay with their parents—they didn’t want to leave, even if they did believe he was magical. Desperate not to lose them too, the Piper played his flute, trying to enchant them to follow him. When he turned his magic against them, the Man in the Moon summoned the other Guardians, and the Piper was cast out.

Now he’s back, and, plot twist, he’s working with the Mouse King. They plan to drive a wedge between all the children of the world and their parents. For the Piper, this is revenge; he wants to teach children never to trust in anybody, not their teachers or their mayors or their parents. Just trust themselves. But for the Mouse King, any chaos is a chance for him to grow more powerful and feast on the world again.

The Guardians have to rescue Tooth and lead Sophie’s mom to he, despite the fact that she can’t see them, and they wind up going to college to get Jamie to do it with them.

And I don’t know, I slapped all this together roughly. But I just think it’d be cool to end it with a redemption arc. Then the Pied Piper can be the Guardian of Trust, which I think is greatly under attack these days, especially between kids and their parents.

Get it, because the Pied Piper trusted the villagers to do what they’d promised, and when they didn’t, he gained the kids’ unconditional, twisted “trust” with his music in revenge. Anyway. I know it’s messy, but I don’t believe Rise of the Guardians could ever sustain a sequel, anyway.

. I started out making him look way more willowy and triangular, but then I realized both Tooth and Pitch and Bunnymund are triangle-shaped, so I tried to do squares…

And then James Dean happened by accident. I don’t know, somebody better at this stuff try to do this.

[mooniiify]

when we were young | wriothesley x reader

synopsis: their first years at the fortress of meropede were hard, but wriothesley will always find a way to take care of his girl word count: 1.2k cw: fem!reader, kinda angsty? fluff mostly, use of y/n, not proofread sorry folks notes: came to me at like 1 am last night, i'm so down bad for this man and i don't even have him in game sigh; also this is kinda the ‘what if’ version of another story that’s currently in the works hehe

She was used to the monotonous lifestyle at this point. Three years had passed since their sentencing. She could still remember as she stood next to Wriothesley in the Court of Fontaine, listening to Iudex Neuvillete announce to their seventeen-year-old selves they would be going to prison for killing their adoptive 'parents'. 

They weren't her parents. She'd only been with them for four years and never had she seen them as anything less than monsters. She wasn't sorry for taking their lives. Neither was Wriothesley. They were okay with the sentencing. 

Three years of living in banishment at the Fortress of Meropede, hundreths of meters underground, with no access to the outside world, yet she has never been happier. She liked the motonous lifestyle. She liked her job at the Fortress, she liked helping people, but most of all, she liked seeing Wriothesley at the end of the day. 

She still sometimes longed for the freedom the outside world provided, of course. But as of right now, her eyes kept glancing at the small clock on her desk, watching as the hands of the clock move seemingly slower with every minute. 

The infirmary has been mostly quiet the whole evening. She'd been stuck with the later shift, meaning she would spend most of her night waiting in case someone came in with an injury or sickness. She wasn't the only nurse, but she was the youngest, so the others always gave her the worst shifts. She couldn't complain, not when her social status was much lower. 

Her legs were crossed, the one on top swinging lightly. She let her head fall back, letting out a sigh. Was there seriously no one getting injured today? Usually there would be a lot, especially about this time. Those Pankration Ring people--

Footsteps echoed from outside right into the infirmary. Y/n stood up at that, making her way to the stairs. Just as she was about to go up to investigate, three people appeared in front of her. 

Her eyes widened as she watched two inmates basically drag Wriothesley into the infirmary, his head hanging, his messy hair covering his eyes. 

''Oh my Archons.'' Y/n immediately moved to the side, allowing the two men to walk down the stairs as safely as they cold. ''Come on, bring him to the bed.'' 

Wriothesley groaned as the two men laid him down on one of the beds, Y/n quickly moving to his side to inspect the damage. Other than a bruise, his face looked okay, but he was clutching his side. She moved to touch around his ribcage, eliciting a wince out of him when she pressed against his lower ribs. 

She looked at the two men. ''What the hell happened?''

''I'm fine,'' Wriothesley groaned from under her, holding her wrist with one of his hands. 

Y/n ignored him, waiting for the men to speak. ''It's Pankration night,'' one of them finally said. 

That was all the information she needed. Y/n sighed, running a hand through her hair. ''Thank you for bringing him. I can take it from here. Go and enjoy the rest of your evening.'' 

The two men left without another word. Y/n lifted her hands over Wriothesley's body, chanelling her Hydro powers. Small streams of water appeared above Wriothesley, which she slowly lowered to his chest and the bruise on his face. She looked at his face, watching as his expression relaxed gradually the more the water healed him. 

As soon as she felt that his pain was gone, she willed for the water to disappear. Her hands fell back to her sides as she watched Wriothesley sit up, dangling his legs over the bed. Their eyes met. He gave her one of his charming smiles. ''Thank you, darling.'' 

''What were you thinking?'' Y/n crossed her arms, watching as his grin fell, realizing he was, in fact, in trouble. ''Why were you fighting again? You know how much I hate seeing you hurt.''

Wriothesley chuckled. ''You should've seen the other guy. I won!''

''This isn't funny, Wriothesley.''

''No, not funny at all, darling.''

Y/n sighed, running a hand through her hair. ''Where's your Vision? Why didn't you use it to protect yourself?''

''I can't go against a normal person with a Vision, Y/n. I can't look like a sissy. Besides, it's not fair,'' Wriothesley explained as he finally stood up. Y/n looked up in his eyes, not saying anything. Wriothesley moved his hands around her, pulling her body flush against his. ''I can handle myself without my Vision, Y/n.''

''I know you're strong, Wrio. I just . . . I hate seeing you like this.'' She raised her hands to his cheek, gently caressing them with her thumbs. His bruise was gone now, but the old scar under his eye remained. She traced it with her thumb, feeling as Wriothesley melted under her touch. ''I don't get it. Why do you insist on fighting?'' Wriothesley was quiet. Oddly quiet. Y/n furrowed her eyebrows. ''What is it?''

He licked his lips. ''I just . . . I thougth that maybe, if I could make extra coupons by fighting, then neither of us would have to take on as many shifts and . . . we'd have more time for each other.'' 

Y/n blinked once, twice. She felt his hands tighten around her. 

''You're the only good thing left in this world and you've been so busy here recently, I've been missing you.'' Y/n's hands dropped to his waist as one of his moved up to her face. His fingers were gentle as they ran through her hair. ''You're only here because of me. If anything, I should be making sure you're not working at all.''

Her chest felt like it was about to burst. She leaned on her tip-toes, pulling him down so their lips would meet. She felt his hand fully move to the back of her head, his fingers tangled in her hair. His lips were warm but slightly chapped, but they were his, and she wouldn't have it any other way. 

She pulled back soon enough, watching as Wriothesley's eyes fluttered open. ''What was that for?''

''Because I love you and I hate seeing you beat yourself up for things that aren't your fault.'' Y/n pressed her hands against his chest, looking up at him with a smile. ''You have to talk to me about things like that, Wrio. I'm sure we can figure things out together, if only we can discuss it.'' 

''But I want to take care of you.''

''I know you do,'' Y/n breathed out, her smile remaining. Her stomach felt like it was doing flips. How could she be so lucky to find someone so caring as Wriothesley? ''And I appreciate that. But we have to take care of each other, Wrio. There's a reason why there's two of us in this relationship.'' 

Wriothesley hummed, slowly nodding his head. ''Okay. If you . . . really don't want me to fight, then I'll stop. We can figure this out.''

''We will.'' Y/n pulled him back down, murmuring against his lips. ''Together.'' 

i may or may not have an idea for a part 2?

[venomwrites]

Vi really needs to grow a spine. 

That’s all she can think. One little please should not destroy her judgement quite like this. She vaguely remembers Salo’s chair moving awkwardly every time it came through a door. Mostly she remembers hearing him complain endlessly about how slow everything was. How this hurt or that hurt and why couldn’t people do anything right. They were no better than those filthy Zaunites. She had just chalked it up to him being an asshole, but now she grudgingly admits he might have a point. She gave up the chair a block ago because every stupid bump made Caitlyn wince even though she wouldn’t admit it. It was kind of unmistakable. Even though she’s weak, Caitlyn’s legs might be the least injured part of her. She can manage the halting steps better than the thump of the chair. 

And Vi can brace the rest of her. 

“We’re almost there,” she says. Caitlyn can only manage to nod, her lips pressed in a tight line that can’t feel nice on her eye. Vi glances around, “we could—“

“No,” Caitlyn gasps softly, “we’re almost there.”

“Damn right,” Vi mutters and tightens her grip on her shirt. 

It’s not like this is the first time they’ve staggered like this. To be fair this might be the worst state they’ve been in. Usually one of them is in decent shape. Usually she’s the stabbed one, if she thinks about it. Sometimes when they move too quickly the assist turns into a carry when Caitlyn pulls and her toes just drag. It’s weird to feel like she’s being carried. It makes her feel impossibly young. Like she has someone to care for her. It actually might be easier to move like this when Caitlyn is the one supporting just because of the height difference. It’s awkward for Caitlyn to lean on her, but Vi can feel her weight pressing onto her shoulders. She’s lucky Caitlyn is accepting this much help, given how quick she was to try and shirk off everything from pain meds to extra bandages. Until Vi yanked the doctors aside and told them to stop offering options unless they had to. They just had to make her better and Vi would take care of the rest. 

Guilt, that’s why the please worked. 

That had to be it. 

By the time they get there, Caitlyn is clammy and pale. Vi can feel sweat streaking her spine. But they are here. That is all that matters. Or it should be. Vi kicks herself as she realizes she should have thought this place wouldn’t be untouched. Nothing up here is untouched. Caitlyn’s face falls even though they both know  it’s not that bad. Relatively speaking. Mostly it’s shattered glass and splatters of pigment. There’s a missing head but by some stroke of luck, it’s not the one they are here to see. Caitlyn makes a noise of distress before quickly smothering it and trying to smile. Which is bullshit. Vi feels gutted anyone has touched this place and she’s pretty sure if Cassandra Kiramman didn’t hate her before, she sure as hell does now. 

There’s nothing to do but hobble forward with Cait. She gets her up against the statute and makes sure she has her feet under her. The cast on her own arm is a pain in the ass. If it’s not itching, it’s doing something else to get in the way. Now though she’s grateful for the plaster so she can sweep the glass off the ledge. Caitlyn immediately opens her mouth to tell her not to but Vi waves her off. She barely feels the glass as she pushes it aside and cleans the ledge. When she’s sure there’s a spot Caitlyn won’t cut herself on, she gets back under her arm and helps get her down. Despite her protests Caitlyn sags gratefully against the metal and rests her head in the bronze sweep of her mother’s skirt. 

I want to see my mother.

Please.

Vi wishes they could have gone to the gardens, but Caitlyn’s banished herself from them. Not from the statute though. She was expected to show face here and remind people she was a mourning daughter and a Commander. It makes Vi sick to think about. Truth is she only ever should have been the first. But now she’s grateful. If nothing else because it lets Caitlyn have a place she can mourn. The request to come here is insane. But Caitlyn seems to voice the insane requests to her. A dark part of Vi whispers its because she imagines she’ll say yes, like she always does to those she loves. But the rest of sings this is trust. Caitlyn trusts her with these broken pieces of herself and her desires. Trusts her in a way she doesn’t seem to trust anyone else. So when she asks, even though she should say no, Vi says yes. When the chair breaks, Vi gets them to walk. Vander's voice echoes in the back of her head before she shoves it aside. Caitlyn is the leader here. Vi doesn’t know where she fits in, but getting them here is something. It feels like a start. 

Caitlyn looks impossibly young when she is sick. It was jarring to see her in the hospital bed with doctors towering and scrambling over her. It’s somehow more gutting to see her slumped against the cold metal. She looks like a kid hiding her face in her mother’s skirt. Like how Vi used to hide her grief in Vander’s shoulder. In all of Vi’s watercolor memories, her mom is in pants except when she’s round with Powder. And when she was round with Powder they had to be careful. It was Dad or Vander who swung her up. Who let her cry into their shoulder because Mom couldn’t pick her up anymore. Dad and Dad. Caitlyn’s shoulders tremble as she presses into the metal. Even though Vi knows she’s seeking warmth, all she can think of is how the cold packs seemed to help dull the pain of her eye. She might want the warmth that’s no longer there, but Vi hopes the metal is helping. She glances around for anything they could use to clean off the colored pigment, but there’s only broken glass around them and a few nubs of wax. She hears a whisper and approaches Caitlyn when she sees her teal eye focusing on her. 

“Thank you,” Caitlyn whispers, even in the exhaustion there’s something shy in her voice Vi isn’t used to hearing. 

“Yeah, ‘course,” Vi says, all the jokes she would usually make drying on her tongue, “it’s just a little banged up, we can get it cleaned.”

“I don’t care,” Caitlyn sighs. Vi frowns. She shifts with a grimace, “I hope I never see it again.”

“This is a lot of trouble for somewhere you never want to see again, Cupcake,” she says. Caitlyn watches her carefully, “any reason why?”

Something proud flares in Caitlyn’s eye and Vi feels her own chest puff with the look. She doesn’t know why it matters when Caitlyn looks at her with pride. For a decade she loved it when everyone looked at her with fear or disgust. There was no pride in Stillwater Hold. If there was it meant nothing good. Sometimes in the quiet, dark moments Vi wonders how much of herself she left there. How much of her died with Vander or on the bridge. Sometimes she thinks it might’ve been everything good in her. But sometimes she picks up on what Caitlyn wants or finishes a puzzle before she does and Caitlyn looks at her with such pride. And some part of Vi that’s been long dead kicks awake. Like it was just waiting for someone to show her how to feel this way again. 

“I wanted to see you here,” Caitlyn tells her. Pain and embarrassment flash across her face, “not her—“

Vi’s stomach drops. ‘Her’ can only mean one thing. Vi could have given less of a shit about Maddie until Mel told her. Maddie wasn’t just a brown nosing suck up—which was already annoying—she was a manipulating, betraying brown nosing suck up who nearly shot Caitlyn through the neck. Mel had tried to break the new gently but Vi still nearly got herself another cast when she punched the wall. Her only follow up question had been why Mel made her death quick. That got her a genuine smile and a not so genuine apology for miscalculating the angle from behind a door. It doesn’t surprise Vi that Maddie weaseled her way into Caitlyn’s mourning. Somehow the idea Maddie was here when Caitlyn was grieving feels like an even worse violation than her slipping into Caitlyn’s bed. 

“Hey, I’m here,” Vi says, touching her knee and drawing her attention, “we’re here. And your mom is still glaring at the sky and not me, so we’re doing something right.”

That gets a smile from Caitlyn. One that softens as she watches Vi standing there. Even with all the violence that now surrounds the place she looks almost at peace with it. Vi isn’t naive enough to think that them being here together magically solves everything. It doesn’t change the broken glass or the stained statue. It doesn’t make Jinx appear or put the world back together. But just for a moment, it feels like it counts for something. Them being here together counts for a lot. Just to be sure Vi glances up but Cassandra is still glaring up at the heavens. Caitlyn gives her a questioning look and Vi offers her own smile. 

“Just making sure,” she jokes. 

Caitlyn’s smile reappears and widens, this time to the point of her wincing at the foreign feeling. But it might the first time she’s smiled without thinking about her injuries or her overwhelming guilt. Vi crouches in front of her but Caitlyn motions her forward. There’s just enough room for both of them to fit on the ledge, though it does require a bit of draping of legs. But Vi’s not complaining as Caitlyn’s cover her thighs. It feels nice and real to have the metal at her back, stone under her butt and Caitlyn’s legs on her thighs. Nothing feels awful, one of the things feels nice. All of it reminds her they are alive and here. They can rebuild like the cities that surround them. 

“I think they said she was looking at the future,” Caitlyn says, “but she was always focused on what she could do now.”

Vi thinks of her kicking down the door and the look on her face. But Caitlyn’s smile is gentle and soft and impossibly fond.

“You didn’t see when you left, she told me to go after you,” she says, “She never told me to do that before, I think you managed to impress her.”

That catches Vi off guard. She remembers her kicking down the door and calling her a stray. Though she also remembers the curt nod she gave before slipping into the Council chamber ahead of them. Even though she’d still been trying to collect her thoughts and wrap her mind around addressing the Council at all, Caitlyn’s mom had acknowledged her before she spoke. When Vi had started talking, she had looked at her without questioning why she was there. It had felt like she could keep speaking, even though she lost it right after that. She doesn’t remember seeing her reaction to her storming off, she had been too embarrassed to meet the older woman’s eyes. And then Caitlyn had been running after her in the rain and Vi had just continued to say stupid and wrong shit. When she thinks about how they got from there to this moment, it makes her head spin. It spins so much she’s glad she’s sitting down. But there’s also a weirdly warm feeling at the idea Caitlyn’s mom might not have thought of her quite so badly. 

“They did her dirty with the statue,” Vi says. It makes Caitlyn smile again, “least they let my dad have his pipe.”

“You dad has a statute?” Caitlyn asks. Vi shrugs. 

“He did,” she says, “I don’t know if it’s still there—“ she admits, “but he did. Yeah.”

“I want to see it,” Caitlyn declares, “I only saw him—“

“As a werewolf?” Vi offers. Caitlyn presses her lips together against the smile, “you can say it.”

“Yes, as a werewolf,” Caitlyn concedes, “I’d like to see him as you remember.”

Vi swallows as she thinks about it. Vander’s been in her head a lot. They all have, but he’s in the front. It feels important to catalogue everything she can remember. From the burn of the spirits against her cuts to the smell of the oil he used to polish the bar. The rumble of his voice, the squeak as he cleaned bar glasses—she turns everything over in her head. She knows it’s so she won’t think of the wolf. The purple. She knows it’s so she won’t try to fit together his purple, bubbling corpse with the still wolf who launched at them so viciously. Maybe one day she’ll be ready to think about it, but right now it feels like that wound is just too fresh. If she starts thinking about it now she’s not sure she’ll ever stop. She can’t just think about it. So she faces herself to remember him standing in the Last Drop cleaning glasses and imparting wisdom in that gruff-gentle way of his. 

“We’ll go,” she promises, “when we’re better,” she sees the disappointment in Caitlyn’s face, “it’s not going anywhere.”

“You don’t know that,” Caitlyn whispers. 

Vi wishes she could object more, but the same thought churns in the back of her head. It just really sucks to see it reflected on Caitlyn’s face. It feels wrong to see her looking as world weary as Vi feels. It makes something in Vi’s bones ache to see her look like that. But at the same time she knows that’s not fair to Caitlyn. Caitlyn’s got enough shit going on without Vi twisting herself over with guilt. She’s learned that lesson. The guilt is there, sure, but it’s not the most important thing right now. It’s not even in the top ten. Vi strokes her thumb across Caitlyn’s knee. 

“You’re right but that’s okay,” she says, “nothing really lasts in Zaun. If it does, it never stays the same,” she shrugs, “that’s why we tell stories, why Ekko paints, it’s so we can remember things like they were. Even if those places are gone.”

Caitlyn considers her words for a moment. 

“Then you’ll tell me about him? When you’re ready?”

The concession makes Vi’s eyes sting. Caitlyn is terrible at being patient. Even when she’s lining up a shot, when she is capable of exercising patience, she hates doing it. When she’s on the trail? It’s even worse. The night before Ambessa showed up she was a complete wreck of impatient nerves until Vi kissed her and dragged her to bed. That is definitely not going to be happening for a while. She offers patience because she knows that’s what Vi needs. Not for the first time, Vi is stupidly, selfishly glad she stayed on that chunk of metal. Even when most of he wanted to tip to the side. That little part of her that is learning how to want was louder. Somehow it was louder. 

“Yeah, ‘course I will,” Vi says, “we’ll talk about them. Soon.”

Cailtyn nods in agreement and they sit there as the sky starts to change. Regretfully Vi squeezes her knee. Caitlyn leans forward and glances upwards at the darkening sky. It’s time to leave this place before they both add a cold to the list of injuries. It’s even harder getting up, but they manage and Vi fits herself back under Caitlyn’s arm. Caitlyn looks up at the statue and even with the pain etched on her face, there’s a new calm in her eye and edging her features. Vi squeezes her waist to get her attention and Caitlyn looks at her. 

“Maybe lightening will get it,” Vi offers. 

Caitlyn chuckles. First time anything even close to a laugh has left her lips since they woke up from the battle.

“We can only hope,” she says, glancing up at it, “it really looks nothing like her,” she says and something almost regretful slips into her tone. 

Vi wants her to laugh again.

“If lightening doesn’t get it we can always come back,” she says, “or ask Ekko to swing by,” she continues, “literally,” she adds, swinging her casted arm. 

It’s not a laugh but it does make Caitlyn smile. 

“Let’s hope for lightening,” Caitlyn says, starting to walk. 

Vi helps her stay upright as they hobble away from the statute. For once luck is on their side and they make it home before the rain starts. Which makes relief hit Vi like a ton of bricks. They just left the hospital, she doesn’t want to go back and do the whole stupid casting process again. How she is going to stay in the thing for weeks is beyond her. But the idea of having pins in her arm makes her stomach turn. Deciding upstairs is not going to work, Vi takes them to the library on the main floor. Caitlyn shakes her head when Vi moves for the chair and sits down on the coffee table. There’s only three hands between them and a very dead fireplace. But she drops the logs in and Caitlyn strikes one of the comically long matches. Together they get the fire going and bring some warmth and light into the room. Which is great because a moment later, lightening bolts across the sky. They both jump and turn towards it. Vi can feel her heart leap, but she doesn’t want to think about the flash of power and the blue puff of smoke. Caitlyn’s hand reaches up and grasps hers. They lock their fingers together and Vi wills herself to just focus on the touch of Caitlyn’s skin. 

“Think it hit your mom’s ugly ass statue?” She whispers. 

“We can only hope,” Caitlyn replies, her tone equally tight, “I can’t pull you down,” she says, “so—“ she gives a tug on Vi’s wrist. 

Vi sits on the coffee table next to her and carefully guides Caitlyn’s arm over her shoulders. Caitlyn tightens her arm and Vi scoots over, pressing their bodies together as they hunch in front of the fire. Each crack of thunder and flash of lightening makes Caitlyn’s arm tighten around her. Her hand squeezes Vi’s. It’s not enough to erase the thud of her heart, but it helps. It helps a lot. It helps Vi remember that she’s in the Kiramman house. She’s with Caitlyn. She chose not to fall into the blue smoke. She chose to stay. She has to repeat it to herself every time she hears the crack of thunder. Even though she can’t squeeze the same way, she wraps her casted arm around Caitlyn and holds her close as she also jumps at every crack of thunder. It takes Vi a minute to realize it’s because each crack of thunder is a surprise. She can’t see the lightening. So Vi starts squeezing her hand every time she sees the lightening, then again when she jumps at the thunder. When she catches Caitlyn’s gaze, Caitlyn offers a shaky smile. 

“It better have hit,” she whispers almost savagely. 

Even amidst all the misery, for the first time since waking up, Vi lets out a shaky, honest laugh. 

“You really hate that statue, don’t you Cupcake?” She says. 

Caitlyn’s eye brightens at the nickname. And for one impossible second they can almost pretend they are the same girls who left Stillwater together. Maybe somewhere deep down, those girls are still there. Maybe they can find them again. Vi really fucking hopes they can. That the universe will be kind enough they can find those pieces of themselves amidst all the rubble. Like they found each other in the battlefield. Maybe they can hobble away from this together. If they lean on each other. Instead of focusing on the thunder Vi focuses on the way the light of the fire dances along the midnight of Caitlyn’s hair. She watches as Caitlyn goes pink under her inspection and tilts her head like she’s trying to turn away. Vi is gentle when she touches her chin, mindful of the fact that she’s barely got any fingertips before the bulky plaster starts. And she can’t bear the idea of adding any injuries to Caitlyn. 

“What?” Caitlyn asks softly. 

“I’m just really glad we’re here,” Vi admits. 

Caitlyn leans forward and gently presses their foreheads together. It makes Vi think of the cell and those moments between kisses when all they could do was giggle as they fumbled over stupidly complicated clasps and touched every bit of skin they had thought about during their time apart. Vi doesn’t even know if she remembers how to laugh like that. But maybe she can learn. Maybe they both can. Caitlyn strokes down the curve of her cheek and something in Vi shivers at the memory. But instead of grasping the hand that’s casted, Caitlyn’s fingers settle on her shoulder. It’s something new but it doesn’t lessen the wild, hopeful feeling beating in Vi’s chest.

“Me too, Violet” Caitlyn whispers. 

Vi swallows at the sound of her full name on Caitlyn’s lips. 

Nothing ever stays the same. 

But maybe that’s not such a bad thing if the right person is beside you. 

[alexanderlightweight]

Happy Wednesday! Hope you're having a good week.

I'm currently doing a ton of gardening and trying to get lots of flowers to grow from seeds. So, for a prompt, something with Alec or Magnus planning gardens, maybe for each other. Or anything garden or plant related.

Thank you!

thank you! it... omg its pretty much Wednesday. fuck I feel like I can finally breathe a little. tomorrow is a crazy busy morning but ITS WEDNESDAY! hope you are having a good week!

i am so happy okay, I only just realized that. it's been super busy. its been a bit but I hope your gardening did well? and that is is doing well again this year?

i hope you enjoy this, inspired by gardening and the obsessive amount of pollen we're dealing with

<3 lumine

-

in his wake petals fall

Alec sneezes and then hurriedly stops breathing so as to not provoke another.

Several feet away Magnus has paused from where he’s lovingly tending to a very beautiful new pot of flowers.

The minor stiffening of his shoulders finally untenses the longer the silence last and finally, he goes back to what he was doing.

Alec waits a minute longer, gratefully inhales and then mentally sighs as he sneezes the very next moment.

“I knew it!.” Magnus turns with fury and his fingers have already snapped, no doubt either banishing the plant from existence or to Ragnor’s garden — which is close enough to the former that it still counts. “You are allergic!”

“I’m sensitive.” Alec counters, because he is not going to let Magnus get away with this assumption. Magnus is not taking away an entire genus of flowers simply because Alec sneezes over pollen being directly blown in his face. “You didn’t have to get rid of it.”

Magnus huffs, as if it’s conceivable to even consider keeping the plant.

As if it were the plants fault that Alec is allergic to some demonic species just by merit of his own nephilim heritage.

“And Cat is making me that potion, remember. So that it won’t be a problem much longer.” Alec’s not sure if it’s the reminder that Cat has a solution, Alec fluttering his lashes at Magnus or the fact that Alec will actually be sad about this that does it.

—-

Magnus sighs, because perhaps Alexander has made a point or two and also because his darling is pouting at him with a very sad face and as cute as it is, Magnus still hates to see it.

“Of course, darling. You’re right. I’ll simply put the rest of this batch under a ward then, shall I?”

Alexander — being brilliant as he usually is — immediately backs away and far from range so that the pollen won’t further attack him.  Therefore, Magnus won’t be forced to defend his husband with fire and then make his lovely boy sad because he destroyed the rest of the plants they bought together.

There’s no hope for the one Magnus exiled to Ragnor’s.

Done with that, Magnus is about to join Alexander when the breeze picks up as he steps out of the wardline and Alexander sneezes... while facing Magnus.

“It’s the pollen, not you.”

As sweet as that is, it really doesn’t make Magnus feel any better as he first magically purifies himself and then quickly walks to the large outdoor shower that he and Alexander designed together.

“No, I’ll only be a moment, petal.” Magnus shoos his Alexander away, letting the vines gather to keep his darling far enough away so as to not be exposed.

Alexander’s outraged expression before the ivy covers the opening is charming, but alas Magnus knows exactly how poorly Alexander responds to long term exposure.

No amount of Alexander’s tempting visage will induce him to change his mind. However there is less of a chance if Magnus can’t see his face.

Even if showering alone is rather lonely.

AN:

Magnus and the plants have a war going on. if they hurt Alec, they're out.

Alec and the plants have a secret understanding that Alec tries hard not to let Magnus know when one of the plants hurts him.

Magnus and Alec overly love each other the everything else suffers except Alec also suffers a little but that's fair because sometimes he won't let Magnus join him for decontamination showers either.

[storytowrite]

|Between us ~ Han Jisung|

Paring: Han Jisung x Y/N

Genre: angst, fluff

Warnings: panic attack, 18+, drunk, knife, overprotective, scary prank, insistence

Word Count: 8065

Masterlist

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

For as long as you could remember, Han had been a constant in your life. Your older brother's best friend, Chan, has been at your house almost every day. But to you, he wasn't just your brother's friend - Han was someone who made your heart beat faster and your thoughts wander to fantasies that couldn't see the light of day.

You couldn't stop thinking about him. Every time he came home, it was a special opportunity for you to look your best. You carefully chose your clothes, did your hair, and took care of every detail of your appearance as if your life depended on it. Every day, you hoped that he would finally pay attention to you, that maybe he would notice you in a different way than as his friend's little sister.

But Han seemed completely unaware of your feelings. He joked with you, ruffled your hair, and smiled in that disarming way that warmed and broke your heart at the same time. Whenever you tried to get close to him, your brother would immediately react, banishing you to your room or taking Han to his, as if they couldn't talk freely in your presence.

It was frustrating that everyone around you was aware of your feelings - everyone, except for the two most important people. Your brother, although usually smart and observant, remained blind to what was happening right under his nose. Han, on the other hand... Well, maybe he was just too absorbed in his own affairs to notice your timid attempts to gain his attention.

Every day you tried to be close, hoping that maybe something would change. When Han laughed at your jokes, when he asked about your affairs, or even when your eyes met by chance - each of these moments was like a small spark of hope for you. However, every time your brother stepped in to "protect" his friend from your attempts to make contact, that spark faded, leaving you disappointed.

You were sitting comfortably on the couch in the living room, with a loose bun on your head, in sweatpants, in which you usually spent time at home. Suddenly, you heard the front door open, but you didn't react, because at this hour your brother was coming home.

"Hi Y/n." You heard a familiar voice from behind you, which made your heart jump into your throat.

It was Han. You didn't expect him, and in the state you were in, you were in no way ready for a meeting. Your hair tied up quickly, sweatpants - all of this seemed unimaginably inappropriate now. Terrified, you decided to immediately escape from the room to avoid this awkward situation.

However, your clumsiness made itself known. When you tried to escape, you accidentally hit your leg on the edge of the table. Pain shot through your leg, and you fell to the ground, pressing your hand to the sore spot. At that moment, Chan burst out laughing. For him the whole situation was incredibly funny, but for you - humiliating. Lying on the floor, you tried to hide your face in your hands, but Han had already approached you, visibly worried.

"Is everything okay?" He asked with concern in his voice, crouching down next to you.

That was the moment when you realized that you could take advantage of this situation. With a grimace on your face, you tried to get up from the ground, but you pretended that your leg hurt so much that you were unable to. Han immediately decided to help you. His hands gently supported you as you tried to stand on your feet. However, despite his help, you pretended that every step was a challenge for you. When you stood in front of the stairs, you grabbed your leg and moaned quietly.

Without thinking, Han lifted you into his arms. Your heart began to beat faster and your cheeks flushed. Chan rolled his eyes, clearly disgusted by the whole situation, but Han ignored him. You were in his arms, and the feeling was so wonderful that you stopped caring about your brother. You snuggled up to his chest, absorbing the warmth of his body and the scent that emanated from him. You couldn't believe that this was actually happening - Han was carrying you up the stairs like you were the most precious treasure.

When you reached your room, Han gently laid you on the bed. You could still see the concern in his eyes, although he didn't say a word. Without unnecessary comments, he turned and left to join Chan and watch the game with him.

You lay on the bed, looking at the ceiling and trying to gather your thoughts. Your heart was beating like crazy, and a smile didn't leave your face. You felt like you were in seventh heaven - Han, your silent object of sighs, carried you in his arms to your room. It was like a dream you didn't want to wake up from.

You didn't leave your room for the rest of the afternoon, still reliving the situation that had recently happened. You closed your eyes and tried to recall the image of Han carrying you, his scent, his strong arms. Every time you couldn't stop your quiet whimps, and when they were too loud you covered your mouth with a pillow.

Finally, when it got dark you left your room to get a snack. In the kitchen however you found Han again, who along with your brother were also eating something. Before they could notice you you went back to your room, changed into better clothes and combed your hair. Only then did you go down to the kitchen, where the boys were still sitting.

"Hey Han I thought you only came for the game." You said reaching for a glass.

Chan looked at you with surprise when he noticed that you had changed.

"Well that's how it was supposed to be but we decided that I’m staying the night. I hope you don't mind." Jisung smiled at you gallantly.

"She has nothing to say. " Your brother replied before you could say anything, you just looked at him with anger. Lightning flashed from your eyes.

"No, Han, of course I have no problem with that. " You replied, leaning on the counter. You graced him incredibly but you couldn't help but fall head over heels in love with him.

"Okay Jisung let's go, after all, a horror movie marathon won't watch itself. " Chris said, taking the popcorn out of the microwave.

When you heard that the boys would be watching, an idea for the next hours spent with Han was born in your head. However, the thought of horror movies scared you a little, because you were a terrible coward.

You grabbed something to eat and went to your room. You had to think about all the pros and cons of watching horror movies with the boys. A big plus was the fact that it was the perfect idea for cuddling up to Jisung. After all, who would say no to a scared little Y/n. You took a few deep breaths and decided to go downstairs to the boys.

Just when the first disturbing sounds from the screen started to fill the room, you joined them, sitting down next to Jisung. Your brother was very surprised by your appearance but didn't say anything, going back to watching the movie.

You were nervous from the beginning, and every rustle or sudden appearance of something on the screen gave you shivers. During the first minutes of the movie, you started covering your eyes with your hands, cowering on the couch. Han and Chan, seeing your terror, started to laugh at your reactions. With irritation and fear, you snuggled up to Han, or grabbed his hand, as if you were looking for shelter from the nightmares on the screen. Han, at first was surprised by your reaction, later he didn't mind it - he even felt a little proud that it was his presence that could calm you down.

After the first movie was over, it was already dark outside the window, and the only source of light was a street lamp and the TV screen. You were terrified, even though you watched half of the movie through your fingers. Chan, as your older brother, came up with an idea to scare you even more. They discussed the plan with Han in whispers and decided to put it into action.

"I'm going to get some new popcorn." Chan said, getting up from the couch.

"I'll quickly go to the toilet and be right back." Han added, also getting up from the couch.

You were left alone in the room, hidden under a blanket, you were glad that the boys had left the light on for you.

Minutes passed. The room was filled with quiet, blood-curdling sounds coming from the TV. Time seemed to pass slower and slower, and you began to feel more and more uncomfortable. You called out to the boys once, then twice, but no one answered. The silence that fell on the house was strangely thick, as if an invisible horror hung in the air.

A few more minutes passed, and the tension grew. You felt your heart start to beat faster and faster. Suddenly, the light went out. Darkness filled the room, and low, ominous sounds were still coming from the TV screen. You felt cold shivers run down your spine, and every second in the darkness seemed like an eternity.

"Han? Chan? Guys?" You called out louder, this time with a clear tremor in your voice, but the only response was silence.

Suddenly, something outside the window caught your eye. On the other side of the glass, against the faint light of the street lamp, a hooded figure appeared. It stood still, its face hidden in shadow, only its silhouette clearly outlined in the semidarkness. You felt your heart jump into your throat, your hands shaking as you instinctively grabbed the corner of the blanket, wanting to cover yourself as much as possible.

The hooded figure slowly raised his hand, and you could have sworn you saw something glinting in his hand - maybe a knife? Or something even worse? In an instant, without warning, the figure lunged forward and smashed hard into the window. The loud impact rang out like a gunshot, and the glass shook. You screamed loudly, jumping away from the window, your heart beating like crazy.

Han, standing outside the window, took off his hood and began to laugh, looking at your terrified face. Chan reappeared in the room, laughing along with Han, pleased with the effect of their joke.

But then Han noticed something that worried him immediately. You didn't stop screaming, your screams filled the room, loud and horrible as if someone was hurting you. Your breathing became fast, shallow and chaotic. You could barely catch your breath between the terrified screams. You tried to back up, but your legs wouldn't obey you and your eyes seemed wide open, as if you couldn't see what was happening around you anymore. Tears were streaming down your face, flooding your throat. Panic was growing, and your body began to shake as if you were frozen to the bone.

Han stopped laughing immediately.

"Y/n! It's me! Han!" He shouted so you could hear him through the glass, but his words didn't seem to reach you.

When he saw you starting to slide to the floor, he paled.

"Shit, I think we overdid it!" He said, feeling panic rising inside him. He rushed to the door, running into the house.

In the room, Chan was still laughing, although more nervously, looking at your face.

"What, coward? Were you really that scared?" He threw, but uncertainty appeared in his voice. When Han ran into the room and saw you in such a state, his heart sank.

"Y/n, it's just a joke... Are you okay, can you hear me?" He said with a trembling voice, trying to approach you, but your breathing was getting more and more uneven, and your eyes were clouded with fear. Seeing your reaction, Chan stopped laughing.

"Hey, we're sorry, really! We didn't mean to scare you that much..." Your brother continued with a growing sense of guilt and fear that something might happen to you.

When Han touched you, he felt your cold skin. He decided to hug you tightly, trying to warm up your icy body, feeling you shiver in his arms.

"Calm down, we're here, it's just us... everything's okay." He whispered soothingly, although he himself felt his heart beating with anxiety.

You looked like you were suffocating and about to faint. Chan, your brother, went to get another blanket to cover you, and Han didn't leave your side for a moment. He kept rocking you soothingly, not letting you out of his embrace.

"Calm down Y/n, it's just me, you have nothing to be afraid of. I would never hurt you. Shh, my sunshine. I won't leave you, try to calm down. Take a deep breath, please... Fuck Y/n, breathe." He was really scared and didn't know what to do.

Despite everything, he didn't stop talking to you and calming you down. His words barely reached you, but his soothing tone and his closeness slowly started to calm you down. After a while, you started to catch your breath, although you were still terrified.

"Okay Y/n, calm down, everything's okay. We're here for you." He continued, gently stroking your head.

Your breathing evened out, and the tears stopped falling. With each passing minute it was getting better and better, and you were getting back to normal. Despite this, Han didn't stop taking care of you, he didn't let go of you the whole time. His hands only left your body when you got up from the floor on your own. Both boys had a huge sense of guilt in their eyes as they looked at you wrapped in a thick blanket.

"That...That wasn't funny." You finally managed to squeeze a few words out of your throat.

"We know Y/n and we're sorry." Chan said, approaching you, but you moved away from him slightly, offended by this mean joke.

"We really feel bad...I'm sorry." Han added, lowering his gaze as if he couldn't look at the sky now, because the feeling of shame was too big.

"Idiots..." You threw, leaving the room.

You went to your bedroom and immediately laid down in your bed. You had had enough emotions for one night. Even though you looked calm on the outside, your heart was still pounding inside. You covered yourself with the blanket and closed your eyes, but as soon as you closed them, you opened them again, and your breathing quickened again. You saw the situation that had happened a moment ago again, but instead of Han, a strange man was standing outside your window.

You turned on the light, covered yourself with the blanket and curled up tightly into a ball. You don't know when, but tears started rolling down your cheeks again. You were sobbing like a scared little dog. It was loud enough for your brother and Han to hear, because they quickly ran into your room, almost tripping over themselves.

"Y/n, is something wrong?" Han asked, coming closer. You could hear the concern in his voice.

You wiped your tears, but your hands were still shaking.

"I can't sleep... I'm scared." You replied, looking at them with fear. "Will you stay with me?" You added after a moment, your voice almost pleading.

They both looked at each other and then at you. Their faces expressed understanding. Han sat down on the chair next to the bed, and Chan went to the kitchen to make you some hot cocoa. He always knew how to calm you down - your favorite cocoa with whipped cream and marshmallows.

For a moment, the room was silent, broken only by your heavy breathing. Han was silent, not knowing what to say, but his presence was enough comfort for you. You finally broke the silence. 

“Han…” You caught his attention. “Can I cuddle you?” You asked quietly, pushing your lower lip forward in a gesture that was supposed to express your uncertainty.

Han, confused at first, nodded. He knew that it was because of him that you felt so scared now – the situation that had just happened was more dramatic than he had initially expected. He nodded for you to make room for him on the bed, and then he laid down next to you, wrapping his arm around you gently.

You snuggled into his chest, feeling his beating heart soothe your nerves. You slowly began to calm down, your breathing slowing down, and your eyelids getting heavier and heavier. The warmth of his body enveloped you like a warm blanket, and his heartbeat was like a lullaby. After a moment, you fell into a deep sleep, leaving all your fears behind.

Chan returned with cocoa and stood in the doorway, seeing the two of you hugged. His face clouded with dissatisfaction. He was about to shout to separate you, but Han signaled him to be quiet. Chan could barely contain his irritation, put his mug on the desk, and then came closer to communicate with Han in a quiet whisper.

“Will you stay here?” He asked in a low voice.

Han nodded, his gaze still on you.

“Yes, I will. I don’t want her to get scared if she wakes up alone at night. It’s our fault that she’s scared.” He answered with complete seriousness.

Chan sighed, not satisfied, but turned off the light as Han asked. Then he sat down on the armchair in the corner of the room, ready to watch for the rest of the night. Despite everything, he wasn’t going to let anything scare you again. He didn’t want to see more tears on your cheeks. Minutes, maybe hours, passed, and you all fell asleep.

As dawn slowly began to creep through the curtains, Han opened his eyes and looked at you. You were still sleeping peacefully, your face nestled against his chest. He smiled slightly at how innocent you looked. Chan, curled up in the armchair, was also asleep, and there was no trace of worry on his face.

Han looked at you once more, hesitating for a moment, unable to resist gently, as if on instinct, running his finger over your cheek. Your skin was soft, warm, and you seemed so vulnerable and calm. You were so... adorable. Han felt something he couldn't quite define - a mixture of delight and fear of what could happen if this lasted any longer. His heart began to beat faster, and his thoughts began to race. Suddenly, a sound from the other side of the room tore him from his thoughts. Chan, your brother, had just opened his eyes. His face immediately took on an expression of displeasure when he saw you together.

Seeing Chan's face, Han quickly removed his hand from your cheek, waking you up. You rubbed your eyes lazily, trying to wake up.

"Great, you're awake, now get your hands off Han." Chan growled, firmly.

Before you could answer, Chan gently but firmly pushed you away from Han, then grabbed his hand.

“Han has to go, now.” He added, pulling Han out of bed and pushing him towards the door. Han didn’t even have time to respond before the door slammed shut in his face.

You, on the other hand, sat on the bed for a moment, confused and trying to understand what had just happened. Your heart was pounding in your chest, and a smile slowly appeared on your face as you realized that you had spent the entire night cuddled up to Han. In that moment, you felt a wave of excitement rush through your body. You squealed loudly, almost like a teenager, and began to squirm in place with joy. You couldn’t help the wide smile that spread across your face. You were happy, very happy, you knew that you had to use this wonderful night to win Jisung over. After all, you should tell him your feelings.

______________

A week had passed since that situation, everything had returned to normal. The boys were still hanging out, and Han was once again ignoring you. You had tried to talk to him many times and confess your feelings to him, but your brother had always interrupted you.

Today, as usual, Jisung spent time with Chan. They were both sitting in your brother's room and playing on the console. However, you couldn't fully use this time, because you had to get ready for your friend's birthday party. There were going to be a lot of people there, so you had to look great.

You took a bath and started getting ready, so you were ready in less than two hours. Your dress was stunning - a deep shade of burgundy that perfectly matched your complexion. The delicate material fell softly on your figure, emphasizing your slender waist and gently flowing around your hips, ending just above your knees. Thin, shiny straps clung to your shoulders, and low-cut neckline added a dash of feisty edge to the whole look. Your hair, carefully styled, gently waved down your back, gleaming in the light of the lamp on your dressing table. You drew your lips in a strong shade of red that matched your dress, and your eyes were highlighted with a line of black eyeliner that brought out the depth of your gaze.

When you were ready, you headed to your brother's room. You had to ask him if he would agree to pick you up from the party. The door to the room was slightly ajar, and you could hear a familiar laugh from behind it. You entered without hesitation, immediately noticing Chan sitting at the computer, and Han next to him. Both were engrossed in the game, their faces illuminated only by the cool light of the monitor.

Han looked up first and immediately froze, as if he couldn't believe what he saw. His dark eyes widened in admiration, and an unconscious smile appeared on his face. His gaze swept over you from head to toe, as if he was trying to memorize every detail. You felt your heart beat faster at his reaction. That was what you wanted, you were supposed to attract attention.

“Chan, will you pick me up from Lisa’s today?” You asked confidently, knowing that your brother always agreed.

“At two o’clock and not a minute longer.” He replied without even taking his eyes off the screen.

You scowled, biting your lip slightly, and looked at Han, who was still staring at you. For a moment, you wanted to ask him something trivial, something that would break the silence. But before you could say anything, the sound of the doorbell interrupted your thoughts.

“It must be Yeji.” You said quickly, turning on your heel and heading towards the exit.

But before you closed the door, you threw one more look at Han, who was still looking at you with the same expression on his face, as if he still couldn't believe what he was seeing. You smiled slightly to yourself, feeling a strange satisfaction, and ran downstairs, where your friend was already waiting for you.

The party was in full swing, and the music was blaring from the speakers. You looked around the living room, which was full of familiar and unfamiliar faces. You felt free and happy at the moment, enjoying the energy of the people around you.

A few unfamiliar guys who noticed you started approaching you, offering you drinks and trying to strike up a conversation. They were polite and smiling, but you dismissed them with a single look. None of them could compare to Han, and your heart was busy and closed to any other attempts at flirting.

"Come on Y/n, relax and have a drink with us." Lisa laughed, handing you a glass with a colorful drink.

She raised an eyebrow, but you took the drink and took the first sip. You felt the tart taste of alcohol on your tongue and knew perfectly well that this was just the beginning of a great party. With each passing minute the atmosphere became more relaxed. Alcohol flowed through your veins, and the laughter of Lisa and other friends became louder and louder. You felt yourself slowly losing control of your body, but you still laughed and had fun, letting yourself be carried away by the moment.

In the meantime, the party moved outside, where the air was cooler. Music was blaring from the speakers set up on the terrace, and people were dancing in the glow of twinkling lights. You danced with Lisa, feeling how every move brought you incredible joy. Everything seemed perfect until a few guys approached you, who were clearly looking for some fun.

"Hello, beautiful girls. Maybe I can show you what a good time means." One of them said, smiling widely.

Lisa of course agreed, but you didn't know any of them so you had no intention of playing their little games.

“I'll let it go.” You said after you had carefully checked them out.

Unfortunately, one of them wasn't going to give up so easily. He was pushy and seeing that you were heavily intoxicated with alcohol, he decided to take advantage of it.

“Don't be like that. I'm sure you'll like it. I'll show you what real pleasure means.” He pressed, grabbing your hips.

You tried to walk away, constantly slapping his hands away, but the boy followed you. His hand tightened on your wrist as you walked away from him a little further.

“Leave me alone!” You shouted, hoping that someone from the party would help you, but everyone was too absorbed in the fun.

You didn't even have the strength to fight and defend yourself, the alcohol made you weaker than usual. The boy was very irritated by your stubbornness and became more aggressive. His hand tightened on your wrist and he pulled you closer to him.

“Come on, I know you want to have fun.” He hissed through clenched teeth, leaning over you.

You closed your eyes in fear, but suddenly you felt the pressure on your wrist disappear. When you opened your eyes again, you saw Han standing in front of you, and the unknown boy lying on the ground holding his cheek.

"Didn't you hear that she doesn't like it?" Han said, his voice stern.

The stranger looked at Han as if he wanted to object, but seeing his clenched fists, he immediately withdrew. Before the boy could get up, Jisung grabbed your hand and led you to the car. Jisung was very nervous, because he firmly put you in the passenger seat and fastened your seatbelt. Then he got in the car himself.

"Why didn't Chan come pick me up?" You asked, trying to focus on his face.

"Your brother drank as much as you did, so I came to pick you up. And I think I was perfectly on time." Han replied, his voice became soft, he looked at you one last time, wanting to make sure you were safe and sound and he drove home.

After a moment of travel, you felt a huge wave of warmth take over your body. Your heart sped up as did your breathing. You looked at Han and bit your lip - driving the car with slightly tousled hair he looked amazing. You felt a huge desire for him, you wanted to have him all to yourself.

Without taking your eyes off him, you reached out your hand towards him and placed it on his crotch. Han was very surprised by your behavior.

"I feel like I want to play a little more." You said, squeezing his penis through the material of his pants.

Han quickly pushed your hand away and pulled over to the side of the road.

"What are you doing Y/n?" He asked surprised, but you didn't answer and unbuckled your seatbelt, rising in the seat.

You grabbed his hand and before he could react, you placed it on your bare chest. The large neckline of your dress made things much easier, because all you had to do was lean over too much and both of your breasts were visible.

“Can you feel my heart beating at the sight of you?” You said, guiding his hand so he squeezed your breast. “That's what you do to me.” You added, but Han quickly removed his hand.

“Calm down Y/n, you're not yourself.” He tried to control you somehow, but you didn't stop insisting.

You moved to his seat and knelt astride him, which made your dress reveal your breasts. Han fought with himself not to look lower, his surprised gaze was fixed on your eyes. He didn't touch you, his hands lay idly along his body, while you threw yours around his neck.

You looked at each other in silence, no one dared to make another move. You carefully analyzed every millimeter of Han's face - you had never been this close. Time slowed down for you, you relished every second, every breath, every blink. Finally you decided to take one step further, you moved closer to Han with the intention of kissing him. However, the boy's hand appeared between your lips, covering them. "You're completely drunk, when you sober up you'll regret this." He said, moving you to the passenger seat and fastening your seatbelt again.

As soon as you sat back down in the passenger seat, your energy immediately dropped and before you could say anything, you fell asleep. Seeing you in such state, Jisung covered you with his sweatshirt and headed back towards your house. He tried to stay calm but his heart was pounding like crazy. He knew that you were drunk enough that you wouldn't remember this event, but the bigger problem was your brother, to whom Han decided not to tell anything about what happened in the car.

In the morning, you were woken up by the sunlight that was streaming into your room. You were immediately hit by a huge pain that was pulsating in your head. You definitely had a hangover and a serious one at that, you didn't even remember what happened yesterday at the party. Just the thought of how much alcohol you had to drink to be in such state made you feel sick.

You reluctantly dragged yourself out of bed and went to the kitchen for a glass of cold water that was supposed to quench your thirst. The boys were already sitting downstairs, laughing and eating a delicious breakfast. When they noticed your arrival, Chan got up and brought you freshly made pancakes and a glass full of electrolytes from the kitchen.

"I think you might need them." He said, sneering.

You didn't say anything, just mumbled quietly under your breath, having absolutely no energy for anything else right now. You sat down at the table and started eating breakfast, massaging your aching temples. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't remember last night.

"You must have had a good time, because Han had to carry you home." Chan said rudely.

You looked with wide eyes at Jisung, who just laughed under his breath.

"You weren't much better either." He laughed at Chan, who nudged him lightly.

You, on the other hand, blushed red. You couldn't remember the fact that Han saw you in such a miserable state, drunk to the point that you couldn't stand on your own feet. You quickly ate and drank everything that was in front of you and ran to your room, hiding your face in the pillows.

"How were you supposed to confess your feelings to Han after something like that? Will he accept you after something like that?" A lot of thoughts flew through your head, thoughts whose main topic was Han.

For the next few days, you felt terribly embarrassed to show yourself in front of your crush. You tried not to leave your room when he came to your house. You had to sort everything out in your head. Finally, one day, you decided to pull yourself together and confess your feelings to him. You couldn't hold it in any longer, it was overwhelming you too much, you had to at least try.

You sat in the living room, nervously clenching your fingers around the edges of your favorite dress. You had been waiting for this moment for a few years. A few years of secret glances, laughter hidden behind friendly jokes and moments full of hope that became more and more unbearable with each passing day.

When you heard the key turning in the lock, your heart started beating like crazy. Chan and Han entered the house, laughing and full of energy after the match. They barely noticed your presence as they passed you, so absorbed in the memories of the match. You waited patiently, giving them time to calm down. You tried to calm your thoughts, but the longer you waited, the more it felt like your heart was about to jump out of your chest.

Finally, Chan announced that he was going to take a shower, leaving you alone in the kitchen. You felt that this was the perfect time. You gathered the last of your courage and approached Han. You started the conversation by asking about the match - you wanted to buy some time. Han spoke passionately, his face lit up with mirth, but you could barely hear his words. When he asked what had been going on with you lately, because he noticed that I rarely saw you, you felt a warmth flood your face. You felt that you had to act now or never.

"Han, I have to tell you something," You blurted out before fear could take over.

Han fell silent and looked at you with interest, his face turning serious. You took a deep breath, trying to calm your shaking hands.

"I've liked you for years and I can't hide it anymore. I love you." The words spilled out of your mouth faster than you expected, almost merging into one sentence.

______________

A look of pure surprise appeared on Han's face. He looked at you with wide eyes, and you had the impression that time had stood still. He was silent, as if someone had stolen his tongue, and in his eyes you saw something between shock and confusion. The tension in the air grew with every second, until you finally couldn't hold it in any longer. You took a step forward, throwing your arms around his neck. You wanted to feel his closeness, to break this uncertainty.

For a moment Han stood still, but his eyes never left yours. Your heart was beating so loudly that you had the impression that the whole world could hear it. Finally, you felt his hands wrap around your waist, gently, hesitantly. You approached him, slowly closing your eyes, ready to connect your lips in the first, long-awaited kiss.

But then... Something wet and heavy landed on your head. Surprised, you opened your eyes and saw a wet towel that had just fallen on your face. Jisung quickly let go of your waist, and you felt anger rise inside you like a wave. You ripped the towel off your head with rage. Your heart was beating like crazy, and the blood was roaring in your ears, when suddenly, without warning, Chan lunged at Han with his fists. His scream echoed off the walls, penetrating you to the marrow of your bones.

"You have to get away from her!" He yelled, his face twisted with anger. "This is the end of our friendship! Get out of here and never show up in my house again!"

You tried to step in, to stop your brother, but Chan was crazy. His eyes were burning, and his voice was sharp as a knife. He didn't listen to you, he didn't look at you. With determination, he grabbed Han by the arm and literally threw him out the door, slamming it so hard that the walls shook.

As soon as the door closed, Chan turned to you. He was pissed, his breathing was rapid and his gaze full of accusations.

"I'm disappointed in you!" He blurted out, his voice full of anger. "You have no right to get close to him! You're too young for love, you don't even know what it means!"

You felt his words hit you like fists. Anger, disappointment, pain - everything mixed inside you into one big chaos.

"You don't understand anything, I love him!" You screamed, your words shaking with emotion but decisive. "I'm not a child anymore and I can do whatever I want!"

His face turned red and his jaw clenched even tighter. Your protests only fueled his anger.

"Go to your room and think about your behavior!" He growled, pointing his finger at the stairs.

"You're not my father so don't order me around... I hate you!" You screamed, feeling tears welling up in your eyes. You turned on your heel and ran to your room, slamming the door. You locked it and then collapsed onto your bed, choking on your tears.

Your shoulders were shaking and your emotions were swirling inside you, creating a storm you couldn't control. You could hear Chan pacing behind the door for a moment, but eventually everything quieted down. You were left alone with your anger, your wounded heart, and your pain.

Days passed, and you didn't want to leave your room, to avoid meeting Chan. Your brother had become almost a stranger to you after what had happened. You still remembered that evening - what he had said, how he had reacted to Han. Ever since you had argued that day, you had avoided him like the plague. Every time you felt the need to leave the house, you would escape through the window, feeling your heart speed up with every step outside. Chan had tried to reach you several times, asking you to come out, talking through the door, but you were adamant.

What's worse, Han had disappeared since that day. He hadn't even once shown up at your house, hadn't called you or Chan. The silence that reigned between you seemed to grow thicker with each passing day, and your heart ached more and more. You were afraid that everything was gone - your friendship, the hopes that had begun to sprout in your heart.

One day, unable to stay locked up any longer, you decided to go for a walk. The air outside was refreshing, and the warm rays of the setting sun caressed your face. You felt relieved, as if you had momentarily freed yourself from the burden you had been carrying for so long. You walked along the park, staring into the distance, where the sun was slowly hiding behind the horizon, spreading pink and orange streaks across the sky.

Suddenly, you heard your name. You turned around sharply, and your heart began to beat faster. Han was running towards you, looking nervous, but you saw something else in his eyes - determination.

"Hey." He said as he finally caught up with you, breathing heavily. “I’m sorry I was silent for so long. I had to sort everything out. Can we talk?”

You stood still, your heart pounding like crazy in your chest. What you had been holding in for days suddenly burst out. Tears welled up in your eyes and your voice began to tremble.

“Han…” You started, but before you could control yourself, the words spilled out of your mouth. “I’ll get over you. I promise. These feelings, they’re only temporary. I swear I’ll get over you. Just please... don’t leave me.”

You were shaken, too lost in your emotions to understand what you had just said. Han looked at you, his face expressionless for a moment. Like he was fighting something he couldn’t come to terms with. Finally, he took a step forward and gently grabbed your hand.

“Did you ever think that maybe I don’t want you getting over me? What if I don’t want these feelings to be only temporary?” His voice was quiet but firm. “That maybe I like you too?”

You froze. His words pierced through all your doubts, through all the pain you carried in your heart. You looked into his eyes, searching for answers in them, trying to understand if what you had just heard was true. His gaze was sincere, warm, full of hope. Han really felt it. Your heart was beating even faster now, you couldn’t find the words.

“Han... “ You whispered, not knowing what to say.

“I know Chan is against it.” He started again, taking another step towards you. His hand moved to your waist, and you felt how close he was. “But I care about you. About us.”

He didn’t give you time to answer. His lips gently touched yours, and in that kiss you felt everything – unspoken words, suppressed feelings, all his struggle and doubts that were now melting in the face of what he felt for you. The kiss was tender, as if he wanted you to understand that this wasn't just temporary. These weren't just passing emotions.

When he finally pulled away, your heart was still pounding, and your head was in chaos. You felt lost and certain at the same time. You knew that everything would change now.

"Han...I...I don't know what to say." You blurted out, lightly touching your lips, still not believing what had just happened.

"You don't have to say anything Y/n. I love you and I want to be with you." His voice was exceptionally calm, so you knew he wasn't lying.

You smiled at him and snuggled tightly into his chest. His heart was beating just as fast as yours. You both immersed yourself in this wonderful moment, snuggled up to each other. Nothing else mattered now except you. Your dream had come true, you were together. Only after a moment, when the first emotions had subsided, did you realize one small obstacle - your brother.

"Han." You tore the boy out of this wonderful moment. “What about Chan? What will we do if he finds out we’re together? You saw how he reacted to that situation, and then nothing even happened between us.” You were worried, a big complication that awaited you.

“We’ll handle it calmly. Let him calm down and in the meantime let’s hide, and when the right moment comes we’ll tell him about us.” Han assured you, stroking your cheek.

His words and touch made the weight fall off your heart and you stopped being so nervous. The love of your life confessed his feelings to you and that was what mattered now, nothing else, and you’ll get through any difficulties together.

____________

For the past few months, your life had picked up pace, although you still carefully hid it from your brother. The relationship with Han, which you had started to build in secret, was becoming more and more intense, and at the same time it gave you indescribable joy. It was more than just a crush - every moment spent together was special, full of laughter, closeness and warmth that filled your heart. The changes that had taken place in you were unmistakable, even Chan had begun to notice them. 

Han was like a ray of sunshine that brightened your everyday life, giving you the courage to be yourself. You stopped avoiding your brother, and your relationship, although still complicated, began to improve. Chan was surprised that you had suddenly become more open, and even started talking to him again. His suspicion grew with each passing day, but he didn't press, waiting for you to reveal what had caused this sudden metamorphosis. 

One day, when the sky was covered with gray clouds, Han invited you over, not wanting the weather to ruin another day. You used it as an opportunity to dress up, and the dress you chose gave you confidence. Chan noticed your efforts. Just as you were about to leave, your brother stopped you in the hallway.

"Where did you get all dressed up?" He asked suspiciously, glancing at your outfit.

"For a friend's birthday." You answered, feeling a lie slip through your lips and your heart beating faster. You quickly slipped out of the house before Chan could add anything.

At Han's, an evening full of peace and tenderness awaited you. You ordered food, and then you prepared dessert together, which you ate while watching a movie. Everything seemed so perfect, and the atmosphere between you carried the promise of something more. Your innocent kisses turned into something more intense, passionate. It was the first time you had experienced such closeness, and you were delighted with every moment.

“Stay for tonight.” Han suggested, and you agreed without hesitation.

You quickly texted Chan that you were staying at a friend's so he wouldn't have to worry. When you went to take a bath, Han handed you his shirt to use as pajamas. It was the kind of intimacy that gave you a sense of security and closeness that you had never experienced before. You fell asleep cuddled up to each other, and you couldn't stop smiling, feeling that you had never been happier.

The next day, Chan, as suspicious as always, asked you about the details of the previous evening, but you were clever. You answered evasively, brushing off his questions.

____________

A few days later, Han invited you to a restaurant, you dressed carefully again, feeling that this evening would be special. This time, Chan decided to follow you. He felt like you were hiding something from him, and he wanted to find out what it was. When Chan saw you with Han at the restaurant, his first instinct was to get angry. He was about to run inside and make a scene when he saw something that surprised him. You looked really happy. You were smiling in a way he hadn't seen in a long time. At that moment, he realized that maybe his overprotectiveness was over the top.

Inside the restaurant, Han handed you a present - a beautiful, delicate necklace. He gently placed it around your neck and then placed a tender kiss on your lips. You were touched, you had never received such a beautiful gift before. Watching you from afar, Chan realized that Han really cared about you.

That evening, as you were walking home, you decided that it was high time to tell Chan about your relationship. Entering the house, you squeezed Han's hand tightly, trying to give yourself courage.

"Chan, I have to tell you something…" You began, seeing that your brother had turned his attention to you. "I've been with Han for a while now. We want you to know that." You confessed with a trembling voice.

Han, seeing your uncertainty, put his arm around you and added,

"I know how important Y/N is to you, Chan. I can assure you that I will take care of her. I love her and I will always be there for her. I promise."

For a moment, Chan was silent, his face showing no emotion. After a moment, however, to your surprise, he smiled slightly.

"I know you're together." He finally said. "Y/N looks happy. I know I'm overprotective, but... she's my little sister. I want to protect her. But I can see she's found someone who's more important to her than me. I have to accept that." He looked at Han with determination. "But remember, I've got my eye on you. If you hurt her, you'll have to deal with me."

A weight lifted from your hearts. You smiled at each other with relief, and Han and Chan patted each other's backs, as if they were going back to old times. 

From that day on, you didn't have to hide anything anymore. Everything was the same, well almost everything. Han often dropped by your house, and your relationship blossomed. You had never felt happier, you had the two most important people by your side, and everything was going well.

Masterlist

[heazueken]

Hi, I saw you were taking requests ? I just read your vastaya!Jayce fic and it was really really good and since you're open to requests, I wondered, why not try ? If it's alright ?

I just had that thought that... I don't think Jayce ever saw Viktor crying. Crying is often a byproduct of sadness or frustration but also sometimes joy. Or sometimes, it's a "everything is just too much and I need to purge it" and I think Viktor would really benefit from a good cry. I don't know, I just have this really vivid image of Jayce whipping away Viktor's tears with his thumb, or kissing the corner of his eyes and comfort him ?

thanks a lot if you have the time or inspiration to give it a shot but otherwise it's more than fine ! I hope you have a good day !

thank you so much omg! i had a ton of fun writing it if you couldn’t tell lol!

when i read this request i immediately thought you want my dead. reminding me of this, i view viktor as so restrained and someone who bottles up his feelings bc who the hell can he go to? i hope what ive written expresses that and i appreciate you and everyone’s patience for my writing :) i hope you enjoy!

wc; 4.1k

Viktor was a loner. Singed was the first to insinuate the label on a poor child and since then Viktor had accepted that fact.

I’ll never be noticed or remembered. I’ll always be a loner.

Had he been noticed by one of the founding fathers of Piltover? Yes. Was he still looked past in every situation? Yes. Despite being on the taller side he never felt like anyone’s focus, sometimes he felt that way about Heimerdinger— the very man who gave him the wonderful opportunity to be his assistant.

Then Jayce came into his life. This young (one year younger than him) naive, boy who was toying with something much bigger than him had been on the verge of banishment had it not been for his mother to get involved and lessen his sentence to expulsion had been the one to completely turn his entire life around.

He had never been included in anything his whole life. Hearing the words “our Hextech dream” was something completely otherworldly to Viktor. It’s like Jayce had reached into his chest and grabbed ahold of his heart and took it for his very own to keep, and Viktor was happy to do so even in his state of shock.

Their relationship then formed at a rapid pace, they were allowed a lab together and worked side by side and for once Viktor actually felt like he belonged. Being a Zaunite in Piltover was, well, unheard of for the most part, let alone the fact that he was disabled.

And that’s where we are. Viktor has come to a conclusion the more he looks around Piltover and at the very many citizens who happened to be disabled in one way or another. You’d think Viktor and these people were one in the same but you forget one thing—

Viktor is still a Zaunite. Which means he doesn’t get as well of a treatment for his ailments like the rest of the Pilties (he heard the term once when someone from the undercity mistook him for one).

You see, Viktor’s leg had been bothering him, more so than usual and at first it started with his cane. No longer could he take a few steps without it or get up without having to use it as leverage. The thing was practically glued to his hand and it wasn’t working well anymore. Old and rusty the thing was and Viktor had half a mind to make his own because Gods knows no one would make one for him.

Then one day, Jayce came strutting in, decked out in his usual fancy get up. A double breasted button up with his house colors accented on the shoulders and waist. He has a few things in his hand, measuring tape, a metal rod, and a permanent marker. Viktor turns his full body towards Jayce.

“What’s this?”

Jayce smiles and Viktor’s heart flutters momentarily. “Can you stand up for a moment?” They look at each other for a moment, Jayce with a big fat smile plastered across his face and Viktor who stares back at him with a perplexed brow.

“Okay…” He draws out the word and grabs his old cane beside him so he can lift himself off the chair. He uses all his strength, leaning the entirety of his body weight on the cane and Jayce is suddenly rushing in front of him and setting down all his supplies on the table.

“I’m such an ass, here—“ His huge hand wraps around Viktor’s entire arm. For some this would be comforting— big strong man helping you, lifting you and taking care of everything. “Let me help.” But for Viktor this was torture. Since when did he ever make it seem like he couldn’t do a simple thing like get up from a chair? How dare Jayce even think of such a thing. They both know what Viktor is capable of, they both are aware of his resilience and independence. What an insult to his character. He smacks Jayce’s eager hand away and stands up on his two legs with shaky effort.

“I’m not some helpless cripple, Jayce.” He spits with venom and it’s not directed towards someone he would call a best friend but no matter— Viktor directed his own frustration with himself on Jayce. His hand grips the handle of his cane tightly and he grits his teeth, his jaw protrudes with irritation and shame. He looks away from the man in front of him because he knows if he were to face him he’d be met with the saddest pair of puppy eyes he’d ever seen. He shuts his eyes in an attempt to rid of the image but a hand on his shoulder deters him.

God dammit.

An antagonizing gaze, a scolding, Viktor can see it now. Jayce giving up on him because he was too difficult, too weak, too incapable of doing anything himself. The staccato tapping on his food filled the room's deafening silence. The air felt heavy and Viktor’s cheeks slowly warmed up with shame. He finally begins to lift his head to look up at his partner before him.

Jayce looks at him with waxy eyes, there’s a sadness in them and an understanding. But what could he understand about Viktor’s terror, what claws at his spine and the chronic aching of his leg. The feeling of his body decaying, cracking and breaking slowly like a growing tumor of torment.

Viktor tears his eyes away and bites his tongue.

“I’m up now. What are we doing?”

“Right.” Jayce’s voice is tight but there’s an underline of softness. He pauses, afraid to move but slowly goes for the measuring tape he set on their desk and the other can see him out of his peripheral come closer and take a deep breath. “I..uh, can I get some measurements from you?”

Huh?

Viktor’s head snaps to stare up at Jayce. “What? For what?”

Jayce just takes a step closer. “I’ll show you when it’s ready. Please?”

There’s a twist in his stomach and it makes his insides feel like they’re being sucked into a black hole and that makes him dizzy. What exactly was Jayce planning here? He goes to eye the other supplies to piece his thoughts together to come up with what he could possibly be doing but before he could Jayce was already blocking his view.

“It seriously won’t take more than a minute.”

His leg is starting to hurt now and he just wants to sit down and get back to work. He reluctantly slacks his shoulders and motions for Jayce to do what he came in here to. Jayce seems to practically hop with excitement and the clinking sound of the tape measure echos in the room.

Skin on skin wasn’t something Viktor was very familiar with and he didn’t make it much of a habit to be touchy with anyone. Jayce had proved to be quite the opposite and it seemed like all he could do was touch. A hand on the back, the shoulder, hell, he even laid his own hand over Viktor’s once during a frustrating day of experimenting what else the hex crystals were capable of doing. Viktor did not like physical touch.

Yet with Jayce it was a losing battle and he could never admit that at times he actually enjoyed the warmth of his hand and the comfort of someone at least being there with him.

This was not one of those times, however. Viktor—still ashamed with himself for snapping at Jayce— couldn’t handle the proximity of their bodies. Jayce is much too close and his knuckles brush over his ribs as he closely measures his friend's height, then the length of the floor to his shoulder, then from the floor to his armpit. He mumbles to himself and scribbles down the numbers he collected.

Just as quickly as Jayce invaded Viktor’s personal space, he was moving away from him and curtly saying thank you before making his way out of the lab with a haste Viktor had never seen.

He really fucked up.

It had been a couple of days. Viktor had been so consumed by his contrite thoughts that he completely disappeared from the lab. Taking to staying in his room and only leaving at late hours into the night when he knew no one would be around in the halls or streets to notice him. He was good at slipping away, at being alone. It was for the best, really. He’s out of the way, there’s no chance of him getting frustrated towards himself and directing it towards anyone who didn’t deserve to get the sharp end of his abhorrent views of himself.

He missed the lab, though. He missed Jayce if he was being honest with himself but that was a lot harder to face and so he would simply forget the thought even popped up and put it on the back burner of his mind. But that burner grew hotter and slowly began to simmer before turning into a boil and bubbled over him all at once how much he truly had fucked up.

“I owe him an apology at least.” He decides tomorrow morning he’ll go back and properly say his sorry’s.

Just as he was getting ready to settle into bed, there was a knock on his apartment door. He looks at the clock.

11:45PM

There was only one person who knows where he lives and knows he’d still be up. Viktor gathers up his courage with each step towards the front door.

Of course it’s Jayce behind the door, he didn’t even have to question it nor look through the peephole. He slowly opens the door and peeks around the corner of it.

“Jayce?” He says like he’s shocked. Jayce is standing there, looking handsome as ever but he didn’t seem like his usual self. His hair was a bit messy and his five o,clock shadow had grown into a scruff. His eyes were droopy and held evidence of a long sleepless night— or several nights, really. His face seems to lighten when Viktor answers the door, almost like he wasn’t expecting him to even give him the time of day.

“What are you doing here so late?”

“I needed to see you,” He says it frantically and Viktor flinches at the intensity of his tone. It doesn’t go i noticed and Jayce takes a step back in a silent apology. “I wanted to give you something…I’ve been working on it for a bit now.”

He doesn’t know what it is. He doesn’t have the faintest clue, but with him a little further away he feels safe enough to open the door wider and get a good look at the man in front of his doorstep.

Plain white T-shirt, a pair of pajama pants with…is that his family crest on the sides? The get up was in high contrast compared to what he had on his feet— his fancy, brown leather work shoes. Viktor stifles a laugh expertly and glances back up to Jayce who he now notices is holding something behind his back.

He sighs and admits defeat, perhaps moving his apology to tonight would be better. He couldn’t even begin to think of going to sleep with the fictional scenario he’d play and replay over and over again until the sun finally came back up. He had to own up to his own stupidity and immaturity. Viktor widens the door open and steps to the side to let Jayce in. They smirk awkwardly at each other and the younger walks in just as awkwardly. He side steps, his back facing away from Viktor to deter him from seeing the it behind him.

He rolls his eyes but finds himself smiling and feeling the warmth of his beating heart increase. It makes him feel sick and he takes a wobbly step forward, leaning his hand against the wall. He’d forgotten his cane in his bedroom. Jayce stands there unsure to reach out and ask him for help and that terrible knot in his throat grows at the base of his neck and creeps up until it’s in the underside of his jaw.

“Before you show me what you’ve made. I…needed to tell you something.” His hand on the wall turns into a fist and he presses it hard as if to ground himself. He fights the urge to look away from Jayce because good lord he looks scared and Viktor knows he thinks he’s done something wrong.

“It’s nothing you’ve done.” He starts off when Jayce doesn’t respond. His shoulders fall just an inch and he sees the immediate relief wash over his friend before he continues. Viktor can’t fight it, he looks down at his feet. “I wasn’t myself a few days ago. I…I wasn’t feeling well and it brought up some unwanted thoughts and I couldn’t control myself. I snapped at you.”

Silence. He still can’t look at Jayce because that knot in his throat has turned into glass and it shreds down his throat with each difficult swallow and he knows the tears come after that. “You were just trying to help me and I did need help— I wanted the help but I was too embarrassed to take it from you and I directed my own frustration onto you. I’m sorry for that.”

Once more, silence. The air is thick and Viktor wonders if Jayce can feel it. Can feel the struggle to breathe and that terrible churning in his stomach just as he’s feeling now. He’s too scared to look up and to be met with a ridiculing glare and an unforgiving tone. But he hears the wood floor squeak under Jayce’s weight, and he hears it again, and once more.

His head is hung low, his fist is tight and he can feel the nails almost break the skin of his palms. Viktor’s eyes squeeze shut and he braces himself for Jayce to walk right past him and slam the door behind him.

“Hey,” His voice is sweet and warm and it’s much closer, so close that it startles Viktor and draws a gasp from him. His eyes are glassy, still fighting back a few tears but he opens them to look up to see Jayce just inches away from him. A smile grows across his lips, his eyes like a warm drop of honey bear into Viktor’s and there’s a soft, apologetic look across his features.

“You don’t have to apologize. It was out of turn for me to assume you needed help—“

“No!” Viktor exclaims, he opens a palm out as he feverishly speaks, “It’s me who’s wrong! I spoke out of turn and let my anger out on you when you were just trying to help. I didn’t mean to.”

“I know you’re capable of doing things yourself, V.” The nickname makes his stomach flip, Jayce doesn’t use it often and it catches him by surprise every time. “I just saw the pain in your face and I wanted to help.”

“I know! And that’s why I’m apologizing, because I smacked you away and..and I was cruel.” He drops his hand and lets it smack against the side of his thigh. Viktor releases a drawn out sigh and lets his shoulders slump. Jayce looks down at him solemnly.

“It wasn’t cruel. But I accept your apology— even though I don’t think you did anything wrong.”

“Well, I hurt you, didn’t I?”

Jayce chuckles. “Maybe a little bit, but I’m fine.”

They stand silently again, Viktor finally letting his hand rest spread out on the wall. His leg was beginning to hurt now and sitting all his weight on one hip was beginning to pinch a nerve. He looks back to Jayce who’s still standing there with his hands behind his back.

“Have a seat and show me what you made already.”

Jayce’s expression changes into one of worry and Viktor swears he can see a bead of sweat on his forehead.

“R-right! Uh, let’s have a seat.” He lets Viktor lead the way. He had never been in Viktor’s apartment very much, he mostly strictly stood at the threshold and spoke to his partner there before leaving. Never had he taken a step inside and taken in the homely atmosphere Viktor had curated. It was so very Viktor, with the likes of books and endless shelves of academic publications printed out and bound in thick leather. Or the many notes strewn about with at least one pen or pencil resting on any surface. He noticed a small toy boat on display in his living room and he has the urge to ask him about it, or the drawing of what seemed to be a mechanical golem resting on his coffee table in front of his worn loveseat.

Before he can even ask, Viktor is reaching down and crumpling it and tosses it into a bin. They sit side by side on the small couch and Jayce feels his cheeks blush when Viktor indicates for him to show off already.

“Okay, uh, could you…look away for a moment?”

Viktor raises an eyebrow and purses his lips. “I’m sorry?”

“I want it to be a surprise…just indulge me…please?” Jayce attempts to bat his eyelashes and Viktor laughs at the clumsy way he can’t seem to find the momentum to bat them quickly. He obliges and places his hands over his eyes, he shuts his lids for good measure.

“No peeking, got it?” Jayce almost giggles.

“I would do no such thing.” He would.

Jayce brings the gift out from behind him, he’s shocked that he was able to hide it this long, he was sure Viktor would figure it out by now but he’s pleased to know his lab partner is oblivious to the fact that he had spent a week perfecting what he hoped Viktor would appreciate.

There’s cool metal on the palms Jayce told Viktor to face upward in his lap and it shocks him before he’s slowly wrapping his fingers around the material. He slowly opens his eyes, aware too much of Jayce’s intense gaze, there’s concern and hope and fear in his eyes and Viktor finally looks down at what’s been placed in his lap.

His eyes run across cool, steel metal with accents of red, white trimming of metal brings the piece together and his hand finds the first handle of what is a brand new cane sitting across his legs.

The handle is red and it looks to be the perfect length and width to fit into his hand. There are indents shaped just for his fingers and it’s made with cushioned leather. Viktor stares in awe of the expert work of the shape. His eyes follow up the cane to the top handle, it's curved and made with the same leather. On the tip of it is a circle framed with metal and what looks to be Jayce’s family crest. His eyes glide back down it, finding the same sigil on the side of the cane.

He’s speechless. Utterly incapable of saying a single word, let alone form a sentence. Jayce had taken the time and effort to actually make this for him. He thought his chronic pain hadn’t been so obvious— at least it wasn’t to literally everyone else who knew him or were acquainted with him. He never had been perceived so closely, so intimately and it aches in his heart the realization that Jayce had clearly seen Viktor this whole time.

He was no longer alone and Jayce had seen the inner workings of his pain. Perhaps he shouldn’t be surprised, they were together every single day and they were coming up on five years of working together.

Viktor’s ribs were a broken cage and released his emotions freely. The dam that held back his tears broke and out came a flood. His vision immediately becomes blurry and his hands tremble with the cane rattling gently in them.

“I…What…Why did you do this?” His voice is shaky and he bites his tongue to stop himself from speaking. He sounds so pathetic and small. “This is for me?”

Jayce gently reaches his hand over and places an index finger on the top handle.

“This is for support under your armpit and this—“ He points to the next handle. “Is for your hand to grasp onto. I saw the way you had been leaning lately and I could see the pain it was causing for you…I wanted to try and make something to help with that…”

He’s too sweet. Much too sweet to be in the presence of Viktor— someone who couldn’t fathom why he deserved such a thoughtful and well crafted piece of metalwork. He spent his free time on this, he worked on this by hand, by himself, for a week. He thinks back to the strange measurements Jayce had asked of him. How he tried to be slick and looking back he was because Viktor was too busy with his maintenance on the Hexgates to really consider why the hell Jayce needed to know how long and wide Viktor’s hand was or how he liked to hold his cane and how heavily he leaned onto it for support.

Viktor still couldn’t find the words. He barely even notices he’s crying until he sees a tear land on the metal and he’s immediately turning away from Jayce and swiping the rivers running down his face. He knows he looks pathetic like this and he never once wanted anyone to see him cry, let alone Jayce of all people.

“Thank you…truly,” He says with a shaky breath, his voice cracking around the lump in his esophagus. He covers his mouth, still turned away from Jayce.

“You didn’t have to…”

Warmth spreads across Viktor’s hand, he feels Jayce’s calloused fingers against his skin and it doesn’t help the flow of falling tears. His eyes screw shut but it’s not enough to hold them back and he barely registers another hand reaching out and Jayce’s thumb swiping across his cheek gently.

“Viktor,” He speaks gently, saying his name with relief and a sweetness that made Viktor’s teeth ache. Hearing his name come out so gently is too overwhelming and he shakes his head. “Hey, What’s wrong? Did I do something?”

Yes. Yes! You saw me and for the first time I’m feeling like I’m someone important!

His mouth parts to speak and it’s dry, his tongue sticks to the roof of his mouth as he attempts to form a sentence.

“No…no…you did a wonderful thing, I'm just…I’m embarrassed.” Jayce wipes away another tear that escaped and ran down to his lip. He captures it and rubs it away on the edge of his lips and they both a shock in the touch of his fingertips. They say nothing about it.

“Why?” Jayce asks simply.

“Crying…”

“You’ve seen me cry. How is this any different?”

Viktor’s glassy eyes look up into Jayce’s and this time he’s able to hold his gaze.

“I’m not meant to be comforted.” He says it so plainly like it’s a fact and Jayce feels his heart throb in pain. How his partner could ever think such a thing about himself he has no idea but he’ll do anything to change his mind.

“You are,” He lets his hand cup Viktor’s cheek and he watches the way his lashes flutter closed and he leans into the touch. “Don’t ever say that. You deserve…everything, Viktor.”

They sit like that for a while, Viktor unsure of what to say next and instead basks in the comfort of Jayce’s touch and Jayce who watches the tears slowly dry and leave streaks on his cheeks. It isn’t until he pulls his hand away does Viktor look back down at the cane in his lap. He turns it in his hands gently and runs his finger over the family sigil.

“The Talis hammer…a bit egotistical, don’t you think?” He huffs a laugh and Jayce is equally amused, his cheeks grow red and he slides his hand across the side of his neck as he lets out a breathy laugh.

“Yeah, well, habit I guess…” He leans in a little close. “You really do like it, though?”

Viktor, now smiling down at the cane, nods. “Yeah, I do. Looking at it might make me cry again.”

“Well, let me take care of that then.” Jayce’s thumb runs across one of Viktor’s cheeks affectionately and for a second they forget they’re just friends and revel in the comfort of one another.

[ladysomething]

The amount of lestappen content we've gotten lately is amazing!

I've reread wygig like 4 times now I love it so much

Any chance of another snippet before Wednesday????

are you ... not sick of wygig? I did not realise it had that level of re-readability. but I'm delighted that it does!!

probably no more snippets .... I think ...

oh actually!!!

I started dicking around with a random concept after seeing @hotmandrivefast's recent fan art of lestappen kissing during Max's stream, so you can have everything I've written from that so far.

ridiculous vibes as is becoming my brand when I'm not writing wygig lol.

The problem, Charles thinks, is that he and Max have been together too long. 

A secondary, equally alarming problem, is that Charles has also clearly let Max have too much sex with him. The novelty has worn off. 

He’s boring. 

And how exactly has Charles come to these conclusions? 

Because he is laid out on the bed of their hotel room, shirtless, and Max is just . . . ignoring him. For his games. 

His computer is propped up on the bed, and he’s sitting on the floor, frantically poking at his controller and shouting in dismay. 

Charles frowns at him. 

Maybe he needs to break up with Max, just for like five minutes, so that Max appreciates him more. It’s slightly drastic, maybe, but there is literally nothing wrong with the way Charles looks. Actually, he gets endless compliments on his body and face. 

He is so fuckable. 

He’s so fuckable it’s like a selling point. 

So why is staring at his loser boyfriend, pointedly not being fucked right now? 

It’s atrocious. It’s terrible. It’s a state of affairs that Charles finds, frankly, unacceptable. 

He gets up on his knees, crawling over to kneel behind Max’s computer, and then pokes his lip out into a pout. 

Max, like, barely glances up at him, gaze lingering on his bare chest for only a few seconds instead of the usual ten, and then he looks back down to his game, groaning loudly. 

“Yeah, I know,” he grunts into his microphone. “Sorry—got distracted for a second. Yeah, I know.” 

Charles frowns, which quickly turns into a pout again. He taps the top of Max’s laptop pointedly, and mouths, “Max.” 

Max flicks his eyes up to him again, then says, “Guys, once second.” 

He lifts his hands to the headset, presses whatever buttons he needs to press, then pushes the mic away from his mouth. 

“Everything okay?” he asks, not anywhere near concernedly enough for Charles. 

Charles blinks, thrown off by Max not immediately devouring him. 

“I want to cum,” he announces, deciding that a no nonsense approach will work best. 

Max stares at him, clearly perplexed, and then says, “Okay?” 

Charles huffs. There is something seriously wrong here. Maybe he should revisit the idea of breaking up with Max for a few minutes. 

“So?” Charles asks pointedly. 

“So . . . what? You don’t need my permission.” 

Max is an idiot. No, maybe Charles is an idiot, for falling in love with an idiot. 

He retreats to the bathroom to lick his wounds and stroke his humbled ego, but he doesn’t cum. 

He has way more pride than that. 

The next problem Charles encounters is that now he’s come to see the original problem, he sees it everywhere. 

He texts Max to ask him on a date on Wednesday, and Max says he’s busy, sends a love heart emoji, and then an hour later Charles gets a notification saying that a Redline stream has started. So what if he always streams on a Wednesday? Surely one time he could skip it. 

He surprises Max by coming around, bringing Max’s favourite take out for lunch and a brand new toy for the cats to keep them distracted while they have sex, but Max says he can’t hang out that day because he’s in the middle of a stream. So what if the stream is for charity? Charles is still banished to the lounge to eat and play with the cats alone. 

He shows up for their breakfast date, ready to burn the eggs and bake a doughy croissant, but Max answers the door with an apologetic look saying that he’s got to spend a few hours in the sim. And so what if the RB20 sucks and he’s trying to hold onto his Championship lead? 

Charles has needs, goddammit. Vigorous needs that involve him regularly drooling into a pillow and being fucked so good he can’t see, or fucking Max until he cries and begs to be allowed to cum. He doesn’t really care which way it goes, as long as someone’s dick is up someone’s ass. 

And they have a healthy sex life. They have a great sex life, based on the way their friends judge them for being unable to keep their hands off each other, or the times they’ve been walked in on, or the way Max had to put a firm ban on sex during race weekends when Charles had been uncomfortable in the car one too many times. 

He just wants more. He wants so much more, all the time, he wants to sleep with Max’s dick inside him and he wants to have dinner while Max is kneeling and slowly sucking his cock, he wants to have a plug left in his ass so he’s ready for Max at any time and he wants to fill Max with so much cum it leaks out of him. 

He’s ravenous, hungry, a black hole of want, and he knows none of that is reasonable but he wants it anyway. 

Begrudgingly, he settles for sex when they can manage it, but right now they could manage it a whole lot more.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

follower! bishops with an s/o that was apart of their cult but now runs a tea shop in the lambs cult?

Narinder

"Huh, so this is how my consort wastes the immortal life I've given them...by running a cutesy little tea shop in the cult of my traitorous vessel.."

"Good to see you, darling. Care for some chamomile tea?"

"....yes, I suppose I could indulge in some."

Narinder never thought this is what you've been up to after all this time: sitting in a cozy tent and selling specialty teas to followers who spent their hard-earned coin on refreshing drinks.

He thought you'd use your immortality necklace as a means of travelling the world and spreading his word after he was banished.

But nope. You settled down here with goals to live a comfortable life.

Although you didn't let him forget his cruelty to the other followers and Lamb..

"You wouldn't make me pay, would you?"

"I should charge you double...considering you threatened to kill all of us and Lamb once they've done your bidding." You reminded him, causing him to tense up.

"..I would have spared you-"

"Of course you say that now."

"S/o, please..I'm...."

"You're.....?"

"...I'm sorry." He finally relents.

".....you'll get this one for free, and maybe next time too if you show these followers more kindness." You kiss him on the cheek, passing a cup of tea into his paws.

He acts all huffy about being humbled by you, but from there on he's a little bit nicer to the other followers.

Leshy

You ran a small tea shop back in Darkwood. There was no ingredient that didn't make the perfect tea: peppermint, camelia, citrus..you name it.

After Leshy went blind, he got accustomed to every kind of smell from your shop. So when he stopped by, he always knew what you were brewing and would request some.

Of course, how could you deny him? Your beloved deserved a nice and calming drink in the chaos of his realm.

Unfortunately some of his fanatics obsessed with destruction began trashing your shop while you were out on a supply run.

You tried chasing them away, but got seriously wounded and had to flee for your life. Soon afterwards, Lamb found you and took you to their cult.

Leshy believed you to be dead.

So imagine his shock when he's indoctrinated and smells those familiar teas, immediately rushing to the source and discovering you're here and alive.

"S/o!! Where have you gone?! I thought I had lost you forever!!"

"It's okay, Leshy. I had to run away, but Lamb found me and saved my life. What ever happened to those raiders, by the way?"

"...I had them hung for your murder."

"....oh. Well, they're better off as bird food anyways. Come and sit, dear. I had to start back at square one, but I have every kind of tea flavor you love."

"Yes, of course....it's so good to hear your voice again, s/o."

"Likewise, Lesh."

Heket

Back in Anura, your tea shop helped her keep followers in line..specifically dissenters.

You used to slip mushrooms into teas and offer it as a "gift" to those who opposed her ruling.

And they'd do anything you wanted. Usually you left that to Heket, but as her consort you're allowed some liberties with brainwashed followers.

While she would make them eat dung or fast for the day, you'd tell them to go out into the world and advertise your tea shop to bring more people into the Anurian cult.

Or you'd make them do stupid things just for laughs.

When you were taken to Lamb's cult, Heket fully believed you were "stolen" and demanded your return, lest she starved their entire cult.

Of course, they don't. And she's killed, revived, defeated, and indoctrinated before she finally gets to see you again, promising they won't separate you anymore.

Obviously she's starving, but she beelines for you instead of the kitchen, wanting to see your face and make sure you were alright.

"Oh, my dearest Heket! How are you?"

"....hungry.....come with..."

You pout at her inability to talk for too long, though you join her for dinner, which she has with tea.

While it doesn't soothe any part of her severed vocal cords, it does help her calm down a lot.

Her only disappointment is that Lamb banned you from selling shroom-laced tea to their followers.

They weren't any fun.

Kallamar

Back in Anchordeep, you ran a small tea shop with drinks that could cure minor ailments, such as the common cold.

However, it often felt like Kallamar owned the shop instead.

You were only allowed to use specific ingredients and he told you to refuse any followers cursed with a sickness that he inflicted as punishment (indicated by a glowing green mark on their forehead).

You felt guilty every time you turned one away, but you had to listen to him..lest he shutdown your business.

It was a pain, and you couldn't take it anymore as you were losing more and more coin.

So when Lamb stopped by, you begged them to take you away from here.

Kallamar wasn't happy about that, putting all his focus into hindering Lamb's progress as he thinks they took you away.

Only when he becomes indoctrinated does he realize how wrong he was...

You had some rather venomous words for him. Words that you've been afraid to speak out loud when he was a godlike bishop.

Now you didn't have to hold back.

"I wanted Lamb to take me away, Kall. You were so controlling...trying to run my shop for me and make me refuse followers whose only crime was catching you on a bad day. You preached about how terrifying the Red Crown was, but honestly I was more afraid of you. I should refuse to serve you any of my healing teas so you know exactly how they felt."

He's 0.01 seconds away from having a breakdown, knowing you're absolutely right. You probably didn't love him anymore-

"...but I don't like watching others suffer when I know I can help them, even if they are scum. And part of me..still loves you. So if you wanna start over, we can. But only if you help me run this shop and listen to me."

"O-Of course! I'd love to assist you!" Kallamar managed to hold back the tears on this one, willing make up for how terrible he's been to you.

He lets you run the show, his only suggestion being that you adorned the shop's entrance with crystals to make it prettier (an idea that you accepted right away, showing you forgave him).

Shamura

They (quite literally) drop by your tea shop a lot, often surprising you.

But you enjoyed their company.

While having a drink, they'd chat with you about the latest knowledge they've discovered, some facts about war and ancient methods of combat, and/or how their day with their siblings went.

They could go on for hours, and you loved hearing it all.

They ensured your shop was well-protected, giving you some scorpions who acted like guard dogs.

When their brain got damaged by Narinder, they often forgot about your shop and stopped visiting as much.

You knew it wasn't their fault. But seeing them slowly start to neglect your feelings to yearn for their traitorous brother 24/7 hurt a lot. He's all they ever talked about anymore whenever they did remember to see you.

Eventually you angrily muttered how much you hated him...which was a huge mistake, as Shamura looked at you with the coldest eyes.

And commanded the scorpions to kill you.

You had to run away and were eventually saved by the Lamb.

With nothing but a small satchel of spare ingredients and tea bags with you, you started a new life in their cult, trying to accept that Shamura was too far gone to be helped.

Yet after they were indoctrinated, they immediately asked where you were and cried as you approached the pillory imprisoning them, believing you had been killed.

You realized they finally remembered you, and you wiped away their tears, offering them their favorite tea to jog their memories.

And at last...everything was alright again.

[hyperfixate-on-ninjas]

Based on this post right here

This is called the Ninjago Shuffle AU.

Basically I took every Ninjago Season including DR into a Spin the Wheel and shuffled the Seasons.

Order of the Shuffle

Legacy of the Green Ninja

Secrets of Forbidden Spinjitsu

DR Season 2

Master of the Mountain

Possession

Rebooted

Rise of the Snakes

Seabound

Skybound

DR Season 1

Hands of Time

Crystallized

Island of the Keepers

Tournament of Elements

March of the Oni

Sons of Garmadon

Hunted

(This is an interesting order of Seasons)

[THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FOR NINJAGO DR PART 2 SO LEAVE IF YOU MUST!]

Before I actually end up Rewriting all of the Seasons to fit into a coherent story, I first needed to rewrite the pilot era.

I do not consider the Pilot Era or the Specials a Season, so for the purposes of Story Telling, Pilot Era goes first before all the Seasons and Day of the Departed will always come after Skybound. (Which has a very interesting story of being turned into a SeaWalker Timeline somehow-)

So for the Pilot Era, here we go. In my notes I wrote everything down so here is the order of events.

Battle Between Spinjitsu Brothers

Battle Between Spinjitsu Brothers happens first, Garmadon tries to steal the Golden Weapons, Wu stops him, Garmadon gets banished into The Underworld. In this version of the story, Misako left Garmadon before he got banished so Wu is left alone with baby Lloyd.

Rather than send him to Darkleys, Wu tries to free his brother from The Underworld out of guilt and shame. And also because he knows he literally is too dependent on him at times (Based off of Krux’s line stating Garmadon usually had Wu’s back so basically Wu is just the dependent younger brother in this AU)

This spiral ultimately causes

The Merge

Yeah Wu done fricked up this time. Instead of causing the Merge years later he causes WAY TOO EARLY. The Merge happens and Wu is split into pieces, this alerts Garmadon who still remains in The Underworld after Wu causes the Merge, causing him to immediately deploy his army once the Merge is complete to scan the area and make a map of the new world.

Kai remains in Ninjago without Nya, Jay ends up in The Administration, Zane ends up in Imperium and Cole ends up in the Land of Lost Things. Lloyd remains in the Monastery, but after a while of people not tending to it, he ends up leaving to go search for food and stumbles upon Arin and Sora.

The Pilots

The Pilots start off with Kai as always, however due to his short temper and his weapons not selling well. (The Yo-Yo thing didn’t work out unfortunately) He leaves the Blacksmith shop to go find his sister (Since none of the residents sell Arin’s house/apartment it’s safe to assume no one will sell Kai and Nya’s home)

Kai becomes a street criminal, getting by through stealing food and money in order to survive and traveling the realms to get more information. Ultimately his actions get him into a bit of trouble and he ends up bumping into Cole, who helps him out and takes him back to the Monastery.

Cole introduces himself as the in-training Earth Ninja, being guided by ‘Guiding Light’ (Master Wu) and explains that Guiding Light told him to get Kai. Kai refuses, but thanks him for helping him survive another day, that’s when the Skulkin ambush the Monastery and reveal that Kai’s sister is in The Underworld.

After a few fights back from Cole and Guiding Light…somehow? Kai and Cole make it a mission to get the Four Golden Weapons. Kai does his training montage and boom they go to the Caves of Despair…which is kinda not in the same place it used to be. (But whatever lets just say the Skulkin dropped the damn map)

They go into the Caves of Despair, learn Spinjitsu (In this universe Cole learns it first because Kai’s a slow learner) Kai uses the Scythe of Quakes etc they celebrate.

Guiding Light scolds them of course but they barely take him seriously at times. (Mostly because I made it so that Wu now speaks Tinkerbell) But ultimately they are caught by the Administration for ‘unauthorized use of an unidentified weapon’

So yeah they get interrogated in The Administration, then they escape through elaborate means and high-chase breakout, also Jay reveal

They escape and head for the Shurikens of Ice. However, someone catches up to them first, and we get our Zane reveal, Zane as the leader of the Claws of Imperium. (YAH I DID THIS YOUR WELCOME) needs the Shurikens of Ice under the assumption that it has Dragon Power. (Technically it does)

Kai and Cole manage to get it anyway and speedrun the Nunchucks of Lightning. Most of what happens here is the same as the original pilot, except we don’t get any dialogue from Wu (Which means ‘There’s something I haven’t told you’ is quite literal here cause he can’t fricken speak) we don’t get Jay nor Zane and Garmadon gets Two of the Four Weapons. (All Four would kill him, so after he opens the portal he grabs the two that don’t have owners yet.)

Nya trains to be a Ninja instead of Samurai X because both her and Kai agree she needs really really good protection.

They discover the Green Ninja prophecy early but rather than worry about who was the Green Ninja, they’re more concerned when they realized there is one member not added yet. They decide to train some more so that they can be ready to map out the new world.

Significant changes (To storylines beyond the Pilots)

-Nya is now considered an official Ninja and Wu has no way of correcting them, so to them Nya is the 3rd Ninja, possibly even the Blue one since that’s her favorite color.

-Why is Zane evil? Zane actually showed up INSIDE Imperium surprisingly, and it was discovered by Dr LaRow that he was a robot and she opted to rewrite his programming and systems. So now he replaces Rapton as the Leader of the Claws of Imperium.

-Lloyd is officially Younger than Sora and Arin, for the sake of Story-telling purposes and continuity, but they are Younger than Kai and Cole. On that note:

-Kai, Cole and Nya are all adults at the start, as well as Zane and Jay.

-Ninja won’t get their Elemental Powers until Rebooted, which is gonna make DR Season 2 Interesting.

-Possibly SeaWalker instead of Jaya (Honestly Skybound is gonna be VERY interesting with Seabound Nya)

-Jay isn’t into Nya right away, since he’s now a very mature and very very tired man.

-We mostly don’t get the main four until maybe after DR Season 2.

[creature-wizard]

Some things associated with New Age that aren't inherently bad

Since this blog can get kinda heavy sometimes, and because there's some people out there who think that anything remotely adjacent to New Age is evil and must be banished forever, I figured I'd write something on elements it includes that aren't necessarily bad.

Its general concept of God and divinity

New Age beliefs typically posit that God, or Source, effectively split itself into many different souls in order to have different kinds of experiences. There's nothing wrong with this model of divinity in itself, since it doesn't by itself imply anything hateful or suggest any kind of action that might lead to harm. Where it gets messed up is when people start claiming that if you're suffering, it's because you deliberately chose to have this kind of experience before you incarnated. That's just victim blaming, and it's wrong.

Energy healing

Energy healing on its own is a harmless practice, and many people do report feeling better for doing it. Dismissing energy healing as inherently bad in itself would be like dismissing prayer for recovery as inherently bad. It's really not. The problem is always when people start believing they should only rely on energy healing or prayer, or fall into the belief that pharmaceutical medicine is sinful or an evil conspiracy.

Listening to relaxing tones

No, those "healing frequencies" probably won't cure any serious ailments. But that doesn't mean they can't make you feel more relaxed or help you focus. You don't have to subscribe to any specific belief system to listen to these audios.

Glossolalia

The New Age practice of speaking in light languages is a form of glossolalia, which basically involves relaxing and speaking whatever sounds immediately come to you. Doing it can be cathartic and relaxing, and you don't need to subscribe to any specific belief system to do it.

Tarot reading

Reading tarot cards doesn't require subscribing to any specific spiritual belief system. Nor do you even need to be spiritual at all; you can read tarot cards with the perspective that what you're doing is prompting your own mind to consider things from new angles.

Meditation

Meditation is known to have beneficial effects, and doing it doesn't require subscribing to any particular belief system. Yes, it's a problem when somebody subscribes meditation as a cure-all, or use it as a form of spiritual bypassing, but that's a problem with the teacher, not the practice itself.

Eating more plant foods

Provided you don't have any allergies or intolerances, eating more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and the like usually isn't a bad idea. The problem with New Age is when it effectively moralizes food by decreeing certain foods "high vibrational" or "low vibrational," or when it's pushing conspiracy theories about modern processed food items being intentionally poisoned to block our psychic abilities or keep us dependent on the healthcare system. And obviously, it's appallingly ableist to tell someone that they could cure a chronic illness by switching to an all-natural vegan diet or something.

Belief in aliens

It's a big universe, and it's not unreasonable to think we're not alone in it, and that maybe there's beings who are observing us. The problem is when belief in aliens becomes part of a conspiratorial worldview that scapegoats certain groups of people for the world's problems, displaces real history, and misuses other people's traditions and beliefs.

Belief that things can and will get better

To paraphrase Terry Pratchett's words in The Hogfather, we sometimes need to believe in things that aren't true (such as justice and mercy) so they can become true. Believing that things can change makes people feel like their efforts are worth something. Meanwhile, when everyone's got a doomer attitude nothing will change for the better because nobody will even try.

One problem with New Age's optimism in specific is that they tend to believe that things getting better is contingent on converting a large number of people to New Age spirituality, which includes getting them to accept a large number of conspiratorial beliefs that target and harm vulnerable minorities, and/or distort and erase the actual spiritual beliefs of people from different cultures (many of whom are marginalized minorities and/or have been severely harmed by colonialism already).

Another problem is when you get the whole 5D ascension thing going on. 5D ascension is basically the New Age version of the Rapture, and just like the Rapture, it's always said to be right around the corner, but it never materializes. (If you'd like examples, here are predictions for 2012 and 2015.) Very concerningly, New Agers often list a number of physical and mental health symptoms as "ascension symptoms." They were claiming this as far back as the 2010s, when December 31, 2012 was supposed to be the big day. (Here's an example.)

Basically, hope and belief that things can get better is important - but it's also important not to hang our hopes (and medical decisions) on supernatural predictions that have already failed multiple times.

Wanting to promote compassion and understanding between people

This is a great thing to want! The problem with New Age isn't that they want to spread peace and harmony, but rather the way they want to do it without really listening to the people they supposedly want to help. You can't, for example, genuinely fight colonialism if you're engaging in cultural appropriation and misrepresenting their spiritual traditions - you're an active part of the problem. Promoting compassion and understanding begins with you shutting up, listening, and learning without imposing your own preconceptions or reacting from your ego. You're not doing this if you're looking for mythology to project aliens onto, or dismissing anything you don't want to hear as a conspiracy.

And here's some critical thinking tips before you go

When you're evaluating any belief system or practice, it's always important to remember that belief and practice are not the same thing. Most of the time the practices are harmless in and of themselves; the actual danger comes from the conspiratorial and morally polarized worldviews many practitioners also subscribe to. Nobody's ever died from putting rose quartz in their room or getting a reiki session. They have died from refusing evidence-based medical care because someone convinced them that the health care industry is a scam and will also separate them from Source.

When it comes to beliefs themselves, ask yourself what kind of narratives they're upholding. If they basically promote the same kind of conspiratorial narratives used by Nazis, witch hunters, or far right Christians to justify their hatred and violence, that's a pretty strong sign that this belief is bullshit. But of course, there's a pretty stark difference between believing that aliens could be out there, and believing blood-drinking reptiles have invaded the Earth.